bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Obesity on the Level of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Children with Asthma
Authors: Erkoçoğlu Mustafa , Kaya Ayşenur , Özcan Celal , Akan Ayşegül , Vezir Emine , Azkur Dilek , Kara Özlem , Demirel Fatma , Ginis Tayfur , Civelek Ersoy , Kocabaş Can Naci
Published: July 2013

Background: Several studies have demonstrated a relationship between asthma and obesity. However, the results have been conflicting with regard to the relationship between fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), used as a marker of airway inflammation in asthmatic patients, and obesity. We aimed to evaluate the association of FeNO with obesity and obesity-related metabolic complications in asthmatic and nonasthmatic children. Methods: The study population included children aged between 6 and 17 years and consisted of 4 groups: obese asthmatics (n = 52), normal-weight asthmatics (n = 49), obese nonasthmatics (n = 51) and normal-weight nonasthmatics (n = 42). FeNO measurement and spirometry were performed for all patients. To evaluate the metabolic complications, serum lipids, glucose and insulin levels were measured. Insulin resistance (IR) was estimated by the homeostasis model assessment, HOMA-IR. All participants were evaluated for the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS). Results: The mean age for the 194 subjects participating in the study was 11.6 ± 2.5 years. The FeNO level of asthma patients with MS was not different from those without MS (14.5 ± 8.0 and 16.7 ± 8.7, respectively, p = 0.449). In the nonasthmatic group, subjects with MS had a higher FeNO level than subjects without MS (12.5 ± 5.1 and 17.3 ± 8.3, respectively, p = 0.014). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients revealed a positive correlation between FeNO and body mass index (BMI; p = 0.049, r2: 0.204) in the nonasthmatic group and after multivariate regression analysis, BMI still persisted as an independent risk factor for FeNO. Conclusion: We found a positive correlation between BMI and FeNO level which suggests a link between obesity and increased airway inflammation in nonasthmatic children.
Dual Diagnosis Screening Interview to Identify Psychiatric Comorbidity in Substance Users: Development and Validation of a Brief Instrument
Authors: Mestre-Pintó Joan Ignasi , Domingo-Salvany Antònia , Martín-Santos Rocío , Torrens Marta ,   The PsyCoBarcelona Group (see Appendix)
Published: July 2013

Aim: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a brief tool, the Dual Diagnosis Screening Instrument (DDSI), to screen psychiatric disorders in substance users in treatment and nontreatment-seeking samples. Methods: A total of 827 substance users (66.5% male, mean age 28.6 ± 9.9 years) recruited in treatment (in- and outpatient) and nontreatment (substance user volunteers in university research studies) settings were assessed by trained interviewers using the DDSI and the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM) as the criterion standard. Both instruments were administered blind to the results of the other. Disorders obtained with the DDSI were compared to lifetime diagnoses obtained with the PRISM. Sensitivity, specificity, negative, and positive predictive values were estimated. Also test-retest reliability of the DDSI was assessed. Results: The DDSI showed a high sensitivity (=80%) for identifying lifetime depression, mania, psychosis, panic, social phobia, and specific phobia disorders. Specificity was =82% for those diagnoses. Test-retest κ showed excellent agreement (range 81-95%). The mean duration of the DDSI administration was 16.8 ± 2.5 min. Conclusion: The DDSI is a valid and easy-to-administer screening tool to detect possible psychiatric comorbidity among substance users.
A Case of Mite-Ingestion-Associated Exercise- Induced Anaphylaxis Mimicking Wheat-Dependent Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis
Authors: Adachi Yoko S. , Itazawa Toshiko , Okabe Yoshie , Higuchi Osamu , Ito Yasunori , Adachi Yuichi
Published: July 2013

We present a case of mite-ingestion-associated exercise-induced anaphylaxis mimicking wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). A 17-year-old boy was referred for an episode of anaphylaxis while jogging, 1.5 h after having eaten okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake). Laboratory measures revealed a slightly elevated specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody against omega-5 gliadin (0.41 kUA/l) and a marked elevation of specific IgE antibody against house-dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae (142 kUA/l). A detailed interview revealed that, in spite of the referring doctor's advice to discontinue postprandial exercises, he continued his jogging routine after consuming foods containing wheat and also that his younger brother, who had mild intermittent asthma, had suffered a mild asthma attack 2 h after eating the same food. We therefore examined the okonimiyaki mix, which had been stored for several months after opening the package until this episode, under a microscope, and we found an abundant number of live mites, D. farinae. Finally, a diagnosis of mite-ingestion-associated exercise-induced anaphylaxis was made. This clinical entity should be excluded when making a diagnosis of WDEIA.
Role of Glia in the Regulation of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neuronal Activity and Secretion
Authors: Sharif Ariane , Baroncini Marc , Prevot Vincent
Published: July 2013

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the final common pathway for the central control of reproduction. The coordinated and timely activation of these hypothalamic neurons, which determines sexual development and adult reproductive function, lies under the tight control of a complex array of excitatory and inhibitory transsynaptic inputs. In addition, research conducted over the past 20 years has unveiled the major contribution of glial cells to the control of GnRH neurons. Glia use a variety of molecular and cellular strategies to modulate GnRH neuronal function both at the level of their cell bodies and at their nerve terminals. These mechanisms include the secretion of bioactive molecules that exert paracrine effects on GnRH neurons, juxtacrine interactions between glial cells and GnRH neurons via adhesive molecules and the morphological plasticity of the glial coverage of GnRH neurons. It now appears that glial cells are integral components, along with upstream neuronal networks, of the central control of GnRH neuronal function. This review attempts to summarize our current knowledge of the mechanisms used by glial cells to control GnRH neuronal activity and secretion.
Viral Hepatitis C Gets Personal - The Value of Human Genomics to Public Health
Authors: Zhang L. , Gwinn M. , Hu D.J.
Published: July 2013

About 180 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with 3-4 million newly infected each year. Only 15-25% of acute HCV infections clear spontaneously, and the remainder persists as chronic HCV infection. More than 350,000 people die every year from hepatitis C-related liver failure and cancer. There is currently no vaccine and the standard-of-care therapies - peg-interferon alpha (pegIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) - are expensive and have serious side effects. Also, they may be effective in only 40-50% of patients infected with HCV genotype 1, the most common HCV genotype in the US. Interleukin 28B (IL28B) genotype was recently and convincingly associated with response to pegIFN and RBV therapy. It has emerged as a robust pretreatment predictor of sustained virological response (SVR, i.e. virologic clearance) to pegIFN and RBV as well as to new triple therapy regimens that include a direct-acting antiviral agent with pegIFN and RBV and increase SVR rates as much as 75% in patients infected with HCV genotype 1. Testing for IL28B genotype may contribute to clinical decision-making and could inform clinical guidelines and public health policies.
Requirement of Apoptosis-Inducing Kinase 1 for the Induction of Bronchial Asthma following Stimulation with Ovalbumin
Authors: Takada Eiko , Furuhata Masae , Nakae Susumu , Ichijo Hidenori , Sudo Katsuko , Mizuguchi Junichiro
Published: July 2013

Background: Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway. Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase family, is activated by environmental stress and plays a crucial role in the induction of apoptosis and inflammation. To examine whether ASK1 is involved in the induction of bronchial asthma, we investigated the role of ASK1 using a genetic approach in the production of cytokines, as well as the development of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and antibody responses using a murine airway inflammation model. Methods: ASK1-deficient (ASK1-/-) and control wild-type (WT) mice were immunized with ovalbumin (OVA) without alum intraperitoneally, followed by intranasal administration of OVA. Airway infiltration of inflammatory cells, cytokine production, AHR and antibody production were assayed. The asthmatic phenotype was assessed following intranasal administration of IL-13 or TNF-α. Results: ASK1-/- mice sensitized with OVA displayed an impaired inflammatory cell infiltration into airways and a decreased AHR relative to WT mice. Moreover, the production of OVA-specific IgE antibodies and proasthmatic cytokines (IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α) was substantially reduced in OVA-stimulated ASK1-/- mice. Intranasal administration of IL-13 and OVA enhanced the accumulation of inflammatory cells in OVA-primed ASK1-/- mice. The OVA-induced AHR in response to methacholine was enhanced by IL-13 in WT mice but not ASK1-/- mice. Conclusions: The ASK1 signaling pathway regulates the OVA-induced asthmatic phenotype, specifically AHR sensitivity and cytokine production. Therefore, the ASK1 signaling pathway is a promising target for therapeutic intervention in some asthmatic patients.
Array-CGH Analysis Suggests Genetic Heterogeneity in Rhombencephalosynapsis
Authors: Démurger F. , Pasquier L. , Dubourg C. , Dupé V. , Gicquel I. , Evain C. , Ratié L. , Jaillard S. , Beri M. , Leheup B. , Lespinasse J. , Martin-Coignard D. , Mercier S. , Quelin C. , Loget P. , Marcorelles P. , Laquerrière A. , Bendavid C. , Odent S. , David V.
Published: July 2013

Rhombencephalosynapsis is an uncommon, but increasingly recognized, cerebellar malformation defined as vermian agenesis with fusion of the hemispheres. The embryologic and genetic mechanisms involved are still unknown, and to date, no animal models are available. In the present study, we used Agilent oligonucleotide arrays in a large series of 57 affected patients to detect candidate genes. Four different unbalanced rearrangements were detected: a 16p11.2 deletion, a 14q12q21.2 deletion, an unbalanced translocation t(2p;10q), and a 16p13.11 microdeletion containing 2 candidate genes. These genes were further investigated by sequencing and in situ hybridization. This first microarray screening of a rhombencephalosynapsis series suggests that there may be heterogeneous genetic causes.
Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Inpatient Mortality and Use of Postacute Care After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Jaja Blessing N.R. , Saposnik Gustavo , Nisenbaum Rosane , Schweizer Tom A. , Reddy Deven , Thorpe Kelvin E. , Macdonald R. Loch
Published: July 2013

Background and Purpose—

Studies in the United States and Canada have demonstrated socioeconomic gradients in outcomes of acute life-threatening cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The extent to which these findings are applicable to subarachnoid hemorrhage is uncertain. This study investigated socioeconomic status-related differences in risk of inpatient mortality and use of institutional postacute care after subarachnoid hemorrhage in the United States and Canada.

Methods—

Subarachnoid hemorrhage patient records in the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2005–2010) and the Canadian Discharge Abstract Database (2004–2010) were analyzed separately, and summative results were compared. Both databases are nationally representative and contain relevant sociodemographic, diagnostic, procedural, and administrative information. We determined socioeconomic status on the basis of estimated median household income of residents for patient’s ZIP or postal code. Multinomial logistic regression models were fitted with adjustment for relevant confounding covariates.

Results—

The cohort consisted of 31 631 US patients and 16 531 Canadian patients. Mean age (58 years) and crude inpatient mortality rates (22%) were similar in both countries. A significant income–mortality association was observed among US patients (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.65–0.93), which was absent among Canadian patients (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85–1.12). Neighborhood income status was not significantly associated with use of postacute care in the 2 countries.

Conclusions—

Socioeconomic status is associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage inpatient mortality risk in the United States, but not in Canada, although it does not influence the pattern of use of institutional care among survivors in both countries.
Using Weber’s Rechtssoziologie to Explain Western Punishment: A Typological Framework
Authors: DeMichele Matthew
Published: July 2013

An interdisciplinary comparative-historical framework is proposed to map the relationship between legal institutional differences and the use of incarceration. The oft-cited empirical trend that Western countries cluster on an assortment of social, political, and economic outcomes is incorporated with Weberian sociology of law. Incarceration levels vary, in descending order, as a function of the institutional possibilities within the common, Roman, and Nordic law families. A country’s legal origin supports certain legal institutional frameworks and historical trajectories that are consequential for punishment decisions. The historical record of each legal family demonstrates particular types of legal thinking that foster unique institutional frameworks that are more or less likely to support punitive, bureaucratic, or collective crime control mechanisms.
The Dynamics of Ascent-Forced Orographic Convection in the Tropics: Results from Dominica*
Authors: Minder Justin R. , Smith Ronald B. , Nugent Alison D.
Published: July 2013

The mountainous Caribbean island of Dominica was chosen as a natural laboratory for studying orographic convection in the tropics. Here, the authors focus on a prototypical case study, taken from the Dominica Experiment (DOMEX) field campaign in the spring of 2011. Airborne measurements and high-resolution numerical experiments are used to examine the mesoscale dynamics of moist airflow over Dominica and its relationship to convection, turbulence, and rainfall.

Upwind of the island, there is minimal lateral deflection or lifting of the flow, largely because of latent heat release in the overisland convection. Over the terrain, forced ascent leads to rapid development of moist convection, buoyancy-generated turbulence, and rainfall. Although this convection produces sporadic bursts of heavy rainfall, it does not appear to enhance the time-mean rainfall. Over the lee slopes, a dry plunging flow produces anisotropic shear-generated turbulence and strong low-level winds while quickly dissipating convection and rainfall. In the wake, low-level air is decelerated, both by turbulence in the plunging flow and by frictional drag over the island. Low-level wake air is also dried and warmed, primarily by turbulent vertical mixing and regional descent, both associated with the downslope flow. Rainfall and latent heating play only a secondary role in warming and drying the wake.
The Effects of Imposed Stratospheric Cooling on the Maximum Intensity of Tropical Cyclones in Axisymmetric Radiative–Convective Equilibrium
Authors: Ramsay Hamish A.
Published: July 2013

The effects of stratospheric cooling and sea surface warming on tropical cyclone (TC) potential intensity (PI) are explored using an axisymmetric cloud-resolving model run to radiative–convective equilibrium (RCE). Almost all observationally constrained datasets show that the tropical lower stratosphere has cooled over the past few decades. Such cooling may affect PI by modifying the storm's outflow temperature, which together with the sea surface temperature (SST) determines the thermal efficiency in PI theory. Results show that cooling near and above the model tropopause (∼90 hPa), with fixed SST, increases the PI at a rate of 1 m s−1 per degree of cooling. Most of this trend comes from a large increase in the thermal efficiency component of PI as the stratosphere cools. Sea surface warming (with fixed stratospheric temperature) increases the PI by roughly twice as much per degree, at a rate of about 2 m s−1 K−1. Under increasing SST, most of the PI trend comes from large changes in the air–sea thermodynamic disequilibrium. The predicted outflow temperature shows no trend in response to SST increase; however, the outflow height increases substantially. Under stratospheric cooling, the outflow temperature decreases and at the same rate as the imposed cooling. These results have considerable implications for global PI trends in response to climate change. Tropical oceans have warmed by about 0.15 K decade−1 since the 1970s, but the stratosphere has cooled anywhere from 0.3 to over 1 K decade−1, depending on the dataset. Therefore, global PI trends in recent decades appear to have been driven more by stratospheric cooling than by surface warming.
ANDRIĆISM
Authors: Mahmutćehajić Rusmir
Published: July 2013

Andrić’s fiction is closely identified with Bosnia and often taken for a faithful reflection of that country’s culture, social relations, and tragic history. Rather than reflecting Bosnian pluralism, however, his oeuvre undermines its very metaphysical underpinnings, in part because his works are so firmly rooted in the European experience of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the perspective of a dominant modernity, certain cultures and peoples came to be presented as un-European, Oriental, and essentially foreign. Bosnia, which had always been a religiously plural society, now became one where ideological models excluded its Muslim inhabitants. In line with long-standing European practice, Andrić drew an image of the Bosnian Muslim as Turk and the Turk as Bosnian Muslim, converting the real content of Bosnian society into a plastic material for the ideologues of homogenous societies to use in modelling external and internal enemies that were essentially identical. This process required as its precondition the destruction of that enemy through a process described as the social and cultural liberation of the Christian subject. Over time, this exclusion took on forms now termed genocide. In creating this image, Andrić deployed narrative techniques whose function may fairly be characterized as the aesthetic dissimulation of our ethical responsibilities towards the other and the different. Such elements from his oeuvre have been used in the nationalist ideologies anti-Muslimism serves as a building block. In this paper, certain aspects of the ideological reading and interpretation of Andrić’s oeuvre are presented.
Biochanin-A ameliorates behavioural and neurochemical derangements in cognitive-deficit mice for the betterment of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Biradar SM , Joshi H , Chheda TK
Published: July 2013

Biochanin-A (BCA), a potent phytoconstituent, has been previously used as an antitumour, a dopaminergic neuron protective agent, an antioxidant, an anticholinergic and on other pharmacological activities including neuroprotection. The present study was aimed to evaluate the behavioural and neurochemical evidence of BCA in cognitive-deficit mice in scopolamine challenged and natural aged-induced amnesia models in young and aged mice, respectively. BCA has exhibited decrease in the transfer latency and increase in step through latency significantly ( p < 0.001) in scopolamine-treated and natural aged mice of exteroceptive behavioural models such as elevated plus maze and passive shock avoidance paradigm, respectively. A decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity of whole brain was seen in scopolamine and aged mice with standard piracetam (Pira; p < 0.001) and BCA in dose-dependent manner. The antioxidant property of BCA was proven by increase in GSH ( p < 0.01) and decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level significantly in a scopolamine-challenged and aged mice. The scopolamine-treated mice exhibited significant ( p < 0.01) increase in the content of noradrenalin and dopamine, which is a sign of dementia, and these excess increased neurotransmitters were reversed by BCA 40 mg kg−1 ( p < 0.05), BCA 20 mg kg−1 ( p > 0.05), BCA 10 mg kg−1 ( p < 0.05) and standard Pira ( p < 0.05) when compared with scopolamine group. Furthermore, in histopathology of hippocampus, the Pira and BCA-treated mice were protected from the formation of pyknotic neurons, increases in the viable cells count and decreases in the number of degenerative cells compared with the scopolamine group. Hence, BCA could be potential enough for the betterment of Alzheimer’s disease.
On the door-step of equality: Attitudes toward gay athletes among academy-level footballers
Authors: Magrath Rory , Anderson Eric , Roberts Steven
Published: July 2013

In this semi-structured interview research, we investigate the attitudes of 22 academy-level association football (soccer) players who are potentially on the verge of becoming professional athletes. We find that, as a result of these men belonging to a generation holding inclusive attitudes towards homosexuality, independent of whether they maintain contact with gay men, they are unanimously supportive of gay men coming out on their team. Thus, this research supports a growing body of literature suggesting that teamsport culture is no longer a bastion of homophobia in the UK. Their support includes athletes being unconcerned with sharing rooms with gay players, changing with them in the locker rooms, or relating to them on a social and emotional level. The only apprehension they maintain is that having a gay teammate might somewhat alter homosocial banter, as they would not want to offend that individual.
U.S. Engineering Degrees for Improving South Indian Graduate Students’ Marriage and Dowry Options
Authors: Yakaboski Tamara , Sheridan Robyn Stout , Dade Kristin
Published: July 2013

The article examines improved marriage opportunities as an unexplored motivator for pursuing international education via U.S. graduate engineering degrees and stresses the need to centralize gender in analyzing academic mobility and international education. This interdisciplinary qualitative study explores how South Indian men and women’s experiences with international graduate education migration held gendered consequences for marriage and dowry. The participants show that the pursuit of a U.S. graduate engineering degree impacts a family’s social and financial status by improving student’s marriage options, including love marriages, arranged ones, and dowry. The research has implications for the recruitment and retention of Indian men and women engineers as graduate school migration overlaps with the socially preferred marriage timeline and it encourages policy makers and administrators to consider nontraditional motivators.
The thoughts and feelings held by clinicians about the delivery of a placebo thumb splint in an osteoarthritis rehabilitation trial
Authors: Jones Lucy E , White Peter , Donovan-Hall Maggie , Hislop Kelly , Bouças Sofia B , Adams Jo
Published: July 2013

Background

The use of a placebo thumb base splint in an osteoarthritis trial is novel and may help identify specific and non-specific effects of hand splinting. This study aimed to explore the thoughts and feelings of trial clinicians who would be delivering a placebo splint to understand their perspective and to identify how these feelings may affect them personally, professionally and practically.

Methods

Three senior Occupational Therapists selected from a purposive sample of trial collaborators participated in a focus group interview. Structured questions were used to elicit debate and discussion and three designs of placebo splint developed for this trial were available for consideration. The 60-min audio recorded focus group was transcribed verbatim, validated and underwent thematic analysis.

Results

Four main themes were identified; justification of placebo thumb splint use in this research, anxiety about causing of harm, preconceptions about thumb splint activity, and the practicalities of convincing placebo thumb splint delivery. This last theme was broken down into three sub-themes: anxiety about ‘selling’ the splint, the therapeutic relationship in splint delivery, and training requirements for splint delivery.

Conclusions

Clinicians have anxieties and practical concerns regarding delivering placebo splints in a clinical effectiveness trial for rehabilitation for thumb base osteoarthritis. Tailored support and training throughout all stages of trial delivery is required to ensure their ability to deliver the intervention in a rigorous, unbiased manner.
What drives the ‘August effect’? A observational study of the effect of junior doctor changeover on out of hours work
Authors: Blakey John D , Fearn Andrew , Shaw Dominick E
Published: July 2013

Objective

To investigate whether measurements of junior doctor on-call workload and performance can clarify the mechanisms underlying the increase in morbidity and mortality seen after junior doctor changeover: the ‘August effect’.

Design

Quantitative retrospective observational study of routinely collected data on junior doctor workload.

Setting

Two large teaching hospitals in England.

Participants

Task level data from a wireless out of hours system ( n = 29,885 requests) used by medical staff, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Main outcome measures

Number and type of tasks requested by nurses, time to completion of tasks by junior doctors.

Results

There was no overall change in the number of tasks requested by nurses out of hours around the August changeover (median requests per hour 15 before and 14 after, p = 0.46). However, the number of tasks classified as urgent was greater ( p = 0.016) equating to five more urgent tasks per day. After changeover, doctors took less time to complete tasks overall due to a reduction in time taken for routine tasks (median 74 vs. 66 min; p = 3.9 × 10−9).

Conclusion

This study suggests that the ‘August effect’ is not due to new junior doctors completing tasks more slowly or having a greater workload. Further studies are required to investigate the causes of the increased number of urgent tasks seen, but likely factors are errors, omissions, and poor prioritization. Thus, improved training and quality control has the potential to address this increased duration of unresolved patient risk. The study also highlights the potential of newer technologies to facilitate quantitative study of clinical activity.
Characterization and identification of PARM-1 as a new potential oncogene
Authors: Charfi Cyndia , Levros Louis-Charles , Edouard Elsy , Rassart Eric
Published: July 2013

Background

The Graffi murine retrovirus is a powerful tool to find leukemia associated oncogenes. Using DNA microarrays, we recently identified several genes specifically deregulated in T- and B-leukemias induced by this virus.

Results

In the present study, probsets associated with T-CD8+ leukemias were analyzed and we validated the expression profile of the Parm-1 gene. PARM-1 is a member of the mucin family. We showed that human PARM-1 is an intact secreted protein accumulating predominantly, such as murine PARM-1, at the Golgi and in the early and late endosomes. PARM-1 colocalization with α-tubulin suggests that its trafficking within the cell involves the microtubule cytoskeleton. Also, the protein co-localizes with caveolin-1 which probably mediates its internalization. Transient transfection of both mouse and human Parm-1 cDNAs conferred anchorage- and serum-independent growth and enhanced cell proliferation. Moreover, deletion mutants of human PARM-1 without either extracellular or cytoplasmic portions seem to retain the ability to induce anchorage-independent growth of NIH/3T3 cells. In addition, PARM-1 increases ERK1/2, but more importantly AKT and STAT3 phosphorylation.

Conclusions

Our results strongly suggest the oncogenic potential of PARM-1.
On the phenomenon of large photoluminescence red shift in GaN nanoparticles
Authors: Slimane Ahmed Ben , Najar Adel , Elafandy Rami , San-Román-Alerigi Damián P , Anjum Dalaver , Ng Tien Khee , Ooi Boon S
Published: July 2013

We report on the observation of broad photoluminescence wavelength tunability from n-type gallium nitride nanoparticles (GaN NPs) fabricated using the ultraviolet metal-assisted electroless etching method. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy measurements performed on the nanoparticles revealed large size dispersion ranging from 10 to 100 nm. Nanoparticles with broad tunable emission wavelength from 362 to 440 nm have been achieved by exciting the samples using the excitation power-dependent method. We attribute this large wavelength tunability to the localized potential fluctuations present within the GaN matrix and to vacancy-related surface states. Our results show that GaN NPs fabricated using this technique are promising for tunable-color-temperature white light-emitting diode applications.
T-cell reconstitution during murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (MAIDS) produces neuroinflammation and mortality in animals harboring opportunistic viral brain infection
Authors: Mutnal Manohar B , Schachtele Scott J , Hu Shuxian , Lokensgard James R
Published: July 2013

Background

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) restores inflammatory immune responses in AIDS patients which may unmask previous subclinical infections or paradoxically exacerbate symptoms of opportunistic infections. In resource-poor settings, 25% of patients receiving HAART may develop CNS-related immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). Here we describe a reliable mouse model to study underlying immunopathological mechanisms of CNS-IRIS.

Methods

Utilizing our HSV brain infection model and mice with MAIDS, we investigated the effect of immune reconstitution on MAIDS mice harboring opportunistic viral brain infection. Using multi-color flow cytometry, we quantitatively measured the cellular infiltrate and microglial activation.

Results

Infection with the LP-BM5 retroviral mixture was found to confer susceptibility to herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 brain infection to normally-resistant C57BL/6 mice. Increased susceptibility to brain infection was due to severe immunodeficiency at 8 wks p.i. and a marked increase in programmed death-1 (PD-1) expression on CD4+and CD8+T-cells. Both T-cell loss and opportunistic brain infection were associated with high level PD-1 expression because PD-1-knockout mice infected with LP-BM5 did not exhibit lymphopenia and retained resistance to HSV-1. In addition, HSV-infection of MAIDS mice stimulated peripheral immune cell infiltration into the brain and its ensuing microglial activation. Interestingly, while opportunistic herpes virus brain infection of C57BL/6 MAIDS mice was not itself lethal, when T-cell immunity was reconstituted through adoptive transfer of virus-specific CD3+T-cells, it resulted in significant mortality among recipients. This immune reconstitution-induced mortality was associated with exacerbated neuroinflammation, as determined by MHC class II expression on resident microglia and elevated levels of Th1 cytokines in the brain.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results indicate development of an immune reconstitution disease within the central nervous system (CNS-IRD). Experimental immune reconstitution disease of the CNS using T-cell repopulation of lymphopenic murine hosts harboring opportunistic brain infections may help elucidate neuroimmunoregulatory networks that produce CNS-IRIS in patients initiating HAART.
Too Far Away? The Effect of Distance to Headquarters on Business Establishment Performance
Authors: Kalnins Arturs , Lafontaine Francine
Published: July 2013

In the population of over 1.7 million Texan sales-tax collecting business establishments, we show that greater distance to owner headquarters is associated with shorter establishment longevity. For the lodging industry, where we have revenue data, increases in distance to headquarters due to HQ-moving owners or acquisitions are associated with reductions in revenues per room. We argue that this detrimental distance effect is robust and causal, arising even when we control for the potential endogeneity of HQ distance using instrumental-variable and matched-pair analyses. We interpret this as evidence of monitoring and local information asymmetry problems for distant owners. (JEL D82, G34, L25, R32)
Collusion with Asymmetric Retailers: Evidence from a Gasoline Price-Fixing Case
Authors: Clark Robert , Houde Jean-François
Published: July 2013

We point out a fundamental difficulty of successfully colluding in retail markets with heterogeneous firms, and characterize the mechanism recent gasoline cartels in Canada used to sustain collusion. Heterogeneity in cost and network size necessitates arrangements whereby participants split the market unequally to favor stronger players. We characterize empirically the strategy and transfer mechanism using court documents containing summaries and extracts of conversations between participants. The mechanism implements transfers based on adjustment delays during price changes. We estimate that these delays can translate into substantial transfers and provide examples in which they can substantially reduce deviation frequency. (JEL K21, L12, L71, L81)
A Weighting Analogue to Pair Matching in Propensity Score Analysis
Authors: Li Liang , Greene Tom
Published: July 2013

Propensity score (PS) matching is widely used for studying treatment effects in observational studies. This article proposes the method of matching weights (MWs) as an analog to one-to-one pair matching without replacement on the PS with a caliper. Compared with pair matching, the proposed method offers more efficient estimation, more accurate variance calculation, better balance, and simpler asymptotic analysis. A statistical test for the misspecification of the PS model is proposed for balance checking purposes. An augmented version of the MW estimator is developed that has the double robust property, that is, the estimator is consistent, if either the outcome model or the PS model is correct. The proposed method is studied in simulations and illustrated through a real data example.
Variações da artéria hepática: estudo anatômico em cadáveres
Authors: Sebben Geraldo Alberto , Rocha Sérgio Luiz , Sebben Marco Aurélio , Parussolo Filho Plácido Roberto , Gonçalves Bruno Henrique Habu
Published: July 2013

OBJETIVO: Demonstrar as minúcias do sistema arterial hepático, a incidência das variações anatômicas e comparar os dados obtidos com os da literatura. MÉTODOS: Foram preparados 45 cadáveres do Departamento de Anatomia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, entre julho de 2010 e abril de 2011, sendo aproveitados 30 que possuíam integridade das estruturas. Analisaram-se as variações anatômicas das artérias hepáticas, suas principais características, como origem, trajeto, comprimento e diâmetro. O resultado global foi expresso por frequência e percentual de cadáveres com variações anatômicas do sistema arterial hepático. A estimativa deste percentual foi feita construindo-se um intervalo de confiança de 95%. RESULTADOS: Observou-se algum tipo de variação anatômica em 40% (n=12) dos cadáveres estudados. Encontraram-se variações em duas artérias hepáticas comuns, três artérias gastroduodenais, três artérias hepáticas direita, uma artéria hepática esquerda, uma artéria gástrica direita e duas artérias císticas. Quanto ao tronco celíaco, verificaram-se variações em seu comprimento, diâmetro e altura de sua origem que foi comum na aorta. A variação da artéria hepática direita originando-se da artéria mesentérica superior foi encontrada em 10% (n=3) dos espécimes estudados e foi considerado o tipo de variação mais prevalente neste estudo. CONCLUSÃO: As variações nas artérias hepáticas são encontradas com frequência, e neste estudo foi 40%, valor semelhante ao da literatura. A variação mais significativa, observada em 10% (3 casos), foi a da artéria hepática direita com sua origem na artéria mesentérica superior.
Tratamento não operatório do trauma de baço grave
Authors: Branco Bernardino C. , Tang Andrew L. , Rhee Peter , Fraga Gustavo Pereira , Nascimento Bartolomeu , Rizoli Sandro , O'Keeffe Terence
Published: July 2013

A reunião de revista "Telemedicina baseada em evidências - Cirurgia do Trauma e Emergência" (TBE-CiTE) realizou uma revisão crítica da literatura e selecionou três artigos atuais sobre o tratamento do trauma de baço. O foco foi em lesão de baço grave, definida pela American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) como graus III a V. O primeiro artigo foi uma atualização do protocolo de 2003 da Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) para o tratamento não operatório de trauma do baço. O segundo artigo foi apresentado na plenária de 2012 da AAST avaliando o papel do extravasamento de contraste na tomografia computadorizada em pacientes com lesão grave de baço (AAST IV-V). O último artigo é europeu e investigou o efeito da angioembolização da artéria esplênica na função do baço após lesão esplênica grave (AAST III-V). A reunião de revista TBE-CiTE elaborou conclusões e recomendações para o tratamento de lesão grave do baço.
Práticas pedagógicas e inclusão: a sobrevivência da integração nos processos inclusivos
Authors: Anjos Hildete Pereira dos , Melo Luciana Barbosa de , Silva Kátia Regina da , Rabelo Lucélia C. Cavalcante , Araújo Marcelo Almeida
Published: July 2013

O trabalho apresenta uma análise do processo inclusivo, retomando os conceitos de prática pedagógica e inclusão. Com instrumentais da análise de discurso e da análise de conteúdo, analisa entrevistas com professores de atendimento especializado, professores de sala comum e gestores. Descreve inclusão como um conceito cuja rede de sentidos oscila conforme os interesses em jogo, sendo tanto processo que envolve vários agentes e instâncias e exige participação, quanto idealização, definida a priori e devendo ser incorporada de forma acrítica. Aponta o desconhecimento das especificidades de aprendizagem e dos potenciais dos sujeitos e grupos; a sobrevivência do modelo clínico; os estudos da inclusão como apêndice do processo formativo; certas iniciativas com caráter mais integrativo do que inclusivo. Propõe investir na escola concreta, através de modelos de pesquisa interventivo-participativo, e refazer de outro ângulo as questões já formatadas sobre prática pedagógica inclusiva.
Campo comum de atuação dos profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família no Brasil: um cenário em construção
Authors: Ellery Ana Ecilda Lima , Pontes Ricardo Jose Soares , Loiola Francisco Antonio
Published: July 2013

Este estudo objetiva sistematizar e analisar saberes e práticas que integram o campo comum de atuação das equipes multiprofissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF). Trata-se de estudo qualitativo, com construção das informações através de entrevistas abertas e oficinas de produção de conhecimento, com 23 profissionais da ESF e das residências médica e multiprofissional em Saúde da Família e Comunidade, no período de março a agosto de 2011, no município de Fortaleza. O campo comum é o espaço do compartilhamento, da socialização de práticas e saberes entre os trabalhadores que integram a atenção primária à saúde no Brasil, ou seja, profissionais das equipes da ESF, incluindo o Núcleo de Apoio à Saúde da Família (NASF). É constituído, em grande parte, por acúmulos teórico-práticos da Saúde Coletiva, mas também por outros conhecimentos, como o da clínica e o da reabilitação, e os aportes de setores diversos, como Geografia, Pedagogia e Educação Popular. Os saberes e práticas essenciais do campo comum da ESF foram consolidados em dez grupos. A interface do trabalho dos profissionais é complexa e cada vez mais ampla. Há diversas ações comuns a várias profissões; algumas são complementares; outras estão muito imbricadas. O que vai possibilitar estabelecer um campo comum de atuação interprofissional é o debate democrático da equipe. Esse processo é gradativo, carece de pactuação, não sendo resolvido somente na disputa legal, definindo verticalmente essa interface. Configura-se num campo em permanente construção, à medida que novas categorias profissionais vão sendo incorporadas à ESF, trazendo novos saberes e novas práticas.
Práticas de prevenção do HIV/Aids e modos de subjetivação
Authors: Pinheiro Clara Virgínia de Queiroz , Medeiros Nathassia Matias de
Published: July 2013

Considerando que as políticas públicas de controle e prevenção do HIV/Aids abordam a atividade sexual dos indivíduos a fim de suprimir os comportamentos de risco, infere-se o caráter normativo dessas intervenções, uma vez que questionam as condutas segundo os critérios de saúde, impondo-os como medida da experiência sexual. Pressupõe-se, então, que as estratégias de normatização dos comportamentos sexuais conforme os códigos preventivos envolvem um processo de subjetivação. Tal proposição se baseia nas concepções foucaultianas acerca da experiência moral, que ele distingue em três aspectos: a norma, as ações e a relação de si consigo. O comportamento sexual se tornou objeto das práticas de prevenção do HIV/Aids baseado em um campo de conhecimento médico que problematiza a saúde a partir da relação do organismo com o meio, englobando, assim, os aspectos biopsicossociais. Portanto, é pelo caráter de vulnerabilidade relacionado ao comportamento sexual que os indivíduos são tomados como alvo das políticas de saúde. Trata-se, então, de investigar os fatores de risco relacionados à ocorrência da síndrome na população. Dessa forma, é em referência ao estatuto de vulnerabilidade condicionado ao exercício da sexualidade que o sujeito inscreve em sua relação consigo mesmo a norma de saúde, impondo-se o cumprimento da conduta sexual saudável. Por isso, investiga-se, neste trabalho, a prevalência das normas médicas nas atitudes sexuais dos sujeitos, com base nas relações intrínsecas entre a forma como o indivíduo é objetivado pelos saberes médicos e o processo pelo qual o sujeito posiciona suas ações em observância aos códigos de saúde.
Molecular characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from animal products in a city of Northern Brazil
Authors: Monteiro Lilyan Rosmery Luizaga de , Mesquita Albenones José de , André Maria Cláudia Dantas Porfirio Borges , Cardoso Juliana Lamaro
Published: July 2013

Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen causes listeriosis, a fatal disease in about 30% of cases that affects mainly immunocompromised persons. The aim of this research was to characterize L. monocytogenes pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types isolated from meat products collected at public markets in Araguaina city, TO. Sixty samples of raw ground beef and frescal sausage were analyzed during the second half of 2008. Five out of 30 samples (16.7%) of raw ground beef tested positive for L. monocytogenes, three of which were classified as serotype 1/2b and two as serotype 4b. Among the 30 samples of sausage collected, two strains of L. monocytogenes were isolated (6.7%), one of them belonging to serotype 1/2a and the other belonging to serotype 1/2b. The restriction enzymes used were ApaI and SmaI. Similarities among the strains were determined by Dice coefficient. The macro restriction profile obtained by using SmaI enzyme allowed the distribution of seven strains in two clusters, two pulsotypes and two subtypes. The result indicates that L. monocytogenes isolates, belonging to serotype 4b, 1/2a and 1/2b, are strongly correlated within the same serotype group, and in some cases among different serotypes, suggesting that they have a common source.
Competitividade inter-regional de sistemas de produção de bovinocultura de corte
Authors: Oaigen Ricardo Pedroso , Barcellos Júlio Otávio Jardim , Canozzi Maria Eugênia Andrighetto , Soares Jean Carlos dos Reis , Canellas Leonardo Canali , Alves Carine Oliveira , Tavares Heliton Ribeiro , Costa Fabricio Martins da
Published: July 2013

O trabalho apresenta uma metodologia de avaliação de sistemas de produção através da mensuração da competitividade interna na bovinocultura de corte. Durante o primeiro trimestre de 2010, foram aplicados 65 questionários com pecuaristas, sendo 36 entrevistas na Região Sul (Estado do Rio Grande do Sul) e 29 na Região Norte (Estados do Pará e Rondônia). Foram definidos os principais direcionadores que afetam a competitividade interna - tecnologia, gestão, relações de mercado e ambiente institucional, sendo atribuído um peso específico para cada direcionador, a fim de obter o índice de competitividade. Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente pela teoria de resposta ao item e pela análise de correspondência (ANACOR) com o software SPSS®. A Região Sul apresentou uma maior competitividade que a Região Norte. Independente da região, os fatores críticos de competitividade foram: integração lavoura-pecuária, planejamento estratégico, cálculo de indicadores financeiros, formação de preços, acesso a inovações tecnológicas e organização dos produtores.
Anthropology and cultural heritage
Authors: Velho Gilberto
Published: July 2013

The author argues that anthropology can help define a much broader, richer and culturally more diverse concept of heritage. He advocates for a more democratic and pluralist State policy that takes into account the diversity and complexity of Brazilian society, valuing traditions, symbolic systems and cultural manifestations from all sectors. The preservation of the Terreiro de Candomblé Casa Branca, in Salvador, Bahia, is presented as an example of recognizing the legitimacy of a tradition that was until recently subject to discrimination and persecutions. The author argues that this broadening of the concept of cultural heritage is crucial to the constitution of a Brazilian society that values democracy, human rights, citizenship and its own memory as a nation.
Origin narratives, transformation routes: heritage, knowledge and (a)symmetries on the Uaupés river
Authors: Andrello Geraldo
Published: July 2013

This article begins with a series of discussions on the identification of sacred sites in the locality of Iauaretê, situated on the shores of the middle Uaupés River, between 2004 and 2011, involving the participation of local indigenous leaders and representatives of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN). The work of identifying these sites began with the institute's visit to the region in 2004 and the partnership established with the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (FOIRN) and the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a non-government organization that has provided advice and support to indigenous peoples of the region for two decades. Following an evaluation of the effects of the listing of the Iauaretê Falls as intangible heritage by IPHAN in 2005, as well as the preservation actions implemented subsequently, the article explores some aspects of the new collaborative dynamics between anthropologists and indigenous researchers/intellectuals which the experience brings to the fore, as well as the specific way in which this phenomenon is manifested in the context of the upper Rio Negro.