bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence of chemical compatibilization reaction between poly(ether ether ketone) and irradiation-modified poly(tetrafluoroethylene)
Authors: Taeger Antje , Hoffmann Thorsten , Butwilowski Wladimir , Heller Marcel , Engelhardt Thomas , Lehmann Dieter
Published: October 2013

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) micropowder is used as a lubricant in thermoplastic high-performance polymers, for example, in poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) to improve their tribological properties regarding friction and wear significantly. The achievable effect for improving such properties by using PTFE is not only determined by the added amount of PTFE micropowder in the PEEK-PTFE compound but rather by the possibility to couple and compatibilize the PTFE with the matrix material chemically that has a direct influence on the distribution of the PTFE particles in the polymer matrix and causes improved tribological and mechanical properties. The proof of a chemical reaction between PTFE and PEEK is difficult because the high-molecular weight PEEK is insoluble in all common solvents. The evidence of chemical coupling reaction between PEEK and irradiation-modified PTFE is shown by model studies using reactive OH-terminated PEEK oligomers. The use of diphenyl sulfone as a high-boiling reaction medium was necessary for the precondition to melt both reactants. In this way, qualitative differences have been achieved and confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thus, a safer and indirect detection of the chemical coupling (cc) between PEEK and PTFE (PEEK–PTFE–cc) was achieved.
Theoretical analysis and the morphology control of vertical phase segregation in high-efficiency polymer/fullerene solar cells
Authors: Gao Bowen
Published: October 2013

The morphology control and optimization in the film-forming process and nanoscale phase separation of donor/acceptor interpenetrating networks played an important role in improving the performance of organic solar cells. Vertical phase separation was defined as an inhomogeneous distribution or concentration gradient of polymer/fullerene blends in the spin-coated film, due to the surface energy of the respective components and their interaction with the substrate or the intermediate buffer layers. In this report, we demonstrated, in detail, the theory of vertical phase separation morphology and control of conventional structure solar cells and inverted configuration solar cells, including the choice of solvents and the drying rate, the surface energy control, thermal annealing, as well as external electric field. In particular, we first proposed internal electronic field model of vertical phase separation and revealed the internal rules and organic semiconductor physics and its mechanism for improving the device efficiency and stability.
Electrical and dielectric behaviors of dry-mixed CNT/UHMWPE nanocomposites
Authors: Al-Saleh Mohammed H. , Jawad Saadi Abdul , El Ghanem Hasan M.
Published: October 2013

Carbon nanotube (CNT)/ultrahigh-molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanocomposite with an electrical percolation threshold of only 0.1 wt% was prepared by simple dry mixing followed by compression molding. The nanocomposite microstructure, direct current and alternating current (AC) electrical conductivities, conduction mechanisms, and dielectric properties in the 101–105 Hz frequency range have been investigated. Due to the localization of the nanofiller at the surface of UHMWPE powder particles, a segregated microstructure within the polymer matrix was created. Nanocomposites filled with 0.125–0.5 wt% CNT were found to follow the typical universal dynamic response behavior, and the characteristic frequency was found to increase with the increase in CNT concentration. At CNT concentration ≥ 0.5 wt%, the AC conductivity was found to be frequency independent over the entire frequency range studied.
A novel method for measuring acetabular cup deformation in cadavers
Authors: Bone Martin C , Dold Philipp , Flohr Markus , Preuss Roman , Joyce Tom J , Deehan David , Holland James
Published: October 2013

Press-fit acetabular shells are subject to compressive loading conditions upon insertion during surgery. These conditions may result in deformation of the shell, potentially adversely affecting the performance of any liner fitted within it. This technical note describes the method used to measure acetabular shell deformation in a cadaver study using an optical GOM ATOS Triple Scan system. Six custom-made titanium acetabular shells were scanned prior to and immediately following insertion into three cadavers (one shell per acetabulum). A three-dimensional colour map was created for each shell, and cross sections were taken at the rim to determine the maximum diametrical deformation. Values of between 30 and 150 µm were recorded, with the results suggesting a size-dependent response.
Factors Associated With Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in Korea
Authors: Choi Kyung-Hyun , Heo Jeongyun , Kim Soyeun , Jeon Young-Jee , Oh Myungju
Published: October 2013

This study investigated factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening using data from a nationwide community survey. A nationwide cross-sectional study was performed in all 253 administrative districts of Korea. The breast and cervical cancer screening rate was negatively associated with the obesity (β = −2.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −4.73 to −1.03; β = −1.93, 95% CI = −3.43 to −0.43), positively associated with the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions scale (β =2.53, 95% CI = 0.24 to 4.81; β = 2.51, 95% CI = 0.68 to 4.34). Moreover, higher alcohol consumption rate was negatively related to screening rates for breast cancer, while areas with higher proportion of diabetes were found to have higher screening rates. Area with higher rate of osteoarthritis had a lower screening rate for cervical cancer. This study showed breast and cervical cancer screening was associated with particular area characteristics. This ecological approach is thought to be a major complement to measures of health attributes.
A Look in the Mirror
Authors: Litrico Jean-Baptiste , Choi Jin Nam
Published: October 2013

The present study integrates symbolic interactionism with Bandura’s social cognitive theory by conceptualizing and examining socially reflected efficacy beliefs within groups. The data collected from 128 students in 39 project teams indicate that self-constructed and reflected images of self-efficacy are empirically distinct from each other; however, such is not the case for self-constructed and reflected images of team-efficacy. Consistent with our theoretical expectations, our multilevel polynomial regression analysis revealed that members engaged more in work collaboration and less in process hindrance when they perceived congruence between self-efficacy and reflected self-efficacy, between self-efficacy and team efficacy, and between reflected self-efficacy and team efficacy. Our results suggest that self-efficacy beliefs have a socially constructed nature, thus expanding social cognitive theory.
Team Players and Collective Performance
Authors: Bradley Bret H. , Baur John E. , Banford Christopher G. , Postlethwaite Bennett E.
Published: October 2013

Previous research on teams has found that agreeableness is one of the strongest personality predictors of team performance, yet one of the weakest personality predictors of individual-level job performance. In this study, we examined why teams with more agreeable members perform better. Data were collected across 4 months at 5 points in time from 107 project teams. We found that agreeableness affects performance through communication and cohesion and that communication precedes cohesion in time. Furthermore, we found that virtualness moderated the relationships between agreeableness and communication, as well as between agreeableness and team performance, such that teams only benefitted from high levels of agreeableness when interacting face-to-face.
Validating the Feedback Orientation Scale in a Leadership Development Context
Authors: Braddy Phillip W. , Sturm Rachel E. , Atwater Leanne E. , Smither James W. , Fleenor John W.
Published: October 2013

Feedback orientation is an individual difference variable that represents individuals’ receptivity to feedback. In 2010, Linderbaum and Levy developed and validated a measure of feedback orientation called the Feedback Orientation Scale (FOS). We investigated the validity of the FOS using 172 participants in a leadership development program designed for middle- to senior-level leaders. Our results support the FOS’s convergent validity, as it was correlated with implicit person theory (assumptions regarding the malleability of personal attributes) and achievement motivation. We also found support for the FOS’s criterion-related validity, as it was correlated with participants’ reactions to their 360-degree feedback. Participants’ feedback orientation, however, was unrelated to coach ratings of their openness, likelihood to change, and defensiveness during their feedback sessions.
Platforms, Plateaus, and String
Authors: McFarlane Caroline , Brookes Ian , McInnes Kerry , Cross Beth
Published: October 2013

This article documents the process of attempting to challenge barriers that prevent disabled people with high levels of institutional intervention from taking part in research dissemination and its more elevated spaces of presentation, debate, and influence. We have sought to keep the disabled researchers on our team in the conversation throughout article production. Thus, the article is a series of dialogues conducted across the production process. These dialogues explore the embodied methodologies that made risk management policy more accessible to those whose views about it we wanted to hear. We also explore the spatial metaphors that arose as we reflected on research. This involves an engagement with Deleuze and Guattari’s metaphor of plateau and an understanding of our work as a series of assemblages that are configured and reconfigured to adapt to changing opportunities.
School Ethos and the Spatial Turn
Authors: Manchester Helen , Bragg Sara
Published: October 2013

This article argues that specific spatial imaginaries are embedded in current debates about school ethos and research methods. It takes the reader on a journey around an English multicultural primary school supported by the creative learning program Creative Partnerships, exploring how creative arts practices (re)configured sociospatial relations within the school community over a 3-year period. The article proposes the metaphor of “capaciousness” to illuminate aspects of research and practice in schools concerning space, learning, and the significance of the connections of schools to other spaces, places, and networks. Recognizing these connections enables us to take account of issues of social justice particularly in relation to schools located in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. A spatial theorization of ethos also questions the concept of boundaries in case study research, and highlights the role of researcher interpretation in constituting what can be recognized as “creative” school ethos.
A direct particle-based computational framework for electrically enhanced thermo-mechanical sintering of powdered materials
Authors: Zohdi TI
Published: October 2013

As a method for bonding powdered materials, sintering has distinct advantages, such as the production of a near final-shape of the desired product, without the need for significant post-processing. However, sintering has certain deficiencies, such as incomplete or weak bonding. Research is ongoing to improve the process. One approach to improve sintering processes of powdered materials is via electrically enhanced bonding, whereby electricity is pumped through the material, while it is compressed in a press, in order to induce Joule-heating. This paper develops a computationally based model for the direct simulation of electrically enhanced sintering of powdered materials using particle-based methods. The overall approach is to construct three coupled sub-models which primarily involve: (a) particle-to-particle mechanical contact, (b) particle-to-particle thermal exchange and (c) particle-to-particle electrical current flow. These physical processes are strongly coupled, since the dynamics dictates which particles are in contact and the contacts determine the electrical flow. The flow of electricity controls the Joule-heating and the induced thermal fields, which soften the material, leading to enhanced particle binding. The strong multiphysics-coupled sub-models are solved iteratively within each time-step using a recursive staggering scheme, which employs temporal adaptivity to control the error. If the process does not converge (to within an error tolerance) within a preset number of iterations, the time-step is adapted (reduced) by utilizing an estimate of the spectral radius of the coupled system. The modular approach allows for easy replacement of submodels, if needed. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the model and numerical solution scheme.
Antifungal Drugs in the Management of Hematological Diseases in a Home Care Program
Authors: Tendas Andrea , Cupelli Luca , Trawinska Malgorzata Monika , Lentini Raffaello , Giovannini Marco , Scaramucci Laura , Perrotti Alessio , de Fabritiis Paolo , Niscola Pasquale
Published: October 2013

Antifungal drugs are frequently used in hematology due to relatively high frequency of infections. Electronic health records of home care patients were retrospectively scanned, looking for antifungal drugs, nystatin, fluconazole, amphotericin B, caspofungin, itraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole; we extrapolated frequency, type, indication for use, and duration of each identified antifungal treatment. From September 15, 2011 to September 15, 2012, among 106 patients, median age 83 years, affected by cancer in 82 and other diagnosis in 24 patients, 18 were treated with antifungals, 12 with systemic antifungal (fluconazole 6, itraconazole 5, sequential voriconazole, and itraconazole 1) and 6 with local antifungal. According to our results, the use of antifungals in home care hematological patients is frequent, but limited to certain molecules.
Feasibility of Implementing a Web-Based Education Program in Geriatric Pain and Depression for Home Health Care Nurses
Authors: Brody Abraham A. , Groce-Wofford Trinity M.
Published: October 2013

Despite a major shift in the care of older adults from acute care to home health, few home health care nurses are adequately prepared to manage the complex needs of geriatric patients. This study examined the feasibility of a web-based education program to help nurses improve their treatment of geriatric pain and depression. Nurses’ knowledge, confidence, and attitudes were assessed before and 3 months after a web-based education program. Nurses randomized to the experimental group showed significant improvement in attitudes 3 months after the intervention, however little long-term retention of knowledge. This study showed it is feasible to perform web-based geriatric training to nurses in home health care, though it needs to be accompanied by structural and procedural changes in care for long-term success.
Telephone-Based Disease Management for Severe Enduring Mental Illnesses (SEMIs)
Authors: Beebe Lora Humphrey , Schwartz Barbara (Risa)
Published: October 2013

This article describes characteristics, response rates, and service usage of 128 persons with serious and enduring mental illnesses (SEMIs—schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorders, and depressive disorders) who received telephone-based disease management for 6 months after treatment in a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU). Participants were mostly female Whites ranging in age from 19 to 58 with a mean of 31.4 ( SD = 10.0). The most common diagnoses were depressive disorders. Twenty participants were readmitted to either a CSU, residential substance treatment program or inpatient unit during the study. Younger participants (age below 30) used significantly more treatment days than those 30 and older ( t = 7.67, P < .001). More research is needed to refine telephone intervention programs and identify patient subgroups for whom this intervention is ideally suited.
Postural Balance
Authors: Alpert Patricia T.
Published: October 2013

Postural balance is a complex mechanism that is an enigma to most individuals. This column examines the biomechanics of posture and balance, looks at postural balance across the life span, and identifies conditions or situations that interfere with balance. Prevention measures are also discussed.
2013 Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines and Recommendations
Authors: Farrington Laura Catherine
Published: October 2013

Breast cancer is the most common nonskin cancer diagnosed among women in the United States and throughout the world, and the leading cause of cancer deaths. Screening recommendations and guidelines vary depending on the organization. Screening modalities include self breast examination, clinical breast examination, mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging. Screening guidelines vary based on individual risk assessment and age.
Empirically Determined, Psychopathological Subtypes in Children With ADHD
Authors: Zenglein Yvonne , Schwenck Christina , Westerwald Eva , Schmidt Catharina , Beuth Sonja , Meyer Jobst , Palmason Haukur , Seitz Christiane , Hänig Susann , Freitag Christine M.
Published: October 2013

Objective: The aim of this study was to empirically determine subgroups of ADHD defined by specific patterns of psychopathology. Method: A clinical sample of 223 children with ADHD, aged 5 to 14 years, was examined with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). In addition, comorbid psychiatric disorders, psychosocial risk factors, and socioeconomic status were assessed. Results: Cluster analysis of CBCL subscales yielded a solution with four distinct subgroups. While “externalizers” showed a high rate of comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), “obsessive-compulsives” exhibited thought problems, low rates of comorbid CD, and high symptoms of inattention. “High psychiatric symptom carriers” had high rates of familial risk factors, acute life events, comorbid ODD, and CD. “Low psychiatric symptom carriers” also scored low in all other variables studied. Conclusion: Children with ADHD can be divided into four subgroups according to their CBCL-based psychopathology, and these subgroups differ in their risk factor profiles.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy In The Cat
Authors: Stengel Christiane , Robertson Elise , Neiger Reto
Published: October 2013

Practical relevance:

Feline gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy is in high demand, particularly by cat owners already aware of the clinical benefits and availability of this procedure within the human healthcare system. This article will provide a basic introduction to GI flexible endoscopy, covering important aspects of endoscope selection, clinical indications, and basic techniques required to perform a thorough and diagnostically meaningful examination in the cat.

Clinical challenges:

Challenges associated with implementing endoscopy in GI tract investigations can include lack of appropriate/suitable-sized equipment to perform a thorough examination in the cat, insufficient operator training/understanding in how to ‘drive the scope’ through the GI tract, and/or lack of confidence in differentiating normal from abnormal.

Audience:

This article is intended to familiarize and motivate the feline practitioner to develop basic endoscopic skills. Clinical proficiency can only be obtained through use of appropriate equipment, formal training and hours of practice indistinguishing normal from abnormal.

Evidence base:

The guidance contained in this article is based on a combination of the published literature, the authors’ personal experience and the experience of colleagues.
Lower respiratory tract endoscopy in the cat
Authors: Dear Jonathan D , Johnson Lynelle R
Published: October 2013

Practical relevance:

Respiratory endoscopy is a useful diagnostic tool to evaluate the airways for the presence of mass lesions or foreign material while allowing for sample collection for cytologic and microbiologic assessment. While bronchial disease (eosinophilic or neutrophilic) is the most common lower respiratory disease identified in cats, infectious, anomalous and neoplastic conditions can clinically mimic inflammatory bronchial disease. Diagnostic imaging is unable to define the etiology for clinical signs of cough, tachypnea or respiratory difficulty, necessitating visual evaluation and collection of airway samples. Endoscopy allows intervention that can be life-saving and also confirmation of disease, which is important given that life-long medication is likely to be required for management of inflammatory airway disease.

Patient group:

Cats with either airway or pulmonary disease benefit from laryngoscopy, tracheoscopy and bronchoscopy to determine an etiologic diagnosis. In the best situation, animals that require these procedures present early in the course of disease before clinical decompensation precludes anesthetic intervention. However, in some instances, these tests must be performed in unstable cats, which heightens the risk of the procedure. Cats that do not respond to empiric medical therapy can also benefit from bronchoscopic evaluation.

Clinical challenges:

Due to the small size of feline airways and the tendency for cats to develop laryngospasm, passage of endoscopic equipment can be difficult. Bronchoconstriction can lead to hemoglobin desaturation with oxygen and respiratory compromise.

Evidence base:

This article reviews published studies and case reports pertaining to the diagnostic approach to feline respiratory disease, focusing specifically on endoscopic examination of the lower airways in cats. It also discusses appropriate case selection, equipment, endoscopic techniques and visual findings based primarily on the authors’ experiences.
Rethinking gender and nature from a material(ist) perspective: Feminist economics, queer ecologies and resource politics
Authors: Bauhardt Christine
Published: October 2013

After the cultural turn, it has become necessary to reconsider society’s relations to nature. This article provides a theoretically sound basis for feminist interventions in global environmental policies drawing on feminist economics and queer ecologies to theorize material(ist) perspectives on gender and nature. This is the starting point for rethinking social and gender relations to nature from the resource politics approach. Beyond the feminization of environmental responsibility this approach aims at an understanding of human life embedded in material and discursive processes – without putting the potential (re)productivity of the female body on the ideological pedestal of heterosexual maternity.
Effects of BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) on health-related quality of life in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis: findings from the CONFIRM study
Authors: Kita Mariko , Fox Robert J , Phillips J Theodore , Hutchinson Michael , Havrdova Eva , Sarda Sujata P , Agarwal Sonalee , Kong Jessica , Zhang Annie , Viglietta Vissia , Sheikh Sarah I , Seidman Emily , Dawson Katherine T
Published: October 2013

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with symptoms adversely affecting many aspects of everyday living. BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) demonstrated significant efficacy in the phase III studies DEFINE and CONFIRM in patients with relapsing–remitting MS. In CONFIRM, HRQoL was worse in patients with greater disability at baseline, and who relapsed during the study, and improved with BG-12 treatment. Mean Short Form-36 Physical Component Summary scores for BG-12 increased over 2 years and scores for placebo decreased. Coupled with clinical and neuroradiological benefits, these HRQoL results further support BG-12 as an effective oral treatment for relapsing MS.
The coherence of autism
Authors: Hobson R Peter
Published: October 2013

There is a growing body of opinion that we should view autism as fractionable into different, largely independent sets of clinical features. The alternative view is that autism is a coherent syndrome in which principal features of the disorder stand in intimate developmental relationship with each other. Studies of congenitally blind children offer support for the latter position and suggest that a source of coherence in autism is restriction in certain forms of perceptually dependent social experience.
Awareness about autism among school teachers in Oman: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Al-Sharbati Marwan M , Al-Farsi Yahya M , Ouhtit Allal , Waly Mostafa I , Al-Shafaee Mohamed , Al-Farsi Omar , Al-Khaduri Maha , Al-Said Mona F , Al-Adawi Samir
Published: October 2013

Children with special needs such as those with autism spectrum disorder have been recorded as ostracized and stigmatized in many parts of the world. Little is known about whether such negative views are present among mainstream teachers in Oman. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate school teachers’ awareness about autism spectrum disorder in an urban region in Oman. A total of 164 teachers were randomly enrolled from five schools. Misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder were found to be common among mainstream teachers in the country. We posit that such lack of awareness was likely to be rooted with sociocultural patterning as well as conflicting views often “spun” by the scientific community and mass media. Enlightened views toward children with autism spectrum disorder should be presented to Omani teachers to overcome misconceptions and negative attitudes toward children with autism spectrum disorder.
Current research on transcultural psychiatry in the Anglophone Caribbean: Epistemological, public policy, and epidemiological challenges
Authors: Hickling Frederick W. , Gibson Roger C. , Hutchinson Gerard
Published: October 2013

In this article, we review recent research on mental health in the Caribbean. Three major themes emerge: (a) the effects of colonialism on the Caribbean psyche; (b) decolonization of psychiatric public policy, including innovative treatment approaches, deinstitutionalization, and community and policy responses to mental health issues; and (c) the nature and epidemiology of psychiatric pathology among contemporary Caribbean people, with particular focus on migration, genetic versus social causation of psychosis and personality disorders, and mechanisms of resilience and social capital. Caribbean transcultural psychiatry illustrates the principles of equipoise unique to developing countries that protect the wellness and continued survival of postcolonial Caribbean people.
Investigation of scaling effects on fiber metal laminates under tensile and flexural loading
Authors: Kashani Masoud Haghi , Sadighi Mojtaba , Mohammadkhah Melika , Alavijeh Hamid Shahsavari
Published: October 2013

In this study, scaling effects on fiber metal laminates under tensile and three-point bending tests were investigated numerically and experimentally. The fiber metal laminate specimens were made of aluminum 1050 and unidirectional glass–epoxy. Two scaled sizes of specimens were prepared based on [Formula: see text]. Some specified mechanical properties of these samples were investigated and results showed that fiber metal laminates obey scaling law under quasi-static loading. Explicit finite element code LS-DYNA was utilized for numerical simulation. After validating numerical simulation with experiments, scaling law was studied numerically for four different sample sizes. Finite element analysis demonstrated that scaling law is valid for fiber metal laminates. In final part, hole size effect in FML specimen was investigated numerically.
Polymeric electro-dry-adhesives for use on conducting surfaces
Authors: Krahn JM , Pattantyus-Abraham AG , Menon C
Published: October 2013

This work presents electro-dry-adhesives, designed for use on conducting surfaces, that synergistically combine biomimetic dry adhesives with mushroom-like fibres and embedded conductive polymer electrodes. Together, the dry-adhesive surface and electrodes enable the electro-dry-adhesives to generate greatly improved shear adhesion bond strengths. The electro-dry-adhesives described in this work are fabricated with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) biomimetic dry-adhesive surface and embedded interdigitated electrodes manufactured from a carbon black and poly(dimethylsiloxane) composite conductive polymer. The poly(dimethylsiloxane) dry-adhesive layer allows the electro-dry-adhesives to be used both passively and actively, and the poly(dimethylsiloxane) acts as a dielectric insulator between the electrodes and enables the electro-dry-adhesive to be used on conducting surfaces. In order to compare both passive and active use of the electro-dry-adhesives, shear adhesion bond strength is measured and compared with voltage potentials from 0 kV up to 3 kV applied across the electrodes with up to a 2.56 times increase in shear adhesion bond strength. The increase in shear adhesion bond strength due to the generation of an induced electrostatic attractive force is compared to the theoretical maximum shear adhesion bond strength at each of the voltages applied.
The insertion-deletion polymorphism of the ACE gene is associated with increased blood pressure in women at the end of pregnancy
Authors: Reshetnikov Evgeny A , Akulova Ludmila Y , Dobrodomova Irina S , Dvornyk Volodymyr Y , Polonikov Alexey V , Churnosov Mikhail I
Published: October 2013

Introduction:

Malfunctioning of the cardiovascular system during pregnancy may be responsible for adverse effects on the ‘mother-fetus’ system. The cardiovascular system of a pregnant woman develops adaptation to the increased load. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is known to play an important role in the adaptation. The present study was designed to investigate whether the insertion-deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the ACE gene is associated with the level of arterial blood pressure in women before and during pregnancy.

Materials and methods:

The level of blood pressure was measured in 591 Russian women (Central Russia) before and during (37–40 weeks term) pregnancy. The women were divided into three groups which were hypertensive, hypotensive, and normotensive according to blood pressure level. Genotyping of the ACE I/D polymorphism was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism assay.

Results:

Women with genotype DD showed the highest blood pressure level both during and at the end of pregnancy ( p<0.05). The highest frequencies of allele D and genotype DD were found in pregnant women in the hypertensive group.

Conclusions:

The deletion variant of the ACE gene is associated with high blood pressure level at the end of pregnancy.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism associated with allergic rhinitis susceptibility: Evidence from 1410 subjects
Authors: Lin Hai , Lin Dong , Zheng Chun-Quan
Published: October 2013

Background and objective:

Whether the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene increases susceptibility to allergic rhinitis (AR) is still undetermined. Therefore, this meta-analysis was performed to systematically assess the possible association between them.

Methods:

The OVID, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Wangfang databases were searched to identify the eligible studies focusing on the association between ACE I/D polymorphism and susceptibility to AR.

Results:

A total of 1410 subjects from six studies were subjected to meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, ACE I/D polymorphism had a statistically significant association with increased AR risk under all genetic models ( p<0.05). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant elevated AR risks were associated with ACE I/D polymorphism in Asians under all genetic models ( p<0.05) and in Caucasians under under allele contrast, homozygous comparison and recessive models ( p<0.05). In the subgroup analysis by age, ACE I/D polymorphism was associated with significant elevated risks of AR in adults ( p<0.05) but not in children ( p>0.05) under all genetic models.

Conclusions:

The ACE I/D polymorphism may be a risk factor for AR and studies with large sample size and representative population are warranted to verify this finding.
The Ideological Inception of Intertextuality and its Dissonance in Current Biblical Studies
Authors: Yoon David I.
Published: October 2013

Much confusion surrounds the term ‘intertextuality’, especially regarding its usage in biblical studies today. Though the origin of the technical usage of the term is casually noted by many authors, few seem to note its implications. This essay will retrace the postmodern origins of ‘intertextuality’, namely in Julia Kristeva, and show that its usage in biblical studies today is dissonant to its original intent. In the second part of this essay, I will focus on the work of Richard Hays, who is commonly understood to have first applied the term in biblical studies, in relation to the presence of the Old Testament in the New Testament. After my analysis, I propose an alternative that I consider to be a clearer option, so as not to confuse the current usage of the term with its original intent.
A Survey of Research on Lamentations (2002–2012)
Authors: Thomas Heath A.
Published: October 2013

The biblical book of Lamentations has received extensive scholarly attention in the past decade, research that moves beyond traditional historical-critical approaches. Although these traditional approaches have by no means been abandoned, new trends are nevertheless emerging. This article will survey the diverse field of research on Lamentations with particular focus given to feminist, psychological, theological, ecological, post-colonial and reception-historical approaches to Lamentations. The essay will, however, begin by presenting the rich work done on historical treatments of the book, as well as discussing the text and versions of Lamentations.
Reducing the Risk of HIV/AIDS in African American College Students
Authors: Calloway Denyce S. , Long-White Deneen N. , Corbin Dennis E.
Published: October 2013

This study explores the impact of a peer-led HIV intervention, based on the health belief model and social cognitive theory of behavior change, on a sample of African American college students. Certified peer educators were trained by the researcher to implement the four-module HIV prevention intervention. Pre-/postassessments revealed that after the intervention, students were less embarrassed to put a condom on themselves or on their partner, were more likely to use a condom, and ask their sex partner if they had ever been tested for HIV. It was concluded that peer education, which focuses on susceptibility, severity, benefits, self-efficacy (components of the health belief model), skill building, and peer influence (social cognitive theory) is an effective strategy in reducing HIV risk behaviors among African American college students.
Practical Health Promotion
Authors: Hou Su-I
Published: October 2013

Practical Health Promotion provides practical tips and steps equipping new health promotion students and practitioners with skills and competencies needed to be effective and successful in the field. The “health promotion through the life course” perspective enhances the depth and relevancy for health promotion needs assessment and tailored intervention development. Key health promotion strategies and methods with practical guides including one-to-one communication, health promotion with groups, and using mass media, print media, electronic media, and advocacy are discussed in the text. The discussion of settings in health promotion provides real-world case examples to assist understanding of concepts. Moreover, the authors provide a variety of practical tools for readers to employ immediately. Throughout the textbook, the authors suggested reflective and useful activities to further deepen learning. This text is an important contribution to advancing the practice of health promotion. Public health professionals, practitioners, students, and anyone interested in making positive changes in their community, facility, workplace, school, or institution are provided practical tips to promote healthy environment and health of the clients they serve.
Adventures in the Public Secret Sphere
Authors: Bratich Jack Z.
Published: October 2013

What are the contours of the contemporary public secret sphere? Some key manifestations can be found in the hybrids of network and sovereign power shaped by communications warfare. This article examines recent entanglements of social media and political dissent, specifically those sovereign networks designed to foment and prevent youth-oriented social movements. Using a number of recent examples (including the U.S. State Department organized Alliance of Youth Movements, the 2011 uprisings in Egypt, Kony 2012, U.S. police research conferences, and Anonymous), it argues that we are witnessing a convergence of sovereign and network powers, one that expresses new modes of control while setting the conditions for new forms of evaluation and antagonism. Finally, the article asks, how do we distinguish among these hybrids, between public secrecy and popular secrecy, among entangled secret networks?
Necessity of Urban Transformation in Introverted Historic Textures
Authors: Nazemi Pourya
Published: October 2013

The historic center of Yazd consists of courtyard houses in which the main facades have been formed around the private inner courtyard. By spreading waves of Modernism, an evident contrast emerged between the historic core and the new areas; therefore, the inner city became an isolated-inactive part that was unable to adapt itself with the new urban life. Pursuing an analytic-suggestive method, this article aims to explore how a courtyard-based tissue can be synchronized with the new lifestyle. Considering the theoretical bases in regard to conservation–modernization of historic contexts, this article investigates the spatial transformation of the introverted frozen frameworks. It discusses how instead of the present restrictive conservation policies the introverted Islamic neighborhoods could be modernized. In this regard, the present rules and codes related to the historic areas are critically verified. Moreover, by analyzing the physical remodeling realized in the recent interventions, the article represents controversial proposals to connect the isolated private courtyards to the streets network. The article concludes that regulations and policies should be devised to ensure conserving the courtyard-based pattern as well as redevelopment of introverted neighborhoods. By formulating policies and appropriating the codes in regard to relationship between closed and open spaces and also utilization of new technologies, both the conservation and innovation objectives could be achieved in the framework of a balanced view.
From Farm to Nuisance
Authors: Brinkley Catherine , Vitiello Domenic
Published: October 2013

Municipal ordinances to remove farm animals from city limits played a central part in defining city planning’s role in urban ecosystems, economies, and public health. This article examines the regulation of animal agriculture since the eighteenth century in four cities: Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. Across the nineteenth century, municipal ordinances to remove farm animals from city limits set the tone for the planning profession, aligning it with the field of public health in creating a hygienic city. In the efforts to untangle animal agriculture from waste management, public space, and urban food supply, urban authorities employed some of the first land-use regulations in the United States, shaping new planning powers. Ordinances banning slaughterhouses, piggeries, and dairies culminated with zoning as planning became a profession. These regulations ultimately allowed planners to transform cities and their food environments by dismantling a system in which animals and their caretakers among the urban poor had played integral parts in food production, processing, and municipal waste management. Unpacking the objectives, debates, and impacts of these early regulations reveals enduring tensions and challenges as planners today seek to reweave animal agriculture into cities.
Ifosfamide Chemotherapy and Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus
Authors: Taupin Daniel , Racela Rikki , Friedman Daniel
Published: October 2013

We present a patient with peritoneal carcinosarcoma who was treated with the alkylating agent ifosfamide and experienced a rapid decline in mental status. Electroencephalogram (EEG) displayed generalized periodic epileptiform discharges, which raised suspicion for nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE). Following administration of midazolam, the patient’s clinical condition and EEG improved. We review the 8 documented cases of ifosfamide-induced NCSE, and demonstrate the similarity in clinical features when compared with ifosfamide neurotoxicity that is not classified as NCSE. EEG findings suggesting an ictal pattern are subtle and heterogeneous, but they are essential for a diagnosis. Since it is unlikely that EEGs are uniformly obtained in instances of ifosfamide neurotoxicity, many cases of NCSE may go unrecognized.
Automatic Prebent Customized Prosthesis for Pectus Excavatum Minimally Invasive Surgery Correction
Authors: Vilaça João L. , Rodrigues Pedro L. , Soares Tony R. , Fonseca Jaime C. , Pinho António CM , Henriques-Coelho Tiago , Correia-Pinto Jorge
Published: October 2013

Pectus excavatum is the most common deformity of the thorax. A minimally invasive surgical correction is commonly carried out to remodel the anterior chest wall by using an intrathoracic convex prosthesis in the substernal position. The process of prosthesis modeling and bending still remains an area of improvement. The authors developed a new system, i3DExcavatum, which can automatically model and bend the bar preoperatively based on a thoracic CT scan. This article presents a comparison between automatic and manual bending. The i3DExcavatum was used to personalize prostheses for 41 patients who underwent pectus excavatum surgical correction between 2007 and 2012. Regarding the anatomical variations, the soft-tissue thicknesses external to the ribs show that both symmetric and asymmetric patients always have asymmetric variations, by comparing the patients’ sides. It highlighted that the prosthesis bar should be modeled according to each patient’s rib positions and dimensions. The average differences between the skin and costal line curvature lengths were 84 ± 4 mm and 96 ± 11 mm, for male and female patients, respectively. On the other hand, the i3DExcavatum ensured a smooth curvature of the surgical prosthesis and was capable of predicting and simulating a virtual shape and size of the bar for asymmetric and symmetric patients. In conclusion, the i3DExcavatum allows preoperative personalization according to the thoracic morphology of each patient. It reduces surgery time and minimizes the margin error introduced by the manually bent bar, which only uses a template that copies the chest wall curvature.
cis-Resveratrol produces anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting canonical and non-canonical inflammasomes in macrophages
Authors: Huang Tsung-Teng , Lai Hsin-Chih , Chen Young-Bin , Chen Lih-Geeng , Wu Yi-Hui , Ko Yun-Fei , Lu Chia-Chen , Chang Chih-Jung , Wu Cheng-Yeu , Martel Jan , Ojcius David M , Chong Kowit-Yu , Young John D
Published: October 2013

Resveratrol, a natural phenolic compound found in red grapes and wine, exists as cis and trans isomers. Recent studies have shown that trans-resveratrol possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-tumor and immunomodulatory properties. However, it remains unclear whether cis-resveratrol may exhibit similar activities. The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of cis- and trans-resveratrol on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators in human macrophages. We examined the possibility that cis- and trans-resveratrol may affect cytokine secretion by modulating inflammasomes, intracellular multi-protein complexes, the assembly of which leads to caspase-1 activation and secretion of active IL-1β by macrophages. Our results show that pre-treatment of macrophages with cis-resveratrol not only reduces pro-IL-1β production and IL-1β secretion, but also suppresses ATP-induced transcription and activation of caspase-1 and caspase-4. Notably, cis-resveratrol inhibits the expression of the purinergic receptor, P2X7R, and the endoplasmic reticulum stress marker, Glc-regulated protein 78, but also reduces reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, cis-resveratrol attenuates cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostaglandin E2 production. cis-Resveratrol also decreases the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and expression of the c-Jun protein. These results indicate that cis-resveratrol produces anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting both the canonical and non-canonical inflammasomes, and associated pathways in human macrophages.
Assessment and management of chronic pelvic pain
Authors: Humphries Anna , Pugh Rebecca
Published: October 2013

Chronic pelvic pain is a very common symptom and a frequent reason for women to consult a GP. Aetiology and therefore appropriate management can be difficult to ascertain, particularly as the cause of pain is often multi-factorial. It is therefore essential that GPs can conduct a structured consultation, and know how to examine and investigate women presenting with chronic pelvic pain.
Toward a New Understanding of Virtual Research Collaborations
Authors: Aydinoglu Arsev Umur
Published: October 2013

Virtual research collaborations (VRCs) have become an important method of conducting scientific activity; however, they are often regarded and treated as traditional scientific collaborations. Their success is measured by scholarly productivity and adherence to budget by funding agencies, participating scientists, and scholars. VRCs operate in complex environments interacting with other complex systems. A holistic (or organicist) approach is needed to make sense of this complexity. For that purpose, this study proposes using a new perspective, namely, the complex adaptive systems theory that can provide a better understanding of a VRC’s potential creativity, adaptability, resilience, and probable success. The key concepts of complex systems (diversity, interaction, interdependency, feedback, emergence, and adaptation) utilized in organization studies are used to discuss the behaviors of VRCs, illustrated with real-life examples.
Acclimating to the High-Octane College Food Environment
Authors: Webb Jennifer B. , Hardin Abigail S. , Schoenefeld Suzanne J. , Fiery Mallory F. , Chou Ying-Yi
Published: October 2013

To evaluate the association between weight gain and psychological dimensions of appetite, a sample of 83 ethnically diverse first-year undergraduate females had body mass index (BMI) assessed and completed self-report measures of hedonic hunger, mindfulness, and intuitive eating. Positive associations between mindfulness and intuitive eating and negative links between intuitive eating and hedonic hunger and BMI were observed over time. BMI gainers experienced a significant decline in intuitive eating across the first college semester. No significant between-group effects for mindfulness or hedonic hunger were detected. Preliminary results suggest that changes in internally derived appetite- and consumption-regulating processes may underlie weight gain during the first-year college transition. Implications for optimizing college health promotion efforts for young women at this developmental juncture are discussed.