bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Latent Class Analysis of DSM-5 Criteria for Opioid Use Disorders: Results from the Iranian National Survey on Mental Health
Authors: Tarrahi Mohammad Javad , Rahimi-Movaghar Afarin , Zeraati Hojjat , Motevalian Seyed Abbas , Amin-Esmaeili Masoumeh , Hajebi Ahmad , Sharifi Vandad , Radgoodarzi Reza , Hefazi Mitra , Fotouhi Akbar
Published: February 2015

Background: Assessments of DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria with sample populations of opioid users are limited. This study aimed to determine the number of latent classes in opioid users and assessment of the proposed revisions to the DSM-5 opioid use disorder (OUD) criteria. Methods: Data came from the 2011 Iranian National Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) on 7,886 participants aged 15-64 years living in Iran. We used the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 2.1 in all respondents who indicated using opioids at least 5 times in the previous 12 months (n = 236). Results: A three-class model provided the best fit of all the models tested. Classes showed a spectrum of severity that was compatible with the DSM-5 classification. ‘Legal problems' and ‘desire to cut down' showed poor discrimination between classes. The weighted prevalence of OUD using DSM-5 was 20.7% higher than with DSM-IV. Conclusions: Results support the grouping based on severity of symptoms, combining abuse and dependence into a single diagnosis, omitting legal problems, and addition of craving as a new criterion.
Unc93b1-Dependent Endosomal Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Regulates Inflammation and Mortality during Coxsackievirus B3 Infection
Authors: Lafferty Erin I. , Wiltshire Sean A. , Angers Isabelle , Vidal Silvia M. , Qureshi Salman T.
Published: February 2015

Coxsackievirus strain B serotype 3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis is an important human disease that causes permanent tissue damage and can lead to death from acute infection or long-term morbidity caused by chronic inflammation. The timing and magnitude of immune activation following CVB3 infection can mediate a positive host outcome or increase tissue pathology. To better elucidate the role of endosomal Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in acute CVB3 infection, we studied mice with a loss-of-function mutation, known as Letr for ‘loss of endosomal TLR response', in Unc93b1, which is a chaperone protein for TLR3, TLR7 and TLR9. Using Unc93b1Letr/Letr mice, we determined that Unc93b1-dependent TLR activation was essential for the survival of acute CVB3-induced myocarditis. We also determined that a lack of endosomal TLR signaling was associated with a higher viral load in target organs and that it increased inflammation, necrosis and fibrosis in cardiac tissue. Loss of Unc93b1 function was also associated with increased cardiac expression of Ifn-b and markers of tissue injury and fibrosis including Lcn2 and Serpina3n early after CVB3 infection. These observations establish a significant role for Unc93b1 in the regulation of the host inflammatory response to CVB3 infection and also reveal potential mediators of host tissue damage that merit further investigation in acute viral myocarditis.
Management of Electrolyte and Fluid Disorders after Brain Surgery for Pituitary/Suprasellar Tumours
Authors: Edate Sujata , Albanese Assunta
Published: February 2015

Disturbances in salt and water balances are relatively common in children after brain surgeries for suprasellar and pituitary tumours, presenting diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Although hypernatraemia associated with central diabetes insipidus is commonly encountered, it is hyponatraemia (HN) that poses more of a diagnostic dilemma. The main differential diagnoses causing HN are the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, marked by inappropriate retention of water, and cerebral salt wasting, characterized by polyuria and natriuresis. Diagnosis and management can be even more difficult when these conditions precede or coexist with each other. These diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas are discussed in detail in this review.
Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytological Diagnosis of Neck Masses
Authors: Ashraf Mohammad Javad , Raad Hanieh , Azarpira Negar , Khademi Bijan , Shishegar Mahmood , Gandomi Behrooz , Hagpanah Sezaneh , Adibi Pourya
Published: February 2015

Background: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a simple, safe, inexpensive, and acceptable method for diagnosing masses, especially at superficial areas. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the accuracy of FNA cytological diagnosis in nonthyroidal, nonsalivary gland neck masses and compare the results with histopathological diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, all cases with FNA cytological diagnosis of nonthyroidal, nonsalivary gland neck masses from April 2009 to July 2013 were retrieved. The procedure was done by pathologists, and all cytological and histopathological slides of the existing 46 cases were reviewed by 3 pathologists. The values of sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy were calculated. Results: SN, SP, PPV, NPV, and accuracy in this study were 79, 100, 100, 73, and 86%, respectively. We had 6 false-negative and no false-positive cases. Conclusion: The FNA procedure is a reliable method as the first step for the diagnosis of nonthyroidal, nonsalivary gland neck masses. To increase the diagnostic value of cytology, careful examination of all cytological slides, repetition of the FNA procedure and good history taking are helpful.
Increased Expression of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin and Its Receptor in Kimura's Disease
Authors: Sakitani Eri , Nonaka Manabu , Shibata Noriyuki , Furukawa Toru , Yoshihara Toshio
Published: February 2015

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and TSLP receptor (TSLPR) in Kimura's disease (KD). Methods: Using parotid gland tissues from KD patients and control subjects, we quantified the expression levels of mRNA for TSLP, interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33, and their receptors by massively parallel sequencing. We also performed immunohistochemical analysis of TSLP and TSLPR, and counted cells immunoreactive for these proteins by the polymer immunocomplex and double immunofluorescence methods. Results: The levels of mRNA for TSLP, TSLPR, and IL-25R, but not IL-25, IL-33, or IL-33R, were significantly elevated in parotid gland tissues from the KD group as compared to the control group. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TSLP- and TSLPR-positive cells were significantly increased in number in parotid gland tissues from KD patients. Double immunofluorescence staining showed that TSLP and TSLPR were localized mainly in CD68-positive macrophages and tryptase-positive mast cells, respectively. Conclusions: Overexpression of TSLP and TSLPR might contribute to the pathogenesis of KD through interactions between macrophages and mast cells. Regulation of TSLP/TSLPR signaling may be a potential therapeutic approach for KD.
Preparing for Renal Replacement Therapy in Patients with the Ebola Virus Disease
Authors: Faubel Sarah , Franch Harold , Vijayan Anitha , Barron Michelle A. , Heung Michael , Liu Kathleen D. , Koyner Jay L. , Connor Jr. Michael J.
Published: February 2015

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious illness characterized by fever, severe vomiting and diarrhea, and, in severe cases, multi-organ failure requiring mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy. The current outbreak has centered in West Africa and affected over 15,000 individuals. EVD is transmitted by direct contact with blood or other infectious bodily fluid, and as such, numerous heath care workers caring for patients with EVD have become infected. During the current outbreak, a number of patients have received advanced supportive care for EVD in Europe and North America and therefore survived. Now, many hospitals in Europe and North America are planning to accept care for patients with EVD. In this review, we discussed the key issues related to the planning and delivery of advanced supportive care in patients with EVD with a focus on the factors necessary to provide renal replacement therapy (RRT). Since success in the treatment of patients with EVD rests on both patient outcome and prevention of transmission of disease to health care workers, we extensively discussed the modes of Ebola virus transmission and recommended protocols to protect health care workers. Experience now indicates that with appropriate planning and protocols, it is possible to successfully treat EVD patients with advanced supportive care (mechanical ventilation and RRT) while avoiding transmission to health care providers. Video Journal Club “Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco” at http://www.karger.com/?doi=371530.
Prenatal MRI Diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease at 29 Weeks' Gestational Age in a Fetus with Heterotaxy and Polysplenia Syndrome
Authors: Meyers Mariana L. , Crombleholme Timothy
Published: February 2015

Prenatal diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease is extremely rare and has only been suggested by ultrasound. This report presents a 29-week fetus with heterotaxy and polysplenia syndrome and prenatal diagnosis of nonrotation of the bowel and Hirschsprung's disease by fetal MRI. None of the previously reported findings in the literature suggestive of distal bowel obstruction were noted in this case. Rather, there was a diminutive size of the rectosigmoid compared to the rest of the colon. Fetal MRI has become an important tool in the fetal diagnosis of multiple anomalies and can aid in perinatal and immediate postnatal care of patients, such as those with Hirschsprung's disease.
Systemic Oxidative Stress to Nucleic Acids Is Unaltered Following Radioiodine Therapy of Patients with Benign Nodular Goiter
Authors: Bonnema Steen J. , Stovgaard Elisabeth S. , Fast Søren , Broedbaek Kasper , Andersen Jon T. , Weimann Allan , Grupe Peter , Hegedüs Laszlo , Poulsen Henrik E.
Published: February 2015

Background: Little is known about the whole body oxidative stress burden following radioactive iodine (131I) therapy of thyroid diseases. Methods: We studied 17 patients with benign nodular goiter treated with 131I therapy. The targeted thyroid dose was 50 Gy in 11 patients pretreated with 0.1 mg of recombinant human TSH (rhTSH). In 6 patients, the applied thyroid dose was 100 Gy without rhTSH prestimulation. Well-established biomarkers of oxidative stress to RNA (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine; 8-oxoGuo) and DNA (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine; 8-oxodG) were measured in freshly voided morning urine (normalized against the creatinine concentration) at baseline, and 7 and 21 days after rhTSH (not followed by 131I), and 7 and 21 days after 131I therapy, respectively. Results: The baseline urinary excretions of 8-oxoGuo and 8-oxodG were 2.20 ± 0.84 and 1.63 ± 0.70 nmol/mmol creatinine, respectively. We found no significant changes in the excretion of any of the metabolites, neither after rhTSH stimulation alone nor after 131I therapy. Also, no significant differences were found between the rhTSH group (low dose, median 131I: 152 MBq) and the non-rhTSH group (high dose, median 131I: 419 MBq; 8-oxoGuo: p = 0.66, 8-oxodG: p = 0.71). Conclusion: Systemic oxidative stress, as detected by nucleic acids metabolites in the urine, is not increased after thyroid stimulation with 0.1 mg of rhTSH, or after 131I therapy. Our method cannot quantify the oxidative stress induced locally in the thyroid gland, but the study supports that 131I therapy of benign nodular goiter carries no or only a minute risk of developing subsequent malignancies. It remains to be explored whether our findings also apply to hyperthyroid disorders.
Increased Serum Uric Acid Levels Are Correlated with Decreased Left Atrial Appendage Peak Flow Velocity in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Celik Murat , Yalcinkaya Emre , Yuksel Uygar Cagdas , Gokoglan Yalcin , Bugan Baris , Kabul Hasan Kutsi , Barcin Cem
Published: February 2015

Objective: We aimed to examine the relationship between serum uric acid levels and left atrial appendage (LAA) peak flow velocity, an indicator of the mechanical functions of the LAA, and atrial fibrillation (AF). Subjects and Methods: Transesophageal echocardiography was performed before cardioversion in 153 patients with AF. The patients were categorized into 2 groups based on their LAA blood flow velocity. Group 1 included 87 patients with a low LAA flow velocity (<35 cm/s), and group 2 comprised 66 patients with a normal LAA flow velocity (≥35 cm/s). The χ2 and Student's t tests were used to compare categorical and quantitative data between the groups. Linear regression analyses were performed to demonstrate the independent association between serum uric acid levels and LAA peak flow velocity. Results: The LAA blood flow velocity was 24.62 ± 5.90 cm/s in group 1 and 49.28 ± 13.72 cm/s in group 2, respectively (p < 0.001). The serum uric acid levels were 6.88 ± 1.85 mg/dl in group 1 and 5.97 ± 1.51 mg/dl in group 2, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.001). There was a negative correlation between serum uric acid levels and LAA blood flow velocity (r = -0.216, p = 0.007). Multivariate regression analysis showed that serum uric acid levels, age and gender differences were significant predictors of the LAA peak flow velocity. Conclusions: High serum uric acid levels were associated with a low contractile function of the LAA and could provide additional prognostic information on future thromboembolic events in patients with AF.
Laparoscopic Complete Mesocolic Excision via Reduced Port Surgery for Treatment of Colon Cancer
Authors: Mori Shinichiro , Kita Yoshiaki , Baba Kenji , Yanagi Masayuki , Okumura Hiroshi , Natsugoe Shoji
Published: February 2015

Background: Laparoscopic colectomy has become accepted for resection of colon cancer, and laparoscopic complete mesocolic excision (CME) has proved feasible and safe. We have evaluated the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of laparoscopic CME via reduced port surgery (RPS) in patients with colon cancer. Methods: We prospectively assessed 17 consecutive patients with colon cancer undergoing laparoscopic CME via RPS between February 2012 and January 2014. Video recordings were used to assess the quality of the surgery, including CME completion. We also assessed operative data, complications, pathological findings, visual analog scale (VAS), cosmesis, and the hospital length of stay. Results: All patients underwent en bloc resection of mesocolon with CME completion. The median surgical duration and blood loss were 298 min and 41 ml, respectively. No intraoperative complications occurred in any patient. The median number of lymph nodes retrieved was 20, with lymph node metastasis identified in eight patients. The mean VAS scores for postoperative days 1, 3, and 7 were 3.2, 1.5, and 0, respectively. All patients were satisfied with their cosmesis. The median postoperative hospital stay was 11 days. Conclusions: Laparoscopic CME via RPS for colon cancer is a safe and feasible surgical procedure with cosmetic advantages.
Premature Ovarian Failure Caused by a Heterozygous Missense Mutation in POF1B and a Reciprocal Translocation 46,X,t(X;3)(q21.1;q21.3)
Authors: Ledig Susanne , Preisler-Adams Sabine , Morlot Susanne , Liehr Thomas , Wieacker Peter
Published: February 2015

In a patient affected by premature ovarian failure, a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes X and 3 and an additional heterozygous missense mutation in the X-linked gene POF1B were detected. Homozygosity for POF1B mutations is well-known to be associated with premature ovarian failure. In this case, the rare combination of skewed X inactivation due to the reciprocal translocation involving one X chromosome and heterozygosity for a known POF1B mutation explains the phenotype.
Pharmacokinetics of Gefitinib in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Yamaguchi Teppei , Isogai Sumito , Okamura Takuya , Uozu Sakurako , Mieno Yuki , Hoshino Tami , Goto Yasuhiro , Hayashi Masamichi , Nakanishi Toru , Imaizumi Kazuyoshi
Published: February 2015

A 72-year-old man undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for chronic renal failure and who had undergone right upper lobectomy for lung adenocarcinoma (pT2aN0M0) 2 years ago was admitted for recurrence of lung cancer presenting as multiple brain metastases. An epidermal growth factor receptor mutation analysis of his lung cancer revealed a deletion of 15 nucleotides (E746-A750) in exon 19. After whole-brain radiotherapy, we started daily administration of 250 mg gefitinib under the continuation of CAPD and performed a pharmacokinetic analysis. We speculated that the plasma concentration of gefitinib reached the steady state at least by day 16 after the start of gefitinib (626.6 ng/ml at trough level). On day 46, the plasma concentration was 538.4 ng/ml at trough level and the concentration in the peritoneal dialysis fluid was 34.6 ng/ml, suggesting that CAPD appeared to have little effect on the pharmacokinetics of gefitinib. During gefitinib therapy, there were no significant adverse events except for grade 2 diarrhea. Gefitinib could be safely administered to a patient undergoing CAPD.
Alternative Research Funding to Improve Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Myerburg Robert J. , Ullmann Steven G.
Published: February 2015

Although identification and management of cardiovascular risk markers have provided important population risk insights and public health benefits, individual risk prediction remains challenging. Using sudden cardiac death risk as a base case, the complex epidemiology of sudden cardiac death risk and the substantial new funding required to study individual risk are explored. Complex epidemiology derives from the multiple subgroups having different denominators and risk profiles, while funding limitations emerge from saturation of conventional sources of research funding without foreseeable opportunities for increases. A resolution to this problem would have to emerge from new sources of funding targeted to individual risk prediction. In this analysis, we explore the possibility of a research funding strategy that would offer business incentives to the insurance industries, while providing support for unresolved research goals. The model is developed for the case of sudden cardiac death risk, but the concept is applicable to other areas of the medical enterprise.
von Willebrand Factor as a Biological Sensor of Blood Flow to Monitor Percutaneous Aortic Valve Interventions
Authors: Van Belle Eric , Rauch Antoine , Vincentelli André , Jeanpierre Emmanuelle , Legendre Paulette , Juthier Francis , Hurt Christopher , Banfi Carlo , Rousse Natacha , Godier Anne , Caron Claudine , Elkalioubie Ahmed , Corseaux Delphine , Dupont Annabelle , Zawadzki Christophe , Delhaye Cédric , Mouquet Frédéric , Schurtz Guillaume , Deplanque Dominique , Chinetti Giulia , Staels Bart , Goudemand Jenny , Jude Brigitte , Lenting Peter J. , Susen Sophie
Published: February 2015

Rationale:

Percutaneous aortic valve procedures are a major breakthrough in the management of patients with aortic stenosis. Residual gradient and residual aortic regurgitation are major predictors of midterm and long-term outcome after percutaneous aortic valve procedures. We hypothesized that (1) induction/recovery of high molecular weight (HMW) multimers of von Willebrand factor defect could be instantaneous after acute changes in blood flow, (2) a bedside point-of-care assay (platelet function analyzer-closure time adenine DI-phosphate [PFA-CADP]), reflecting HMW multimers changes, could be used to monitor in real-time percutaneous aortic valve procedures.

Objective:

To investigate the time course of HMW multimers changes in models and patients with instantaneous induction/reversal of pathological high shear and its related bedside assessment.

Methods and Results:

We investigated the time course of the induction/recovery of HMW multimers defects under instantaneous changes in shear stress in an aortic stenosis rabbit model and in patients undergoing implantation of a continuous flow left ventricular assist device. We further investigated the recovery of HMW multimers and monitored these changes with PFA-CADP in aortic stenosis patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation or balloon valvuloplasty. Experiments in the aortic stenosis rabbit model and in left ventricular assist device patients demonstrated that induction/recovery of HMW multimers occurs within 5 minutes. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation patients experienced an acute decrease in shear stress and a recovery of HMW multimers within minutes of implantation which was sustained overtime. In patients with residual high shear or with residual aortic regurgitation, no recovery of HMW multimers was observed. PFA-CADP profiles mimicked HMW multimers recovery both in transcatheter aortic valve implantation patients without aortic regurgitation (correction) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation patients with aortic regurgitation or balloon valvuloplasty patients (no correction).

Conclusions:

These results demonstrate that variations in von Willebrand factor multimeric pattern are highly dynamic, occurring within minutes after changes in blood flow. It also demonstrates that PFA-CADP can evaluate in real time the results of transcatheter aortic valve procedures.
Can fruiting plants control animal behaviour and seed dispersal distance?
Authors: Beaune David , Bretagnolle François , Bollache Loïc , Hohmann Gottfried , Fruth Barbara
Published: February 2015

In an Afrotropical forest, we tested the hypothesis that fleshy-fruit plants with interspecific differences in fruit quality and quantity affect ranging behaviour of their seed dispersal vector. If fruiting plants could affect their dispersal vector, the plants also affect their seed dispersal distance and eventually their plant population biology. From 2007 to 2011, we measured seed transport by georeference daily bonobo group movements via GPS. Seed dispersal distance was estimated with mechanistic model, using 1200 georeferenced dispersal events and the average seed transit time through bonobo (24.00 h). We compared dissemination for eight plant species that deal with this trade-off: attracting dispersers by means of fruit quality/quantity versus retaining them in the patch because of the same quality/quantity value that attracted them. Because fruit traits of these eight species were different, we expected a difference in seed dispersal distance. Surprisingly, seed dispersal distances induced by bonobos were not affected by fruit traits. Although fruit nutrient contents, abundance and average patch feeding duration differed between plant species, patch feeding time was not related to subsequent dispersal distances. The apes’ dispersal distance survey gave an average dispersal distance estimated of 1332 ± 24 m from the parent plant (97.9% > 100 m). To conclude, feeding time invested in the patch, fruit quality and abundance had no apparent effect on bonobo seed dispersal distance. The possible effects in plant population biology are discussed.
Moving bonobos off the scientifically endangered list
Authors: Hare Brian , Yamamoto Shinya
Published: February 2015

This Special Issue of Behaviour includes twelve novel empirical papers focusing on the behaviour and cognition of both captive and wild bonobos (Pan paniscus). As our species less known closest relative, the bonobo has gone from being little studied to increasingly popular as a species of focus over the past decade. We suggest that bonobos are ready to come off the scientific endangered list as a result. This Special Issue is exhibit A in showing that a renaissance in bonobo research is well underway. In this Editorial we review a number of traits in which bonobos and chimpanzees are more similar to humans than they are each other. We show how this means that bonobos provide an extremely powerful test of ideas about human uniqueness as well as being crucial to determining the evolutionary processes by which cognitive traits evolve in apes. This introduction places the twelve empirical contributions within the Special Issue in the larger evolutionary context to which they contribute. Overall this Special Issue demonstrates how anyone interested in understanding humans or chimpanzees must also know bonobos.
Mental Disorders and Decision-Making Capacity: What Is the Role of Law?
Authors: Rommelaere Claire
Published: February 2015

When a patient appears to have a mental disorder, doubts may arise about his or her decision-making capacity. Health professionals must then assess the patient’s capacity in order to make sure of the validity of his or her consent or refusal. Incapacity has indeed legal consequences, as law provides for the appointment of a surrogate decision-maker in case of incapacity. With Belgian law as a point of departure, this contribution is aiming at identifying the role of law in capacity assessment itself, prior to the decision about (in)capacity. In order to protect the patient’s rights and to support the task of those carrying out the assessment, law should provide for a global definition of decision-making capacity and for a frame-procedure guiding this assessment. In my opinion, it is possible for law to contribute to the complex task of capacity assessment without interfering embarrassingly with healthcare practice.
The Literary Sources
Authors: Lenhoff Gail
Published: February 2015

While Kievan and Suzdalian annals attest that interethnic marriages between Rus’ princes and women of the steppe and the Horde occurred regularly and were accepted by the Rus’ church and society, Muscovite churchmen wrote idealized narratives of converted Tatars, which legitimized the contemporary annexation of eastern lands and subsequent large-scale conversion in their time and were incorporated into commemoration books and family genealogical records.
L’or, les esclaves, les femmes et les paladins dans l’Histoire de Kazan
Authors: Gonneau Pierre
Published: February 2015

“War and Chivalry in the Land of the Tatars: Gold, Slaves, Women and Warriors in the Kazanskaia istoriia”. Kazanskaia istoria (circa 1564–1565?) is a first try at a historical romance in the Russian literary tradition. Inspired by the conquest of Kazan by Russian troops (1552), it enriches the factual narrative with literary themes such as the fabulous and dangerous wealth of the Tatar world: gold, silk, slaves and women. It also expresses a chivalry code and a sense of honor transcending the divide between Christian Russians and Muslim Tatars. These themes will be extensively developed in later Russian literature.
Pomest’e prozhitki: Muscovite Patriarchy on the Ground
Authors: Kaiser Daniel H.
Published: February 2015

Study of maintenance allotments indicates that, so long as the so-called patriarchal bargain endured, the Muscovite state accepted the responsibility of providing for servitors’ dependents, just as patriarchal discourse demanded that husbands provide for spouses.
Polish-Lithuanian Mercenaries in Muscovy’s Time of Troubles
Authors: Davies Brian
Published: February 2015

This article argues for placing greater emphasis on the impact of Polish military intervention upon the course of the Time of Troubles in Muscovy. Before 1610 such intervention took the form of adventurism by Polish nobles leading mercenary bands and operating without the approval of King Sigismund III.
Printing Social Control in Russia 3: Blank Forms
Authors: Franklin Simon
Published: February 2015

Mainly on the basis of material from archives in St Petersburg, this article presents a classification and chronology of early printed blank forms in Russia, attributing their continuous history to Petrine initiatives from c.1714. Such “ephemera”, it is argued, constitute important but neglected components of Russian print culture and administrative practice.
Household Goods and Social Status of a Single Woman in Early St. Petersburg
Authors: Stevens Carol B.
Published: February 2015

By examining the household inventories of a young, single woman of German descent living in St. Petersburg, the article suggests the social freedoms and their limits that were attached to prosperity for single women in the 1720s.
Echo In Euripides’ Andromeda
Authors: Phillips Tom
Published: February 2015

This article argues that Euripides employed a form of musical repetition when staging the character Echo in the Andromeda. In doing so he was drawing on innovations in contemporary musical culture to produce a striking dramatic effect. This hypothesis also suggests a new way of approaching Aristophanes’ parody of Euripides’ Echo in the Thesmophoriazusae.
Restringing the Daphne Harp
Authors: Najock Dietmar
Published: February 2015

This paper reconsiders the stringing of the late fifth-century harp whose remains were found in the “Musician’s Grave” in Daphne. It comments on the suggestions made by Hagel in grms 1 (2013), and offers a different interpretation.
A new Polygonatum (Asparagaceae) endemic to the Trường Sơn of southern Vietnam
Authors: Floden Aaron Jennings
Published: February 2015

A new species of Polygonatum, P. annamense based on evidence from herbarium studies, molecular data, and cultivated material is described and illustrated from upper elevations of the southern Annamite ecoregion where it occurs disjunctly in both the Central Highlands and the Đà Lạt Plateau, Vietnam. It is compared to the morphologically similar P. punctatum with which it has been confused, and its relationship to P. mengtzense, P. punctatum, and P. urceolatum is discussed.
A new genus of bamboo coral (Octocorallia: Isididae) from the Bahamas
Authors: WATLING LES
Published: February 2015

A bamboo coral collected during a deep-sea expedition to the Bahamas in 2009 proved to have a unique combination of features for a member of the bamboo coral subfamily Keratoisidinae: the structure and shape of the polyps, the sclerites consisting entirely of rods, some of which extend the length of the polyp, the delicateness of the branches with solid internodes, and the deep funnel construction of the peristomal region into which the tentacles can contract. The specimens are described as a new genus and species.
Two new freshwater eutardigrade species from Sicily
Authors: PILATO GIOVANNI , SABELLA GIORGIO , LISI OSCAR
Published: February 2015

Two new species of freshwater Eutardigrada are described from Sicily: Isohypsibius rusticus sp. nov. and Isohypsibius zappalai sp. nov. The former species has eye spots, ornamented body surface with many, variously sized tubercles; bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Isohypsibius type; pharyngeal bulb with apophyses and two rod-shaped macroplacoids; microplacoid absent; claws, of the Isohypsibius type, well developed, with long and thin common basal portion; main branches of all claws without free accessory points; very thin lunules present; cuticular bars on the legs absent.         Isohypsibius zappalai sp. nov. has eye spots; entire body surface with small tubercles rounded in shape, fairly uniformly sized and tending to form transverse lines; bucco-pharyngeal apparatus of the Isohypsibius type, pharyngeal bulb with apophyses and two macroplacoids; microplacoid absent; claws of the Isohypsibius type, well developed, with long common basal portion and both main and secondary branches with a wide proximal portion. Main branches of all claws with accessory points; small, flexible lunules present; cuticular bars on the legs absent.
Three Types of Indian Ocean Dipoles
Authors: Guo Feiyan , Liu Qinyu , Sun S. , Yang Jianling
Published: February 2015

Using observational data and phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) model outputs [the preindustrial (PI) control run of the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4) and historical simulations of 17 CMIP5 models], Indian Ocean dipoles (IODs) with a peak in fall are categorized into three types. The first type is closely related to the development phase of El Niño/La Niña. The second type evolves from the basinwide warming (cooling) in the tropical Indian Ocean (IO), usually occurring in the year following El Niño (La Niña). The third type is independent of El Niño and La Niña. The dominant trigger condition for the first (third) type of IOD is the anomalous Walker circulation (anomalous cross-equatorial flow); the anomalous zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the tropical IO is the trigger condition for the second type. The occurrence of anomalous ocean Rossby waves during the forming stage of IO basinwide mode and their effect on SST in the southwestern IO during winter and spring are critical for early development of the second type of IOD. Although most models simulate a stronger El Niño–Southern Oscillation and IOD compared to the observations, this does not influence the phase-locking and classification of the IOD peaking in the fall.
Prospects for Advancing Drought Understanding, Monitoring, and Prediction
Authors: Wood Eric F. , Schubert Siegfried D. , Wood Andrew W. , Peters-Lidard Christa D. , Mo Kingtse C. , Mariotti Annarita , Pulwarty Roger S.
Published: February 2015

This paper summarizes and synthesizes the research carried out under the NOAA Drought Task Force (DTF) and submitted in this special collection. The DTF is organized and supported by NOAA’s Climate Program Office with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and involves scientists from across NOAA, academia, and other agencies. The synthesis includes an assessment of successes and remaining challenges in monitoring and prediction capabilities, as well as a perspective of the current understanding of North American drought and key research gaps. Results from the DTF papers indicate that key successes for drought monitoring include the application of modern land surface hydrological models that can be used for objective drought analysis, including extended retrospective forcing datasets to support hydrologic reanalyses, and the expansion of near-real-time satellite-based monitoring and analyses, particularly those describing vegetation and evapotranspiration. In the area of drought prediction, successes highlighted in the papers include the development of the North American Multimodel Ensemble (NMME) suite of seasonal model forecasts, an established basis for the importance of La Niña in drought events over the southern Great Plains, and an appreciation of the role of internal atmospheric variability related to drought events. Despite such progress, there are still important limitations in our ability to predict various aspects of drought, including onset, duration, severity, and recovery. Critical challenges include (i) the development of objective, science-based integration approaches for merging multiple information sources; (ii) long, consistent hydrometeorological records to better characterize drought; and (iii) extending skillful precipitation forecasts beyond a 1-month lead time.
A Bayesian Optimization Approach to Multimodel Ensemble Kalman Filter with a Low-Order Model
Authors: Otsuka Shigenori , Miyoshi Takemasa
Published: February 2015

Multimodel ensemble data assimilation may account for uncertainties of numerical models due to different dynamical cores and physics parameterizations. In the previous studies, the ensemble sizes for each model are prescribed subjectively, for example, uniformly distributed to each model. In this study, a Bayesian filter approach to a multimodel ensemble Kalman filter is adopted to objectively estimate the optimal combination of ensemble sizes for each model. An effective inflation method to make the discrete Bayesian filter work without converging to a single imperfect model was developed.

As a first step, the proposed approach was tested with the 40-variable Lorenz-96 model. Different values of the model parameter F are used to mimic the multimodel ensemble. The true F is first chosen to be , and the observations are generated by adding independent Gaussian noise to the true time series. When the multimodel ensemble consists of , 7, 8, 9, and 10, the Bayesian filter finds the true model and converges to quickly. When , 7, 9, and 10, the closest two models, and F = 9, are selected. When the true F has a periodic variation about with a time scale much longer than the observation frequency, the proposed system follows the temporal change, and the error becomes less than that of the time-invariant optimal combination. Sensitivities to several parameters in the proposed system were also investigated, and the system was found to show improvements in a wide range of parameters.
On the scaling of NSW HSC marks in mathematics and encouraging higher participation in calculus-based courses
Authors: Pitt David GW
Published: February 2015

There is widespread concern about the reduction in the number of students in Australia studying calculus-based mathematics courses in the final year of secondary education. Over the last 20 years in New South Wales, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students studying general mathematics in place of calculus courses. The concern arises because students graduating from high school with no calculus are often not well equipped for many aspects of university-level study. This paper explores one potential reason for this in New South Wales, namely the scaling algorithm used to derive the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. At a time when we are encouraging students to study higher mathematics, this paper contributes to the discussion by illustrating some empirical evidence, based on an analysis of published output from the application of the scaling algorithm used to derive Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks, as to why students may be opting for lower level mathematics at the Year 12 level in great numbers.
Sharpening our critical edge: Occupational therapy in the context of marginalized populations
Authors: Gerlach Alison J.
Published: February 2015

Background.

An emerging and important area of occupational therapy practice involves engaging with various individuals and population groups who live in marginalizing conditions that result in health inequities.

Purpose.

This paper calls for more critical and intersectional analyses of occupational therapy in the context of marginalized populations.

Key Issues.

Intersectionality has the potential to reveal important and complex interactions among social systems that create and sustain marginalization and to inform more nuanced, contextualized, and socially responsive forms of occupational therapy. Central to this process is the co-construction of knowledge with people who experience marginalization. Engaging in this work requires occupational therapists to undertake ongoing critical reflexivity to attend to our sociohistorical positioning of power and privilege in relation to marginalized populations.

Implications.

Complicating our discourse on marginalized populations is imperative to enacting our critical potential in working toward social justice and health equity.
Emergency Department Treatment of Children With Diarrhea Who Attend Day Care
Authors: Freedman Stephen B. , Sherman Philip M. , Willan Andrew , Johnson David , Gouin Serge , Schuh Suzanne ,   on behalf of Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC)
Published: February 2015

Background. Benefits associated with probiotic administration to children seeking emergency department care with diarrheal disease are unknown. Methods. In this 3-site, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, children aged 4 to 48 months with gastroenteritis were randomized to receive 5 days of placebo, low-dose (4 × 109 colony forming units per day), or high-dose (8 × 109 colony forming units per day) probiotic ( Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus) in a 2:1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was day care absenteeism. Results. The proportion of children missing a day of day care was 63% (39/62) and 61% (37/61) in the placebo and probiotic arms, respectively (95%CI −14.6% to 18.9%). The proportions experiencing unscheduled health care provider visits and intravenous fluid rehydration were 24% (15/62), 7% (4/62), and 30% (18/61), 5% (3/61) in the placebo and probiotic study arms, respectively ( P = .52 and P = .65). None of the results differed based on probiotic dose. Conclusions. The probiotic evaluated did not reduce absenteeism. Since power was suboptimal, further evaluation is required.
Ethnic conflict goes mobile
Authors: Bailard Catie Snow
Published: February 2015

This analysis contributes to the body of research testing the effect of mobile phone availability on the probability of violent conflict by shifting the unit of analysis to that of distinct ethnic groups. This approach provides two important advantages. First, it tests the robustness of this relationship by determining whether this effect maintains when shifted to a more rigorous and theoretically appropriate level of analysis. Second, shifting the analysis to the group level also enables tests of specific characteristics that may condition the effect of mobile phone availability on violent collective action. The first set of characteristics test whether mobile phone availability primarily increases a group’s opportunities to engage in violent collective action as a result of decreased organizational costs due to diminished communication costs. The second set of characteristics explore whether mobile phone availability makes violent collective action more likely as a result of increasing a group’s motivation to organize, thanks to enabling more efficient communication about shared grievances between group members. The results yield mixed support for both of these potential mechanisms, providing needed insight into the dynamics at play in this relationship – a matter that very much remains in the ‘black box’ at this point in time.
Realism and the relativity of judgement
Authors: Geuss Raymond
Published: February 2015

E.H. Carr contrasts ‘realism’ with ‘utopianism’ in his major work in theorising international relations, but he ought to have contrasted it with ‘moralism’, which is a complex set of attitudes that give unwarranted priority to moral considerations in explaining and justifying human action. ‘Moralism’ is a flawed approach to politics. One should distinguish it from ‘utopianism’, which is made up of different strands, not all of which are equally problematic. One strand which has been historically important was centred around an attempt to describe and realise a perfect unchanging society, and Carr seems to have this in mind primarily when he speaks ‘utopianism’. However, there has been another strand which has focused on the social construction of ‘impossibility’ in politics, and our potential ability to undo that construction. Such utopianism is compatible with realism.
Everybody’s team? The national narrative in the Hebrew press covering Israeli national soccer team matches
Authors: Hagay Haim , Meyers Oren
Published: February 2015

Sports media offer a unique discourse site because the nationalistic nature of reporting is often radicalized and in most cases ‘the national flag is waved with eternal enthusiasm’. Therefore, this study examined changes in the coverage of the Israeli national soccer team between 1949 and 2006 through an exploration of the identity of the journalistic narratives’ storytellers and protagonists. Our findings illuminate a complex picture: whereas during the Israel’s formative era sports reporters pursued a patriotic narrative that praised the players for their fighting spirit and contribution to national prestige, in recent decades the sports sections echo a new variety of local, professional, and gender voices that challenge the supposedly natural hegemony of national identity. These changes can be explained by factors rooted in the fields of journalism, sports, and the politics of identity.
Imaging Egypt’s political transition in (post-)revolutionary street art: on the interrelations between social media and graffiti as media of communication
Authors: de Ruiter Adrienne
Published: February 2015

This article offers a conceptualization of the interrelations between street art and social media in (post-)revolutionary Cairo by focusing on the reasons as to why certain politically engaged young people in Egypt select graffiti as their medium for political expression in a time in which many other media of communication, most notably social media, are available. It contends that the particular appeal of street art for the graffiti artist lies in its ability to function simultaneously as a medium of communication and a contentious performance, combined with the particular power of the aesthetic to change conceptions of social reality of the audience through what Rancière has called the ‘(re)distribution of the sensible’. Graffiti and street art thus present artists with singular possibilities to express their political ideas and appeal to the public because street art combines the power of framing, the power of performance and the power of imagination.
Transforming XML documents to OWL ontologies: A survey
Authors: Hacherouf Mokhtaria , Bahloul Safia Nait , Cruz Christophe
Published: February 2015

The aims of XML data conversion to ontologies are the indexing, integration and enrichment of existing ontologies with knowledge acquired from these sources. The contribution of this paper consists in providing a classification of the approaches used for the conversion of XML documents into OWL ontologies. This classification underlines the usage profile of each conversion method, providing a clear description of the advantages and drawbacks belonging to each method. Hence, this paper focuses on two main processes, which are ontology enrichment and ontology population using XML data. Ontology enrichment is related to the schema of the ontology (TBox), and ontology population is related to an individual (Abox). In addition, the ontologies described in these methods are based on formal languages of the Semantic Web such as OWL (Ontology Web Language) or RDF (Resource Description Framework). These languages are formal because the semantics are formally defined and take advantage of the Description Logics. In contrast, XML data sources are without formal semantics. The XML language is used to store, export and share data between processes able to process the specific data structure. However, even if the semantics is not explicitly expressed, data structure contains the universe of discourse by using a qualified vocabulary regarding a consensual agreement. In order to formalize this semantics, the OWL language provides rich logical constraints. Therefore, these logical constraints are evolved in the transformation of XML documents into OWL documents, allowing the enrichment and the population of the target ontology. To design such a transformation, the current research field establishes connections between OWL constructs (classes, predicates, simple or complex data types, etc.) and XML constructs (elements, attributes, element lists, etc.). Two different approaches for the transformation process are exposed. The instance approaches are based on XML documents without any schema associated. The validation approaches are based on the XML schema and document validated by the associated schema. The second approaches benefit from the schema definition to provide automated transformations with logic constraints. Both approaches are discussed in the text.