bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Convergence Years
Authors: Kolodzy Janet , Grant August E. , DeMars Tony R. , Wilkinson Jeffrey S.
Published: April 2014

The emergence of the Internet, social media, and digital technologies in the twenty-first century accelerated an evolution in journalism and communication that fit under the broad term of convergence. That evolution changed the relationship between news producers and consumers. It broke down the geographical boundaries in defining our communities, and this change forced new organizational and economic models for news and information. This retrospective on twelve years of Convergence and Society conferences devoted to research and practices reveals a set of lessons for journalism educators. Convergence began to encompass multiple dimensions from collaboration across media outlets to the integrated use of multiple media in collecting and delivering information. It has brought about the rise of emerging neo-communities not confined by place. Despite the upheaval from new technologies, mass media in general have successfully adapted. But to keep pace, those who teach and practice journalism and mass communication must implement sustainable innovation.
Availability Payments and Key Performance Indicators
Authors: Lawther Wendell C. , Martin Lawrence
Published: April 2014

Recent economic problems have led to a potential increase in the adoption of an availability payments approach by U.S. transportation agencies when creating public-private partnerships (P3s). In doing so, the public sector assumes 100% of the demand risk, relying much more heavily on performance management systems that contain key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure optimal private partner performance during operations and maintenance. Many existing performance management systems, however, suffer from a lack of alignment among KPIs chosen to ensure that all P3s meet societal or agency goals as well as project goals. Furthermore, the choice of KPIs and accompanying standards has resulted in standards that are too easily met or inappropriately weighed. Examples are provided from P3 contracts for projects in Australia and Canada.
Career Disruption
Authors: Stoner Julia B. , Stoner Charles R.
Published: April 2014

For parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have given their time and commitment to complete an education and have gained employment in a professional field, a career disruption can have profound effects. A qualitative methodology was used to answer the two research questions that anchored this study: (a) What is the impact of career disruption on career-oriented parents who transition to being the primary caregiver for a child with ASD? and (b) How do parents who become the primary caregivers cope with the disruption, delay, or forfeiture of their professional careers? Parent participants identified three phases: (a) the career disruption process, (b) the impact of career loss, and (c) the transition to personal significance. Discussion focuses on the impact of career disruption and the necessity of service providers to recognize and embrace the importance of parental advocacy.
Clash of the treaties: Responding to institutional interplay in European Community–Chile swordfish negotiations
Authors: Axelrod Mark
Published: April 2014

Scholars increasingly acknowledge that international institutions interact with each other, especially across issue areas such as trade and environment. However, scholars continue to dispute whether, and under what conditions, such regime interplay has positive or negative impacts on the effectiveness of international institutions. Existing scholarship debates whether international regimes may be compromised by inconsistencies, or whether enhanced reputational benefits make governments more likely to uphold commitments across components of a regime complex. This article examines how institutional complexity affects state behavior. Specifically, it analyzes how governments respond to regime inconsistency, and whether they continue adhering to their commitments in the absence of material or sociological non-compliance costs. The study tracks how state preferences and behavior changed over time when exposed to inconsistent international legal commitments regarding trade and regulatory rights in the South Pacific swordfish fishery. In this case, both World Trade Organization and United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rules were at stake, and both dispute settlement forums accepted jurisdiction over the case. Nonetheless, Chile and the European Community resorted to negotiation outside of — but still bounded by — these established rules. Thus, this study finds that when multiple regimes regulate a particular situation, bargaining continues to take place within the boundaries established by those rules.
Reference control in the narratives of adult sign language learners
Authors: Bel Aurora , Ortells Marta , Morgan Gary
Published: April 2014

Aims and Objectives:

Learning to control reference in narratives is a major step in becoming a speaker of a second language, including a signed language. Previous research describes the pragmatic and cognitive mechanisms that are used for reference control and it is clear that differences are apparent between first and second language speakers. However, some debate exists about the reasons for second language learners’ tendency for over-redundancy in reference forms especially in the use of pronouns. In this study we tested these proposed reasons for L2 differences.

Methodology:

Narratives by 11 native signers and 13 adult advanced-learners of Catalan sign language were analysed for person reference.

Data:

Analysis focused on forms for introduction, reintroduction and maintenance of characters.

Findings:

The results indicate both groups used reference forms according to information saliency principles in similar ways. Differences between the groups were in the use of pronominal signs, where the learners adopted an over-redundancy strategy in line with one hypothesis in the previous studies on second language acquisition in spoken languages.

Significance:

The results are discussed in terms of the vulnerable syntax–pragmatics interface in developing bilinguals
Temporal changes in the attitude towards smoking bans in public arenas among adults in the Capital Region of Denmark from 2007 to 2010
Authors: Lykke Maja , Helbech Bodil , Glümer Charlotte
Published: April 2014

Aim: The population’s attitude towards smoking bans in public arenas is important for their passing, implementation and compliance. Smoking bans are believed to reduce the social acceptability of smoking, and once people experience them, public support increases – also among pre-ban sceptics. This study aimed to examine the temporal changes in public attitude towards smoking bans in public arenas from 2007 to 2010 and whether these changes differed across educational attainment, smoking status and intention to quit among smokers. Methods: Data from two surveys among adults (aged 25–79 years) in 2007 and 2010 in the Capital Region of Denmark ( n=36,472/42,504, response rate = 52.3) was linked with data on sex, age and educational attainment from central registers. Age-standardised prevalence of supportive attitude towards smoking bans was estimated. Temporal changes in supportive attitude were explored in workplaces, restaurants and bars using logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of supportive attitude towards smoking bans increased significantly in all arenas from 2007 to 2010. Positive temporal changes in supportive attitude towards smoking bans were seen across educational attainment, smoking status and intention to quit smoking in restaurants and across smoking status for smoking bans in workplaces and bars. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the public’s attitude towards smoking in public arenas has changed after the implementation of a comprehensive smoking ban. This change in attitude can support implementation of future legislation on smoking and may lead to positive changes in smoking norms.
Journalism is twerking? How web analytics is changing the process of gatekeeping
Authors: Tandoc Edson C
Published: April 2014

New communication technologies have allowed not only new ways in which the audience interacts with the news but also new ways in which journalists can monitor online audience behavior. Through new audience information systems, such as web analytics, the influence of the audience on the news construction process is increasing. This occurs as the journalistic field tries to survive a shrinking audience for news. In this study, I argue that how journalists conceive of the audience as a form of capital influences the extent to which journalists integrate audience feedback from web analytics in their news work. I developed this theoretical framework through case studies of three online newsrooms that included a total of 150 hours of observations and 30 respondent interviews. The findings showed the extent of influence of web analytics on traditional gatekeeping processes and on a new gatekeeping practice online, which I call the process of de-selection.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection: A sample from the Victorian Children’s Court
Authors: De Bortoli Lillian , Coles Jan , Dolan Mairead
Published: April 2014

This article reports on a comparison of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) and non-ATSI children involved in the child protection system sampled from the Victorian Children’s Court. Groups were compared in terms of demographic profile, the types and grounds for protection applications and the types of abuse proven in court.

Findings

Our results highlight similarities between ATSI and non-ATSI children in the child protection system, a finding that indicates similar children, regardless of background, are being found to be at increased risk of abuse. The over-representation of ATSI children in the sample indicates a continued social and economic disadvantage associated with this group, requiring ongoing public health preventive measures. Our study also highlighted the longer term involvement of ATSI children with child protection services before reaching court. This may be explained by differences in case management policies affecting ATSI children in the child protection system as well as the ongoing legacy of the Stolen Generation.

Applications

In addition to addressing underlying inequalities, advancing the ATSI people towards self-determination in child protection may reduce the over-representation and longer term involvement with the child protection system. Importantly, alternative approaches must be considered as the potential trauma associated with longer term child protection involvement is greater in children of ATSI background.
Examining the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Community-Based Organization Implementing an Event-Based Knowledge Mobilization Initiative to Promote Physical Activity Guidelines for People With Spinal Cord Injury Among Support Personnel
Authors: Gainforth Heather L. , Latimer-Cheung Amy E. , Athanasopoulos Peter , Martin Ginis Kathleen A.
Published: April 2014

Community-based organizations (CBOs) and support personnel that serve marginalized members of society have the potential to be important partners in knowledge mobilization (KM). A CBO in partnership with researchers developed an event-based KM initiative to disseminate evidence-based physical activity guidelines for people with spinal cord injury. Purpose. The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate a) how a CBO can implement a KM initiative and b) the effectiveness of the initiative for disseminating the guidelines to support personnel. Method. The KM initiative consisted of 12 events about the new guidelines held within the CBO’s regional areas. Evaluation of the events was guided by the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy or effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework. Results. Adoption of the events was high, with 88% of regions hosting an event. Overall fidelity to the event protocol was high among researchers (100.00% ± .00), peers (65% ± 33.74), and staff (70.00% ± 34.96). The events reached 140 support personnel who attended the events. Significant increases in support personnel’s self-efficacy and intentions to promote physical activity to people with spinal cord injury were seen at Time 2 but not maintained at Time 3. Conclusions. Event-based KM initiatives may be an effective strategy for CBOs to disseminate information to support personnel and ensure that KM initiatives are supported by staff and delivered as intended.
Ontogeny of inter-alpha inhibitor proteins in ovine brain and somatic tissues
Authors: Spasova Mariya S , Sadowska Grazyna B , Threlkeld Steven W , Lim Yow-Pin , Stonestreet Barbara S
Published: April 2014

Inter-alpha inhibitor proteins (IAIPs) found in relatively high concentrations in human plasma are important in inflammation. IAIPs attenuate brain damage in young and adult subjects, decrease during sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants, and attenuate sepsis-related inflammation in newborn rats. Although a few studies have reported adult organ-specific IAIP expression, information is not available on age-dependent IAIP expression. Given evidence suggesting IAIPs attenuate brain damage in young and adult subjects, and inflammation in newborns, we examined IAIP expression in plasma, cerebral cortex (CC), choroid plexus (CP), cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), and somatic organs in fetal, newborn, and adult sheep to determine the endogenous expression patterns of these proteins during development. IAIPs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were higher in newborn and adult than fetal plasma ( P < 0.05). Western immunoblot detected 125 kDa PaI (Pre-alpha Inhibitor) and 250 kDa IaI (Inter-alpha Inhibitor) in plasma, CNS, and somatic organs. PaI expression in CC and CP was higher in fetuses than newborns and adults, but IaI expression was higher in adults than fetuses and newborns. Both PaI and IaI were higher in fetal than newborn CSF. IAIPs exhibited organ-specific ontogenic patterns in placenta, liver, heart, and kidney. These results provide evidence for the first time that plasma, brain, placenta, liver, heart, and kidney express IAIPs throughout ovine development and that expression patterns are unique to each organ. Although exact functions of IAIPs in CNS and somatic tissues are not known, their presence in relatively high amounts during development suggests their potential importance in brain and organ development.
Clarifying the Relational Ties of Organizational Belonging
Authors: Knapp Joshua R. , Smith Brett R. , Sprinkle Therese A.
Published: April 2014

In order to clarify the roles of relational ties within the perceived organizational membership theoretical framework, we test the discriminant validity and concurrent predictive validity of perceived insider status, psychological ownership, and organizational identification. Hypotheses were tested using confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression for a sample of 347 workers across two industry segments. Results indicate that the constructs of interest each explain unique variance. Perceived insider status and psychological ownership were significant predictors of job satisfaction and turnover intentions, whereas organizational identification was only found to predict job satisfaction. Post hoc analyses indicate that relationship between organizational identification and turnover intentions is fully mediated by perceived insiders status and psychological ownership.
Antecedents of Servant Leadership
Authors: Beck Curtis D.
Published: April 2014

This mixed methods study explored the antecedents of servant leadership. The sequential explanatory research design consisted of two distinct phases: quantitative followed by qualitative. The Phase 1 quantitative survey collected data from 499 leaders from community leadership programs and 630 raters using the Servant Leadership Questionnaire. During Phase 2, 12 selected leaders from Phase 1 were interviewed to explain the Phase 1 results in more depth. Four key findings emerged from the data: (a) the longer a leader is in a leadership role, the more frequent the servant leader behaviors; (b) leaders who volunteer at least 1 hour per week demonstrate higher servant leader behaviors; (c) servant leaders influence others through building trusting relationships; and (d) servant leaders demonstrate an altruistic mindset.
In vitro hemolytic properties’ assessment of K2Ti6O13 nanowires
Authors: Qi Yumin , Geng Yuejiao , Ma Baihui , He Yun , Cui Chunxiang
Published: April 2014

K2Ti6O13 nanowires are excellent inorganic nanomaterials, which have high value and huge potential use in many fields. However, the biocompatibility of K2Ti6O13 nanowires will be directly related to its application. But the quantity of its hemocompatibility reports is limited. In this study, K2Ti6O13 nanowires were first synthesized by sol–gel/hydrothermal combined method. In view of its biosafety, the hemocompatibility of the novel nanomaterial was investigated by a hemolysis test. Fresh whole blood was drawn by venipuncture from a healthy human volunteer. The absorbance of free hemoglobin in the clear supernatant of the blood mixtures in contact with the test, positive and negative control groups was measured by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer for evaluating the hemolysis ratio. The hemolysis ratio of the test group is far lower than the standard of 5%. And the results indicate that the novel material has no hemolytic effect and has application prospects in the fields of biomedicine and biomaterials.
Personality Resilience Following a Natural Disaster
Authors: Milojev Petar , Osborne Danny , Sibley Chris G.
Published: April 2014

We examine changes in the Big Six personality markers (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness to Experience, and Honesty–Humility) before and after the 2010/2011 Christchurch earthquakes in a longitudinal study of New Zealand residents ( N = 3,914). Results show remarkable stability in personality, save for one exception: Those who were affected by the earthquakes evidenced a slight decrease in Emotional Stability over the 2-year test–retest period relative to those unaffected by the earthquakes. These findings indicate that most aspects of personality are resilient following a major natural disaster. The slight decrease in Emotional Stability, however, points to a possible increase in vulnerability to depression and anxiety for those affected by the earthquakes. Our study provides important insights into a central question about stability and change in personality following major life events.
Fluency in Future Focus
Authors: Nenkov Gergana Y. , Haws Kelly L. , Kim Min Jung (MJ)
Published: April 2014

The current research sheds new light on how individuals can best use the consideration of future outcomes as a self-control strategy to enhance their likelihood of goal attainment. Across three studies, the authors find that the effectiveness of positively versus negatively valenced outcome elaboration is dependent upon the construal level at which the potential outcomes are considered. This research demonstrates that positive outcome elaboration is more effective when it is abstract, whereas negative outcome elaboration is more effective when it is concrete. Moreover, the authors explore the process underlying these effects and demonstrate that the increased effectiveness of matching the outcomes’ valence and construal level is due to outcome elaboration fluency, as increased ease of generating outcomes that are positive and abstract or negative and concrete promotes more effective self-control.
Preoperative Factors and Early Complications Associated With Hemiarthroplasty and Total Hip Arthroplasty for Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures
Authors: Miller Christopher P. , Buerba Rafael A. , Leslie Michael P.
Published: April 2014

Displaced femoral neck fractures are common injuries in the elderly individuals. There is controversy about the best treatment with regard to total hip arthroplasty (THA) versus hemiarthroplasty. This study uses the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database to evaluate the preoperative risk factors associated with the decision to perform THA over hemiarthroplasty. We also evaluate the risk factors associated with postoperative complications after each procedure. Patients older than 50 years undergoing hemiarthroplasty or THA after fracture in the NSQIP database from 2007 to 2010 were compared to each other in terms of preoperative medical conditions, postoperative complications, and length of stay. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to adjust for preoperative risk factors for undergoing a THA versus a hemiarthroplasty and for complications after each procedure. In all, 783 patients underwent hemiarthroplasty and 419 underwent THA for fracture. Hemiarthroplasty patients had longer hospital stays. On multivariate logistic regression, the only significant predictor for having a THA after fracture over hemiarthroplasty was being aged 50 to 64 years. The patient characteristics/comorbidities that favored having a hemiarthroplasty were age >80 years, hemiplegia, being underweight, having a dependent functional status, being on dialysis, and having an early surgery. High body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, gender, and other comorbidities were not predictors of having one procedure over another. Disseminated cancer and diabetes were predictive of complications after THA while being overweight, obese I, or a smoker were protective. High ASA class and do-not-resuscitate status were significant predictors of complications after a hemiarthroplasty. This study identified clinical factors influencing surgeons toward performing either THA or hemiarthroplasty for elderly patients after femoral neck fractures. Younger, healthier patients were more likely to receive THA. Patients particularly at higher risks of complications after hemiarthroplasty should be monitored closely.
Patient Access to Online Visit Notes
Authors: Oster Natalia V. , Jackson Sara L. , Dhanireddy Shireesha , Mejilla Roanne , Ralston James D. , Leveille Suzanne , Delbanco Tom , Walker Janice D. , Bell Sigall K. , Elmore Joann G.
Published: April 2014

Patients living with HIV/AIDS face large societal and medical challenges. Inviting patients to read their doctors’ visit notes via secure electronic portals may empower patients and improve health. We investigated whether utilization and perceptions about access to doctors’ notes differed among doctors and patients in an HIV/AIDS clinic versus primary care setting. We analyzed pre- and 1-year postintervention data from 99 doctors and 3819 patients. HIV clinic patients did not report differences in perceived risks and benefits compared to primary care clinic patients, however, they were more likely to share notes with friends (33% versus 9%, P = .002), other health professionals (24% versus 8%, P = .03), or another doctor (38% versus 9%, P < .0001). HIV clinic doctors were less likely than primary care doctors to change the level of candor in visit notes ( P < .04). Our findings suggest that HIV clinic patients and doctors are ready to share visit notes online.
Automated classifiers for early detection and diagnosis of retinopathy in diabetic eyes
Authors: Somfai Gábor Márk , Tátrai Erika , Laurik Lenke , Varga Boglárka , Ölvedy Veronika , Jiang Hong , Wang Jianhua , Smiddy William E , Somogyi Anikó , DeBuc Delia Cabrera
Published: April 2014

Background

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been used to classify eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy (DR) and glaucoma. DR is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in the developed world. The implementation of DR diagnostic routines could be feasibly improved by the integration of structural and optical property test measurements of the retinal structure that provide important and complementary information for reaching a diagnosis. In this study, we evaluate the capability of several structural and optical features (thickness, total reflectance and fractal dimension) of various intraretinal layers extracted from optical coherence tomography images to train a Bayesian ANN to discriminate between healthy and diabetic eyes with and with no mild retinopathy.

Results

When exploring the probability as to whether the subject’s eye was healthy (diagnostic condition, Test 1), we found that the structural and optical property features of the outer plexiform layer (OPL) and the complex formed by the ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers (GCL + IPL) provided the highest probability (positive predictive value (PPV) of 91% and 89%, respectively) for the proportion of patients with positive test results (healthy condition) who were correctly diagnosed (Test 1). The true negative, TP and PPV values remained stable despite the different sizes of training data sets (Test 2). The sensitivity, specificity and PPV were greater or close to 0.70 for the retinal nerve fiber layer’s features, photoreceptor outer segments and retinal pigment epithelium when 23 diabetic eyes with mild retinopathy were mixed with 38 diabetic eyes with no retinopathy (Test 3).

Conclusions

A Bayesian ANN trained on structural and optical features from optical coherence tomography data can successfully discriminate between healthy and diabetic eyes with and with no retinopathy. The fractal dimension of the OPL and the GCL + IPL complex predicted by the Bayesian radial basis function network provides better diagnostic utility to classify diabetic eyes with mild retinopathy. Moreover, the thickness and fractal dimension parameters of the retinal nerve fiber layer, photoreceptor outer segments and retinal pigment epithelium show promise for the diagnostic classification between diabetic eyes with and with no mild retinopathy.
Time-dependent pH sensing phenomena using CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in EIS structure
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Maikap Siddheswar , Prakash Amit , Tien Ta-Chang
Published: April 2014

Time-dependent pH sensing phenomena of the core-shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD) sensors in EIS (electrolyte insulator semiconductor) structure have been investigated for the first time. The quantum dots are immobilized by chaperonin GroEL protein, which are observed by both atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope. The diameter of one QD is approximately 6.5 nm. The QDs are not oxidized over a long time and core-shell CdSe/ZnS are confirmed by X-ray photon spectroscopy. The sensors are studied for sensing of hydrogen ions concentration in different buffer solutions at broad pH range of 2 to 12. The QD sensors show improved sensitivity (38 to 55 mV/pH) as compared to bare SiO2 sensor (36 to 23 mV/pH) with time period of 0 to 24 months, owing to the reduction of defects in the QDs. Therefore, the differential sensitivity of the QD sensors with respect to the bare SiO2 sensors is improved from 2 to 32 mV/pH for the time period of 0 to 24 months. After 24 months, the sensitivity of the QD sensors is close to ideal Nernstian response with good linearity of 99.96%. Stability and repeatability of the QD sensors show low drift (10 mV for 10 cycles) as well as small hysteresis characteristics (<10 mV). This QD sensor is very useful for future human disease diagnostics.
Contrasting Alterations to Synaptic and Intrinsic Properties in Upper-Cervical Superficial Dorsal Horn Neurons following Acute Neck Muscle Inflammation
Authors: Harris Belinda M , Hughes David I , Bolton Philip S , Tadros Melissa A , Callister Robert J , Graham Brett A
Published: April 2014

Background:

Acute and chronic pain in axial structures, like the back and neck, are difficult to treat, and have incidence as high as 15%. Surprisingly, most preclinical work on pain mechanisms focuses on cutaneous structures in the limbs and animal models of axial pain are not widely available. Accordingly, we developed a mouse model of acute cervical muscle inflammation and assessed the functional properties of superficial dorsal horn (SDH) neurons.

Results:

Male C57/Bl6 mice (P24-P40) were deeply anaesthetised (urethane 2.2 g/kg i.p) and the rectus capitis major muscle (RCM) injected with 40 μl of 2% carrageenan. Sham animals received vehicle injection and controls remained anaesthetised for 2 hrs. Mice in each group were sacrificed at 2 hrs for analysis. c-Fos staining was used to determine the location of activated neurons. c-Fos labelling in carrageenan-injected mice was concentrated within ipsilateral (87% and 63% of labelled neurons in C1 and C2 segments, respectively) and contralateral laminae I – II with some expression in lateral lamina V. c-Fos expression remained below detectable levels in control and sham animals. In additional experiments, whole cell recordings were obtained from visualised SDH neurons in transverse slices in the ipsilateral C1 and C2 spinal segments. Resting membrane potential and input resistance were not altered. Mean spontaneous EPSC amplitude was reduced by ∼20% in neurons from carrageenan-injected mice versus control and sham animals (20.63 ± 1.05 vs. 24.64 ± 0.91 and 25.87 ± 1.32 pA, respectively). The amplitude (238 ± 33 vs. 494 ± 96 and 593 ± 167 pA) and inactivation time constant (12.9 ± 1.5 vs. 22.1 ± 3.6 and 15.3 ± 1.4 ms) of the rapid A type potassium current (IAr), the dominant subthreshold current in SDH neurons, were reduced in carrageenan-injected mice.

Conclusions:

Excitatory synaptic drive onto, and important intrinsic properties (i.e., IAr) within SDH neurons are reduced two hours after acute muscle inflammation. We propose this time point represents an important transition period between peripheral and central sensitisation with reduced excitatory drive providing an initial neuroprotective mechanism during the early stages of the progression towards central sensitisation.
Addressing population heterogeneity and distribution in epidemics models using a cellular automata approach
Authors: López Leonardo , Burguerner Germán , Giovanini Leonardo
Published: April 2014

Background

The spread of an infectious disease is determined by biological and social factors. Models based on cellular automata are adequate to describe such natural systems consisting of a massive collection of simple interacting objects. They characterize the time evolution of the global system as the emergent behaviour resulting from the interaction of the objects, whose behaviour is defined through a set of simple rules that encode the individual behaviour and the transmission dynamic.

Methods

An epidemic is characterized trough an individual–based–model built upon cellular automata. In the proposed model, each individual of the population is represented by a cell of the automata. This way of modeling an epidemic situation allows to individually define the characteristic of each individual, establish different scenarios and implement control strategies.

Results

A cellular automata model to study the time evolution of a heterogeneous populations through the various stages of disease was proposed, allowing the inclusion of individual heterogeneity, geographical characteristics and social factors that determine the dynamic of the desease. Different assumptions made to built the classical model were evaluated, leading to following results:i) for low contact rate (like in quarantine process or low density population areas) the number of infective individuals is lower than other areas where the contact rate is higher, andii) for different initial spacial distributions of infected individuals different epidemic dynamics are obtained due to its influence on the transition rate and the reproductive ratio of disease.

Conclusions

The contact rate and spatial distributions have a central role in the spread of a disease. For low density populations the spread is very low and the number of infected individuals is lower than in highly populated areas. The spacial distribution of the population and the disease focus as well as the geographical characteristic of the area play a central role in the dynamics of the desease.
Clinical validation of the EndoPredict test in node-positive, chemotherapy-treated ER+/HER2− breast cancer patients: results from the GEICAM 9906 trial
Authors: Martin Miguel , Brase Jan C , Calvo Lourdes , Krappmann Kristin , Ruiz-Borrego Manuel , Fisch Karin , Ruiz Amparo , Weber Karsten E , Munarriz Blanca , Petry Christoph , Rodriguez Cesar A , Kronenwett Ralf , Crespo Carmen , Alba Emilio , Carrasco Eva , Casas Maribel , Caballero Rosalia , Rodriguez-Lescure Alvaro
Published: April 2014

Introduction

EndoPredict (EP) is an RNA-based multigene test that predicts the likelihood of distant recurrence in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–negative (HER2−) breast cancer (BC) who are being treated with adjuvant endocrine therapy. Herein we report the prospective-retrospective clinical validation of EP in the node-positive, chemotherapy-treated, ER+/HER2− BC patients in the GEICAM 9906 trial.

Methods

The patients (N = 1,246) were treated either with six cycles of fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (FEC) or with four cycles of FEC followed by eight weekly courses of paclitaxel (FEC-P), as well as with endocrine therapy if they had hormone receptor–positive disease. The patients were assigned to EP risk categories (low or high) according to prespecified cutoff levels. The primary endpoint in the clinical validation of EP was distant metastasis-free survival (MFS). Metastasis rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression.

Results

The molecular EP score and the combined molecular and clinical EPclin score were successfully determined in 555 ER+/HER2− tumors from the 800 available samples in the GEICAM 9906 trial. On the basis of the EP, 25% of patients (n = 141) were classified as low risk. MFS was 93% in the low-risk group and 70% in the high-risk group (absolute risk reduction = 23%, hazard ratio (HR) = 4.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.5 to 9.5; P < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis showed that, in this ER+/HER2− cohort, EP results are an independent prognostic parameter after adjustment for age, grade, lymph node status, tumor size, treatment arm, ER and progesterone receptor (PR) status and proliferation index (Ki67). Using the predefined EPclin score, 13% of patients (n = 74) were assigned to the low-risk group, who had excellent outcomes and no distant recurrence events (absolute risk reduction vs high-risk group = 28%; P < 0.0001). Furthermore, EP was prognostic in premenopausal patients (HR = 6.7, 95% CI = 2.4 to 18.3; P = 0.0002) and postmenopausal patients (HR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.3 to 8.5; P = 0.0109). There were no statistically significant differences in MFS between treatment arms (FEC vs FEC-P) in either the high- or low-risk groups. The interaction test results between the chemotherapy arm and the EP score were not significant.

Conclusions

EP is an independent prognostic parameter in node-positive, ER+/HER2− BC patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy followed by hormone therapy. EP did not predict a greater efficacy of FEC-P compared to FEC alone.
Colchicine-induced degeneration of the micronucleus during conjugation in Tetrahymena
Authors: Chen Pin-Fang , Singhal Sita , Bushyhead Daniel , Broder-Fingert Sarabeth , Wolfe Jason
Published: April 2014

One of the most dramatic examples of nuclear morphogenesis occurs during conjugation in Tetrahymena when the micronucleus elongates to a size longer than the cell itself. After contraction to a spherical shape, the nucleus moves directly to chromosome separation in the first meiotic division. Here we investigate the consequences of interrupting the elongation process. Colchicine, a microtubule inhibitor, caused retraction of elongated structures. With time, cells began to lose their micronuclei, and by five hours more than half of the paired cells had at least one cell missing a micronucleus. After reversing the colchicine block, existing micronuclei did not undergo elongation again, nor did meiosis occur. These observations indicate that micronuclear elongation is critical to subsequent meiotic division. Further, nuclear elimination occurs, which could be due to meiotic failure or possibly a problem downstream from meiosis. An analysis of the process of colchicine-induced micronuclear degeneration indicated that it was regulated by a caspase-dependent mechanism, characteristic of apoptosis, and then resorbed by a lysosome-dependent autophagic mechanism. Amicronucleate cells failed to grow when returned to nutrient medium, likely because of a lesion in the post-conjugation reconstruction of a functioning oral apparatus. The ease by which a large number of nuclei are induced to “self-destruct” may make this system useful in investigating the link between colchicine treatment and nuclear death in Tetrahymena, and in investigating how nuclear death could be regulated in living cells more generally. Finally, we note that this phenomenon might relate to the evolution of amicronucleate species of Tetrahymena.
Loss of p27 upregulates MnSOD in a STAT3-dependent manner, disrupts intracellular redox activity and enhances cell migration
Authors: Zhang Dongyun , Wang Yulei , Liang Yuguang , Zhang Min , Wei Jinlong , Zheng Xiao , Li Fei , Meng Yan , Zhu Nina Wu , Li Jingxia , Wu Xue-Ru , Huang Chuanshu
Published: April 2014

Cell migration is a dynamic process that is central to a variety of physiological functions as well as disease pathogenesis. The modulation of cell migration by p27 has been reported, but the exact mechanism(s) whereby p27 intersects with downstream effectors that control cell migration have not been elucidated. By systematically comparing p27+/+ MEFs with genetically ablated p27−/− MEFs using wound healing, transwell and time-lapse microscopic analyses, we provide direct evidence demonstrating that p27 inhibits both directional and random cell migration. Identical results were obtained with normal and cancer epithelial cells using complementary knockdown and overexpression approaches. Additional studies revealed that overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and reduced intracellular oxidation played a key role in increased cell migration in p27-deficient cells. Furthermore, we identified signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) as the transcription factor responsible for p27-regulated MnSOD expression which was further mediated by ERKs/ATF1-dependent transactivation of CRE within the stat3 promoter. Collectively, our data strongly indicate that p27 plays a crucially negative role in cell migration by inhibiting MnSOD expression in a STAT-3 dependent manner.
Mining of public sequencing databases supports a non-dietary origin for putative foreign miRNAs: underestimated effects of contamination in NGS
Authors: Tosar Juan Pablo , Rovira Carlos , Naya Hugo , Cayota Alfonso
Published: April 2014

The report that exogenous plant miRNAs are able to cross the mammalian gastrointestinal tract and exert gene-regulation mechanism in mammalian tissues has yielded a lot of controversy, both in the public press and the scientific literature. Despite the initial enthusiasm, reproducibility of these results was recently questioned by several authors. To analyze the causes of this unease, we searched for diet-derived miRNAs in deep-sequencing libraries performed by ourselves and others. We found variable amounts of plant miRNAs in publicly available small RNA-seq data sets of human tissues. In human spermatozoa, exogenous RNAs reached extreme, biologically meaningless levels. On the contrary, plant miRNAs were not detected in our sequencing of human sperm cells, which was performed in the absence of any known sources of plant contamination. We designed an experiment to show that cross-contamination during library preparation is a source of exogenous RNAs. These contamination-derived exogenous sequences even resisted oxidation with sodium periodate. To test the assumption that diet-derived miRNAs were actually contamination-derived, we sought in the literature for previous sequencing reports performed by the same group which reported the initial finding. We analyzed the spectra of plant miRNAs in a small RNA sequencing study performed in amphioxus by this group in 2009 and we found a very strong correlation with the plant miRNAs which they later reported in human sera. Even though contamination with exogenous sequences may be easy to detect, cross-contamination between samples from the same organism can go completely unnoticed, possibly affecting conclusions derived from NGS transcriptomics.
Cisticerco macrocístico intramedular: extirpação cirúrgica
Authors: Barini Orestes
Published: April 2014

O presente trabalho relata um caso de cisticerco macrocístico intramedular. provàvelmente o primeiro caso operado citado na literatura. Tratava-se de um paciente apresentando paraparesia sensitivo-motora flácida, com bloqueio verificado pela mielografia, ao nível de T10-T11. Pela intervenção cirúrgica foi retirado um tumor intramedular bem delimitado, cujo exame histopatológico mostrou tratar-se de cisticerco acéfalo, envolvido em tecido de inflamação crônica inespecífica.
Amiloidose primária com comprometimento meningo-radículo-neurítico
Authors: Julião O. Freitas , Mignone Constantino
Published: April 2014

São revistas as observações de dois casos publicados em 1939 e cujo quadro clínico, correspondente ao de uma meningo-radículo-neurite crônica, se constituía essencialmente de: distúrbios sensitivos, acometendo as sensibilidades superficiais (a partir da 4ª raiz cervical) e, menos intensamente, as profundas; distúrbios tróficos (atrofias musculares, acompanhadas, no caso 2, de mal perfurante plantar); distúrbios gastrintestinais; distúrbios esfinctéricos e impotência sexual; distúrbios pupilares. 0 exame anátomopatológico demonstrara, no caso 2, a existência de lesões de caráter degenerativo e leve reação inflamatória crônica nas meninges, raízes e nervos periféricos. A natureza do processo não ficou esclarecida; a lepra foi, entretanto, em ambos os casos, eliminada como possibilidade etiológica. O conhecimento dos trabalhos de Corino de Andrade sôbre a amiloidose atípica familiar, publicados em 1951 e 1952, motivaram a reconsideração dos casos mencionados, não só porque a sintomatologia era muito semelhante à dos casos referidos por aquêle autor, mas ainda porque ambos os pacientes eram portuguêses, o primeiro dos quais nascido na Póvoa de Varzim, região onde precisamente Corino de Andrade observou a maioria dos casos. Reestudando os cortes histológicos do caso 2, e corando-os pela técnica de metacromasia (violeta de genciana), puderam os autores comprovar a presença de substância amilóide, tanto nos cortes de nervos periféricos, como nos de raízes e meninges (lepto e paquimeninges). Quanto ao caso 1, puramente clínico, acreditam os autores tratar-se também de amiloidose primária, visto como o quadro clínico observado e a origem do paciente (Póvoa de Varzim) são elementos favoráveis a êsse diagnóstico. Em complemento a esta comunicação, os autores reportam-se a um terceiro caso, ainda em observação, cujo quadro clínico é representado por uma polineuropatia periférica acompanhada de desordens gastrintestinais, distúrbios esfinctéricos e impotência sexual. O paciente, também de nacionalidade portuguêsa, residia no Brasil já há 15 anos quando surgiram as primeiras manifestações da moléstia. As biópsias de ramos nervosos cutâneos e do testículo permitiram confirmar, também nesse caso, o diagnóstico de amiloidose primária.
Análise da gestão da cadeia de valor da inovação em uma empresa do setor siderúrgico
Authors: Varandas Junior Angelo , Salerno Mario Sergio , Miguel Paulo Augusto Cauchick
Published: April 2014

A gestão da inovação é um processo estruturado que possibilita que uma organização perceba novas maneiras de criar valor e de antever demandas tecnológicas e mercadológicas. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho objetiva analisar como uma empresa do setor siderúrgico realiza a gestão da cadeia de valor da inovação, identificando quais são os fatores adotados para suportar a prática da inovação. Mais especificamente, busca fazer uma análise baseada em um modelo conceitual que representa a cadeia de valor da inovação. Também é diagnosticado se a empresa possui um processo estruturado de desenvolvimento de novos produtos como indutor da inovação e como esse processo se integra com as demais áreas (marketing, produção, engenharia do produto e P&D). Outros aspectos importantes abordados neste trabalho para demonstração das práticas organizacionais e gestão da cadeia de valor da inovação na empresa analisada são: se há um envolvimento da alta administração nesse processo; como as novas ideias se originam, são selecionadas e priorizadas; se o processo de inovação está alinhado com a estratégia da organização; se indicadores de desempenho são utilizados para a gestão da inovação; e se a organização desenvolve modelos de negócios a partir dos projetos de inovação desenvolvidos. A partir dos dados de campo, constata-se preliminarmente que na empresa analisada não existe uma metodologia estruturada para geração de novas ideias, bem como para a difusão dessas ideias em novos modelos de negócios. Assim, essas constatações devem ser aprofundadas em trabalhos futuros.
Opções reais aplicadas à gestão do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos em uma indústria de autopeças
Authors: Noronha Juliana Caminha , Mello Carlos Henrique Pereira , Silva Carlos Eduardo Sanches da , Noronha Julia Cristina Caminha
Published: April 2014

Este trabalho apresenta uma aplicação da Teoria de Opções Reais às análises de investimentos em desenvolvimento de produtos e tomada de decisão numa indústria de autopeças por meio do método da pesquisa-ação. Considerando que o desenvolvimento de produtos envolve investimentos em múltiplos estágios, ele pode ser tratado como uma opção sequencial composta, possibilitando uma gestão do desenvolvimento mais realista, uma vez que se avalia a tomada de decisão por períodos, valora-se a flexibilidade gerencial e proporciona-se uma visão detalhada do investimento. Ao longo do trabalho, o método binomial proposto é aplicado à análise do desenvolvimento de um conjunto de anéis de pistão em que se incorporam decisões de investimento em cada etapa, trazendo uma nova perspectiva do valor do projeto de desenvolvimento para a empresa e de decisões do composto de marketing associado ao produto. Conclui-se que a incorporação da teoria de opções ao desenvolvimento de um conjunto de produtos da empresa objeto de estudo levantou o real valor do investimento como havia sido proposto pela pesquisa, apresentando uma nova dinâmica para a tomada de decisão e a negociação com clientes.
Gestão ambiental e estratégia empresarial: um estudo em uma empresa de cosméticos no Brasil
Authors: Bánkuti Sandra Mara Schiavi , Bánkuti Ferenc Istvan
Published: April 2014

Dentro do atual contexto competitivo, caracterizado pelo processo de globalização e por avanços tecnológicos acelerados, criam-se ambientes altamente dinâmicos, com destaque para a flexibilidade estratégica, a perspectiva global, a inteligência competitiva e a inovação. Considerando o conceito de ecoinovação, questões relativas ao meio ambiente têm tido destaque no meio concorrencial. O objetivo proposto neste trabalho é identificar e analisar ações ambientais estratégicas implantadas por empresa de capital nacional atuante no setor de cosméticos. Para tanto, foram utilizadas informações secundárias e dados primários coletados junto à empresa. Os resultados do trabalho indicaram forte alinhamento estratégico e melhorias ambientais, associados à interação entre gestão ambiental e inovações de produto, de processo, de marketing e organizacional. Percebeu-se iniciativa da alta gerência na condução dos procedimentos ambientais e a necessidade de coordenação com agentes da cadeia de suprimentos. As principais dificuldades para melhorias ambientais estão associadas à necessidade de elevados investimentos para desenvolvimento de produtos e melhorias de processo, assim como a limitações de conhecimento técnico e científico. Por fim, destaca-se a importância da interação entre agentes internos e externos para a condução de melhorias ambientais.