bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pollen–climate reconstruction from northern South Island, New Zealand (41°S), reveals varying high‐ and low‐latitude teleconnections over the last 16 000 years
Authors: Jara Ignacio A. , Newnham Rewi M. , Vandergoes Marcus J. , Foster Courtney R. , Lowe David J. , Wilmshurst Janet M. , Moreno Patricio I. , Renwick James A. , Homes Aline M.
Published: December 2015

We present a 16 000‐year vegetation and climate reconstruction from pollen and plant macrofossil records obtained at a small alpine lake in South Island, New Zealand (41°S). The expansion of lowland forest taxa suggests a lifting of the altitudinal forest limits because of a warming pulse between 13 and 10k cal a BP and between 7 and 6k cal a BP, while their decline relative to upland forest taxa indicates cooling phases between 10 and 7k cal a BP and over the last 3000 years. The modern treeline was first established locally by 9.7k cal a BP. Forest persisted at the site until 3k cal a BP then disappeared from the record. Close correspondence between the temperature trends inferred from the pollen and macrofossil records and proxies from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean suggests a strong teleconnection between New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere high‐latitudes between 15 and 6k cal a BP. We note that the breakdown of this coupling, a cooling trend in Adelaide Tarn and the local disappearance of beech forest after 3k cal a BP occur during a period of increased frequency of El Niño events, suggesting an enhanced teleconnection with the low‐latitudes during the late Holocene.
Outcomes of surgical treatment alone in patients with superficial soft tissue sarcoma regardless of size or grade
Authors: Austin Janice L. , Temple Walley J. , Puloski Shannon , Schachar Norman S. , Oddone Paolucci Elizabeth , Kurien Elizabeth , Sarkhosh Kourosh , Mack Lloyd A.
Published: December 2015

Background and Objectives

Currently, standard treatment of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is wide local excision and adjuvant radiation, but radiation may be unnecessary in superficial STS. The primary objective is to assess local recurrence rates in patients treated with surgical management alone for superficial STS.

Methods

A retrospective cancer registry review of patients treated with surgery alone for superficial STS at the Tom Baker Cancer Center (TBCC) was performed. Patient and tumor characteristics as well as recurrence data were collected.

Results

Sixty‐one patients met study criteria. Local and overall recurrence rates were 7/61 (11.5%) and 12/61 (19.7%), respectively. The proportion with a T2 tumor was 38.8% versus 33.3% (P = 0.69), with Grade 2 or 3 tumors was 59.2% versus 83.3% (P = 0.14), and with resection margins <1 cm was 28.6% versus 75.0% (P = 0.008) for patients without and with recurrence, respectively. Median time to recurrence was 1.7 (0.4–5.2) years.

Conclusions

Surgical resection alone appears to be a viable option for superficial STS that can save patients from potential side effects of radiation. The association between recurrence and inadequate margins (<1 cm) requires additional treatment be offered to this subset of patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:108–113. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Amending Soil with Sludge, Manure, Humic Acid, Orthophosphate and Phytic Acid: Effects on Infiltration, Runoff and Sediment Loss
Authors: Mamedov Amrakh I. , Bar‐Yosef Benayahu , Levkovich Irit , Rosenberg Rivka , Silber Avner , Fine Pinchas , Levy Guy J.
Published: December 2015

Application of organic wastes to cultivated lands can replace mineral fertilizers but may also alter soil physical properties and enhance pollution potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of biosolids [composted manure (MC) and activated sludge (AS)] and specific biosolid component [orthophosphate (OP), phytic acid (PA) and humic acid (HA)] application on soils differing in texture [loamy‐sand (Ramat‐HaKovesh, RH), loam (Gilat, GL) and clay (Bet‐Dagan, BD)], infiltration rate, runoff volume and soil sediment loss. The soils were packed in erosion boxes (400 × 200 × 40 mm) and subjected to six consecutive simulated rainstorms, each of 186 mm deionized water. The results showed that runoff volume and sediment loss from untreated soils increased with increasing clay contents. In treated soils, the response to AS application differed from the response to other amendments; in the BD clay and GL loam, it was the only amendment that caused a decrease in sediment removed by runoff. In the RH loamy‐sand, all amendments reduced the final infiltration rate, but only AS and HA increased the measured runoff. It is proposed that the difference in the response of the soils to the amendments is associated with the soil's ability to attenuate changes in the negative charge on the clay edges following the increase in the specific adsorption of charged anions, thus controlling clay swelling and maintaining aggregate integrity. The effects of amending soils with a source of organic matter in order to control runoff and soil erosion are not straight forward and depend on soil and amendment properties. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of thermocycling on shear bond strength of glass ionomer cement to Er:YAG laser‐prepared enamel
Authors: Kong Yuan‐Yuan , Chen Yi , Shen Rui , Jiang Qian‐Zhou , Chen Min‐Le
Published: December 2015

Purpose

To evaluate the long‐term influence of the shear bond strength (SBS) on glass‐ionomer cement (GIC) to Er:YAG‐irradiated and bur‐prepared enamel.

Materials and Methods

One hundred and ninety human premolar and molars were selected and the crowns were sectioned. Samples were divided into five groups, according to surface treatments: bur preparation (B); bur preparation, etching with 37% phosphoric acid (BA); laser preparation (L); laser preparation, etching with 37% phosphoric acid (LA); laser preparation, twice irradiating with laser at low (150 mJ, 10 Hz; water spray 10 ml/min) (LL). Samples were subdivided according to the number of thermo‐cycles (TCs)‐500 TCs, 1,000 TCs, 3,000 TCs, and 5,000 TCs. The SBS between GIC and enamel was measured using a universal testing machine; failure patterns were analyzed with stereomicroscope. The enamel surfaces and the patterns of the junction between GIC and enamel were observed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM).

Results

The SBS of L group was higher than that for the B group (P < 0.05). The failure mode analysis demonstrated a cohesive failure within the cement in BA and LA groups, but the SBS of LA group was higher than that for the BA group (P < 0.05). LL had a similar effect on SBS compared with LA. Thirty‐seven percent phosphoric acid had greatly increased SBS of GIC to enamel (P < 0.05). The SBS was significantly affected by thermocycling (TC) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our results showed that Er:YAG irradiated significantly increased the SBS on GIC to enamel than bur‐prepared enamel. In addition, 37% phosphoric acid pretreated also significantly increased the SBS on GIC to enamel. However, the results of these in vitro tests were limited, and extrapolation to the clinical situation was difficult. Thus, further studies were needed on this subject to simulate the highly complex and dynamic environment in the analysis. Lasers Surg. Med. 48:978–984, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of HA in the electrolyte on the properties and corrosion behavior of MAO Ca/P coating
Authors: Chen L.‐L. , Gu Y.‐H. , Chen F. , Yue W. , Wang H.‐D. , Zhang L.
Published: December 2015

Magnesium and its alloys have shown great potential as promising biodegradable implantation materials. However, rapid biodegradation has limited them to clinical applications. To overcome this disadvantage, a Ca/P coating was formed on AZ31B magnesium alloy by micro‐arc oxidation (MAO) in three different electrolytes with and without hydroxyapatite (HA). The surface properties were determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and micro‐hardness tester. Immersion tests, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were employed to evaluate the corrosion behavior of MAO coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid (SBF). The results revealed that the pore size and the micro‐hardness would be changed by the different electrolytes. The electrochemical corrosion tests show that the sample prepared in the electrolyte containing 4 g/L edetate calcium disodium (C10H12N2O8CaNa2 · 2H2O, EDTA‐Ca), 1.5 g/L sodium hexametaphosphate (NaPO3)6, 2 g/L sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and 15 g/L sodium metaaluminate (NaAlO2) with 1.5 g/L HA has the smallest corrosion current density and the largest electrochemical impedance.
Postfunctionalization of Azido or Alkyne Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) Surfaces: Superhydrophobic and Parahydrophobic Surfaces
Authors: Godeau Guilhem , N'na Jessica , Boutet Kevin , Darmanin Thierry , Guittard Frédéric
Published: December 2015

Postfunctionalization is a key tool for the elaboration of hydrophobic surfaces. For that purpose, the elaboration of surfaces suitable for the Huisgen reaction allows for functionalization with various hydrophobic side chains. Here the synthesis of azido or alkyne monomers is reported to prepare platform surfaces suitable for click chemistry. The surface hydrophobicity and morphology are investigated. Superhydrophobic and parahydrophobic properties are obtained depending on the starting monomer and the molecule used for the postfunctionalization.

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Efficient solution of time‐domain boundary integral equations arising in sound‐hard scattering
Authors: Veit Alexander , Merta Michal , Zapletal Jan , Lukáš Dalibor
Published: December 2015

We consider the efficient numerical solution of the three‐dimensional wave equation with Neumann boundary conditions via time‐domain boundary integral equations. A space‐time Galerkin method with C∞‐smooth, compactly supported basis functions in time and piecewise polynomial basis functions in space is employed. We discuss the structure of the system matrix and its efficient parallel assembly. Different preconditioning strategies for the solution of the arising systems with block Hessenberg matrices are proposed and investigated numerically. Furthermore, a C++ implementation parallelized by OpenMP and MPI in shared and distributed memory, respectively, is presented. The code is part of the boundary element library BEM4I. Results of numerical experiments including convergence and scalability tests up to a thousand cores on a cluster are provided. The presented implementation shows good parallel scalability of the system matrix assembly. Moreover, the proposed algebraic preconditioner in combination with the FGMRES solver leads to a significant reduction of the computational time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low‐income African‐American adults share weight status, food‐related psychosocial factors and behaviours with their children
Authors: Han E. , Jones‐Smith J. , Surkan P. J. , Kharmats A. Y. , Vedovato G. M. , Trude A. C. B. , Anderson Steeves E. , Gittelsohn J.
Published: December 2015

Objective

This study aims to examine the extent to which low‐income African‐American children's weight status, psychosocial characteristics and food‐related behaviours are associated with that of their adult caregivers.

Methods

Cross‐sectional data from baseline evaluation of B'More Healthy Communities for Kids obesity prevention trial were used. Outcomes of interest were children's overweight and/or obesity status, food‐related self‐efficacy, knowledge, intentions and healthier/less healthy food acquisition scores. The primary exposures were adult caregiver's overweight and/or obesity status, their psychosocial factors and food acquisition scores. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations.

Results

Children had higher odds of overweight or obesity if they had an overweight/obese caregiver (odds ratio [OR] 4.04, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.59–10.28) or an obese caregiver (OR 2.50, 95%CI 1.39–4.51). Having a caregiver in the highest quartile of self‐efficacy, food intentions and healthy food acquisition patterns was associated with higher odds of their child also having a higher score on these factors (self‐efficacy: OR 3.77 [95%CI 1.76–8.04]; food intentions: OR 1.13 [95%CI 1.01–1.27]; and healthy food acquisition: OR 2.19 [95%CI 1.05–4.54]).

Conclusions

Child and adult caregiver weight status and psychosocial characteristics were positively associated in this low‐income, urban population. These findings may help inform obesity treatment or prevention programmes and interventions aimed at parents and families.
Effects of meal composition on postprandial incretin, glucose and insulin responses after surgical and medical weight loss
Authors: Lee C. J. , Brown T. T. , Cheskin L. J. , Choi P. , Moran T. H. , Peterson L. , Matuk R. , Steele K. E.
Published: December 2015

Background

Meal tolerance tests are frequently used to study dynamic incretin and insulin responses in the postprandial state; however, the optimal meal that is best tolerated and suited for hormonal response following surgical and medical weight loss has yet to be determined.

Objective

To evaluate the tolerability and effectiveness of different test meals in inducing detectable changes in markers of glucose metabolism in individuals who have undergone a weight loss intervention.

Methods

Six individuals who underwent surgical or medical weight loss (two Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass, two sleeve gastrectomy and two medical weight loss) each completed three meal tolerance tests using liquid‐mixed, solid‐mixed and high‐fat test meals. The tolerability of each test meal, as determined by the total amount consumed and palatability, as well as fasting and meal‐stimulated glucagon‐like peptide, glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, insulin and glucose were measured.

Results

Among the six individuals, the liquid‐mixed meal was better and more uniformly tolerated with a median meal completion rate of 99%. Among the four bariatric surgical patients, liquid‐mixed meal stimulated on average a higher glucagon‐like peptide (percent difference: 83.7, 89), insulin secretion (percent difference: 155.1, 158.7) and glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (percent difference: 113.5, 34.3) compared with solid‐mixed and high‐fat meals.

Conclusions

The liquid‐mixed meal was better tolerated with higher incretin and insulin response compared with the high‐fat and solid‐mixed meals and is best suited for the evaluation of stimulated glucose homeostasis.
Surgical Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Appendix in Children and Adolescents: A Retrospective French Multicenter Study of 114 Cases
Authors: de Lambert Guénolée , Lardy Hubert , Martelli Hélène , Orbach Daniel , Gauthier Frédéric , Guérin Florent
Published: December 2015

Background

Right hemicolectomy (RHC) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NET) of the appendix has been advocated for tumors more than 2 cm, or with mesoappendix/vessel invasion, or with raised mitotic activity. No study demonstrated prolonged survival with RHC over appendectomy alone. The aim of this study was to contribute to define guidelines for secondary surgery in children or adolescents with NET of the appendix.

Procedure

We contacted all French pediatric surgeons and oncologists by mail, and reviewed the records of patients under 18 with NET of the appendix from 1988 until 2012.

Results

A total of 114 patients were recorded with a female/male ratio of 1.6. Median age at presentation was 12 years (range: 5–17 years). Ten patients had a tumor more than 2 cm. Twenty patients had evidence of extension into the mesoappendix, including five with blood or lymph vessels’ invasion. Solely, one patient had a tumor with a high proliferative index. Incomplete resection was observed in three cases. Eighty‐five patients had no criterion for secondary surgery. Twenty‐nine patients had criteria for RHC but only 10 underwent surgery. None of the resected specimens showed carcinoid tumor. Three patients had positive lymph nodes. At the last follow‐up, all patients were alive and disease free.

Conclusion

Appendectomy alone seems to be curative of these tumors with no influence on life expectancy. Follow‐up is not only unnecessary, but its means, whether clinical, radiological or biological, are ineffective.
Interdigitated back‐contact heterojunction solar cell concept for liquid phase crystallized thin‐film silicon on glass
Authors: Sonntag Paul , Haschke Jan , Kühnapfel Sven , Frijnts Tim , Amkreutz Daniel , Rech Bernd
Published: December 2015

We present an interdigitated back‐contact silicon heterojunction system designed for liquid‐phase crystallized thin‐film (~10 µm) silicon on glass. The preparation of the interdigitated emitter (a‐Si:H(p)) and absorber (a‐Si:H(n)) contact layers relies on the etch selectivity of doped amorphous silicon layers in alkaline solutions. The etch rates of a‐Si:H(n) and a‐Si:H(p) in 0.6% NaOH were determined and interdigitated back‐contact silicon heterojunction solar cells with two different metallizations, namely Al and ITO/Ag electrodes, were evaluated regarding electrical and optical properties. An additional random pyramid texture on the back side provides short‐circuit current density (jSC) of up to 30.3 mA/cm2 using the ITO/Ag metallization. The maximum efficiency of 10.5% is mainly limited by a low of fill factor of 57%. However, the high jSC, as well as VOC values of 633 mV and pseudo‐fill factors of 77%, underline the high potential of this approach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High efficiency UMG silicon solar cells: impact of compensation on cell parameters
Authors: Rougieux Fiacre , Samundsett Christian , Fong Kean Chern , Fell Andreas , Zheng Peiting , Macdonald Daniel , Degoulange Julien , Einhaus Roland , Forster Maxime
Published: December 2015

High efficiency solar cells have been fabricated with wafers from an n‐type Czochralski grown (Cz) ingot using 100% Upgraded Metallurgical‐Grade (UMG) silicon feedstock. The UMG cells fabricated with a passivated emitter and rear totally diffused (PERT) structure have an independently confirmed cell efficiency of 19.8%. This is the highest efficiency reported for a cell based on 100% UMG silicon at the time of publication. The current and power losses are analysed as a function of measured material parameters, including carrier mobility, lifetime and the presence of the boron–oxygen defect. Dopant compensation is shown to reduce both the minority carrier lifetime and mobility, which significantly affects both the current and voltage of the device. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Management of alcohol use disorders in primary care
Authors: Smith Iain D , Woolston Caroline
Published: December 2015

Alcohol use disorders are increasing in prevalence and the GP is ideally placed to identify and refer patients. Dr Smith and Dr Woolston discuss how to screen for alcohol use disorders in primary care and the treatment options available, with particular emphasis on management of the alcohol dependent patient.
Reliability Modelling of Multiple Repairable Units
Authors: Garmabaki A. H. S. , Ahmadi Alireza , Mahmood Yasser A. , Barabadi Abbas
Published: December 2015

This paper proposes a model selection framework for analysing the failure data of multiple repairable units when they are working in different operational and environmental conditions. The paper provides an approach for splitting the non‐homogeneous failure data set into homogeneous groups, based on their failure patterns and statistical trend tests. In addition, when the population includes units with an inadequate amount of failure data, the analysts tend to exclude those units from the analysis. A procedure is presented for modelling the reliability of a multiple repairable units under the influence of such a group to prevent parameter estimation error. We illustrate the implementation of the proposed model by applying it on 12 frequency converters in the Swedish railway system. The results of the case study show that the reliability model of multiple repairable units within a large fleet may consist of a mixture of different stochastic models, that is, the homogeneous Poisson process/renewal process, trend renewal process, non‐homogeneous Poisson process and branching Poisson processes. Therefore, relying only on a single model to represent the behaviour of the whole fleet may not be valid and may lead to wrong parameter estimation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparing dynamic treatment regimes using repeated‐measures outcomes: modeling considerations in SMART studies
Authors: Lu Xi , Nahum‐Shani Inbal , Kasari Connie , Lynch Kevin G. , Oslin David W. , Pelham William E. , Fabiano Gregory , Almirall Daniel
Published: December 2015

A dynamic treatment regime (DTR) is a sequence of decision rules, each of which recommends a treatment based on a patient's past and current health status. Sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials (SMARTs) are multi‐stage trial designs that yield data specifically for building effective DTRs. Modeling the marginal mean trajectories of a repeated‐measures outcome arising from a SMART presents challenges, because traditional longitudinal models used for randomized clinical trials do not take into account the unique design features of SMART. We discuss modeling considerations for various forms of SMART designs, emphasizing the importance of considering the timing of repeated measures in relation to the treatment stages in a SMART. For illustration, we use data from three SMART case studies with increasing level of complexity, in autism, child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and adult alcoholism. In all three SMARTs, we illustrate how to accommodate the design features along with the timing of the repeated measures when comparing DTRs based on mean trajectories of the repeated‐measures outcome. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessment of Acute Burn Management in 32 Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries
Authors: Joseph Krishan , Trehan Abhishek , Cherian Meena , Kelley Edward , Watters David A.
Published: December 2015

Background

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether acute burn management (ABM) is available at health facilities in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).

Method

The study used the World Health Organization situational analysis tool (SAT) which is designed to assess emergency and essential surgical care and includes data points relevant to the acute management of burns. The SAT was available for 1413 health facilities in 59 countries.

Results

A majority (1036, 77.5 %) of the health facilities are able to perform ABM. The main reasons for the referral of ABM are lack of skills (53.4 %) and non‐functioning equipment (52.2 %). Considering health centres and district/rural/community hospitals that referred due to lack of supplies/drugs and/or non‐functioning equipment, almost half of the facilities were not able to provide continuous and consistent access to the equipment required either for resuscitation or to perform burn wound debridement. Out of the facilities that performed ABM, 379 (36.6 %) are capable of carrying out skin grafts and contracture release, which is indicative of their ability to manage full thickness burns. However the magnitude of full thickness burns managed was limited in half of these facilities, as they did not have access to a blood bank.

Conclusion

The initial management of acute burns is generally available in LMICs, however it is constrained by the inability to perform resuscitation (19 %) and/or burn wound debridement (10 %). For more severe burns, an inability to perform skin grafting or contracture release limits definitive management of full thickness burns, whilst lack of availability to blood further compromises the treatment of major burns.
The Moral Reasoning of Genetic Dilemmas Amongst Jewish Israeli Undergraduate Students with Different Religious Affiliations and Scientific Backgrounds
Authors: Siani Merav , Ben‐Zvi Assaraf Orit
Published: December 2015

The main objective of this study was to shed light on the moral reasoning of undergraduate Israeli students towards genetic dilemmas, and on how these are affected by their religious affiliation, by the field they study and by their gender. An open ended questionnaire was distributed among 449 undergraduate students in institutions of higher education in Israel, and their answers were analyzed according to the framework described by Sadler and Zeidler (Science Education, 88(1), 4–27, 2004). They were divided into two major categories: those whose reasoning was based on the consideration of moral consequences (MC), and those who supported their opinion by citing non‐consequentialist moral principles (MP). Students’ elaborations to questions dealing with values towards genetic testing showed a correlation between the students’ religious affiliation and their reasoning, with religious students’ elaborations tending to be more principle based than those of secular ones. Overall, the students’ elaborations indicate that their main concern is the possibility that their personal genetic information will be exposed, and that their body's personal rights will be violated. We conclude the paper by offering several practical recommendations based on our findings for genetic counseling that is specifically tailored to fit different patients according to their background.
Kinetics of Denaturation and Effects of Surfactants and Polyethylene Glycol on Soybean Esterase (Glycine max L) Stability
Authors: de Barros Márcio , Celligoi Maria Antonia P. C. , Macedo Gabriela Alves
Published: December 2015

The objective of this work was to evaluate the kinetics and thermodynamics parameters and the effects of anionic, cationic and nonionic surfactants and polyethylene glycol on the activity and stability of a crude esterase extracted from soybeans (Glycine max L.). The activation energy for thermal inactivation was calculated from the Arrhenius plot was found to be 59.4 kJ mol−1 and the ΔH* 56.82 kJ mol−1 at 40 °C, which was the optimum temperature for enzyme activity. The ΔS* and ΔG* of the enzyme were found to be 61.67 kJ mol−1 and 15.50 J mol−1 K−1, respectively, at the optimum temperature. The activity was only enhanced by the cationic surfactants cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and tetradecylmethylammonium bromide at a concentration of 3.0 mM. The anionic surfactant showed a positive effect on enzyme activity at the concentrations of 1.5 and 3.0 mM. Aqueous PEG (polyethylene glycols) solutions activated the esterase, and maximum activation (170 %) occurred with the addition of 6 kDa PEG. PEG with molecular weights of 0.4 and 10 kDa enhanced enzyme stability at 40 °C.
Efficiency of Gold Nano Particles on the Autoxidized Soybean Oil Polymer: Fractionation and Structural Analysis
Authors: Hazer Baki , Akyol Elvan
Published: December 2015

Polyunsaturated plant oils have gained great interest as monomers to produce biodegradable polymers obtained from renewable resources due to the limited existing sources of petroleum oil and environmental issues. Soybean oil was autoxidized by exposure to atomospheric oxygen at room temperature with or without the presence of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) 5–41 days. When the autoxidation process was catalyzed with Au NPs, the molecular weight of the oxidized oil was increased in 5 days. In contrast to this, without Au NPs, the oxidized oil was still a fluidized liquid. Autoxidized soybean oil polymer in toluene solution with gold NP showed a surface plasmon resonance at λmax = 540 nm in a UV–VIS spectrometer and a fluorescence emission spectrum at λmax = 450 nm, when it was irradiated at λmax = 390 nm. The higher molecular weight of the polymeric oils was successively fractionated by the extraction from the solvent‐non‐solvent mixture CHCl3/petroleum ether with the volume ratio of 5:15. Three polymeric oils fractions with different molecular weight (ca 1000, 4000, and 40,000 g/mol) were obtained. GC–MS analysis, 1H‐NMR and GPC techniques were used in the structural analysis of the fractionated polymeric oils.
Asian Democracy through an Indian Prism
Authors: Varshney Ashutosh
Published: December 2015

The essays in this symposium are longing for completion. A heavy Indian shadow hangs over them. Asian democracy is the overall theme of the symposium, but India, Asia's biggest “democratic behemoth,” to use Edward Aspinall's phrase, is more or less missing. Why is a discussion of Indian democracy necessary for this symposium? What would it add to the arguments made here and the themes discussed?
Tell me a story in English or Swedish: Narrative production and comprehension in bilingual preschoolers and first graders
Authors: BOHNACKER UTE
Published: December 2015

This study examines macrostructural aspects of narrative skills in 52 bilingual Swedish- and English-speaking children age 5–7. Elicited fictional story production and comprehension tasks were administered in parallel fashion in both Swedish and English (Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives; Gagarina et al., 2012). Scores on the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives were compared across languages; moreover, story structure components in the narratives and answers to probe questions were qualitatively analyzed. Age effects (5-year-olds vs. 6- to 7-year-olds) for macrostructure production and narrative comprehension were evident, but no effect for language (Swedish/English). The results suggest that story structure is invariant across a bilingual child's two languages at a given age, with similar awareness of the intentions and goal-directed behavior of the story protagonists, irrespective of language.
Macrostructure, microstructure, and mental state terms in the narratives of English–Hebrew bilingual preschool children with and without specific language impairment
Authors: ALTMAN CARMIT , ARMON-LOTEM SHARON , FICHMAN SVETA , WALTERS JOEL
Published: December 2015

Children's bilingual status is important because the interest here is in narrative performance in both languages of bilingual children, in particular the within-subject, cross language comparisons. As Paradis (2010) has argued, there are some structures where performance differences will point to a temporary lack of opportunity for mastery, whereas other structures will be markers of underlying difficulties. We expect the discriminators to be language specific, depending on attested vulnerabilities for each of the languages involved. Narratives were examined for macrostructure (goals, attempts, and outcomes), microstructure (e.g., length, lexis, and morphosyntax), and mental state terms (MSTs). Thirty-one preschool children (TLD = 19, SLI = 12) retold stories accompanied by six pictures that were matched across content (Baby Birds/Baby Goats) and to the extent possible across languages (first language/second language) for macrostructure, microstructure, and MSTs in the framework of the Working Group on Narrative and Discourse Abilities in COST Action 0804 Language Impairment in a Multilingual Society: Linguistic Patterns and the Road to Assessment. The macrostructure results confirmed previous findings showing similar performance in both languages for children with TLD and those diagnosed with SLI. Consistent with previous findings on narrative abilities among bilingual children, microstructure analysis of verbal productivity, length of communication units, and lexical diversity distinguished children with TLD from those with SLI. An analysis of MSTs yielded more MSTs in children's second language, in particular more mental verbs. The most prevalent MSTs used in all narratives were early acquired perceptual and motivational verbs (“see” and “want”). Overall, distinctions between narratives of children with TLD and SLI were found primarily for microstructure features, where error analysis was particularly important in uncovering possible markers, especially in second languages.
Multilingualism and Englishization in international business communication: the case of some Italian wine producers
Authors: Pierini Francesco
Published: December 2015

It goes without saying that a common culture and a common language make trade easier between individuals and countries, and for this reason the human being has always tried to find a way to communicate with foreign people in order to buy and sell goods and services. But learning as many languages as the market requires has always been a rather difficult issue, so since ancient times some languages have played the role oflingua franca. Throughout history there have been variouslingua francasin the world, used as working languages or bridge languages, based on the prestige and economic relevance of some countries in particular phases of history, as is the case with Latin in the Roman Empire; in the Eastern provinces of the Empire Greek served the same purpose (De Houwer & Wilton, 2011).
Developing a Performance Assessment Framework and Indicators for Communicable Disease Management in Natural Disasters
Authors: Babaie Javad , Ardalan Ali , Vatandoost Hasan , Goya Mohammad Mehdi , Akbarisari Ali
Published: December 2015

Introduction

Communicable disease management (CDM) is an important component of disaster public health response operations. However, there is a lack of any performance assessment (PA) framework and related indicators for the PA. This study aimed to develop a PA framework and indicators in CDM in disasters.

Methods

In this study, a series of methods were used. First, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed in order to extract the existing PA frameworks and indicators. Then, using a qualitative approach, some interviews with purposively selected experts were conducted and used in developing the PA framework and indicators. Finally, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used for weighting of the developed indicators.

Results

The input, process, products, and outcomes (IPPO) framework was found to be an appropriate framework for CDM PA. Seven main functions were revealed to CDM during disasters. Forty PA indicators were developed for the four categories.

Conclusion

There is a lack of any existing PA framework in CDM in disasters. Thus, in this study, a PA framework (IPPO framework) was developed for the PA of CDM in disasters through a series of methods. It can be an appropriate framework and its indicators could measure the performance of CDM in disasters.

BabaieJ, ArdalanA, VatandoostH, GoyaMM, AkbarisariA. Developing a performance assessment framework and indicators for communicable disease management in natural disasters. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(1):27–35.
THE IRRATIONALITY OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF
Authors: Frances Bryan
Published: December 2015

Many highly educated people think religious belief is irrational and unscientific. If you ask a philosopher, however, you'll likely get two answers: most religious belief is rational in some respects and irrational in other respects. In my previous essay (THINK 40) I explained why they think so many religious beliefs are rational. In this essay I explain why they think those same beliefs are irrational.
MORAL RELATIVISM AND THE EUTHYPHRO DILEMMA
Authors: O'Connor David
Published: December 2015

What makes a morally right action morally right and a morally wrong action morally wrong? For clarity's sake, let us divide the question. First, what makes a particular action the morally right action in some situation, that is, what makes it morally obligatory? Second, what makes a particular action a (but not the) morally right action in some situation, that is, what makes it morally permissible (and optional)? And third, what makes a morally wrong action morally wrong (that is, morally impermissible) in some situation?
WHO WANTS TO BE A SAINT?
Authors: Dawes Gregory W.
Published: December 2015

Susan Wolf famously argued that a saintly life – one totally dedicated to moral concerns – would be ‘a life strangely barren’. It would mean neglecting many activities that make human life worthwhile. But her argument assumes that our moral duties are simply duties to others, that a perfectly moral person would always act selflessly. It may be, however, that we also have duties to ourselves, which include the cultivation of so-called ‘non-moral’ virtues. On this view, morality is pervasive, relating to all features of a human life, and has architectonic status, being capable of shaping all that we do.
Rapid tranquillisation of acutely disturbed and violent patients: a retrospective cohort examination of 24 patients on a psychiatric intensive care unit
Authors: Shahpesandy Homayun , Tye Nina , Hegarty Amy , Czechovska Justyna , Kwentoh Mona Lisa , Wood Amanda
Published: December 2015

The prevalence of violent behaviour within acute psychiatric services is about 10%.

Aim

To identify the pharmacological management of acutely disturbed behaviour in patients requiring rapid tranquillisation (RT) on a psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU). Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were also identified in these patients.

Method and objectives

A retrospective cohort examination was carried out of 24 patients receiving RT, average age of 38.8 years (7 women and 17 men), admitted to the PICU between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011. Patient records and hospital incident reporting system were used to obtain relevant data for analysis.

Results

The majority of patients were detained (95%); suffering from schizophrenia (45.8%); bipolar disorder (25%) and substance misuse disorders (12.5%). Verbal aggression (58.3%) and threatening behaviour (29.2%) were the most common factors leading to RT. Fourteen patients (58.3%) were medicated with a combination of haloperidol and lorazepam; nine (37.5%) with zuclopenthixol acetate only; and one (4.2%) with a combination of zuclopenthixol and promethazine.

Conclusion

Haloperidol in combination with lorazepam was the most common medication utilised for RT. Nevertheless, zuclopenthixol acetate alone, or combined with other drugs, was used in over 40% of cases. This finding is in considerable variation with recommended guidelines.
Trait Emotional Intelligence is Related to Risk-Taking Through Negative Mood and Anticipated Fear
Authors: Panno Angelo , Anna Donati Maria , Chiesi Francesca , Primi Caterina
Published: December 2015

Abstract. Existing research showed that negative mood and the anticipated fear of bad outcomes lead people to prefer risk-averse tendencies, and these effects have often been implicitly considered as a universal phenomenon. Nevertheless, interactionist accounts emphasized the importance of both person and situation in predicting outcomes. We aimed to prove whether trait Emotional Intelligence (EI; a person’s characteristic) was related to risk-taking through factors naturally occurring in decision-making processes (i.e., negative mood and anticipated fear). One hundred fifty-eight participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the anticipated fear rating and the hot-Columbia Card Task (CCT; a risk-taking measure), 1 month following assessment of trait EI. Results showed that negative mood and anticipated fear were two simultaneous mediators of the relationship between trait EI and risk-taking.
Internal Motivation Buffers the Negative Effect of Identity Incompatibility on Newcomers’ Social Identification and Well-Being
Authors: Matschke Christina , Fehr Jennifer
Published: December 2015

Abstract. Newcomers who enter a new group usually possess a number of established social identities. It has been demonstrated that incompatibility between established and new identities decreases social identification with the new group and well-being. We propose that internal motivation to become a group member helps newcomers to identify with their group despite incompatibility. Therefore, it was predicted that only newcomers low (but not high) in internal motivation to become a group member were affected by incompatibility. One experiment with university newcomers and two field studies with exchange students and university newcomers supported these predictions. The results highlight the fact that internal motivation is a strong resource when newcomers face obstacles, in the form of incompatibility between established and new identities.
Lung epithelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles activate macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses via ROCK1 pathway
Authors: Moon H-G , Cao Y , Yang J , Lee J H , Choi H S , Jin Y
Published: December 2015

Despite decades of research, the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains poorly understood, thus impeding the development of effective treatment. Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and lung epithelial cell death are prominent features of ARDS. Lung epithelial cells are the first line of defense after inhaled stimuli, such as in the case of hyperoxia. We hypothesized that lung epithelial cells release ‘messenger’ or signaling molecules to adjacent or distant macrophages, thereby initiating or propagating inflammatory responses after noxious insult. We found that, after hyperoxia, a large amount of extracellular vesicles (EVs) were generated and released into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). These hyperoxia-induced EVs were mainly derived from live lung epithelial cells as the result of hyperoxia-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. These EVs were remarkably different from epithelial ‘apoptotic bodies’, as reflected by the significantly smaller size and differentially expressed protein markers. These EVs fall mainly in the size range of the exosomes and smaller microvesicles (MVs) (50–120 nm). The commonly featured protein markers of apoptotic bodies were not found in these EVs. Treating alveolar macrophages with hyperoxia-induced, epithelial cell-derived EVs led to an increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2). Robustly increased macrophage and neutrophil influx was found in the lung tissue of the mice intranasally treated with hyperoxia-induced EVs. It was determined that EV-encapsulated caspase-3 was largely responsible for the alveolar macrophage activation via the ROCK1 pathway. Caspase-3-deficient EVs induced less cytokine/MIP-2 release, reduced cell counts in BALF, less neutrophil infiltration and less inflammation in lung parenchyma, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the serum circulating EVs were increased and mainly derived from lung epithelial cells after hyperoxia exposure. These circulating EVs also activated systemic macrophages other than the alveolar ones. Collectively, the results show that hyperoxia-induced, lung epithelial cell-derived and caspase-3 enriched EVs activate macrophages and mediate the inflammatory lung responses involved in lung injury.
Mitochondrial protection impairs BET bromodomain inhibitor-mediated cell death and provides rationale for combination therapeutic strategies
Authors: Lasorsa E , Smonksey M , Kirk J S , Rosario S , Hernandez-Ilizaliturri F J , Ellis L
Published: December 2015

Inhibitors of the bromodomain and extraterminal domain family (BETI) have recently entered phase I clinical trials. In patients with advanced leukemia’s, potent antileukemia activity was displayed with minimum dose-limiting toxicity. In preclinical models of hematological malignancies, including aggressive B-cell lymphomas, BETI induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, the underlying cell death mechanisms are still not well understood. Dissecting the mechanisms required by BETI to mediate cell death would provide strong direction on how to best utilize BETI to treat patients with aggressive hematological malignancies. Herein, we provide understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying BETI-mediated cell death using I-BET762. Induction of cell death occurred in primary murine and human B-cell lymphomas through apoptosis. Genetic dissection using Eμ-myc B-cell lymphoma compound mutants demonstrated that I-BET762-induced apoptosis does not require the p53 pathway. Furthermore, deletion of Apaf1, and thus the absence of a functional apoptosome, is associated with a delayed drug response but do not provide long-term resistance. Prolonged treatment of this model in fact fails to suppress the therapeutic efficacy of the drug and is associated with biochemical features of autophagy. However, lack of mitochondrial permeability completely inhibited I-BET762-mediated tumor cell death, indicating mitochondrial damage as key events for its activity. Combination of I-BET762 with BH3-only mimetics ABT-263 or obatoclax, restored sensitivity to I-BET762 lymphoma killing; however, success was determined by expression of Bcl-2 family antiapoptotic proteins. Our study provides critical insight for clinical decisions regarding the appropriate strategy for using BETI as a single agent or in combination to treat patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas.
Resveratrol chemosensitizes HER-2-overexpressing breast cancer cells to docetaxel chemoresistance by inhibiting docetaxel-mediated activation of HER-2–Akt axis
Authors: Vinod B S , Nair H H , Vijayakurup V , Shabna A , Shah S , Krishna A , Pillai K S , Thankachan S , Anto R J
Published: December 2015

As breast cancer cells often develop chemoresistance, better therapeutic options are in search to circumvent it. Here we demonstrate that human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2)-overexpressing breast cancer cells resist docetaxel-induced cytotoxicity by upregulating HER-2 and its activity downstream, through Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. We observed that introducing resveratrol as a chemosensitizer in docetaxel chemotherapy blocks upregulation and activation of HER-2 in addition to blocking downstream signaling pathways such as Akt. Resveratrol and docetaxel combination results in the synergistic induction of cell death in HER-2-overexpressing SK-BR-3 cells, whereas introduction of wild-type HER-2 in MDA-MD-231 cells increased the resistance to docetaxel. Dominant-negative HER-2 sensitizes SK-BR-3 cells to docetaxel. Our study identified a new synergistic therapeutic combination that targets HER-2-induced breast cancer resistance and might help to overcome therapeutic resistance during breast cancer therapy. The synergism of docetaxel and resveratrol was maximum in SK-BR-3, which is unique among the cell lines studied, due to its high expression status of HER-2, a receptor known to dictate the signaling environment of breast cancer cells. Docetaxel could further induce HER-2 activity in these cells, which was downregulated on resveratrol treatment. Transfection of DN-HER-2 in SK-BR-3 cells inhibits the synergism as the transfection itself sensitizes these cells to docetaxel, leaving no role for resveratrol, whereas ectopic expression of HER-2 introduces the synergism in MDA-MB-231, the triple-negative cell line, in which the synergism was minimum, attesting the crucial role of HER-2 in suppressing the sensitivity to docetaxel. Single-agent docetaxel induced HER-2-mediated resistance to cell death, which was blocked by resveratrol. Resveratrol also downregulated docetaxel-induced activation of MAPK and Akt, survival signaling pathways downstream of HER-2. In short, this study, for the first time, establishes the role of HER-2–Akt signaling axis in regulating the synergistic effect of docetaxel and resveratrol in breast cancer cells overexpressing HER-2.