bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Postoperative outcomes following preoperative inspiratory muscle training in patients undergoing open cardiothoracic or upper abdominal surgery: protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Mans Christina M , Reeve Julie C , Gasparini Catherine A , Elkins Mark R
Published: December 2012

Background

In patients undergoing open cardiothoracic and upper abdominal surgery, postoperative pulmonary complications remain an important cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality, impacting upon hospital length of stay and health care resources. Adequate preoperative respiratory muscle strength may help protect against the development of postoperative pulmonary complications and therefore preoperative inspiratory muscle training has been suggested to be of potential value in improving postoperative outcomes.

Methods/Design

A systematic search of electronic databases will be undertaken to identify randomized trials of preoperative inspiratory muscle training in patients undergoing elective open cardiothoracic and upper abdominal surgery. From these trials, we will extract available data for a list of predefined outcomes, including postoperative pulmonary complications, hospital length of stay and respiratory muscle strength. We will meta-analyze comparable results where possible, and report a summary of the available pool of evidence.

Discussion

This review will provide the most comprehensive answer available to the question of whether preoperative inspiratory muscle training is clinically useful in improving postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing cardiothoracic and upper abdominal surgery. It will help inform clinicians working in the surgical arena of the likely effectiveness of instituting preoperative inspiratory muscle training programs to improve postoperative outcomes.
Reforming an insider-outsider labor market: the Spanish experience
Authors: Bentolila Samuel , Dolado Juan J , Jimeno Juan F
Published: December 2012

This paper presents a case study on reforming a very dysfunctional labor market with a deep insider-outsider divide, namely the Spanish case. We show how a dual market, with permanent and temporary employees, makes real reform much harder, and leads to purely marginal changes that do not alter the fundamental features of labour market institutions. While the Great Recession and the start of the sovereign debt crisis have lately triggered two labor reforms, the political economy equilibrium has not allowed them to be transformational enough.

JEL codes

H29; J23; J38; J41; J64
Automated interpretation of ANCA patterns - a new approach in the serology of ANCA-associated vasculitis
Authors: Knütter Ilka , Hiemann Rico , Brumma Therese , Büttner Thomas , Großmann Kai , Cusini Marco , Pregnolato Francesca , Borghi Maria Orietta , Anderer Ursula , Conrad Karsten , Reinhold Dirk , Roggenbuck Dirk , Csernok Elena
Published: December 2012

Introduction

Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) employing ethanol-fixed neutrophils (ethN) is still the method of choice for assessing antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV). However, conventional fluorescence microscopy is subjective and prone to high variability. The objective of this study was to evaluate novel pattern recognition algorithms for the standardized automated interpretation of ANCA patterns.

Methods

Seventy ANCA-positive samples (20 antimyeloperoxidase ANCA, 50 antiproteinase3 ANCA) and 100 controls from healthy individuals analyzed on ethN and formalin-fixed neutrophils (formN) by IIF were used as a 'training set' for the development of pattern recognition algorithms. Sera from 342 patients ('test set') with AAV and other systemic rheumatic and infectious diseases were tested for ANCA patterns using the novel pattern recognition algorithms and conventional fluorescence microscopy.

Results

Interpretation software employing pattern recognition algorithms was developed enabling positive/negative discrimination and classification of cytoplasmic ANCA (C-ANCA) and perinuclear ANCA (P-ANCA). Comparison of visual reading of the 'test set' samples with automated interpretation revealed Cohen's kappa (κ) values of 0.955 on ethN and 0.929 on formN for positive/negative discrimination. Analysis of the 'test set' with regard to the discrimination between C-ANCA and P-ANCA patterns showed a high agreement for ethN (κ = 0.746) and formN (κ = 0.847). There was no significant difference between visual and automated interpretation regarding positive/negative discrimination on ethN and formN, as well as ANCA pattern recognition (P > 0.05, respectively).

Conclusions

Pattern recognition algorithms can assist in the automated interpretation of ANCA IIF. Automated reading of ethN and formN IIF patterns demonstrated high consistency with visual ANCA assessment.
Spatiotemporal evolution of early innate immune responses triggered by neural stem cell grafting
Authors: Reekmans Kristien , De Vocht Nathalie , Praet Jelle , Fransen Erik , Le Blon Debbie , Hoornaert Chloé , Daans Jasmijn , Goossens Herman , Van der Linden Annemie , Berneman Zwi , Ponsaerts Peter
Published: December 2012

Introduction

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is increasingly suggested to become part of future therapeutic approaches to improve functional outcome of various central nervous system disorders. However, recently it has become clear that only a small fraction of grafted NSCs display long-term survival in the (injured) adult mouse brain. Given the clinical invasiveness of NSC grafting into brain tissue, profound characterisation and understanding of early post-transplantation events is imperative to claim safety and efficacy of cell-based interventions.

Methods

Here, we applied in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and post-mortem quantitative histological analysis to determine the localisation and survival of grafted NSCs at early time points post-transplantation.

Results

An initial dramatic cell loss (up to 80% of grafted cells) due to apoptosis could be observed within the first 24 hours post-implantation, coinciding with a highly hypoxic NSC graft environment. Subsequently, strong spatiotemporal microglial and astroglial cell responses were initiated, which stabilised by day 5 post-implantation and remained present during the whole observation period. Moreover, the increase in astrocyte density was associated with a high degree of astroglial scarring within and surrounding the graft site. During the two-week follow up in this study, the NSC graft site underwent extensive remodelling with NSC graft survival further declining to around 1% of the initial number of grafted cells.

Conclusions

The present study quantitatively describes the early post-transplantation events following NSC grafting in the adult mouse brain and warrants that such intervention is directly associated with a high degree of cell loss, subsequently followed by strong glial cell responses.
Petrophysical properties of saprolites from the Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge site, Tennessee
Authors: Revil André , Skold Magnus , Hubbard Susan S. , Wu Yuxin , Watson David B. , Karaoulis Marios
Published: December 2012

At the Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge site, near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the shallow saprolitic aquifer is contaminated by nitric acid, uranium, and metals originating from the former S3 settling ponds. To interpret low-frequency geophysical methods used to image contaminant plumes, we have characterized the petrophysical properties of three representative saprolite core samples. Their hydraulic conductivity ranges from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] in agreement with field data. Complex conductivity measurements, in the frequency range of 1 mHz to 45 kHz, were performed with NaCl solutions with electrical conductivities in the range [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], a range representative of field conditions. The electrical conductivity data were well reproduced with a simple linear conductivity model between the saprolite conductivity and the pore water conductivity. The conductivity plots were used to estimate the formation factor (the cementation exponent was about [Formula: see text]) and the surface conductivity ([Formula: see text]). The magnitude of the surface conductivity depended on the degree of weathering and therefore on the amount of smectite and mixed layer (illite-smectite) clays present in the saprolite. The chargeability of the core samples was in the range of [Formula: see text] and is strongly dependent on the salinity. We also performed streaming potential measurements with the same pore fluid composition as that used for the complex conductivity measurements. We found an excess of movable electrical charges on the order of 100 to [Formula: see text] in agreement with previous investigations connecting the movable excess charge density to permeability. The zeta potential was in the range of [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] independent on the salinity. The electrical measurements were consistent with an average cation exchange capacity in the range of 1.4 to [Formula: see text] and a specific surface area on the order of 4000 to about 30,000 [Formula: see text].
Prognostic Validity of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Classification for Midgut Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Strosberg Jonathan R. , Weber Jill M. , Feldman Max , Coppola Domenico , Meredith Kenneth , Kvols Larry K.
Published: December 2012

Purpose

The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging manual has introduced a TNM staging classification for jejunal-ileal (midgut) neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This classification has not been validated in a population consisting solely of midgut NETs. The purpose of this study was to test the prognostic validity of the classification in such a population.

Methods

Patients with jejunal and ileocecal NETs who were treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center between 2000 and 2010 were assigned stages (I through IV). Kaplan-Meier analyses for overall survival (OS) were performed on the basis of TNM stage and pathologic grade. Multivariate modeling was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

We identified 691 patients with jejunal-ileocecal NETs. The AJCC classification in aggregate was highly prognostic for OS (P < .001). Five-year OS rates for stages I through IV were 100%, 100%, 91%, and 72%, respectively. The survival difference between stages III and IV was significant (P < .001); the difference between stages I/II versus III was not statistically significant (P = .1). Among patients with stage IIIB tumors, 5-year survival rates were 95% for resectable tumors versus 78% for unresectable mesenteric tumors (P = .02). A proliferative threshold of five mitoses per 10 high-power fields (HPF) was of greater prognostic value than a threshold of two mitoses per 10 HPF for discriminating between low- and intermediate-grade tumors.

Conclusion

Stage I and II midgut NETs are associated with identical survival rates. Stage IIIB tumors are heterogeneous, with significant differences in survival observed between resectable mesenteric lymph nodes versus unresectable masses in the root of the mesentery. A higher mitotic cutoff of five per 10 HPF may lead to improved prognostic differentiation between low- and intermediate-grade tumors. Revisions to the current AJCC staging and grading classification may be warranted.
CHINA'S SAKHAROV AND HAVEL
Authors: Schell Orville
Published: December 2012

This essay, written in memory of the Chinese astrophysicist and dissident Fang Lizhi, reexamines the period in Fang's life when he was vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China and, because of his activities as an educational and political reformer, came to be dubbed “China's Andrei Sakharov.” It also retells, from the perspective of an insider, the dramatic narrative of Fang's year with his wife, Li Shuxian, living in the US embassy in Beijing following the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and subsequent massacre. But the special focus of this overview of Fang's career is on his development as a thinker on questions of politics and human rights. Though Fang never returned to China and, while living in the United States, kept his distance from dissident movements, he continued to develop intellectually in ways that made him, in later life, China's Václav Havel.
Roles of Bmp4 during tooth morphogenesis and sequential tooth formation
Authors: Jia Shihai , Zhou Jing , Gao Yang , Baek Jin-A , Martin James F. , Lan Yu , Jiang Rulang
Published: December 2012

Previous studies have suggested that Bmp4 is a key Msx1-dependent mesenchymal odontogenic signal for driving tooth morphogenesis through the bud-to-cap transition. Whereas all tooth germs were arrested at the bud stage in Msx1–/– mice, we show that depleting functional Bmp4 mRNAs in the tooth mesenchyme, through neural crest-specific gene inactivation in Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre mice, caused mandibular molar developmental arrest at the bud stage but allowed maxillary molars and incisors to develop to mineralized teeth. We found that expression of Osr2, which encodes a zinc finger protein that antagonizes Msx1-mediated activation of odontogenic mesenchyme, was significantly upregulated in the molar tooth mesenchyme in Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre embryos. Msx1 heterozygosity enhanced maxillary molar developmental defects whereas Osr2 heterozygosity partially rescued mandibular first molar morphogenesis in Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre mice. Moreover, in contrast to complete lack of supernumerary tooth initiation in Msx1–/–Osr2–/– mice, Osr2–/–Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre compound mutant mice exhibited formation and subsequent arrest of supernumerary tooth germs that correlated with downregulation of Msx1 expression in the tooth mesenchyme. In addition, we found that the Wnt inhibitors Dkk2 and Wif1 were much more abundantly expressed in the mandibular than maxillary molar mesenchyme in wild-type embryos and that Dkk2 expression was significantly upregulated in the molar mesenchyme in Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre embryos, which correlated with the dramatic differences in maxillary and mandibular molar phenotypes in Bmp4f/f;Wnt1Cre mice. Together, these data indicate that Bmp4 signaling suppresses tooth developmental inhibitors in the tooth mesenchyme, including Dkk2 and Osr2, and synergizes with Msx1 to activate mesenchymal odontogenic potential for tooth morphogenesis and sequential tooth formation.
Bioelectric signaling regulates head and organ size during planarian regeneration
Authors: Beane Wendy Scott , Morokuma Junji , Lemire Joan M. , Levin Michael
Published: December 2012

A main goal of regenerative medicine is to replace lost or damaged tissues and organs with functional parts of the correct size and shape. But the proliferation of new cells is not sufficient; we will also need to understand how the scale and ultimate form of newly produced tissues are determined. Using the planarian model system, we report that membrane voltage-dependent bioelectric signaling determines both head size and organ scaling during regeneration. RNA interference of the H+,K+-ATPase ion pump results in membrane hyperpolarization, which has no effect on the amount of new tissue (blastema) that is regenerated yet produces regenerates with tiny ‘shrunken’ heads and proportionally oversized pharynges. Our data show that this disproportionality results from a lack of the apoptosis required to adjust head and organ size and placement, highlighting apoptotic remodeling as the link between bioelectric signaling and the establishment of organ size during regeneration.
Quantitative analysis of polarity in 3D reveals local cell coordination in the embryonic mouse heart
Authors: Le Garrec Jean-François , Ragni Chiara V. , Pop Sorin , Dufour Alexandre , Olivo-Marin Jean-Christophe , Buckingham Margaret E. , Meilhac Sigolène M.
Published: December 2012

Anisotropies that underlie organ morphogenesis have been quantified in 2D, taking advantage of a reference axis. However, morphogenesis is a 3D process and it remains a challenge to analyze cell polarities in 3D. Here, we have designed a novel procedure that integrates multidisciplinary tools, including image segmentation, statistical analyses, axial clustering and correlation analysis. The result is a sensitive and unbiased assessment of the significant alignment of cell orientations in 3D, compared with a random axial distribution. Taking the mouse heart as a model, we validate the procedure at the fetal stage, when cardiomyocytes are known to be aligned. At the embryonic stage, our study reveals that ventricular cells are already coordinated locally. The centrosome-nucleus axes and the cell division axes are biased in a plane parallel to the outer surface of the heart, with a minor transmural component. We show further alignment of these axes locally in the plane of the heart surface. Our method is generally applicable to other sets of vectors or axes in 3D tissues to map the regions where they show significant alignment.
Global Financial Stability and the Lessons of History: A Review of Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff's This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly
Authors: Taylor Alan M
Published: December 2012

In Reinhart and Rogoff's economic history This Time is Different, the authors provide a panoramic view of crises from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Published just as the current global financial storm arrived, the book quickly showed how history could provide not just useful perspective but also, as we can now see, very prescient guidance in the aftermath. In the longer run, the book serves to inspire ongoing work in long-run macro-financial history. (JEL F30, G01, G20, N20)
When Sadako Meets Mr. Vampire: The Impact of Ringu on Hong Kong Ghost Films
Authors: NG Benjamin Wai-ming
Published: December 2012

This study investigates the cultural adaptation and appropriation of Japanese elements in Hong Kong ghost movies, using Ringu as the main reference. Discussing the impact of Ringu on Hong Kong ghost movies from historical, industrial, and cultural perspectives, it aims to deepen understanding
of the interplay of cultural appropriation, domestication, and transnational cultural flows in Asian film making in the age of globalization.
44th Antalya Golden Orange and 3rd Eurasia Film Festivals. Oct. 19-28, 2007
Authors: Dönmez-Colin Gönül
Published: December 2012

What follows is a report of the 44th Antalya Golden Orange and 3rd Eurasia Film Festival, 2007.
Another New Horizon? Music technology for senior adults
Authors: Stringham David A. , Ackerman Paul R.
Published: December 2012

Music ensembles for senior adults provide participants with musical and social benefits. For various reasons - from disinterest to infirmity to depression and withdrawal - such programmes engage a relatively small segment of a growing and changing senior adult population. Discussions
between a university faculty member and a retired psychologist and music therapist led to a question: if senior adults learned to engage with music using technology, would those experiences offer opportunities for musical growth, personal expression and social interaction like those available
in music ensembles? In this article, we describe our process for developing a music technology course for senior adults, including a review of literature and findings from a regional survey of senior adults. We also identify considerations for planning, outline a prospective course of study,
and provide recommendations for future research and educational efforts related to senior adults and music technology.
Random or non-random thoughts: What senior adults think about within their ensemble settings
Authors: Rohwer Debbie , Coffman Don , Raiber Michael
Published: December 2012

The purpose of the current study was to describe band members' perceptions of important and frustrating issues they experienced in band rehearsals. Musicians (N=159) from three New Horizons bands from three different states participated in the current study. The four administrations
of the two-item questionnaire asked, 'What was the most important aspect to you in today's rehearsal', and, 'Was anything frustrating or confusing in today's rehearsal?' Results highlight the contextual components that the musicians perceived to be important and frustrating in their rehearsal
settings. Comments tended to be cogent and focused, and conclusions highlight the possible benefits of using the one-minute assessment process for improving adult community music instruction.
A fantastic journey: An interview with Dr Chelcy Bowles
Authors: Dabback William
Published: December 2012

In this interview, Chelcy Bowles discusses her journey as a musician, educator and community worker and her work as Professor of Music and Director of Continuing Education in Music at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
‘L’écriture qui saigne’: Exile and wounding in the narratives of Nina Bouraoui and Linda Lê
Authors: Leek Sara Elizabeth
Published: December 2012

This article offers a critical analysis of the articulation of wounds in two recent exile narratives: Nina Bouraoui’s Mes mauvaises pensées (2005) and Linda Lê’s In Memoriam (2007). Arguing for a new understanding of exile as a form of repetition compulsion,
in which trauma is repeatedly revisited and restaged in writing, the article investigates the frequent references to different kinds of wounds, both literal and imagined, physical and psychical, which emerge from these experimental texts. The analysis focuses on two specific aspects: first,
drawing on the theoretical work of Kathryn Robson and Cathy Caruth, which highlights the difficulty of articulating traumatic experience (and the wounds which result), it considers why these exile narratives so frequently resort to the use of such violent, bodily imagery; second, it investigates
the notion of scriptotherapy in order to evaluate the very different accounts of the relationship between writing and the wounds of exile which emerge from these texts.
Vierges blessées: Représentations de la virginité féminine dans les œuvres et témoignages d’écrivaines (franco)algériennes et (franco)marocaines depuis 2000
Authors: Charpentier Isabelle
Published: December 2012

For more than ten years, many francophone (Franco-)Algerian and (Franco-)Moroccan women writers have been breaking the silence on the persistent taboo of female virginity in their traditional patriarchal societies. At a time when the demands for certificates of virginity and hymen repairs
appear to be growing, and considering the lack of sociological studies conducted in Algeria or Morocco on sexual practices, they help to highlight the violent forms – physical or symbolic – of socialization and dominations which compelled or still constrain female sexuality
in an androcentrist system. Based on the works of some of these authors, as well as on unpublished interviews, this article seeks to shed light on the strategies of resistance and transgression that these writers – and their characters – implement speaking about this ‘ordinary’
violence against North African women.
Time travel on the instalment plan: The index and future form in building
Authors: Brown Adam
Published: December 2012

The contemporary architectural rendering, digitally engineered and published in advance of construction, has come to resemble an image of an existing building so closely that it is hard to tell future from past. In constructing an appearance of an existing lived reality, which previously
arose from the camera’s re-presentation of the trace of past circumstances, has it now become possible to speak of the trace of future events? With regard to property as commodity, the more believable these projected forms, the more capital may be invested, and the more likely it is
that the depicted building will be constructed. Notwithstanding the possibly deceptive intentions of the image-maker, excess of signification becomes directly linked to the eventual existence of the building in that the more realistic it appears, the more likely it is to become reality.
Moulène, Rancière and 24 Objets de Grève: Productive ambivalence or reifying opacity?
Authors: Magagnoli Paolo
Published: December 2012

First exhibited in 1999, Jean-Luc Moulène’s 24 Objets de Grève is a photographic archive printed in a range of different formats, portraying a variety of products made by French workers on strike between the 1970s and the 1990s. These comprise of scarves, T-shirts,
dolls, geographical maps, cigarettes, facsimile banknotes, perfume bottles and other items. The objects were aimed at financially supporting the strikers and attracting the solidarity of the general public. Often destroyed after their use, they were not created with the intention of being
collected and exhibited as works of art. 24 Objets de Grève lends itself to multiple and seemingly contradictory readings: it can be read as a Rancerian celebration of the creativity of the working class or as its undue appropriation; as a commemoration of the history of the workers
movement or as an act of forgetting and reification. This article explores the ambivalences, hiatuses and limitations of Moulène’s project in relation to its representational strategies and the notion of emancipatory aesthetic elaborated by Jacques Rancière.
The Unbundling of Advertising Agency Services: An Economic Analysis
Authors: Arzaghi Mohammad , Berndt Ernst R. , Davis James C. , Silk Alvin J.
Published: December 2012

We address a puzzle surrounding the shift from bundling to unbundling of U.S. advertising agency services and the slow pace of change over several decades. We model an agency’s decision as a tradeoff between the fixed cost to the advertiser of establishing a relationship with an agency and pecuniary economies of scale from media services provision. Using micro-data from the U.S. Census of Services for 1982-2007, we find agencies are more likely to unbundle with increasing size, diversification and higher media prices, and less likely with increasing age, larger media volume, and an interaction between media prices and volume.
A Practitioner-Researcher Partnership to Develop and Deliver Operational Value of Threat, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Training to meet the Requirements of Emergency Responders
Authors: Turner Allan , Glantz Kenneth , Gall Julie
Published: December 2012

The Department of Homeland Security has funded an array of threat, risk and vulnerability assessment methodologies for use by law enforcement jurisdictions throughout the United States. Yet, in spite of this effort, many law enforcement agencies either do not conduct assessments or do not understand and use operationally, the information gathered in assessments. This article discusses a practitioner/researcher partnership model which successfully developed and delivered a training course to assist homeland security professionals in understanding and using operationally, information gathered by various threat, risk, and vulnerability methodologies. The model takes into consideration not only what participants needed to learn but also how they were going to learn it. This article discusses initial background research, course development, implementation, delivery, and lessons learned. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of a model which incorporates the strength of both practitioners and researchers and can be replicated to provide effective training throughout homeland security.
Calculation of Power System Dynamic Frequency during Simulation Phase
Authors: Radman Ghadir , Aghazadeh Tabrizi Mehriar
Published: December 2012

New monitoring devices such as Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and Frequency Disturbance Recorders (FDRs) are being added to power systems for real time measurements of system variables including dynamic frequency at different locations (buses). These frequency measurements will be used for real time control of power systems in near future. It is necessary to examine the performance of such control systems through simulation before actual implementation. During simulation phase, one needs the dynamic frequency as would be measured by PMUs/FDRs. This paper proposes a technique, based on the speeds of system generators, to calculate such frequency. The frequency calculated by the proposed method is compared with the frequencies of the individual generator, the frequency related to system center-of-inertia, and bus frequency calculated by other method.
Why Don't You Two Get a Room? A Puzzle and Pricing Model of Extra Services in Hotels
Authors: Damianov Damian S. , Sanders Shane D.
Published: December 2012

This case study focuses on the following �rational riddle� raised in a recent popular economics book: Hotels in Britain usually charge per guest while hotels in the US typically charge per room. What is the reason for this difference? We propose a pricing model for extra services which points to one possible explanation.
Justice, Work, and the Ghetto Poor
Authors: Shelby Tommie
Published: December 2012

In view of the explanatory significance of joblessness, some social scientists, policymakers, and commentators have advocated strong measures to ensure that the ghetto poor work, including mandating work as a condition of receiving welfare benefits. Indeed, across the ideological political spectrum, work is often seen as a moral or civic duty and as a necessary basis for personal dignity. And this normative stance is now instantiated in federal and state law, from the tax scheme to public benefits. This Article reflects critically on this new regime of work. I ask whether the normative principles to which its advocates typically appeal actually justify the regime. I conclude that the case for a pro tanto moral or civic duty to work is not as strong as many believe and that there are reasonable responses to joblessness that do not involve instituting a work regime. However, even if we grant that there is a duty to work, I maintain that the ghetto poor would not be wronging their fellow citizens were they to choose not to work and to rely on public funds for material support. In fact, I argue that many among the black urban poor have good reasons to refuse to work. Throughout, I emphasize what too few advocates of the new work regime do, namely, that whether work is an obligation depends crucially on whether background social conditions within the polity are just.
Developing a Collaborative Inquiry Programme to Promote Intercultural Education in a School in Cyprus
Authors: Hajisoteriou Christina , Angelides Panayiotis
Published: December 2012

In the context of Cyprus’ accession to the European Union and a huge wave of immigration towards the country, Cypriot teachers are called upon to teach within constantly more diverse educational settings. In consideration of the increased attention paid to intercultural education within the Cypriot socio-political environment, teachers are called upon to teach in more intercultural ways. However, they are very often criticised for their inability to manage cultural diversity in their classrooms, which would result in the provision of equal learning opportunities for all students despite their origin. This paper reports on the implementation of a research programme of collaborative inquiry, which aims to examine the ways in which collaborative inquiry research could help the development of intercultural classroom practices. The research project was implemented in a primary school in Cyprus. The findings that emerged from the data analysis relate to three aspects of promoting greater inclusion of immigrant, namely: (a) the differentiation of planning; (b) the differentiation of teaching methodologies and practices; and (c) the tripartite collaboration among school, families and the community. Findings imply that collaborative inquiry is efficient in terms of having a positive impact on intercultural practices and in terms of preparing the ground for the success of new innovations in intercultural education.
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy with Diverse Student Populations: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of All Students
Authors: Banks Tachelle I.
Published: December 2012

Mental health curriculum should be delivered in classroom settings to address and remediate the socio-emotional needs of students with and without disabilities. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a comprehensive, universal, and humanistic approach that focuses on the emotional distress manifested by individuals has been used with children and adolescents in schools and found to be an effective intervention. This paper presents a brief rationale explaining how REBT can be implemented in concert with tiered academic and behavior intervention models, and provides applied examples of lessons detailing how special educators can apply REBT sessions in classroom environments.
Lens design: optimization with Global Explorer
Authors: Isshiki Masaki
Published: December 2012

The optimization method damped least squares method (DLS) was almost completed late in the 1960s. DLS has been overwhelming in the local optimization technology. After that, various efforts were made to seek the global optimization. They came into the world after 1990 and the Global Explorer (GE) was one of them invented by the author to find plural solutions, each of which has the local minimum of the merit function. The robustness of the designed lens is also an important factor as well as the performance of the lens; both of these requirements are balanced in the process of optimization with GE2 (the second version of GE). An idea is also proposed to modify GE2 for aspherical lens systems. A design example is shown.
Practical optimization of a coating deposition process by application of hybrid monitoring strategies in an industrial production environment
Authors: Held Mario , Wilbrandt Steffen , Stenzel Olaf , Kaiser Norbert , Tünnermann Andreas
Published: December 2012

The applicability of broadband optical monitoring to an industrial optical coating production environment is investigated. Different monitoring strategies have been applied to the deposition of beamsplitters and longpass edge filters by electron beam evaporation without any plasma or ion assistance. While the shift and reproducibility in the optical constants were poorly specified, pure optical broadband monitoring of the coatings did not prove superior to traditional quartz crystal monitoring. On the contrary, the introduction of a hybrid monitoring strategy that combines quartz crystal and broadband optical monitoring led to significant improvements in the coating performance reproducibility compared to a pure quartz crystal monitoring approach. Accompanying computational manufacturing experiments performed for the beamsplitter design reveal the same trend.
Selection of the optimal manual method of cell free fetal DNA isolation from maternal plasma
Authors: Repiská Gabriela , Sedláčková Tatiana , Szemes Tomáš , Celec Peter , Minárik Gabriel
Published: December 2012

Background: The cell free fetal DNA (cffDNA) present in plasma of pregnant women represents an important alternative source of DNA for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. Due to the low quantity and increased fragmentation of cffDNA, the choice of DNA extraction method is a crucial step for downstream analyses.

Methods: In our study, the three spin column-based kits for isolation of cffDNA [DNA Blood Mini Kit (DBM), DSP Virus Kit (DSP) and Circulating Nucleic Acid (CNA) Kit] were compared. Original and optimized protocol were used in comparison and applied in the two phases of the study.

Results: A statistically significant difference in performance of the kits was determined based on the comparison of genomic equivalents per mL (GEq/mL) values (p<0.0001). The GEq/mL of isolated DNA was significantly higher using CNA and DSP Kits than DBM Kit. The CNA Kit and DSP Kit did not significantly differ in the GEq/mL values, although all tested samples isolated with CNA Kit showed higher values.

Conclusions: According to our results the commonly used DBM Kit could be successfully replaced with CNA or DSP Kits. The replacement could be beneficial in qualitative as well quantitative tests (e.g., gender determination, aneuploidy detection) when the isolation yield limits subsequent analyses. However, there is an important decision to be made when switching DBM Kit for DSP or CNA Kits. The price of DBM Kit is two and six times lower than DSP and CNA Kits, respectively.
Production of Bio-oil from Algal Biomass and Its Up-gradation: Recent Developments
Authors: Mondal Prasenjit , Soni Nitesh Kumar
Published: December 2012

Algae, particularly microalgae are getting strong ground as a potential and environment friendly feedstock for biodiesel production in recent years due to its high growth rate (biomass yield) and high lipid content in some species. In the present paper the potential of algae as a feedstock for bio-oil production has been described. Mechanistic approach and optimum conditions for the algal growth as well as bio-oil production has been explained. Performance of various types of photo bioreactors has been critically analyzed to select suitable route for algal growth. Conventional methods such as mechanical and chemical extraction processes for the production of bio-oil form algal biomass have been described along with recent developments including supercritical extraction and microwave assisted processes. Various processes and catalysts for the up-gradation of bio-oil to biodiesel along with recent developments have also been described and compared. Effects of catalyst properties on the up-gradation of bio-oil have been critically analyzed for designing more efficient catalyst and consequently to improve the efficiency of the up-gradation process. Production of drop-in bio-fuel through hydrotreating of bio-oil is described. World scenario on the production of bio-fuel from algal biomass has also been provided.
An efficient one-pot multi-component synthesis of highly functionalized piperidines
Authors: Goswami Santosh V. , Thorat Prashant B. , Bhusare Sudhakar R.
Published: December 2012

A simple, inexpensive and efficient one-pot synthesis of piperidine derivatives was achieved in excellent yield via the three-component reaction of substituted aniline, 1,3-dicarbonyl compound and aromatic aldehyde using phenylboronic acid as catalyst.
Changes in Barthel Index outcomes as result of poststroke rehabilitation using NDT-Bobath method
Authors: Mikołajewska Emilia
Published: December 2012

Poststroke patients need effective rehabilitation because of limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). The aim of the study was to assess the results of ADL rehabilitation of patients after ischemic stroke who underwent NDT-Bobath therapy for adults method using selected items of the Barthel Index.

The investigated group consisted of 60 patients after ischemic stroke who participated in the program of rehabilitation: 10 sessions of the NDT-Bobath therapy for 2 weeks (10 days of the therapy). The measurement of the ADLs using selected items of the Barthel Index were performed in every patient on admission (before the therapy) and after the last session of the therapy to assess rehabilitation effects.

Results among patients involved in the research were as follows: recovery, 30 cases (50%); no measurable changes, two cases (3.33%); relapse, not stated.

Observed statistically significant and favorable changes in the health status of patients, described by Barthel Index outcomes, confirm the effectiveness of the NDT-Bobath method.
Some Monoapparitic Fourth Order Linear Divisibility Sequences
Authors: Williams Hugh C. , Guy Richard K.
Published: December 2012

A sequence of rational integers
The subgroup permutability degree of projective special linear groups over fields of even characteristic
Authors: Aivazidis Stefanos
Published: December 2012

The subgroup permutability degree of a group
Placenta accreta and the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes
Authors: Balayla Jacques , Bondarenko Helen Davis
Published: December 2012

Objective: Placenta accreta is an increasingly prevalent and potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy. Although most studies on the subject have addressed the risk factors for the development of this condition, evidence on maternal and neonatal outcomes for these pregnancies is scarce. The objective of the present study is to compile current evidence with regard to risk factors as well as adverse outcomes associated with placenta accreta.

Methods: We conducted a complete literature review using PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Database Reviews, UptoDate, DocGuide, as well as Google scholar and textbook literature for all articles on placenta accreta, and any one of the following keywords: “risk factors”, “maternal outcomes”, “neonatal outcomes”, “morbidity”, and “mortality”. Individual case reports were excluded.

Results: We reviewed 34 studies conducted between 1977 and 2012. A total number of 508,617 deliveries were studied, with 865 cases of confirmed placenta accreta (average pooled incidence=1/588). The development of placenta accreta appears to be most strongly predicted by a history of cesarean section, low-lying placenta/previa, in vitro fertilization pregnancy, as well as elevated second-trimester levels of α-fetoprotein and β-human chorionic gonadotropin. The most significant maternal outcomes include the need for postpartum transfusion due to hemorrhage and peripartum hysterectomy. Maternal mortality remains rare but significantly higher than among matched, postpartum controls. Important neonatal outcomes include preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, and reduced 5-min Apgar scores. Whether the need for neonatal intensive care unit admission and steroid administration is iatrogenic and whether an increased risk of perinatal mortality is a clinically significant and independent outcome remain controversial.

Conclusion: Although there is a significant shortage of studies on the subject, it appears that placenta accreta is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, some of which may be life threatening. Prenatal diagnosis and adequate planning, particularly in high-risk populations, may be indicated for the reduction of these adverse outcomes.
Zwei Methoden zur ereignisbasierten Regelung gekoppelter Systeme und ihre experimentelle Erprobung
Authors: Stöcker Christian , Lunze Jan , Ngo Chuong
Published: December 2012

Das Ziel der ereignisbasierten Regelung ist die Verringerung des Kommunikationsaufwands innerhalb eines Regelkreises, indem die Rückführung nur dann geschlossen wird, wenn ein Ereignis eine hinreichend große Regelabweichung anzeigt. In diesem Beitrag werden Bedingungen für die Struktur einer ereignisbasierten Regelung gekoppelter Systeme angegeben, unter denen das Verhalten des ereignisbasierten Regelkreises nur beschränkt von dem eines kontinuierlichen Regelkreises abweicht. Davon ausgehend werden zwei neue Methoden zur verteilten und dezentralen ereignisbasierten Regelung gekoppelter Systeme vorgestellt. Beide Ansätze werden in Simulationen und Experimenten an einem thermofluiden Prozess erprobt.
Nine-Month-Old Patient With Bilateral Earlobe Keloids
Authors: Tirgan Michael H. , Shutty Christopher M. , Park Tae Hwan
Published: December 2012

Keloid disorder (KD) is a fibroproliferative ailment of the cutaneous connective tissue secondary to dysregulation in various skin repair and healing processes. This disorder is characterized by excess collagen and/or glycoprotein depositions in the dermis. Age of onset of KD is not well documented. Based on clinical observations, various authors have reported the onset of KD to be between the ages of 10 and 30 years. We report on an African American female who developed bilateral auricular keloids at the age of 9 months. To our knowledge, this is the youngest age at which a patient has been documented to have developed KD.
Prognostic Tests in Term Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review
Authors: van Laerhoven Henriette , de Haan Timo R. , Offringa Martin , Post Bart , van der Lee Johanna H.
Published: December 2012

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) after perinatal asphyxia in term neonates causes long-term neurologic sequelae or death. A reliable evidence-based prognosis is essential. The study goal was to investigate the prognostic value of currently used clinical tests in neonatal patients with perinatal asphyxia and HIE.

METHODS:

Searches were made on MEDLINE, Embase, Central, and CINAHL for studies occurring between January 1980 and November 2011. Studies were included if they (1) evaluated outcome in term infants with perinatal asphyxia and HIE, (2) evaluated prognostic tests, and (3) reported outcome at a minimal follow-up age of 18 months. Study selection, assessment of methodologic quality, and data extraction were performed by 3 independent reviewers. Pooled sensitivities and specificities of investigated tests were calculated when possible.

RESULTS:

Of the 259 relevant studies, 29 were included describing 13 prognostic tests conducted 1631 times in 1306 term neonates. A considerable heterogeneity was noted in test performance, cut-off values, and outcome measures. The most promising tests were amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (sensitivity 0.93, [95% confidence interval 0.78–0.98]; specificity 0.90 [0.60–0.98]), EEG (sensitivity 0.92 [0.66–0.99]; specificity 0.83 [0.64–0.93]), and visual evoked potentials (sensitivity 0.90 [0.74–0.97]; specificity 0.92 [0.68–0.98]). In imaging, diffusion weighted MRI performed best on specificity (0.89 [0.62–0.98]) and T1/T2-weighted MRI performed best on sensitivity (0.98 [0.80–1.00]). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.75 (0.26–0.96) with poor specificity (0.58 [0.23–0.87]).

CONCLUSIONS:

This evidence suggests an important role for amplitude-integrated electroencephalography, EEG, visual evoked potentials, and diffusion weighted and conventional MRI. Given the heterogeneity in the tests’ performance and outcomes studied, well-designed large prospective studies are needed.
Trends in Survival Among Children With Down Syndrome in 10 Regions of the United States
Authors: Kucik James E. , Shin Mikyong , Siffel Csaba , Marengo Lisa , Correa Adolfo ,   for the Congenital Anomaly Multistate Prevalence and Survival Collaborative
Published: December 2012

OBJECTIVE:

This study examined changes in survival among children with Down syndrome (DS) by race/ethnicity in 10 regions of the United States. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 16 506 infants with DS delivered during 1983–2003 and identified by 10 US birth defects monitoring programs. Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities were estimated by select demographic and clinical characteristics. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were estimated for maternal and infant characteristics by using Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS:

The overall 1-month and 1-, 5-, and 20-year survival probabilities were 98%, 93%, 91%, and 88%, respectively. Over the study period, neonatal survival did not improve appreciably, but survival at all other ages improved modestly. Infants of very low birth weight had 24 times the risk of dying in the neonatal period compared with infants of normal birth weight (aHR 23.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 18.4–30.7). Presence of a heart defect increased the risk of death in the postneonatal period nearly fivefold (aHR 4.6; 95% CI 3.9–5.4) and continued to be one of the most significant predictors of mortality through to age 20. The postneonatal aHR among non-Hispanic blacks was 1.4 (95% CI 1.2–1.8) compared with non-Hispanic whites and remained elevated by age 10 (2.0; 95% CI 1.0–4.0).

CONCLUSIONS:

The survival of children born with DS has improved and racial disparities in infant survival have narrowed. However, compared with non-Hispanic white children, non-Hispanic black children have lower survival beyond infancy. Congenital heart defects are a significant risk factor for mortality through age twenty.