bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attention in Active Vision: A Perspective on Perceptual Continuity Across Saccades
Authors: Rolfs Martin
Published: August 2015

Alfred L. Yarbus was among the first to demonstrate that eye movements actively serve our perceptual and cognitive goals, a crucial recognition that is at the heart of today’s research on active vision. He realized that not the changes in fixation stick in memory but the changes in shifts of attention. Indeed, oculomotor control is tightly coupled to functions as fundamental as attention and memory. This tight relationship offers an intriguing perspective on transsaccadic perceptual continuity, which we experience despite the fact that saccades cause rapid shifts of the image across the retina. Here, I elaborate this perspective based on a series of psychophysical findings. First, saccade preparation shapes the visual system’s priorities; it enhances visual performance and perceived stimulus intensity at the targets of the eye movement. Second, before saccades, the deployment of visual attention is updated, predictively facilitating perception at those retinal locations that will be relevant once the eyes land. Third, saccadic eye movements strongly affect the contents of visual memory, highlighting their crucial role for which parts of a scene we remember or forget. Together, these results provide insights on how attentional processes enable the visual system to cope with the retinal consequences of saccades.
Interaction of Number Magnitude and Auditory Localization
Authors: Golob Edward J. , Lewald Jörg , Jungilligens Johannes , Getzmann Stephan
Published: August 2015

The interplay of perception and memory is very evident when we perceive and then recognize familiar stimuli. Conversely, information in long-term memory may also influence how a stimulus is perceived. Prior work on number cognition in the visual modality has shown that in Western number systems long-term memory for the magnitude of smaller numbers can influence performance involving the left side of space, while larger numbers have an influence toward the right. Here, we investigated in the auditory modality whether a related effect may bias the perception of sound location. Subjects ( n = 28) used a swivel pointer to localize noise bursts presented from various azimuth positions. The noise bursts were preceded by a spoken number (1–9) or, as a nonsemantic control condition, numbers that were played in reverse. The relative constant error in noise localization (forward minus reversed speech) indicated a systematic shift in localization toward more central locations when the number was smaller and toward more peripheral positions when the preceding number magnitude was larger. These findings do not support the traditional left-right number mapping. Instead, the results may reflect an overlap between codes for number magnitude and codes for sound location as implemented by two channel models of sound localization, or possibly a categorical mapping stage of small versus large magnitudes.
Discussions on long-term financial choice
Authors: Cheah Kuan Kiat , Foster F Douglas , Heaney Richard , Higgins Timothy , Oliver Barry , O’Neill Terry , Russell Roslyn
Published: August 2015

We analyse focus group discussions about long-run (retirement) financial decisions, and explore the extent to which participant responses are related to the oft-used behavioural explanations of financial choice. We find that persons of all ages understand the importance of long-term savings, but face many challenges in preparing for retirement. There is mixed support for a range of associated behavioural explanations. Complexity, relevance of decisions, and uncertainty come up repeatedly in all focus groups, irrespective of the age of the participants. The use of heuristics, confidence, costs of mistakes, mental accounting, and the importance of social interaction appeared of less immediate relevance to all groups. We discuss the implications of these findings for how the financial services and superannuation industries communicate with members. There appears to be a general view from the focus groups that breaking large, complex retirement decisions into more manageable pieces (based on personal circumstances) and providing more focused and relevant information to investors would result in more effort and care expended on retirement decisions.
Personal and social impacts of significant financial loss
Authors: Bruhn Aaron G
Published: August 2015

This paper examines the impact on individuals who suffer significant financial loss. The collapse of Storm Financial is used as a qualitative case study to investigate such impacts, based on elements of grounded theory and narrative analysis. Significant financial loss is devastating, with an individual’s emotional wellbeing a primary casualty, and mental health also vulnerable. One’s social world is impacted, including relationships with family and friends, engagement in community activities and familial/cultural roles. Financial victims perceive a sense of judgement from society about their losses, further exacerbating emotive and social impacts. These impacts demonstrate that significant vulnerability exists when encouraging self-sufficiency in retirement.
Divestment from fossil fuel companies: Confluence between policy and strategic viewpoints
Authors: Linnenluecke Martina K , Meath Cristyn , Rekker Saphira , Sidhu Baljit K , Smith Tom
Published: August 2015

In October 2014, the Australian National University announced that it was divesting from seven fossil fuel-intensive companies. This announcement sparked an unprecedented response in the community, both positive and negative. We examine this decision, the divestment movement in general, the science behind the issue and strategic responses, both policy and organisational. We argue that a confluence between policy responses and organisational responses is beginning to emerge that will lead to greater action on climate change.
Financial literacy, financial judgement, and retirement self-efficacy of older trustees of self-managed superannuation funds
Authors: Earl Joanne K , Gerrans Paul , Asher Anthony , Woodside Julia
Published: August 2015

We investigate relationships between retirement self-efficacy, financial literacy and financial judgement across a sample of older trustees of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs). Aside from demographic factors, we explore self-rated dementia behaviours, general mental ability, mastery and risk tolerance. An increasing number of older people are controlling significant assets, particularly those who elect to become self-managed superannuation fund trustees. The ageing population, including self-managed superannuation fund trustees, is susceptible to cognitive decline with advancing age. We find that cognitive ability and self-rated behavioural dementia symptoms both relate to financial literacy. Variance in retirement self-efficacy was explained by age, cognitive ability, financial literacy, mastery and self-rated behavioural dementia symptoms. Those reporting dementia symptoms appear more vulnerable to making poor financial judgements. Findings have important implications for financial literacy interventions and the monitoring of on-going cognitive decline.
Feminist Identity Styles, Sexual and Non-Sexual Traumatic Events, and Psychological Well-Being in a Sample of Polish Women
Authors: Kucharska Justyna
Published: August 2015

The aim of the study was to investigate the relations between the development of a feminist identity and effects of traumatic stress in a sample of Polish women. The distinction between non-sexual and sexual traumatic events was made. It was hypothesized that individuals scoring high on the Synthesis and Active Commitment scales of the Feminist Identity Development Model would present a higher self-esteem and lower level of depression as compared with individuals having low scores on those scales and high scores on the Passive Acceptance scale. It was also assumed that the relation between the feminist identity styles and self-esteem and depression would be stronger in women who had experienced sexual traumatic events as compared with those who had experienced other kinds of trauma. A total of 273 women participated in the questionnaire research. Regression analyses were performed to test the interaction model, and the obtained results support all of the hypotheses.
Forms of Femininity at the End of a Customary Marriage
Authors: Moore Elena
Published: August 2015

This paper explores women’s daily practice of resistance built into the racialized and gendered social structure of customary marriages in South Africa. I argue that women resist, accommodate, adapt, and contest power and authority in the decision to leave the marriage, in negotiating the exit from the marriage, and in their approach to the financial consequences of the separation. By using the myriad of daily practices as evidence for resistance, the study identifies three forms of femininities that emerge from the data: Emphasized femininity characterizes women’s compliance with women’s subordination, ambivalent femininity describes a complex combination of compliance and resistant activities in women practices, and alternative femininities typifies the rejection and resistance with women’s subordination. The paper discusses how these different forms of femininity emerge in their specific cultural, class, and temporal context. The findings reveal that the resistance practices are accompanied by more general ideological awareness of how gender, seniority, and lineage shape the lives of these women at this time of transition.
Component sizing for compound hybrid excavators
Authors: Zhu Qian , Wang Qingfeng , Chen Qihuai
Published: August 2015

This paper proposes a novel component sizing method for a midsize compound hybrid excavator in which dynamic programming is used as the optimal energy management strategy. This method combines design optimization with the operating cycle and the control method. A multi-objective optimization method to minimize the fuel consumption and the component cost is also presented. In comparison with the traditional component sizing method, which considers only the power demand, this method allows an overall consideration of the fuel economy, the component cost, the power demand, the control method and the operating cycle. The design results show that the component size requirements are different for different control methods. The proposed component sizing method can deal with the trade-off between the fuel economy and the component cost while ensuring the work efficiency. Therefore, it is more applicable for the design of a compound hybrid excavator. Another contribution of the study is the development of a sizing law which can reduce the computation time of the proposed component sizing method. It uses an introduced variable, namely the number of efficient operating points of the engine, to determine the sizes of the assist motor and the ultracapacitor.
The Dynamics of the Real Sector Growth in Zambia
Authors: Chirwa Themba G. , Odhiambo N.M.
Published: August 2015

This article examines the main macroeconomic drivers of economic growth in Zambia, covering the period 1960–2013. These drivers have been identified by assessing the growth episodes that occurred during periods of high and low economic growth. The former episodes were driven by mineral booms; while low economic growth was driven by mineral recessions. The study concludes that the accumulation of capital stock, human capital development, international trade, the real exchange rate, and inflation are the main macroeconomic drivers of economic growth in Zambia. The performance of these macroeconomic drivers has also been influenced by the major policy reforms that the Zambian authorities have instituted, especially moving from a command economy driven by nationalist ideologies to a market-oriented economy. The study identifies three major challenges that could affect future economic growth prospects in Zambia. These include: dependence on mineral growth, low human capital development and income distribution, and the deteriorating balance-of-payment position during lean periods.
Trust in Governance in Bangladesh: Ideas, Issues and Solutions
Authors: Islam Md. Shahriar , Mahmud Rifat
Published: August 2015

The era of globalization presents both opportunities and challenges to the field of public administration. Dealing with the myriads of anomalous situations including wars, transnational epidemics, terrorism, financial crises, serious security-related accidents and transportation casualties has become a very important part of the public administrators’ daily work. The traditional practice of public administration is becoming more difficult due to scientific and technological improvements, as well as economic globalization that has been complicating socio-economic–political development, emerging issues are bringing about enormous transformations and challenges to government administration. Within the public administration of Bangladesh trust is increasingly becoming a crucial element of performance. Thus, trust in public administration leads to the discourse of trust in governance. This article, based on literatures on governance and trust in the system of governance, would look to analyze the state of trust in the governance system of Bangladesh. In that analysis we will discuss the pros and cons of present governance in Bangladesh. After such analysis we would like to draw the inference by delineating the potential process how trust can be successfully installed in governance system of the country.
Refugees, Post-Migration Stress, and Internet Use
Authors: Mikal Jude P. , Woodfield Braden
Published: August 2015

Post-migration stressors represent significant obstacle to refugee adjustment, and continued exposure to post-migration stressors can negatively affect mental and physical health. Communities of support maintained over the Internet may provide a sense of constancy and reliability that may insulate against the negative effects of stress. We conducted five focus group interviews with Iraqi and Sudanese refugees to understand how refugees use the Internet to access support in their daily lives. Four trends were observed: (a) Internet use was related to culture of origin, (b) refugees were reluctant to explore online, (c) children served as brokers of online knowledge, and (d) limited Internet access is associated with increased time and financial obligations. This study aims to contribute to theory on Internet-mediated social support and to refugee health by creating smoother pathways to self-sufficiency and allowing refugees to exhibit agency in constructing and maintaining online networks of support.
The Exploration of Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Wu Shu-Fen , Tong Hong-Yi , kan Yuen-Yee , Su Sheng-Hui , Lee Meng-Chi , Kao Chia-Chan , Lin Yu-Hua
Published: August 2015

The purpose of this study was to explore quality of life (QoL) and the factors influencing QoL in gynecological cancer patients. One hundred sixty-seven patients with gynecologic cancers were recruited from a district hospital in Southern Taiwan. The instruments used included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core-30 Version 3.0 in Chinese (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Symptom Distress Scale, and demographic characteristics and disease-related variables. The results showed that the mean score for the QLQ-C30 was 61.13 ( SD = 22.71). In the stepwise regression model, two factors predicted overall global QoL: symptom distress (33.8%) and current occupation (2.2%). These predictors accounted for 36.0% of the total variance. These results showed that symptom distress was a predictor of QoL. This study provides a reference for use when designing improved educational care programs that reduce patient symptom distress and enhance gynecologic cancer patients’ QoL.
Understanding Career Aspirations Among Young Women
Authors: Gregor Margo A. , O’Brien Karen M.
Published: August 2015

The purpose of this study was to improve an instrument used to assess career aspirations (the Career Aspiration Scale), so the revised measure can be used with confidence in research and practice. Items were added to the existing two scales (educational and leadership aspirations) to enhance reliability. In addition, items assessing a third construct of importance to the operationalization of career aspiration (i.e., achievement aspiration) were developed for inclusion in the revised measure. Three studies to assess the psychometric properties of the Career Aspiration Scale–Revised (CAS-R) were conducted with a total of 583 undergraduate and graduate women. The results of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the three-factor solution assessing achievement, leadership, and educational aspirations had good model fit. Support also was found for the reliability and validity of the CAS-R when used with undergraduate and graduate women. Suggestions for future research and practice using this measure are provided.
“It Was Like I Had Found My Tribe”
Authors: Dowie Megan J. , Barrow Mark , Nicholson Louise F. B.
Published: August 2015

Engaging young people with science is essential to ensuring a scientifically literate society. Furthermore, it is important to enable access to a variety of sciences during adolescence, when individuals are making decisions about their future educational and career paths. The Brain Bee Challenge (BBC) is a quiz-based international neuroscience outreach program for high school students. We wished to determine what influence exposure to the scientific research environment had on the highest achievers’ later choices in education, their career expectations, and their perspectives toward science. Semistructured interviews were carried out with seven of the past winners of the New Zealand National BBC finals. Analysis involved thematic coding to investigate the impact of BBC involvement and potential longer term consequences. Second-order coding found critical themes identified by participants. These themes highlight the value of research institution–led outreach activities that extend high achievers beyond the school curriculum. In addition to subject-specific influences, there were multiple benefits acknowledged at a personal or individual level, including socialization and identity development, further demonstrating the importance of such engagement activities.
Respite Care Services for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Their Families From the Perspective of Home Care Nurses
Authors: Ushikubo Mitsuko , Suzuki Shiori
Published: August 2015

The objective of this study was to use the perspective of home care nurses to elucidate the reactions of in-home patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their family members regarding use of respite care, and involvement of home care nurses with patients and family before and after respite care. Six home care nurses participated in semistructured interviews. Data of seven ALS patients regarding respite care use were collected. The findings showed that ALS patients had both positive and negative reactions to using respite care. The family members provided highly patient-centered care on a daily basis and they wanted the care staff to provide the same quality of care in the respite care setting. The home care nurses provided various services relevant to respite care for ALS patients and their family members.
Toward a Theory of Purpose-Driven Urban Entrepreneurship
Authors: Cohen Boyd , Muñoz Pablo
Published: August 2015

Inspired by Shrivastava and Kennelly, we aim to extend theory on place-based entrepreneurship by highlighting the uniqueness of cities and the interplay between purpose-driven entrepreneurs and the urban places where they operate. This article sets out to conceptualize a middle-range theoretical framework and establish the boundary conditions for purpose-driven urban entrepreneurship based on a combination of inductive reasoning and deductive theorizing. We draw from sustainability and territorial development literatures and the complexity science view of entrepreneurship to establish units, laws of interaction, boundaries, and system states of purpose-driven urban entrepreneurship across three geospatial layers, and elaborate a complexity model comprising sources of opportunities, context, and venturing process. We conclude with potential avenues for further theoretical and empirical development of the purpose-driven urban entrepreneurship construct.
Service Transition Strategies in Manufacturing
Authors: Josephson Brett W. , Johnson Jean L. , Mariadoss Babu John , Cullen John
Published: August 2015

This article investigates the impact of service transition (the infusion of services in addition to goods to a manufacturing firm’s offering) on firm-idiosyncratic risk. The authors analyze a unique data set of 168 publicly traded manufacturing firms over a 6-year financial window (2006–2011), with the results showing that service transition produces a substantial increase in idiosyncratic risk. This effect, however, varies depending on critical firm contexts. First, strategic coherence (research and development intensity and service relatedness) mitigates market misgivings and causes idiosyncratic risk to decrease as service becomes more central to the offering. Second, misappropriation of resources (marketing expenses and resource slack) exacerbates the impact, resulting in increased firm risk. In light of the findings, the authors were able to expand the primary theoretical underpinnings concerning service transition by (1) providing a more holistic framework to view the phenomenon (behavioral theory of the firm), (2) demonstrating contextual boundaries around service transition, and (3) providing managers with useful insights to inform strategic firm-level decisions.
Evaluation in the Field
Authors: Patton Michael Quinn
Published: August 2015

Our understanding of programs is enhanced when trained, skilled, and observant evaluators go into the field – the real world where programs are conducted – paying attention to what’s going on, systematically documenting what they see, and reporting what they learn. The article opens by presenting and illustrating twelve reasons for building fieldwork into evaluation designs. While in-depth fieldwork is the evaluation ideal, the evaluation reality is that brief site visits are the more common design. The article identifies systematic weaknesses in how site visits are commissioned and conducted, and proposes standards for improving quality and use.
Temporally divergent significant meanings, biographical disruption and self-management for chronic joint pain
Authors: Morden Andrew , Jinks Clare , Ong Bie Nio
Published: August 2015

Self-management is recommended by policy and clinical guidelines as a way to contend with the growing incidence of osteoarthritis-related joint pain in an ageing population. Sociologists assert that self-management is as much about lay strategies for dealing with the biographically disruptive qualities of chronic illness as opposed to solely complying with medical regimens. The original concept of biographical disruption coined by Bury is not uncontested. Chronic joint pain has been characterised as featuring ‘co-existing meanings’ of significance and consequence. The former conferring no biographical disruption due to osteoarthritis being associated with ‘normal ageing’ and the latter causing biographical disruption due to the corporeal limitations joint pain imparts, which, in turn, can influence whether, why and how self-management is undertaken. This article reports findings from repeat interviews and a diary study completed by 22 participants with chronic knee pain. We explore the co-existing but temporally divergent ‘meanings as significance’ associated with knee pain. Participants describe the onset and current experience of the pain in terms of biographical normality (retrospective or contemporaneous meanings). Future meanings as significance are mediated by cultural beliefs about ageing and current physical consequences of the condition, and also have a distinct character of their own. Knee pain is associated with the possibility of disability and harbours a distinct risk; potential disruption to everyday social relationships, notably relating to care and dependency. In turn, future meanings of significance influence the preventative self-management strategies that people utilise. We argue for a more cogent theoretical understanding of temporal dimensions of biographical disruption, biographical work and subsequent self-management by utilising and extending the thought of Bury, and Corbin and Strauss. Doing so helps to understand patient self-management strategies and facilitates self-management support in clinical settings for osteoarthritis and potentially other chronic conditions.
Inflation with carbon monoxide in rat donor lung during cold ischemia phase ameliorates graft injury
Authors: Meng Chao , Ma Liangjuan , Liu Jinfeng , Cui Xiaoguang , Liu Rongfang , Xing Jingchun , Zhou Huacheng
Published: August 2015

Carbon monoxide (CO) attenuates lung ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) via inhalation, and as an additive dissolved in flush/preservation solution. This study observed the effects of lung inflation with CO on lung graft function in the setting of cold ischemia. Donor lungs were inflated with 40% oxygen + 60% nitrogen (control group) or with 500 ppm CO + 40% oxygen + nitrogen (CO group) during the cold ischemia phase and were kept at 4℃ for 180 min. Recipients were sacrificed by exsanguinations at 180 min after reperfusion. Rats in the sham group had no transplantation and were performed as the recipients. Compared with the sham group, the oxygenation determined by blood gas analysis and the pressure–volume curves of the lung grafts decreased significantly, while the wet weight/dry weight (W/D) ratio, inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress, and cell apoptosis increased markedly ( P < 0.05). However, compared to the control group, CO treatment improved the oxygenation (381 ± 58 vs. 308 ± 78 mm Hg) and the pressure–volume curves (15.8 ± 2.4 vs. 11.6 ± 1.7 mL/kg) ( P < 0.05). The W/D ratio (4.6 ± 0.6) and the serum levels of interleukin-8 (279 ± 46 pg/mL) and tumor necrosis factor-α (377 ± 59 pg/mL) in the CO group decreased significantly compared to the control group (5.8 ± 0.8, 456 ± 63 pg/mL, and 520 ± 91 pg/mL) ( P < 0.05). In addition, CO inflation also significantly decreased malondialdehyde activity and apoptotic cells in grafts, and increased the superoxide dismutase content. Briefly, CO inflation in donor lungs in the setting of cold ischemia attenuated lung IRI and improved the graft function compared with oxygen.
Alignment of site versus adjudication committee–based diagnosis with patient outcomes: Insights from the Providing Rapid Out of Hospital Acute Cardiovascular Treatment 3 trial
Authors: Sepehrvand Nariman , Zheng Yinggan , Armstrong Paul W , Welsh Robert , Goodman Shaun G , Tymchak Wayne , Khadour Fadi , Chan Michael , Weiss Dale , Ezekowitz Justin A
Published: August 2015

Background:

Adjudication by an adjudication committee in clinical trials plays an important role in the assessment of outcomes. Controversy exists regarding the utility of adjudication committee versus site-based assessments and their relationship to subsequent clinical events.

Methods:

This study is a secondary analysis of the Providing Rapid Out of Hospital Acute Cardiovascular Treatment-3 trial, which randomized patients with chest pain or shortness of breath for biomarker testing in the ambulance. The emergency department physician diagnosis at the time of emergency department disposition was compared with an adjudicated diagnosis assigned by an adjudication committee. The level of agreement between emergency department and adjudication committee diagnosis was evaluated using kappa coefficient and compared to clinical outcomes (30-day re-hospitalization, 30-day and 1-year mortality).

Results:

Of the 477 patients, 49.3% were male with a median age of 70 years; hospital admission rate was 31.2%. The emergency department physicians and the adjudication committee disagreed in 55 cases (11.5%) with a kappa of 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 0.78). The 30-day re-hospitalization, 30-day mortality, and 1-year mortality were 22%, 1.9%, and 9.4%, respectively. Although there were similar rates of re-hospitalization irrespective of adjudication, in cases of disagreement compared to agreement between adjudication committee and emergency department diagnosis, there was a higher 30-day (7.3% vs 1.2%, p = 0.002) and 1-year mortality (27.3% vs 7.1%, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Despite substantial agreement between the diagnosis of emergency department physicians and adjudication committee, in the subgroup of patients where there was disagreement, there was significantly worse short-term and long-term mortality.
Debating the Indian Supreme Court: Equality, Liberty, and the Rule of Law
Authors: Lokaneeta Jinee
Published: August 2015

In this essay, I explore some of the contemporary debates on the role of the Indian Supreme Court in the context of equality and liberty at a moment when it appears that the very reasons for the celebration of judicial review and interventions are under attack by progressive scholars and activists. In reviewing the debates on the role of the Court, I focus on one particular contention that since the realm of social/equality was paramount for the Indian state as a whole, and the Supreme Court post-emergency, the realm of political/liberty was consequently ignored. By revisiting the debate on equality trumping liberty, I acknowledge the critiques of the Court but also point to ways in which certain facets of political liberty do get addressed even in the absence of a focus on liberty. Even if by themselves these judicial interventions may be inadequate to create a due process revolution as far as criminal defendant rights are concerned, they create an “arsenal of tools” available for those concerned with liberty and justice. At the very least, such a conception portrays the Court as less unidimensional than characterized by recent scholarship and retains the Court as a productive site of contestation.
Evidence, Explanation, and the Pursuit of Truth in Literature and Law
Authors: Johnson Jeffery
Published: August 2015

My focus is evidence. I understand this concept to be the marshalling of facts (data, etc.) in support of some position. This might be a district attorney presenting evidence to a jury that O. J. is guilty, or a literary critic arguing that Hamlet suffered from an Oedipus complex. But what is the logical connection between the relevant facts and the position they are being used to defend? How are we to distinguish successful cases of the marshalling of evidence – good arguments – from unsuccessful cases – weak arguments? I defend what I take to be a very commonsensical and pedagogically useful theory of [good] evidence. I argue that this view, inference to the best explanation, captures most, if not all, appeals to evidence in everyday contexts, as well as quite specialized domains like science, detective reasoning, and criminal and civil evidence. It also nicely encapsulates the sort of evidence that jurists and critics marshal in defense of particular readings of legal and literary texts. Appeals to evidence in the complicated worlds of teenage romance, detective fiction, criminal law, literary interpretation, and constitutional law all nicely fit the structure and evaluative methodology of inference to the best explanation. But only the diagnoses of lipstick stains, murder victims and bloody gloves can be held to the standards of correspondence and metaphysical realism. Literary and constitutional texts can be explained, and can be better or worse explained, but the truth or falsity of these interpretations is firmly in the realm of the coherence theory.
Does the direction of tumescent solution delivery matter in endovenous laser ablation of the great saphenous vein?
Authors: Kutas Baris , Ozdemir Ferit , Tezcan Orhan , Gunes Tevfik , Erkoc Kamuran , Altin Fırat , Karahan Oguz
Published: August 2015

Background:

The aim of this study was to compare the two different directions of tumescent solution delivery (from distal to proximal knee to the saphenofemoral junction [SFJ] or proximal to distal SFJ to the knee) in terms of differences in tumescent volume, number of punctures, and pain and comfort scores of patients.

Methods:

A total of 100 patients were treated with endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) under local anesthesia between August 2013 and October 2013. These 100 patients were divided into two groups. In group 1, tumescent solution was delivered in a proximal to distal direction. In group 2, the tumescent solution was delivered in a distal to proximal direction. In each group, the great saphenous vein (GSV) diameter, delivered total energy, treated GSV length, delivered tumescent volume, number of punctures, and pain and comfort scores were recorded for each patient.

Results:

All patients were treated unilaterally. EVLA was performed with 100% technical success in all patients. There was no difference statistically between group 1 and group 2 according to GSV diameter, delivered total energy, and treated GSV length. Average tumescent volume, number of punctures, and pain scores in group 2 were lower than in group 1 ( p = 0.0001; p < 0.05). Also, the average comfort score was higher in group 2 than in group 1 ( p = 0.0001; p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

We believe that delivering the tumescent solution in a distal to proximal direction increases the comfort of both patient and surgeon with lower tumescent volume during the EVLA of the GSV.
Skeletal adverse effects with aromatase inhibitors in early breast cancer: evidence to date and clinical guidance
Authors: Servitja Sonia , Martos Tamara , Rodriguez Sanz Maria , Garcia-Giralt Natalia , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Garrigos Laia , Nogues Xavier , Tusquets Ignasi
Published: August 2015

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are routinely used in the adjuvant treatment of women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Patients who receive AIs have an increased risk of bone loss and arthralgia compared with those treated with tamoxifen. In addition to the effects of AIs, the population of women with early breast cancer has a high prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) insufficiency. In our experience 88% of patients had concentrations lower than 30 ng/ml. Vitamin D supplementation should be adapted to the baseline concentration. Another relevant finding in our research program was the close relationship between 25(OH)D levels and intensity of AI-related arthralgia (AIrA). A target concentration of 40 ng/ml 25(OH)D may prevent development of AIrA. We also demonstrate that AIrA is genetically determined: single nucleotide polymorphisms located in genes encoding key factors for the metabolism of estrogens and vitamin D ( CYP17A1, VDR, and CYP27B1) are associated with self-reported arthralgia during AI therapy. We recommend establishing an individualized protocol of bone-health surveillance based on baseline and evolutionary clinical variables.
Global and regional orders in the 21st century in terms of multi-layered power transition theory: The cases of US–China and China–Japan relations
Authors: Lee Sang-Hwan
Published: August 2015

In this article I analyze double-layered power struggles from a power transition perspective. This study compares the case of global power transition between the US and China linked to a case of regional power transition between China and Japan. US–China relations in the global order have been more cooperative than China–Japan relations in the regional order since the beginning of this century. The question is about how the two cases interact with respect to each other.

The first scenario shows that stability in the global order deters instability in the regional order. The US–China partnership stabilizes China–Japan conflictual relations. In this situation the US, China and Japan maintain status quo policies and regional order is stabilized. The second scenario is one in which instability in the regional order overwhelms stability in the global order. In this situation China and Japan accelerate their hegemonic struggles in Northeast Asia, and the US serves to mediate between China and Japan. The US should be making a decision as to what kind of diplomatic stance it will take to minimize the tension between China and Japan. The US must also make its own world strategy. China is more likely to be a status quo power in the global order, but a challenger in breaking down the status quo in Northeast Asia. However, the US role is critical in making this power transition stable or unstable.
Oral iron supplements increase hepcidin and decrease iron absorption from daily or twice-daily doses in iron-depleted young women
Authors: Moretti Diego , Goede Jeroen S. , Zeder Christophe , Jiskra Markus , Chatzinakou Vaiya , Tjalsma Harold , Melse-Boonstra Alida , Brittenham Gary , Swinkels Dorine W. , Zimmermann Michael B.
Published: August 2015

Key Points

Iron supplements at doses of 60 mg Fe as FeSO4 or higher increase hepcidin for up to 24 hours and are associated with lower iron absorption on the following day. The soluble transferrin receptor/ferritin ratio and hepcidin are equivalent predictors of iron absorption from supplements.
What triggers colour change? Effects of background colour and temperature on the development of an alpine grasshopper
Authors: Valverde J. Pablo , Schielzeth Holger
Published: August 2015

Background

Colour polymorphisms are a fascinating facet of many natural populations of plants and animals, and the selective processes that maintain such variation are as relevant as the processes which promote their development. Orthoptera, the insect group that encompasses grasshoppers and bush crickets, includes a particularly large number of species that are colour polymorphic with a marked green-brown polymorphism being particularly widespread. Colour polymorphism has been associated with the need for crypsis and background matching and background-dependent homochromy has been described in a few species. However, when and how different environmental conditions influence variation in colour remains poorly understood. Here we test for effects of background colour and ambient temperature on the occurrence of colour morph switches (green to brown or brown to green) and developmental darkening in the alpine dwelling club-legged grasshopperGomphocerus sibiricus.

Results

We monitored individually housed nymphae across three of their four developmental stages and into the first week after final ecdysis. Our data show an absence of colour morph switches inG. sibiricus, without a single switch observed in our sample. Furthermore, we test for an effect of temperature on colouration by manipulating radiant heat, a limiting factor in alpine habitats. Radiant heat had a significant effect on developmental darkening: individuals under low radiant heat tended to darken, while individuals under high radiant heat tended to lighten within nymphal stages. Young imagoes darkened under either condition.

Conclusions

Our results indicate a plastic response to a variable temperature and indicate that melanin, a multipurpose pigment responsible for dark colouration and presumed to be costly, seems to be strategically allocated according to the current environmental conditions. Unlike other orthopterans, the species is apparently unable to switch colour morphs (green/brown) during development, suggesting that colour morphs are determined genetically (or very early during development) and that other processes have to contribute to crypsis and homochromy in this species.
Implicit large eddy simulations of anisotropic weakly compressible turbulence with application to core-collapse supernovae
Authors: Radice David , Couch Sean M , Ott Christian D
Published: August 2015

In the implicit large eddy simulation (ILES) paradigm, the dissipative nature of high-resolution shock-capturing schemes is exploited to provide an implicit model of turbulence. The ILES approach has been applied to different contexts, with varying degrees of success. It is the de-facto standard in many astrophysical simulations and in particular in studies of core-collapse supernovae (CCSN). Recent 3D simulations suggest that turbulence might play a crucial role in core-collapse supernova explosions, however the fidelity with which turbulence is simulated in these studies is unclear. Especially considering that the accuracy of ILES for the regime of interest in CCSN, weakly compressible and strongly anisotropic, has not been systematically assessed before. Anisotropy, in particular, could impact the dissipative properties of the flow and enhance the turbulent pressure in the radial direction, favouring the explosion. In this paper we assess the accuracy of ILES using numerical methods most commonly employed in computational astrophysics by means of a number of local simulations of driven, weakly compressible, anisotropic turbulence. Our simulations employ several different methods and span a wide range of resolutions. We report a detailed analysis of the way in which the turbulent cascade is influenced by the numerics. Our results suggest that anisotropy and compressibility in CCSN turbulence have little effect on the turbulent kinetic energy spectrum and a Kolmogorov $k^{-5/3}$

k

−
5
/
3

scaling is obtained in the inertial range. We find that, on the one hand, the kinetic energy dissipation rate at large scales is correctly captured even at low resolutions, suggesting that very high “effective Reynolds number” can be achieved at the largest scales of the simulation. On the other hand, the dynamics at intermediate scales appears to be completely dominated by the so-called bottleneck effect, i.e., the pile up of kinetic energy close to the dissipation range due to the partial suppression of the energy cascade by numerical viscosity. An inertial range is not recovered until the point where high resolution ∼5123, which would be difficult to realize in global simulations, is reached. We discuss the consequences for CCSN simulations.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) Mediates Activin A-Induced Human Trophoblast Endothelial-Like Tube Formation
Authors: Li Yan , Zhu Hua , Klausen Christian , Peng Bo , Leung Peter C. K.
Published: August 2015

Remodeling of maternal spiral arteries during pregnancy requires a subpopulation of extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVTs) to differentiate into endovascular EVTs. Activin A, which is abundantly expressed at the maternal-fetal interface, has been shown to promote trophoblast invasion, but its role in endovascular differentiation remains unknown. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is well recognized as a key regulator in trophoblast endovascular differentiation. Whether and how activin A might regulate VEGF-A production in human trophoblasts and its relationship to endovascular differentiation have yet to be determined. In the present study, we found that activin A increased VEGF-A production in primary and immortalized (HTR8/SVneo) human EVT cells. In addition, activin A enhanced HTR8/SVneo endothelial-like tube formation, and these effects were attenuated by pretreatment with small interfering RNA targeting VEGF-A or the VEGF receptor 1/2 inhibitor SU4312. Pretreatment with the activin/TGF-β type 1 receptor (ALK4/5/7) inhibitor SB431542 abolished the stimulatory effects of activin A on phosphorylated mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD)-2/3 phosphorylation, VEGF-A production, and endothelial-like tube formation. Moreover, small interfering RNA-mediated down-regulation of SMAD2, SMAD3, or common SMAD4 abolished the effects of activin A on VEGF-A production and endothelial-like tube formation. In conclusion, activin A may promote human trophoblast cell endothelial-like tube formation by up-regulating VEGF-A production in an SMAD2/3-SMAD4-dependent manner. These findings provide insight into the cellular and molecular events regulated by activin A during human implantation.
Duodenal Expression of 25 Hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase Is Higher in Adolescents Than in Children and Adults
Authors: Gawlik Aneta , Gepstein Vardit , Rozen Nimrod , Dahan Aviva , Ben-Yosef Dafna , Wildbaum Gizi , Verbitsky Oleg , Shaoul Ron , Weisman Yosef , Tiosano Dov
Published: August 2015

Context:

Puberty is associated with increased dietary calcium absorption. However, little is known about the metabolic adaptations that enhance calcium absorption during puberty.

Objectives:

To investigate duodenal 25-hydroxy vitamin D-1α-hydroxylase (CYP 27B1) mRNA expression and duodenal 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) production in children, adolescents, and adults.

Design and Methods:

CYP27B1and IGF1 mRNA expression and 1,25(OH)2D3 production were determined in duodenal biopsies. CYP27B1 expression was also determined after IGF1R inhibitor treatment of human and mice duodenal explants. mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR, and CYP27B1 activity was determined by incubating duodenal explants with 25(OH)D3 and measuring 1,25(OH)2D3 production by radioimmunoassay.

Results:

CYP27B1 mRNA expression was 13.7 and 10.4 times higher in biopsies from adolescents compared to adults and children, respectively. IGF1 mRNA expression was 30% and 45% higher in explants from adolescents and children, respectively, compared to adults. Inhibition of IGF1 receptor activity decreased CYP27B1expression in explants from both mice (85%) and humans (24%). 1,25(OH)2D3 production reached a maximum velocity of 768 ± 268 pmol/l/mg protein at 748.8 nmol/l of 25(OH)D3 in children and adolescents, whereas the maximum velocity was 86.4 ± 43.2 pmol/l/mg protein in adults. The substrate concentration at which the enzyme shows half of its maximum activity was similar in all groups, ranging between 624 and 837 nmol/L of 25(OH)D3.

Conclusions:

Increased CYP27B1 expression and local duodenal 1,25(OH)2D3 production during puberty may be a metabolic adaptation that promotes dietary calcium absorption. IGF1, a major factor in skeletal growth, is also involved in the modulation of CYP27B1 expression in the gut and may increase calcium supply for the growing bone.
PDGFRβ and oncogenic, mutant PDGFRα D842V promote disassembly of primary cilia by a PLCγ and AURKA dependent mechanism
Authors: Nielsen Brian Skriver , Malinda Raj Rajeshwar , Schmid Fabian Marc , Pedersen Stine Falsig , Christensen Søren Tvorup , Pedersen Lotte Bang
Published: August 2015

Primary cilia are microtubule-based sensory organelles projecting from most quiescent mammalian cells, which disassemble in serum-deprived cultured cells upon re-addition of serum or growth factors. Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) were implicated in deciliation, but the specific receptor isoforms and mechanisms involved are unclear. We report that PDGFRβ promotes deciliation in cultured cells and provide evidence implicating PLCγ and intracellular calcium release in this process. Activation of wild type PDGFRα alone did not elicit deciliation. However, expression of constitutively active PDGFRα D842V mutant receptor, which potently activates PLCγ caused significant deciliation and this phenotype was rescued by inhibition of PDGFRα D842V kinase activity or AURKA. We propose that PDGFRβ and PDGFRα D842V promote deciliation by PLCγ mediated calcium release from intracellular stores causing activation of CaM and AURKA-triggered deciliation.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: Speiser Phyllis W.
Published: August 2015

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia associated with deficiency of steroid 21-hydroxylase is the most common inborn error in adrenal function and the most common cause of adrenal insufficiency in the pediatric age group. As patients now survive into adulthood, adult health-care providers must also be familiar with this condition. Over the past several years, F1000 has published numerous commentaries updating research and practical guidelines for this condition. The purposes of this review are to summarize basic information defining congenital adrenal hyperplasia and to highlight current knowledge and controversies in management.