bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pretreatment of Color Filter Wastewater towards Biodegradable by Fresnel-Lens-Assisted Solar TiO2Photocatalysis
Authors: Kuo Wen-Shiuh , Li Min-Tian
Published: September 2012

The pretreatment of color filter wastewater towards biodegradable by Fresnel-lens-enhanced solar TiO2photocatalytic process was investigated. The experimental design of response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to assess the effect of critical process parameters (including initial pH, TiO2dosage, and reaction time) on pretreatment performance in terms of BOD5/COD, COD and TOC removal efficiency. Appropriate reaction conditions were established as an initial pH of 7.5, a TiO2dosage of 1.5 g/L with a reaction time of 3 h for increasing the BOD5/COD ratio to 0.15, which implied that the treated wastewater would be possibly biodegradable. Meanwhile, the efficiency of COD and TOC removals reached 32.9% and 24.4%, respectively. With the enhancement of Fresnel lens, the required reaction time for improving the biodegradability of wastewater to 0.15 was 1 h only. Moreover, the efficiency of COD and TOC removals was promoted to 37.4% and 25.8%, respectively. This could be mainly due to the concentrated effect of Fresnel lens for solar energy, including an increase of 2 times of solar irradiation and a raising of 15–20°C of wastewater temperature. Consequently, solar TiO2photocatalytic process with the use of a PMMA Fresnel lens could offer an economical and practical alternative for the pretreatment of industry wastewater containing diversified biorefractory pollutants with a high concentration of COD such as color filter wastewater.
Improving Model Checking with Context Modelling
Authors: Dhaussy Philippe , Boniol Frédéric , Roger Jean-Charles , Leroux Luka
Published: September 2012

This paper deals with the problem of the usage of formal
techniques, based on model checking, where models are large and formal
verification techniques face the combinatorial explosion issue. The goal
of the approach is to express and verify requirements relative to certain
context situations. The idea is to unroll the context into several scenarios
and successively compose each scenario with the system and verify
the resulting composition. We propose to specify the context in which
the behavior occurs using a language called CDL (Context Description
Language), based on activity and message sequence diagrams. The properties
to be verified are specified with textual patterns and attached to
specific regions in the context. The central idea is to automatically split
each identified context into a set of smaller subcontexts and to compose
them with the model to be validated. For that, we have implemented a recursive
splitting algorithm in our toolset OBP (Observer-based Prover).
This paper shows how this combinatorial explosion could be reduced by
specifying the environment of the system to be validated.
Development and Characterization of Anti-Nitr9 Antibodies
Authors: Shah Radhika N. , Rodriguez-Nunez Ivan , Eason Donna D. , Haire Robert N. , Bertrand Julien Y. , Wittamer Valērie , Traver David , Nordone Shila K. , Litman Gary W. , Yoder Jeffrey A.
Published: September 2012

The novel immune-type receptors (NITRs), which have been described in numerous bony fish species, are encoded by multigene families of inhibitory and activating receptors and are predicted to be functional orthologs to the mammalian natural killer cell receptors (NKRs). Within the zebrafish NITR family,nitr9is the only gene predicted to encode an activating receptor. However, alternative RNA splicing generates three distinctnitr9transcripts, each of which encodes a different isoform. Althoughnitr9transcripts have been detected in zebrafish lymphocytes, the specific hematopoietic lineage(s) that expresses Nitr9 remains to be determined. In an effort to better understand the role of NITRs in zebrafish immunity, anti-Nitr9 monoclonal antibodies were generated and evaluated for the ability to recognize the three Nitr9 isoforms. The application of these antibodies to flow cytometry should prove to be useful for identifying the specific lymphocyte lineages that express Nitr9 and may permit the isolation of Nitr9-expressing cells that can be directly assessed for cytotoxic (e.g., NK) function.
Approximate Solution for the Duffing‐Harmonic Oscillator by the Enhanced Cubication Method
Authors: Elías-Zúñiga Alex , Martínez-Romero Oscar , Córdoba-Díaz René K.
Published: September 2012

The cubication and the equivalent nonlinearization methods are used to replace the original Duffing‐harmonic oscillator by an approximate Duffing equation in which the coefficients for the linear and
cubic terms depend on the initial oscillation amplitude. It is shown that this procedure leads to angular frequency values with a maximum relative error of 0.055%. This value is 21% lower than the relative errors attained by previously developed approximate solutions.
Strong Convergence of Parallel Iterative Algorithm with Mean Errors for Two Finite Families of Ćirić Quasi‐Contractive Operators
Authors: Gu Feng
Published: September 2012

The purpose of this paper is to establish a strong convergence of a new parallel iterative algorithm with mean errors to a common fixed point for two finite families of Ćirić quasi‐contractive operators in normed spaces. The results presented in this paper generalize and improve the corresponding results of Berinde, Gu, Rafiq, Rhoades, and Zamfirescu.
A Model for Bus Crew Scheduling Problem with Multiple Duty Types
Authors: Chen Mingming , Niu Huimin
Published: September 2012

This paper presents an approach for solving the bus crew scheduling problem which considers early, day, and late duty modes with time shift and work intensity constraints. Furthermore, the constraint with the least crew number of a certain duty (e.g., day duty) has also been considered. An optimization model is formulated as a 0‐1 integer programming problem to improve the efficiency of crew scheduling at the minimum expense of total idle time of crew for a circle bus line. Correspondingly, a heuristic algorithm utilizing the tabu search algorithm has been proposed to solve the model. Finally, the proposed model and algorithm are successfully tested by a case study.
Severe Hemolytic Anemia Associated with Mild Pneumonia Caused byMycoplasma pneumonia
Authors: Kurugol Zafer , Onen Serife Sebnem , Koturoglu Guldane
Published: September 2012

We report a case ofM. pneumoniaeinfection presenting with severe hemolytic anemia in a 4-year-old girl, with a ten-day history of paleness, weakness, and nonproductive cough. She was very pale and tachycardic. However, she was not tachypneic. Chest examination showed normal breath sounds. No rhoncus or whistling was heard. As the erythrocyte sedimentation rate was excessively elevated, the differential diagnosis primarily comprised hematological malignancies. Direct Coombs' test was positive. Diagnosis ofM. pneumoniaeinfection was confirmed by elevated levels ofM. pneumoniaeIgG and IgM antibodies and a chest X-ray suggestive of atypical pneumonia. The patient was treated with clarithromycin and packed red cell transfusion and showed a favorable recovery within ten days after admission. In conclusion, this case demonstrates that severe hemolytic anemia caused byM. pneumoniaeis not always associated with severe pulmonary involvement, even when the respiratory infection is very mild,M. pneumoniaemay be the cause of severe anemia.
Social Insurance and Truncated Benefits: Measuring the Impacts of Workers' Compensation
Authors: Allen Samuel K.
Published: September 2012

This study addresses the indirect impacts of state-mandated workers' compensation benefits on workers' wages. The benefit structure of workers' compensation causes a fundamental estimation problem. I develop a new strategy to limit the biases inherent in earlier models. I utilize individual-level census data (between 1940 and 1990) to exploit benefit variation that occurs both across states and within the fifty states over time. The results suggest that wage offsets are not constant across time and may be larger for workers at lower-wage levels.
Route Anomaly Detection Using a Linear Route Representation
Authors: Hu Wen-Chen , Kaabouch Naima , Yang Hung-Jen , Mousavinezhad S. Hossein
Published: September 2012

A location-based service is a service based on the geographical position of a mobile handheld device like a smartphone. This research proposes location-based research, which uses location information to find route anomalies, a common problem of daily life. For example, an alert should be generated when a deliveryman does not follow his regular route to make deliveries. Different kinds of route anomalies are discussed and various methods for detecting the anomalies are proposed in this paper. The proposed method based on a linear route representation finds the matched routes from a set of stored routes as the current route is entered location by location. Route matching is made easy by comparing the current location to linear routes. An alert is generated when no matched routes exist. Preliminary experimental results show the proposed methods are effective and easy to use.
Entry into Nursing: An Ethnographic Study of Newly Qualified Nurses Taking on the Nursing Role in a Hospital Setting
Authors: Bjerknes Mari Skancke , Bjørk Ida Torunn
Published: September 2012

The transition from student to working nurse has long been recognized as challenging. This paper presents the findings of research into the opportunities and limitations encountered by newly qualified nurses when taking on the nursing role. The study had an ethnographic design. Observation, interviews, and document analysis were used to gain insight into nurses' daily work from the perspective of recently graduated nurses. Thirteen nurses were monitored closely during their first year in a hospital setting in Norway. These new nurses generally entered the field with empathy for their patients, enthusiasm for the profession, and readiness to learn more about being a good nurse. However, their more experienced colleagues seemed to neither respect nor nurture this attitude. The new nurses experienced heavier responsibilities than expected, fragmentation of patient care, and stressful interactions with colleagues. The lack of a supportive work environment and role models increased the new nurses' experience of overwhelming responsibility in their daily work situations. The nurses learned to cope the hard way, despite the organizational culture, not because of it. Adjusting the profession's expectations of new nurses, and offering good role models and more comprehensive support programmes, would markedly ease the transition for new nurses.
Measurements of Location-Dependent Nitric Oxide Levels on Skin Surface in relation to Acupuncture Point
Authors: Ha Yejin , Kim Misun , Nah Jiseon , Suh Minah , Lee Youngmi
Published: September 2012

Location-dependent skin surface’s partial nitric oxide pressure (pNO) is studied using highly sensitive amperometric NO microsensor with a small sensing area (diameter  = 76 μm). The pNO level of LI4 (Hegu) acupuncture point is measured and compared with the pNO level of nonacupuncture point. In addition, the mapping of pNO is carried out over the left wrist skin area one- as well as two-dimensionally. Statistically higher pNO levels near the position of acupuncture points than non-acupuncture points are observed consistently, implying tight relationship between the level of NO release of skin and acupuncture points. The amperometric planar NO microsensor successfully monitors the heterogeneity of skin pNO distribution in high spatial resolution due to its advantageous features such as high sensitivity and small sensing dimension. The current study suggests the direct connection between NO and acupuncture points and possibly provides beneficial information to understand physiological roles and basis of the acupuncture points.
The Feasibility and Validity of a Remote Pulse Oximetry System for Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study
Authors: Tang Jonathan , Mandrusiak Allison , Russell Trevor
Published: September 2012

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an effective treatment for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, access to these services is limited especially in rural and remote areas. Telerehabilitation has the potential to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation programs to these communities. The aim of this study was threefold: to establish the technical feasibility of transmitting real-time pulse oximetry data, determine the validity of remote measurements compared to conventional face-to-face measures, and evaluate the participants’ perception of the usability of the technology. Thirty-seven healthy individuals participated in a single remote pulmonary rehabilitation exercise session, conducted using the eHAB telerehabilitation system. Validity was assessed by comparing the participant's oxygen saturation and heart rate with the data set received at the therapist’s remote location. There was an 80% exact agreement between participant and therapist data sets. The mean absolute difference and Bland and Altman’s limits of agreement fell within the minimum clinically important difference for both oxygen saturation and heart rate values. Participants found the system easy to use and felt confident that they would be able to use it at home. Remote measurement of pulse oximetry data for a pulmonary rehabilitation exercise session was feasible and valid when compared to conventional face-to-face methods.
Dietary Acacetin Reduces Airway Hyperresponsiveness and Eosinophil Infiltration by Modulating Eotaxin-1 and Th2 Cytokines in a Mouse Model of Asthma
Authors: Huang Wen-Chung , Liou Chian-Jiun
Published: September 2012

A previous study found that eosinophil infiltration and Th2 cell recruitment are important causes of chronic lung inflammation in asthma. The plant flavonoid acacetin is known to have an anti-inflammatory effectin vitro. This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of orally administered acacetin in ovalbumin- (OVA-) sensitized asthmatic mice and its underlying molecular mechanism. BALB/c mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal OVA injection. OVA-sensitized mice were fed acacetin from days 21 to 27. Acacetin treatment attenuated airway hyperresponsiveness and reduced eosinophil infiltration and goblet cell hyperplasia in lung tissue. Additionally, eotaxin-1- and Th2-associated cytokines were inhibited in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and suppressed the level of OVA-IgE in serum. Human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells were used to examine the effect of acacetin on proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecule productionin vitro. At the molecular level, acacetin significantly reduced IL-6, IL-8, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and eotaxin-1 in activated BEAS-2B cells. Acacetin also significantly suppressed the ability of eosinophils to adhere to inflammatory BEAS-2B cells. These results suggest that dietary acacetin may improve asthma symptoms in OVA-sensitized mice.
Planned Neck Dissection Following Radiation Treatment for Head and Neck Malignancy
Authors: Dautremont J. F. , Brake M. K. , Thompson G. , Trites J. , Hart R. D. , Taylor S. M.
Published: September 2012

Introduction. Optimal therapy for patients with metastatic neck disease remains controversial. Neck dissection following radiotherapy has traditionally been used to improve locoregional control.Methods. A retrospective review of 28 patients with node-positive head and neck malignancy treated with planned neck dissection following radiotherapy between January 2002 and December 2005 was performed to assess treatment outcomes.Results. Median interval to neck dissection was 9.6 weeks with a median number of 21 + 9 lymph nodes per specimen. Ten of 31 (32%) neck dissection specimens demonstrated evidence of residual carcinoma. Overall survival at two years was 85%; five-year overall survival was 65%. Concurrent chemotherapy did not impact the presence of residual neck disease.Conclusion. Based on the frequency of residual malignancy in the neck of patients treated with primary radiotherapy, a planned, postradiotherapy neck dissection should be strongly advocated for all patients with advanced-stage neck disease.
Breast Cancer Incidence After Risk-Reducing Salpingo-Oophorectomy in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers
Authors: Fakkert Ingrid E. , Mourits Marian J.E. , Jansen Liesbeth , van der Kolk Dorina M. , Meijer Kees , Oosterwijk Jan C. , van der Vegt Bert , Greuter Marcel J.W. , de Bock Geertruida H.
Published: September 2012

Premenopausal risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers effectively reduces ovarian cancer risk, but also reduces breast cancer risk. Breast cancer risk reductions up to 50% have been reported for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, but recent prospective studies were not able to reproduce this finding for BRCA1 mutation carriers.

Breast cancer incidence after RRSO was assessed in a consecutive series of 104 BRCA1 and 58 BRCA2 mutation carriers. On the basis of data from our own centre, and assuming a 50% risk reduction through RRSO at premenopausal age, we expected to find 8 breast cancers (range 6–10) in this population for the reported screening period (532 women-years).

In 162 carriers with a median age of 41 years at RRSO, 13 incident breast cancers were diagnosed. In BRCA1 mutation carriers, 12 incident breast cancers were found compared with 5 (range 3–6) expected and in BRCA2 mutation carriers 1 breast cancer was found compared with 3 (range 2–5) expected.

Breast cancer incidence after premenopausal RRSO is still high, especially in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Previously reported breast cancer risk reductions up to 50% were not confirmed. As a consequence, continued intensive screening for breast cancer is warranted in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers after RRSO. Cancer Prev Res; 5(11); 1291–7. ©2012 AACR.
Circulation
Editors' Picks
Authors:   The Editors
Published: September 2012

The following articles are being highlighted as part of
Circulation's
Topic Review series. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the editors, published in
Circulation
and the
Circulation
subspecialty journals. The studies included in this article represent the most read manuscripts published on the topic of heart failure within the last year.
A Transition Mechanism for the Spontaneous Axisymmetric Intensification of Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Miyamoto Yoshiaki , Takemi Tetsuya
Published: September 2012

A mechanism for the transition of tropical cyclones (TCs) to the spontaneous rapid intensification (RI) phase is proposed based on numerical results of a three-dimensional full-physics model. The intensification phase of the simulated TC is divided into three subphases according to the rate of intensification: 1) a slowly intensifying phase, 2) an RI phase, and 3) an adjustment phase toward the quasi-steady state. The evolution of a TC vortex is diagnosed by the energy budget analysis and the degree of axisymmetric structure of the TC vortex, and the simulated TC is determined to be axisymmetrized 12 h before the onset of RI. It is found that equivalent potential temperature θe in the lowest layer suddenly increases inside the radius of maximum azimuthally averaged horizontal wind rma after the TC becomes nearly axisymmetric. Forward trajectory analyses revealed that the enhanced convective instability in the TC core region where the eyewall subsequently forms results from the increased inertial stability of the TC core after the axisymmetrization. Since fluid parcels remain longer inside rma, owing to the increased inertial stability, the parcels obtain more enthalpy from the underlying ocean. As a result, low-level θe and hence convective available potential energy (CAPE) increase. Under the condition with increased CAPE, the eyewall is intensified and the secondary circulation is enhanced, leading to the increased convergence of low-level inflow; this process is considered to be the trigger of RI. Once the eyewall forms, the simulated TC starts its RI.
Analytical Delta-Four-Stream Doubling–Adding Method for Radiative Transfer Parameterizations
Authors: Zhang Feng , Shen Zhongping , Li Jiangnan , Zhou Xiuji , Ma Leiming
Published: September 2012

Although single-layer solutions have been obtained for the δ-four-stream discrete ordinates method (DOM) in radiative transfer, a four-stream doubling–adding method (4DA) is lacking, which enables us to calculate the radiative transfer through a vertically inhomogeneous atmosphere with multiple layers. In this work, based on the Chandrasekhar invariance principle, an analytical method of δ-4DA is proposed.

When applying δ-4DA to an idealized medium with specified optical properties, the reflection, transmission, and absorption are the same if the medium is treated as either a single layer or dividing it into multiple layers. This indicates that δ-4DA is able to solve the multilayer connection properly in a radiative transfer process. In addition, the δ-4DA method has been systematically compared with the δ-two-stream doubling–adding method (δ-2DA) in the solar spectrum. For a realistic atmospheric profile with gaseous transmission considered, it is found that the accuracy of δ-4DA is superior to that of δ-2DA in most of cases, especially for the cloudy sky. The relative errors of δ-4DA are generally less than 1% in both the heating rate and flux, while the relative errors of δ-2DA can be as high as 6%.
The Effects of Thermohaline Circulation on Wind-Driven Circulation in the South China Sea
Authors: Wang Guihua , Huang Rui Xin , Su Jilan , Chen Dake
Published: September 2012

The dynamic influence of thermohaline circulation on wind-driven circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is studied using a simple reduced gravity model, in which the upwelling driven by mixing in the abyssal ocean is treated in terms of an upward pumping distributed at the base of the upper layer.

Because of the strong upwelling of deep water, the cyclonic gyre in the northern SCS is weakened, but the anticyclonic gyre in the southern SCS is intensified in summer, while cyclonic gyres in both the southern and northern SCS are weakened in winter. For all seasons, the dynamic influence of thermohaline circulation on wind-driven circulation is larger in the northern SCS than in the southern SCS. Analysis suggests that the upwelling associated with the thermohaline circulation in the deep ocean plays a crucial role in regulating the wind-driven circulation in the upper ocean.
Modeling the Radar Signature of Raindrops in Aircraft Wake Vortices
Authors: Liu Zhongxun , Jeannin Nicolas , Vincent Francois , Wang Xuesong
Published: September 2012

The present work is dedicated to the modeling and simulation of the radar signature of raindrops within wake vortices. This is achieved through the computation of the equation of raindrop motion within the wake vortex flow. Based on the inhomogeneous distribution of raindrops within wake vortices, the radar echo model is computed for raindrops in a given resolution cell. Simulated Doppler radar signatures of raindrops within wake vortices are shown to be a potential criterion for identifying wake vortex hazards in air traffic control. The dependence of the radar signature on various parameters, including the radial resolution and antenna elevation angle, is also analyzed.
The Most Cited Works in Tourette Syndrome
Authors: Mariam Neethu , Cavanna Andrea Eugenio
Published: September 2012

The impact of scientific articles is proportional to the citations they have received. In this study, the most cited works (“citation classics”) related to Tourette syndrome (TS) were identified as articles with more than 100 citations according to the Web of Science. We retrieved 89 highly cited articles, which were published in 26 journals: 54 clinical studies, 27 laboratory studies, 7 reviews, and 1 classification article. Clinical studies consisted of phenomenologic evaluations of TS and comorbid behavioral problems (n = 22) and studies on pharmacotherapy (n = 16) and clinical genetics (n = 13), whereas laboratory studies covered basic genetics, cellular and molecular biology (n = 11), and neurobiology (neuroimaging, neuropathology, and neurophysiology) (n = 16). The majority (58%) of citation classics were published after 1990, when laboratory studies (especially neuroimaging, immunologic, and genetic studies) became widely cited. These articles are able to reach the highest numbers of citations in a short time span and suggest potential directions for future research.
A Case of Infantile De Novo Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome Revealed by a Neonatal Arterial Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Merlin Etienne , Doré Eric , Chabrier Stéphane , Biard Marie , Marques-Verdier Alain , Stéphan Jean-Louis
Published: September 2012

The few cases of antiphospholipid syndrome that have been reported in neonates are believed to have resulted from a transplacental transfer of antiphospholipid antibodies. Here we report on a boy with a neonatal stroke revealing a de novo primary antiphospholipid, the mother being free of antiphospholipid antibodies. Other thrombosis risk factors included primiparity, gestational diabetes, macrosomia, polyglobulia, and lipoprotein(a) >30 mg/dL. Anti-cardiolipin and anti-β2-glycoprotein I persisted more than 2 years. Under aspirin therapy, the child did not exhibit recurrence of thrombotic events or symptoms of autoimmunity after a follow-up of 3 years. Our case indicates that clinicians should consider a second retesting for anticardiolipin antibodies and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies, even when children and mother neonatal tests are negative.
Performing self on the witness stand: Stance and relational work in expert witness testimony
Authors: Chaemsaithong Krisda
Published: September 2012

Underpinned by the assumption that social categorizations emerge from discursive practices performed within the interactional context, this study examines the discursive process in which an expert witness constructs and negotiates persuasive courtroom accounts. Using insights from the concept of ‘footing’ and the framework of stance and engagement, this study reveals the ways in which an expert witness calls upon a range of interactional devices to appropriate the desired footing and labeling category. The findings suggest that instead of asserting their dominance and expertise over the interlocutors, experts construct and negotiate their identity by aligning with other participants and establishing a relationship with them. All this is done within the broad constraints of courtroom discourse.
Legitimating a Chinese takeover of an Australian iconic firm: Revisiting models of media discourse of legitimacy
Authors: Zhu Yunxia , McKenna Bernard
Published: September 2012

Although increasing research attention has been given to the discourse of legitimacy in assisting mergers and acquisitions in Scandinavian countries, scarce research has been done on this topic in different geopolitical contexts. This study therefore aims to investigate the discursive struggle of delegitimizing a Chinese state-owned company investment in the Australian mining sector. We used a historical critical approach to further develop the theoretical and empirical capacity for analysing legitimacy discourses. Specifically, we have extended the research on the discourse of legitimacy research in three aspects. First, we have identified political-ideological discourse as a prominent discourse in addition to the commonly acknowledged rationalistic and nationalistic discourse. Second, we have found that the use of legitimation strategies is purposive and deliberate. Moralization strategy, in particular, was extensively used in a range of discourses (rationalistic, nationalistic and political-ideological) to delegitimize the proposed merger as not being aligned with the national interest. As a result, the legitimacy discourse failed and the deal collapsed.
American Muslims as radicals? A critical discourse analysis of the US congressional hearing on ‘The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community’s Response’
Authors: Saghaye-Biria Hakimeh
Published: September 2012

Using critical discourse analysis, this article seeks to study the ‘reproduction of racism’ against Muslim Americans in the United States Congress based on the case of the congressional hearing held on March 10, 2011, by the Homeland Security Committee of the United States House of Representatives and entitled ‘The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community’s Response’. The study reveals polarization among US representatives on the issue. Two competing discourses emerge. On the one hand, the supporters of the hearing dismiss opposition as hysteria and an irresponsible call to political correctness that doesn’t consider the looming threat from Muslim radicalization emanating from ‘discredited’ Islamic organizations such as CAIR (Council on American–Islamic Relations), ‘jihadist’ imams, and an acquiescent silent Muslim majority. The opposition attacks the hearing as a case of unjustified stereotyping against a whole religious community, an action that is counterproductive and ‘un-American’. While the first discourse introduces the Muslim community as the problem, the second discourse assesses it as part of the solution. The hearing mutes the voices of major Muslim-American organizations, as no representatives of mainstream Islamic organizations are called upon to testify as expert witnesses and some are expressly discredited, as in the case of CAIR.
Embodying discourse analysis: Lessons learned about epistemic and ontological psychologies
Authors: Cresswell James , Smith Lacey
Published: September 2012

Responding to critiques of ‘Including social discourses and experience in research on refugees, race, and ethnicity’, and providing suggestions for future work in discursive psychology, this article expands upon the complex and dynamic character of research in socioculturally informed social science. Through a better understanding of experience and an awareness of broader social discourse, one is able to consider verisimilar ontologies, which are fundamentally socio-linguistic phenomena. It is important to understand the value in using discursive psychology’s analytical practices; however, an awareness of the need to expand upon such practices is necessary in order to better understand how experience is cultivated in dynamic and rhythmic co-regulated social constitution. Future research should endeavor to develop techniques that are not necessarily formulaic, but are still examinable for the purposes of determining good versus bad work.
Discursive analysis of experience: Alterity, positioning, and tension
Authors: Larraín Antonia , Haye Andrés
Published: September 2012

We explore a dialogical conception of experience as experience of otherness, in order to suggest how to put together its socio-linguistic constitution and its phenomenologically non-reflexive nature. Through the analysis of a piece of conversation accounting for the flow of tension during verbal interaction, we argue that the felt and lived character of experience is attached to the positioning efforts among interlocutors within a discursive field. In contrast to attempts at conciliating a normative notion of social discourse with a phenomenological notion of immediate experience, we suggest that experience is discursive in itself insofar as it involves the lived or felt encounter with others, and that it can be accounted for using several, old and new, discourse analysis tools, for instance from Discursive Psychology and Conversation Analysis.
Protean experience in discursive analysis
Authors: Buttny Richard
Published: September 2012

This article reflects on what we mean by experience in discursive analysis in light of James Cresswell’s critique (Cresswell, this issue). Experience does matter, but experience does not determine or presage the narrative or accounts we will give about it. Experience is a resource that we can draw upon and make relevant for our own purposes. Experience is malleable and can be used to tell various stories, depending on the context and the interlocutors. As analysts, our job is to ascertain how social actors show that experience matters to them through their discourse and embodied action.
Male Hegemony in Decline? Reflections on the Spanish Case
Authors: Català Vicent Borràs , Colom Sara Moreno , Santamaria Laia Castelló , Casajust Anna Grau
Published: September 2012

The masculine role is built primarily on the basis of men’s position as breadwinners providing income for the home through paid work. However, it has been suggested that economic and employment crises and the transformation of production systems that have been underway since the 1970s have diminished the value of work as an identitarian element. The aim of this article is to analyze the extent to which employment crises question the model of hegemonic masculinity. Through the comparative analysis of the career paths of men and women, we show that work still forms the core of male identity, though the persistence of hegemonic masculinity is influenced by social class and generation.
Performing Knighthood
Authors: Piera Montserrat
Published: September 2012

The chivalric romance Tirant lo Blanc, composed by Joanot Martorell between 1460 and 1464, very clearly epitomizes an alternative to constructions of masculinity in the genre. The hero, Tirant lo Blanc, often performs a challenge to archetypes of masculinity in Medieval Iberia. The author’s objective is to analyze several episodes where Tirant is depicted as “queer” or effeminate and discuss the implications of placing such episodes in a text of a genre usually viewed as a paradigm of masculinity. This article will examine these instances and seek to demonstrate that preconceived ideas about Hispanic archetypes of being a man constructed in modern times often have distorted early modern male behavior.
A Systematic Review of Allostatic Load, Health, and Health Disparities
Authors: Beckie Theresa M.
Published: September 2012

The theoretical constructs of allostasis and allostatic load (AL) have contributed to our understanding of how constantly changing social and environmental factors impact physiological functioning and shape health and aging disparities, particularly along socioeconomic, gendered, racial, and ethnic lines. AL represents the cumulative dysregulation of biological systems with prolonged or poorly regulated allostatic responses. Nearly two decades of empirical research has focused on operationalizing the AL construct for examining the antecedents and health outcomes accompanying multisystem biological dysregulation. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the empirical literature that quantifies the AL construct; the review also evaluates the social, environmental, and genetic antecedents of AL as well as its predictive utility for a variety of health outcomes. A total of 58 articles published between 1997 and 2012 were retrieved, analyzed, and synthesized. The results revealed considerable heterogeneity in the operationalization of AL and the measurement of AL biomarkers, making interpretations and comparisons across studies challenging. There is, however, empirical substantiation for the relationships between AL and socioeconomic status, social relationships, workplace, lifestyle, race/ethnicity, gender, stress exposure, and genetic factors. The literature also demonstrated associations between AL and physical and mental health and all-cause mortality. Targeting the antecedents of AL during key developmental periods is essential for improving public health. Priorities for future research include conducting prospective longitudinal studies, examining a broad range of antecedent allostatic challenges, and collecting reliable measures of multisystem dysregulation explicitly designed to assess AL, at multiple time points, in population-representative samples.
Stress and Gene Expression of Individuals With Chronic Abdominal Pain
Authors: Peace Ralph Michael , Majors Benjamin L. , Patel Nayan S. , Wang Dan , Valle-Pinero Arseima Y. Del , Martino Angela C. , Henderson Wendy A.
Published: September 2012

Background:

Research examining the role of stress in gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as chronic abdominal pain (CAP) is controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of genes involved in metabolic stress and toxicity in men and women with high and low levels of perceived stress with and without CAP.

Methods:

Data and samples were collected and the expression of genes involved in metabolic stress and toxicity was analyzed in 26 individuals who had consented to participate in a natural history protocol. Subjects completed the 10-item Perceived Stress scale (PSS). Fasting participants’ peripheral whole blood was collected for proteomic and genomic studies. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array was used to analyze the expression of 84 key genes involved in human stress and toxicity plus 5 housekeeping genes. Plasma interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) protein was quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results:

Interleukin-1 alpha gene ( IL1A) was upregulated in females with high stress versus females with low stress by 2.58-fold (95% CI [0.88, 4.28]). IL1A was upregulated in participants with high stress and CAP versus those with low stress and CAP by 3.47-fold (95% CI [1.14, 5.80]).

Conclusions:

An upregulation of the gene coding the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1α suggests that the mechanism behind stress-related changes in GI symptoms is pro-inflammatory in nature. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of the mechanism behind stress-related CAP symptoms and gender differences associated with these disorders.
Dancing for women: Subverting heteronormativity in a lesbian erotic dance space?
Authors: Pilcher Katy
Published: September 2012

This article utilises participant observation, interview and collaborative visual data, collected with women erotic dancers, management and customers, to ascertain how far heteronormativity is subverted in a UK lesbian leisure space, Lippy (the name is a pseudonym), which provides erotic dance for women customers. The potential for a female ‘gaze’, the ‘normativity’ of gendered and sexualised bodies, and the notion of a ‘women’s space’ are taken as areas for analysis. Women’s engagement with erotic dance is complex, and this article examines the connections between sexual agency and gendered power relations, questioning how far women can exercise autonomous sexual expression in commercial sexual encounters.
Identity, sexuality and commercial sex among Sri Lankan nachchi
Authors: Miller Jody , Nichols Andrea
Published: September 2012

This study investigates the complex and contradictory ways in which gender identity, sexuality, and desire are configured in nachchi understandings of their lives in Sri Lanka. Nachchi was an insider term used by a group of sex workers best conceptualized using western understandings as both transgender and homosexual: nachchi celebrate their feminine gendered subjectivity, but also embrace key facets of their biological ‘maleness,’ and are ardent in their sexual desire for men. We examine the relationships between nachchi gender and sexual subjectivities, including how they compare and distinguish themselves from women and men. Particularly in the context of transactional sexual exchanges, we investigate the intersections of economics, desire, stigma and exploitation in shaping nachchi experiences.
Tracing lines of horizontal hostility: How sex workers and gay activists battled for space, voice, and belonging in Vancouver, 1975–1985
Authors: Ross Becki , Sullivan Rachael
Published: September 2012

In the mid-1970s, indoor sex workers were pushed outdoors onto the streets of Vancouver’s emergent gay West End, where a small stroll had operated for several years. While some gay activists contemplated solidarity with diversely gendered and racialized sex workers, others galvanized a campaign, alongside business owners, realtors, police, city councillors, and politicians to expel prostitution from their largely white, middle-class enclave. Sex workers commanded inadequate capital to thwart the anti-vice, neo-liberal lobby. Instead, an assimilationist, homonormative gay politics played out on the backs of an even more vulnerable and stigmatized sexual minority – the majority of whom were low-income, street-involved women, men, and male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals of colour.
What’s wrong with be(com)ing queer? Biological determinism as discursive queer hegemony
Authors: Weber Shannon
Published: September 2012

This article analyzes the current dichotomy in American political and popular culture between pro-gay biological determinism, which is used to argue for LGBTQ rights, and anti-gay social constructionist ideas. This pro-gay biological determinism results in a politics of exclusion that renders queer identities falling outside a biological, lifelong model invisible. Building on Lisa Duggan’s notion of homonormativity, the author describes this discursive production as biological homonormativity, illustrated through an analysis of three key sites: an exchange between lesbian music icon Melissa Etheridge and Governor Bill Richardson during an LGBT political forum; the legal proceedings of Perry v. Schwarzenegger; and the gay cult film ‘But I’m a Cheerleader!’
The good, the bad or the queer: Articulations of queer resistance in The Wire
Authors: Dhaenens Frederik , Van Bauwel Sofie
Published: September 2012

Although the representation of queer characters has grown significantly in contemporary western television, most of the popular fiction series are still dominated by hegemonic heteronormative discourses. However, this article demonstrates how the critically acclaimed series The Wire, through its subversive articulations of queer characters, resists heteronormativity. This implies that the series can be read as a defiance of an essentialist, hierarchical and oppositional way of thinking. Our textual thematic analysis reveals how the series uses both deconstructive practices that expose the way heteronormative practices function, and reconstructive practices offering counter-discourses that transgress societal assumptions about gender, sexuality and identity.
When the heterosexual script goes flexible: Public reactions to female heteroflexibility in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books
Authors: Frohard-Dourlent Hélène
Published: September 2012

The phenomenon of heteroflexibility, wherein a heterosexual character engages in same-sex intimacy, provides a good example of how modern narratives of sexuality can contain promises of subversion yet also shore up heteronormative schemas. To fully understand how the notion of heteroflexibility functions to broaden and/or restrict our understandings of (female) sexuality, we need to examine how these narratives are taken up by the audience. This article explores this tension by analysing how readers reacted to a heteroflexible storyline featured in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books. By examining how this story was interpreted, rejected and/or embraced by readers, I show that readers who disliked the heteroflexible storyline as well as those who enjoyed it draw on liberal discourses that obscure how heteronormativity operates. This in turn limits heteroflexibility’s potential for disrupting dominant heteronormative discourses.
How will we know if it’s working? A multi-faceted approach to measuring usability of a specialty-specific electronic medical record
Authors: Hollin Ilene , Griffin Margaret , Kachnowski Stan
Published: September 2012

The most effective use of electronic medical records (EMRs) will result from wide-scale adoption and appropriate use of the technology—two factors that rely heavily on a system’s usability. We conducted a qualitative and quantitative usability assessment of an EMR developed specifically for treating the HIV/AIDS patient population. The purpose of this study was to inform developers on how to prioritize resources for their impending software rebuild initiative and to evaluate a dual methodology consisting of both quantitative and qualitative components. The results indicated that the methodology was valid, although there were some variations recommended for future usability assessments of EMRs. The study also underscored the need to assess usability based on user feedback and to employ multiple methods to elicit information; this research revealed many insights into the software that contradicted initial assumptions and also found that asking questions in multiple ways yielded more complete feedback.
Assisted-living spaces for end-users with complex needs: A proposed implementation and delivery model
Authors: Linskell Jeremy , Bouamrane Matt-Mouley
Published: September 2012

An assisted living space (ALS) is a technology-enabled environment designed to allow people with complex health or social care needs to remain, and live independently, in their own home for longer. However, many challenges remain in order to deliver usable systems acceptable to a diverse range of stakeholders, including end-users, and their families and carers, as well as health and social care services. ALSs need to support activities of daily-living while allowing end-users to maintain important social connections. They must be dynamic, flexible and adaptable living environments. In this article, we provide an overview of the technological landscape of assisted-living technology (ALT) and recent policies to promote an increased adoption of ALT in Scotland. We discuss our experiences in implementing technology-supported ALSs and emphasise key lessons. Finally, we propose an iterative and pragmatic user-centred implementation model for delivering ALSs in complex-needs scenarios. This empirical model is derived from our past ALS implementations. The proposed model allows project stakeholders to identify requirements, allocate tasks and responsibilities, and identify appropriate technological solutions for the delivery of functional ALS systems. The model is generic and makes no assumptions on needs or technology solutions, nor on the technical knowledge, skills and experience of the stakeholders involved in the ALS design process.
Reduced Dermis Thickness and AGE Accumulation in Diabetic Abdominal Skin
Authors: Niu Yiwen , Cao Xiaozan , Song Fei , Xie Ting , Ji Xiaoyun , Miao Mingyuan , Dong Jiaoyun , Tian Ming , Lin Yuan , Lu Shuliang
Published: September 2012

Dermatological problems in diabetes might play an important role in the spontaneous ulcers and impaired wound healing that are seen in diabetic patients. Investigation of the cause of diabetic skin disorders is critical for identifying effective treatment. The abdominal full-thickness skin tissues of 33 patients (14 nondiabetic and 19 diabetic) were analyzed. The cell viability and malondialdehyde (MDA) production of fibroblasts were measured after advanced glycosylation end product (AGE)–bovine serum albumin (BSA) exposure. Cutaneous histological observation showed reduced thickness of the diabetic abdominal dermis with morphological characteristics of obscured multilayer epithelium and shortened, thinned, and disorganized collagen fibrils with focal chronic inflammatory cell infiltration when compared with controls of the same age. Accumulation of AGEs in diabetic skin was prominent. Less hydroxyproline, higher myeloperoxidase activity, and increased MDA content were detected in diabetic skin. In vitro, the time- and dose-dependent inhibitory effects of AGE-BSA on fibroblast viability as well as the fact that AGE-BSA could promote MDA production of fibroblasts were shown. It is shown that the accumulation of AGEs in diabetic skin tissue induces an oxidative damage of fibroblasts and acts as an important contributor to the thinner diabetic abdominal dermis. The authors believe that diabetic cutaneous properties at baseline may increase the susceptibility to injury, and diabetic wounds possess atypical origin in the repair process.