bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management on Negative Mood and Cardiac Autonomic Activity in ICD Recipients
Authors: RUSSELL DOUGLAS C. , SMITH TRACEY L. , KRAHN DEAN D. , GRASKAMP PETER , SINGH DALIP , KOLDEN GREGORY G. , SIGMUND HEIDI , ZHANG ZHENGJUN
Published: May 2015

Background

Behavioral intervention studies in patients with an implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) show promise in improving psychosocial outcomes but inconclusive effects on cardiovascular outcome. We assessed the effects of cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) on mood state and potentially arrhythmogenic cardiovascular responses to mental stress in ICD patients, in support of further larger scale arrhythmia trials.

Methods

A total of 103 ICD recipients were randomly assigned to 10‐week programs of CBSM or “Patient Education” (ED). Of these, 83 patients continued to either CBSM (n = 44) or ED (n = 39) intervention. Study end points were mood change, heart rate variability (HRV), double product elevation (DP = heart rate × systolic blood pressure) by math and anger‐recall stress, and arrhythmia up to 6 months follow‐up.

Results

Adjusting for multiple testing, CBSM was associated with moderate effect size reductions in tension/anxiety (P = 0.010), anger/hostility (P = 0.020), perceived stress (P = 0.037), and total mood disturbance (P = 0.025), greatest immediately following intervention (P < 0.05), and partially attributable to increased negative mood following ED (P < 0.01). No significant intervention effects on high frequency or low frequency spectral power of HRV, DP responses, or cardiac arrhythmias were demonstrated.

Conclusions

CBSM intervention in ICD recipients resulted in reduced anxiety, anger, and perceived stress, not sustained at 6 months follow‐up, and without conclusive effect on cardiac autonomic or hemodynamic responses to mental stress, or arrhythmia. Findings support conduct of larger behavioral intervention arrhythmia trial, with consideration of reinforcement training and targeting of subgroup responders to therapy.
Interruption of Pacing Following Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardia in an AAI Programmed Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Authors: Egan Paul , Wilkoff Bruce L. , Tchou Patrick
Published: May 2015

Background

Unnecessary ventricular pacing from cardiac implantable electronic devices has been associated with long‐term risks (heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and possibly stroke). Several device programming strategies are available to minimize ventricular pacing, each potentially associated with unintended consequences. Occasionally, the only effective means is to program to the AAI(R) pacing mode. However, in one manufacturer's implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), the AAI(R) mode has the potential risk of prolonged pacing cessation following a nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT).

Method

Patients with ICDs, managed through the Cleveland Clinic device clinic, follow the Heart Rhythm Society consensus document recommendations for device monitoring with remote interrogations (every three months) and yearly in‐person evaluations. Clinically significant findings also trigger additional evaluations by the nurse and physician.

Results

Two patients having Boston Scientific ICDs (E110 Teligen 100; Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, MA, USA), had asystole and marked bradycardia following untreated NSVT. These pauses in pacing were due to use of the AAI(R) pacing mode. In order to enhance ventricular tachycardia detection, by design atrial pacing is disabled during, and for a time after, an episode of ventricular tachycardia when the device operates in the “ventricular tachycardia response” (VTR) phase. Thus, following spontaneous termination of the NSVT, no pacing occurred in these patients until the VTR period ended. Nonconventional programming was utilized to permit AAI(R) pacing while avoiding these asystolic and bradycardic events during VTR.

Conclusions

Unintended consequences can occur when complex VT detection parameters interact with specific pacing modes. At times, nonconventional programming can avoid these interactions while still achieving effective AAI(R) pacing.
Schadenfreude as a mate‐value‐tracking mechanism: Replication and extension of Colyn and Gordon (2013)
Authors: VAN DIJK WILCO W. , OUWERKERK JAAP W. , SMITH RICHARD H.
Published: May 2015

The present research provides a replication and extension of L. A. Colyn and A. K. Gordon's (2013) study on gender differences in schadenfreude. An experiment—in which both the gender of the unfortunate other and the dimension on which the misfortune occurred were manipulated—showed that female participants reported more schadenfreude when a same‐gender other (vs. an opposite‐gender other) experienced a misfortune on the dimension of physical attractiveness (vs. social status), whereas male participants reported more schadenfreude when a same‐gender other (vs. an opposite‐gender other) experienced a misfortune on the dimension of social status (vs. physical attractiveness). In the discussion, differences between our results and those of Colyn and Gordon are discussed.
Asymmetric cell divisions constructing Arabidopsis stem cell niches: the emerging role of protein phosphatases
Authors: Boyer F. , Simon R.
Published: May 2015

Plant stem cell niches (SCNs) can be maintained in time through asymmetric cell divisions (ACDs) that allow the production of new cell types while constantly renewing the pools of stem cells (SCs). ACDs in plants require the asymmetric distribution of molecular components inside the cells as well as external asymmetric positional information. These two types of asymmetric information are controlled by inter‐ and intracellular signalling events. Phosphorylation of proteins is a major intermediate step in these signalling events, serving either as an activator or repressor of signalling, via fast auto‐ and trans‐phosphorylation mechanisms. Whereas protein kinases, which phosphorylate proteins on serine, threonine or tyrosine residues, have been thoroughly studied, less attention has been given to protein phosphatases, which de‐phosphorylate their protein targets on these same residues. Phosphatases modulate the activity of signalling pathways by balancing the action of kinases, and are therefore critical in the regulation of ACDs in plants. In this review, we first present the different types of ACDs that operate during Arabidopsis embryonic and post‐embryonic development and participate in the construction and maintenance of its root and shoot SCNs; we then give a brief description of the main protein phosphatases so far described in the Arabidopsis genome; and finally discuss their functions toward the regulation of the ACDs introduced in the first part of the paper.
Ediacaran–Cambrian phosphorites from the western margins of Gondwana and Baltica
Authors: Álvaro J. Javier , Shields‐Zhou Graham A. , Ahlberg Per , Jensen Sören , Palacios Teodoro
Published: May 2015

The late Ediacaran–mid Cambrian occurrences of phosphorites in the western Mediterranean region (West Gondwana) and southern Sweden (north‐west Baltica) are related to the poleward drift of West Gondwana and the northern drift of Baltica. As a result, these regions crossed subtropical and temperate palaeolatitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, in which oceanic upwelling and high organic productivity were the probable sources of phosphorus along their western margins. A parallel south‐west/north‐east migration trend of evaporites and delayed, time transgressive phosphorites point to distal upwelling environments associated with shallower arid conditions. Concentration of hardground‐derived phosphate accumulations took place by repeated alternations of low sedimentation rates and condensation,in situearly diagenetic and microbially mediated precipitation of amorphous and cryptocrystalline, carbonate‐bearing francolite, winnowing and polyphase reworking of previously phosphatized skeletons and hardground‐derived clasts. Thicker phosphorites of economic importance display a spiculate sponge‐thromboid consortium that points to a distinct benthic community developed on suboxic, slope to basinal substrates. For most phosphorite samples an up to ten‐fold enrichment in rare earth element concentration relative to post‐Archaean average Australian shale reflects significant incorporation of rare earth elements and yttrium after deposition. Considerable scavenging took place from anoxic pore waters, following reductive dissolution of iron oxides as evidenced from the medium rare earth element enrichment in most samples. This contrasts with the rare preservation of primary sea water features, such as cerium depletion and yttrium enrichment, in phosphatized thrombolites from the shallower realms (for example, Montagne Noire). The data are consistent with phosphogenesis after upwelling and transgression of nutrient‐rich, suboxic–anoxic, ferruginous waters over more oxygenated, rifting settings and inland portions of an evolving passive margin.
Disentangling the Frequency and Severity of Bullying and Victimization in the Association with Empathy
Authors: van Noorden Tirza H. J. , Bukowski William M. , Haselager Gerbert J. T. , Lansu Tessa A. M. , Cillessen Antonius H. N.
Published: May 2015

This study disentangled the frequency and perceived severity of experienced bullying and victimization by investigating their associations with cognitive and affective empathy. Participants were 800 children (7–12 years old) from third‐ to fifth‐grade classrooms who completed self‐report measures of the frequency and perceived severity of their bullying and victimization and of cognitive and affective empathy. Results showed that the frequency and perceived severity of bullying were moderately correlated in the entire sample but unrelated within the subsample of bullies. Frequency and perceived severity of victimization were significantly and positively correlated in the entire sample (moderate effect) and the subsample of victims (small effect). Frequent, but not severe, bullies reported less cognitive empathy than non‐bullies whereas both frequent and severe victims reported more affective empathy than non‐victims. Within subsamples of bullies and victims, frequency of bullying was negatively associated with cognitive and affective empathy, and perceived severity of bullying was positively associated with affective empathy. Frequency of victimization was not associated with cognitive and affective empathy, but perceived severity of victimization was positively associated with both forms of empathy.
Weed flora shifts and specialisation in winter oilseed rape in France
Authors: Fried G , Chauvel B , Reboud X
Published: May 2015

Temporally repeated data sets can provide useful information about the management practices governing changes in the arable weed flora. This study aimed (i) to investigate changes in the most common weed species in winter oilseed rape crops in France between the 1970s and the 2000s and (ii) to pinpoint the main plant biological traits and associated management practices underlying the development of a specific weed flora in this crop. We compared two large‐scale surveys covering France in the 1970s and the 2000s, the later survey including several floristic samplings, on two dates, and both herbicide‐free control and treated plots. This last survey aimed to identify the species best able to maintain high densities over a growing season of oilseed rape. Since the 1970s, the frequency of two‐thirds (69%) of the 26 most common species has changed, spectacularly in some cases, with several species once considered rare becoming very common (e.g. Geranium dissectum) and, conversely, some formerly common species becoming rarer (e.g. Stellaria media). Our results indicated a general strong increase in specialist weeds of oilseed rape. Weed species success was favoured by tolerance to oilseed rape herbicides and germination synchronous with the crop. The proportion of specialist oilseed rape weed species tended to increase with herbicide treatment intensity and to decrease with increases in the proportion of spring‐sown crops in the rotation. Changes to the rotation may therefore constitute an additional or alternative means of controlling some weeds well adapted to oilseed rape crops.
Predictions of Delamination Growth for Quasi-Static Loading of Composite Laminates
Authors: Xie Jiawen , Waas Anthony M.
Published: May 2015

This paper presents an exact, two-dimensional (2D) quasi-static elastic analysis of predelaminated composite panels subject to arbitrary transverse pressure loads. The piecewise linear spring model and the shear bridging model are, respectively, used to simulate the normal contact and shear frictional behavior between the interfaces of the existing delamination. This general contact model can be further reduced to the “friction-free model” and the “constrained model” by assigning extreme values to the spring stiffnesses. The analysis yields a closed-form solution for the 2D displacement and stress fields. To predict the delamination propagation, different propagation criteria as suggested in the literature are used. Calculated load–displacement responses and delamination threshold loads are in good agreement with existing experimental data. The results are further compared against simple fracture models and a model that uses a modified classical laminated plate theory for the predelaminated composite with fracture criteria, showing an overestimation of the delamination threshold loads. The 2D elasticity theory that is formulated can be used with confidence to study other multilayered structures with multiple delaminations and subject to arbitrary loading profiles.
Simplified technique for retrieval of large trichobezoars in children
Authors: Cundy Thomas P , Brownlee Ewan M , Goh Day Way , Khurana Sanjeev
Published: May 2015

Trichobezoars are concentrations of indigestible hair or hair-like fibres within the proximal intestinal tract. In children, delayed presentation with large bezoar masses is not unusual as bezoar formation is an indolent process that takes many months or years before becoming symptomatic. Surgical management is challenging and becomes inevitable once a trichobezoar becomes more established. The standard approach involves a sizeable transverse or midline laparotomy. We describe a less invasive technique for extraction of large gastric trichobezoars via a mini-laparotomy. The key aspect to this technique involves insertion of an Alexis O Wound Protector/Retractor (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, USA) into the stomach following creation of a secure temporary gastrostomy by hitching gastrotomy edges to the abdominal wall. This simplified approach has advantages of (1) secure and excellent direct intragastric access, (2) shorter operating time and (3) reliable protection of both the wound edges and peritoneal cavity from bezoar contamination.
On topological indices of a carbon nanotube network
Authors: Bača Martin , Horváthová Jarmila , Mokrišová Martina , Semaničová-Feňovčíková Andrea , Suhányiová Alžbeta
Published: May 2015

A numerical quantity that characterizes the whole structure of a graph is called a topological index. The concept of Randić (Rα), atom−bond connectivity (ABC), and geometric−arithmetic (GA) topological indices was established in chemical graph theory based on vertex degrees. In this paper, we study a carbon nanotube network that is motivated by the molecular structure of a regular hexagonal lattice and determine Rα, ABC, and GA indices for this important class of networks.
ABSTRACT VORONOI DIAGRAMS WITH DISCONNECTED REGIONS
Authors: BOHLER CECILIA , KLEIN ROLF
Published: May 2015

Abstract Voronoi diagrams, AVDs for short, are based on bisecting curves enjoying simple combinatorial properties, rather than on the geometric notions of sites and distance. They serve as a unifying concept. Once the bisector system of any concrete type of Voronoi diagram is shown to fulfill the AVD axioms, structural results and efficient algorithms become available without further effort; for example, the first optimal algorithms for constructing nearest Voronoi diagrams of disjoint convex objects, or of line segments under the Hausdorff metric, have been obtained this way. One of these axioms stated that all Voronoi regions must be pathwise connected, a property quite useful in divide&conquer and randomized incremental construction algorithms. Yet, there are concrete Voronoi diagrams where this axiom fails to hold.

In this paper we consider, for the first time, abstract Voronoi diagrams with disconnected regions. By combining a randomized incremental construction technique with trapezoidal decomposition we obtain an algorithm that runs in expected time [Formula: see text], where s is the maximum number of faces a Voronoi region in a subdiagram of three sites can have, and where mj denotes the average number of faces per region in any subdiagram of j sites. In the connected case, where s = 1 = mj , this results in the known optimal bound [Formula: see text].
Incidence, Severity, and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury in Octogenarians following Heart Valve Replacement Surgery
Authors: Mao Michael A. , Thongprayoon Charat , Wu YiFan , Tejwani Vickram , Vela-Ortiz Myriam , Dearani Joseph , Qian Qi
Published: May 2015

Background. The study investigates the occurrence, severity, and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in octogenarians following heart valve surgery.Methods. All patients, age>80 years, not on dialysis and without kidney transplant, undergoing heart valve replacement at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, in the years 2002-2003 were enrolled. AKI was diagnosed based on AKIN criteria.Results. 209 octogenarians (88.0% aortic valve, 6.2% mitral valve, 1.0% tricuspid valve, and 4.8% multivalve) with (58.4%) and without CABG were studied. 34 (16.3%) had preexisting CKD. After surgery, 98 (46.8%) developed AKI. 76.5% of the AKI were in Stage 1, 9.2% in Stage 2, and 14.3% in Stage 3. 76.5% CKD patients developed AKI. Length of hospital stay was longer for AKI patients. More AKI patients were discharged to care facilities. Patient survival at 30 days and 1 year for AKI versus non-AKI was 88.8 versus 98.7%,p=0.003, and 76.5 versus 88.3%,p=0.025, respectively. With follow-up of3.94±0.28years, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a reduced survival for AKI octogenarians. Preexisting CKD and large volume intraoperative fluid administration were independent AKI predictors.Conclusions. Nearly half of the octogenarians developed AKI after valve replacement surgery. AKI was associated with significant functional impairment and reduced survival.
Involvement of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Immunological Modulation of Inflammatory Cascade in Preeclampsia
Authors: Naruse Katsuhiko , Akasaka Juria , Shigemitsu Aiko , Tsunemi Taihei , Koike Natsuki , Yoshimoto Chiharu , Kobayashi Hiroshi
Published: May 2015

Objectives. The pathophysiology of preeclampsia is characterized by abnormal placentation, an exaggerated inflammatory response, and generalized dysfunction of the maternal endothelium. We investigated the effects of preeclampsia serum on the expression of inflammation‐related genes by adipose tissue. Materials and Methods. Visceral adipose tissue was obtained from the omentum of patients with early ovarian cancer without metastasis. Adipose tissue was incubated with sera obtained from either five women affected with severe preeclampsia or five women from control pregnant women at 37°C in a humidified incubator at 5% CO2 for 24 hours. 370 genes in total mRNA were analyzed with quantitative RT‐PCR (Inflammatory Response & Autoimmunity gene set). Results. Gene expression analysis revealed changes in the expression levels of 30 genes in adipose tissue treated with preeclampsia sera. Some genes are related to immune response, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and adipogenesis, which plays a central role in excessive systemic inflammatory response of preeclampsia. In contrast, other genes have shown beneficial effects in the regulation of Th2 predominance, antioxidative stress, and insulin sensitivity. Conclusion. In conclusion, visceral adipose tissue offers protection against inflammation, oxidative insults, and other forms of cellular stress that are central to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
A Decomposition-Based Two-Stage Optimization Algorithm for Single Machine Scheduling Problems with Deteriorating Jobs
Authors: Liu Yueyue , Zhang Rui , Wang Miaomiao , Zhu Xiaoxi
Published: May 2015

This paper studies a production scheduling problem with deteriorating jobs, which frequently arises in contemporary manufacturing environments. The objective is to find an optimal sequence of the set of jobs to minimize the total weighted tardiness, which is an indicator of service quality. The problem belongs to the class of NP-hard. When the number of jobs increases, the computational time required by an optimization algorithm to solve the problem will increase exponentially. To tackle large-scale problems efficiently, a two-stage method is presented in this paper. We partition the set of jobs into a few subsets by applying a neural network approach and thereby transform the large-scale problem into a series of small-scale problems. Then, we employ an improved metaheuristic algorithm (called GTS) which combines genetic algorithm with tabu search to find the solution for each subproblem. Finally, we integrate the obtained sequences for each subset of jobs and produce the final complete solution by enumeration. A fair comparison has been made between the two-stage method and the GTS without decomposition, and the experimental results show that the solution quality of the two-stage method is much better than that of GTS for large-scale problems.
Using Bayesian Inference Framework towards Identifying Gas Species and Concentration from High Temperature Resistive Sensor Array Data
Authors: Liu Yixin , Zhou Kai , Lei Yu
Published: May 2015

High temperature gas sensors have been highly demanded for combustion process optimization and toxic emissions control, which usually suffer from poor selectivity. In order to solve this selectivity issue and identify unknown reducing gas species (CO, CH4, and CH8) and concentrations, a high temperature resistive sensor array data set was built in this study based on 5 reported sensors. As each sensor showed specific responses towards different types of reducing gas with certain concentrations, based on which calibration curves were fitted, providing benchmark sensor array response database, then Bayesian inference framework was utilized to process the sensor array data and build a sample selection program to simultaneously identify gas species and concentration, by formulating proper likelihood between input measured sensor array response pattern of an unknown gas and each sampled sensor array response pattern in benchmark database. This algorithm shows good robustness which can accurately identify gas species and predict gas concentration with a small error of less than 10% based on limited amount of experiment data. These features indicate that Bayesian probabilistic approach is a simple and efficient way to process sensor array data, which can significantly reduce the required computational overhead and training data.
Evaluation of an Indirect-ELISA Test forTrypanosoma evansiInfection (Surra) in Buffaloes and Its Application to a Serological Survey in Thailand
Authors: Kocher Arthur , Desquesnes Marc , Kamyingkird Ketsarin , Yangtara Sarawut , Leboucher Emilye , Rodtian Pranee , Dargantes Alan , Jittapalapong Sathaporn
Published: May 2015

Surra, caused byTrypanosoma evansi, is a neglected disease due to frequent subclinical evolution, especially in bovines in Asia. However, acute and chronic signs are regularly observed, with significant sanitary and economic impacts. In this study, we evaluated and applied an indirect-ELISA test for the detection of anti-T. evansiimmunoglobulin G in buffaloes using antibovine conjugate. Based on buffalo reference sera from the Philippines, a two-graph receiver operating characteristics analysis (TG-ROC) was conducted to define an optimal cut-off value; sensitivity and specificity were estimated at 92.5% and 94.2%, respectively. A cross-sectional serological survey was carried out in the major buffalo breeding areas of Thailand; 892 buffaloes from 8 provinces were sampled in North, Northeastern, and Southern Thailand. Seropositive buffaloes were found in all 8 provinces, on 20.3% of farms for an overall prevalence of 12.2% (95% CI 10.2–14.5%). Nearly one-third of the sampled population was exposed to infection. Broader sampling would be necessary but is not possible in the southern half-wild breeding systems. According to our results, buffaloes may constitute a large and robust reservoir forT. evansi, which is a permanent threat to other livestock such as cattle and horses as well as wild animals such as elephants in Southest Asia.
Block-Matching Based Multifocus Image Fusion
Authors: Zhu Feng , Hou Yingkun , Yang Jingyu
Published: May 2015

A new multifocus image fusion method is proposed. Two image blocks are selected by sliding the window from the two source images at the same position, discrete cosine transform (DCT) is implemented, respectively, on these two blocks, and the alternating component (AC) energy of these blocks is then calculated to decide which is the well-focused one. In addition, block matching is used to determine a group of image blocks that are all similar to the well-focused reference block. Finally, all the blocks are returned to their original positions through weighted average. The weight is decided with the AC energy of the well-focused block. Experimental results demonstrate that, unlike other spatial methods, the proposed method effectively avoids block artifacts. The proposed method also significantly improves the objective evaluation results, which are obtained by some transform domain methods.
Smoothing Algorithm for Planar and Surface Mesh Based on Element Geometric Deformation
Authors: Sun Shuli , Zhang Minglei , Gou Zhihong
Published: May 2015

Smoothing is one of the basic procedures for improvement of mesh quality. In this paper, a novel and efficient smoothing approach for planar and surface mesh based on element geometric deformation is developed. The presented approach involves two main stages. The first stage is geometric deformation of all the individual elements through a specially designed two-step stretching-shrinking operation (SSO), which is performed by moving the vertices of each element according to a certain rule in order to get better shape of the element. The second stage is to determine the position of each node of the mesh by a weighted average strategy according to quality changes of its adjacent elements. The suggested SSO-based smoothing algorithm works efficiently for triangular mesh and can be naturally expanded to quadrilateral mesh, arbitrary polygonal mesh, and mixed mesh. Combined with quadratic error metric (QEM), this approach may be also applied to improve the quality of surface mesh. The proposed method is simple to program and inherently very suitable for parallelization, especially on graphic processing unit (GPU). Results of numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and potential of this method.
β Common Receptor Mediates Erythropoietin‐Conferred Protection on OxLDL‐Induced Lipid Accumulation and Inflammation in Macrophages
Authors: Lee Tzong-Shyuan , Lu Kuo-Yun , Yu Yuan-Bin , Lee Hsueh-Te , Tsai Feng-Chuan
Published: May 2015

Erythropoietin (EPO), the key factor for erythropoiesis, also protects macrophage foam cells from lipid accumulation, yet the definitive mechanisms are not fully understood. β common receptor (βCR) plays a crucial role in the nonhematopoietic effects of EPO. In the current study, we investigated the role of βCR in EPO‐mediated protection in macrophages against oxidized low‐density lipoprotein‐ (oxLDL‐) induced deregulation of lipid metabolism and inflammation. Here, we show that βCR expression was mainly in foamy macrophages of atherosclerotic aortas from apolipoprotein E‐deficient mice. Results of confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that βCR was colocalized and interacted with EPO receptor (EPOR) in macrophages. Inhibition of βCR activation by neutralizing antibody or small interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished the EPO‐conferred protection in oxLDL‐induced lipid accumulation. Furthermore, EPO‐promoted cholesterol efflux and upregulation of ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 were prevented by pretreatment with βCR neutralizing antibody or βCR siRNA. Additionally, blockage of βCR abrogated the EPO‐conferred anti‐inflammatory action on oxLDL‐induced production of macrophage inflammatory protein‐2. Collectively, our findings suggest that βCR may play an important role in the beneficial effects of EPO against oxLDL‐elicited dysfunction of macrophage foam cells.
Total Antioxidant Status in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Palestine
Authors: Kharroubi Akram T. , Darwish Hisham M. , Akkawi Mutaz A. , Ashareef Abdelkareem A. , Almasri Zaher A. , Bader Khaldoun A. , Khammash Umaiyeh M.
Published: May 2015

The objective of this study was to compare the level of total antioxidant status (TAS) in type 2 diabetic and normal Palestinian subjects as well as the major factors influencing TAS levels. A sample of convenience composed of 212 type 2 diabetic and 208 normal subjects above the age of 40 were recruited. Only 9.8% of the subjects had normal body mass index (BMI) levels (<25), 29% were overweight (≥25 to <30), and 61.2% were obese (≥30). The mean levels of TAS were significantly higher in diabetic compared to control subjects (2.18 versus 1.84 mM Trolox,P= 0.001) and in hypertensive subjects compared to subjects with normal blood pressure (BP). Mean TAS levels were higher in obese compared to nonobese subjects (2.12 versus 1.85 mM Trolox,P= 0.001). Mean TAS levels were similarly higher in subjects with high fasting plasma glucose (FPG) compared to normal FPG (2.19 versus 1.90 mM Trolox) and high HbA1c (≥6.5%) compared to HbA1c < 6.5% (2.14 versus 1.91 mM Trolox). Multivariate analysis revealed that only diabetic status (P= 0.032) and the level of education (P= 0.036) were significantly associated with TAS. In conclusion diabetic patients had 18.5% increase in TAS levels compared to control subjects.
Two-Dimensional DOA Estimation for Uniform Rectangular Array Using Reduced-Dimension Propagator Method
Authors: Zhou Ming , Zhang Xiaofei , Qiu Xiaofeng , Wang Chenghua
Published: May 2015

A novel algorithm is proposed for two-dimensional direction of arrival (2D-DOA) estimation with uniform rectangular array using reduced-dimension propagator method (RD-PM). The proposed algorithm requires no eigenvalue decomposition of the covariance matrix of the receive data and simplifies two-dimensional global searching in two-dimensional PM (2D-PM) to one-dimensional local searching. The complexity of the proposed algorithm is much lower than that of 2D-PM. The angle estimation performance of the proposed algorithm is better than that of estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (ESPRIT) algorithm and conventional PM algorithms, also very close to 2D-PM. The angle estimation error and Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) are derived in this paper. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm can achieve automatically paired 2D-DOA estimation. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Epigenetics of Meningiomas
Authors: Murnyák Balázs , Bognár László , Klekner Álmos , Hortobágyi Tibor
Published: May 2015

Meningiomas account for one-third of all adult central nervous system tumours and are divided into three WHO grades. In contrast to the relatively well characterized genetic alterations, our current understanding of epigenetic modifications involved in the meningioma-genesis and progression is rather incomplete. Contrary to genetic alterations, epigenetic changes do not alter the primary DNA sequence and their reversible nature serves as an excellent basis for prevention and development of novel personalised tumour therapies. Indeed, growing body of evidence suggests that disturbed epigenetic regulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of meningiomas. Altered DNA methylation, microRNA expression, histone, and chromatin modifications are frequently noted in meningiomas bearing prognostic and therapeutic relevance. In this review we provide an overview on recently identified epigenetic alterations in meningiomas and discuss their role in tumour initiation, progression, and recurrence.
Adaptively Tuned Iterative Low Dose CT Image Denoising
Authors: Hashemi SayedMasoud , Paul Narinder S. , Beheshti Soosan , Cobbold Richard S. C.
Published: May 2015

Improving image quality is a critical objective in low dose computed tomography (CT) imaging and is the primary focus of CT image denoising. State-of-the-art CT denoising algorithms are mainly based on iterative minimization of an objective function, in which the performance is controlled by regularization parameters. To achieve the best results, these should be chosen carefully. However, the parameter selection is typically performed in an ad hoc manner, which can cause the algorithms to converge slowly or become trapped in a local minimum. To overcome these issues a noise confidence region evaluation (NCRE) method is used, which evaluates the denoising residuals iteratively and compares their statistics with those produced by additive noise. It then updates the parameters at the end of each iteration to achieve a better match to the noise statistics. By combining NCRE with the fundamentals of block matching and 3D filtering (BM3D) approach, a new iterative CT image denoising method is proposed. It is shown that this new denoising method improves the BM3D performance in terms of both the mean square error and a structural similarity index. Moreover, simulations and patient results show that this method preserves the clinically important details of low dose CT images together with a substantial noise reduction.
Primary Mediastinal Synovial Sarcoma Presenting as Superior Vena Cava Syndrome: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Madabhavi Irappa , Kataria Pritam , Patel Apurva , Revannasiddaiah Swaroop , Anand Asha , Panchal Harsha , Parikh Sonia , Sarkar Malay , Modi Gaurang , Kulkarni Rahul , Shah Sandip
Published: May 2015

Primary mediastinal sarcomas are aggressive tumors with a very rare incidence. This report describes the case of a 35-year-old male patient who presented with acute symptoms of dyspnoea, facial puffiness, voice-hoarseness, and engorged neck veins. With the clinical picture consistent with the superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome, the patient was investigated with computed tomography of the chest. This revealed a large soft tissue density mass lesion compressing the SVC along with other critical superior mediastinal structures. Histopathological evaluation of the mass revealed features consistent with a soft tissue sarcoma and positive staining was observed for vimentin and S-100. Cytogenetic analysis by fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) demonstrated the t(X:18) translocation. Thus diagnosis was established as primary mediastinal synovial sarcoma. Patient was treated with three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to which there was a partial response as per theRECISTcriteria. Surgical excision of the mediastinal mass was performed, and further postoperative treatment with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was provided. Patient currently is free of disease. This is to the best of our knowledge the first report in the world literature of a successfully treated case of “primary mediastinal sarcomas presenting as SVC syndrome.” Patient is under regular surveillance at our clinic and remains free of recurrence one year after treatment completion.
Behavioural and Cognitive-Behavioural Treatments of Parasomnias
Authors: Galbiati Andrea , Rinaldi Fabrizio , Giora Enrico , Ferini-Strambi Luigi , Marelli Sara
Published: May 2015

Parasomnias are unpleasant or undesirable behaviours or experiences that occur predominantly during or within close proximity to sleep. Pharmacological treatments of parasomnias are available, but their efficacy is established only for few disorders. Furthermore, most of these disorders tend spontaneously to remit with development. Nonpharmacological treatments therefore represent valid therapeutic choices. This paper reviews behavioural and cognitive-behavioural managements employed for parasomnias. Referring to the ICSD-3 nosology we consider, respectively, NREM parasomnias, REM parasomnias, and other parasomnias. Although the efficacy of some of these treatments is proved, in other cases their clinical evidence cannot be provided because of the small size of the samples. Due to the rarity of some parasomnias, further multicentric researches are needed in order to offer a more complete account of behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments efficacy.
Production and Characterization of Alkaline Protease from a High Yielding and Moderately Halophilic Strain of SD11 Marine Bacteria
Authors: Cui Hongxia , Wang Liping , Yu Yang
Published: May 2015

A marine bacterium SD11, which was isolated from sea muds (Geziwo Qinhuangdao Sea area, China), was used to produce thermostable alkaline serine nonmetal protease in the skim milk agar plate medium with 10% NaCl. The optimal temperature about the manufacture of the extracellular protease was ~60°C. The crude enzyme was stable at 20–50°C. The activity was retained to 60% and 45% after heating for 1 h at 60 and 70°C, respectively. The protease was highly active in a wide pH scope (8.0–10.0) and maximum protease activity exhibited at pH 10.0. The activity was restrained by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) but mildly increased (~107%) in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), indicating that the production contains serine-protease(s) and nonmetal protease(s). Moreover, the crude alkaline protease was active with the 5 mM Ca2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Na+, and K+that existed separately. In addition, the protease showed superduper stability when exposed to an anionic surfactant (5 mM SDS), an oxidizing agent (1% H2O2), and several organic solvents (methanol, isopropanol, and acetone). These results suggest that the marine bacterium SD11 is significant in the industry from the prospects of its ability to produce thermally stable alkaline protease.
Properties of Concrete with Tire Derived Aggregate Partially Replacing Coarse Aggregates
Authors: Siringi Gideon , Abolmaali Ali , Aswath Pranesh B.
Published: May 2015

Tire derived aggregate (TDA) has been proposed as a possible lightweight replacement for mineral aggregate in concrete. The role played by the amount of TDA replacing coarse aggregate as well as different treatment and additives in concrete on its properties is examined. Conventional concrete (without TDA) and concrete containing TDA are compared by examining their compressive strength based on ASTM C39, workability based on ASTM C143, splitting tensile strength based on ASTM C496, modulus of rupture (flexural strength) based on ASTM C78, and bond stress based on ASTM C234. Results indicate that while replacement of coarse aggregates with TDA results in reduction in strength, it may be mitigated with addition of silica fume to obtain the desired strength. The greatest benefit of using TDA is in the development of a higher ductile product while utilizing recycled TDA.
Effective Feedback Design Using Free Technologies
Authors: Yuan Jiangmei , Kim ChanMin
Published: May 2015

Feedback plays a critical role in student learning and performance. However, providing students with effective feedback is challenging in online environments because of physical separation between students and instructors. Technologies can be used to enhance the effectiveness of feedback in online courses. In this article, we propose effective feedback design for online students using freely available technologies. We first review literature on the attributes of feedback that impact its effectiveness. Then, to address such attributes, we propose effective feedback design using three types of free technologies—media sharing, collaborative, and screencasting technologies. For each type of technology, we focus on one representative technology such as VoiceThread for a media sharing tool, a wiki for a collaborative tool, and Jing for a screencasting tool. Based on the analysis of empirical studies using such technologies, effective feedback design was constructed to maximize the affordances of each technology that foster feedback dialogues, help to bring feedback from multiple sources, and encourage students to follow up with feedback.
Tax Complexity, Tax Salience and Tax Politics
Authors: Mumford Ann
Published: May 2015

This article considers the implications of the tax salience literature for the United Kingdom. First, the different categories, and definitions, of tax salience that have developed in the literature are reviewed, and some of the prescriptive implications of these terms are introduced. Tax salience refers, essentially, to the capacity of taxpayers to understand legislation. Thus, the potential reasons behind tax complexity and the potential beneficiaries of it are addressed. The article considers the contribution that the tax salience literature may make to existing analyses in the United Kingdom, particularly, in the (1) debate surrounding principles-based legislation and (2) context of newly formed government offices devoted, to some extent, to considering the role and value of salience. It is suggested that it is worth heeding the admonitions of Schenk, Gamage and Shanske, and others, that ‘salience’ is a layered term that should be employed with specific reference to political, economic and legal contexts. It is also acknowledged that the conclusions of some portions of the tax salience literature that legislative clarity should be included only within a list of priorities for legislative drafting, and not necessarily at the top of that list, is evocative of existing analyses of ‘principles-based drafting’ in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and elsewhere. Neither salience nor principles-based drafting have the potential, on their own, to ‘fix’ the problem of tax complexity. The article, however, considers the implications of either raising or lowering salience on the list of desirable factors in drafting, in the particular context of fostering trust between taxpayers and the state.
Book Review: Radha Chakravarty, Novelist Tagore: Gender and Modernity in Selected Texts
Authors: Gupta Jayati
Published: May 2015

Radha Chakravarty, Novelist Tagore: Gender and Modernity in Selected Texts. New Delhi: Routledge, 2013, 160 pages, ₹ 595 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-415-8404
Maternal Involvement in Everyday Schooling: A Micro Study
Authors: Panda Gayatri
Published: May 2015

The crucial role of mothers in cultural reproduction has been widely debated since the seminal work of Basil Bernstein (1997). School education which stands as the foundation of a child’s further education and future professional career relies to a great extent on the mother’s role along with other important factors. The article attempts to explore micro-mothering activities contributing to children’s schooling processes. This exploratory study, conducted in a village in the state of Odisha looks at the factors that influence several nuanced mothering activities in the context of mothers’ differential educational qualifications and their varied locations in the caste/community and class hierarchy. The nature and extent of mothers’ involvement in children’s schooling was captured through interviews with 75 mothers. The study found significant instances of maternal involvement in children’s schooling; the higher the level of the mother’s education, the more proficient did the mothers grow, irrespective of their social origin. Educated mothers took a keen interest in their child’s progress and provided concrete guidance. This does not happen in the case of the poorly educated or non-literate mothers although their love and care continues to be unquestionable!
Current Account Imbalances and Capital Flows
Authors: Bayraktar-Saglam B. , Yalta A.Y.
Published: May 2015

In this article, we attempt to evaluate the causality between the current account and foreign capital flows for the emerging markets over the period of 1980–2012, by applying the heterogeneous panel Granger causality framework. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that applies heterogeneous panel causality tests to explain the linkages between current account and the foreign capital flows. In addition to examining the effect of overall capital flows on the current account, we focus on the effects of different types of capital flows (foreign direct investment and portfolio investment) on the current account. We also investigate how the different types of capital flows affect gross domestic saving and gross domestic investment. We find that the causality relationship between foreign capital flows and current account is highly heterogeneous.
The Proximal Effects of Acute Alcohol Consumption on Male-to-Female Aggression
Authors: Crane Cory A. , Godleski Stephanie A. , Przybyla Sarahmona M. , Schlauch Robert C. , Testa Maria
Published: May 2015

The current meta-analytic review examined the experimental literature to quantify the causal effect of acute alcohol consumption on self-reported and observed indicators of male-to-female general, sexual, and intimate partner aggression. Database and reference list searches yielded 22 studies conducted between 1981 and 2014 that met all criteria for inclusion and that were subjected to full text coding for analysis. Results detected a significant overall effect ( d = .36), indicating that male participants who consumed alcohol evidenced greater aggressive behavior toward females while completing a subsequent laboratory aggression paradigm than male participants who received no alcohol. We found homogeneity across all categories of potential moderator variables. Results further indicated that alcohol resulted in comparable increases of male-to-female sexual ( d = .32) and intimate partner ( d = .45) aggression. Further research is required to draw meaningful conclusions about individual and situational factors that may interact with acute alcohol consumption to produce the highest levels of risk.
Marrying across Class Lines
Authors: Streib Jessi
Published: May 2015

Even when married couples think childhood class differences are in the past, those factors shape how each spouse tackles tasks and allocates resources.
Spain’s Crisis Architecture
Authors: Holleran Max
Published: May 2015

Max Holleran on the political contingency of grandiose architecture.
The functioning of a Marwari trading firm (c. 1750–1850)
Authors: Devra G.S.L.
Published: May 2015

The family papers of the owners of a business firm based at Churu (northern Rajasthan) enable us to study how it functioned in late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Especially important was the way it managed its various branches over a large region of northern India. The article also examines its relations with the Indian princes and the British authorities.
Trade, markets and urbanism: Perceptions of literature from medieval Kerala
Authors: Veluthat Kesavan
Published: May 2015

The article examines the influence of urbanism and commerce on medieval Sanskrit and Malayalam–Sanskrit literature of medieval Kerala. Conversely, it examines how urban life and commerce appeared to the authors of these texts.
A ‘State Sector’ in overseas trade: The imperial Mughal shipping establishment at Surat
Authors: Moosvi Shireen
Published: May 2015

While the Mughal state had no navy, it had a merchant fleet, chiefly based at Surat. The ships built and maintained by it there form the main subject of this article. It also explores how the marine establishment got its income and undertook the necessary expenditure.
The banking and mercantile house of Jagat Seths of Bengal
Authors: Chaudhury Sushil
Published: May 2015

Banking and credit systems were fairly well advanced in pre-colonial India. Large amounts of capital for commercial credit were also available—though at some cost in terms of high interest rates. This article illustrates these conditions by a study of the banking and other activities of the house of Jagat Seths of Bengal in the mid-eighteenth century.