bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tracking a Marine Ecotourism Star: Movements of the Short Ocean SunfishMola ramsayiin Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Authors: Thys Tierney , Ryan John P. , Weng Kevin C. , Erdmann Mark , Tresnati Joeharnani
Published: August 2016

Ocean sunfishes, Molidae, comprise the world’s heaviest bony fishes. They include the short mola,Mola ramsayi(Giglioli 1883), an important tourist draw at Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan, Bali, where SCUBA divers can observe ectoparasite-laden individuals being cleaned by smaller reef fishes. Despite widespread appeal, little is known about these fishes relative to regional oceanography. We present the first behavioral information for this species anywhere in the world. Satellite tag data indicate a wide thermal range (10–27.5°C) with depth occupation mostly (95%) in the upper 250 m and habitat preference near the bottom of the warm surface layer. One tag popped off as scheduled after 6 months off Nusa Penida, <10 km from its original deployment. The 3 other tags popped off prematurely: 747 km southeast 89 days after deployment; 142 km south after 7 days of deployment; and 162 km south after 24 days of deployment. Amid mounting tourist pressures and bycatch ofM. ramsayiin eastern regions of Indonesia, such as Alor, behavioral information of this species is essential for effective management and conservation of this valuable marine ecotourism asset.
Isolation and Metagenomic Identification of Avian Leukosis Virus Associated with Mortality in Broiler Chicken
Authors: Bande Faruku , Arshad Siti Suri , Omar Abdul Rahman
Published: August 2016

Avian leukosis virus (ALV) belongs to the family Retroviridae and causes considerable economic losses to the poultry industry. Following an outbreak associated with high mortality in a broiler flock in northern part of Malaysia, kidney tissues from affected chickens were submitted for virus isolation and identification in chicken embryonated egg and MDCK cells. Evidence of virus growth was indicated by haemorrhage and embryo mortality in egg culture. While viral growth in cell culture was evidenced by the development of cytopathic effects. The isolated virus was purified by sucrose gradient and identified using negative staining transmission electron microscopy. Further confirmation was achieved through next-generation sequencing and nucleotide sequence homology search. Analysis of the viral sequences using the NCBI BLAST tool revealed 99-100% sequence homology with exogenous ALV viral envelope protein. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial envelope sequences showed the Malaysian isolate clustered with Taiwanese and Japanese ALV strains, which were closer to ALV subgroup J, ALV subgroup E, and recombinant A/E isolates. Based on these findings, ALV was concluded to be associated with the present outbreak. It was recommended that further studies should be conducted on the molecular epidemiology and pathogenicity of the identified virus isolate.
Genetic Association of CHAT rs3810950 and rs2177369 Polymorphisms with the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Yong , Chen Qicong , Liu Xu , Dou Mengmeng , Li Silu , Zhou Jiahui , Liu Hong , Wu Yongfu , Huang Zunnan
Published: August 2016

Choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) rs3810950 and rs2177369 polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Due to the inconsistent results from previous studies, a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the association between these polymorphisms and AD risk more precisely. Pooled results of our meta-analysis indicated CHAT rs2177369 polymorphism was correlated with decreasing AD risk in one of five genetic models (dominant: OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.62–0.96), while rs3810950 mutant was associated with AD development in three models (allelic: OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01–1.37, homozygous: OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.09–2.42, and recessive: OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.20–2.26). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the association between CHAT rs3810950 polymorphism and AD risk was just found in the recessive model (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.05–2.07) among Caucasians, while four genetic models (allelic: OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01–1.48; homozygous: OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.48–3.39; dominant: OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06–1.40; and recessive: OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.45–3.29) assumed this association in Asians. In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated CHAT rs2177369 polymorphism might play a protective role in AD, while rs3810950 variant was a risk factor for AD but its single heterozygous mutations might not influence susceptibility to AD.
Direitos humanos, os Baha'is eo Oriente Médio: entrevista de Marcos Alan S. V. Ferreira e Flavio Rassek ao boletim Malala
Authors: Ferreira Marcos Alan S. V. , Rassek Flavio , Finguerut Ariel
Published: August 2016

Direitos humanos, os Baha'is eo Oriente Médio: entrevista de Marcos Alan S. V. Ferreira e Flavio Rassek ao boletim Malala. Entrevista realizada por Ariel Finguerut.
Um diário viking sueco em Dubai
Authors: Ausenius Katarina
Published: August 2016

TRADUÇÃO: DANIELLA KOHNEN ABRAMOVAY.
A França e o Islã: análise de uma relação
Authors: Albala Adrián , Burni Aline
Published: August 2016

Por muito tempo, a sociedade francesa não parecia atribuir ao islã o papel negativo que ele parece ter hoje. A evolução recente das percepções é, destarte, o fruto de uma mudança nas considerações sociais e políticas, acentuadas pela perda de dinamismo econômico e o declínio da influência do país no cenário internacional. O artigo demonstra um descolamento das percepções de temática conexas ao Islã, precisamente a partir de 2007, resultado de uma absorção crescente de uma parte significativa da sociedade francesa pelas teses lepenistas.
Change in Neighborhood Characteristics and Change in Coronary Artery Calcium
Authors: Wing Jeffrey J. , August Ella , Adar Sara D. , Dannenberg Andrew L. , Hajat Anjum , Sánchez Brisa N. , Stein James H. , Tattersall Matthew C. , Diez Roux Ana V.
Published: August 2016

Background:

Although some evidence shows that neighborhood deprivation is associated with greater subclinical atherosclerosis, prior studies have not identified what aspects of deprived neighborhoods were driving the association.

Methods:

We investigated whether social and physical neighborhood characteristics are related to the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in 5950 adult participants of the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) during a 12-year follow-up period. We assessed subclinical disease using coronary artery calcium (CAC). Neighborhood features examined included density of recreational facilities, density of healthy food stores, and survey-based measures of availability of healthy foods, walking environment, and social environment. We used econometric fixed-effects models to investigate how change in a given neighborhood exposure is related to simultaneous change in subclinical atherosclerosis.

Results:

Increases in density of neighborhood healthy food stores were associated with decreases in CAC (mean changes in CAC Agatston units per 1-SD increase in neighborhood exposures, −19.99; 95% confidence interval, −35.21 to −4.78) after adjustment for time-varying demographic confounders and computed tomography scanner type. This association remained similar in magnitude after additional adjustment for time-varying behavioral risk factors and depression. The addition of time-varying biomedical factors attenuated associations with CAC slightly (mean changes in CAC per 1-SD increase in neighborhood exposures, −17.60; 95% confidence interval, −32.71 to −2.49). Changes across time in other neighborhood measures were not significantly associated with within-person change in CAC.

Conclusions:

Results from this longitudinal study provide suggestive evidence that greater access to neighborhood healthy food resources may slow the development of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged and older adults.
Infestation by Octolasmis bullata (Aurivillius, 1894) (Cirripedia, Thoracica) of Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) (Brachyura, Portunidae), and possible interactions with Diplothylacus sinensis (Keppen, 1877) (Cirripedia, Rhizocephala)
Authors: Yuan Tao-Ping , Yang Chang-Ping , Li Heng-Xiang , Li Lu , Wang Hui , Xu Jing , Yan Yan
Published: August 2016

Specimens of the commercially important crab Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) were collected monthly in Honghai Bay, P. R. China and examined for the presence of two barnacles: the Lepadomorpha Octolasmis bullata (Aurivillius, 1894) and the Rhizocephala Diplothylacus sinensis (Keppen, 1877). O. bullata was observed in the branchial chambers and prevalence of their infestation varied in the monthly collections. High prevalence occurred in the time from June to August and from October to February. The mean intensity of O. bullata was 23.33 ± 18.91 barnacles per infested host, showing higher intensity in larger crabs. The parasite D. sinensis was observed on host surfaces with externae or scars, and their prevalence was high in winter and low in summer. Crabs parasitized by D. sinensis showed a heavier fouling by O. bullata than the non-parasitized crabs. Larger crabs were more vulnerable to the infestation of O. bullata and the parasitism of D. sinensis. Thus, interaction of O. bullata and D. sinensis may cause synergistic effects on the host’s health. Due to the great economic importance of the crab, attention should be paid to this relationship.
Thyroid Functional Disease and Mortality in a National Peritoneal Dialysis Cohort
Authors: Rhee Connie M. , Ravel Vanessa A. , Streja Elani , Mehrotra Rajnish , Kim Steven , Wang Jiaxi , Nguyen Danh V. , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Brent Gregory A. , Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar
Published: August 2016

Context and Objective:

End-stage renal disease patients have a higher risk of thyroid disease compared with those without kidney disease. Although thyroid dysfunction is associated with higher death risk in the general population and those undergoing hemodialysis, little is known about the effect of thyroid disease upon mortality in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Design, Setting, Participants, and Main Outcome:

We examined the association of thyroid status, assessed by serum TSH, with all-cause mortality among PD patients from a large national dialysis organization who underwent one or more TSH measurements over 5 years (January 2007 to December 2011). Thyroid status was categorized as overt-hyperthyroid, subclinical-hyperthyroid, low-normal, high-normal, subclinical-hypothyroid, and overt-hypothyroid range (TSH < 0.1, 0.1–<0.5, 0.5–<3.0, 3.0–<5.0, 5.0–<10.0, and ≥10.0 mIU/L, respectively). We examined the association between TSH and mortality using case mix–adjusted time-dependent Cox models to assess short-term thyroid function–mortality associations and to account for changes in thyroid function over time.

Results:

Among 1484 patients, 7 and 18% had hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, respectively, at baseline. We found that both lower and higher time-dependent TSH levels were associated with higher mortality (reference: TSH, 0.5–<3.0 mIU/L): adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) 2.09 (1.08–4.06), 1.53 (0.87–2.70), 1.05 (0.75–1.46), 1.63 (1.11–2.40), and 3.11 (2.08–4.63) for TSH levels, <0.1, 0.1–<0.5, 0.5–<3.0, 3.0–<5.0, 5.0–<10.0, and ≥10.0 mIU/L, respectively.

Conclusion:

Time-dependent TSH levels < 0.1 mIU/L and ≥ 5.0 mIU/L were associated with higher mortality, suggesting hyper- and hypothyroidism carry short-term risk in PD patients. Additional studies are needed to determine mechanisms underlying the thyroid dysfunction–mortality association, and whether normalization of TSH with treatment ameliorates mortality in this population.
Degrees of Public Relevance
Authors: Leypoldt Günter
Published: August 2016

How can we relate the quantitative presence of literary artifacts to their ability to make a difference, and how does the problem of scale define public accounts of what can be considered relevant literary value? The idea of a singular space of reception (one literary “marketplace,” say, or one “public sphere”) is unhelpful. Rather, literary artifacts have potentially multiple social lives that differ in their relation to “sacralized” and “everyday” practices. An aesthetic object can thrive in many simultaneous or successive practice spaces that use and value it differently and that embed it in differing sites of authority. Moving from the Romantic period to the present, this article looks at the trajectories of Walter Scott as an earlier and Toni Morrison as a recent candidate for culturally relevant authorship.
Turbulent Flow
Authors: Long Hoyt , So Richard Jean
Published: August 2016

This article uses computational modeling and large-scale pattern detection to develop a theory of global textual transmission as a process of turbulent flow. Specifically, it models stream-of-consciousness narration as a discrete set of linguistic features and rhetorical elements and uses this model to track the movement of this modernist technique across generic boundaries (from anglophone modernism to more popular genres) and linguistic ones (from English to Japanese). Oscillating between statistical models and moments of close reading, the article shows how a quantitatively scaled-up approach, rather than reinforcing an image of global textual flows as singular and monolithic, illuminates world literature as a system constituted by patterns of divergence in structure and of difference in sameness.
Everything and Less
Authors: McGurl Mark
Published: August 2016

What does it mean to think of the rise of Amazon.com as an event in contemporary literary history? This essay analyzes the literary practices and programs “organic” to the Amazon digital ecology, including Kindle Direct Publishing, and then asks how the entrepreneurial logic, ethos, and temporality of “customer service” might be taken as the dominant logic of contemporary fiction as such.
From Bandit Cell Phones to Branding the Nation: Three Moments of Shanzhai in WTO-era China
Authors: Yang Fan
Published: August 2016

This article examines three significant moments of the shanzhai discourse in WTO-era China. Literally referring to a “mountain fortress” occupied by antiofficial bandits, shanzhai is a new term for wide-ranging knockoff products and copycat media forms. Often invoking Robin-Hood-like righteousness, it connotes a sense of defiance against the globalizing intellectual property rights regime. My account traces shanzhai's rise in the informal mobile phones sector in southern China to its proliferation on the Internet and its representation on state-run television. The discursive formation of shanzhai, I argue, makes visible an imaginary of collectivity, one that disrupts the state's continuous claim to “the nation” as a signifier for “the people.” To realign the national interest with that of “the people,” state media reshapes the shanzhai discourse by separating “shanzhai economy” from “shanzhai culture.” While the fixation of the former as “the illicit” and “the fake” allows the state to re-emerge as a protector of the people, the acknowledgment of the latter reinserts the state as a leader who can direct the energy of “the people” toward national progress. The meaning-making capacity of shanzhai is thus reworked to fit with a value-making notion of creativity so as to be channeled into a developmental force suitable for building the nation's own brands. The ideological struggles manifested in these shanzhai moments call for new perspectives in understanding the Chinese state's operation in globalization.
Quality of surgical care of pancreatic cancer in a single payer North American health care system
Authors: Hurton Scott , Urquhart Robin , Kendall Cynthia , Jorgensen Margaret , Porter Geoff , Levy Adrian , Molinari Michele
Published: August 2016

Introduction: Quality of surgical care of Canadian patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) is inadequately known. Primary aim of this study was to analyze the quality of care received by patients who underwent resections of PC in Nova Scotia over a 10-year period (2001-2011).

Methods: All patients with PC (n. 1094) were identified using provincial cancer registries and only adult patients with resectable disease were included in the study (n. 109). Well established disease-specific quality indicators (QIs) were used as references. The proportion of patients who met those QIs was calculated. The average and 95 % confidence intervals of QIs were compared between patients treated in Nova Scotia and published references.

Results: Surgical therapy was performed in 9.9 % of patients. Perioperative morbidity and mortality occurred in 25 % and 5 % of patients respectively. Overall survival was 57 % at 1 year, 18 % at 3 year and 9 % at 5 year. R1 resections occurred in 38 % of patients. When compared to published quality measures, patients in Nova Scotia had similar outcomes except for an inferior number of lymph nodes found in the surgical specimens (9 vs. 19; P<0.05). On the other hand, a significant proportion of patients did not fully meet several QIs linked to preoperative, surgical pathology and postoperative care. 

Conclusions: In Nova Scotia, the proportion of patients who underwent surgery for PC was lower than expected. Although perioperative morbidity, mortality and survival rates were comparable to published references, many did not meet established standard QIs.
EDUCAÇÃO NÃO ESCOLAR: DISCUSSÃO TERMINOLÓGICA E MAPEAMENTO DOS FUNDAMENTOS DAS TENDÊNCIAS
Authors: Martins Marcos Francisco
Published: August 2016

O artigo problematiza as terminologias que são empregadas para denominar processos educativos desenvolvidos fora da escola e apresenta um mapeamento das tendências que eles seguem a partir dos fundamentos filosóficos que guardam, sustentado no materialismo histórico-dialético. Utiliza referências bibliográficas para sustentar o argumento de que não é neutra ética e politicamente a discussão terminológica e que a educação escolar e não escolar são determinadas e determinantes da vida social, porque operam com o modo de produção e de reprodução do ser social uma relação de tipo histórico-dialética, da qual resultam identidades entre as tendências que as orientam.
COMUNIDADES TRADICIONAIS E PRECONCEITO: SUBSÍDIOS PARA A FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES
Authors: Villela Fábio Fernandes
Published: August 2016

Este texto tem por objetivo apresentar os resultados da pesquisa que possibilitou investigar as representações sociais do preconceito contra a origem geográfica e de lugar em alunos de escolas de meio rural, com a finalidade principal de aprimorar a formação de professores (Cf. Autor, 2013-2015). No contexto da macrorregião de São José do Rio Preto (SP), são relevantes as representações sociais sobre os “caipiras”, de modo que este projeto colabora na elaboração de pesquisas interessadas na descrição e na compreensão de processos envolvendo relações entre o preconceito, a educação e o mundo rural, especialmente das comunidades tradicionais denominadas “caipiras”. Esta pesquisa possibilitou, com relação à formação de professores, problematizar a perspectiva da contra-hegemonia cultural; inferir que se deve trabalhar o preconceito contra a origem geográfica e de lugar como elemento de constituição da humanização do educando; e teorizar a formação na perspectiva da
Validity of parents’ evaluation of developmental status (PEDS) in detecting developmental disorders in 3-12 month old infants
Authors: Gustawan I Wayan , Soetjiningsih Soetjiningsih , Machfudz Soeroyo
Published: August 2016

Background Early detection of development disorder is an effort to recognize disorders in every developmental stage. Parents’ concern can be helpful in identifying children in need of assessment and can be used as a prescreening test to reduce the number of children who require formal screening.Objective To examine diagnostic value of parents’ evaluation of developmental status (PEDS) instrument in order to determine developmental disorders in infant.Methods One hundred and seventy infants, 3-12 months old who visited Pediatric Outpatient Clinic were recruited. The parents filled in the PEDS questionnaire and the results were compared with those of Bayley Scales of Infant Development Second Edition (BSID-II) as a gold standard. The diagnostic properties of PEDS were then calculated.Results PEDS showed a sensitivity of 83.9% (95% CI 67.8 to 93.8), a specificity of 81.3% (95% CI 74.2 to 87.1), a positive predictive value of 50.0% (95% CI 40.6 to 59.4), a negative predictive value of 95.8% (95% CI 91.2 to 98.0), a likelihood ratio positive of 4.5 (95% CI 3.1 to 6.6), a likelihood ratio negative of 0.2 (95% CI 0.1 to 0.4), a pre-test probability of 18.2% and a post-test probability of 49.9% (95% CI 40.6 to 59.3).Conclusion PEDS can be used as an initial screening test to detect developmental disorders in 3-12 month infants. [Paediatr Indones. 2010;50:6-10].
Does Simple Steatosis Affect Liver Regeneration after Partial Hepatectomy in Rats?
Authors: Garnol Tomáš , Kučera Otto , Staňková Pavla , Lotková Halka , Červinková Zuzana
Published: August 2016

Aim: The aim of our study was to assess whether simple steatosis impairs liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PHx) in rats. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a standard diet (ST-1, 10% kcal fat) and high-fat diet (HFD, 71% kcal fat) for 6 weeks. Then the rats were submitted to 2/3 PHx and animals were sacrificed 24, 48 or 72 h after PHx. Serum biochemistry, respiration of mitochondria in liver homogenate, hepatic oxidative stress markers, selected cytokines and DNA content were measured, and histopathological samples were prepared. Liver regeneration was evaluated by incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to hepatocyte DNA. Results: HFD induced simple microvesicular liver steatosis. PHx caused elevation of serum markers of liver injury in both groups; however, an increase in these parameters was delayed in HFD group. Hepatic content of reduced glutathione was significantly increased in both groups after PHx. There were no significant changes in activities of respiratory complexes I and II (state 3). Relative and absolute liver weights, total DNA content, and DNA synthesis exerted very similar changes in both ST-1 and HFD groups after PHx. Conclusion: PHx-induced regeneration of the rat liver with simple steatosis was not significantly affected when compared to the lean liver.
Phytoextraction of cadmium and lead by three vegetable-crop plants
Authors: Ali Syed Yakub , Banerjee Sambhu Nath , Chaudhury Shibani
Published: August 2016

Phytoextraction, is an effective and promising means to cure soil contamination with heavy metals. The present study investigates the ability of three vegetables plants for removal of heavy metals from the contaminated soil and metal mobilization to different plant parts. The three plants selected for the study, Momordica charantia, Vigna unguiculata and Solanum melongena were grown for 90 days in soils artificially contaminated with cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) (50mg metal/kg of soil). The concentrations of the two metals were observed to be higher in roots of M. charantia and V. unguiculata than in soil, but root Pb level of S. melongena was slightly lower than that of soil after 90 days. Translocation potential of the heavy metals indicated higher accumulation of Cd in roots of M. charantia and S. melongena than in leaves while the pattern was completely opposite in V. unguiculata.  Lead accumulation was higher in roots than in leaves for all the three plant species studied. The Translocation Factor (TF) of Cd for the three plants was in the range of 1.16 to 2.29 whereas, TF values of Pb remained <1, indicating that only small amount of Pb was translocated from roots to aerial parts.
The proteasome and epigenetics: zooming in on histone modifications
Authors: Bach Svitlana V. , Hegde Ashok N.
Published: August 2016

The proteasome is a structural complex of many proteins that degrades substrates marked by covalent linkage to ubiquitin. Many years of research has shown a role for ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated proteolysis in synaptic plasticity and memory mainly in degrading synaptic, cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins. Recent work indicates that the proteasome has wider proteolytic and non-proteolytic roles in processes such as histone modifications that affect synaptic plasticity and memory. In this review, we assess the evidence gathered from neuronal as well as non-neuronal cell types regarding the function of the proteasome in positive or negative regulation of posttranslational modifications of histones, such as acetylation, methylation and ubiquitination. We discuss the critical roles of the proteasome in clearing excess histone proteins in various cellular contexts and the possible non-proteolytic functions in regulating transcription of target genes. In addition, we summarize the current literature on diverse chromatin-remodeling machineries, such as histone acetyltransferases, deacetylates, methyltransferases and demethylases, as targets for proteasomal degradation across experimental models. Lastly, we provide a perspective on how proteasomal regulation of histone modifications may modulate synaptic plasticity in the nervous system.
Altered pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone in a mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Kulkarni Nagaraj M. , Malampati Sandeep , Mahat Mahamad Yunnus A. , Chandrasekaran S. , Raghul J. , Khan Ansar Ali , Krishnan Uma Maheswari , Narayanan Shridhar
Published: August 2016

Background:

Severe forms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) adversely affect the liver physiology and hence the pharmacokinetics of drugs. Here, we investigated the effect of NAFLD on the pharmacokinetics of rosiglitazone, an insulin sensitizer used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Methods:

Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups. The first group (n=14) was fed with normal chow feed and the second group (n=14) was fed with 60% high-fat diet (HFD) and 40% high fructose liquid (HFL) for 60 days to induce NAFLD. The development of NAFLD was confirmed by histopathology, liver triglyceride levels and biochemical estimations, and used for pharmacokinetic investigations. Rosiglitazone was administered orally at 30 mg/kg dose. At predetermined time points, blood was collected and rosiglitazone concentrations were determined using LC/MS/MS. Plasma concentrations were subjected to non-compartmental analysis using Phoenix WinNonlin (6.3), and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) was calculated by the linear-up log-down method.

Results:

HFD and HFL diet successfully induced NAFLD in mice. Rosiglitazone pharmacokinetics in NAFLD animals were altered significantly as compared to healthy mice. Rosiglitazone exposure increased significantly in NAFLD mice (2.5-fold higher AUC than healthy mice). The rosiglitazone oral clearance was significantly lower and the mean plasma half-life was significantly longer in NAFLD mice as compared to healthy mice.

Conclusions:

The NAFLD mouse model showed profound effects on rosiglitazone pharmacokinetics. The magnitude of change in rosiglitazone pharmacokinetics is similar to that observed in humans with moderate to severe liver disease. The present animal model can be utilized to study the NAFLD-induced changes in the pharmacokinetics of different drugs.
Aqueous Phase Biosorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) onto Cabbage Leaves Powder
Authors: Kamar Firas Hashim , Nechifor Aurelia Cristina , Nechifor Gheorghe , Al-Musawi Tariq J. , Mohammed Asem Hassan
Published: August 2016

In this study, the biosorption of lead (Pb(II)), copper (Cu(II)), and cadmium (Cd(II)) ions from aqueous solution using waste of cabbage leaves powder (CLP) was investigated as a function of pH, shaking time, initial metal concentration, and biosorbent dose. The maximum removal efficiency at optimum condition in single biosorption system was 95.67, 92.42, and 88.92 % for Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions, respectively. These values reduced in ternary systems in the same sequence. Langmuir and extended Langmuir isotherm models were found to be the best fit of the isotherm data for single and ternary biosorption systems, respectively. The kinetic data of the three metals were better fit by the pseudo-second-order model with higher coefficient of determination and more closely predicted uptake. In addition, the results showed that the intraparticle diffusion was the dominating mechanism. Thermodynamic study showed that the biosorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) onto CLP was a chemical reaction which was exothermic in nature. Finally, SEM image shows that CLP has a number of heterogeneous small pores while the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis showed that the carboxyl, amine, and hydroxyl groups are the major groups that are responsible for the biosorption process.
Potential analysis for research on occupational therapy-led physical exercise programmes and home environment adaptation programmes to prevent falls for elderly people living at home / Potenzialanalyse zu ergotherapeutischen körperlichen Trainingsprogrammen und Wohnraumanpassungen zur Vermeidung von Stürzen bei zu Hause lebenden älteren Menschen
Authors: Müller Christian , Lautenschläger Sindy , Voigt-Radloff Sebastian
Published: August 2016

Background

In Germany, four to five million community-dwelling people aged 65 years or older fall every year. The presented potential analysis evaluates the potential of occupational therapy-led physical exercise programs and home environment adaptations to reduce the frequency of falling and as well as intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for falling of older people living at home.

Methods

The potential analysis was compiled according to a method guideline (p.11-22) available as follows: http://www.cochrane. de/news/leitfaden-f%C3%BCr-gesundheitsfachberufe-mai-2013. The research question of fall prevention was considered as very relevant for health care and specified according to the PICOS-system. A Cochrane review was systematically searched and the body of evidence was assessed using the GRADE-system. In addition, studies after the search period of the Cochrane review were identified using the search strategy of this review. Both the studies within and after the review were assessed regarding their transferability to the German health care context.

Corpus of evidence

A Cochrane review from 2012 revealed that occupational therapy-led physical exercise programs reduced the frequency of falling of older people living at home (7 studies, 951 participants, 0.68 RaR; 95%-KI [0.58-0.80]), the number of fallers (6 studies, 714 participants, 0.78 RaR, 95%-KI [0.64-0.94]) and the fractures (6 studies, 810 participants, 0.34 RaR, 95%-KI [0.18-0.63]). Further studies showed that home environment adaptation programs significantly reduced the number of falls (4 studies, 1443 participants, 0.69 RaR, 95%-KI [0.55-0.86]) and the number of fallers (5 studies, 1153 participants, 0.79 RaR, 95%-KI [0.70-0.91]). However, direct implementation into the German healthcare context is not recommendable.

Implication for research

It is recommended (1) to manualise identified home environment adaptation programmes for the German healthcare context and (2) to pilot-test the physical exercise programmes ‘LiFE’ with regard to theoretical framework, acceptance, applicability and feasibility and to examine both interventions as part of a feasibility study. If this trial results in a feasible treatment programme well accepted by patients and their treating occupational therapists, a large-scaled randomized clinical trial in terms of comparative effectiveness research may follow.
Scattered data fitting by minimal surface
Authors: Hao Yong-Xia , Lu Dianchen
Published: August 2016

The goal of this paper is to develop a computational model for obtaining the fitting surface
to the given scattered data with minimal area. The basic idea of the model is to utilize the
B-spline and area minimization. The model is turned into a Tikhonov regularization model finally.
By choosing the regularization parameters with the L-curve criterion and the GCV method, respectively,
numerical experiments indicate that the model can provide an acceptable compromise between the
minimization of the data mismatch term and the area of the surface.
Charitable Solicitations Regulation and the Principles of Regulatory Disclosure
Authors: Barber Putnam , Farwell Megan M.
Published: August 2016

Today, many regulators’ operations publish information derived from registration and reporting by charitable organizations and commercial fundraising firms. Similar publication is found in a variety of situations – restaurant sanitation notices and hospital re-infection rates, among many others. Recent scholarship has explored the theory of regulatory disclosure, identifying how required disclosures can influence organizational behavior and potentially improve public welfare. An important feature of this theory is the “action cycle,” in which a requirement to disclose information about a process or product shapes consumers’ choices, in turn inducing suppliers to modify their behavior in a desired direction. In this paper, we sketch briefly three widespread approaches that have at different times characterized the regulators’ efforts, describe some of the inherent difficulties that regulators, whether independent or governmental, will encounter in connection with charitable activities, and explore the potential for constraining or eliminating abusive practices by required public disclosure of related information.
Ernährung und Depression: Die MooDFOOD Präventions-Studie
Authors: Kohls Elisabeth , Dogan Ezgi , Hegerl Ulrich
Published: August 2016

In einer aktuellen Europäischen Studie (MooDFOOD) wird die präventive Wirkung von Nahrungsergänzungsmitteln und einer gezielten psychologischen Ernährungsberatung auf Depression untersucht. Die Ergebnisse sollen genutzt werden, um eine innovative und wirksame Public-Health Ernährungsstrategie zur Vorbeugung von Depression zu entwickeln.
The policy battle over information and digital policy regulation: a canadian perspective
Authors: Geist Michael
Published: August 2016

Many countries find their information and digital policies still dominated by traditional stakeholders, particularly the content industry, major telecom companies, and marketing groups, yet Canada has experienced a notable shift in perspective with a strong and influential public interest voice. This shift toward public interest and participation in the development of Canadian information and digital policies has led to legislation, regulation, and policy outcomes that once seemed highly unlikely. This Article seeks to better understand the changing role of the public in Canadian information and digital policymaking by framing the developments as an ongoing policy development process featuring a series of closely linked changes and responses. The emergence of public participation on information and digital policy issues occurred across a spectrum of issues, yet the traits were strikingly similar: grassroots efforts reliant on social media and the Internet to capture media and public attention and focus it on consumer perspectives, minimal interest from government and regulators; and initial dismissal giving way to hostility from incumbent stakeholders. The Article identifies some of the reasons behind the shift, including the growing importance of information and digital policies, the impact of digital advocacy tools, and the shifting policy pyramid in which users have now largely leapfrogged corporate interests as policy influencers. While the shift does not mean the public interest wins on every issue, it does suggest an important change in influence with long-term ramifications for the development of information and digital policy in Canada that others may seek to emulate.
Platform neutrality: enhancing freedom of expression in spheres of private power
Authors: Pasquale Frank
Published: August 2016

Troubling patterns of suppressed speech have emerged on the corporate internet. A large platform may marginalize (or entirely block) potential connections between audiences and speakers. Consumer protection concerns arise, for platforms may be marketing themselves as open, comprehensive, and unbiased, when they are in fact closed, partial, and self-serving. Responding to protests, the accused platform either asserts a right to craft the information environment it desires, or abjures responsibility, claiming to merely reflect the desires and preferences of its user base. Such responses betray an opportunistic commercialism at odds with the platforms’ touted social missions. Large platforms should be developing (and holding themselves to) more ambitious standards for promoting expression online, rather than warring against privacy, competition, and consumer protection laws. These regulations enable a more vibrant public sphere. They also defuse the twin specters of monopolization and total surveillance, which are grave threats to freedom of expression.
Freedom to tinker
Authors: Samuelson Pamela
Published: August 2016

Tinkering with technologies and other human-made artifacts is a longstanding practice. Freedom to tinker has largely existed without formal legal recognition. Tinkering has typically taken place in an unregulated zone within which people were at liberty to act unobstructed by others so long as they did not harm others. The main reason why it now seems desirable to articulate some legal principles about freedom to tinker and why it needs to be preserved is because freedom to tinker is being challenged by some legal developments. This Article explains that user-innovators have traditionally had considerable freedom to tinker under trade secrecy, patent, and trademark laws. Although copyright law permits a modest degree of tinkering with existing products, it restricts freedom to tinker more than other IP laws. Copyright law and sometimes contract law place substantial constraints on user rights to tinker with and modify computer programs and other digital works. These constraints are of particular concern to tinkerers because computer programs are embedded in such a wide range of technologies these days. This Article offers suggestions about how and why the law should protect a zone of freedom to tinker for socially beneficial purposes.
Technological neutrality: recalibrating copyright in the information age
Authors: Craig Carys J
Published: August 2016

This Article aims to draw the connection between how we conceptualize legal rights over information resources and our capacity to develop technologically neutral legal norms in the information age. More specifically, it identifies and critically examines three competing approaches to the idea of technological neutrality apparent in copyright jurisprudence. Ultimately, it is argued that true technological neutrality requires not simply the seamless expansion of legal rights into new technological contexts, but the careful, contextual recalibration of rights and interests in light of shifting values and changing circumstances. As a normative principle, technological neutrality in copyright law thus demands a nuanced and relational understanding of the rights at play, and the social values that they seek to foster as technologies evolve.
Intellectual property, antitrust, and the rule of law: between private power and state power
Authors: Katz Ariel
Published: August 2016

This Article explores the rule of law aspects of the intersection between intellectual property and antitrust law. Contemporary discussions and debates on intellectual property (IP), antitrust, and the intersection between them are typically framed in economically oriented terms. This Article, however, shows that there is more law in law than just economics. It demonstrates how the rule of law has influenced the development of several IP doctrines, and the interface between IP and antitrust, in important, albeit not always acknowledged, ways. In particular, it argues that some limitations on IP rights, such as exhaustion and limitations on tying arrangements, are grounded in rule of law principles restricting the arbitrary exercise of legal power, rather than solely in considerations of economic efficiency. The historical development of IP law has reflected several tensions, both economic and political, that lie at the heart of the constitutional order of the modern state: the tension between the benefits of free competition and the recognition that some restraints on competition may be beneficial and justified; the concern that power, even when conferred in the public interest, can often be abused and arbitrarily
Ectopic adrenocortical carcinoma located in the ovary
Authors: Chentli Farida , Terki Nadia , Azzoug Said
Published: August 2016

Aim

Ovarian corticosteroid-producing tumors are exquisitely rare. Our aim was to describe the first case observed in our practice.

Case history

A 34-year-old female was referred for Cushing’s syndrome (CS) occurring in the postpartum period. Clinical examination showed severe CS with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a large mass in the right lower abdomen. Biochemistry demonstrated corticotropin (ACTH)-independent CS (cortisol=1900ng/mL (n=50–250), ACTH<10pg/mL (n=20–46)) with estradiol and testosterone overproduction.

Investigations

Abdomen CT scan revealed a 14cm right ovarian mass and small adrenal glands. Surgical exploration found the ovarian tumor with hemoperitoneum and enlarged lymph nodes. Histological study confirmed adrenocortical tumor located in the ovary with a Weiss score >5, associated with peritoneal and lymph node metastases. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for inhibin-α, melan-A, and SF1, demonstrating tissue of adrenal origin. After surgery, plasma glucose level spontaneously returned to normal. However, the patient died on the second post-surgical day due to catastrophic pulmonary embolism.

Conclusion

In this reported case, clinical, hormonal, histological, and immunohistochemical findings confirmed a cortisol and sex hormone-producing ovarian tumor with peritoneal and lymph node metastases, a very rare but important condition to recognize.
Developmental Screening of Refugees: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Kroening Abigail L.H. , Moore Jessica A. , Welch Therese R. , Halterman Jill S. , Hyman Susan L.
Published: August 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Refugee children are at high developmental risk due to dislocation and deprivation. Standardized developmental screening in this diverse population is challenging. We used the Health Belief Model to guide key-informant interviews and focus groups with medical interpreters, health care providers, community collaborators, and refugee parents to explore key elements needed for developmental screening. Cultural and community-specific values and practices related to child development and barriers and facilitators to screening were examined.

METHODS:

We conducted 19 interviews and 2 focus groups involving 16 Bhutanese-Nepali, Burmese, Iraqi, and Somali participants, 7 community collaborators, and 6 providers from the Center for Refugee Health in Rochester, New York. Subjects were identified through purposive sampling until data saturation. Interviews were recorded, coded, and analyzed using a qualitative framework technique.

RESULTS:

Twenty-one themes in 4 domains were identified: values/beliefs about development/disability, practices around development/disability, the refugee experience, and feedback specific to the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status screen. Most participants denied a word for “development” in their primary language and reported limited awareness of developmental milestones. Concern was unlikely unless speech or behavior problems were present. Physical disabilities were recognized but not seen as problematic. Perceived barriers to identification of delays included limited education, poor healthcare knowledge, language, and traditional healing practices. Facilitators included community navigators, trust in health care providers, in-person interpretation, visual supports, and education about child development.

CONCLUSIONS:

Refugee perspectives on child development may influence a parent’s recognition of and response to developmental concerns. Despite challenges, standardized screening was supported.
The influence of bmi and psychological variables in the body size estimation among adult women
Authors: Xavier Gabriela Salim , Almeida Sebastião Sousa
Published: August 2016

O objetivo desse estudo foi quantificar a estimação da imagem corporal para avaliar as variáveis que a influenciam – Índice de Massa Corporal (IMC), insatisfação com a imagem corporal e sintomas depressivos em mulheres eutróficas (n = 40) e com excesso de peso (n = 40). A avaliação da imagem corporal e dos sintomas depressivos foi conduzida por meio da Escala de Figuras de Silhuetas (EFS) e pelo Inventário de Depressão de Beck (BDI), em suas versões brasileiras, respectivamente. No grupo eutrófico, a insatisfação e a pontuação do BDI explicaram 55% e 12% da variação da estimação, respectivamente. No grupo com excesso de peso, a insatisfação com a imagem corporal foi responsável por 14% da variação da estimação da imagem corporal, enquanto o IMC, individualmente, por somente 9%. Quando avaliados em conjunto, esse percentual aumenta para 42%, indicando que juntos – IMC e insatisfação – agregam maior valor explicativo para essa variável. A insatisfação foi considerada a variável mais saliente, influenciando em maiores proporções os valores de estimação obtidos, particularmente entre as mulheres eutróficas.
Ultraviolet optoelectronic devices based on AIGaN alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Moustakas Theodore D.
Published: August 2016

This paper reviews progress in ultraviolet (UV) optoelectronic devices based on AIGaN films and their quantum wells (QWs), grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. A growth mode, leading to band-structure potential fluctuations and resulting in AIGaN multiple QWs with internal quantum efficiency as high as 68%, is discussed. Atomic ordering in these alloys, which is different from that observed in traditional III-V alloys, and its effect on device performance is also addressed. Finally, progress in UV-light-emitting diodes, UV lasers, UV detectors, electroabsorption modulators, and distributed Bragg reflectors is presented.
A IMPORTÂNCIA DA EDUCAÇÃO PARA A PROTEÇÃO DO MEIO AMBIENTE: UM ESTUDO DA POLÍTICA INTERNACIONAL E NACIONAL DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL
Authors: Helfemsteller Coelho Carla Jeane , Silva Oliveira Liziane Paixão , Linhares Ronaldo Nunes
Published: August 2016

O presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar a política de educação ambiental no âmbito internacional e nacional. Nesse sentido, faz um estudo dos instrumentos legais de consolidação dessa política bem como reflete sobre a importância da educação para a proteção do meio ambiente e garantia da sustentabilidade. Tal pesquisa foi desenvolvida mediante uma revisão bibliográfica de fontes primárias e secundárias.