bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Unpredictability of Cancer using Chaos Theory and Modern Art Techniques
Authors: Deb Dhruba
Published: May 2015

The unpredictability of cancer poses a threat to personalized cures. Although cancer is studied as a chaotic system, the shape of its unpredictability, known as the strange attractor, is unclear. In this article, the author discusses a conceptual model, building on the strange attractor in cancer phase space. Using techniques of cubism, the author defines the 10-dimensional phase space and then, using an abstract expressionist approach, represents the strange attractor, which twists and turns in multi dimensions, indicating the unpredictability of cancer. This conceptual model motivates the identification of specific experiments for a system-level understanding of cancer.
Exploring Art+Science Projects
Authors: Kupfer Ariel
Published: May 2015

The author describes his recent projects in collaboration with scientists from the Ecole des Mines (MINES ParisTech—Centre des Matériaux). Lava Coins (2007–2009) develops a dialogue between the material and the immaterial, the natural and the industrial, external aspects and internal structure. Glass Microskeletons (2010–2012) explores the creative process through the optics of glass. Unicellular algae (diatoms) build their exoskeletons in silica through a process of biomineralization. The result is a recording of microscopic architectures in optical glass, making visible their invisible forms and documenting in objects a voyage through the intimacies of silica.
Alejandro Otero's Polychrome: Color between Nature and Abstraction
Authors: Sullivan Megan
Published: May 2015

Alejandro Otero's monumental polychrome for the facade of the School of Architecture at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, in which the lighter of the gridded structure's two blues was intended to correspond with the hue of the Caracas sky, stands as a crucial work for understanding the particularities of Venezuelan modernism and modernity in the 1950s. In embracing color's industrialization while refusing to sever its natural referents, I argue that Otero's polychrome speaks to larger questions of the relation of raw materials and finished products, as well as nature and history, in a modernizing oil nation.
The Vocative Lamed and Shifting Address in the Psalms: Reevaluating Dahood’s Proposal
Authors: Suderman W. Derek
Published: May 2015

In light of recent attention to shifting address within the Psalms, Dahood’s proposal that lyhwh, l’lhym, and similar elements sometimes reflect a vocative lamed addressing God or gods directly rather than speaking about the divine in third person should be reconsidered. While Dahood’s proposal seeks to eliminate “jarring” shifts in address within these psalms based on Ugaritic parallels, a close reading of the examples Dahood provides within their broader literary contexts confirms that his proposal should be rejected. Thus, lyhwh and similar elements should not be understood as reflecting direct speech to God but rather speech about the divine, presumably to a social audience.
Acrostic Signatures in Masoretic Notes
Authors: Ofer Yosef
Published: May 2015

The practice of creating an acrostic to spell out the name of the author of a Hebrew liturgical poem started in the classical period (5th or 6th century). An acrostic may sometimes indicate the name of the scribe who copied the manuscript. In recent years some examples of acrostics have been discovered in the Masoretic notes accompanying ancient manuscripts of the Bible. David Lyons exposed three acrostic signatures in ms British Library Or. 4445. I have discovered two further acrostics: one in a biblical manuscript, the other on a page of a Masoretic work. The article addresses the ways in which the Masoretes create their acrostic signatures, and what we may deduce from these acrostics concerning the location of their creators and their time. The main point is that the place of the masorete of ms Or. 4445 is included in his acrostic, and has not been recognized before.
“Watching Television” or “Looking at Pictures”Chinese American Elders Encountering Historical Displacement, Orders of Indexicality, and Shifting Linguistic Modernities‘ 睇TV’或‘睇緊畫’: 美國華裔長者遇到的歷 史移位，指示序，和移變的語言現代性
Authors: Leung Genevieve
Published: May 2015

This paper looks at the narratives of Hoisan-wa-speaking elders and Hoisan heritage people in northern California. By discursively analyzing these narratives in terms of orders of indexicality, I show how Hoisan-wa is seen as disrupting a future-oriented ideology of modernity, and how this impacts on Chinese American monolingual Hoisan-wa elders. Because shifts have taken place in terms of what languages are considered “modern” and “useful”, and because of the resulting linguistic marginalization, reified by both international and national media and local-level discourses about languages, Hoisan-heritage elders experience a set of pressures to which many, including their families, might not be well attuned: feelings of being linguistically left out/behind and silenced in multiple contexts that they consider “home.” Thus, it is critical to attend to the enmeshing of these elders’ personal and public histories with larger sociolinguistic histories.
Universality versus Coherence
Authors: Grant Thomas D.
Published: May 2015

The diversity of international actors numbers among one of the main phenomena of the modern international system. Dating the diversity to recent years is understandable in view of how it increased after 1945, but it has an earlier history. The League of Nations encountered a range of potential participants much wider than the core group of Powers which had been instrumental at the Peace Conference in constituting it. To an extent, the Covenant of the League envisaged a widening of participation. This was through a provision for admission of new members that, unlike Article 4 of the United Nations Charter, was not limited to entities described as States as such. In practice, only States became members; but there were other innovations which are relevant to institutions seeking to accommodate diversity in the present day as well. These merit further consideration as part of a renewed focus on the interwar era.
The Crime of Indiscriminate Attack and Unlawful Conventional Weapons: The Legacy of the icty Jurisprudence
Authors: Ponti Christian
Published: May 2015

The prohibition of indiscriminate attacks, which encompasses either ‘indiscriminate attacks’ stricto sensu and the so-called ‘disproportionate attacks’, is at the heart of the law governing the conduct of hostilities, as it aims to implement two cardinal principles of international humanitarian law (ihl), distinction and proportionality. This contribution examines the jurisprudence of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (icty) establishing the individual criminal responsibility for indiscriminate attack. The author considers the possible rationale to illustrate why the icty has never adjudicated neither indiscriminate attacks nor disproportionate attacks per se, as separate, autonomous offences under customary international law. It is submitted that a possible reason to explain the prudency of the icty judges when dealing with the crime of indiscriminate attack is that from an international criminal law perspective it is more than a challenge to apply these ihl principles of distinction and proportionality. The author contends that the icty jurisprudence that practically examined the principle of prohibiting indiscriminate attacks by means of unlawful conventional weapons confirm such difficulties. In particular, because the icty failed to fully clarify to what extent an attack by means of indiscriminate and/or inaccurate weapons violating fundamental principles of the conduct of hostilities, such as distinction and proportionality, may amount to the crime of indiscriminate attack.
Fragmentation and the Nexus between the WTO and the ECT in Global Energy Governance – A Legal-Institutional Analysis Twenty Years Later
Authors: Marhold Anna-Alexandra
Published: May 2015

This article discusses the place of both the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and their role in global energy governance in the light of the fragmentation debate roughly twenty years after their establishment. The Energy Charter Secretariat (ECS), the administrative body overseeing the ECT, has taken tension and overlap between the WTO and the ECT into account by providing extensive guidelines on incorporation of WTO rules into the Treaty. This so-called ‘coordination ex ante’ was aimed at functioning as a conflict prevention tool. However, gaps, conflicts and uncertainties remain. Moreover, developments in the past two decades, such as changes in membership to both the ECT and WTO, combined with an attention shift in a rapidly changing trading landscape, invite a re-evaluation of both treaties in view of fragmentation.
On Inter-Disciplinary and Inter-Systemic Approaches to International Investment Law
Authors: Kurtz Jürgen
Published: May 2015

This review essay identifies two fundamental flaws in much of the secondary literature examining international investment law. The first is a clear attention to disciplines other than law in identifying and understanding the justifications for constraints on state regulation vis-à-vis foreign investment. Secondly, there are stubborn vestiges of self-containment among a sizeable set of legal commentators in this field. This typically reaches its apotheosis in instinctive and hostile opposition to usage of lessons and techniques employed in international trade law. Measured against the direction and nature of contemporary state practice, this type of older commentary is rapidly approaching an overdue expiry date. Prospects in International Investment Law and Policy marks a welcome and significant break from these flawed pathologies. Many of the contributions will shape the contours of innovative and important scholarship in this field. It is a collection that merits careful and repeated consideration.
An annotated checklist of the Eulophidae (excl. Tetrastichinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) of Israel
Authors: YEFREMOVA ZOYA A.
Published: May 2015

An annotated checklist of Israeli Eulophidae, excluding Tetrastichinae, is presented based primarily on a total of 757 specimens collected since the 1970s from 70 localities in Israel mostly by Malaise traps, sweeping and rearing from hosts. Altogether, 127 species belonging to 35 genera are recorded, of which 82 species (65%) are newly reported for Israel. Valid names, distribution, and known hosts are given for each species. Two previously reported species are excluded from the fauna and one is considered as doubtful in the country. The most species-rich genera are Pediobius, with 14 species, and Elasmus, with 12 species. The most common species, comprising about half of the collected specimens, are Diglyphus isaea (Walker), Neochrysocharis formosus (Westwood), Sympiesis sericeicornis (Nees), Pediobius pyrgo (Walker) and Euderus albitarsis Zetterstedt. Three species are currently known only from Israel, Aulogymnus albipes (Askew), Elasmus aternalis Yefremova & Strakhova and Pediobius thysanopterus Burks. Hosts are reported for 17 species, of which 10 are new records. Most of the species (88%) have a vast area of distribution characterized as Palearctic, Holarctic, or even cosmopolitan.
Synoecnema watinagii (Drilonematoidea: Ungellidae: Synoecneminae), a new nematode species parasitic in earthworms from the Philippines with the first molecular and SEM data for the genus
Authors: IVANOVA ELENA S. , SUMAYA NANETTE HOPE N. , SPIRIDONOV SERGEI E.
Published: May 2015

A new species of the genus Synoecnema—S. watinagii sp. n.—is described and illustrated. The species is characterized by its small size, lack of sexual dimorphism apart from sexual characters, males with pericloacal disk, females with anterior vulva position and lacking an anus, and similar caudal organs in both sexes in the shape of long, deep slits on the surface of the posterior half of body. Sequences of D2-D3 LSU and SSU rDNA and SEM images were obtained for the first time for the genus Synoecnema. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences supported the validity of the genus and elucidated its relationships within Synoecneminae and Drilonematoidea. The earthworm host was characterized by its CoxI mt DNA sequence.
A new genus of the tribe Parahiraciini (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Issidae) from Southern China
Authors: WANG MENGLIN , BOURGOIN THIERRY , ZHANG YALIN
Published: May 2015

A new genus Tetricodissus gen. nov. with one new species Tetricodissus pandlineus sp. nov. from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated in the tribe Parahiraciini of planthopper family Issidae. Fortunia jianfenglingensis Chen, Zhang & Chang, 2014 is transferred into the genus Bardunia Stål, 1863. A key to genera of the tribe Parahiraciini is provided and the taxonomic position of the new genus in Parahiraciini is discussed.
Dentex carpenteri, a new species of deepwater seabream from Western Australia (Pisces: Sparidae)
Authors: IWATSUKI YUKIO , NEWMAN STEPHEN J. , RUSSELL BARRY C.
Published: May 2015

A new species of sparid fish, Dentex carpenteri, is described from nine type specimens collected off Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth, Western Australia. Four valid species of Dentex are currently known in the western Pacific, Dentex abei and D. hypselosomus in the Northern Hemisphere, and D. fourmanoiri and D. spariformis in the Southern Hemisphere. These four species comprise the “Dentex hypselosomus complex”. Dentex carpenteri n. sp. is most similar to D. spariformis in overall body form, but differs from D. spariformis in having the posterior margin of the upper jaw not reaching or reaching slightly beyond a vertical at the anterior margin of eye; often with the greater part from the snout to the second infraorbital yellowish; deeper suborbital (9.7–10.9% SL); and a considerably deeper body (vs. posterior margin of upper jaw reaching clearly beyond anterior margin of eye; slight yellow region on snout; suborbital depth shallow (7.6–9.6% SL); and a less deep body in D. spariformis). The mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA genes (16S rRNA, 545 bp) of the above five species were analyzed using the Atlantic congener, Dentex macrophthalmus as an out-group, the results clearly indicating that D. carpenteri n. sp. is a valid and distinct species. A key to the “Dentex hypselosomus complex” is provided. The distributional information available for the five species from the western Pacific, including western Australia and the nearby eastern Indian Ocean, are discussed, with the species considered to be allopatric.
Multiple-Apogee Highly Elliptical Orbits for Continuous Meteorological Imaging of Polar Regions: Challenging the Classical 12-h Molniya Orbit Concept
Authors: Trishchenko Alexander P. , Garand Louis , Trichtchenko Larisa D. , Nikitina Lidia V.
Published: May 2015

A novel type of multiple-apogee highly elliptical orbits termed as MAP HEO with a period of rotation between 14 h and 15 h is introduced. These orbits are designed to achieve continuous geostationary (GEO)-like imaging of the polar regions in an optimum way. The combination of GEO and HEO satellites would then offer continuous monitoring of weather from space at any point of the globe. This capacity would represent a breakthrough for short- and long-term weather forecasting and narrowing uncertainties in the knowledge of the Earth’s climate through better sampling and more accurate characterization of the diurnal cycle. MAP HEO systems can be launched at critical inclination and are characterized by a local minimum of ionizing radiation. These features simplify the process of orbit maintenance, reduce radiation shielding requirements, and favor a longer lifetime of the mission. Unlike previously considered HEO systems implemented for communications, such as 12-h Molniya and 24-h Sirius radio systems, a MAP HEO constellation achieves a uniform geometrical sampling, which reduces view angle dependent biases. These observational conditions with complete coverage of the diurnal cycle, diverse range of solar illumination, and viewing observational conditions are beneficial for high-latitude meteorological and climate applications, such as the retrieval of Essential Climate Variables (ECV).
Bacterial Communities in Marine Aerosols Revealed by 454 Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA Gene*
Authors: Xia Xiaomin , Wang Jianjun , Ji Jiabin , Zhang Jiexia , Chen Liqi , Zhang Rui
Published: May 2015

Although bacteria are an important biological component of aerosol particles, studies of bacterial communities in remote marine aerosol are largely lacking. In this study, aerosol samples were collected over the western Pacific Ocean, the northern Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Norwegian Sea during the Fifth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 5). The diversity and structure of aerosol bacterial communities, based on 454 pyrosequencing, were explored in these samples. The bacterial community in the aerosols collected over the Pacific Ocean was more diverse than over the Norwegian Sea. Both temporal and spatial variations in aerosol bacterial communities were observed based on phylogenetic analysis. These results suggest that the source of air masses shape bacterial communities in aerosol particles over remote marine regions. Aerosols are clearly important for long-range transport of bacteria. Since potential human pathogens (e.g., Streptococcus sp.) were retrieved in this study, further investigation is needed to evaluate the potential for their long-distance migration via aerosol.
Arctic Energy Budget in Relation to Sea Ice Variability on Monthly-to-Annual Time Scales
Authors: Krikken F. , Hazeleger W.
Published: May 2015

The large decrease in Arctic sea ice in recent years has triggered a strong interest in Arctic sea ice predictions on seasonal-to-decadal time scales. Hence, it is important to understand physical processes that provide enhanced predictability beyond persistence of sea ice anomalies. This study analyzes the natural variability of Arctic sea ice from an energy budget perspective, using 15 climate models from phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5), and compares these results to reanalysis data. The authors quantify the persistence of sea ice anomalies and the cross correlation with the surface and top-of-atmosphere energy budget components. The Arctic energy balance components primarily indicate the important role of the seasonal ice–albedo feedback, through which sea ice anomalies in the melt season reemerge in the growth season. This is a robust anomaly reemergence mechanism among all 15 climate models. The role of the ocean lies mainly in storing heat content anomalies in spring and releasing them in autumn. Ocean heat flux variations play only a minor role. Confirming a previous (observational) study, the authors demonstrate that there is no direct atmospheric response of clouds to spring sea ice anomalies, but a delayed response is evident in autumn. Hence, there is no cloud–ice feedback in late spring and summer, but there is a cloud–ice feedback in autumn, which strengthens the ice–albedo feedback. Anomalies in insolation are positively correlated with sea ice variability. This is primarily a result of reduced multiple reflection of insolation due to an albedo decrease. This effect counteracts the ice-albedo effect up to 50%. ERA-Interim and Ocean Reanalysis System 4 (ORAS4) confirm the main findings from the climate models.
Management of Coronary Artery Disease in South Asian Populations
Authors: Ahmed Emad , El-Menyar Ayman
Published: May 2015

The South Asian (SA) population constitutes one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. Several studies that compared host and migrant populations around the world indicate that SAs have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than their native-born counterparts. Herein, we review the literature to address the role of the screening tools, scoring systems, and guidelines for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention in these populations. Management based on screening for the CVD risk factors in a high-risk population such as SAs can improve health care outcomes. There are many scoring tools for calculating 10-year CVD risk; however, each scoring system has its limitations in this particular ethnicity. Further work is needed to establish a unique scoring and guidelines in SAs.
Effect of Glycemic Regulation on Endocan Levels in Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Arman Yucel , Akpinar Timur Selcuk , Kose Murat , Emet Samim , Yuruyen Gulden , Akarsu Murat , Ozcan Mustafa , Yegit Ozan , Cakmak Ramazan , Altun Ozgur , Aydin Sengul , Alibeyoğlu Alpay , Ugurlu Bilal , Akcan Tugce , Tukek Tufan
Published: May 2015

Endothelial-specific molecule 1 (endocan) is expressed by endothelial cells and may have a major role in the regulation of cell adhesion and in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders. We aimed to assess change in endocan levels after 3 months of lifestyle change recommendations and guideline-based treatment. Diabetic patients (n = 77) who had neither chronic kidney disease nor chronic inflammatory disease were included. After baseline evaluation, the patients were advised lifestyle changes, and their medical treatment was determined individually according to recommendations of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines. At the end of third month patients were reevaluated. Baseline endocan levels were significantly increased in the study group compared with the control group. The third-month laboratory workup showed significant reductions in hemoglobin A1c, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), and endocan levels. Only δ-UACR was independently correlated with δ-endocan in multivariate linear regression analysis. Our findings suggest that serum endocan concentrations are elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes and decrease following anti-hyperglycemic treatment. Furthermore, decrease in endocan concentrations might be associated with improved glycemic control and reductions in UACR.
Upper Airway Anomalies in Congenital Tracheoesophageal Fistula and Esophageal Atresia Patients
Authors: Hseu Anne , Recko Thomas , Jennings Russell , Nuss Roger
Published: May 2015

Objective:

To examine the prevalence of upper airway anomalies in patients diagnosed with congenital tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia (TEF/EA).

Methods:

A retrospective review was conducted of all TEF/EA patients seen at a tertiary pediatric hospital between January 2008 and December 2013. Inclusion criteria included evaluation by the otolaryngology service. Exclusion criteria included age >18 years, acquired TEF/EA, subsequent rule out of TEF/EA, and otolaryngology evaluation for reasons not pertaining to the airway. Data collected and analyzed included demographics, comorbidities, presenting symptoms, surgical interventions, laryngoscopic and bronchoscopic examinations, and subsequent medical and surgical management.

Results:

Four hundred and thirty patients were diagnosed with TEF/EA at our institution. In all, 32.3%, or 139 children, were included in the analysis; 56.1% (n = 78) male, 43.9% (n = 61) female. Of the analyzed patients, 4.3% (n = 6) were diagnosed with laryngomalacia. Eighteen patients (12.9%) were diagnosed with subglottic stenosis. Thirty (21.6%) had vocal fold paresis or immobility. Laryngeal cleft was diagnosed in 25.9% (n = 36). Tracheomalacia was the most common airway finding, diagnosed in 37.4% (n = 52) patients.

Conclusion:

Patients diagnosed with congenital TEF/EA have a high rate of secondary upper airway anomalies. Consideration should be given to perform a complete airway evaluation in all of these patients.
Dyspnea, Dysphonia, and Cough
Authors: Nielsen Skyler W. , Stevens Jayne R. , Dion Gregory R. , Howard N. Scott
Published: May 2015

Objectives:

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TPO) is an uncommon, benign disease consisting of submucosal, osteocartilaginous nodules that project into the tracheal lumen. Far less commonly, these nodules can occur outside the tracheal cartilage. This case series discusses the wide range of symptoms and treatments of the disease.

Methods:

Three patients presented to the laryngology clinic with 3 varied presentations of TPO, including dyspnea, dysphonia, and cough. These patients were evaluated, subsequently diagnosed with TPO, and treated accordingly.

Results:

Two of the 3 patients presented with extratracheal lesions presenting in the cricoid and thyroid cartilages. The patient presenting with symptoms of dysphonia was found to have bilateral TPO exclusively within the thyroid cartilage, which has never been reported previously. After undergoing a partial thyroid cartilage resection removing the bulk of the lesion, the patient’s symptoms drastically improved.

Conclusion:

While TPO may be a rare diagnosis in the general otolaryngologist practice, symptoms frequently bring patients into the otolaryngologist’s clinic, and an awareness of the disease can help minimize unnecessary interventions and allow the surgeon to appropriately counsel patients.
From ‘people just like us’ to the ‘fundamentally other’ in an era of antiracism: The instrumental use of religion to exclude the other while avoiding stigma
Authors: Clycq Noel
Published: May 2015

In an era wherein racism is strongly condemned, everyday processes of categorization and othering confront individuals with contradictions that need to be managed. This article discusses how some of the categorization processes that parents of Flemish and Italian origin – living in Flanders (Belgium) – use are based upon negative stereotyping of the other and clash with one’s general self-image of a tolerant and nonracist person. Consequently, the possibility of being stigmatized as racist needs to be managed and avoided. Rather than refraining from excluding and negatively stereotyping the other, individuals tend to develop new strategies. The family context proved to be an interesting context to study this management of the representation of the self, and of the other. An analysis of 27 interviews with Belgian and Italian origin parents in Flanders clarifies how the shifting of labels from the ‘ethnic other’ (Turks and Moroccans) to the ‘religious other’ (Muslims) is used to legitimize exclusion. The discourses reveal an instrumental use of the (re)labeling of the (same) other which offers parents a solution to achieve the same end-results – the exclusion of the other from the family context – without fearing stigmatization as racist.
Biot-Savart law as a tool to calculate the matrix of inductances and the coupling coefficient of two coaxial solenoids with arbitrary cross sections
Authors: Caravaca Manuel , Abad Jose , Catalá Jose D
Published: May 2015

The Biot-Savart law is a basic topic in teaching of electromagnetism in undergraduate courses. However, its applicability in textbooks is reduced, focused on a very specific set of problems. Generally, the student considers that this law does not completely solve some major problems in electromagnetism. One of them is the determination of the magnetic field inside and outside of an ideal solenoid of arbitrary cross section. In this article, we carry out the calculation of this field in a didactic and simple way by employing the Biot-Savart law. We obtain that the magnetic field inside of the solenoid is uniform and independent of its cross section. Besides, we directly determine that the outer field is equal to zero. These results allow us to introduce the expression of the matrix of inductances and the coupling coefficient of two coaxial solenoids with arbitrary cross sections.
Complex cellular structure evolution of polystyrene/poly (ethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) foam using a two-step depressurization batch foaming process
Authors: Wang Xiangdong , Wang Wenzhao , Liu Bengang , Du Zhongjie , Peng Xiangfang
Published: May 2015

In order to decrease the cell size and maintain very high volume expansion ratio simultaneously, a methodology for the preparation of complex cellular structure (CCS) in polystyrene/poly(ethylene terephthalate glycol-modified) (PS/PETG) blend using two-step depressurization pressure batch foaming process was proposed. First, the optimum foaming temperature for PS and PS/PETG blend, respectively, were confirmed by one-step depressurization foaming process. Then, the CCS in PS and PS/PETG blending foam were fabricated by two-step depressurization foaming process at the optimum foaming temperature. The rheological properties of PS and PS/PETG blend were tested by dynamic rotational rheometer. The dispersion morphologies and foam morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscope. The lowest densities of PS and PS/PETG blending foams were obtained at the temperature of 136℃. The interfaces between PS and PETG could act as nucleation sites for the cell nucleation, which were helpful to fabricate the CCS. The CCS could be controlled by tuning the degree of the first-step depressurization and the holding time. The results showed that the large cells could be beneficial to decrease the foam density and the presence of small cells was beneficial to increase the cell number.
Explaining Ethnic Differences: Can Ethnic Minority Strategies Reduce the Effects of Ethnic Penalties?
Authors: Modood Tariq , Khattab Nabil
Published: May 2015

Some social scientists are sceptical of the explanatory power of ethnicity and seek to explain ethnic differences by references to non-ethnic factors such as discrimination. We challenge this scepticism by considering two theoretical objections: there is no such thing as ethnicity and ethnic categories are unable to explain social processes; and by showing how ethnic strategies affect outcomes that cannot be captured in standard ethnic penalty analyses, we offer a new way to examine ethnic penalties in unemployment. We calculate a set of net ethnic penalties and then analyse longitudinal labour-force data to examine how strategies such as self-employment change ethnic penalties in unemployment amongst six different ethnic groups in Britain. The results show that self-employment reduces the ethnic penalty for Indians, Pakistanis-Bangladeshis and others, but not for Blacks, White-Others and White-British. This supports the argument that ethnicity can provide an explanation for some of the ethnic differentials in the labour market.
The Continuing Evolution of a Profession … and My Role in It
Authors: Grice Roger A.
Published: May 2015

In my half century as a technical communicator, I have seen many changes. The profession has evolved from one that supported the work of engineers and programers to one that stands on its own, providing important tools and capabilities to audiences. I too have evolved within the profession—from someone who had little idea what technical communication was, to a practitioner, to an educator. The changing nature of the profession and my participation in it has made for an exciting time—our profession is anything but dull.
Examination of practices of ignorance conducive to democracy based on Rancièrian thought and Rortian pragmatism
Authors: Marder Lev
Published: May 2015

Theorists, who broadly subscribe to Claude Lefort’s characterization of democracy as the dissolution of the markers of certainty, disagree over the proper enactment of democracy. In this article, I consider the possibility of narrowing the gap by attending to the ignorance advocated by each of the two approaches – the disruptive radical route Jacques Rancière describes and the reformist approach of Richard Rorty. I highlight the attributes and shortcomings of the positive link between practices of ignorance and democracy in the work of the two theorists, and explore how the practices they describe can complement each other in the enactment of democracy.
Nerve Growth Factor Signals as Possible Pathogenic Biomarkers for Perineural Invasion in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma
Authors: Kobayashi Kenya , Ando Mizuo , Saito Yuki , Kondo Kenji , Omura Go , Shinozaki‐Ushiku Aya , Fukayama Masashi , Asakage Takahiro , Yamasoba Tatsuya
Published: May 2015

Objective

The molecular mechanisms underlying perineural invasion (PNI)—a characteristic pathological feature of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC)—remain largely unclear. Recently, nerve growth factor (NGF) has been implicated in perineural invasion in certain malignancies. Overexpression of Myb related to the MYB‐NFIB fusion gene in ACC has also been correlated with perineural invasion and survival. However, this concept is controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of NGF together with its receptors, tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) and p75NRT, and Myb in ACC and assess their relationship with perineural invasion and survival.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

The University of Tokyo Hospital.

Subjects and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 37 patients with ACC surgically treated from 1991 to 2011. We examined expression levels of NGF, TrkA, p75NRT, and Myb in the ACC specimens and their correlations with PNI and prognosis.

Results

NGF, TrkA, p75NRT, and Myb overexpression rates were 65%, 65%, 30%, and 62%, respectively. Pearson product‐moment correlation coefficient revealed a strong correlation between NGF/TrkA immunostaining and PNI (NGF: r = 0.68, P <. 0001; TrkA: r = 0.53, P =. 0007). Moreover, NGF overexpression was significantly associated with worse 8‐year local control rate (27% vs 80%, P =. 005). However, p75NRT and Myb expression was related to neither perineural invasion nor survival.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated that NGF and TrkA overexpression, but not Myb and p75NRT overexpression, may contribute to PNI and thus cause local recurrence in patients with ACC.
Revision Transcervical Medialization Laryngoplasty for Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis
Authors: Parker Noah P. , Barbu Anca M. , Hillman Robert E. , Zeitels Steven M. , Burns James A.
Published: May 2015

Objective

To identify patterns of failure following transcervical medialization laryngoplasty for unilateral vocal fold paralysis and describe indications and revision techniques for optimal vocal outcomes.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

Thirty‐nine consecutive patients between January 2005 and April 2014 undergoing transcervical revision of failed primary medialization laryngoplasty were identified. Demographics, etiology, stroboscopic assessment, and surgical techniques were recorded. Patient self‐assessment using the Voice‐Related Quality‐of‐Life (VRQOL) questionnaire and objective acoustic and aerodynamic assessments performed pre‐ and postoperatively were analyzed using t tests for paired comparisons.

Results

Thirty‐nine patients underwent 48 transcervical revision surgeries. Median follow‐up was 14.6 months from time of final revision surgery. Indications included anterior glottic incompetence (38/48, 79%), posterior glottic incompetence (20/48, 42%), glottic overclosure (8/48, 17%), and/or decreased phonatory pliability (12/48, 25%). A combination of findings was present in 21 (44%) surgeries. Revision techniques included either anterior augmentation, arytenopexy, and cricothyroid subluxation (alone or in combination) in 46 of 48 (96%) patients or partial implant removal alone in 2 patients. Seven patients (18%) required multiple revisions. A complete set of voice parameters was available for 22 patients, and statistically significant improvements included VRQOL scores, fundamental frequency in females, jitter, noise‐to‐harmonic ratio, and mean airflow rate.

Conclusion

Patterns of failure in patients with suboptimal phonatory function after transcervical medialization laryngoplasty included persistent glottic incompetence, glottic overclosure, and decreased vocal fold pliability. Revision transcervical medialization surgery, guided by individualized consideration of vocal fold position and surface pliability, can improve phonatory outcomes.
Vestibular Dysfunction in Patients with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct
Authors: Zalewski Chris K. , Chien Wade W. , King Kelly A. , Muskett Julie A. , Baron Rachel E. , Butman John A. , Griffith Andrew J. , Brewer Carmen C.
Published: May 2015

Objective

Enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) is the most common inner ear malformation. While a strong correlative relationship between EVA and hearing loss is well established, its association with vestibular dysfunction is less well understood. In this study, we examine the effects of EVA on the vestibular system in patients with EVA.

Study Design

Prospective, cross‐sectional study of a cohort ascertained between 1999 and 2013.

Setting

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, a federal biomedical research facility.

Subjects and Methods

In total, 106 patients with unilateral or bilateral EVA, defined as a midpoint diameter greater than 1.5 mm, were referred or self‐referred to participate in a study of the clinical and molecular aspects of EVA. Clinical history was ascertained with respect to the presence or absence of various vestibular signs and symptoms and history of head trauma. Videonystagmography (VNG), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP), and rotational vestibular testing (RVT) were performed to assess the vestibular function.

Results

Of the patients with EVA, 45% had vestibular signs and symptoms, and 44% of tested patients had abnormal VNG test results. An increased number of vestibular signs and symptoms was correlated with the presence of bilateral EVA (P =. 008) and a history of head injury (P <. 001). Abnormal VNG results also correlated with a history of head injury (P =. 018).

Conclusion

Vestibular dysfunction is common in patients with EVA. However, not all patients with vestibular signs and symptoms have abnormal vestibular test results. Clinicians should be aware of the high prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in patients with EVA.
Participatory assessment and the construction of professional identity in folk and popular music programs in Finnish and Australian music universities
Authors: Partti Heidi , Westerlund Heidi , Lebler Don
Published: May 2015

Assessment in music is of considerable importance in the context of higher music education, with major projects focusing on assessment principles and practices in a number of locations, including the European community and Australia. This instrumental case study explores assessment practices in two higher music education contexts, namely within folk music education in Finland and popular music education in Australia. While each of these two instances have significant individual characteristics, they share a focus on understanding assessment as learning and the development of a professional identity through the active participation of the student community in the assessment processes. Drawing on current theories of communities of practice, the narratives of the leaders describing the practices in each context are analysed to draw attention to the intended learning value derived through the participatory assessment practices.
A Qualitative Study of Older Adults and Staff at an Adult Day Center in a Cambodian Community in the United States
Authors: Dubus Nicole
Published: May 2015

Purpose: Adult day care programs in the United States are seeing an increase in culturally diverse patients. The purpose of this study was to better understand the subjective experiences of staff and Cambodian refugees attending an adult day center in the United States that provides services focused on the cultural needs of the older adults, such as Cambodian food, activities, and Cambodian staff. Design: This is a qualitative study using grounded theory to analyze 10 individual interviews from staff members and 80 individual interviews from participants who attend an adult day care program for Cambodians in a city in the northeast United States. Findings: Three primary themes emerged: The participants felt respected, there was a generational tension between the young staff and the participants, and the center acted as a cultural liaison between the medical providers and the participants.
Dyadic Dynamics in Young Couples Reporting Dating Violence
Authors: Paradis Alison , Hébert Martine , Fernet Mylène
Published: May 2015

This study uses a combination of observational methods and dyadic data analysis to understand how boyfriends’ and girlfriends’ perpetration of dating violence (DV) may shape their own and their partners’ problem-solving communication behaviors. A sample of 39 young heterosexual couples aged between 15 and 20 years (mean age = 17.8 years) completed a set of questionnaires and were observed during a 45-min dyadic interaction, which was coded using the Interactional Dimension Coding System (IDCS). Results suggest that neither boyfriends’ nor girlfriends’ own perpetration of DV was related to their display of positive and negative communication behaviors. However, estimates revealed significant partner effects, suggesting that negative communication behaviors displayed by girls and boys and positive communication behavior displayed by girls were associated to their partner’s DV but not to their own. Such results confirm the need to shift our focus from an individual perspective to examining dyadic influences and processes involved in the couple system and the bidirectionality of violent relationships.
A modified elasto-dynamic model based static stiffness evaluation for a 3-PRS PKM
Authors: Zhao Yan-Qin , Zhang Jun , Ruan Ling-Yan , Luo Hai-Wei , Yu Xiao-Liu
Published: May 2015

This paper proposes a modified elasto-dynamic model for a three-prismatic revolute spherical parallel kinematic machine, in which the flexibility of the prismatic revolute spherical limb structures are accounted in and modeled as a hollowed spatial beam with nonuniform cross section. The governing equations are derived through substructure synthesis and finite element formulation. The stiffness matrix of the platform is then extracted from global stiffness matrix and its characteristics at typical configurations are calculated to reveal complicated coupling effects of diagonal and nondiagonal elements of the stiffness matrix. The concept of principle stiffness and coupled stiffness are proposed and their distributions over the workspace are predicted with numerical simulations in a quick manner. Then the stiffness of the platform is physically interpreted as a kinematically unconstrained rigid body suspended by six screw springs with equivalent spring constants and pitches through eigenscrew decomposition. The distributions of screw spring constants over the workspace are then plotted to demonstrate a duality property. At last, the effects of some design variables such as structural and dimensional parameters on system rigidity performance are investigated with the purpose of providing useful information for the structural design and performance enhancement of the parallel kinematic machine.
A numerical simulation on dynamic behavior of pushing chain mechanism
Authors: Zhang Leiyu , Yang Yang
Published: May 2015

The pushing chain mechanism is a novel telescoping mechanism used to push objects from one position to another rapidly. For obtaining a long telescoping distance, this mechanism adopts a helicoids case which can store links as many as possible. In order to analyze the dynamic properties and the pushing stability of the pushing chain, the dynamics models of its extraction from the helicoids case and engagement with the sprocket are established. Meanwhile, the dynamics model of the extended chain during the pushing process is deduced. A numerical simulation of the full dynamics model is performed using MATLAB. The simulation results show that the drive forces influenced by the polygon effect transit from drastic oscillations to smooth fluctuations. The traction force acted on the chain in the helicoids case drops down to zero gradually with time. The links of the extended chain have a transverse vibration around the pushing line and the amplitudes reach a maximum at the middle. However, the pushing velocity rises quickly at the initial stage and begins to stabilize with small fluctuation. The pushing chain mechanism has good pushing stability and high-speed performance.
Disturbance analysis and feed-forward compensation for the flexible solar array sun-tracking drive
Authors: Zhu Shiyao , Lei Yongjun
Published: May 2015

This paper analyzes primary disturbance-causing factors inside the flexible solar array drive system based on an electromechanical model. Two feed-forward input compensation drive strategies, derived by decomposing moment component and hypothesizing motion trajectory, respectively, are proposed to weaken the effect of disturbances. Analytic results indicate that the cogging effect of the hybrid stepper motor is a significant factor affecting angular velocity fluctuation, thus generating disturbances. Both of the proposed disturbance-mitigation drive strategies improve angular velocity stability and disturbance torque stability without degrading the pointing accuracy of solar array or altering the original design state of drive assemblies. The effectiveness of disturbance mitigation, however, gradually degrades as cogging torque amplitude errors increase in number. Drive strategy which utilizes the hypothetical motion trajectory method is slightly preferable in terms of disturbance mitigation performance.
Ineffective central nervous system HIV suppression of once-a-day maraviroc and ritonavir-boosted darunavir dual therapy: four case reports
Authors: Ahmed Nadia , Okoli Chinyere , Ainsworth Jonathan
Published: May 2015

Novel two-drug combinations including a protease inhibitor are an attractive nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor sparing option for some patients, particularly as a switch strategy. We have used the two-drug combination of maraviroc and darunavir/ritonavir once a day as a switch strategy in patients with stable low or undetectable plasma HIV viral loads, but identified four patients who failed on this combination, indicating it may be insufficient to prevent replication of neurotropic HIV in treatment-experienced patients. Further investigation of our cases highlighted the need for a better understanding of the plasma and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) pharmacodynamics of these drugs.
The Rhythm of Perception
Authors: Hickok Gregory , Farahbod Haleh , Saberi Kourosh
Published: May 2015

Acoustic rhythms are pervasive in speech, music, and environmental sounds. Recent evidence for neural codes representing periodic information suggests that they may be a neural basis for the ability to detect rhythm. Further, rhythmic information has been found to modulate auditory-system excitability, which provides a potential mechanism for parsing the acoustic stream. Here, we explored the effects of a rhythmic stimulus on subsequent auditory perception. We found that a low-frequency (3 Hz), amplitude-modulated signal induces a subsequent oscillation of the perceptual detectability of a brief nonperiodic acoustic stimulus (1-kHz tone); the frequency but not the phase of the perceptual oscillation matches the entrained stimulus-driven rhythmic oscillation. This provides evidence that rhythmic contexts have a direct influence on subsequent auditory perception of discrete acoustic events. Rhythm coding is likely a fundamental feature of auditory-system design that predates the development of explicit human enjoyment of rhythm in music or poetry.
Systemic lupus erythematosus occurring in a patient with Niemann–Pick type B disease
Authors: Murgia G , Firinu D , Meleddu R , Lorrai M M , Manconi P E , del Giacco S R
Published: May 2015

Niemann–Pick disease is an inherited lipid storage disorder caused by the deficiency of acid sphingomyelinase, which results in accumulation of sphingomyelin within cells of several organs and consequent tissue damage. The broad clinical spectrum of this disorder may overlap with that of systemic lupus erythematosus, hindering differential diagnosis. Herein, we report the case of a patient affected by Niemann–Pick type B disease intertwined with clinical and serological features of systemic lupus erythematosus. Two novel mutations in the SMPD1 gene were found in compound heterozygosity: p.A36V and IVS2 + 8 T > G.