bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The right temporoparietal junction plays a causal role in maintaining the internal representation of verticality
Authors: Fiori Francesca , Candidi Matteo , Acciarino Adriano , David Nicole , Aglioti Salvatore Maria
Published: September 2015

Perception of the visual vertical is strongly based on our ability to match visual inflow with vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and even visceral information that contributes to maintaining an internal representation of the vertical. An important cortical region implicated in multisensory integration is the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), which also is involved in higher order forms of body- and space-related cognition. To test whether this region integrates body-related multisensory information necessary for establishing the subjective visual vertical, we combined a psychophysical task (the rod-and-frame test) with transient inhibition of the rTPJ via continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS). A Gabor patch visual detection task was used as a control visual task. cTBS of early visual cortex (V1–V3) was used to test whether early visual cortices played any role in verticality estimation. We show that inhibition of rTPJ activity selectively impairs the ability to evaluate the rod's verticality when no contextual visual information, such as a frame surrounding the rod, is provided. Conversely, transient inhibition of V1–V3 selectively disrupts the ability to visually detect Gabor patch orientation. This anatomofunctional dissociation supports the idea that the rTPJ plays a causal role in integrating egocentric sensory information encoded in different reference systems (i.e., vestibular and somatic) to maintain an internal representation of verticality.
Biophysical Characterization and Expression Analysis of Kv1.3 Potassium Channel in Primary Human Leukemic B Cells
Authors: Szabo Ildiko , Trentin Livio , Trimarco Valentina , Semenzato Gianpietro , Leanza Luigi
Published: September 2015

Background/Aims: Pharmacological inhibition of the potassium channel Kv1.3 has been shown to selectively kill B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Here we aimed to biophysically characterize and compare Kv1.3 channel activity in B cells isolated either from healthy subjects or patients and investigated the mechanism accounting for the increased protein expression in B-CLL cells. Methods: Kv1.3 activity was measured by patch clamp, while expression of the channel protein was assessed by Western blot and FACS analysis. B-CLL cells were co-cultured with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and Kv1.3 inhibitor-induced apoptosis was assessed. Results: We demonstrate that Kv1.3 is highly expressed and is more active at resting membrane potential in human B-CLL cells than in healthy cells. Channel expression in pathologic cells decreased by the B-RAF kinase inhibitor PLX-4720, while it increased with Doxazosin, an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist. Kv1.3 inhibitors induced death in B-CLL cells also when co-cultured with MSC. Conclusion: Our results contribute to the characterization of B-CLL cells, as it shows that upregulation of Kv1.3 in pathologic B lymphocytes is linked to the oncogenic B-RAF signalling. We also conclude that Kv1.3 inhibitors represent a valuable tool to induce apoptosis of B-CLL cells even in the presence of MSC.
Internet-Based Self-Help for Trichotillomania: A Randomized Controlled Study Comparing Decoupling and Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Authors: Weidt Steffi , Klaghofer Richard , Kuenburg Alexa , Bruehl Annette Beatrix , Delsignore Aba , Moritz Steffen , Rufer Michael
Published: September 2015

Background: Trichotillomania (TTM) is characterized by recurrent hair-pulling that results in substantial hair loss. A previous pilot study demonstrated that the online self-help intervention ‘decoupling' (DC) might be effective at reducing hair-pulling symptoms, with a stronger effect than progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). We aimed to extend these findings using a more robust randomized clinical trial design, including diagnostic interviews by phone, a 6-month follow-up and e-mail support. Methods: One hundred five adults with TTM were recruited online and randomly allocated to either DC (n = 55) or PMR (n = 50). The intervention lasted 4 weeks, with severity of TTM assessed at 3 time points (before intervention, immediately after intervention and at the 6-month follow-up) using the Massachusetts General Hospital Hair-Pulling Scale (MGH-HPS). Both intention-to-treat and completer analyses were conducted. Results: Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated highly significant and comparable symptom reductions (MGH-HPS) in both the DC and PMR groups (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.31) that persisted through 6 months of follow-up. Participants' subjective appraisals favoured DC in some areas (e.g. greater satisfaction with DC than PMR). Completer analyses demonstrated the same pattern as the intention-to-treat analyses. Conclusions: Despite subjective appraisals in favour of DC, symptom reduction was comparable in the two groups. While the results suggest that even short Internet-based interventions like DC and PMR potentially help individuals with TTM, a partial effect of unspecific factors, like regression towards the mean, cannot be ruled out. Therefore, longitudinal studies with non-treated controls are warranted.
The Killer Fly Hunger Games: Target Size and Speed Predict Decision to Pursuit
Authors: Wardill Trevor J. , Knowles Katie , Barlow Laura , Tapia Gervasio , Nordström Karin , Olberg Robert M. , Gonzalez-Bellido Paloma T.
Published: September 2015

Predatory animals have evolved to optimally detect their prey using exquisite sensory systems such as vision, olfaction and hearing. It may not be so surprising that vertebrates, with large central nervous systems, excel at predatory behaviors. More striking is the fact that many tiny insects, with their miniscule brains and scaled down nerve cords, are also ferocious, highly successful predators. For predation, it is important to determine whether a prey is suitable before initiating pursuit. This is paramount since pursuing a prey that is too large to capture, subdue or dispatch will generate a substantial metabolic cost (in the form of muscle output) without any chance of metabolic gain (in the form of food). In addition, during all pursuits, the predator breaks its potential camouflage and thus runs the risk of becoming prey itself. Many insects use their eyes to initially detect and subsequently pursue prey. Dragonflies, which are extremely efficient predators, therefore have huge eyes with relatively high spatial resolution that allow efficient prey size estimation before initiating pursuit. However, much smaller insects, such as killer flies, also visualize and successfully pursue prey. This is an impressive behavior since the small size of the killer fly naturally limits the neural capacity and also the spatial resolution provided by the compound eye. Despite this, we here show that killer flies efficiently pursue natural (Drosophila melanogaster) and artificial (beads) prey. The natural pursuits are initiated at a distance of 7.9 ± 2.9 cm, which we show is too far away to allow for distance estimation using binocular disparities. Moreover, we show that rather than estimating absolute prey size prior to launching the attack, as dragonflies do, killer flies attack with high probability when the ratio of the prey's subtended retinal velocity and retinal size is 0.37. We also show that killer flies will respond to a stimulus of an angular size that is smaller than that of the photoreceptor acceptance angle, and that the predatory response is strongly modulated by the metabolic state. Our data thus provide an exciting example of a loosely designed matched filter to Drosophila, but one which will still generate successful pursuits of other suitable prey.
Laparoscopic Hepatectomy for Liver Cancer
Authors: Kanazawa Akishige , Tsukamoto Tadashi , Shimizu Sadatoshi , Yamamoto Satoshi , Murata Akihiro , Kubo Shoji
Published: September 2015

This chapter covers a range of important topics of laparoscopic hepatectomy as a novel approach toward treatment of liver cancer. Although laparoscopic hepatectomy was performed in a limited number of centers in the 1990s, technological innovations, improvements in surgical techniques and accumulation of experience by surgeons have led to more rapid progress in laparoscopic hepatectomy in the late 2000s for minimally invasive hepatic surgery. Currently, laparoscopic hepatectomy can be performed for all tumor locations and several diseases via several approaches. The laparoscopic approach can be applied to several types of resection, not only for tumors but also for liver transplantation, with equivalent or better results compared with those obtained with open surgery. Therefore, laparoscopic hepatectomy will become a standard procedure for treatment of liver cancer in the near future.
Efficacy Management of Urolithiasis: Flexible Ureteroscopy versus Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy
Authors: Tauber Volkmar , Wohlmuth Martin , Hochmuth Andreas , Schimetta Wofgang , Krause F. Steffen
Published: September 2015

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of flexible ureterscopy (fURS) and extracorporal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) in the treatment of urolithiasis, complemented by a subgroup analysis of lower pole calyx. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients treated by fURS or SWL was performed by independent variables such as gender, age, nephrolith size, double-J stent (DJ stent) and stone localisation. Results: Out of 326 patients, 165 were treated by SWL and 161 by fURS. Complete stone removal was achieved by fURS in 83.2% and by SWL in 43.0% (p < 0.001). Asymptomatic behaviour (88-89%) and complication rate (10-11%) were nearly the same in both methods. A higher retreatment rate for SWL was necessary; otherwise, an auxillary DJ stent was performed more often preoperative before fURS. The subgroup analysis of lower pole calyx confirmed these evaluations. Conclusions: Complete stone-free removal was almost 8 times higher after fURS compared to SWL. The efficacy of fURS in treatment of urolithiasis is substantially higher than the efficacy of SWL.
L-Dopa Stimulates Cortisol Secretion through Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Release in Short Children
Authors: Marakaki Chrisanthi , Papadimitriou Dimitrios T. , Kleanthous Kleanthis , Papadopoulou Anna , Papadimitriou Anastasios
Published: September 2015

Background/Aims: We recently showed that L-Dopa administration is a potent stimulator of cortisol secretion in children with short stature. Herein, we examined whether adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is implicated in the mechanism by which cortisol is stimulated during the L-Dopa test. Methods: Nineteen children with short stature who fulfilled the auxological criteria for growth hormone (GH) deficiency and had a subnormal GH response to glucagon stimulation underwent a second GH stimulation test (L-Dopa test). Serum GH, cortisol and plasma ACTH were determined at baseline and every 30 min up to 120 min after oral L-Dopa administration. Peak values of GH >10 ng/ml, cortisol >18 μg/dl and ACTH >52 pg/ml were considered as normal response. Results: Normal response rates were 10.5% (2/19) for GH, 94.7% (18/19) for cortisol and 68.4% (13/19) for ACTH. Among the children with a normal response in ACTH, its concentration increased from a basal value (mean ± standard deviation) of 23.3 ± 9.6 to 290.3 ± 221 pg/ml, almost always 90-120 min after L-Dopa administration. Mean peak cortisol was 36.2 ± 9.1 μg/dl, and it peaked almost simultaneously with ACTH. Conclusion: Our data suggest a stimulatory effect of the dopaminergic system on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Impact of Non-Adherence on Renal and Cardiovascular Outcomes in US Veterans
Authors: Gosmanova Elvira O. , Molnar Miklos Z. , Alrifai Ahmed , Lu Jun L. , Streja Elani , Cushman William C. , Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar , Kovesdy Csaba P.
Published: September 2015

Background: Adherence is paramount in treating hypertension; however, no gold standard method is available for non-adherence screening, delineating high-risk patients. An International Classification of Diseases 9th Edition non-adherence diagnostic code (V15.81) has been available for decades; but, its utility is poorly studied. We examined the association between the V15.81 code assigned prior to the initiation of anti-hypertensive drugs (AHDs) and renal and cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: This was a historical prospective cohort study involving 312,489 newly treated hypertensive individuals (mean age 53.8 years, 90.9% males, 20.3% black, median follow-up 8.0 years). We used crude and Cox models adjusted for baseline socio-demographic characteristics, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), body mass index, blood pressure, comorbidities, and prospective AHD adherence (measured as proportion of days covered, PDC). Results: In the unadjusted analysis, the V15.81 code was associated with higher risks for faster eGFR decline (hazard ratio, HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.11-1.33), incident CKD (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.09-1.27), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (HR 2.53, 95% CI 1.72-3.72), incident coronary artery disease (CAD) (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.15-1.38), and stroke (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.38-1.73). In the adjusted model, the V15.81 code remained predictive of increased risk of CKD (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.45), ESRD (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.18-2.78), incident CAD (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.14-1.40), and stroke (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.29-1.65). Additional adjustment for PDC did not alter adverse associations between V15.81 code and studied outcomes. Conclusions: Assignment of V15.81 code prior to AHD therapy was associated with higher risks of renal and cardiovascular outcomes in incident hypertensive US veterans. Previous history of non-adherence is a poor prognostic marker in hypertensive individuals; therefore, patients with V15.81 code may require close monitoring. The observational nature of this study limits our ability to make firm recommendations for clinical practice.
Genetic relatedness in two-tiered plains zebra societies suggests that females choose to associate with kin
Authors: Tong Wenfei , Shapiro Beth , Rubenstein Daniel I.
Published: September 2015

How kinship structures alter inclusive fitness benefits or competition costs to members of a group can explain variation in animal societies. We present rare data combining behavioural associations and genetic relatedness to determine the influence of sex differences and kinship in structuring a two-tiered zebra society. We found a significantly positive relationship between the strength of behavioural association and relatedness. Female relatedness within herds was higher than chance, suggesting that female kin drive herd formation, and consistent with evidence that lactating females preferentially group into herds to dilute predation risk. In contrast, male relatedness across harems in a herd was no different from relatedness across herds, suggesting that although stallions benefit from associating to fend off bachelors, they do not preferentially form kin coalitions. Although both sexes disperse, we found that most harems contained adult relatives, implying limited female dispersal distances and inbreeding in this population, with potential conservation consequences.
Muslims’ Day-to-Day Handling of Property and the Adherence to Islamic Norms
Authors: Müssig Stephanie
Published: September 2015

The aim of this work is to answer the question:“What role do Islamic norms play in property-related attitudes and behaviour of Muslims living in Western European societies?”To this end, a systematic review of electronic journal databases was undertaken to identify academic works published on the matter up to August 2013. Twenty relevant papers were identified, all of which contained original data. The empirical results of the studies show that Muslims in Western Europe incorporate Islamic norms in their decisions in everyday situations and secular life.
Molecular phylogeny of the genus Lepidophthalmus (Decapoda, Callianassidae), with re-examination of its species composition
Authors: ROBLES RAFAEL , FELDER DARRYL L.
Published: September 2015

Ghost shrimps (Decapoda: Callianassidae) are common estuarine and marine burrowing organisms of tropical to temperate waters, typically found in intertidal to shallow subtidal habitats. Except for an abbreviated planktonic larval phase, most callianassids live as obligate burrowers and appear to depend on the burrow for shelter, reproduction, and feeding. Recent studies have shown the genus Lepidophthalmus, a group largely restricted to estuaries and river mouths, to be surprisingly speciose, but relationships among these taxa and driving forces for their separation remain poorly understood. We include fifteen described species of Lepidophthalmus in a molecular phylogenetic analysis based upon sequence analyses of the 16S and 12S mitochondrial genes. Our findings clarify the monophyletic membership of the genus and confirm postulated species separations. We reconfirm validity of Lepidophthalmus eiseni, reject two recently proposed new genera for selected members of Lepidophthalmus, and define ecologically and morphologically informative clades among congeners. Limited capability for larval dispersal and regional biogeographic history could well account for high diversity and regional endemism observed within the genus. Biogeographic scenarios, including continental drift, closure of the Panamanian Isthmus, and post-glacial dispersals, are invoked to account for proposed reconstructions of historical relationships.
Two new species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Southern Bukit Barisan Range of Sumatra and an estimation of their phylogeny
Authors: HARVEY MICHAEL B. , O’CONNELL KYLE A. , BARRAZA GABRIEL , RIYANTO AWAL , KURNIAWAN NIA , SMITH ERIC N.
Published: September 2015

We describe Cyrtodactylus psarops sp. nov. and C. semicinctus sp. nov., two new species of bent-toed geckos from montane forests in the southern Bukit Barisan Range of Sumatra, Indonesia. The new species are closely related to one another and to C. semenanjungensis, a lowland species currently known only from Peninsular Malaysia. Three characters of the new species immediately distinguish them from most congeners in the Sunda Region: they lack transversely enlarged subcaudals, have a precloacal depression, and have a greatly enlarged scale positioned at the apex of a continuous series of femoral and precloacal pore-bearing scales. They differ from one another in cephalic pattern, tuberculation of the brachium, and in numbers of cloacal tubercles, dorsal bands, and ventrals in a transverse row. The greatly enlarged scale at the apex of the precloacal pores appears to be a rare apomorphy of these two species and C. agamensis.
Additions to thalassinidean fauna (Crustacea: Decapoda) off Mauritania (NW Africa) with the description of a new genus and a new species
Authors: MATOS-PITA SUSANA S. DE , RAMIL FRAN
Published: September 2015

The Maurit surveys along the Mauritanian coast revealed the small collection of thalassinideans examined in this work. A total of four species were identified, of which Ezaxius ferachevali n. gen., n. sp. is described and figured here. Calocaris macandreae Bell, 1853 is the most abundant species, while the presence of Calocarides coronatus (Trybom, 1904) is confirmed on the West African coast. Trypaea oblonga n. comb. is proposed for Callianassa oblonga Le Loeuff & Intès, 1974 and it has been recaptured for the first time since its original description, with the addition of a female specimen. We also include remarks on the current status of thalassinidean systematics.
Dynamics of Wave Setup over a Steeply Sloping Fringing Reef
Authors: Buckley Mark L. , Lowe Ryan J. , Hansen Jeff E. , Van Dongeren Ap R.
Published: September 2015

High-resolution observations from a 55-m-long wave flume were used to investigate the dynamics of wave setup over a steeply sloping reef profile with a bathymetry representative of many fringing coral reefs. The 16 runs incorporating a wide range of offshore wave conditions and still water levels were conducted using a 1:36 scaled fringing reef, with a 1:5 slope reef leading to a wide and shallow reef flat. Wave setdown and setup observations measured at 17 locations across the fringing reef were compared with a theoretical balance between the local cross-shore pressure and wave radiation stress gradients. This study found that when radiation stress gradients were calculated from observations of the radiation stress derived from linear wave theory, both wave setdown and setup were underpredicted for the majority of wave and water level conditions tested. These underpredictions were most pronounced for cases with larger wave heights and lower still water levels (i.e., cases with the greatest setdown and setup). Inaccuracies in the predicted setdown and setup were improved by including a wave-roller model, which provides a correction to the kinetic energy predicted by linear wave theory for breaking waves and produces a spatial delay in the wave forcing that was consistent with the observations.
HIV transmission as a form of gender-based violence: Experiences of women in Tigray, Ethiopia
Authors: Ní Raghallaigh Muireann , Morton Sarah , Allen Mary
Published: September 2015

Gender-based violence and HIV have a particular impact on women in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on qualitative research with women in Ethiopia, this article explores the intersection between these two issues. It examines HIV transmission in the context of both intimate partner violence and wider gender-based violence, focusing on infidelity, multiple sexual partners, rape and sex work. We argue that the participants viewed HIV transmission as a form of gender-based violence in its own right. Women often could not afford to protect themselves from either gender-based violence or HIV because of gender inequality and poverty.
A politics of compassion: Informing a new social policy for homelessness?
Authors: Horsell Chris
Published: September 2015

This article explores the role of emotions with a specific focus on discourses of compassion, in framing policy and service delivery responses to homelessness. While there has been some recent scholarly work on the emotions and homelessness, there has been little attempt to explore this in the context of social policy responses to homelessness and the resultant programmes within which services are delivered. Informing the analysis in this article is the view that the continued presence of social injustices including homelessness reflects an absence of concern for others and the forms of suffering inflicted personally and institutionally upon each other. These considerations suggest the possibility for satisfactorily addressing social inequities that have significantly been exacerbated by the promotion of policy frameworks informed by neoliberal rationalities, depending to a considerable degree on making alterations to both individual and collective value frameworks. Such transformative possibilities could be facilitated by the development of the virtue of compassion. Exploring the potential for a politics of compassion to inform policy responses to homelessness in particular has the capacity, among other things, to disrupt contemporary, taken-for-granted assumptions regarding welfare dependency and the role of government in welfare provision at a more general level.
Examining the neoliberal discourse of accountability: The case of Hong Kong’s social service sector
Authors: Yan Miu Chung , Cheung Johnson Chun-Sing , Tsui Ming-sum , Chu Chi Keung
Published: September 2015

Social workers always strive for an intricate balance between the competitive demands of different discourses of accountability. However, the neoliberal welfare regime, which privileges the ideologies of free market choice and managerial control, has synchronized the different discourses into a neoliberal discourse of accountability. Using Hong Kong as an example, this article examines how this discourse is put into practice and how it demoralizes the social work profession. To resist this discourse, social workers may need to work reflexively with their service users in and outside their workplace.
On the behaviour of reinforcements beneath the surface in turning of metal-matrix composites (MMCs)
Authors: Gatto Andrea , Iuliano Luca , Atzeni Eleonora , Minetola Paolo , Salmi Alessandro
Published: September 2015

A specific technical expertise is required to machine metal–matrix composites (MMCs). It is well known, from the literature data, that MMCs cutting involves high costs and high machining times due to excessive tool wear and possible subsurface damage. In recent years, the emphasis of research has focused on understanding the mechanics and mechanisms that are responsible for the behaviour of MMCs during the material removal process. These kinds of studies would be the most effective way of understanding the machining characteristics and deformation behaviour of the material. This work is a contribution to understanding the effects of two antagonistic phenomena that determine MMCs behaviour during the cutting process, such as the thermal softening of the matrix and the matrix hardening due to strain. To this end, a simplified model that describes the behaviour of the reinforcements beneath the machined surface is proposed and experimentally validated.
Moral Emotions the Day After Drinking
Authors: Fjær Eivind Grip
Published: September 2015

Youth party practices are, despite apparent chaos, morally ordered. Moral emotions regulate social practices by linking individual morality and collectively sanctioned moral orders. An analysis of 66 qualitative interviews with young social drinkers reveals that, the day after drinking, party participants may experience the negative moral emotions of shame, guilt, and embarrassment. When party participants think back on the night before and suspect that they behaved in ways that were not morally acceptable, even within the party context, they evaluate their behavior as a moral failure and try to anticipate other people’s reactions to this behavior. Alcohol-induced amnesia may also lead to suspicions of a moral failure and may therefore precede such emotional reactions. Because these emotions are delayed reactions, their potentially appeasing display has no immediate audience, and this may lead to more intense emotions. Participants coped with these emotions socially, through storytelling and teasing, but also by insisting on the alternative normative structure of the party practice. These emotional reactions are spontaneous attempts at reconciling experiences from social contexts that were conducive to moral transgressions with the conception of oneself as a moral person. These emotional reactions also reveal an ambivalent relationship between individual party participants and transgressive party practices. Conceptualizing these reactions as moral emotions enables a fuller understanding of the social dynamics of drinking and party practices and a more precise mapping of their modified moral orders.
The Impact of Non-Normality on Extraction of Spurious Latent Classes in Mixture IRT Models
Authors: Sen Sedat , Cohen Allan S. , Kim Seock-Ho
Published: September 2015

Unidimensional, item response theory (IRT) models assume a single homogeneous population. Mixture IRT (MixIRT) models can be useful when subpopulations are suspected. The usual MixIRT model is typically estimated assuming a normally distributed latent ability. Research on normal finite mixture models suggests that latent classes potentially can be extracted, even in the absence of population heterogeneity, if the distribution of the data is non-normal. In this study, the authors examined the sensitivity of MixIRT models to latent non-normality. Single-class IRT data sets were generated using different ability distributions and then analyzed with MixIRT models to determine the impact of these distributions on the extraction of latent classes. Results suggest that estimation of mixed Rasch models resulted in spurious latent class problems in the data when distributions were bimodal and uniform. Mixture two-parameter logistic (2PL) and mixture three-parameter logistic (3PL) IRT models were found to be more robust to latent non-normality.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: Experience in 13 adult patients
Authors: Panigrahi Manoj K , Suresh Kumar Cherlopalli , Jaganathan Venugopal , Vinod Kumar Saka
Published: September 2015

Background

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is an uncommon disorder. There is a lack of information on spontaneous pneumomediastinum in India. We aimed to understand the clinical profile, hospital course, and long-term outcome of such patients.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed all patients (aged ≥15 years) diagnosed with spontaneous pneumomediastinum in the respiratory ward of a tertiary care hospital over a 7-year period from 2005.

Results

Of the 3326 patients hospitalized during the study period, 13 (10 male) were diagnosed with spontaneous pneumomediastinum, constituting 0.39% of all hospitalizations. The median age was 37 years (interquartile range 20–55 years). The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea in 85% followed by neck swelling (69%), chest pain (69%) and cough (54%). Subcutaneous emphysema and preexisting lung diseases were identified in 11 (85%) patients each. Post-tubercular pulmonary sequelae (5 patients) and asthma (4 patients) were the most common underlying lung diseases. Pneumothorax was identified in 6 (46%) patients; 4 required tube thoracostomy. Chest radiography was diagnostic in 92% of patients. The median length of hospital stay was 9 days (interquartile range 6–12 days). No recurrence was reported in 11 patients followed up for a median of 1550 days (interquartile range 691–1909 days).

Conclusions

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a benign disorder, but underlying lung diseases and concomitant pneumothorax are likely to complicate the disease course. Exacerbation of post-tubercular obstructive airway disease is a common risk factor for spontaneous pneumomediastinum in a tuberculosis endemic country.
Reading Transdisciplinarily: Sartre and Althusser
Authors: Power Nina
Published: September 2015

This article considers transdisciplinarity from the standpoint of reading and readers, rather than as a collection of texts, concepts or proper names. It argues that the humanism and anti-humanism debates of the 1950s and 1960s, particularly understood through the work of Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser, was above all a debate about the politics of reading. Understanding transdisciplinarity to relate to a projected model of post-disciplinarity, the article suggests that transdisciplinarity needs to supplement its conceptual and political remit with a theory of reading, such that reading across disciplines simultaneously becomes a question of reading beyond disciplinary boundaries.
Temporal Drag: Transdisciplinarity and the ‘Case’ of Psychosocial Studies
Authors: Baraitser Lisa
Published: September 2015

Psychosocial studies is a putatively ‘new’ or emerging field concerned with the irreducible relation between psychic and social life. Genealogically, it attempts to re-suture a tentative relation between mind and social world, individual and mass, internality and externality, norm and subject, and the human and non-human, through gathering up and re-animating largely forgotten debates that have played out across a range of other disciplinary spaces. If, as I argue, the central tenets, concepts and questions for psychosocial studies emerge out of a re-appropriation of what have become anachronistic or ‘useless’ concepts in other fields – ‘the unconscious’, for instance, in the discipline of psychology – then we need to think about transdisciplinarity not just in spatial terms (that is, in terms of the movement across disciplinary borders) but also in temporal terms. This may involve engaging with theoretical ‘embarrassments’, one of which – the notion of ‘psychic reality’ – I explore here.
Tai Chi for improving cardiopulmonary function and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Guo Jia-Bao , Chen Bing-Lin , Lu Yue-Mei , Zhang Wen-Yi , Zhu Zhao-Jin , Yang Yu-Jie , Zhu Yi
Published: September 2015

Objective:

To examine the effect of Tai Chi on cardiopulmonary function and quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Data sources:

Cochrane Library, PUBMED, EMBASE, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang database.

Methods:

Articles on randomized controlled trials comparing Tai Chi with other treatments or no treatment were identified. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

Fifteen articles involving 1354 participants were included. Compared with the control group, Tai Chi was more effective in improving exercise capacity on 6-minute walking distance (short term: MD = 16.02, 95% CI 2.86 to 29.17; mid term: MD = 30.90, 95% CI 6.88 to 54.93; long term: MD = 24.63, 95% CI 2.30 to 46.95), as well as pulmonary functions on forced expiratory volume in the first second (mid term: MD = 0.10; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.19), and forced vital capacity (mid term: MD = 0.20; 95% CI 0.04 to 0.36). Concerning quality of life, we found Tai Chi was better than the control group for the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire dyspnoea score (short term: MD = 0.90; 95% CI 0.51 to 1.29), fatigue score (short term: MD = 0.75; 95% CI 0.42 to 1.09), and total score (short term: MD = 1.92; 95% CI 0.54 to 3.31).

Conclusions:

Tai Chi may improve exercise capacity in the short, mid, and long terms. However, no significant long term differences in pulmonary function and quality of life were observed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Neuropathogenic Capacity of Lentogenic, Mesogenic, and Velogenic Newcastle Disease Virus Strains in Day-Old Chickens
Authors: Moura V. M. B. D. , Susta L. , Cardenas-Garcia S. , Stanton J. B. , Miller P. J. , Afonso C. L. , Brown C. C.
Published: September 2015

Strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) have different abilities to elicit neurologic signs. To determine the capacity of different NDV strains to replicate and cause lesions in the brain, independently of their peripheral replication, 1-day-old chickens were inoculated in the subdural space with 7 NDV strains of different virulence (4 velogenic, 2 mesogenic, 1 lentogenic). Velogenic strains induced severe necrotizing and heterophilic ventriculitis and meningitis, as well as edema of the neuroparenchyma, and replicated extensively in the nervous tissue by day 2 postinfection, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, when all infected birds died. Clinical signs, microscopic lesions, and viral replication were delayed (days 3 and 4 postinfection) with mesogenic strains. Velogenic and mesogenic NDV strains replicated mainly in neurons, and immunolabeling was first detected in surface-oriented areas (periventricular and submeningeal), possibly as a reflection of the inoculation route. The lentogenic NDV strain did not cause death of infected birds; replication was confined to the epithelium of the ependyma and choroid plexuses; and lesions consisted of lymphoid aggregates limited to the choroid plexuses. Results show that extensive NDV replication in the brain is typical of velogenic and mesogenic, but not lentogenic, NDV strains. In addition, this study suggests that differences in the rate of NDV replication in nervous tissue, not differences in neurotropism, differentiate velogenic from mesogenic NDV strains. This study indicates that intracerebral inoculation might be used as an effective method to study the mechanisms of NDV neuropathogenesis.
Formability and microstructure evolution during hydroforming of drawing quality welded steel tube
Authors: Omar Ahmad , Tewari Asim , Narasimhan K
Published: September 2015

Tube hydroforming is an advanced manufacturing process in which a tube is placed inside a die cavity and plastically deformed under hydraulic pressure, so that it takes the shape of the die. This process is commonly applied in the automotive and aerospace sectors. Welded tubes are commonly used in the hydroforming process. In this work, therefore, the entire study is carried out on resistance-welded tubes. Forming limit diagram is a measure of formability of any forming process; and in the case of the tube hydroforming process, it was obtained by deforming the tubes under different strain paths. A simulation of the hydroforming process was carried out using the finite element–based commercial software, PAM-STAMP 2G. The forming limit diagram obtained through experiments was predicted using this simulation. A fractography study revealed that in the case of axial feed, the nature of fracture was ductile; whereas in the fixed condition, some brittle characteristics were seen. In these experiments, it was observed that the neck and crack were parallel to the weld for all strain paths. A simulation incorporating the weld was able to capture accurately the neck and crack orientation in all the strain paths. The electron backscattered diffraction images show grain refinement of the base metal as well as a high percentage of low-angle grain boundaries, which is an indication of higher plasticity. The weld metal microstructure does not show significant change during deformation, as the extent of deformation is much lower in the weld.
Alterations of the Deltoid Muscle After Open Versus Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair
Authors: Cho Nam Su , Cha Sang Won , Rhee Yong Girl
Published: September 2015

Background:

Open repair can be more useful than arthroscopic repair for immobile and severely retracted, large to massive rotator cuff tears. However, it is not known whether the deltoid muscle is altered after open repair or to what extent the deltoid origin remains detached after surgery.

Purpose:

To compare postoperative alterations of the deltoid muscle in open versus arthroscopic repair for severely retracted, large to massive rotator cuff tears.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Enrolled in this study were 135 patients who underwent surgical repair for severely retracted, large to massive rotator cuff tears and who had routine follow-up MRIs at least 6 months after surgery. Open repairs were performed in 56 cases and arthroscopic repairs in 79 cases. The detachment and thickness of the deltoid muscle at its proximal origin were recorded in 5 zones on MRI. The alterations of the deltoid muscle and postoperative integrity of the repaired rotator cuff were evaluated.

Results:

Partial detachment of the deltoid occurred in 1 patient (1.8%) in the open group and in 2 patients (2.5%) in the arthroscopic group ( P = .80). All the partial detachments occurred in zones 2 and 3. Attenuation of the proximal origin of the deltoid was found in 3 patients (5.4%) in the open group and in 4 patients (5.1%) in the arthroscopic group ( P = .87). Atrophy of the deltoid muscle was shown in 3 patients (5.4%) in the open group and 4 patients (5.1%) in the arthroscopic group ( P = .61). The retear rate of the repaired cuff was 30.4% (17/56) in the open group and 38.0% (30/79) in the arthroscopic group ( P = .74).

Conclusion:

Between open and arthroscopic repair for severely retracted, large to massive rotator cuff tears, there was no significant difference in detachment of the deltoid origin and alterations of the deltoid muscle after repair. Postoperative alterations of the deltoid occurred in arthroscopic surgery as well as in open surgery. For immobile massive rotator cuff tear, open repair is an acceptable technique as long as the deltoid muscle is meticulously reattached after surgery.
Low dielectric behavior of amine functionalized MCM-41 reinforced polyimide nanocomposites
Authors: Kurinchyselvan Siraimeettan , Sasikumar Ramachandran , Ariraman Mathivathanan , Gomathipriya Ponnaiah , Alagar Muthukaruppan
Published: September 2015

A class of low dielectric constant polyimide (PI) composites was prepared by means of reduced polarization. Consequently, the nonpolar group of long aliphatic chain bridged diamine was synthesized and utilized to prepare PI with pyromellitic dianhydride and subsequently the porous amine-functionalized mobil composition of matter no. 41 (FMCM-41) was synthesized and reinforced into the PI matrix with a view to reduce the value of dielectric constant of PI. Various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance were used to characterize and confirm the synthesized monomer and polymer. The porous nature of hybrid polymer nanocomposites was ascertained using transmission electron microscopic images, and the aggregations of nanoparticles were confirmed by scanning electron microscopic images. The mechanical (tensile) and dielectric behaviors of a material were ascertained by the measurement of porosity. The optimum concentration of FMCM-41-reinforced PI (7 wt% FMCM-41/PI) has the lowest value of dielectric constant of 2.21 at 1 MHz, and beyond this concentration (10 wt% FMCM-41/PI), the reverse trend was observed in the values of dielectric constant and dielectric loss, due to the agglomeration of silica nanoparticles in the PI matrix.
Effects of graphene reduction degree on thermal oxidative stability of reduced graphene oxide/silicone rubber nanocomposites
Authors: Bai Yulian , Cai Hai , Qiu Xingna , Fang Xin , Zheng Junping
Published: September 2015

In this work, graphene oxide (GO) was prepared with a modified Hummers method and then reduced to different reduction degree by thermal treatment. The GO and reduced GO (RGO) samples were introduced into silicone rubber (SR) matrix to prepare nanocomposites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy measurement were performed to detect the structure and morphology changes of GO and RGO sheets. The results showed that the reduction removed most of the oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of GO, especially C–O–C group, and thus reestablished a graphitic network of sp2 hybrid; by increasing the reduction temperature, the reduction degree of GO was increased, and meanwhile, the extent of exfoliation was increased. More importantly, tensile testing and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that RGO improved the mechanical properties and thermal oxidative stability of SR nanocomposites. The improvement enhanced with increasing the reduction degree of GO simultaneously.
Direct synthesis of triphenylamine-containing polyarylsulfones from commercially available aniline
Authors: Chen Zheng , Lin Yingjian , Sun Daye , Han Yuntao
Published: September 2015

A novel triphenylamine-containing polyarylsulfone (PAS-TPA) was synthesized from commercially available aniline and 1,1′-sulfonylbis(4-fluorobenzene) via two-step N–C coupling reaction under nucleophilic substitution polycondensation condition. Subsequently, a new series of polysulfones with different TPA contents (PSU-TPAs) was developed by the same method. Both PAS-TPA and PSU-TPAs not only exhibited good thermal stability and solubility but also exhibited intense ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence and high fluorescence quantum yield (approximately 16–42%). Their ideal highest occupied molecular orbital level (approximately −5.5 to −5.6) indicated the potential application of these polymers in organic photoelectronic fields.
Topology optimization of stamping die components using evolutionary structural optimization method
Authors: Azamirad Ghasem , Arezoo Behrooz
Published: September 2015

Today, die design standards are used to design the structure of die components. These standards are usually based on high safety factors. So, the die components are often heavier and larger than required. In this article, a software package is developed which can design an appropriate topology of body structure of stamping die components with a reduced weight. This is done by implementing the evolutionary structural optimization algorithm. The proposed structure can also be modified by the designer to accommodate for a simpler casting method. This software package is developed in Microsoft Visual C# programming environment with a link to Abaqus software to analyze the finite element simulation of the process. The operation of the software is demonstrated by an example where the die for a sheet metal part is studied. The die components are initially designed, analyzed and compared with the standard die (the die which is in general use today). The final results show a reduction of 37% of volume and 8% of maximum displacement, respectively.
Minimal quantity cooling lubrication in turning of Ti6Al4V: Influence on surface roughness, cutting force and tool wear
Authors: Pervaiz Salman , Deiab Ibrahim , Rashid Amir , Nicolescu Mihai
Published: September 2015

Titanium alloys generally show low machinability ratings. They are referred as difficult-to-cut materials due to their inherent properties such as low thermal conductivity, high chemical reactivity and high strength at elevated temperatures. Cooling strategies play an important role to improve the machining performance of the cutting process. In order to facilitate the heat dissipation from the cutting zone, generous amount of coolant is used when machining highly reactive metals such as titanium alloys. Generally, cutting coolants are nominated as pollutants due to their non-biodegradable nature. This article presents experimental evaluation of a minimal quantity cooling lubrication system. The study investigates a combination of sub-zero-temperature air and vegetable oil–based mist as possible environmentally benign alternative to conventional cooling methods. The results are compared with the dry and flood cutting environments as well. Machinability was evaluated experimentally by considering the surface finish, cutting forces, tool life and their associated tool wear mechanisms. It was concluded from the results obtained from the surface roughness, cutting force and tool life investigation that minimal quantity cooling lubrication (internal) cooling strategy has encouraging potential to replace the conventional flood cooling method.
Hole-flange forming of high-strength steel sheet using one-step hot stamping-forging method
Authors: Cheng Fang-Sung
Published: September 2015

A process of one-step hot stamping-forging for increasing the tensile strength of the hole-flanging of the high-strength steel sheets with flange thickening was developed. In this proposed method, the high-strength steel sheet is directly formed within the designed die, which is simultaneously accompanied with a resistance heating, a hole punching, and the flanging and forging processes. The electrode material is SKD61. This material is not only used as the forming of the high-strength steel sheet but also directly served as the heating of the high-strength steel sheet within the die. The experimental results indicated that the high-strength steel sheet could be heated to 850 °C in 30 s by the SKD61 die. It demonstrates the successful completion of heating, hole punching, flanging and forging in a one-step process. Furthermore, it is found that the tensile strength of M18 tapped hole with forged part is increased by about 7.4% than that without forged part, and the breaking toughness is increased by about 33%.