bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Greek and Roman Technology
Authors: Oleson John Peter
Published: August 2014

This bibliography is designed to survey the role of technology in the Greek and Roman cultures and their respective technological accomplishments, from approximately the eighth century bce through the fifth century ce. Technology consists of those human activities that intentionally alter the environment or natural materials to ensure human survival or simply a more comfortable lifestyle. All human societies build their technologies on the basis of what previous cultures have achieved. The Greco-Roman accomplishments in technology, however, were significantly more diverse than those of the earlier cultures of the Near East or the Mediterranean. They also show a coherent developmental sequence that reflects the shared attitudes and experiences of the Greek and Roman cultures themselves. The references collected here are not intended to be a compendium of literature concerning all the technological procedures, devices, and machines in use in the classical world. The objective was creation of a critical summation of our present knowledge of the Greek and Roman accomplishments in technology and engineering and the evolution of the technical capabilities of these cultures over the defined chronological period. Each section is designed to review the main issues surrounding that topic and then to list recent scholarly contributions that define the capacities and accomplishments of the technology in the context of the society that used it, the available “technological shelf,” and the resources consumed. Obviously, not all the important sources can be listed here, but they can be found in the bibliographies within the books and articles that are included. Important online sources are listed when they have stable addresses and a significant history. The material is organized in nine main categories: surveys, reference works, and periodicals; literary, visual, and artifactual sources; primary, extractive technologies; engineering activities and complex machines; secondary processes and manufacturing; technologies of movement and transport; technologies of war; technologies of the mind, including reading, writing, timekeeping, and calculation; and a final section concerned with inventors, invention, and attitudes toward innovation. The materials presented in this bibliography make it clear that the classical world was marked by remarkable technological advances in many areas, often fostered by the elite, and spread widely throughout the population. A technological Greek and Latin literature composed of both sophisticated compendia and workshop manuals did exist, although much of it has been lost, and both inscriptions and visual representations show that craftsmen and craftswomen were proud of their work and their products.
Survey Research
Authors: Delva Jorge , Tauiliili Debora S.
Published: August 2014

In its simplest term, a survey refers to the administration of questions to obtain information about people’s behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs about a topic. A survey may include a single question by asking, for example, if respondents approve of child spanking, or if they ever smoked cigarettes; or a survey may consist of a battery (a compilation) of questions to assess, measure, or determine, for example, whether the respondent has ever experienced depressive symptoms. When more than one question is asked, the set of questions is often referred to as an instrument or questionnaire. Questionnaires may include stand-alone questions and multiple questions about the same topic and constructs. Examples of stand-alone questions include asking someone to disclose his or her age or to describe his or her attitude toward abortion. Questionnaires may also include a measure, (a set of related questions that, when combined, may better assess the intended construct). Thousands of measures exist, and most can be found on the Internet. A survey can be administered once or repeatedly, to a handful of individuals or to hundreds of thousands, and it can be administered by mail, in person, by phone, email, Internet, or through mobile devices. A considerable amount of survey research in social work, and in several social science disciplines and allied fields (e.g., education and public health) is devoted to measuring a construct with a high degree of validity and reliability. Validity refers to ensuring that the question(s) do measure the construct they are purported to measure, and reliability refers to measuring the construct consistently. The authors’ experience is that most education about survey research in social work and the social sciences and allied disciplines focuses on measurement issues; there is less concern with best practices to draw samples that are representative of the larger population. The analytic methods that are needed to properly analyze these data also tend to be neglected. To address these gaps, in this annotated bibliography we review books, manuscripts, reports, and Internet sites on the administration and analyses of surveys that rely on samples drawn to be generalizable to the larger population. From time to time, we also provide examples of surveys conducted with samples that were not drawn to be representative of the larger populations to illustrate some aspect of survey research, data collection, or analytic methods, with some of the most nascent approaches such as those studies using real-time data capture and social media.
Models and Theories in Science
Authors: Frigg Roman
Published: August 2014

An important aspect of science is the construction of models and theories. Philosophy of science aims to elucidate this practice by asking various questions, such as: “what is a theory?”, “what is a model”, “how do models and theories relate to one another?”, and “how do models and theories relate to the world?” The so-called syntactic view of theories, which originated in the tradition of logical empiricism and logical positivism in the 1920s, construes scientific theories as axiomatized logical calculi whose nonlogical terms are interpreted in terms of observables. This view came under criticism after World War II and was eventually supplanted with the so-called semantic view of theories. According to that view, theories are sets of models, where models are construed as nonlinguistic entities that relate to reality via either a set-theoretical mapping (such as isomorphism) or similarity. A common denominator of both views is that they see models as subordinate to theories. The syntactic view sees models as alternative interpretations of a calculus, which is primarily of pedagogical interest. The semantic view sees them as being the building blocks of theories. In parallel to these schools of thought, there was always a strand of research focusing on the practice of science, on case studies and the methods in specific scientific disciplines, rather than on overarching philosophical concerns. Heterogeneous in character and orientation, what binds projects in this tradition together is the belief that large parts of science are not in the business of devising exact and all-encompassing theories but rather use a variety of different techniques and ingredients to construct models that are locally adequate. Models are now seen as the center of scientific attention, and theories are relegated to the status of a tool (among others) for model construction. The beginnings of this tradition can be traced back to the 1920s; it gained prominence for the first time in the 1960s and blossomed in the last two decades of the twentieth century. In more recent years, new questions have come into focus, in particular the issues of scientific representation, model-word relations (including idealization and analogy), the use of data, and the role of computer simulation in both modeling and theorizing, the use of models in scientific explanations and scientific understanding, and the problem of multi-model situations. This article provides a guide to these intellectual traditions. In doing so, it sets aside a number of related issues, in particular scientific realism, confirmation, and the application of mathematics.
Wulfstan
Authors: Wilcox Jonathan
Published: August 2014

Wulfstan (d. 28 May 1023) was a major ecclesiastical figure and writer in early medieval England. Bishop of London from 996 to 1002 and then archbishop of York from 1002 to 1023, while in part simultaneously bishop of Worcester (from 1002 to 1016), Wulfstan was prominent in high political circles. He formulated the late law codes of King Æthelred (r. 978–1013, 1014–1016) and those of King Cnut (r. 1016–1035), and he has been credited with a role in turning the latter from Viking invader to model Christian ruler. Wulfstan wrote an extensive body of homilies in which he deploys a distinctive rhythmical prose and characteristic wording and phrasing. He signed six homilies and the Latin version of one law code with the nom de plume Lupus, Latin for wolf; other works can be attributed to him based on his distinctive prose style and through manuscript associations. Wulfstan inveighed against the sins of his time in both law codes and homilies, addressing what he saw as the approaching apocalypse and the consequent need to reform by restating Christian verities and moral imperatives. The Sermo Lupi ad Anglos, a sermon from 1014, is Wulfstan’s most famous work, in which he describes Viking attacks and English pusillanimity in ear-catching detail to argue the need for reform and repentance. Much of Wulfstan’s writing stresses the need for an ordered Christian society and this is seen most fully in his political treatise, Institutes of Polity, in which he places particular stress on the importance and responsibilities of leaders of the church. Wulfstan’s works as a whole give a powerful sense of a nation in crisis, along with suggested remedies, conveyed in an almost hypnotic rhetorical style. Wulfstan is a somewhat common name in early medieval England and so it is useful to distinguish Wulfstan the homilist (fl. 996–1023) from his various near-contemporary namesakes. He is the second archbishop of York by that name (hence, Archbishop Wulfstan II of York) but the first of two bishops of Worcester with the same name (hence, Bishop Wulfstan I of Worcester), where his namesake successor, Bishop Wulfstan II of Worcester, who held office from 1062 to 1095, acquired particular prominence since he became a saint. Wulfstan the homilist is also not to be confused with an approximately contemporary Latin writer generally known as Wulfstan the Cantor (fl. 996) in view of the office he held at Winchester.
Katherine Philips
Authors: Wright Gillian , Challinor Jennie
Published: August 2014

Katherine Philips (b. 1632–d. 1664) is one of the most important figures in English women’s literary history. She is also a key figure within the history of 17th-century English-language poetry, irrespective of gender. Archival evidence indicates that Philips began to write while young: some of her juvenilia may have been written during her mid-teens, while the earliest items in her autograph collection of her own poems date from her late teens and early twenties. Throughout the remainder of her short life she kept writing, responding to literary fashions (such as the vogue for French neoclassical drama in the early 1660s), the downfall and restoration of the monarchy, and events within her local community and literary coteries. She formed productive acquaintances with some of the leading literary and cultural figures in contemporary London and Dublin, and was the first woman to see her work performed on the commercial stage in Britain or Ireland. Her writing shows a deep engagement with the English literary canon, and was to be an inspiration to later 17th-century and early-18th-century poets and dramatists, both male and female. After their early popularity, Philips’s writings faded from view and were little known in the later 18th and throughout the 19th centuries. (Keats, an important exception, admired her poetry and recommended it to a friend in 1817.) Her critical fortunes began to revive at the outset of the 20th century, when her poetry was re-edited and made available to a scholarly readership. Though curiously neglected in Virginia Woolf’s feminist classic, A Room of One’s Own (1929), her work has benefited greatly from the growth of scholarly interest in early modern women’s writing since the late 1980s. Her writings on female friendship have retained their popularity for feminist scholars and have also been read as key texts in the history of female literary homoeroticism. Her avid interest in politics has been discussed in relation both to literary cultures of the interregnum and Restoration and to women’s engagement with the public sphere. The survival of numerous early manuscripts of her writing a fairly detailed tracing of the production, circulation, and reception of her writing, while the issue of her involvement (or otherwise) in the publication of her 1664 Poems is still an area of lively critical disagreement. Renewed interest in the formal qualities of women’s writing, as well as attention to such issues as literary archipelagism and epistolarity, should ensure that Philips’s writing continues to speak to current critical debates and to attract high levels of scholarly attention.
Imperialism and China, c. 1800–1949
Authors: Huenemann Ralph W.
Published: August 2014

Not surprisingly, to this day, the history of imperialism in China is a contentious, bitter history. If imperialism is understood in the broadest terms, consisting of one large group of human beings (a “tribe” or “state” or “nation”) asserting domination over another group by force, then the history of imperialism reaches far back into time—certainly to Hammurabi of Babylon or even earlier. The motivations of imperialism have varied considerably from one empire to another: partly a matter of hyper-patriotic rivalry (chauvinism); partly an appetite for expanded territory, especially thinly populated territory (the Lebensraum argument); partly a sense of cultural superiority (the crusade to bring “civilization” to “barbarians” or “benighted heathen”); and partly a quest for perceived economic benefits, either from trade (as imports of scarce resources or as exports of excess products) or from investment (a vent for excess capital). Thoughtful critics have raised doubts about the validity of all of these motivations, but such voices have been relatively ineffective in curtailing the appetite for empire. In modern times, China’s experience with imperialism has entailed two chronologically parallel stories during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—stories that are different in their geographic location, in their motivations, and in their outcomes. The facet of imperialism that has received the most attention is that of aggression against China by capitalist nation-states (primarily along the coastline) and China’s nationalistic response. This story evolved in a low-key way before the nineteenth century, but then entered a more aggressive phase with military action by the British in the First Opium War (1839–1842). Both economic issues and cultural issues have received attention in this story, as discussed at length under Economic Theories of Imperialism and Cultural Analyses of Imperialism, respectively. The simultaneous story of Qing Imperialism in Eurasia entailed a multilateral rivalry, with China, Great Britain, Russia, and Japan jockeying for position. Again, the origins lay well before the nineteenth century, and again significant military action was important—in this case, led by Zuo Zongtang on behalf of the Qing dynasty. An important aspect of this second story is that the territory in dispute was inhabited by non-Han peoples. For the most part, Chinese writings do not treat this episode as an example of imperialism, much as American history books do not generally treat the incorporation of the swath of Mexican territory from Texas to California into the United States as an act of imperialism.
Li Bai and Du Fu
Authors: Varsano Paula
Published: August 2014

The tradition of pairing poets—long a staple in the Chinese literary historical imagination—is something that has come and, for the most part, gone. Until recently, most people educated in the tradition would have no trouble reeling off a number of such pairs, some of them involving social connections, but all of them constructed to highlight either complementary or reinforcing sets of poetic aesthetics. Of all the poetic pairs that populate Chinese literary history, it is perhaps Li Bai 李白 (b. 701–d. 762, whose name is also transliterated as Li Po, Li Bo, and occasionally Li Taibai 李太白) and Du Fu 杜甫 (b. 712–d. 770) who form the most compelling one, not least because, from the beginning, theirs was uniquely conceived in evaluative terms; in the literary imagination they were, and remain, the Two Greatest Poets of the Tang—or even of China. Yet, as is inevitable when discussions turn to qualitative rankings, the pair as such became an object of contention. Inevitably, one or the other of the two poets would be construed as being “greater” than the other. From the earliest moment of their pairing, which we can date to the Middle Tang writings of Han Yu and Bai Juyi, there developed what we can rightly call the “Li-Du debate,” the terms of which became so deeply ingrained in the critical discourse surrounding these two poets that almost any characterization of the one implicitly critiqued the other. Remarkably, no argument attempting to reverse the terms or discredit this practice has quite succeeded in dissolving the cultural ties that bind Li Bai and Du Fu. The bibliography presented here is organized in three parts: the section devoted to Li Bai, the elder of the two, is first; Du Fu is next; and the Li Bai and Du Fu section is last. This organization encourages researchers to think of the poets separately before attempting to understand them as a pair. Still, notwithstanding this precaution, scholars will most certainly notice the chicken-and-egg genesis of much of the relevant critical terminology. Thus, it is advisable to consult the reception histories and surveys-of-the-field pertaining to both poets to have a fuller understanding of the scholarship pertaining to each.
Evaluation of Fungicides to Control Loquat Scab Caused by Fusicladium eriobotryae
Authors: González-Domínguez Elisa , Rodríguez-Reina José M. , García-Jiménez José , Armengol Josep
Published: August 2014

Loquat scab caused by Fusicladium eriobotryae is the main disease affecting the loquat crop. The fungus can infect leaves and fruits, reducing the marketable quality of the latter. The efficacy of 13 fungicides against F. eriobotryae was evaluated in vitro by testing their effect on mycelial growth and conidial germination. Boscalid, chlorothalonil, didecyldimethyl ammonium chloride, and pyraclostrobin were able to reduce both conidial germination and mycelial growth of F. eriobotryae. Moreover, a growth chamber experiment was conducted to determine the pre- and post-infection activity of five selected fungicides. Difenoconazole and pyraclostrobin applications resulted in relative disease severity (RDS) values lower than 5%, even when applied 7 days before or after the inoculation. Boscalid and mancozeb applied before F. eriobotryae inoculation resulted in RDS values lower than 15%, whereas values up to 20% of RDS were obtained with copper oxychloride. Results indicate that the fungicides currently recommended in southeastern Spain against loquat scab provide adequate disease control, and new active ingredients could be added to the present management strategies.

Accepted 7 May 2014. Published 27 July 2014.
Life Expectancy and Metastatic Spine Scoring Systems
Authors: Ragel Brian T. , Mendez Gustavo A. , Reddington Justin , Ferachi David , Kubicky Charlotte D. , Philipp Travis C. , Zusman Natalie L. , Klimo Paul , Hart Robert , Yoo Jung , Ching Alex C.
Published: August 2014

Study Design:

A retrospective data collection study with application of metastatic spine scoring systems.

Objectives:

To apply the Tomita and revised Tokuhashi scoring systems to a surgical cohort at a single academic institution and analyze spine-related surgical morbidity and mortality rates.

Summary of Background Data:

Surgical management of metastatic spine patients requires tools that can accurately predict patient survival, as well as knowledge of morbidity and mortality rates.

Methods:

An Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Spine Center surgical database was queried (years 2002–2010) to identify patients with an ICD-9 code indicative of metastatic spine disease. Patients whose only surgical treatment was vertebral augmentation were not included. Scatter plots of survival versus the Tomita and revised Tokuhashi metastatic spine scoring systems were statistically analyzed. Spine-related morbidity and mortality rates were calculated.

Results:

Sixty-eight patients were identified: 45 patients’ (30 male patients, mean age 45 y) medical records included operative, morbidity, and mortality statistic data and 38 (26 male patients, mean age 54 y) contained complete metastatic spine scoring system data. Of the 38 deceased spine metastatic patients, 8 had renal cell, 7 lung, 4 breast, 2 chondrosarcoma, 2 prostate, 11 other, and 4 unknown primary cancers. Linear regression analysis revealed R
2 values of 0.2570 and 0.2009 for the revised Tokuhashi and Tomita scoring systems, respectively. Overall transfusion, infection, morbidity, and mortality rates were 33% and 9%, and 42% and 9%, respectively.

Conclusions:

Application of metastatic prognostic scoring systems to a retrospective surgical cohort revealed an overall poor correlation with the Tomita and revised Tokuhashi predictive survival models. Morbidity and mortality rates concur with those in the medical literature. This study underscores the difficulty in utilizing metastatic spine scoring systems to predict patient survival. We believe a scoring system based on cancer type is needed to account for changes in treatment paradigms with improved patient survival over time.
Association of Graded Folic Acid Supplementation and Total Plasma Homocysteine Levels With Hematological Toxicity During First-line Treatment of Nonsquamous NSCLC Patients With Pemetrexed-based Chemotherapy
Authors: Singh Navneet , Aggarwal Ashutosh N. , Kaur Jyotdeep , Behera Digambar
Published: August 2014

Background:

Pemetrexed is the preferred treatment of nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (ns-NSCLC). Folic acid supplementation (FAS) (350 to 1000 μg daily PO) is recommended to minimize hematological toxicity (HTox). Elevated total plasma homocysteine (tpHcy) predicts increased risk of HTox with pemetrexed in absence of FAS. The current study aimed to assess prevalence of elevated tpHcy levels at baseline and after pemetrexed treatment. Association of graded tpHcy levels/FAS with toxicity was also assessed.

Materials and Methods:

Retrospective analysis of all ns-NSCLC patients undergoing first-line treatment with pemetrexed-containing platinum doublet over 3½ years was carried out. All eligible patients received pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) and cisplatin (65 mg/m2) each on D1 of a 3-week cycle. FAS was 400 μg for tpHcy< upper limit of normal (ULN), 700 μg for tpHcy 1 to 2 ULN, and 1000 μg for tpHcy>2 ULN. All patients also received oral ferrous sulphate and injectable vitamin B12. Exact 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for comparison with previously published studies.

Results:

75.7% of 111 patients had stage IV disease. Prevalence of tpHcy levels 2 ULN were 47.8%, 41.4%, and 10.8% pretreatment and 78.9%, 21.1%, and 0% posttreatment, respectively (P<0.0001). Incidence of any grade and grade 3/4 HTox was 87.4% and 17.1% (anemia), 53.2% and 7.2% (leukopenia), 36.9% and 10.8% (neutropenia), and 39.6% and 7.2% (thrombocytopenia), respectively. HTox, non-HTox, and radiologic responses did not differ among patient groups based upon baseline tpHcy levels or upon graded baseline FAS. Incidence of grade 3/4 anemia was higher in current (17.1%; 95% CI, 11.3%-25.2%) as compared with previous studies.

Conclusions:

Prevalence of elevated tpHcy levels posttreatment as compared with baseline was reduced significantly with FAS. Among ns-NSCLC patients treated with pemetrexed and with FAS of 400 to 1000 μg daily, HTox was not associated with either baseline tpHcy levels or with graded baseline FAS.
Preparation of Crude Rough Microsomes from Dog Pancreas
Authors: Sabatini David D.
Published: August 2014

This protocol describes how to prepare rough microsomes from dog pancreas. These microsomes can be used to analyze mechanisms of protein translocation and membrane insertion.
Preparation of Drosophila Kc Cell Nuclear Extracts for In Vitro Splicing
Authors: Rio Donald C.
Published: August 2014

This protocol describes how to prepare nuclear extracts from cultured Drosophila cells. It uses the Kc cell line, which grows without fetal bovine serum and so is suitable for large-scale suspension cultures. The suspension cells are harvested by centrifugation, washed to remove media components, and resuspended in a low-salt (hypotonic) buffer that makes the cells swell in size and easy to homogenize. Usually, nuclear extract preparations are performed on 4–32 L of cells at ∼3.5 × 106 cells/mL.
In Vitro Splicing Reactions in Drosophila Kc Nuclear Extracts
Authors: Rio Donald C.
Published: August 2014

This protocol describes how to generate and analyze products and intermediates in a pre-mRNA splicing reaction. The reaction relies on the use of labeled, capped, synthetic pre-mRNAs, prepared by in vitro transcription, and Drosophila Kc cell culture nuclear extracts. The pre-mRNA substrate is incubated in the nuclear extract under splicing conditions for 1–2 h. The products of the reaction are purified by phenol:chloroform extraction and precipitation with ethanol, and then loaded directly onto a denaturing urea–acrylamide gel. Visualization of the splicing reactions will reveal the pre-mRNA, the spliced mRNA, and the intermediates generated by the first step of splicing. For inefficient reactions, a more sensitive detection method, such as RNase protection, primer extension, or RT-PCR (reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction), may be required.
Identification and characterization of trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) demethylase and TMAO permease in Methylocella silvestris BL2
Authors: Zhu Yijun , Jameson Eleanor , Parslow Rosemary A. , Lidbury Ian , Fu Tiantian , Dafforn Timothy R. , Schäfer Hendrik , Chen Yin
Published: August 2014

Methylocella silvestris, an alphaproteobacterium isolated from a forest soil, can grow on trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) as a sole nitrogen source; however, the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underpinning its growth remain unknown. Marker‐exchange mutagenesis enabled the identification of several genes involved in TMAO metabolism, including Msil_3606, a permease of the amino acids‐polyamine (APC) superfamily, and Msil_3603, consisting of an N‐terminal domain of unknown function (DUF1989) and a C‐terminal tetrahydrofolate‐binding domain. Null mutants of Msil_3603 and Msil_3606 can no longer grow on TMAO. Purified Msil_3603 from recombinant Escherichia coli can convert TMAO to dimethylamine and formaldehyde (1 TMAO → 1 dimethylamine + 1 formaldehyde), confirming that it encodes a bona fide TMAO demethylase (Tdm). Tdm of M. silvestris and eukaryotic Tdms have no sequence homology and contrasting characteristics. Recombinant Tdm of M. silvestris appears to be hexameric, has a high affinity for TMAO (Km = 3.3 mM; Vmax = 21.7 nmol min−1 mg−1) and only catalyses demethylation of TMAO and a structural homologue, dimethyldodecylamine N‐oxide. Our study has contributed to the understanding of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms for TMAO degradation in M. silvestris.
Sudden Death as a Complication of Choriocarcinoma
Authors: Das Siddhartha , Badhe Bhawana , Bibi Asma , Mohanty Manoj K.
Published: August 2014

We report the case of a young man with a history of sudden death. On autopsy, a large retroperitoneal mass was found along with secondaries in the liver and lungs. No testicular abnormality was detected on palpation. Based on histopathological examination, it was diagnosed to be a case of choriocarcinoma. Unfortunately, it was not definitively determined whether the retroperitoneal mass represents the primary tumor or secondary involvement with testes being the primary source. It is important that forensic pathologists are aware of this disease as a potential cause of sudden death. The main focus of the paper is the approach of a forensic pathologist to a case of a sudden death when an unexpected and undiagnosed tumor is found in the retroperitoneum and not much information is available about the clinical history of the deceased.
Correlation of Molecular Expression with Diel Rhythm of Oviposition in Calliphora vicina (Robineau‐Desvoidy) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and Implications for Forensic Entomology
Authors: George Kelly A. , Archer Melanie S. , Toop Tes
Published: August 2014

This study explored the molecular mechanisms potentially underlying blow fly nocturnal oviposition. A behavioral study revealed that Calliphora vicina (Robineau‐Desvoidy) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) possesses a diel rhythm of oviposition in light under 12:12 light/dark conditions. Reversal to 12:12 dark/light resulted in oviposition behavior changing to align with the adjusted regime in most females, but four of 59 experimental females lacked a diel rhythm of oviposition (were arrhythmic). Real‐time PCR was used to monitor the molecular expression levels of known circadian genes per and tim in C. vicina to determine whether gene expression and behavior correlated. As with behavior, reversing light/dark conditions changed rhythmic gene expression to align with an adjusted light regime. This suggests that although it is unlikely that C. vicina will colonize dead bodies at night, arrhythmic females and oviposition in the dark was demonstrated.
Usefulness of CT‐guided hookwire marking before video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery for small pulmonary lesions
Authors: Suzuki Kazushi , Shimohira Masashi , Hashizume Takuya , Ozawa Yoshiyuki , Sobue Ryoji , Mimura Mikio , Mori Yuji , Ijima Hidenori , Watanabe Kenichi , Yano Motoki , Yoshioka Hiromu , Shibamoto Yuta
Published: August 2014

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the technical and clinical efficacy and safety of CT‐guided hookwire marking before video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for small pulmonary lesions.

Materials and Methods

This procedure was performed on 161 lesions in 154 patients (75 men and 79 women; median age, 62 years; age range 23–89 years). Medical records and images were reviewed, and the technical success rate, surgical success rate and complications were evaluated. Technical success was defined as successful hookwire marking at the target site without marker dropping before VATS. Surgical success was defined as negative surgical margins on pathological examination after VATS.

Results

There were 97 nodules and 64 ground‐glass opacities, and their mean size was 9.8 mm (range 2–34). The technical success rate was 97.5% (157/161). In three of the four failed cases, another hookwire marker was placed, and in the remaining case, VATS was performed without a marker. The surgical success rate was 98.1% (158/161). In the three failed cases, the margin was positive, so lung lobectomy was performed in one case, and the other two cases were observed carefully. Complication rates were as follows: pneumothorax, 37.9% (61/161); focal intrapulmonary haemorrhage, 34.8% (58/139); haemoptysis, 0.6% (1/161); haemothorax, 0% (0/161); air embolism, 0.6% (1/161); dissemination, 0% (0/161); and death, 0% (0/161).

Conclusion

CT‐guided hookwire marking appears to be useful for VATS, but the procedure may, although rarely, cause severe complications such as air embolism.
Jordanian Women's Personal Practices Regarding Prevention and Early Detection of Breast Cancer
Authors: Al‐Hussami Mahmoud , Zeilani Ruqayya , AlKhawaldeh Omar Abdelhameed , Abushaika Lubna
Published: August 2014

Background

Breast cancer, as a leading cause of mortality, is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in Jordan.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to describe Jordanian women's personal practices and perceptions of breast cancer screening tests.

Methods

A quantitative cross‐sectional survey using a proportionate stratified sample of 331 women was conducted. The target population includes all Jordanian women living in high‐ and low‐density neighborhoods. The population involved women from the 12 governorates areas.

Results

Perception of susceptibility, confidence in performing breast self‐examination (BSE) barriers of the group that had previously performed BSE were significantly higher than those who did not practice (t = 8.38, p = .02; t = 9.90, p = .00; t = −0.98, p = .01, respectively).

Conclusion

The results of this study provide information to policy makers and healthcare leaders who seek to improve breast cancer prevention and response to cancer control efforts.
A revised evolutionary history of armadillos (Dasypus) in North America based on ancient mitochondrial DNA
Authors: Shapiro Beth , Graham Russell W. , Letts Brandon
Published: August 2014

The large, beautiful armadillo, Dasypus bellus, first appeared in North America about 2.5 million years ago, and was extinct across its southeastern US range by 11 thousand years ago (ka). Within the last 150 years, the much smaller nine‐banded armadillo, D. novemcinctus, has expanded rapidly out of Mexico and colonized much of the former range of the beautiful armadillo. The high degree of morphological similarity between these two species has led to speculation that they might be a single, highly adaptable species with phenotypical responses and geographical range fluctuations resulting from environmental changes. If this is correct, then the biology and tolerance limits for D. novemcinctus could be directly applied to the Pleistocene species, D. bellus. To investigate this, we isolated ancient mitochondrial DNA from late Pleistocene‐age specimens of Dasypus from Missouri and Florida. We identified two genetically distinct mitochondrial lineages, which most likely correspond to D. bellus (Missouri) and D. novemcinctus (Florida). Surprisingly, both lineages were isolated from large specimens that were identified previously as D. bellus. Our results suggest that D. novemcinctus, which is currently classified as an invasive species, was already present in central Florida around 10 ka, significantly earlier than previously believed.
Holocene palaeoflood events recorded by slackwater deposits along the middle Beiluohe River valley, middle Yellow River basin, China
Authors: Zhang Yuzhu , Huang Chun Chang , Pang Jiangli , Zha Xiaochun , Zhou Yali , Wang Xiaqing
Published: August 2014

Palaeohydrological investigations were carried out in the middle Beiluohe River valley in the middle Yellow River basin. Palaeoflood slackwater deposits (SWDs) are natural records of overbank flooding and are often identified in the Holocene aeolian loess–soil profiles along the river valley. Three bedsets of palaeoflood SWDs were found within the mid‐Holocene Climatic Optimum palaeosol (S0) on the right riverbank. Both the sedimentary and the analytical results, including magnetic susceptibility, grain‐size distribution and concentrations of chemical elements, indicate that these palaeoflood SWDs were deposited from the suspended sediment load of overbank flooding. We identified three episodes of extraordinary overbank flooding events. These hydro‐climatic events were dated to 7600–7400, 5800–5000 and 4200–4000 a BP, from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and pedostratigraphical correlation. The minimum flood peak discharges were estimated to have been between 12 600 and 14 100 m3 s−1 using the slope–area method. These hydro‐climatic events are considered to be a regional expression of known climatic events and demonstrate that the mid‐Holocene climate was far from stable. These results show that the magnitudes of floods are highly sensitive to climate change in semi‐arid and sub‐humid regions with a monsoonal climate.
Hydrogen sulfide: physiological properties and therapeutic potential in ischaemia
Authors: Bos Eelke M , van Goor Harry , Joles Jaap A , Whiteman Matthew , Leuvenink Henri G D
Published: August 2014

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has become a molecule of high interest in recent years, and it is now recognized as the third gasotransmitter in addition to nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. In this review, we discuss the recent literature on the physiology of endogenous and exogenous H2S, focusing upon the protective effects of hydrogen sulfide in models of hypoxia and ischaemia.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Pharmacology of the Gasotransmitters. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue‐6
Measurement Issues: Assessing language skills in young children
Authors: Dockrell Julie E. , Marshall Chloë R.
Published: August 2014

Background

Language and communication skills are central to children's ability to engage in social relationships and access learning experiences. This paper identifies issues which practitioners and researchers should consider when assessing language skills. A range of current language assessments is reviewed.

Key findings

Current screening measures do not meet psychometric prerequisites to identify language problems. There are significant challenges in the interpretation of language assessments, where socioeconomic status, language status and dialect, hearing impairment and test characteristics impact results.

Conclusions

Psychometrically sound assessments of language are an essential component of developing effective and efficient interventions. The language trajectories of preschool children vary substantially; current screening measures have significant limitations. Composite measures of language performance are better indicators of language problems and disorders than single measures of component skills.
Parallel Distributed Processing at 25: Further Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition
Authors: Rogers Timothy T. , McClelland James L.
Published: August 2014

This paper introduces a special issue ofCognitive Scienceinitiated on the 25th anniversary of the publication ofParallel Distributed Processing(PDP), a two‐volume work that introduced the use of neural network models as vehicles for understanding cognition. The collection surveys the core commitments of thePDPframework, the key issues the framework has addressed, and the debates the framework has spawned, and presents viewpoints on the current status of these issues. The articles focus on both historical roots and contemporary developments in learning, optimality theory, perception, memory, language, conceptual knowledge, cognitive control, and consciousness. Here we consider the approach more generally, reviewing the original motivations, the resulting framework, and the central tenets of the underlying theory. We then evaluate the impact ofPDPboth on the field at large and within specific subdomains of cognitive science and consider the current role ofPDPmodels within the broader landscape of contemporary theoretical frameworks in cognitive science. Looking to the future, we consider the implications for cognitive science of the recent success of machine learning systems called “deep networks”—systems that build on key ideas presented in thePDPvolumes.
Complexity with Heterogeneous Fundamentalists and a Multiplicative Price Mechanism
Authors: Naimzada Ahmad K. , Ricchiuti Giorgio
Published: August 2014

In contrast with the canonical models of financial markets with heterogeneous agents,, Naimzada and Ricchiuti, (, ) show that the interaction of groups of agents who have the same trading rule but present different beliefs about the fundamental value could be a source of instability. In this paper, differently from, Naimzada and Ricchiuti, (, ), we assume that the market maker employs a so‐called multiplicative price mechanism (Tuinstra, ; Zhu et al., ). We show that the occurrence of heterogeneity has an ambiguous role: it may either stabilize or destabilize the market.
Using surveys of business perceptions as a guide to growth‐enhancing fiscal reforms
Authors: Misch Florian , Gemmell Norman , Kneller Richard
Published: August 2014

This paper assesses the merits of using business perceptions of growth constraints as a guide to growth‐enhancing fiscal policy reforms. Using endogenous growth models in which the government levies an income tax to provide public inputs to the production of private firms, the paper demonstrates that such perceptions of growth constraints may be misleading from a policy perspective. In particular, firms can be expected to systematically overestimate the growth‐enhancing effects of lower tax rates relative to public services and public capital, and underestimate the growth‐enhancing effects of greater provision of public capital relative to taxation and public services. In addition, we show that firms rank different public services and different types of public capital according to the actual costs they impose on firms. It is then shown that these theoretical predictions regarding how firms rank constraints correspond closely to the observed ranking of constraints by firms in the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys.
Prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in a well‐defined population of Northern Italy
Authors: Giussani Giorgia , Franchi Carlotta , Messina Paolo , Nobili Alessandro , Beghi Ettore ,   the EPIRES Group
Published: August 2014

Objective

To calculate prevalence and incidence of epilepsy using administrative records.

Methods

Claim records from the administrative district of Lecco, Northern Italy (population 311,637; 2001 census), collected during the years 2000–2008, were the data source. Patients of all ages were included. Based on previous findings from our group, the most accurate algorithm to detect epilepsy was the combination of electroencephalography (EEG) (ad hoc code) (at least one during the study period) and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) (ATC code) (taken in 2008). Using this algorithm, the prevalence of epilepsy for the year 2008 was calculated. The reference population for prevalence was the population residing in the study area during the year 2008. Incident epilepsy cases were a subset of prevalent cases among patients not traced in the years 2000 through 2003. Average annual incidence rates were calculated for 2004 through 2008, taking for reference the person‐years of exposure in the resident population. We calculated crude, adjusted (using positive and negative predictive values), and standardized (to the Italian and World population) prevalence and incidence.

Results

In 2008, 1,504 patients met the inclusion criteria, giving a prevalence of 4.57 per 1,000 (women 4.26; men 4.89). Prevalence tended to rise slightly with age. There were 864 incident cases, giving an average annual incidence of 53.41 per 100,000 (women 50.98; men 55.95). Incidence rates peaked in the elderly. The adjusted prevalence was 4.42 and the adjusted incidence 47.05. Standardized prevalence and incidence were, respectively, 4.30 per 1,000 and 48.35 per 100,000 (Italian population) and 3.79 per 1,000 and 44.74 per 100,000 (World population).

Significance

The prevalence of epilepsy in the Lecco district was comparable to other studies, whereas the incidence was among the highest. With adjustments, administrative records are a cost‐effective instrument to monitor epilepsy frequency.
Late‐onset acetaminophen‐induced allergic hepatitis with progression to chronicity
Authors: Mishima‐Iwai Masako , Takahashi Ken , Yokode Masataka , Kimura Yoshito , Sawai Yugo , Ueda Yoshihide , Chiba Tsutomu
Published: August 2014

Acetaminophen (paracetamol), a widely used antipyretic/analgesic, is a well‐known agent causing acute hepatic injury. Whereas most cases are caused by its intrinsic hepatotoxicity, idiosyncratic hepatitis by the allergic mechanism is extremely rare. We herein report a case of late‐onset acetaminophen‐induced allergic hepatitis with progression to chronicity. This unique case extends the spectrum of acetaminophen‐induced liver injury. Clinicians should be aware of this unusual clinical manifestation. The mechanism underlying the immunological reaction to acetaminophen remains to be elucidated.
Impact of exercise training without caloric restriction on inflammation, insulin resistance and visceral fat mass in obese adolescents
Authors: Mendelson M. , Michallet A.‐S. , Monneret D. , Perrin C. , Estève F. , Lombard P. R. , Faure P. , Lévy P. , Favre‐Juvin A. , Pépin J.‐L. , Wuyam B. , Flore P.
Published: August 2014

Background

Exercise training has been shown to improve cardiometabolic health in obese adolescents.

Objectives

Evaluate the impact of a 12‐week exercise‐training programme (without caloric restriction) on obese adolescents’ cardiometabolic and vascular risk profiles.

Methods

We measured systemic markers of oxidation, inflammation, metabolic variables and endothelial function in 20 obese adolescents (OB) (age: 14.5 ± 1.5 years; body mass index: 34.0 ± 4.7 kg m−2) and 20 age‐ and gender‐matched normal‐weight adolescents (NW). Body composition was assessed by magnetic resonance imagery. Peak aerobic capacity and maximal fat oxidation were evaluated during specific incremental exercise tests. OB participated in a 12‐week exercise‐training programme.

Results

OB presented lower peak aerobic capacity (24.2 ± 5.9 vs. 39.8 ± 8.3 mL kg−1 min−1, P < 0.05) and maximal fat oxidation compared with NW (P < 0.05). OB displayed greater F2t‐Isoprostanes (20.5 ± 6.7 vs. 13.4 ± 4.2 ng mmol−1 creatinine), Interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1Ra) (1794.8 ± 532.2 vs. 835.1 ± 1027.4 pg mL−1), Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α (TNF‐α) (2.1 ± 1.2 vs. 1.5 ± 1.0 pg mL−1), Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Type II Receptor (sTNFαRII), leptin, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, version 2 (HOMA2‐IR), high‐sensitive C‐reactive protein, triglycerides and lower adiponectin and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P < 0.05). After exercise training, despite lack of weight loss, VO2peak (mL.kg−1.min−1) and maximal fat oxidation increased (P < 0.05). IL‐1Ra and IFN‐gamma‐inducible protein 10 (IP‐10) decreased (P < 0.05). Insulin and HOMA2‐IR decreased (14.8 ± 1.5 vs. 10.2 ± 4.2 μUI mL−1 and 1.9 ± 0.8 vs. 1.3 ± 0.6, respectively, P < 0.05). Change in visceral fat mass was inversely associated with change in maximal fat oxidation (r = −0.54; P = 0.024). The subgroup of participants that lost visceral fat mass showed greater improvements in triglycerides, insulin resistance and maximal fat oxidation.

Conclusion

Our data confirms the role of exercise training on improving the inflammatory profile and insulin resistance of OB in the absence of weight loss. However, those who lost a greater amount of visceral fat mass showed greater benefits in terms of insulin profile, triglycerides and maximal fat oxidation.
Which Aspects of a Semistructured Interview, Besides Cognitive Ability Tests, Contribute Incrementally to Predicting the Training Success of Air Traffic Controller Trainees?
Authors: Conzelmann Kristin , Keye Doris
Published: August 2014

This study examined whether a semistructured interview is valid in predicting training performance in theoretical and simulation examinations and overall training success; which aspects of the interview show incremental validity over cognitive ability tests; and whether additional variables enhance the prediction from the interview. The sample involved data from 337 trainees of the German Air Navigation Service Provider selected by the German Aerospace Center and 657 (interview) and 6,885 (cognitive ability) candidates being the corresponding reference samples. Findings indicate incremental validity of the interview over the cognitive ability tests. Additional variables contributed only to the prediction of theoretical examination performance. Attention, general motivation, and social competence predicted the criteria best, particularly the theoretical examination performance and overall training success.