bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Should Event Organizers Prevent Resale of Tickets?
Authors: Cui Yao , Duenyas Izak , Şahin Özge
Published: April 2014

We are interested in whether preventing resale of tickets benefits the capacity providers for sporting and entertainment events. Common wisdom suggests that ticket resale is harmful to event organizers' revenues, and event organizers have tried to prevent resale of tickets. For instance, Ticketmaster recently proposed paperless (nontransferrable) ticketing, which would severely limit the opportunity to resell tickets. We consider a model that allows resale from both consumers and speculators with different transaction costs for each party. Surprisingly, we find that this wisdom is incorrect when event organizers use fixed pricing policies; in fact, event organizers benefit from reductions in consumers' (and speculators') transaction costs of resale. Even when multiperiod pricing policies are used, we find that an event organizer may still benefit from ticket resale if his capacity is small. Although paperless ticketing is suggested as a way to reduce ticket resale and prevent speculators from buying tickets, our results suggest that it may reduce the capacity providers' revenues in many situations. Instead, we propose ticket options as a novel ticket pricing mechanism. We show that ticket options (where consumers would initially buy an option to buy a ticket and then exercise at a later date) naturally reduce ticket resale significantly and result in significant increases in event organizers' revenues. Furthermore, since a consumer only risks the option price (and not the whole ticket price) if she cannot attend the event, options may face less consumer resistance than paperless tickets.

This paper was accepted by Serguei Netessine, operations management.
The (Un)Plain Bible
Authors: Willsky Lydia
Published: April 2014

This article explores the phenomenon of nineteenth-century new religious movements as a reaction to the “plain Bible” religious culture of that era. The plain Bible thesis maintained that the Bible was clear in its meaning, persuasive in its message, and authoritative in all matters of truth. Through the examples of Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy and Henry David Thoreau, this article illustrates how three religious innovators reacted against the plain Bible thesis by creating their own versions of scripture which, in turn, aided in creating or strengthening alternative forms of Christianity. With his Mormon scriptural canon, including The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, Smith combated the notion that the Bible was clear in meaning; with her sacred text Science and Health Eddy challenged the persuasiveness of the plain Bible; and with his manuscript Wild Fruits, Thoreau undermined the plain Bible’s singular authority. This article shows that many new religious movements were not outliers in nineteenth-century Christian culture but were in fact products of that culture, albeit reactionary ones.
SHEkinah
Authors: Pitts William L.
Published: April 2014

Lois Roden (1905–1986) asserted herself as prophet of the Branch Davidians following the death of her husband, Branch Davidian founder Ben Roden (1902–1978), and she would lead the group from 1978 to 1983. In support of her authority as prophet she introduced two progressive ideas to the Branch Davidians—the feminine nature of God and the legitimacy of women's religious leadership. Following the example set by Davidian founder Victor Houteff (1885–1955) of publishing church teaching as a means of evangelization, Lois Roden in 1980 created the journal SHEkinah to reprint newspaper and other articles supporting her teachings about feminist theology and biblical studies. Analysis of SHEkinah shows that by reprinting articles from scholars affiliated with other Christian denominations and from authors with the secular media, Lois Roden promoted these revolutionary ideas even while retaining traditional Seventh-day Adventist convictions.
Alternative Christianities
Authors: Gallagher Eugene V.
Published: April 2014

This essay introduces the four articles in this volume by describing how the groups they address constitute “alternative Christianities.” That is, each of the groups discussed draws upon the wealth of symbolic religious capital contained primarily in the Christian scriptures while at the same proposing such innovative understandings of it that they are often considered by both their originators and the broader culture as sufficiently different as to represent distinctive alternatives to the mainstream tradition. Particularly important in the generation of such alternatives is the creative exercise of interpretive ingenuity in reading foundational scriptural texts such as the Hebrew Bible, Christian scriptures, or Mormon canon. These four articles also show how the canonization of multiple examples of religious innovation in scriptural texts retains the power to inspire new and alternative movements throughout history.
The Anomaly of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries
Authors: Allen Spencer L.
Published: April 2014

Currently serving a 175-year prison sentence for transporting underage girls across state lines for sexual purposes, new religious movement leader Tony Alamo (b. 1934) of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries contends not only that Christian men should be polygamous but that they actually are commanded to be by Old Testament polygamy laws. Alamo bases this interpretation primarily upon Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:17 that he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. Numerous other New Testament passages regarding marriage and the law are likewise reinterpreted through a polygamous lens, and the Old Testament’s “Holy Men of God” (e.g., Abraham, Jacob and David) are provided as role models. This article examines Alamo’s unique exegetical approach to justify Christian polygamy in twenty-first-century America; further, it compares his methods of maintaining his legitimacy among his followers with those of another modern American proponent of polygamy, the also-imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, Warren Jeffs.
Accumulating Fictions
Authors: Hitchcock Peter
Published: April 2014

This essay examines both the nature of the economic crisis of 2007–2008 and the intensification of finance capital in its wake. Moving between aesthetics and economics, it considers, in particular, the emergence of the “dark pool” and its implications within a massive expansion of fictitious capital.
On the relative cost of mediation and military intervention
Authors: Fischer Dietrich
Published: April 2014

Noting that the cost of war-prevention is much less than that of war and its aftermath, the article discusses options for a United Nations Institute for Mediation, a U.N. Security Insurance Agency, and an International Security Commission. It suggests that just as in the course of history, humans have abolished a number of institutions we now consider inhuman: cannibalism, ritual sacrifice, slavery, absolute monarchy, and most recently colonialism. it is possible, even likely, that some day war will follow and will be considered as equally abhorrent as we consider cannibalism today.
The cost of peacekeeping: Canada
Authors: Fetterly Ross
Published: April 2014

The article briefly reports on the funding of Canadian peacekeeping activities and outlines the shift toward peacekeeping operations in Canadian defense activity and expenditure since 1989. It then analyzes equipment deployed or readied in support of deployment overseas, especially with regard to the Canadian Air Force. It finds that the costs that make overseas deployment possible are substantial and form a major hidden cost of peacekeeping that, in future, needs to be made explicit to properly guide defense and peace operations planning and budgeting.
The business of landmine clearing
Authors: French Bob
Published: April 2014

Considering that some eighty countries have a problem with landmines, and observing the consequential effects on their economies, the amount of money available for the task of clearance is miserly. The article discusses landmine types and uses, and the excruciating work and cost involved in demining activity. Depending on the country, terrain, climate, commercial clearance, and NGO involved, costs to clear mines can vary from $2 to $39 per square meter. As an example of the size of the problem, Bosnia-Herzegovina has over 18,000 minefields mapped, with probably the same again not yet mapped. The mapped area represents approximately 3,000 square kilometers of contamination of which around 1,000 square kilometers is good agricultural land. In 2002, only four square kilometers were actually cleared. Various technical, financial, regulatory, and political prospects regarding landmine clearing are discussed.
Books received
Authors: Moller Bjorn
Published: April 2014

New books received.
An economic approach to peacemaking and peacekeeping
Authors: Dumas Lloyd J.
Published: April 2014

The greatest contribution that economics can make to banishing war lies in creating conditions that help keep the peace, especially in the long run. The problem is to identify the set of conditions that will generate positive incentives for nations to keep the peace and work out a set of policies and institutions capable of creating those conditions. The article outlines a few of the most critical conditions and sketches some of the kinds of policies that might help to bring them about.
Landscape context affects genetic diversity at a much larger spatial extent than population abundance
Authors: Jackson Nathan D. , Fahrig Lenore
Published: April 2014

Regional landscape context influences the fate of local populations, yet the spatial extent of this influence (called the “scale of effect”) is difficult to predict. Thus, a major problem for conservation management is to understand the factors governing the scale of effect such that landscape structure surrounding a focal area is measured and managed at the biologically relevant spatial scale. One unresolved question is whether and how scale of effect may depend on the population response measured (e.g., abundance vs. presence/absence). If scales of effect differ across population outcomes of a given species, management based on one outcome may compromise another, further complicating conservation decision making. Here we used an individual‐based simulation model to investigate how scales of effect of landscapes that vary in the amount and fragmentation of habitat differ among three population responses (local abundance, presence/absence, and genetic diversity). We also explored how the population response measured affects the relative importance of habitat amount and fragmentation in shaping local populations, and how dispersal distance mediates the magnitude and spatial scale of these effects. We found that the spatial scale most strongly influencing local populations depended on the outcome measured and was predicted to be small for abundance, medium‐sized for presence/absence, and large for genetic diversity. Increasing spatial scales likely resulted from increasing temporal scales over which outcomes were regulated (with local genetic diversity being regulated over the largest number of generations). Thus, multiple generations of dispersal and gene flow linked local population patterns to regional population size. The effects of habitat amount dominated the effects of fragmentation for all three outcomes. Increased dispersal distance strongly reduced abundance, but not presence/absence or genetic diversity. Our results suggest that managing protected species at spatial scales based on population abundance data may ignore broader landscape effects on population genetic diversity and persistence, lending support to the importance of managing large buffers surrounding areas of conservation concern.
Update on Antibacterial Resistance in Low-Income Countries: Factors
Favoring the Emergence of Resistance
Authors: Vila Jordi , Pal Tibor
Published: April 2014

Antimicrobial resistance has increased drastically in recent years in the developing countries, and it has rapidly
become a leading public health concern. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance varies greatly between and within
countries and between different pathogens. However, overall a trend to the increase of the resistance to those
antimicrobial agents more often used in these countries has been observed. Several factors can contribute to the rapid
emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. In this paper, the current antimicrobial resistance in different
microorganisms from different countries as well as the factors contributing to the emergence and spread of resistance in
developing countries will be reviewed.
Developments in Plant-Based Vaccines Against Diseases of Concern in
Developing Countries
Authors: Gómez Evangelina , Zoth Silvina Chimeno , Carrillo Elisa , Berinstein Analía
Published: April 2014

Vaccination has been extensively used to prevent, eradicate and control infectious diseases. However, the
development and implementation of new vaccines remains prohibitively expensive for middle and low income countries
where such measures are surely needed most. The production of plant-based vaccines provides a promising alternative to
create affordable biological products. In the past decade, a growing number of research groups worldwide have studied plant
expression and parenteral or oral delivery of vaccine antigens, some showing promising potential. Here, we describe the basis
of the system and the state of the art of developments regarding diseases of concern in developing countries.
Childhood Pneumonia in Low and Middle Income Countries: Burden,
Prevention and Management
Authors: Gray D. , Zar H.J.
Published: April 2014

Background:

Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five years of age
worldwide. The burden of childhood pneumonia occurs predominantly in low or middle income countries. Despite recent
advances in management and preventative strategies, high rates of treatment failure and case fatality continue to occur in
children in such countries.

Aim:

To review the current evidence on the epidemiology and management of childhood pneumonia in low and middle
income countries.

Methods:

Direct search of Medline database from 1995 to date through Pubmed was conducted. Search terms included:
(pneumonia OR lower respiratory tract infections OR lower respiratory infections OR ARI) AND child. Search was
restricted to English articles. In addition reference lists of selected studies were reviewed for relevant information.

Findings:

Major findings accounting for the high burden include delayed health seeking, poor access to health care,
poorly resourced health care systems, inadequate immunisation programs and lack of availability of oxygen delivery
systems. The burden of pneumonia deaths has also been increased by the paediatric HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
Effective preventive interventions include exclusive breastfeeding, optimizing nutrition, reduction of indoor air pollution
and immunisations. Wider availability of new immunisations particularly pneumococcal conjugate vaccine can
substantially reduce pneumonia incidence. Prophylactic trimethoprim- sulphamethoxazole and antiretroviral therapy are
important strategies to prevent pneumonia in HIV infected children, and wider implementation of these is still needed.
The most effective treatment strategy remains case management guidelines as contained in the Integrated Management of
Childhood Illness program. Case management efficacy is dependent on timely access to health facilities, on health worker
ability to recognise and treat pneumonia or severe pneumonia and on availability of appropriate antibiotics and
functioning referral pathways. In areas of high HIV prevalence, guidelines must be adapted to broaden antimicrobial
coverage including treatment for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. Monitoring of hypoxia with pulse oximetry and
appropriate oxygen delivery systems are still not widely available and should be prioritized in pneumonia management
programs.

Conclusions:

Improved access to preventive and management strategies is urgently needed to reduce the burden of
childhood pneumonia in resource limited settings. Further research on childhood pneumonia is needed to delineate the
burden of specific pathogens, to develop better diagnostic tests and to improve current management and preventive
strategies.
Dose Optimisation: A Strategy to Improve Tolerability and Lower
Antiretroviral Drug Prices in Low and Middle Income Countries
Authors: Hill Andrew , Ananworanich Jinatanat , Calmy Alexandra
Published: April 2014

Four million people have been initiated on antiretroviral treatment in low and middle income countries.
However, an additional 5 million people eligible for treatment are not receiving it. Of the 27-29 million people infected
with HIV but not currently receiving treatment, most will need to start antiretrovirals as their disease progresses. Funding
for access programmes is restricted, partly because of the Global Financial Crisis. Antiretroviral treatment programmes
have to lower overall costs, so that the maximum number of people with HIV can be treated for limited budgets.
Antiretroviral treatment can account for the majority of the total cost of access programmes.

During the development of antiretrovirals, several doses are normally evaluated in Phase 2 dose-ranging trials. In the case
of efavirenz, lopinavir/ritonavir and raltegravir, there was no difference in efficacy between doses evaluated at Phase 2,
but the higher doses were then taken into Phase 3 registration trials, leading to regulatory approval.

Re-analysis of the dose-ranging trials of raltegravir showed equal efficacy for doses in the range of 100 to 600mg twice
daily. The main Phase 2 trial of efavirenz, DMP-005, suggests that a 400mg once daily dose should show equal efficacy to
the standard 600mg once daily dose. The dose-ranging trials of lopinavir/ritonavir showed the highest efficacy at the
200/100mg mg twice daily dose, compared with the standard 400/100 mg twice daily dose.

Re-optimisation of doses could dramatically lower costs of first and second-line treatment for low and middle income
countries. For example, it may be possible to manufacture raltegravir 100 mg twice daily for US $75-100, allowing firstline
use in low income countries. Costs of efavirenz could be lowered by 30%, and lopinavir/ritonavir by 35%, using reoptimised
doses. There may also be safety benefits to these new doses.
Strategies of HIV Prevention in Low and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Loû Annabel Desgrées du , Memmi Sarah , Orne-Gliemann Joanna
Published: April 2014

The number of people newly infected with HIV is still very high in low and middle-income countries. In these
countries, the HIV epidemic is dramatically disrupting both their population structure and economic situation. There is an
urgent need to reinforce strategies to prevent HIV transmission. Despite certain successes, HIV prevention strategies have
not yet been sufficient to significantly limit HIV propagation. New strategies of HIV prevention have been explored. If
certain HIV prevention tools have shown some efficacy, others are still under study. This paper reviews what is known
about “traditional” HIV prevention strategies and what has been published about the new strategies for HIV prevention
since the early 1990s. For increased efficacy, HIV prevention efforts should be tailored to the socio-cultural and economic
contexts, the local type of epidemic and the needs of local population.
Diarrheal Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Incidence,
Prevention and Management
Authors: Ahs Jill W. , Tao Wenjing , Löfgren Jenny , Forsberg Birger C.
Published: April 2014

Diarrheal diseases due to infection constitute a major burden of disease. Dehydration resulting from diarrhea
can be fatal. It is the cause of approximately 1.8 million deaths every year. The vast majority of these deaths are of
children under five years of age living in low- and middle- income countries. Interventions to prevent diarrhea include
provision of safe water, hand washing, the use of sanitation facilities, exclusive breastfeeding of infants and rotavirus
vaccination. Diagnosis is guided by symptoms into one of three categories: acute watery diarrhea, dysentery or bloody
diarrhea, or persistent diarrhea of longer than 2 weeks in duration. Treatment of diarrhea in children includes oral
rehydration with a pre-formulated solution or with fluids that can be prepared and administered in the home. Zinc
supplementation is recommended. Only in certain circumstances are antibiotics advised and anti-motility agents are
discouraged. The lives of many children could be saved with proper case management of diarrhea. With immediate and
sustained actions to decrease both the incidence and mortality attributed to diarrhea, the burden of this prominent public
health threat could be dramatically reduced.
Prevention and Control of Hospital-Related Infections in Low and Middle
Income Countries
Authors: Raka Lul
Published: April 2014

Hospitals are the main health facilities for the risk of acquiring an infection during the delivery of care.
Hospital-related infections constitute an important health challenge worldwide. In low and middle income countries
infection prevention and control policies are either non-existent, poorly adapted or insufficiently funded by governments.
Lack of financial funds, inadequate infrastructure and management, improper use of antimicrobials and shortage of trained
staff are key constraints for effective infection control in the hospitals of low income countries. As a consequence, these
countries are facing the challenges of higher rates of hospital infections, frequent outbreaks, unsafe care and spread of
infections in the community. The best solutions for an effective infection control program entail introduction of
prevention bundles, greater governmental commitment, improvement of compliance with hand hygiene, surveillance,
prudent use of antimicrobials, translation of research results into practice and upgrading the capabilities of microbiology
laboratory. Focusing on infection control, countries with limited resources can improve the quality of healthcare in the
future.
Liquid Pipeline Transient Flow Analysis
Authors: Liu Enbin , Zhu Shujun , Li Junying , Tang Ping , Yang Yuhang , Wang Di
Published: April 2014

When transient flow occurs in the liquid pipeline, it will result in higher water hammer pressure or negative
pressure in pipeline, thus damaging pipeline. Through the establishment of liquid pipeline transient flow mathematical
model which is solved by characteristic linear method, and by getting difference quotient equation of characteristic
equation by explicit characteristic difference method, we can obtain analytical solutions of each transient flow parameters.
After performing numerical simulation for pump start-up working condition, the result shows that the proposed model
approach in this paper is feasible.
The Breakdown Pressure Calculating Model for Open Hole Completion CBM Well Hydraulic Fracturing
Authors: Yuwei Li , Chi Ai , Yu Liu , Changlong Gao
Published: April 2014

The open hole completion CBM borehole wall intersects with the weak surface such as cleats and fractures. In
the process of hydraulic fracturing, the fractures may origin from coal body or cleats, which makes the rupture mechanism
and rupture models of the borehole wall being different from the conventional reservoirs. The previous model for
calculating breakdown pressure of open hole completion borehole wall considering tension failure has poor applicability
for calculating breakdown pressure. Considering the spatial relationship of the intersection of borehole wall and cleats,
analyzing the stress state of borehole wall rock and cleats wall, and basing on elastic mechanics and fracture mechanics,
the breakdown pressure calculation model for CBM open hole completion hydraulic fracturing was established. In the
model, fractures initiate from coal rock body, tensile failure along with face cleats, shear failure along with face cleats,
tensile failure along with butt cleats and shear failure along with butt cleats five kinds of damage modes were considered.
According to example calculation, the breakdown pressure of HX-L1 well calculated using the model is 14.81 MPa. The
actual pressure obtained by bottom hole pressure gage is 15.42 MPa, and the relative error is 3.96%. The calculated result
agrees with the actual conditions. It can be concluded that the model can be used to calculate the breakdown pressure for
open hole completion CBM well hydraulic fracture.
Adult and Pediatric Intra-Institutional Trends of Ciprofloxacin Susceptibility in E. coli Positive Urinary Cultures
Authors: Owumi Winifred , Banaei Niaz , Shortliffe Linda
Published: April 2014

Antimicrobial drug resistance in treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) continues to rise worldwide. To examine contributions of physician prescribing patterns to fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin, CP) resistance, we examined Escherichia coli (E. coli) resistance patterns in urinary cultures. Since CP usage is limited in children, we compared CP resistance trends in adults and children to those of more commonly used trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and nitrofurantoin (NF). Our data show that although the general pediatric population has lower resistance to ciprofloxacin, resistance levels are rising with increased usage. While NF susceptibility is historically stable, TMP-SMX resistance is slightly higher in children compared to adults. In both adults and children, antimicrobial resistance patterns vary according to clinical practice site, with ambulatory urology patients showing the highest resistance. This suggests that physician’s prescribing patterns contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
Integrating Real-Time Room Acoustics Simulation into a CAD Modeling Software to Enhance the Architectural Design Process
Authors: Pelzer Sönke , Aspöck Lukas , Schröder Dirk , Vorländer Michael
Published: April 2014

For architects, real-time 3D visual rendering of CAD-models is a valuable tool. The architect usually perceives the visual appearance of the building interior in a natural and realistic way during the design process. Unfortunately this only emphasizes the role of the visual appearance of a building, while the acoustics often remain disregarded. Controlling the room acoustics is not integrated into most architects’ workflows—due to a lack of tools. The present contribution describes a newly developed plug-in for adding an adequate 3D-acoustics feedback to the architect. To present intuitively the acoustical effect of the current design project, the plug-in uses real-time audio rendering and 3D-reproduction. The room acoustics of the design can be varied by modifying structural shapes as well as by changing the material selection. In addition to the audio feedback, also a visualization of important room acoustics qualities is provided by displaying color-coded maps inside the CAD software.
Trends in Nanomaterial-Based Non-Invasive Diabetes Sensing Technologies
Authors: Makaram Prashanth , Owens Dawn , Aceros Juan
Published: April 2014

Blood glucose monitoring is considered the gold standard for diabetes diagnostics and self-monitoring. However, the underlying process is invasive and highly uncomfortable for patients. Furthermore, the process must be completed several times a day to successfully manage the disease, which greatly contributes to the massive need for non-invasive monitoring options. Human serums, such as saliva, sweat, breath, urine and tears, contain traces of glucose and are easily accessible. Therefore, they allow minimal to non-invasive glucose monitoring, making them attractive alternatives to blood measurements. Numerous developments regarding noninvasive glucose detection techniques have taken place over the years, but recently, they have gained recognition as viable alternatives, due to the advent of nanotechnology-based sensors. Such sensors are optimal for testing the amount of glucose in serums other than blood thanks to their enhanced sensitivity and selectivity ranges, in addition to their size and compatibility with electronic circuitry. These nanotechnology approaches are rapidly evolving, and new techniques are constantly emerging. Hence, this manuscript aims to review current and future nanomaterial-based technologies utilizing saliva, sweat, breath and tears as a diagnostic medium for diabetes monitoring.
Finite-Time Chaos Suppression of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Systems
Authors: Hou Yi-You
Published: April 2014

This paper considers the problem of the chaos suppression for the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) system via the finite-time control. Based on Lyapunov stability theory and the finite-time controller are developed such that the chaos behaviors of PMSM system can be suppressed. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed methods are shown in numerical simulations.
A Comparison of Governance Challenges in Forest Restoration in Paraguay’s Privately-Owned Forests and Madagascar’s Co-managed State Forests
Authors: Mansourian Stephanie , Aquino Lucy , Erdmann Thomas , Pereira Francisco
Published: April 2014

Governance of forest restoration is significantly impacted by who are the owners of and rights holders to the forest. We review two cases, Paraguay’s Atlantic forest and Madagascar’s forests and shrublands, where forest restoration is a priority and where forest ownership and rights are having direct repercussions on forest restoration. In Paraguay where a large proportion of forests are in the hands of private landowners, specific legislation, government incentives, costs and benefits of forest restoration, and the role of international markets for commodities are all key factors, among others, that influence the choice of private landowners to engage or not in forest restoration. On the other hand, in Madagascar’s co-managed state forests, while some similar challenges exist with forest restoration, such as the pressures from international markets, other specific challenges can be identified notably the likely long term impact of investment in forest restoration on land rights, traditional authority, and direct links to elements of human wellbeing. In this paper, we explore and contrast how these different drivers and pressures affect the restoration of forests under these two different property regimes.
Polymorphisms in DNA Repair Genes and MDR1 and the Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Kim Hee , Kim Nan , Yu Li , Kim Yeo-Kyeoung , Lee Il-Kwon , Yang Deok-Hwan , Lee Je-Jung , Shin Min-Ho , Park Kyeong-Soo , Choi Jin-Su , Kim Hyeoung-Joon
Published: April 2014

The damage caused by oxidative stress and exposure to cigarette smoke and alcohol necessitate DNA damage repair and transport by multidrug resistance-1 (MDR1). To explore the association between polymorphisms in these genes and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk, we analyzed 15 polymorphisms of 12 genes in a population-based study in Korea (694 cases and 1700 controls). Four genotypes of DNA repair pathway genes (XRCC1 399 GA, OGG1 326 GG, BRCA1 871 TT, and WRN 787 TT) were associated with a decreased risk for NHL [odds ratio (OR)XRCC1 GA = 0.80, p = 0.02; OROGG1 GG = 0.70, p = 0.008; ORBRCA1 TT = 0.71, p = 0.048; ORWRN TT = 0.68, p = 0.01]. Conversely, the MGMT 115 CT genotype was associated with an increased risk for NHL (OR = 1.25, p = 0.04). In the MDR1 gene, the 1236 CC genotype was associated with a decreased risk for NHL (OR = 0.74, p = 0.04), and the 3435 CT and TT genotypes were associated with an increased risk (OR3435CT = 1.50, p < 0.0001; OR3435TT = 1.43, p = 0.02). These results suggest that polymorphisms in the DNA repair genes XRCC1, OGG1, BRCA1, WRN1, and MGMT and in the MDR1 gene may affect the risk for NHL in Korean patients.
Towards Personalized Medicine Mediated by in Vitro Virus-Based Interactome Approaches
Authors: Ohashi Hiroyuki , Miyamoto-Sato Etsuko
Published: April 2014

We have developed a simple in vitro virus (IVV) selection system based on cell-free co-translation, using a highly stable and efficient mRNA display method. The IVV system is applicable to the high-throughput and comprehensive analysis of proteins and protein–ligand interactions. Huge amounts of genomic sequence data have been generated over the last decade. The accumulated genetic alterations and the interactome networks identified within cells represent a universal feature of a disease, and knowledge of these aspects can help to determine the optimal therapy for the disease. The concept of the “integrome” has been developed as a means of integrating large amounts of data. We have developed an interactome analysis method aimed at providing individually-targeted health care. We also consider future prospects for this system.
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Carotenoids from Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.): A Review
Authors: Durante Miriana , Lenucci Marcello , Mita Giovanni
Published: April 2014

Carotenoids are well known for their nutritional properties and health promoting effects representing attractive ingredients to develop innovative functional foods, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical preparations. Pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) flesh has an intense yellow/orange color owing to the high level of carotenoids, mainly α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. There is considerable interest in extracting carotenoids and other bioactives from pumpkin flesh. Extraction procedures able to preserve nutritional and pharmacological properties of carotenoids are essential. Conventional extraction methods, such as organic solvent extraction (CSE), have been used to extract carotenoids from plant material for a long time. In recent years, supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction has received a great deal of attention because it is a green technology suitable for the extraction of lipophylic molecules and is able to give extracts of high quality and totally free from potentially toxic chemical solvents. Here, we review the results obtained so far on SC-CO2 extraction efficiency and quali-quantitative composition of carotenoids from pumpkin flesh. In particular, we consider the effects of (1) dehydration pre-treatments; (2) extraction parameters (temperature and pressure); the use of water, ethanol and olive oil singularly or in combination as entrainers or pumpkin seeds as co-matrix.
Exploring Localized Mixing Dynamics during Wet Weather in a Tidal Fresh Water System
Authors: Stammermann Ramona , Duzinski Philip
Published: April 2014

A recently validated 3-dimensional implementation of the Environmental Fluid Dynamic Code (EFDC) for the tidal-fresh portions of the Delaware Estuary was exercised against the results of a dye release from a sewer outfall during a storm. The influence on dye distribution in the estuary resulting from variations in wind and local storm water discharges in an urban area is investigated. The modeled domain stretches 116 km from the head of tide and includes hydrologic input from 33 streams and a number of municipal and industrial discharges. Bottom roughness was parameterized from sedimentological and geophysical surveys. Model validation to-date relies upon field observations and tidal harmonics for sea level and currents derived from the NOAA-NOS 1984–1985 circulation survey and a current survey conducted by the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD). Model representation of dye distribution compared favorably for observations of concentrations in the dye plume from 10 cross-sections spanning the extent of the plume over seven tidal cycles. The dye distribution was characterized by an initial period of high local storm water and stream inflows with low wind conditions, lasting for several tidal cycles, followed by a period of reduced fresh water input and increasing wind stress. The dye experiment provided a unique opportunity to observe the performance of the model through the transition between these two very different meteorological periods, and to explore the physical conditions driving the hydrodynamics through both observations and numerical experiments. The influences of local meteorological forcing and channel morphology on lateral mixing, dispersion and longitudinal dynamics are characterized.
Corrosion Behavior of Steel Reinforcement in Concrete with Recycled Aggregates, Fly Ash and Spent Cracking Catalyst
Authors: Gurdián Hebé , García-Alcocel Eva , Baeza-Brotons Francisco , Garcés Pedro , Zornoza Emilio
Published: April 2014

The main strategy to reduce the environmental impact of the concrete industry is to reuse the waste materials. This research has considered the combination of cement replacement by industrial by-products, and natural coarse aggregate substitution by recycled aggregate. The aim is to evaluate the behavior of concretes with a reduced impact on the environment by replacing a 50% of cement by industrial by-products (15% of spent fluid catalytic cracking catalyst and 35% of fly ash) and a 100% of natural coarse aggregate by recycled aggregate. The concretes prepared according to these considerations have been tested in terms of mechanical strengths and the protection offered against steel reinforcement corrosion under carbonation attack and chloride-contaminated environments. The proposed concrete combinations reduced the mechanical performance of concretes in terms of elastic modulus, compressive strength, and flexural strength. In addition, an increase in open porosity due to the presence of recycled aggregate was observed, which is coherent with the changes observed in mechanical tests. Regarding corrosion tests, no significant differences were observed in the case of the resistance of these types of concretes under a natural chloride attack. In the case of carbonation attack, although all concretes did not stand the highly aggressive conditions, those concretes with cement replacement behaved worse than Portland cement concretes.
Microsomal Prostaglandin E Synthase-1 Deficiency Exacerbates Pulmonary Fibrosis Induced by Bleomycin in Mice
Authors: Wei Bo , Cai Linhong , Sun Dan , Wang Yanhua , Wang Cairui , Chai Xiaoyu , Xie Feng , Su Ming , Ding Fangrui , Liu Jie , Yang Jichun , Guan Youfei , Liu Xinmin
Published: April 2014

Microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1), an inducible enzyme that converts prostaglandin H2 (PGH2) to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), plays an important role in a variety of diseases. So far, the role of mPGES-1 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remained unknown. The current study aimed to investigate the role of mPGES-1 in pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in mice. We found that mPGES-1 deficient (mPGES-1−/−) mice exhibited more severe fibrotic lesions with a decrease in PGE2 content in lungs after bleomycin treatment when compared with wild type (mPGES-1+/+) mice. The mPGES-1 expression levels and PGE2 content were also decreased in bleomycin-treated mPGES-1+/+ mice compared to saline-treated mPGES-1+/+ mice. Moreover, in both mPGES-1−/− and mPGES-1+/+ mice, bleomycin treatment reduced the expression levels of E prostanoid receptor 2 (EP2) and EP4 receptor in lungs, whereas had little effect on EP1 and EP3. In cultured human lung fibroblast cells (MRC-5), siRNA-mediated knockdown of mPGES-1 augmented transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) protein expression, and the increase was reversed by treatment of PGE2, selective EP2 agonist and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor. In conclusion, these findings revealed mPGES-1 exerts an essential effect against pulmonary fibrogenesis via EP2-mediated signaling transduction, and activation of mPGES-1-PGE2-EP2-FAK signaling pathway may represent a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of IPF patients.
β-Boomerang Antimicrobial and Antiendotoxic Peptides: Lipidation and Disulfide Bond Effects on Activity and Structure
Authors: Mohanram Harini , Bhattacharjya Surajit
Published: April 2014

Drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial pathogens and endotoxin- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammations are among some of the most prominent health issues globally. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are eminent molecules that can kill drug-resistant strains and neutralize LPS toxicity. LPS, the outer layer of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria safeguards cell integrity against hydrophobic compounds, including antibiotics and AMPs. Apart from maintaining structural integrity, LPS, when released into the blood stream, also induces inflammatory pathways leading to septic shock. In previous works, we have reported the de novo design of a set of 12-amino acid long cationic/hydrophobic peptides for LPS binding and activity. These peptides adopt β-boomerang like conformations in complex with LPS. Structure-activity studies demonstrated some critical features of the β-boomerang scaffold that may be utilized for the further development of potent analogs. In this work, β-boomerang lipopeptides were designed and structure-activity correlation studies were carried out. These lipopeptides were homo-dimerized through a disulfide bridge to stabilize conformations and for improved activity. The designed peptides exhibited potent antibacterial activity and efficiently neutralized LPS toxicity under in vitro assays. NMR structure of C4YI13C in aqueous solution demonstrated the conserved folding of the lipopeptide with a boomerang aromatic lock stabilized with disulfide bond at the C-terminus and acylation at the N-terminus. These lipo-peptides displaying bacterial sterilization and low hemolytic activity may be useful for future applications as antimicrobial and antiendotoxin molecules.
Charisma, Diversity, and Religion in the American City— A Reflection
Authors: Lehmijoki-Gardner Maiju
Published: April 2014

The faith leaders of North American cities actively engage in the civic affairs of their urban communities. Religious leadership, charismatic preaching, and, possibly, reputation of prophetic powers, continue to play important roles especially in the African American civic leaders’ rise to public authority. The article reflects on the twenty-first-century significance of Max Weber’s concept of “charisma” in interpreting the civic involvement of urban religious leaders in one city in particular, Baltimore. The article suggests that within the context of Baltimore’s dramatic challenges associated with urban poverty, violence, and racial and socio-economic health disparities, charismatic religious leadership continues as a recognized form of communal authority especially among the city’s African Americans. The article suggests that the gender dynamics of contemporary charismatic leadership appears strikingly similar to another time period and place, also analyzed by Weber—namely, medieval Europe. Just as an intense personal faith granted some medieval religious women authority and position they would not have had in the institutions reserved for men, so too the religious leadership and personal experiences of faith support the urban advocacy of African American women leaders.
Applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Sensors to Cultural Heritage
Authors: Proietti Noemi , Capitani Donatella , Di Tullio Valeria
Published: April 2014

In recent years nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) sensors have been increasingly applied to investigate, characterize and monitor objects of cultural heritage interest. NMR is not confined to a few specific applications, but rather its use can be successfully extended to a wide number of different cultural heritage issues. A breakthrough has surely been the recent development of portable NMR sensors which can be applied in situ for non-destructive and non-invasive investigations. In this paper three studies illustrating the potential of NMR sensors in this field of research are reported.
Farm Models and Eco-Health of Poultry Production Clusters (PPCs) following Avian Influenza Epidemics in Thailand
Authors: Aengwanich Worapol
Published: April 2014

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia and is a country that was affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epidemics during 2003–2004. Nevertheless, the Thai government’s issuance policy of strict control and prevention of the disease has resulted in efficient disease control of avian influenza (AI). Poultry farmers have been both positively and negatively affected by this policy. There are three poultry cluster models worthy of attention in Thailand: (1) egg chicken poultry clusters over ponds; (2) egg chicken poultry clusters in coops raised from the ground and managed by a cooperative; and (3) poultry clusters in closed coops under contract with the private sector. Following the AI epidemics, additional poultry husbandry and biosecurity systems were developed, thereby generating income and improving the quality of life for poultry farmers. Nevertheless, raising large clusters of poultry in the same area results in disadvantages, particularly problems with both air and water pollution, depending upon the environments of each poultry model. Furthermore, the government’s policy for controlling AI during epidemics has had a negative effect on the relationship between officials and farmers, due to poultry destruction measures.
Simulation and Prediction of Decarbonated Development in Tourist Attractions Associated with Low-carbon Economy
Authors: Luo Yuyan , Jin Maozhu , Ren Peiyu , Liao Zhixue , Zhu Zhongfu
Published: April 2014

In the field of tourism, the development of tourist attractions is gradually playing a crucial role in tourism economy, regional economy and national economy. While tourism economy is stimulated by growing demand, tourist attractions have been facing the situation that ecological environment is becoming fragile and environmental protection is increasingly difficult in China. As low-carbon economy is highlighted more than ever before, how to develop green economy, how to apply theories and technologies, which are related to low-carbon economy, to push forward decarbonation, to protect the ecological environment, and to boost the development of tourism economy have become the core problems for the sustainable development of tourist attractions system. In addition, this system has drawn the attention of scholars and practitioners in recent years. On the basis of low-carbon economy, this paper tries to define the decarbonated development goals and the connotation of tourist attractions system. In addition, it also discusses system structure associated with system dynamics and system engineering, and constructs system simulation model. In the end, a case study is conducted, that is, to predict the development trend of Jiuzhai Valley by adopting the constructed system so as to extend the previous research on low-carbon tourism and to guide the decarbonated development in tourist attractions.
Hantavirus Gn and Gc Envelope Glycoproteins: Key Structural Units for Virus Cell Entry and Virus Assembly
Authors: Cifuentes-Muñoz Nicolás , Salazar-Quiroz Natalia , Tischler Nicole
Published: April 2014

In recent years, ultrastructural studies of viral surface spikes from three different genera within the Bunyaviridae family have revealed a remarkable diversity in their spike organization. Despite this structural heterogeneity, in every case the spikes seem to be composed of heterodimers formed by Gn and Gc envelope glycoproteins. In this review, current knowledge of the Gn and Gc structures and their functions in virus cell entry and exit is summarized. During virus cell entry, the role of Gn and Gc in receptor binding has not yet been determined. Nevertheless, biochemical studies suggest that the subsequent virus-membrane fusion activity is accomplished by Gc. Further, a class II fusion protein conformation has been predicted for Gc of hantaviruses, and novel crystallographic data confirmed such a fold for the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) Gc protein. During virus cell exit, the assembly of different viral components seems to be established by interaction of Gn and Gc cytoplasmic tails (CT) with internal viral ribonucleocapsids. Moreover, recent findings show that hantavirus glycoproteins accomplish important roles during virus budding since they self-assemble into virus-like particles. Collectively, these novel insights provide essential information for gaining a more detailed understanding of Gn and Gc functions in the early and late steps of the hantavirus infection cycle.