bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Why frailty needs vulnerability
Authors: van der Meide Hanneke , Olthuis Gert , Leget Carlo
Published: December 2014

The vulnerability of older hospital patients is increasingly understood in physical terms, often referred to as frailty. This reduces their vulnerability to the functioning body regardless of the psycho-socio-cultural context they are in, and it ignores the role of the hospital environment. This paper starts from a care ethical perspective on care and uses insights from empirical work that shows that hospitalization of older patients is characterized by experiences of uncertainty that give rise to feelings of vulnerability. This paper presents a model that clarifies how vulnerability occurs in the interplay between the embodied subject, others, daily life and the hospital, and shows its dynamic and relational nature. Our complementary perspective of vulnerability is vital for nursing practice in that it starts from the situatedness of the older patient and not only points at what is missing but also at what is of significance to the older patient. Taking into account this perspective helps improving relational care.
What the Tech Is Going On? Social Media and Your Music Classroom
Authors: Giebelhausen Robin
Published: December 2014

Social media is a dynamic tool capable of helping music teachers in various capacities. This article will explore two levels of involvement, including the personal learning network and the social classroom. When teachers use social media to its fullest potential in the music classroom, it allows for many new possibilities for the classroom, including higher levels of engagement, increased relevancy, and improved differentiated instruction levels. This article will also showcase specific ways to engage in both a personal learning network and a social classroom by providing an overview to the major social media platforms currently helpful in music education.
Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Phillips Wendy , Lee Hazel , Ghobadian Abby , O’Regan Nicholas , James Peter
Published: December 2014

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature suggests CSR initiatives extend beyond meeting the immediate interests of stakeholders of for-profit enterprises, offering the potential to also enhance performance. Growing disillusionment of for-profit business models has drawn attention to social entrepreneurship and social innovation to ease social issues. Adopting a systematic review of relevant research, the article provides collective insights into research linking social innovation with social entrepreneurship, demonstrating growing interest in the area over the last decade. The past 5 years have seen a surge in attention with particular focus on the role of the entrepreneur, networks, systems, institutions, and cross-sectoral partnerships. Based on the findings of the review, the authors synthesize formerly dispersed fields of research into an analytical framework, signposting a “systems of innovation” approach for future studies of social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
Topical cidofovir–induced acute kidney injury in two severely immunocompromised patients with refractory multidrug-resistant herpes simplex virus infections
Authors: Saunders Ila M , Lahoti Amit , Chemaly Roy F , Trevino Cynthia , Westmoreland Michael , Hosing Chitra
Published: December 2014

Cidofovir, a nucleoside analog of deoxycytidine monophosphate, is a water-soluble polar molecule that exhibits antiviral activity against a broad range of DNA viruses. Cidofovir for injection is approved for the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The safety and efficacy of topical cidofovir has been described in a limited number of patients. We present two cases of multidrug-resistant herpes simplex virus infections that responded to topical cidofovir therapy yet resulted in irreversible acute kidney injury.
Referential gaze and word learning in adults with autism
Authors: Aldaqre Iyad , Paulus Markus , Sodian Beate
Published: December 2014

While typically developing children can use referential gaze to guide their word learning, those with autism spectrum disorder are often described to have problems with that. However, some researchers assume that the ability to follow gaze to select the correct referent can develop in autism later compared to typically developing individuals. To test this assumption, we compared the performance of adults with and without autism on a word learning task while recording their gaze behavior using an eye tracker. Results showed that both groups mostly chose the correct referent, but less so for the autism spectrum disorder group when the distractor’s saliency was increased, suggesting that the ability to learn novel words by referring to gaze develops in autism spectrum disorder, but not fully, relative to their typically developing peers.
Artists, antagonisms and the ney in the popularization of ‘Sufi Music’ in Turkey
Authors: Senay Banu
Published: December 2014

Following its successful marketing as a sub-genre of ‘world music’ in the mid-1990s, Sufi music has become a cover term to describe and publicize a disparate variety of musical styles in the Turkish popular music industry. In this article, I explore this phenomenon through the recent history of the ney (reed-flute), an instrument that has been re-contextualized as the acoustic and visual signifier of Sufism, and utilized to evoke feelings of spirituality in listeners in affirming the authenticity of the new genre. Musicians’ and recording studios’ sonic strategies for signifying and communicating a Sufi sound have not only generated new musical aesthetics but garnered both a global and local audience. They have also generated intense debates among musicians concerning the very existence of a thing named ‘Sufi music’ and the ney’s place in it.
‘Cheaters and Stalkers’: Accusations in a classroom
Authors: Niemi Kreeta , Bateman Amanda
Published: December 2014

This article explores accusations as collaboratively accomplished in classroom peer interactions in the absence of a teacher. The analysis shows how the children use local classroom rules and teacher authority as resources and warrants to invoke multi-layered moral orders and identities, and hold one child accountable through accusations about their behavior. The accused children are categorized in a duplicative way with morally degrading descriptions and as out-group members. This article argues that understanding children’s accusations requires understanding of how such interactions compose and reflect the school context that is co-produced through the implementation of accountable ways in which to behave.
Using the Q Methodology Approach in Human Resource Development Research
Authors: Bartlett James E. , DeWeese Brad
Published: December 2014

The Problem

To better understand Human Resource Development (HRD), it is critical to understand human behavior and perspectives on subjective topics. Q methodology provides a view of subjectivity from the point of view that is self-referenced.

The Solution

This article provides a description of a method to identify similarities and differences in the subjective perceptions across a sample. This is distinctly different from traditional factor analysis that examines correlation between items. A step-by-step description of Q methodology is included that describes defining the concourse, developing the Q-set, selecting the P-set (sample), Q-sorting (collecting data), as well as analyzing and interpreting the data.

The Stakeholders

Both researchers and practitioners will benefit by understanding how to implement and interpret Q methodology in both research and practice to understand human subjectivity. The article can be used as a guide by researchers and practitioners who want to conduct Q methodology in the field of HRD to better understand subjective viewpoints.
Strategies of oncogenic microbes to deal with WW domain-containing oxidoreductase
Authors: Chang Yao , Lan Yu-Yan , Hsiao Jenn-Ren , Chang Nan-Shan
Published: December 2014

WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) is a well-documented tumor suppressor protein that controls growth, survival, and metastasis of malignant cells. To counteract WWOX’s suppressive effects, cancer cells have developed many strategies either to downregulate WWOX expression or to functionally inactivate WWOX. Relatively unknown is, in the context of those cancers associated with certain viruses or bacteria, how the oncogenic pathogens deal with WWOX. Here we review recent studies showing different strategies utilized by three cancer-associated pathogens. Helicobactor pylori reduces WWOX expression through promoter hypermethylation, an epigenetic mechanism also occurring in many other cancer cells. WWOX has a potential to block canonical NF-κB activation and tumorigenesis induced by Tax, an oncoprotein of human T-cell leukemia virus. Tax successfully overcomes the blockage by inhibiting WWOX expression through activation of the non-canonical NF-κB pathway. On the other hand, latent membrane protein 2A of Epstein–Barr virus physically interacts with WWOX and redirects its function to trigger a signaling pathway that upregulates matrix metalloproteinase 9 and cancer cell invasion. These reports may be just “the tip of the iceberg” regarding multiple interactions between WWOX and oncogenic microbes. Further studies in this direction should expand our understanding of infection-driven oncogenesis.
Acclaims, attacks and defences in Nigerian gubernatorial debate
Authors: Ajilore Oluwateniola Oluwabukola
Published: December 2014

This study applies functional theory of campaign discourse proposed by William Benoit for United States political debates and the theory of illocutions to the televised governorship debate of Lagos State. As opposed to other studies that have applied it to the United States, Finland, etc., it applies this theory to an African (Nigerian) political debate. It asserts as against others that candidates distinguish themselves from their opponents using the major functions of campaign discourse in a reversed order, that is, attacks, defences and acclaims rather than acclaims, attacks and defences which is popular in US debates. Furthermore, it also examines how attacks are pragmatically encoded by candidates in Lagos State debate, what illocutionary forms candidates utilize when informing voters of an opponent’s potential costs/weakness. Thus, this current study can be viewed as a comparative study that aims to unravel a sequence present in Nigerian debate different from what is obtainable in US political debates.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment
Authors: Chartier Maggie , Crouch Pierre-Cédric , Tullis Van , Catella Stephanie , Frawley Erin , Filanosky Charles , Carmody Timothy , McQuaid John , Lampiris Harry , Wong Joseph K.
Published: December 2014

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HANDs) are common, often go undetected, and can impact treatment outcomes. There is limited evidence on how to perform routine cognitive screening in HIV clinical settings. To address this, 44 HIV-positive males were recruited from a Veteran Affairs Infectious Disease clinic and completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. In all, 50% scored below the MoCA cutoff and 36% scored below the IHDS cutoff. Current CD4 was the strongest predictor of an abnormal MoCA score ( P = .007, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.987-0.998) and elevated depression was the second strongest predictor ( P = .008, CI: 1.043-1.326). Combination antiviral therapy use and age were not significant predictors in this model. The MoCA appeared to be a reasonable screening tool to detect cognitive impairment in HIV-positive patients, and although it is not sufficient to diagnose HAND, it has the potential to provide meaningful clinical data.
Incidence, risk factors and outcomes of new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with sepsis: a systematic review
Authors: Kuipers Sanne , Klouwenberg Peter MC Klein , Cremer Olaf L
Published: December 2014

Introduction

Critically ill patients with sepsis are prone to develop cardiac dysrhythmias, most commonly atrial fibrillation (AF). Systemic inflammation, circulating stress hormones, autonomic dysfunction, and volume shifts are all possible triggers for AF in this setting. We conducted a systematic review to describe the incidence, risk factors and outcomes of new-onset AF in patients with sepsis.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web Of Science were searched for studies reporting the incidence of new-onset AF, atrial flutter or supraventricular tachycardia in patients with sepsis admitted to an intensive care unit, excluding studies that primarily focused on postcardiotomy patients. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using the GRADE system. Risk factors were considered to have a high level of evidence if they were reported in ≥2 studies using multivariable analyses at a P value <0.05. Subsequently, the strength of association was classified as strong, moderate or weak, based on the reported odds ratios.

Results

Eleven studies were included. Overall quality was low to moderate. The weighted mean incidence of new-onset AF was 8% (range 0 to 14%), 10% (4 to 23%) and 23% (6 to 46%) in critically ill patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock, respectively. Independent risk factors with a high level of evidence included advanced age (weak strength of association), white race (moderate association), presence of a respiratory tract infection (weak association), organ failure (moderate association), and pulmonary artery catheter use (moderate association). Protective factors were a history of diabetes mellitus (weak association) and the presence of a urinary tract infection (weak association). New-onset AF was associated with increased short-term mortality in five studies (crude relative effect estimates ranging from 1.96 to 3.32; adjusted effects 1.07 to 3.28). Three studies reported a significantly increased length of stay in the ICU (weighted mean difference 9 days, range 5 to 13 days), whereas an increased risk of ischemic stroke was reported in the single study that looked at this outcome.

Conclusions

New-onset AF is a common consequence of sepsis and is independently associated with poor outcome. Early risk stratification of patients may allow for pharmacological interventions to prevent this complication.
L-citrulline production by metabolically engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum from glucose and alternative carbon sources
Authors: Eberhardt Dorit , Jensen Jaide V K , Wendisch Volker F
Published: December 2014

L-citrulline plays an important role in human health and nutrition and is an intermediate of the L-arginine biosynthetic pathway. L-citrulline is a by-product of L-arginine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this study, C. glutamicum was engineered for overproduction of L-citrulline as major product without L-arginine being produced as by-product. To this end, L-arginine biosynthesis was derepressed by deletion of the arginine repressor gene argR and conversion of L-citrulline towards L-arginine was avoided by deletion of the argininosuccinate synthetase gene argG. Moreover, to facilitate L-citrulline production the gene encoding a feedback resistant N-acetyl L-glutamate kinase argB
fbr as well as the gene encoding L-ornithine carbamoylphosphate transferase argF were overexpressed. The resulting strain accumulated 44.1 ± 0.5 mM L-citrulline from glucose minimal medium with a yield of 0.38 ± 0.01 g⋅g−1 and a volumetric productivity of 0.32 ± 0.01 g⋅l−1⋅h−1. In addition, production of L-citrulline from the alternative carbon sources starch, xylose, and glucosamine could be demonstrated.
Linifanib Versus Sorafenib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results of a Randomized Phase III Trial
Authors: Cainap Calin , Qin Shukui , Huang Wen-Tsung , Chung Ik Joo , Pan Hongming , Cheng Ying , Kudo Masatoshi , Kang Yoon-Koo , Chen Pei-Jer , Toh Han-Chong , Gorbunova Vera , Eskens Ferry A.L.M. , Qian Jiang , McKee Mark D. , Ricker Justin L. , Carlson Dawn M. , El-Nowiem Saied
Published: December 2014

Purpose

This open-label phase III trial evaluated efficacy and tolerability of linifanib versus sorafenib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without prior systemic therapy.

Patients and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to linifanib 17.5 mg once daily or sorafenib 400 mg twice daily. Patients were stratified by region (Outside Asia, Japan, and rest of Asia), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score (ECOG PS; 0 or 1), vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread (yes or no), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (yes or no). The primary end point of the study was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were time to progression (TTP) and objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1.

Results

We randomly assigned 1,035 patients (median age, 60 years; Asian, 66.6%; ECOG PS 0, 65.2%; HBV, 49.1%; vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread, 70.1%). Median OS was 9.1 months on the linifanib arm (95% CI, 8.1 to 10.2) and 9.8 months on the sorafenib arm (95% CI, 8.3 to 11.0; hazard ratio [HR], 1.046; 95% CI, 0.896 to 1.221). For prespecified stratification subgroups, OS HRs ranged from 0.793 to 1.119 and the 95% CI contained 1.0. Median TTP was 5.4 months on the linifanib arm (95% CI, 4.2 to 5.6) and 4.0 months on the sorafenib arm (95% CI, 2.8 to 4.2; HR, 0.759; 95% CI, 0.643 to 0.895; P = .001). Best response rate was 13.0% on the linifanib arm versus 6.9% on the sorafenib arm. Grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs); serious AEs; and AEs leading to discontinuation, dose interruption, and reduction were more frequent with linifanib (all P < .001).

Conclusion

Linifanib and sorafenib had similar OS in advanced HCC. Predefined superiority and noninferiority OS boundaries were not met for linifanib and the study failed to meet the primary end point. TTP and ORR favored linifanib; safety results favored sorafenib.
Effects and Interactions of Tachykinins and Dynorphin on FSH and LH Secretion in Developing and Adult Rats
Authors: Ruiz-Pino F. , Garcia-Galiano D. , Manfredi-Lozano M. , Leon S. , Sánchez-Garrido M. A. , Roa J. , Pinilla L. , Navarro V. M. , Tena-Sempere M.
Published: December 2014

Kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons, which coexpress kisspeptins (Kps), neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin (Dyn), regulate gonadotropin secretion. The KNDy model proposes that NKB (a stimulator, through NK3R) and Dyn (an inhibitor, through κ-opioid receptor) shape Kp secretion onto GnRH neurons. However, some aspects of this paradigm remain ill defined. Here we aimed to characterize the following: 1) the effects of NKB signaling on FSH secretion and 2) the role of Dyn in gonadotropin secretion after NK3R activation; 3) additionally, we explored the roles of other tachykinin receptors, NK1R and NK2R, on gonadotropin release. Thus, the effects of the NK3R agonist, senktide, on FSH release were explored across postnatal development in male and female rats; gonadotropin responses to agonists of NK1R substance P and NK2R [neurokinin A (NKA)] were also monitored. Moreover, the effects of senktide on gonadotropin secretion were assessed after antagonizing Dyn actions by nor-binaltorphimine didydrochloride. Before puberty, rats of both sexes showed increased FSH secretion to senktide (and Kp-10). Conversely, adult female rats were irresponsive to senktide in terms of FSH, despite proven LH responses, whereas the adult males did not display FSH or LH responses to senktide, even at high doses. In turn, substance P and NKA stimulated gonadotropin secretion in prepubertal rats, whereas in adults modest gonadotropin responses to NKA were detected. By pretreatment with a Dyn antagonist, adult males became responsive to senktide in terms of LH secretion and displayed elevated basal LH and FSH levels; nor-binaltorphimine didydrochloride treatment uncovered FSH responses to senktide in adult females. Furthermore, the expression of Pdyn and Opkr1 (encoding Dyn and κ-opioid receptor, respectively) in the mediobasal hypothalamus was greater in males than in females at prepubertal ages. Overall, our data contribute to refining our understanding on how the elements of the KNDy node and related factors (ie, other tachykinins) differentially participate in the control of gonadotropins at different stages of rat postnatal maturation.
Glucose Intolerance in Aging Male IGFBP-3 Transgenic Mice: Differential Effects of Human IGFBP-3 and Its Mutant IGFBP-3 Devoid of IGF Binding Ability
Authors: Nguyen K. Hoa , Yao Xing-Hai , Erickson Adam G. , Mishra Suresh , Nyomba B. L. Grégoire
Published: December 2014

We have reported a reduction of insulin secretion and glucose intolerance in young mice overexpressing human IGFBP-3 (phosphoglycerate kinase [PGK]BP3) or its mutant Gly56/Gly80/Gly81-IGFBP-3 (PGKmutBP3) under the PGK promoter. Here, we investigated changes in glucose and lipid homeostasis with age in PGKBP3 and PGKmutBP3 mice compared with wild-type mice. Body weight, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, visceral fat, interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT), serum lipids, and pancreas histology were examined at age 3, 6, and 12 months. Murine IGFBP-3 was similar in all mouse genotypes and decreased with age in parallel with total IGF-1. Visceral fat and BAT masses increased in PGKmutBP3 mice, but not in PGKBP3 mice. Glucose tolerance was impaired in both PGKBP3 and PGKmutBP3 mice. However, PGKBP3 mice had increased expression of uncoupling protein-1 in BAT and reduced adiposity, and continued to have smaller pancreatic β-cell mass and reduced insulin secretion through age 12 months. In contrast, PGKmutBP3 mice developed insulin resistance with age in association with pancreatic β-cell hyperplasia, impaired expression of uncoupling protein-1 in BAT, and increased adiposity. In addition, both PGKBP3 and PGKmutBP3 mice had elevated glycerol in the circulation, but only PGKBP3 mice had elevated free fatty acids and only PGKmutBP3 mice had elevated triglycerides. Estimated free IGF-1 did not increase with age in transgenic mice, as it did in wild-type mice. Thus, overexpression of human IGFBP-3 or its mutant devoid of IGF binding ability leads to glucose intolerance with, however, different effects on insulin secretion, insulin sensitivity, and lipid homeostasis in aging mice.
Absence of TRH Receptor 1 in Male Mice Affects Gastric Ghrelin Production
Authors: Mayerl Steffen , Liebsch Claudia , Visser Theo J. , Heuer Heike
Published: December 2014

TRH not only functions as a thyrotropin releasing hormone but also acts as a neuropeptide in central circuits regulating food intake and energy expenditure. As one suggested mode of action, TRH expressed in the caudal brainstem influences vagal activity by activating TRH receptor 1 (TRH-R1). In order to evaluate the impact of a diminished medullary TRH signaling on ghrelin metabolism, we analyzed metabolic changes of TRH-R1 knockout (R1ko) mice in response to 24 hours of food deprivation. Because R1ko mice are hypothyroid, we also studied eu- and hypothyroid wild-type (wt) animals and R1ko mice rendered euthyroid by thyroid hormone treatment. Independent of their thyroidal state, R1ko mice displayed a higher body weight loss than wt animals and a delayed reduction in locomotor activity upon fasting. Ghrelin transcript levels in the stomach as well as total ghrelin levels in the circulation were equally high in fasted wt and R1ko mice. In contrast, only wt mice responded to fasting with a rise in ghrelin-O-acyltransferase mRNA expression and consequently an increase in serum levels of acylated ghrelin. Together, our data suggest that an up-regulation of medullary TRH expression and subsequently enhanced activation of TRH-R1 in the vagal system represents a critical step in the stimulation of ghrelin-O-acyltransferase expression upon starvation that in turn is important for adjusting the circulating levels of acylated ghrelin to the fasting condition.
Social Cues Regulate Reciprocal Switching of Hypothalamic Dio2/Dio3 and the Transition Into Final Follicle Maturation in European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)
Authors: Perfito Nicole , Guardado Daisy , Williams Tony D. , Bentley George E.
Published: December 2014

With final maturation of ovarian follicles, birds are committed to a major energetic investment: egg laying. Follicles develop in a 2-step process: 1) initial development of regressed follicles stimulated by long days and 2) yolk incorporation into hierarchical follicles, ovulation, and oviposition. We know little about how females transduce environmental cues into neuroendocrine signals regulating the second step. The present study measures gene expression in tissues within the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Females were housed in seminatural enclosures experiencing natural changes in photoperiod and environmental cues (eg, temperature, rainfall, etc), without males or with constant access to males (January to April). By April, females with males had begun to lay eggs, whereas those without males had not. In a second study, females without males for 3.5 months were then given access to males for 7 days. Restricting male access completely inhibited final follicle maturation, whereas 7-day male access stimulated full vitellogenesis and follicle maturation. Few gene expression changes were attributable to constant male access (January to March), but naïve females given 7-day male access had increased type 2 deiodinase (DIO2) and decreased DIO3 synthesis in the hypothalamus, potentially influencing local thyroid hormone metabolism, increased expression of LH receptor and aromatase in follicles and vitellogenin in liver. Our data suggest that initial follicle development may be more heavily influenced by photoperiod, but the second step (final maturation) is sensitive to other cues such as social interactions. This is the first demonstration of a social effect on the Dio2/Dio3 system, previously thought only responsive to photoperiod cues.
Accumulated Deep Sleep Is a Powerful Predictor of LH Pulse Onset in Pubertal Children
Authors: Shaw N. D. , Butler J. P. , Nemati S. , Kangarloo T. , Ghassemi M. , Malhotra A. , Hall J. E.
Published: December 2014

Context:

During puberty, reactivation of the reproductive axis occurs during sleep, with LH pulses specifically tied to deep sleep. This association suggests that deep sleep may stimulate LH secretion, but there have been no interventional studies to determine the characteristics of deep sleep required for LH pulse initiation.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of deep sleep fragmentation on LH secretion in pubertal children.

Design and Setting:

Studies were performed in a clinical research center.

Subjects:

Fourteen healthy pubertal children (11.3–14.1 y) participated in the study.

Interventions:

Subjects were randomized to two overnight studies with polysomnography and frequent blood sampling, with or without deep sleep disruption via auditory stimuli.

Results:

An average of 68.1 ±10.7 (± SE) auditory stimuli were delivered to interrupt deep sleep during the disruption night, limiting deep sleep to only brief episodes (average length disrupted 1.3 ± 0.2 min vs normal 7.1 ± 0.8 min, P < .001), and increasing the number of transitions between non-rapid eye movement (NREM), REM, and wake (disrupted 274.5 ± 33.4 vs normal 131.2 ± 8.1, P = .001). There were no differences in mean LH (normal: 3.2 ± 0.4 vs disrupted: 3.2 ± 0.5 IU/L), LH pulse frequency (0.6 ± 0.06 vs 0.6 ± 0.07 pulses/h), or LH pulse amplitude (2.8 ± 0.4 vs 2.8 ± 0.4 IU/L) between the two nights. Poisson process modeling demonstrated that the accumulation of deep sleep in the 20 minutes before an LH pulse, whether consolidated or fragmented, was a significant predictor of LH pulse onset (P < .001).

Conclusion:

In pubertal children, nocturnal LH augmentation and pulse patterning are resistant to deep sleep fragmentation. These data suggest that, even when fragmented, deep sleep is strongly related to activation of the GnRH pulse generator.
A critical evaluation of science outreach via social media: its role and impact on scientists
Authors: McClain Craig , Neeley Liz
Published: December 2014

The role of scientists in social media and its impact on their careers are not fully explored.  While policies and best practices are still fluid, it is concerning that discourse is often based on little to no data, and some arguments directly contradict the available data.  Here, we consider the relevant but subjective questions about social media for science outreach (SOSM), specifically: (1) Does a public relations nightmare exist for science?; (2) Why (or why aren’t) scientists engaging in social media?; (3) Are scientists using social media well?; and (4) Will social media benefit a scientist’s career? We call for the scientific community to create tangible plans that value, measure, and help manage scientists’ social media engagement.
Book Reviews
Authors: Dobson Pam , Wallace Verena , Price Sue
Published: December 2014

MIDIRS and The NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, with funding from the Department of Health, have produced a parallel series of five leaflets for the use of women and professionals. Colour coded and numbered, they cover a variety of topics relating to pregnancy and childbirth. The leaflets for professionals include a reference list and section giving the ‘Implications for Practice’. Research evidence, mainly from randomized controlled trials, is discussed and interpreted in the text.
Book review
Authors: Clark Jennifer
Published: December 2014

This self-contained learning package forms one module of a series entitled Professional Development for Quality Care. The series has been especially written for practising nurses, midwives and health visitors to enable them to function more effectively and to develop professionally within a changing health care arena. This module has been pre-pared to help health care professionals demonstrate that they have kept themselves up to date by demystifying the concept of the professional portfolio and offering the student the knowledge and practical skills to compile their own portfolio. The package, which is pre-sented as a student workbook supported by a reader is underpinned by the wealth of research and practical experience of the author and this is very evident in the material provided.
Delivered at home
Authors: Robinson Jean
Published: December 2014

I could not wait for this book to come out. Ever since I read Julia Allison's pilot study of home births in Nottingham (Allison, 1992), I was avid for more information. For me her new study of home birth care by domiciliary midwives 1948-72 (Allison, 1996) is full of riches, but provokes enormous sadness. Domiciliary mid-wifery was destroyed because policy makers did not know the value of what we had. Only the mothers knew. The vast majority who had experienced both home and hospital birth preferred home (Robinson, 1996). But mothers had no clout, and midwives lost their confidence, misled by a simplistic interpretation of the statistics.
Allow to die in peace
Authors: Jones Shirley
Published: December 2014

In the Guardian newspaper on 5 April 1996, there was a report on a decision by the president of the High Court, Sir Stephen Brown, regarding the removal of a ventilator from ‘a profoundly brain damaged 3-month-old girl’. This infant had been born at 32 weeks gestation and the brain damage was subsequent to meningitis. The report caused me, and presumably many other readers, great concern — although possibly for different reasons.
Analgesic prescribing in palliative care
Authors: Lowe Emma , Hanchanale Sarika , Hurlow Adam
Published: December 2014

Pain management requires a multimodal approach involving pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. It is important to take a detailed history and examine the patient before prescribing any analgesia. This article focuses on assessment and management of pain in palliative care patients.
Comparing the Economic Growth of China and India: Current Situation, Problems, and Prospects
Authors: Wen Zhou
Published: December 2014

With the rise of emerging economies, the topic of India catching up with China or the so-called dragon—elephant competition has raised increasing concerns in the past 10
years. Viewed from successful economic growth logic and comparison, the two countries have their own experience for reference as well as deficiencies to improve. Rather than being
a zero-sum game, the competition between China and India is mutually complementary and win—win cooperative. There is hope that the takeoff of dragon and elephant will
contribute to the new landscape of economic development in the 21st century. As members of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), the peaceful development of China
and India will be major events of the 21st century. The two countries should enhance cooperation instead of confrontation. If India does not follow the example of the USA closely
to contain China's development, then India can change military expenditure into infrastructure investment to reduce domestic poverty, and can gain more benefits from the
cooperation with China.
A Way to Improve Quantitative Easing through the Implementation of a Commodity Reserve
Authors: Yingxi Lu
Published: December 2014

In recent years, in response to a prolonged recession and the exhaustion of conventional monetary policies and to stimulate economic recovery, the major Western economies have had to adopt unconventional quantitative easing monetary policies. Although there is no conclusive theoretical evidence for quantitative easing and its actual effects are as yet unknown, the process of implementing this policy has almost totally disproved mainstream Western monetary theory, based as it is on the quantity theory of money. Therefore, we need to rediscover the theoretical basis of quantitative easing. Only by completely abandoning the quantity theory of money and observing monetary phenomena in the light of Marx's monetary theory will it be possible to find the best path to improve quantitative easing and construct a feasible and promising new monetary system for the market economy on the basis of summarizing the lessons learned from Western quantitative easing combined with China's historical successes.
Peixin Yang's Economic thought and its Outcomes in the 1980s, Early in China's Reform, and China's Reform Miracle
Authors: Bin Yang  , Translated by Sicheng Zhou
Published: December 2014

During the initial period of reform, China's prudent handling of the money—price relationship while simultaneously bringing inflation and unemployment under control had a far-reaching influence on economic theory as well as practical significance. The country's successful experience constituted a miracle beyond the dreams of authoritative international financial authorities and experts. The famous American Nobel Prize winner, the economist Milton Friedman, once said that anyone who could explain China's success could win the Nobel Prize. In today's complex world, with its recurrent financial turmoil and intensified threat of war, China's successful experience in the early phases of reform has important significance for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and maintaining the country's economic and financial security and the interests of the great mass of the people. We should sum up this experience to strengthen confidence in our institutions, our path, and our theory.
Whistleblower as news source: A complex relationship examined through a survey of journalists’ attitudes
Authors: Moore Maria A. , Huxford John , Hopper K. Megan
Published: December 2014

In an era in which corporate and governmental corruption is rife, the whistleblower has become a crucial resource in journalism’s attempts to fulfil its role of social watchdog, making accountable those who wield governmental and corporate power. Yet the relationship between journalist and whistleblower is complex with both synergetic and oppositional characteristics, which can threaten both the credibility of the final news report and the standing and well-being of the participants. This exploratory study focuses on the crucial interface between journalist and whistleblower, pursuing an understanding of journalists’ views, knowledge and attitudes towards the whistleblower as source.
The semiotics of power: Corrupting sign systems in contemporary American Exceptionalism and in Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho and Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis
Authors: Harma Tanguy
Published: December 2014

This article aims to decipher the interplay on the semiotic notions of signifier, signified and referent coined by semiotician Saussure in Donald E. Pease’s 2009 work New American Exceptionalism and in two late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century American novels: Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho and Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis. The analysis of the semiotic arrangement of the selected works will allow a critical insight into the constitution of specific sign systems in contemporary American Exceptionalism that will shed light onto the distortion and corruption of the foundational values of the American nation, as exemplified in the selected novels

In this regard, Ellis and DeLillo will be envisaged as two fiction writers who, through their engagement with postmodern aesthetics, incorporate this semiotic interplay at the level of their own sign systems. Through their various representations of a reality that is flattened out by the two-dimensional culture of the image, I will show how this paradigm is integrated into the texts, as each writer, in his own fashion, underlines the conditions for semiotic manipulation in contemporary culture.

In more detail, I will analyse how a trope of surface reality (Baudrillard) is characterized in these works through a movement that starts with a disconnection between signifier and signified and that proceeds with the symbolic discarding of the sign’s referent (Ellis), resulting in the capacity to corrupt reality through language itself. Ultimately, I will decipher how DeLillo’s Cosmopolis epitomizes the dematerialization and dissolution of referents in cyber-capitalism through the self-referentiality of the sign that the novel purports.

As the selected texts of Ellis and DeLillo integrate and satirize this hiatus, they present their readers with a critique of the deviation of national culture and identity from the foundational spirit of the American project and the promises of American Exceptionalism, ultimately offering an invitation to rethink contemporary American culture from a postmodern perspective.
Exceptionalist discourse and the colonization of sublime spaces: Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Thomas Cole’s The Oxbow
Authors: Brinded Nicolas
Published: December 2014

This article will examine the relationship between the visual language of the sublime, as defined by Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant, and the rhetoric of American Exceptionalism. In much early discourse, the American continent is represented through the iconography of the sublime: a land of breathtaking sunsets, cascading waterfalls, towering mountains and vast verdant forests. Through such powerful and sublime scenes, the idea of the new world as ‘exceptional’ is evoked. Yet a countermovement to this is that, even as the land is celebrated, it is also being colonized – divided up and plundered for its resources.

The nineteenth-century landscape painter Thomas Cole constructed a number of traditionally ‘sublime’ canvases of stunning natural scenes and has been widely celebrated as one of America’s greatest painters of sublime nature. Yet, Cole was also vehemently opposed to ‘utilitarianism’ and expansion and railed against the damage done to the environment as American civilization expanded westward and consumed the frontier. Cole thus combined sublime landscape with a critique of expansionism by subtly subverting the human elements of his canvases, none more so than in his 1836 painting The Oxbow.

In much twentieth and twenty-first-century cinema, the frontier has been transposed to outer space and the farthest reaches of the galaxy. The forces of the marketplace and the capitalist drive to expand are still clearly evident in this extraterrestrial expansionism. Yet, the iconography of the romantic sublime is still employed by film-makers in order to convey the beauty and otherness of celestial scenes.

My article explores the link between the Cole’s representations of the American continent and two recent science fiction movies, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity and Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. I argue that the visual language of the sublime is employed not merely as a celebration of landscape but also as a means to critique and question exceptionalist discourse.
Monoallelic STAT1 mutations and disease patterns
Authors: Roifman Chaim M.
Published: December 2014

Monoallelic mutations in STAT1 are associated with a myriad of clinical phenotypes. Some clinical patterns appear to be preferentially associated with mutations in various STAT1 domains. Included are trends of phenotype-genotype correlations in patients with mutations in STAT1.
Senklassicistisk omgang med tekster. Om åbenbare og skjulte citater i Jens Baggesens Labyrinten
Authors: Blicher Henrik
Published: December 2014

Within a classical context, citations from Antique authors often appear as signs of affinity, but without quotation marks. Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg is a case in point. The Romantic idea of originality puts an end to this kind of mutual borrowing. By thoroughly examining different, but more or less obvious and more or less hidden citations in Jens Baggesen’s sentimental travelogue
Performance of Cementitious Composites Incorporating Ground TFT-LCD Waste Glass
Authors: Lee Seung-Tae , Lee JaeJun
Published: December 2014

In South Korea, a great amount of thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) waste glass in the form of industrial waste has been produced during the electronic equipment manufacturing process in recent years. This paper presents a detailed experimental study on the performance of mortar specimens replaced partially by TFT-LCD waste glass (TLWG). The replacement level of TLWG was the main test variable. Setting time, compressive and flexural strengths, drying shrinkage, and chloride-ion permeability tests of mortar specimens incorporating TLWG were carried out to evaluate the possibility of recycling TLWG as a cementitious material. In addition, field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) investigations were used to observe the effect of TLWG replacement on the microstructural changes of paste samples. From the test results, it was found that higher replacement levels of TLWG (above 20 %) negatively affected the strength, drying shrinkage, and chloride-ion penetrability of mortar specimens because it led to a porous structure in the hardened cement system. On the other hand, because of the pozzolanic activity, the use of TLWG up to a maximum 10 % replacement level was possibly effective in enhancing mechanical properties of mortars. This was verified through the microstructural observations by SEM and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Hence, taking into consideration economical and mechanical factors, it can be concluded that appropriate replacement of TLWG as a cementitious material holds promise in the production of concrete, as well as in recycling industrial waste.
Comparative Analysis of Curvilinear Gears With Produced by the New Production Method
Authors: Uzun Mahir , Inan Ali
Published: December 2014

In this study, we describe the finite element model analysis of novel pinion gears having a curvilinear teeth profile which were previously manufactured by us for the first time with the highest accuracy. Herringbone and spur gears were also modeled by using the same approach in order to compare the advantages of each, both under actual-working- and stress-conditions. Additionally, these three gear types were compared through noise analysis for the first time as well. All these analyses suggest that the concave–convex type gears display superiority in load resistance and show reasonably low levels of noise.
Low-Temperature Performance of Seal Coat
Authors: Ahn Hyungjun , Lee Jusang
Published: December 2014

This study presents the evaluation of low-temperature performance of seal coat in terms of friction performance and aggregate-loss performance. In addition, factors affecting the seal-coat performance at low temperature were also investigated. Ten seal coats on U.S. highways and State Roads in Indiana were selected and the friction tests were conducted in spring and fall for approximately 4 to 6 years after the construction. Three emulsions and seven aggregates consisting of CRS-2 P, RS-2 P, and AE-90 S for emulsions and trap rock, sandstone, blast furnace slag, steel slag, limestone, dolomite, and crushed gravel were used for the Vialit test for aggregate-loss performance, the zeta potential test for the effect of electrostatic property, and the bending beam rheometer (BBR) test and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) test for the effect of mechanical and thermo-properties of emulsion. Friction numbers on ten seal coats constructed in Indiana from 2007 and 2013 showed that the winter season has a more significant impact on the friction reduction than the impact the summer season has. The Vialit test result showed that an increase in aggregate loss occurred as the temperature decreased, regardless of aggregate–emulsion combinations. The low-temperature aggregate loss is more sensitive to the emulsion type than to the aggregate type. The higher zeta potential of emulsion resulted in better aggregate-loss performance at low temperatures below −17°C. However, the effect of electrostatic interaction between the aggregate and emulsion particles on aggregate-loss performance was found to be statistically insignificant. The emulsion with a softer binder (lower stiffness) performed better than the emulsion containing a stiffer binder in terms of aggregate-loss performance at low temperatures. Last, the coefficients of thermal expansion of emulsion residues were not an influence on factors affecting the low-temperature aggregate-loss performance using the three emulsion types.
Editorial
Authors: Tatnall Arthur
Published: December 2014

In its final issue for 2006 the Journal of Business Systems, Governance and Ethics again offers a variety range of business-related research issues that this time range from older people’s use of the Internet in Australia to job satisfaction of Taiwanese expatriates. Other articles deal with agricultural innovation systems, plagiarism, letters of credit and technology to isolate software systems and agents from change.
How to Promote Competitive Advantages for SMEs: Issues, Ideas and Innovation
Authors: Uden Lorna
Published: December 2014

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become an integral part of today’s economy. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have been increasingly enjoying the benefits of e-business. ICT introduces both opportunities and threats to the SME. The general consensus of opinion is that SMEs that have traditionally been restrained from international trade because of resource limitations are now able to present themselves and their products globally.Despite these benefits, the uptake of e-business by SMEs is still low. There are still many issues that should be addressed before SMEs can be convinced to embrace ICT. For SMEs to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world, they need to take up the adoption of new technologies. This paper attempts to discuss the issues, ideas and innovations that are important to help SMEs to remain competitive.