bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The prognostic value of diagnosing concurrent multiple myeloma in immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis
Authors: Dinner Shira , Witteles Wesley , Witteles Ronald , Lam Anthony , Arai Sally , Lafayette Richard , George Tracy I. , Schrier Stanley L. , Liedtke Michaela
Published: February 2013

The prevalence and prognostic value of a concomitant diagnosis of symptomatic or asymptomatic multiple myeloma (MM), as defined by the current International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria, in patients with immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL), are unknown. We studied 46 consecutive patients with AL who underwent quantification of serum M‐protein and clonal bone marrow plasma cells, as well as a comprehensive evaluation for end organ damage by MM. Using standard morphology and CD138 immunohistochemical staining, 57% and 80% of patients were found to have concomitant MM, respectively. Nine patients exhibited end organ damage consistent with a diagnosis of symptomatic MM. While overall survival was similar between AL patients with or without concurrent myeloma (1‐year overall survival 68% vs. 87%; P = 0·27), a diagnosis of symptomatic myeloma was associated with inferior outcome (1‐year overall survival 39% vs. 81%; P = 0·005). Quantification of bone marrow plasma cells by both standard morphology and CD138 immunohistochemistry identified a much higher prevalence of concurrent MM in patients with AL than previously reported. Evaluation of bone marrow plasma cell infiltration and presence of myeloma associated end organ damage could be clinically useful for prognostication of patients with AL.
Conversational flow and entitativity: The role of status
Authors: Koudenburg Namkje , Postmes Tom , Gordijn Ernestine H.
Published: February 2013

This study examines the process by which perceptions of conversational flow foster an emergent sense of group entitativity. We propose that conversational flow influences more than just the quality of interpersonal relations: it signals entitativity – social unity at the group level. We predicted that when conversations are intermitted by brief silences after a target has spoken, this is perceived as disruptive for targets of low social status within the group: For low‐status group members, such pauses raise concerns over respect and inclusion. However, for high‐status group members, a similar intermission may be interpreted as an acknowledgement of their distinctive position in the group, and may therefore bolster the hierarchy and unity of the group. Two experiments support these hypotheses. Study 1 (N = 77) manipulated status in conversations of a target participant with confederates. Study 2 (N = 138) replicates the effect among participants who watch a videotaped conversation. Both studies show the predicted pattern, and suggest that belonging (Study 1) and perceived respect (Study 2) may mediate effects of condition on perceptions of group entitativity.
Psychosocial risk factors, pre‐motor symptoms and first‐time hospitalization with Parkinson's disease: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Clark A. J. , Ritz B. , Prescott E. , Rod N. H.
Published: February 2013

Background and purpose

Experimental studies support a link between stress and development of parkinsonian symptoms, but prospective population studies are lacking. The aim of the current study is to determine the effects of several psychosocial factors on the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as to identify potential pre‐motor symptoms for PD in a large prospective cohort study.

Methods

In 1991–1993, a total of 9955 women and men free of PD from the Copenhagen City Heart Study were asked about major life events, economic hardship, social network, impaired sleep and vital exhaustion. The participants were followed for first‐time hospitalization with PD in nationwide registers until 2011.

Results

Vital exhaustion was associated with a higher risk of PD hospitalization in an exposure‐dependent manner (Ptrend = 0.001), with high vs. low vital exhaustion being associated with a hazard ratio of 2.50 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28–4.89]. A slightly higher risk of PD hospitalization (hazard ratio = 1.49; 95% CI: 0.87–2.56) was suggested in participants with impaired sleep at baseline. No more than weak associations were observed for economic hardship, major life events or inadequate social network in the current study.

Conclusions

Overall, the hypothesis that psychosocial risk factors affect the risk of PD is not supported. The results, however, suggest that vital exhaustion may be a pre‐motor marker of the neurodegenerative process eventually leading to motor symptoms and clinical PD. Vital exhaustion may be useful for screening aimed at early detection and when considering disease‐modifying therapies in people at high risk of clinical PD.
Does inhibition of proteolytic activity improve adhesive luting?
Authors: Lührs Anne‐Katrin , De Munck Jan , Geurtsen Werner , Van Meerbeek Bart
Published: February 2013

Endogenous enzymes may be involved in the biodegradation of adhesive restoration–tooth interfaces. Inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been suggested to retard the bond‐degradation process. Limited data are available on whether composite cements may also benefit from MMP inhibitors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of two MMP inhibitors – chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) and galardin – on the microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of two self‐adhesive composite cements to dentin. Ceramic specimens were cemented to bur‐cut dentin surfaces using the self‐adhesive composite cements RelyX Unicem 2 (3M ESPE) or Clearfil SA (Kuraray), or the etch‐and‐rinse composite cement Nexus 3 (Kerr) that served as the control. The surfaces were left untreated or were pretreated with MMP inhibitors (2% CHX or 0.2 mM galardin). The μTBS was determined ‘immediately’ and upon ageing (water storage for 6 months). Statistical analysis revealed a significant effect of the factors ‘composite cement’ and ‘storage’, as well as all interactions, but no effect of the MMP inhibitors. After 6 months of ageing, the μTBS decreased for all cements, except for the multistep etch‐and‐rinse luting composite when it was applied without MMP inhibitors. The MMP inhibitors could not prevent the decrease in μTBS upon ageing and therefore do not improve the luting durability of the composite cements tested.
Second-Order Diffraction and Radiation of a Floating Body With Small Forward Speed
Authors: Shao Yan-Lin , Faltinsen Odd M.
Published: February 2013

The formulation of the second-order wave-current-body problem in the inertial coordinate system involves higher-order derivatives in the body boundary condition. A new method taking advantage of the body-fixed coordinate system in the near field is presented to avoid the calculation of higher-order derivatives in the body boundary condition. The new method has an advantage over the traditional method when the body surface has a sharp corner or high curvature. The nonlinear wave diffraction and forced oscillation of floating bodies are studied up to second order in wave slope. A small forward speed is taken into account. The results of the new method are compared with that of the traditional method based on a formulation in the inertial coordinate system. When the traditional method applies, good agreement has been obtained.
Analysis of the First Order and Slowly Varying Motions of an Axisymmetric Floating Body in Bichromatic Waves
Authors: Pessoa João , Fonseca Nuno , Soares C. Guedes
Published: February 2013

The paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the motions of a floating body of simple geometry subjected to harmonic and biharmonic waves. The experiments were carried out in three different water depths representing shallow and deep water. The body is axisymmetric about the vertical axis, like a vertical cylinder with a rounded bottom, and it is kept in place with a soft mooring system. The experimental results include the first order motion responses, the steady drift motion offset in regular waves and the slowly varying motions due to second order interaction in biharmonic waves. The hydrodynamic problem is solved numerically with a second order boundary element method. The results show a good agreement of the numerical calculations with the experiments.
Deviations Due to Non-Newtonian Influences Within a Miniature Viscous Disk Pump
Authors: Ligrani Phil , Jiang Hui , Lund Benjamin , Jin Jae Sik
Published: February 2013

A miniature viscous disk pump (VDP) is utilized to characterize and quantify non-Newtonian fluid deviations due to non-Newtonian influences relative to Newtonian flow behavior. Such deviations from Newtonian behavior are induced by adding different concentrations of sucrose to purified water, with increasing non-Newtonian characteristics as sucrose concentration increases from 0% (pure water) to 10% by mass. The VDP consists of a 10.16 mm diameter disk that rotates above a C-shaped channel with inner and outer radii of 1.19 mm, and 2.38 mm, respectively, and a channel depth of 200 μm. Fluid inlet and outlet ports are located at the ends of the C-shaped channel. Within the present study, experimental data are given for rotational speeds of 1200–2500 rpm, fluid viscosities of 0.001–0.00134 Pa s, pressure rises of 0–220 Pa, and flow rates up to approximately 0.00000005 m3/s. The theory of Flumerfelt is modified and adapted for application to the present VDP environment. Included is a new development of expressions for dimensionless volumetric flow rate, and normalized local circumferential velocity for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flows. To quantify deviations due to the magnitude non-Newtonian flow influences, a new pressure rise parameter is employed, which represents the dimensional pressure rise change at a particular flow rate and sucrose concentration, as the flow changes from Newtonian to non-Newtonian behavior. For 5% and 10% sucrose solutions at rotational speeds of 1200–2500 rpm, this parameter increases as the disk dimensional rotational speed increases and as the volumetric flow rate decreases. Associated magnitudes of the pressure difference parameter show that the fluid with the larger sucrose concentration (by mass) produces significantly larger differences between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flow, for each value of dimensional volumetric flow rate. For each disc rotational speed, compared to Newtonian data, dimensional pressure rise variations with dimensional volumetric flow rate, which are associated with the non-Newtonian data, are generally lower when compared at a particular volumetric flow rate. Agreement with analytic results, for any given flow rate, rotational speed, and flow passage height, validates the shear stress model employed to represent non-Newtonian behavior, as well as the analytic equations and tools (based upon the Navier–Stokes equations) which are employed to predict measured behavior over the investigated range of experimental conditions.
Susceptibility of Intact Germinating Arabidopsis thaliana to Human Fungal Pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii
Authors: Warpeha Katherine M. , Park Yoon-Dong , Williamson Peter R.
Published: February 2013

The fungus
Cryptococcus
contributes a large global burden of infectious death in both HIV-infected and healthy individuals. As
Cryptococcus
is an opportunistic pathogen, much of the evolutionary pressure shaping virulence occurs in environments in contact with plants and soil. The present studies investigated inoculation of intact seeds of the common weed
Arabidopsis thaliana
with fungal cells over a 21-day period.
C. gattii
was the more virulent plant pathogen, resulting in disrupted germination as well as increased stem lodging, fungal burden, and plant tissue colocalization.
C. neoformans
was a less virulent plant pathogen but exhibited prolonged tissue residence within the cuticle and vascular spaces. Arabidopsis mutants of the
PRN1
gene, which is involved in abiotic and biotic signaling affecting phenylalanine-derived flavonoids, showed altered susceptibility to cryptoccocal infections, suggesting roles for this pathway in cryptococcal defense. The fungal virulence factor laccase was also implicated in plant pathogenesis, as a cryptococcal
lac1
Δ strain was less virulent than wild-type fungi and was unable to colonize seedlings. In conclusion, these studies expand knowledge concerning the ecological niche of
Cryptococcus
by demonstrating the pathogenic capacity of the anamorphic form of cryptococcal cells against healthy seedlings under physiologically relevant conditions. In addition, an important role of laccase in plant as well as human virulence may suggest mechanisms for laccase retention and optimization during evolution of this fungal pathogen.
Behavior of Escherichia coli in a Heterogeneous Gelatin-Dextran Mixture
Authors: Boons K. , Mertens L. , Van Derlinden E. , David C. C. , Hofkens J. , Van Impe J. F.
Published: February 2013

In a gelatin-dextran mixture, changing the (relative and/or absolute) concentration of the components leads to the formation of different microstructures. Confocal laser scanning microscopy illustrated that the nature of the microstructure determines the location and morphology of
Escherichia coli
colonies. Observations indicate that bacterial growth preferentially occurs in the dextran phase, regardless of the microstructure.
Midazolam for urethral catheterisation in female infants with suspected urinary tract infection: a case-control study
Authors: Shavit Itai , Feraru Liat , Miron Dan , Weiser Giora
Published: February 2013

Objectives

Based on the 2010 Israeli Medical Association recommendations, young children with suspected urinary tract infection (UTI) are mildly sedated with oral or intranasal midazolam to reduce the distress associated with urethral catheterisation (UC). The primary objective of this study was to examine the rate of urine culture contamination (UCC) in infants who underwent UC with and without sedation. Other objectives were to evaluate serious adverse events and emergency department (ED) length of stay.

Methods

A retrospective case-control study was conducted in a paediatric ED.

Results

Two cohorts of patients who underwent UC were compared, 164 female infants who were sedated with midazolam (case subjects) and 173 who were not (controls). Cases and controls had a mean temperature of 38.3°C and 38.2°C, respectively. One hundred and forty-one patients were treated with oral midazolam and 23 received the drug intranasally. Cases and controls had a UCC rate of 20/164 (12%) and 45/173 (26%), respectively. Compared with controls, cases had lower odds of UCC (OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.73).Serious adverse events related to midazolam were not recorded. Case subjects and controls had a mean ED length of stay of 2.96 h and 2.50 h, respectively. The difference between the groups was statistically significant (p<0.014, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.90 for difference between means).

Conclusions

In this cohort of febrile infants, sedation with oral or intranasal midazolam reduced the risk of culture contamination during UC without causing serious adverse events. However, patients who were treated with sedation had longer length of stay in the ED.
The Combination of Sorafenib and Everolimus Abrogates mTORC1 and mTORC2 Upregulation in Osteosarcoma Preclinical Models
Authors: Pignochino Ymera , Dell'Aglio Carmine , Basiricò Marco , Capozzi Federica , Soster Marco , Marchiò Serena , Bruno Stefania , Gammaitoni Loretta , Sangiolo Dario , Torchiaro Erica , D'Ambrosio Lorenzo , Fagioli Franca , Ferrari Stefano , Alberghini Marco , Picci Piero , Aglietta Massimo , Grignani Giovanni
Published: February 2013

Purpose: The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib displays antitumor activity in preclinical models of osteosarcoma. However, in sorafenib-treated patients with metastatic-relapsed osteosarcoma, disease stabilization and tumor shrinkage were short-lived and drug resistance occurred. We explored the sorafenib treatment escape mechanisms to overcome their drawbacks.

Experimental Design: Immunoprecipitation, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the mTOR pathway [mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2)]. Cell viability, colony growth, and cell migration were evaluated in different osteosarcoma cell lines (MNNG-HOS, HOS, KHOS/NP, MG63, U-2OS, SJSA-1, and SAOS-2) after scalar dose treatment with sorafenib (10–0.625 μmol/L), rapamycin-analog everolimus (100–6.25 nmol/L), and combinations of the two. Cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry. Nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice injected with MNNG-HOS cells were used to determine antitumor and antimetastatic effects. Angiogenesis and vascularization were evaluated in vitro by exploiting endothelial branching morphogenesis assays and in vivo in xenografted mice and chorioallantoic membranes.

Results: After sorafenib treatment, mTORC1 signaling was reduced (downstream target P-S6), whereas mTORC2 was increased (phospho-mTOR Ser2481) in MNNG-HOS xenografts compared with vehicle-treated mice. Combining sorafenib with everolimus resulted in complete abrogation of both mTORC1 [through ROS-mediated AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activation] and mTORC2 (through complex disassembly). The sorafenib/everolimus combination yielded: (i) enhanced antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects, (ii) impaired tumor growth, (iii) potentiated antiangiogenesis, and (iv) reduced migratory and metastatic potential.

Conclusion: mTORC2 activation is an escape mechanism from sorafenib treatment. When sorafenib is combined with everolimus, its antitumor activity is increased by complete inhibition of the mTOR pathway in the preclinical setting. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 2117–31. ©2013 AACR.
Associative Duties and Immigration
Authors: Hidalgo Javier
Published: February 2013

This paper evaluates an argument for immigration restrictions that appeals to the costs that immigration imposes on the citizens of a recipient state. According to this argument, citizens have associative duties to protect each other’s interests, immigration can damage these interests in certain cases, and the associative duties between compatriots justify immigration restrictions in these cases. Call this: the partiality argument for immigration restrictions. I argue that the partiality argument is unsound. Immigration restrictions violate negative duties to refrain from interfering with people’s liberties and these duties silence compatriots’ associative duties to one another. Furthermore, I argue that compatriots lack associative duties to one another in virtue of the fact that the relationships between compatriots reliably cause injustice to outsiders.
Foaming behavior of microcellular thermoplastic olefin blends
Authors: Maani Amirhossein , Naguib Hani E , Heuzey Marie-Claude , Carreau Pierre J
Published: February 2013

The influence of reactive compatibilization on the foaming behavior of thermoplastic olefin blends of polypropylene and a metallocene-catalyzed ethylene octene copolymer was investigated. A batch setup was used to foam the samples using carbon dioxide as blowing agent. Solubility measurements were performed to determine the relative amount of gas concentration in the pressurized polymers before foaming. A microscopic method based on the back-scattered electron imaging technique was used to determine the respective locations of the bubbles and the dispersed elastomeric domains in the polypropylene matrix. It was shown that the bubbles are preferentially formed in the dispersed elastomeric domains. A clear relationship was established between the microstructure of the blends prepared with different levels of compatibilizer and the final cellular morphology of the microcellular thermoplastic olefin foams. The initial morphology of the blends was also altered by quiescent coarsening as well as shear-induced phase coalescence, and the impact of the morphological transitions on the cellular structure of the resulting foams was investigated. Dynamic shear and transient measurements of elongation were performed to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of the thermoplastic olefins. It was shown that the addition of a compatibilizer resulted in enhanced viscoelastic properties at low frequencies as well as increased levels of strain hardening, especially at low strain rates. The reactive compatibilization could significantly improve the melt foamability through control of the blend microstructure as well as enhancement of the melt rheological properties.
The Theocratization of the Israeli Military
Authors: Levy Yagil
Published: February 2013

This article portrays the theocratization of the Israeli military. At the center of this process stands the national-religious sector, which has significantly upgraded its presence in the ranks since the late 1970s. It is argued that four integrated and cumulative processes gradually generated this shift toward the theocratization of the Israeli military: (1) the crafting of institutional arrangements that enable the service of religious soldiers, thereby (2) creating a critical mass of religious soldiers in many combat units, consequently (3) restricting the military command’s intraorganizational autonomy vis-à-vis the religious sector, and paving the road to (4) restricting the Israel Defense Forces autonomy in deploying forces in politically disputable missions.
Recession Jitters Among Professional Class Families
Authors: Zvonkovic Anisa M. , Lee Kyung-Hee , Brooks-Hurst Erika , Lee NaYeon
Published: February 2013

In a follow-up study of family members who participated in a previous study of high work demands, 130 participants from 71 families responded to questions about recent changes in work and financial well-being, as well as daily family adaptations associated with the recession. The general portrait of the families who belonged to an emergent professional class was of relative stability in their work situations. Nevertheless, a substantial percentage perceived financial decline, an increase in the pace of their work, and increasingly rushed feelings at home. Respondents reported financial adjustments in their daily lives. Adjustments in expenses associated with family dining out and with leisure were especially noteworthy when participants reported the perception of financial decline. Results are discussed in light of how the experience of the current recession among families in the professional class differs from experiences of families during previous recessions.
Economic and Technological Importance of Innovations in Large Family and Founder Firms
Authors: Block Joern , Miller Danny , Jaskiewicz Peter , Spiegel Frank
Published: February 2013

Prior research has analyzed R&D spending in family and founder firms. Yet little is known about the economic and technological importance of innovations in these types of firms. Using patent citation data, we show that founder-managed firms, which we argue favor an entrepreneurial orientation, receive more patent citations when compared with other firms, even controlling for R&D spending. By contrast, family-managed firms, many of which, we argue, pursue socioemotional wealth for the family, receive fewer patent citations compared with other firms, again, controlling for R&D spending. Patent citations have been shown in the literature to reflect the economic and technological importance of innovations.
Big brains and Boskops: Phrenology lives!
Authors: Robinson Daniel N.
Published: February 2013

A persistent strategy in contemporary neuroscience would reduce complex social and cognitive phenomena to states and functions of the brain. When extended to reach fundamental issues in philosophy, a new specialty—neurophilosophy—is offered as a means by which to collapse a number of perennial questions into a more tractable set of structure–function relationships. Illustrative are studies of the “locus” of moral decision-making (Greene, Sommerville, Nystrom, Darley, & Cohen, 2001) and challenge to volitionalism based on studies of events in the brain (Libet, 1985). The case of the “Boskops,” presumed possessors of unusually large brains, offers an object lesson in the dangers of arguing hypotheses against facts. Human achievements are the incontestable facts. Whether and how these relate to human anatomy and physiology are questions that are unlikely to be settled by anatomists.
Routine Activities and Time Use
Authors: Pedneault Amelie , Beauregard Eric
Published: February 2013

The routine activities of a sample of 147 incarcerated sexual offenders were studied. During interviews conducted between 1994 and 2000 in a province of Canada, data were collected on the participants’ time involvement in a variety of activities in the weeks preceding their index sexual offense(s). Using latent profile analysis, a typology of lifestyles of sexual offenders was created. Five distinct profiles were identified. The inactive loner was characterized by little time involvement with their romantic partners and social activities. The social traveler spent the highest time driving and reported the highest number of friends. The single walker reported the highest amount of time walking around. The partyers’ lifestyle was centered around alcohol and drugs. Finally, offenders from the familial homebody profile spent most of their time at home. Differences between profiles were investigated with regard to characteristics of index sexual offense.
The power of spatial and temporal orderings in organizational learning
Authors: Fahy Kathryn M , Easterby-Smith Mark , Lervik Jon Erland
Published: February 2013

This article attends to the call for research on the often neglected spatial and temporal dynamics of organizational life. In particular, we examine the ways in which aspects of space and time facilitate or hinder learning and knowledge sharing in organizations. We draw on conceptual tools derived from work influenced largely by Henri Lefebvre to illustrate how a spatial–temporal lens throws new light on the problem of learning and knowledge sharing across organizational communities. We examine these dynamics in a qualitative study with four high-technology engineering companies in the energy conversion and automation and aerospace sectors. Building on a situated learning perspective, we argue that a spatial and temporal perspective contributes to our understanding of processes of identity construction and the power relations that influence access to forms of participation and learning across organizational communities.
The place of unreasonable people beyond Rawls
Authors: Sala Roberta
Published: February 2013

In this article I look for an alternative way in which ‘unreasonable’ people may be included in a liberal society. Differing from Rawls, whose reasonable hope is for unreasonable people gradually to adhere to liberal institutions so that, over time, an overlapping consensus is reached, I propose the alternative way of them supporting these institutions as a special modus vivendi, which does not require them to renounce their non-reasonableness. First I detail the Rawlsian notion of reasonableness and unreasonableness; second, I discuss how the treatment of the unreasonable is addressed by Rawls; third, taking inspiration from two accounts of how to consider the ‘unreasonable’ within a liberal society, I maintain that a subset of ‘unreasonable’ (I call them ‘non-reasonable’) may be included in public debate; fourth, I propose that their way of inclusion is a stable modus vivendi.
A Meta-Analysis of the Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire
Authors: Watkins Karen E. , Dirani Khalil M.
Published: February 2013

The Problem

Organizations strive to develop their employees to a level that meets current and future needs at a time when those needs are great and resources scarce. Human resource developers are charged with finding solutions; yet many of the changes essential to doing this are in the culture, and, senior leaders have greater impact on the culture. Effective ways to alert senior individuals to the cultural imperatives are needed. Unfortunately, human resource and organization development (HROD) scholars have had few valid organizational measures with which to demonstrate the status of learning and the impact of learning on the organization. In 2003, we shared the Dimensions of a Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) in this journal. It behooves us to examine what has occurred using this instrument since that time.

The Solution

One approach is to build a self-sustaining learning architecture that is so embedded in the culture and even the work itself that it evolves and grows with the organization. A valid and reliable diagnostic enables HROD practitioners to assess where the learning culture is at the time of its administration, and signals organization members to critical changes needed to develop a more effective learning infrastructure. Armed with this information, they can make the business case and guide proposed interventions. Scholars can demonstrate key relationships between a learning culture and knowledge, financial, and mission performance. This article and others in this special issue examine what has been learned in the last decade using the DLOQ.

The Stakeholders

HROD developers and senior leaders are significant stakeholders for this information. In addition, HROD scholars who hope to document the nature of the learning culture in a variety of contexts and to demonstrate the importance of having a strong learning culture to valued organizational outcomes will find a resource in the DLOQ.
An Inexpensive and Easy-to-Make Simulation Model of Biliary Ultrasound That Mimics Normal Anatomy and Abnormal Biliary Conditions
Authors: He Chen , Wright Leigh M. , Saul Turandot , Lewiss Resa E.
Published: February 2013

Simulation training in sonography has been shown be an effective method of teaching and assessing user competency in image acquisition/interpretation and performance of procedures. Gallbladder simulation models that are currently commercially available are entire torso section phantoms, are generally expensive to obtain, and require maintenance. We have developed a sonographic gallbladder simulation model constructed using readily available and inexpensive materials. Models were created of normal gallbladder anatomy as well as various gallbladder pathologies such as cholelithiasis, biliary sludge, and thickening of the gallbladder wall. This model can be used to train users both to obtain and interpret sonographic images of the gallbladder.
TP53, SF3B1, and NOTCH1 mutations and outcome of allotransplantation for chronic lymphocytic leukemia: six-year follow-up of the GCLLSG CLL3X trial
Authors: Dreger Peter , Schnaiter Andrea , Zenz Thorsten , Böttcher Sebastian , Rossi Marianna , Paschka Peter , Bühler Andreas , Dietrich Sascha , Busch Raymonde , Ritgen Matthias , Bunjes Donald , Zeis Matthias , Stadler Michael , Uharek Lutz , Scheid Christof , Hegenbart Ute , Hallek Michael , Kneba Michael , Schmitz Norbert , Döhner Hartmut , Stilgenbauer Stephan
Published: February 2013

Key Points

This trial update shows that allotransplantation can provide long-term minimal residual disease–negative disease control in poor-risk chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Six-year survival is close to 60% and is independent of the presence of TP53, SF3B1, and NOTCH1 mutations in the tumor clone.
Changes of bacterioplankton apparent species richness in two ornamental fish aquaria
Authors: Vlahos Nikolaos , Kormas Konstantinos Ar , Pachiadaki Maria G , Meziti Alexandra , Hotos George N , Mente Eleni
Published: February 2013

We analysed the 16S rRNA gene diversity within the bacterioplankton community in the water column of the ornamental fish Pterophyllum scalare and Archocentrus nigrofasciatus aquaria during a 60-day growth experiment in order to detect any dominant bacterial species and their possible association with the rearing organisms. The basic physical and chemical parameters remained stable but the bacterial community at 0, 30 and 60 days showed marked differences in bacterial cell abundance and diversity. We found high species richness but no dominant phylotypes were detected. Only few of the phylotypes were found in more than one time point per treatment and always with low relative abundance. The majority of the common phylotypes belonged to the Proteobacteria phylum and were closely related to Acinetobacter junii, Pseudomonas sp., Nevskia ramosa, Vogesella perlucida, Chitinomonas taiwanensis, Acidovorax sp., Pelomonas saccharophila and the rest belonged to the α-Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, candidate division OP11 and one unaffiliated group. Several of these phylotypes were closely related to known taxa including Sphingopyxis chilensis, Flexibacter aurantiacus subsp. excathedrus and Mycobacterium sp. Despite the high phylogenetic diversity most of the inferred ecophysiological roles of the found phylotypes are related to nitrogen metabolism, a key process for fish aquaria.
Remarkable Enhancement of Sensitivity with the Second Generation of Elliptically Polarization-detected Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy
Authors: Murakami Makoto , Araki Yasuyuki , Sakamoto Seiji , Hamada Yoshiki , Wada Takehiko
Published: February 2013

A new circular dichroism (CD) measurement system based on the detection of elliptically polarized light has been proposed. The approach has several unique and inherent advantages, such as sensitivities, reliability, and reproducibility, over conventional systems and Kliger’s pioneering work. We have rederived the Jones calculus and introduced the angular term into the formulation revealing that this approach should improve the signal intensity by controlling the light ellipticity. Therefore, we have first demonstrated the hypothesis by the quantitative analysis of the signal intensity measuring of the split CD pattern of tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) dichloride with the system. The CD signals increasing with decreasing the azimuth of retarder was clearly observed, enabling detection of CD signal with high sensitivity.
A Bidentate Ligand Immobilized on Silica via a Tripodal Linker Unit: Preparation and Application to Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling
Authors: Onozawa Shun-ya , Miyaji Takayuki , Fukaya Norihisa , Yoshinaga Michiyo , Ueda Masae , Takagi Yukio , Yasuda Hiroyuki
Published: February 2013

A new tripodal linker unit was synthesized and is expected to enable the robust immobilization of bidentate ligands such as 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (DPPP) onto silica supports. It was subsequently used to anchor a palladium–DPPP complex onto ordered mesoporous silica, and the resulting catalyst showed moderate activity for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction of aryl chloride with phenylboronic acid. The catalyst was recycled three times without a significant loss in activity and with minimal leaching of palladium after the reaction.
Faking femininity: Masquerade and epic theatre in fashion Tv’s lesson
Authors: Arzumanova Inna
Published: February 2013

Fashion reality programming is traditionally panned by critics as shallow, rooted in what seems like liberating postfeminist power consumption and in rigid gender, racial and class divisions. Relying on what Angela McRobbie has called the postfeminist masquerade, the experts featured
in these shows use the logics of postfeminism and consumer capitalism to construct the ideal female subject. In each programme, the programme host is the fashion expert and the contestant is the grateful pupil, receiving a lesson on the tenets of a culturally constructed and idealized postfeminist
femininity. Contestants learn how to stitch together and perform the desired feminine subject by adhering to the cultural codes outlined in the postfeminist masquerade. In embracing the postfeminist masquerade, however, experts are also teaching contestants how to engage in a strategic performance
of gender, making each programme’s lesson segment an unstable space that exposes the seams of femininity. The lessons on feminine masquerade are intended as tutorials on consumerism. Nevertheless, these lessons acknowledge the labour of femininity and demonstrate the artifice of gender
production. Parsing the postfeminist ethos that permeates fashion-themed reality programming, I discuss whether the lesson of masquerade productively undermines the myth of natural, gendered beauty, possibly prying open spaces for political contestation and enabling the contestant to pursue
what can be understood as a ‘becoming’. While a postfeminist, consumerist femininity is always positioned as the desired result of each lesson, I propose that the tactics of masquerade that structure each lesson segment acquire political implications as they approximate the theatrical
spectacles that Bertolt Brecht has called ‘epic theatre’.
The nineteenth-century dandy’s heroic renunciation through fashion
Authors: Lezama Nigel
Published: February 2013

The example of the nineteenth-century literary dandy offers a strategy for transcending social, class and gender barriers through fashion. In this article, I demonstrate that writers, from Eugène Sue to Charles Baudelaire and Rachilde, used representations of the dandy’s
androgyny and luxury as a means of overcoming the subordination of the literary domain to capitalist practices. The dandy’s inevitable narrative punishment through death and disgrace also provides release from the tension stemming from the ideological shift in men’s sartorial practices
from ostentatious garb to sober and more ‘democratic’ clothing at the end of the eighteenth century. I argue that the dandy’s anti-normative behaviour is a heroic act, perceived and represented by his literary ‘parents’, when both capitalist and political discourses
propagate a spurious equality and impose a misleading uniformity in dress on post-Revolution French society. The dandy’s excesses allow modern readers to decipher the writers’ attempt to bridge the gap between social appearances and political reality. For early nineteenth-century
writers, the dandy could only be a social climber and a criminal. However, as the century closes, writers begin to appreciate his counter-discursive impact.
Revolutionary inhumanism: Fanon’s De la violence
Authors: Nesbitt Nick
Published: February 2013

The article proposes a reading of Les Damnés de la terre by F. Fanon (1968a) via its original and compelling conjugation of a revolutionary, anti-colonial humanism. Insofar as Fanon’s is resolutely a humanism to come, a postcolonial ‘invention of a new species’,
what I will call Fanon’s inhumanism must be grasped in its fundamentals as a complex and original critique of colonial, and defense of anticolonial, violence. The article proposes that the incommensurability of heterogeneous colonial situations requires not moralistic commentary but
the elucidation of the logic of any singular case and of the greater or lesser necessity of violence there within.
Memmi and Béji: Decolonization and the place of the ‘human’ within ‘humanism’
Authors: Crowley Patrick
Published: February 2013

Since the 1950s and the period of decolonization, intellectuals in the francophone world have addressed the legacy of humanism. Frantz Fanon, amongst others, wrote on the possibilities of a new humanism and of ‘new man’ in a decolonized world. This humanism to be constructed,
this humanism to come, was faced with the difficulty of how to negotiate the legacy of the European tradition of humanism and the conceptually constructed tension between particularizing experiences deemed proper to cultures outside of Europe and a notion of the universal, which, while an
abstraction, was also characteristically French. In examining works by two Tunisian intellectuals – Albert Memmi and Hélé Béji – this article analyses what they try to do with the term ‘humanism’. It is clear that both intellectuals advocate a better
world and an end to human suffering, but their principal weapon– humanism – lacks sharpness and the kind of political edge (dialectical) that characterized Fanon’s notion of ‘new humanism’.
Towards a poetics of reconciliation: Humans and animals in Ananda Devi’s writing
Authors: Damlé Amaleena
Published: February 2013

This article analyses the flux of metamorphosis that is richly evoked in the literary works of the Mauritian-born writer Ananda Devi and that testifies both to the radical positions of alterity experienced by her various protagonists and to the political and poetical possibilities involved
in reimagining boundaries between humans and animals. Placing Moi, l’interdite and La Vie de Joséphin le fou (A. Devi) in dialogue with Giorgio Agamben’s theorizations of bare life and Judith Butler’s expositions on precarious life, the article explores the multiple
tensions at play in Devi’s depictions of the human-animal. Devi’s writing neither exclusively relegates the human-animal to an abject debasement, nor excessively celebrates the hybrid as a revolutionary figure. At times basely stripped of their humanity, at others tantalizingly
transgressive, and often both, Devi’s metamorphic protagonists are intricately and subtly bound up with the political layerings and divisions of postcolonial Mauritian society, all the while hinting towards a poetics of reconciliation that emerges in an acknowledgment of shared vulnerability.
A Method for Quantifying Release of Terbufos into Water from Granular Carriers
Authors: Bernal Yasmith
Published: February 2013

The release of a pesticide active ingredient (AI) from granules into water and soil is a subject of interest because it can answer questions about product efficacy or pest control, persistence of the AI in the soil environment, degradation of the AI, and translocation of the AI from agricultural fields to bodies of water. Attempts have been made in lab settings to simulate field conditions in order to predict the extent and rate of elution of AI from granules into surrounding soil conditions, or to determine the rate at which the AI comes out of the granules. Although these techniques are helpful, they do not provide a quick and simple answer to whether or not the active ingredient comes out of the granules when a rain event is simulated. A simplified laboratory method for quantifying the released amount of the organophosphate terbufos into water from a granular carrier has been developed. The objective was to determine whether there was movement of the AI out of the granule when it was exposed to water. Water was added to the granules in a way that simulated a rain event, and the release of terbufos out of the granule was evaluated with both repeated elutions (open system) and single elution (closed system). The concentration of terbufos in the water was tested via liquid-liquid (LLS) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods. In a comparison of these two water extraction techniques, SPE proved to be more efficient than LLS and was chosen for testing samples. Three commercially available granular formulations were tested for the release of AI, and the results showed differences among the formulations. For both elution systems, repeated and single, a higher concentration of terbufos was found in water leached from granule A than from granules B and C. The difference may be attributed to the clay composition or the addition of co-formulants in the samples tested. Material reconciliation experiments were able to confirm the quantity of AI remaining in the granules after leaching.
Associations among physical activity, comorbidities, depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Daniele Thiago Medeiros da Costa , Bruin Veralice Meireles Sales de , Oliveira Débora Siqueira Nobre de , Pompeu Clara Mota Randal , Forti Adriana Costa e
Published: February 2013

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between physical activity, comorbidity severity, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life in type 2 diabetes mellitus. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All individuals, 200 patients and 50 controls, aged from 40 to 60 years, were investigated by interview, and all variables were measured concurrently. Physical activity was evaluated by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) by the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), comorbidity severity by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and depressive symptoms by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II > 16). Single and multiple regression analysis evaluated the effects of independent variables on physical activity. RESULTS: The patients had more depressive symptoms and greater comorbidity severity (p < 0.005). Diabetic patients showed better activity levels (IPAQ) (p < 0.005). Functional Capacity, General State of Health, and Physical Limitation were the most affected subscales in the SF-36 evaluation of the HRQL. Sedentary diabetic patients had higher waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratios, more depressive symptoms, and worse HRQL. Functional capacity (p = 0.000), followed by General State of Health (p = 0.02), were the health status measure subscales independently associated with physical activity. Conclusions: The findings suggest that increasing patient independence and treating depressive symptoms can promote physical activity for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. It is suggested that group activities and caregivers/family support might compensate for the patient dependence, and increase adherence to exercise programs in those that are less active.
Avaliação do valor de corte de TSH em amostras de filtro na triagem neonatal para diagnóstico de hipotireoidismo congênito no Programa "Primeiros Passos" - IEDE/RJ
Authors: Barone Bianca , Lopes Clarisse Lourandes da Silva , Tyszler Latife Salomão , Amaral Valéria Borges do , Zarur Rosa Helena C. , Paiva Valéria Neto , Leite Denise Boechat , Meirelles Ricardo M. R.
Published: February 2013

OBJETIVO: Analisar casos de hipotireoidismo congênito (HC) confirmados ou não, triados pelo Programa "Primeiros Passos", estratificando-os em faixas de TSH em filtro (TSH-F). MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Estratificar, em faixas de TSH-F em função do TSH em soro (TSH-S), os casos convocados para teste confirmatório de janeiro/2006 a julho/2009. RESULTADOS: Cerca de 37% dos casos confirmados (475) apresentaram TSH-F > 9,5 mUi/L, mas a maioria dos casos confirmados estava nas faixas de TSH-F mais baixas. Entre os casos não confirmados (4.613), a maior parte se encontrava nas faixas mais baixas. Não houve faixa de TSH-F exclusiva dos casos não confirmados. CONCLUSÃO: O valor de corte do TSH-F utilizado é fundamental no diagnóstico do HC e deve ser baixo, mesmo que sejam realizados mais testes confirmatórios. Mais estudos são necessários para determinar o melhor valor de corte de TSH-F para triagem neonatal.
Recrutamento, valores e padrões de ação política da elite empresarial
Authors: Costa Paulo Roberto Neves , Roks Tiago Junior , Santos Filho Guatimozin de Oliveira
Published: February 2013

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar as características da elite empresarial no Paraná. O uso de metodologias típicas dos estudos sobre elites e sobre cultura política, articuladas à análise da forma como se daria a ação política, permitiu uma melhor caracterização dos representantes políticos do empresariado e, em particular, no que diz respeito à sua relação com a democracia e o funcionamento de suas instituições. Tal relação é considerada em um nível fundamental do funcionamento da política brasileira, o estadual. Entre 2010 e 2011, foram realizadas entrevistas com os principais dirigentes das entidades mais importantes na representação do empresariado paranaense. Além das informações sobre as trajetórias social, educacional e política, o questionário buscou levantar também as justificativas das opiniões, das avaliações e dos padrões de ação política. Constatamos que, de um lado, existe certa homogeneidade no que diz respeito às trajetórias e certa coesão em relação aos valores políticos, à avaliação sobre as instituições democráticas e aos padrões de ação política por parte da elite empresarial paranaense. Além da total adesão à democracia, há um relativo grau de satisfação com suas instituições, o que revela algumas características das relações dessa elite e de seus representados com a política e a democracia, e como, nesse aspecto, ela também se distingue da população em geral.