bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ACAT Inhibition Reduces the Progression of Preexisting, Advanced Atherosclerotic Mouse Lesions Without Plaque or Systemic Toxicity
Authors: Rong James X. , Blachford Courtney , Feig Jonathan E. , Bander Ilda , Mayne Jeffrey , Kusunoki Jun , Miller Christine , Davis Matthew , Wilson Martha , Dehn Shirley , Thorp Edward , Tabas Ira , Taubman Mark B. , Rudel Lawrence L , Fisher Edward A.
Published: November 2012

Objective—

Acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) converts cholesterol to cholesteryl esters in plaque foam cells. Complete deficiency of macrophage ACAT has been shown to increase atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic mice because of cytotoxicity from free cholesterol accumulation, whereas we previously showed that partial ACAT inhibition by Fujirebio compound F1394 decreased early atherosclerosis development. In this report, we tested F1394 effects on preestablished, advanced lesions of apolipoprotein-E–deficient mice.

Methods and Results—

Apolipoprotein-E–deficient mice on Western diet for 14 weeks developed advanced plaques, and were either euthanized (Baseline), or continued on Western diet with or without F1394 and euthanized after 14 more weeks. F1394 was not associated with systemic toxicity. Compared with the baseline group, lesion size progressed in both groups; however, F1394 significantly retarded plaque progression and reduced plaque macrophage, free and esterified cholesterol, and tissue factor contents compared with the untreated group. Apoptosis of plaque cells was not increased, consistent with the decrease in lesional free cholesterol. There was no increase in plaque necrosis and unimpaired efferocytosis (phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells). The effects of F1394 were independent of changes in plasma cholesterol levels.

Conclusion—

Partial ACAT inhibition by F1394 lowered plaque cholesterol content and had other antiatherogenic effects in advanced lesions in apolipoprotein-E–deficient mice without overt systemic or plaque toxicity, suggesting the continued potential of ACAT inhibition for the clinical treatment of atherosclerosis, in spite of recent trial data.
Adiponectin and Long-Term Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease Participants and Controls
Authors: Hascoet Sébastien , Elbaz Meyer , Bongard Vanina , Bouisset Fréderic , Verdier Céline , Vindis Cécile , Genoux Annelise , Taraszkiewicz Dorota , Perret Bertrand , Galinier Michel , Carrié Didier , Ferrières Jean , Ruidavets Jean Bernard
Published: November 2012

Objective—

Despite cardioprotective properties, studies investigating adiponectin as a cardiovascular disease marker led to conflicting results. We investigated in participants with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and controls whether serum adiponectin was associated with long-term mortality, considering varying degrees of CAD severity.

Methods and Results—

A case–control design with prospective median follow-up of 8.1 years was used. Survival rates among 715 CAD men (aged 45–74 years) in increasing quartiles of serum adiponectin values were 87.5%, 85.6%, 76.4%, and 67.6%, respectively (
P
<0.001). Survival rates in 782 controls with adiponectin <9.1 µg/mL and ≥9.1 µg/mL (third quartile) were 95.3% and 91.0%, respectively (
P
=0.035). Adiponectin concentration above the highest quartile was associated with an increased risk of total and cardiovascular disease mortality in CAD patients (
P
=0.001 and
P
=0.001) and controls (
P
=0.02 and
P
=0.004). The associations among high adiponectin, total mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality remained significant after multivariate adjustments for metabolic, cardiac, and CAD severity variables. No significant interaction was found among CAD patients, controls, and the relationship of adiponectin with mortality.

Conclusion—

High serum adiponectin is a predictor of mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease. This prognostic value remains significant whatever the severity of the CAD and the metabolic status and is not different among people with and without CAD.
Integration of Genetics into a Systems Model of Electrocardiographic Traits Using HumanCVD BeadChip
Authors: Gaunt Tom R. , Shah Sonia , Nelson Christopher P. , Drenos Fotios , Braund Peter S. , Adeniran Ismail , Folkersen Lasse , Lawlor Debbie A. , Casas Juan-Pablo , Amuzu Antoinette , Kivimaki Mika , Whittaker John , Eriksson Per , Zhang Henggui , Hancox Jules C. , Tomaszewski Maciej , Burton Paul R. , Tobin Martin D. , Humphries Steve E. , Talmud Philippa J. , Macfarlane Peter W. , Hingorani Aroon D. , Samani Nilesh J. , Kumari Meena , Day Ian N.M.
Published: November 2012

Background—

Electrocardiographic traits are important, substantially heritable determinants of risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

Methods and Results—

In this study, 3 population-based cohorts (n=10 526) genotyped with the Illumina HumanCVD Beadchip and 4 quantitative electrocardiographic traits (PR interval, QRS axis, QRS duration, and QTc interval) were evaluated for single-nucleotide polymorphism associations. Six gene regions contained single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with these traits at
P
<10
−6
, including
SCN5A
(PR interval and QRS duration),
CAV1-CAV2
locus (PR interval),
CDKN1A
(QRS duration),
NOS1AP
,
KCNH2
, and
KCNQ1
(QTc interval). Expression quantitative trait loci analyses of top associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms were undertaken in human heart and aortic tissues.
NOS1AP
,
SCN5A, IGFBP3, CYP2C9
, and
CAV1
showed evidence of differential allelic expression. We modeled the effects of ion channel activity on electrocardiographic parameters, estimating the change in gene expression that would account for our observed associations, thus relating epidemiological observations and expression quantitative trait loci data to a systems model of the ECG.

Conclusions—

These association results replicate and refine the mapping of previous genome-wide association study findings for electrocardiographic traits, while the expression analysis and modeling approaches offer supporting evidence for a functional role of some of these loci in cardiac excitation/conduction.
Comparison of Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Treatment in Germany Between 1999 and 2009
Authors: Roth Christian , Kästner Stefanie , Salehi Mehrdad , Kleffmann Jens , Böker Dieter-Karsten , Deinsberger Wolfgang
Published: November 2012

Background and Purpose—

The aim of our study was to examine surgical practice in the therapy of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in Germany over a period of 10 years.

Methods—

In 1999 and 2009 a questionnaire with 10 different cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage was sent to all neurosurgical centers in Germany. It included a cranial CT as well as a case description. The question asked if a conservative or surgical procedure was most suitable. When choosing surgery, the participants could decide between large open approach or microsurgery as well as stereotactic aspiration or external ventricular drainage.

Results—

In 1999, 85 of 121 (70%) and in 2009 111 of 125 (89%) questionnaires could be evaluated. The results of the questionnaires from 1999 and 2009 showed no difference in the decision for or against a surgical procedure, except for a move toward conservative treatment in 1 patient with a massive spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. In 2 cases of isolated basal ganglia bleeding, a conservative approach was chosen by approximately 98% of the participants both in 1999 and in 2009. In all other cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, in particular when the patient was in poor clinical condition, the decision was very heterogeneous.

Conclusions—

Despite new studies, there were no significant differences regarding the decision for or against a surgical procedure in 1999 and 2009. Although clearly unfavorable prognostic factors are known, many patients still undergo a surgical procedure. It appears that at least spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage in the area of the basal ganglia is a unique domain of conservative treatment.
Teachers’ ideas about health: Implications for health promotion at school
Authors: Miglioretti Massimo , Velasco Veronica , Celata Corrado , Vecchio Luca
Published: November 2012

Objectives:

The study explores the relationships among teachers’ health representations, their ideas about health promotion, their working conditions and their involvement in health-promotion activities at school.

Methods:

A questionnaire was administered to 107 teachers in 86 schools in Milan (Italy). The questionnaire was structured in four parts: teachers’ involvement in health-promotion programmes, teachers’ representations of health and their ideas regarding methods for promoting health; some dimensions of teacher’s job characteristics (job overload, work group, collaboration with relatives); burn-out and job satisfaction; socio-demographics data of teachers and characteristics of the schools.

Results:

The results show that teachers have ambiguous health representations; however, the traditional idea of health as absence of illness was prevalent among the teachers surveyed. Regarding health-promotion activities, the teachers seemed to prefer health education programmes based on informative techniques. Some representations of health were connected to the importance that teachers attributed to health promotion and to teachers’ participation in health-promotion activities. Teachers’ working conditions appear not to be related to their involvement in health promotion.

Conclusions:

The majority of teachers involved in this study remained substantially linked to health education models and have not switched to the health-promotion approach. This could be related to teachers’ health representations. To encourage the adoption of the health promotion approach at school, changing teachers’ health representations could be a first step.
Job types and job quality in Europe
Authors: Holman David
Published: November 2012

This article shows how an analysis of job types can deepen our understanding of job quality and how job quality varies across 27 European countries. First, using the European Working Conditions Survey 2005, a taxonomy of six job types is developed and their quality established. This taxonomy suggests that there are different types of high- and low-quality jobs. Second, institutional theory is drawn on to examine why job quality varies cross-nationally. The results of a multilevel analysis indicate that national differences in institutional regimes (social democratic, continental, liberal, southern European, transitional) result in cross-national variation in both the level of job quality (i.e. the overall proportions of high- and low-quality jobs) and the nature of job quality (i.e. the particular types of high- and low-quality jobs found). It is concluded that institutional theory is able to explain the level but not the nature of cross-national variation in job quality.
Examining a Climatoeconomic Contextualization of Generalized Social Trust Mediated by Uncertainty Avoidance
Authors: Kong Dejun Tony
Published: November 2012

Social science research has focused on polieconomic factors for generalized social trust. Yet psychological research has shown that ecological factors can influence cognition, mood, and behavior. Following Van de Vliert’s climatic demands-resources theory, I proposed the view of a climatoeconomic contextualization of generalized social trust. Specifically, I found that the interplay of thermal climates (harshness) and wealth (GDP per capita) was related to generalized social trust, mediated by uncertainty avoidance rather than other cultural dimensions such as individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and power distance. These findings render direct support to Hofstede’s hypothesis that societal cultures are first-stage outcomes of climatic factors and second-stage intermediaries between these climatic factors and the sociopsychological functioning of markets, organizations, groups, and individuals. They also provide important implications for trust theory and climatic demands-resources theory.
Does Capital at Home Matter More Than Capital at School? The Case of Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Authors: Dufur Mikaela J. , Parcel Toby L. , McKune Benjamin A.
Published: November 2012

Following Coleman’s analysis of social capital, the norms that discourage adolescent substance use should be more successfully transmitted to young people who enjoy greater stores of social capital. We hypothesize that youth derive social capital from their families and from their schools, and test whether higher levels of capital from each context are influential in resisting substance use and abuse. Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, we show that social capital in the family is helpful in protecting adolescents from using alcohol and marijuana, whereas social capital built at school has essentially no effect on the same outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research on social capital as well as for policy interventions using schools as sites to discourage adolescent drug use.
Le Chatelier-Braun principle
Authors: Nakajima Nobuyuki , Harrell E Ray
Published: November 2012

Le Chatelier-Braun principle was modified for calculating the rate of free energy production [RFEP] in the flow of poly vinyl chloride (PVC) plastisol. At low-to-intermediate shear rate, viscosity decreases with increasing shear rate and reaches a minimum. The behavior was explained by the dominance of the rheological effect at the lower shear rates and that of the thermodynamic effect at the higher shear rates. In the former, viscous resistance was reduced by stress-induced phase separation into an immobilized layer and a mobile phase. In the latter the RFEP increases, reaching a maximum at the minimum viscosity. In the pseudo-plastic flow region, the flow is stable and the RFEP is negative. At shear rates higher than those at minimum viscosity, the immobilized layer dilates and then fractures when the stress becomes higher than the strength of the layer. Both dilatation and fracture are manifestations of flow instability and RFEP is positive, indicating insufficient resistance against failure of the immobilized layer. At super high shear rates, a plug flow takes place with a very thin layer of plasticizer lubricating at the capillary wall. Pseudo-plastic behavior may be explained by two different mechanisms. One is that a very small amount of particles are present in the lubricating layer. The particles are expelled from the layer with the increase in shear rate. The other possibility is that even though the lubricating layer consists of pure plasticizer, the layer increases in thickness in order to avoid excessive secondary flow such as eddy formation.
Multiple transcripts as political strategy: social media and conflicting identities of the Moro liberation movement in the Philippines
Authors: Soriano Cheryll Ruth , Sreekumar TT
Published: November 2012

This article explores the engagement of online new media for political mobilization by movements of dissent from the margins based on a case study of a Muslim minority revolutionary organization in the Philippines. We find that, enabled by hybrid features of online media outlets, minorities use multiple transcripts that target diverse audiences and oscillate across multiple, fleeting representations, narratives and articulations. Our article supports the view that ‘infrapolitics’ (the politics of disguise and concealment that lies between public and hidden transcripts of subordinate groups) is crucial in understanding online dissent. The article argues that new strategies of political discourse foregrounding infrapolitics help minority groups to circumvent traditional barriers of political communication and alter the quality of debate between minorities, state and the international community, and challenge national limits and boundaries.
Revisiting the Howard Dean scream: sound exclusivity in broadcast news
Authors: Batcho James D
Published: November 2012

Sound in television news broadcasting is dominated by perceived authoritative voices, resulting in a narrowing of ideas and a restriction of experiential and cultural representation. Television news offers audiences selective access to events through a suppression of environmental ambient sound. It thereby actively removes the context of an event and denies the public a broader sense of the event’s present significance. This article is a critique of the way in which media institutions and their practitioners wield the tools of their industry to manipulate audible content in order to preserve their own interests over those of the public. It begins with a brief historical examination of technology and the institutional practices that developed through the emergence of radio, sound films, and television. I then argue that through such technology and practice, television news decontextualizes the sound of events in order to overwrite them with authoritative analysis. As my main example, I offer two versions of the Howard Dean “scream” – one as presented through the broadcast institution and the other as presented through independent media and the internet. These two versions of the same event reveal how audible misrepresentation threatens news as public good and the documentation of history.
Responding to an Activist Public: Hangzhou Press Office rethinks its role
Authors: de Burgh Hugo , Rong Zeng , Miao Mi
Published: November 2012

In China as elsewhere, netizens have made new demands upon government and challenged conventional media to respond to popular concerns. Established approaches to controlling the media may be otiose; Party leaders are stressing the value of cooperation rather than confrontation and calling for a new relationship between media and authority. This article examines how the department of a city government traditionally tasked with controlling the media and shaping opinion is seeking to come to terms with the calls from the centre and, in the process, think up a different kind of relationship with the media. From dealings with press officers over four years, the authors identify a reflective and dynamic response to the present challenges. The respondents speculate that arrangements being put in place to deal with the new media environment may change fundamentally the relationships between authority and citizen, and the authors evaluate this.
SRank: Shortest paths as distance between nodes of a graph with application to RDF clustering
Authors: Khosravi-Farsani Hadi , Nematbakhsh Mohammadali , Lausen Georg
Published: November 2012

Similarity estimation between interconnected objects appears in many real-world applications and many domain-related measures have been proposed. This work proposes a new perspective on specifying the similarity between resources in linked data, and in general for vertices of a directed graph. More specifically, we compute a measure that says ‘two objects are similar if they are connected by multiple small-length shortest path’. This general similarity measure, called SRank, is based on simple and intuitive shortest paths. For a given domain, SRank can be combined with other domain-specific similarity measures. The suggested model is evaluated in a clustering procedure on a sample data from DBPedia knowledge-base, where the class label of each resource is estimated and compared with the ground-truth class label. Experimental results show that SRank outperforms other similarity measures in terms of precision and recall rate.
Assessing the effectiveness of intuitive eating for weight loss – pilot study
Authors: Anglin Judith Camele
Published: November 2012

The obesity epidemic is widely recognized as a major public health issue resulting in chronic diseases. Calorie restriction (CR) is frequently used for most weight loss programs. The intuitive eating (IE) approach uses an individual’s response to internal cues of hunger, satiety, and appetite and replaces CR. The study was a randomized controlled trial with two groups that assessed the anthropometric measurements of obese adults using CR and IE to achieve weight loss. The participants were sedentary obese individuals with no history of chronic diseases. They engaged in physical activity three times per week for 30 minutes and recorded their daily food intake in a food diary. Instructions were given for the CR and IE at the start and midpoint of the study. The duration of the study was 6 weeks. Weight and waist circumference were measured and body mass index calculated. total weight loss was significantly ( p=0.03) lower in the CR group than in the IE group. The CR group lost weight consistently throughout the study, whereas weight loss in the IE group was significantly less at the endpoint than at the midpoint. Calorie restriction is a superior approach to weight management than IE.
Mobile Affects, Open Secrets, and Global Illiquidity: Pockets, Pools, and Plasma
Authors: Seigworth Gregory J. , Tiessen Matthew
Published: November 2012

This article will take up Deleuze and Guattari’s allusive yet insightful writings on ‘the secret’ by considering the secret across three intermingling registers or modulations: as content (secret), as form (secrecy), and as expression (secretion). Setting the secret in relation to evolving modes of technological mediation and sociality as respectively pocket, pooling, and plasma, the article works through a trio of examples in order to understand the contemporary movements of secrets: the memories of secrets evoked in an intimately interactive music video by the band Arcade Fire (as an example of ‘pocket’); the movements of secrecy turned fabulative in the scopic-doublings of airport full-body scanners (as ‘pooling’); and, finally, the collective secretions that come to saturate and stretch around the globe as expressed by liquidity-seeking financial innovations (providing an angle onto ‘plasma’). These three instantiations of contemporary secrecy are framed by a discussion of Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook – truly a couple for our age: each intent, in their own way, upon bringing an end to secrets. Throughout, we try to maintain close attention to the emerging rhythms and dissonances that engage secrecy in a dance between the half-voluntary and the half-enforced.
Established democracies, Internet censorship and the social media test
Authors: Dick Archie L.
Published: November 2012

Social media can test how firmly entrenched Internet freedom is in established democracies through a comparison with countries with an authoritarian track record. The method is to evaluate the use of social media in recent protests in a sample of established democracies and authoritarian regimes, and to compare differences and similarities in government responses.
Vesicular signalling and immune modulation as hedonic fingerprints: proteomic profiling in the chronic mild stress depression model
Authors: Bisgaard Christina F , Bak Steffen , Christensen Trine , Jensen Ole N , Enghild Jan J , Wiborg Ove
Published: November 2012

Extensive preclinical research has focused at unravelling the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to depression and recovery. In this study, we investigated the quantitative changes in protein abundance in the ventral hippocampal granular cell layer. We compared different phenotypes from the chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression using chronic administration with two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), escitalopram and sertraline. We isolated granular cells using Laser-Capture Microdissection (LCM) and we identified their regulated proteins using two-dimensional (2D) differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The majority of the proteins we identified were enzymes involved in different metabolic activities. Additional proteins were functionally classified as vesicular proteins and immune system proteins. Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor alpha (GDIA) and syntaxin-binding protein 1 (STXB1) were potential markers for stress reactivity. Dynamin 1 (DYN1), glutathione S-transferase omega-1 (GSTO1) and peroxiredoxin (PRDX6) were associated with treatment response. In addition, an imbalance between different post-translationally modified versions of DYN1 and GSTO1 potentially accounted for SSRI treatment refraction. In the present study, we searched for new markers of stress reactivity and treatment response as well as any underlying molecular mechanisms correlating to the development of anhedonia and antidepressant therapy refraction. Our results pointed towards an essential role of post-translational modifications in both vesicular and immune protein systems.
Crystallization and mechanical properties of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes/polyvinylidene fluoride composites
Authors: Ma Jing , Haque Rubaiyet Iftekharul , Larsen Raino Mikael
Published: November 2012

Single-walled carbon nanotubes were purified and functionalized by nitric acid and octadecylamine. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the functionalization of the single-walled carbon nanotubes. Polyvinylidene flouride nanocomposites containing 1 wt% purified or functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes were prepared by solution blending and injection molding. The dispersion of different carbon nanotubes in dimethylformamide and in polyvinylidene flouride has been investigated. Mechanical properties show that adding single-walled carbon nanotubes could improve the tensile properties when the dispersion is good.
Dynamic mechanical analysis and three-body wear of carbon–epoxy composite filled with SiC particles
Authors: Kumaresan K , Chandramohan G , Senthilkumar M , Suresha B
Published: November 2012

The changes that can occur in particulate filled and carbon fabric reinforced epoxy polymer matrix (carbon–epoxy) composites with aging (temperature change) can affect its application, performance, and life time. Fiber and particulate-reinforced composites are known to posses the high strength and attractive wear resistance in dry siding conditions. Though reinforcement and/filler type are known to control the properties, less is known about their abrasive wear performance especially with SiC particulates. How these composites performed in abrasive wear situation needs a proper understanding. Hence in this investigation, reports on dynamic mechanical and three-body abrasive wear behavior of carbon–epoxy and silane-treated SiC particulates filled carbon-epoxy composites. The dynamic mechanical analysis test were conducted using DMA Q800 instrument and abrasive wear tests were conducted using the Rubber wheel abrasive wear tester. From the dynamic mechanical analysis result, it was found that the glass transition temperature ( Tg) of 10% SiC-filled carbon–epoxy composite was changed up to maximum 75°C, compared with that of unfilled carbon–epoxy composite. This change in Tg was believed to be due to the interface modification in SiC-filled carbon–epoxy composite. Three-body abrasive wear test results showed that the wear volume loss increased with increasing abrading distance and specific wear rate decreased with abrading distance/load and depends on SiC filler loading. However, the presence of silane-treated SiC in carbon–epoxy showed a promising trend. The worn surface features, when examined through scanning electron microscopy, showed differing trends for unfilled and SiC-filled carbon–epoxy composites.
Laminar composite structures: Study of environmental aging effects on structural integrity
Authors: Felipe RNB , Felipe RCTS , Aquino EMF
Published: November 2012

In this study, a glass fiber reinforced plastic sheet was analyzed to study the environmental deterioration (aging) on its surface, when placed in a chamber built for this purpose, and the mechanical behavior when subjected to uniaxial tension was also studied. The environmental deterioration of the sheet in the chamber (aging chamber) occurred in three different ways: in the first, the sheets were subjected to alternative exposure of vapor and UV radiation; in the second it was exposed just to UV radiation, and in the third it was exposed simply to vapor. The main objective of this arrangement was to find out which of the agents tested will contribute more on the deterioration (aging) of the sheet surface, as in a structural laminate, the outside sheet that is being exposed to, could suffer the same type of damage under the conditions studied. Techniques for thickness measurements, and the surface analysis using an optical microscope, a scanner and scanning electron microscope were used. For the determination of the uniaxial tensional properties, a universal testing instrument was used. Almost all the results showed that there is a direct influence on the environmental deterioration on each and every parameter studied.
Valorizing mixed plastic wastes from cardboard recycling by amendment with wood, cement and ash
Authors: Sardot T , Smith G , McDonald AG
Published: November 2012

This project sought improved mechanical strength and thermal properties of mixed plastic rejects from cardboard recycling. The Wandel screen, a process unit, captures 75% of a facility’s total plastic output and consists of hot melt (∼37%), polypropylene (∼32%), polyethylene (∼17%) and polystyrene (∼9%). The mixed plastic was compounded with wood flour, cement, ash and maleated polyethylene. Wood flour and maleated polyethylene increased the tensile modulus by 65%, ash and cement increased moduli by 49% and 39%. Maleated polyethylene decreased crystallinity and compatibilized both mixed polymers and additives. Samples were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. Additives decreased phase separation. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed wood flour, ash, cement and maleated polyethylene thermally stabilized the plastics. These improvements make this mixed plastic waste more attractive for reuse.
A comparative study of bovine and porcine pericardium to highlight their potential advantages to manufacture percutaneous cardiovascular implants
Authors: Gauvin Robert , Marinov Georgi , Mehri Yayhe , Klein Julianne , Li Bin , Larouche Danielle , Guzman Randolph , Zhang Ze , Germain Lucie , Guidoin Robert
Published: November 2012

Rationale:

Prosthetic heart valves designed to be implanted percutaneously must be loaded within delivery catheters whose diameter can be as low as 18 F (6 mm). This mandatory crimping of the devices may result in deleterious damages to the tissues used for valve manufacturing. As bovine and porcine pericardial tissue are currently given preference because of their excellent availability and traceability, a preliminary comparative study was undertaken to highlight their potential advantages.

Materials and methods:

Bovine and pericardium patches were compared morphologically (light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy). The acute thrombogenicity of both materials was measured in term of platelet uptake and observed by scanning electron microscopy, porcine intact and injured arteries being used as controls. The pericardium specimens were also subjected to uniaxial tensile tests to compare their respective mechanical characteristics.

Results:

Both pericardiums showed a layered architecture of collagen bundles presenting some interstitial cells. They displayed wavy crimps typical of an unloaded collagenous tissue. The collagen bundles were not bound together and the fibrils were parallel with characteristic periodicity patterns of cross striations. The mesothelial cells found in vivo on the serous surface were no longer present due to tissue processing, but the adjacent structure was far more compacted when compared to the fibrous side. The fibrinocollagenous surfaces were found to be more thrombogenic for both bovine and porcine tissues and the serous side of the porcine pericardium retained more platelets when compared to the bovine samples, making the acute thrombogenicity more important in the porcine pericardium.

Conclusion:

Both bovine and porcine pericardium used in cardiovascular implantology can be selected to manufacture percutaneous heart valves. The selection of one pericardium preferably to the other should deserve additional testing regarding the innocuousness of crimping when loaded in delivery catheters and the long-term durability after percutaneous deployment.
Waste chestnut shell as a source of reinforcing fillers for polypropylene composites
Authors: Kaymakci Alperen , Ayrilmis Nadir
Published: November 2012

In this study, we evaluated dimensional stability and some mechanical properties of polypropylene composites filled with chestnut shell flour (CSF). To meet this objective, CSF was compounded with polypropylene with and without coupling agent in a twin screw corotating extruder and then were manufactured by injection molding process. The thickness swelling and water absorption of the samples increased with increasing CSF content. The flexural and tensile modulus improved with increasing CSF content, while the flexural and tensile strengths of the samples decreased. The use of maleic anhydride polypropylene had a positive effect on the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the polypropylene composites filled with CSF. This work showed that the composites treated with maleated polypropylene could be efficiently used as decking products, due to high-dimensional stability and satisfactory mechanical properties of the composites.
The Time Course of Perceptual Grouping in Natural Scenes
Authors: Korjoukov Ilia , Jeurissen Danique , Kloosterman Niels A. , Verhoeven Josine E. , Scholte H. Steven , Roelfsema Pieter R.
Published: November 2012

Visual perception starts with localized filters that subdivide the image into fragments that undergo separate analyses. The visual system has to reconstruct objects by grouping image fragments that belong to the same object. A widely held view is that perceptual grouping occurs in parallel across the visual scene and without attention. To test this idea, we measured the speed of grouping in pictures of animals and vehicles. In a classification task, these pictures were categorized efficiently. In an image-parsing task, participants reported whether two cues fell on the same or different objects, and we measured reaction times. Despite the participants’ fast object classification, perceptual grouping required more time if the distance between cues was larger, and we observed an additional delay when the cues fell on different parts of a single object. Parsing was also slower for inverted than for upright objects. These results imply that perception starts with rapid object classification and that rapid classification is followed by a serial perceptual grouping phase, which is more efficient for objects in a familiar orientation than for objects in an unfamiliar orientation.
Looking Inward
Authors: Thiruchselvam Ravi , Hajcak Greg , Gross James J.
Published: November 2012

Selective attention plays a fundamental role in emotion regulation. To date, research has examined individuals’ use of selective attention to regulate emotional responses during stimulus presentation. In the present study, we examined whether selective attention can be used to regulate emotional responses during a poststimulus period when representations are active within working memory (WM). On each trial, participants viewed either a negative or a neutral image. After the offset of the image, they maintained a representation of it in WM and were cued to focus their attention on either neutral or arousing aspects of that representation. Results showed that, relative to focusing on an arousing portion of a negative-image representation within WM, focusing on a neutral portion of the representation reduced both self-reported negative emotion and the late positive potential, a robust neural measure of emotional reactivity. These data suggest that selective attention can alter emotional responses arising from affective representations active within WM.
Écriture, mémoire et structure d’horizon chez Patrick Modiano
Authors: Carriedo Lourdes
Published: November 2012

La « mémoire oublieuse » étant le véritable support de l’écriture de Patrick Modiano, dans son roman de 2010, L’Horizon, un personnage-écrivain s’efforce d’éclaircir le mystère de certains épisodes vécus, tout en récupérant les images, les visages et les décors urbains d’une jeunesse déjà lointaine. Il entreprend une enquête sur les paysages flous de la mémoire, désireux de transcender cette ligne fluctuante de l’horizon mnésique, qui lui cache tant de choses à la vue, à la conscience, au langage. Prenant appui sur les valeurs de la structure d’horizon littéraire définie par Michel Collot, comme structure de connaissance et de pensée, d’imagination et d’expression, cet article analyse le fonctionnement de la remémoration modianienne, qui mène, dans L’Horizon, non seulement à la prospection nostalgique du passé personnel, et donc à la revalorisation des expériences vécues, mais aussi au jaillissement d’une écriture permettant de rêver à un avenir lumineux.
Traces, tracés et figures : Dans le café de la jeunesse perdue de Patrick Modiano
Authors: Kaminskas Jurate
Published: November 2012

Dans l’introduction à son ouvrage, Patrick Modiano, Alan Morris présente l’ambiguïté comme « la qualité déterminante de l’univers modianesque ». Sur le plan herméneutique, cette problématique de l’incertitude affecte aussi le lecteur et sous-tend les intentions métadiscursives du roman de 2007, Dans le café de la jeunesse perdue. Le roman est une tentative d’accéder à la vérité d’une jeune femme : Jacqueline, surnommée Louki. Mais quel genre littéraire donnerait le plus satisfaction ? Roman policier, roman réaliste, biographie, autofiction ? Comment saisir son image, comment la faire remonter à la surface : voilà un des enjeux du texte. Pour les quatre narrateurs sur la piste de Jacqueline/Louki, il s’agit de combler des lacunes biographiques, auto-biographiques ou policières. Le roman de Modiano se construit dans cette tension qui oppose l’attirance suscitée par l’image de la jeune femme et la résistance qu’elle présente à son émergence. Cette muse parfaite accrochant la lumière mieux que les autres, est « la figure » qui, selon la définition de Bertrand Gervais, devient « un signe complexe hautement signifiant » à l’origine du processus créateur.
Présence urbaine et images maritimes chez Patrick Modiano
Authors: Zelinsky Zeno
Published: November 2012

Cet article analyse certains aspects de « la ville textuelle » chez Modiano, adaptant la terminologie de « Textstadt » proposée en allemand par Andreas Mahler. La représentation de la ville de Paris est un élément-clé dans l’œuvre modianienne. Presque tous les romans de l’auteur contiennent des références à des lieux parisiens, des descriptions d’itinéraires parcourus par ses protagonistes, des souvenirs liés à des endroits particuliers de la capitale française ou des remarques sur la spécificité de différents quartiers. Cependant, à la précision apparemment réaliste de l’auteur s’ajoute régulièrement un procédé modianien qui laisse une marge de manœuvre à l’imagination du narrateur. Inversement, l’imagination dépend, elle, de son ancrage dans le réel. Chez Modiano, le rapprochement de la ville au monde maritime compte parmi les aspects les plus importants de cette méthode, que ce soit en faisant apparaître l’océan au coin d’une rue ou en comparant un bâtiment à un bateau. En nous concentrant sur ces images de mer, nous analysons la manière dont les romans modianiens transforment le paysage urbain pour créer une configuration textuelle qui tient tout autant de l’imaginaire que du réel.
MicroRNA-101, mitogen-activated protein kinases and mitogen-activated protein kinases phosphatase-1 in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Yang J , Lu Y-W , Lu M-M , Leng R-X , Pan H-F , Ye D-Q
Published: November 2012

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype of human autoimmune disease in which various inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 and interferon (IFN) play crucial pathogenic roles. The production of these cytokines is responsible for the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), which can also generate mitogen-activated protein kinases phosphatases (MKPs). MKP-1, a prototypical member of the MKP family that can influence outcomes of autoimmune diseases and reduce the inflammatory cytokines by dephosphorylation of p38 and JNK MAPK, plays a critical role in the expression of inflammatory mediators at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. MicroRNA-101 (miR) is a small non-coding RNA that regulates the MAPK response by targeting MKP-1 mRNA 3′-UTR, and affects the secretion of the downstream inflammatory cytokines. However, the interaction among the above three in the pathogenesis of SLE has not previously been reported. This review discusses the current understanding of the role of the MAPK/MKP/miR-101 axis in regulating immune responses and the pathogenesis of SLE to provide new ideas for clinical treatment of SLE.
The Framework of Casualty Care during the Anglo-Dutch Wars
Authors: Neufeld Matthew
Published: November 2012

The framework of casualty care during the Anglo-Dutch Wars has been found severely wanting by historians of naval medicine. This judgement is grounded on the fact that naval hospitals were constructed eventually in the 1750s, and because the hospitalization of sick and hurt mariners conforms better to a Weberian model of state and military modernization. This article argues that the measures for casualty care erected during the Dutch wars adhered to an early modern model of state formation. The framework of care extended the scope and social depth of politically involved people. It failed because the carers were consistently underfunded, not because locally based care was inherently unworkable or insufficiently bureaucratic and centralized.
The Kriegsmarine and the Aircraft Carrier: The Design and Operational Purpose of the Graf Zeppelin, 1933–1940
Authors: Faulkner Marcus
Published: November 2012

While the Kriegsmarine’s only aircraft carrier, the uncompleted Graf Zeppelin, has attracted considerable interest over the decades, this has been limited to technical histories of the vessel. This article explores the origins of the programme and what the German navy believed it needed such vessels for. It examines the design process and the proposed method of operational employment, and seeks to place them in an international context. To date, German efforts have been considered in isolation from the wider developments in aircraft carrier technology during the interwar period. When these are taken into account a more balanced view of the German enterprise emerges.
The international migration of health care professionals
Authors: Zubaran Carlos
Published: November 2012

Objectives:

The international migration of health care professionals has been recognized as a public health concern. A series of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors have been identified as driving forces for migration of doctors. The USA, UK, Canada and Australia are the main beneficiaries of medical migration, which has adverse consequences for health care systems in developing countries. Recently, a Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel was adopted by the World Health Assembly. In this paper, a summary of the most important recommendations of the Code is presented. In addition, the case of overseas trained psychiatrists in Australia is illustrated. These specialists complain of discriminatory practices due to the lack of recognition of their professional credentials. Research evidence from different countries confirms that international medical graduates face discriminatory obstacles to exercise their rights and practise their professions in developed countries.

Conclusions:

An international strategy is required to promote sustainable health care systems worldwide. Additional academic and scientific partnerships must be established between developed and developing nations in order to minimize discrepancies. There is an urgent need to review policies related to the recognition of medical credentials in host countries, including Australia. There are clear implications for psychiatry and psychiatrists.
Modeling and experimental validation of unimorph piezoelectric cymbal design in energy harvesting
Authors: Mo Changki , Arnold Daniel , Kinsel William C , Clark William W
Published: November 2012

This article presents a unimorph lead zirconate titanate cymbal structure as an energy harvester. The unimorph lead zirconate titanate cymbal harvester was designed to be able to sustain higher mechanical loads by replacing the lead zirconate titanate monolayer with the lead zirconate titanate/steel composite between the metal end caps. Theoretical analysis was first carried out to predict energy-harvesting performance of the new cymbal design. A parametric study was also performed on two key geometric parameters to reveal trends that affect energy-generating performance for the cymbal structure. The dominant parameters that affect the performance are thickness of the metal end cap, the ratio of the radius of the apex to the radius of the cavity, and the thickness ratio of the lead zirconate titanate to the steel substrate. A specimen was then fabricated and tested on a load-frame to validate analytically predicted energy-scavenging performance. The specimen was tested under a 1-Hz cyclic load of up to 1940 N. The measured open-circuit output voltages for two different load inputs were close to the analytical results. The experimental results also indicate that the unimorph cymbal harvester can generate a power of 121.2 µW at 3.3 MΩ resistive load under 1-Hz cyclic load of 1940 N.
Optimal vibration control of smart composite beams with optimal size and location of piezoelectric sensing and actuation
Authors: Zorić Nemanja D , Simonović Aleksandar M , Mitrović Zoran S , Stupar Slobodan N
Published: November 2012

Control performances of smart structures depend on the size and location of the piezoelectric actuators and sensors as well as on the applied control algorithm. This article presents optimal vibration control of a thin-walled composite beam by using the fuzzy optimization strategy based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The optimization of the size and location of the conventionally collocated piezoelectric actuators and sensors, and optimization of the controller parameters are performed separately. The optimization criteria for optimal size and location of piezoelectric actuators and sensors are based on eigenvalues of the controllability Grammian matrix. The optimization procedure implies constraint of the original dynamic properties change and limitation of the beam mass increase. The particle swarm optimization-based linear quadratic regulator has been implemented for optimal vibration control in order to maximize the modal closed-loop damping ratios and minimize the control voltages required for actuation while keeping them below breakdown voltage for the used piezoelectric actuator. A pseudo-goal function, derived from the fuzzy set theory, gives an expression for global objective functions eliminating the use of weighting coefficients and penalty functions. The problem is formulated using the finite element method based on the third-order shear deformation theory. Several numerical examples are presented for the cantilever beam.