bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Neural Correlates of Intending Not to Do Something
Authors: Kühn Simone , Gevers Wim , Brass Marcel
Published: January 2009

There has been plenty of research concerning the representation of voluntary action in the human brain. However, the question of how we represent the voluntary omission of an action has been largely neglected. Therefore this study aimed at investigating the representation of intentionally not doing something by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Free-choice nonactions elicit similar evoked potentials as free-choice actions and instructed actions (augmented P2 and attenuated N2), which leads us to assume that the voluntary intention, not the overt nonaction, is the characteristic feature of free-choice nonaction. Beyond that we reveal differences between free-choice nonactions and instructed nonactions that resemble the typical N2 and P3 augmentation usually seen for NoGo trials in Go/NoGo paradigms, with the difference that the free-choice nonaction ERP takes the place of the typical Go ERP.
Odor-Induced Persistent Discharge of Mitral Cells in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb
Authors: Matsumoto Hideyuki , Kashiwadani Hideki , Nagao Hiroshi , Aiba Atsu , Mori Kensaku
Published: January 2009

Short-term retention of sensory information in the form of persistent activity of central neurons plays a key role in transforming a brief sensory stimulation into longer-lasting brain responses. The olfactory system uses this transformation for various functional purposes, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we recorded odor-evoked, single-unit spike responses of mitral and tufted (M/T) cells in the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) under urethane anesthesia and examined the neuronal mechanisms of the persistent discharge (PD) of M/T cells that outlasts the odor stimulus for tens of seconds. The properties of the persistent afterdischarge that occurred after odor stimulation were distinct from those of odor-induced immediate spike responses in terms of the magnitude, odorant specificity, and odorant concentration–response relationship. This suggests that neuronal mechanisms other than prolonged input from olfactory sensory neurons are involved in generating these afterdischarges. Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) is expressed in the dendrites of M/T cells and is thought to participate in intraglomerular interactions among M/T cells. In OBs lacking mGluR1, or treated locally with an mGluR1-selective antagonist, the duration of the odor-induced spike responses was significantly lower than that in control OBs, indicating that mGluR1 within the bulbar neuronal circuits participates in the PD generation. These results suggest that neuronal circuits in the OB can actively prolong the odor-induced spike activity of bulbar output neurons and thus transform a brief odor input into longer-lasting activity in the central olfactory system.
Turner Syndrome 2008
Authors: Bondy Carolyn A.
Published: January 2009

Background: Fetuses with prenatal diagnoses of 45,X Turner syndrome (TS) and abnormal fetal ultrasounds have poor prognoses for survival, but with modern medical management, those that do survive to birth may have good clinical outcomes. Fetuses with incidental diagnoses of mosaicism for 45,X associated with normal ultrasounds have a high survival rate and may have no or only mild features of TS. Current Guidelines: At present, appropriate treatment for girls with TS may include growth-promoting therapy and pubertal induction with the dual aims of optimizing adult height and facilitating psychosocial adjustment. Current recommendations advocate mimicking normal physiology as much as possible, with use of microdose estradiol to initiate puberty. Healthcare providers should play a role in helping girls psychosocially adapt to ovarian failure. We now recognize there is an unacceptably high rate of premature mortality in adults with TS, mainly because of complications from congenital heart disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is recommended to screen for individuals at high risk for serious complications.
Peripheral Precocious Puberty: Causes and Current Management
Authors: Eugster Erica A.
Published: January 2009

Background: Peripheral precocious puberty (PPP) results from sex steroid exposure by a process other than activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. It is much less common than central precocious puberty and may be congenital or acquired. Causes of PPP range from well-characterized genetic mutations to those conditions without a known etiology (idiopathic). Medical evaluation and treatment of affected children is guided by the presenting features and ultimate diagnosis. Conclusions: Carefully executed and collaborative multicenter investigations are essential to expand our knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology, optimal therapy and ultimate outcomes in children with PPP.
Adrenocortical Cancer Treatment
Authors: Patalano A. , Brancato V. , Mantero F.
Published: January 2009

Background: With a reported incidence of 1 to 2 cases per million, adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare disease with poor prognosis. Age distribution shows two peaks: early childhood and between age 40 and 50 years, with females more frequently affected. Sequelae can include Cushing syndrome, virilization and hypertension or local symptoms consistent with abdominal obstruction. Although most cases of ACC are of sporadic origin, they may also occur as part of a congenital or familial disease in which the genetic abnormalities are well established. ACC can also be discovered incidentally in asymptomatic individuals. In sporadic ACC, some molecular modifications are commonly observed (i.e., overexpression of insulin-like growth factor II or vascular endothelial growth factor and somatic mutations of tumor protein 53). When surgical resection of the tumor is impossible or ineffective, chemotherapy with etoposide, doxorubicin and cisplatin plus mitotane or with streptozotocin plus mitotane is frequently used; however, the overall survival rates are disappointing. Conclusions: Hormonal evaluation is essential to diagnose ACC and the prognosis depends on many factors. New treatments, such as insulin-like growth factor I receptor antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and other antiangiogenic compounds, are now being intensively investigated to identify better therapies for this extremely severe malignant neoplasia.
Update on Familial Pituitary Tumors: from Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 to Familial Isolated Pituitary Adenoma
Authors: Daly Adrian F. , Tichomirow Maria A. , Beckers Albert
Published: January 2009

Background: Pituitary adenomas occur in a familial setting in about 5% of all cases and over half of these are due to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) and Carney complex (CNC). Since the late 1990s, we have described non-MEN1/CNC familial pituitary tumors that include all tumor phenotypes and have named this condition ‘familial isolated pituitary adenoma’ (FIPA). Clinical features of FIPA differ from those of sporadic pituitary adenomas in that patients with FIPA are often younger and have larger tumors at diagnosis. About 15% of FIPA patients have mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein gene (AIP), which indicates that FIPA may have a diverse genetic pathophysiology. We review the clinical features of FIPA, the tumor pathologies found in this setting and the genetic/molecular data that have been recently reported. Conclusions: Clinically relevant pituitary adenomas are more common than previously thought and occur in a familial setting in about 5% of cases overall. Therefore, specific questioning regarding family history of pituitary disease should be part of the workup of all patients with pituitary adenomas, not just those with acromegaly. FIPA is a useful clinical framework to study the features of pituitary adenomas that occur in a familial setting since it encompasses all tumor phenotypes and heterogeneous/homogeneous expression among affected family members.
Ghrelin and New Metabolic Frontiers
Authors: van der Lely Aart Jan
Published: January 2009

Background: A growing body of literature has profiled the complex identities and interactions of ghrelin analogues and their known and unknown receptors, which constitute the ghrelin system. In humans, acylated ghrelin (AG) induces a rapid rise in glucose and insulin levels. However, coadministration of unacylated ghrelin (UAG) counteracts this effect. Accumulating data support the existence of a specific receptor for UAG in addition to the corticotropin-releasing factor 2 receptor and the growth hormone secretagogue type 1a receptor. Preclinically, mice that overexpress UAG exhibit decreased body weight, food intake, free fatty acid levels and fat pad mass weight and moderately decreased linear growth. In humans, intravenous infusion of UAG in normal subjects enhances the early insulin response to meals, improves glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity and inhibits lipolysis. Conclusions: AG and UAG play an important regulatory role in metabolism.
Making All the Children Above Average: Ethical and Regulatory Concerns for Pediatricians in Pediatric Enhancement Research
Authors: Berg Jessica W. , Mehlman Maxwell J. , Rubin Daniel B. , Kodish Eric
Published: January 2009

Building on the knowledge generated by the long history of disease-oriented research, the next few decades will witness an explosion of biomedical enhancements to make people faster, stronger, smarter, less forgetful, happier, prettier, and live longer. Growing interest in pediatric enhancements is likely to stimulate the conduct of enhancement research involving children. However, guidelines for the protection of human subjects were developed for investigations of therapeutic modalities. To date, virtually no attention has been paid to whether these rules would be appropriate for investigations to establish the safety and efficacy of technologies intended for enhancement rather than therapeutic uses and, if not, whether ethically acceptable rules could be designed. This article discusses whether the current guidelines for pediatric research provide appropriate protections for pediatric subjects in enhancement research and considers what additional protections might be necessary.
Video Annotation Tools
Authors: Rich Peter J. , Hannafin Michael
Published: January 2009

While video has long been used to capture microteaching episodes, illustrate classroom cases and practices, and to review teaching practices, recent developments in video annotation tools may help to extend and augment teacher self-reflection. Such tools make possible the documentation and support self-analysis using verifiable evidence as well as to examine changes in development over time. Video annotation tools offer the potential to support both the reflection and analysis of one's own teaching with minimal video editing as well as the ability to associate captured video with related student and teaching evidence. In this paper, we compare and contrast emerging video annotation tools and describe their applications to support and potentially transform teacher reflection.
Computational Investigation of Crack Behavior in Friction Stir Welding
Authors: Golestaneh Amirreza F. , Ali Aidy , Voon Wong S. , Mustapha Faizal , Zadeh M.
Published: January 2009

The aim of the present work is to predict the fatigue life of a friction stir welded (FSW) joint in the 2024-T351 aluminum alloy using the finite element method in the framework of Fracture Analysis Code for Two Dimensions (FRANC2D/L). The simulation is conducted using linear elastic fracture mechanics based on Paris' model, and the maximum tensile stress and displacement correlation methods are applied to calculate the crack direction and stress intensity factor, respectively. Several strategies are applied in order to predict the crack propagations through various welded zones regarding the corresponding parameters and Paris constants for each zone. The entire crack growth process is investigated step by step through all of the FSW zones, and the fatigue lifetimes of the FSW joint under various loading conditions are predicted by implementing the same procedure. The numerical results are validated with experimental and analytical work.
Fiscal Policy in American Presidential Elections: A Simulation
Authors: Cuzán Alfred G. , Bundrick Charles M. , Heggen Richard J.
Published: January 2009

In this paper a simulation technique borrowed from civil engineering is applied to American presidential elections to explore the key relationship between federal spending and incumbent reelection, represented by the fiscal model. On the one hand, as Machiavelli would have understood, an expansionary fiscal policy militates against incumbent reelection but a cutback policy facilitates it. That is the `demand' side of the model. There is also a `supply' side: the longer the incumbents have occupied the White House, the more likely they are to implement fiscal expansion. We simulated 1,000 elections under conditions that replicated the values of the predictor variables of the fiscal model over the 1880—2004 and 1932—2004 periods of American history. The latter period deserves attention in its own right, because starting with the 1932 election, the federal share of gross domestic product broke out of the 2—3% range for the first time since World War One. This marked a qualitative change in the role of government in the United States of America. The simulated series allow patterns that are weakly detected in the historical data to emerge more clearly for observation and analysis. The results of the simulations not only confirm the empirical findings from the historical data, but suggest that the American political system is stable, maintaining alternation between political parties in the White House, a characteristic of democracies, and keeping fiscal policy within bounds of what the majority of the voters will support.
Geometry Condition for Optimal Two-strand Yarn Spinning Part I: Sirospun
Authors: Zhang Li-Na , He Ji-Huan
Published: January 2009

A geometry condition for optimal two-strand yarn spinning was obtained. The results showed that by choosing suitable geometry parameters, the spinning process could be optimally matched.
Elucidating the Design and Impact Properties of Composite Nonwoven Fabrics with Various Filaments in Bulletproof Vest Cushion Layer
Authors: Lin Chia-Chang , Lin Chin-Mei , Huang Chao-Chiung , Lou Ching-Wen , Meng Hsien-Hui , Hsu Chan-Hung , Lin Jia-Horng
Published: January 2009

Nonwoven materials have been used in ballistic protection applications because they offer the advantages of light and flexible fabrics. This study examined the ballistic protection efficacy of a nonwoven structure with high tenacity polyamide staple fiber as its main component. The nonwoven structure was reinforced with low-melt polyester fiber. High tenacity filaments were laid between two layers of polyamide webs and bonded via needle punching. The impact-resistant properties were assessed using dropped weight and bullet-shooting impact tests. The results of the dropped weight-impact test were used to examine the optimum processing conditions for composite nonwoven fabrics. Furthermore, the results of the bullet-shooting test were used to examine the ballistic protection performance of composite nonwoven fabrics. The experiment's results demonstrated that the cushion structure of composite nonwoven fabric could reduce non-penetration damage and increase the ballistic-resistant properties of bullet-resistant vest.
Carbonized and Activated Non-woven as High Performance Acoustic Materials: Part II Noise Insulation
Authors: Chen Y. , Jiang N.
Published: January 2009

Noise can be reduced by sound barrier materials, and transmission loss (TL) measurements are used to determine the insulation performance of sound barriers. In this paper, TL of the non-woven composites with two surface layers and three base layers was measured and analyzed using Brüel and Kjær impedance tubes and Pulse software. The results show that non-woven composites with activated carbon fiber (ACF) non-woven as a surface layer had significantly higher values of average TL than glass fiber-surfaced composites in both the low frequency range (100—1600 Hz) and the high frequency range (1600—6400 Hz). Regarding the sound barrier performance, base non-wovens made of cotton and ramie were better than polypropylene-based non-wovens in the whole frequency range, while at the low frequencies, especially below 600 Hz, glass fiber-surfaced non-woven was better than ACF-surfaced non-woven. The composite with cotton non-woven as a base and ACF as a surface exhibited the highest average TL value of 8.56 dB and the lowest mass per unit area of 106 g/m2.
Year‐long Changes in Protein Metabolism in Elderly Men and Women Supplemented With a Nutrition Cocktail of β‐Hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate (HMB), L‐Arginine, and L‐Lysine
Authors: Baier Shawn , Johannsen Darcy , Abumrad Naji , Rathmacher John A. , Nissen Steven , Flakoll Paul
Published: January 2009

Background: A major contributing factor to the loss of mobility in elderly people is the gradual and continuous loss of lean body mass. Objectives: To determine whether supplementation of an amino acid cocktail daily for 1 year could improve the age‐associated changes in protein turnover and lean body mass in elderly people. Design: Elderly (76± 1.6 years) women (n = 39) and men (n = 38) were recruited for a double‐blinded controlled study. Study participants were randomly assigned to either an isonitrogenous control‐supplement (n = 37) or a treatment‐supplement (HMB/Arg/Lys) consisting of β‐hydroxy‐β‐methylbutyrate, L‐arginine, and L‐lysine (n = 40) for the 1‐year study. Lean tissue mass was measured using both bioelectrical‐impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA). Rates of whole‐body protein turnover were estimated using primed/intermittent oral doses of 15N‐glycine. Results: In subjects taking the HMB/Arg/Lys supplement, lean tissue increased over the year of study while in the control group, lean tissue did not change. Compared with control, HMB/Arg/Lys increased body cell mass (BIA) by 1.6% (P = .002) and lean mass (DXA) by 1.2% (P = .05). The rates of protein turnover were significantly increased 8% and 12% in the HMB/Arg/Lys‐supplemented group while rates of protein turnover decreased 11% and 9% in the control‐supplemented subjects (P < .01), at 3 and 12 months, respectively. Conclusions: Consumption of a simple amino acid‐related cocktail increased protein turnover and lean tissue in elderly individuals in a year‐long study.
Lennox Lewis and Black Atlantic Politics
Authors: McNeil Daniel
Published: January 2009

Very little has been written about Lennox Lewis, an athlete who won the Olympic gold medal for Canada in 1988 but who was widely hailed as Britain's boxing savior when he unified various world titles in 1999. This article begins to address some of the gaps in our knowledge by placing Lewis alongside intellectual debates arising from Paul Gilroy's work on a Black Atlantic. It argues that some of the major themes of Gilroy's work—nationalism, double (or poly) consciousness, Americocentricity, and Black masculinity—are extremely useful tools for us to plot Lewis's career and to contend that a brief description of his career reminds us of the Canadian gaps in Gilroy's attempt to chart Black identities that are not just African, American, British, or Caribbean.
The Role of Gender Identities and Stereotype Salience With the Academic Performance of Male and Female College Athletes
Authors: Harrison C. Keith , Stone Jeff , Shapiro Jenessa , Yee Sharon , Boyd Jean A. , Rullan Vashti
Published: January 2009

An experiment was conducted to examine factors that moderate the experience of academic identity threat among college athletes who represent a stigmatized group on most college campuses (Yopyk & Prentice, 2005). It was hypothesized that because they are more engaged in academics, female college athletes would be especially threatened by the prospect of confirming the “dumb-jock” stereotype. As predicted, female college athletes performed more poorly when their athletic and academic identities were explicitly linked, but only on moderately difficult test items. The results also revealed that male college athletes performed significantly better (see stereotype reactance and self-affirmation) on more difficult test items when only their athletic identity was primed prior to the test. This is an important finding as there is little research on the impact of positive stereotypes on performance. The discussion focuses on the different motivational processes (i.e. self-affirmation) that impact the academic performance of male and female college athletes when aspects of their campus identity are primed within a classroom context.
Temporal dynamics of late second language acquisition: evidence from event-related brain potentials
Authors: Steinhauer Karsten , White Erin J. , Drury John E.
Published: January 2009

The ways in which age of acquisition (AoA) may affect (morpho)syntax in second language acquisition (SLA) are discussed. We suggest that event-related brain potentials (ERPs) provide an appropriate online measure to test some such effects. ERP findings of the past decade are reviewed with a focus on recent and ongoing research. It is concluded that, in contrast to previous suggestions, there is little evidence for a strict critical period in the domain of late acquired second language (L2) morphosyntax. As illustrated by data from our lab and others, proficiency rather than AoA seems to predict brain activity patterns in L2 processing, including native-like activity at very high levels of proficiency. Further, a strict distinction between linguistic structures that late L2 learners can vs. cannot learn to process in a native-like manner (Clahsen and Felser, 2006a; 2006b) may not be warranted. Instead, morphosyntactic real-time processing in general seems to undergo dramatic, but systematic, changes with increasing proficiency levels. We describe the general dynamics of these changes (and the corresponding ERP components) and discuss how ERP research can advance our current understanding of SLA in general.
The influence of lexical familiarity on ERP responses during sentence comprehension in language learners
Authors: Mueller Jutta L.
Published: January 2009

Previous research on event-related potentials (ERPs) on second language processing has revealed a great degree of plasticity in brain mechanisms of adult language learners. Studies with natural and artificial languages show that the N400 as well as the P600 component appear in learners after sufficient training. The present experiment tests if and which ERP components in response to syntactic and thematic processes generalize to unfamiliar lexical material in adult language learners. Learners of a miniature version of Japanese were presented with correct and incorrect sentences, half of which contained an unfamiliar word in the crucial sentence position. Incorrect sentences were either case-marking violations or word category violations. When all words were familiar, case-marking violations elicited a biphasic N400—P600 pattern and word category violations led to an early negativity that was followed by a P600. When the case violation occurred on an unfamiliar noun, only a P600 was seen. Word category violations that involved unknown verbs led to an early negativity and only to a reduced P600. The results suggest a high degree of nativelikeness for the learners during processing of familiar sentences. Unfamiliar words seem to entail additional processing costs and specifically lead to difficulties in the domain of case processing.
Measuring second language proficiency with EEG synchronization: how functional cortical networks and hemispheric involvement differ as a function of proficiency level in second language speakers
Authors: Reiterer Susanne , Pereda Ernesto , Bhattacharya Joydeep
Published: January 2009

This article examines the question of whether university-based high-level foreign language and linguistic training can influence brain activation and whether different L2 proficiency groups have different brain activation in terms of lateralization and hemispheric involvement. The traditional and prevailing theory of hemispheric involvement in bilingual language processing states that bilingual and second language processing is always at least in some form connected to the right hemisphere (RH), when compared to monolingual first language processing, the classical left-hemispheric language-processing domain. A widely held specification of this traditional theory claims that especially bilinguals or second language learners in their initial phases and/or bilinguals with poor fluency and less experience rely more on RH areas when processing their L2. We investigated this neurolinguistic hypothesis with differently proficient Austrian learners of English as a second language. Two groups of L2 speakers (all Austrian German native speakers), differing in their L2 (English) language performance, were recorded on electroencephalography (EEG) during the processing of spoken English language. A short comprehension interview followed each task. The `high proficiency group' consisted of English language students who were about to complete their master's degree for English language and linguistics, while the `low proficiency group' was composed of non-language students who had only school level performance and less training in English. The age of onset of L2 learning was kept constant: 9 years for both groups. To look for cooperative network activity in the brain, EEG coherence and synchronization measures were analysed for a high EEG frequency range (gamma band). Results showed the most significant group differences in synchronization patterns within the lower gamma frequency range, with more RH involvement (extensive right-hemisphere networks) for the low proficiency group, especially when processing their L2. The results can be interpreted in favour of RH theories of second language processing since, once again, we found evidence of more RH involvement in (late) second language learners with less experience and less training in the L2. The study shows that second language training (and resulting proficiency) and/or differences in ability or state of linguistic alertness can be made visible by brain imaging using newly developed EEG-synchronization techniques as a measure.
An fMRI study of level of proficiency as a predictor of neurocognitive convergence for L1/L2 during a lexicosemantic task in a paediatric population
Authors: Mondt Katrien , Balériaux Danielle , Metens Thierry , Paquier Philippe , Van de Craen Piet , Van den Noort Maurits , Denolin Vincent
Published: January 2009

Studies on bilingualism from a neurocognitive perspective have begun to attract considerable interest recently. Contextual variables — such as age of acquisition, level of proficiency and frequency of use — have been identified as significantly impacting on the convergence or divergence of representations in first language (L1) and second (L2) language acquisition. The neurocognitive effect of bilingualism in paediatric populations, nevertheless, has not been widely investigated. Results from recent bilingual neuroimaging studies of word processing are discussed and compared to results obtained from a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of bilingual primary school children executing a productive lexicosemantic task. Previous studies indicate `level of proficiency' as a determinant of convergence of L1/L2 patterns during lexicosemantic tasks. Our results suggest that level of proficiency may be an inadequate predictor of convergence at least in paediatric populations, and demonstrate early influence of sequential bilingualism on the mother tongue as well.
Clinical evaluation of a non-immersive virtual environment in stroke rehabilitation
Authors: Edmans Judi , Gladman John , Hilton Dave , Walker Marion , Sunderland Alan , Cobb Sue , Pridmore Tony , Thomas Shirley
Published: January 2009

Background and purpose: We describe our attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual environment developed to rehabilitate stroke patients in the task of making a hot drink.

Methods: Single case studies were performed in 13/138 (9%) stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation in a UK stroke unit. Participants in AB/BA (n = 5) and ABA (n = 2) design studies received 5 one-hour sessions of attention control training (A phase) and 5 one-hour sessions of virtual environment training (B phase). An AB design with random duration of A and B phases (minimum duration of A and B phases 3 and 5 days respectively, with total duration of 3 weeks) was used in 6 participants.

Results: Visual inspection of scores across all cases showed a trend towards improvement over time in both real and virtual hot drink making ability in both control and intervention phases. There was no significant difference (Wilcoxon, p > 0.05) in the improvements in real and virtual hot drink making ability during all control and intervention phases in the 13 cases. Ceiling effects limited the evaluation of effectiveness in 5 of the 8 cases in which daily performance measures were used.

Conclusions: Few people in this setting were suitable for this intervention. The case studies showed no evidence of a strong effect of this intervention, but we had great difficulty in performing single case studies. We conclude that more testing and development of this system is required before it is subjected to rigorous testing of clinical effectiveness.
Efficacy of pneumatic compression and low-level laser therapy in the treatment of postmastectomy lymphoedema: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Kozanoglu Erkan , Basaran Sibel , Paydas Semra , Sarpel Tunay
Published: January 2009

Objective: To compare the long-term efficacy of pneumatic compression and low-level laser therapies in the management of postmastectomy lymphoedema.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Cukurova University, Turkey.

Subjects: Forty-seven patients with postmastectomy lymphoedema were enrolled in the study.

Interventions: Patients were randomly allocated to pneumatic compression (group I, n=24) and low-level laser (group II, n=23) groups. Group I received 2 hours of compression therapy and group II received 20 minutes of laser therapy for four weeks. All patients were advised to perform daily limb exercises.

Main measures: Demographic features, difference between sum of the circumferences of affected and unaffected limbs (▵C), pain with visual analogue scale and grip strength were recorded.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 48.3 (10.4) years. ▵C decreased significantly at one, three and six months within both groups, and the decrease was still significant at month 12 only in group II (P = 0.004). Improvement of group II was greater than that of group I post treatment (P = 0.04) and at month 12 after 12 months (P = 0.02). Pain was significantly reduced in group I only at posttreatment evaluation, whereas in group II it was significant post treatment and at follow-up visits. No significant difference was detected in pain scores between the two groups. Grip strength was improved in both groups, but the differences between groups were not significant.

Conclusions: Patients in both groups improved after the interventions. Group II had better long-term results than group I. Low-level laser might be a useful modality in the treatment of postmastectomy lymphoedema.
Mental techniques during manual stretching in spasticity — a pilot randomized controlled trial
Authors: Bovend'Eerdt Thamar JH , Dawes Helen , Sackley Cath , Izadi Hooshang , Wade Derick T
Published: January 2009

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effects of using motor imagery during therapeutic stretching in individuals with spasticity.

Design: Randomized single-blind controlled pilot trial.

Setting: Chronic day care unit, neurological rehabilitation unit and in the community.

Subjects: Eleven individuals with spasticity in the arm requiring stretching as part of their normal routine.

Interventions: In addition to their normal stretching routine, subjects in the experimental group received motor imagery during their stretches (n = 6). The control group received progressive muscle relaxation during their stretches (n = 5). The dose varied between 8 and 56 sessions over eight weeks.

Main measures: Resistance to passive movement, measured with a torque transducer, passive range of movement, measured with an electro-goniometer, Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and level of discomfort during the MAS were assessed at baseline and after eight weeks by an independent assessor. These measures were recorded before and after a stretch intervention on both assessments.

Results: Participants, therapists and carers tolerated the techniques well. Compliance was variable and adherence was good. Mixed ANOVA showed no difference over time and no difference between the motor imagery and progressive muscle relaxation group on the primary and secondary outcome measures (P>0.05).

Conclusions: It is feasible to use motor imagery during therapeutic stretching. Statistical power was low due to the large variability in the population and the small sample size. Post-hoc sample size calculation suggests that future studies of this subject should include at least 54 participants per group. Further research is warranted.
An exploratory cluster randomized controlled trial of group exercise on mobility and depression in care home residents
Authors: Brittle Nicola , Patel Smitaa , Wright Christine , Baral Sabrina , Versfeld Pam , Sackley Catherine
Published: January 2009

Objective: To investigate the feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of group exercise for residents in care homes.

Design: Exploratory cluster randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Five randomly selected care homes in South Birmingham, UK.

Participants: Fifty-six care home residents (mean age 84.5, 71% female), 39 (70%) with cognitive impairments.

Intervention: Two homes (n = 28) were randomized to group exercise held twice weekly for five weeks. The remaining three homes (n = 28) formed the control group and received usual care, with no person specifically responsible for exercise training.

Outcome measures: Assessments were conducted at zero (pre-intervention), three (post-intervention) and six months (follow-up) using the Rivermead Mobility Index and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale or Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire (depending on cognitive impairment). Adherence to group exercise and retention to the study were also documented.

Results: No statistically significant improvements in mobility or depression were found in favour of group exercise. Retention to the study was high with 46 (82%) participants completing all assessments. Adherence to group exercise was somewhat lower with participants attending a mean of 3.61 out of 8.5 prescribed sessions (42.5%).

Conclusions: Group exercise can be delivered to care home residents with reduced mobility but it is not suitable for residents with severe cognitive impairment. An estimated sample size of 240 participants would be required to detect a clinically significant difference in the Rivermead Mobility Index with 90% power.
Short-term effects of aerobic exercise on functional capacity, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with post-polio syndrome
Authors: Oncu Jülide , Durmaz Berrin , Karapolat Hale
Published: January 2009

Objective: To investigate and compare the impact of hospital and home exercise programmes on aerobic capacity, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with post-polio syndrome.

Design: A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital. Subjects: Thirty-two patients were divided into two groups for either hospital- or home-based aerobic exercise programme.

Main outcome measures: Patients were assessed before and after the rehabilitation programme, with respect to functional capacity (pVo2), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale, Fatigue Impact Scale) and quality of life (Nottingham Heath Profile).

Results: After the exercise programme, improvement was observed in the hospital exercise group compared to a pre-exercise period in all Nottingham Heath Profile scores (except sleep scores), pVo2, Fatigue Severity Scale and Fatigue Impact Scale (cognitive, physical, psychosocial, total) (P<0.05). In contrast, in the home exercise group a decrease was observed in pVo2 scores after the rehabilitation programme, compared to a pre-rehabilitation period (P<0.05). In addition, a significant improvement was observed in the home exercise group after the rehabilitation programme in all parameters excluding Fatigue Impact Scale—physical, Fatigue Impact Scale—psychosocial, and Nottingham Heath Profile—sleep (P<0.05). When the two exercise groups were compared, improvement was observed in the hospital exercise group compared to the home exercise group in pVo2 and Fatigue Severity Scale—total, Fatigue Impact Scale—physical, Fatigue Impact Scale—psychosocial, Fatigue Impact Scale—total, and Nottingham Heath Profile—energy scores (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Fatigue and quality of life were both improved in the home and hospital exercise groups. An increase was also found in the functional capacity in the hospital exercise group. A regular exercise programme is beneficial to patients with post-polio syndrome.
The Antieconomy Hypothesis (Part 3)
Authors: Vanderburg Willem H.
Published: January 2009

Parts 1 and 2 explore the hypothesis that the application of mainstream economics has led to economies becoming uneconomic, which is as close as a social science can get to experimentally disproving its theories. One of the primary reasons for this failure is traced to the characteristics of the knowledge infrastructures of contemporary societies, which began to act as the most influential factor of production during the second half of the 20th century. A new economic strategy is developed based on the restructuring of these knowledge infrastructures by means of preventive approaches. These can help to turn growth into development, and wealth extraction into wealth creation. Without this restructuring, the current economic, social, and environmental crises will inevitably deepen and possibly threaten our civilization.
Life of War, Death of the Rest
Authors: Blackmore Tim
Published: January 2009

The Bush Administration's quiet resumption of, or initiation of new, nuclear weapons programs aimed militarizing space, and erecting a missile defense shield that would have the effect of rolling back 19 years of solid détente, has gone largely unnoticed over the last eight years. Weapons makers, government officials and politicians have expressed excitement at these new developments, despite the immediate stress loaded onto relations between the United States and Europe, particularly ex-Soviet satellite countries. This paper revisits arguments about nuclear weaponry and the possibility for defense against and survival of a nuclear war. The paper considers the way new nuclear technologies are inherently determinist, and reflects on the threat of the apocalyptic world as seen in American author Cormac McCarthy's unflinching 2006 novel, The Road.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Evaluation of the Safety of Animal Clones
Authors: Meghani Zahra , de Melo-Martín Inmaculada
Published: January 2009

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced recently that food products derived from some animal clones and their offspring are safe for human consumption. In response to criticism that it had failed to engage with ethical, social, and economic concerns raised by livestock cloning, the FDA argued that addressing normative issues prior to issuing a final ruling on animal cloning is not part of its mission. In this article, the authors reject the FDA's claim that its mission to protect and advance public health can be accomplished without considering ethical issues or without making value judgments. The authors offer two arguments in support of their position. First, the agency's mission statement presupposes significant normative commitments and judgments. Second, the FDA's risk assessment of food products from cloned animals and their offspring is itself clearly shaped by a variety of normative commitments.
Mini-Whegs TM Climbs Steep Surfaces Using Insect-inspired Attachment Mechanisms
Authors: Daltorio Kathryn A. , Wei Terence E. , Horchler Andrew D. , Southard Lori , Wile Gregory D. , Quinn Roger D. , Gorb Stanislav N. , Ritzmann Roy E.
Published: January 2009

When climbing vertical or inclined surfaces, insects utilize claws, tibial spines, and tarsal pads to create attachment forces. These devices allow them to climb on a variety of substrates, including those that are smooth, soft, or porous. Recent advances in materials may make long-lasting dry adhesives and arrays of sharp hooks feasible attachment mechanisms for small robots. Mini-WhegsTM are a series of robots that use rotating wheel-legs driven by a single motor for locomotion. By testing specially designed wheel-legs with office tape, pairs of spines, and Velcro®, this work demonstrates the feasibility of applying novel adhesives and frictional materials passively on simple rotating legs. The resulting robot climbs vertical fabric surfaces with Velcro®, crosses ceilings with Scotch® tape, and climbs steep concrete inclines with sharp spines and provides a test-platform for future adhesive materials such as dry adhesive tape.
A Plan Manager for Multi-robot Systems
Authors: Joyeux Sylvain , Alami Rachid , Lacroix Simon , Philippsen Roland
Published: January 2009

This paper presents a software component, the plan manager, which provides the services needed to build and execute plans in a multirobot context. This plan manager handles fully dynamic plans (insertion and removal of tasks), provides tools for safe concurrent execution and modification of plans, and handles distributed plan supervision without permanent robot-to-robot communication. The proposed concept is illustrated by a scenario which involves the navigation of a rover and an unmanned aerial vehicle in an initially unmapped environment.
Synthesis and Properties of Copolymers of Poly(ether ketone ketone) and Poly(ether ether ketone ketone) Containing Naphthalene Moieties and Pendant Cyano Groups
Authors: Mingzhong cai  , Qin Xi  , Nengwen Ding  , Caisheng Song
Published: January 2009

A new monomer containing naphthalene, 2,6-bis( β -naphthoxy)benzonitrile (BNOBN) was synthesized by reaction of β -naphthol with 2,6-difluorobenzonitrile in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) in the presence of KOH and K 2CO3. Novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone ketone) and poly(ether ether ketone ketone) containing naphthalene moieties and pendant cyano groups were prepared by electrophilic Friedel—Crafts solution copolycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) with varying mole proportions of diphenyl ether and 2,6-bis( β -naphthoxy)benzonitrile (BNOBN) using 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent and NMP as Lewis base in the presence of anhydrous AlCl3. The crystallinity and melting temperatures of the polymers were found to decrease as the concentration of BNOBN in the polymer increased, whereas the glass transition temperatures of the polymers increased as the concentration of BNOBN in the polymer increased. The copolymers with 20—25 mol% BNOBN had high Tg values of 182—184 ° C; moderate Tm values of 324—335 °C; tensile strengths of 101.8—103.2 MPa, Young’s moduli of 3.14—3.23 GPa, and elongations at break of 15—18%. The copolymers exhibited outstanding thermal stability and good resistance to organic solvents, acidity and alkali.
ATR—FTIR Studies of the Temperature Effects on Polyurethane Doped with Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Ciobanu Liana-Cătălina , Ciobanu Constantin , Dorohoi Dana
Published: January 2009

We investigated by attenuated total reflection Fourier infrared spectroscopy the chemical behavior of macromolecules on the surface of polyurethane microporous film doped with silver nanoparticles at temperatures between 25 and 200°C. Silver nanoparticles interact with the urethane group and form a urethane-silver-urethane structure with a specific surface configuration and a higher resistance to temperature. Chemical transformations of the macromolecules on the surface of polyurethane film depend on both the silver nanoparticles concentration and temperature.
A Green Route for Synthesis of Different Polyureas Based on Phenylurazole: Rapid Solid-state, Microwave-assisted Technique
Authors: Mallakpour Shadpour , Dinari Mohammad
Published: January 2009

Solid-state microwave synthesis was found to give a simple, rapid and economical route to prepare different kinds of materials. In this investigation, a new method for solid-state polymerization reaction of 4-phenylurazole (PHU ) and 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)urazole (MPU) with different diisocyanates was developed under microwave irradiation. The reaction of PHU and MPU with hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, and tolulyene-2,4-diisocyanate were performed under solid-state conditions in the presence or absence of dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. The resulting polyureas showed good yields and moderate inherent viscosities ranging of 0.20 to 0.34 dL g-1 in N,N-dimethylformamide at 30 °C. All of the aforementioned polymers were characterized by 1 H-NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. This method was compared with solid-state polymerization under high temperature conditions and also with the solution polymerization reaction in N,N-dimethylacetamide. Under microwave-assisted, solid-state conditions, higher yields and inherent viscosities were obtained. In addition in this method we do not need to use any solvents and the polymerization reaction can be classified as a green, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method.
Global warming—global responsibility? Media frames of collective action and scientific certainty
Authors: Olausson Ulrika
Published: January 2009

The increasing interconnectedness of the world that characterizes the process of globalization compels us to interlink local, national, and transnational phenomena, such as environmental risks, in both journalistic and academic discourse. Among environmental risks of global scope climate change is probably the one receiving the most attention at present, not least in the media. Globalization notwithstanding, national media are still dominated by a national logic in the presentation of news, and tensions arise between this media logic and the transnational character of environmental risks that call for a collective responsibility transcending the borders of the nation-states. This article presents results from studies of the construction of global climate change in three Swedish newspapers. It discusses the media's attribution of responsibility for collective action along an axis ranging from local to national to transnational, and highlights the media's reluctance to display any kind of scientific uncertainty that would undermine the demand for collective action. The results underline the media's responsiveness to the political setting in which they operate and the growing relevance of the transnational political realm of Europe for the construction of news frames on global climate change in European national media.