bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Liquid Segregation Phenomenological Behaviors of Ti14 Alloy during Semisolid Deformation
Authors: Chen Y. N. , Luo C. , Wei J. F. , Zhao Y. Q. , Xu Y. K.
Published: May 2014

The liquid segregation phenomenon and its effect on deformation mechanism of Ti14 alloy in semisolid metal processing were investigated by thermal simulation test. Microstructure of depth profile was determined by cross-section quantitative metallography, and liquid segregation phenomenon was described by Darcy's law. The results show that segregation phenomenon was affected by solid fraction, strain rate, and deformation rate. More liquid segregated from center to edge portion with high strain rate and/or deformation ratio as well as low solid fraction, which caused different distribution of dominating deformation mechanism. The relationship between liquid segregation and main deformation mechanism was also discussed by phenomenological model.
A Software Vulnerability Rating Approach Based on the Vulnerability Database
Authors: Luo Jian , Lo Kueiming , Qu Haoran
Published: May 2014

CVSS is a specification for measuring the relative severity of software vulnerabilities. The performance values of the CVSS given by CVSS-SIG cannot describe the reasons for the software vulnerabilities. This approach fails to distinguish between software vulnerabilities that have the same score but different levels of severity. In this paper, a software vulnerability rating approach (SVRA) is proposed. The vulnerability database is used by SVRA to analyze the frequencies of CVSS’s metrics at different times. Then, the equations for both exploitability and impact subscores are given in terms of these frequencies. SVRA performs a weighted average of these two subscores to create an SVRA score. The score of a vulnerability is dynamically calculated at different times using the vulnerability database. Experiments were performed to validate the efficiency of the SVRA.
Foliar Treatments of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid for Control of Common Scab in Potato Have Beneficial Effects on Powdery Scab Control
Authors: Thompson Hannah Katherine , Tegg Robert Stephen , Corkrey Ross , Wilson Calum Rae
Published: May 2014

Prior studies have shown that applications of the synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) to the foliage of potato plants can reduce common scab. Here field and glasshouse trials suggest that 2,4-D foliar treatments may also reduce the biologically distinct tuber disease, powdery scab. Significant correlations between suppression of common and powdery scab from the field trials suggested an interaction between the two diseases or possible additional broad spectrum mechanisms of enhanced defence against pathogen invasion provided by 2,4-D treatment.
Selenium Suppresses Leukemia through the Action of Endogenous Eicosanoids
Authors: Gandhi Ujjawal H. , Kaushal Naveen , Hegde Shailaja , Finch Emily R. , Kudva Avinash K. , Kennett Mary J. , Jordan Craig T. , Paulson Robert F. , Prabhu K. Sandeep
Published: May 2014

Eradicating cancer stem-like cells (CSC) may be essential to fully eradicate cancer. Metabolic changes in CSC could hold a key to their targeting. Here, we report that the dietary micronutrient selenium can trigger apoptosis of CSC derived from chronic or acute myelogenous leukemias when administered at supraphysiologic but nontoxic doses. In leukemia CSC, selenium treatment activated ATM-p53–dependent apoptosis accompanied by increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species. Importantly, the same treatment did not trigger apoptosis in hematopoietic stem cells. Serial transplantation studies with BCR–ABL-expressing CSC revealed that the selenium status in mice was a key determinant of CSC survival. Selenium action relied upon the endogenous production of the cyclooxygenase-derived prostaglandins Δ12-PGJ2 and 15d-PGJ2. Accordingly, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and NADPH oxidase inhibitors abrogated the ability of selenium to trigger apoptosis in leukemia CSC. Our results reveal how selenium-dependent modulation of arachidonic acid metabolism can be directed to trigger apoptosis of primary human and murine CSC in leukemia. Cancer Res; 74(14); 3890–901. ©2014 AACR.
Religion, Repression, and Human Rights in Eritrea and the Diaspora
Authors: Hepner Tricia Redeker
Published: May 2014

Abstract

This paper analyzes the logic of the Eritrean state’s repression of religious identities and institutions from a historical and transnational perspective. It argues that contemporary religious repression expresses cultural, political, and generational conflicts related to the internal dynamics of Eritrea’s postrevolutionary transition, the transnational configuration of the nation-state, and larger preoccupations with the pressures of globalization. A key proposition is that repression of religion is related to both the modernist secularism of the nationalist regime and the ways in which human rights discourse intersects simultaneously with northern interventionism and transnational diaspora opposition to the Eritrean regime. Analyzing the Eritrean case with respect to contemporary critical scholarship on the tensions and contradictions inherent in secularism and human rights discourse highlights how their emancipatory potentials can be co-opted by regimes of power.
Christian Revivalism and Political Imagination in Madagascar
Authors: Nielssen Hilde , Skeie Karina Hestad
Published: May 2014

Abstract

The point of departure for this paper is the particular role of Christian movements in Madagascar’s most recent political crisis. During the coup d’état in March 2009, ritual specialists from the Christian revival movementFifohazanawere called on to carry out an exorcism to cleanse the presidential palace of evil forces. This incident not only shows the significance of Christian revival movements within the Malagasy political landscape and society in general, but also indicates how Malagasy politics is imagined in spiritual terms. With its recurrent efforts to restore the nation-state, Malagasy national politics is impossible to understand without taking into account how thoroughly the Malagasy political imagination is infused with the cosmology and ontologies of power. This paper explores the ambivalent relationships between the various Christian movements and national politics in the light of history as well as through the recent transmutations of power, showing howFifohazanahave provided a site for the (re)production of the contemporary political imagination.
Norway’s Readmission Agreements: Spellbound by European Union Policies or Free Spirits on the International Field?
Authors: Janmyr Maja
Published: May 2014

Abstract

This article offers an analysis of the objective and substance of Norway’s readmission agreements in light of European Union readmission policies. It explores how readmission policy developments on the eu level also impact Norway’s practice, and argues that eu practice influences Norway’s work on readmission in three important ways. First, as part of a preventative strategic policy, Norway seeks to conclude readmission agreements with countries with which eu readmission agreements (eura) exist. Second, eu visa facilitation agreements that are paired with euras form an indirect link between eu and Norwegian readmission agreements. Third, Norway uses the eura-format as a basis for negotiations even with countries where no eura exists. This article also examines Norway’s participation in the eu Global Approach on Migration and Mobility (gamm), and finds that it is limited by the gamm being only tangentially within the Schengen cooperation, and also by national political perceptions about linking readmission and development aid.
Colloquium 2 “God is Not To Blame”: Divine Creation and Human Responsibility in Plato’s Timaeus
Authors: Sauvé Meyer Susan
Published: May 2014

When Timaeus claims that all vice is involuntary, and that it is not individual human beings but their “nurturers” and begetters” who must be assigned causal responsibility for human vice (Timaeus 86b-87b), he is extending the grand cosmological discourse he has been offering to include the causes of human vice, and he is presenting a novel twist on the Socratic paradox familiar from earlier works, that no one does wrong voluntarily. He is not, however, contradicting his earlier claims (42d-e) that human beings, rather than the gods, are responsible for human evils. This is because (a) 86b-87b does assign responsibility to human causes and (b) responsibility for individual actions is not under discussion there.
Commentary on Howland
Authors: George David B.
Published: May 2014

In response to Howland’s paper, this seeks to place the focal point of the battle of Munichia in the archaeological remains of Piraeus and what is known of the location of the sanctuary of Bendis. It also considers whether the battle that took place around Munichia would have had sufficient verbal and historical resonance to evoke memory by the framing of the Republic.
Linguistic Variations in Early Ladino Translations
Authors: Schwarzwald Ora (Rodrigue)
Published: May 2014

The differences between early Ladino liturgical translations andhalakhictranslations, both of which were based on Hebrew sources, are analyzed in this study. The liturgical translations include the Bible, Pirke Avot, the Passover Haggadah, and the Siddur as well as biblical citations in these sources. The halakhic translations includeMesa de el alma(Shulḥan Hapanimin Hebrew) which is a translation ofShulḥan Arukh, the translations ofḤovat Halevavot, and the halakhic instructions in the prayer books. While there are no significant variations in orthography between the two kinds of translations and morphology demonstrates few differences, syntax, discourse analysis, and lexicon reveal great variability. The halakhic translations demonstrate simplification, explicitation, normalization, and a small amount of interference, whereas the liturgical translations adhere to very strict norms of word-for-word translation. It was also found in both kinds of texts that the western translations from Italy and the Netherlands done by former converted Jews (anusim) follow Spanish norms more than the eastern Ladino conventions of the Jews in the Balkans and Asia Minor.
Diurnal Variations of Albedo Retrieved from Earth Radiation Budget Experiment Measurements
Authors: Rutan David A. , Smith G. Louis , Wong Takmeng
Published: May 2014

Five years of measurements from the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) have been analyzed to define the diurnal cycle of albedo from 55°N to 55°S. The ERBS precesses through all local times every 72 days so as to provide data regarding the diurnal cycles for Earth radiation. Albedo together with insolation at the top of the atmosphere is used to compute the heating of the Earth–atmosphere system; thus its diurnal cycle is important in the energetics of the climate system. A principal component (PC) analysis of the diurnal variation of top-of-atmosphere albedo using these data is presented. The analysis is done separately for ocean and land because of the marked differences of cloud behavior over ocean and over land. For ocean, 90%–92% of the variance in the diurnal cycle is described by a single component; for land, the first PC accounts for 83%–89% of the variance. Some of the variation is due to the increase of albedo with increasing solar zenith angle, which is taken into account in the ERBS data processing by a directional model, and some is due to the diurnal cycle of cloudiness. The second PC describes 2%–4% of the variance for ocean and 5% for land, and it is primarily due to variations of cloudiness throughout the day, which are asymmetric about noon. These terms show the response of the atmosphere to the cycle of solar heating. The third PC for ocean is a two-peaked curve, and the associated map shows high values in cloudy regions.
Analytical Investigation of Glaciation Time in Mixed-Phase Adiabatic Cloud Volumes
Authors: Pinsky M. , Khain A. , Korolev A.
Published: May 2014

Glaciation in mixed-phase adiabatic cloudy parcels is investigated analytically using two new equations: the equation for coexistence of liquid water and ice and the mass balance equation. The analysis of glaciation time is performed for a vertically moving adiabatic mixed-phase cloud parcel. The effects of vertical velocity, liquid water content, and concentrations of ice particles, liquid droplets, temperature, and other parameters on the glaciation process are discussed. It is shown analytically that, for a certain envelope of vertical velocities, the glaciation time depends only on the vertical displacement of the parcel and does not depend on the trajectory along which the cloud parcel travels toward the glaciation point. Analytical dependencies of the glaciation time and of the altitude of glaciation on vertical velocity are presented. The results demonstrate a good agreement with those obtained using the corresponding parcel model. The limitations of the newly proposed approach are discussed as well, and it is shown that implementation of a simple correction factor allows one to calculate the glaciation time within a wide range of temperatures, from 0° down to −30°C.
How Much Has the North Atlantic Ocean Overturning Circulation Changed in the Last 50 Years?
Authors: Tett Simon F. B. , Sherwin Toby J. , Shravat Amrita , Browne Oliver
Published: May 2014

Volume transports from six ocean reanalyses are compared with four sets of in situ observations: across the Greenland–Scotland ridge (GSR), in the Labrador Sea boundary current, in the deep western boundary current at 43°N, and in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) at 26°N in the North Atlantic. The higher-resolution reanalyses (on the order of ¼° × ¼°) are better at reproducing the circulation pattern in the subpolar gyre than those with lower resolution (on the order of 1°). Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) and Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO)–Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) produce transports at 26°N that are close to those observed [17 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1)]. ECCO, version 2, and SODA produce northward transports across the GSR (observed transport of 8.2 Sv) that are 22% and 29% too big, respectively. By contrast, the low-resolution reanalyses have transports that are either too small [by 31% for ECCO-JPL and 49% for Ocean Reanalysis, system 3 (ORA-S3)] or much too large [Decadal Prediction System (DePreSys)]. SODA had the best simulations of mixed layer depth and with two coarse grid long-term reanalyses (DePreSys and ORA-S3) is used to examine changes in North Atlantic circulation from 1960 to 2008. Its results suggest that the AMOC increased by about 20% at 26°N while transport across the GSR hardly altered. The other (less reliable) long-term reanalyses also had small changes across the GSR but changes of +10% and −20%, respectively, at 26°N. Thus, it appears that changes in the overturning circulation at 26°N are decoupled from the flow across the GSR. It is recommended that transport observations should not be assimilated in ocean reanalyses but used for validation instead.
The Potion
Authors: Pinsky Ellen
Published: May 2014

This essay treats Freud’s “Observations on Transference-Love,” written a hundred years ago, as the quintessential psychoanalytic document, defining the clinical setup, charting its dangers, and providing ethical precepts for guiding treatment. Above all, in the context of those ethical questions, Freud’s paper confronts the immense power and necessary strangeness of the transference—that form of love, or erotic bond, that fuels the healing process. The “potion”—an artificial yet powerfully real attachment—is the agent of a temporary induced blindness that gives access to a region otherwise inaccessible. A dream is presented to demonstrate that process. Freud, in describing this incendiary arrangement, likens it to a fire in a theater. The fire, the author proposes, is in the script.
Logistic regression analysis of psychosocial correlates associated with recovery from schizophrenia in a Chinese community
Authors: Tse Samson , Davidson Larry , Chung Ka-fai , Yu Chong Ho , Ng King Lam , Tsoi Emily
Published: May 2014

Background and Aims:

More mental health services are adopting the recovery paradigm. This study adds to prior research by (a) using measures of stages of recovery and elements of recovery that were designed and validated in a non-Western, Chinese culture and (b) testing which demographic factors predict advanced recovery and whether placing importance on certain elements predicts advanced recovery.

Method:

We examined recovery and factors associated with recovery among 75 Hong Kong adults who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and assessed to be in clinical remission. Data were collected on socio-demographic factors, recovery stages and elements associated with recovery. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify variables that could best predict stages of recovery. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to detect the classification accuracy of the model (i.e. rates of correct classification of stages of recovery).

Results:

Logistic regression results indicated that stages of recovery could be distinguished with reasonable accuracy for Stage 3 (‘living with disability’, classification accuracy = 75.45%) and Stage 4 (‘living beyond disability’, classification accuracy = 75.50%). However, there was no sufficient information to predict Combined Stages 1 and 2 (‘overwhelmed by disability’ and ‘struggling with disability’). It was found that having a meaningful role and age were the most important differentiators of recovery stage.

Conclusion:

Preliminary findings suggest that adopting salient life roles personally is important to recovery and that this component should be incorporated into mental health services.
Up-regulation of Glutamate in Painful Human Supraspinatus Tendon Tears
Authors: Franklin Sarah L. , Dean Benjamin J.F. , Wheway Kim , Watkins Bridget , Javaid Muhammad K. , Carr Andrew J.
Published: May 2014

Background:

Pain related to rotator cuff tendinopathy is a common problem, but little is known regarding the origin and cause of pain from the tendon substance. No study to date has looked at the association between tissue changes and patient outcomes.

Purpose:

To describe the peripheral neuronal phenotype in painful rotator cuff tears and to determine correlations between tissue changes and clinical outcome measures.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Tissue samples of the supraspinatus were taken from patients undergoing surgery to repair a rotator cuff tendon tear. Patients were classified as having small/medium or large/massive tears. Control tissue was obtained from patients undergoing surgery for posttraumatic shoulder instability. Immunohistochemical techniques were performed using antibodies to known nociceptive and neuronal markers as well as general tissue structural markers.

Results:

There was no correlation between tissue changes and patient-reported outcomes. A significant increase in the expression of glutamate was seen in tendon tears. There were differences in the expression of metabotropic and ionotropic glutamate receptors. Expression changes were also observed for markers of the sensory and autonomic systems; however, no differences were found in neurotrophins.

Conclusion:

Glutamate and the glutaminergic system play a key role in painful human tendon tears; however, the exact role is still uncertain, as glutamate is highly involved in both pain and metabolic pathways.

Clinical Relevance:

This study has identified a number of markers that could be potential therapeutic targets.
The Al-Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Toiba: A Case of Growing Ideological Homogeneity?
Authors: Shah Riddhi K.
Published: May 2014

Study of ideology is one of the most important domains of consideration for a successful counter-terrorism strategy. It is necessary to know and understand the ideology of a terrorist outfit coupled with the ongoing evolution at the same, its chief ideologues and its target audiences in order to provide an alternative ideology or in other words to win the ‘hearts and the minds’ of the people. This article traces the mounting similitude in the discourse and the actions of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the ideology of Al-Qaeda. The article begins with a brief depiction of the debate on the ‘end of ideology’ before proceeding on to an examination of Al-Qaeda’s ideology. In the next section, LeT’s discourse and actions from 1990 to 2010 are scrutinised followed by an analysis that attempts to draw out parallels between the ideologies of the two terrorist organisations. In the last section, the conclusion raises several pertinent points for the consideration of counter-terrorist specialists and policy makers.
From Land Wars to Gas Wars: Chile–Bolivia Relations and Globalisation
Authors: Gangopadhyay Aparajita
Published: May 2014

Chile and Bolivia have been intertwined in a complex relationship of hostility and cooperation for over a century. Since the Bolivian defeat in the War of the Pacific and the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904, issues of resource sharing and Bolivia’s sovereign access to sea on the Pacific side have altered the dynamics of such a relationship. Indeed, they appear to be the major stumbling blocs to attempts at normalisation of relations between the two Andean neighbours. In the recent years, Chile–Bolivia relations have been strained over the issue of gas. Bolivia’s political volatility over gas and Chile’s refusal to discuss the issue of access to the sea were viewed as being part of the same quagmire of relations. However, despite disparities in development between the two countries, globalisation has altered the context of mutual engagement. Against this backdrop, the article specifically looks at one such contemporary issue of bilateral contestation, that is, the gas issue. The article will examine its geo-economic significance in the larger context of regional cooperation and energy security. It intends to probe the plausibility of the argument that the gas issue has the promise and potential to lighten the sedimented antagonism between the two.
Perceptions of Threat, Demographic Diversity, and the Framing of Illegality
Authors: Zepeda-Millán Chris
Published: May 2014

This article uses the case New York City to examine why certain immigrant groups participated in the 2006 protest wave more than others and why the city mobilized less compared with other major immigrant metropolises. The findings indicate that certain immigrant groups participated more than others because of how the issue of “illegal immigration” was racialized and framed by the media, and because of the disproportionate impact the proposed legislation would have had on them. The data presented illustrate how the city’s heterogeneous population served to diminish its capacity to produce the magnitude of mobilization found in other large immigrant cities.
Recent Advances in Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: McRobb Craig M. , Mejak Brian L. , Ellis W. Cory , Lawson D. Scott , Twite Mark D.
Published: May 2014

There have been numerous recent advances geared specifically toward the practice of pediatric cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). These advances include the development of the first oxygenator intended solely for the neonatal CPB patient; pediatric oxygenators with low prime volumes and surface areas, which allow flows up to 2 L/min; pediatric oxygenators with integrated arterial filters; and miniature ultrafiltration (UF) devices, which allow for high rates of ultrafiltrate removal. When used in combination with heart lung machines with mast-mounted pumps, these advances can result in significant decreases in CPB circuit surface areas and prime volumes. This may attenuate CPB-associated hemodilution and decrease or eliminate the need for homologous red blood cells during or after CPB. In addition to these equipment-related advances, changes in myocardial protection strategies and the technique of modified UF as it relates to these advances are discussed.
Pathophysiology of Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Authors: Esper Stephen A. , Subramaniam Kathirvel , Tanaka Kenichi A.
Published: May 2014

The techniques and equipment of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) have evolved over the past 60 years, and numerous numbers of cardiac surgical procedures are conducted around the world using CPB. Despite more widespread applications of percutaneous coronary and valvular interventions, the need for cardiac surgery using CPB remains the standard approach for certain cardiac pathologies because some patients are ineligible for percutaneous procedures, or such procedures are unsuccessful in some. The ageing patient population for cardiac surgery poses a number of clinical challenges, including anemia, decreased cardiopulmonary reserve, chronic antithrombotic therapy, neurocognitive dysfunction, and renal insufficiency. The use of CPB is associated with inductions of systemic inflammatory responses involving both cellular and humoral interactions. Inflammatory pathways are complex and redundant, and thus, the reactions can be profoundly amplified to produce a multiorgan dysfunction that can manifest as capillary leak syndrome, coagulopathy, respiratory failure, myocardial dysfunction, renal insufficiency, and neurocognitive decline. In this review, pathophysiological aspects of CPB are considered from a practical point of view, and preventive strategies for hemodilutional anemia, coagulopathy, inflammation, metabolic derangement, and neurocognitive and renal dysfunction are discussed.
The improvement of spatial memory deficits in APP/V717I transgenic mice by chronic anti-stroke herb treatment
Authors: Yang Kaiyu , Tan Yan , Wang Feng , Zhang Qi , Sun Ping , Zhang Ying , Yao Na , Zhao Yanan , Wang Xu , Fan Angran , Hua Qian
Published: May 2014

In China, herbal medicine has an extensive history for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases. Clinical studies have shown that stroke patients are more likely to experience significant memory decline in comparison to their healthy counterparts. Cognition is improved in stroke patients treated with herbal medicine active components, Geniposide (GP) and Geniposide Rg1 (GRg1) (together, called TLJN). However, the effect of TLJN in Alzheimer disease remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the behavioral effect of TLJN in male and female APP/V717I transgenic (Tg) mice. We conducted two different treatment strategies: (1) pretreatment strategy: medically treated at the age of 3 months which lasted for 3 months; (2) early treatment strategy: medically treated at the age of 6 months which lasted for 4 months. In open field test, locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior were not affected after TLJN administration in Tg mice. In Morris Water Maze test, spatial learning processes in both genders were improved by TLJN treatments. Furthermore, retrieval processes were significantly improved in the pretreatment strategy for only male mice, which also showed a trend for improved retrieval processes with early treatment. In the inhibitory avoidance test, TLJN enhanced learning processes. In addition, gender differences were found in Tg mice exposed to TLJN treatments. In Tg male mice, significant efficacy was seen at high and middle doses, and in Tg female mice, a low dose was more effective.
Cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex response to intermedin microinjection into paraventricular nucleus is mediated by nitric oxide and γ-amino butyric acid in hypertensive rats
Authors: Zhou Hong , Sun Hai-jian , Chang Jin-rui , Ding Lei , Gao Qing , Tang Chao-shu , Zhu Guo-qing , Zhou Ye-bo
Published: May 2014

Intermedin (IMD) is a member of calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and involves in the regulation of cardiovascular function in both peripheral tissues and central nervous system (CNS). Paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus is an important site in the control of cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) which participates in sympathetic over-excitation of hypertension. The aim of this study is to investigate whether IMD in the PVN is involved in the inhibition of CSAR and its related mechanism in hypertension. Rats were subjected to two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) surgery to induce renovascular hypertension or sham-operation (Sham). Acute experiments were carried out four weeks later under anesthesia. The CSAR was evaluated with the renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) responses to the epicardial application of capsaicin. The RSNA and MAP were recorded in sinoaortic-denervated, cervical-vagotomized and anesthetized rats. Bilateral PVN microinjection of IMD (25 pmol) caused greater decrease in the CSAR in 2K1C rats than in Sham rats, which was prevented by pretreatment with adrenomedullin (AM) receptor antagonist AM22-52, non-selective nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) inhibitor l-NAME or γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)B receptor blocker CGP-35348. PVN pretreatment with CGRP receptor antagonist CGRP8-37 or GABAA receptor blocker gabazine had no significant effect on the CSAR response to IMD. AM22-52, l-NAME and CGP-35348 in the PVN could increase CSAR in Sham and 2K1C rats. These data indicate that IMD in the PVN inhibits CSAR via AM receptor, and both NO and GABA in the PVN involve in the effect of IMD on CSAR in Sham and renovascular hypertensive rats.
MicroRNAs in human lung cancer
Authors: Kang Sung-Min , Lee Heon-Jin
Published: May 2014

Lung cancer, which can be divided into two major clinical–pathological categories, small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length, have been reported to be upregulated or downregulated in disease states and specific cell types. Recently, miRNAs have gained recognition as major regulators of human gene expression. MiRNAs can control highly complex signal transduction pathways and other biological pathways by targeting and controlling gene expression, accounting for their important role in lung cancer. Findings from recent studies on the roles of miRNAs in lung cancer are summarized in this review. Understanding miRNA functions in lung cancer will bring molecular-level insight leading to better prognosis, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches.
Dose-finding studies, MCP-Mod, model selection, and model averaging: Two applications in the real world
Authors: Verrier Dominique , Sivapregassam Sïndou , Solente Anne-Catherine
Published: May 2014

Background

Phase II clinical trials are important milestones to determine whether a dose-effect exists and to decide on future doses to use in confirmatory studies. To take into account the overall shape of the dose–response curve, modeling the relationship by linear or non-linear models is preferable to the classical pair-wise comparisons of the effect of each dose versus the placebo or the comparator. The multiple comparisons and modeling approach has been developed within the last 10 years to address this important question in the clinical development of drugs. Despite some recent publications referring to this methodology, few detailed applications have been shown so far and several practical questions remain to be addressed.

Methods

Starting from a set of candidate models, model selection using classical methods criteria is possible. However, it suffers some limitations, not taking into account the uncertainty of the selection process itself. An attractive solution is to use model averaging, which applies appropriate weights to the parameters (e.g., the minimum effective dose) obtained from each model.

Results

A discussion of the selection criteria is first presented. Through two real examples, how to proceed with model selection and model averaging is presented and discussed.

Limitations

The first multiple comparisons and modeling approach papers addressed normal responses. More recently, an extension of this methodology has been proposed to deal with other types of responses, in particular binary, time-to-event and longitudinal data. Questions that remain are concerned with the choice of the candidate models and of their parameters’ guesstimates.

Conclusions

The analysis of clinical dose-finding studies using a modeling of the entire curve offers a promising alternative as compared with the classical multiple comparisons methods, while not compromising the necessary rigor of the analysis.
Medically Unexplained Symptoms: an acceptable term?
Authors: Marks Elizabeth M , Hunter Myra S
Published: May 2014

Background:

The term ‘Medically Unexplained Symptoms’ (MUS) is used by health professionals and researchers to refer to persistent bodily complaints, including pain and discomfort.

Aims:

This study explores the views held by a lay sample on the clinical terminology used to describe ‘MUS’, to ascertain reasons for particular preferences and whether preferences differ between individuals who experience more somatic symptoms.

Design and methods:

A sample (n = 844) of healthy adults completed an online survey, which included a questionnaire measuring somatic symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15)) and a question about their preferences for terminology used to describe MUS.

Results:

Of 844 participants, 698 offered their preferences for terminology. The most popular terms were ‘Persistent Physical Symptoms’ (20%) and ‘Functional Symptoms’ (17%). ‘MUS’ (15%), ‘Body Distress Disorder’ (13%) and ‘Complex Physical Symptoms’ (5%) were less popular. And 24% indicated no preference, but high PHQ-15 scorers were more likely to express preferences than low scorers.

Conclusion:

Persistent Physical Symptoms and Functional Symptoms are more acceptable to this sample of healthy adults than the more commonly used term ‘MUS’.
Is intramuscular morphine satisfying frontline medical personnels’ requirement for battlefield analgesia in Helmand Province, Afghanistan? A questionnaire study
Authors: Blankenstein Tom N , Gibson Lorna M , Claydon Michael A
Published: May 2014

Background:

All deployed British Army personnel carry intramuscular (IM) morphine auto-injectors to treat battlefield casualties. No other nation supplies parenteral opiate analgesia on individual issue. Studies highlight this agent’s inefficacy and safety issues, but are limited by a relative lack of inclusion of frontline personnel. We aimed to determine the opinions of frontline medical personnel on current battlefield analgesia.

Methods:

We surveyed 88 British Army frontline medical personnel (medical officers (n = 12), nurses (n = 7), combat medical technicians (CMTs) (n = 67), paramedics (n = 1) and health-care assistants (n = 1)) upon completion of a six-month deployment (September 2011 to April 2012) to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, using Likert scale questions on the efficacy of battlefield analgesia, complications of IM morphine, safety of morphine auto-injectors and its suitability for treating child casualties.

Results:

A total of 88/88 questionnaires were returned. Of these, 61/88 had treated casualties on the battlefield, 26/86 agreed that current battlefield analgesia is effective, 80/87 agreed that a more potent analgesic with a faster onset than IM morphine is desirable in the first hour following injury, 47/65 CMTs agreed that they can manage complications of current battlefield analgesia and 53/86 respondents correctly disagreed that current battlefield analgesia is suitable for child casualties. The potential for accidental self-injection was reported.

Conclusions:

A more potent, faster onset analgesic than IM morphine is desirable in the first hour following injury. Pre-deployment training should emphasise management of complications of opiate analgesics and treatment of child casualties. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate is now being issued to all frontline medical personnel. IM morphine will remain on individual issue to all deployed soldiers for environments where an oral agent is not suitable, for example, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare.

Summary points

Frontline medical personnel agree that a more potent, faster onset analgesic than IM morphine is desirable in the first hour following injury. The two most desirable features of the ideal analgesic were ranked as rapid onset of action, and when fully onset produces a high degree of pain relief. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) has now been issued to all frontline medical personnel as an adjunct to IM morphine. IM morphine will remain on individual issue for situations where parenteral analgesia is required. Consideration should be given to individual issue of OTFC to all deployed personnel in the future. Pre-deployment training should emphasise management of complications of opiate analgesics and treatment of child casualties.
A Classroom View of Negotiation of Meaning With EFL Adult Mexican Pupils
Authors: Palma Gildardo
Published: May 2014

The present article reports on an approximate replication of D. Foster’s (1998) study on the negotiation of meaning. D. Foster investigated the interactional adjustments produced by L2 English learners working on different types of language learning tasks in a classroom setting. This replication study duplicates the methods of data collection and data analysis of the original study, but alters the conditions by exploring interactional modifications in the language production of English as a foreign language (EFL) students. It followed the three parameters set originally by D. Foster: speech production, comprehensible input, and modified output. It was thus carried out within the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). The participants’ differences were seen as affecting the results of this replication where a corpus shows participants conducting significant amounts of meaning negotiation and producing modified output. This disparity in results is interpreted as deriving from a closer examination of interaction as suggested by Pica, Holliday, Lewis, and Morgenthaler.
‘An Entirely Fictitious Importance’? Reconsidering the Significance of the Irish Glove Trade: A Study of Limerick Gloves, 1778–1840
Authors: Foley Liza
Published: May 2014

This essay reconsiders the significance of Ireland’s glove trade through a study of the formerly celebrated Limerick gloves. Made from the aborted skins of unborn calves and sold encased in a walnut shell, these gloves are a fascinating example of Irish design. Yet, despite existing in numerous collections across England and Ireland, very little attention has been paid to the study of these artefacts. Tracing their position as a fashionable article of aristocratic dress, this essay demonstrates that Limerick gloves played an important role in both Irish and English dress history. It contends that, not only were the gloves instrumental in demonstrating aristocratic ideals of propriety and decorum, but they also impacted other regional glove manufacturing as a result of their desirability.
Colouring the Claddagh: A Distorted View?
Authors: Blackman Cally
Published: May 2014

This article examines the dress worn in a selection of Marguerite Mespoulet’s autochromes taken of the inhabitants of the Claddagh and in the vicinity of Galway City, western Ireland in 1913. They belong to the Archives de la Planète, an ambitious project launched by French financier Albert Kahn in 1908 to record the culture of ordinary people in fifty countries in order to promote peace through mutual understanding. The Lumière brothers’ autochrome was the first viable photographic process to reproduce authentic colours, unmitigated by intervention or manipulation, and was used for commercial and private purposes between 1907 and the early 1930s. Mespoulet’s images are thought to be the first colour photographs ever taken in Ireland, and so are invaluable records of the folk dress of a region where the last vestiges of Gaelic culture survived into the twentieth century. Along with her diary notes, they provide a platform from which to explore the slippery nexus between myth and reality, and to question the veracity of some commonly held assumptions about Irish folk dress.
Effect of Ti content in Ag–Cu–Ti activated filler metal on dissimilar joint formation of sialon and WC–Co alloy by laser brazing
Authors: Nagatsuka K. , Yoshida S. , Sechi Y. , Nakata K.
Published: May 2014

Laser brazing was carried out for dissimilar joining of sialon and a WC–Co alloy. Eutectic type Ag–Cu alloys as filler metals with different Ti content ranging from 0 to 2·8 mass-% were used to investigate the effects of Ti on the interface structure and strength of the joint. The filler metal sheet was sandwiched between a sialon block and a WC–Co alloy plate, and a laser beam was irradiated selectively on the WC–Co alloy plate. The brazed joint was obtained using the filler metal containing >0·3 mass-%Ti. TiN, Ti5Si3, and Cu4Ti layers were formed at the interface of sialon and brazed metal as compound layers. The shear strength of the brazed joint increased with increasing Ti content in the filler metal in the range 0·3–1·7 mass-%, reaching a maximum value of 106 MPa. However, the strength decreased when the Ti content became higher than 1·7 mass-%.
Stable long-term mixed chimerism achieved in a canine model of allogeneic in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Vrecenak Jesse D. , Pearson Erik G. , Santore Matthew T. , Todorow Carlyn A. , Li Haiying , Radu Antoneta , Bhatti Tricia , Peranteau William H. , Johnson Mark P. , Flake Alan W.
Published: May 2014

Key Points

Optimization of IUHCT in a preclinical canine model yields stable long-term donor engraftment. Clinically significant levels of chimerism can be achieved without conditioning, immunosuppression, or graft-versus-host disease.
Double sequence spaces over n-normed spaces defined by a sequence of Orlicz functions
Authors: Alotaibi Abdullah , Mursaleen Mohammad , Sharma Sunil K
Published: May 2014

In the present paper we introduce double sequence space

m
2

(
M
,
A
,
ϕ
,
p
,
∥
⋅
,
…
,
⋅
∥
)

defined by a sequence of Orlicz functions over n-normed space. We examine some of its topological properties and establish some inclusion relations.

MSC:40A05, 46A45.
Distribution of superantigens in group A streptococcal isolates from Salvador, Brazil
Authors: Berman Hillary F , Tartof Sara Yee , Reis Joice N , Reis Mitermayer G , Riley Lee W
Published: May 2014

Background

Group A streptococcus (GAS) causes invasive disease, superficial disease, and can asymptomatically colonize humans. Superantigens are one virulence factor found in GAS. Previous studies found associations between the genes that encode superantigens and emm type of GAS. It is unknown if these associations are due to underlying biological factors that limit the distribution of superantigens or, alternatively, if these associations are due to the expansion of local GAS linages where these studies took place. To further address this question we screened GAS isolates collected from Salvador, Brazil for 11 known superantigen genes.

Methods

Seventy-seven GAS isolates were screened by PCR for superantigen genes. These superantigen genes were speA, speC, speG, speH, speI, speJ, speK, speL, speM, ssa, and smeZ. We used Fisher’s two-sided exact test to identify associations between superantigens and GAS emm type. We then compared our results to previous reports of superantigen prevalence and superantigen association with emm type.

Results

In our collection we found several emm type and superantigen genotype combinations that have previously been reported in isolates from Europe and Australia. We also found that speA was significantly associated with emm type 1, and that speC was significantly associated with emm type 12.

Conclusions

Our study reports superantigen genotypes of GAS from a region of the world that is lacking this information. We found evidence of common GAS superantigen genotypes that are spread worldwide as well as novel superantigen genotypes that, so far, are unique to Brazil.
Reimbursement of hormonal contraceptives and the frequency of induced abortion among teenagers in Sweden
Authors: Sydsjö Adam , Sydsjö Gunilla , Bladh Marie , Josefsson Ann
Published: May 2014

Background

Reduction in costs of hormonal contraceptives is often proposed to reduce rates of induced abortion among young women. This study investigates the relationship between rates of induced abortion and reimbursement of dispensed hormonal contraceptives among young women in Sweden. Comparisons are made with the Nordic countries Finland, Norway and Denmark.

Methods

Official statistics on induced abortion and numbers of prescribed and dispensed hormonal contraceptives presented as “Defined Daily Dose/thousand women” (DDD/T) aged 15-19 years were compiled and related to levels of reimbursement in all Swedish counties by using public official data. The Swedish numbers of induced abortion were compared to those of Finland, Norway and Denmark. The main outcome measure was rates of induced abortion and DDD/T.

Results

No correlation was observed between rates of abortion and reimbursement among Swedish counties. Nor was any correlation found between sales of hormonal contraceptives and the rates of abortion. In a Nordic perspective, Finland and Denmark, which have no reimbursement at all, and Norway all have lower rates of induced abortion than Sweden.

Conclusions

Reimbursement does not seem to be enough in order to reduce rates of induced abortion. Evidently, other factors such as attitudes, education, religion, tradition or cultural differences in each of Swedish counties as well as in the Nordic countries may be of importance. A more innovative approach is needed in order to facilitate safe sex and to protect young women from unwanted pregnancies.
Abnormal coexistence of unipolar, bipolar, and threshold resistive switching in an Al/NiO/ITO structure
Authors: Yuan Xin-Cai , Tang Jin-Long , Zeng Hui-Zhong , Wei Xian-Hua
Published: May 2014

This paper reports an abnormal coexistence of different resistive switching behaviors including unipolar (URS), bipolar (BRS), and threshold switching (TRS) in an Al/NiO/indium tin oxide (ITO) structure fabricated by chemical solution deposition. The switching behaviors have been strongly dependent on compliance current (CC) and switching processes. It shows reproducible URS and BRS after electroforming with low and high CC of 1 and 3 mA, respectively, which is contrary to previous reports. Furthermore, in the case of high-forming CC, TRS is observed after several switching cycles with a low-switching CC. Analysis of current-voltage relationship demonstrates that Poole-Frenkel conduction controlled by localized traps should be responsible for the resistance switching. The unique behaviors can be dominated by Joule heating filament mechanism in the dual-oxygen reservoir structure composed of Al/NiO interfacial layer and ITO. The tunable switching properties can render it flexible for device applications.
Hydrothermal growth of TiO2 nanowire membranes sensitized with CdS quantum dots for the enhancement of photocatalytic performance
Authors: Li Yang , Zhang Lili , Wu Wenjian , Dai Peng , Yu Xinxin , Wu Mingzai , Li Guang
Published: May 2014

In this paper, TiO2 nanowires (NWs) on Ti foils were prepared using a simple hydrothermal approach and annealing treatment. CdS quantum dots (QDs) were assembled onto the crystallized TiO2 NWs by sequential chemical bath deposition. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra showed that CdS adds bands in the visible to the TiO2 absorption and exhibited a broad absorption band in the visible region, which extended the scope of absorption spectrum and helped improve the photocatalytic degradation efficiency. The results of photocatalytic experiment revealed that CdS-TiO2 NWs possessed higher photocatalytic activities toward methyl orange than pure TiO2 nanowires. The degradation efficiency of 96.32% after ten cycles indicated that the as-prepared CdS-TiO2 composite exhibited excellent long-time recyclable ability and can be reused for the degradation of contaminants.