bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perianal Crohn’s Disease: Predictive Factors and Genotype-Phenotype Correlations
Authors: Kanaan Ziad , Ahmad Surriya , Bilchuk Natalia , Vahrenhold Crystal , Pan Jianmin , Galandiuk Susan
Published: March 2012

Aim: To investigate genotype-phenotype correlations in patients with perianal Crohn’s disease (PCD) in order to determine which factors predispose to development of perianal disease in Crohn’s patients. Methods: Seven-hundred and ninety-five Caucasian individuals (317 CD patients and 478 controls without inflammatory bowel disease, IBD) were prospectively enrolled into a clinical/genetic database. Demographic and clinical data, as well as peripheral blood leukocyte DNA were obtained from all patients. The following were evaluated: three NOD2/CARD15 polymorphisms: R702W, G908R, and 1007insC; five IL-23r risk alleles: rs1004819, rs10489629, rs2201841, rs11465804, and rs11209026; a well-characterized single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the IBD5 risk haplotype (OCTN1) and two peripheral tag SNPs (IGR2060 and IGR3096). Results: PCD occurred in 147 (46%) of CD patients. There was no significant difference in the age at disease diagnosis between non-PCD and PCD patients (33 vs. 29 years, respectively). PCD patients were more likely to have disease located in the colon and ileocolic regions (79 PCD vs. 57% non-PCD; n = 116 vs. n = 96; p < 0.001), whereas patients with non-PCD were more likely to have Crohn’s within the terminal ileum and upper gastrointestinal tract (43% non-PCD vs. 21% PCD; n = 73 vs. n = 31; p < 0.05). Thirty-four percent of patients with PCD required a permanent ileostomy (n = 50) compared to only 4% of non-PCD patients (n = 6; p < 0.05). Mutations in CARD15/NOD2 and IL-23r were risk factors for CD overall; however, in contrast to prior reports, in this patient population, OCTN1 and IGR variations within the IBD5 haplotype were not significant predictors of PCD. Conclusion: Colon/ileocolic CD location appears to be a significant predictor of perianal manifestations of CD. Patients with PCD are more likely to require permanent fecal diversion. We did not identify any genetic variations or combination of clinical findings and genetic variations within the CARD15/NOD2, IL-23r, and OCTN1 genes or IGR that were predictive of PCD.
Perineal Stapled Prolapse Resection for Complete External Rectal Prolapse: Preliminary Experience and Literature Review
Authors: Mistrangelo Massimiliano , Tonello Paolo , Allaix Marco Ettore , Borroni Roberto , Canavesio Nicola , Corno Franco
Published: March 2012

Purpose: Perineal stapled prolapse resection (PSP) for external rectal prolapse is a new surgical technique. Methods: Between April 2009 and January 2011, 5 female patients (mean age, 67 years; range, 53–76) underwent PSP for full-thickness external rectal prolapse. Patients were placed in a slight Trendelenburg position to free the pouch of Douglas from any deep enterocele. Laparoscopic control of the PSP procedure was performed to avoid injury to the bowel in one patient with anorexia. The prolapse was completely resected continuously counterclockwise using a curved Contour® Transtar™ stapler placed parallel to the dentate line. After completion of resection, the neorectum fell back into place spontaneously. Results: Mean operating time was 56 min (range, 40–90). No intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred. No recurrence appeared. The mean hospital stay was 4 days (range, 3–6); the mean follow-up was 6.5 months (range, 2–15). The mean Wexner fecal incontinence score was 9.2 before and 4.6 at 3 months after surgery (p = 0.010); the mean obstructed defecation syndrome score decreased from 16 to 4.75 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: PSP is an easy, fast and safe procedure. Early functional results are good. Long-term results and recurrence rates need to be investigated further.
Optimization of a Heterologous Signal Peptide by Site-Directed Mutagenesis for Improved Secretion of Recombinant Proteins in Escherichia coli
Authors: Jonet Mohd Anuar , Mahadi Nor Muhammad , Murad Abdul Munir Abdul , Rabu Amir , Bakar Farah Diba Abu , Rahim Raha Abdul , Low Kheng Oon , Illias Rosli Md.
Published: March 2012

A heterologous signal peptide (SP) from Bacillus sp. G1 was optimized for secretion of recombinant cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) to the periplasmic and, eventually, extracellular space of Escherichia coli. Eight mutant SPs were constructed using site-directed mutagenesis to improve the secretion of recombinant CGTase. M5 is a mutated SP in which replacement of an isoleucine residue in the h-region to glycine created a helix-breaking or G-turn motif with decreased hydrophobicity. The mutant SP resulted in 110 and 94% increases in periplasmic and extracellular recombinant CGTase, respectively, compared to the wild-type SP at a similar level of cell lysis. The formation of intracellular inclusion bodies was also reduced, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamyde gel electrophoresis, when this mutated SP was used. The addition of as low as 0.08% glycine at the beginning of cell growth improved cell viability of the E. coli host. Secretory production of other proteins, such as mannosidase, also showed similar improvement, as demonstrated by CGTase production, suggesting that the combination of an optimized SP and a suitable chemical additive leads to significant improvements of extracellular recombinant protein production and cell viability. These findings will be valuable for the extracellular production of recombinant proteins in E. coli.
Low Rate of Production of Apolipoproteins B100 and AI in 2 Patients With Anderson Disease (Chylomicron Retention Disease)
Authors: Ouguerram Khadija , Zaïr Yassine , Kasbi-Chadli Fatima , Nazih Hassane , Bligny Dominique , Schmitz Jacques , Aparicio Thomas , Chétiveaux Maud , Magot Thierry , Aggerbeck Laurence P. , Samson-Bouma Marie Elisabeth , Krempf Michel
Published: March 2012

Objective—

Anderson disease is a rare inherited lipid malabsorption syndrome associated with hypocholesterolemia and linked to
SAR1B
mutations. The aim of this article was to analyze the mechanisms responsible for the low plasma apolipoprotein Apo-B100 and Apo-AI in 2 patients with Anderson disease.

Methods and Results—

A primed constant infusion of
13
C-leucine was administered for 14 hours to determine the kinetics of lipoproteins. In the 2 patients, total cholesterol (77 and 85 mg/dL versus 155±32 mg/dL), triglycerides (36 and 59 versus 82±24 mg/dL), Apo-B100 (48 and 43 versus 71±5 mg/dL), and Apo-AI (47 and 62 versus 130±7 mg/dL) were lower compared with 6 healthy individuals. Very-low-density lipoprotein-B100 production rate of the patients was lower (4.08 and 5.52 mg/kg/day versus 12.96±2.88 mg/kg/day) as was the fractional catabolic rate (5.04 and 4.32 day
−1
versus 12.24±3.84 day
−1
). No difference was observed in intermediate-density lipoprotein-B100 and LDL-B100 kinetic data. The production rate of high-density lipoprotein Apo-AI was lower in the patients (7.92 and 8.64 versus 11.96±1.92 mg/kg/day) and the fractional catabolic rate was higher (0.38 and 0.29 versus 0.22±0.01 day
−1
).

Conclusion—

The low plasma Apo-B100 and Apo-AI concentrations in the patients with Anderson disease were mainly related to low rates of production.
Apolipoprotein E4 Domain Interaction Accelerates Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis in Hypomorphic Arg-61
Apoe
Mice
Authors: Eberlé Delphine , Kim Roy Y. , Luk Fu Sang , de Mochel Nabora Soledad Reyes , Gaudreault Nathalie , Olivas Victor R. , Kumar Nikit , Posada Jessica M. , Birkeland Andrew C. , Rapp Joseph H. , Raffai Robert L.
Published: March 2012

Objectives—

Apolipoprotein (apo) E4 is an established risk factor for atherosclerosis, but the structural components underlying this association remain unclear. ApoE4 is characterized by 2 biophysical properties: domain interaction and molten globule state. Substituting Arg-61 for Thr-61 in mouse apoE introduces domain interaction without molten globule state, allowing us to delineate potential proatherogenic effects of domain interaction in vivo.

Methods and Results—

We studied atherosclerosis susceptibility of hypomorphic
Apoe
mice expressing either Thr-61 or Arg-61 apoE (
Apoe
T
h/h
or
Apoe
R
h/h
mice). On a chow diet, both mouse models were normolipidemic with similar levels of plasma apoE and lipoproteins. However, on a high-cholesterol diet,
Apoe
R
h/h
mice displayed increased levels of total plasma cholesterol and very-low-density lipoprotein as well as larger atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic root, arch, and descending aorta compared with
Apoe
T
h/h
mice. In addition, evidence of cellular dysfunction was identified in peritoneal
Apoe
R
h/h
macrophages which released lower amounts of apoE in culture medium and displayed increased expression of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules.

Conclusions—

These data indicate that domain interaction mediates proatherogenic effects of apoE4 in part by modulating lipoprotein metabolism and macrophage biology. Pharmaceutical targeting of domain interaction could lead to new treatments for atherosclerosis in apoE4 individuals.
Predicting the Risk of Symptomatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Ischemic Stroke Treated With Intravenous Alteplase
Authors: Mazya Michael , Egido José A. , Ford Gary A. , Lees Kennedy R. , Mikulik Robert , Toni Danilo , Wahlgren Nils , Ahmed Niaz
Published: March 2012

Background and Purpose—

Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (SICH) is a serious complication in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous thrombolysis. We aimed to develop a clinical score that can easily be applied to predict the risk of SICH.

Methods—

We analyzed data from 31 627 patients treated with intravenous alteplase enrolled in the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke (SITS) International Stroke Thrombolysis Register. The outcome measure was SICH per the Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (SITS-MOST) definition: a Type 2 parenchymal hemorrhage with deterioration in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥4 points or death. Univariate risk factors associated with the outcome were entered into a logistic regression model after stratification of continuous variables. Adjusted ORs for the independent risk factors were converted into points, which were summated to produce a risk score.

Results—

We identified 9 independent risk factors for SICH: baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, serum glucose, systolic blood pressure, age, body weight, stroke onset to treatment time, aspirin or combined aspirin and clopidogrel, and history of hypertension. The overall rate of SICH was 1.8%. The risk score ranged from 0 to 12 points and showed a >70-fold graded increase in the rate of SICH for patients with a score ≥10 points (14.3%) compared with a score of 0 point (0.2%). The prognostic discriminating capability by C statistic was 0.70.

Conclusions—

The SITS SICH risk score predicts large cerebral parenchymal hemorrhages associated with severe clinical deterioration. The score could aid clinicians to identify patients at high as well as low risk of SICH after intravenous alteplase.
A Study of Intraseasonal Temperature Variability in Southeastern South America
Authors: Naumann Gustavo , Vargas Walter M.
Published: March 2012

The main goal of this work was to conduct an intraseasonal climate variability analysis using wavelet and principal component analysis over a southeastern South American daily maximum and minimum temperature series from the end of the nineteenth until the beginning of the twenty-first century. The analysis showed that there is a definite and coherent signal in the intraseasonal maximum and minimum temperatures. The most noticeable signal was observed during the winter months. The frequency of the intraseasonal signal was more complex for the maximum temperature, and in some stations, it displayed a bimodal distribution. A defined pattern that described a coherent variability between 30 and 60 days throughout the entire region was observed. This pattern potentially allows classification of the regional variability and adjustments to the temperature forecasting models on a daily basis.
On the Slope Is on the Screen
Authors: Woermann Niklas
Published: March 2012

Internet-based social media have emerged as an important site for creative consumption, or prosumption, and a number of studies have examined how consumers interact in and shape this virtual space. However, less is known about how social media transform consumers’ bodily practices beyond the realm of the Internet itself. Thus we might ask, If consumers embrace participatory web cultures, how does the web participate in (offline) consumer cultures? This article analyzes the significance of social media for a range of bodily subcultural practices. Using ethnographic data from freeskiing, a lifestyle sport similar to snowboarding, it details how social media converts “offline” forms of prosumption into mediatized and globally embedded practices. It argues that important subcultural practices, such as self-observation, learning, and developing a sense of style, all depend on habitual practices of seeing and that these offline practices change as the production and consumption of visual social media becomes more widespread. The article suggests that social media institute the global coordination of individual aesthetic practices that include hedonism, reflection, and knowledge. It concludes that social media can be conceptualized as scopic systems: decentralized, nonhierarchical mechanisms that select, distribute, and contextualize visual content and foster global microstructures among dispersed audiences. In developing this argument, the article specifies the impact of social media on prosumption on the basis of insights from science and technology studies.
The Coming of Age of the Prosumer
Authors: Ritzer George , Dean Paul , Jurgenson Nathan
Published: March 2012

This essay provides an introduction to prosumption, the topic of this special double issue of American Behavioral Scientist. The term prosumption was coined by Alvin Toffler in 1980 and refers to a combination of production and consumption. In this introduction, the authors first argue that prosumption is not new but is actually primordial. Many scholars have dealt with the issue, at least implicitly, but only recently have they begun to deal with it explicitly as prosumption. Prosumption has always existed, but various social changes (e.g., the rise of the Internet and of social networking on it) have greatly expanded both the practice of prosumption and scholarly attention to it. Prosumption has its most obvious and direct relevance to the economy. As a result, the authors also frame it in terms of contemporary capitalism. Finally, they offer a brief overview of the articles in the double issue, included under the headings Theoretical Contributions to the Concept of Prosumption, The Role of Prosumption in Politics, and Meaning Making Within Prosumption.
Finding the needle in the haystack: A review of microarray gene expression research into schizophrenia
Authors: Kumarasinghe Nishantha , Tooney Paul A , Schall Ulrich
Published: March 2012

Background:

With an estimated 80% heritability, molecular genetic research into schizophrenia has remained inconclusive. Recent large-scale, genome-wide association studies only identified a small number of susceptibility genes with individually very small effect sizes. However, the variable expression of the phenotype is not well captured in diagnosis-based research as well as when assuming a ‘heterogenic risk model’ (as apposed to a monogenic or polygenic model). Hence, the expression of susceptibility genes in response to environmental factors in concert with other disease-promoting or protecting genes has increasingly attracted attention.

Method:

The current review summarises findings of microarray gene expression research with relevance to schizophrenia as they emerged over the past decade.

Results:

Most findings from post mortem, peripheral tissues and animal models to date have linked altered gene expression in schizophrenia to presynaptic function, signalling, myelination, neural migration, cellular immune mechanisms, and response to oxidative stress consistent with multiple small effects of many individual genes. However, the majority of results are difficult to interpret due to small sample sizes (i.e. potential type-2 errors), confounding factors (i.e. medication effects) or lack of plausible neurobiological theory.

Conclusion:

Nevertheless, microarray gene expression research is likely to play an important role in the future when investigating gene/gene and gene/environment interactions by adopting a neurobiologically sound theoretical framework.
Clinical features of parricide in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Ahn Byoung-Hoon , Kim Jeong-Hyun , Oh Sohee , Choi Sang Sub , Ahn Sung Ho , Kim Sun Bum
Published: March 2012

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with parricide in patients with schizophrenia who committed homicide.

Method:

Among patients with schizophrenia who were in the National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry between November and December 2007, 88 patients who committed homicides were enrolled; 59 had committed parricide, and 29 had killed strangers. Medical charts, written expert opinions, written records of police or prosecutors, and court decisions were reviewed. Direct interviews with patients were also conducted.

Results:

Significant factors associated with parricide among homicidal patients with schizophrenia were living with the victim, female sex of the victim, and offense-provoking events including scolding, threatening forced hospitalisation, and forcing medication on the patient before the homicide. Capgras syndrome was present at a significantly higher rate in the parricide group than in the stranger group. Drug compliance at the time of the offence was low in both groups.

Conclusions:

Untreated psychotic symptoms such as Capgras syndrome, living with elderly parents, especially mothers, and conflicts caused by victims’ scolding, threatening forced hospitalisation, and forcing medication on the patients are associated with parricide among homicide offenders with schizophrenia.
Sociology, health data, and health equity: One state agency as a site of social change
Authors: Hynes Margaret M
Published: March 2012

Governmental agencies are important sources of information on the health and well-being of citizens. Recently, improvement in the data collection and reporting of race, ethnicity, social class, and primary language has received considerable attention by national and state governmental bodies in the US as we try to accommodate the social and health needs of an increasingly diverse population. This article draws on the author’s work as a sociologist in a state governmental public health agency to improve the collection and reporting of social data for the purpose of describing health disparities across subpopulation groups and informing equitable health policies. It illustrates how sociologists in governmental agencies can be agents of social change in broad-based collaborative efforts to improve population health and social policy. It describes the context in which a governmental agency is uniquely positioned to be a site of social change.
Transforming place and belonging through action research, community practice, and public policy: Comparing responses to NIMBYism
Authors: Abraham Margaret , Maney Gregory M
Published: March 2012

While solidifying class inequalities on a transnational basis, corporate globalization often disrupts power regimes locally. Such disruptions can generate site-specific contention across social differences that solidify the physical marginalization or exclusion of less powerful groups at the local level. In the United States one form of local contention that results from corporate globalization is strong, organized opposition to the presence of marginalized and vulnerable immigrant populations. This article focuses upon NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) encountered in two cases where community organizations sought to create spaces and services for immigrants. The first section provides a multidimensional analytical framework centered around the concept of boundary contention. The second section lays out the methodological approach to the collaborative endeavor. The third section provides lessons learned for developing strategic practices that can assist organizations to reverse the disempowering dynamics of corporate globalization by either removing or expanding symbolic, relational, and physical boundaries in local contexts.
Caste, sexuality and labour: The troubled connection
Authors: Gopal Meena
Published: March 2012

This article examines the troubled connection between feminist research and activism. As a member of the autonomous feminist collective Forum Against Oppression of Women, in Mumbai, the author draws on her participation in the ongoing discussions and dialogue, both within the group and with other organizations, and uses the case of feminist thinking on caste and sexual labour to discuss the challenges and prospects of linking research with practice. The article begins by briefly outlining the relationship between caste, labour and sexuality, drawing particularly on Dalit feminists’ reflections of the lived experience of caste. It highlights the dialogues between multiple women including those involved in different forms of sexual labour. The article seeks to capture the challenges of linking research and practice as feminists attempt to generate dialogue through multiple viewpoints to guide feminist understanding and actions. This endeavour is still ongoing and therefore a process.
Changing representations of women in Ghanaian popular music: Marrying research and advocacy
Authors: Ampofo Akosua Adomako , Asiedu Awo Mana
Published: March 2012

This article maps the multiple methods used to bring scholar-activists, music producers and music consumers together in a conversation that culminated in the creation of three winning ‘empowering songs’ from the ‘Changing representations of women in popular music’ project. This project explores the gendered stereotypes of women in popular music, and seeks to contribute to reflection on, and creation of, alternative (empowering) narratives about women through song. The article discusses this marriage of research and advocacy and reflects on some of the outcomes from ‘corporate’ reflections – all of which generated a lot of passion about the tensions and possibilities around women’s representations and roles. The authors conclude that for research findings to have practical and policy value and legitimacy, what, how, when and where we communicate our messages is extremely important.
The angry gift: A neglected facet of philanthropy
Authors: Silber Ilana F
Published: March 2012

Research on elite philanthropy has discussed a rich range of motivations and interests to help explain why individuals of great wealth might be inclined to engage in philanthropic giving. In such context, however, little attention has been paid to anger. Drawing upon interviews with a sample of 26 Israeli philanthropic mega-donors, this article highlights a distinctive cluster of negative and critical emotions – called here ‘civic anger’ – found to target the state and politics in particular, and possibly help account for a growing engagement with philanthropic giving among the very wealthy in the context of Israel. Donors’ civic anger is then discussed as a context-bound moral and political emotion, characterizing donors’ understanding of philanthropy as a highly personal and reflexive option, but also shaped and facilitated by a specific configuration of macro-institutional and cultural conditions. As such, it also underscores the need for further comparative exploration of the varying moral and emotional tenor of elite philanthropy as an expanding mode of public action in contemporary civil societies.
Above-Real-Time Training (ARTT) Improves Transfer to a Simulated Flight Control Task
Authors: Donderi D. C. , Niall Keith K. , Fish Karyn , Goldstein Benjamin
Published: March 2012

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure the effects of above-real-time-training (ARTT) speed and screen resolution on a simulated flight control task.

Background: ARTT has been shown to improve transfer to the criterion task in some military simulation experiments. We tested training speed and screen resolution in a project, sponsored by Defence Research and Development Canada, to develop components for prototype air mission simulators.

Method: For this study, 54 participants used a single-screen PC-based flight simulation program to learn to chase and catch an F-18A fighter jet with another F-18A while controlling the chase aircraft with a throttle and side-stick controller. Screen resolution was varied between participants, and training speed was varied factorially across two sessions within participants. Pretest and posttest trials were at high resolution and criterion (900 knots) speed.

Results: Posttest performance was best with high screen resolution training and when one ARTT training session was followed by a session of criterion speed training.

Conclusion: ARTT followed by criterion training improves performance on a visual-motor coordination task. We think that ARTT influences known facilitators of transfer, including similarity to the criterion task and contextual interference.

Application: Use high-screen resolution, start with ARTT, and finish with criterion speed training when preparing a mission simulation.
Turnaround management strategies in public systems: the impact on group-level organizational citizenship behavior
Authors: Beeri Itai
Published: March 2012

The use of Turnaround Management Strategies (TMS) in public administration has received growing interest among both researchers and practitioners who deal with public performance. However, our theoretical and empirical knowledge about TMS suffers from significant lacunae. This research presents results from a unique empirical survey that tests the effect of TMS on group-level Organizational Citizenship Behavior. One hundred and twenty-six senior leaders of English local authorities participated in the study. The findings show that local authorities that implemented repositioning and reorganization at the organizational level to a high extent experienced high levels of group-level Organizational Citizenship Behavior, while high implementation of reorganization at the personnel level was linked to low group-level Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Group-level Organizational Citizenship Behavior was indifferent to retrenchment strategies. Implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Points for practitioners

Modern public administrations face repeated ups and downs. This being so, public managers are expected to pursue far-reaching organizational changes to achieve goals ranging from maintaining excellence to recovering from poor performance. This study explores the effect of Turnaround Management Strategies (TMS) on organizational behavior. The findings offer two useful lessons for practitioners. First, repositioning and reorganization at the organizational level may be used as a foundation for improving the organizational culture, work relations, morale and cooperation. Second, introducing major personnel changes is likely to produce mixed or even undesired outcomes.
Metaphors of Identity and Professional Practice
Authors: Kram Kathy E. , Wasserman Ilene C. , Yip Jeffrey
Published: March 2012

Historically, professional identity was viewed as a singular construct, and the boundary-spanning dynamics of subidentities remained unexamined. More recently, identity scholars have paved the way to consider the multiple personal and social identities that comprise an individual’s professional identity. These dynamics are exemplified by the unique challenges that scholar–practitioners regularly encounter. To deepen understanding of variations in how scholar–practitioners enact their professional identity, we interviewed young scholar–practitioners who completed their doctorates in the past 7 years, as well as seasoned scholar–practitioners with at least 20 years of experience. We elicited metaphors from the interviewees to explore the complexities of their professional identity and subidentities and the challenges that scholar–practitioners face at different stages of career development. We offer implications for the future socialization of scholar–practitioners and others in boundary-spanning roles.
Real space and wave-number space studies of the phase structure and morphology of iPP/PEOc blends using phase contrast microscopy
Authors: Zhu Lin , Xu Xinhua , Sheng Jing
Published: March 2012

Phase contrast microscopy (PCM) was used to study the relation of the phase structure and morphology of isotactic polypropylene/poly(ethylene- co-octene) (iPP/PEOc) blends and the composition and the shear rate. The digital image analysis containing the analysis both in real space and wave-number space was introduced to deal with the PCM micrographs. The average characteristic length, Lm, in real space and the mean square radius of gyration, [Formula: see text], in wave-number space were defined and calculated to discuss the phase structure and morphology of iPP/PEOc blends. In addition, the fractal dimension, Dc, was introduced to describe spatial distribution uniformity of the dispersed phase. The results showed that these parameters were effective to study the size and its distribution of the dispersed phase particles.
Interlaminar/interfiber failure of unidirectional glass fiber reinforced composites used for wind turbine blades
Authors: Leong Martin , Overgaard Lars CT , Daniel Isaac M , Lund Erik , Thomsen Ole T
Published: March 2012

A unidirectional glass fiber/epoxy composite was characterized under multi-axial loading by testing off-axis specimens under uniaxial tension and compression at various angles relative to the fiber direction. Iosipescu shear tests were performed with both symmetric and asymmetric specimens. Tests were performed on both 1-2 and 1-3 material coordinate planes. Strain gauges and Digital Image Correlation were used to record the stress–strain responses. A new approach was used to define a ‘failure initiation strength’ by analyzing the recorded stress–strain curves. The experimentally determined failure stresses were compared with the predictions of the maximum stress, Tsai-Wu and Northwestern University failure criteria. It was found that using the approach of analyzing the stress–strain curve to define a point of material failure initiation, it was possible to obtain good correlation between the experimental data and predictions by both the Tsai-Wu and the NU failure criteria.
Mechanical properties of polymer near graphite sheet
Authors: Gao Jing-Suei , Shiu Sung-Chiun , Tsai Jia-Lin
Published: March 2012

This study aims to investigate the local mechanical properties of polyimide near graphite sheet in the graphite/polyimide nanocomposites. In order to understand the influence of graphite on the molecular configuration, the corresponding density and order parameter of the polyimide near the graphite/polyimide interface were evaluated using molecular dynamics simulation. In addition, the local mechanical properties of polyimide polymer were characterized through the calculation of the local stress distribution of the polyimide subjected to a uniform strain deformation. Results illustrated that in the vicinity of the graphite sheet, the polyimide chains are not only adsorbed compactly toward the graphite sheet but they are also oriented along the graphite surface. Moreover, it is found that the modulus of polyimide near the graphite/polyimide interface is higher than that in other regions. The phenomena clearly illustrated that the mechanical properties of polyimide close to the interface are affected dramatically by the graphite sheet.
Rediscovering Sig Socransky, the Genius and His Legacy
Authors: Teles R.P. , Teles F.R.F. , Loesche W.J. , Listgarten M. , Fine D. , Lindhe J. , Malament K. , Haffajee A.D.
Published: March 2012

Some individuals make contributions so vital to their field of knowledge that their names become almost synonymous with that field. This is the case of Sig Socransky and the field of periodontal microbiology. Sig Socransky, or simply Sig, was born in Toronto, Canada and received his DDS degree from the University of Toronto in 1957. He studied microbiology and periodontology at Harvard, receiving a certificate in 1961. That same year he was recruited to work as a Research Associate at the Forsyth Dental Center. In 1968, he was nominated Senior Member of the Staff and Head of the Department of Periodontology. During his 50-year career at Forsyth, Sig published over 300 manuscripts, keeping an average of 7 publications per year. His work had an indelible impact in the fields of periodontology and oral microbiology. All these accomplishments pale in comparison with the impact that Sig had on a personal level. We have collected testimonials from some of his former students, closest collaborators, and friends in an attempt to give readers an insight into Sig’s personality. We hope we can offer those who knew him through his work a glimpse of how it felt to interact with this remarkable individual.
Academic Procrastination, Emotional Intelligence, Academic Self-Efficacy, and GPA
Authors: Hen Meirav , Goroshit Marina
Published: March 2012

Academic procrastination has been seen as an impediment to students’ academic success. Research findings suggest that it is related to lower levels of self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy and associated with higher levels of anxiety, stress, and illness. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to assess, regulate, and utilize emotions and has been found to be associated with academic self-efficacy and a variety of better outcomes, including academic performance. Students with learning disabilities (LD) are well acquainted with academic difficulty and maladaptive academic behavior. In comparison to students without LD, they exhibit high levels of learned helplessness, including diminished persistence, lower academic expectations, and negative affect. This study examined the relationships among academic procrastination, EI, and academic performance as mediated by academic self-efficacy in 287 LD and non-LD students. Results indicated that the indirect effect of EI on academic procrastination and GPA was stronger in LD students than in non-LD students. In addition, results indicated that LD students scored lower than non-LD students on both EI and academic self-efficacy and higher on academic procrastination. No difference was found in GPA.
The Intonation and Signaling of Declarative Questions in Manchego Peninsular Spanish
Authors: Henriksen Nicholas C.
Published: March 2012

This paper is an experimental investigation on the tonal structure and phonetic signaling of declarative questions by speakers of Manchego Peninsular Spanish, a dialect of Spanish for which little experimental research on intonation is currently available. Analysis 1 examines the scaling and timing properties of final rises produced by 16 speakers under various pressures of tonal crowding. The quantitative results provide evidence for two contrasting nuclear pitch accent specifications: L* vs. H*. These data are consistent with the findings and analyses of final rises in Dutch, although certain time pressure effects had not been reported in this previous body of research. Analysis 2 provides a phonetic comparison of the two question contours uncovered in Analysis 1 with those of lexically and syntactically identical declarative statements. The findings indicate that speakers differentiate the two question contours from corresponding statement contours in dissimilar fashion and that for the L*H% contour, the terminal rise may be the only F0 signal of its question intent. Some speculation on the possible causes of this variation is offered in conclusion.
Risk, Recidivism, and (Re)habilitation
Authors: Wilson James A. , Zozula Christine
Published: March 2012

Project Greenlight (GL) was an innovative and intensive prison-based intervention delivered to inmates during the 8-week period immediately prior to their release from prison. Using a relatively rigorous research design, evaluators reported significant negative effects associated with the treatment at one year after release. We reassess the GL intervention over a longer follow-up period and focus on differences by risk level. Findings indicate that although the bulk of the negative effects dissipate compared with one control group, significant negative effects remain when compared with a second. More importantly, however, we find that program effects are differentially distributed by risk level in a counterintuitive direction.
Staff Perceptions of Risk for Prison Rape Perpetration and Victimization
Authors: Gonsalves Valerie M. , Walsh Kate , Scalora Mario J.
Published: March 2012

Since the inception of the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003, increased attention has been directed toward identifying and eliminating acts of institutional sexual violence. However, few empirical studies have systematically explored risk factors that staff perceive as important when ascertaining risk for prison sexual perpetration and victimization. This study examined ratings from 10 staff for 315 female and 1,842 male inmates screened for admission to correctional facilities in a Midwestern state. Overall, findings indicate that a low proportion of inmates were rated medium–high risk for either perpetration or victimization. In addition, results suggest that staff perceived risk factors for sexual violence somewhat differently for female and male inmates. Furthermore, data revealed that staff considered presentation characteristics more relevant than empirically derived risk factors when determining vulnerability to prison rape. Implications for institutional policy and prison sexual assault screening are discussed.
Recognizing the Need for Prisoner Input in Correctional Research
Authors: Miller Holly Ventura , Tillyer Rob , Miller J. Mitchell
Published: March 2012

Although evaluation has become a common component of substance abuse treatment programs in correctional settings, few evaluation designs use a mixed-methodological approach and even fewer incorporate participant interviews in the data collection process. This oversight is problematic for a number of reasons, one of which is the uniquely disadvantaged position of the subjects under study (i.e., prisoners). Using data from an evaluation of an in-prison alcohol treatment program, this article illustrates the utility of the qualitative interview in correctional research. Findings suggest that interviews are capable of providing information otherwise inaccessible through quantitative designs and identifying process and management barriers to optimal program operation. Discussion centers on implications for policy and practice enhancement.
Men’s Vulnerability to Prisoner-on-Prisoner Sexual Violence
Authors: Morash Merry , Jeong Seokjin , Bohmert Miriam Northcutt , Bush Daniel R.
Published: March 2012

The one-state case study described in this article assesses imprisoned men’s vulnerability to sexual assault by an inmate before policies were implemented to reduce sexual violence. The cases studied were substantiated in an internal hearing procedure. On average, victims were more recently incarcerated, younger, smaller, and less aggressive than their perpetrators, but many victim-perpetrator pairs deviated from this profile. The strongest predictor of victimization was a history of childhood sexual victimization. Other predictors were race, youth, build, education, and experience with incarceration.
Five-Factor Model of Personality, Work Behavior Self-Efficacy, and Length of Prior Employment for Individuals With Disabilities
Authors: O’Sullivan Deirdre , Strauser David R. , Wong Alex W.K.
Published: March 2012

With the continued lower employment rate for persons with disabilities, researchers are focusing more on barriers to employment that reach beyond functional impairment. Personality and self-efficacy have consistently been important factors when considering employment outcomes for persons without disability; less is known about these factors as they relate to job tenure in samples of people with disabilities. A sample of 56 individuals eligible for vocational rehabilitation services was used to investigate the relationship among personality, work behavior efficacy, and length of prior employment. Results of this study revealed that work behavior efficacy and personality are related to length of prior employment. Personality was found to account for a significant amount of variance in work behavior efficacy, and personality was a stronger predictor of length of prior employment over work behavior efficacy. Specifically, the personality trait openness significantly contributed to length of prior employment, and openness and neuroticism significantly contributed to length of prior employment among persons with low education. A discussion of the dynamic nature of personality as it relates to persons with disabilities and employment is included.
Predictors of Employment and Postsecondary Education of Youth With Autism
Authors: Migliore Alberto , Timmons Jaimie , Butterworth John , Lugas Jaime
Published: March 2012

Using logistic and multiple regressions, the authors investigated predictors of employment and postsecondary education outcomes of youth with autism in the Vocational Rehabilitation Program. Data were obtained from the RSA911 data set, fiscal year 2008. Findings showed that the odds of gaining employment were greater for youth who received job placement services, yet only 48% of youth received this service. In addition, postsecondary education was among the strongest predictors of better earnings, yet only 10% of youth received college services. The authors recommended providing job placement services and college services to more youth with autism. At the same time, due to the relatively moderate effect sizes of these regression models, they recommend investigating additional variables currently not included in the RSA911 data set.
Pharmacokinetic Properties ofAnti‐Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibitors
Authors: Chairat Kalayanee , Tarning Joel , White Nicholas J. , Lindegardh Niklas
Published: March 2012

Neuraminidase inhibitors are the mainstay of anti‐influenza treatment. Oseltamivir is the most widely used drug but is currently available only as an oral formulation. Resistance spreads rapidly in seasonal H1N1 influenza A viruses, which were universally resistant in 2008, because of the H275Y mutation in the neuraminidase (NA) gene. Oseltamivir is a prodrug for the active carboxylate metabolite. Ex vivo conversion in blood samples may have confounded early pharmacokinetic studies. Oseltamivir shows dose linear kinetics, and oseltamivir carboxylate has an elimination half‐life (t1/2β) after oral administration in healthy individuals of approximately 7.7 hours. Oseltamivir carboxylate is eliminated primarily by tubular secretion, and both clearance and tissue distribution are reduced by probenecid. The H275Y mutation in NA confers high‐level oseltamivir resistance and intermediate peramivir resistance but does not alter zanamivir susceptibility. Zanamivir is available as a powder for inhalation, and a parenteral form is under development. Zanamivir distributes in an apparent volume of distribution approximating that of extracellular water and is rapidly eliminated (t1/2β of approximately 3.0 hours). Peramivir is slowly eliminated (t1/2β of 7.7‐20.8 hours) and is prescribed as either a once‐daily injection or as a single infusion. Laninamivir is a recently developed slowly eliminated compound for administration by inhalation.
Simulating urban heat island effects with climate change on a Manchester house
Authors: Lee Susan E , Levermore Geoff J
Published: March 2012

This article presents a methodology for determining the internal temperatures of a post-1919 mid-terrace house for the present-day and a future (2050) climate. The Meteorological Office, Hadley Centre regional climate model has been run with urban parameterisation and an improved land-surface scheme with urban heat island forcing and a weather generator to quantify the effect of the urban heat island. Manchester city dry-bulb air temperatures are shown to be of the order of 4 K higher than those for the present-day under a UKCP09 medium emissions scenario. Extreme summer temperature data (99% percentile) are used to produce a cooling design day for use in a building simulation program.1 Loft and wall insulation decreases internal air temperatures by up to 17% and low e glazing with louvres by up to 8%. Internal temperatures for a 2050 climate will exceed existing Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers thresholds.

Practical application: Climate change is an important subject for both the building industry and local authorities. Climate change scenarios produced by the Hadley Centre General Circulation Models (GCM) have been downscaled to the local level for use in a building simulation model.1 This article demonstrates a technique that enables data from a GCM to be used within a building simulation program1 for an urban environment. It also examines the implications of the combined effect of the urban heat island and climate change on the adaptation options available to designers and planners for existing and future buildings.
Pollutant dispersion in a natural ventilated dental clinic
Authors: Zhang W , Mak CM , Wong HM
Published: March 2012

Mechanical ventilation poses some challenges for control of pollutants in a fully enclosed dental clinic. Natural ventilation is used in some clinics because of its high exhausting efficiency and low non-renewable energy consumption. In this study, a dental clinic model was built using a computational fluid dynamics platform. The objective was to study the effect of natural ventilation on pollutant dispersion in this setting. The evaluations were conducted using the advanced turbulence model, large eddy simulation for the flow field and the discrete phase modelling for pollutant tracks. Three basic ventilation paths were identified, the ‘single narrow path’, ‘narrow path’ and ‘dispersive path’. The results show that the first of these had the highest efficiency, with an escape time of about 1/30 and 1/100 of the narrow and dispersive paths, respectively. Despite the position of the pollutant source and facilities such as bulkheads, escape time was significantly reduced when the ventilation flow rate was increased under the single narrow and dispersive paths. However, for the narrow path, these factors played a more dominant role in the escape time than the ventilation flow rate.

Practical application: This study is expected to provide information and guidance in understanding the pollutant spread in a naturally ventilated room such as a dental clinic.