bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Case of Adenocarcinoma of the Duodenum Arising from Brunner's Gland
Authors: Kamei Keiko , Yasuda Takeo , Nakai Takuya , Takeyama Yoshifumi
Published: October 2013

We report a rare case of adenocarcinoma of the duodenum arising from Brunner's gland. A 70-year-old man with a history of hypertension was referred to us with the complaint of abdominal discomfort. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an irregular elevated mucosa and a submucosal tumor with delle in the duodenal bulb. Biopsy specimens revealed adenocarcinoma (the former) and hyperplasia (the latter). We could not agree with the patient about performing pancreaticoduodenectomy, so under the diagnosis of primary duodenal carcinoma, we performed resection of the bulbus and the antrum. Pathological examination showed that one of the tumors was consistent with normal Brunner's glands, Brunner's gland hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma arising from Brunner's glands. The patient's postoperative course was good, but 15 months after, he developed lymph node recurrence at the site of the pancreas head. Under the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of duodenal cancer, we performed pancreaticoduodenectomy this time. Pathological examination confirmed our preoperative diagnosis. The patient remained well after the surgery for 2 years.
Performance of Lead Integrity Alert to Assist in the Clinical Diagnosis of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Lead Failures
Authors: Ellenbogen Kenneth A. , Gunderson Bruce D. , Stromberg Kurt D. , Swerdlow Charles D.
Published: October 2013

Background—

The Lead Integrity Alert (LIA) was developed for Medtronic implantable cardioverter defibrillators to reduce inappropriate shocks for rapid oversensing caused by conductor fractures and reported for Medtronic Fidelis conductor fractures. The goal of this study was to compare the performance of LIA with conventional impedance monitoring for identifying lead system events (LSEs) and lead failures (LFs) in lead families that differ from Fidelis.

Methods and Results—

We analyzed data from 12 793 LIA enabled implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and lead combinations including 6123 St. Jude Riata or Durata, 5114 Boston Scientific Endotak, and 1556 Fidelis combinations followed in the CareLink remote monitoring network for LSEs and LFs. Each alert was adjudicated based on implantable cardioverter-defibrillator stored electrograms/diagnostics and clinical data as an LSE or non–lead system event by 2 physicians after reviewing the electrograms and clinical data. During 13 562 patient-years of LIA follow-up, there were 179 adjudicated alerts, of which 84 were LSEs (including 65 LFs) and 95 were non–lead system events. LIA identified >66% more LSE and >67% more LF compared with conventional impedance monitoring and did not differ by lead family for LSE (
P
=0.573) or LF (
P
=0.332). Isolated spikes on electrogram were associated more often with LF in St. Jude leads (71%) compared with Endotak (9%;
P
<0.001) and Fidelis leads (11%;
P
<0.001). The non–lead system event detection rate was different among lead families (
P
<0.001) ranging from 1 in every 78.5 years (Endotak), 228.9 years (St. Jude leads), and 627.6 years (Fidelis).

Conclusions—

LIA markedly increased the detection rate of LSE compared with conventional impedance monitoring.
Aortic Valve Area, Stroke Volume, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, Remodeling, and Fibrosis in Aortic Stenosis Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Barone-Rochette Gilles , Piérard Sophie , Seldrum Stéphanie , de Meester de Ravenstein Christophe , Melchior Julie , Maes Frédéric , Pouleur Anne-Catherine , Vancraeynest David , Pasquet Agnes , Vanoverschelde Jean-Louis , Gerber Bernhard L.
Published: October 2013

Background—

Recent works using echocardiography suggested that low gradient (LG), low flow (LF) aortic stenosis (AS) has more pronounced left ventricular (LV) concentric remodeling, smaller LV cavity size, and more interstitial fibrosis compared with high gradient (HG) normal flow (NF) AS. Therefore, we evaluated the accuracy of echocardiographic measurements and compared remodeling and fibrosis in different types of AS by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR).

Methods and Results—

A total of 128 patients (73±11 years of age; 75 men) with aortic valve area (AVA) <0.6 cm
2
/m
2
and ejection fraction >50% by echocardiography underwent CMR to measure planimetric AVA, phase-contrast indexed stroke volume, LV mass, and focal fibrosis. Using <40 mm Hg and indexed stroke volume <35 mL/m
2
by echocardiography as criteria for LG and LF, 69 (54%) patients were HG/NF, 28 (22%) HG/LF, 17 (13%) LG/NF, and 14 (11%) LG/LF AS. LV outflow tract area, indexed stroke volume, and AVA correlated well between echocardiography and CMR (
r
=0.7, 0.61, and 0.65, respectively;
P
<0.001 for all). By CMR, however, planimetric AVA was larger in LF/LG (0.54±0.08 cm
2
/m
2
) and LG/NF (0.61±0.08 cm
2
/m
2
) than in HG/LF (0.46±0.07 cm
2
/m
2
;
P
<0.05) AS, and indexed LV mass was lower in LG/LF (75±12 g/m
2
) and LG/NF (81±18 g/m
2
) than in HG/LF (100±27 g/m
2
;
P
<0.05) AS. All groups of AS had similar LV volumes, predominantly concentric hypertrophy remodeling, and similar amounts of focal fibrosis.

Conclusions—

CMR confirmed overall accuracy of echocardiographic classification of AS but demonstrated that LG/LF and LG/NF AS have larger AVA, less LV hypertrophy, and similar focal fibrosis compared with HG/LF AS. This challenges the view that LG/LF AS is a more advanced state of AS.
Homophobia in Twentieth-Century Music: The Crucible of America's Sound
Authors: Hubbs Nadine
Published: October 2013

Challenging notions of the composer as solitary genius and of twentieth-century homophobia as a simple destructive force, I trace a new genealogy of Coplandian tonal modernism–“America's sound” as heard in works like “Rodeo,” “Appalachian Spring,” and “Fanfare for the Common Man” – and glean new sociosexual meanings in “cryptic” modernist abstraction like that of Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson's opera “Four Saints in Three Acts.” I consider gay white male tonalists collectively to highlight how shared social identities shaped production and style in musical modernism, and I recast gay composers' close-knit social/sexual/creative/professional alliances as, not sexually nepotistic cabals, but an adaptive and richly productive response to the constraints of an intensely homophobic moment. The essay underscores the pivotal role of the new hetero/homo concept in twentieth-century American culture, and of queer impetuses in American artistic modernism.
The Sound of Racial Feeling
Authors: Radano Ronald
Published: October 2013

Critics continue to debate the value of U.S. black music according to a flawed distinction between racial authenticity and social construction. Both sides have it half-right. Black music's value arose historically as the result of a fundamental contradiction in the logic of race tracing back to the slave era. As “Negro” in form, the music was constituted as the collective property of another property, a property-in-slaves. The incongruity produced a perception of black music as an auditory form embodied with fleshly substance, and this sense of racial feeling would live on despite its inconsistencies with modern ideas about race.
On a Vector Space Representation in Genetic Algorithms for Sensor Scheduling in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Martins F. V. C. , Carrano E. G. , Wanner E. F. , Takahashi R. H. C. , Mateus G. R. , Nakamura F. G.
Published: October 2013

Recent works raised the hypothesis that the assignment of a geometry to the decision variable space of a combinatorial problem could be useful both for providing meaningful descriptions of the fitness landscape and for supporting the systematic construction of evolutionary operators (the geometric operators) that make a consistent usage of the space geometric properties in the search for problem optima. This paper introduces some new geometric operators that constitute the realization of searches along the combinatorial space versions of the geometric entities descent directions and subspaces. The new geometric operators are stated in the specific context of the wireless sensor network dynamic coverage and connectivity problem (WSN-DCCP). A genetic algorithm (GA) is developed for the WSN-DCCP using the proposed operators, being compared with a formulation based on integer linear programming (ILP) which is solved with exact methods. That ILP formulation adopts a proxy objective function based on the minimization of energy consumption in the network, in order to approximate the objective of network lifetime maximization, and a greedy approach for dealing with the system's dynamics. To the authors’ knowledge, the proposed GA is the first algorithm to outperform the lifetime of networks as synthesized by the ILP formulation, also running in much smaller computational times for large instances.
On Tetragonicipitidae (Crustacea, Copepoda) from the Channel of São Sebastião, Brazil, with description of their nauplii and two new species of Phyllopodopsyllus
Authors: Björnberg Tagea , Kihara Terue C.
Published: October 2013

Phyllopodopsyllus iuanamai sp. nov. and Phyllopodopsyllus pseudokunzi sp. nov. are described from specimens collected in the Channel of São Sebastião (State of São Paulo, Brazil). The nauplii of P. iuanamai, P. pseudokunzi, P. aegypticus Nicholls, 1944 are described, additional information is given on nauplii and morphology of the adult P. setouchiensis Kitazima, 1981, and on the nauplius of Laophontella horrida (Por, 1964). These represent first records of P. aegypticus and L. horrida in Brazilian waters.
The Impact of Baroclinic Eddy Feedback on the Persistence of Jet Variability in the Two-Layer Model
Authors: Zurita-Gotor Pablo , Blanco-Fuentes Javier , Gerber Edwin P.
Published: October 2013

Although it is well known that the persistence of extratropical jet shifts is enhanced by a positive eddy feedback, the dynamics of this feedback is still debated. Two types of mechanisms have been proposed: barotropic mechanisms rely on changes in upper-level propagation and baroclinic mechanisms rely on the coupling between barotropic and baroclinic flow. Recent studies have suggested that barotropic models can capture key aspects of the observed jet variability but the role of baroclinic dynamics has been less explored.

This study investigates the temporal relations between barotropic and baroclinic anomalies and their eddy forcings during the internal variability of the simple two-layer quasigeostrophic model. A large correlation is found between barotropic and baroclinic anomalies and between the meridional and vertical components of the Eliassen–Palm divergence, especially at low frequency. The low-frequency variability is consistent with the baroclinic mechanism: persistent upper-level eddy momentum convergence is associated with (and precedes) persistent anomalies in the poleward eddy heat flux. In contrast, at high frequency, poleward heat flux anomalies are associated with eddy momentum divergence aloft and both eddy forcings have same-sign contributions to the upper-level eddy potential vorticity (PV) flux. In this limit the eddy PV flux is associated with wave activity transience as effective diffusivity is too small to dissipate the wave–mean flow interaction term.

The large correlation between barotropic and baroclinic anomalies implies that the low-frequency variability of barotropic flow may be affected by thermal damping when this damping is sufficiently strong. For example, zonal index persistence drops drastically in our model when baroclinicity shifts are prevented by strong thermal restoration.
Use of APHRODITE Rain Gauge–Based Precipitation and TRMM 3B43 Products for Improving Asian Monsoon Seasonal Precipitation Forecasts by the Superensemble Method
Authors: Yatagai Akiyo , Krishnamurti T. N. , Kumar Vinay , Mishra A. K. , Simon Anu
Published: October 2013

A multimodel superensemble developed by the Florida State University combines multiple model forecasts based on their past performance (training phase) to make a consensus forecast. Because observed precipitation reflects local characteristics such as orography, quantitative high-resolution precipitation products are useful for downscaling coarse model outputs. The Asian Precipitation–Highly-Resolved Observational Data Integration Toward Evaluation of Water Resources (APHRODITE) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B43 products are used for downscaling and as training data in the superensemble training phase. Seven years (1998–2004) of monthly precipitation (June–August) over the Asian monsoon region (0°–50°N, 60°–150°E) and results of four coupled climate models were used. TRMM 3B43 was adjusted by APHRODITE (m-TRMM). For seasonal climate forecasts, a synthetic superensemble technique was used. A cross-validation technique was adopted, in which the year to be forecast was excluded from the calculations for obtaining the regression coefficients. The principal results are as follows: 1) Seasonal forecasts of Asian monsoon precipitation were considerably improved by use of APHRODITE rain gauge–based data or the m-TRMM product. These forecasts are much superior to those from the best model of the suite and ensemble mean. 2) Use of a statistical downscaling and synthetic superensemble method for multimodel forecasts of seasonal climate significantly improved precipitation prediction at higher resolution. This is confirmed by cross-evaluation of superensemble with using other observation data than the data used in the training phase. 3) Availability of a dense rain gauge network–based analysis was essential for the success of this work.
Evaluation of the GOES-R ABI LAP Retrieval Algorithm Using the GOES-13 Sounder
Authors: Lee Yong-Keun , Li Zhenglong , Li Jun , Schmit Timothy J.
Published: October 2013

A physical retrieval algorithm has been developed for deriving the legacy atmospheric profile (LAP) product from infrared radiances of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) series. In this study, the GOES-R ABI LAP retrieval algorithm is applied to the GOES-13 sounder radiance measurements (termed the GOES-13 LAP retrieval algorithm in this study) for its validation as well as for potential transition of the GOES-13 LAP retrieval algorithm for the operational processing of GOES sounder data. The GOES-13 LAP retrievals are compared with five different truth measurements: radiosonde observation (raob) and microwave radiometer–measured total precipitable water (TPW) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Cloud and Radiation Testbed site, conventional raob, TPW measurements from the global positioning system–integrated precipitable water NOAA network, and TPW measurements from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). The results show that with the GOES-R ABI LAP retrieval algorithm, the GOES-13 sounder provides better water vapor profiles than the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast fields at the levels between 300 and 700 hPa. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) and standard deviation (STD) of the GOES-13 sounder TPW are consistently reduced from those of the GFS forecast no matter which measurements are used as the truth. These substantial improvements indicate that the GOES-R ABI LAP retrieval algorithm is well prepared to provide continuity of quality to some of the current GOES sounder products, and the algorithm can be transferred to process the current GOES sounder measurements for operational product generation.
Situation Awareness Recovery
Authors: Gartenberg Daniel , Breslow Leonard , McCurry J. Malcolm , Trafton J. Greg
Published: October 2013

Objective:

We describe a novel concept, situation awareness recovery (SAR), and we identify perceptual and cognitive processes that characterize SAR.

Background:

Situation awareness (SA) is typically described in terms of perceiving relevant elements of the environment, comprehending how those elements are integrated into a meaningful whole, and projecting that meaning into the future. Yet SA fluctuates during the time course of a task, making it important to understand the process by which SA is recovered after it is degraded.

Method:

We investigated SAR using different types of interruptions to degrade SA. In Experiment 1, participants watched short videos of an operator performing a supervisory control task, and then the participants were either interrupted or not interrupted, after which SA was assessed using a questionnaire. In Experiment 2, participants performed a supervisory control task in which they guided vehicles to their respective targets and either experienced an interruption, during which they performed a visual search task in a different panel, or were not interrupted.

Results:

The SAR processes we identified included shorter fixation durations, increased number of objects scanned, longer resumption lags, and a greater likelihood of refixating on objects that were previously looked at.

Conclusions:

We interpret these findings in terms of the memory-for-goals model, which suggests that SAR consists of increased scanning in order to compensate for decay, and previously viewed cues act as associative primes that reactivate memory traces of goals and plans.
Microbial Basis of Oral Malodor Development in Humans
Authors: Yang F. , Huang S. , He T. , Catrenich C. , Teng F. , Bo C. , Chen J. , Liu J. , Li J. , Song Y. , Li R. , Xu J.
Published: October 2013

To better understand the microbial basis of oral malodor development in humans, we used a cross-sectional and longitudinal study design and the pyrosequencing approach to track and compare the tongue microbiota associated with oral malodor in 29 Chinese adults who underwent a consecutive three-day evaluation for the amount of H2S excreted orally. Three levels of the oral malodor state (healthy, oral malodor, and severe oral malodor) were defined based on the H2S level. Community structure of the tongue plaques was more sensitive to changes of malodor state than to interpersonal variations or differences in sampling times. Within each individual, the structure of microbiota was relatively stable, while their variations were correlated with the change in the H2S level. Severe oral malodor microbiota were the most conserved in community structure, whereas the healthy ones were relatively varied. Oral-malodor-associated bacteria were identified. The relative abundance of Leptotrichia and Prevotella was positively correlated with oral malodor severity, whereas Hemophilus and Gemella exhibited a negative relationship with oral malodor severity. Our study provides one of the first landscapes of oral microbiota changes associated with oral malodor development and reveals microbes potentially useful to the evaluation and control of oral malodor.
Exploring Interactional Features with Prosodic Patterns
Authors: Zellers Margaret , Ogden Richard
Published: October 2013

This study adopts a multiple-methods approach to the investigation of prosody, drawing on insights from a quantitative methodology (experimental prosody research) as well as a qualitative one (conversation analysis). We use a k-means cluster analysis to investigate prosodic patterns in conversational sequences involving lexico-semantic contrastive structures. This combined methodology demonstrates that quantitative/statistical methods are a valuable tool for making relatively objective characterizations of acoustic features of speech, while qualitative methods are essential for interpreting the quantitative results. We find that in sequences that maintain global prosodic characteristics across contrastive structures, participants orient to interactional problems, such as determining who has the right to the floor, or avoiding disruption of an ongoing interaction. On the other hand, in sequences in which the global prosody is different across contrastive structures, participants do not generally appear to be orienting to such problems of alignment. Our findings expand the interpretation of “contrastive prosody” that is commonly used in experimental prosody approaches, while providing a way for conversation-analytic research to improve quantification and generalizability of findings.
Assessing Sex Offender Recidivism Using Multiple Measures
Authors: Bench Lawrence L. , Allen Terry D.
Published: October 2013

While the recidivistic activity of sex offenders has received considerable attention from researchers, most studies have been limited by using a single measurement of recidivism. Using arrest/conviction episodes as the unit of analysis, the present study tracked 389 convicted sex offenders for up to 10 arrest/conviction episodes using 11 different measurements of recidivism for an average of 15.7 years. Logistic regression was used to create a model that successfully predicted recidivism with approximately 70% accuracy. The rate of recidivism as defined by new convictions for sex offenses was approximately 10% overall.
Describing Typical Capstone Course Experiences From a National Random Sample
Authors: Grahe Jon E. , Hauhart Robert C.
Published: October 2013

The pedagogical value of capstones has been regularly discussed within psychology. This study presents results from an examination of a national random sample of department webpages and an online survey that characterized the typical capstone course in terms of classroom activities and course administration. The department webpages provide an estimate for the presence of capstone courses within the major and some basic characteristics of the course. The survey results offer a more in-depth profile of the purpose and make up of typical capstone courses in psychology. Results suggest that institutions have multiple approaches to the capstone course, but that these differences are rarely associated with institutional size, type of funding, or degree offered. These results could be useful for departments considering the place of capstone course in their own major. Finally, they suggest some areas of future research such as the type, quality, and final outcomes of capstone projects and their relationship to learning goals.
What is Jewish Scripture?
Authors: Stern Elsie R.
Published: October 2013

In the formative period of Judaism in late antiquity, most Jews encountered scripture in the form of text-supported performance in the context of the ritual recitation of torah in the synagogue. Since this was the form and modality in which most Jews encountered scripture, this performed scripture should be a central subject for scholarly analyses of the phenomenon of scripture in rabbinic Judaism. In this essay I demonstrate that this performed scripture differs both phenomenologically and in terms of content from the canon of the Hebrew Bible. I also demonstrate that the rabbis themselves were aware of the divergences between the performed scripture and the written scripture, and I explore how the awareness of this divergence shaped rabbinic attitudes toward written scripture as well.
Air/Atmospheres of the Megacity
Authors: Adey Peter
Published: October 2013

In this paper I seek to initiate a research agenda on mega-urban airs that comprehends their atmospheres as simultaneously meteorological and affective ( McCormack, 2008 ), an agenda which seeks to apprehend megacity air/atmospheres in their vitality, corporeality and expressiveness. This paper attunes to the close and expressive substances that make up immersion in a material-affective ecology of a place, the qualities of the city that seep and imbue its material and biological fabric with affect. There is a growing body of work and literature to aid us from traditions in continental aesthetic theory, French urban sociology and architecture, and an emergent cultural geographic field of atmospheric enquiry. The paper develops such an approach to megacity air in three main ways. First, air tells us about difference. In the testimony of pollutants and choking effluvium, an analysis of air reveals who belongs and who does not, who is deserving and who is not in a constellation of megacity inequality. The atmosphere puts the megacity apart from other urban and political forms. Second, closely related to the issues that circulate around a geopolitics of verticality and the technocratic security concerns of volumetric conceptions of territory, air/atmospheres constitute an environmental ecology of security threats and crisis that thwart megacity life and justify environmental policies as ‘security’ (see Zeiderman, 2013). Third, the paper argues how megacities are increasingly productive of secessionary atmospheres, often by removal and exclusion, which are not entirely separate from other atmospheric security concerns.
Archives and history
Authors: Müller Philipp
Published: October 2013

This article probes the relationship between archives and history by examining the archive policy on historical research in the first modern administration state of the German lands, the kingdom of Bavaria. Given the continuing tradition of the theory and practice of the arcana imperii in the 19th century, state archives served first and foremost the state. As a result, researchers’ interest in archival material was to undergo an administrative vetting procedure, in order to safeguard the interests of the state. By examining comparatively the cases of two petitioners supplicating for the historical use of state archives in Munich, the article showcases the policy of secrecy and the resultant administrative threshold separating the sphere of the arcana from the public. Caution guided the archive politics of state officials and, ultimately, their more or less explicit notions and concerns decided which material was finally to be released, in order to become a ‘source’ for historical study. Historical researchers such as the writer Alessandro Volpi and the historian August Kluckhohn were thus required to meet specific criteria and to overcome political hurdles, in order to gain access to the desired clues guarded by the state. As a result of this, the opportunity to inspect archival material was very much dependent on the political communication between petitioner and government, and its result, the granting or denial of access, was not without ramifications for historical research and the epistemic status of historical knowledge.
Genitourinary Medicine trainees’ experience and training needs in the management of patients disclosing sexual violence
Authors: Sacks Rachel , Emerson Carol
Published: October 2013

The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) Sexual Violence group assessed the level of confidence of Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) trainees in managing patients disclosing sexual violence using an online survey. Twenty-eight percent of current UK GUM trainees responded. The results demonstrated wide variation in trainees’ experience and confidence in managing these patients, which was dependent on the patient type, as well as the gender of the trainee and the number of years’ experience the trainee had in the specialty. There were also differences in the reported availability of training in this specialist area. Regular accessible training in identification and management of patients disclosing sexual violence is recommended for GUM trainees.
A national audit of the management of young people in genitourinary medicine clinics (level 3 services) in the United Kingdom
Authors: Bailey Helen R , Lazaro Neil , Sashidharan Parameswaran N , McNamara Vendela , Lee Mervyn
Published: October 2013

Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors in sexual health in the United Kingdom conducted this baseline audit against standards in the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) Management of STIs and related conditions in children and young people (2010) guideline: offer of screen (standard 90%), acceptance of screen (90%), completion of risk assessment proforma (100%), following a guideline (100%). Staff in 73 clinics submitted data for 2108 patient episodes. Of these clinics 68 (93%) follow BASHH guidelines and 68 (93%) use a record proforma. Of the 2108 patients 1732 (82%) were assessed using a proforma. Where a proforma was used the records were more complete: data were present for 82% of four selected characteristics when a proforma was used and 33% of these characteristics when not used. Of the 2108 patients 1946 were at risk of infection, 1871 (96%) were offered tests and 1692 (90%) accepted. Standards were met on offer and acceptance of tests. Most participating clinics follow guidelines, but the standard of 100% was not met. Use of a proforma was frequent and was shown to improve assessment; the standard of 100% use was not met. The main recommendation is to implement conscientious use of a proforma at all clinics.
Cost analysis and benefits of opt-out HIV testing at a tertiary care centre in northern India
Authors: Minz Ranjana W , Khairwa Anju , Aggarwal Ritu , Kaur Harwinder , Singh Surjit , Sharma Aman , Varma Subhash , Mathuria SN , Pasricha Neelam
Published: October 2013

Currently, in India, the National AIDS Control Organization does not recommend HIV screening for all patients attending health care facilities. The objective of study was to evaluate cost and benefits of opt-out HIV testing at a tertiary care hospital from India. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who had undergone HIV testing. The cost for HIV testing and cost per HIV-infected patient were determined. A total of 6512 patients (66.4% men and 905 patients younger than 14 years) with mean (SD) age of 30.3 (20.7) years were tested for HIV infection during the study period. Overall, 137 (2.1%) patients tested positive for HIV infection. Total cost for performing HIV tests during study period was Indian Rupees (INR) 649,319 (US dollar [USD] 11805.8). The estimated cost per person tested was INR 99.71 (USD1.8) and cost per HIV-infected patient identified and referred to the antiretroviral therapy centre was INR 4739.55 (USD86.2). We determined a 2.1% period prevalence estimate for HIV infection. Based on cost per HIV-infected patient identified and referred to the antiretroviral therapy centre and the burden of HIV infection, it may be cost effective to perform routine opt-out screening for HIV infection in all patients attending health care facilities in developing countries like India.
Aging 5 Years in 5 Minutes
Authors: Hughes Matthew L. , Geraci Lisa , De Forrest Ross L.
Published: October 2013

How old one feels—one’s subjective age—has been shown to predict important psychological and health outcomes. The current studies examined the effect of taking a standard memory test on older adults’ subjective age. Study 1 showed that older adults felt older after taking a standard neuropsychological screening test and participating in a free-recall experiment than they felt at baseline. Study 2 showed that the effect was selective to older adults: Younger adults’ subjective age was not affected by participating in the memory experiment. Study 3 showed that the subjective-aging effect was specific to memory, as taking a vocabulary test for a similar amount of time did not affect older adults’ subjective age. Finally, Study 4 showed that simply expecting to take a memory test subjectively aged older adults. The results indicate that being in a memory-testing context affects older adults’ self-perception by making them feel older.
Somatic Referencing and Psychologisation in Emotion Narratives: A USA–Ghana Comparison
Authors: Dzokoto Vivian A. , Opare-Henaku Annabella , Kpobi Lily A.
Published: October 2013

Ameka (2002), Dzokoto and Okazaki (2006) and Guerts (2002) have observed a preponderance of somatic references in the communication of emotion in several spoken Ghanaian languages. This suggests that embodiment features prominently in Ghanaian cultural scripts of emotions. Unfortunately, the structure of English—Ghana’s official language due to its British colonial history—does not provide opportunities for somatic referencing in its emotion lexicon. How, then, do English-speaking Ghanaians express emotions, given the discrepancy between the cultural scripts and the structural limitations of the English emotion lexicon? To answer this question, 186 Ghanaian and181 American college students recalled what they considered one of their top ten most significant positive or negative emotional events, and indicated recalled physiological changes on a blank diagram of the human body. A subgroup of the larger sample provided written narratives about their most significant emotional event. Using thematic investigations and Linguistic Inquiry Word Count software, data analysis explored the nature of discourse about emotions in English, with particular focus on affective and embodied referents in the emotion narratives. Ghanaians reported fewer emotion words, but not more somatic words. The implications of the findings for somatisation are discussed.
A Qualitative Study of Indian Children’s Perspectives on Peer Conflicts
Authors: Dhillon Megha , Babu Nandita
Published: October 2013

This qualitative investigation explores children’s perceptions of conflicts with peers in the school setting. Forty girls and boys from grades one and five (mean ages 6.4 years and 10.5 years respectively) were interviewed. Results were analysed using the interpretative phenomenological approach. Children reported having conflicts most often over instances of physical and verbal provocation. While younger children reported lower frequencies of peer conflict, older girls perceived such events to be a regular occurrence. Moreover, younger children reported conflicts to be short-lived while older children believed that the duration of conflicts depended on their intensity. Anger was frequently mentioned in relation to conflicts. Sadness was associated with conflicts with friends but not with non-friends. Older boys believed that controlling anger was essential for ending conflicts while girls felt that feelings of sadness and regret motivated them to resolve conflicts. Children reported settling disputes through various strategies like apologising and negotiation. Intense conflicts were perceived to entail negative consequences and were thus considered best avoided. Yet, factors like anger and impulsivity were believed to push children into fights. Implications of the findings have been discussed.
Adult Education in Turkey
Authors: Miser Rifat , Ural Ozana , Ünlühisarýklý Özlem
Published: October 2013

This study investigates the situation and practices of adult education in Turkey in terms of (a) participants, (b) providers, and (c) program areas. The data were derived from published statistical data and one-to-one interaction with adult education providers when such data are unavailable. Turkey has a long tradition of adult education with established institutes and program areas. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) is the main responsible body and 32 institutions provide adult education on a regular basis. The findings generally revealed young adults (ages 23-44) benefited most from adult education, more than half of participants are male, and the percentages of low-literate and literate individuals and 5-year elementary school graduates participating in adult education were less than the respective percentages in the whole population.
Pyogranulomatous mural folliculitis in a cat treated with methimazole
Authors: Castro López Jorge , Lloret Albert , Ravera Ivan , Nadal Aina , Ferrer Lluís , Bardagí Mar
Published: October 2013

An 11-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was presented for polydipsia, hyperactivity and bilateral thyroid gland enlargement. Total T4 (TT4) was in the upper interval range; therefore, an early hyperthyroidism was suspected. A treatment trial with methimazole was started, as the owner refused further tests. Six months later the owner stopped the treatment. One year later, clinical signs persisted and TT4 was still in the upper interval range. Methimazole was re-introduced but 48 h later the cat presented non-pruritic alopecia with erythema, scales and perilesional yellowish crusts. Pyogranulomatous mural folliculitis was diagnosed by histopatological examination of the skin biopsies. Methimazole was withdrawn and macroscopic lesions healed and disappeared histologically in 15 days. An idiosyncratic drug reaction to methimazole was suspected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of feline pyogranulomatous mural folliculitis likely secondary to an adverse drug reaction to methimazole administration.
Ventral occipito-atlanto-axial fluid-filled lesion causing dynamic spinal cord compression in a cat
Authors: Gutierrez-Quintana Rodrigo , Hammond Gawain , Wessmann Annette
Published: October 2013

Cystic lesions affecting the vertebral canal or spinal cord have rarely been reported in cats. A 3-year-old female neutered domestic longhair cat presented for evaluation of a 2-year-history of episodes of ataxia and paresis affecting all limbs. Neurological examination was consistent with a lesion in the C1–C5 spinal cord segments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a fluid-filled lesion at the occipito-atlanto-axial region causing dynamic spinal cord compression on flexion of the neck. The imaging characteristics were compatible with a juxta-articular cyst. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a fluid-filled lesion causing dynamic cervical spinal cord compression in a cat and highlights the importance of performing flexion–extension MRI views in diagnosing cases with dynamic spinal cord compression.
Motor development in children at risk of autism: A follow-up study of infant siblings
Authors: Leonard Hayley C , Bedford Rachael , Charman Tony , Elsabbagh Mayada , Johnson Mark H , Hill Elisabeth L ,   The BASIS team, Baron-Cohen Simon , Bolton Patrick , Chandler Susie , Garwood Holly , Holmboe Karla , Hudry Kristelle
Published: October 2013

Recently, evidence of poor or atypical motor skills in autism spectrum disorder has led some to argue that motor impairment is a core feature of the condition. The current study uses a longitudinal prospective design to assess the development of motor skills of 20 children at increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, who were recruited and tested at 9 and 40 months of age, on the basis of having an older sibling diagnosed with the condition. All children completed a range of motor, face processing, IQ and diagnostic assessments at a follow-up visit (aged 5–7 years), providing a detailed profile of development in this group from a number of standardised, parental report and experimental measures. A higher proportion of children than expected demonstrated motor difficulties at the follow-up visit and those highlighted by parental report as having poor motor skills as infants and toddlers were also more likely to have lower face processing scores and elevated autism-related social symptoms at 5–7 years, despite having similar IQ levels. These data lend support to the argument that early motor difficulties may be a risk factor for later motor impairment as well as differences in social communication and cognition, traits that are related to autism spectrum disorder.
The Autism MEAL Plan: A parent-training curriculum to manage eating aversions and low intake among children with autism
Authors: Sharp William G , Burrell T Lindsey , Jaquess David L
Published: October 2013

Feeding problems represent a frequent concern reported by caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders, and growing evidence suggests atypical patterns of intake may place this population at risk of nutritional and/or related medical issues, including chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, poor bone growth, and obesity. This combination of factors emphasizes a clear need to identify and disseminate evidence-based treatment of feeding problems associated with autism spectrum disorders. Behavioral intervention represents an effective treatment for chronic feeding concerns in this population; however, evidence has largely been established with trained therapists working in highly structured settings. This pilot study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by describing and evaluating the Autism MEAL Plan, a behaviorally based parent-training curriculum to address feeding problems associated with autism spectrum disorders. We assessed the feasibility of the intervention in terms of program content and study protocol (e.g. recruitment and retention of participants, assessment procedures), as well as efficacy in terms of changes in feeding behaviors. A total of 10 families participated in the treatment condition, and the program was evaluated using a waitlist control design (n = 9), representing the first randomized-control study of a feeding intervention in autism spectrum disorders. Results provide provisional support regarding the utility of the program, including high social validity, parent perception of effectiveness, and reduced levels of caregiver stress following intervention. Implications, limitations, and future directions for this line of research are discussed.
The process of professionalisation: Exploring the identities of child protection social workers
Authors: Leigh Jadwiga Teresa
Published: October 2013

This article discusses the findings from a qualitative study, which explored how a group of social workers might construct their professional identity. By drawing from Freidson’s theoretical perspective of professionalisation and applying it to the field of child protection a different meaning of ‘profession’ has emerged.

Findings

By seeking the views and reflections on what it means to be a professional, the stories that emerged provided these practitioners with distinctive social positions and statuses to take up within the professionalisation process. The narratives also contradicted Freidson’s argument: for subject to both discourses of derision and attacks from countervailing forces present not only on the inside but on the outside of the discipline, these social workers have had to develop their own unique defensive techniques in order to survive. If Freidson had been an insider to a profession and used the method of narrative interviewing when carrying out his work, his conclusions may have been quite different.

Applications

This study contributes to debates about professions using the method of narrative interviewing with social workers. By using this approach and talking directly to the professionals within the field of child protection, who have to deal first hand with certain cultural scripts, a different definition of ‘profession’ has been extended.
RKIP phosphorylation and STAT3 activation is inhibited by oxaliplatin and camptothecin and are associated with poor prognosis in stage II colon cancer patients
Authors: Cross-Knorr Sam , Lu Shaolei , Perez Kimberly , Guevara Sara , Brilliant Kate , Pisano Claudio , Quesenberry Peter J , Resnick Murray B , Chatterjee Devasis
Published: October 2013

Background

A major obstacle in treating colorectal cancer (CRC) is the acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. An important protein in the regulation of cancer cell death and clinical outcome is Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP). In contrast, activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a protein that promotes tumor cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis and has an important role in cancer progression in many of cancer types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regulation of RKIP and STAT3 after treatment with clinically relevant chemotherapeutic agents (camptothecin (CPT) and oxaliplatin (OXP)) and the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in HCT116 colon cancer cells as well as evaluate the association between RKIP and STAT3 with clinical outcome of Stage II colon cancer patients.

Methods

HCT-116 colon cancer cells were treated with CPT, OXP, and IL-6 separately or in combination in a time and dose-dependent manner and examined for phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated RKIP and STAT3 via Western blot analysis. STAT3 transcriptional activity was measured via a luciferase reporter assay in HCT116 cells treated with CPT, IL-6 or transfected with JAK 1, 2 separately or in combination. We extended these observations and determined STAT3 and RKIP/ pRKIP in tumor microarrays (TMA) in stage II colon cancer patients.

Results

We demonstrate IL-6-mediated activation of STAT3 occurs in conjunction with the phosphorylation of RKIPin vitroin human colon cancer cells. OXP and CPT block IL-6 mediated STAT3 activation and RKIP phosphorylation via the inhibition of the interaction of STAT3 with gp130. We determined that STAT3 and nuclear pRKIP are significantly associated with poor patient prognosis in stage II colon cancer patients.

Conclusions

In the analysis of tumor samples from stage II colon cancer patients and the human colon carcinoma cell line HCT116, pRKIP and STAT3, 2 proteins potentially involved in the resistance to conventional treatments were detected. The phosphorylation of pRKIP and STAT3 are induced by the cytokine IL-6 and suppressed by the chemotherapeutic drugs CPT and OXP. Therefore, these results suggest that STAT3 and pRKIP may serve as prognostic biomarkers in stage II colon cancer patients and may improve chemotherapy.
The aluminium content of infant formulas remains too high
Authors: Chuchu Nancy , Patel Bhavini , Sebastian Blaise , Exley Christopher
Published: October 2013

Background

Recent research published in this journal highlighted the issue of the high content of aluminium in infant formulas. The expectation was that the findings would serve as a catalyst for manufacturers to address a significant problem of these, often necessary, components of infant nutrition. It is critically important that parents and other users have confidence in the safety of infant formulas and that they have reliable information to use in choosing a product with a lower content of aluminium. Herein, we have significantly extended the scope of the previous research and the aluminium content of 30 of the most widely available and often used infant formulas has been measured.

Methods

Both ready-to-drink milks and milk powders were subjected to microwave digestion in the presence of 15.8 M HNO3 and 30% w/v H2O2 and the aluminium content of the digests was measured by TH GFAAS.

Results

Both ready-to-drink milks and milk powders were contaminated with aluminium. The concentration of aluminium across all milk products ranged from ca 100 to 430 μg/L. The concentration of aluminium in two soya-based milk products was 656 and 756 μg/L. The intake of aluminium from non-soya-based infant formulas varied from ca 100 to 300 μg per day. For soya-based milks it could be as high as 700 μg per day.

Conclusions

All 30 infant formulas were contaminated with aluminium. There was no clear evidence that subsequent to the problem of aluminium being highlighted in a previous publication in this journal that contamination had been addressed and reduced. It is the opinion of the authors that regulatory and other non-voluntary methods are now required to reduce the aluminium content of infant formulas and thereby protect infants from chronic exposure to dietary aluminium.