bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for Substance Use in a School‐Based Program: Services and Outcomes
Authors: Mitchell Shannon Gwin , Gryczynski Jan , Gonzales Arturo , Moseley Ana , Peterson Thomas , O’Grady Kevin E , Schwartz Robert P
Published: September 2015

Background: Despite the advantages of using high schools for conducting school‐based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) programs for adolescent substance misuse, there have been very few studies of Brief Interventions (BIs) in these settings.

Objectives: This multi‐site, repeated measures study examined outcomes of adolescents who received SBIRT services and compared the extent of change in substance use based on the intensity of intervention received.

Methods: Participants consisted of 629 adolescents, ages 14–17, who received SBIRT services across 13 participating high schools in New Mexico. The level of service received and number of sessions were collected through administrative records, while the number of self‐reported days in the past month of drinking; drinking to intoxication; and drug use were gathered at baseline and 6‐month follow‐up.

Results: BI was provided to 85.1% of adolescents, while 14.9% received brief treatment or referral to treatment (BT/RT). Participants receiving any intervention reported significant reductions in frequency of drinking to intoxication (p < .05) and drug use (p < .001), but not alcohol use, from baseline to 6‐month follow‐up. The magnitude of these reductions did not differ based on service variables. Controlling for baseline frequency of use, a BT/RT service level was associated with more days of drinking at 6‐month follow‐up (p < .05), but was no longer significant when controlling for number of service sessions received.

Conclusions and Scientific Significance: These findings support school‐based SBIRT for adolescents, but more research is needed on this promising approach. (Am J Addict 2012;21:S5–S13)
From student to graduate: longitudinal changes in the qualities of nurses
Authors: Cowin Leanne S. , Johnson Maree
Published: September 2015

Aims

To examine the development of perceived qualities of nursing from student to graduate nurse over time.

Background

Researchers continue to explore student nurse and new graduate nurse attrition, particularly in the light of a looming crisis in nursing recruitment and retention. Qualities of nurses represent the job fit of nursing from student to graduate years.

Design

A prospective longitudinal design with a convenience sample was used for this study.

Methods

Data were collected annually from 2009–2012 through the completion of a short on‐line survey. The sample size of undergraduate nurses in year 1 was 676, with 527 in year 2, 339 in year 3 and 190 in year 4. Only 136 participants completed the survey each year forming the complete data set for analysis.

Results/findings

Most qualities of nursing differed significantly across time with the qualities of Caring, Empathetic, Knowledge and Respectful demonstrating strong changes. Most declines in scores occurred on graduation. Caring, the central tenet of nursing increased during the student years and declined slightly on graduation.

Conclusion

This unique longitudinal study of Australian nurses suggests that the clinical experience and theoretical grounding provided in our University programs, has resulted in an increasing cumulative effect in the third year supporting most qualities of nurses/nursing understood in year 1, that is, the career fit to perceptions, has been achieved. The decline in the 1styear of graduation, where the concept of workplace misfit is occurring, is where further nurse graduate support is urgently required.
Information Asymmetry and Dual Distribution in Franchise Networks
Authors: Wilson Mark , Shailer Greg
Published: September 2015

We examine whether a dual distribution system that uses both franchisor‐operated and franchisee‐operated outlets reduces a franchisor's information disadvantage when contracting with franchisee retailers. Using detailed qualitative and quantitative managerial data, we find persuasive evidence of the strategic use of performance information obtained from franchisor‐operated outlets to reduce information asymmetry and enhance contracting efficiency for franchisee‐operated outlets. We test whether the proximity of franchisor‐operated retail outlets to franchisee‐operated retail outlets reduces underpricing of quasi‐franchise contracts. Our results accord with the proposition that information asymmetry reduces contracting efficiency and are consistent with our prediction that a manufacturer can reduce intrinsic information asymmetry by maintaining franchisor‐operated outlets that are geographically proximate to the franchisee‐operated outlets, and that this improves the franchisor's pricing of franchising contracts. We conclude that dual distribution reduces the franchisor's information asymmetry and increases their contract pricing efficiency.
Integration of global fossil and modern biodiversity data reveals dynamism and stasis in ant macroecological patterns
Authors: Guénard Benoit , Perrichot Vincent , Economo Evan P.
Published: September 2015

Aim

We investigate the dynamics of ant biodiversity patterns and community structure from the Eocene until the present. Our goal is to empirically test hypotheses regarding the similarities in composition and structure of fossil and modern ant faunas to understand the historical processes influencing modern global biodiversity patterns.

Location

Global.

Methods

We integrated two recently developed databases of the geographical distributions of fossil and modern ant genera and analysed the evolution of diversity and composition since the Eocene, c. 55 Ma. We assembled a third new database on community structure of ants, and used it to compare community structure of fossil assemblages with modern communities in different bioregions.

Results

The analyses of generic composition and community structure were congruent, supporting a strong affinity between the Western Palaearctic ant fauna and modern Indomalayan and Australasian assemblages, and of a widespread Holarctic ant palaeofauna, and affinity between fossil Caribbean and modern Neotropical faunas. In addition, neither generic composition nor community structure of fossil assemblages showed evidence of taphonomic bias towards arboreal taxa.

Main Conclusions

The aggregated fossil record reveals the dynamic nature of macroecological patterns in ant biodiversity during the Cenozoic, with continental‐scale generic extinctions common and important in shaping modern ant assemblages. Our results suggest major compositional changes for the Western Palaearctic bioregion and the Caribbean bioregions. The ant palaeofauna of the Western Palaearctic bioregion was then very similar in composition and structure to the one observed now in the Indomalayan bioregion, supporting the notion that modern‐day ‘tropical’ biomes were historically much more widespread, while temperate biotas are more recently evolved. Our results underscore the importance of a palaeogeographical perspective in understanding modern‐day macroecological patterns.
Selection on bristle length has the ability to drive the evolution of male abdominal appendages in the sepsid fly Themira biloba
Authors: Herath B. , Dochtermann N. A. , Johnson J. I. , Leonard Z. , Bowsher J. H.
Published: September 2015

Many exaggerated and novel traits are strongly influenced by sexual selection. Although sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force, underlying genetic interactions can constrain evolutionary outcomes. The relative strength of selection vs. constraint has been a matter of debate for the evolution of male abdominal appendages in sepsid flies. These abdominal appendages are involved in courtship and mating, but their function has not been directly tested. We performed mate choice experiments to determine whether sexual selection acts on abdominal appendages in the sepsid Themira biloba. We tested whether appendage bristle length influenced successful insemination by surgically trimming the bristles. Females paired with males that had shortened bristles laid only unfertilized eggs, indicating that long bristles are necessary for successful insemination. We also tested whether the evolution of bristle length was constrained by phenotypic correlations with other traits. Analyses of phenotypic covariation indicated that bristle length was highly correlated with other abdominal appendage traits, but was not correlated with abdominal sternite size. Thus, abdominal appendages are not exaggerated traits like many sexual ornaments, but vary independently from body size. At the same time, strong correlations between bristle length and appendage length suggest that selection on bristle length is likely to result in a correlated increase in appendage length. Bristle length is under sexual selection in T. biloba and has the potential to evolve independently from abdomen size.
Automixis in Artemia: solving a century‐old controversy
Authors: Nougué O. , Rode N. O. , Jabbour‐zahab R. , Ségard A. , Chevin L.‐M. , Haag C. R. , Lenormand T.
Published: September 2015

Parthenogenesis (reproduction through unfertilized eggs) encompasses a variety of reproduction modes with (automixis) or without (apomixis) meiosis. Different modes of automixis have very different genetic and evolutionary consequences but can be particularly difficult to tease apart. In this study, we propose a new method to discriminate different types of automixis from population‐level genetic data. We apply this method to diploid Artemia parthenogenetica, a crustacean whose reproductive mode remains controversial despite a century of intensive cytogenetic observations. We focus on A. parthenogenetica from two western Mediterranean populations. We show that they are diploid and that markers remain heterozygous in cultures maintained up to ~36 generations in the laboratory. Moreover, parallel patterns of population‐wide heterozygosity levels between the two natural populations strongly support the conclusion that diploid A. parthenogenetica reproduce by automictic parthenogenesis with central fusion and low, but nonzero recombination. This settles a century‐old controversy on Artemia, and, more generally, suggests that many automictic organisms harbour steep within‐chromosome gradients of heterozygosity due to a transition from clonal transmission in centromere‐proximal regions to a form of inbreeding similar to self‐fertilization in centromere‐distal regions. Such systems therefore offer a new avenue for contrasting the genomic consequences of asexuality and inbreeding.
Radial artery blood gas sampling: a randomized controlled trial of lidocaine local anesthesia
Authors: Wade Ryckie G. , Crawfurd Jim , Wade Donna , Holland Richard
Published: September 2015

Background

Radial artery puncture is a common procedure and yet the role of local anesthesia for reducing the pain of this procedure continues to be debated. Clinical practice is variable and there is potential for substantial financial savings. This is the first randomized trial to investigate the effectiveness of subcutaneously injected lidocaine anesthesia on the perceived pain of radial artery puncture and the financial impact.

Methods

Between December 2012 and April 2013, 43 patients in the Emergency Department were randomized into the intervention group to receive lidocaine 1% 1 mL subcutaneously or the control group (to receive no local anesthesia) prior to radial artery puncture for blood gas sampling. Pain was rated on a 10 cm visual analogue scale and procedural variables collected for between group analyses.

Results

Overall, 41 participants were included. Subcutaneously injected lidocaine anesthesia did not reduce the median pain of radial artery puncture (control 1.8 vs. intervention 1.6 cm, P = 0.938). Those patients who had other systemically acting analgesia appeared to report reduced pain for radial artery puncture (0.60 vs. 2.30 cm, P = 0.105) as did those where a smaller 25‐gauge needle was used compared to the standard 22‐gauge (1.40 vs. 4.35 cm, P = 0.150), although these were not statistically significant. Anxious patients and those requesting local anesthesia experienced relatively higher levels of pain.

Conclusion

Local anesthesia did not reduce the perceived pain of radial artery puncture.
BANK COMPETITION AND FINANCIAL STABILITY: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING?
Authors: Zigraiova Diana , Havranek Tomas
Published: September 2015

The theoretical literature gives conflicting predictions on how bank competition should affect financial stability, and dozens of researchers have attempted to evaluate the relationship empirically. We collect 598 estimates of the competition‐stability nexus reported in 31 studies and analyse the literature using meta‐analysis methods. We control for 35 aspects of study design and employ Bayesian model averaging to tackle the resulting model uncertainty. Our findings suggest that the definition of financial stability and bank competition used by researchers influences their results in a systematic way. The choice of data, estimation methodology, and control variables also affects the reported coefficient. We find evidence for moderate publication bias. Taken together, the estimates reported in the literature suggest little interplay between competition and stability, even when corrected for publication bias and potential misspecifications.
Achieving Social Change: A Matter of All for One?
Authors: de Lemus Soledad , Stroebe Katherine
Published: September 2015

Recently, there has been a growing interest in not only understanding the processes underlying responses to disadvantage, and ways of reducing prejudice, but also to gain insight into how experiences of prejudice and social disadvantage affect the need to address one's disadvantage. Our goal in this issue is to discuss how and when low status group members move from experiences of individual versus collective disadvantage to social change. In this article, we consider the individual coping and social change literature, departing from the analyses of individual‐level responses to disadvantage, to those at the collective level, to discuss how both strands of research relate to social change. Throughout this article, we introduce the contributions to this special issue and discuss the caveats and paradoxes they raise with regard to the existent literature.
Contesting the Meaning of Intergroup Disadvantage: Towards a Psychology of Resistance
Authors: Leach Colin Wayne , Livingstone Andrew G.
Published: September 2015

A prevailing view in psychology is that intergroup disadvantage poses a serious threat to psychological well‐being. Lower self‐esteem and out‐group favoritism are two of the most examined forms of psychological damage thought to follow from intergroup disadvantage. We review theory and research on lower self‐esteem and out‐group favoritism with close attention to the nature of the evidence suggesting that intergroup disadvantage is detrimental psychologically. We argue that this evidence is not as strong or unambiguous as is widely believed. This has likely led to an underestimation of psychological resistance to disadvantage—that middle ground between the extremes of surviving at subsistence levels of psychological well‐being and confronting disadvantage. We propose that greater attention to the psychological meaning that the disadvantaged give their position enables a more accurate assessment of the diverse forms of psychological resistance to intergroup disadvantage.
Grazoprevir plus peginterferon and ribavirin in treatment‐naive patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection: a randomized trial
Authors: Lagging M. , Brown A. , Mantry P. S. , Ramji A. , Weilert F. , Vierling J. M. , Howe A. , Gendrano I. N. , Hwang P. , Zhang B. , Wahl J. , Robertson M. , Mobashery N.
Published: September 2015

Grazoprevir (MK‐5172, Merck & Co., Inc.) is a selective inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4a protease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of grazoprevir at doses of 25–100 mg/day in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin (PEG‐IFN/RBV). In this randomized, dose‐ranging, multicentre trial, treatment‐naive adults with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection received once‐daily grazoprevir 25 mg, 50 mg or 100 mg plus PEG‐IFN/RBV for 12 weeks. Patients with quantifiable HCV RNA (≥25 IU/mL) at week 4 received an additional 12 weeks of PEG‐IFN/RBV. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response (HCV RNA <25 IU/mL 12 weeks after completing therapy [SVR12]). Eighty‐seven patients were randomly assigned and received ≥1 dose of therapy. Median time to undetectable HCV RNA was 16 days in the 100‐mg arm and 22 days in the 25‐ and 50‐mg arms. All patients except one had HCV RNA undetectable or unquantifiable at week 4 and received 12 weeks of therapy. SVR12 was achieved by 13 of 24 (54.2%), 21 of 25 (84.0%) and 23 of 26 (88.5%) patients in the 25‐, 50‐ and 100‐mg arms, respectively (per‐protocol analysis). Three patients discontinued as a result of nonserious adverse events (AEs) and three patients experienced serious AEs. Transaminase elevations occurred in two patients (one each in the 25‐ and 100‐mg arms). Conclusion: These data support further study of the grazoprevir 100‐mg dose. Phase 3 studies of grazoprevir 100 mg in combination with elbasvir are currently ongoing (NCT01710501; protocol P038).
Interdisciplinary collaboration in the use of a music‐with‐movement intervention to promote the wellbeing of people with dementia and their families: Development of an evidence‐based intervention protocol
Authors: Lai Claudia K. Y. , Lai Daniel L. L. , Ho Jacqueline S. C. , Wong Kitty K. Y. , Cheung Daphne S. K.
Published: September 2015

The music‐with‐movement intervention is particularly suitable for people with dementia because their gross motor ability is preserved until the later stage of dementia. This study examines the effect of music‐with‐movement on reducing anxiety, sleep disturbances, and improving the wellbeing of people with dementia. This paper reports the first stage of the study – developing the intervention protocol that staff can use to teach family caregivers. A registered music therapist developed a music‐with‐movement protocol and taught staff of two social service centers over five weekly 1.5 h sessions, with center‐in‐charges (social workers and occupational therapists) and our research team joining these sessions to provide comments from their professional perspective. Each discipline had different expectations about the content; therefore, numerous meetings and discussions were held to bridge these differences and fine‐tune the protocol. Few healthcare professionals doubt the merits of interdisciplinary collaboration at all levels of health promotion. In practice, interdisciplinary collaboration is complex and requires commitment. Openness and persistence is required from all stakeholders to achieve a successful intervention for consumers.
Can a sustainability and health scenario provide a realistic challenge to student nurses and provoke changes in practice? An evaluation of a training intervention
Authors: Grose J. , Richardson J.
Published: September 2015

Climate change and limited natural resources will impact on the sustainable supply and disposal of materials used in health care. Healthcare students need opportunities to reflect on the ecological footprint of health services to mitigate against negative effects on service delivery. In order to raise awareness of these issues, there is a need for evidence‐based teaching tools which are relevant and meaningful to nursing practice. An evidence‐based sustainability skills teaching session was delivered to 293 nursing students from child and adult health disciplines. Following the sessions, evaluation sheets were distributed to the participants, of which 290 responded. The majority of nurses valued both the delivery and the content of the training and some were motivated to complete further study. The evaluation provided valuable information on how to deliver sustainability education and important insights into where more information and support was needed in order to change practice. Embedding sustainability teaching in skill sessions appears to be a realistic way of informing and motivating learners to consider current and best practice. Following training, further evaluation of practice‐based behaviour is needed.
Brain abscess in hepatopulmonary syndrome associated with biliary atresia
Authors: Morita Keiichi , Fukuzawa Hiroaki , Maeda Kosaku
Published: September 2015

The first‐choice therapy for biliary atresia (BA) is Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy, which has been shown to greatly improve outcome. Various long‐term complications, however, such as portal hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), can occur in patients with native liver. A rare case of brain abscess in an 11‐year‐old girl with HPS associated with BA is reported. The patient underwent hepatoportoenterostomy for BA at 53 days of age, with resolution of hyperbilirubinemia. At 10 years of age, she was diagnosed with severe HPS with right‐to‐left shunting, and preparations for liver transplantation proceeded. Three months after the diagnosis, she had a right parietal brain abscess. Given that the brain abscess enlarged in size, surgical drainage of the brain abscess was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, but a slight left hemiplegia remained at discharge. The presumed mechanism of abscess formation in HPS may be right‐to‐left bacterial transit through intrapulmonary vascular dilatations and/or arteriovenous fistulae.
Fatal Kawasaki disease with incomplete criteria: Correlation between optical coherence tomography and pathology
Authors: Dionne Audrey , Kokta Victor , Chami Rose , Morissette Geneviève , Dahdah Nagib
Published: September 2015

Coronary artery aneurysm is a serious complication of Kawasaki disease (KD). A 3‐month‐old infant presented with severe KD 27 days after onset of fever. The patient presented with shock, inferolateral ischemia on electrocardiogram and high troponin. Echocardiography showed severe myocardial dysfunction with diffuse coronary dilation and right coronary artery aneurysm. Arterial Doppler demonstrated thrombosis of aneurysmal axillary and iliac arteries. Withdrawal of support was implemented due to multi‐organ failure. Post‐mortem optical coherence tomography correlated with pathology. The pulmonary artery was normal on OCT and histology. Coronary arteries showed aneurysmal dilatation, with intimal hyperplasia and preserved media on OCT. Pathology confirmed these findings, with destruction of the internal elastic lamina, luminal myofibroblastic proliferation, neovascularization, and partial disappearance of the media. This is the first report of pathologic correlation in KD with OCT at the subacute stage, which adequately identified structural wall changes.
Review of combined liver and kidney transplantation in children
Authors: Ganschow Rainer , Hoppe Bernd
Published: September 2015

In this review, we focused on CLKT with regard to indication, results, outcome, and future developments. PH1 is one of the most common diagnoses for adult and pediatric patients qualifying for CLKT. The other major indication for combined transplantation is ARPKD. CLKT appears to be superior to sequential liver and kidney transplantation in the majority of patients and overall results following CLKT are now good, even in small children. Clinical observations suggest that there is an immunological advantage of CLKT in comparison with isolated liver or kidney transplantation. More clinical studies are necessary to identify the best candidates for CLKT while the availability of donor organs is low.
The Evaluation of a Regional Faith Community Network's Million Hearts Program
Authors: Cooper Jennifer , Zimmerman Wendy
Published: September 2015

Objective

The goal of the Million Hearts initiative is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. Maryland was one state in the Association of State and Territorial Health Official's Million Hearts State Learning Collaborative. Washington County, Maryland formed a collaboration between the County Health Department, Meritus Health System, and the Meritus Health Parish Nurse Coordinator to address hypertension in the county.

Program Plan and Implementation

Within a regional network of 52 faith communities, the Parish Nurse Coordinator recruited 25 faith community nurses to participate in a three‐month program. Nurses were trained on proper blood pressure measurement and 22 nurses identified 58 participants engaged in blood pressure self‐monitoring and coaching for lifestyle changes. Additionally, nurses took 1,729 blood pressures and provided health education to individuals within their congregations.

Program Evaluation

Fifty‐one participants participated in blood pressure self‐monitoring and lifestyle coaching with faith community nurses. There was improvement in six out of seven lifestyle areas. Eight‐two percent of participants (N = 42) decreased their systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure over three months.

Conclusion

Coaching provided by faith community nurses can create an environment of sustained support to promote improved lifestyle and blood pressure changes over time.
Binary Mixtures of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Display Nonadditive Mixture Interactions in an In Vitro Liver Cell Model
Authors: Gaskill Stacey J. , Bruce Erica D.
Published: September 2015

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been labeled contaminants of concern due to their carcinogenic potential, insufficient toxicological data, environmental ubiquity, and inconsistencies in the composition of environmental mixtures. The Environmental Protection Agency is reevaluating current methods for assessing the toxicity of PAHs, including the assumption of toxic additivity in mixtures. This study was aimed at testing mixture interactions through in vitro cell culture experimentation, and modeling the toxicity using quantitative structure‐activity relationships (QSAR). Clone‐9 rat liver cells were used to analyze cellular proliferation, viability, and genotoxicity of 15 PAHs in single doses and binary mixtures. Tests revealed that many mixtures have nonadditive toxicity, but display varying mixture effects depending on the mixture composition. Many mixtures displayed antagonism, similar to other published studies. QSARs were then developed using the genetic function approximation algorithm to predict toxic activity both in single PAH congeners and in binary mixtures. Effective concentrations inhibiting 50% of the cell populations were modeled, with R2 = 0.90, 0.99, and 0.84, respectively. The QSAR mixture algorithms were then adjusted to account for the observed mixture interactions as well as the mixture composition (ratios) to assess the feasibility of QSARs for mixtures. Based on these results, toxic addition is improbable and therefore environmental PAH mixtures are likely to see nonadditive responses when complex interactions occur between components. Furthermore, QSAR may be a useful tool to help bridge these data gaps surrounding the assessment of human health risks that are associated with PAH exposures.
Expanding the Reach of Participatory Risk Management: Testing an Online Decision‐Aiding Framework for Informing Internally Consistent Choices
Authors: Bessette Douglas L. , Campbell‐Arvai Victoria , Arvai Joseph
Published: September 2015

This article presents research aimed at developing and testing an online, multistakeholder decision‐aiding framework for informing multiattribute risk management choices associated with energy development and climate change. The framework was designed to provide necessary background information and facilitate internally consistent choices, or choices that are in line with users’ prioritized objectives. In order to test different components of the decision‐aiding framework, a six‐part, 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted, yielding eight treatment scenarios. The three factors included: (1) whether or not users could construct their own alternatives; (2) the level of detail regarding the composition of alternatives users would evaluate; and (3) the way in which a final choice between users’ own constructed (or highest‐ranked) portfolio and an internally consistent portfolio was presented. Participants’ self‐reports revealed the framework was easy to use and providing an opportunity to develop one's own risk‐management alternatives (Factor 1) led to the highest knowledge gains. Empirical measures showed the internal consistency of users’ decisions across all treatments to be lower than expected and confirmed that providing information about alternatives’ composition (Factor 2) resulted in the least internally consistent choices. At the same time, those users who did not develop their own alternatives and were not shown detailed information about the composition of alternatives believed their choices to be the most internally consistent. These results raise concerns about how the amount of information provided and the ability to construct alternatives may inversely affect users’ real and perceived internal consistency.
“Sakharov would be with us”: Limonov, Strategy‐31, and the Dissident Legacy
Authors: HORVATH ROBERT
Published: September 2015

This article examines the surprising revival of dissident principles and dissident modes of protest in the Russian opposition during the Putin‐Medvedev “tandemocracy” (2008–12). Its focus is “Strategy‐31,” a campaign of civil disobedience instigated by the radical activist Eduard Limonov. The first part of this article seeks to demonstrate how Strategy‐31 employed what Charles Tilly terms a “repertoire of contention,” a set of performed actions and discursive practices, which had been inherited from the dissident rights‐defenders. This repertoire both mimicked and transformed the dissidents” traditional forms of activism. By employing this repertoire and by explicitly identifying dissidents as his precursors, Limonov legitimised Strategy‐31 and made it easier for his political rivals and ideological adversaries to join him in a common endeavor. The second part of this article shows how tensions within the dissident tradition contributed to the breakdown of the coalition of radicals and rights‐defenders at the core of Strategy‐31. To bolster his credibility as a crusader for constitutional rights, Limonov had courted the support of Lyudmila Alekseeva, a veteran dissident who headed the Moscow Helsinki Group. By joining Limonov as an applicant for Strategy‐31, Alekseeva became a living link between its demonstrations and those of its dissident precursors. But Alekseeva and Limonov differed profoundly in their motives and their goals. These differences, which were skilfully exploited by the authorities, ultimately led to the collapse of Strategy‐31.
Guidelines to Faith: Instructional Literature for Russian Orthodox Clergy and Laity in the Late Eighteenth Century
Authors: SKINNER BARBARA
Published: September 2015

In an effort to improve the work of the clergy and the religious understanding of the laity, Orthodox leaders in late eighteenth‐century Russia began to publish practical manuals on the practices of the church and the path to living a Christian life and achieving salvation. Such works formed pathways from higher theological discourse to the practical modes of pastoral work and lay instruction–to promoting “enlightenment” in the day‐to‐day work of the church. Fitting within the new scholarly attention on religious Enlightenment, this article describes the most important of these instructional works, as well as some of the religious works produced by private publishers after 1783, in order to understand the tone, themes, and structure of these “guidelines to faith,” seeing within them the beginning of a more modern, normative foundation for the practices and teachings of the church. The works described are not well‐known among Russian scholars, but they collectively constitute an important stage in the development of Russian Orthodoxy and in the dissemination of clearly stated explanations of its teachings and the role of the church in society as a whole. They represent an increased promotion of religious professionalism for the lower clergy and of religious and moral sensitivity on the part of the laity. They are, essentially, highly representative of the era of Enlightenment, trying to shape and mold the religious community into a more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and reflective entity.
Global firms and smart technologies: IBM and the reduction of cities
Authors: McNeill Donald
Published: September 2015

The development and spread of ‘smart city’ technologies, policies and practices is now an important element of contemporary urban governance, given the role of powerful global firms such as IBM, Siemens and Cisco in their authorship. Developing a relational ontology of global ‘smart city’ firms, the paper explores the origin and development of IBM's pervasive and influential Smarter Cities strategies. The paper argues that for IBM, Smarter Cities represents an attempt to solve three strategic problems that face the firm: how to maximise its stored knowledge and ensure its labour costs deliver significant added value; how to construct new sectoral and geographic markets for this knowledge; and how to reduce, standardise and simplify the object of that knowledge – the city – as a scaleable commodity. To illustrate these issues, the paper first explores the strategic direction of IBM from being a loss‐making computer hardware manufacturer, to an information technology consultancy, identifying the role of acquisitions, city partnership, and research and development in that process. Second, it identifies how IBM has constructed a market for city or municipal services within its suite of vertical specialist markets. Third, it describes the relationship between the marketing, modelling and visualisation practices that reduce and simplify urban problems for solution through the sale of proprietary software packages, consultancy services and hardware to their clients in city government. The paper concludes by arguing that the future of smart cities is inextricably linked to the internal knowledge organisation of a small number of global technology firms.
A new standardized clinical‐grade protocol for banking human umbilical cord tissue cells
Authors: Fazzina Raffaella , Mariotti Andrea , Procoli Annabella , Fioravanti Daniela , Iudicone Paola , Scambia Giovanni , Pierelli Luca , Bonanno Giuseppina
Published: September 2015

BACKGROUND

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) isolated from human umbilical cord tissue (UCT) can be considered the perfect candidates for cell‐based therapies and regenerative medicine. UCT‐derived MSCs can be cryogenically stored in cell banks and expanded as needed for therapeutic uses.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

We developed a new method for UCT‐MSC isolation, cryopreservation, and expansion, following all criteria required by a stem cell bank. UCT‐MSCs were isolated either by manual dissociation (MM) or by a semiautomatic dissociation system (SAM). In both protocols UCTs were treated enzymatically using Type IV collagenase good manufacturing practices (GMP) graded and hyaluronidase (medicinal product). Isolated UCT‐MSCs were cryopreserved and analyzed after thawing for phenotype; for proliferation rate; and for their osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation capabilities.

RESULTS

We found that SAM reduced the time of tissue enzyme exposure and enabled us to obtain a homogeneous single‐cell suspension deprived of tissue fragments. The isolated cells in both groups showed high expression of MSC markers CD105, CD73, and CD90 and similar differentiation capabilities, phenotype, and proliferation potential. Moreover, the final yield of MSCs was comparable between the two techniques.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we have established a reliable and standardized protocol to isolate UCT‐MSCs from UCT for cell banking purposes. Processing the whole umbilical tissue with GMP‐graded enzymes using a semiautomatic dissociator allowed us to obtain a single‐cell suspension product with a known number of isolated cells that can be cryopreserved right after isolation and thawed as needed for expansion and clinical use.
Brush Seal Structural Analysis and Correlation With Tests for Turbine Conditions
Authors: Tolga Duran E. , Aksit Mahmut F. , Ozmusul Murat
Published: September 2015

Bristle tip contact forces and resulting stress levels under engine conditions are critical for optimizing brush seal performance as well as for achieving operational safety. Literature survey reveals the lack of test data and analysis methods for evaluating seal stiffness and stress levels under operating conditions. In an attempt to meet this need, a custom test rig design and methodology have been developed to perform stiffness tests under pressure and rotor speed of 3000 rpm. Finite element (FE) simulations have been performed for brush seals and results have been correlated with the test data of this study. Considering the critical importance of contact loads on brush seal overall performance and system health, and due to the complicated structure of brush seals, where bristles are contacting with each other as well as with the backing plate and the rotor, computer-aided engineering (CAE) analyses with high fidelity is required to simulate the test and turbine operating conditions. For this purpose, FE methodology has been developed for structural analyses of brush seals. Three-dimensional FE models of brush seals have been constructed and simulations have been performed for pressurized rotor-rub conditions. CAE model of brush seals includes rotor–bristle, bristle pack–backing plate, and interbristle contacts with friction. Simulations with nonrotating rotor and transient analyses with rotating rotor have been conducted, and the extracted bristle tip force (BTF) levels are correlated with the test results. Inertial effects during dynamic tests have also been simulated through transient analyses and results show good agreement with the dynamic test data. Displacement and stress profiles obtained from correlated FE models give better understanding of brush seal behavior under turbine operating conditions.
The Effect of Quantitative Computed Tomography Acquisition Protocols on Bone Mineral Density Estimation
Authors: Giambini Hugo , Dragomir-Daescu Dan , Huddleston Paul M. , Camp Jon J. , An Kai-Nan , Nassr Ahmad
Published: September 2015

Osteoporosis is characterized by bony material loss and decreased bone strength leading to a significant increase in fracture risk. Patient-specific quantitative computed tomography (QCT) finite element (FE) models may be used to predict fracture under physiological loading. Material properties for the FE models used to predict fracture are obtained by converting grayscale values from the CT into volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) using calibration phantoms. If there are any variations arising from the CT acquisition protocol, vBMD estimation and material property assignment could be affected, thus, affecting fracture risk prediction. We hypothesized that material property assignments may be dependent on scanning and postprocessing settings including voltage, current, and reconstruction kernel, thus potentially having an effect in fracture risk prediction. A rabbit femur and a standard calibration phantom were imaged by QCT using different protocols. Cortical and cancellous regions were segmented, their average Hounsfield unit (HU) values obtained and converted to vBMD. Estimated vBMD for the cortical and cancellous regions were affected by voltage and kernel but not by current. Our study demonstrated that there exists a significant variation in the estimated vBMD values obtained with different scanning acquisitions. In addition, the large noise differences observed utilizing different scanning parameters could have an important negative effect on small subregions containing fewer voxels.
Linear Dynamic Stability Analysis of a Surface-Piercing Plate Advancing at High Forward Speed
Authors: Ommani Babak , Faltinsen Odd M.
Published: September 2015

The dynamic stability of a surface-piercing plate, advancing with high forward speed in the horizontal plane, is investigated in the scope of linear theory. The hydrodynamic forces on the plate in sway and yaw are presented in terms of frequency and forward speed-dependent added mass and damping coefficients. Flow separation from the trailing edge of the plate is considered. A time-domain boundary integral method using linear distribution of Rankine sources and dipoles on the plate, free surface, and vortex sheet is used to calculate these hydrodynamic coefficients numerically. Comparison between the current numerical results and previous numerical and experimental results is presented. Using linear dynamic stability analysis, the influence of hydrodynamic coefficients on the plate's stability is investigated as a simplified alternative to a semidisplacement vessel.
Improved Understanding of Stiffness in Leaf-Type Filament Seals
Authors: Jahn Ingo H. J. , Franceschini Gervas , Owen Andrew K. , Jones Terry V. , Gillespie David R. H.
Published: September 2015

Filament seals, such as brush seals and leaf seals, are investigated as a potential improved seal for gas turbine applications. As these seals operate in contact with the rotor, a good understanding of their stiffness is required in order to minimize seal wear and degradation. This paper demonstrates that the filament and complete seal stiffness is affected in comparable magnitudes by mechanical and aerodynamic forces. In certain cases, the aerodynamic forces can also lead to an overall negative seal stiffness which may affect stable seal operation. In negative stiffness, the displacement of the seal or rotor into an eccentric position causes a resultant force, which, rather than restoring the rotor to a central position, acts to amplify its displacement. Insight into the forces acting on the seal filaments is gained by investigating a leaf seal, which consists of a pack of thin planar leaves arranged around the rotor, with coverplates on either side of the leaf pack, offset from the pack surfaces. The leaf seal is chosen due to its geometry being more suitable for analysis compared to alternative filament seals such as the brush seal. Data from two experimental campaigns are presented which show a seal exhibiting negative stiffness and a seal exhibiting a stiffness reduction due to aerodynamic effects. An empirical model for the forces acting on leaf filaments is developed based on the experimental data, which allows separation of mechanical and aerodynamic forces. In addition a numerical model is developed to analyze the flow approaching the leaf pack and the interleaf flow, which gives an insight into the causes of the aerodynamic forces. Using the empirical and numerical models together, a full picture of the forces affecting leaf stiffness is created. Validation of the models is achieved by successfully predicting seal stiffness for a further data set across the full range of operating conditions. The understanding of aerodynamic forces and their impact on filament and seal stiffness allows for their consideration in leaf seal design. A qualitative assessment of how they may be used to improve seal operation in filament seals is given.
Optimizing the design of transparent conductive substrates
Authors: Lu Jong-Hong , Luo Jen-Wei , Syu Zong-Han , Wu Hsuan-Chung
Published: September 2015

The requirements for transmittance, sheet resistance, and flexibility in transparent conductive substrates vary with the product application. In this study, a double-sided, antireflective design was used to enhance the overall transmittance of various highly transparent conductive substrates. ITO–SiOx nano-multilayer (NML) structures were used to create transparent conductive films with low refractive indices, while ITO–Ag NML structures were used to achieve low resistivity (<10−4 Ω cm) and tunable transmittance. The authors employed rotational, sequential sputtering for the preparation of dense NML structures followed by rapid thermal annealing to enhance the moisture resistance of the ITO/Ag/ITO transparent conductive films. The results of this study showed that the ITO conductive glass substrates designed for high transmittance could produce a sheet resistance below 200 Ω/□ with an average light transmittance exceeding 95% in the visible spectrum and more than 98% at a wavelength of 550 nm. The ITO/Ag/ITO transparent conductive glass substrates designed for low sheet resistance showed a sheet resistance of 4.5 Ω/□, with the average light transmittance exceeding 89% in the visible spectrum and more than 92% at a wavelength of 550 nm. ITO/Ag/AlN transparent conductive polyethylene terephthalate substrates designed for flexibility displayed a sheet resistance of 10.6 Ω/□ with a transmittance exceeding 88% at a wavelength of 550 nm.
Time-varying feedback matrices in feedback delay networks and their application in artificial reverberation
Authors: Schlecht Sebastian J. , Habets Emanuël A. P.
Published: September 2015

This paper introduces a time-variant reverberation algorithm as an extension of the feedback delay network (FDN). By modulating the feedback matrix nearly continuously over time, a complex pattern of concurrent amplitude modulations of the feedback paths evolves. Due to its complexity, the modulation produces less likely perceivable artifacts and the time-variation helps to increase the liveliness of the reverberation tail. A listening test, which has been conducted, confirms that the perceived quality of the reverberation tail can be enhanced by the feedback matrix modulation. In contrast to the prior art time-varying allpass FDNs, it is shown that unitary feedback matrix modulation is guaranteed to be stable. Analytical constraints on the pole locations of the FDN help to describe the modulation effect in depth. Further, techniques and conditions for continuous feedback matrix modulation are presented.
Description and seasonal detection of two potential whale calls recorded in the Indian Ocean
Authors: Sousa Andreia G. , Harris Danielle
Published: September 2015

Unidentified acoustic signals are recorded by hydrophones placed in the world's oceans. Some of these sounds are suspected to originate from marine mammals. In this study, two acoustic signals recorded by two arrays at Diego Garcia in the northern Indian Ocean are described. Data were available between January 2002 and December 2003. Signals were detected manually using long-term spectral average plots. Time and frequency measurements were taken from a sample of both signals. The first unidentified signal [Diego Garcia Downsweep (DGD)] consisted of two main components. The mean frequency range of the entire signal was 19.3–45.0 Hz, with a mean duration of 36.5 s (n = 22). Detections of DGD at the northern array peaked in the austral summer, though detections at the southern array peaked during winter and spring. The second unidentified signal [Diego Garcia Croak (DGC)] consisted of one component with a mean frequency range of 16.9–49.6 Hz. The mean duration of the signal was 13.1 s (n = 10). Detections of DGC did not follow a clear seasonal pattern. These signals followed characteristics of biological sources, suggesting that they could be whale calls. Fin whale calls and possible blue whales D-calls were also identified in the data.
Infection with Toxin A-Negative, Toxin B-Negative, Binary Toxin-Positive Clostridium difficile in a Young Patient with Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Androga Grace O. , Hart Julie , Foster Niki F. , Charles Adrian , Forbes David , Riley Thomas V.
Published: September 2015

Large clostridial toxin-negative, binary toxin-positive (A
−
B
−
CDT
+
) strains of
Clostridium difficile
are almost never associated with clinically significant
C. difficile
infection (CDI), possibly because such strains are not detected by most diagnostic methods. We report the isolation of an A
−
B
−
CDT
+
ribotype 033 (RT033) strain of
C. difficile
from a young patient with ulcerative colitis and severe diarrhea.