bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VEGFA-dependent and -independent pathways synergise to drive Scl expression and initiate programming of the blood stem cell lineage in Xenopus
Authors: Ciau-Uitz Aldo , Pinheiro Philip , Kirmizitas Arif , Zuo Jie , Patient Roger
Published: May 2013

The first haematopoietic stem cells share a common origin with the dorsal aorta and derive from putative adult haemangioblasts in the dorsal lateral plate (DLP) mesoderm. Here we show that the transcription factor (TF) stem cell leukaemia (Scl/Tal1) is crucial for development of these adult haemangioblasts in Xenopus and establish the regulatory cascade controlling its expression. We show that VEGFA produced in the somites is required to initiate adult haemangioblast programming in the adjacent DLP by establishing endogenous VEGFA signalling. This response depends on expression of the VEGF receptor Flk1, driven by Fli1 and Gata2. Scl activation requires synergy between this VEGFA-controlled pathway and a VEGFA-independent pathway controlled by Fli1, Gata2 and Etv2/Etsrp/ER71, which also drives expression of the Scl partner Lmo2. Thus, the two ETS factors Fli1 and Etv6, which drives the VEGFA expression in both somites and the DLP, sit at the top of the adult haemangioblast gene regulatory network (GRN). Furthermore, Gata2 is initially activated by Fli1 but later maintained by another ETS factor, Etv2. We also establish that Flk1 and Etv2 act independently in the two pathways to Scl activation. Thus, detailed temporal, epistatic measurements of key TFs and VEGFA plus its receptor have enabled us to build a Xenopus adult haemangioblast GRN.
Lef1 regulates Dusp6 to influence neuromast formation and spacing in the zebrafish posterior lateral line primordium
Authors: Matsuda Miho , Nogare Damian Dalle , Somers Katherine , Martin Kathleen , Wang Chongmin , Chitnis Ajay B.
Published: May 2013

The posterior lateral line primordium (PLLp) migrates caudally and periodically deposits neuromasts. Coupled, but mutually inhibitory, Wnt-FGF signaling systems regulate proto-neuromast formation in the PLLp: FGF ligands expressed in response to Wnt signaling activate FGF receptors and initiate proto-neuromast formation. FGF receptor signaling, in turn, inhibits Wnt signaling. However, mechanisms that determine periodic neuromast formation and deposition in the PLLp remain poorly understood. Previous studies showed that neuromasts are deposited closer together and the PLLp terminates prematurely in lef1-deficient zebrafish embryos. It was suggested that this results from reduced proliferation in the leading domain of the PLLp and/or premature incorporation of progenitors into proto-neuromasts. We found that rspo3 knockdown reduces proliferation in a manner similar to that seen in lef1 morphants. However, it does not cause closer neuromast deposition or premature termination of the PLLp, suggesting that such changes in lef1-deficient embryos are not linked to changes in proliferation. Instead, we suggest that they are related to the role of Lef1 in regulating the balance of Wnt and FGF functions in the PLLp. Lef1 determines expression of the FGF signaling inhibitor Dusp6 in leading cells and regulates incorporation of cells into neuromasts; reduction of Dusp6 in leading cells in lef1-deficient embryos allows new proto-neuromasts to form closer to the leading edge. This is associated with progressively slower PLLp migration, reduced spacing between deposited neuromasts and premature termination of the PLLp system.
Modelling biomechanical requirements of a rider for different horse-riding techniques at trot
Authors: de Cocq Patricia , Muller Mees , Clayton Hilary M. , van Leeuwen Johan L.
Published: May 2013

The simplest model possible for bouncing systems consists of a point mass bouncing passively on a mass-less spring without viscous losses. This type of spring–mass model has been used to describe the stance period of symmetric running gaits. In this study, we investigated the interaction between horse and rider at trot using three models of force-driven spring (–damper)–mass systems. The first system consisted of a spring and a mass representing the horse that interact with another spring and mass representing the rider. In the second spring–damper–mass model, dampers, a free-fall and a forcing function for the rider were incorporated. In the third spring–damper–mass model, an active spring system for the leg of the rider was introduced with a variable spring stiffness and resting length in addition to a saddle spring with fixed material properties. The output of the models was compared with experimental data of sitting and rising trot and with the modern riding technique used by jockeys in racing. The models show which combinations of rider mass, spring stiffness and damping coefficient will result in a particular riding technique or other behaviours. Minimization of the peak force of the rider and the work of the horse resulted in an ‘extreme’ modern jockey technique. The incorporation of an active spring system for the leg of the rider was needed to simulate rising trot. Thus, the models provide insight into the biomechanical requirements a rider has to comply with to respond effectively to the movements of a horse.
Morgellons: a novel dermatological perspective as the multisystem infective disease borreliosis
Authors: Mayne Peter , English John S , Kilbane Edward J , Burke Jennie M , Middelveen Marianne J , Stricker Raphael B
Published: May 2013

Morgellons disease (MD) is a term that has been used in the last decade to describe filaments that can be found in human epidermis. It is the subject of considerable debate within the medical profession and is often labeled as delusions of parasitosis or dermatitis artefacta. This view is challenged by recent published scientific data put forward between 2011-2013 identifying the filaments found in MD as keratin and collagen based and furthermore associated with spirochetal infection. The novel model of the dermopathy put forward by those authors is further described and, in particular, presented as a dermal manifestation of the multi-system disease complex borreliosis otherwise called Lyme disease. A differential diagnosis is drawn from a dermatological perspective. The requirements for a diagnosis of delusional disorder from a psychiatric perspective are clarified and the psychological or psychiatric co-morbidity that can be found with MD cases is presented. A concurrent case incidence is also included. Management of the multisytem disease complex is discussed both in general and from a dermatological perspective. Finally replacement of the term ‘Morgellons’ by ‘borrelial dermatitis’ is proposed within the profession.
Promoting healthy pathways to employability: lessons for the UK’s welfare-to-work agenda
Authors: Lindsay Colin , Dutton Matthew
Published: May 2013

The coalition government has implemented welfare-to-work policies strengthening the UK's Work First model of activating claimants of disability or incapacity benefits (IBs). These reforms abolished the Condition Management Programme (CMP) established under the preceding government's Pathways to Work (PtW) initiative to assist people on IBs to cope with health problems. We argue that IB claimants face complex health limitations, and a renewal of CMP provision will be necessary if they are to be assisted towards improved health and employability. Accordingly, we review the impacts of the PtW CMPs operating between 2003 and 2011, in order to identify good practice and lessons for future policy.
The Stigma of Having an Abortion: Development of a Scale and Characteristics of Women Experiencing Abortion Stigma
Authors: Cockrill Kate , Upadhyay Ushma D. , Turan Janet , Greene Foster Diana
Published: May 2013

Context

Although abortion is common in the United States, women who have abortions report significant social stigma. Currently, there is no standard measure for individual‐level abortion stigma, and little is known about the social and demographic characteristics associated with it.

Methods

To create a measure of abortion stigma, an initial item pool was generated using abortion story content analysis and refined using cognitive interviews. In 2011, the final item pool was used to assess individual‐level abortion stigma among 627 women at 13 U.S. Planned Parenthood health centers who reported a previous abortion. Factor analysis was conducted on the survey responses to reduce the number of items and to establish scale validity and reliability. Differences in level of reported abortion stigma were examined with multivariable linear regression.

Results

Factor analysis revealed a four‐factor model for individual‐level abortion stigma: worries about judgment, isolation, self‐judgment and community condemnation (Cronbach's alphas, 0.8–0.9). Catholic and Protestant women experienced higher levels of stigma than nonreligious women (coefficients, 0.23 and 0.18, respectively). On the subscales, women with the strongest religious beliefs had higher levels of self‐judgment and greater perception of community condemnation than only somewhat religious women. Additional differences were found by race, age, education, religiosity and motherhood status on the subscales.

Conclusion

This valid and reliable scale can be used in research examining abortion stigma and related outcomes (e.g., women's health, relationships and behavior). The scale can also be used to evaluate programs and interventions that aim to reduce the stigma experienced by women who have abortions.
Five wild nearfields
Authors: Grundhöfer Theo
Published: May 2013

The projective groups
Fish and its fisherman. Paradigmatic and derivative length in Czech
Authors: Sukač Roman
Published: May 2013

It is argued that Czech length can be described as both “paradigmatic” and “derivative”. Derivative quantity is a cover term for any quantitative changes connected with derivation of words. Paradigmatic quantity means the distribution of quantity in declination and conjugation. My analysis here is limited to mainly disyllabic nouns and their disyllabic derivatives with -ař/-ář suffix (type rybář). Paradigmatic quantity depends on the key paradigmatic cases and nouns can be distributed among quantitative paradigms. Derivative quantity does not change in flexion and its distribution depends on the existence of the disyllabic, maximally threemoraic domain. However, this domain is regular only in certain derivative categories and only in certain synchronic level.
Textile Sensor- und Aktuatorlösungen für Prävention und Rehabilitation
Authors: Zschenderlein Dirk , Reichmann Volkmar , Möhring Uwe , Hanus Sibylle , Oschatz Heike , Gnewuch Katharina , Neudeck Andreas
Published: May 2013

In der Medizin wird eine Vielzahl funktioneller Textilien eingesetzt, da sie ein Höchstmaß an geometrischer und mechanischer Flexibilität bieten und die im Bereich der Prävention geforderte gute Patientencompliance gewährleisten. Die Integration von Sensoren und Aktuatoren in die Bekleidung selbst bietet dabei innovative Lösungen für die Prävention und Rehabilitation. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass vor allem textilbasierte Präventions- und Rehabilitationssysteme dem Patienten bestmögliche Mobilität und Lebensqualität kombiniert mit höchstem Komfort bieten.
Entwicklung eines Sensors zur spezifischen Proteindetektion am Beispiel von Norovirus-Kapsidprotein
Authors: Päßler Sandra , Vonau Winfried , Mertig Michael , Henseleit Anja , Quenzel Philipp , Boschke Elke , Lange Ada , Jäger Katrin , Rohayem Jacques , Pohl Andrea , Opitz Jörg , Haufe Nora
Published: May 2013

Es werden die Ergebnisse zur Entwicklung von molekular basierten Prinzipien zur Detektion von Proteinen z.B. Virusproteinen dargestellt. Diese bestehen im Wesentlichen im Nachweis der spezifischen Interaktion der Aptamere mit Proteinen durch impedimetrische Messverfahren und der Oberflächenplasmonenresonanz-Spektroskopie. Zudem werden die rekombinante Expression des Kapsidproteins des Norovirus und dessen Verwendung zur Selektion Norovirus-spezifischer Aptamere beschrieben.
Kamerabasierte Erfassung kardiorespiratorischer Signale
Authors: Lempe Georg , Zaunseder Sebastian , Wirthgen Tom , Zipser Stephan , Malberg Hagen
Published: May 2013

In diesem Artikel wird ein Messstand vorgestellt, der es ermöglicht, kamerabasierte Verfahren zur Erfassung kardiorespiratorischer Biosignale zu charakterisieren und weiterzuentwickeln. Zur Untersuchung der Möglichkeiten dieser Verfahren wurde der Messstand so entwickelt, dass konventionelle Biosignale zeitlich synchron mit den Daten verschiedener Kameras aufgenommen werden können. Zusätzlich zur technischen Realisierung des Messstandes werden die Ergebnisse zweier Pilotstudien zur kamerabasierten Erfassung der mittleren Atemfrequenz und der mittleren Herzrate präsentiert.
Critical Beginnings
Authors: Moreira Claudio , Spry Tami , Wyatt Jonathan
Published: May 2013

These three scholars met during the First International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (QI) in 2005 when they were put on a panel together for autoethnography. They understand QI as a space of compassionate scholarship. In their text, they allude to Norman Denzin's performance of compassion and his intellectual dream that, accurately, has generated not only the beginning but, more importantly, the continuation and development of such a space. The authors understand their work at QI as personally and politically transformational, allowing a continual critical engagement of how meaning is made in contexts with others. Using their own journeys at QI as the theorizing tool, they conceptualize QI as a radicalizing space of pedagogy and scholarship.
Evidence-Based Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Acne
Authors: Eichenfield Lawrence F. , Krakowski Andrew C. , Piggott Caroline , Del Rosso James , Baldwin Hilary , Friedlander Sheila Fallon , Levy Moise , Lucky Anne , Mancini Anthony J. , Orlow Seth J. , Yan Albert C. , Vaux Keith K. , Webster Guy , Zaenglein Andrea L. , Thiboutot Diane M.
Published: May 2013

INTRODUCTION:

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin conditions in children and adolescents. The presentation, differential diagnosis, and association of acne with systemic pathology differs by age of presentation. Current acknowledged guidelines for the diagnosis and management of pediatric acne are lacking, and there are variations in management across the spectrum of primary and specialty care. The American Acne and Rosacea Society convened a panel of pediatric dermatologists, pediatricians, and dermatologists with expertise in acne to develop recommendations for the management of pediatric acne and evidence-based treatment algorithms.

METHODS:

Ten major topic areas in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric acne were identified. A thorough literature search was performed and articles identified, reviewed, and assessed for evidence grading. Each topic area was assigned to 2 expert reviewers who developed and presented summaries and recommendations for critique and editing. Furthermore, the Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy, including ratings for the strength of recommendation for a body of evidence, was used throughout for the consensus recommendations for the evaluation and management of pediatric acne. Practical evidence-based treatment algorithms also were developed.

RESULTS:

Recommendations were put forth regarding the classification, diagnosis, evaluation, and management of pediatric acne, based on age and pubertal status. Treatment considerations include the use of over-the-counter products, topical benzoyl peroxide, topical retinoids, topical antibiotics, oral antibiotics, hormonal therapy, and isotretinoin. Simplified treatment algorithms and recommendations are presented in detail for adolescent, preadolescent, infantile, and neonatal acne. Other considerations, including psychosocial effects of acne, adherence to treatment regimens, and the role of diet and acne, also are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS:

These expert recommendations by the American Acne and Rosacea Society as reviewed and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics constitute the first detailed, evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of pediatric acne including issues of special concern when treating pediatric patients.
Early Asterozoan (Echinodermata) Diversification: A Paleontologic Quandary
Authors: Blake Daniel B.
Published: May 2013

The Asterozoa as traditionally recognized is monophyletic, although ancestry within the Echinodermata is unknown. The asterozoan class Somasteroidea is most readily recognized by presence of series of simple ossicles termed virgals that extend laterally from each ambulacral ossicle. Virgal series reduction to two or three together with ossicular specializations provide apomorphies of the class Stenuroidea (new ranking). Both asteroid-like and ophiuroid-like configurations as well as expressions less suggestive of those of the surviving classes emerged within stenuroids during an early period of diversification. The classes Ophiuroidea and Asteroidea are separate lineages marked by virgal series reduction to a single ossicle and other ambulacral column specializations. It is uncertain whether one or both surviving classes were derived directly from somasteroids or originated through stenuroids. All three of the derived asterozoan classes can be argued to be either monophyletic and thereby justifying class status, or alternatively either paraphyletic or polyphyletic and thereby indicative of multiple plesions; here, monophyletic class-level status is favored for all three.
Contribution of Morphometrics to the Systematics of the Ordovician GenusNeseuretus(Calymenidae, Trilobita) from the Armorican Massif, France
Authors: Gendry Damien , Courville Philippe , Saucède Thomas , Laffont Rémi , Paris Florentin
Published: May 2013

The genusNeseuretusHicks, 1873 is the most abundant trilobite of the Ordovician siltite succession of the Andouillé and Traveusot Formations in the French Armorican massif. The systematics of some species ofNeseuretusis still unclear. Armorican and Iberian domains formed part of a distinctive paleobiogeographical province in the Ordovician and, while fiveNeseuretusspecies were defined in Iberia that follow each other through time, from the Middle to the Upper Ordovician, only oneNeseuretusspecies,N. tristani, has been identified in the Armorican massif so far. The discovery of new fossil deposits in the Ménez-Belair syncline has led to the identification and re-description of threeNeseuretustaxa:Neseuretus avusHamman, 1977 from the early-middle Darriwilian,Neseuretus tristani(Brongniart in Desmarest, 1817) from the late–middle Darriwilian to late Darriwilian andNeseuretus tardus(Hammann, 1983) from the Darriwilian–Sandbian boundary and early Sandbian. Morphological characters of the cephalon and pygidium were determined that can definitively distinguish the three identified taxa. These results stem from both traditional and geometric (outline and landmark-based) morphometric analyses. The three taxa follow each other through time and constitute a morphological sequence that contributes to improving the stratigraphy of the Middle and Upper Ordovician.
Fossil Fungi from Miocene Sedimentary Rocks of the Central and Coastal Amazon Region, North Brazil
Authors: Guimarães José Tasso Felix , Nogueira Afonso César Rodrigues , Bandeira Cavalcante Da Silva José , Lima Soares Joelson , Silveira Rosemery
Published: May 2013

Samples from outcrops of the Miocene Solimões and Barreiras formations from the central and coastal Amazon regions of Brazil were analyzed palynologically. Assemblages of fossil fungi were identified, and are described herein, and their relevance to paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic studies in tropical regions discussed. The fungal assemblage comprises four spore groups, 19 species belonging to 12 genera. Additionally, two new species are proposed. The samples from the Solimões Formation contain the following taxa:Mediaverrunites elsikii,Mediaverrunites mulleri,Monoporisporitessp.,Fusiformisporites crabbii, andMulticellites cingulatus. The presence of these suggests river channel margins colonized by freshwater vegetation, where seasonal fluctuations of water table and rainfall produce wetter substrates. The samples from the Barreiras Formation showed higher species and generic diversity than those from the Solimões Formation withHypoxylonites minutus,Hypoxylonsporites ater, Hypoxylonitessp., the new speciesInapertisporites multiporusn. sp.,Pluricellaesporites regularis,Lacrimasporonites levis,Monoporisporites annulatus,Spirotremesporites simplex,Dyadosporites novus,Dyadosporitessp., andMulticellaesporites attenuates. All of these correspond to parasitic fungi from a range of from tropical wetlands.Spegazzinitessp. andDicellaesporites aculeolatus, good indicators of marine influence and mangrove presence, were also identified in the samples from the Barreiras Formation. Furthermore, the fungal spore taxaInapertisporites multiporus,Mediaverrunites elsikii,Mediaverrunites mulleri,Pluricellaesporites regularis, andSpirotremesporites simplexserve as stratigraphic indicators when combined with miospore index taxa such asCrassoretitriletes vanraadshooveni,Grimsdalea magnaclavataandFenestrites longispinosusindicating a Miocene age for these sediments in the Amazon region.
Multi-Segmented Arthropods from the Middle Cambrian of British Columbia (Canada)
Authors: Legg David
Published: May 2013

A new arthropod,Kootenichela deppin. gen. n. sp., is described from the Stanley Glacier exposure of the middle Cambrian (Series 3, Stage 5) Stephen Formation in Kootenay National Park (British Columbia, Canada). This taxon possesses a number of primitive arthropod features such as an elongate, homonomous trunk (consisting of at least 29 segments), poorly sclerotised trunk appendages, and large pedunculate eyes associated with an anterior (ocular) sclerite. The cephalon encompasses a possible antenna-like appendage and enlarged raptorial appendages with a bipartite peduncle and three spinose distal podomeres, indicative of megacheiran (“great-appendage” arthropod) affinities. The relationships of megacheirans are controversial, with them generally considered as either stem-euarthropods or a paraphyletic stem-lineage of chelicerates. An extensive cladistic analysis resolvedKootenichelaas sister-taxon to the enigmaticWorthenella cambriafrom the middle Cambrian (Series 3, Stage 5), Burgess Shale Formation in Yoho National Park (British Columbia), which is herein reinterpreted as a megacheiran arthropod. Based on their sister-group relationship, both taxa were placed in the new family Kootenichelidae, to whichPseudoiuliafrom the Chengjiang biota is also tentatively assigned. All of these taxa possess an elongate, multi-segmented body and subtriangular exopods. This family occupies a basal position within a paraphyletic Megacheira, the immediate outgroup of Euarthropoda (crown-group arthropods). The resultant topology indicates that analyses that have resolved megacheirans as stem-chelicerates have done so because they have rooted on inappropriate taxa, e.g., trilobitomorphs and marrellomorphs.
The First Discovery of Marrella (Arthropoda, Marrellomorpha) from the Balang Formation (Cambrian Series 2) in Hunan, China
Authors: Liu Qing
Published: May 2013

Marrella, a well-known and important component of the Burgess Shale, was only previously found in the Burgess Shale and in the Kaili Biota. An exoskeleton attributed to Marrella is described herein from the lower part of the Balang Formation (Cambrian Series 2) in Paiwu, northwestern Hunan Province, China. It represents not only the third locality where the genus is found, but also the oldest known occurrence of this taxon.
Influence of Gymnastic Background on Triangle Completion Performance in Single and Dual-Task Conditions
Authors: Popov Andrei Garcia , Paquet Nicole , Lajoie Yves
Published: May 2013

Spatial orientation skills of gymnasts have been investigated in the past, but their navigation skills have not
been well described. For instance, little is known on their performance on triangle completion in the absence of vision.
The question is whether gymnasts require less attention than non-gymnasts in executing this task. The aims were to study
the impact of dual-task on triangle completion performance and reaction time, and to compare this effect in young adults
with or without a gymnastic background. Participants were blindfolded and guided along the first two legs of a 5x5 m
right angle triangle and then, independently turned and walked towards the origin of this triangle. After they had stopped,
their foot position was marked on the floor and angular deviation and linear distance traveled were measured. In the dualtask,
reaction time was gathered during the independent walk with participants responding verbally ‘top’ as fast as
possible after a sound signal. Gymnasts were found to have smaller angular deviation and longer linear distance traveled
than non-gymnasts. Both groups showed longer reaction time in dual-task compared to baseline in sitting and this increase
was similar for both groups. The results suggest that gymnastics training improves the perception and control of direction.
However, it does not modify perception of linear displacement, nor the attention required to execute the triangle
completion task. In dual-task, other cognitive tasks requiring working memory might have had a larger impact on both
navigation errors and cognitive task performance.
Capital Gains Taxes and Stock Return Volatility
Authors: Dai Zhonglan , Shackelford Douglas A. , Zhang Harold H.
Published: May 2013

This paper presents an empirical investigation of the impact of capital gains taxes on stock return volatility. We predict that the more stock returns are subject to capital gains taxation, the greater the increase in return volatility following a capital gains tax rate cut due to reduced risk-sharing in firms' cash flows between shareholders and the government. Consistent with this prediction, we find larger increases in the return volatility for more appreciated stocks than for less appreciated stocks and for non-dividend-paying stocks than for dividend-paying stocks after both 1978 and 1997 capital gains tax rate reductions. The findings imply that capital gains taxes convey a heretofore overlooked benefit of lower stock return volatility.
Obesity and the Food Environment: Income and Ethnicity Differences Among People With Diabetes
Authors: Jones-Smith Jessica C. , Karter Andrew J. , Warton E. Margaret , Kelly Maggi , Kersten Ellen , Moffet Howard H. , Adler Nancy , Schillinger Dean , Laraia Barbara A.
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVE

It is unknown whether any association between neighborhood food environment and obesity varies according to individual income and/or race/ethnicity. The objectives of this study were to test whether there was an association between food environments and obesity among adults with diabetes and whether this relationship differed according to individual income or race/ethnicity.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Subjects (n = 16,057) were participants in the Diabetes Study of Northern California survey. Kernel density estimation was used to create a food environment score for each individual’s residence address that reflected the mix of healthful and unhealthful food vendors nearby. Logistic regression models estimated the association between the modeled food environment and obesity, controlling for confounders, and testing for interactions between food environment and race/ethnicity and income.

RESULTS

The authors found that more healthful food environments were associated with lower obesity in the highest income groups (incomes 301–600% and >600% of U.S. poverty line) among whites, Latinos, and Asians. The association was negative, but smaller and not statistically significant, among high-income blacks. On the contrary, a more healthful food environment was associated with higher obesity among participants in the lowest-income group (<100% poverty threshold), which was statistically significant for black participants in this income category.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the availability of healthful food environments may have different health implications when financial resources are severely constrained.
Chronotype Is Independently Associated With Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Reutrakul Sirimon , Hood Megan M. , Crowley Stephanie J. , Morgan Mary K. , Teodori Marsha , Knutson Kristen L. , Van Cauter Eve
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether chronotype and daily caloric distribution are associated with glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes independently of sleep disturbances.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Patients with type 2 diabetes had a structured interview and completed questionnaires to collect information on diabetes history and habitual sleep duration, quality, and timing. Shift workers were excluded. A recently validated construct derived from mid-sleep time on weekends was used as an indicator of chronotype. One-day food recall was used to compute the temporal distribution of caloric intake. Hierarchical linear regression analyses controlling for demographic and sleep variables were computed to determine whether chronotype was associated with HbA1c values and whether this association was mediated by a higher proportion of caloric intake at dinner.

RESULTS

We analyzed 194 completed questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, insulin use, depressed mood, diabetes complications, and perceived sleep debt found that chronotype was significantly associated with glycemic control (P = 0.001). This association was partially mediated by a greater percentage of total daily calories consumed at dinner.

CONCLUSIONS

Later chronotype and larger dinner were associated with poorer glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes independently of sleep disturbances. These results suggest that chronotype may be predictive of disease outcomes and lend further support to the role of the circadian system in metabolic regulation.
Laser direct joining of carbon fiber reinforced plastic to aluminum alloy
Authors: Jung Kwang-Woon , Kawahito Yousuke , Takahashi Makoto , Katayama Seiji
Published: May 2013

Laser direct joining of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) to aluminum alloy was performed using a high quality continuous wave diode laser with a line-shaped beam. The tensile shear test results demonstrated that a strong lap joint with about 3000 N could be produced between CFRP (of 3 mm thickness and 20 mm width) and aluminum alloy (of 2 mm thickness and 30 mm width). The joints fractured along the joint interface or in the melted zone of CFRP. It was observed from the cross sections of the joints that many bubbles of submillimeter size were irregularly formed in the wide and shallow melted zone of the CFRP. Moreover, melted polyamide plastic was tightly bonded on atomic or molecular sized level through nanometer thick aluminum oxide film (κ-Al2O3) existing on aluminum alloy surface, suggesting high possibility of chemical or physical bonding between CFRP and metal. Consequently, it was confirmed that a strong lap joint of CFRP to aluminum alloy could be produced by direct irradiation of a laser beam.
Surface tension stabilized laser welding (donut laser welding)—A new laser welding technique
Authors: Haglund Peter , Eriksson Ingemar , Powell John , Kaplan Alexander
Published: May 2013

A new laser welding process is presented which delivers a porosity free, spatter free weld. The process involves a donut shaped melt with a central hole of the same order of magnitude as the material thickness. The laser illuminates only the leading section of this melt. The hole is kept open by the melt surface tension.
Laser processing of nickel–aluminum bronze for improved surface corrosion properties
Authors: Cottam R. , Barry T. , McDonald D. , Li H. , Edwards D. , Majumdar A. , Dominguez J. , Wang J. , Brandt M.
Published: May 2013

Nickel–aluminum bronze was subjected to laser heating to change the microstructure on the surface for enhanced corrosion performance. To develop the laser processing parameters, a two-phase diffusion model was used to determine the phase transformation kinetics. Also, an analytical laser heating model was employed to determine the laser power setting required to process just below the melting point. The result was that the lamellar κIII phase of the as-cast microstructure was dissolved up to 1.3 mm deep. Electrochemical testing revealed an increase in the corrosion potential and hence improved corrosion resistance for the laser processed surface, supporting the use of this process for enhanced corrosion performance of nickel–aluminum bronze components.
The effect of fit-up geometry on melt flow and weld quality in laser hybrid welding
Authors: Lamas J. , Karlsson J. , Norman P. , Powell J. , Kaplan A. F. H. , Yañez A.
Published: May 2013

Hybrid laser-arc welding has a good tolerance to poor fit up as compared to simple laser welding. For a butt joint, the joint fit-up variations can be reduced to two local properties: the gap width and the vertical edge mismatch. The impact of these two properties on the resulting weld quality has been studied systematically in this paper. The original edges as well as the resulting weld surface topography have been scanned in three dimensions in order to study trends. During hybrid welding, the melt flow and the electric arc were observed at the top surface by high speed imaging to analyze the complex fluid flow phenomena.
“Never Some Easy Flashback”
Authors: Armstrong Charles
Published: May 2013

This paper provides a close reading of Paul Farley’s 160-line poem, “Thorns.” The poem is read in dialogue with William Wordsworth’s celebrated Romantic ballad “The Thorn.” Special attention is given to Farley’s treatment of memory and metaphor: It is shown how the first, exploratory part of the poem elaborates upon the interdependent nature of memory and metaphor, while the second part uses a more regulated form of imagery in its evocation of a generational memory linked to a particular place and time (the working-class Liverpool of the 1960s and 1970s). The tension between the two parts of the poem is reflected in the taut relationship between the poet and a confrontational alter ego. Wordsworth’s importance for Farley is shown to inhere not only in the Lake Poet’s use of personal memory, but also the close connection between his poetry and place, as well as a strongly self-reflective strain that results in an interminable process of self-determination. Farley’s independence as a poet also comes across, though, and is for instance in evidence in his desire to avoid the “booby trap” of too simple appropriation of the methods and motifs of his Romantic predecessor.
“The Tenth Talented” v. “The Hundredth Talented”: W. E .B. Du Bois’s Two Versions on the Leadership of the African American Community in the 20th Century
Authors: Jucan Marius
Published: May 2013

Comparing two essays written by Du Bois at a great interval of time, “The Tenth Talented” (1903) and “The Hundredth Talented” or the “Guiding Hundredth” (1948), the author of this article intends to deal with Du Bois’s endeavor to cohere culturally and politically an answerable and duty-bound black leadership, and to acknowledge the different accents laid by the author of The Souls of Black Folk on culture and on politics. An accomplished essayist and journalist, a foremost militant for the cause of black emancipation, Du Bois strove to persuade both white and the black audience about the role of high culture, an idea which perfectly matched the towering ideals of Victorian culture, but ran counter to the rapid urbanization of America, and later on, to the times of the Great Depression. The utopian solving chosen by Du Bois in “The Hundredth Talented” mirrors the conflict between the political convictions of a great mind and American reality, as well as the winding course of intellectual ideas which brought black emancipation into life, only in the midst of the last century.
Identity and War in Michael Ondaatje’s
Authors: Enescu Anamaria
Published: May 2013

This paper addresses the issue of identity in relation to war through a close reading of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient. It investigates the connections between war and the construction of identity, focusing on aspects such as violence and death. In his novel Ondaatje uncovers private histories alongside the framing events of World War Two. Kip’s perception of war and his way of living through it suggest that the engagement on the world’s battlefield is riddled with inner conflicts separating people or bringing them together. In The English Patient what is at issue is the quest for a redefinition of the self: Hanna, Kirpal Singh and Almásy attempt to liberate the self through an investigation of the past. Thus, the novel problematizes the convolutions of human interaction zooming in on ideas of movement and metamorphosis as thematized in the war plot, functioning as the fundamental mechanisms that shape identity.
Character as a Vanishing Point in American Experimental Fiction
Authors: Karoui-Elounelli Salwa
Published: May 2013

My paper discusses the construction of character in some American experimental narratives within the optical paradigm of the vanishing point. In a first part the investment of the pictorial notion of the vanishing point in Faulkner’s Light in August will be discussed as an instance of the occasional confrontation in Modernist fiction of the limits of literary representation, even if the pictorial category is adapted (and so limited) to the specific issue of biracial identity. In a second part, William Gass’s short story “Mrs. Mean” and Paul Auster’s The Locked Room will be examined as instances of a sustained critical recasting of the very concept of character. The trope of the vanishing point is consciously deployed in both texts to reinvent fictional character within the challenging scope of borderlines between presence and absence, the life-like (mimetic) and the purely verbal.
Urban and Rural Narratives of Female Relocation in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Novels Queen of Dreams and The Mistress of Spices
Authors: Alexandru Maria-Sabina Draga
Published: May 2013

In today’s global world, the urban/ rural opposition is increasingly becoming a more relevant marker of the acculturation of foreigners whose adoption of national values is reflected by the spaces they inhabit. As they bring with them traditions related to the healing and balancing forces of the earth, immigrants prompt a reconsideration of the urban/ rural dichotomy in the metropolitan spaces they come to inhabit. Rural landscape in American culture has a long tradition of acting as a source of an alternative symbolic imaginary, responsible for boosting people’s feelings of patriotic commitment that are crucial to national integration. Diasporic American fiction has increasingly combined this tradition with symbolic magic and natural elements brought over from the “other” cultural backgrounds their authors come from. This paper aims to study the socio-political negotiations in a few instances of cultural translation within the urban/ rural dialectic in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novels The Mistress of Spices and Queen of Dreams. I will suggest that Divakaruni’s female protagonists work their initial experience of dislocation into a discourse of nature and the earth free from boundaries, based on a rejection of urban alienation and the discovery of the reconciliatory potential of America’s nature.
Aesthetic and Methodologic Resources of Ezra Pound’s Poetry
Authors: Gherasim Gabriel C.
Published: May 2013

The study of The Cantos, one of the most complex and difficult works belonging to literary modernism makes possible, precisely due to this observation, the exploration of a series of characteristics and dimensions of Pound’s work that have either remained in a programmatic stage or should be revisited more closely in order for their meanings to be discerned. ‘Analyticity’ and ‘scientism’ can be considered relevant characteristics of Pound’s work, with both aesthetic and methodologic meanings. The present study aims at investigating these two dimensions of Pound’s poetry as they appear in the second and the fourth decades of the 20th century. In conclusion the question is whether Pound’s analyticity and scientism could still be considered valuable from an aesthetic or methodologic point of view.
The Relevance of the Rotational Speed of Roadheader Cutting Heads According to the Energy Consumption of the Cutting Process / Znaczenie prędkości obrotowej głowic urabiających kombajnu chodnikowego ze względu na energochłonność procesu urabiania
Authors: Dolipski Marian , Cheluszka Piotr , Sobota Piotr
Published: May 2013

The article presents the outcomes of extensive computer investigations the purpose of which was to identify the impact of cutting heads’ rotational speed on the load applied on the cutting heads drive as well as on the efficiency and energy consumption of the cutting process. The investigations were performed based on a simulation of the rock cutting process within a wide range of rocks’ compressive strength with a roadheader transverse head equipped with 80 conical picks. Variations were taken into consideration in the rotational speed of the cutting heads and variations in the factors connected with the properties of the drives driving the cutting heads on the load condition of the cutting system and on the energy consumption of the cutting process.

The computer simulations carried out indicate that a reduction is possible in the energy consumption of cutting the rocks with low workability by decreasing the cutting heads’ rotational speed thus preventing also the excessive load on the cutting heads drive. Possibilities are presented along with a concept of the heads‘ automatic speed adjustment according to the power utilised in the cutting process.
The Relationship Between Rock Fracturing and Methane Inflow into the Drainage Holes on the Basis of Coal Mine Measurements / Relacja pomiędzy szczelinowatością górotworu a dopływem metanu do otworów odmetanowania na podstawie pomiarów kopalnianych”
Authors: Wierzbicki Mirosław
Published: May 2013

The present paper provides the results of measurements that were carried out in drainage holes in coal mines. The measurements involved determining the distribution of methane supplies into the holes in question, as hole as describing the variability of this parameter as a function of the hole’s depth. Another investigated parameter was the fracturing of the rock and its changes during exploitation. The equipment used was an vane probe anemometer and an infrared digital introscope video camera. The measurements - which were conducted in several active drainage boreholes (below depression), ahead of the working longwall - enabled the researchers to identify both the spots of methane release and changes to the fracturing of the rock in relation to the distance to the longwall. Additionally, the changeability of the methane supply was demonstrated, together with the deepening of the rock fracturing conditioned by the decreasing distance between the longwall and a drainage hole. The calculated coefficients of correlation between the parameters describing the fracturing and the extent of methane inflow into the holes (established to be 0.90-0.99) prove that the measured factors are strongly interrelated.
Selected Aspects of Numerical Modelling of the Salt Rock Mass: The Case of the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine / Wybrane aspekty modelowania numerycznego masywu solnego na przykładzie kopalni soli „wieliczka”
Authors: D’Obyrn Kajetan , Hydzik-Wiśniewska Joanna
Published: May 2013

Each excavation or excavation complex intended to be backfilled or secured requires an individual approach, and conducting a detailed geomechanical analysis which will allow the selection of the appropriate manner of securing or backfilling or liquidation, and the order of performing mining works. The numerical model of the selected chamber or group of chambers must accurately reflect the reality and have an appropriately selected calculation model.

The paper presents the selected aspects of numerical modelling of the “Wieliczka” salt rock mass. There are method of selection of geotechnical and rheological parameters of salt, the geometrization of the excavations continues and selection calculation model.
Long- and Short-Term Processes Indicated by the Displacement of the Chamber Roofs in the Monumental Wieliczka Salt Mine / Długo- i krótkotrwałe procesy sygnalizowane przemieszczeniami stropu komór w zabytkowej kopalni soli wieliczka
Authors: Kortas Grzegorz
Published: May 2013

This paper presents several processes that are characteristic for the salt rock mass, which have been found upon analysis of observations of the chamber roof displacements in the monumental Wieliczka Salt Mine. Those processes are revealed in different time frames and they range from short- to long-term ones. A regular long-term increase or decrease of creeping rate in the chamber roof is expressed by power function of time. It was found that an annual component of that process consists in the season cycle, marked by increased displacement rates in the summer and reduced ones in the winter. The seasonal changes in air humidity are the cause of those cycles. A rock slip cycle is observed in some chambers during several months. In those periods, we can identify displacements that happen when internal static and dynamic friction is overcome. In 2007-2009, single signals from large-area rock-mass movements were recorded in several chambers. They were probably associated with the change of geo-mechanical conditions in northern region of rock mass after a leak had been plugged in the cross-corridor Mina. The results of our analysis have revealed new cognitive components contributing to the description of rock behaviour in specific geological and mining conditions of Miocene salt deposits.
Rock Failure Analysis of the Broken Zone Around a Circular Opening / Analiza pęknięcia skały w strefie naruszonej wokół otworu kolistego
Authors: Lazemi Hossein Ali , Fatehi Marji Mohammad , Yarahmadi Bafghi Ali Reza , Goshtasbi Kamran
Published: May 2013

In this paper, considering the non-linear Hoek-Brown failure criterion, a new theoretical model is presented to predict the stress components and estimate the plastic zone radius around a circular tunnel. The tunnel is excavated in an elasto-plastic rock mass subjected to plane hydrostatic and axial in situ stresses. Effects of the axial in situ stress on the plastic zone radius and stress components are studied. Based on the combination of plane hydrostatic and axial in situ stresses with the equilibrium equation and a suitable failure criterion (Hoek & Brown failure criterion), several cases are considered. For each case, the stress components, the plastic zone radius and the necessary conditions for its occurrence are determined. The results obtained by the present method are compared with those using Mohr-Coulomb criterion and with the experimental data, illustrating the validity of the present model in predicting the failure zone radius.