bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation on rubber failure due to heat generation under dynamic loading
Authors: Luo RK , Mortel WJ , Wu XP
Published: August 2013

Heat generation due to dynamic loading has been a major concern for rubber component manufacturers over many years. In engineering design and applications, current practice is to monitor the component surface temperature in accelerated durability tests. However, a number of unexpected early failures from heat generation during accelerated durability tests for rubber components have been observed even the surface temperature was well-controlled. This situation has led to the development of heat generation prediction methodology. An integrated simulation and test programme has been set up on a case investigation on a solid rubber wheel. A drum test was carried out in the laboratory. Heat conductivity, convection and radiation are included in the simulation. Important rubber heat-transfer properties were measured in the laboratory and used for the simulation. A mixed Lagrangian/Eulerian method was successfully introduced in the simulation, due to the limitations of traditional FE methods, to reduce a great amount of cost and to make the simulation possible in practice. In this case, the degrees of freedom can be reduced by three times and about 170,000 rotations saved. The temperature change in real time-domain was recorded and failure regions located. The simulation results have shown that the temperature difference between the surface and inside in the solid rubber wheel can go about four-folds. The results have been compared with the laboratory test and shown very good agreement. From this investigation, it is shown that a proper calculation is needed when a product involves a large volume of the rubber during dynamic-loading tests, and the criterion to monitor the surface temperature alone is not always reliable and could lead to a potential unexpected failure. The principles and techniques can be employed for the prediction on heat generation in industries.
Issue-specific policy-positions and voting in the Council
Authors: Høyland Bjørn , Hansen Vibeke Wøien
Published: August 2013

Politics in the Council is Janus-faced. There is bargaining with identifiable winners and losers, yet the voting records show high levels of agreement. These two sides have almost exclusively been studied in isolation even though standard theoretical models of voting typically assume that actors’ behaviour is guided by their positions relative to the proposal and the status quo. By combining positional data and voting data, we evaluate to what extent voting is driven by salience-weighted issue-specific positions. Our results show that governments’ voting behaviour is guided by their issue-specific positions. The relationship between preference-based positions and votes is stronger when we impute values for the missing positions in the positional data. This illustrates the importance of cautious treatment of missing data in EU decision-making.
Medicinal commodities and the gift of a caring mother
Authors: Hodgetts Darrin , Hayward Brooke , Stolte Ottilie
Published: August 2013

Today, medications are central to both formal and familial healthcare systems. This article examines medications as ingrained and socio-culturally significant features of domestic landscapes. We consider the everyday medicative practices of four mothers who care for their chronically ill children in the home. Our analysis examines how these mothers navigate an information-rich environment to make decisions on what medications their children will consume. We document how participants develop expertise, research and administer medications, monitor their children’s reactions to medications and revise their efforts to care accordingly. Ideas about gifting provide new insights into the appropriation and transformation of medications within familial caregiving practices.
‘Not Another Museum’: The Search for Contemporary Connection
Authors: Cranfield Ben
Published: August 2013

This article considers the site of the Independent Group’s formation, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (ICA), as a discursive proposition, using the institutional level (understood as a meeting place of the pragmatic and ideal) as a vantage point from which to re-encounter a plurality of positions that defies the congruities of thematic analysis. To this end, the author examines how the ICA was formed, in relation and distinction to the institutional designation ‘museum’, through an analysis of the three terms that make up its title. He argues that the ICA was a rhetorical space that emerged from a complex negotiation between extant possibilities and understandings of artistic value held within the fragmenting, but hegemonic, discourse of the museum and demands for technocratic, productive relevancy. He proposes that this space impelled, and was, in turn, made manifest by, the declaration of the Independent Group, as a response to and negation of the ICA’s particular formulation of the contemporary.
Tomorrow
Authors: Curtis Barry
Published: August 2013

This article explores the ramified meaning of the idea of ‘Tomorrow’ in the mid 1950s. It looks at a number of fictional and non fictional attempts to predict futures on the basis of extrapolating from the technological and cultural phenomena of the then present. With particular reference to the 1956 Whitechapel Art Gallery exhibition, the author seeks to establish the parameters of conjecture as well as the timely cultural politics of the Independent Group. He suggests how writers and thinkers, such as Charles and Ray Eames and Norbert Wiener, combined with the filtering of information theory in contemporary science fiction to generate significant harbingers of digital culture in the formulations of the ‘Tomorrow’ of 1956.
An immersed boundary method with an approximate projection on nonstaggered grids to solve unsteady fluid flow with a submerged moving rigid object
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Zhang Cheng , Tang Youhong , Zhao Chengbi , Lin Wei
Published: August 2013

An immersed boundary method is presented, which uses an approximate projection method on nonstaggered grids for computing flows with submerged and moving boundaries. The incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are discretized using a second-order accurate finite difference technique on a nonstaggered grid system, and the new immersed boundary method is proposed based on an approximate projection method with two pressure correction techniques, the Armfield method and the geometrical grid Reynolds modified method on nonstaggered grids. By using this method, the results obtained from (1) flow past a rigid cylinder in two dimensions with different Reynold numbers and (2) flow around an oscillatory circular cylinder in flow at low Keulegan–Carpenter numbers are in agreement with the reported experimental and numerical data, demonstrating that this convenient method of constraining the interface is a reliable and robust numerical approach for solving unsteady fluid flow with a submerged moving rigid object. This method has the advantage of using significantly less computation time and lower computation sources than the traditional immersed boundary methods.
Joint blind and light control for lighting energy reduction while satisfying light level and anti-glare requirements
Authors: Din I , Kim H
Published: August 2013

This paper presents a joint blind and light control scheme for lighting energy optimization in a lighting control system. The proposed scheme utilizes the maximum available daylight without any glare and reduces lighting energy consumption while satisfying the user’s light level requirements. The optimal blind tilt angle that transmits the maximum available daylight without any glare is computed based on the sun’s altitude and the window ’s orientation, and an optimization problem is formulated that minimizes the required artificial lighting energy to satisfy the user’s lighting requirements. The simulation results show that, relative to conventional lighting control schemes, the proposed scheme achieves improvements in lighting energy consumption while satisfying the anti-glare and user’s light level requirements.
Research Note: A practical approach to cubic illuminance measurement
Authors: Cuttle C
Published: August 2013

By measuring illuminance values on the six facets of a small cube, a range of spatial illumination metrics can be determined. Some researchers have reported practical difficulties in doing this, and so this research note proposes a novel procedure for measuring cubic illumination that avoids the reported difficulties
Endovascular Treatment of a Malpositioned Screw in the Thoracic Aorta After Anterior Spinal Instrumentation
Authors: Akinrinlola Ayorinde , Brinster Derek R.
Published: August 2013

An interesting case report detailing the management of an aorta that was inadvertently screwed during spinal fixation. The management and imaging encompass the use of computer tomography and intravascular ultrasound to determine the trajectory of the screw and the successful management of the patient.
Spontaneous Sequential Compartment Syndrome of the Lower Limbs
Authors: Abisi Said , Yong Yao Pey , Beech Andrew , Oluwole Akin , Tennant William
Published: August 2013

Spontaneous compartment syndrome is a rare condition and requires urgent surgical treatment to achieve favorable outcome. Several cases have been reported in the literature, and it has been associated with patients with diabetes. We present a case of acute spontaneous sequential compartment syndrome of the lower limbs in a patient with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes.
Cardiorespiratory Responses During the 6-Minute Walk and Ramp Cycle Ergometer Tests and Their Relationship to Physical Activity in Stroke
Authors: Salbach Nancy M. , Brooks Dina , Romano Julia , Woon Lynda , Dolmage Thomas E.
Published: August 2013

Background and objectives. The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is used to measure exercise capacity after stroke. We sought to compare cardiorespiratory responses during the 6MWT with responses to a ramp cycle ergometer test (CET) in community-dwelling individuals with stroke. A secondary objective was to determine the relationship between cardiorespiratory responses during each test and daily physical activity. Methods. Participants completed 3 evaluation sessions. The CET and 6MWT were conducted in 2 separate sessions at least 72 hours apart. Participants wore a portable gas analysis unit (Cosmed K4b2), which also measured heart rate (HR) during the 6MWT. A uniaxial accelerometer (activPAL) was used to measure time spent upright (standing and stepping) over 5 days as an estimate of daily physical activity. Results. Complete CET and 6MWT data were obtained for 16 participants (14 men), a mean ± standard deviation of 2.0 ± 1.1 years after stroke and 71.1 ± 9.7 years of age. Compared with the 6MWT, the CET elicited a higher VO2peak ( P = .032), VCO2peak ( P = .005), respiratory exchange ratio ( P = .015), and self-reported perceived breathing ( P < .0001) and leg heaviness ( P < .0001) at test completion and a lower HRpeak ( P = .029). Except for the first minute, VO2 during the 6MWT was, on average, 80% to 85% of VO2peak from the CET. Among 15 participants, average time spent upright per day was not significantly associated with 6MWT distance ( r = 0.447, P = .096) or VO2peak from the CET ( r = 0.388, P = .153). Conclusions. Exercise intensity achieved during the 6MWT appeared sufficiently high for aerobic training, assuming CET VO2peak accurately reflects aerobic capacity. The 6MWT may be useful for prescribing aerobic exercise poststroke.
Change in University-Based Programs of Educational Leadership
Authors: Robey Philip V. , Bauer Scott C.
Published: August 2013

Much of the literature criticizing university-based school leadership preparation programs concludes that programs are, at best, reluctant to change, a conclusion often based more on anecdotal stories than a more systematic inquiry. This article provides evidence on the extent of change in programs since passage of the Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership in 2002. Chairs at National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education–accredited schools were surveyed to determine the nature and extent of adoption of design elements associated with effective programs. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to demonstrate that there has been wide-ranging change in university programs, and that the extent of this change does not depend on type of university or membership in University Council for Educational Administration.
Managing Adaptive Challenges
Authors: Drago-Severson Eleanor , Maslin-Ostrowski Patricia , Hoffman Alexander M. , Barbaro Justin
Published: August 2013

We interviewed eight principals from Bermuda and Florida about how they identify and manage their most pressing challenges. Their challenges are composed of both adaptive and technical work, requiring leaders to learn to diagnose and manage them. Challenges focused on change and were traced to accountability contexts, yet accountability was not the driving force for all principals. Neither external demands nor principals themselves dictated whether the problem was technical or adaptive; instead, it was the nature of the problem itself. Leadership preparation programs are encouraged to provide a framework to address managing phases of adaptive, technical, and mixed challenges.
Negotiating Marriage
Authors: Sniezek Tamara
Published: August 2013

Based on data from qualitative interviews with 40 engaged heterosexual couples, this paper examines how couples transform their relationship from “serious” to being “engaged to be married.” Social Scientists have developed relationship models designed to explain the transformation, but these models fail to adequately capture how couples transform their relationship and the context in which this behavior occurs. Using a constructionist framework, an alternative process model is offered. The five-process model captures the ongoing and fluid work couples perform to negotiate a redefinition of the relationship. Couples reflexively use a host of complex symbolic interaction including talk, rituals, relationships with others, testing, and use of time to construct their relationship in a new way. By examining the underlying reality construction process, rather than merely looking at the outcome, the social processes and human actions that shape relationships are revealed.
SEKE, the KKE and the language question
Authors: Delistathi Christina
Published: August 2013

This article presents an overview of SEKE and the KKE’s views on the language question between 1918 and 1936. By examining unpublished sources, shifts in the party’s views become discernible which cannot be attributed solely to changes in the language debates. The article introduces two innovations: it argues that there is a correlation between political changes within the KKE and transformations in its views on language, and analyses these with reference to ideas on language in the USSR. Studying these views augments our knowledge of a relatively neglected dimension of the language question. Moreover, as the influence of Marxism on some Greek intellectuals increased in this period, its findings can be used to elucidate aspects of literary production.
Perfectly absent: the emergence of the Modern Greek perfect in Early Modern Greek
Authors: Janssen Marjolijne C.
Published: August 2013

This paper traces the emergence of the Standard Modern Greek perfect έχω + infinitive in the Early Modern Greek period. It shows that the construction appears in written sources towards the very end of the seventeenth century. Special attention is given to ‘phantom’ perfects, which can be found in editions of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century literary and non-literary texts as well as in the bibliography and which distort the picture of its emergence.
An exile’s hopes: the search for a liberator in Michael Marullus
Authors: McGann M. J.
Published: August 2013

Michael Marullus, fifteenth-century Greek, soldier and Latin poet, lived almost all his life in exile. In his earliest poetry revanchist thoughts directed at his country’s Ottoman conquerors are hardly present, and superhuman powers are held responsible for the catastrophe. Later, Byzantine reliance on foreign forces is blamed. With time however and political developments in central and western Europe, a crusade or Türkenzug seemed to become more likely, and Marullus turned to the Habsburg Maximilian I and Charles VIII of France as possible liberators. This paper attempts to describe the poet’s developing treatment of the themes of defeat and exile and his response in the last decade of the fifteenth century to the possibility of military action against the Ottomans.
Greek-Speaking Moslems of North-East Turkey: Prolegomena to a Study of the Ophitic Sub-Dialect of Pontic
Authors: Mackridge Peter
Published: August 2013

It has become common in recent years for Greek Pontians, settled in Greece since 1922/3, and their families to go on coach-tours to visit their family homes in Pontus. They tend to return to Greece with stories of finding local people there with whom they have
been able to converse in the Pontic dialect of Greek. Surprisingly, these travellers appear to take this for granted, and, as far as I am aware, no one has made a study of the Greek spoken in Pontus today, other than to include a few random phrases in travelogues. The purpose of this article is to make some preliminary observations on the Pontic Greek spoken by Moslems, particularly those of the Ophis (Of) region.
Inequalities involving Dresher variance mean
Authors: Wen Jiajin , Han Tianyong , Cheng Sui Sun
Published: August 2013

Let p be a real density function defined on a compact subset Ω of

R
m

, and let

E
(
f
,
p
)
=

∫
Ω

p
f

d
ω

be the expectation of f with respect to the density function p. In this paper, we define a one-parameter extension

Var
γ

(
f
,
p
)

of the usual variance

Var
(
f
,
p
)
=
E
(

f
2

,
p
)
−

E
2

(
f
,
p
)

of a positive continuous function f defined on Ω. By means of this extension, a two-parameter mean

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)

, called the Dresher variance mean, is then defined. Their properties are then discussed. In particular, we establish a Dresher variance mean inequality

min

t
∈
Ω

{
f
(
t
)
}
≤

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)
≤

max

t
∈
Ω

{
f
(
t
)
}

, that is to say, the Dresher variance mean

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)

is a true mean of f. We also establish a Dresher-type inequality

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)
≥

V

r
∗

,

s
∗

(
f
,
p
)

under appropriate conditions on r, s,

r
∗

,

s
∗

; and finally, a V-E inequality

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)
≥

(

s
r

)

1
/
(
r
−
s
)

E
(
f
,
p
)

that shows that

V

r
,
s

(
f
,
p
)

can be compared with

E
(
f
,
p
)

. We are also able to illustrate the uses of these results in space science.

MSC:26D15, 26E60, 62J10.
Coupled common fixed point results involving "Equation missing" -contractions in ordered generalized metric spaces with application to integral equations
Authors: Jain Manish , Tas Kenan , Gupta Neetu
Published: August 2013

We establish some coupled coincidence and coupled common fixed point theorems for the mixed g-monotone mappings satisfying

(
ϕ
,
ψ
)

-contractive conditions in the setting of ordered generalized metric spaces. Presented theorems extend and generalize the very recent results of Choudhury and Maity (Math. Comput. Model. 54(1-2):73-79, 2011). To illustrate our results, an example and an application to integral equations have also been given.

MSC:54H10, 54H25.
Body mass index affects proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human subcutaneous adipose tissue-derived stem cells
Authors: Frazier Trivia P , Gimble Jeffrey M , Devay Jessica W , Tucker Hugh A , Chiu Ernest S , Rowan Brian G
Published: August 2013

Background

Obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer and co-morbidities that are part of the metabolic syndrome. Adipose tissue is recognized as an endocrine organ, as it affects a number of physiological functions, and contains adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs). ASCs can differentiate into cells of multiple lineages, and as such are applicable to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Yet the question of whether ASC functionality is affected by the donor’s body mass index (BMI) still exists.

Results

ASCs were isolated from patients having different BMIs (BMI-ASCs), within the ranges of 18.5-32.8. It was hypothesized that overweight BMI-ASCs would be more compromised in early adipogenic and osteogenic potential, and ability to form coloniesin vitro. BMI was inversely correlated with ASC proliferation and colony forming potential as assessed by CyQUANT proliferation assay (fluorescence- based measurement of cellular DNA content), and colony forming assays. BMI was positively correlated with early time point (day 7) but not later time point (day 15) intracytoplasmic lipid accumulation as assessed by Oil-Red-O staining. Alizarin red staining and RT-PCR for alkaline phosphatase demonstrated that elevated BMI resulted in compromised ASC mineralization of extracellular matrix and decreased alkaline phosphatase mRNA expression.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that elevated BMI resulted in reduced ASC proliferation, and potentially compromised osteogenic capacityin vitro; thus BMI is an important criterion to consider in selecting ASC donors for clinical applications.
Sources of bias in measures of allele-specific expression derived from RNA-seq data aligned to a single reference genome
Authors: Stevenson Kraig R , Coolon Joseph D , Wittkopp Patricia J
Published: August 2013

Background

RNA-seq can be used to measure allele-specific expression (ASE) by assigning sequence reads to individual alleles; however, relative ASE is systematically biased when sequence reads are aligned to a single reference genome. Aligning sequence reads to both parental genomes can eliminate this bias, but this approach is not always practical, especially for non-model organisms. To improve accuracy of ASE measured using a single reference genome, we identified properties of differentiating sites responsible for biased measures of relative ASE.

Results

We found that clusters of differentiating sites prevented sequence reads from an alternate allele from aligning to the reference genome, causing a bias in relative ASE favoring the reference allele. This bias increased with greater sequence divergence between alleles. Increasing the number of mismatches allowed when aligning sequence reads to the reference genome and restricting analysis to genomic regions with fewer differentiating sites than the number of mismatches allowed almost completely eliminated this systematic bias. Accuracy of allelic abundance was increased further by excluding differentiating sites within sequence reads that could not be aligned uniquely within the genome (imperfect mappability) and reads that overlapped one or more insertions or deletions (indels) between alleles.

Conclusions

After aligning sequence reads to a single reference genome, excluding differentiating sites with at least as many neighboring differentiating sites as the number of mismatches allowed, imperfect mappability, and/or an indel(s) nearby resulted in measures of allelic abundance comparable to those derived from aligning sequence reads to both parental genomes.
Insights into xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri biofilm through proteomics
Authors: Zimaro Tamara , Thomas Ludivine , Marondedze Claudius , Garavaglia Betiana S , Gehring Chris , Ottado Jorgelina , Gottig Natalia
Published: August 2013

Background

Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (X. a. pv. citri) causes citrus canker that can result in defoliation and premature fruit drop with significant production losses worldwide. Biofilm formation is an important process in bacterial pathogens and several lines of evidence suggest that in X. a. pv. citri this process is a requirement to achieve maximal virulence since it has a major role in host interactions. In this study, proteomics was used to gain further insights into the functions of biofilms.

Results

In order to identify differentially expressed proteins, a comparative proteomic study using 2D difference gel electrophoresis was carried out on X. a. pv. citri mature biofilm and planktonic cells. The biofilm proteome showed major variations in the composition of outer membrane proteins and receptor or transport proteins. Among them, several porins and TonB-dependent receptor were differentially regulated in the biofilm compared to the planktonic cells, indicating that these proteins may serve in maintaining specific membrane-associated functions including signaling and cellular homeostasis. In biofilms, UDP-glucose dehydrogenase with a major role in exopolysaccharide production and the non-fimbrial adhesin YapH involved in adherence were over-expressed, while a polynucleotide phosphorylase that was demonstrated to negatively control biofilm formation in E. coli was down-regulated. In addition, several proteins involved in protein synthesis, folding and stabilization were up-regulated in biofilms. Interestingly, some proteins related to energy production, such as ATP-synthase were down-regulated in biofilms. Moreover, a number of enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle were differentially expressed. In addition, X. a. pv. citri biofilms also showed down-regulation of several antioxidant enzymes. The respective gene expression patterns of several identified proteins in both X. a. pv. citri mature biofilm and planktonic cells were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR and shown to consistently correlate with those deduced from the proteomic study.

Conclusions

Differentially expressed proteins are enriched in functional categories. Firstly, proteins that are down-regulated in X. a. pv. citri biofilms are enriched for the gene ontology (GO) terms ‘generation of precursor metabolites and energy’ and secondly, the biofilm proteome mainly changes in ‘outer membrane and receptor or transport’. We argue that the differentially expressed proteins have a critical role in maintaining a functional external structure as well as enabling appropriate flow of nutrients and signals specific to the biofilm lifestyle.
Organ-specific remodeling of the Arabidopsis transcriptome in response to spaceflight
Authors: Paul Anna-Lisa , Zupanska Agata K , Schultz Eric R , Ferl Robert J
Published: August 2013

Background

Spaceflight presents a novel environment that is outside the evolutionary experience of terrestrial organisms. Full activation of the International Space Station as a science platform complete with sophisticated plant growth chambers, laboratory benches, and procedures for effective sample return, has enabled a new level of research capability and hypothesis testing in this unique environment. The opportunity to examine the strategies of environmental sensing in spaceflight, which includes the absence of unit gravity, provides a unique insight into the balance of influence among abiotic cues directing plant growth and development: including gravity, light, and touch. The data presented here correlate morphological and transcriptome data from replicated spaceflight experiments.

Results

The transcriptome of Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated organ-specific changes in response to spaceflight, with 480 genes showing significant changes in expression in spaceflight plants compared with ground controls by at least 1.9-fold, and 58 by more than 7-fold. Leaves, hypocotyls, and roots each displayed unique patterns of response, yet many gene functions within the responses are related. Particularly represented across the dataset were genes associated with cell architecture and growth hormone signaling; processes that would not be anticipated to be altered in microgravity yet may correlate with morphological changes observed in spaceflight plants. As examples, differential expression of genes involved with touch, cell wall remodeling, root hairs, and cell expansion may correlate with spaceflight-associated root skewing, while differential expression of auxin-related and other gravity-signaling genes seemingly correlates with the microgravity of spaceflight. Although functionally related genes were differentially represented in leaves, hypocotyls, and roots, the expression of individual genes varied substantially across organ types, indicating that there is no single response to spaceflight. Rather, each organ employed its own response tactics within a shared strategy, largely involving cell wall architecture.

Conclusions

Spaceflight appears to initiate cellular remodeling throughout the plant, yet specific strategies of the response are distinct among specific organs of the plant. Further, these data illustrate that in the absence of gravity plants rely on other environmental cues to initiate the morphological responses essential to successful growth and development, and that the basis for that engagement lies in the differential expression of genes in an organ-specific manner that maximizes the utilization of these signals – such as the up-regulation of genes associated with light-sensing in roots.
High burden of hepatitis B infection in Northern Uganda: results of a population-based survey
Authors: Ochola Emmanuel , Ocama Ponsiano , Orach Christopher G , Nankinga Ziadah K , Kalyango Joan N , McFarland Willi , Karamagi Charles
Published: August 2013

Background

Worldwide 2 billion people are exposed to hepatitis B infection, 350 million have chronic infection, 65 million in sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda is highly endemic with 10% national prevalence of hepatitis B infection, rates varying across the country from 4% in the southwest and 25% in the Northeast. Childhood vaccination was rolled out in 2002, the effect of which on the burden of hepatitis B has not been examined. We determined the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B infection in the Northern Uganda Municipality of Gulu.

Methods

We carried out a cross-sectional, population-based survey. The study population included those found at home at the time of recruitment. Data on demographics, wealth index, cultural and behavioral factors, vaccination and health education on hepatitis B were collected. Hepatitis B infection (Hepatitis B surface antigen positive) and lifetime exposure (anti-hepatitis B core antibody positive) were measured. Analysis was done in 2 age groups, 1–14 years, 14 years and more. Associations between predictors and HBV infection were assessed.

Results

Information on 790 respondents were analyzed. Overall, 139/790 (17.6%) had hepatitis B infection and 572/790 (72.4%) lifetime exposure. In the younger age group 16/73 (21.9%) had hepatitis B infection and 35/73 (48%) lifetime exposure. Increasing wealth was protective for infection (OR 0.46 per quartile, 95% CI=0.26-0.82, p=0.009), while older age was protective for lifetime exposure (OR 2.70 per age group, 95% CI 1.03-7.07, p=0.043). In the older age group, overall hepatitis B infection was seen in 123/717 (17.2%) and lifetime exposure in 537/717 (74.9%). The female sex (OR 0.63, 95% CI=0.42-0.98, p=0.032) and increasing age (OR 0.76 per age group, 95% CI=0.64-0.91, p=0.003) were factors associated with infection. For lifetime exposure, increasing number of lifetime sexual partners was a risk factor (OR 1.19 per partner category, 95% CI=1.04-1.38, p=0.012).

Conclusions

We found a high prevalence of hepatitis B infection and lifetime exposures to hepatitis B in this northern Uganda Municipality. Targeted vaccination of susceptible adults and improving existing childhood vaccinations and provision of treatment for those with infection will play roles in reducing the high prevalence rates seen in the population.
“If It’s Not Working, Why Would They Be Testing It?”: mental models of HIV vaccine trials and preventive misconception among men who have sex with men in India
Authors: Chakrapani Venkatesan , Newman Peter A , Singhal Neeti , Nelson Ruban , Shunmugam Murali
Published: August 2013

Background

Informed consent based on comprehension of potential risks and benefits is fundamental to the ethical conduct of clinical research. We explored mental models of candidate HIV vaccines and clinical trials that may impact on the feasibility and ethics of biomedical HIV prevention trials among men who have sex with men (MSM) in India.

Methods

A community-based research project was designed and implemented in partnership with community-based organizations serving MSM in Chennai and Mumbai. We conducted 12 focus groups (n = 68) with diverse MSM and 14 key informant interviews with MSM community leaders/service providers using a semi-structured interview guide to explore knowledge and beliefs about HIV vaccines and clinical trials. Focus groups (60–90 minutes) and interviews (45–60 minutes) were conducted in participants’ native language (Tamil in Chennai; Marathi or Hindi in Mumbai), audio-taped, transcribed and translated into English. We explored focus group and interview data using thematic analysis and a constant comparative method, with a focus on mental models of HIV vaccines and clinical trials.

Results

A mental model of HIV vaccine-induced seropositivity as “having HIV” resulted in fears of vaccine-induced infection and HIV stigma. Some participants feared inactivated vaccines might “drink blood” and “come alive”. Pervasive preventive misconception was based on a mental model of prevention trials as interventions, overestimation of likely efficacy of candidate vaccines and likelihood of being assigned to the experimental group, with expectations of protective benefits and decreased condom use. Widespread misunderstanding and lack of acceptance of placebo and random assignment supported perceptions of clinical trials as “cheating”. Key informants expressed concerns that volunteers from vulnerable Indian communities were being used as “experimental rats” to benefit high-income countries.

Conclusions

Evidence-informed interventions that engage with shared mental models among potential trial volunteers, along with policies and funding mechanisms that ensure local access to products that demonstrate efficacy in trials, may support the safe and ethical implementation of HIV vaccine trials in India.
Community’s knowledge, attitudes and practices about tuberculosis in Itang Special District, Gambella Region, South Western Ethiopia
Authors: Bati Jango , Legesse Mengistu , Medhin Girmay
Published: August 2013

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the primary public health problems in developing countries. HIV/AIDS, poverty, undernutrition, over-crowded living conditions and lack of knowledge about the disease have been known to increase the risk of spreading the bacteria and the risk of developing the disease. The objective of this study was to assess the level of TB knowledge, attitudes and practices of rural communities of Itang Special District of the Gambella Regional State of Ethiopia.

Methods

Between November 2011 and January 2012, a community-based cross sectional study was carried out in a randomly selected rural kebeles (i.e. the smallest administrative units) of Itang communities. The study participants were interviewed using pre-tested questionnaire. The overall knowledge, attitudes and practices of the study participants were assessed using the mean score of each outcome as a cut-off value. Having a score above the mean on each of the three target outcomes was equated with having a good level of knowledge, or having favorable attitude and good practices towards TB.

Results

Out of 422 study participants (58.5% males and 41.5% females) only 3.3% mentioned bacteria/germ as a cause of pulmonary TB (PTB) and 9.9% mentioned cough for at least two weeks as the sign of TB. Taking the mean knowledge score as the cut-off value, 57.6% (95% CI: 52.7% to 62.3%) of the study participants had good level of knowledge about TB, 40.8% (95% CI: 36.0% to 45.6%) had favorable attitude towards TB and 45.9% (95% CI: 41.1% to 50.9%) had good practices. Female participants were less likely to have good level of knowledge [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.33, 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.51, p < 0.001], less likely to have favorable attitude (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.37) and less likely to have good practices (AOR = 0.37, 95% CI, 0.24 to 0.57, p < 0.001) compared to male participants.

Conclusion

Majority of the study participants had no correct information about the causative agent of TB and the main symptom of PTB. Moreover, low level of overall knowledge, attitudes and practices about TB was associated with female participants. Hence, TB control strategy in the present study area should include community awareness raising component.
Toward integrated and sustainable prevention against diabetes in rural China: study rationale and protocol of eCROPS
Authors: Feng Rui , Li Kaichun , Cheng Jing , Xie Shaoyu , Chai Jing , Wei Pingfu , Wang Debin
Published: August 2013

Background

Being an intermediate stage in the development of diabetes, pre-diabetics were estimated as high as 14% to 63% in China and one to three quarters of them will develop into diabetes within 10 years. It is well established that the risk of diabetes progression can be modified substantially and a whole range of proven guidelines, protocols and methodologies are available. Unfortunately, most proven interventions are seldom used in daily practice and this is especially true in resource poor rural China. This project aims at demonstrating that an evolutionary intervention package featuring low cost, integration with routine services, cultural sensitization and self-optimization, is effective and sustainable in preventing diabetes.

Methods/design

This project utilizes a quasi cluster randomized controlled trial and a batched implementation strategy in which villages are recruited in 7 blocks within 7 consecutive years respectively. Block 0 involves 3 villages and provides an opportunity for piloting and refining primitive intervention methodologies and protocols. The following 6 blocks consist of 14 villages each and serve as intervention arm; while all the villages not yet started intervention form the control arm. For each block, measurement happens at baseline and every 12 months (for plasma glucose) or monthly (for body weight and blood pressure) after baseline. These arrangements enable documentation of up to 6 years of consecutive measures and detection of lower incidence of progression into diabetes, improved body max index and blood pressure, and increased service use and involvement in healthy dietary and physical activities among pre-diabetics receiving the experimental intervention compared to themselves at baseline or those in the delayed-intervention control condition.

Discussion

China has a long history of separating disease prevention and treatment systems and there is a clear need to leverages key success factors in a synergetic way toward integrated and sustainable diabetes prevention. This project is owned and managed by local health authorities and utilizes available resources. It introduces a package of long-term incentives, establishes ongoing mechanisms for continuous capacity building and quality improvement, and builds up an operational cycle for catalyzing similar efforts in the local prefecture even throughout rural China.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials: ISRCTN66772711.
High conjugated linoleic acid enriched ghee (clarified butter) increases the antioxidant and antiatherogenic potency in female Wistar rats
Authors: Chinnadurai Kathirvelan , Kanwal Harpreet Kaur , Tyagi Amrish Kumar , Stanton Catherine , Ross Paul
Published: August 2013

Background

Hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress are the main stimulating factors responsible for coronary artery disease and progression of atherosclerosis. Dairy food products are rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is considered as an important component due to its potential health benefits such as anticarcinogenic, antiatherogenic, antidiabetic and antiadipogenic properties. In the present study, the effect of CLA enriched ghee on the antioxidant enzyme system and antiatherogenic properties in Wistar rats has been studied.

Methods

Female Wistar rats of 21 days were taken for the study and fed with soybean diet (Control diet), low CLA diet and high CLA ghee diet (treatments) for thirty five days for studying antioxidative enzymes and sixteen weeks in case of antiatherogenic studies.

Results

Feeding of high CLA enhanced ghee during pubescent period in rats lead to an increase in catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activities in blood and increased CAT, SOD and glutathione transferase (GST) enzymes activities in liver by 27, 130 and 168 percent, respectively. Plasma nitrate concentration and Haemoglobin levels remained the same in all the treatments. Feeding of high CLA ghee resulted in lower (P < 0.01) plasma cholesterol & triglyceride level (52.17 and 30.27%), and higher high density lipoproteins (33.26%) than feeding of soybean oil (control group) and thus manifested in decreased (P < 0.05) atherogenic index (from 0.472 to 0.244). Lesser cholesterol and triglyceride levels were observed in the liver and aorta of high CLA fed rats than in those of the other groups. Histopathological studies of liver showed normal hepatic cords with portal triad in the high CLA ghee fed rats whereas fatty degeneration of hepatocytes containing fat vacuoles was observed in the liver of the other groups.

Conclusion

This paper is the first report of the antioxidant and antiatherogenic properties of the high CLA enriched ghee suggesting that high CLA ghee can be used as a potential food for decreasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, particularly in India, where, ghee is widely used for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Collision tumors of the sella: coexistence of pituitary adenoma and craniopharyngioma in the sellar region
Authors: Jin Guishan , Hao Shuyu , Xie Jian , Mi Ruifang , Liu Fusheng
Published: August 2013

Collision tumors of the sellar region are relatively uncommon and consist mainly of more than one type of pituitary adenoma or a cyst or cystic tumor. The association of a pituitary adenoma and a craniopharyngioma is particularly rare. This study describes a rare occurrence in which a pituitary adenoma and a craniopharyngioma coexisted in the sellar region. The case involves a 47-year-old woman who underwent transsphenoidal surgery with subtotal tumor resection and reoperation using an interhemispheric transcallosal approach for total microsurgical resection of the tumor because the visual acuity in her left eye had re-deteriorated. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations of the excised tissue revealed a pituitary adenoma in the first operation and a craniopharyngioma in the second operation. Retrospective analysis found the coexistence of a pituitary adenoma and a craniopharyngioma, known as a collision tumor. Instead of the transsphenoidal approach, a craniotomy should be performed, to explore the suprasellar region.
Assessment of cytotoxicity of (N-isopropyl acrylamide) and Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)-coated surfaces
Authors: Cooperstein Marta A , Canavan Heather E
Published: August 2013

Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is one of the most popular stimulus-responsive polymers for research. It is especially of great interest in the field of tissue engineering. While it is known that the NIPAM monomer is toxic, there is little conclusive research on the cytotoxicity of the polymer. In this work, the relative biocompatibility of the NIPAM monomer, pNIPAM, and pNIPAM-coated substrates prepared using different polymerization (free radical and plasma polymerization) and deposition (spin coating and plasma polymerization) techniques was evaluated using appropriate cytotoxicity tests (MTS, Live/Dead, plating efficiency). Four different mammalian cell types (endothelial, epithelial, smooth muscle, and fibroblasts) were used for the cytotoxicity testing. The pNIPAM-coated surfaces were evaluated for their thermoresponse and surface chemistry using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and goniometry. We found that while cell viability on pNIPAM surfaces decreases when compared to controls, the viability also seems to be deposition type dependent, with sol–gel based pNIPAM surfaces being the least biocompatible. Long term experiments proved that all pNIPAM-coated surfaces were not cytotoxic to the four cell types evaluated in a direct contact test. Plating efficiency experiments did not show cytotoxicity. Cellular sensitivity to pNIPAM and to the NIPAM monomer varied depending on cell type. Endothelial cells consistently showed decreased viability after 48 hours of exposure to pNIPAM extracts and were more sensitive than the other cell lines to impurities in the polymer.
Dietary glutamine supplementation prevents mucosal injury and modulates intestinal epithelial restitution following acetic acid induced intestinal injury in rats
Authors: Swaid Forat , Sukhotnik Igor , Matter Ibrahim , Berkowitz Drora , Hadjittofi Christopher , Pollak Yulia , Lavy Alexandra
Published: August 2013

Beneficial effects of glutamine (GLN) have been described in many gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preventative effect of oral GLN supplementation against acetic acid (AA) induced intestinal injury in a rat. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into four experimental groups: control (CONTR) rats underwent laparotomy, control-glutamine (CONTR-GLN) rats were treated with enteral glutamine given in drinking water (2%) 48 hours before and five days following laparotomy, AA rats underwent laparotomy and injection of AA into an isolated jejunal loop, and acetic acid-glutamine (AA-GLN) rats underwent AA-induced injury and were treated with enteral GLN 48 hours before and 5 days following laparotomy. Intestinal mucosal damage (Park’s injury score), mucosal structural changes, enterocyte proliferation and enterocyte apoptosis were determined five days following intestinal injury. Western blotting was used to determine p-ERK and bax protein levels. AA-induced intestinal injury resulted in a significantly increased intestinal injury score with concomitant inhibition of cell turnover (reduced proliferation and enhanced apoptosis). Treatment with dietary GLN supplementation resulted in a decreased intestinal injury score with concomitant stimulation of cell turnover (enhanced proliferation and reduced apoptosis). In conclusion, pre-treatment with oral GLN prevents mucosal injury and improves intestinal recovery following AA-induced intestinal injury in rats.
Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from pigs from different localities in China by PCR-RFLP
Authors: Jiang Hai-Hai , Huang Si-Yang , Zhou Dong-Hui , Zhang Xiao-Xuan , Su Chunlei , Deng Shun-Zhou , Zhu Xing-Quan
Published: August 2013

Background

Toxoplasma gondii is a widely prevalent protozoan parasite that causes serious toxoplasmosis in humans and animals. The present study aimed to determine the genetic diversity of T. gondii isolates from pigs in Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guangdong Provinces and Chongqing Municipality in China using multilocous polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technology.

Methods

A total of 38 DNA samples were extracted from hilar lymph nodes of pigs with suspected toxoplasmosis, and were detected for the presence of T. gondii by semi-nested PCR of B1 gene. The positive DNA samples were typed at 11 genetic markers, including 10 nuclear loci, namely, SAG1, 5′-SAG2 and 3′-SAG2, alternative SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and an apicoplast locus Apico.

Results

Twenty-five of the 38 DNA samples were T. gondii B1 gene positive. Complete genotyping data for all loci could be obtained for 17 of the 25 samples. Two genotypes were revealed (ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotypes #9 and #3). Sixteen samples belong to genotype #9 which is the major lineage in mainland China and one sample belongs to genotype #3 which is Type II variant.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic typing of T. gondii isolates from pigs in Jiangxi, Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality, and the first report of ToxoDB #3 T. gondii from pigs in China. These results have implications for the prevention and control of foodborne toxoplasmosis in humans.