bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Postcontrast T1 Time Is Associated With Outcome in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Mascherbauer Julia , Marzluf Beatrice A. , Tufaro Caroline , Pfaffenberger Stefan , Graf Alexandra , Wexberg Paul , Panzenböck Adelheid , Jakowitsch Johannes , Bangert Christine , Laimer Daniela , Schreiber Catharina , Karakus Gültekin , Hülsmann Martin , Pacher Richard , Lang Irene M. , Maurer Gerald , Bonderman Diana
Published: September 2013

Background—

The underlying pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is incompletely understood, but myocardial extracellular matrix accumulation is thought to play a major role. Our aims were to estimate myocardial extracellular matrix using cardiac magnetic resonance T1 mapping and to assess the relationship between pathobiology/pathophysiology and prognosis.

Methods and Results—

Patients with suspected HFPEF (n=100) were enrolled in this prospective, observational study. Confirmatory diagnostic tests, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging including T1 mapping, and invasive hemodynamic assessments were performed at baseline. Sixty-one patients with confirmed HFPEF entered a longitudinal outcome-monitoring phase (mean, 22.9±5.0 months), during which 16 had a cardiac event. Cardiac magnetic resonance T1 time (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.98–0.99;
P
=0.046), left atrial area (hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.13;
P
<0.01), and pulmonary vascular resistance (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.00–1.01;
P
=0.03) were significantly associated with cardiac events. Patients with T1 times below the median (<388.3 ms) were at greater risk of cardiac events than the rest of the group (
P
<0.01). Extracellular matrix of left ventricular biopsies (n=9), quantified by TissueFAXS technology correlated with T1 time (
R
=0.98;
P
<0.01). T1 time also correlated with right ventricular–pulmonary arterial coupling (pulmonary vascular resistance:
R
=−0.36;
P
<0.01; right ventricular ejection fraction:
R
=0.28;
P
=0.01).

Conclusions—

In the present preliminary study, cardiac magnetic resonance postcontrast T1 time is associated with prognosis in HFPEF, suggesting postcontrast T1 as possible biomarker for HFPEF.
Rhodamine-Loaded Intercellular Adhesion Molecule–1-targeted Microbubbles for Dual-Modality Imaging Under Controlled Shear Stresses
Authors: Wu Zhuojun , Curaj Adelina , Fokong Stanley , Liehn Elisa A. , Weber Christian , Lammers Twan , Kiessling Fabian , Zandvoort van Marc
Published: September 2013

Background—

The ability to image incipient atherosclerosis is based on the early events taking place at the endothelial level. We hypothesized that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 even in vessels with high flow rates can be imaged at the molecular level using 2 complementary imaging techniques: 2-photon laser scanning microscopy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Methods and Results—

Using 2-photon laser scanning microscopy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound, intercellular adhesion molecule-1–targeted and rhodamine-loaded microbubbles were shown to be specifically bound to tumor necrosis factor-α–stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells and murine carotid arteries (44 wild-type mice) at shear stresses ranging from 1.25 to 120 dyn/cm
2
. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1–targeted and rhodamine-loaded microbubbles bound 8× more efficient (
P
=0.016) to stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells than to unstimulated cells and 14× more than nontargeted microbubbles (
P
=0.016). In excised carotids, binding efficiency did not decrease significantly when increasing the flow rate from 0.25 to 0.6 mL/min. Higher flow rates (0.8 and 1 mL/min) showed significantly reduced microbubbles retention, by 38% (
P
=0.03) and 55% (
P
=0.03), respectively. Ex vivo results were translatable in vivo, confirming that intercellular adhesion molecule-1–targeted and rhodamine-loaded microbubbles are able to bind specifically to the inflamed carotid artery endothelia under physiological flow conditions and to be noninvasively detected using contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Conclusions—

Our data provide groundwork for the implementation of molecular ultrasound imaging in vessels with high shear stress and flow rates, as well as for the future development of image-guided therapeutic interventions, and multiphoton microscopy as the appropriate method of validation.
Liver X Receptor Activation Stimulates Iron Export in Human Alternative Macrophages
Authors: Bories Gaël , Colin Sophie , Vanhoutte Jonathan , Derudas Bruno , Copin Corinne , Fanchon Mélanie , Daoudi Mehdi , Belloy Loïc , Haulon Stephan , Zawadzki Christophe , Jude Brigitte , Staels Bart , Chinetti-Gbaguidi Giulia
Published: September 2013

Rationale:

In atherosclerotic plaques, iron preferentially accumulates in macrophages where it can exert pro-oxidant activities.

Objective:

The objective of this study was, first, to better characterize the iron distribution and metabolism in macrophage subpopulations in human atherosclerotic plaques and, second, to determine whether iron homeostasis is under the control of nuclear receptors, such as the liver X receptors (LXRs).

Methods and Results:

Here we report that iron depots accumulate in human atherosclerotic plaque areas enriched in CD68 and mannose receptor (MR)-positive (CD68
+
MR
+
) alternative M2 macrophages. In vitro IL-4 polarization of human monocytes into M2 macrophages also resulted in a gene expression profile and phenotype favoring iron accumulation. However, M2 macrophages on iron exposure acquire a phenotype favoring iron release, through a strong increase in ferroportin expression, illustrated by a more avid oxidation of extracellular low-density lipoprotein by iron-loaded M2 macrophages. In line, in human atherosclerotic plaques, CD68
+
MR
+
macrophages accumulate oxidized lipids, which activate LXRα and LXRβ, resulting in the induction of ABCA1, ABCG1, and apolipoprotein E expression. Moreover, in iron-loaded M2 macrophages, LXR activation induces nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 expression, thereby increasing ferroportin expression, which, together with a decrease of hepcidin mRNA levels, promotes iron export.

Conclusions:

These data identify a role for M2 macrophages in iron handling, a process regulated by LXR activation.
Innate Immune Interleukin-1 Receptor–Associated Kinase 4 Exacerbates Viral Myocarditis by Reducing CCR5
+
CD11b
+
Monocyte Migration and Impairing Interferon Production
Authors: Valaperti Alan , Nishii Mototsugu , Liu Youan , Naito Kotaro , Chan Megan , Zhang Liyong , Skurk Carsten , Schultheiss Heinz-Peter , Wells George A. , Eriksson Urs , Liu Peter P.
Published: September 2013

Background—

Viral myocarditis follows a fatal course in ≈30% of patients. Interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinase 4 (IRAK4), a major nodal signal transducer in innate immunity, can play a pivotal role in host inflammatory response. We sought to determine how IRAK4 modulates inflammation and outcome in a mouse model of viral myocarditis.

Methods and Results—

Myocarditis was induced after intraperitoneal inoculation of coxsackievirus B3 into C57Bl/6 IRAK4-deficient mice and their littermate controls. Mortality and viral proliferation were markedly reduced in IRAK4
−/−
mice compared with their IRAK4
+/+
littermates. Disease resistance of IRAK4
−/−
mice paralleled increased amounts of protective heart-infiltrating CCR5
+
monocytes/macrophages and enhanced interferon-α and interferon-γ production 2 days after infection. Competitive bone marrow chimera demonstrated that intact IRAK4 function inhibited heart-specific migration of bone marrow–derived CCR5
+
cells. Mechanistically, lack of IRAK4 resulted in interferon regulatory factor 5 homodimerization via reduced melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 degradation and enhanced Stat1 and Stat5 phosphorylation. Consequently, antiviral interferon-α and interferon-γ production, as well as CCR5
+
cell recruitment, increased, whereas the overall proinflammatory response was drastically reduced in the absence of IRAK4.

Conclusions—

Innate immunity signal transducer IRAK4 exacerbates viral myocarditis through inhibition of interferon production and reduced mobilization of protective CCR5
+
monocytes/macrophages to the heart. The combination of IRAK4 inhibitors and antiviral adjuvants may become an attractive therapeutic approach against viral myocarditis in the future.
FTY720 Ameliorates Acute Ischemic Stroke in Mice by Reducing Thrombo-Inflammation but Not by Direct Neuroprotection
Authors: Kraft Peter , Göb Eva , Schuhmann Michael K. , Göbel Kerstin , Deppermann Carsten , Thielmann Ina , Herrmann Alexander M. , Lorenz Kristina , Brede Marc , Stoll Guido , Meuth Sven G. , Nieswandt Bernhard , Pfeilschifter Waltraud , Kleinschnitz Christoph
Published: September 2013

Background and Purpose—

Lymphocytes are important players in the pathophysiology of acute ischemic stroke. The interaction of lymphocytes with endothelial cells and platelets, termed thrombo-inflammation, fosters microvascular dysfunction and secondary infarct growth. FTY720, a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator, blocks the egress of lymphocytes from lymphoid organs and has been shown to reduce ischemic neurodegeneration; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We investigated the mode of FTY720 action in models of cerebral ischemia.

Methods—

Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) was induced in wild-type and lymphocyte-deficient
Rag1

−/−

mice treated with FTY720 (1 mg/kg) or vehicle immediately before reperfusion. Stroke outcome was assessed 24 hours later. Immune cells in the blood and brain were counted by flow cytometry. The integrity of the blood–brain barrier was analyzed using Evans Blue dye. Thrombus formation was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, and was correlated with cerebral perfusion.

Results—

FTY720 significantly reduced stroke size and improved functional outcome in wild-type mice on day 1 and day 3 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. This protective effect was lost in lymphocyte-deficient
Rag1

−/−

mice and in cultured neurons subjected to hypoxia. Less lymphocytes were present in the cerebral vasculature of FTY720-treated wild-type mice, which in turn reduced thrombosis and increased cerebral perfusion. In contrast, FTY720 was unable to prevent blood–brain barrier breakdown and transendothelial immune cell trafficking after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Conclusions—

Induction of lymphocytopenia and concomitant reduction of microvascular thrombosis are key modes of FTY720 action in stroke. In contrast, our findings in
Rag1

−/−

mice and cultured neurons argue against direct neuroprotective effects of FTY720.
Why the Intellect Cannot Have a Bodily Organ: De Anima 3.4
Authors: Cohoe Caleb
Published: September 2013

Abstract

I reconstruct Aristotle’s reasons for thinking that the intellect cannot have a bodily organ. I present Aristotle’s account of the ‘aboutness’ or intentionality of cognitive states, both perceptual and intellectual. On my interpretation, Aristotle’s account is based around the notion of cognitive powers taking on forms in a special preservative way. Based on this account, Aristotle argues that no physical structure could enable a bodily part or combination of bodily parts to produce or determine the full range of forms that the human intellect can understand. For Aristotle, cognitive powers with bodily organs are always spatio-temporally limited, but the understanding is not. Aristotle claims that our understanding applies to all instances of the thing understood wherever and whenever they exist. On Aristotle’s own account the intellect in its nature is only ‘potential’, it does not actually possess any form. Thus nothing prevents it from possessing all forms.
Mt. Banahaw reveals: The resurrection and neotypification of the name Rafflesia lagascae (Rafflesiaceae) and clues to the dispersal of Rafflesia seeds
Authors: PELSER PIETER B. , NICKRENT DANIEL L. , CALLADO JOHN REY C. , BARCELONA JULIE F.
Published: September 2013

The southeast Asian holoparasite genus Rafflesia Brown (1821: 207; Rafflesiaceae) is famous for producing the largest flowers on record (Kuijt 1969). Following a series of discoveries of new Rafflesia species and populations, the Philippines recently emerged as one of the centers of its diversity. It is home to no less than ten currently recognized Rafflesia species (Barcelona et al. 2009, Balete et al. 2010). Here, we report two discoveries that resulted from recent fieldwork in the Mts. Banahaw - San Cristobal Protected Landscape in Luzon and show how these new data impact the taxonomy and biology of Philippine Rafflesia.
Roles of Synoptic to Quasi-Biweekly Disturbances in Generating the Summer 2003 Heavy Rainfall in East China
Authors: Liu Hong-Bo , Yang Jing , Zhang Da-Lin , Wang Bin
Published: September 2013

During the mei-yu season of the summer of 2003, the Yangtze and Huai River basin (YHRB) encountered anomalously heavy rainfall, and the northern YHRB (nYHRB) suffered a severe flood because of five continuous extreme rainfall events. A spectral analysis of daily rainfall data over YHRB reveals two dominant frequency modes: one peak on day 14 and the other on day 4 (i.e., the quasi-biweekly and synoptic-scale mode, respectively). Results indicate that the two scales of disturbances contributed southwesterly and northeasterly anomalies, respectively, to the mei-yu frontal convergence over the southern YHRB (sYHRB) at the peak wet phase. An analysis of bandpass-filtered circulations shows that the lower and upper regions of the troposphere were fully coupled at the quasi-biweekly scale, and a lower-level cyclonic anomaly over sYHRB was phase locked with an anticyclonic anomaly over the Philippines. At the synoptic scale, the strong northeasterly components of an anticyclonic anomaly with a deep cold and dry layer helped generate the heavy rainfall over sYHRB. Results also indicate the passages of five synoptic-scale disturbances during the nYHRB rainfall. Like the sYHRB rainfall, these disturbances originated from the periodical generations of cyclonic and anticyclonic anomalies at the downstream of the Tibetan Plateau. The nYHRB rainfalls were generated as these disturbances moved northeastward under the influence of monsoonal flows and higher-latitude eastward-propagating Rossby wave trains. It is concluded that the sYHRB heavy rainfall resulted from the superposition of quasi-biweekly and synoptic-scale disturbances, whereas the intermittent passages of five synoptic-scale disturbances led to the flooding rainfall over nYHRB.
Improvement in the adhesion of bamboo fiber reinforced polylactide composites
Authors: Kang Jun Tae , Park Sang Ho , Kim Seong Hun
Published: September 2013

Polylactide composites containing bamboo fiber treated with various coupling agents were prepared using melt compounding. 3aminopropyltriethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, maleic anhydride, and acrylic acid were used as the coupling agents to improve the mechanical properties of polylactide and bamboo fiber composites. In addition, to investigate the effect of fiber diameter on mechanical properties, either split bamboo fiber or fibrillar bamboo fiber was used as reinforcement. The composites containing split bamboo fiber treated with 3aminopropyltriethoxysilane and acrylic acid exhibited the highest tensile strength of all composites prepared. In addition, the composites containing fibrillar bamboo fiber showed a marked improvement in tensile strength. To investigate the biodegradability of the composites, an enzymatic degradation test was performed using Proteinase K, a commonly used enzyme for polylactide degradation. All the polylactide composites containing bamboo fiber, regardless of which coupling agent was applied, showed a similar trend in enzymatic degradation to that of neat polylactide.
Fatigue damage propagation in unidirectional glass fibre reinforced composites made of a non-crimp fabric
Authors: Zangenberg Jens , Brøndsted Povl , Gillespie John W
Published: September 2013

Damage progression in unidirectional glass fibre reinforced composites manufactured of a non-crimp fabric subjected to tension-tension fatigue is investigated, and a quantitative explanation is given for the experimentally observed stiffness degradation. The underlying damage-mechanisms are examined using three distinct microscopic analyses, and the transverse crack density is measured. It is documented that the stiffness loss in fatigue is directly related to fibre fractures in the load-carrying axial fibre bundles, initialised by interface debonding and cracking in the transverse backing bundles. A simple stiffness spring model validates the stiffness loss observed. A fatigue damage scheme is presented, which suggests that damage initiates due to failure of the backing bundle causing a stress concentration in the axial load-carrying fibres. This stress concentration, along with fretting fatigue, gives rise to axial fibre fractures and a loss of stiffness, eventually leading to final failure. The uniqueness of the present work is identification of the mechanisms associated with tension fatigue failure of unidirectional non-crimp fabrics used for wind turbine blades. The observed damage mechanisms need further attention and understanding in order to improve the fatigue life-time of unidirectional glass fibre reinforced non-crimp fabrics.
Analysis of process-induced deformations in thermoplastic composite materials
Authors: Brauner Christian , Peters Christian , Brandwein Franziska , Herrmann Axel S
Published: September 2013

The thermoforming process is a manufacturing method to produce fibre-reinforced thermoplastic components within short cycle times (<2 min). During this process, the anisotropic material behaviour provokes residual stresses which furthermore induce unwanted deformations. Thereby, at the beginning, newly produced geometries have a quite high reject rate and the process parameters have to be adjusted iteratively. Thus, an analysis of the process-induced deformations has been carried out to investigate the connections between process parameters and final geometry. In this case, an L-angle bracket has been observed which shows a spring-in effect after the thermoforming process. For the experimental approach, the semi-crystalline polyphenylenesulphide was used as thermoplastic matrix material. In particular, the crystallisation kinetics of this polymer is described by adjusting Nakamura’s crystallisation model to different cooling rates. And furthermore, a simulation strategy has been developed to include the crystallisation behaviour in a thermal and mechanical analysis. The results of these analyses have been compared and evaluated with the outcomes of the experimental approach. Finally, some opportunities for future studies will be introduced to provide a way for improving the simulation analysis.
Effect of pressure and reinforcement type on the volume chemical shrinkage in thermoset resin and composite
Authors: Nawab Yasir , Boyard Nicolas , Jaquemin Frédéric
Published: September 2013

The diverse use of thermoset composite materials is increasing day by day in industrial applications. This has led to the development of several fabrication techniques, use of various reinforcement types, and different fabrication conditions to achieve a composite part with required properties. Despite all these technological advancements, there is a shear need to investigate and understand the effect of all these factors on the curing process. Volume chemical shrinkage of resin is one such property, which has been studied by several authors for a given value of applied pressure. A few studies have reported results on volume chemical shrinkage of composites for one type of reinforcement and for a single applied pressure. In the present work, experiments on vinylester resin and associated glass fibres composites were conducted under two different pressures. The tested composites were containing unidirectional fibres ([0] and [0/90]) and plain woven fabric with two different fibre volume fractions. The results of these experiments, carried out in a plunger type dilatometer, led us to show the effect of fibre fraction, type of reinforcement, and applied pressure on the volume chemical shrinkage of vinylester resin.
Information and Institutions Redux
Authors: Chapman Terrence L. , Pascoe Henry
Published: September 2013

In “Information and Institutions Revisited,” Fey et al. point out some corrections to the equilibrium analyzed in Chapman. In this brief response, we argue that while these corrections are appropriate, they do not address the larger substantive question of when conditions exist that would facilitate information transmission between an international security organization and a domestic audience. We show an equilibrium in which the core logic of the information transmission argument in Chapman remains. We also discuss the particular modeling choices that facilitate information transmission (or prevent it) in equilibrium.
Investor–State Disputes
Authors: Wellhausen Rachel L.
Published: September 2013

Since 1990, governments around the developing world have broken contracts made with multinational corporations (MNCs), but the incidence of breach varies across countries and over time. I argue that shared firm nationality is a key determinant of contract sanctity. MNCs are likely to divert investments or exit in response to breach with a firm of the same nationality but unlikely to react in ways costly to the host government otherwise. At the level of the economy as a whole, host governments gain permissive space to trade-off among national groups of investors when a greater diversity of foreign direct investment nationalities is present. I use national-, firm-, and dyadic-level data from 1990 to 2008 to demonstrate nationality-tied firm responses to breach. Counterintuitively, deeper integration with more nationally diverse MNCs enables more breach, as governments gain space to prioritize other goals over the property and preferences of foreign capital.
Are Arrested and Non-Arrested Serial Offenders Different? A Test of Spatial Offending Patterns Using DNA Found at Crime Scenes
Authors: Lammers Marre
Published: September 2013

Objectives:

Compare the spatial offending patterns of arrested offenders to that of non-arrested offenders, in order to assess selection bias in arrest data.

Method:

Data used for this study are from the Dutch DNA database for criminal cases. DNA allows reliable linkage of serial crimes committed by the same offender, whether or not the offender has ever been arrested. Spatial offending patterns of arrested and non-arrested offenders are measured by calculating the mean intercrime distance (MICD) of the offense locations. Survival analysis is performed to study whether the MICD has an influence on the duration until arrest.

Results:

No large differences are found between the MICD of arrested offenders and the MICD of non-arrested offenders. The MICD does not affect the duration until arrest.

Conclusions:

Because no differences in the MICDs are found between the arrested and non-arrested offenders, arrest data are probably less selective than has been suspected in the past, and results based on these data are unlikely to be strongly biased.
Effects of a Professional Development Package to Prepare Special Education Paraprofessionals to Implement Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Brock Matthew E. , Carter Erik W.
Published: September 2013

Although paraprofessionals have become an increasingly integral part of special education services, most paraprofessionals lack training in evidence-based instructional strategies. We used a randomized contolled experimental design to examine the efficacy of a professional development training package and its individual components to equip 25 paraprofessionals to implement constant time delay. The effect of the training package on implementation fidelity was statistically significant and large in magnitude ( d = 2.67; p < .001). Video modeling and coaching components were effective, although the effect of coaching alone ( d = 2.23; p < .01) was larger than video modeling alone ( d = .55; p = .18). Recommendations for further refining effective professional development opportunities for special education paraprofessionals are offered along with discussion of future research needs.
The Greatest Subversive Plot in History? The American Radical Right and Anti-UNESCO Campaigning
Authors: Hart Randle J
Published: September 2013

Through analysis of two social issues that held the potential for anti-UNESCO campaigning by the American Radical Right in the 1950s – UNESCO’s much publicized Statements on Race and the use of UNESCO textbooks in public schools and libraries – I argue that micromobilization contexts can create conditions of path dependency whereby the initiation of one campaign hinders other campaigns from developing. Specific micromobilization factors – past campaigning on similar issues, tactical expectations, an available pool of skilled activists, frame resonance, a national conservative media, and amenable polities – created favorable initial conditions for anti-UNESCO censorship campaigning, while competition from activists in another social movement restricted campaign development in response to UNESCO’s Statement on Race. The micromobilization context from which the censorship campaign emerged created conditions of path dependency which limited further the viability of American Radical Rightists developing a campaign in reaction to UNESCO’s Statement on Race.
Increasing Reading Compliance of Undergraduates
Authors: Hatteberg Sarah J. , Steffy Kody
Published: September 2013

A common source of frustration for college instructors is getting their students to read. Since the 1970s, studies have shown that no more than 30 percent of students complete a reading assignment on any given day. But what can be done? What strategies can instructors use to make certain that their students read? Do pop or announced quizzes work better? Does it help to call on students randomly in class? To date, little systematic evidence exists concerning the relative utility of the many methods instructors use to encourage reading compliance. This study begins to address that lacuna. Specifically, using survey data collected in introductory sociology classes (N = 423), we examine how students evaluate seven commonly used methods ranging from announced quizzes to short writing assignments to being called on randomly in class. We find that students perceive mandatory and/or announced methods to be more effective in motivating them to complete reading assignments than unannounced or optional methods.
Making Marx Accessible
Authors: Parrotta Kylie L. , Buck Alison R.
Published: September 2013

We introduce an exercise designed to make Marx’s theory of alienated labor accessible to students in a Sociology of Work class. Through a role-playing activity where students create and sell goods under conditions of both alienated and nonalienated labor, students actually experience the different material and social consequences of these conditions. The article briefly describes the exercise and shows how it can be used with Marx’s original writings. We assess the effectiveness of the exercise, using students’ answers to open-ended questions about the activity, and discuss possible limitations.
Increasing Student Engagement in Large Classes
Authors: Hourigan Kristen Lee
Published: September 2013

This article introduces a simple, flexible approach to engaging students within large classes, known as ARC (application, response, collaboration). ARC encourages each student’s presence and engagement in class; creates a sense of excitement and anticipation; breaks down passivity and anonymity; effectively gains, maintains, and utilizes students’ attention; fosters a nonthreatening learning environment; raises students’ awareness of personal perspectives and biases; and encourages integration of ideas and critical thinking. ARC can also be used for meaningful assessment between formal evaluations as well as to reward each student’s preparation and reading of the class material. The principles, practice, benefits, and measures of success of ARC as an effective pedagogical approach in a large survey course are outlined.
Assessing Graduate Teacher Training Programs
Authors: Pelton Julie A.
Published: September 2013

Some effort to test the effectiveness of teacher assistant training programs is common, but these evaluations are typically limited to measures of student satisfaction. Two forms of assessment commonly used in elementary and secondary teacher training programs, measuring levels of teaching anxiety and teacher efficacy, may be of use for sociology programs interested in formally evaluating the effect of teaching seminars. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of a newly established teaching seminar using the Teaching Anxiety Scale and a Teaching Confidence Scale. Findings from pre- and posttest data show that the seminar lowered graduate students’ feelings of anxiety about teaching for the first time and increased their levels of confidence regarding mastery of common pedagogical skills. Qualitative feedback from evaluations further illustrates the positive effects of the seminar on students’ senses of themselves as teachers and their knowledge of effective teaching practices.
Betwixt and Between
Authors: Grady Rebecca K. , La Touche Rachel , Oslawski-Lopez Jamie , Powers Alyssa , Simacek Kristina
Published: September 2013

Graduate students occupy social positions within institutions of higher education that are rife with role strain and, relative to broader power relations within these institutions, are marginalized. In this study, we inquire how the social positions and concomitant roles of graduate students shape their mental health experiences, investigating potential institutional sources of stress. Our findings suggest that master’s and doctoral students have unique mental health concerns related to their roles and social positions as graduate students. Major institutional sources of stress include role strain, mentor relationships, isolation, and funding.
Culture of Disengagement in Engineering Education?
Authors: Cech Erin A.
Published: September 2013

Much has been made of the importance of training ethical, socially conscious engineers, but does US engineering education actually encourage neophytes to take seriously their professional responsibility to public welfare? Counter to such ideals of engagement, I argue that students’ interest in public welfare concerns may actually decline over the course of their engineering education. Using unique longitudinal survey data of students at four colleges, this article examines (a) how students’ public welfare beliefs change during their engineering education, (b) whether engineering programs emphasize engagement, and (c) whether these program emphases are related to students’ public welfare beliefs. I track four specific public welfare considerations: the importance to students of professional/ethical responsibilities, understanding the consequences of technology, understanding how people use machines, and social consciousness. Suggesting a culture of disengagement, I find that the cultural emphases of students’ engineering programs are directly related to their public welfare commitments and students’ public welfare concerns decline significantly over the course of their engineering education. However, these findings also suggest that if engineering programs can dismantle the ideological pillars of disengagement in their local climates, they may foster more engaged engineers.
Knowing Patients
Authors: Pols Jeannette
Published: September 2013

Science and technology studies concerned with the study of lay influence on the sciences usually analyze either the political or the normative epistemological consequences of lay interference. Here I frame the relation between patients, knowledge, and the sciences by opening up the question: How can we articulate the knowledge that patients develop and use in their daily lives (patient knowledge) and make it transferable and useful to others, or, `turn it into science’? Elsewhere, patient knowledge is analyzed either as essentially different from or similar to medical knowledge. The category of experiential knowledge is vague and is used to encompass many types of experience, whereas the knowledge of the `expert patient’ may be assumed to have the shape of up-to-date medical information. This paper shows through a case study of people with severe lung disease that patient knowledge can be understood as a form of practical knowledge that patients use to translate medical and technical knowledge into something useful to their daily life with disease. Patients coordinate this with homegrown know-how and advice from fellow patients, weighing different values - of which `taking good care of one’s body’ is but one - that may conflict in a specific situation. These practices result in sets of techniques that may be made useful to others. The paper argues for two alternatives to state-of-the-art medical research to turn patient knowledge into science: ethnographies of knowledge practices (how patients know) and the collection and making accessible of techniques (what patients know).
Patterns in Income Source Expectations for Retirement Among Preretirees
Authors: Whitaker Elizabeth A. , Bokemeier Janet
Published: September 2013

Financial planning for retirement is a lifelong process constrained by financial literacy, resources, and competing demands for resources across the life course. Further, social structure shapes the availability of options for funding retirement. The social and economic frameworks surrounding retirement planning are changing, and policy makers and researchers question whether retirement expectations have adapted. To explore this question, this research used k-means cluster analysis of a 2010 survey data set to identify natural groupings of Michigan adult preretirees based on their expectations of income sources for retirement. The cluster analysis identified six distinct groups that hold very different expectations. Most had expectations that are not consistent with projected changes in social structure and resource availability and those that did were more likely to occupy traditionally privileged statuses including being White, male, and married.
Seeking Assurances When Taking Action: Legal Systems, Social Trust, and Starting Businesses in Emerging Economies
Authors: Kim Phillip H. , Li Mingxiang
Published: September 2013

This study examines how institutional conditions provide assurances founders seek when creating businesses. Classical theories predict legal institutions promote supportive conditions that foster business creation. We develop an alternative theory for why this relationship is not as straightforward in emerging economies. In these regions, people may be discouraged from taking entrepreneurial action because of the difficulties in accessing legal protections efficiently. We also introduce theory regarding the moderating role of generalized social trust because of its normative influences on business creation. We argue that generalized trust in strangers exerts positive moderating effects on the direct relationship between legal protections and entrepreneurship. The findings from our multilevel analysis of 30 emerging economies are consistent with our theory. Our work advances a new framework for how entrepreneurs cope with uncertain business conditions in emerging economies where informal, normative social structures offer more privately oriented safeguards than do formal, publicly oriented institutions. Our study also reconnects macro-institutional theories with individual-level accounts of entrepreneurship.
Beyond Fate and Hopelessness: The Need for a Contextual Approach to HIV/AIDS Prevention Programmes in the Evangelical Christian Community of French-Speaking Africa
Authors: van den Toren-Lekkerkerker Berdine
Published: September 2013

Awareness, care and preventative action regarding HIV/AIDS, and those affected by it, is growing in the evangelical Christian Community in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, even though the issues seem to be addressed through teaching and preaching in the churches, the real issues, questions and struggles of the people are not discussed. This article describes some of the most important outcomes of a qualitative research in this people group, looking at the values and beliefs around sexuality and community and what impact they have on current HIV/AIDS prevention practices and strategies. This description highlights the seeming discrepancy between people’s values and their daily lives, the role community can play – as both a community of grace and a countercultural yet contextually relevant community, and the role of leaders, grass-root communities and partnership processes in strategy development. This article argues for a contextual relevant approach in which the specific evangelical worldview is encountered as a possible strength, rather than a problem.
Anticipating Norwegian Fascism: The Radicalization of Urban Right-Wing Nationalism in Inter-war Norway
Authors: Garau Salvatore
Published: September 2013

This article argues that the transition from a liberal to an authoritarian form of nationalism in Norway after the First World War, although little studied outside Norway itself, provides an interesting and useful case study for a fuller assessment of the radicalization of European nationalism. The article looks at the forms that urban Norwegian nationalism adopted by analysing the ideas espoused by three inter-war movements, namely the Norges Samfundshjelp (Norway’s Community Aid), the Samfundsvernet (Community Defence) and the Fedrelandslaget (Fatherland League). These movements radically modified Norway’s previously liberal nationalism and introduced a set of new, but home-grown, ideas onto the Norwegian political scene, such as paramilitarism, corporatism, authoritarianism, anti-parliamentarism and territorial expansion. These were the ideas upon which Vidkun Quisling would later base the ideology of his own fascist movement, the Nasjonal Samling (National Union).
Rethinking the Fascist Aesthetic: Mass Gymnastics, Political Spectacle and the Stadium in 1930s France
Authors: Tumblety Joan
Published: September 2013

This article explores two features of cultural life in France during the era of the Popular Front, with a special focus on the Paris world’s fair of 1937 – mass gymnastics and large stadium projects designed to host both sporting and political spectacles. These developments are considered in the light of both transnational exchange, and the widespread unease expressed in interwar France towards spectator sport on the one hand and ‘totalitarian’ political mobilization on the other hand. It is argued that a ‘double attitude’ towards spectacle emerged, where disdain for commercial spectator sport sat alongside an often grudging admiration for large-scale political spectacle. The article examines the reception in France both of the Bohemian Sokol physical culture movement and the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936, showing how French commentators across the political spectrum negotiated their sense of the value of spectacles – normally by reclaiming them for identifiably ‘French’ democratic traditions and by blurring the distinction between spectatorship and participation. In doing so, the article takes issue with the reductionist nature of the notion of a ‘fascist aesthetic’, stressing that the wide purchase of both mass gymnastics and monumental neo-classical stadium design suggests that the political meaning of such things lies in their use and not their form.
Catholicism Versus Laicism: Culture Wars and the Making of Catholic National Identity in Spain, 1898–1931
Authors: Villar Joseba Louzao
Published: September 2013

This article will argue that the ‘nationalization’ of the struggle between clericalism and anti-clericalism in Spain, which began during the revolutionary interlude of the ‘six years of democracy’ (1868–74), reached a climax during the first third of the twentieth century. Despite the variety of different political cultures which developed during the period, the main confrontation was between two great and mutually incompatible visions of the nation, which can be defined as adversarial nationalisms.
Christian Elites of the Peloponnese and the Ottoman State, 1715–1821
Authors: Kostantaras Dean J.
Published: September 2013

This paper examines the political ‘system’, behaviour and attitudes of Christian landed elites in the Ottoman Peloponnese in the decades preceding the Greek Revolution of 1821. Particular attention is given to the relationship between these important local power-holders and the Filiki Etairia (Society of Friends), the secret organization that set the revolution in motion. Questions raised by earlier scholars concerning the motivations which led the notables to join this venture are reconsidered here in light of the aims disclosed in previous separatist plots and a closer reading of the interactions between the notables and the Etairia leadership. These help to indicate what the proposed revolution meant to those involved from a standpoint of opportunities and risks, as well as the assumptions contained in contemporary elite notions of sovereignty.
Superficial Medial Collateral Ligament Anatomic Augmented Repair Versus Anatomic Reconstruction
Authors: Wijdicks Coen A. , Michalski Max P. , Rasmussen Matthew T. , Goldsmith Mary T. , Kennedy Nicholas I. , Lind Martin , Engebretsen Lars , LaPrade Robert F.
Published: September 2013

Background:

When surgical intervention is required for a grade 3 superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) tear, there is no consensus on the optimal surgical treatment. Anatomic augmented repairs and anatomic reconstructions for treatment of grade 3 sMCL tears have not been biomechanically validated or compared.

Hypothesis:

Anatomic sMCL augmented repairs and anatomic sMCL reconstruction techniques will reproduce equivalent knee kinematics when compared with the intact state, while creating significant improvements in translational and rotational laxity compared with the sMCL sectioned state.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Eighteen match-paired, fresh-frozen cadaveric knees (average age, 52.6 years; range, 40-59 years) were each used to test laxity of an intact sMCL, a deficient sMCL, and either an anatomic augmented repair or an anatomic reconstruction. Knees were biomechanically tested in a 6 degrees of freedom robotic system, which included valgus rotation, internal and external rotation, simulated pivot shift, and coupled anterior drawer with external rotation.

Results:

Anatomic augmented repairs and anatomic reconstructions had significantly less medial joint gapping than the sectioned state at all tested flexion angles and showed significant reductions in valgus rotation compared with the sectioned state at all flexion angles. No significant differences between the anatomic augmented repair and anatomic reconstruction were found for any test performed. Despite the similar behavior between the 2 reconstruction groups, neither technique was able to reproduce the intact state.

Conclusion:

Anatomic sMCL augmented repairs and anatomic sMCL reconstructions were not significantly different when tested at time zero. Both the anatomic augmented repair and the anatomic reconstruction were able to improve knee stability and provide less than 2 mm of medial joint gapping at 0° and 20° of flexion.

Clinical Significance:

These results suggest that both an anatomic sMCL augmented repair and an anatomic sMCL reconstruction improve knee kinematics compared with a deficient sMCL and provide equivalent joint stability.
Risk Factors for Meniscectomy After Meniscal Repair
Authors: Lyman Stephen , Hidaka Chisa , Valdez Ana S. , Hetsroni Iftach , Pan Ting Jung , Do Huong , Dunn Warren R. , Marx Robert G.
Published: September 2013

Background:

Previous research suggests that a substantial percentage of meniscal repairs fail, resulting in a subsequent meniscectomy. Risk factors for failure have been investigated using small cohorts, providing ambiguous results.

Purpose:

To measure the frequency of and elucidate risk factors for subsequent meniscectomies after meniscal repair using a large study population from multiple surgical centers.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A total of 9529 patients who underwent 9609 outpatient meniscal repairs between 2003 and 2010 were identified from a statewide database of all ambulatory surgery in New York. Patients who subsequently underwent a meniscectomy were then identified. A Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals. The model included patient age, sex, comorbidities, concomitant arthroscopic procedures, laterality of the meniscus, and surgeon’s yearly meniscal repair volume.

Results:

The overall frequency of subsequent meniscectomies was 8.9%. Patients were at a decreased risk for subsequent meniscectomies if they underwent a concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction ( P < .001). Patients undergoing isolated meniscal repairs (without concomitant ACL reconstruction) were at a decreased risk if they were older ( P < .001), had a lateral meniscal injury ( P = .002), or were operated on by a surgeon with a higher annual meniscal repair volume (>24 cases/year; P < .001).

Conclusion:

A meniscectomy after meniscal repair is performed infrequently, supporting the notion that repairing a meniscus is a safe and effective procedure in the long term. The risk for undergoing subsequent meniscectomies is decreased in patients undergoing a concomitant ACL reconstruction, in cases of isolated meniscal repairs for patients of older age, and in patients undergoing meniscal repair by surgeons with a high case volume.
Out-of-autoclave processing and properties of bismaleimide composites
Authors: Hou Tan-Hung , Miller Sandi G , Williams Tiffany S , Sutter James K
Published: September 2013

*This paper is declared a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. The emergence of bismaleimide composites has fulfilled some of the increasing demand for higher temperature performance aeronautics and space exploration vehicles. This study examines and evaluates three bismaleimide matrix resins and two bismaleimide adhesives and reports on the processing properties of these resins and composites by out-of-autoclave–vacuum-bag-only oven processing. Measurements were conducted under various cure cycles to characterize and correlate thermal and viscoelastic properties of the materials. Specimens of all three aged matrix resins exhibited an out-time life up to 30 days when stored at room temperature. Solid and sandwich panels were fabricated with the out-of-autoclave–vacuum-bag-only process. Because of tooling limitations in industry practices, composite fabrication of these bismaleimides was restricted to a maximum 177℃ curing, followed by a free-standing postcuring at elevated temperatures in an oven. The adhesive foaming characteristics, composite resin/void content, flat wise tensile strength, and fracture surface features were evaluated. Due to the unique temperature limitations of this work, the resulting panel properties were not necessarily representative of manufacturer specifications or recommendations.