bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Humidity Correction Methods for Vaisala RS92 Tropical Sounding Data
Authors: Yu Hungjui , Ciesielski Paul E. , Wang Junhong , Kuo Hung-Chi , Vömel Holger , Dirksen Ruud
Published: January 2015

This study examines the DigiCORA and Global Climate Observing System Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN) humidity corrections of Vaisala RS92 radiosondes at three sites over the tropical Indian Ocean and surrounding areas during the Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign in 2011. The proprietary DigiCORA correction algorithm is built into the ground station software provided by Vaisala, whereas the GRUAN correction is an open source algorithm. Included in the GRUAN data product are uncertainty estimates for their corrections. This information is used to examine the statistical consistency of the various corrections.

In general, the algorithms produce a positive relative humidity (RH) correction that increases with altitude related primarily to a solar radiation dry bias adjustment. For example, in daytime soundings the relative RH correction increases from a few percent for temperatures >0°C to 20%–40% between 100 and 200 hPa. Comparison of corrected RH vertical profiles show only small differences (on the order of a few percent or less at any given level) between the DigiCORA and GRUAN algorithms, such that these corrections are considered to be statistically consistent at most levels.

In evaluating corrected humidity data with independent estimates of total precipitable water (TPW), good agreement was found at all sites between corrected sounding and ground-based microwave radiometer (MWR) estimates of TPW with mean differences ≤0.9 mm (or <2%), which is well within the uncertainty of these measurements. Overall, the correction algorithms examined herein perform well over a wide range of tropical moisture conditions.
A Real-Time Regional Forecasting System Established for the South China Sea and Its Performance in the Track Forecasts of Tropical Cyclones during 2011–13
Authors: Peng Shiqiu , Li Yineng , Gu Xiangqian , Chen Shumin , Wang Dongxiao , Wang Hui , Zhang Shuwen , Lv Weihua , Wang Chunzai , Liu Bei , Liu Duanling , Lai Zhijuan , Lai Wenfeng , Wang Shengan , Feng Yerong , Zhang Junfeng
Published: January 2015

A real-time regional forecasting system for the South China Sea (SCS), called the Experimental Platform of Marine Environment Forecasting (EPMEF), is introduced in this paper. EPMEF consists of a regional atmosphere model, a regional ocean model, and a wave model, and performs a real-time run four times a day. Output from the Global Forecast System (GFS) from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is used as the initial and boundary conditions of two nested domains of the atmosphere model, which can exert a constraint on the development of small- and mesoscale atmospheric perturbations through dynamical downscaling. The forecasted winds at 10-m height from the atmosphere model are used to drive the ocean and wave models. As an initial evaluation, a census on the track predictions of 44 tropical cyclones (TCs) during 2011–13 indicates that the performance of EPMEF is very encouraging and comparable to those of other official agencies worldwide. In particular, EPMEF successfully predicted several abnormal typhoon tracks including the sharp recurving of Megi (2010) and the looping of Roke (2011). Further analysis reveals that the dynamically downscaled GFS forecasts from the most updated forecast cycle and the optimal combination of different microphysics and PBL schemes primarily contribute to the good performance of EPMEF in TC track forecasting. EPMEF, established primarily for research purposes with the potential to be implemented into operations, provides valuable information not only to the operational forecasters of local marine/meteorological agencies or international TC forecast centers, but also to other stakeholders such as the fishing industry and insurance companies.
Talking About Race Without Talking About Race
Authors: Williams Johnny E.
Published: January 2015

“Race” is a human invention that is deeply institutionalized within society as racial practices and understandings shaping how people interact and perceive reality. By changing how it is approached and discussed “race” as an ideology is adept at transforming and adapting to societal shifts and resistance without significantly altering its basic structures. The ideology of color blindness represents a new “race” alteration. This study evaluates how color blindness as a normative sensemaking frame operates as a rhetorical mask that obscures researchers’ racial thinking in genomics. Drawing on 20 open-ended primary interviews with genomicists from various subfields, the article demonstrates that it is impossible to comprehend the persistence of racial thinking in genomics without considering how color-blind racial definitions and engagements mediate genomicists’ understanding of genomics.
Evaluation of adhesive binders for the development of yarn bonding for new stitch-free non-crimp fabrics
Authors: Al-Monsur Md Abdullah , Bardl Georg , Cherif Chokri
Published: January 2015

Non-crimp fabrics (NCFs), especially multi-axial warp-knitted fabrics, are used as reinforcement materials for fiber-reinforced composites. The manufacturing of multi-axial warp-knitted fabrics by a conventional stitch bonding process to produce NCF has several disadvantages, such as filament damage, low production speed, yarn disorientation, etc. In order to overcome the existing limitations, the idea of using an adhesive binder to attach the fabric layers is a promising approach, so that the use of stitching yarns can be eliminated. The fundamental investigations presented in this paper show that the selection of the binder material has a major influence on the parameters of the textile products. Whereas the tested hotmelt adhesives offer a short curing time and a small but nevertheless sufficient bonding strength between bonded yarns, the tested reactive adhesives show a bonding strength up to 10 times higher, but at a considerably longer curing time. The reason for the different bonding strength is identified in the different penetration into the yarns. The experiments also show a significant influence of the fiber type and sizing, which needs to be taken into account when selecting fabric binders.
Shoplifting by Male and Female Drug Users
Authors: Caputo Gail A. , King Anna
Published: January 2015

This article explores the gendered nature of crime by investigating the motivations and justifications used by male and female substance abusers whose current source of income is shoplifting. Drawing upon interviews from a larger study, this subsample of active male and female offender narratives produces several themes. First, despite difficult personal circumstances and constant need to satisfy drug addictions, agency in action is expressed in how male and female drug users negotiate criminal options in an urban drug market. Second, men give different reasons for shoplifting over other hustles than do the more common subject of shoplifting studies, women. Although men rationalize shoplifting as a logical alternative to more “masculine” crimes (e.g., robbery), women compare it to the highly “feminized” crime of sex work. What male and female shoplifters do seem to share is a similar assessment of financial rewards and harm. Shoplifting is constructed as a form of work by women but less clearly so by the men. Third, both the men and the women express themselves using gender constructs in a fluid and dynamic way. They revise and develop ideas about what is masculine and what is “feminine.” We conclude that gender and agency is played out in this urban environment through crime selection and underlying rationales.
Validity and Reliability of a Systematic Database Search Strategy to Identify Publications Resulting From Pharmacy Residency Research Projects
Authors: Kwak Namhee , Swan Joshua T. , Thompson-Moore Nathaniel , Liebl Michael G.
Published: January 2015

Purpose:

This study aims to develop a systematic search strategy and test its validity and reliability in terms of identifying projects published in peer-reviewed journals as reported by residency graduates through an online survey.

Methods:

This study was a prospective blind comparison to a reference standard. Pharmacy residency projects conducted at the study institution between 2001 and 2012 were included. A step-wise, systematic procedure containing up to 8 search strategies in PubMed and EMBASE for each project was created using the names of authors and abstract keywords. In order to further maximize sensitivity, complex phrases with multiple variations were truncated to the root word. Validity was assessed by obtaining information on publications from an online survey deployed to residency graduates.

Results:

The search strategy identified 13 publications (93% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 99% accuracy). Both methods identified a similar proportion achieving publication (19.7% search strategy vs 21.2% survey, P = 1.00). Reliability of the search strategy was affirmed by the perfect agreement between 2 investigators (k = 1.00).

Conclusion:

This systematic search strategy demonstrated a high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for identifying publications resulting from pharmacy residency projects using information available in residency conference abstracts.
Candida Glabrata and Candida Tropicalis in an Immunocompetent Patient
Authors: Hamilton Leslie A. , Lockhart Nicholas R. , Crain Michael R.
Published: January 2015

Objective:

To report a case of Candida glabrata and tropicalis pneumonia in an immunocompetent patient.

Case Summary:

A 72-year-old male was transferred from an outside institution due to worsening respiratory status, acute kidney injury secondary to intravenous contrast media, sepsis, and pneumonia with fever and leukocytosis. Upon admission, he was initiated on treatment for hospital-acquired pneumonia, but was also concomitantly tested for many other opportunistic infections due to his recent month-long trip to Ecuador where he participated in a tribal treatment for neuropathy that involved direct exposure to dead guinea pigs. With completion of cultures and bronchoalveolar lavage, C. glabrata was identified in the blood culture and C. glabrata and C. tropicalis in the bronchoalveolar lavage specimen. One month later, he was admitted due to recurrent pneumonia. The patient unfortunately expired during the second admission, due to complications from chronic respiratory pulmonary disease and pneumonia.

Discussion:

Initially, this patient was treated for hospital-acquired pneumonia, but due to a recent trip to Ecuador, it was soon discovered that this patient had developed an invasive Candida pneumonia. His pulmonary biopsies showed growth of invasive C. glabrata and C. tropicalis, while his blood culture showed C. glabrata. Candida-related lower respiratory tract infections are exceptionally rare in immunocompetent patients and require histopathologic evidence to confirm the diagnosis. A second blood culture showed that the C. glabrata was still present and the patient had worsening leukocytosis, so micafungin was added to his antimicrobial therapy.

Conclusion:

It is understood that pneumonia is rarely caused by Candida species in patients who are admitted to the hospital. However, health care professionals should be aware that Candida pneumonia should be suspected as part of the differential diagnosis even in immunocompetent patients, particularly if they have recently traveled outside the United States.
Genital infections and syndromic diagnosis among HIV-infected women in HIV care programmes in Kenya
Authors: Djomand Gaston , Gao Hongjiang , Singa Benson , Hornston Sureyya , Bennett Eddas , Odek James , McClelland R Scott , John-Stewart Grace , Bock Naomi
Published: January 2015

Control of genital infections remains challenging in most regions. Despite advocacy by the World Health Organization for syndromic case management, there are limited data on the syndromic approach, especially in HIV care settings. This study compared the syndromic approach with laboratory diagnosis among women in HIV care in Kenya. A mobile team visited 39 large HIV care programmes in Kenya and enrolled participants using population-proportionate sampling. Participants provided behavioural and clinical data with genital and blood specimens for lab testing. Among 1063 women, 68.4% had been on antiretroviral therapy >1 year; 58.9% were using cotrimoxazole prophylaxis; 51 % had CD4+T-lymphocytes < 350 cells/µL. Most women (63.1%) reported at least one genital symptom. Clinical signs were found in 63% of women; and 30.8% had an aetiological diagnosis. Bacterial vaginosis (17.4%), vaginal candidiasis (10.6%) and trichomoniasis (10.5%) were the most common diagnoses. Using laboratory diagnoses as gold standard, sensitivity and positive predictive value of the syndromic diagnosis for vaginal discharge were 47.6% and 52.7%, respectively, indicating a substantial amount of overtreatment. A systematic physical examination increased by 9.3% the positive predictive value for genital ulcer disease. Women attending HIV care programmes in Kenya have high rates of vaginal infections. Syndromic diagnosis was a poor predictor of those infections.
Fluid–structure interaction analysis of a high-pressure regulating valve of a 600-MW ultra-supercritical steam turbine
Authors: Sun Xiaojing , Li Xiaowei , Zheng Zhongquan , Huang Diangui
Published: January 2015

A high-pressure regulating valve is one of the most critical components in ultra-supercritical steam power plants and constantly works under the condition of high temperature and high pressure. In order to control the flow of steam into the turbine, the high-pressure regulating valve normally operates at small openings. Therefore, the phenomena such as whistling noise and turbulence can be caused by the throttling effect of the regulating valve. In addition, the flow-induced vibration due to coupling between the fluid flow and the moving parts like valve stem will also occur. In this paper, the pressure loss across the high-pressure regulating valve of a 600-MW ultra-supercritical steam turbine was assessed with the aid of computational fluid dynamics studies. Furthermore, the dynamic characteristics and vibration amplitude of the valve stem were also analyzed by using fluid–structure interaction method.
Harnessing Technology to Enhance Delivery of Clinical Trials Education for Nurses
Authors: Haugen Maureen , Gasber Eric , Leonard Marcia , Landier Wendy
Published: January 2015

The challenge of providing high-quality, relevant, time-sensitive continuing nursing education is particularly salient in pediatric oncology, where nurses commonly deliver complex protocol-based care to children enrolled on clinical trials. The Children’s Oncology Group Nursing Discipline developed Portable Document Format multimedia modules to make a broad range of educational content regarding pediatric oncology clinical trials available to its membership. This time-sensitive educational content is accessible to nurses via asynchronous online education. To assess awareness of and user experience with the multimedia modules, a survey was conducted of nurses attending a Children’s Oncology Group meeting. Over half (57%) of nurses were aware of the modules and half of those (51%) had viewed at least 1 module. Over 90% of nurses who viewed the modules were satisfied or very satisfied with the viewing experience; nurses younger than age 40 were 4 times more likely to be unaware of the modules than were older nurses ( P = .007).
Safety and Efficacy of Target-Specific Anticoagulants in Patients With Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: Lekura Jona
Published: January 2015

Objective: To review the role of target-specific anticoagulants (TSACs) for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and their associated efficacy and safety. Data Sources: Peer-reviewed clinical trials, review articles, and relevant treatment guidelines were identified from MEDLINE (1966 to November 2014) using the following search terms: venous thromboembolism, vitamin K antagonist (VKA), target-specific anticoagulant, deep-vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism. Results were limited to human trials published in English. Citations from articles were reviewed for additional references. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Clinical trials evaluating VTE treatment were included. Trials that evaluated alternative end points were excluded. Data Synthesis: Patients with VTE have a high risk of developing recurrent events and subsequent death if not treated in an appropriate manner. TSACs have been evaluated in several large clinical trials in patients with acute VTE. These trials have shown positive outcomes when compared with VKAs for treatment of VTE in the general population. Paralleled with these results, TSACs had similar or lower rates of bleeding compared with VKAs. Conclusions: Taken together, available evidence suggests that TSACs produce similar clinical benefits with less bleeding incidence when compared with VKAs in the treatment of VTE. There are significant differences between each study investigating this class of medication for VTE treatment. Each TSAC has potential advantages, and to date, there has been no head-to-head trial comparing them.
Analytical approach for optimal solution of inventory model with constrained production capacity
Authors: Yang Gino K
Published: January 2015

Fluid inventory operation is always considered as an essential condition when assessing the managerial performance of an enterprise. Deciding the lot size of an inventory operation is also a very important problem because it directly influences production planning. Thus, many scholars focus their attention on finding the optimal lot size. In this research, we consider Choi and Enns’ article of single-machine processing single-product type in lots under generalized interarrival time assumptions. It was found that the heuristic method proposed by Choi and Enns does not always ensure the location of the optimal solution. For their minimum cost model, we proved the uniqueness of the optimal solution. From their maximum profit model, we found that there is a relation between the optimal demand and the optimal lot size, thus converting it into a one-parameter problem to reduce the burden of their heuristic method. The same examples from Choi and Enns are utilized to illustrate our approach.
Clinical and Histopathological Diagnosis of Glomus Tumor
Authors: Mravic Marco , LaChaud Gregory , Nguyen Alan , Scott Michelle A. , Dry Sarah M. , James Aaron W.
Published: January 2015

Background. Glomus tumors are relatively uncommon subcentimeteric benign perivascular neoplasms usually located on the fingers. With their blue-red color and common subungual location, they are commonly confused for vascular or melanocytic lesions. To date there is no comprehensive review of an institutional experience with glomus tumors. Methods. A 14-year retrospective review of all cases within University of California, Los Angeles, with either a clinical or pathological diagnosis of glomus tumor was performed. Data obtained included demographic information, tumor description, pathological diagnoses, immunohistochemical studies, radiographic and treatment information, and clinical course. Rates of concordance between clinical and pathological diagnoses and an evaluation of overlap with other entities were assessed. Results. Clinical diagnosis of glomus tumor showed concordance with a histopathological diagnosis (45.4% of cases). The most common alternate clinical diagnoses included lipoma, cyst, or angioma. A pathological diagnosis of glomus tumor was most common in the fourth to seventh decades of life. The most common presentation was a subcentimeter lesion on the digit. Deep-seated tumors had a strikingly increased risk for malignancy (33%). Radiological studies were not relied on frequently (18.2% of cases). Immunohistochemical analysis showed diffuse αSMA and MSA expression in nearly all cases (99% and 95%, respectively), with focal to diffuse CD34 immunostaining in 32% of cases. Discussion. Our study illustrates trends in the clinical versus pathologic diagnoses of glomus tumor, common competing diagnoses, a difference in demographics than is commonly reported (older age groups most commonly affected), and important differences in the use adjunctive diagnostic tools including radiology and immunohistochemistry.
Steady, dynamic, creep/recovery, and textural properties of yoghurt/molasses blends: Temperature sweep tests and applicability of Cox–Merz rule
Authors: Eroglu Ali , Bayrambaş Kadir , Eroglu Zeynep , Toker Omer S , Yilmaz Mustafa T , Karaman Safa , Dogan Mahmut
Published: January 2015

In this study, physicochemical, rheological (steady, dynamic, and creep/recovery), and textural properties of yoghurt/molasses blends (0, 5, 10, and 15% molasses) were investigated. The blends showed shear thinning behavior, as described by Ostwald de Waele model ( R2 ≥ 0.955). Consistency coefficient value ( K) of the blends decreased with increasing molasses concentration in the sample. Storage modulus ( G′) of blends was higher than loss modulus ( G″), exhibiting weak gel-like behavior. Molasses addition decreased G′ and G″ values. Temperature sweep tests indicated that blends followed Arrhenius relationship. A modified Cox–Merz rule was applicable using shift factors. Compliance values ( J(t)) increased as molasses concentration increased, revealing that deformation stability and internal viscosity ( η1) decreased with concentration. Creep behavior was characterized using Burger model. Obtained J data as a function of time could be satisfactorily fitted to Burger model ( R2 ≥ 0.994). The final percentage recovery of blends remarkably decreased with the increase of molasses concentration. Firmness, consistency, cohesiveness, and viscosity index values decreased with molasses addition. According to the results of the current study, molasses amount to be added to the yoghurt should be determined regarding rheological properties since resistance of the sample to deformation decreased with increase in molasses concentration.
The effects of L2 proficiency differences in pairs on idea units in a collaborative text reconstruction task
Authors: Shin Sun-Young , Lidster Ryan , Sabraw Stacy , Yeager Rebecca
Published: January 2015

Collaborative text reconstruction tasks such as dictogloss have been suggested as effective second language (L2) learning tasks that promote meaningful interaction between learners and their awareness of L2 target grammatical structures. However, it should be noted that the effect of pair interaction on the final product may differ depending on co-participant characteristics and particularly on proficiency disparities between partners. To date, most studies conducted on the effect of the different L2 proficiency of learners on paired performance have focused on the ways in which language learners interact, and the quantity and quality of language-related episodes (LREs) produced (Kim & McDonough, 2008; Leeser, 2004), often sidelining learners’ actual task performance. This study thus aims to investigate the extent to which partner L2 proficiency levels affect tangible language performance, particularly in terms of content accuracy in a dictogloss task. Results show large gains in idea units reproduced between first and second stages of the dictogloss across texts. However, while low-level students paired with high-level partners benefited most, this group also had the largest variation across the board and, overall, proficiency pairing did not systematically affect improvement in idea units. Idea unit analyses indicated that students tended to perform better on idea units from earlier parts of the text, and that some types of idea units were more discriminatory than others.
Demand-responsive industrialization in East Asia
Authors: Hamilton Gary G. , Shin Solee I.
Published: January 2015

In the mid-nineteenth century, Karl Marx issued several critiques of political economy writings stressing the exclusive duality of states and the national economies. He argued that capitalism had characteristic features quite apart from those shaped by the idiosyncrasies of national economies. In the first part of this article, we critique the contemporary state-centered explanations for the industrialization of East Asia on same grounds. We claim that most political economists misinterpret or entirely ignore the significance of export-led industrialization, which is a characteristic feature of East Asian capitalism. In the second part of the article, we demonstrate the importance of the retail revolution in the US and Europe on Asian industrialization. In particular, we show that the development of the sequential ordering system that is an inherent feature of Western-based contract manufacturing differentially shaped the industrial organization of East Asian economies. The resulting path-dependent trajectories of development, in turn, encouraged government policy-makers to ‘buy into’ trends of global capitalism in different ways. The trajectories also led business people to privilege and adapt some social institutions and cultural patterns over other ones.
An Examination of the Gender Inclusiveness of Current Theories of Sexual Violence in Adulthood
Authors: Turchik Jessica A. , Hebenstreit Claire L. , Judson Stephanie S.
Published: January 2015

Although the majority of adulthood sexual violence involves a male perpetrator and a female victim, there is also substantial evidence that members of both genders can be victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. As an alternative to viewing sexual violence within gender-specific terms, we advocate for the use of a gender inclusive conceptualization of sexual aggression that takes into account the factors that contribute to sexual victimization of, and victimization by, both men and women. The goal of the current review is to examine the need and importance of a gender inclusive conceptualization of sexual violence and to discuss how compatible our current theories are with this conceptualization. First, we examine evidence of how a gender-specific conceptualization of sexual violence aids in obscuring assault experiences that are not male to female and how this impacts victims of such violence. We specifically discuss this impact regarding research, law, public awareness, advocacy, and available victim treatment and resources. Next, we provide an overview of a number of major sexual violence theories that are relevant for adult perpetrators and adult victims, including neurobiological and integrated biological theories, evolutionary psychology theory, routine activity theory, feminist theory, social learning and related theories, typology approaches, and integrated theories. We critically examine these theories’ applicability to thinking about sexual violence through a gender inclusive lens. Finally, we discuss further directions for research, clinical interventions, and advocacy in this area. Specifically, we encourage sexual violence researchers and clinicians to identify and utilize appropriate theoretical frameworks and to apply these frameworks in ways that incorporate a full range of sexual violence.
Melatonin for Sleep Disorders and Cognition in Dementia
Authors: Xu Jing , Wang Li-Ling , Dammer Eric B. , Li Chun-Bo , Xu Gang , Chen Sheng-Di , Wang Gang
Published: January 2015

The current review aims to examine melatonin therapy for both sleep disturbances and cognitive function in dementia. We searched all randomized controlled trials published in Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group’s Specialized Register, and Clinical Trials.gov . The grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation framework was used to assess the quality of evidence. Seven studies were included (n = 520). Treated participants showed prolonged total sleep time (TST) by 24.36 minutes ( P = .02). Sleep efficacy (SE) was marginally improved ( P = .07). This effect was stronger under a longer intervention period lasting more than 4 weeks ( P = .02). Conversely, cognitive function did not change significantly. Additionally, there was no report of severe adverse events. Given the current studies, we conclude that melatonin therapy may be effective in improving SE and prolonging TST in patients with dementia; however, there is no evidence that this improvement impacts cognitive function.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene alteration in signet ring cell carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Alese Olatunji B. , El-Rayes Bassel F. , Sica Gabriel , Zhang Guojing , Alexis Dianne , La Rosa Francisco G. , Varella-Garcia Marileila , Chen Zhengjia , Rossi Michael R. , Adsay Nazim V. , Khuri Fadlo R. , Owonikoko Taofeek K.
Published: January 2015

Objectives:

ALK-EML4 translocation is an established driver aberration in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with reported predilection for cases with signet ring histology. We assessed the presence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements in signet ring cancers arising in the stomach and colon.

Methods:

Histologically confirmed cases of signet ring adenocarcinoma of the stomach or the colon were identified. The presence of the classic ALK and EML4 fusion gene was initially determined by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) technique. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed using two previously validated antibodies, ALK1 clone (1:100; DAKO) and 5A4 (Novocastra, Leica Biosystems) along with positive controls of ALK-translocated lung cancer.

Results:

We employed 42 cases of signet ring carcinoma diagnosed between 2001 and 2011; 25 gastric and 17 colon cancer. Median age 63.3 years; male/female 17/25; race, black 47.5%, white 47.5%, others, 5%; stage I, 21.4%; stage II, 31%; stage III, 26.2%; stage IV, 21.4%. One of 42 cases (2.3%) was positive for ALK translocation by FISH using the standard criteria of at least 15% positive cells for the break-apart signal (50–70 cells enumerated per case). Using a less restrictive cut-off of 10% positive cells, 7 cases (16%) were considered possibly positive. None of the ‘possibly positive’ cases was found to harbor ALK translocation by another molecular testing approach (IHC). IHC with two previously validated monoclonal antibodies showed 0 of 42 (0%) cases positive.

Conclusions:

ALK gene rearrangement is very rare in gastrointestinal cancers and enrichment strategy focusing on signet ring cell histology did not significantly improve the detection rate.
The Risotto sign – a severe inflammatory bursitis with rice body formation, complicating a rotator cuff repair with a bioabsorbable suture anchor
Authors: Sivaloganathan Sivan , Amr Romel , Shrivastava Raj , Relwani Jaikumar
Published: January 2015

Lesson

There is an association between inflammatory bursitis with rice body formation and use of bioabsorbable suture anchors.
Integration of a Kampo Medicine, Nijutsuto, and Western Medical Treatment in the Treatment of Long-term Frozen Shoulder Refractory to Western Medical Treatment
Authors: Arai Young-Chang , Shimo Kazuhiro , Inoue Masayuki , Sakurai Hiroki , Ohmichi Yusuke , Matsubara Takako , Nishihara Makoto , Kawai Takashi , Ikemoto Tatsunori , Inoue Shinsuke
Published: January 2015

Objective:

Frozen shoulder is a common disorder in general orthopedic practice, characterized by spontaneous onset of pain in the shoulder and accompanied by limitation of glenohumeral movement. Treatments for frozen shoulder include shoulder exercise, manual therapy, corticosteroid injection, manipulation under anesthesia, and arthroscopic capsular release. Several patients suffer from some degree of pain and range of motion limitation for up to 10 years even when these treatments are applied. Kampo, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine based on traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has been used for the treatment of pain in Japan. Nijutsuto has been a Kampo formula used to effectively treat frozen shoulder.

Methods:

Thirteen patients suffering from long-term frozen shoulder refractory to Western medical treatment were administered Nijututo.

Results:

Almost all patients experienced sound pain relief after Nijutsuto admnistration. There were no severe side effects reported.

Conclusion:

Nijutsuto combined with an exercise program improved pain intensity in 13 patients with long-term frozen shoulder.
The need for patient‐focused therapy for children and teenagers with allergic rhinitis: a case‐based review of current European practice
Authors: Santos Alexandra F , Borrego Luis Miguel , Rotiroti Giuseppina , Scadding Glenis , Roberts Graham
Published: January 2015

Allergic rhinitis is a common problem in childhood and adolescence, with a negative impact on the quality of life of patients and their families. The treatment modalities for allergic rhinitis include allergen avoidance, anti‐inflammatory symptomatic treatment and allergen specific immunotherapy. In this review, four cases of children with allergic rhinitis are presented to illustrate how the recently published EAACI Guidelines on Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis can be implemented in clinical practice.
Carum induced hypothyroidism: an interesting observation and an experiment
Authors: Naghibi Seyede Maryam , Ramezani Mohamad , Ayati Narjess , Zakavi Seyed Rasoul
Published: January 2015

Carum carvi is a widely available herb that has been used as a food additive and as a medication in traditional medicine for many years. Its potential biological effects include analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety and antispasmodic activities. We report a patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma who were under treatment with levothyroxine and experienced an elevated TSH level by ingestion of Carum carvi. TSH level was increased to 60.3 mIU/L with no change in levothyroxine dosage and decreased to normal range after discontinuation of the Carum carvi. Observing this dramatic change in TSH level by carum ingestion, carum carvi capsules was produced and one of the researcher tried the medication on herself with a dose of 40 mg/kg/day. She had a history of hypothyroidism and was taking 100 ugr/day of levothyroxine. TSH was markedly increased 2 weeks after ingestion of Carum carvi and returned to normal range 5 months after discontinuation of it. This case report shows the effect of consumption of Carum carvi in increasing TSH level in hypothyroid patients treating with levothyroxine. The exact mechanism of action of carum carvi remains unknown.
Fragile Belief: Lydia Maria Child’s Hobomok and the Scene of American Secularity
Authors: Shreve Grant
Published: January 2015

Since its recovery in the 1980s, Lydia Maria Child’s first novel, Hobomok (1824)—a Puritan historical romance set in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1620s—has been read primarily in terms of how issues of race and gender operate in the novel. However, these readings ignore the fact that the bulk of the novel is committed to representing theological debate, religious fracture, and the turbulent process by which a dissenting state church was established in New England. Child was living in the midst of disestablishment, which naturalized religious voluntarism and gave religious groups space to multiply indefinitely. The experience of a religious landscape this diverse was unprecedented and had profound effects on how religious belief was experienced. This essay uses Charles Taylor’s explication of “secularity” in A Secular Age (2007) to briefly consider how the experience of religious diversity in the United States challenges the binaries out of which European secularity is constructed and to posit American secularity as its New World corrective. Child, the essay argues, was attuned to these conditions, and Hobomok becomes an excavation of a pre-establishment moment of global contact between Indian religion and Protestantism that seeks to represent the phenomenology of secularity, to understand the motives for religious establishment, and to imagine postestablishment alternatives. The novel’s concluding vision of religious toleration achieved through sentimental domesticity—although more inclusive than the Puritan state church—nevertheless excludes Indian religiosity from its Protestant borders. Yet Child still obliquely registers how even a purportedly autonomous domesticity remains caught in processes of mutual fragilization that characterize secularity.
Sacred Theories of Earth: Matters of Spirit in The Soul of Things
Authors: Luciano Dana
Published: January 2015

This essay takes up the recent embrace of geology by contemporary postsecular critics in relation to a history of nonsecular uses of geology as a resource for what Michael Taussig terms the “unthought zones of materiality.” It looks closely at one such manifestation: the nineteenth-century collaboration between the geologist and Spiritualist lecturer and writer William Denton and his wife, the psychometric medium Elizabeth Foote Denton, which produced a three-volume study titled The Soul of Things: Psychometric Researches and Discovery, published between 1863 and 1874. Psychometric geology suspends itself between materialism and vitalism in an effort to develop a theory, at once practical and ethical, of interobjectivity. A certain attunement, at once intellectual and intuitive, to the geological past would, according to the Dentons, lay the foundations for a vitalized and egalitarian orientation to the world. Placing the Dentons’ enchanted geology in dialogue with contemporary critical appeals to the geological, the essay explores the affective and political aspirations of both projects as they map out the progressive possibilities that may emerge from a reckoning with inspirited matter.
Les Parisiens, la police et les numérotages des maisons, du XVIIIe siècle à l’Empire
Authors: Denis Vincent
Published: January 2015

La numérotation des maisons est considérée comme une technique innovante et moderne introduite par l’administration militaire et les autorités urbaines dans les années 1760 en France, pour faciliter l’orientation et la circulation des étrangers, ainsi qu’un contrôle plus serré de l’espace urbain. Cet article analyse l’impact de la numérotation des maisons et son usage par les habitants de Paris, de 1780 à 1807, et comment elle a pu changer la manière dont ils expriment leur localisation, physique et sociale, dans la cité. Il est fondé sur le dépouillement des déclarations d’adresse dans les archives de police. Il montre que les Parisiens ont finalement adopté rapidement et massivement le système de numérotage révolutionnaire, inventé pour d’autres fins que permettre aux citadins de se repérer dans la ville. La Révolution a coïncidé avec une transformation majeure dans la manière dont les individus définissent leur position dans l’espace parisien.

House numbering has been considered as a distinctive, innovative feature introduced by military administration and urban authorities by the 1760s in France to make circulation easier for foreigners and enhance a stricter control on urban space. This article tries to assess the use of house numbering by the people of Paris from 1780 to 1807 and how it changed the way they expressed their location, physical and social, in the city. It is based on the declaration of address in police records. The people of Paris quickly and largely adopted the numbering system of the Revolution, although it was never designed to help the city dwellers orient themselves in the capital. The Revolution coincided with a major transformation in the way people defined their position in Paris and their perception of the city.
On the Threshold of the Political
Authors: Kheshti Roshanak
Published: January 2015

Protests erupted throughout Iran in 2009 after incumbent Mahmood Ahmadinejad was declared winner of a highly disputed presidential race. The so-called “Green Wave” of protest included violent clashes with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the jailing of protesters and journalists, as well as injuries and casualties. Few foreign journalists were granted visas to enter the country, resulting in an information vacuum filled by so-called “citizen journalists” who uploaded cell-phone videos of and tweeted about the violent clashes. Alongside this emerged video chronicles of nightly chants by residents of Iran's densely populated cities shouting “Allah-O-Akbar” from their rooftops. By tracing the roots of this protest tradition, not only in the Iranian revolution of 1979 but also in Shi'a rowzeh khani performance, this essay examines rooftop chanting as an enactment of a counter-politics through sonic performativity. The threshold space of the rooftop figures here as a space of political improvisation.
Ligand uptake in Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobins is controlled by both internal tunnels and active site water molecules
Authors: Boron Ignacio , Bustamante Juan Pablo , Davidge Kelly S , Singh Sandip , Bowman Lesley AH , Tinajero-Trejo Mariana , Carballal Sebastián , Radi Rafael , Poole Robert K , Dikshit Kanak , Estrin Dario A , Marti Marcelo A , Boechi Leonardo
Published: January 2015

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of human tuberculosis, has two proteins belonging to the truncated hemoglobin (trHb) family. Mt-trHbN presents well-defined internal hydrophobic tunnels that allow O2 and •NO to migrate easily from the solvent to the active site, whereas Mt-trHbO possesses tunnels that are partially blocked by a few bulky residues, particularly a tryptophan at position G8. Differential ligand migration rates allow Mt-trHbN to detoxify •NO, a crucial step for pathogen survival once under attack by the immune system, much more efficiently than Mt-trHbO. In order to investigate the differences between these proteins, we performed experimental kinetic measurements, •NO decomposition, as well as molecular dynamics simulations of the wild type Mt-trHbN and two mutants, VG8F and VG8W. These mutations introduce modifications in both tunnel topologies and affect the incoming ligand capacity to displace retained water molecules at the active site. We found that a single mutation allows Mt-trHbN to acquire ligand migration rates comparable to those observed for Mt-trHbO, confirming that ligand migration is regulated by the internal tunnel architecture as well as by water molecules stabilized in the active site.
Correcting for Misspecification in Parameter Dynamics to Improve Forecast Accuracy with Adaptively Estimated Models
Authors: Kolsarici Ceren , Vakratsas Demetrios
Published: January 2015

Adaptive estimation methods have become a popular tool for capturing and forecasting changing conditions in dynamic environments. Although adaptive models can provide superior one-step-ahead forecasts, their application to multiperiod forecasting is challenging when the underlying parameter variation process is not correctly specified. The authors propose a methodology based on the Chebyshev approximation method (CAM), which provides a parsimonious substitute for the measurement updating process in the forecasting period, to help forecasters improve multiperiod accuracy in the case of parameter variation misspecification. In two empirical applications concerning the sales growth of new brands, CAM exhibits superior forecasting performance compared to a variety of benchmarks. CAM’s properties are further explored through extensive simulations, which suggest that the proposed method is more likely to increase forecast accuracy when parameter variation is more systematic but misspecified because of uncertainty regarding its exact functional form.

This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta, marketing.
Network Design and Capacity Exchange for Liner Alliances with Fixed and Variable Container Demands
Authors: Zheng Jianfeng , Gao Ziyou , Yang Dong , Sun Zhuo
Published: January 2015

In liner shipping, liner carriers operate and cooperate as an alliance by sharing (or exchanging) ship capacities in order to compete with other liner carriers. Because of the long-term or short-term shipment contracts signed by shippers, the container demands transported by liner carriers can be classified as fixed demands or variable demands, respectively. We present an integrated mixed-integer linear programming model to solve the relevant problems on liner alliances including shipping network design with ship fleet deployment, allocation of the variable demands, capacities exchanged among liner carriers, and container routing. In our model, liner carriers are guided to pursue an optimal collaborative solution. As an added incentive, the capacity exchange costs are paid to liner carriers for sharing capacities and following the optimal collaborative solution. The computation of capacity exchange costs is obtained by using the inverse optimization technique. Finally, the numerical experiments for Asia-Europe-Oceania shipping services are discussed.
An Exact Algorithm for the Elementary Shortest Path Problem with Resource Constraints
Authors: Lozano Leonardo , Duque Daniel , Medaglia Andrés L.
Published: January 2015

The elementary shortest path problem with resource constraints (ESPPRC) is an NP-hard problem that often arises in the context of column generation for vehicle routing problems. We propose an exact solution method that relies on implicit enumeration with a novel bounding scheme that dramatically narrows the search space. We embedded our algorithm within a column generation to solve the linear relaxation (root node) of the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) and found that the proposed algorithm performs well when compared against state-of-the-art algorithms for the ESPPRC on the well-known Solomon’s test bed for the VRPTW.
How working as a healthcare assistant has made me a better doctor
Authors: Fearnley Edward
Published: January 2015

This is an article that reflects on the experience of Edward Fearnley, a final year medical student, who has worked part time as a healthcare assistant (HCA) alongside his studies. The article highlights how working as an HCA has increased his awareness of the substantial role of the HCA and how this first-hand experience has improved his understanding of patients, other members of the healthcare team and, he believes, ultimately made him a better doctor. The article argues for more medical and nursing students to work as HCAs, as well as for more training for HCAs.
Is something going to give?
Authors: Timmins Nick
Published: January 2015

Nick Timmins, Financial Times public policy editor, ponders whether the coalition Government is softening on its proposed radical plans for the NHS