bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the self-similar propagation of gravity currents through an array of emergent vegetation-like obstacles
Authors: Testik F. Y. , Ungarish M.
Published: May 2016

Self-similar propagation of gravity currents through vegetation-like obstruction arrays was elucidated. We conducted a theoretical analysis by using an approximate model for one-layer and two-layer situations. This model incorporates a balance between the driving buoyancy (i.e., pressure) force and the resisting obstruction-induced drag force that is proportional to uλ (where u —speed in the layer and λ —a constant). We focused our attention on solutions with λ ≥ 1. We considered both gravity currents in a deep ambient fluid (including both continuous-flux release currents and constant-volume currents) and lock-exchange currents and demonstrated that a variety of such flows are governed by physically acceptable similarity solutions. For gravity currents in a deep ambient fluid, our theoretical analysis revealed four distinct classes of similarity solutions. Class I solutions predict gravity currents with a triangular profile (i.e., linear current interface with a constant negative slope) and a front/nose position that is a linear function of time. The physical presence of such self-similar currents was reported in recent experimental observations for currents sustained by a continuous-flux release source. We showed that theoretical predictions of Class I solutions capture the behavior of these experimental currents well. Class II solutions predict gravity currents with a non-linear profile/interface and a constant height at the source. Though physically acceptable, we could not relate this class of solutions to presently known currents. Class III solutions correspond to constant-volume currents and predict a linear increase of velocity within the current toward the nose. We discussed this class of similarity solutions using previously reported experimental observations of such currents. Class IV solutions cover the rest of the parameter domain for all other continuous-flux release gravity currents (except those that fall under Classes I-III). Next, using a two-layer variation of the model, we developed physically acceptable similarity solutions for lock-exchange currents (released by a full-depth gate). We confirmed our theoretical results by performing comparisons with previously reported experimental data for such currents. These comparisons, while showing a good qualitative agreement, revealed a quantitative ambiguity on the value of λ for the dependency of the obstruction-induced drag force on u. We also extended our similarity solutions for the currents in a deep ambient fluid to the axisymmetric geometry. We expect our similarity solutions to provide useful insights for both “deep” and lock-exchange type of gravity currents propagating through aquatic vegetation-like obstacles and a guidance for adequate design of relevant experiments.
Mapping out the multifunctionality of speakers’ gestures
Authors: Kok Kasper , Bergmann Kirsten , Cienki Alan , Kopp Stefan
Published: May 2016

Although it is widely acknowledged that gestures are complex functional elements of human communication, many current functional classification systems are rather rigid, implicitly assuming gestures to perform only one function at any given time. In this paper, we present a theoretical view on the inherent multifunctionality of speakers’ gestures, inspired by frameworks in structural-functional linguistics (Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar and Hengeveld & Mackenzie’s Functional Discourse Grammar). Building upon this view, we report on a large-scale internet-based gesture perception study, designed in a way open to the potential for complex multifunctionality of gestural expression. The results provide quantitative support for the view that speakers’ gestures typically contribute to multiple semantic and meta-communicative functions of the ongoing discourse simultaneously. Furthermore, we identify clusters of functions that tend to be combined, as well as correlations between pairs of them. As a whole, this paper achieves some degree of convergence between ecological and experimental views on gesture functionality.
Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish
Authors: Parodi Claudia , Guerrero Armando
Published: May 2016

Our goal in this chapter is to test the perception of a typology of nonstandard Spanish features and Salvadoran lexical items among speakers of Los Angeles Vernacular Spanish (LAVS), a variant of Mexican Spanish used by the predominant Spanish-speaking speech community in Los Angeles. We demonstrate how Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in the United States reclassify acceptability ratings in a country that does not impose Standard Spanish, unless the speaker willingly enrolls in courses of L2 Spanish.
On the tenacity of Andean Spanish
Authors: Lipski John M.
Published: May 2016

The present study draws on field data from communities of Quechua-dominant late bilinguals in northern Ecuador, a configuration typical of literary and folkloric portrayals of Andean Spanish. A comparison of contemporary data with earlier literary imitations as well as more trustworthy transcriptions reveals a combination of (possibly Quechua-induced) L2 Spanish features and a group of traits that cannot be reasonably analyzed as arising spontaneously and consistently generation after generation. Among the latter are the enclitic particles -ca and -tan, gerunds instead of finite verbs, and some specific lexical variants. Since it has generally been assumed that Quechua-Spanish interlanguage is an idiolectally variable and transitory register used primarily with monolingual interlocutors, the trans-generational survival of a cluster of Andean Spanish traits requires further explanation. This study presents a model for intra-community recycling, using data from ethnographic interviews, sociolinguistic inquiries, and interactive tasks performed by a broad cross-section of Spanish-Quechua bilinguals. The approach is offered as an addition to the toolkit for the analysis of long-standing language contact environments.
Spanish and Valencian in contact
Authors: Martínez-Ibarra Francisco
Published: May 2016

The purpose of my study is to analyze the contact between Spanish and Valencian in the linguistic landscape of Elche. What are the languages being used and on what types of signs? Does the linguistic landscape reflect the language use and attitudes of the population of Elche? What does the linguistic landscape say about the way language policies are being implemented by local and regional governments? Over 3000 data items were collected and examined based on a number of factors such as the languages being used, the author of the signs, and the location where each sign was observed. Results confirm the dominance of Spanish and suggest a weak implementation of language policies aimed at the normalization of Valencian.
On glottal stops in Yucatan Spanish
Authors: Michnowicz Jim , Kagan Laura
Published: May 2016

This article examines the impact of linguistic and extra-linguistic factors on the production of glottalization (/ʔ/ and creaky voice) in Yucatan Spanish. The results of this study suggest that glottal insertion before vowel-initial words in Yucatan Spanish is the product of language contact mediated by internal development. It also indicates that glottal insertion, like other traditional features of Yucatan Spanish, is undergoing a process of standardization, whereby younger, more educated speakers employ a less traditional, more ‘standard’ variety of Spanish.
Social factors in semantic change
Authors: Korfhagen David
Published: May 2016

This study traces the semasiological development of the verb afeitar, taking into account probable intervening social and cognitive factors that contributed to several shifts in the verb’s prototypical meaning. Data collected from electronic corpora suggest the existence of three phases in the semantic development of the verb. Literary evidence from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries suggests that the social élite increasingly viewed the act of applying cosmetics in a negative light. The study argues that positive connotations were a conventionalized, requisite component to the meaning suggested by the verb, and that the verb was therefore increasingly viewed as inappropriate for reference to the act of applying cosmetics, while it remained perfectly suitable for reference to the act of shaving.
Corpus Stylistics as Contextual Prosodic Theory and Subtext
Authors: Louw Bill , Milojkovic Marija
Published: May 2016

The volume presents Louw's Contextual Prosodic Theory from its beginnings to its newest applications. It journeys from delexicalisation and relexicalisation into Semantic Prosody and then to the heart of its contextual requirements within collocation and the thinking of J.R. Firth. Once there, it moves much of Firth’s and Malinowski’s thinking into a computational method based upon the ability of language to govern and analyse itself using collocation to plot its scope and limits. With the assistance of analytic philosophy, it parts logic (grammar) from metaphysics (vocabulary) along the lines of a non-computational formula of Bertrand Russell, and so falsifies the major premise of the Vienna Circle using its own central tenet: the Principle of Verification. Having arrived at corpus-derived subtext (the semantic aura of grammar strings, as distinguished from Semantic Prosody), the second half of the book proceeds to verify the theory on Slavic languages. The focus is on the poet Alexander Pushkin, whose authorial intention becomes computationally recoverable. Prose is handled on samples authored by David Lodge, where authorial (in)sincerity (Louw 1993) is viewed on a cline of inspiration and quality of discourse. Other applications in the volume include studies on translation, negotiation, humour, and the reception of CPT.
Examining feature economy in Arabic dialects
Authors: Lin Cheng-Wei
Published: May 2016

This study extends the scope of the principle of feature economy (Clements, 2003) to the diachronic level, where it serves as one of the principles for sound change. The principle predicts that newer varieties of a language will have more efficient sound systems than older varieties do. This study examines the predictions made by this principle in twenty Arabic dialects, divided into groups based on two salient historical factors concerning geography and standardization. Although the results confirm the predictions of feature economy, some concerns are raised regarding the assumptions made by the principle as it pertains to language change. Therefore, the applicability of the principle of feature economy within the diachronic domain cannot be regarded as confirmed until denser diachronic data is analyzed. Further investigation into the topic is still needed.
Clause structure in contact contexts
Authors: Akkuș Faruk , Benmamoun Elabbas
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we discuss the syntax of negation in Sason Arabic which patterns with both its Arabic neighbors, particularly the so-called Mesopotamian varieties (such as the Iraqi variety/varieties of Mosul) and the neighboring languages that are typologically different, particularly Kurdish and Turkish. We provide a description of copula constructions in Sason and discuss their word order patterns and interaction with sentential negation. Depending on the nature of the predicate, Sason displays both head-initial word order, which reflects its Arabic and Semitic lineage, and head-final word order, which shows the influence of its head final neighbors and competitors for linguistic space.
Cyclic Spell-Out Derived Agreement in Arabic Raising Constructions
Authors: Wurmbrand Susi , Haddad Youssef A.
Published: May 2016

Standard Arabic licenses raising structures with three types of verbs known collectively as verbs of appropinquation. Raising structures with these verbs are unique in that they permit different subject positions and an agreement pattern that is not found otherwise in the language. Matching the different word orders to positions that have been proposed for raising constructions in languages like English, we show that a striking similarity holds and that raising in Standard Arabic provides new support for the existence of opacity domains (phases) in raising contexts. The chapter analyzes these raising configurations, along with the different word orders and agreement patterns they allow, by proposing a cyclic spell-out approach in which a particular PF choice at an early cycle (phase) creates certain opacity effects for the agreement options at later cycles.
Defining the functional binding sites of interleukin 12 receptor β1 and interleukin 23 receptor to Janus kinases
Authors: Floss Doreen M. , Klöcker Tobias , Schröder Jutta , Lamertz Larissa , Mrotzek Simone , Strobl Birgit , Hermanns Heike , Scheller Jürgen
Published: May 2016

The interleukin (IL)-12–type cytokines IL-12 and IL-23 are involved in T-helper (Th) 1 and Th17 immunity, respectively. They share the IL-12 receptor β1 (IL-12Rβ1) as one component of their receptor signaling complexes, with IL-12Rβ2 as second receptor for IL-12 and IL-23R for IL-23 signal transduction. Stimulation with IL-12 and IL-23 results in activation of receptor-associated Janus kinases (Jak) and phosphorylation of STAT proteins in target cells. The Janus kinase tyrosine kinase (Tyk) 2 associates with IL-12Rβ1, whereas Jak2 binds to IL-23R and also to IL-12Rβ2. Receptor association of Jak2 is mediated by Box1 and Box2 motifs located within the intracellular domain of the receptor chains. Here we define the Box1 and Box2 motifs in IL-12Rβ1 and an unusual Jak2-binding site in IL-23R by the use of deletion and site-directed mutagenesis. Our data show that nonfunctional box motifs abolish IL-12– and IL-23–induced STAT3 phosphorylation and cytokine-dependent proliferation of Ba/F3 cells. Coimmunoprecipitation of Tyk2 by IL-12Rβ1 and Jak2 by IL‑23R supported these findings. In addition, our data demonstrate that association of Jak2 with IL-23R is mandatory for IL-12 and/or IL-23 signaling, whereas Tyk2 seems to be dispensable.
Clustered nuclei maintain autonomy and nucleocytoplasmic ratio control in a syncytium
Authors: Dundon Samantha E. R. , Chang Shyr-Shea , Kumar Abhishek , Occhipinti Patricia , Shroff Hari , Roper Marcus , Gladfelter Amy S.
Published: May 2016

Nuclei in syncytia found in fungi, muscles, and tumors can behave independently despite cytoplasmic translation and the homogenizing potential of diffusion. We use a dynactin mutant strain of the multinucleate fungus Ashbya gossypii with highly clustered nuclei to assess the relative contributions of nucleus and cytoplasm to nuclear autonomy. Remarkably, clustered nuclei maintain cell cycle and transcriptional autonomy; therefore some sources of nuclear independence function even with minimal cytosol insulating nuclei. In both nuclear clusters and among evenly spaced nuclei, a nucleus’ transcriptional activity dictates local cytoplasmic contents, as assessed by the localization of several cyclin mRNAs. Thus nuclear activity is a central determinant of the local cytoplasm in syncytia. Of note, we found that the number of nuclei per unit cytoplasm was identical in the mutant to that in wild-type cells, despite clustered nuclei. This work demonstrates that nuclei maintain autonomy at a submicrometer scale and simultaneously maintain a normal nucleocytoplasmic ratio across a syncytium up to the centimeter scale.
Aristotle on Knowledge and Learning
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics is one of the most important, and difficult, works in the history of western philosophy. This book sheds new light on this challenging text by arguing that it is coherently structured around two themes of enduring philosophical interest: knowledge and learning. The Posterior Analytics, this book argues, is a sustained examination of scientific knowledge: what it is and how it is acquired. Aristotle first discusses two principal forms of scientific knowledge (epistēmē and nous). He then provides a compelling account, in reverse order, of the types of learning one needs to undertake in order to acquire them. The Posterior Analytics thus emerges as an elegantly organized work in which Aristotle describes the mind’s ascent from perception of sensible particulars to scientific knowledge of first principles. This book also highlights Plato’s influence on Aristotle’s text. For each type of learning Aristotle discusses, this book uncovers an instance of Meno’s Paradox (a puzzle from Plato’s Meno according to which inquiry and learning are impossible) and a solution to it. In addition, this book argues, against current orthodoxy, that Aristotle is committed to the Socratic Picture of inquiry, according to which one should seek what a thing’s essence is before seeking its demonstrable attributes and their causes.
Scientific Knowledge and Demonstration
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter argues that two forms of scientific knowledge (epistēmē) fall under Aristotle’s definition in Posterior Analytics 1.2: demonstrative scientific knowledge and non-demonstrative scientific knowledge, which Aristotle also calls nous. We have demonstrative scientific knowledge when we know that M, which is the cause of the fact that some attribute P belongs to some subject S, is the cause of the fact that P belongs to S and that P belongs to S by necessity (i.e., we know a demonstration). We have non-demonstrative scientific knowledge (i.e., nous) when we know that E, which is the essence of S, is the cause because of which S is the very thing that it is and that S is the very thing that it is by necessity (i.e., we know a definition). Aristotle’s account of learning by demonstration is then re-examined in light of this discussion.
Inquiry in APo 2.1
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter closely examines Aristotle’s account of inquiry in Posterior Analytics 2.1. It discusses the four objects of inquiry (‘the fact that’, ‘the reason why’, ‘if it is’, ‘what it is’), the temporal order (i.e., the stages) of inquiry, and the connection between inquiry and knowledge. A distinction is made between subject-focused inquiry (‘does S exist?’ ‘what is S?’) and attribute-focused inquiry (‘does P belong to S?’ ‘why does P belong to S?’). The chapter suggests that implicit in Aristotle’s account of inquiry in Posterior Analytics 2 is an account of how one acquires nous (i.e., non-demonstrative scientific knowledge) of the first principles of science. The chapter ends with a discussion of different instances of Meno’s Paradox that arise from Aristotle’s account of inquiry in Posterior Analytics 2.1.
The Socratic Picture of the Order of Inquiry
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter discusses the temporal order in which the four objects of inquiry (discussed in the previous two chapters) should (ideally) be sought. It first argues against the Intuitionist Picture, according to which one seeks and discovers at the same stage of inquiry a subject-kind’s demonstrable and essential attributes. It then argues against the Explanationist Picture, according to which one seeks and discovers at the same stage of inquiry a subject-kind’s essential attributes and the causes of its demonstrable attributes. It then defends the Socratic Picture, according to which one first seeks and discovers what a subject-kind’s essence is and then one seeks and discovers its demonstrable attributes and their causes. The chapter then examines three important methodological passages all of which provide evidence for the Socratic Picture. Aristotle’s account of our acquisition of nous of first principles is also discussed.
Discovering Causally Simple Essences
Authors: Bronstein David
Published: May 2016

This chapter discusses Stage 2 in the Socratic Picture of the order of inquiry, when we seek what a subject-kind is (i.e., its essence). The main focus is Posterior Analytics 2.13. The chapter begins with a discussion of an important but difficult passage in which one can find the main outlines both of the Socratic Picture and of Aristotle’s account of how we acquire nous of first principles (especially the definitions of subject-kinds). The chapter then discusses Aristotle’s account of how we discover by the method of division the causally simple essences of subordinate subject-kinds (i.e., species). These essences are made up of the species’ genus and a number of differentiae. Aristotle’s rules for the selection of differentiae are closely examined. The chapter ends with a discussion of Aristotle’s account of how we discover by induction the causally simple essences of primary subject-kinds (i.e., genera).
Bonding, Structure and Solid-State Chemistry
Authors: Ladd Mark
Published: May 2016

This book is aimed at undergraduate students in both chemistry and those degree subjects in which chemistry forms a significant part. It does not reflect any particular academic year, and so finds a place during the normal span of degree studies in the physical sciences. An A-level standard in science and mathematics is presumed; additional mathematical treatments are discussed in Appendices. An introductory first chapter leads into the main subject matter, which is treated through four chapters in terms of the principle bonding forces of cohesion in the solid state; a further chapter discusses nanosize materials. Important applications of the study topics are interspersed at appropriate points within the text. Each chapter is provided with a set of problems of varying degrees of difficulty, so as to assist the reader in gaining a facility with the subject matter and its applications. The problems are supplemented by detailed tutorial solutions, some of which present additional relevant material that indicate useful extensions of the topics. The acquisition of a three-dimensional visualization facility for chemical structures is aided by the provision of stereoscopic illustrations, and instructions for their correct viewing are provided. Computational aids are an important adjunct to both the understanding of the textual material and the solving of problems. A set of computer programs, some of which are interactive, has been devised for these applications and a short chapter provides additional information and practice in their execution. Notwithstanding chemical bonding and solid-state chemistry are wide-ranging topics, sufficient detail is included to form a sound basis for wider explorations of these subjects.
Ghana
Authors: McKay Andy , Pirttilä Jukka , Tarp Finn
Published: May 2016

In the late 1980s and early 1990s when much of sub-Saharan Africa saw economic decline, Ghana stood out as one of a small number of exceptions with positive growth. It undertook major economic reforms from 1984 onwards, and is regularly held up as an example of successful implementation of adjustment policies. It has achieved sustained positive economic growth every year since then. This chapter analyses the nature of the growth, then presents an analysis of the evolution of both consumption poverty and non-monetary poverty outcomes over this period, showing improvements in almost all indicators. At the same time inequality has risen over the past twenty years and remains an important concern. This increase is one reason why growth has not led to faster poverty reduction.
Slow Progress in Growth and Poverty Reduction in Cameroon
Authors: Fambon Samuel , McKay Andy , Timnou Joseph-Pierre , Kouakep Olive Stéphanie , Dzossa Anaclet Désiré , Ngoho Romain Tchakoute
Published: May 2016

The chapter analyses the growth performance of the Cameroonian economy from independence in 1960 to date, and uses this as a background for the analysis of poverty, inequality, and non-monetary outcomes. The analysis of poverty and inequality takes data from three comparable and nationally representative Cameroonian household surveys that were conducted in 1996, 2001, and 2007 respectively; these are complemented by an analysis of the four demographic health surveys conducted in 1991, 1998, 2004, and 2011. This analysis puts more emphasis on spatial differences. Some policy recommendations are given, generally focusing on the need for stronger and sustainable economic growth and for greater policy attention to be paid to poverty reduction, especially in disadvantaged regions of the country.
Revolution, Religion, and Poetry
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter examines how in the immediate aftermath of the Revolution of 1789 Chateaubriand sought an overarching explanation for all revolutions. In his Essai sur les révolutions, where he considers different countries and historical periods, he concludes that revolution springs from a perennial human sense of lack, or melancholy. Following the renewal of his Christian faith he argues in the Génie du christianisme that this sense of lack is best assuaged not by progressive politics but by religious belief, which he sees as the foundation of a new monarchical order in society. For him poetry—in the sense of literature of the imagination that appeals particularly to sentiment—provides the most effective means of inspiring and sustaining Christian faith, as he seeks to demonstrate in the poetic prose of Atala and René.
The Woman Writer as Lawgiver
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter examines Staël’s works preceding De la littérature and discusses her situation as a woman writer. Born and raised at the centre of French political and intellectual life but debarred by gender from holding public office, Staël regarded writing as her only means of ‘lawgiving’. The chapter begins with the Lettres sur Rousseau, a declaration of faith in natural pity and ‘enthusiasm’ as the foundations of social progress. In her early treatises and political pamphlets Staël writes as a mediator—demanding mercy for Marie-Antoinette, urging peace between France and Great Britain, attempting to unite monarchists and radicals under the banner of moderate republicanism. In a male world of factional politics, Staël argues, women are well placed, by their nature and their very marginality, to promote a politics of enthusiasm that might complete the work of the Revolution through a rational and independent-minded programme of lawgiving directed at public opinion.
The Lawgiver as Poet and Outlaw
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter examines Staël’s second novel, Corinne and analyses how the central love relationship once more pits enthusiasm—and now poetry, together with the landscapes and locations of Italy—against moral, intellectual, and aesthetic conservatism (now of Northumberland and Scotland). Again the latter destroys the former, and with it Corinne’s poetic function as catalyst of political unity and stimulus of spiritual fulfilment. The relationship between Oswald and Corinne is seen to represent also an opposition between the negative melancholy of Chateaubriand’s mal du siècle and the positive melancholy of Corinne: that is, of a sense of falling short that arises not from something lacking in human experience and to be found only in the afterlife, but from a plenitude of sensual and emotional experience in the here and now that threatens to overwhelm us and yet which can find expression in poetry as a celebration of the apotheosis of humankind.
The Poet as Lawgiver
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter examines Lamartine’s career as a poet up to 1830 and focuses on his concerted adoption of the role of lawgiver. In the Méditations poétiques (1820), where he compares Bonald to Moses in presenting his ideal of the writer as moral leader, the poet seeks to be God’s instrument, standing ready to receive and transmit the divine Word. This role is pursued in the Nouvelles méditations and the Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, but the poet’s doubts about the capacity of human language to fulfil this purpose, already manifest in the Méditations poétiques, gradually come to the fore so that by the end of the Harmonies this poetic task seems doomed. Yet at the same time the poet demonstrates, for all his ostensible aspirations to artless passivity, that by his own poetic work he has the power to create verbal patterns which convey the beauty of a putatively divine order.
Private or Public?
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter considers Hugo’s first three verse collections: Odes et ballades (1822–6), Les Orientales (1829), and Les Feuilles d’automne (1831). Beginning with his definition of poetry as ‘tout ce qu’il y a d’intime dans tout’, it examines the tension exhibited in these collections between the private and public functions of poetry, between the intimacy of personal disclosure and the intimacy of political complicity. This tension expresses itself also in the early Hugo’s attempts to reconcile royalist allegiance with artistic independence: society has changed, and so must art. The public role of the poet-lawgiver takes Hugo into the realm of the theatre, where the dramatist has ‘the cure of souls’, but he remains ‘le poète dans les révolutions’: a poet whose poems engage repeatedly in celebration or critique of recent and contemporary public events, while also continually reminding us of his private status as lover, family man, and dedicated artist.
Afterlives
Authors: Pearson Roger
Published: May 2016

This chapter discusses Daphné, an unfinished sequel to Stello, in which Stello the poet and his ‘therapist’ Docteur Noir consider the place of religion in society. Their debate focuses on Julian the Apostate, the fourth-century Roman emperor who opposed Christianity and sought a return to earlier forms of pagan thought. Sympathetic to the figure of Julian, Vigny here appears to be writing a riposte to Chateaubriand’s Génie du christianisme. But, as in Les Destinées, far from seeking a return to some pagan past, he looks forward to the new era of the ‘esprit pur’, a secular, post-Christian age of progressive rationalism when poetry, as distilled wisdom, can guide humankind. At the end of Daphné Julian’s tutor, Libanius, expounds Vigny’s own lesson: the poet-lawgiver must renounce all ambition to lead a cause and instead have faith that posterity will one day embrace and implement his ideal vision of a fairer society.
Antiretroviral Use in the CEASE Cohort Study and Implications for Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy in Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Hepatitis C Virus Coinfection
Authors: Martinello Marianne , Dore Gregory J. , Skurowski Jasmine , Bopage Rohan I. , Finlayson Robert , Baker David , Bloch Mark , Matthews Gail V.
Published: May 2016

Background.  Interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens for hepatitis C virus (HCV) provide a major advance in clinical management, including in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/HCV coinfection. Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) require consideration. This study aimed to characterize the cART regimens in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals and assess the clinical significance of DDIs with DAAs in a real-world cohort.

Methods.  This analysis included participants enrolled in CEASE-D, a prospective cohort of HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals in Sydney, Australia, between July 2014 and December 2015. A simulation of potential DDIs between participants' cART and interferon-free DAA regimens was performed using www.hep-druginteractions.org and relevant prescribing information.

Results.  In individuals on cART with HCV genotype (GT) 1 and 4 (n = 128), category 3 DDIs (contraindicated or not recommended) were noted in 0% with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, 0% with sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir, 17% with sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, 36% with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir, 51% with grazoprevir/elbasvir, and 51% with sofosbuvir plus simeprevir; current cART regimens were suitable for coadministration in 100%, 100%, 73%, 64%, 49%, and 49%, respectively. In individuals with HCV GT 2 or 3 (n = 53), category 3 DDIs were evident in 0% with sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir, 0% with sofosbuvir and ribavirin, and 13% with sofosbuvir/velpatasvir; current cART regimens were suitable in 100%, 100%, and 81%, respectively.

Conclusions.  Potential DDIs are expected and will impact on DAA prescribing in HIV/HCV coinfection. Sofosbuvir in combination with an NS5A inhibitor or ribavirin appeared to be the most suitable regimens in this cohort. Evaluation of potential DDIs is required to prevent adverse events or treatment failure.
Offset layered closure reduces deep wound infection in early-onset scoliosis surgery
Authors: Grzywna Alexandra M. , Miller Patricia E. , Glotzbecker Michael P. , Emans John B.
Published: May 2016

Deep wound infection is a common complication in early-onset scoliosis (EOS) surgery. Soft tissue technique has received less attention as a means to reduce infection. A retrospective review of 1170 EOS surgeries (single surgeon, institution) investigated the impact of offset layered closure (OLC) and soft tissue awareness. The introduction of OLC reduced deep infection from 3.0% in 99 surgeries to 0.37% in 1071. Logistic regression confirmed that OLC led to significantly lower odds of infection (P=0.007). This deep infection rate (0.37%) is more typical of elective surgery, providing a more optimistic view of infection in EOS surgery than generally reported.
Psychosocial, clinical and demographic features related to worry in patients with melanoma
Authors: Rogers Zoe , Elliott Faye , Kasparian Nadine A. , Bishop D. Timothy , Barrett Jennifer H. , Newton-Bishop Julia
Published: May 2016

The aim of this study was to investigate clinical, demographic and psychosocial predictors of melanoma-related worry. A questionnaire-based study in a population-ascertained cohort of individuals diagnosed with melanoma in the previous 3–6 months was carried out to identify factors associated with worry about melanoma shortly after diagnosis. A total of 520 patients felt worried about their future with respect to melanoma and 1568 patients felt confident about their future with respect to melanoma. Worry was less likely in men with partners than women with partners [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.39–0.67)], and increasing age was protective against worry [adjusted OR=0.96 per year, 95% CI (0.95–0.97)]. Worry was more likely for patients with stage III/IV melanoma [adjusted OR=1.90, 95% CI (1.41–2.56) compared with stages IB–IIC], melanoma arising in sun-protected sites (compared with a limb), no occupation (compared with workers), those who reported insufficient emotional support from healthcare providers [adjusted OR=2.20, 95% CI (1.56–3.09) compared with sufficient support], lower knowledge of melanoma [adjusted OR=4.50, 95% CI (2.82–7.18) compared with well informed], perceived financial hardship compared with no financial hardship and over three previous negative life events compared with none/one. Worry about melanoma outcomes after diagnosis is multifactorial in origin.
Aging in the Male Face: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors
Authors: Keaney Terrence C.
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND

Gender is one of the most significant factors that influence facial anatomy and behavior, both key factors in the aging process.

OBJECTIVE

To review male facial anatomy, physiology, and behavior and how it contributes to sexual dimorphism in facial aging.

METHODS

A MEDLINE search was performed for publications on gender differences in facial anatomy, aging, cutaneous physiology, and behavior.

RESULTS

There are differences in both intrinsic and extrinsic aging factors in men. Men have a thicker epidermis and dermis with more active cutaneous appendages including hair growth. Male skin has a reduced antioxidant capacity and increased ultraviolet-induced immunosuppression. The male face is larger and has a unique square shape with less subcutaneous soft tissue, especially at the medial cheek. Men are also more prone to smoking and exhibiting poor sun-protective behavior. The differences in intrinsic and extrinsic aging factors contribute to poor facial aging in men. Men develop more severe rhytides in a unique pattern, show increased periocular aging changes, and are more prone to hair loss.

CONCLUSION

This review provides insight into the factors contributing to accelerated male facial aging. Understanding gender differences in aging will help physicians tailor cosmetic treatments for men and minimize extrinsic aging factors.
Breast Wound Infections With Rapidly Growing Mycobacteria After Cancer Surgery
Authors: Sánchez-Vargas Flor Maria , Gaviria-Lopez Andres F. , Nanjappa Sowmya , Velez Ana Paula , Greene John N.
Published: May 2016

Background

Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are an uncommon cause of infection in breast reconstructive surgery. Patients with breast cancer may be at an increased risk for this infection because of their immunosuppression from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, history of previous surgery, and possible local lymphedema.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed all cases of mycobacterial infection occurring in patients with breast cancer from January 2005 to January 2015 at the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Results

Thirteen isolates were identified with 11 cases occurring unilaterally and 2 cases bilaterally. The median age was 54.8 years (range, 37–77). The median time from onset of symptoms to diagnoses was 6.3 weeks (range, 2–32 weeks). Fifty-five percent of patients had a history of previous chemotherapy and 36% of previous radiotherapy. In 64% (n = 7) of the patients, the infection presented after mastectomy with a tissue expander. The tissue expander (n = 8) or the silicone implant (n = 1) was removed, and 2 patients had no foreign material. The most common isolates were Mycobacterium abscessus (n = 9), followed by Mycobacterium fortuitum (n = 2). Mycobacterium fortuitum isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, linezolid, and amikacin. All M. abscessus isolated were susceptible to clarithromycin (100%), some isolates were susceptible to amikacin, but all were resistant to ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, minocycline, moxifloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The treatment regimen was individualized with all patients receiving combination of antibiotics with mostly azithromycin and another agent. There was no mortality in any of the cases. All patients were cured after surgical extraction and antibiotic treatment.

Conclusions

Rapidly growing mycobacteria infection after breast cancer reconstructive surgery is infrequent, with a low prevalence similar to other published case series in patients without cancer. Rapidly growing mycobacteria should be considered in patients with infections who do not respond to usual antibiotic therapy. Mycobacterium abscessus and M. fortuitum were the most common causes of these RGM infections. The removal of the prosthetic device is a fundamental component for treatment success along with combination antibiotic therapy on the basis of susceptibility testing.
A Multicenter Trial of a Shared Decision Support Intervention for Patients and Their Caregivers Offered Destination Therapy for Advanced Heart Failure: DECIDE-LVAD
Authors: McIlvennan Colleen K. , Thompson Jocelyn S. , Matlock Daniel D. , Cleveland Joseph C. , Dunlay Shannon M. , LaRue Shane J. , Lewis Eldrin F. , Patel Chetan B. , Walsh Mary Norine , Allen Larry A.
Published: May 2016

Background:

Shared decision making is important to ensure that patients receive therapies aligned with their goals and values. Based upon a detailed needs assessment with diverse stakeholders, pamphlet and video decision aids for destination therapy left ventricular assist devices (DT LVAD) were developed to help patients and their caregivers think through, forecast, and deliberate their options. These decision aids are the foundation of the Multicenter Trial of a Shared Decision Support Intervention for Patients and their Caregivers Offered Destination Therapy for End-Stage Heart Failure (DECIDE-LVAD) study, a multicenter, randomized trial aimed at understanding the effectiveness and implementation of a shared decision support intervention for patients considering DT LVAD.

Methods/Design:

A stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial was designed, guided by the RE-AIM framework and modeled after an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type II design. Six DT LVAD programs from across the United States will participate. Primary outcomes include knowledge and values-treatment concordance. Patients with advanced heart failure who are being considered for DT LVAD and their caregivers are eligible with a target enrollment of 168 dyads. From August 2014 to January 2015, an acceptability and feasibility pilot study was performed, which clarified opportunities and challenges around decision support for DT LVAD and resulted in significant modifications to the DECIDE-LVAD study.

Discussion:

Study findings will provide a foundation for implementing decision support interventions, including decision aids, with patients who have chronic progressive illness facing end-of-life decisions involving invasive, preference-sensitive therapy options.
CD13 Autoantibodies Are Elevated in Sera From Mothers of Infants With Neonatal Cholestasis of Different Causes
Authors: Xu Xinling , Rahbar Afsar , Omarsdottir Soley , Teng Jonas , Németh Antal , Fischler Björn , Söderberg‐Nauclér Cecilia
Published: May 2016

Objectives:

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection induces production of CD13‐specific autoantibodies, which may promote inflammation and tissue damage. HCMV infection has been suggested as a cause of biliary atresia (BA), but little is known of its role in other forms of neonatal cholestasis. We studied serum levels of CD13‐specific autoantibodies in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis of different causes, including BA, and in mothers of healthy, term infants without cholestasis, as well as in healthy blood donors.

Methods:

Using fluorescence‐activated cell sorting, we measured CD13‐specific autoantibody levels in serum from the above‐mentioned groups. In addition, the effect of serum from mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis was tested on the differentiation of monocytes into macrophages.

Results:

CD13‐specific autoantibodies were found in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis, but not in mothers of infants without cholestasis and healthy blood donors, and were associated with HCMV seropositivity. Sera from mothers of infants with all forms of neonatal cholestasis inhibited differentiation of monocytes into macrophages, but this was not dependent on CD13‐specific autoantibodies.

Conclusions:

The significantly higher frequency of CD13‐specific autoantibodies in mothers of infants with neonatal cholestasis of all forms compared with mothers of healthy infants without cholestasis suggests an association, but does not prove that they are pathogenic. The presence of CD13‐specific autoantibodies does not correlate with HCMV IgG serostatus, suggesting a more complicated mechanism that possibly reflects active HCMV infection in these individuals. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether these autoantibodies contribute to the development of cholestasis or represent an epiphenomenon.
Multiple paths to customer delight: the impact of effort, expertise and tangibles on joy and surprise
Authors: Barnes Donald C. , Collier Joel E. , Howe Vince , Douglas Hoffman K.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

Historically, firms have dedicated an abundance of resources in the pursuit of customer satisfaction and its corresponding favorable consequences. However, research indicates that customer satisfaction may not necessarily result in the outcomes pursued. This paper aims to focus on the concept of customer delight and explore antecedents and consequences of interest to the service firm. More specifically, the proposed model explores the linkages of employee effort, employee expertise and the firm’s tangibles to customer surprise and joy which in turn lead to customer delight and per cent of budget spent.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a grocery store. The hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results from this study yield new insights into the dual pathways leading to customer delight through joy and surprise. That is, joy and tangibles lead to both joy and surprise, whereas expertise leads to joy alone. Both joy and surprise are completely mediated through delight to per cent of budget spent. Interestingly, higher frequency customers experience a stronger relationship from joy to delight.

Research limitations/implications

The findings have implications for the ongoing debate on the viability of customer delight and extending the theoretical understanding of why customer delight represents such a powerful force in the service environment.

Practical implications

By providing specific variables that impact both joy and surprise, management can develop tactics to develop delight initiatives.

Originality/value

This is the first study proposing multiple paths to customer delight. Further, this is the first study to link needs based and disconfirmation into a single model.
Breaking the Constitutional Silence: the Public Services Industry and Government
Authors: Johal Sukhdev , Moran Michael , Williams Karel
Published: May 2016

Analysis of constitutional arrangements has been too narrow in the past, confined to examination of explicitly governmental arrangements. But corporate enterprises perform such important public functions, especially in the age of outsourcing, that they need to be incorporated into the constitution. The article develops this argument and proposes a framework for such incorporation.
Mr Cameron's New Language Initiative for Muslim Women: Lessons in Policy Implementation
Authors: Wigfield Andrea , Turner Royce
Published: May 2016

As the government announces a programme to teach Muslim women to speak English, this article examines how such a policy can be implemented successfully, arguing that lessons can be drawn from both academic research, especially that carried out with Muslim women themselves, and previous successful policy application. It focuses on two projects carried out in the recent past for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Jobcentre Plus, and outlines the key factors that led to their success. The LSC project involved one of the largest in‐depth surveys of Muslim women's attitudes towards work, and their views on life in Britain, that has ever been undertaken. The Jobcentre Plus project was a highly successful and innovative employment training initiative for ethnic minority women piloted in Sheffield, the very kind of ‘targeted’ approach that Mr Cameron has claimed his government's new language initiative will be.
Detached, Hostile, Adaptable and Liberalising: The Chameleon Qualities of the UK's Relationship with EU Social Policy
Authors: Carmel Emma , Papadopoulos Theodoros
Published: May 2016

In this article, we review the EU's significance for social policies in the UK. The EU has a limited legal role or institutional capacity to directly regulate the social policies of its member states. This role is even more limited in the case of non‐eurozone countries. There are a handful of EU policy measures which have had effects on social policy in the UK. However, these effects have not changed the institutional arrangements for making, organising and delivering social policy, which remain firmly in the hands of UK governments. In consequence, a ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’ result has relatively limited implications for social policy, except in the case of specific social groups: notably for UK and other EU nationals who have lived and worked in at least one other EU country. Other EU legislation and regulation is compatible with the current and historical policy preferences of UK governments and political parties.