bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Creatinine Clearance Is Associated with Toxicity from Molecularly Targeted Agents in Phase I Trials
Authors: Basu B. , Vitfell-Pedersen J. , Moreno Garcia V. , Puglisi M. , Tjokrowidjaja A. , Shah K. , Malvankar S. , Anghan B. , de Bono J.S. , Kaye S.B. , Molife L.R. , Banerji U.
Published: August 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate any correlations between baseline creatinine clearance and the development of grade 3/4 toxicities during treatment within oncology phase I trials of molecularly targeted agents where entry criteria mandate a serum creatinine of ≤1.5 × the upper limit of normal. Methods: Documented toxicity and creatinine clearance (calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault formula) from all patients treated with molecularly targeted agents in the context of phase I trials within our centre over a 5-year period were analyzed. Results: Data from 722 patients were analyzed; 116 (16%) developed at least one episode of grade 3/4 toxicity. Patients who developed a late-onset (>1 cycle) grade 3/4 toxicity had a lower creatinine clearance than those who did not (82.69 ml/min vs. 98.97 ml/min; p = < 0.001). Conclusion: Creatinine clearance (even when within normal limits) should be studied as a potential factor influencing late toxicities in the clinical trials of molecularly targeted anti-cancer drugs.
Sense of Coherence and Four-Year Caries Incidence in Finnish Adults
Authors: Bernabé E. , Newton J.T. , Uutela A. , Aromaa A. , Suominen A.L.
Published: August 2012

This study assesses whether sense of coherence (SOC) predicts incidence of tooth decay over 4 years and the role of dental behaviours in explaining the effect of SOC on incidence of tooth decay. Data from 994 adults who participated in both the Health 2000 survey and the Follow-Up Study of Finnish Adults’ Oral Health were analysed for this study. At baseline, participants provided information on demographic characteristics, education level, the SOC scale and dental behaviours (tooth brushing frequency, dental attendance and sugar intake frequency). The 4-year incidence of tooth decay was calculated using data from baseline and follow-up clinical oral examinations. Baseline SOC was significantly related to 4-year incidence of tooth decay after adjustment for demographic factors and education (relative risk: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63–0.98). This effect was fully attenuated after further adjustment for the three dental behaviours. Tooth brushing frequency and dental attendance were the only dental behaviours significantly related to incidence of tooth decay. This prospective study suggests that SOC predicts incidence of tooth decay and that dental behaviours may help explaining why adults with strong SOC have lower risk of developing tooth decay than those with weak SOC.
Comparative Chromosome Painting in Carnivora and Pholidota
Authors: Perelman P.L. , Beklemisheva V.R. , Yudkin D.V. , Petrina T.N. , Rozhnov V.V. , Nie W. , Graphodatsky A.S.
Published: August 2012

The order of Carnivora has been very well characterized with over 50 species analyzed by chromosome painting and with painting probe sets made for 9 Carnivora species. Representatives of almost all families have been studied with few exceptions (Otariidae, Odobenidae, Nandiniidae, Prionodontidae). The patterns of chromosome evolution in Carnivora are discussed here. Overall, many Carnivora species retained karyotypes that only slightly differ from the ancestral carnivore karyotype. However, there are at least 3 families in which the ancestral carnivore karyotype has been severely rearranged – Canidae, Ursidae and Mephitidae. Here we report chromosome painting of yet another Carnivora species with a highly rearranged karyotype, Genetta pardina. Recurrent rearrangements make it difficult to define the ancestral chromosomal arrangement in several instances. Only 2 species of pangolins (Pholidota), a sister order of Carnivora, have been studied by chromosome painting. Future use of whole-genome sequencing data is discussed in the context of solving the questions that are beyond resolution of conventional banding techniques and chromosome painting.
Direct Evidence of Allele-Specific Binding of CTCF and MeCP2 to Tsix in a HPRT-Deficient Female F1 Hybrid Mouse Cell Line
Authors: Son J. , Min N.Y. , Choi J.-H. , Ko Y.J. , Liang W. , Rhee S. , Lee K.-H.
Published: August 2012

Mammalian dosage compensation requires silencing of one of the two X chromosomes in females and is controlled by the X inactivation center (Xic). Xic contains many of the regulatory elements for the mutual interplay of X-inactive specific transcript (Xist) and Tsix, the antisense counterpart of Xist. The regulatory elements control X chromosome inactivation (XCI) via the formation of DNA-DNA and DNA-protein complexes with cis- and trans-acting factors. However, the process-dependent regulation of Xist/Tsix by these elements in each XCI process remains largely unknown. In this study, a 6-thioguanine-resistant female F1 hybrid mouse cell line (designated HOBMSKI2) was constructed from a cross between a female HPRT-deficient transgenic mouse (designated BM3) and a male wild type Mus spretus mouse (designated MS), which enabled the direct discrimination of both allele-specific expression of X-linked genes and allele-specific binding of proteins associated with XCI due to DNA polymorphisms between BM3 and MS. Using this cell line, we found that Tsix on the active X chromosome (Xa) was not expressed in somatic cells despite the fact that CTCF, which ensures Tsix expression in embryonic stem cells, was still bound to the 5′ end of Tsix on Xa, implying that CTCF may function differently during each XCI process and its trans-activating activity for Tsix expression may be lost in the maintenance process. In addition, the monoallelic expression of Tsix on Xa was inhibited by epigenetic modification of the chromatin in the maintenance process, which was mediated by protein complexes recruited by MeCP2. The results indicate the value of HOBMSKI2 in directly detecting the allele-specific binding of CTCF and MeCP2 to the 5′ end of Tsix. The HOBMSKI2 mouse line is a versatile and useful resource for studying the molecular mechanism of the XCI process.
Global Strain in Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis
Authors: Dahl Jordi S. , Videbæk Lars , Poulsen Mikael K. , Rudbæk Torsten R. , Pellikka Patricia A. , Møller Jacob E.
Published: August 2012

Background—

Global longitudinal systolic strain (GLS) is often reduced in aortic stenosis despite normal ejection fraction. The importance of reduced preoperative GLS on long-term outcome after aortic valve replacement is unknown.

Methods and Results—

A total of 125 patients with severe aortic stenosis and ejection fraction >40% scheduled for aortic valve replacement were evaluated preoperatively and divided into 4 groups according to GLS quartiles. Patients were followed up for 4 years. The primary end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) defined as cardiovascular mortality and cardiac hospitalization because of worsening of heart failure; the secondary end point was cardiovascular mortality. MACE and cardiac mortality were significantly increased in patients with lower GLS. Estimated 5-year MACE was increased: first quartile 19% (n=6) / second quartile 20% (n=6) / third quartile 35% (n=11) / fourth quartile 49% (n=15);
P
=0.04. Patients with increased age, left ventricular hypertrophy, and left atrial dilatation were at increased risk. In Cox regression analysis, after correcting for standard risk factors and ejection fraction, GLS was found to be significantly associated with cardiac morbidity and mortality. In a stepwise Cox model with forward selection, GLS was the sole independent predictor: hazard ratio=1.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.25),
P
=0.04. Comparing the overall log likelihood χ
2
of the predictive power of the multivariable model containing GLS was statistically superior to models based on EuroScore, history with ischemic heart disease, and ejection fraction.

Conclusions—

In patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis undergoing aortic valve replacement, reduced GLS provides important prognostic information beyond standard risk factors.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00294775.
Bleeding After Initiation of Multiple Antithrombotic Drugs, Including Triple Therapy, in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Following Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Intervention
Authors: Lamberts Morten , Olesen Jonas Bjerring , Ruwald Martin Huth , Hansen Carolina Malta , Karasoy Deniz , Kristensen Søren Lund , Køber Lars , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Gislason Gunnar Hilmar , Hansen Morten Lock
Published: August 2012

Background—

Uncertainty remains over optimal antithrombotic treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation presenting with myocardial infarction and/or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. We investigated the risk and time frame for bleeding following myocardial infarction/percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with atrial fibrillation according to antithrombotic treatment.

Methods and Results—

Patients with atrial fibrillation and admitted with myocardial infarction or for percutaneous coronary intervention between 2000 and 2009 (11 480 subjects, mean age 75.6 years [SD ±10.3], males 60.9%) were identified by individual level linkage of nationwide registries in Denmark. Fatal or nonfatal (requiring hospitalization) bleeding was determined according to antithrombotic treatment regimen: triple therapy (TT) with vitamin K antagonist (VKA)+aspirin+clopidogrel, VKA+antiplatelet, and dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin+clopidogrel. We calculated crude incidence rates and adjusted hazard ratios by Cox regression models. Within 1 year, 728 bleeding events were recorded (6.3%); 79 were fatal (0.7%). Within 30 days, rates were 22.6, 20.3, and 14.3 bleeding events per 100 person-years for TT, VKA+antiplatelet, and dual antiplatelet therapy, respectively. Both early (within 90 days) and delayed (90–360 days) bleeding risk with TT exposure in relation to VKA+antiplatelet was increased; hazard ratio 1.47 (1.04;2.08) and 1.36 (0.95;1.95), respectively. No significant difference in thromboembolic risk was observed for TT versus VKA+antiplatelet; hazard ratio, 1.15 (0.95;1.40).

Conclusions—

High risk of bleeding is immediately evident with TT after myocardial infarction/percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with atrial fibrillation. A continually elevated risk associated with TT indicates no safe therapeutic window, and TT should only be prescribed after thorough bleeding risk assessment of patients.
Vascular Aspects of Fabry Disease in Relation to Clinical Manifestations and Elevations in Plasma Globotriaosylsphingosine
Authors: Rombach Saskia M. , van den Bogaard Bas , de Groot Eric , Groener Johanna E.M. , Poorthuis Ben J. , Linthorst Gabor E. , van den Born Bert-Jan H. , Hollak Carla E.M. , Aerts Johannes M.F.G.
Published: August 2012

Fabry disease is an X-linked hereditary lysosomal storage disorder attributed to a deficiency of α-galactosidase A leading to increased plasma levels of globotriaosylsphingosine (lysoGb3). The disease presents as a vascular disease, with cerebral, cardiac, and renal complications. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), pulse wave velocity, and advanced glycation end products were measured in 57 classically affected patients (22 men and 35 women), 55 healthy matched controls (20 men and 35 women), and 10 atypical Fabry disease patients (5 men and 5 women). Most patients received enzyme replacement therapy. In classically affected male patients, brachial FMD was decreased (2.9% [95% CI, 0.8% to 7.9%] versus 5.9% [2.1% to 8.5%] in controls;
P
=0.01), and carotid IMT was increased (0.67 mm [95% CI, 0.50–0.96 mm] versus 0.59 mm [95% CI, 0.40–0.76 mm] in controls;
P
=0.01). In women and atypical patients these vascular parameters were comparable with controls. Pulse wave velocity was not different; advanced glycation end products were only slightly increased in atypical patients. In classically affected women, a small increase in lysoGb3 was associated with an increase in IMT independent of age. In the classically affected men, all with increased IMT and high levels of plasma lysoGb3, lysoGb3 levels did not add to a higher IMT, suggestive of a ceiling effect. For FMD, elevated lysoGb3 levels (>7 nmol/L) contributed to a 2.9% lower FMD independent of age and sex (
P
=0.02). Increased carotid IMT and decreased brachial FMD occur in classic Fabry disease, which is associated with plasma lysoGb3 level independent of age and sex. These observations still exist despite enzyme replacement therapy.
Death-Associated Protein Kinase 3 Mediates Vascular Inflammation and Development of Hypertension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Usui Tatsuya , Okada Muneyoshi , Hara Yukio , Yamawaki Hideyuki
Published: August 2012

Death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) is a Ca
2+
/calmodulin-regulated serine/threonine kinase that mediates cell death. Our recent study demonstrated that DAPK3 protein increases in the mesenteric artery from spontaneously hypertensive rats compared with Wistar Kyoto rats. Pathogenesis of hypertension is modulated at least in part by vascular inflammation. We examined whether DAPK3 mediates vascular inflammatory responses and development of hypertension. In rat mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cells, small interfering RNA against DAPK3 inhibited vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 expression and monocyte adhesion induced by tumor necrosis factor-α. DAPK3 small interfering RNA inhibited phosphorylation of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase, p38, and Akt, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production induced by tumor necrosis factor-α. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, expressions of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, endothelial selectin, and cyclooxygenase 2, as well as ROS production induced by tumor necrosis factor-α, were inhibited by DAPK inhibitor. In vivo, blood pressure, ROS production, inflammatory molecule expression (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and endothelial selectin), and hypertrophy in isolated mesenteric artery were elevated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (10 weeks old), which were prevented by long-term treatment with a DAPK inhibitor (500 µg/kg per day for 6 weeks). In isolated mesenteric artery, the increased angiotensin II–induced contraction and the impaired acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation in spontaneously hypertensive rats were reversed by a DAPK inhibitor. The present results for the first time demonstrated in cultured smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells that DAPK3 mediates tumor necrosis factor–induced inflammatory responses via ROS-dependent mechanisms. It is also suggested that DAPK3 mediates the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats likely via ROS-dependent inflammation, hypertrophy, and hypercontractility.
White Matter Lesion Progression in LADIS
Authors: Schmidt Reinhold , Berghold Andrea , Jokinen Hanna , Gouw Alida A. , van der Flier Wiesje M. , Barkhof Frederik , Scheltens Philip , Petrovic Katja , Madureira Sofia , Verdelho Ana , Ferro Jose M. , Waldemar Gunhild , Wallin Anders , Wahlund Lars-Olof , Poggesi Anna , Pantoni Leonardo , Inzitari Domenico , Fazekas Franz , Erkinjuntti Timo
Published: August 2012

Background and Purpose—

White matter lesion (WML) progression has been advocated as a surrogate marker in intervention trials on cerebral small vessel disease. We assessed the rate of visually rated WML progression, studied correlations between lesion progression and cognition, and estimated sample sizes for clinical trials with pure WML progression vs combined WML progression-cognitive outcomes.

Methods—

Those 394 participants of the Leukoaraiosis and Disability Study (LADIS) study with magnetic resonance imaging scanning at baseline and 3-year follow-up were analyzed. WML progression rating relied on the modified Rotterdam Progression Scale. The Vascular Dementia Assessment Scale global score and a composite score of specific executive function tests assessed longitudinal change in cognition. Sample size calculations were based on the assumption that treatment reduces WML progression by 1 grade on the Rotterdam Progression Scale.

Results—

WML progression related to deterioration in cognitive functioning. This relationship was less pronounced in subjects with early confluent and confluent lesions. Consequently, studies in which the outcome is cognitive change resulting from treatment effects on lesion progression will need between 1809 subjects per treatment arm when using executive tests and up to 18 853 subjects when using the Vascular Dementia Assessment Scale score. Studies having WML progression as the sole outcome will need only 58 or 70 individuals per treatment arm.

Conclusions—

WML progression is an interesting outcome for proof-of-concept studies in cerebral small vessel disease. If cognitive outcome measures are added to protocols, then sample size estimates increase substantially. Our data support the use of an executive test battery rather than the Vascular Dementia Assessment Scale as the primary cognitive outcome measure.
Characteristics of Drought and Persistent Wet Spells over the United States in the Atmosphere–Land–Ocean Coupled Model Experiments
Authors: Mo Kingtse C. , Long Lindsey N. , Schemm Jae-Kyung E.
Published: August 2012

Atmosphere–land–ocean coupled model simulations are examined to diagnose the ability of models to simulate drought and persistent wet spells over the United States. A total of seven models are selected for this study. They are three versions of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) coupled general circulation model (CGCM) with a T382, T126, and T62 horizontal resolution; GFDL Climate Model version 2.0 (CM2.0); GFDL CM2.1; Max Planck Institute (MPI) ECHAM5; and third climate configuration of the Met Office Unified Model (HadCM3) simulations from the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) experiments.

Over the United States, drought and persistent wet spells are more likely to occur over the western interior region, while extreme events are less likely to persist over the eastern United States and the West Coast. For meteorological drought, which is defined by precipitation (P) deficit, the east–west contrast is well simulated by the CFS T382 and the T126 models. The HadCM3 captures the pattern but not the magnitudes of the frequency of occurrence of persistent extreme events. For agricultural drought, which is defined by soil moisture (SM) deficit, the CFS T382, CFS T126, MPI ECHAM5, and HadCM3 models capture the east–west contrast.

The models that capture the west–east contrast also have a realistic P climatology and seasonal cycle. ENSO is the dominant mode that modulates P over the United States. A model needs to have the ENSO mode and capture the mean P responses to ENSO in order to simulate realistic drought. To simulate realistic agricultural drought, the model needs to capture the persistence of SM anomalies over the western region.
Estimation of Mixed-Phase Cloud Optical Depth and Position Using In Situ Radiation and Cloud Microphysical Measurements Obtained from a Tethered-Balloon Platform
Authors: Sikand M. , Koskulics J. , Stamnes K. , Hamre B. , Stamnes J. J. , Lawson R. P.
Published: August 2012

Microphysical and radiative measurements in boundary layer mixed-phase clouds (MPCs), consisting of ice crystals and liquid droplets, have been analyzed. These cloud measurements were collected during a May–June 2008 tethered-balloon campaign in Ny-Ålesund, Norway, located at 78.9°N, 11.9°E in the High Arctic. The instruments deployed on the tethered-balloon platform included a radiometer, a cloud particle imager (CPI), and a meteorological package. To analyze the data, a radiative transfer model (RTM) was constructed with two cloud layers—consistent with the CPI data—embedded in a background Rayleigh scattering atmosphere. The mean intensities estimated from the radiometer measurements on the balloon were used in conjunction with the RTM to quantify the vertical structure of the MPC system, while the downward irradiances measured by an upward-looking ground-based radiometer were used to constrain the total cloud optical depth. The time series of radiometer and CPI data obtained while profiling the cloud system was used to estimate the time evolution of the liquid water and ice particle optical depths as well as the vertical location of the two cloud layers.
Self-Organized Criticality and Homeostasis in Atmospheric Convective Organization
Authors: Yano Jun-Ichi , Liu Changhai , Moncrieff Mitchell W.
Published: August 2012

Atmospheric convection has a tendency to organize on a hierarchy of scales ranging from the mesoscale to the planetary scales, with the latter especially manifested by the Madden–Julian oscillation. The present paper examines two major competing mechanisms of self-organization in a cloud-resolving model (CRM) simulation from a phenomenological thermodynamic point of view.

The first mechanism is self-organized criticality. A saturation tendency of precipitation rate with increasing column-integrated water, reminiscent of critical phenomena, indicates self-organized criticality. The second is a self-regulation mechanism that is known as homeostasis in biology. A thermodynamic argument suggests that such self-regulation maintains the column-integrated water below a threshold by increasing the precipitation rate. Previous analyses of both observational data as well as CRM experiments give mixed results.

In this study, a CRM experiment over a large-scale domain with a constant sea surface temperature is analyzed. This analysis shows that the relation between the column-integrated total water and precipitation suggests self-organized criticality, whereas the one between the column-integrated water vapor and precipitation suggests homeostasis. The concurrent presence of these two mechanisms is further elaborated by detailed statistical and budget analyses. These statistics are scale invariant, reflecting a spatial scaling of precipitation processes.
Latent Heating and Cooling Rates in Developing and Nondeveloping Tropical Disturbances during TCS-08: TRMM PR versus ELDORA Retrievals*
Authors: Park Myung-Sook , Elsberry Russell L.
Published: August 2012

Unique sets of Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA) observations in both developing and nondeveloping tropical disturbances in the western North Pacific are used to retrieve latent heating and cooling rates. During the reintensification of Sinlaku, maximum heating rates of about 80 K h−1 are diagnosed in the upper troposphere in the region of a strong updraft and maximum cooling rates of about −45 K h−1 are diagnosed in the lower troposphere in the region of a strong convective-scale downdraft. The southern convective burst in the pre-Nuri mission had a lower-tropospheric maximum in latent heating that was a more favorable condition for tropical cyclone formation than was the upper-tropospheric maximum in heating and the lower-tropospheric maximum in cooling in the northern convective burst. Two nondeveloping tropical disturbances had deeper layers of more uniform heating and of cooling rates, and some evidence of more shallow cloud tops, that distinguished them from the developing cases.

Although the Shige et al. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR) algorithm was only intended to be applied over large areas on longer time scales, the PR-derived latent heating profiles were compared with the ELDORA-derived profiles to reveal important mesoscale effects. Because all six cases indicated near-zero cooling rates, a new TRMM PR algorithm should be developed that would include the effects of saturated convective-scale downdrafts in tropical mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Production of a legacy TRMM PR dataset with this improvement would be useful for diagnosing tropical cyclone formation dating back to 1998, and for specifying initial and validation conditions for numerical models in the tropics.
Influences of ENSO on Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Kinetic Energy and Its Meridional Transport
Authors: Ha Yao , Zhong Zhong , Hu Yijia , Yang Xiuqun
Published: August 2012

This study investigates the influences of ENSO on tropical cyclone (TC) kinetic energy and its meridional transport in the western North Pacific (WNP) using the TC wind field obtained after a method for removing TC vortices from reanalysis data is applied. Results show that ENSO strongly modulates TC kinetic energy and its meridional transport in the WNP, but their effects and regions differ. The TC kinetic energy is positively correlated with the Niño-3.4 index in the entire WNP, and its poleward transport is positively (negatively) correlated with the Niño-3.4 index in the eastern WNP (the western WNP and the South China Sea); these correlations are statistically significant. The maximum TC kinetic energy is located around 25°N, 135°E (25°N, 125°E) in the warm (cold) year, showing an east–west pattern during different ENSO phases. The meridional transport of TC kinetic energy exhibits a dipole pattern over the WNP, with the poleward (equatorward) transport in the eastern (western) WNP. Both poleward and equatorward transports strengthen (weaken) and shift eastward (westward) in El Niño (La Niña) years. Therefore, El Niño has strong influences on TC kinetic energy and its meridional transport.
Environmental Factors Contributing to Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the Western North Pacific
Authors: Yoshida Ryuji , Ishikawa Hirohiko
Published: August 2012

The flow environment associated with tropical cyclone genesis (TCG) over the western North Pacific was assessed via categorization into five flow patterns: monsoon shear line (SL), monsoon confluence region (CR), monsoon gyre (GY), easterly wave (EW), and preexisting tropical cyclone (PTC). Using reanalysis data and an objective algorithm, the authors defined “contribution scores” for the five flow patterns. Each score represents the contribution to TCG from each flow pattern, and scores were calculated for 908 TCG cases from 1979 to 2008 (30 yr). Of the major contribution flow patterns, SL accounted for 42% of TCGs, EW for 18%, CR for 16%, PTC for 11%, and GY for 6%. Seasonal variations in the occurrence frequency of these five patterns were clear, but interannual variations were not as apparent. Tropical cyclones often appear to be generated in conditions with multiple flow patterns. Thus, relationships between multiple flow patterns were investigated by comparing contribution scores. The SL and CR patterns were strongly correlated to each other, which can be explained by the monsoon southwesterly that organizes both patterns. The EW pattern tends to be independent of the other flow patterns. The PTC pattern has a relatively high correlation with CR, but does not have a correlation with SL or EW. Thus, the characteristics of flow patterns for the occurrence frequency of TCG are derived for a longer period than in previous studies, and correlations among flow patterns are also investigated.
Lynching as Leisure
Authors: Mowatt Rasul A.
Published: August 2012

Within a critical theory focus, the documented history of lynching in photographic images and textual accounts provides a discussion of the sense of place when considering lynchings as leisure activities. The visual analysis of 433 lynching photographs and 327 accounts undergoing critical discourse analysis provided the process of researching the historical phenomenon in the context of leisure. This article seeks to summarize that research and presents case study examples to discuss the leisure implications in lynchings. The racial violence that is demonstrated in these spectacles is a discursive intersection of cultural critique, power relationships, and a reflection of their impact on place meanings and social interaction. To “read” lynchings as violent acts of leisure in various settings creates a vehicle for leisure research to contribute to dialogues on meaning(s) of place and the significance of race.
Association of Mean Platelet Volume and Pre- and Postinterventional Flow With Infarct-Related Artery in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Elbasan Zafer , Gür Mustafa , Şahin Durmuş Yıldıray , Kuloglu Osman , Icen Yahya Kemal , Turkoglu Caner , Ozkan Bugra , Uysal Onur Kadir , Kalkan Gulhan Yuksel , Çaylı Murat
Published: August 2012

Platelets play a role in the pathogenesis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We assessed the relationship between mean platelet volume (MPV) on admission and pre- and postinterventional flow with the infarct-related artery (IRA) in patients with STEMI. We prospectively included 840 patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The patients were divided into 3 groups according to MPV tertiles. Pre- and post-PCI Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade was determined. Initial TIMI flow grade 3 was accepted as patent IRA. After the primary PCI, normal flow was defined as post-PCI TIMI flow 3. When the MPV was increased, the incidence of pre-PCI patent IRA ( P = .004) and post-PCI normal TIMI flow ( P < .001) was significantly decreased. Multivariate analysis showed that MPV was independently associated with post-PCI TIMI flow grade.
An Integrative and Comprehensive Methodology for Studying Aesthetic Experience in the Field
Authors: Tröndle Martin , Greenwood Steven , Kirchberg Volker , Tschacher Wolfgang
Published: August 2012

In the interdisciplinary context of the Swiss National Research Project eMotion—mapping museum experience, an integrative methodology for visitor research was developed. The goal was to investigate aesthetic experien-ces in the environment of a fine-arts museum. The methodology and technical setup merged different data levels (movement tracking data, heart rate and skin conductance, sociological variables, emotional and aesthetic evaluations of specific artworks) into one integrated data set. The merging was achieved online with high spatial and temporal resolution, using data gloves and a wireless network. This data set was used to generate information cartographies of visitors, visualizing their spatial behavior and physiological responses in the environment. In a field study with 576 museum visitors, the methodology was successfully implemented. Significant associations between physiology and aesthetic evaluations supported the validity of the cartographic representations; participants reported little reactivity toward the technical equipment. This methodology appears feasible for environmental behavior research in general.
A binary partition-based matching algorithm for Data Distribution Management in a High-level Architecture-based distributed simulation
Authors: Ahn Junghyun , Sung Changho , Kim Tag Gon
Published: August 2012

Data Distribution Management (DDM) is one of the High-level Architecture (HLA) services that reduce message traffic over the network. The major purpose of DDM is to filter and route the exchange of data between federates during a federation. However, this traffic reduction usually results in a significant computational overhead, which is caused by calculating the intersection between update regions and subscription regions in a matching process. To reduce the computational overhead for the matching process, this paper proposes a binary partition-based matching algorithm for DDM in a HLA-based distributed simulation. The new matching algorithm is fundamentally based on a divide-and-conquer approach. The proposed algorithm recursively performs binary partitioning that divides the regions into two partitions that entirely cover those regions. This approach promises low computational overhead, since it does not require unnecessary comparisons within regions in different partitions. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs the existing DDM-matching algorithms better and improves the scalability of the DDM.
The Firebird of the national imaginary: The myth of Russian culture and its discontents
Authors: Dianina Katia
Published: August 2012

This article considers the origins of the Russian obsession with culture. Focusing on the last third of the nineteenth century, when in the aftermath of the Great Reforms of the 1860s Russia experienced a conspicuous expansion of public sphere, I examine public debates in the contemporary press that tackled the question of national culture, deliberating on what it was and whether Russia needed it. Contemporary periodicals demonstrate that the Russian tradition of locating positive identity in culture was originally highly contested territory. Russian culture thrived on debate. What is more, even such prominent makers of the national tradition as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy assumed an explicit stance against culture. The article nevertheless contends that it was precisely this negative take that contributed to the glorious mythology that surrounds Russian tradition today. In the course of the many heated debates of the day, culture became a household word and a familiar marker of identity.
Post-imperial crises and liminal masculinity in Orhan Kemal’s My Father’s House–The Idle Years
Authors: Günay-Erkol Çimen
Published: August 2012

My Father’s House–The Idle Years is an autobiographical novel by Orhan Kemal, one of the giants of Turkish literature. The novel’s explicit focus is on a boy who grows up pursuing self-realization in a working-class atmosphere. The story takes place during a period of abrupt transformation when the Republic of Turkey, newly born out of the ashes of the collapsed Ottoman Empire, is adapting to oppressive conditions introduced by a burgeoning capitalism. Scholarship on Orhan Kemal has extensively uncovered and charted his socialist realism and unorthodox look at the history of Turkey, but it has not concerned itself enough with the issue of masculinity, which is an indisputable part of Kemal’s view of labour and political power. This paper is an initial attempt to approach Kemal’s autobiographical novels with theories of masculinity. I argue that My Father’s House–The Idle Years explores rites of passages into manhood in what can be referred to as a crisis of imperial loss: the boy grows in an attempt to restore his father’s victimized manhood, in a symbolic parallel to the transformation of the disintegrated Ottoman Empire into self-governed nation-states. Kemal handles the loss metaphorically, using the instability generated by the gender anxieties of a young boy who fails to be like his father to represent the instability generated by the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. I examine My Father’s House–The Idle Years as the Oedipalized story of post-Ottoman Turkey.
Chinese Outbound Tourists’ Destination Image of America
Authors: Stepchenkova Svetlana , Li Xiang (Robert)
Published: August 2012

This study compares the U.S. destination image of four groups of Chinese travelers with different travel horizons. The authors attempt to explore new and effective ways of comparing qualitative image information using methodological approaches from other disciplines. Specifically, they introduce and examine the concepts of destination image richness, evenness, and dominance, analogous to such concepts in biology as species richness, species evenness, and species dominance. Furthermore, the pattern of destination image distribution for the four groups is also explored from a perspective of a power law distribution often used in economic analyses. The obtained results partially support the travel horizon proposition. By applying ideas from other disciplines to the study of destination image, the authors hope that this study contributes both to the image literature and interdisciplinary research on tourism in general.
Theorizing Gender, Race, and Cultural Tourism in Latin America
Authors: Babb Florence E.
Published: August 2012

Theorizations of gender and race in Latin America have led to wide-ranging views concerning women and men in subaltern groups, whether indigenous or Afro-descendant, rural or urban. Views are similarly wide-ranging when theorizing turns to the implications of tourism development for subaltern peoples in the region. Just as it is customary to emphasize the historically subordinate status of women and racial minorities in Latin America, so too it is customary to show that tourism in the neoliberal era has particularly harsh consequences for these marginalized social sectors. At a time of indigenous mobilization, increasing migration, and urbanization, we must recognize the complex and often surprising ways in which gender, race, and tourism intertwine. Ethnographic cases from Andean Peru and Chiapas, Mexico, suggest that indigenous women play more or less prominent roles in tourism depending on several factors, with women who are active in the wider society holding more substantial positions in community-based cultural tourism.

Las teorizaciones de género y raza en América Latina han conducido a una gran gama de perspectivas en lo que concierne a las mujeres y los hombres en grupos subalternos, sean estos indígenas o afro-descendientes, rurales or urbanos. Tal como es costumbre enfatizar el papel subordinado de la mujer y el indígena en América Latina, también es costumbre demostrar que el turismo en la era del neoliberalismo tiene consecuencias duras para estos sectores marginados. En un tiempo de movilización indígena, aumento en la migración, y urbanización, tenemos que reconocer las maneras complejas y a menudo sorprendentes en que el género, la raza, y el turismo se entrelacen. Casos etnográficos del Perú Andino y Chiapas, México, sugieren que las mujeres indígenas toman un papel mas o menos prominente en el turismo dependiendo de varios factores, con las mujeres mas activas en la sociedad en general consiguiendo posiciones mas substanciales en el turismo cultural basado en la comunidad.
Time Management Strategies for Research Productivity
Authors: Chase Jo-Ana D. , Topp Robert , Smith Carol E. , Cohen Marlene Z. , Fahrenwald Nancy , Zerwic Julie J. , Benefield Lazelle E. , Anderson Cindy M. , Conn Vicki S.
Published: August 2012

Researchers function in a complex environment and carry multiple role responsibilities. This environment is prone to various distractions that can derail productivity and decrease efficiency. Effective time management allows researchers to maintain focus on their work, contributing to research productivity. Thus, improving time management skills is essential to developing and sustaining a successful program of research. This article presents time management strategies addressing behaviors surrounding time assessment, planning, and monitoring. Herein, the Western Journal of Nursing Research editorial board recommends strategies to enhance time management, including setting realistic goals, prioritizing, and optimizing planning. Involving a team, problem-solving barriers, and early management of potential distractions can facilitate maintaining focus on a research program. Continually evaluating the effectiveness of time management strategies allows researchers to identify areas of improvement and recognize progress.
The narrative construction of intimacy and affect in relationship stories
Authors: Frost David M.
Published: August 2012

This study examined how the narrative construction of intimacy and affect in relationship stories predicted individuals’ relationship quality, stability, and mental health. A purposive national sample of 150 individuals in long-term relationships wrote stories about four key relationship events and completed measures of relationship quality and mental health. Stories were analyzed for narrative and linguistic indicators of intimacy-related and affective content. Intimacy-related content was positively associated with relationship quality and mental health. Linguistically-coded affect was not associated with any outcomes. The most robust predictor of relationship quality and mental health was the narratively constructed affective tone of relationship story endings. The narrative construction of positive story endings significantly increased the likelihood of participants remaining together with their partners over time.
Effective records and information management as a catalyst for fighting corruption
Authors: Okello-Obura Constant
Published: August 2012

The paper examines the need for effective records and information management as a cornerstone ingredient in fighting corruption. By use of a literature review, it makes a contextual analysis of corruption and the significant roles records and information management can play in fighting it. In particular it gives good records and information management specifics for fighting corruption and concludes that corruption is a “disease” that needs a “vaccine” called effective records and information management (RIM). As a way forward, the paper recommends key parameters to consider so that RIM can significantly aid the fight against corruption.
Toward the Institutionalization of Macromarketing
Authors: Hunt Shelby D.
Published: August 2012

Major events in the institutionalization of macromarketing include (1) the series of macromarketing conferences that began at the University of Colorado in 1976, (2) the founding of the Journal of Macromarketing in 1981, and (3) the establishment of the Macromarketing Society in 2004. This article focuses on the continuing institutionalization of macromarketing by providing a commentary on Mark Peterson’s new textbook, Sustainable Enterprise: A Macromarketing Approach. The commentary is structured around seven questions: (1) What is Peterson’s “sustainable enterprise”? (2) What is a macromarketing approach? (3) What is the “stability illusion” and how does Peterson dispel it with resource-advantage (R-A) theory? (4) How does R-A theory relate to sustainable marketing? (5) Does the text contribute to institutionalization or reinstitutionalization? (6) Was the financial crisis a “failure of laissez-faire”? (7) Where is the discussion of the “welfare-state, Ponzi illusion,” and the sustainable society?
Enabling grasping of unknown objects through a synergistic use of edge and surface information
Authors: Kootstra Gert , Popović Mila , Jørgensen Jimmy Alison , Kuklinski Kamil , Miatliuk Konstantsin , Kragic Danica , Krüger Norbert
Published: August 2012

Grasping unknown objects based on visual input, where no a priori knowledge about the objects is used, is a challenging problem. In this paper, we present an Early Cognitive Vision system that builds a hierarchical representation based on edge and texture information which provides a sparse but powerful description of the scene. Based on this representation, we generate contour-based and surface-based grasps. We test our method in two real-world scenarios, as well as on a vision-based grasping benchmark providing a hybrid scenario using real-world stereo images as input and a simulator for extensive and repetitive evaluation of the grasps. The results show that the proposed method is able to generate successful grasps, and in particular that the contour and surface information are complementary for the task of grasping unknown objects. This allows for dealing with rather complex scenes.
Distributed robotic sensor networks: An information-theoretic approach
Authors: Julian Brian J , Angermann Michael , Schwager Mac , Rus Daniela
Published: August 2012

In this paper we present an information-theoretic approach to distributively control multiple robots equipped with sensors to infer the state of an environment. The robots iteratively estimate the environment state using a sequential Bayesian filter, while continuously moving along the gradient of mutual information to maximize the informativeness of the observations provided by their sensors. The gradient-based controller is proven to be convergent between observations and, in its most general form, locally optimal. However, the computational complexity of the general form is shown to be intractable, and thus non-parametric methods are incorporated to allow the controller to scale with respect to the number of robots. For decentralized operation, both the sequential Bayesian filter and the gradient-based controller use a novel consensus-based algorithm to approximate the robots’ joint measurement probabilities, even when the network diameter, the maximum in/out degree, and the number of robots are unknown. The approach is validated in two separate hardware experiments each using five quadrotor flying robots, and scalability is emphasized in simulations using 100 robots.
Capturing an evader in polygonal environments with obstacles: The full visibility case
Authors: Bhadauria Deepak , Klein Kyle , Isler Volkan , Suri Subhash
Published: August 2012

Suppose an unpredictable evader is free to move around in a polygonal environment of arbitrary complexity that is under full camera surveillance. How many pursuers, each with the same maximum speed as the evader, are necessary and sufficient to guarantee a successful capture of the evader? The pursuers always know the evader’s current position through a camera network, but need to physically reach the evader to capture it. We allow the evader knowledge of the current positions of all the pursuers as well—this accords with the standard worst-case analysis model, but also models a practical situation where the evader has ‘hacked’ into the surveillance system. Our main result is to prove that three pursuers are always sufficient and sometimes necessary to capture the evader. The bound is independent of the number of vertices or holes in the polygonal environment.
Collision-free and smooth trajectory computation in cluttered environments
Authors: Pan Jia , Zhang Liangjun , Manocha Dinesh
Published: August 2012

We present a novel trajectory computation algorithm to smooth piecewise linear collision-free trajectories computed by sample-based motion planners. Our approach uses cubic B-splines to generate trajectories that are C2 almost everywhere, except on a few isolated points. The algorithm performs local spline refinement to compute smooth, collision-free trajectories and it works well even in environments with narrow passages. We also present a fast and reliable algorithm for collision checking between a robot and the environment along the B-spline trajectories. We highlight the performance of our algorithm on complex benchmarks, including path computation for rigid and articulated models in cluttered environments.
Information-theoretic compression of pose graphs for laser-based SLAM
Authors: Kretzschmar Henrik , Stachniss Cyrill
Published: August 2012

In graph-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), the pose graph grows over time as the robot gathers information about the environment. An ever growing pose graph, however, prevents long-term mapping with mobile robots. In this paper, we address the problem of efficient information-theoretic compression of pose graphs. Our approach estimates the mutual information between the laser measurements and the map to discard the measurements that are expected to provide only a small amount of information. Our method subsequently marginalizes out the nodes from the pose graph that correspond to the discarded laser measurements. To maintain a sparse pose graph that allows for efficient map optimization, our approach applies an approximate marginalization technique that is based on Chow–Liu trees. Our contributions allow the robot to effectively restrict the size of the pose graph. Alternatively, the robot is able to maintain a pose graph that does not grow unless the robot explores previously unobserved parts of the environment. Real-world experiments demonstrate that our approach to pose graph compression is well suited for long-term mobile robot mapping.