bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Richter Syndrome With Follicular Colonization of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma Cells Mimicking Follicular Lymphoma
Authors: Tabata Rie , Tabata Chiharu , Nagai Tomoko , Yasumizu Ryoji , Kojima Masaru
Published: November 2013

Follicular colonization is occasionally observed in marginal zone lymphoma. In rare cases, it has also been associated with mantle cell lymphoma. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia typically involves nodal or extranodal tissues as diffuse proliferation by complete effacement of the normal architecture. The involvement of chronic lymphocytic leukemia may be less frequently limited to the interfollicular areas. Here, we report a case of Richter syndrome of the small intestine that was initially diagnosed as follicular lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract because of a partial follicular growth pattern in addition to a mainly diffuse proliferation pattern. The follicular pattern mimicking follicular lymphoma was shown to be composed of reactive follicles with follicular colonization of the original chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. As the prognoses of Richter syndrome and follicular lymphoma of gastrointestinal tract are quite different, clinicians must carefully diagnose these conditions to avoid a misdiagnosis.
A modified control parametrization method for the numerical solution of bang–bang optimal control problems
Authors: Mehrpouya Mohammad Ali , Fallahi Shirin
Published: November 2013

In the present paper, an efficient computational method for the solution of bang–bang optimal control problems is investigated. The method is based on control parametrization and belongs to the direct methods for numerical solution of optimal control problems. In this method, control functions are considered to be piecewise constant with values and switching points taken as decision variables. Thereby, the problem is converted into a mathematical programming problem which can be solved by well-developed parameter optimization algorithms. The main advantages of the present method are that: (i) it obtains good results and the switching points can be captured accurately; and (ii) an incorrectly guessed number of switching points can be detected by the results of the method. These are illustrated through three examples and the efficiency of the method is reported.
Methotrexate nephrotoxicity: Novel treatment, new approach
Authors: Iqbal Saima , Armaghani Avan , Aiyer Ravi , Kazory Amir
Published: November 2013

This is the report of a case of methotrexate nephrotoxicity for which glucarpidase was used. We use the case to review a number of teaching points related to this new treatment option.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and attachment: Vehicles for the development of resilience in young people leaving the care system
Authors: Andrew Elizabeth , Williams Jessica , Waters Cerith
Published: November 2013

It is well recognised that Looked After Children (LAC) and Young People Leaving Care (YPLC) have complex mental health needs and often engage in self-destructive behaviours such as self-harm, drug and alcohol use and suicide attempts. They can experience a high level of instability in relationships and frequently live transient lifestyles. Traditional mental health services for children, young people and adults have been unable to meet the attachment needs of this particular group such that they rarely benefit from therapeutic interventions and remain in a constant state of emotional dysregulation. This article describes the way in which two distinct therapeutic models – Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy – have been interwoven in order to engage and captivate young people leaving care in a therapeutic relationship. This relationship can then be used to help build skills to increase their resilience as they enter adulthood.
Buying turnout or rewarding loyalists? Electoral mobilization and EU structural funding in the German Länder
Authors: Schraff Dominik
Published: November 2013

This research note elaborates on the role of electoral mobilization in the allocation of EU structural funding. Revising current findings on the German Länder, I show that stronghold regions with a high level of electoral mobilization receive more money. This strategy is conceptualized as ‘rewarding loyalists.’ The article argues that due to temporally stable turnout levels, incumbents have incentives to favor stronghold regions with high turnout rates. Hence, incumbents use differences in the level of electoral mobilization to make distributive decisions among their many core constituencies. To test for spatial interdependencies and autocorrelation, I use a spatial autoregressive model as a robustness check. Even though the data shows spatial interdependencies, the results remain the same.
Perspectives and experiences of health care professionals and patients regarding treatments for type 2 diabetes
Authors: Gauthier Bernard , Singh Sumeet R. , Virani Adil , Staples Heidi , Colbourne Ann
Published: November 2013

Background:

Several treatment options exist for type 2 diabetes, but little is known about the factors considered by health care providers (HCPs) and patients in Canada in making therapeutic decisions. This study explores perceptions and practices of HCPs and patients related to add-on (i.e., second-line) therapy for type 2 diabetes when initial therapy no longer provides adequate glycemic control.

Methods:

HCPs (pharmacists, family physicians, diabetes educators, endocrinologists and nurse practitioners) and patients with type 2 diabetes in Ottawa and Halifax were randomly selected to participate in the study. Phone interviews were conducted with endocrinologists and nurse practitioners and focus groups with the other HCPs and patients.

Results and Interpretation:

Sixty HCPs and 14 patients participated in the study. Metformin was consistently reported by prescribers (physicians and nurse practitioners) as the preferred initial therapy. Important factors in choosing second-line therapy (once glycemic control was inadequate with metformin) were antihyperglycemic efficacy, risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain, and long-term safety. Other considerations were cost, insurance coverage and patient preference. There were differences within and between HCP groups in how these other factors were considered and in the perceived advantages and disadvantages of each drug class. Some patients expressed anxiety when second-line agents were prescribed, and others felt poorly informed about treatment options.

Conclusion:

In choosing a second-line therapy for type 2 diabetes, most HCPs placed a high priority on antihyperglycemic efficacy, although there was considerable variability in the relative weight placed on other factors. These findings point to an opportunity for pharmacists to collaborate more actively with other HCPs to ensure that treatment decisions are based on the best available evidence and to educate and involve patients in these decisions.
Defining working patterns for UK consultant urologists: results of a national census
Authors: Finch W , Payne S , Joyce A , Burgess Na
Published: November 2013

Objective

Our aim was to determine current working patterns for consultant urological specialists in the United Kingdom (UK), to create a contemporary job plan template for the ‘average’ UK urologist and to use this data to predict the workforce required to deliver UK Urology services in the future.

Patients and methods

A questionnaire-based study of 790 full British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) members was undertaken. This was specifically designed to provide information on the demographics of the workforce, individual consultant job plans and service provision. Data was analysed in conjunction with independent BAUS workforce reports, UK national statistics and Hospital Episodes statistics data to model future Urology workforce activity and numbers.

Results

In total, 415 responses were completed, representing an overall response rate of 53%. The average job plan consisted of 11 programmed activities per week comprising eight direct clinical care sessions and two supporting professional activities, with a median on-call intensity of 1:6. Some 90% of consultants provide a general urology outpatient clinic, seeing a mean of 7 new and 9 follow-up patients; 67% of respondents provide some-sort of sub-specialist clinic. Dedicated day case operating lists are in the job plans of 56% of urologists and typically comprise five general anaesthetic cases. Inpatient theatre activity is in the job plan of 96%, with a mean activity of four surgical cases on a general urology half-day list and two cases on a subspecialist half-day list.

Conclusions

This workforce survey highlights the different ways consultants deliver a urological service across the UK. The survey has enabled BAUS to develop a template for the job plan of the ‘average’ urologist. This essential information can assist colleagues in their individual job plan negotiations and help BAUS prepare a comprehensive consultant workforce that can meet the future urological demands of the UK population.
The Management and Treatment of Chronic Urticaria
Authors: Rance Karen , Goldberg Pinkus
Published: November 2013

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a challenging and frequently encountered diagnosis characterized by the presence of evanescent wheals that persist for greater than 6 weeks. It is estimated that 15% to 25% of the US population are affected at some time in their lives with urticaria and that 33% of all urticaria cases are considered to be chronic. Although acute urticaria is generally benign and self-limiting, serious medical illness may occur with CU. The incidence of CU is estimated to be as high as 5% in the general population and greater than 10% when surveying allergy and dermatology patients. CU is an episodic, pruritic disorder in which 45% to 90% of patients will not have an identifiable cause and occurs 4 times more often in females than males. The average disease duration of CU is between 2 and 5 years, and its typical onset is in the third to fourth decade of life. CU is thought to have the most impact on quality of life than any other allergic disease. This article will provide a clinical update and review on the management and treatment of CU.
How Racial Identity Moderates the Impact of Financial Stress on Mental Health among African Americans
Authors: Hughes Michael , Kiecolt K. Jill , Keith Verna M.
Published: November 2013

Financial stress, which is common among African Americans, has been linked to higher psychological distress. This study examines whether racial identity moderates the association of financial stress with depressive symptoms. If so, through what mechanisms does it operate? We investigated these questions in a moderated mediation analysis, using data from the National Survey of American Life ( N = 3,570). Of the two racial identity dimensions examined, positive group evaluation but not closeness to other African Americans was associated with less adverse effects of financial stress on depressive symptoms. In addition, we tested two mechanisms that could explain the buffering effect. Psychological resources (self-esteem and, less consistently, mastery), explained 26% to 46% of the buffering effects of racial identity; family support explained 8%. That is, positive group evaluations fortify African Americans in the face of hard times. They do so primarily through their association with a greater sense of self-worth.
Crying Over Spilt Milk: Sunk Costs, Fairness Norms and the Hold-up Problem
Authors: Carpenter Jeffrey P. , Matthews Peter Hans
Published: November 2013

This article explores a possible connection between two behavioural anomalies in economics, the observed responsiveness of individual decision makers to sunk costs, and the apparent failure of backward induction to predict outcomes in experimental bargaining games. In particular, we show that under some conditions, a ‘sunk cost sensitive’ fairness norm can evolve in such environments. Under this norm, a fair distribution allows all parties to recoup whatever each has invested in their relationship before the net surplus is then divided into equal shares. The establishment of such a norm would have important consequences for the hold-up problem, which we characterize in terms of ultimatum bargaining in the presence of an outside option. We then conclude with a brief discussion of the possible labour market implications of our results.
Family Expansion and Capital Accumulation of a Dynasty
Authors: Nishimura Kazuo , Raut Lakshmi K.
Published: November 2013

We consider a unified framework that combines two strands of previous literature on overlapping generations growth models of endogenous fertility and savings: one strand incorporating two-period lived agents with life-cycle utility functions and the other strand incorporating one period lived agents with dynastic utility functions. In this framework, we study the long-run effects of unfunded social security on fertility and savings. We provide complete characterization of optimal path in terms of the life-cycle felicity index and the degree of altruism towards all the future offsprings, exhibiting either monotonicity of the standard growth model, fluctuations of the Easterlin (1987) hypothesis or convergence in finite period.
On containment measure and the mixed isoperimetric inequality
Authors: Xu Wenxue , Zhou Jiazu , Zhu Baocheng
Published: November 2013

We first investigate whether for given convex domains

K
0

,

K
1

in the Euclidean plane, for any rotation α, there is a translation x so that

x
+
α

K
1

⊂

K
0

or

x
+
α

K
1

⊃

K
0

. Then, we estimate the mixed isoperimetric deficit

Δ
2

(

K
0

,

K
1

)

of domains

K
0

and

K
1

via the known kinematic formulas of Poincaré and Blaschke in integral geometry. We obtain the sufficient condition for domain

K
0

to contain, or to be contained in, convex domain

x
+
α

K
1

. Finally, we obtain the mixed isoperimetric inequality and some Bonnesen-style mixed inequalities. Those Bonnesen-style mixed inequalities obtained are the known Bonnesen-style inequalities if one of the domains is a disc. As a direct consequence, we obtain the strengthened Bonnesen isoperimetric inequality.

MSC:52A10, 52A22.
Iterative methods for hierarchical common fixed point problems and variationalinequalities
Authors: Sahu DR , Kang Shin Min , Sagar Vidya
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this paper is to deal with the problem of finding hierarchically acommon fixed point of a sequence of nearly nonexpansive self-mappings defined ona closed convex subset of a real Hilbert space which is also a solution of someparticular variational inequality problem. We introduce two explicit iterativeschemes and establish strong convergence results for sequences generatediteratively by the explicit schemes under suitable conditions. Our strongconvergence results include the previous results as special cases, and can beviewed as an improvement and refinement of several corresponding known resultsfor hierarchical variational inequality problems.

MSC: 47J20, 49J40.
Oscillation of second-order damped differential equations
Authors: Fu Xiaoling , Li Tongxing , Zhang Chenghui
Published: November 2013

We study oscillatory behavior of a class of second-order differential equations with damping under the assumptions that allow applications to retarded and advanced differential equations. New theorems extend and improve the results in the literature. Illustrative examples are given.

MSC:34C10, 34K11.
A spectral relaxation method for thermal dispersion and radiation effects in a nanofluid flow
Authors: Kameswaran Peri K , Sibanda Precious , Motsa Sandile S
Published: November 2013

In this study we use a new spectral relaxation method to investigate heat transfer in a nanofluid flow over an unsteady stretching sheet with thermal dispersion and radiation. Three water-based nanofluids containing copper oxide CuO, aluminium oxide Al2O3 and titanium dioxide TiO2 nanoparticles are considered in this study. The transformed governing system of nonlinear differential equations was solved numerically using the spectral relaxation method that has been proposed for the solution of nonlinear boundary layer equations. Results were obtained for the skin friction coefficient, the local Nusselt number as well as the velocity, temperature and nanoparticle fraction profiles for some values of the governing physical and fluid parameters. Validation of the results was achieved by comparison with limiting cases from previous studies in the literature. We show that the proposed technique is an efficient numerical algorithm with assured convergence that serves as an alternative to common numerical methods for solving nonlinear boundary value problems. We show that the convergence rate of the spectral relaxation method is significantly improved by using the method in conjunction with the successive over-relaxation method.
A community-based group-guided self-help intervention for low mood and stress: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: McClay Carrie-Anne , Morrison Jill , McConnachie Alex , Williams Christopher
Published: November 2013

Background

Depression is a mental health condition which affects millions of people each year, with worldwide rates increasing. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of depression. However, waiting lists can cause delays for face-to-face therapy. Also a proportion of people decline to present for help through the health service – the so-called treatment gap. Self-referral to CBT using community-based group interventions delivered by a voluntary sector organization may serve to resolve this problem. The aim of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to determine the efficacy of such a guided CBT self-help course, the ‘Living Life to the Full’ (LLTTF) classes delivered by the charity Action on Depression (AOD). The primary outcome is level of depression at 6 months assessed using the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) depression scale. Secondary measures include levels of anxiety and social functioning.

Methods/design

Participants with symptoms of low mood will be recruited from the community through newspaper adverts and also via the AOD website. Participants will receive either immediate or delayed access to guided CBT self-help classes - the eight session LLTTF course. The primary endpoint will be at 6 months at which point the delayed group will be offered the intervention. Levels of depression, anxiety and social functioning will be assessed and an economic analysis will be carried out.

Discussion

This RCT will test whether the LLTTF intervention is effective and/or cost-effective. If the LLTTF community-based classes are found to be cost effective, they may be helpful as both an intervention for those already seeking care in the health service, as well as those seeking help outside that setting, widening access to psychological therapy.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN86292664
Design and analysis of a tunable synchronized oscillator
Authors: Ryback Brendan M , Odoni Dorett I , van Heck Ruben GA , van Nuland Youri , Hesselman Matthijn C , Martins dos Santos Vítor AP , van Passel Mark WJ , Hugenholtz Floor
Published: November 2013

Background

The use of in silico simulations as a basis for designing artificial biological systems (and experiments to characterize them) is one of the tangible differences between Synthetic Biology and “classical” Genetic Engineering. To this end, synthetic biologists have adopted approaches originating from the traditionally non-biological fields of Nonlinear Dynamics and Systems & Control Theory. However, due to the complex molecular interactions affecting the emergent properties of biological systems, mechanistic descriptions of even the simplest genetic circuits (transcriptional feedback oscillators, bi-stable switches) produced by these methods tend to be either oversimplified, or numerically intractable. More comprehensive and realistic models can be approximated by constructing “toy” genetic circuits that provide the experimenter with some degree of control over the transcriptional dynamics, and allow for experimental set-ups that generate reliable data reflecting the intracellular biochemical state in real time. To this end, we designed two genetic circuits (basic and tunable) capable of exhibiting synchronized oscillatory green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in small populations of Escherichia coli cells. The functionality of the basic circuit was verified microscopically. High-level visualizations of computational simulations were analyzed to determine whether the reliability and utility of a synchronized transcriptional oscillator could be enhanced by the introduction of chemically inducible repressors.

Results

Synchronized oscillations in GFP expression were repeatedly observed in chemically linked sub-populations of cells. Computational simulations predicted that the introduction of independently inducible repressors substantially broaden the range of conditions under which oscillations could occur, in addition to allowing the frequency of the oscillation to be tuned.

Conclusions

The genetic circuits described here may prove to be valuable research tools for the study of synchronized transcriptional feedback loops under a variety of conditions and experimental set-ups. We further demonstrate the benefit of using abstract visualizations to discover subtle non-linear trends in complex dynamic models with large parameter spaces.
Pattern of Rash, Diarrhea, and Hepatic Toxicities Secondary to Lapatinib and Their Association With Age and Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy: Analysis From the NeoALTTO Trial
Authors: Azim Hatem A. , Agbor-tarh Dominique , Bradbury Ian , Dinh Phuong , Baselga Jose , Di Cosimo Serena , Greger James G. , Smith Ian , Jackisch Christian , Kim Sung-Bae , Aktas Bahriye , Huang Chiun-Sheng , Vuylsteke Peter , Hsieh Ruey Kuen , Dreosti Lydia , Eidtmann Holger , Piccart Martine , de Azambuja Evandro
Published: November 2013

Purpose

We investigated the pattern of rash, diarrhea, and hepatic adverse events (AEs) secondary to lapatinib and their association with age and pathologic complete response (pCR) in the Neoadjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimisation (NeoALLTO) phase III trial.

Patients and Methods

Patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive lapatinib (Arm A), trastuzumab (Arm B), or their combination (Arm C) for 6 weeks followed by the addition of paclitaxel for 12 weeks before surgery. We investigated the frequency and time to developing each AE according to age (≤ 50 v > 50 years) and their association with pCR in a logistic regression model adjusted for age, hormone receptors, tumor size, nodal status, planned breast surgery, completion of lapatinib administration, and treatment arm.

Results

Only patients randomly assigned to arms A and C were eligible (n = 306). Younger patients (≤ 50 years) experienced significantly more rash compared with older patients (74.4% v 47.9%; P < .0001). Diarrhea and hepatic AEs were observed in 78.8% and 41.2% of patients, respectively, with no differences in rate or severity or time of onset according to age. Early rash (ie, before starting paclitaxel) was independently associated with a higher chance of pCR, mainly in patients older than 50 years (odds ratio [OR] = 3.76; 95% CI, 1.69 to 8.34) but not in those ≤ 50 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.88; P for interaction = .01). No significant association was observed between pCR and diarrhea or hepatic AEs.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the frequency and clinical relevance of lapatinib-related rash is largely dependent on patient age.
Importance of C/EBPβ Binding and Histone Acetylation Status in the Promoter Regions for Induction of IGFBP-1, PRL, and Mn-SOD by cAMP in Human Endometrial Stromal Cells
Authors: Tamura Isao , Sato Shun , Okada Maki , Tanabe Manabu , Lee Lifa , Maekawa Ryo , Asada Hiromi , Yamagata Yoshiaki , Tamura Hiroshi , Sugino Norihiro
Published: November 2013

Dynamic changes of gene expressions occur in human endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) during decidualization. CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteinβ (C/EBPβ) regulates the expression of a number of decidualization-related genes. In addition to transcription factors, it is important to know the role of epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modifications in the regulation of decidualization-related genes. This study investigated the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms by which cAMP up-regulates the expression of IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), prolactin (PRL), and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in ESC. ESCs isolated from proliferative phase endometrium were incubated with cAMP to induce decidualization. IGFBP-1, PRL, and Mn-SOD mRNA expressions were determined by real-time RT-PCR. The C/EBPβ binding and histone modification status (acetylation of histone-H3 lysine-27 [H3K27ac]) in the promoter were examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Knockdowns of C/EBPβ were performed using the small interfering RNA method. cAMP induced mRNA expressions of IGFBP-1 and PRL accompanied by the increases in both C/EBPβ binding activities and H3K27ac levels in the promoters. The stimulatory effects of cAMP on mRNA levels and H3K27ac levels were completely abolished by C/EBPβ knockdown. cAMP increased Mn-SOD mRNA levels and C/EBPβ binding activities in the enhancer region. C/EBPβ knockdown inhibited Mn-SOD mRNA levels. The H3K27ac levels in the enhancer were high before cAMP stimulus but were not further increased by cAMP and were not inhibited by C/EBPβ knockdown. These results show that C/EBPβ regulates the expression of IGFBP-1 and PRL by altering the histone acetylation status of their promoters but differently regulates Mn-SOD gene expression in human ESC during decidualization.
Verifying Meteorological Station Wind Speed Data for Long-Term Resource Studies: The MIA Luqa Wind Databases at Malta
Authors: Salgado L. Mayor , Farrugia R.N. , Galdies C. , Sant T.
Published: November 2013

Short-term wind measurements at a candidate wind turbine installation site strive to capture a fingerprint of candidate site wind conditions. Coupling this fingerprint with a historical data set from a nearby reference station enables the projection of the candidate site's longer-term wind characteristics. This paper focuses on the historic wind datasets compiled by the Meteorological Office of Malta International Airport, Luqa. As the only station having in excess of 20 years of wind speed and direction data, this database is significant and useful as a long-term reference station. The position of the Maltese island makes this station a useful node for weather-related data and for validation of computational tools in the central Mediterranean region. The focus of this paper is primarily on a period when the station and measurement equipment went through an upgrade and relocation. A downward shift of 0.75 ms−1 in the wind speed was identified. The analyses presented in this paper identify and test hypotheses for this shift including aspects such as the station's relocation, the use of new sensors, using a different monitoring structure type and other factors.
How Much Does Irrelevant Speech Impair Employees' Work Performance in Open-Plan Offices?
Authors: Jahncke Helena
Published: November 2013

When people are talking in the background of an open-plan office it can be experienced as disturbing. However, it is not well specified how much irrelevant speech actually disrupts performance. The aims of the present study were, first, to investigate how much cognitive performance is impaired by irrelevant background speech with varying degrees of speech intelligibility, and second, to determine whether some office-related tasks are more susceptible than others. The results showed that cognitive performance decreased as a function of background speech intelligibility, the higher the intelligibility depicted by the Speech Transmission Index (STI), the worse the performance. The results indicated that the STI-value should be less than 0.50 (between the speaker and the listener), to avoid a negative influence on performance. Further, performance was more impaired by background speech if the focal task required episodic memory and rehearsal — such as word memory and information search. Interestingly, some tasks were insensitive for speech. This study also shows that the efforts to minimize speech intelligibility will yield increases in cognitive performance with a varying degree, depending on the type of focal task.
Colombian-Venezuelan Border Integration: The Utopia of the Táchira State and the Department of Norte de Santander
Authors: J. Barrios Aular Nancy , Rivas Perez Nathalia K.
Published: November 2013

The paper discusses the integration process of the Colombian‑ Venezuelan frontier in 2005, which included the regions of Táchira and Norte de Santander, as an experience initially made in the legal framework of the Andean Community of Nations (Spanish: Comunidad Andina de Naciones, CAN). Decision 501 facilitates the creation of a border integration zone – BIZ – that would contribute to and strengthen the border development, in an area that has juridical, administrative and functional conducive conditions. For this reason, a Border Integration Zone – BIZ – would help counteract backwardness and make possible a number of joint regional projects that would give support to integration. The study shows a retrospective analysis of binational discussion topics as far as it was possible within the dialogue, and before the obstacles that stopped the way which concluded with the cancellation of the negotiation rounds in 2008. At the same time, it considers the Venezuelan role afterward Colombia had signed the free trade agreement with the US, and the perception of this fact by the border inhabitants of Táchira state. In a reality that the development perspectives, based in markets integration, are not clear inside the Venezuelan geopolitics to become part of the process.
Venezuelan Catholic Church over the 19th and 20th Centuries
Authors: Moreno Molina Agustín
Published: November 2013

The Catholic Church is a binding element for understanding the historical process of Venezuela after the three hundred years of Spanish rule, during which time, and along with the various forms of institutions inherited from the mother country, customs and values were established that contributed to the development of the country. In this essay, we make an assessment of the role of the Catholic Church during the independence process, of its conflicts with the new republic during the second half of the nineteenth century, and the gradual recovery of its social presence during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez. Then, with the onset of representative democracy, the Church’s relation with the political power becomes regularized within a legal framework that allows it to continue in the exercise of his pastoral duties in a climate of respect and collaboration, but with a critical sense to the great problems of society.
Consumer Animosity, Country of Origin, and Foreign Entry-Mode Choice: A Cross-Country Investigation
Authors: Fong Cher-Min , Lee Chun-Ling , Du Yunzhou
Published: November 2013

Drawing on the perspective of country of origin, this study provides evidence regarding how entry-mode choice and postentry branding strategy affect foreign product purchase intentions in an animosity context. The authors conduct two studies in two host country markets, one with high animosity (China) and the other with low animosity (Taiwan) toward a target country (Japan). The results of Study 1 reveal that in a high-animosity host country, consumers prefer the foreign products launched through an acquisition joint venture to those that are imports or the derivatives of full acquisition. The findings of Study 2 indicate that in a high-animosity host country, consumers prefer the foreign products launched through an acquisition joint venture mode that adopts a local brand or a local-foreign cobrand to one that adopts a foreign-local cobrand. In contrast, in a low-animosity host country, entry modes and postentry branding strategies have no effect on foreign product purchase intentions.
Cross-National Advertising and Behavioral Intentions: A Multilevel Analysis
Authors: Walsh Gianfranco , Shiu Edward , Hassan Louise M.
Published: November 2013

Previous research has provided limited insight into (1) the cross-national effectiveness of marketing communication aimed at engaging consumers and (2) the moderating role of national characteristics. This study assesses the effectiveness of a cross-national advertising campaign in terms of changing behavioral intentions. The authors examine the moderating effects of country-level indicators representing three institutional pillars (regulative, normative/moral, and cultural-cognitive) on the mediated associations between three advertising persuasion measures (message comprehension, attitude toward the campaign, and message elaboration) and behavioral intentions. The authors examine a multilevel analysis using survey data related to a 25-country advertising campaign to test hypothesized within-country and between-country effects. The results show that message comprehension affects message elaboration less strongly in countries with stronger regulative, normative/moral, and cultural-cognitive pillars. Attitude toward the campaign affects message elaboration less strongly in countries with stronger normative/moral and cultural-cognitive pillars. Message elaboration affects behavioral intention less strongly in countries with a stronger regulative pillar but more strongly in countries with a stronger normative/moral pillar. The authors discuss implications for international marketing theory and practice.
Acromegaly and pregnancy: a prospective study
Authors: Dias Monike , Boguszewski Cesar , Gadelha Monica , Kasuki Leandro , Musolino Nina , Vieira Jose G H , Abucham Julio
Published: November 2013

Context and objective

The interaction between pregnancy and acromegaly has been studied only retrospectively. We used prospective data to assess those interactions.

Design

Prospective, interventional, multicentric study.

Patients

Ten pregnancies in eight acromegalic patients were included according to the following criteria: previous diagnosis of acromegaly; and active acromegaly before pregnancy. Sellar magnetic resonance image (MRI), GH, and IGF1 measurements were carried out before pregnancy. The exclusion criterion was radiotherapy.

Intervention

Withdrawal of pharmacological treatment (octreotide and/or cabergoline and/or pegvisomant) following pregnancy diagnosis.

Main outcome measures

Clinical/biochemical evaluations throughout pregnancy/puerperium and sellar MRI after delivery; and GH and IGF1 measurements before pregnancy. GH was measured by an interference-free IFMA assay during pregnancy and IGF1 by measured by Immulite 2000 assay in patients and 64 control pregnancies.

Results

No tumor growth was observed. Nine deliveries were at term and one at 35 weeks (preeclampsia). All newborns were healthy. Mean IGF1 levels before and during pregnancy were similar, but increased significantly during puerperium. As IGF1 in controls increased after midgestation, the prevalence of controlled IGF1 rose significantly from 2/10 (<20 weeks) to 9/10 (>30 weeks). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension/preeclampsia developed in one patient in each group; both complications were nonsignificantly (P=0.06) associated with IGF1 >1.3 ULN before pregnancy.

Conclusions

Acromegaly control usually improved and tumor growth was not stimulated during pregnancy in spite of withdrawal of drug treatment. Drug treatment can be discontinued in most patients. Uncontrolled disease before pregnancy may pose a higher risk for diabetes and hypertension.
The image of the “Turk” in Slovene culture in light of newspaper articles
Authors: Žigon Tanja
Published: November 2013

This contribution explores the Slovene view of Turks through an analysis of non-periodical printed matter from the 16th century and of newspaper articles published in Slovene lands from the 18th century to the present. This journalistic view was shaped by the historical experience from the time of the Turkish incursions. An extensive corpus of materials reveals an ambivalent attitude to Turks in the Slovene lands. On the one hand, journalism — under the influence of the Habsburg state framework and hence the Western political and historical discourse — portrays them in an extremely negative way as enemies of Christendom. On the other, as early as the 19th century liberal politicians in Slovene lands pointed out that such views were outdated and did not make sense. In the contemporary period, stereotypical thinking is yielding to intercultural dialogue.
The Assumptions and Possible Futures of Standards-Based Education
Authors: Brown Boyce
Published: November 2013

Standards-based education is the most important and widely implemented education reform idea of the last several decades in the USA, one supported by the full weight of the mainstream bipartisan educational establishment. Motivated by ‘global economic competitiveness' as the ideological driver and big business as the empirical driver, it has become a settled and integral part of local, state and federal education policy. In spite of all this, little has been said about its fundamental assumptions and their implications for the future. This is especially concerning because its most notable implicit assumption is that the ever-increasing consumption of the planet's finite natural resources by a seemingly ever-increasing population can continue indefinitely. This is a mathematical impossibility. Therefore, this difficult discussion needs to be more fully engaged and possible solutions explored, which this article strives to do.
Working the ‘Shady Spaces’: Resisting Neoliberal Hegemony in New Zealand Education
Authors: McMaster Christopher
Published: November 2013

While the chill winds of neoliberalism blow, it seems some cultures are better equipped to weather the storm. The London fog raincoat or the American Levi's denim jacket has left little insulation against the effects of a quarter century of so-called ‘reforms’. New Zealand's Swanndri bush shirt, though not as efficient as the Finnish Arctic parka, has provided surprising insulation against the policies heralded as ‘the New Zealand experiment’. This article explores the nature of neoliberalism and its relation to education policy, and considers the inherent inhibitors, or intuitive cultural resistors, to neoliberalism within New Zealand culture. It argues that rather than focus solely on the negative impacts of neoliberal reform on New Zealand education — a valuable and critical tool for our understanding — research should also focus on those aspects of New Zealand culture, Maori and Pakeha, which blunt the excesses of neoliberalism that can be seen in such places as the USA and England. These areas can provide the ‘shady spaces’ in which to combat neoliberal hegemony.
Enhancing the Educational Subject: Cognitive Capitalism, Positive Psychology and Well-Being Training in Schools
Authors: Reveley James
Published: November 2013

Positive psychology is influencing educational policy and practice in Britain and North America. This article reveals how this psychological discourse and its offshoot school-based training programs, which stress happiness, self-improvement and well-being, align with an emergent socioeconomic formation: cognitive capitalism. Three key points are made. First, there is an elective affinity between cognitive capitalism and positive psychology, whose advocates promote ‘mindfulness’, ‘curiosity’ and ‘psychological flexibility’ as the means to personal fulfilment. Second, an array of technologies of the self spring from the positive psychology discourse; mindfulness practice is one of these. Currently being trialled in British and North American schools, this self-technology exhorts children consciously to constitute themselves as curious, creative, self-regulating persons. Third, this discourse and its attendant self-transformative practices promote a reflexive subjectivity that cognitive capitalism actively exploits. Yet it is potentially a resistant subjectivity with the capacity to turn a blowtorch back upon this capitalism.
Using Michael Young's Analysis on Curriculum Studies to Examine the Effects of Neoliberalism on Curricula in Mozambique
Authors: Zavale Nelson Casimiro
Published: November 2013

In this article, the author seeks to examine the effects of neoliberalism on curricula in Mozambique. Despite the fact that the introduction of neoliberal policies in Mozambique has affected the whole system of education, the focus in this article is only on curriculum reforms in secondary and technical/vocational education. The description and the comparison of the pro-liberal curricula with the ‘non-liberal’ or ‘transition-from-socialism-to-neoliberalism’ period's curricula enables an insight into the sense of the curriculum policy shift: the ongoing neoliberal policies are tending to shift from the former disciplinary-based curriculums, to interdisciplinary, hybrid, flexible, professional-skills-based curricula, oriented to adjust to market demands. It is argued in this article is that a-social realist, socio-constructivist and social-realist epistemologies and their implications in terms of curriculum policies can be used to critically analyse and understand the curriculum policy shifts in Mozambique, in particular how neoliberalism is shaping curricula.
A Calorimetric Method for Determination of Heat Capacity of Ceramics for Concentrated Solar Thermal Systems / Skenējošās Kalorimetrijas Metode Siltumietilpības Noteikšanai Saules Kolektoru Keramikā
Authors: Kalnačs J. , Grehovs V. , Mežinskis G. , Bidermanis L.
Published: November 2013

Differential scanning calorimetry was carried out to determine the heat capacity (Cp) of the high temperature resistant ceramic materials to be used as protective coatings for stainless steel tubes of parabolic trough solar collectors in concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. The Ср(Т) measurements and calculations were performed at continuous scanning in the temperature range 20-800 °С. In the work, calibration curves have been derived for conversion of measuring units from mcV into mW. To achieve a better repeatability of measurements, methods for stabilization of the thermal contact between the sample-containing vessel and the probe have been developed. The Ср(Т) dependence was obtained for different ceramic materials.
Integrable systems and group actions
Authors: Miranda Eva
Published: November 2013

The main purpose of this paper is to present in a unified approach to different results concerning group actions and integrable systems in symplectic, Poisson and contact manifolds. Rigidity problems for integrable systems in these manifolds will be explored from this perspective.
On the cardinality of n-Urysohn and n-Hausdorff spaces
Authors: Bonanzinga Maddalena , Cuzzupé Maria , Pansera Bruno
Published: November 2013

Two variations of Arhangelskii’s inequality $$\left| X \right| \leqslant 2^{\chi (X) - L(X)}$$ for Hausdorff X [Arhangel’skii A.V., The power of bicompacta with first axiom of countability, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, 1969, 187, 967–970 (in Russian)] given in [Stavrova D.N., Separation pseudocharacter and the cardinality of topological spaces, Topology Proc., 2000, 25(Summer), 333–343] are extended to the classes with finite Urysohn number or finite Hausdorff number.
Some weak covering properties and infinite games
Authors: Sakai Masami
Published: November 2013

We show that (I) there is a Lindelöf space which is not weakly Menger, (II) there is a Menger space for which TWO does not have a winning strategy in the game Gfin(O,Do). These affirmatively answer questions posed in Babinkostova, Pansera and Scheepers [Babinkostova L., Pansera B.A., Scheepers M., Weak covering properties and infinite games, Topology Appl., 2012, 159(17), 3644–3657]. The result (I) automatically gives an affirmative answer of Wingers’ problem [Wingers L., Box products and Hurewicz spaces, Topology Appl., 1995, 64(1), 9–21], too. The selection principle S1(Do,Do) is also discussed in view of a special base. We show that every subspace of a hereditarily Lindelöf space with an ortho-base satisfies S1(Do,Do).
Low Request of Antibiotics from Patients with Respiratory Tract Infections in Six Countries: Results from the Happy Audit Study
Authors: Llor Carl , Bjerrum Lars , Strandberg Eva , Radzeviciene Ruta , Reutskiy Anatoliy , Caballero Lidia
Published: November 2013

A total of 59,535 patients with respiratory tract infections were registered in the Happy Audit project, an audit-based, before-and-after study conducted in primary care centres of six countries (Argentina, Denmark, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, and Sweden) in 2008 and 2009. An antibiotic was explicitly requested by the patient in 1,255 cases (2.1%), with a great variation across countries ranging from 0.4%–4.9%. Antibiotics were significantly more often prescribed to patients requesting them compared to those who did not (64% vs. 28%; p < 0.001). Patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were most likely to request antibiotics while those with common colds were least likely (3.9% vs. 1.2%, respectively). The presence of tonsillar exudates and dyspnoea were more commonly associated with a demand for antibiotics. Even though physicians very often perceive that patients demand an antibiotic, the results of this study clearly show that patients only request antibiotics in a low percentage of cases. Patients were most likely to request antibiotics when they had symptoms of lower respiratory tract infections and when they came with more severe symptoms. Furthermore, there were considerable differences between countries, suggesting that the different backgrounds and traditions largely explain this variability in patients’ requests for antibiotics.
European Markets’ Reactions to Exogenous Shocks: A High Frequency Data Analysis of the 2005 London Bombings
Authors: Kollias Christos , Papadamou Stephanos , Siriopoulos Costas
Published: November 2013

Terrorist incidents exert a negative, albeit usually short-lived, impact on markets and equity returns. Given the integration of global financial markets, mega-terrorist events also have a high contagion potential with their shock waves being transmitted across countries and markets. This paper investigates the cross-market transmission of the London Stock Exchange’s reaction to the terrorist attacks of 2005. It focuses on how this reaction was transmitted to two other major European stock exchanges: Frankfurt and Paris. To this effect, high frequency intraday data are used and multivariate Genralised Autorgressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) models are employed. This type of data help reveal a more accurate picture of markets’ reaction to exogenous shocks, such as a terrorist attack, and thus allow more reliable inferences. Findings reported herein indicate that the volatility of stock market returns is increased in all cases examined.
Synthesis of Quaternary Heterocyclic Salts
Authors: Winstead Angela , Nyambura Grace , Matthews Rachael , Toney Deveine , Oyaghire Stanley
Published: November 2013

The microwave synthesis of twenty quaternary ammonium salts is described. The syntheses feature comparable yields to conventional synthetic methods reported in the current literature with reduced reaction times and the absence of solvent or minimal solvent.