bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Legacy of Loss: Stories of Replacement Dynamics and the Subsequent Child
Authors: Vollmann Sarah Reed
Published: October 2014

This article, a qualitative exploration of the experiences of subsequent children, endeavors to clarify common issues and experiences of this population. Subsequent children, also known as subsequent siblings, are children born after the death of a brother or sister. For this study, 25 adult subsequent siblings participated in semi-structured interviews. Few researchers have written about this population, and much of what has been documented was researched from single case studies, or from very small samples. This study aims to explore the commonalities of the unique experience of being a subsequent child. Themes which emerged include various replacement child dynamics, impaired bonding with parents or altered parenting as a result of the loss, family grief and its repercussions, meaning making and spiritual questioning, fantasies about the lost sibling, disenfranchised and unresolved grief, taking on a caregiver role, and survivor guilt. The implications for clinical practice are presented.
Analysis of the influence of recent reforms in China: cardiovascular and cerebrovascular medicines as a case history to provide future direction
Authors: Zeng Wenjie , Zhen Junjie , Feng Mengying , Campbell Stephen M , Finlayson Alexander E , Godman Brian
Published: October 2014

Background:Pharmaceutical expenditure has grown by 16% per annum in China, enhanced by incentives for physicians and hospitals. Hospital pharmacies dispense 80% of medicines in China, accounting for 46% of total hospital expenditure. Principal measures to moderate drug expenditure growth include pricing initiatives as limited demand-side measures.Objective:Assess current utilization and expenditure including traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) between 2006 and 2012.Methods:Uncontrolled retrospective study of medicines to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in one of the largest hospitals in southwest China.Results:Utilization increased 3.3-fold for cerebrovascular medicines, greatest for TCMs, with expenditure increasing 4.85-fold. Low prices for generics were seen, similar to Europe. However, there was variable utilization of generics at 29–31% of total product volumes in recent years. There continued to be irrationality in prescribing with high use of TCMs, and the utilization of different medicines dropping significantly once they achieved low prices.Conclusion:Prices still have an appreciable impact on utilization in China. Potential measures similar to those implemented among western European countries could improve prescribing rationality and conserve resources.
Continuous infusion of levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Guthikonda Lalitha N , Lyons Kelly E , Pahwa Rajesh
Published: October 2014

Evaluation of: Olanow CW, Kieburtz K, Odin P
et al.
Continuous intrajejunal infusion of levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease: a randomised, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy study.
Lancet Neurol
. 13(2), 141–149 (2014).

Levodopa-induced motor complications, including motor fluctuations and dyskinesia, can be a major source of disability for Parkinson’s disease patients. The development of levodopa-induced motor complications has been attributed to the pulsatile dopaminergic stimulation characteristic of conventional oral levodopa regimens. This is a review of a 12-week, randomized, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy study of continuous jejunal infusion of levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel to determine if the continuous infusion of levodopa reduces motor complications in Parkinson’s disease. Results demonstrated that levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel significantly reduced off-time without increasing troublesome dyskinesia compared with standard oral levodopa therapy. Adverse effects were common in both the levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel and placebo groups and were related primarily to the infusion hardware.
Incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained? The need for alternative methods to evaluate medical interventions for ultra-rare disorders
Authors: Schlander Michael , Garattini Silvio , Holm Søren , Kolominsky-Rabas Peter , Nord Erik , Persson Ulf , Postma Maarten , Richardson Jeff , Simoens Steven , Solà Morales Oriol de , Tolley Keith , Toumi Mondher
Published: October 2014

Drugs for ultra-rare disorders (URDs) rank prominently among the most expensive medicines on a cost-per-patient basis. Many of them do not meet conventional standards for cost–effectiveness. In light of the high fixed cost of R&D, this challenge is inversely related to the prevalence of URDs. The present paper sets out to explain the rationale underlying a recent expert consensus on these issues, recommending a more rigorous assessment of the clinical effectiveness of URDs, applying established standards of evidence-based medicine. This may include conditional approval and reimbursement policies, which should be combined with a firm expectation of proof of a minimum significant clinical benefit within a reasonable time. In contrast, current health economic evaluation paradigms fail to adequately reflect normative and empirical concerns (i.e., morally defensible 'social preferences') regarding healthcare resource allocation. Hence there is a strong need for alternative economic evaluation models for URDs.
Chemometric approach to evaluate heavy metals’ content in Daucus Carota from different localities in Serbia
Authors: Mitic Violeta , Stankov-Jovanovic Vesna , Tosic Snezana , Pavlovic Aleksandra , Cvetkovic Jelena , Dimitrijevic Marija , Nikolic-Mandic Snezana
Published: October 2014

The aim of this study was to evaluate heavy metal content in carrots (Daucus
carota) from the different localities in Serbia and assess by the cluster
analysis (CA) and principal components analysis (PCA) the heavy metal
contamination of carrots from these areas. Carrot was collected at 13
locations in five districts. Chemometric methods (CA and PCA) were applied to
classify localities according to heavy metal content in carrots. CA separated
localities into two statistical significant clusters. PCA permitted the
reduction of 12 variables to four principal components explaining 79.94% of the total variance. The first most important principal component was strongly associated with the value of Cu, Sb, Pb and Tl. This study revealed that CA and PCA appear useful tools for differentiation of localities in different districts using the profile of heavy metal in carrot samples.
Numerical analysis of combined natural convection-internal heat generation source-surface radiation
Authors: Hamimid Sabar , Guellal Messaoud
Published: October 2014

Numerical study of combined laminar natural convection and surface radiation
with internal heat generation is presented in this paper and computations are
performed for an air-filled square cavity whose four walls have the same
emissivity. Finite volume method through the concepts of staggered grid and
SIMPLER algorithm has been applied, and the view factors are determined by
analytical formula. A power scheme is also used in approximating
advection-diffusion terms. Representative results illustrating the effects of
emissivity and the internal heat generation on the streamlines and
temperature contours within the enclosure are reported. In addition, obtained
results for local and average convective and radiative Nusselt, for various
parametric conditions, show that internal heat generation modifies
significantly the flow and temperature fields.
On the Stewardship Value of Soft Managerial Reports
Authors: Şabac Florin , Tian Jie (Joyce)
Published: October 2014

We characterize the necessary and sufficient conditions for communication of private, unverifiable managerial information to be valuable for stewardship purposes. First, the hard, verifiable information must be able to confirm to some extent the truthfulness of the manager's soft, unverifiable report. Second, neither the hard, verifiable information nor the soft, unverifiable managerial report should be too informative for providing effort incentives because that makes it harder to motivate truthful reports from the manager. In particular, this conflict can be sufficiently severe that eliciting reports from the manager has no value.
Has the Quality of Accounting Education Declined?
Authors: Madsen Paul E.
Published: October 2014

For decades, prominent members of the accounting community have argued that the quality of accounting education is falling. Support for this claim is limited because of a scarcity of data characterizing the constructs of interest. This study is a comparative evaluation of the quality of accounting education from the 1970s to the 2000s using unique data to quantify education quality for accounting and many comparison disciplines. I find that, compared to most other types of college education, accounting education quality has been steady or increasing over the sample period. However, relative to other business degree programs, the evidence is mixed. The quality of students self-selecting non-accounting business degrees has increased while the quality of accounting students has not. The disparity in student quality is not reflected in the pay received by accounting graduates, which has remained stable relative to the pay received by graduates with other business degrees, although this result is likely influenced by regulatory changes during the 2000s, including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). Together, the evidence suggests that the quality of accounting education has not declined rapidly over the last four decades, but in the competition among business degree programs for high-quality students, accounting has underperformed.

Data Availability: Data used in this study are available in the Freshman and Senior Surveys of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles; the IPUMS-USA database, which is compiled and distributed by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota; the National Survey of College Graduates, which is available from the National Science Foundation; and the General Social Survey, which is maintained by the National Opinion Research Center at The University of Chicago.
Testing a better method of predicting postsurgery soft tissue response in Class II patients: A prospective study and validity assessment
Authors: Yoon Kyoung-Sik , Lee Ho-Jin , Lee Shin-Jae , Donatelli Richard E.
Published: October 2014

Objective: 

(1) To perform a prospective study using a new set of data to test the validity of a new soft tissue prediction method developed for Class II surgery patients and (2) to propose a better validation method that can be applied to a validation study.

Materials and Methods: 

Subjects were composed of two subgroups: training subjects and validation subjects. Eighty Class II surgery patients provided the training data set that was used to build the prediction algorithm. The validation data set of 34 new patients was used for evaluating the prospective performance of the prediction algorithm. The validation was conducted using four validation methods: (1) simple validation and (2) fivefold, (3) 10-fold, and (4) leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO).

Results: 

The characteristics between the training and validation subjects did not differ. The multivariate partial least squares regression returned more accurate prediction results than the conventional method did. During the prospective validation, all of the cross-validation methods (fivefold, 10-fold, and LOO) demonstrated fewer prediction errors and more stable results than the simple validation method did. No significant difference was noted among the three cross-validation methods themselves.

Conclusion: 

After conducting a prospective study using a new data set, this new prediction method again performed well. In addition, a cross-validation technique may be considered a better option than simple validation when constructing a prediction algorithm.
Color Stability Behavior of Methacrylate-based Resin Composites Polymerized with Light-emitting Diodes and Quartz-Tungsten-Halogen
Authors: Sabatini C
Published: October 2014

Despite significant developments in improving the optical properties of resin composite materials, their color stability remains a challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the shade stability of light-polymerized, methacrylate-based resin composites with different filler particle composition (microfill, minifill, nanohybrids, and microhybrids) polymerized with quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) and light-emitting diodes (LED).

Methods and Materials

Composite discs were fabricated from Tetric EvoCeram, Premise, Artiste, and Beautifil II (nanohybrids); Filtek Supreme Plus and Vit-l-escence (microhybrids); Heliomolar (microfill); and Estelite Sigma Quick (minifill) using a Teflon mold. The specimens were irradiated either with QTH (Elipar 2500; 600 mW/cm2) for 40 seconds or with LED (Bluephase G2; 1200 mW/cm2) for 20 seconds. Color parameters were measured with a colorimeter before and after polymerization and at 24 hours, one week, one month, and three months. Color change was calculated among the different storage periods.

Results

There was a significant effect of the composite, time, and their interaction (p<0.001) but no effect of the polymerization unit on the color stability. Color changes immediately after polymerization and at 24 hours (4.22 and 3.88 for LED; and 4.08 and 3.82 for QTH) were not significantly different from each other but were both significantly higher than changes after one week (0.96 and 0.78), one month (1.12 and 1.02), and three months (1.27 and 1.11) for LED and QTH, respectively (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Color changes were observed for all the materials that were dependent on the type of composite but not on the polymerization unit. These color shifts took place primarily immediately after polymerization and after 24 hours and were additive in nature.
Raman Spectroscopic Assessment of Degree of Conversion of Bulk-Fill Resin Composites – Changes at 24 Hours Post Cure
Authors: Par M , Gamulin O , Marovic D , Klaric E , Tarle Z
Published: October 2014

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine degree of conversion (DC) of solid and flowable bulk-fill composites immediately and after 24 hours and investigate the variations of DC at surface and depths up to 4 mm.

Materials and Methods

Eight bulk-fill composites (Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill [shades IVA and IVB], Quixfil, X-tra fil, Venus Bulk Fill, X-tra Base, SDR, Filtek Bulk Fill) were investigated, and two conventional composites (GrandioSO, X-Flow) were used as controls. The samples (n = 5) were cured for 20 seconds with irradiance of 1090 mW/cm2. Raman spectroscopic measurements were made immediately after curing on sample surfaces and after 24 hours of dark storage at surface and at incremental depths up to 4 mm. Mean DC values were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test for dependent samples.

Results

Surface DC values immediately after curing ranged from 59.1%-71.8%, while the 24-hour postcure values ranged from 71.3%-86.1%. A significant increase of DC was observed 24 hours post cure for all bulk-fill composites, which amounted from 11.3% to 16.9%. Decrease of DC through depths up to 4 mm varied widely among bulk-fill composites and ranged from 2.9% to 19.7%.

Conclusions

All bulk-fill composites presented a considerable 24-hour postcure DC increase and clinically acceptable DC at depths up to 4 mm. Conventional control composites were sufficiently cured only up to 2 mm, despite significant postcure polymerization.
Effect of Beverages on Color and Translucency of New Tooth-Colored Restoratives
Authors: Tan BL , Yap AUJ , Ma HNT , Chew J , Tan WJ
Published: October 2014

This investigation examined the susceptibility to staining and translucency changes of some new tooth-colored restorative materials after immersion in different beverages. The materials studied were 3M Filtek Z350XT (ZT), 3M Filtek 350XT Flowable Restorative (ZF), Shofu Beautifil Flow Plus (BF), Shofu Beautifil II (B2), 3M Ketac Nano (N100), and 3M Photac Fil (PF). Following the manufacturers' instructions, 42 samples were made from each material and placed in an incubator at 100% humidity and 37°Celsius for 24 hours. Baseline L*, a*, b* readings were taken against white and black backgrounds using a photospectrometer. The samples were then randomly assigned to be immersed in seven beverages, namely cola drink, orange juice, red wine, vodka, black coffee, green tea, and distilled water for a period of seven days. Color readings were taken again by recording the L*, a*, b* values. Data was analyzed using t-tests, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey post hoc and Pearson's correlation (p<0.05). BF generally performed as well as the conventional composite resin materials (ZT and ZF) but N100 and B2 did not. PF had the largest staining and translucency changes. Coffee, red wine, and tea resulted in the most staining and negative translucency changes. An inverse correlation between ΔE and ΔTP was observed for all materials and beverages with the exception of orange juice.
Occupational Exposure to Blood Among Hospital Workers in Montenegro
Authors: Cvejanov-Kezunović Ljiljana , Mustajbegović Jadranka , Milosevic Milan , Čivljak Rok
Published: October 2014

This cross-sectional study was performed in nine Montenegrin hospitals to estimate the burden of occupational exposure to blood among hospital workers in Montenegro in 2010 using a modified Croatian self-reporting questionnaire on exposure to blood-borne infections. Of the 1043 respondents, 517 (49.6 %) reported exposure to blood. Variations between the hospitals were not significant, except for the hospital in Kotor, which stands out with the high percentage of exposed hospital workers (p<0.05). More than 77 % of exposures were not reported through standard hospital protocols at the time of the incident. The most exposed group to blood were nurses (357 of 517; 69.1 %), but the percentage of exposed nurses within the group did not stand out compared to other occupations and was close to that reported by physicians (50.57 % vs. 57.49 %, respectively). The number of hospital workers with appropriate HBV vaccination was surprisingly low (35.7 %) and significantly below the recommended best practice (at least two consecutive doses of HBV vaccine documented for 100 % of employees) (p<0.001). Even with its limitations, our study fills a gap in knowledge about the actual number of sharps incidents and other occupational exposure to blood among hospital workers in Montenegro as well as about the issue of underreporting, which is very common. It also confirms the urgent need for active implementation of special, comprehensive measures to prevent needle-stick and other sharps injuries. Constant staff training, life-long learning, and standardising post-exposure procedures are also recommended.
Contemporary Romanian Art in the United States
Authors: Altman Dana
Published: October 2014

The article discusses the recent international interest in contemporary Romanian art and its growth in market share, with a focus on the United States. The theme is followed thorough in numerous museum exhibitions, increased collector following, art fair presence, gallery representation and auction activity initially in Europe and the United States. The phenomenon is discussed both in the context of the larger international movement conducive to the contemporary art price bubble, and in that of the local socio-economic changes. My chief interest lies in the factors leading up to the entry of post 1989 Romanian art in the global arena as a manifestation of market forces in the field. The analysis follows its grass roots local emergence through non-profit institutions, individual artists, small publications, low budget galleries, as well as the lack of contribution (with few notable exceptions) of state institutions, while pointing out the national context of increasing deregulation of social support systems resulting in lack of focus on cultural manifestations. The conclusion is that the recent ascent of contemporary Romanian art (and coincidentally, the award winning contemporary Romanian cinematography) is a fortuitous convergence of various factors, among which, increased international mobility and sharing. At the same time, it is also the result of the evolution of various individual artists that pursued a form of art rooted in Romanian artistic tradition but with a focus on the symbolic figurative. The result is a personal semiotics of raising the mundane to extraordinary levels that reconfigured the anxiety of entering a new system into an unmistakable and lasting visual language.
Nasal place assimilation and the perceptibility of place contrasts
Authors: Kawahara Shigeto , Garvey Kelly
Published: October 2014

Typological studies of place assimilation show that nasal consonants are more likely to assimilate in place than oral stops (Cho, 1990; Jun, 1995, 2004; Mohanan, 1993). Jun (1995, 2004) argues that this typological asymmetry derives from a difference in the perceptibility of the place contrasts in nasal consonants and in oral stops. Since the place contrasts in nasals are perceptually weaker than the place contrasts in oral stops, speakers are more willing to neutralize the former. However, the previous phonetic and psycholinguistic experiments do not provide unambiguous evidence for the weaker perceptibility of the place contrasts in nasal consonants (Hura et al., 1992; Mohr & Wang, 1968; Pols, 1983; Winters, 2002). To offer additional experimental findings bearing on this debate, this paper reports two similarity judgment experiments and two identification experiments in noise, which all show the lower perceptibility of the place contrasts in nasal consonants in coda. The results are compatible with— and thus can lend support to—Jun’s (1995, 2004) idea that the asymmetry in place assimilation may result from a difference in the perceptibility of place contrasts.
The relation between R&D accounting treatment and the risk of the firm: Evidence from the Italian market
Authors: Cimini Riccardo , Gaetano Alessandro , Pagani Alessandra
Published: October 2014

In this paper, we investigate the relation between the different accounting treatments of R&D expenditures and the risk of the entity in order to identify under which treatment insiders are more likely to carry out earnings management. By analysing the R&D investment strategies of a sample of 137 listed Italian entities that complied with the requirements of IAS 38 during fiscal year 2009, following Lantz and Sahut (2005), we calculate several indexes that show the preferences of insiders to account R&D expenditures as costs or capital assets, and we study the relation of such preferences with the risk of the entity, which we measure with the unlevered beta. We hypothesize that the entities, which considered the R&D investments as costs, are the riskiest ones due to the higher probability that insiders carried out earnings management. Our results confirm such hypothesis. This paper could have implications for academics and standard setters that could learn that behind accounting discretion, insiders could opportunistically behave against outsiders.
The Severity of Internal Controls over Financial Reporting Deficiencies: Differences among Types and Industries
Authors: Mazza Tatiana , Azzali Stefano
Published: October 2014

This study analyzes the severity of Internal Control over Financial Reporting deficiencies (Deficiencies, Significant Deficiencies and Material Weaknesses) in a sample of Italian listed companies, in the period 2007- 2012. Using proprietary data the severity of the deficiencies is tested for account-specific, entity level and information technology controls and for industries (manufacturing and services vs finance industries). The results on ICD severity is compared with one of the most frequent ICD (Acc_Period End/Accounting Policies): for account-specific, ICD in revenues, purchase, fixed assets and intangible, loans and insurance are more severe while ICD in Inventory are less severe. Differences in ICD severity have been found in the characteristic account: ICD in loan and insurance for finance industry and ICD in revenue, purchase for manufacturing and service industry are more severe. Finally, we found that ICD in entity level and information technology controls are less severe than account specific ICD in all industries. However, the results on entity level and information technology deficiencies could also mean that the importance of these types of control are under-evaluated by the manufacturing and service companies.
Britain's Channel 4: A TV Provider Caught Between Private Sector Funding and Its Cultural Mission
Authors: Bock Gabriele , Zielinski Siegfried
Published: October 2014

This article, which first appeared in Media Perspektiven 1 (1987), is published here for the first time in English. It offers an enlightening contemporary perspective, from the then German Federal Republic, on the innovation in European broadcasting which Channel 4 represented. It outlines the policy context which gave rise to the UK's fourth television channel and describes its unique, hybrid character as a commercial station funded by advertising revenue with a public service remit. It assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Channel 4's commissioning structure and identifies significant examples of its innovative programming, paying particular attention to its support for independent film. That emphasis is noteworthy since it was West German television's film-funding mechanism that provided the model on which Film on Four was based. The article recognises Channel 4's commitment to catering for minority audiences, to enabling broader access to programme-making and to commissioning work that was experimental in form and content. It is generous in suggesting that such a risk-taking cultural enterprise was only possible within the UK's mature and highly developed broadcasting ecology, but it remains cautious (perhaps presciently) of its sustainability in the expanding commercial marketplace of multi-channel television.
From Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Detection to Cervical Cancer Prevention in Clinical Practice
Authors: Lee Sin , Vigliotti Jessica , Vigliotti Veronica , Jones William
Published: October 2014

The newly gained knowledge of the viral etiology in cervical carcinogenesis has prompted industrial interests in developing virology-based tools for cervical cancer prevention. Due to the long incubation period from viral infection to developing an invasive cancer, a process whose outcome is influenced by numerous life-style and genetic factors, the true efficacy of the genotype-specific human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in cervical cancer prevention cannot be determined for another 30 years. Most HPV DNA test kits designed to replace the traditional Papanicolaou (Pap) smears for precancer detection lack the analytical sensitivity and specificity to comprehensively detect all potentially carcinogenic HPVs and to perform reliable genotyping. The authors implemented the classic nested PCR and Sanger DNA-sequencing technology for routine HPV testing. The results showed a true negative HPV PCR invariably indicates the absence of precancerous cells in the cytology samples. However, 80.5% of single positive HPV-16 tests and 97.3% of single positive HPV-18 tests were associated with a negative or a largely self-reversible Pap cytology. Routine sensitive and reliable HPV type-specific or perhaps even variant-specific methods are needed to address the issues of persistence of HPV infection if a virology-based primary cervical screen is used to replace the Pap cytology screening paradigm.
An ECMA-55 Minimal BASIC Compiler for x86-64 Linux®
Authors: Ham John
Published: October 2014

This paper describes a new non-optimizing compiler for the ECMA-55 Minimal BASIC language that generates x86-64 assembler code for use on the x86-64 Linux® [1] 3.x platform. The compiler was implemented in C99 and the generated assembly language is in the AT&T style and is for the GNU assembler. The generated code is stand-alone and does not require any shared libraries to run, since it makes system calls to the Linux® kernel directly. The floating point math uses the Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) instructions and the compiler fully implements all of the floating point exception handling required by the ECMA-55 standard. This compiler is designed to be small, simple, and easy to understand for people who want to study a compiler that actually implements full error checking on floating point on x86-64 CPUs even if those people have little programming experience. The generated assembly code is also designed to be simple to read.
Transdisciplinary Application of Cross-Scale Resilience
Authors: Sundstrom Shana , Angeler David , Garmestani Ahjond , García Jorge , Allen Craig
Published: October 2014

The cross-scale resilience model was developed in ecology to explain the emergence of resilience from the distribution of ecological functions within and across scales, and as a tool to assess resilience. We propose that the model and the underlying discontinuity hypothesis are relevant to other complex adaptive systems, and can be used to identify and track changes in system parameters related to resilience. We explain the theory behind the cross-scale resilience model, review the cases where it has been applied to non-ecological systems, and discuss some examples of social-ecological, archaeological/ anthropological, and economic systems where a cross-scale resilience analysis could add a quantitative dimension to our current understanding of system dynamics and resilience. We argue that the scaling and diversity parameters suitable for a resilience analysis of ecological systems are appropriate for a broad suite of systems where non-normative quantitative assessments of resilience are desired. Our planet is currently characterized by fast environmental and social change, and the cross-scale resilience model has the potential to quantify resilience across many types of complex adaptive systems.
Mutation of the Highly Conserved Ser-40 of the HIV-1 p6 Gag Protein to Phe Causes the Formation of a Hydrophobic Patch, Enhances Membrane Association, and Polyubiquitination of Gag
Authors: Hahn Friedrich , Setz Christian , Friedrich Melanie , Rauch Pia , Solbak Sara , Frøystein Nils , Henklein Petra , Votteler Jörg , Fossen Torgils , Schubert Ulrich
Published: October 2014

The HIV-1 p6 Gag protein contains two late assembly (l-) domains that recruit proteins of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway to mediate membrane fission between the nascent virion and the cell membrane. It was recently demonstrated that mutation of the highly conserved Ser-40 to Phe (S40F) disturbs CA-SP1 processing, virus morphogenesis, and infectivity. It also causes the formation of filopodia-like structures, while virus release remains unaffected. Here, we show that the mutation S40F, but not the conservative mutation to Asp (S40D) or Asn (S40N), augments membrane association, K48-linked polyubiquitination, entry into the 26S proteasome, and, consequently, enhances MHC-I antigen presentation of Gag derived epitopes. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure analyses revealed that the newly introduced Phe-40, together with Tyr-36, causes the formation of a hydrophobic patch at the C-terminal α-helix of p6, providing a molecular rationale for the enhanced membrane association of Gag observed in vitro and in HIV-1 expressing cells. The extended exposure of the S40F mutant to unidentified membrane-resident ubiquitin E3-ligases might trigger the polyubiquitination of Gag. The cumulative data support a previous model of a so far undefined property of p6, which, in addition to MA, acts as membrane targeting domain of Gag.
Climatic influences on wood anatomy and tree‐ring features of Great Basin conifers at a new mountain observatory
Authors: Ziaco Emanuele , Biondi Franco , Rossi Sergio , Deslauriers Annie
Published: October 2014

• Premise of the study: A network of mountain observing stations has been installed in the Great Basin of North America. NevCAN (Nevada Climate‐ecohydrological Assessment Network), which spans a latitudinal range of 2.5° and two elevation ranges of about 2000 m each, enabled us to investigate tree growth in relation to climate.

• Methods: We analyzed wood anatomy and tree‐ring characteristics of four conifer species in response to different levels of water availability by comparing a low‐ and a high‐elevation population. Chronologies of earlywood and latewood widths, as well as cellular parameters, were developed from the year 2000 to 2012.

• Results: At the southern (drier and warmer) sites, Pinus monophylla had smaller cell lumen, tracheid diameter, and cell wall thickness. Pinus monophylla and P. flexilis showed bigger cellular elements at the higher elevations, whereas the opposite pattern was found in Picea engelmannii and Pinus longaeva. When all species and sites were pooled together, stem diameter was positively related with earlywood anatomical parameters.

• Discussion: We have provided a glimpse of the applications that NevCAN, as a new scientific tool, could allow in the general field of botany. In particular, we were able to investigate how differences in water stress related to elevation lead to changes in xylem anatomy.
In vitro and in vivo interactions of selected nanoparticles with rodent serum proteins and their consequences in biokinetics
Authors: Kreyling Wolfgang G , Fertsch-Gapp Stefanie , Schäffler Martin , Johnston Blair D , Haberl Nadine , Pfeiffer Christian , Diendorf Jörg , Schleh Carsten , Hirn Stephanie , Semmler-Behnke Manuela , Epple Matthias , Parak Wolfgang J
Published: October 2014

When particles incorporated within a mammalian organism come into contact with body fluids they will bind to soluble proteins or those within cellular membranes forming what is called a protein corona. This binding process is very complex and highly dynamic due to the plethora of proteins with different affinities and fractions in different body fluids and the large variation of compounds and structures of the particle surface. Interestingly, in the case of nanoparticles (NP) this protein corona is well suited to provide a guiding vehicle of translocation within body fluids and across membranes. This NP translocation may subsequently lead to accumulation in various organs and tissues and their respective cell types that are not expected to accumulate such tiny foreign bodies. Because of this unprecedented NP accumulation, potentially adverse biological responses in tissues and cells cannot be neglected a priori but require thorough investigations. Therefore, we studied the interactions and protein binding kinetics of blood serum proteins with a number of engineered NP as a function of their physicochemical properties. Here we show by in vitro incubation tests that the binding capacity of different engineered NP (polystyrene, elemental carbon) for selected serum proteins depends strongly on the NP size and the properties of engineered surface modifications. In the following attempt, we studied systematically the effect of the size (5, 15, 80 nm) of gold spheres (AuNP), surface-modified with the same ionic ligand; as well as 5 nm AuNP with five different surface modifications on the binding to serum proteins by using proteomics analyses. We found that the binding of numerous serum proteins depended strongly on the physicochemical properties of the AuNP. These in vitro results helped us substantially in the interpretation of our numerous in vivo biokinetics studies performed in rodents using the same NP. These had shown that not only the physicochemical properties determined the AuNP translocation from the organ of intake towards blood circulation and subsequent accumulation in secondary organs and tissues but also the the transport across organ membranes depended on the route of AuNP application. Our in vitro protein binding studies support the notion that the observed differences in in vivo biokinetics are mediated by the NP protein corona and its dynamical change during AuNP translocation in fluids and across membranes within the organism.
CORRECTED GYROCOMPASS SYNTHESIS AS A SYSTEM WITH CHANGEABLE STRUCTURE FOR AVIATION GRAVIMETRIC SYSTEM WITH PIEZOELECTRIC GRAVIMETER
Authors: Bezvesilnaya Elena Nikolaevna , Tkachuk Andriy Hennadiiovych
Published: October 2014

The present article introduces the development of a corrected gyrocompass with an automatic switch of the gyrocompass into the gyroazimuth mode. The issues of multi-criterion synthesis of the gyrocompass control loop have been studied. The necessity of temporary delay input (with selected values) under the previously mentioned switching is shown. On the basis of given requirements, we chose the parameters which provide the device with a switching-back into the gyrocompass mode under any initial gyrocompass deviations in the horizontal plane. An algorithm of gyrocompass ballistic deviation compensation due to the amendment generated by the special observing device, without recourse to external information regarding the ship's acceleration, was developed.
MINING HIGH VALUE TRAVELERS USING A NEW MODEL DESIGNED FOR ONLINE CRM SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY IN TAIWAN
Authors: Chiang Wen-Yu
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this research is to investigate the mining of high value travelers for online travel agencies. For the research the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) procedure was applied with a new model of customer value on a database (RFM model based). In this article, the customer values of online travelers can be analyzed via a proposed equation (FMLC-CV), and the travelers can be ranked via a proposed FMLC model and the AHP procedure. According to the research logic, high value travelers can be discovered in the travelers’ database. Through the value ranking the value markets can be clustered according to value scores as well. The results can be applied to online CRM systems to help the travel industry realize the high value markets of travelers, and implement various marketing plans for different markets.
IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES FOR A FUTURISTIC PERSONAL PLANE CONCEPT
Authors: Hlinka Jiri , Trefilova Helena
Published: October 2014

The paper describes activities related to the safety assessment of a futuristic personal plane concept, done by researchers at the Institute of Aerospace Engineering (IAE), Brno University of Technology, as a part of the FP7 PPlane research project. Activities under the PPlane project were carried out in joint cooperation with an international research team led by ONERA (France). The aim of the FP7 EU project PPlane (Personal Plane) is to identify new potential concepts and technologies for future air transport, namely to create a future Personal Air Transport System (PATS). The personal air vehicle is understood to be analogous to a private car in terms of accessibility and ease of operation. Such a novel transportation system could help to reduce congestion on roads and enable more efficient transportation of passengers to their destinations. The introduction of PATS is a long-term goal which requires considerable progress beyond the current state-of-the-art technology as well as in related areas. The major enabling technology is believed to be a high level of automation in new air vehicles which would require either no or minor piloting skills of passengers.
MAIN FAN NOISE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN TURBOFAN ENGINES
Authors: Ommi Fathollah , Azimi Mohammadreza
Published: October 2014

Aircraft noise and emissions have been of concern since the beginning of commercial aviation. The continuing growth in air traffic and increasing public awareness have made environmental considerations one of the most critical aspects of commercial aviation today. To deal with this problem, aircraft manufacturers and public establishments are engaged in research on technical and theoretical approaches for noise reduction concepts that should be applied to new aircraft. While jet noise was the dominating contributor in the early jet engine designs, the noise emitted by the fan has become important with the reduction in jet speed and its control requiring an immense research effort. This paper concerns the main fan noise mitigation technologies in turbofan engines.
USING A MIXTURE OF EXPERTS’ APPROACH TO SOLVE THE FORECASTING TASK
Authors: Sineglazov Victor , Chumachenko Elena , Gorbatyuk Vladyslav
Published: October 2014

The forecasting problem appears frequently in the aviation industry (demand forecasting, air transport movement forecasting, etc.). In this article, a new approach based on multiple neural networks of different topologies is introduced. An algorithm was tested on real data and showed better results compared to several other methods. This shows its suitability for further usage in aviation forecasting tasks.
Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous Tanezumab for the Symptomatic Treatment of Osteoarthritis: 2 Randomized Controlled Trials versus Naproxen
Authors: Ekman Evan F. , Gimbel Joseph S. , Bello Alfonso E. , Smith Michael D. , Keller David S. , Annis Karen M. , Brown Mark T. , West Christine R. , Verburg Kenneth M.
Published: October 2014

Objective.

Two studies evaluated efficacy and safety of tanezumab versus naproxen for treatment of knee or hip osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods.

Randomized controlled studies [NCT00830063 (Study 1015, n = 828) and NCT00863304 (Study 1018, n = 840)] of subjects with hip or knee OA compared intravenous tanezumab (5 mg or 10 mg) to placebo and naproxen (500 mg twice daily). Coprimary outcomes were Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain, WOMAC Physical Function (0–10 numerical rating scale), and patient’s global assessment of OA at Week 16.

Results.

In both studies, tanezumab reduced pain versus placebo [least squares mean differences, 95% CI, tanezumab 5 mg: −1.21 (−1.72, −0.70); −1.13 (−1.65, −0.62); tanezumab 10 mg: −0.91 (−1.42, −0.40); −0.80 (−1.32, −0.29)], and improved function and global scores. Tanezumab 5 mg produced greater pain reduction [−0.76 (−1.28, −0.25); −0.69 (−1.21, −0.17)], and favorable functional and global outcomes versus naproxen. Pain reductions with tanezumab 10 mg versus naproxen did not reach significance, unlike functional (both studies) and global (1 study) outcomes; thus, tanezumab 10 mg was not superior to naproxen, and predefined statistical testing procedures were not met, allowing for conclusion of superiority of tanezumab 5 mg over naproxen despite replicated favorable coprimary outcomes. Tanezumab was associated with greater incidence of peripheral sensory adverse events (paresthesia, hyperesthesia, hypoesthesia, burning sensation), pain in extremity, peripheral edema, and arthralgia. Overall frequency and discontinuations as a result of adverse events were similar to placebo and naproxen.

Conclusion.

Tanezumab provides efficacious treatment of knee or hip OA and may have therapeutic utility in patients with OA who experience inadequate analgesia with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.
The Effect of Male Sex on Survival in Systemic Sclerosis
Authors: Hussein Haseena , Lee Peter , Chau Cathy , Johnson Sindhu R.
Published: October 2014

Objective.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) has a female predominance, however, little is understood about the effect of sex on SSc manifestations and survival. The objectives of our study were to evaluate differences in disease manifestations, and survival rates between males and females with SSc.

Methods.

A retrospective cohort study of the Toronto Scleroderma Program was conducted to evaluate sex-based differences in disease manifestations and survival. A relative survival analysis compared SSc survival to the general population.

Results.

There were 959 patients (791 females, 168 males) identified, with a female:male ratio of 4.7:1. Males more frequently had diffuse SSc [45% vs 30%, relative risk (RR) 1.44, 95% CI 1.18–1.75] and interstitial lung disease (ILD; 41% vs 33%, RR 1.24, 95% CI 1.01–1.52). There were 324 deaths (65 males, 259 females). Males had increased unadjusted mortality compared to females (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.19–2.06). In an adjusted model including immunosuppressive use, male sex (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.06–1.85), ILD (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.26–1.98), and older age at diagnosis (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04–1.06) were independently associated with increased mortality, whereas the limited subtype (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49–0.77) and anticentromere antibodies (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.49–0.98) were independently associated with decreased mortality. Male sex was associated with increased risk of mortality (HR 1.16, p = 0.003) in patients with SSc above that observed for males in the general population.

Conclusion.

The differential effect of disease between sexes is small, yet males have decreased survival compared to females with SSc.
Systemic Sclerosis Sine Scleroderma: A Multicenter Study of 1417 Subjects
Authors: Diab Sehriban , Dostrovsky Nathaniel , Hudson Marie , Tatibouet Solène , Fritzler Marvin J. , Baron Murray ,   the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group, Khalidi Nader
Published: October 2014

Objective.

To describe the clinical and serological features of systemic sclerosis sine scleroderma (ssSSc) in a multicentered SSc cohort.

Methods.

Data from 1417 subjects in the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group registry were extracted to identify subjects with ssSSc, defined as SSc diagnosed by an expert rheumatologist, but without any sclerodactyly or skin involvement prior to baseline study visit or during followup. Clinical and serological features of ssSSc subjects were compared to limited (lcSSc) and diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) subjects.

Results.

At the first registry visit, only 57 subjects (4.0%) were identified as having ssSSc. Of these, 30 (2.1%) were reclassified as lcSSc within 1.9 years. Thus, only 27 ssSSc subjects (1.9%) remained, with mean followup of 2.4 years. Clinical profiles of ssSSc were generally similar or milder compared to lcSSc, and milder than dcSSc, including rates of interstitial lung disease (25.9% ssSSc, 25.4% lcSSc, 40.3% dcSSc). Patients with ssSSc had serological profiles similar to those with lcSSc, including high rates of anticentromere antibodies (50.0% ssSSc, 47.5% lcSSc, 12.1% dcSSc), and low rates of antitopoisomerase I (16.7% ssSSc, 7.0% lcSSc, 21.8% dcSSc) and anti-RNA polymerase III (0 ssSSc, 11.1% lcSSc, 34.9% dcSSc).

Conclusion.

The condition ssSSc is rare and resembles lcSSc. These observations suggest that ssSSc is most likely a forme fruste of lcSSc, and that the absence of skin involvement may in part be related to misclassification arising from early or subtle skin involvement. There is little evidence to consider ssSSc as a distinct clinical or serological subset of SSc.