bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of PEDOT:PSS on the effectiveness of barrier layers prepared by atomic layer deposition in organic light emitting diodes
Authors: Wegler Barbara , Schmidt Oliver , Hensel Bernhard
Published: December 2014

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are well suited for energy saving lighting applications, especially when thinking about highly flexible and large area devices. In order to avoid the degradation of the organic components by water and oxygen, OLEDs need to be encapsulated, e.g., by a thin sheet of glass. As the device is then no longer flexible, alternative coatings are required. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a very promising approach in this respect. The authors studied OLEDs that were encapsulated by 100 nm Al2O3 deposited by ALD. The authors show that this coating effectively protects the active surface area of the OLEDs from humidity. However, secondary degradation processes still occur at sharp edges of the OLED stack where the extremely thin encapsulation layer does not provide perfect coverage. Particularly, the swelling of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) mixed with poly(styrenesulfonate), which is a popular choice for the planarization of the bottom electrode and at the same time acts as a hole injection layer, affects the effectiveness of the encapsulation layer.
Market Reactions to Corporate Sponsorships of European Football Kits: The Moderating Effects of Firm Congruence
Authors: Martinez Richard J. , Janney Jay J.
Published: December 2014

Although sports sponsorships build brand awareness, they also can highlight concerns about the congruence between a fan’s identity and the sponsor. While sponsoring venues (e.g., Clark, Cornwell, & Pruitt, 2002) feature positive market reactions, we find negative market reactions for sponsors of European football team kits. We suggest that the negative findings are related to concerns for rival fan backlash, as well as a perceived lack of congruence between the sponsor identity and the team identity. In addition, market reactions are more severe for sponsors that are both North American and technology-based firms.
Failure to identify or effectively manage prescription opioid dependence acted as a gateway to heroin use—buprenorphine/naloxone treatment and recovery in a surgical patient
Authors: Conroy Stephen , Hill Duncan
Published: December 2014

The prescribing of opioid pain medication has increased markedly in recent years, with strong opioid dispensing increasing 18-fold in Tayside, Scotland since 1995. Despite this, little data is available to quantify the problem of opioid pain medication dependence (OPD) and until recently there was little guidance on best-practice treatment. We report the case of a young mother prescribed dihydrocodeine for postoperative pain relief who became opioid dependent. When her prescription was stopped without support, she briefly used heroin to overcome her withdrawal. After re-exposure to dihydrocodeine following surgery 9 years later and treatment with methadone for dependency, she was transferred to buprenorphine/naloxone. In our clinical experience and in agreement with Department of Health and Royal College of General Practitioner guidance, buprenorphine/naloxone is the preferred opioid substitution treatment for OPD. Our patient remains within her treatment programme and has returned to work on buprenorphine 16 mg/naloxone 4 mg in conjunction with social and psychological support.
Tuberous sclerosis complex with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a rare duo
Authors: Rijal Jharendra P , Dhakal Prajwal , Giri Smith , Dahal Khagendra V
Published: December 2014

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant condition characterised by the presence of multiple hamartomas in various organ systems in the body. The kidneys are affected in 80% of patients, usually in the form of renal angiomyolipomas, renal cysts or renal cell carcinoma. Although extremely rare, TSC and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) can co-exist in the same patient as a result of concurrent deletion of both polycystic kidney disease (PKD) 1 and TSC2 genes present on the chromosome 16p13.3. These patients develop end-stage renal disease at an earlier age and have an increased risk of malignancy. We present a case of a 30-year-old man with a history of tuberous sclerosis, presenting with loin pain and subsequently diagnosed to have ADPKD.
High reproducibility of adenosine stress cardiac MR myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy
Authors: Lawson Mark A , Bell Susan P , Adkisson Douglas W , Wang Li , Ooi Henry , Sawyer Douglas B , Kronenberg Marvin W
Published: December 2014

Objective

To evaluate the reproducibility of first-pass contrast-enhanced cardiac MR (CMR) myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM).

Design

Prospective observational study.

Setting

Single centre, tertiary care hospital.

Participants

6 outpatient participants with NIDCM.

Outcome

Reproducibility of semiquantitative myocardial perfusion analysis by CMR.

Method

6 patients with NIDCM were studied twice using first-pass of contrast transit through the left ventricular (LV) myocardium with a saturation-recovery gradient echo sequence at rest and during adenosine-induced hyperaemia. The anterior wall was divided into endocardial (Endo) and epicardial (Epi) segments. The Myocardial Perfusion Index (MPI) was calculated as the myocardial signal augmentation rate normalised to the LV cavity rate. The Myocardial Perfusion Reserve Index (MPRI) was calculated as hyperaemic/resting MPI.

Results

Between study 1 and 2, median MPI was similar for resting Endo (0.076 vs 0.077), hyperaemic Endo (0.143 vs 0.143), resting Epi (0.073 vs 0.074), and hyperaemic Epi (0.135 vs 0.134). Median MPRI was similar for Endo (1.84 vs 1.87) and Epi (1.90 vs 2.00). Combining Endo and Epi MPI (N=12), there was excellent agreement between Study 1 and 2 for resting MPI (r=0.998, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.998, coefficients of variation (CoV) 1.4%), hyperaemic MPI (r=0.979, ICC 0.963, CoV 3.3%) and MPRI (r=0.989, ICC 0.94, CoV 3.8%).

Conclusions

Resting and hyperaemic myocardial perfusion using a normalised upslope analysis during adenosine CMR is a highly reproducible technique in patients with NIDCM.

Trial registration number

Clinical Trials.Gov IDNCT00574119.
A combination of exercise and capsinoid supplementation additively suppresses diet-induced obesity by increasing energy expenditure in mice
Authors: Ohyama Kana , Nogusa Yoshihito , Suzuki Katsuya , Shinoda Kosaku , Kajimura Shingo , Bannai Makoto
Published: December 2014

Exercise effectively prevents the development of obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Capsinoids (CSNs) are capsaicin analogs found in a nonpungent pepper that increase whole body energy expenditure. Although both exercise and CSNs have antiobesity functions, the effectiveness of exercise with CSN supplementation has not yet been investigated. Here, we examined whether the beneficial effects of exercise could be further enhanced by CSN supplementation in mice. Mice were randomly assigned to four groups: 1) high-fat diet (HFD, Control), 2) HFD containing 0.3% CSNs, 3) HFD with voluntary running wheel exercise (Exercise), and 4) HFD containing 0.3% CSNs with voluntary running wheel exercise (Exercise + CSN). After 8 wk of ingestion, blood and tissues were collected and analyzed. Although CSNs significantly suppressed body weight gain under the HFD, CSN supplementation with exercise additively decreased body weight gain and fat accumulation and increased whole body energy expenditure compared with exercise alone. Exercise together with CSN supplementation robustly improved metabolic profiles, including the plasma cholesterol level. Furthermore, this combination significantly prevented diet-induced liver steatosis and decreased the size of adipocyte cells in white adipose tissue. Exercise and CSNs significantly increased cAMP levels and PKA activity in brown adipose tissue (BAT), indicating an increase of lipolysis. Moreover, they significantly activated both the oxidative phosphorylation gene program and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle. These results indicate that CSNs efficiently promote the antiobesity effect of exercise, in part by increasing energy expenditure via the activation of fat oxidation in skeletal muscle and lipolysis in BAT.
Is Liquid-Based Cytology the Magic Bullet for Performing Molecular Techniques?
Authors: Abedi-Ardekani Behnoush , Vielh Philippe
Published: December 2014

Objective: The role of pathology has evolved from the first microscopic definitions of diseases by Virchow to the new concept of molecular cytopathology. The management of diseases is now a multidisciplinary approach with the translation of morphological, imagery and molecular findings to therapeutic protocols. Obtaining the most reliable diagnostic material is the essential part of the medical management of patients. Study Design: Here, we try to gain a concise insight into the available data regarding the role of cytology in the application of molecular techniques, focusing on cancer cytopathology. Results: Obtaining cytological material is now feasible by different methods, and in some cases it is the only possible approach to a lesion which is not easily accessible for tissue sampling. The methods of obtaining cytological material have evolved in recent years in parallel with rapid advances in high-throughput molecular techniques, opening new windows for the diagnosis and management of diseases. Conclusions: Different kinds of cytological material are reliable for the application of molecular techniques. Cytological material obtained in a liquid base has advantages such as the better preservation of cytomorphological features and the use of the remaining liquid for nucleic acid extraction even after long storage and the application of molecular methods.
Cytological Findings for the Diagnosis of Primary Thyroid Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma by Fine Needle Aspiration
Authors: Kaba Sadayuki , Hirokawa Mitsuyoshi , Higuchi Miyoko , Suzuki Ayana , Kojima Masaru , Miyauchi Akira
Published: December 2014

Objective: We examined cytological findings for the diagnosis of primary thyroid mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma by fine needle aspiration. Study Design: During the study period of 4 years, a total of 101 cases including 51 MALT lymphomas, 20 Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), and 30 diffuse large-cell B-cell lymphomas were cytologically examined. MALT lymphomas were divided into 44 common MALT and 7 MALT lymphomas with extreme plasmacytic differentiation (MALT-EPCD). Results: (1) Small- to medium-sized cells displaying irregularly shaped nuclei with prominent nucleoli (ISN-PN) were neoplastic cells. (2) In the case of a frequency of plasma cells (PC) below 15%, the accuracy rate for distinguishing common MALT from HT was 97% for ISN-PN cell frequencies above 20% in combination with the presence of lymphoepithelial lesion clusters (LELC) and mountain range-like clusters (MRLC). The frequency of large-sized cells was below 15% in common MALT. (3) In the case of a frequency of PC above 15%, cases with a sum of PC and ISN-PN cells above 30% were MALT-EPCD. (4) MRLC were cell clusters derived from regions of follicular colonization, and LELC were cell clusters from lymphoepithelial lesions of MALT lymphomas. Conclusion: Useful cytological criteria for the diagnosis of thyroid primary MALT lymphoma, such as neoplastic cells and cell clusters, were defined.
Engines of Dialectic
Authors: Basden Andrew
Published: December 2014

Hegel’s idea of dialectic has permeated much of our thinking, especially in the guise of a process of development, and hence it is important to understand it. This paper suggests three things. First, there is more agreement between Hegel’s deepest ideas and those of Dooyeweerd than at first might be expected. We find that Hegel is reaching towards what Dooyeweerd takes as his starting point. Therefore, second, applying Dooyeweerd’s ideas can enrich Hegel’s and suggest three fundamentally different types of dialectic. Third, Dooyeweerd’s concept of irreducible aspects provides an explanation of the dialectic process: an engine, and one that has advantages over other proposals. This is illustrated with the development of environmental thinking.
Marker-assisted breeding of Indonesia local rice variety Siputeh for semi-dwarf phonetype, good grain quality and disease resistance to bacterial blight
Authors: Luo Yanchang , Zakaria Sabaruddin , Basyah Bakhtiar , Ma Tingchen , Li Zefu , Yang Jianbo , Yin Zhongchao
Published: December 2014

Background

Rice is one of the most important staple food crops in Asia. Since the first green revolution beginning in 1960s, high-yield semidwarf modern rice varieties have been widely planted; however, traditional rice varieties with tall plant type are still grown in many countries due to their good grain quality and adaptation to local climate and environment. Siputeh, a local rice variety mainly planted in Java and Sumatra islands of Indonesia, produces long grain rice with good cooking and eating quality. However, the variety has low yield with tall plant type and long growth duration and is highly susceptible to biotic and abiotic stress.

Results

Siputeh as the recurrent female was crossed with the donor line WH421, an elite paternal line of hybrid rice containing the sd1, Wx
b, Xa4 and Xa21 genes, followed by backcrossing and self-pollination. TS4, a BC3F4 line derived from the breeding program, was obtained through marker-assisted selection for the sd1, Wx
b, Xa4 and Xa21 loci. TS4 has semi-dwarf phenotype and short growth duration. TS4 conferred disease resistance to multiple Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strains collected from different countries around the world. TS4 achieved higher grain yield than Siputeh in two field trials conducted in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and Lingshui, China, respectively. Finally, TS4 has better grain quality than Siputeh in terms of degree of chalkiness and amylose content.

Conclusion

An improved rice line, designed as TS4, has been developed to contain semi-dwarf gene sd1, low amylase content gene Wx
b and bacterial light resistance genes Xa4 and Xa21 through marker-assisted selection. TS4 has semi-dwarf phenotype with reduced growth duration, produces high yield with good grain quality and provides broad-spectrum resistance to Xoo strains. The development of TS4 enriches the diversity of local rice varieties with high yield potential and good grain quality.
Assessment of Load Sharing Members in an Anti-Ram Bollard System
Authors: Kinney Scott , Linzell Daniel , O'Hare Edward
Published: December 2014

Due to the increased frequency, scale, and danger of malicious attacks carried out by Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs), anti-ram bollards have become a key element in the protection of critical structures. This study focused on the evaluation of above grade load sharing members in a steel anti-ram bollard system in an attempt to develop efficient load sharing mechanisms that improve the structure's ability to resist vehicle impacts, while concurrently remaining aesthetically pleasing to the general public. A computational assessment was completed using calibrated LS-DYNA finite element models to determine if effective load sharing member configurations and designs could be established so that further optimization of the entire anti-ram system was possible. It was determined that efficient above-grade load sharing could improve the crashworthiness of the anti-ram bollard systems that were studied. Of the configurations that were investigated, the most effective load sharing member design was a single HSS member connecting the vertical bollards near their exposed free ends.
We all want to be big stars: The desire for fame and the draw to The Real Housewives
Authors: Psarras Evie
Published: December 2014

This study analyses eighteen in-depth interviews with adults in the Midwest who watch Bravo’s reality (RTV) docusoap franchise Real Housewives. Shifting the gaze away from RTV effects and towards the proliferation of RTV, RTV stars (celetoids) and what Graeme Turner calls the ‘demotic turn’, this study examines the show’s appeal and whether a latent desire for celetoid-type fame exists among the main viewer groups analysed here (straight women and gay men). A desire for fame appears to be present among the men in this study, and younger men tended to conceive celetoid-type fame as desirable. This study also finds that men and women gravitate towards different character types. Straight women appear less intensely drawn to Real Housewives than gay men, both in terms of buying Real Housewives products and attempting to connect with the women on the show via Twitter. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the profusion of RTV, the demotic turn and celetoids factor into new desires among regular people for celetoid-type fame. This study also adds to recent research that shows that a desire to be famous is now characteristic of younger generations.
The subversive selfie: Redefining the mediated subject
Authors: Ehlin Lisa
Published: December 2014

This article approaches the selfie debate through questioning the more simplistic view that the selfie is an effect of narcissism and consumption and instead argues that it can be a shared and transformative practice. Drawing from focus group discussions and using the critical thinking of Levinas, Foucault, Butler and Irigaray, I explore the face and the continuous formation of the subject by basing these arguments on the theoretical dismissal of the domination of a (western) autonomous subject-centred philosophy in favour of the Other, striving towards the expressions of the self as vulnerable, rather than self-absorbed. Furthermore, I discuss the selfie from a feminist viewpoint, where this type of media participation creates a potential space for an alternative female experience to emerge. I argue that the selfie opens up for an ability to mimic and play with social roles, pointing towards potential subversion through awareness and agency, rather than self-objectification. Thus, this article concludes with a recontextualization of the selfie as a sensory, communicative and political practice and experience.
Decoding Middle Welsh clauses or “Avoid Ambiguity”
Authors: Harlos Axel , Poppe Erich , Widmer Paul
Published: December 2014

Middle Welsh is a language with a restricted set of morphosyntactic distinctions for grammatical relations and with relatively free word order in positive main declarative causes. However, syntactic ambiguity rarely, if ever, arises in natural texts. The present article shows in a corpus-based study how syntactic ambiguity is prevented and how morphological features interact with two referential properties, namely animacy and accessibility, in order to successfully identify grammatical relations in Middle Welsh. Further lower-tier factors are the semantics of the verb and the wider narrative context. The article complements recent insights suggesting that subject-verb agreement is not only determined by wordorder patterns, but also by referential properties of subjects.
Ares the Ripper
Authors: Willi Andreas
Published: December 2014

In response to a recent derivation of the Greek theonym Ἄρης from a root *h₂reh₁‑, the present paper highlights some problems arising from this theory, notably the need to postulate an inversion of (the effects of) Stang’s Law in order to account for the well-attested Aeolic name variant Ἄρευς. These difficulties disappear if the theonym is taken to instantiate Stang’s Law itself and if an original root-noun nom. *h₂reu̯‑s and corresponding acc. *h₂reu̯‑m > *h₂rēm are posited, involving the root attested in Lat. ruere, Ved. rav‑, etc. Independent support for this view comes from the Old Latin Carmen Arvale, where the Roman war god Mars is addressed with the phrase ne uelue rue(m). The hitherto obscure acc. rue(m) surfacing here must be related to the Homeric acc. ἀρήν ‘destruction’ and reflect an analogical transformation of Proto-Italic acc. *(h₂)rēm. More speculatively, it is asked if the root *h₂reu̯(H)‑ thus identified could not ultimately also be connected with *h₂erh₃‑ ‘to plough’, via Schwebeablaut and some phonological and morphological effects of building PIE u̯‑presents and u̯‑presents.
“Narten formations” versus “Narten roots”
Authors: Melchert H. Craig
Published: December 2014

Since the existence of a PIE “acrostatic” present formation with descriptive *ḗ/é ablaut was first established by Narten (1968), there has been an ongoing debate regarding the status of this type of inflection in the overall PIE morphological system. Is it a lexically determined feature, by which certain roots consistently (at least typically) display ablaut one degree higher than “standard” roots in a given morphological category? Or do “Narten presents” represent merely another means of deriving present (imperfective) stems (originally with a specific Aktionsart), alongside well-known suffixes like *-sḱe/o-? I will present further evidence for the latter viewpoint, thus supporting the independent conclusions in Kümmel 1998.
Centralizers of subsystems of fusion systems
Authors: Semeraro Jason
Published: December 2014

When (S,ℱ,ℒ) is a p-local finite group and
(T,ℰ,ℒ0) is weakly normal in (S,ℱ,ℒ), we show that a definition of CS
(ℰ) given by Aschbacher has a simple interpretation from which one can deduce existence and strong closure very easily. We also appeal to a result of Gross to give a new proof that there is a unique fusion system
C
ℱ(ℰ) on CS
(ℰ).
What are proteins teaching us on fundamental strategies for molecular nanotechnology?
Authors: Koehler Johann Michael
Published: December 2014

Besides the fundamental competition between the top-down and bottom-up approaches in nanotechnology, there are some basic aspects for organizing structures and functions at the molecular level. The recent challenges to the development of nanotechnology are marked by a group of general requirements: selection of suited building units, overcoming the restrictions of planar technology, shrinking of nanofabrication facilities, sustainable production and management of life cycles, organization of autonomy and communication at the nano-level, and the optimization of power consumption and energy management. Looking at the natural principles in the construction, synthesis, and function of proteins helps in understanding the principal differences between the currently applied technologies and the characteristics of biomolecular mechanisms in cells. This view allows formulating seven basic rules to meet the general requirements for future developments in molecular nanotechnology.
La medición de la mortalidad a partir de la información recogida en una encuesta
Authors: Somoza Jorge
Published: December 2014

En los puntos anteriores se ha descrito, de un modo esquemático, la secuencia de pasos que conducen a la estimación de una tabla de vida a partir de información indirecta sobre mortalidad que puede recogerse en una encuesta.Se ilustró la aplicación de métodos de estimación a datos recogidos en la encuesta demográfica nacional, realizada en Bolivia en 1975, que abarcó unas 50 mil personas.  En un país en el que no se cuenta con registros fehacientes de defunciones, ni con un censo de población, fue posible, por medio de procedimientos examinados, obtener una medida, de valor ciertamente sólo aproximado, de su nivel de la mortalidad.  Los resultados no pueden juzgarse comparándolos con valores precisos, porque la mortalidad del país no se conoce.  Son, sin embargo, plausibles y cercanos a los que se habían estimado, antes de la encuesta, empleando métodos de menor eficiencia que los descritos.Quedaron indicadas algunas limitaciones de los procedimientos examinados y se señaló que las ideas en torno al tema analizado están en pleno desarrollo.  Algunos temas, y las preguntas a través de las cuales pueden ser investigados, están todavía en una etapa de experimentación.  Los resultados alentadores obtenidos en años recientes nos llevan a esperar con optimismo los resultados de esos ensayos.
Construção de um currículo integrado de enfermagem
Authors: Romano Regina Aurora Trino , Papa Luiza Maria Piazzi , Lopes Gertrudes Teixeira
Published: December 2014

Durante as duas últimas décadas, a sociedade brasileira passou por grandes transformações no campo político, ideológico e econômico. Essas mudanças deixaram suas marcas na sociedade, especialmente na saúde da população. A formação do Enfermeiro, baseada na Lei 5540/68 e no Parecer 163/72, não mais acompanha as demandas que a população reivindica. A partir de 1992, a Faculdade de Enfermagem da UERJ - FEUerj intensifica o movimento de reflexão sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem em busca de transformar a realidade em que vive. A realização desse projeto apresenta duas razões importantes e complementares: o desejo dos docentes e discentes da FEUerj em elaborar um currículo que busque a formação de um Enfermeiro que articule ensino-trabalho-comunidade, teoria e prática, fundamentado em uma Teoria Crítica da Educação, na linha de PROBLEMATIZAÇÃO, e o cumprimento do Parecer 314/94 do então CFE e da Portaria MEC nº 11 71/15/dez/94. A partir de debates, definiu-se o perfil profissional tendo em vista o meio social onde a profissão se realiza e as características do alunado; determinação de áreas ou conjunto de atribuições, de acordo com a adequação da prática profissional, hierarquização dos conceitos, processos, etc., que no processo de "síntese e classificação" dos conhecimentos resulta em uma árvore encadeada e relacionada como se fosse uma rede. Na primeira fase do estudo do currículo diagnosticou-se como condição precípua a "DESCONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO" do currículo vigente e os "NÓS" a serem enfrentados para levar a cabo a proposta de Reforma Curricular. Implementou-se o processo de Capacitação Pedagógica para professores, oficinas de trabalho, levantamento do perfil atual e o desejável, seminários, sistematização dos desempenhos, habilidades e princípios, identificação das áreas que compõem o Currículo Integrado, localização das disciplinas dentro das áreas e a articulação entre disciplinas profissionalizantes e outras atividades. Com base nesta 1ª etapa do trabalho na pedagogia probíematizadora, construiu-se o instrumento "Levantamento do Perfil Profissional do Curso de Graduação em Enfermagem", identificando-se os desempenhos e princípios que os sustentam em cada disciplina vigente, tornando claro o perfil atual e o desejável pelos docentes e discentes.
Predicting Risky Sexual Behavior in Emerging Adulthood: Examination of a Moderated Mediation Model Among Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Sexual Assault Victims
Authors: Littleton Heather L. , Grills Amie E. , Drum Katherine B.
Published: December 2014

Although having a sexual victimization history is associated with engaging in sexual risk behavior, the mechanisms whereby sexual victimization increases risk behavior are unclear. This study examined use of sex as an affect regulation strategy as a mediator of the relationship between depressive symptoms and sexual risk behavior among 1,616 sexually active college women as well as examined having a history of child sexual abuse (CSA), adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA), or both (CSA/ASA) as moderators. Results supported the mediated model as well as moderated mediation, where depressive symptoms were more strongly associated with use of sex as an affect regulation strategy among ASA victims, and sex as an affect regulation strategy was more strongly related to sexual risk behavior for CSA/ASA victims.
Suffodit inguinal: Genital attacks on Roman emperors and other primates
Authors: Betzig Laura
Published: December 2014

When Julius Caesar was stabbed, 23 times, on the Ides of March, at least one of the daggers is supposed to have gone into his groin. He wasn't the last Roman to have his privates attacked. And he wasn't the last primate. In competition for sexual access, gonads are occasionally targeted: canine incisions in monkey and ape scrota are not uncommon; and rumors had a number of Roman emperors—from Caligula and Nero, to Galba, Vitellius, Domitian, Commodus, Caracalla, Elagabalus, to Balbinus, Pupienus and Valerian over the course of the third century crisis—done in with their genitals at risk, or with their genitals cut off.
DISC drill and replicate coring system: a new era in deep ice drilling engineering
Authors: Shturmakov Alexander J. , Lebar Donald A. , Bentley Charles R.
Published: December 2014

The deep ice sheet coring (DISC) drill and replicate coring system (RCS) were designed and manufactured by Ice Coring and Drilling Services/Ice Drilling Design and Operations group of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The DISC/RCS is an electromechanical system designed to take 122 mm diameter ice cores from the main borehole and 108 mm diameter replicate ice cores to depths of 4000 m. Detailed design of the DISC drill began in 2003, and the completed drill was tested in Greenland in 2006. During five consecutive field seasons at West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide, 3405 m of ice core were drilled, setting the US deep ice drilling record. The RCS, based on the DISC drill, was developed and built in 2010/11, tested in Antarctica during the 2011/12 WAIS Divide field season and tested further in Madison, WI, during summer–fall 2012. During the 2012/13 Antarctic field season, the system produced five azimuth and depth-controlled deviations at four target depth levels. A total of 285 m of replicate ice core was recovered in the first coring of its kind. The entire main/replicate ice core, including ductile, brittle and warm ice, had excellent quality and satisfied the needs of the ice science community.
Enhanced Automatic Wavelet Independent Component Analysis for Electroencephalographic Artifact Removal
Authors: Mammone Nadia , Morabito Francesco
Published: December 2014

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a fundamental diagnostic instrument for many neurological disorders, and it is the main tool for the investigation of the cognitive or pathological activity of the brain through the bioelectromagnetic fields that it generates. The correct interpretation of the EEG is misleading, both for clinicians’ visual evaluation and for automated procedures, because of artifacts. As a consequence, artifact rejection in EEG is a key preprocessing step, and the quest for reliable automatic processors has been quickly growing in the last few years. Recently, a promising automatic methodology, known as automatic wavelet-independent component analysis (AWICA), has been proposed. In this paper, a more efficient and sensitive version, called enhanced-AWICA (EAWICA), is proposed, and an extensive performance comparison is carried out by a step of tuning the different parameters that are involved in artifact detection. EAWICA is shown to minimize information loss and to outperform AWICA in artifact removal, both on simulated and real experimental EEG recordings.
Urban Economy
Authors: Kresl Peter
Published: December 2014

In a call for papers, for the special issue to be devoted to “Urban Economy” late in 2015, that the Economies editors issued recently, I noted the increased attention that has been given to urban economies during the past quarter century. This is concomitant with the increased importance and role in policy that cities have attained. This is, in part, due to the diminished capacity of national and sub-national governments to find the funds needed for urban projects and services, and in part to the understanding that cities are the key to the economies and societies of most if not all nations.[...]
The Dynamics of DNA Methylation in Maize Roots under Pb Stress
Authors: Ding Haiping , Gao Jian , Qin Cheng , Ma Haixia , Huang Hong , Song Pan , Luo Xirong , Lin Haijian , Shen Ya'ou , Pan Guangtang , Zhang Zhiming
Published: December 2014

Plants adapt to adverse conditions through a series of physiological, cellular, and molecular processes, culminating in stress tolerance. However, little is known about the associated regulatory mechanisms at the epigenetic level in maize under lead (Pb) stress. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare DNA methylation profiles during the dynamic development of maize roots following Pb treatment to identify candidate genes involved in the response to Pb stress. Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-sequencing (MeDIP-seq) was used to investigate the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in maize roots under normal condition (A1) and 3 mM Pb(NO3)2 stress for 12 h (K2), 24 h (K3) and 48 h (K4). The results showed that the average methylation density was the highest in CpG islands (CGIs), followed by the intergenic regions. Within the gene body, the methylation density of the introns was higher than those of the UTRs and exons. In total, 3857 methylated genes were found in 4 tested samples, including 1805 differentially methylated genes for K2 versus A1, 1508 for K3 versus A1, and 1660 for K4 versus A1. Further analysis showed that 140 genes exhibited altered DNA methylation in all three comparisons, including some well-known stress-responsive transcription factors and proteins, such as MYB, AP2/ERF, bZIP, serine-threonine/tyrosine-proteins, pentatricopeptide repeat proteins, RING zinc finger proteins, F-box proteins, leucine-rich repeat proteins and tetratricopeptide repeat proteins. This study revealed the genome-scale DNA methylation patterns of maize roots in response to Pb exposure and identified candidate genes that potentially regulate root dynamic development under Pb stress at the methylation level.
Le miroir des causes
Authors: Roussel Éric
Published: December 2014

Cet article consiste en un exercice réflexif qui prend appui sur quelques travaux ayant ponctué un chemin de recherche axé sur une tentative de compréhension des effets du monde du travail sur les salariés. Le regard ne se porte pas sur les résultats obtenus mais sur la manière de les produire. En ce sens, il se veut réflexion épistémologique sur la pertinence heuristique des relations causales qui innervent les appareillages constitués pour penser la thématique. Posant à chaque fois les limites de la démarche, le texte interroge l’adéquation des enchaînements causatifs aux visées explicatives. Il suggère ainsi d’introduire de la circularité dans les schémas de pensée empreints de causalité linéaire. Ne présupposant pas a priori l’existence d’une relation symbiotique entre la matière et la pensée qui l’appréhende, cette contribution invite à considérer à nouveau frais les registres temporels qui innervent les cadres théoriques à travers lesquels sont conçus les processus de socialisation.
Transformations des langages et du travail critique des sciences sociales
Authors: Dodier Nicolas
Published: December 2014

Résumé L’article examine le travail critique que les sciences sociales accomplissent vis-à-vis du monde social. Il s’appuie pour cela sur l’examen d’un domaine spécifique : les recherches qui traitent, au sens large, de la médecine et des questions médicales. Il distingue deux niveaux d’analyse, celui classique des paradigmes, et un niveau plus transversal, celui des langages des sciences sociales. Chacun de ces langages est vu comme une manière de concevoir l’objet central des sciences sociales et de replacer le travail du chercheur dans des horizons d’attentes vis-à-vis du monde social. L’article montre que trois langages (ordre, force, pluralité) ont structuré les sciences sociales depuis les années 1950. À partir d’une discussion des apports et limites de chacun de ces langages, et au vu d’un retour sur certaines des recherches menées par l’auteur, l’article défend l’intérêt spécifique du langage de la pluralité et indique comment articuler aujourd’hui le travail descriptif et le travail critique à l’intérieur de celui-ci.
Normativité, interprétation et jugement en théorie politique
Authors: Bardon Aurélia
Published: December 2014

Résumé Ce texte interroge le statut et le rôle de la théorie politique. L’argument défendu est que la théorie politique est différente des autres sous-disciplines de la science politique ainsi que de la science en général, à la fois du fait de son rapport à la normativité et du fait de son ambition qui est de l’ordre du jugement et de l’interprétation et non de l’ordre de la découverte de lois scientifiques de causalité. La théorie politique se distingue également de l’idéologie comme de la philosophie dans la mesure où sa normativité, bien qu’elle soit inévitable, est aussi inévitablement limitée.
L'archivage numérique dans la sphère publique, les enjeux d'une législation annoncée
Authors: Bachoué Pedrouzo Géraldine
Published: December 2014

Résumé Le projet de loi sur le patrimoine annoncé par le chef de l’État devrait contenir un volet consacré aux archives publiques numériques. Il était temps car, faute de mieux, c’est le régime juridique applicable aux archives publiques sur support « papier » qui est mis en œuvre, ce qui place les personnes publiques dans une position délicate. La réforme à venir est donc l’occasion de saisir les enjeux juridiques de l’archivage numérique dans la sphère publique. Entre système sécurisé, contraintes techniques, restrictions budgétaires, mutualisation, partenariats et répartition des compétences, le numérique impose de réfléchir à une réglementation et un mode de gouvernance adaptés.
The Human Capital Competencies Inventory for Developing Nurse Managers
Authors: Donaher Kathleen , Russell Gail , Scoble Kathleen B. , Chen Jie
Published: December 2014

Background:

Nurse managers play a vital role in healthcare delivery systems. Psychometrically sound measures of management practices grounded in empirical practice data are needed.

Method:

An integrative review provided content domain for the Human Capital Competencies Inventory (HCCI). Analyses from nurse managers in one northeastern state revealed considerable consistency in performance of activities.

Results:

There is validity and reliability for the HCCI with the sample used.

Conclusions:

There is early support for the Mastery Path as a competency-based model for developing nurses for management in healthcare organizations. Development and testing of four other management practices in the Mastery Path is ongoing.
A Column Generation Procedure for the Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem Using a Route-Based Formulation
Authors: Wilck IV Joseph Hubert , Cavalier Tom M.
Published: December 2014

The Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem (SDVRP) allows customers to be assigned to multiple routes. A column generation procedure using a route-based formulation is developed for the SDVRP and computational results are given for thirty-two data sets from previous literature. The SDVRP route-based formulation appears tighter (stronger) linear relaxation than a comparable SDVRP flow formulation. With respect to the total travel distance and computer time, the column generation procedure compares favorably versus previously published methods. The result is important for real-world since both the tractability and solution quality of larger (e.g., many vehicle routes, many customers) problems are both key issues when making vehicle routing decisions. The column generation method, along with the route-based formulation, provides an improved solution procedure that would be more appropriate for real-world problems than the previously published methods.
Immunohistochemical/histochemical double staining method in the study of the columnar metaplasia of the oesophagus
Authors: Cabibi D. , Giannone A.G. , Mascarella C. , Guarnotta C. , Castiglia M. , Pantuso G. , Fiorentino E.
Published: December 2014

Intestinal metaplasia in Barrettâ€™s oesophagus (BO) represents an important risk factor for oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Instead, few and controversial data are reported about the progression risk of columnar-lined oesophagus without intestinal metaplasia (CLO), posing an issue about its clinical management. The aim was to evaluate if some immunophenotypic changes were present in CLO independently of the presence of the goblet cells. We studied a series of oesophageal biopsies from patients with endoscopic finding of columnar metaplasia, by performing some immunohistochemical stainings (CK7, p53, AuroraA) combined with histochemistry (Alcian-blue and Alcian/PAS), with the aim of simultaneously assess the histochemical features in cells that shows an aberrant expression of such antigens. We evidenced a cytoplasmic expression of CK7 and a nuclear expression of Aurora A and p53,Â  both in goblet cells of BO and in non-goblet cells of CLO, some of which showing mild dysplasia. These findings suggest that some immunophenotypic changes are present in CLO and they can precede the appearance of the goblet cells or can be present independently of them, confirming the conception of BO as the condition characterized by any extention of columnar epithelium. This is the first study in which a combined immunohistochemical/histochemical method has been applied to Barrett pathology.
Wheat germ agglutinin staining as a suitable method for detection and quantification of fibrosis in cardiac tissue after myocardial infarction
Authors: Emde B. , Heinen A. , GÃ¶decke A. , Bottermann K.
Published: December 2014

The quantification of fibrotic tissue is an important task in the analysis of cardiac remodeling. The use of established fibrosis staining techniques is limited on frozen cardiac tissue sections due to a reduced color contrast compared to paraffin embedded sections. We therefore used FITC-labeled wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), which marks fibrotic tissue in comparable quality as the established picrosirius red (SR) staining, for the staining of post myocardial infarction scar tissue. The fibrosis amount was quantified in a histogram-based approach using the non-commercial image processing program ImageJ. Our results clearly demonstrate that WGA-FITC is a suitable marker for cardiac fibrosis in frozen tissue sections. In combination with the histogram-based analysis, this new quantification approach is i) easy and fast to perform; ii) suitable for raw frozen tissue sections; and iii) allows the use of additional antibodies in co-immunostaining.Â
Autofluorescence spectroscopy and imaging: a tool for biomedical research and diagnosis
Authors: Croce A.C. , Bottiroli G.
Published: December 2014

Native fluorescence, or autofluorescence (AF), consists in the emission of light in the UV-visible, near-IR spectral range when biological substrates are excited with light at suitable wavelength. This is a well-known phenomenon, and the strict relationship of many endogenous fluorophores with morphofunctional properties of the living systems, influencing their AF emission features, offers an extremely powerful resource for directly monitoring the biological substrate condition. Starting from the last century, the technological progresses in microscopy and spectrofluorometry were convoying attention of the scientific community to this phenomenon. In the future, the interest in the autofluorescence will certainly continue. Current instrumentation and analytical procedures will likely be overcome by the unceasing progress in new devices for AF detection and data interpretation, while a progress is expected in the search and characterization of endogenous fluorophores and their roles as intrinsic biomarkers.
Early-warning health and process indicators for sentinel surveillance in Madagascar 2007-2011
Authors: Rajatonirina Soatiana , Rakatomanana Fanjasoa , Randrianasolo Laurence , Razanajatovo Norosoa Harline , Andriamandimby Soa Fy , Ravolomanana Lisette , Randrianarivo-Solofoniaina Armand Eugène , Reynes Jean-Marc , Piola Patrice , Finlay-Vickers Alyssa , Heraud Jean-Michel , Richard Vincent
Published: December 2014

Background: Epidemics pose major threats in resource-poor countries, and surveillance tools for their early detection and response are often inadequate. In 2007, a sentinel surveillance system was established in Madagascar, with the aim of rapidly identifying potential epidemics of febrile or diarrhoeal syndromes and issuing alerts. We present the health and process indicators for the five years during which this system was constructed, showing the spatiotemporal trends, early-warning sign detection capability and process evaluation through timely analyses of high-quality data.Methods: The Malagasy sentinel surveillance network is currently based on data for fever and diarrhoeal syndromes collected from 34 primary health centres and reported daily via the transmission of short messages from mobile telephones. Data are analysed daily at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar to make it possible to issue alerts more rapidly, and integrated process indicators (timeliness, data quality) are used to monitor the system.Results: From 2007 to 2011, 917,798 visits were reported. Febrile syndromes accounted for about 11% of visits annually, but the trends observed differed between years and sentinel sites. From 2007 to 2011, 21 epidemic alerts were confirmed. However, delays in data transmission were observed (88% transmitted within 24 hours in 2008; 67% in 2011) and the percentage of forms transmitted each week for validity control decreased from 99.9% in 2007 to 63.5% in 2011.Conclusion: A sentinel surveillance scheme should take into account both epidemiological and process indicators. It must also be governed by the main purpose of the surveillance and by local factors, such as the motivation of healthcare workers and telecommunication infrastructure. Permanent evaluation indicators are required for regular improvement of the system.
Cost Comparison Model: Blended eLearning versus traditional training of community health workers
Authors: Sissine Mysha , Segan Robert , Taylor Mathew , Jefferson Bobby , Borrelli Alice , Koehler Mohandas , Chelvayohan Meena
Published: December 2014

Objectives: Another one million community healthcare workers are needed to address the growing global population and increasing demand of health care services. This paper describes a cost comparison between two training approaches to better understand costs implications of training community health workers (CHWs) in Sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: Our team created a prospective model to forecast and compare the costs of two training methods as described in the Dalburge Report - (1) a traditional didactic training approach (“baseline”) and (2) a blended eLearning training approach (“blended”). After running the model for training 100,000 CHWs, we compared the results and scaled up those results to one million CHWs.Results: A substantial difference exists in total costs between the baseline and blended training programs. Results indicate that using a blended eLearning approach for training community health care workers will provide a total cost savings of 42%. Scaling the model to one million CHWs, the blended eLearning training approach reduces total costs by 25%.Discussion: The blended eLearning savings are a result of decreased classroom time, thereby reducing the costs associated with travel, trainers and classroom costs.  Additional savings can be achieved if the blended eLearning program elects to use a tablet or feature phone with Wi-Fi rather than a smartphone with data plan.Conclusion: The results of this cost analysis indicate significant savings through using a blended eLearning approach in comparison to a traditional didactic method for CHW training by as much as 67%. These results correspond to the Dalberg publication which indicates that using a blended eLearning approach is an opportunity for closing the gap in training community health care workers.