bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term safety of linagliptin monotherapy in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Araki E. , Kawamori R. , Inagaki N. , Watada H. , Hayashi N. , Horie Y. , Sarashina A. , Thiemann S. , von Eynatten M. , Dugi K. , Woerle H.‐J.
Published: November 2012

Aims

In a phase III study conducted among Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), linagliptin 5 and 10 mg showed clinically meaningful improvements in glycaemic parameters after 12 and 26 weeks compared with placebo and voglibose, respectively. This extension study assessed long‐term tolerability of linagliptin over 52 weeks.

Methods

Japanese patients with T2DM who completed either phase of a 12‐week/26‐week study comparing linagliptin monotherapy with placebo or voglibose were eligible to enrol. In the extension study, the comparator groups switched to linagliptin 5 or 10 mg, while the linagliptin groups maintained dosage.

Results

In all, 540 patients received at least one dose of linagliptin 5 or 10 mg and 494 completed the extension. Long‐term treatment with linagliptin was well tolerated; adverse events (AEs) of special interest and serious AEs occurred in small percentages of patients. Drug‐related AEs occurred in 10.2 and 10.6% of patients in the linagliptin 5‐ and 10‐mg groups, respectively, and discontinuations due to drug‐related AEs occurred in 1.1 and 0.7%, respectively. Only one (0.4%) patient in each dose group experienced investigator‐defined hypoglycaemia during the treatment period (both events were non‐severe). Body weight was not clinically altered in either group. The glycated haemoglobin A1c profiles over time were similar with linagliptin 5 and 10 mg.

Conclusions

These findings provide evidence for the safety and tolerability of oral linagliptin at either 5 or 10 mg for up to 52 weeks for the treatment of Japanese patients with T2DM, without clinically relevant increase in the risk of hypoglycaemia or weight gain.
No evidence of drug‐induced pancreatitis in rats treated with exenatide for 13 weeks
Authors: Tatarkiewicz K. , Belanger P. , Gu G. , Parkes D. , Roy D.
Published: November 2012

Aims

The potential association of glucagon‐like peptide receptor agonists (GLP‐1RAs) with the development of pancreatitis or pancreatic malignancies in patients with diabetes has been suggested. This study evaluated the long‐term effects of the GLP‐1RA exenatide on pancreatic exocrine structure and function in the Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat model of type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Rats received subcutaneous twice‐daily injections of 0 (control), 6, 40 and 250 µg/kg/day exenatide for 3 months. Clinical signs, body and pancreas weight, food consumption, HbA1c, fasting serum amylase, lipase, glucose and insulin concentrations were evaluated during treatment and after a 28‐day off‐drug period to assess the reversibility of any observed effects. Morphometric analysis of pancreatic ductal cell proliferation and apoptosis were performed.

Results

Plasma exenatide concentrations were several‐fold higher than therapeutic levels observed in humans. No exenatide‐related effects were observed on clinical signs, lipase concentration, pancreatic weight, pancreatic histology, ductal cell proliferation or apoptosis. Exenatide improved animal survival, physical condition, glucose concentrations and HbA1c, decreased food intake, and increased serum insulin concentration. Total amylase concentrations, although within normal ranges, were slightly higher in exenatide‐treated rats; following the off‐drug period, total amylase concentrations were comparable in treated and untreated rats. Exenatide‐related minimal‐to‐moderate islet hypertrophy was observed at doses ≥6 µg/kg/day, with dose‐related increases in incidence and degree. These changes were still present after the off‐drug period.

Conclusions

Chronic administration of exenatide in ZDF rats resulted in the expected metabolic benefits and improved animal survival, with no adverse effects noted on pancreatic exocrine structure and function.
The prognostic role of the adiponectin levels in atrial fibrillation
Authors: Hernández‐Romero Diana , Jover Eva , Marín Francisco , Vilchez Juan A. , Manzano‐Fernandez Sergio , Romera Marta , Vicente Vicente , Valdés Mariano , Lip Gregory Y. H. , Roldán Vanessa
Published: November 2012

Background

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a high morbidity and mortality from vascular events, even despite oral anticoagulation (OAC). Rather than being a risk factor, AF has been proposed as a risk marker, being a signal of advanced atherosclerosis. Circulating adiponectin levels, a cytokine with anti‐inflammatory and cardioprotector roles, are related to different atherosclerotic risk factors. The aim is to evaluate whether plasma adiponectin can be predictive of cardiovascular risk in anticoagulated patients with AF.

Materials and methods

We included 918 stable anticoagulated out patients with nonvalvular AF [50·1% male; median age 76 (70–80) years; median score for the stroke risk stratification scheme CHA2DS2‐VASc was 4 (3–5)]. Plasma adiponectin was determined by ELISA. Clinical follow‐up and cardiovascular adverse events were recorded.

Results

After a median follow‐up of 956 (784–1085) days, 113 cardiovascular events were recorded (annual rate 4·70%/year) and 99 patients died (rate 4·12%/year). Low plasma adiponectin (< 4444 ng/mL) was significantly associated with major cardiovascular events in female patients [HR 2·96 (95%CI 1·78–4·92)]; P < 0·001, even after adjusting for clinical confounder factors. Adiponectin was neither predictive of stroke/thromboembolism nor all‐cause mortality in females, nor for any end‐point in males.

Conclusions

Adiponectin is suggested as an independent prognostic biomarker for cardiovascular events in anticoagulated female patients with AF. Our data reinforce the importance of AF as a risk marker of atherosclerotic vascular damage.
Effect of autologous platelet‐rich plasma on bone regeneration in mandibular fractures
Authors: Daif Emad T.
Published: November 2012

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of autologous platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) on bone regeneration in mandibular fractures via a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Patients and methods

Twenty‐four patients having parasymphyseal fractures participated in this study. They were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A was treated by two titanium miniplates and screws plus local application of activated PRP along the fracture line, whereas group B was treated by the same bone plates and screws without application of PRP. The patients were recalled at 1 week, 3 and 6 months after surgery for clinical assessment and measuring the bone density via CBCT at a region of interest (ROI) including the fracture line.

Results

The mean values of the bone density measurements, in both groups, were higher at 3 and 6 months than 1 week after surgery. At 1 week after surgery, the values were 542 ± 93 HU and 515 ± 81 HU in group A and B, respectively. In group A, the mean value of bone density measurements was 728 ± 58 HU (range 620–796 HU) at 3 months after surgery and it was 1024 ± 188 HU (range 825–1490 HU) 6 months later. While in group B, the mean values of the bone density measurements at the ROI were 600 ± 78 HU (range 520–790 HU) and 756 ± 53 HU (range 710–890 HU) at 3 and 6 months after surgery, respectively. The increase in the bone density measurements at 3 and 6 months after surgery was statistically significant only in group A (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.0001, respectively).

Conclusions

It can be concluded that direct application of the PRP along the fracture lines may enhance the bone regeneration in mandibular fractures.
Longevity of posterior dental restorations and reasons for failure
Authors: Kopperud Simen E. , Tveit Anne Bjørg , Gaarden Torunn , Sandvik Leiv , Espelid Ivar
Published: November 2012

Tooth‐coloured restorative materials are being used increasingly more often in Class II preparations in permanent teeth. Using a practice‐based study design, we aimed to assess the survival time of Class II restorations and to identify factors relevant to their longevity. Class II restorations (n = 4,030), consisting of resin composites (81.5%), compomers (12.7%), amalgams (4.6%), and glass‐ionomer cement restorations (1.2%), were placed in 1,873 patients with a median age of 15 yr. In total, 92.7% of restorations were placed due to primary caries and 5.8% were replacements. After an average follow‐up period of 4.6 yr, 61.6% of the restorations were successful, 11.2% had failed, and 27.2% were not available for evaluation (owing to patient drop‐out). The mean annual failure rate was 2.9% for resin‐composite restorations and 1.6% for amalgams. For resin‐composite restorations, secondary caries was the most common reason for replacement (73.9%), followed by loss (8.0%), fracture (5.3%), and marginal defects (2.4%). Multilevel Cox‐regression analyses identified young age of the patient, high previous caries experience, deep cavities, and saucer‐shaped preparation technique as predisposing to shorter longevity of resin‐composite restorations. One brand of resin composite had a shorter survival time than the others.
Long‐term exercising video‐endoscopic examination of the upper airway following laryngoplasty surgery: A prospective cross‐sectional study of 41 horses
Authors: Barnett T. P. , O'Leary J. M. , Parkin T. D. H. , Dixon P. M. , Barakzai S. Z.
Published: November 2012

Reasons for performing study

To investigate upper respiratory tract function in horses, previously undergoing laryngoplasty (LP), using exercising video‐endoscopy.

Objectives

To evaluate arytenoid abduction and stability, diagnose any concurrent upper airway problems, and correlate these with the owners' perception of success.

Methods

Horses undergoing LP during a 6‐year period at one hospital were initially included. Those available for re‐examination were exercised for a duration and intensity considered maximal for their discipline using an over‐ground endoscope. Resting and exercising laryngeal and pharyngeal videos were analysed blindly. Multivariable analysis was used to test associations between resting and exercising endoscopic variables, and also between endoscopic variables and owner questionnaire findings.

Results

Forty‐one horses were included and 78% had a form of upper airway collapse at exercise, with 41% having complex forms, despite 93% of owners reporting the surgery to have been beneficial. Horses with poor abduction (grades 4or5/5) were 6 times more likely to make respiratory noise compared with those with good (grades 2or3/5) abduction (P= 0.020; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–27.0), and those not having a ventriculectomy were 4.9 times more likely to produce respiratory noise post operatively (P= 0.048; 95% CI 1.0–23.9). Palatal dysfunction was observed in 24% of horses at rest, and 56% at exercise, with the diagnosis at rest and exercise significantly associated (P= 0.001). Increasing severity of pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (prevalence 61%) was significantly associated with increasing arytenoid abduction (P= 0.01). Thirty‐four per cent of horses had aryepiglottic fold collapse and 22% of horses had vocal fold collapse.

Conclusions

Many horses that had previously had LP were diagnosed with upper airway abnormalities, despite the procedure being considered as beneficial by most owners.

Potential relevance

When investigating cases of ongoing respiratory noise or poor performance following LP, exercising endoscopy must be considered. Continued respiratory noise may be associated with poor arytenoid abduction and not performing concurrent ventriculectomy.
Xylanase XYN IV from Trichoderma reesei showing exo‐ and endo‐xylanase activity
Authors: Tenkanen Maija , Vršanská Mária , Siika‐aho Matti , Wong Dominic W. , Puchart Vladimír , Penttilä Merja , Saloheimo Markku , Biely Peter
Published: November 2012

A minor xylanase, named XYN IV, was purified from the cellulolytic system of the fungus Trichoderma reesei Rut C30. The enzyme was discovered on the basis of its ability to attack aldotetraohexenuronic acid (HexA‐2Xyl‐4Xyl‐4Xyl, HexA3Xyl3), releasing the reducing‐end xylose residue. XYN IV exhibited catalytic properties incompatible with previously described endo‐β‐1,4‐xylanases of this fungus, XYN I, XYN II and XYN III, and the xylan‐hydrolyzing endo‐β‐1,4‐glucanase EG I. XYN IV was able to degrade several different β‐1,4‐xylans, but was inactive on β‐1,4‐mannans and β‐1,4‐glucans. It showed both exo‐and endo‐xylanase activity. Rhodymenan, a linear soluble β‐1,3‐β‐1,4‐xylan, was as the best substrate. Linear xylooligosaccharides were attacked exclusively at the first glycosidic linkage from the reducing end. The gene xyn4, encoding XYN IV, was also isolated. It showed clear homology with xylanases classified in glycoside hydrolase family 30, which also includes glucanases and mannanases. The xyn4 gene was expressed slightly when grown on xylose and xylitol, clearly on arabinose, arabitol, sophorose, xylobiose, xylan and cellulose, but not on glucose or sorbitol, resembling induction of other xylanolytic enzymes from T. reesei. A recombinant enzyme prepared in a Pichia pastoris expression system exhibited identical catalytic properties to the enzyme isolated from the T. reesei culture medium. The physiological role of this unique enzyme remains unknown, but it may involve liberation of xylose from the reducing end of branched oligosaccharides that are resistant toward β‐xylosidase and other types of endoxylanases. In terms of its catalytic properties, XYN IV differs from bacterial GH family 30 glucuronoxylanases that recognize 4‐O‐methyl‐d‐glucuronic acid (MeGlcA) substituents as substrate specificity determinants.
National forest cover change in Congo Basin: deforestation, reforestation, degradation and regeneration for the years 1990, 2000 and 2005
Authors: Ernst Céline , Mayaux Philippe , Verhegghen Astrid , Bodart Catherine , Christophe Musampa , Defourny Pierre
Published: November 2012

This research refers to an object‐based automatic method combined with a national expert validation to produce regional and national forest cover change statistics over Congo Basin. A total of 547 sampling sites systematically distributed over the whole humid forest domain are required to cover the six Central African countries containing tropical moist forest. High resolution imagery is used to accurately estimate not only deforestation and reforestation but also degradation and regeneration. The overall method consists of four steps: (i) image automatic preprocessing and preinterpretation, (ii) interpretation by national expert, (iii) statistic computation and (iv) accuracy assessment. The annual rate of net deforestation in Congo Basin is estimated to 0.09% between 1990 and 2000 and of net degradation to 0.05%. Between 2000 and 2005, this unique exercise estimates annual net deforestation to 0.17% and annual net degradation to 0.09%. An accuracy assessment reveals that 92.7% of tree cover (TC) classes agree with independent expert interpretation. In the discussion, we underline the direct causes and the drivers of deforestation. Population density, small‐scale agriculture, fuelwood collection and forest's accessibility are closely linked to deforestation, whereas timber extraction has no major impact on the reduction in the canopy cover. The analysis also shows the efficiency of protected areas to reduce deforestation. These results are expected to contribute to the discussion on the reduction in CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and serve as reference for the period.
Effects of plant diversity, N fertilization, and elevated carbon dioxide on grassland soil N cycling in a long‐term experiment
Authors: Mueller Kevin E. , Hobbie Sarah E. , Tilman David , Reich Peter B.
Published: November 2012

The effects of global environmental changes on soil nitrogen (N) pools and fluxes have consequences for ecosystem functions such as plant productivity and N retention. In a 13‐year grassland experiment, we evaluated how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), N fertilization, and plant species richness alter soil N cycling. We focused on soil inorganic N pools, including ammonium and nitrate, and two N fluxes, net N mineralization and net nitrification. In contrast with existing hypotheses, such as progressive N limitation, and with observations from other, often shorter, studies, elevated CO2 had relatively static and small, or insignificant, effects on soil inorganic N pools and fluxes. Nitrogen fertilization had inconsistent effects on soil N transformations, but increased soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations. Plant species richness had increasingly positive effects on soil N transformations over time, likely because in diverse subplots the concentrations of N in roots increased over time. Species richness also had increasingly positive effects on concentrations of ammonium in soil, perhaps because more carbon accumulated in soils of diverse subplots, providing exchange sites for ammonium. By contrast, subplots planted with 16 species had lower soil nitrate concentrations than less diverse subplots, especially when fertilized, probably due to greater N uptake capacity of subplots with 16 species. Monocultures of different plant functional types had distinct effects on N transformations and nitrate concentrations, such that not all monocultures differed from diverse subplots in the same manner. The first few years of data would not have adequately forecast the effects of N fertilization and diversity on soil N cycling in later years; therefore, the dearth of long‐term manipulations of plant species richness and N inputs is a hindrance to forecasting the state of the soil N cycle and ecosystem functions in extant plant communities.
Progression of haemophilic arthropathy in children: a Lithuanian – Danish comparative study
Authors: Saulyte Trakymiene S. , Clausen N. , Poulsen L. H. , Ingerslev J. , Rageliene L.
Published: November 2012

Recurrent bleeding into joints initiates a sequence of events leading to a progressive joint damage in people with severe haemophilia. This is a continuous process during childhood and adolescence, therefore joint abnormalities may be minimal on physical examination in very young children – even those receiving on‐demand treatment. The aim of our study was to quantify the burden of arthropathy in Lithuanian patients who had been treated exclusively by on‐demand substitution and compare their physical joint health with age‐matched Danish patients who received prophylaxis from an early age. Boys, aged 4–17 years, with severe haemophilia and no signs of inhibitors were included in the study. Joint outcome based on the Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) was analysed in two different treatment groups and compared within the matched pairs. In total, 32 (16 in each treatment group) patients were enroled. A total of 192 joints were evaluated. Joint status according to treatment strategy was strikingly different: 27.4 for on‐demand vs. 3.3 for prophylaxis (<0.001) group. Significance of the difference in joint status comparing different treatment strategies was equally strong both in younger (4–9 years) and older (10–17 years) patient groups: 2.2 vs. 12.5 (P = 0.0002) and 3.9 vs. 36.3 (P < 0.0001) respectively. The results further demonstrate the unequivocal effect of prophylaxis on joint status and give an insight into early and late manifestations of joint impairment based on the HJHS in haemophilia patients with treatment on‐demand compared with joint changes that may develop over the time with the preventative treatment.
Magnetic resonance laparoscopy: A new non‐invasive technique for the assessment of chronic viral liver disease
Authors: Ogura Suguru , Saitoh Satoshi , Kawamura Yusuke , Sezaki Hitomi , Hosaka Tetsuya , Akuta Norio , Kobayashi Masahiro , Suzuki Fumitaka , Suzuki Yoshiyuki , Arase Yasuji , Ikeda Kenji , Kumada Hiromitsu
Published: November 2012

Aim

Laparoscopy‐guided liver biopsy is the most accurate method for assessing liver fibrosis but have several limitations. We designed a non‐invasive method, called magnetic resonance laparoscopy (MRL), based on gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, to assess liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C virus.

Methods

We prospectively analyzed 49 patients with normal liver and 353 patients with chronic viral hepatitis, laparoscopic liver biopsy was performed on 109 patients and 244 patients were diagnosed as having liver cirrhosis clinically. The MRL findings of the liver surface were classified into three categories: (i) smooth (essentially smooth surface of the entire liver or with limited areas of depression); (ii) partially irregular (several interconnected depressions on the surface mainly in the left lobe of the liver); and (iii) diffusely irregular (nodules present on the liver surface). Patients with diffusely irregular liver surface was diagnosed as liver cirrhosis.

Results

The liver surface changed with the progression of liver fibrosis from smooth, partially irregular to diffusely irregular, irrespective of viral type. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the diagnosis of cirrhosis according to the surface findings on MRL were 96%, 100%, 95% and 95%, respectively. The cirrhotic liver showed: (i) disappearance of impression of the right ribs; (ii) enlargement of the lateral segment; and (iii) atrophy of the right lobe according to Child–Pugh classification.

Conclusion

Our data indicated that MRL is a potentially useful non‐invasive examination for evaluation of liver fibrosis associated with viral hepatitis.
Labor as Embodied Practice: The Lessons of Care Work
Authors: Lanoix Monique
Published: November 2012

In post‐Fordist economies, the nature of laboring activities can no longer be subsumed under a Taylorized model of labor, and the service sector now constitutes a larger share of the market. For Maurizio Lazzarato, Michael Hardt, Antonio Negri, and other theorists in the post‐Marxist tradition, labor has changed from a commodity‐producing activity to one that does not produce a material object. For these authors, this new type of labor is immaterial labor and entails communicative acts as well as added worker agency. This paper reflects on this new paradigm of labor by examining the paid practices of care defined as the activities performed by individuals who have a mandate to help another adult accomplish the tasks of self‐care. Because care workers take care of other bodies, care labor exemplifies an embodied practice. I make use of the corporeality of care to put forward the notion of thin and thick embodiment in order to examine critically the meaning of immaterial labor and to support my claim that immaterial labor, as conceptualized by Hardt and Negri, erases both the materiality and relationality of care labor. Furthermore, typifying care labor as immaterial only serves to maintain its marginalized status.

Care Assistant. Required to work within a private residential center to assist nursing staff. Experience desirable, qualifications an advantage, but caring and understanding more important than either. Must have good English to understand instructions and be co‐operative to work in a friendly team environment (Toynbee 2007, 220).
Characterization of set Intermediate Restorative Material, Biodentine, Bioaggregate and a prototype calcium silicate cement for use as root‐end filling materials
Authors: Grech L. , Mallia B. , Camilleri J.
Published: November 2012

Aim

To investigate the composition of materials and leachate of a hydrated prototype cement composed of tricalcium silicate and radiopacifier and compare this to other tricalcium silicate‐based cements (Biodentine and Bioaggregate) to assess whether the additives in the proprietary brand cements affect the hydration of the materials, using Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM), a standard root‐end filling material as a control.

Methodology

The materials investigated included a prototype‐radiopacified tricalcium silicate cement, Biodentine, Bioaggregate and Intermediate Restorative Material (IRM). The pH and calcium ion concentration of the leachate were investigated. The hydrated cements were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray energy dispersive analysis (EDX), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR).

Results

All the cements tested were alkaline. The tricalcium silicate‐based cements leached calcium in solution. Scanning electron microscopy of the prototype‐radiopacified tricalcium silicate cement, Biodentine and Bioaggregate displayed hydrating cement grains, surrounded by a matrix composed of calcium silicate hydrate and calcium hydroxide. The presence of calcium hydroxide was evident from the XRD plots. FT‐IR indicated the occurrence of a poorly crystalline calcium silicate hydrate. Biodentine displayed the presence of calcium carbonate. Bioaggregate incorporated a phosphate‐containing phase. IRM consisted of zinc oxide interspersed in an organic matrix.

Conclusions

The hydration of prototype‐radiopacified tricalcium silicate cement, Biodentine and Bioaggregate resulted in the formation of calcium silicate hydrate and calcium hydroxide, which was leached in solution. The hydrated materials were composed of a cementitous phase that was rich in calcium and silicon and a radiopacifying material. Biodentine included calcium carbonate, and Bioaggregate included silica and calcium phosphate in the powders. IRM was composed of zinc oxide interspersed in a matrix of organic material.
Discrete choice experiments in pharmacy: a review of the literature
Authors: Naik-Panvelkar Pradnya , Armour Carol , Saini Bandana
Published: November 2012

Objective

Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) have been widely used to elicit patient preferences for various healthcare services and interventions. The aim of our study was to conduct an in-depth scoping review of the literature and provide a current overview of the progressive application of DCEs within the field of pharmacy.

Methods

Electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, ECONLIT) were searched (January 1990–August 2011) to identify published English language studies using DCEs within the pharmacy context. Data were abstracted with respect to DCE methodology and application to pharmacy.

Key findings

Our search identified 12 studies. The DCE methodology was utilised to elicit preferences for different aspects of pharmacy products, therapy or services. Preferences were elicited from either patients or pharmacists, with just two studies incorporating the views of both. Most reviewed studies examined preferences for process-related or provider-related aspects with a lesser focus on health outcomes. Monetary attributes were considered to be important by most patients and pharmacists in the studies reviewed. Logit, probit or multinomial logit models were most commonly employed for estimation.

Conclusion

Our study showed that the pharmacy profession has adopted the DCE methodology consistent with the general health DCEs although the number of studies is quite limited. Future studies need to examine preferences of both patients and providers for particular products or disease-state management services. Incorporation of health outcome attributes in the design, testing for external validity and the incorporation of DCE results in economic evaluation framework to inform pharmacy policy remain important areas for future research.
What is in Applicants' Minds When They Fill Out a Personality Test? Insights from a qualitative study
Authors: König Cornelius J. , Merz Ann‐Sibill , Trauffer Nicoletta
Published: November 2012

Many practitioners fear that applicants will fake if they are asked to fill out a personality test. Although this fear has inspired much research, it remains unknown what applicants think when they fill out a questionnaire. Thus, we conducted a qualitative interview study that was guided by grounded theory principles. We interviewed (a) real applicants directly after filling out a personality test; (b) real applicants who had filled out a personality test in their past job hunt; (c) hypothetical job applicants whom we asked to imagine being an applicant and to fill out a personality test; and (d) hypothetical applicants who had much experience with personality tests. Theoretical saturation was achieved after interviewing 23 people. A content analysis showed that much is going on in applicants' minds – that which is typically subsumed under the expression ‘faking’ actually consists of many facets. In particular, participants assumed that the interpretation of their responses could be based on (a) the consistency of their responses; (b) the endorsement of middle versus extreme answers; and (c) a certain profile, and these assumptions resulted in corresponding self‐presentation strategies. However, these strategies were not used by all participants. Some answered honestly, for different reasons ranging from honesty as a personality trait to the (false) belief that test administrators can catch fakers. All in all, this study questions whether measuring mean changes in classical faking studies captures all important facets.
Mars, our neighbour
Authors: Glasby G.P.
Published: November 2012

If we consider the solar system, our closest neighbour in terms of similarity is undoubtedly Mars. The planet has many features in common with the Earth, first discovered by the space probe Mariner in 1971. Since then, Mars has been subject to increasing interest by astronomers and geologists alike, and new data will start arriving when the six‐wheeled car‐sized rover named Curiosity begins rolling across the surface of Mars in August 2012. But how much do we already know about the ‘Red Planet?’ The aim of this article is to make information on Mars more available to the lay reader at a time when the ‘Red Planet’ is under the spotlight.
Dartmoor's overlooked glacial legacy
Authors: Evans David J.A. , Harrison Stephan , Vieli Andreas , Anderson Ed
Published: November 2012

Traditionally regarded as a relict permafrost and periglacial landscape that lay beyond the limits of Pleistocene glaciation, the granite uplands of northern Dartmoor in south‐west England in fact contain geomorphological evidence for the former existence of a plateau ice cap, making the area the location of the southernmost independent glacier mass in the British Isles. In addition to weakly U‐shaped valleys, the most prominent evidence comprises arcuate and linear bouldery ridges and hummocky valley floor drift, which are interpreted as latero‐frontal moraines deposited by the outlet glacier lobes of a plateau ice cap. Inset sequences of these depositional landforms, in association with meltwater channels, demarcate the receding margins of the glacier lobes. A numerical model of ice cap development shows that a predominantly thin plateau icefield type glaciation is required in order to produce significant ice flow into surrounding valleys. The highest and most extensive plateau areas were occupied by ice for the longest cumulative period of time throughout the Pleistocene, thereby explaining: (1) the lack of tors in such areas as the product of ‘average’ glacial conditions preferentially removing tors or dampening their production rates, (2) the survival of high relief tors during glaciation if they occupied summits too narrow to develop thick and erosive glacier ice, and (3) the survival of subdued tors in areas glaciated less regularly during the Pleistocene.
Novel para‐aortic lymphadenectomy technique for gynecological malignancies prevents postoperative bowel obstruction
Authors: Terai Yoshito , Sasaki Hiroshi , Tsunetoh Satoshi , Tanaka Yoshimichi , Yoo Saha , Fujiwara Satoe , Kanemura Masanori , Ohmichi Masahide
Published: November 2012

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of our novel technique on the prevention of postoperative ileus in patients undergoing systematic para‐aortic lymphadenectomy (PALN).

Material and Methods

PALN was performed in 135 gynecological cancer patients (67 with ovarian cancer, 58 with endometrial cancer, 8 with serous surface papillary adenocarcinoma (SSPC) and 2 with fallopian tube cancer) between 2006 and 2011. To prevent postoperative ileus, we performed our novel technique wherein the small bowel and colon are released from pressure and soaked in 2 L of physiological saline for 1 min every 20 min during the lymphadenectomy. We indicated our novel PALN technique and retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of the surgical procedure in terms of the surgical data, and postoperative incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction in patients with gynecological malignancies.

Results

The mean blood loss was 641.2 ± 800.3 mL in the PALN group and 313.9 ± 278.9 mL in the pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLN) without PALN group (P < 0.0001). There was no difference in the first passage of flatus between the PALN group and the PLN group (1.8 ± 0.7 days vs 1.6 ± 0.7 days). The mean time to tolerance of a regular diet was significantly longer in the PALN group than in the PLN group (P < 0.0001), whereas the incidence of vomiting was similar in both groups. Surprisingly, there were no cases of postoperative ileus in either group.

Conclusion

Our novel technique is a safe and effective way to prevent the incidence and decrease the severity of postoperative ileus after PALN for gynecological malignancies.
Towards the integration of culture into the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
Authors: Nistor Nicolae , Lerche Thomas , Weinberger Armin , Ceobanu Ciprian , Heymann Oliver
Published: November 2012

Educational technology is increasingly used in multicultural contexts and across national cultures. Educational technology users with different national and professional backgrounds may, however, exhibit different attitudes towards technology. Previous research provides isolated evidence of the relationship between learning technology acceptance and culture, and so an overall picture is missing. Therefore, this study attempts to integrate culture (sensu Hofstede) into an established technology acceptance model (ie, Venkatesh's Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, UTAUT). Examining a large sample (n = 2866) of learning technology users from Germany and Romania by means of questionnaire survey, we investigate the differences in culture and technology acceptance between sample subgroups. The collected data reveal the presence of cultural differences both between countries and between professions. In line with previous research, these differences are associated with dissimilar acceptance profiles, ie, different values of acceptance variables and of path coefficients between them. Based on the findings, this study makes headway in cross‐cultural research by proposing an extended model of UTAUT—one which integrates three of Hofstede's culture dimensions. As a practical implication, national and professional culture may shape computer‐based learning environments.
Effects of watershed discretization on estimation of hydrologic parameters
Authors: BIAN LING
Published: November 2012

This study evaluates how watershed discretization affects estimation of hydrologic parameters using GIS data. Two aggregation methods were evaluated using three GIS data sets for a large watershed in Kansas, which is discretized into five different levels. The two aggregation methods are weighted‐average and dominant‐value. The three GIS data sets, soils, land use, and temperature, constitute three commonly used hydrologic parameters with distinct spatial patterns. The study evaluated the aggregation effects measured in terms of statistical distribution, spatial distribution, information level, and spatial dependence of the aggregated data. Results indicate that: (1) statistically, the mean and modal values of the source data are well preserved through aggregation but with a reduced standard deviation; (2) changes in spatial patterns are less predictable than those of the statistical distribution, and the changes depend on the geometric similarity and spatial overlap between the source and target polygons; (3) the information level in general decreases with aggregation for the dominant method, and it increases for the average method although the original values are altered; and (4) spatial dependence generally increases with aggregation.
Inquisitiones Post Mortem, GIS, and the creation of a land‐use map of medieval England
Authors: BARTLEY KEN , CAMPBELL BRUCE M S
Published: November 2012

Although GIS are used extensively in modern socio‐economic studies, their application to historical analysis, especially of relatively early periods, is in its infancy. Yet, as this paper demonstrates, GIS has particular utility both for combining information from disparate and unstandardized historical sources and for reconstructing broad distribution patterns from spatially discontinuous data. When combined with cluster analysis, it also provides a powerful tool for analysing and classifying data sets and representing the results thereby obtained. This paper describes the stages whereby data extracted from almost 10 000 original Inquisitiones Post Mortem, dating from 1300 to 1349, are ultimately transformed into a national land‐use classification map for the critical period immediately prior to the Black Death of 1348.
Human conceptions of spaces: Implications for GIS
Authors: FREUNDSCHUH SCOTT M , EGENHOFER MAX J
Published: November 2012

The way people conceptualize space is an important consideration for the design of GIS, because a better match with people's thinking is expected to lead to easier‐to‐use information systems. Everyday space, the basis to GIS, has been characterized in the literature as being either small‐scale (from table‐top to room‐size spaces) or large‐scale (inside‐of‐building spaces to city‐size spaces). While this dichotomy of space is grounded in the view from psychology that people's perception of space, spatial cognition, and spatial behaviour are experience‐based, it is in contrast to current GIS, which enable us to interact with large‐scale spaces as though they were small‐scale or manipulable. We analyse different approaches to characterizing spaces and propose a unified view in which space is based on the physical properties of manipulability, locomotion, and size of space. Within the structure of our framework, we distinguish six types of spaces: manipulable object space (smaller than the human body), non‐manipulable object space (greater than the human body, but less than the size of a building), environmental space (from inside‐of‐building spaces to city‐size spaces), geographic space (state, country, and continent‐size spaces), panoramic space (spaces perceived via scanning the landscape), and map space. Such a categorization is an important part of Naive Geography, a set of theories on how people intuitively or spontaneously conceptualize geographic space and time, because it has implications for various theoretical and methodological questions concerning the design and use of spatial information tools. Of particular concern is the design of effective spatial information tools that lead to better communication.
SCIENCE AND VALUES: MY DEBT TO ERNAN McMULLIN
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2012

Abstract Ernan McMullin's 1982 presidential address to the Philosophy of Science Association dealt with the issue of science and values, arguing that although scientists are rightfully wary of the infiltration of cultural and social values, their work is guided by “epistemic values,” such as the drive for consistency and predictive fertility. McMullin argued that it is the pursuit of these epistemic values that drives nonepistemic values (like religious yearnings) from science. Using the case study of the fate of the nonepistemic value of progress in the history of evolutionary theorizing, I show that, vital though McMullin's thinking was for my own scholarship, in fact the study shows that the connections between epistemic and nonepistemic values in science are more complex than either of us supposed.
IMAGING GOD: A THEOLOGICAL ANSWER TO THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL QUESTION?
Authors: McFadyen Alistair
Published: November 2012

Abstract Traditionally the central trope in Christian theological anthropology, “the image of God” tends to function more as a noun than a verb. While that has grounded significant interplay between specific Christian formulations and the concepts of nontheological disciplines and cultural constructs, it facilitates the withdrawal of the image and of theological anthropology more broadly from the context of active relation with God. Rather than a static rendering of the image a more interactionist, dynamic, and relational view of “imaging God” is commended as a key anthropological term. Engaging with Psalm 8 suggests that, biblically, asking the anthropological question “What is humanity?” is tied to the answer to the theological question: who is God? This locates theological anthropology securely within the interactive context of being related to by God and suggests that theological anthropology might be a matter of performance rather than definition: actively imaging God.
THE SINGULARITY AND THE RAPTURE: TRANSHUMANIST AND POPULAR CHRISTIAN VIEWS OF THE FUTURE
Authors: Cole‐Turner Ronald
Published: November 2012

Abstract Religious views of the future often include detailed expectations of profound changes to nature and humanity. Popular American evangelical Christianity, especially writers like Hal Lindsey, Rick Warren, or Rob Bell, offer extended accounts that provide insight into the views of the future held by many people. In the case of Lindsey, detailed descriptions of future events are provided, along with the claim that forecasted events will occur within a generation. These views are summarized and compared to the secular idea of a coming “intelligence explosion” or technological singularity as advanced by Ray Kurzweil, which is described in terms of its history as an idea and in terms of its specific proposals for the coming transformation of the cosmos, which is also predicted to occur within a generation. While profoundly different in important ways, these two perspectives share many features with each other—for example, in their respective predictions of distinct stages in the unfolding of the future of the cosmos.
THE SOCIAL BRAIN NETWORK AND HUMAN MORAL BEHAVIOR
Authors: Shoemaker William J.
Published: November 2012

Abstract The moral nature of humanity has been debated and discussed by philosophers, theologians, and others for centuries. Only recently have neuroscientists and neuropsychologists joined the conversation by publishing a number of studies using newer brain scanning techniques directed at regions of the brain related to social behavior. Is it possible to relate particular brain structures and functions to the behavior of people, deemed evil, who violate all the tenets of proper behavior laid down by ancient and holy texts, prohibiting lying, cheating, stealing, and murder? Is it possible that the recently discovered “mirror neurons” in the brain are the basis for empathy and that deficits in these brain cells lead to severe difficulty in relating socially to other people, including parents and siblings? What do we make of reports that the fusiform face area in the temporal lobe of the brain is specialized for the perception of faces and that defects in this region are seen regularly in individuals who are psychopathic.
A Comedy of Errors or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Sensibility‐Invariantism about ‘Funny’
Authors: Doerfler Ryan
Published: November 2012

In this article, I argue that sensibility‐invariantism about ‘funny’ is defensible, not just as a descriptive hypothesis, but, as a normative position as well. What I aim to do is to make the realist commitments of the sensibility‐invariantist out to be much more tenable than one might initially think them to be. I do so by addressing the two major sources of discontent with sensibility‐invariantism: the observation that discourse about comedy exhibits significant divergence in judgment, and the fact that disagreements about comedy, unlike disagreements about, say, geography, often strike us as fundamentally intractable.
Poverty Dynamics, Violent Conflict, and Convergence in Rwanda
Authors: Justino Patricia , Verwimp Philip
Published: November 2012

This paper analyzes the poverty impact of the violent events that affected Rwanda in the 1990s. The main objective of the paper is to identify systematically potential mechanisms linking violent conflict with changes in poverty across provinces and households in Rwanda before and after a decade of violence. In accordance with emerging literature on the long‐term economic effects of violent conflict, we find empirical evidence for economic convergence between richer and poorer Rwandan provinces and households following the conflict shocks. Using a small but unique panel of households surveyed before and after the conflict period, we find that households whose house was destroyed or who lost land ran a higher risk of falling into poverty. We do not find much evidence for an economic effect of violent deaths at the household level due to substitution effects of labor within the household. Non‐violent deaths however seem to increase income per adult equivalent for the survivors. Results are shown to be robust to sample selection and IV models.
Presternal Dermoid Cyst Mimicking Lymphatic Malformation: a Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Berry Tammy , Shetty Anil , Delu Adam , Barry Marc , Berry Ryan , Smidt Aimee C.
Published: November 2012

Abstract: We describe an 11‐month‐old boy with an unusually large presternal mass present since birth. The large size, fluctuant properties, transillumination, compressibility, and imaging of this lesion were characteristic of a lymphatic malformation. Although four treatments with sclerotherapy markedly reduced its size, it was not until definitive treatment with surgical excision and the final pathology report that we arrived at the ultimate diagnosis of dermoid cyst. Dermoid cysts, although appearing along embryologic lines of closure, are rarely presternal. They are usually small, thick walled, and filled with sebaceous or keratinous fluid, which typically allows for clinical diagnosis, and show characteristic features on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound. However, this case illustrates that dermoid cysts can appear in somewhat atypical locations, and imaging is not always diagnostic, so dermoid cyst should remain a part of the differential diagnosis for any lesion presenting midsternally, regardless of the size and imaging characteristics.
Successful treatment of bilateral paecilomyces pyelonephritis in a German shepherd dog
Authors: Tappin S. W. , Ferrandis I. , Jakovljevic S. , Villiers E. , White R. A. S.
Published: November 2012

A six‐year‐old female entire German shepherd dog was investigated for polyuria, polydipsia and lethargy. Investigations revealed a mild azotaemia and abdominal ultrasound revealed marked bilateral dilation of the renal pelves with echogenic material and proximal left hydroureter. Urine cytological examination and aspirates from the right renal pelvis revealed mats of fungal hyphae consistent with fungal bezoar formation. Fungal cultures revealed a profuse growth ofPaecilomyces variotii. Initial treatment with oral itraconazole was unsuccessful, leading to bilateral nephrotomies to remove the fungal material. Postoperatively thePaecilomycesinfection persisted despite continued itraconazole therapy. Treatment was commenced with amphotericin B, leading to resolution of the dog's clinical signs. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first report of caninePaecilomycespyelonephritis, without disseminated systemic disease, which documents its successful treatment.