bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Progesterone Improves Neurobehavioral Outcome in Models of Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Lei Beilei , Wang Haichen , Jeong Seongtae , Hsieh Justin T. , Majeed Mohammed , Dawson Hana , Sheng Huaxin , Warner David S. , James Michael L.
Published: November 2015

In models of acute brain injury, progesterone improves recovery through several mechanisms including modulation of neuroinflammation. Secondary injury from neuroinflammation is a potential therapeutic target after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). For potential translation of progesterone as a clinical acute ICH therapeutic, the present study sought to define efficacy of exogenous progesterone administration in ICH-relevant experimental paradigms. Young and aged C57BL/6 male, female, and ovariectomized (OVX) mice underwent left intrastriatal collagenase (0.05-0.075 U) or autologous whole blood (35 μl) injection. Progesterone at varying doses (4-16 mg/kg) was administered at 2, 5, 24, 48, and 72 h after injury. Rotarod and Morris water maze latencies were measured on days 1-7 and days 28-31 after injury, respectively. Hematoma volume, brain water content (cerebral edema), complementary immunohistochemistry, multiplex cytokine arrays, and inflammatory proteins were assessed at prespecified time points after injury. Progesterone (4 mg/kg) administration improved rotarod and water maze latencies (p < 0.01), and decreased cerebral edema (p < 0.05), microglial proliferation, and neuronal loss (p < 0.01) in young and aged male, young OVX, and aged female mice. Brain concentration of proinflammatory cytokines and Toll-like receptor-associated proteins were also decreased after progesterone (4 mg/kg) treatment (p < 0.01). Progesterone-treated young female mice showed no detectable effects. Exogenous progesterone improved short- and long-term neurobehavioral recovery and modulated neuroinflammation in male and OVX mice after ICH. Future studies should validate these findings, and address timing and length of administration before translation to clinical trial.
Trends in Incidence of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms in Norway: A Report of 16,075 Cases from 1993 through 2010
Authors: Boyar Cetinkaya Raziye , Aagnes Bjarte , Thiis-Evensen Espen , Tretli Steinar , Bergestuen Deidi S. , Hansen Svein
Published: November 2015

Background: Epidemiological studies show an increasing trend in the incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). A significant number of NENs occur in less common primary sites, but they are often excluded from the population-based studies. We studied the incidence trends of all NENs in Norway according to different primary sites. Materials and Methods: Our analyses were based on cancer cases diagnosed between 1993 and 2010 and reported to the national population-based Cancer Registry of Norway. A total of 65 morphological codes were identified as neuroendocrine and stratified into 3 different groups of aggressiveness: low, intermediate and high. Results: We identified 16,075 NENs of which 49.5% were in women. The median age at diagnosis was 65 years. The most common primary sites were the lung (48.1%) and the gastroenteropancreatic system (18.0%). Stage at diagnosis was local in 40.4% of the cases, regional in 17.5% and distant in 42.1%. The stage distribution was stable throughout the study period. The age-standardized (European) incidence rate (per 100,000 person-years) increased from 13.3 in 1993 to 21.3 in 2010 with an estimated annual increase of 5.1% in women and 2.1% in men. The increase was most pronounced for tumors of intermediate aggressiveness from 3.3 in 1993 to 7.3 in 2010. The largest annual increases were estimated for the adrenal gland (8.8%), the pancreas (6.9%) and the lungs (6.1%). Conclusion: The incidence of NENs increased. Most primary tumors were found in the lungs or in the gastroenteropancreatic system. The increase in the incidence differed according to the primary site, gender and tumor aggressiveness.
“My Tale Is Too Long to Tell”
Authors: Hartman Michelle
Published: November 2015

Ḥanān al-Shaykh’s 2005 memoir of her mother’s extraordinary life, Ḥikāyatī sharḥun yaṭūl (My Tale Is Too Long to Tell), changes significantly in its translation as The Locust and the Bird. In Arabic, Kāmilah narrates her life story through her daughter’s pen, using clever linguistic shifts of tone and register as well as a wicked sense of humor to convey her unconventional choices. It is a very local tale of life in South Lebanon. This article argues that the changes the text undergoes as it moves from Arabic into English refocus this novel and transform it into a work about transnational migration. Framing this study against the background of other Arab women’s novels that have undergone major changes in translation into English, I show how domesticating translation strategies operate to reinforce the text’s and the narrator’s difference and exoticism. While claiming to make the text “more accessible” to an English-language readership, domesticating translation moves in this novel—including a changed title, the addition of a foreword and an epilogue, and others—inscribe a deep sense of difference within this novel. More specifically, these translation changes layer emotional and physical estrangement as well as add the themes of exile and the American Dream into a memoir of a woman who rarely left South Lebanon.
Stars and Spirits: Heavenly Bodies in Ancient Jewish Aramaic Tradition
Authors: Fröhlich Ida
Published: November 2015

This study treats the theme of divine judgement as mediated by heavenly beings, the ‘Watchers’ and the members of the heavenly court in the Aramaic Jewish tradition (Dan. 4, 7.1; En. 14), who are imagined as heavenly bodies and spirits, mediators between the human and heavenly worlds. This tradition is founded upon Mesopotamian scholarly lore. In the Hebrew apocalypse of Dan. 10–12, written in Hellenistic times, a new term, śār, appears, which similarly designates the spirit of a star. These spirits and mediators have a direct role in influencing and determining the fate of territories and kingdoms. The idea of zodiacal spirits is apparent in the physiognomic texts that were found in Qumran.
a > e Raising in the Jilu Dialect of Neo-Aramaic
Authors: Fox Samuel Ethan
Published: November 2015

The Jilu dialect of North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) stands apart from other dialects in a number of ways, in its vocabulary, in its morphology, and in its phonology. One of these divergences is the fact that in many words where other dialects have the vowel a, in Jilu we find e. In this article we will develop an account of the origins of this phenomenon. We will describe the motivation for the change and place it in the context of similar developments in other languages.
Integrated Intrinsic and Dedicated Representations of Time: A Computational Study Involving Robotic Agents
Authors: Maniadakis Michail , Trahanias Panos
Published: November 2015

The computational modeling of cognitive processes provides a systematic means to study hidden and particularly complex aspects of brain functionality. Given our rather limited understanding of how the brain deals with the notion of time, the implementation of computational models addressing duration processing can be particularly informative for studying possible time representations in our brain. In the present work we adopt a connectionist modeling approach to study how time experiencing and time processing may be encoded in a simple neural network trained to accomplish time-based robotic tasks. A particularly interesting characteristic of the present study is the implementation of a single computational model to accomplish not only one but three different behavioral tasks that assume diverse manipulation of time intervals. This setup enables a multifaceted exploration of duration-processing mechanisms, revealing a rather plausible hypothesis of how our brain deals with time. The model is implemented through an evolutionary design procedure, making a very limited set of a priori assumptions regarding its internal structure and machinery. Artificial evolution facilitates the unconstrained self-organization of time representation and processing mechanisms in the brain of simulated robotic agents. Careful examination of the artificial brains has shown that the implemented mechanisms incorporate characteristics from both the ‘intrinsic’ time representation scheme and the ‘dedicated’ time representation scheme. Even though these two schemes are widely considered as contradictory, the present study shows that it is possible to effectively integrate them in the same cognitive system. This provides a new view on the possible representation of time in the brain, and paves the way for new and more comprehensive theories to address interval timing.
Mental disorders and distress: Associations with demographics, remoteness and socioeconomic deprivation of area of residence across Australia
Authors: Enticott Joanne C , Meadows Graham N , Shawyer Frances , Inder Brett , Patten Scott
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

Australian policy-making needs better information on socio-geographical associations with needs for mental health care. We explored two national surveys for information on disparities in rates of mental disorders and psychological distress.

Methods:

Secondary data analysis using the 2011/2012 National Health Survey and 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Key data were the Kessler 10 scores in adults in the National Health Survey ( n = 12,332) and the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing ( n = 6558) and interview-assessed disorder rates in the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Estimation of prevalence of distress and disorders for sub-populations defined by geographic and socioeconomic status of area was followed by investigation of area effects adjusting for age and gender.

Results:

Overall, approximately one person in 10 reported recent psychological distress at high/very-high level, this finding varying more than twofold depending on socioeconomic status of area with 16.1%, 13.3%, 12.0%, 8.4% and 6.9% affected in the most to least disadvantaged quintiles, respectively, across Australia in 2011/2012. In the most disadvantaged quintile, the percentage (24.4%) with mental disorders was 50% higher than that in the least disadvantaged quintile (16.9%) in 2007, so this trend was less strong than for Kessler10 distress.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that disparities in mental health status in Australia based on socioeconomic characteristics of area are substantial and persisting. Whether considering 1-year mental disorders or 30-day psychological distress, these occur more commonly in areas with socioeconomic disadvantage. The association is stronger for Kessler10 scores suggesting that Kessler10 scores behaved more like a complex composite indicator of the presence of mental and subthreshold disorders, inadequate treatment and other responses to stressors linked to socioeconomic disadvantage. To reduce the observed disparities, what might be characterised as a ‘Whole of Government’ approach is needed, addressing elements of socioeconomic disadvantage and the demonstrable and significant inequities in treatment provision.
Analyzing the mechanical behavior of E-glass fibre-reinforced interpenetrating polymer network composite pipe
Authors: Suresh G , Jayakumari Lakshmanan Saraswathy
Published: November 2015

In this study, a mixture of vinyl ester (VER) and polyurethane (PU) prepolymer was used in the field of pipe manufacturing as a matrix material (interpenetrating polymer networks) with E-glass fibre as reinforcement. In order to evaluate the mechanical strength of the fibre-reinforced VER-PU interpenetrating polymer network composite pipe, tests like hydrostatic, hoop, stiffness, and axial compression were conducted systematically with five proportions of PU-loaded VER (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%). It was observed that during the stiffness test, all the PU-loaded VER specimens have regained its original shape, size, and also retains its structural integrity. VER glass fibre composite pipes (0% PU) exhibited crazing, wall delamination, and rupture on compression. With increase in PU content, there were no such effects after the compression, but a slight drop in mechanical properties like hoop, stiffness, and axial compression was observed. The obtained experimental results were found to be in good agreement with finite element analysis data.
Predictors of Third Molar Impaction
Authors: Carter K. , Worthington S.
Published: November 2015

The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence of third molar (M3) impaction worldwide in individuals ≥17 y, from either sex, who had undergone oral radiography and presented with no orofacial syndromes or defects. We performed a literature search using PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar and retrieved English and non-English articles from any period for review. We included studies reporting M3 impaction prevalence based on radiographic examination. Risk of bias was assessed regarding individuals with craniofacial syndromes, prior extraction of permanent teeth, multiple effect size estimates, and studies conflating lack of eruption with impaction. Our search yielded 49 studies involving 83,484 individuals. Worldwide M3 impaction prevalence was found to be 24.40% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 18.97% to 30.80%). The odds of M3 impaction in the mandible were 57.58% (95% CI: 43.3% to 68.3%, P < 0.0001) higher than in the maxilla, but we did not detect any difference in the odds of impaction between men and women (18.62%, 95% CI: –4.9% to 48.0%, P = 0.12). Mesioangular impaction was most common (41.17%, 95% CI: 33.8% to 49.0%), followed by vertical (25.55%, 95% CI: 20.0% to 32.0%), distoangular (12.17%, 95% CI: 9.1% to 16.0%), and horizontal (11.06%, 95% CI: 8.3% to 14.6%). Impaction of 1 (42.71%, 95% CI: 30.0% to 56.5%) or 2 (29.64%, 95% CI: 19.5% to 42.3%) M3s was much more common than 3 (12.04%, 95% CI: 7.2% to 19.3%) or 4 (8.74%, 95% CI: 5.2% to 14.5%). There were small differences among impaction prevalence depending on geographic region ( F test, P = 0.049). Selection bias was evident because individuals had to undergo radiographic examination to be included in the analysis. The subgroup analysis by sex was underpowered. Worldwide M3 impaction prevalence is lower than previously reported. The percentage of individuals with impacted M3s is much smaller than the percentage that undergoes clinical treatment for M3 problems.
Rethinking Sexual Citizenship
Authors: Richardson Diane
Published: November 2015

Over the last two decades sexuality has emerged as a key theme in debates about citizenship, leading to the development of the concept of sexual citizenship. This article reviews this literature and identifies four main areas of critical framing: work that contests the significance of sexuality to citizenship; critiques that focus on the possibilities and limitations of mobilising the language of citizenship in sexual politics; analyses of sexual citizenship in relation to nationalisms and border making; and literature that critically examines western constructions of sexuality and sexual politics underpinning understandings of sexual citizenship. In order to progress the field theoretically, the article seeks to extend critiques of sexual citizenship focusing on two key aspects of its construction: the sexual citizen-subject and spaces of sexual citizenship. It argues for a critical rethink that encompasses a de-centring of a ‘western-centric’ focus in order to advance understandings of how sexual citizenship operates both in the Global North and South.
Analysis of the time course of degradation for fully biobased nonwoven agricultural mulches in compost-enriched soil
Authors: Dharmalingam Sathiskumar , Hayes Douglas G , Wadsworth Larry C , Dunlap Rachel N
Published: November 2015

The time course of degradation for biodegradable and fully biobased plastic agricultural mulches prepared from polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA–polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) blends using meltblown (MB) nonwovens processing technology in compost-enriched soil during a 45 week burial duration was investigated under controlled conditions in a greenhouse to better understand the underlying mechanism for degradation. Mulches underwent an initial 4 week period during which the tensile strength decreased by ≥ 60%. For MB-PLA, between weeks 4 and 12, the crystallinity increased and the molecular weight slightly increased. After 12 weeks, the molecular weight decreased linearly. At 28 weeks, the crystallinity increased significantly, corresponding to an observed increase of macroscopic fragmentation. For MB-PLA+PHA, the mass fraction of PHA decreased significantly (by 11.6%) during the first 4 weeks; subsequently; the PHA fraction decreased linearly. Between 17 and 22 weeks, a large increase of crystallinity for the PLA component and a decrease of molecular weight occurred. After 22 weeks, the molecular weight and crystallinity of PLA increased nearly linearly. These results suggest that during the first 4–12 weeks, microorganisms begin to utilize the more readily available components of the mulches as carbon sources: amorphous PLA regions and PHA for MB-PLA and PLA+PHA, respectively, and that microbial activity is greater and occurs more strongly for PHA. After the initial induction period, depolymerization occurs slowly and steadily for both MB plastic mulches.
Struggles to form business improvement districts (BIDs) in Los Angeles
Authors: Lee Wonhyung
Published: November 2015

Autonomous efforts to improve local business environments have become an increasingly important impetus for economic development. Business improvement districts (BIDs), as one of such autonomous organisations, have clearly demonstrated benefits for promoting commercial areas over the last two decades. When BIDs spread over a city, however, not every commercial district succeeds in establishing BIDs despite some initial efforts. This research examines the types of challenges that these neighbourhoods experience in order to form BIDs. This study is based on census data analyses and in-depth interviews with city employees, BID consultants, executive directors of BIDs and community stakeholders in Los Angeles. The results show that the areas with unsuccessful attempts of BID formation in Los Angeles are relatively low-income immigrant neighbourhoods. Some of these neighbourhoods have struggled with disengaged property owners, spatial conflicts among diverse ethnic groups, immigrants’ skepticism towards government and the chronic presence of informal economic activities. These findings suggest that some disadvantaged neighbourhoods are not adequately informed or organised to form BIDs. Public officials and community workers can support these neighbourhoods by providing direct assistance for the development of collective vision and action among community stakeholders.
Intergenerational support shaping residential trajectories: Young people leaving home in a gentrifying city
Authors: Hochstenbach Cody , Boterman Willem R
Published: November 2015

Parental support, in both financial and non-financial ways, is important in explaining the residential trajectories of young people leaving home. For instance, the influence of parental support on the ability to leave home or enter homeownership is well established. This study adds a dimension by investigating how inequalities in terms of parental background – particularly assets – are spatially articulated. More specifically, we study whether parental background influences the types of neighbourhoods young people leaving home move to. Drawing on the case of Amsterdam, we show that these ‘fledglings’, despite their generally very modest income, disproportionally move to gentrification neighbourhoods. Moreover, fledglings with wealthy parents are even more likely to move to both early gentrifying and expensive mature-gentrification neighbourhoods. Gentrification research should therefore also take into account the importance of middle class social reproduction strategies as well as the potential intergenerational transfer of (financial) resources – rather than merely personal financial situation – in shaping housing outcomes and spatial inequalities of young people leaving home. Drawing on parental support, young people may be able to outbid other households and hence exclude them from gentrifying neighbourhoods. Consequently, parental wealth and other resources can thus contribute to gentrification and exclusion.
Speaking gentrification in the languages of the Global East
Authors: Waley Paul
Published: November 2015

This commentary sets out to make a claim for gentrification to be understood from the Global East. I argue that a regional approach to gentrification can nurture a contextually informed but theoretically connected comparative urbanism, contributing to the comparative urbanist project by providing an appropriate point of contact between local context and universalising theories. In the process, I attempt to partially destabilise the concept of gentrification and then re-centre it in the Global East. Any comparative exercise is not a straightforward process; on the contrary, it is fraught with epistemological, theoretical and methodological stumbling blocks – regions are slippery and often diverse; diversity can be hard to bottle and label along theoretical lines; methods work more smoothly in discrete settings. But it is an exercise worth undertaking; the regional is the middle stratum that allows the locally specific to speak to planetary trends, and planetary trends to find local purchase. In the pages that follow I map out a number of recognisable types of gentrification in East Asia. I then use these to transcend the region and cut across the Global North / Global South binary that bedevils so much theory-making. The aim, addressed specifically in the final section, is to use these claims for gentrification in the Global East to speak back to and, hopefully, enrich urban theory-making and contribute to discussion of what is becoming known as planetary gentrification (Lees et al., forthcoming).
Performance prediction of a new integrated central cooling plant for energy efficiency and comfort enhancement
Authors: Vakiloroaya Vahid , Samali Bijan , Eager David
Published: November 2015

The effective design of an energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is reliant on multiple components. Among others, the air-handling unit cooling coil and its ability to perform efficiently directly influences heating, ventilation and air conditioning system performance. This paper investigates the energy and thermal performance of a water-cooled central cooling plant when combined with a direct evaporative cooling system located between the cooling tower and cooling coil of the air-handling unit. The evaporative cooler uses the water made by cooling tower to reduce the temperature of the 100% ambient air. The cooled air then passes through the cooling coil. This paper will demonstrate a series of mathematical models of the system components and validate them against experimental results. For this purpose, the central cooling plant is extensively equipped with a number of sensors and instrumentation devices for experimentation and data collection. The influence of the evaporative cooler on the energy saving potential and thermal comfort of the central cooling plant is evaluated. The advantages of this proposed hybrid system rests with the fact that the refrigeration effect of the chiller’s evaporator is decreased, which causes reduction of compressor power consumption. Results show that the hybrid system can provide average monthly energy savings between 11% and 24%, while enhancing the comfort level inside the building.

Practical application: With traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems contributing to 40% of a building’s overall energy consumption, the public’s increasing reliance on them as a necessity rather than a luxury is an issue in urgent need of attention. This together with a growing demand for cost-effective infrastructure and appliances has necessitated new installations and major retrofits in occupied buildings to achieve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The aim of this paper is to present a new integrated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to meet these requirements without compromising comfort and indoor air quality.
Anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety are associated with response to 7.5% carbon dioxide challenge
Authors: Fluharty Meg E , Attwood Angela S , Munafò Marcus R
Published: November 2015

The 7.5% carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation model is used to provoke acute anxiety, for example to investigate the effects of anxiety on cognitive processes, or the efficacy of novel anxiolytic agents. However, little is known about the relationship of baseline anxiety sensitivity or trait anxiety (i.e., anxiety proneness), with an individual’s response to the 7.5% CO2 challenge. We examined data from a number of 7.5% CO2 challenge studies to determine whether anxiety proneness was related to subjective or physiological response. Our findings indicate anxiety proneness is associated with greater subjective and physiological responses. However, anxiety-prone individuals also have a greater subjective response to the placebo (medical air) condition. This suggests that anxiety-prone individuals not only respond more strongly to the 7.5% CO2 challenge, but also to medical air. Implications for the design and conduct of 7.5% CO2 challenge studies are discussed.
Bringing Baby-Friendly to the Indian Health Service
Authors: Karol Susan , Tah Tina , Kenon Clifton , Meyer Jenna , Yazzie Jeannette , Stephens Celissa , Merewood Anne
Published: November 2015

The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) increases exclusive breastfeeding. Breastfeeding protects against obesity and diabetes, conditions to which American Indians and Alaska Natives are particularly prone. As part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! in Indian Country initiative, the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service (IHS) began implementing the BFHI in 2011. The IHS administers 13 US birthing hospitals. There are 5 tribally administered hospitals in the lower 48 states that receive IHS funding, and the IHS encouraged them to seek Baby-Friendly designation also. In the 13 federally administered hospitals, the IHS implemented a Baby-Friendly infant feeding policy, extensive clinician training, and Baby-Friendly compatible medical records. All hospitals also became compliant with the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. Strategies and solutions were shared systemwide via webinars and conference calls. Quality improvement methods, technical assistance, and site visits assisted with the implementation process. Between 2011 and December 2014, 100% (13 of 13) of IHS federally administered hospitals gained Baby-Friendly designation. The first Baby-Friendly hospitals in Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota were all IHS sites; 6% of all US Baby-Friendly hospitals are currently IHS hospitals. One tribal site has also been Baby-Friendly designated and 3 of the 5 remaining tribally administered hospitals in the lower 48 states are pursuing Baby-Friendly status. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative implementation systemwide is possible in a US government agency serving a high-risk, underprivileged population. Other systems looking to implement the BFHI can learn from the IHS model.
Development of a cantilever-type ferro-actuator using a porous PVDF membrane
Authors: Kim Kisu , Ko Seong Young , Park Jong-Oh , Park Sukho
Published: November 2015

In this study, we propose a cantilever-type ferro-actuator using porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. Generally, a ferro-actuator is fabricated by the absorption of ferro-fluid on a backbone membrane containing strongly magnetized nanoscale Fe particles that are responsive to an external magnetic field. We suggest a porous PVDF membrane fabricated using a zinc oxide (ZnO) particulate leaching method as a backbone membrane of the ferro-actuator to increase the absorption of ferro-fluid. Ferro-fluid is absorbed on the porous PVDF membrane using a dip-coating method. First, we observe from scanning electron microscopic images the surfaces and cross sections of a pure PVDF membrane and the porous PVDF membrane using a ZnO particulate leaching method. Second, an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope is used to confirm the configuration of the elements and the absorption of Fe particles in the ferro-actuator. Third, we execute thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis of the pure PVDF membrane, the PVDF membrane before/after particulate leaching, and of the ferro-actuator using the porous PVDF membrane. Through these analyses, we can confirm that ZnO particles in the PVDF membrane were clearly removed by the particulate leaching method and Fe particles were included in the fabricated ferro-actuator. Finally, we fabricate cantilever-type ferro-actuators using pure PVDF membrane and the porous PVDF membrane and execute blocking force and displacement tests. Compared with the ferro-actuator using the pure PVDF membrane, the ferro-actuator using the porous PVDF membrane had an increased displacements—about a 3-fold increase at the DC input and at the AC input, along with increased blocking force (about a 6-fold increase) at the DC input. Consequently, the concept that a ferro-actuator using the porous PVDF membrane exhibits enhanced actuating performance is validated.
The principles of selecting floating members of 2K-H planetary gears for load balancing design
Authors: Jinyuan Tang , Yang Liu , Weixing Cai
Published: November 2015

This paper studies the load balancing problems caused by manufacturing and assembly errors of 2K-H planetary gear train. Based on the geometric equivalent relationship and spring mechanical model of load transfer, the relations between the load balancing of planetary gears and the mesh clearance and meshing stiffness are derived. Besides, the vector method is also derived to calculate the meshing clearance which is a result of the deviation of the component center caused by manufacturing errors and assembly errors. On the basis of the meshing clearance calculation formulas, the balanced load structure based on floating members is analyzed, and the results show: 1) when the number of planet gears is [Formula: see text], the floating of the basic members can compensate for the errors of the planet wheels; 2) when the number of planet gears is [Formula: see text], the errors of the planet wheels cannot be compensated by floating the basic components, and the compensation can only be made through the floating of the planetary gear. In addition, a number of recommendations are proposed to improve the performance of the planetary gear train set.
Chemotherapy regimen checks performed by pharmacists contribute to safe administration of chemotherapy
Authors: Suzuki Shinya , Chan Alexandre , Nomura Hisanaga , Johnson Philip E , Endo Kazushi , Saito Shinichiro
Published: November 2015

Background

Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) has been developed and implemented within cancer center hospitals nationwide in Japan. To ensure that high-quality services are routinely provided by oncology pharmacists, this study was designed to evaluate the interventions through reviewing the orders that are generated by CPOE.

Methods

The objective of this retrospective chart review was to evaluate how pharmacists contributed to safe cancer treatment using paper-based pharmacy records. Data were collected from a total of 35,062 chemotherapy regimens for 18,515 outpatients between January and December 2013.

Results

Of these 35,062 chemotherapy regimens, the rate of pharmacists’ interventions was 1.1% ( n = 408). Among them, 53.1% (217/408) of the chemotherapy prescriptions were modified due to pharmacist interventions. The reasons for interventions included “changes in the chemotherapy regimen were unclear” in 49.5%, “physicians’ prescription errors” (22.0%), “pharmacist suggestions to improve chemotherapy” (15.1%), and “finding differences between physicians’ chemotherapy records and their chemotherapy prescriptions” (13.2%). The top three reasons for the 217 prescription modifications due to pharmacist interventions were “finding prescription errors” (34.5%), “reasons for change in the chemotherapy regimen were unclear” (32.7%), and “finding differences between physicians’ chemotherapy records and their chemotherapy prescriptions” (28.5%).

Conclusion

The computer could not evaluate chemotherapy protocols or adjust doses of anticancer medicines according to patients’ conditions. Therefore, oncology pharmacists should continue to ensure safe and appropriate administration of cancer chemotherapy.
Assessment of lung dose from indoor 222Rn and 220Rn exposure in the Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts of Punjab, India
Authors: Mehra Rohit , Jakhu Rajan , Mittal HM
Published: November 2015

Radon (222Rn) and its progenies are the main source of the inhalation dose received by humans due to natural radioactivity. Residential houses of different villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts of Punjab, India, were chosen for the present study. An attempt has been made to estimate the dose to lung (DRL) due to indoor 222Rn concentration. The results of observed values of dose rate to lung ( Dlung), dose to tracheo-bronchial region ( DT-B), dose to pulmonary + pulmonary lymph region ( DP+PL), dose to lung ( DRL) from 222Rn exposure and dose to lung ( DTL) from indoor Thoron (220Rn) exposure along with their indoor concentration are summarized in this manuscript. The average value of the measured 222Rn ( CR) and 220Rn ( CT) concentration in air is 38 and 61 Bq m−3. The value of Dlung varies from 0.76 to 2.52 nGy h−1. The average value of the DT-B, DP+PL and DRL is 1.82, 1.82 and 3.65 nSv, respectively. The average dose received by the lungs from 220Rn exposure is 0.06 µSv. Since the dose in the study area is less than reference level of 10 mSv as recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the studied area is safe from the exposure risk of indoor 222Rn and 220Rn.
Nutritional management in critically ill trauma patients is challenging
Authors: Service Emma , Anwar Fahim
Published: November 2015

Background

The physiological stress following major trauma in critical illness leads to rapid malnutrition and provision of optimal nutritional support in these circumstances can be challenging.

Case report

We present a complex trauma case where relatively aggressive nutritional support failed to minimise weight loss.

Conclusion

Nutritional support plays an integral role in the care of critically ill major trauma patients and needs to be continuously monitored in the subacute and rehabilitation phase.
Life Lessons
Authors: Lafrance Marc , Lafrance Stirling , Norman Moss E.
Published: November 2015

In this article, we argue that mass media representations of obesity operate biopedagogically and, in doing so, teach viewers how to think and feel about what it means to be fat. These teachings are what we call “life lessons”—that is, lessons aimed at instructing viewers in how to relate to both their own bodies and the bodies of others—and are readily discernible in a wide variety of magazines, radio segments, and television shows. We suggest that life lessons of this sort are neither separate nor entirely distinct from public health campaigns, but rather overlap with and, at times, intensify their messages. With this in view, we undertake a four-part analysis of how the North American mass media represent obesity. In the first part, we outline contemporary theories of biopower, biocitizenship, and biopedagogy and how they can be used to make sense of these representations. In the second part, we contextualize them by providing an overview of relevant public health policy such as the United State’s Let’s Move campaign and the World Health Organization’s Prioritizing Areas for Action in the Field of Population-Based Prevention of Childhood Obesity. In the third part, we present a systematic review of the critical literature on representations of obesity with an emphasis on the North American media landscape. And in the fourth part, we submit an episode of the popular television program Nip/Tuck to an in-depth critical examination as a case study of how mass media representations of obesity function biopedagogically. In the end, we show that the representations we discuss not only reflect public health priorities but also reproduce neoliberal ideas about how to manage the life of the human body.
The Impact of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) on Clinical Innovation
Authors: Stryjewski Tomasz P. , Kalish Brian T. , Silverman Benjamin , Lehmann Lisa Soleymani
Published: November 2015

We conducted a survey to assess the perspectives of principal investigators and Institutional Review Board (IRB) members on the impact of the IRB structure on the conduct of research and innovative therapy, defined as a nonstandard treatment intended to enhance the well-being of an individual patient. Although investigators and IRB members agreed that the IRB provides adequate protection to study subjects (97% vs. 100%) and an ethically insightful review (88% vs. 100%), a third of clinical investigators felt that the IRB review process limits clinical innovation, in comparison with only 4% of IRB representatives. Limitations of the current IRB review process were explored. We propose several measures to improve the IRB review process while maintaining the protection of human research subjects, including the use of centralized IRBs, the opening of IRB meetings to investigators, the development of metrics and outcome measures for the IRB, and the promotion of guidelines that distinguish research and innovative therapy.
The HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute
Authors: Fisher Celia B. , Yuko Elizabeth
Published: November 2015

The responsible conduct of HIV/drug abuse prevention research requires investigators with both the knowledge of and ability to generate empirical data that can enhance global ethical practices and policies. This article describes a multidisciplinary program offering early-career professionals a 2-year intensive summer curriculum along with funding to conduct a mentored research study on a wide variety of HIV/drug abuse research ethics topics. Now in its fifth year, the program has admitted 29 trainees who have to date demonstrated increased knowledge of research ethics, produced 17 peer-reviewed publications, 46 professional presentations, and submitted or been awarded five related federal grants. The institute also hosts a global information platform providing general and HIV/drug abuse relevant research ethics educational and research resources that have had more than 38,800 unique visitors from more than 150 countries.
Modeling of highway access weight: Effects on speed and lateral variation
Authors: Lu Weijie , Lu Jian John , Wang Chen , Jiang Yuming , Chen Shengdi
Published: November 2015

Highway access points are places where motor vehicles turn off the roadway onto arterial roads. Numerous conflict points exist at highway access points as a result of access and through traffic. Higher speeds and lateral offset variation cause greater risk of potential crashes. This research aimed to formulate a new method of access weight calculation that would show the speed and lateral offset variation characteristics of various access types under the same traffic conditions. Seven access types commonly found on highways in China were considered and analyzed for their safety performance. Data for a vehicle’s lateral offset, speed, acceleration, and deceleration rate were collected by means of a driving simulation method. Both field tests and simulation tests were compared to validate the accuracy of the simulation results from the viewpoint of vehicle speed and trajectory. Finally, access density, derived from the proposed access weighting model, was analyzed and correlated with crash rates on National Highway G205 (South Nanjing section). Spearman correlation results showed that the access rated crash rates have a high correlation. The proposed access weight calculation method shows promise for its application in safety evaluation, access design, and reconstruction.
The Social Construction of Power: Reflections Beyond Berger/Luckmann and Bourdieu
Authors: Dreher Jochen
Published: November 2015

This paper emphasizes the specific theoretical potential of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s The Social Construction of Reality for an analysis of the construction and constitution of power. In contrast to certain criticisms, as formulated for example by Pierre Bourdieu, which reproach the authors for being oblivious of power, it is shown that Berger and Luckmann’s theoretical apparatus indeed offers the possibility to reconstruct established power structures as part of objective reality. Furthermore, the authors open up a distinct perspective from which to systematically analyze the subjective dimension of power constitution with reference to the subjective reality of the individual actor. We argue that the investigation of power inevitably needs to be based on the idea of the dialectical relationship of objective and subjective reality. Moreover, this paper shows that it is specifically the subjective dimension of power constitution based on systems of relevance that allows for an explanation of the resistance to established power structures on the part of the individual actor.
Modeling and testing the impacts of an experiential enrichment strategy: The case of a tourist experience
Authors: Bonnefoy-Claudet Lydie , Mencarelli Rémi , Lombart Cindy
Published: November 2015

This research questions the effectiveness of enrichment strategies on experiential offers. A model accounting for the various effects of these strategies on consumer – primary positive emotions, delight, satisfaction, consumption value, and behavioral intentions – is proposed. A study in the field of tourism empirically validates the model but does not indicate an impact of the different experiential contexts considered.
Generation of clinical-grade human induced pluripotent stem cells in Xeno-free conditions
Authors: Wang Juan , Hao Jie , Bai Donghui , Gu Qi , Han Weifang , Wang Lei , Tan Yuanqing , Li Xia , Xue Ke , Han Pencheng , Liu Zhengxin , Jia Yundan , Wu Jun , Liu Lei , Wang Liu , Li Wei , Liu Zhonghua , Zhou Qi
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are considered as one of the most promising seed cell sources in regenerative medicine. Now hiPSC-based clinical trials are underway. To ensure clinical safety, cells used in clinical trials or therapies should be generated under GMP conditions, and with Xeno-free culture media to avoid possible side effects like immune rejection that induced by the Xeno reagents. However, up to now there are no reports for hiPSC lines developed completely under GMP conditions using Xeno-free reagents.

Methods

Clinical-grade human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells used as feeder cells and parental cells of the clinical-grade hiPSCs were isolated from human foreskin tissues and cultured in Xeno-free media. Clinical-grade hiPSCs were derived by integration-free Sendai virus-based reprogramming kit in Xeno-free pluriton™ reprogramming medium or X medium. Neural cells and cardiomyocytes differentiation were conducted following a series of spatial and temporal specific signals induction according to the corresponding lineage development signals. Biological safety evaluation of the clinical-grade HFF cells and hiPSCs were conducted following the guidance of the “Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, Edition 2010, Volume III”.

Results

We have successfully derived several integration-free clinical-grade hiPSC lines under GMP-controlled conditions and with Xeno-free reagents culture media in line with the current guidance of international and national evaluation criteria. As for the source of hiPSCs and feeder cells, biological safety evaluation of the HFF cells have been strictly reviewed by the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC). The hiPSC lines are pluripotent and have passed the safety evaluation. Moreover, one of the randomly selected hiPSC lines was capable of differentiating into functional neural cells and cardiomyocytes in Xeno-free culture media.

Conclusion

The clinical-grade hiPSC lines therefore could be valuable sources for future hiPSC-based clinical trials or therapies and for drug screening.
Triple costimulation via CD80, 4-1BB, and CD83 ligand elicits the long-term growth of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in low levels of IL-2
Authors: Cho Hyun-Woo , Kim Su-Yeon , Sohn Dae-Hee , Lee Min-Ji , Park Mi-Young , Sohn Hyun-Jung , Cho Hyun-Il , Kim Tai-Gyu
Published: November 2015

Human γδ T cells play important roles in the regulation of infection and cancer. To understand the roles of costimulatory signals in activation and expansion ex vivo, Vγ9Vδ2 T cells were grown with artificial APCs that express CD83, 4-1BB ligand, and/or CD32, which allowed a loading of αCD3 and αCD28 antibodies. The costimulatory signals through CD80, 4-1BB, and CD83 ligand in low levels of IL-2 triggered an explosive ex vivo proliferation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells capable of secreting high levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. Moreover, the triple-costimulatory signals cause augmented cell viabilities for long-term growth of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, resulting in phenotypic changes to CD27−CD45RA+ effector memory-like cells. Notably, we observed that CD83 ligand signaling is crucial to promote ex vivo expansion, survival, and cytolytic effector functions of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. In contrast, 4-1BB signaling is moderately important in up-regulating surface molecules on Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Consequently, γδ T cells stimulated in the presence of triple-costimulatory signals have diverse cytolytic effector molecules, including perforin, granzyme A, granzyme B, and Fas ligand, eliciting potent cytolytic activities against tumor cells. Overall, our results provide insights into the roles of costimulatory signals in manufacturing long-lived and fully functional Vγ9Vδ2 T cells that could be useful against cancers.
Changes in diagnosis rates and behavioural traits of autism spectrum disorder over time
Authors: Russell Ginny , Collishaw Stephan , Golding Jean , Kelly Susan E. , Ford Tamsin
Published: November 2015

Background

The increased proportion of UK children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been attributed to improved identification, rather than true increase in incidence.

Aim

To explore whether the proportion of children with diagnosis of ASD and/or the proportion with associated behavioural traits had increased over a 10-year period.

Method

A cross-cohort comparison using regression to compare prevalence of diagnosis and behavioural traits over time. Participants were children aged 7 years assessed in 1998/1999 (n=8139) and 2007/2008 (n=13831).

Results

During 1998/1999, 1.09% (95% CI 0.86–1.37) of children were reported as having ASD diagnosis compared with 1.68% (95% CI 1.42–2.00) in 2007/2008: risk ratio (RR)=1.55 (95% CI 1.17–2.06), P=0.003. The proportion of children in the population with behavioural traits associated with ASD was also larger in the later cohort: RR=1.61 (95% CI 1.35–1.92), P<0.001. Increased odds of diagnosis at the later time point was partially accounted for by adjusting for the increased proportion of children with ASD-type traits.

Conclusions

Increased ASD diagnosis may partially reflect increase in rates of behaviour associated with ASD and/or greater parent/teacher recognition of associated behaviours.