bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practical Advice for Emergency IUD Contraception in Young Women
Authors: Goldstuck Norman D. , Wildemeersch Dirk
Published: July 2015

Too few women are aware of the very high efficacy of intrauterine copper devices (IUDs) to prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Women who frequently engage in unprotected intercourse or seek emergency contraception (EC) are at high risk of unplanned pregnancy and possible abortion. It is therefore important that these women receive precise and accurate information about intrauterine devices as they may benefit from using an IUD for EC as continuing contraception. Copper IUDs should be used as first choice options given their rapid onset of action and their long-term contraceptive action which require minimal thought or intervention on the part of the user. In the United States, there is only one copper IUD presently available which limits treatment options. There are numerous copper IUDs available for use in EC, however, their designs and size are not always optimal for use in nulliparous women or women with smaller or narrower uteruses. Utilization of frameless IUDs which do not require a larger transverse arm for uterine retention may have distinct advantages, particularly in young women, as they will be suitable for use in all women irrespective of uterine size. This paper provides practical information on EC use with emphasis on the use of the frameless IUD.
Prevalence of Primary Resistance of Helicobacter pylori to Clarithromycin and Levofloxacin in Southern Spain
Authors: Navarro-Jarabo José María , Fernández-Sánchez Fernando , Fernández-Moreno Nuria , Hervas-Molina Antonio José , Casado-Caballero Francisco , Puente-Gutierrez Juan Jesús , Pallares-Manrique Hector , Rodríguez-Ramos Claudio , Fernández-Gutierrez Clotilde , Pérez-Aisa Angeles , Rivas-Ruiz Francisco , Montiel Quezel-Guerraz Natalia
Published: July 2015

Background: The eradication of Helicobacter pylori (HP) using clarithromycin (CLA)-based triple therapy depends on the resistance of HP to antibiotics. The Maastricht III conference recommends the implementation of locoregional surveillance programmes for primary resistance of HP to CLA. In Andalusia, there are no previous data in this respect. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the primary resistance of HP to CLA and levofloxacin (LF) in southern Spain. Methods: Multicentre cross sectional study was carried out in 6 hospitals in Andalusia. Patients of both sexes numbering 401 were included (male 48%), aged 18-80 years and naïve to HP eradication. Resistance of HP to CLA (CLAr) and LF (LFr) was assessed by determining mutations by PCR: mutations of the 23S rRNA gene define CLAr and mutations of the gene gyrA define LFr. Four hundred one gastric samples were collected. CLAr was detected in 72 patients (17.9%) and LFr was detected in 56 patients (13.9%). Heteroresistance was detected for both antibiotics: CLA 37/72 (51.3%) and LF 28/56 (50%). Variability for CLAr was detected among the centres, ranging from 11.5% to 24.7% without statistical significance (p = 0.12). Female sex was related to CLAr. Conclusions: In Andalusia, there is a high rate of primary CLAr and LFr. CLA-based triple therapy should be avoided as the primary eradication regimen in this region. There is a wide variability in the rate of CLAr among centres.
Appropriateness of Repeating Helicobacter pylori Culture and Susceptibility Testing Following Failure of Individualized Antibiotic Therapy
Authors: Boltin Doron , Ben-Zvi Haim , Perets Tsachi Tsadok , Gingold-Belfer Rachel , Dickman Ram , Niv Yaron
Published: July 2015

Background: Current guidelines recommend direct Helicobacter pylori culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing following 2 failed eradication attempts. If this process is followed and yet subsequent treatment is unsuccessful, it is unclear whether susceptibility testing should be repeated. This is the first study to examine the appropriateness of repeated H. pylori culture and susceptibility testing following failure of individualized treatment. Methods: Between 2007 and 2014, consecutive patients who underwent at least 2 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies with H. pylori culture and susceptibility testing at our institution following several treatment failures were retrospectively identified. Antibiotic susceptibility was recorded and linked to demographic data. Results: A total of 68 cultures from 34 patients were included (12 (35.3%) men, 41.4 ± 16.6 years), and 20 (58.8%) cultures had a different antibiotic susceptibility profile on repeat testing (8 (23.5%) with new susceptibility and 13 (38.2%) with new resistance). Acquired resistance to clarithromycin, levofloxacin and metronidazole was observed in 9 (26.5%), 2 (5.9%) and 10 (29.4%) cultures, respectively. Subjects with resistance to ≤1 antibiotic at baseline were more likely to develop resistance to at least 1 antibiotic on subsequent culture, compared to subjects with resistance to ≥2 antibiotics at baseline (13 (100%) vs. 5 (23.8%), p < 0.01). Conclusion: Repeating H. pylori culture and susceptibility testing usually yields new antimicrobial susceptibility data. However, the clinical usefulness of this approach remains unclear.
The EP3 Agonist Sulprostone Enhances Platelet Adhesion But Not Thrombus Formation Under Flow Conditions
Authors: Pasterk Lisa , Philipose Sonia , Eller Kathrin , Marsche Gunther , Heinemann Akos , Schuligoi Rufina
Published: July 2015

Platelets express the EP2, EP3 and EP4 receptors. Prostaglandin (PG) E2 has a biphasic effect on platelets. Low concentrations of PGE2 enhance platelet aggregation through the activation of the EP3 receptors, while at high concentrations it attenuates aggregation via the EP4 receptor. Consequently, EP3 receptor inhibition was shown to inhibit artherothrombosis, but had no influence on bleeding time in vivo. In this study, we investigated the role of the EP3 receptor in adhesion and thrombus formation under flow conditions in vitro. The EP3 agonist sulprostone caused an increase in the adhesion of washed platelets to fibrinogen as well as to collagen under low shear stress, an effect that was blocked by the EP3 antagonist L-798106. In contrast, when whole blood was perfused over collagen-coated surfaces, sulprostone did not enhance binding and thrombus formation of platelets on collagen; at high concentrations it even attenuated this response. We conclude that in more physiological models of thrombus formation, the role for EP3 receptors is limited, indirectly suggesting that the primary action of PGE2 in haemostasis might be an inhibitory one.
Effect of Tri-Staple™ Technology and Slow Firing on Secure Stapling Using an Endoscopic Linear Stapler
Authors: Hasegawa Suguru , Nakayama Shinya , Hida Koya , Kawada Kenji , Sakai Yoshiharu
Published: July 2015

Aim: To evaluate the effect of Tri-staple™ technology and slow firing using the Endo-GIA™ endoscopic linear stapler. Methods: The cardiac and pyloric portions of porcine stomachs were divided using the endoscopic linear stapler with different reload types. A total of 8 min of waiting time was employed during firing in the slow-firing group and no waiting time was employed in the normal-firing group. The shape of the staples was then evaluated. The length of the staple line and serosal laceration was also determined. Results: There was a moderate negative correlation between tissue thickness and secure staple formation. Tri-staple™ reloads (purple, black) offered more secure staple formation compared with Universal green reload. Although slow firing enhanced secure staple formation, its effect was greater when using green reload, compared with Tri-staple™ reloads. Significantly shorter staple line length and longer serosal laceration was observed in the thick tissue. Although the cartridge type did not influence lengths of the staple line or serosal laceration, both were better in the slow-firing group. Conclusions: Tri-staple™ reloads offered more secure staple formation compared with the Universal reload. Although slow firing improved staple line shortening and serosal laceration, its effect on secure stapling was relatively small when using Tri-staple™ reloads.
Paraneoplastic Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Kim Moon Ho , Hwang Min Sik , Park Yoon Kyoo , Park Yerim , Ahn Yong Chel , Oh Ho-Suk , Ahn Heui-June
Published: July 2015

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is defined as an acute, autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy. It is a rare disease that occurs at a rate of 1.11 cases per 100,000 person-years. However, once infected, up to 20% of patients develop severe disability, and approximately 5% die. There have been reports of GBS in different cancers. Among them, there are 6 previous reports of GBS in small cell lung cancer. Here, we report a case of a 52-year-old man who was diagnosed with GBS in the setting of small cell lung cancer with chemotherapy.
Sperm Count Improvement in a Cancer-Surviving Patient
Authors: Pereira Maria Conceição , Vieira Margarida M. , Pereira Joana Simões
Published: July 2015

Objective: To describe the case of a cancer-surviving patient who was treated with an aromatase inhibitor for fertility reasons with successful results. Clinical Case: A 30-year-old patient from our institute who had been submitted to bone marrow transplantation in the past as part of treatment for Hodgkin's disease had revealed oligospermia several times. His sperm count mean value was 33,500 cells/ml. He was treated with an aromatase inhibitor (letrozole, 2 mg/day) for 8 months. After this period, his sperm count had increased significantly to 1,000,000 cells/ml. Conclusion: A large number of cancer survivors express a wish for having babies. After their cure, a lot of them have a low count of spermatozoids, and we think that our results show an easy way of helping them.
Easy Diagnosis of Aortic Invasion in Patients with Lung Cancer Using Cine Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Uramoto Hidetaka , Kinoshita Hiroyasu , Nakajima Yuki , Akiyama Hirohiko
Published: July 2015

Selecting the proper treatment strategy for locally advanced lung cancer, such as T4 tumors, is difficult. Therefore, obtaining an accurate diagnosis of T4 tumors is required. It can be difficult to determine whether the tumor invades adjacent structures. We describe the case of a patient easily diagnosed to be without aortic invasion using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We herein report the case of an 80-year-old male who presented a lung tumor. The transbronchial lung washing cytology findings were consistent with those of adenocarcinoma. In addition, the computed tomography findings indicated suspected aortic invasion of the lung tumor, as the mass girdled the descending aorta beyond 120° adjoining at a length of 10 cm. However, cine MRI display clearly demonstrated a clear area of isolation between the aorta and lung tissue based on differences in the heart rhythm from the patient's respiratory movements. Therefore, the lesion was clinically diagnosed as a stage IIB (T3N0M0) tumor. Radiation was administered due to the patient's advanced age and comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He remains alive without disease progression 6 months after the therapy. Our findings, therefore, indicate the usefulness of easily diagnosing the absence of aortic invasion in patients with lung cancer using cine MRI without the need for a special software program.
Disparity in Mortality From Rheumatic Heart Disease in Indigenous Australians
Authors: Colquhoun Samantha M. , Condon John R. , Steer Andrew C. , Li Shu Q. , Guthridge Steven , Carapetis Jonathan R.
Published: July 2015

Background

Recent estimates of the global burden of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) have highlighted the paucity of reliable RHD mortality data from populations most affected by RHD.

Methods and Results

We investigated RHD mortality rates and trends for Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory (NT) for the period 1977–2005 and seminationally (NT plus 4 other states, covering 89% of Indigenous Australians) from 1997 to 2005 using vital statistics data. All analysis was undertaken by Indigenous status, sex, and age at death. In the NT, 90% of all deaths from RHD were among Indigenous persons; however, the Indigenous population makes up only 30.4% of the NT population. The death rate ratio (Indigenous compared with non‐Indigenous) was 54.80 in the NT and 12.74 in the other 4 states (estimated at the median age of 50 years). Non‐Indigenous death rates were low for all age groups except ≥65 years, indicating RHD deaths in the elderly non‐Indigenous population. Death rates decreased at a more rapid rate for non‐Indigenous than Indigenous persons in the NT between 1997 and 2005. Indigenous persons in other parts of Australia showed lower death rates than their NT counterparts, but the death rates for Indigenous persons in all states were still much higher than rates for non‐Indigenous Australians.

Conclusions

Indigenous Australians are much more likely to die from RHD than other Australians. Among the Indigenous population, RHD mortality is much higher in the NT than elsewhere in Australia, exceeding levels reported in many industrialized countries more than a century ago. With the paucity of data from high‐prevalence areas, these data contribute substantially to understanding the global burden of RHD mortality.
Clinical Implications of Changes in Individual Platelet Reactivity to Aspirin Over Time in Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Kim Joon-Tae , Heo Suk-Hee , Choi Kang-Ho , Nam Tai-Seung , Choi Seong-Min , Lee Seung-Han , Park Man-Seok , Kim Byeong C. , Kim Myeong-Kyu , Saver Jeffrey L. , Cho Ki-Hyun
Published: July 2015

Background and Purpose—

Time-dependent changes in individual platelet reactivity have been detected in patients with coronary artery disease. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the time-dependent changes in platelet reactivity to aspirin during the acute stage after ischemic stroke and the clinical implications of variable patient responses to aspirin in acute ischemic stroke.

Methods—

We conducted a single-center, prospective, observational study. The acute aspirin reaction unit (ARU) was measured after 3 hours of aspirin loading, with higher values indicating increased platelet reactivity despite aspirin therapy. The follow-up ARU was measured on the fifth day of consecutive aspirin intake. The numeric difference between the follow-up ARU and the acute ARU was defined as ΔARU and was stratified into quartiles. Early neurological deterioration was regarded as an early clinical outcome.

Results—

Both the acute ARU (476±69 IU) and the follow-up ARU (451±68 IU) were measured in 349 patients in this study. Early neurological deterioration was observed in 72 patients (20.6%). Changes in aspirin platelet reactivity over time showed an approximately Gaussian distribution. The highest ΔARU quartile was independently associated with early neurological deterioration (odds ratio, 3.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.43–7.10;
P
=0.005) by multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Conclusions—

The results of our study showed that the increase in platelet reactivity to aspirin over time is independently associated with early neurological deterioration in patients with acute ischemic stroke. In addition, during the acute stage of ischemic stroke, serial platelet reactivity assays may be more useful than a single assay for identifying the clinical implications of aspirin platelet reactivity after ischemic stroke.
A Climatology of the Precipitation over the Southern Ocean as Observed at Macquarie Island
Authors: Wang Zhan , Siems Steven T. , Belusic Danijel , Manton Michael J. , Huang Yi
Published: July 2015

Macquarie Island (54.50°S, 158.94°E) is an isolated island with modest orography in the midst of the Southern Ocean with precipitation records dating back to 1948. These records (referred to as MAC) are of particular interest because of the relatively large biases in the energy and water budgets commonly found in climate simulations and reanalysis products over the region. A basic climatology of the surface precipitation P is presented and compared with the ERA-Interim (ERA-I) reanalysis. The annual ERA-I precipitation (953 mm) is found to underestimate the annual MAC precipitation (1023 mm) by 6.8% from 1979 to 2011. The frequency of 3-h surface precipitation at MAC is 36.4% from 2003 to 2011. Light precipitation (0.066 ≤ P < 0.5 mm h−1) dominates this dataset (29.7%), and heavy precipitation (P ≥ 1.5 mm h−1) is rare (1.1%). Drizzle (0 < P < 0.066 mm h−1) is commonly produced by ERA-I (43.9%) but is weaker than the detectable threshold of MAC. Warm rain intensity and frequency from CloudSat products were compared with those from MAC. These CloudSat products also recorded considerable drizzle (16%–30%) but were not significantly different from MAC when P ≥ 0.5 mm h−1. Heavy precipitation events were, in general, more commonly associated with fronts and cyclonic lows. Some heavy precipitation events were found to arise from weaker fronts and lows that were not adequately represented in the reanalysis products. Yet other heavy precipitation events were observed at points/times not associated with either fronts or cyclonic lows. Two case studies are employed to further examine this finding.
Sea Surface Temperature Warming Patterns and Future Vegetation Change
Authors: Rauscher Sara A. , Jiang Xiaoyan , Steiner Allison , Williams A. Park , Cai D. Michael , McDowell Nathan G.
Published: July 2015

Recent modeling studies of future vegetation change suggest the potential for large-scale forest die-off in the tropics. Taken together with observational evidence of increasing tree mortality in numerous ecosystem types, there is clearly a need for projections of vegetation change. To that end, the authors have performed an ensemble of climate–vegetation experiments with the National Science Foundation–DOE Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) coupled to the Community Land Model (CAM–CLM-CN) with its dynamic vegetation model enabled (CAM–CLM-CNDV). To overcome the limitations of using a single model, the authors employ the sea surface temperature (SST) warming patterns simulated by eight different models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Program phase 3 (CMIP3) as boundary conditions. Since the SST warming pattern in part dictates how precipitation may change in the future, in this way a range of future vegetation–climate trajectories can be produced.

On an annual average basis, this study’s CAM–CLM-CN simulations do not produce as large a spread in projected precipitation as the original CMIP3 archive. These differences are due to the tendency of CAM–CLM-CN to increase tropical precipitation under a global warming scenario, although this response is modulated by the SST warming patterns imposed. However, the CAM–CLM-CN simulations reproduce the enhanced dry season in the tropics simulated by CMIP3. These simulations show longer fire seasons and increases in fractional area burned. In one ensemble member, extreme droughts over tropical South America lead to fires that remove vegetation cover in the eastern Amazon, suggesting that large-scale die-offs are an unlikely but still possible event.
Global Projections of Intense Tropical Cyclone Activity for the Late Twenty-First Century from Dynamical Downscaling of CMIP5/RCP4.5 Scenarios
Authors: Knutson Thomas R. , Sirutis Joseph J. , Zhao Ming , Tuleya Robert E. , Bender Morris , Vecchi Gabriel A. , Villarini Gabriele , Chavas Daniel
Published: July 2015

Global projections of intense tropical cyclone activity are derived from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) High Resolution Atmospheric Model (HiRAM; 50-km grid) and the GFDL hurricane model using a two-stage downscaling procedure. First, tropical cyclone genesis is simulated globally using HiRAM. Each storm is then downscaled into the GFDL hurricane model, with horizontal grid spacing near the storm of 6 km, including ocean coupling (e.g., “cold wake” generation). Simulations are performed using observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) (1980–2008) for a “control run” with 20 repeating seasonal cycles and for a late-twenty-first-century projection using an altered SST seasonal cycle obtained from a phase 5 of CMIP (CMIP5)/representative concentration pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) multimodel ensemble. In general agreement with most previous studies, projections with this framework indicate fewer tropical cyclones globally in a warmer late-twenty-first-century climate, but also an increase in average cyclone intensity, precipitation rates, and the number and occurrence days of very intense category 4 and 5 storms. While these changes are apparent in the globally averaged tropical cyclone statistics, they are not necessarily present in each individual basin. The interbasin variation of changes in most of the tropical cyclone metrics examined is directly correlated to the variation in magnitude of SST increases between the basins. Finally, the framework is shown to be capable of reproducing both the observed global distribution of outer storm size—albeit with a slight high bias—and its interbasin variability. Projected median size is found to remain nearly constant globally, with increases in most basins offset by decreases in the northwest Pacific.
Increased Variability in the Early Winter Subarctic North American Atmospheric Circulation*
Authors: Overland James E. , Wang Muyin
Published: July 2015

The last decade shows increased variability in the Arctic Oscillation (AO) index for December. Over eastern North America such increased variability depended on amplification of the climatological longwave atmospheric circulation pattern. Recent negative magnitudes of the AO have increased geopotential thickness west of Greenland and cold weather in the central and eastern United States. Although the increased variance in the AO is statistically significant based on 9-yr running standard deviations from 1950 to 2014, one cannot necessarily robustly attribute the increase to steady changes in external sources (sea temperatures, sea ice) rather than a chaotic view of internal atmospheric variability; this is due to a relatively short record and a review of associated atmospheric dynamics. Although chaotic internal variability dominates the dynamics of atmospheric circulation, Arctic thermodynamic influence can reinforce the regional geopotential height pattern. Such reinforcement suggests a conditional or state dependence on whether an Arctic influence will impact subarctic severe weather, based on different circulation regimes. A key conclusion is the importance of recent variability over potential trends in Arctic and subarctic atmospheric circulation. Continued thermodynamic Arctic changes are suggested as a Bayesian prior leading to a probabilistic approach for potential subarctic weather linkages and the potential for improving seasonal forecasts.
Effects of the Asymmetry between Surface and Interior Flow on the Dynamics of a Thermohaline Loop
Authors: Pollmann Friederike , Roquet Fabien , Madec Gurvan
Published: July 2015

Large-scale overturning cells in the ocean typically combine an essentially horizontal surface branch and an interior branch below, where the circulation spans both horizontal and vertical scales. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of this asymmetry between the two branches by “folding” a one-dimensional thermohaline loop, such that its lower part remains vertical while its upper part is folded down into the horizontal plane. It is found that both the transitory response and the distribution of thermohaline properties are modified significantly when the loop is folded. In some cases, velocity oscillations are induced during the spinup that were not seen in the unfolded case. This is because a circular loop allows for compensations between the density torques produced above and below the heat forcing level, while such compensations are not possible in the folded loop because of the horizontal direction of the surface circulation. Furthermore, the dynamical effects associated with nonlinearities of the equation of state are significantly altered by the folding. Cabbeling tends to decelerate the flow in the folded loop, instead of accelerating it as in the circular case, and can also act to dampen velocity oscillations. Thermobaricity also alters the loop circulation, although comparatively less.
A Balloonborne Particle Size, Imaging, and Velocity Probe for in Situ Microphysical Measurements
Authors: Waugh Sean M. , Ziegler Conrad L. , MacGorman Donald R. , Fredrickson Sherman E. , Kennedy Doug W. , Rust W. David
Published: July 2015

A balloonborne instrument known as the Particle Size, Image, and Velocity (PASIV) probe has been developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory to provide in situ microphysical measurements in storms. These observations represent a critical need of microphysics observations for use in lightning studies, cloud microphysics simulations, and dual-polarization radar validation. The instrument weighs approximately 2.72 kg and consists of a high-definition (HD) video camera, a camera viewing chamber, and a modified Particle Size and Velocity (Parsivel) laser disdrometer mounted above the camera viewing chamber. Precipitation particles fall through the Parsivel sampling area and then into the camera viewing chamber, effectively allowing both devices to sample the same particles. The data are collected on board for analysis after retrieval. Taken together, these two instruments are capable of providing a vertical profile of the size, shape, velocity, orientation, and composition of particles along the balloon path within severe weather.

The PASIV probe has been deployed across several types of weather environments, including thunderstorms, supercells, and winter storms. Initial results from two cases in the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry Experiment are shown that demonstrate the ability of the instrument to obtain high-spatiotemporal- resolution observations of the particle size distributions within convection.
Is Diversity Detrimental? Ethnic Fractionalization, Public Goods Provision, and the Historical Legacies of Stateness
Authors: Wimmer Andreas
Published: July 2015

Existing research has shown that highly diverse countries tend to provide less public goods. This article argues, by contrast, that the relationship is spurious: both contemporary ethnic heterogeneity and low public goods provision represent legacies of a weakly developed state capacity inherited from the past. Classical theories of state formation are then tested to show that favorable topography and climate, high population densities, as well as a history of warfare are conducive to state formation. Using an instrumental variable approach, I show that previous ethnic diversity is not consistently an impediment to the formation of indigenous states and thus to contemporary public goods provision. Empirically, this article uses three different measurements of public goods provision and data on pre-colonial levels of state formation in Asia and Africa to test these various hypotheses.
The Domestic Political Conditions for International Economic Expansion
Authors: Luong Pauline Jones , Sierra Jazmín
Published: July 2015

The internationalization of emerging country national oil companies (NOCs) is one of the most surprising manifestations of state capitalism’s resurgence at the end of the 20th century. Existing research argues that structural changes at the international level and economic advantages at the domestic level created a uniform capacity across NOCs to internationalize in the 2000s. Yet, there is significant variation in the degree to which NOCs have expanded abroad. We argue that this cross-national variation is a product of two domestic political conditions: (a) whether the NOC emerged through a consensual or conflictual nationalization process and (b) whether NOC managers’ and the government’s interests regarding internationalization converged. We demonstrate our argument’s plausibility with three in-depth case studies—Brazil’s Petrobras, Mexico’s Pemex, and Venezuela’s PdVSA—and use three shadow cases—Columbia’s Ecopetrol, Malaysia’s Petronas, and Indonesia’s Pertamina—to explore its broader applicability.
The impact of housing non-cash income on the household income distribution in Austria
Authors: Fessler Pirmin , Rehm Miriam , Tockner Lukas
Published: July 2015

We estimate non-cash income from owner-occupied housing, subsidised rental housing, and free use of the main residence, and evaluate their impact on the household income distribution and selected inequality measures. We use a novel data set that provides inter-subjective information on housing quality, thus eschewing selection problems. We confirm the standard finding in the literature that imputed rents accruing to home owners have an equalising effect on the distribution of income and find similar evidence for non-cash income from subsidised rents. Whereas imputed rents equalise the upper part of the income distribution, subsidised housing has an equalising effect on the lower part of the income distribution. Overall, the effect of non-cash income from owner-occupied housing clearly dominates the distributional effects, which translates into a combined effect of around 13% higher equivalised household income for the bottom half and around 8% for the upper half of the distribution. Our data provide us with two rare opportunities: to distinguish between council and cooperative housing, and to apply all three approaches used to calculate imputed rents for owner-occupiers: the capital-, the self-assessment and the equivalent rent approach. We find that using the equivalent rent approach leads to the strongest reduction in income inequality. This suggests that, while the inequality reducing effects of imputed rents are robust, they might be overestimated in the literature.
What Is Supportive About Supportive Conversation? Qualities of Interaction That Predict Emotional and Physiological Outcomes
Authors: Priem Jennifer S. , Solomon Denise Haunani
Published: July 2015

This study assessed how qualities of supportive interactions, operationalized from the perspectives of the support receiver and third-party observers, predict emotional improvement and cortisol recovery following a stressful experience. Participants ( N = 103) conversed with a dating partner after completing a series of stressful tasks; partners engaged in either neutral listening or supportive communication. Participants reported their perceptions of the interaction and their emotional improvement, and provided salivary cortisol samples that indexed changes in stress. Trained third-party observers rated the interactions for supportive qualities. Individually, participants’ perceptions of support explicitness, elaboration, and involvement were positively correlated with emotional improvement, but participants’ perceptions of support explicitness and elaboration were associated with slower, rather than faster, cortisol recovery. When study variables were assessed as a set, participants’ perceptions of explicitness of support were associated with greater emotional improvement and third-party ratings of explicitness of support predicted faster cortisol recovery.
Adaptive consensus algorithms for heterogeneous first-order multi-agent systems with diverse nominal velocities
Authors: Liu Cheng-Lin , Liu Fei
Published: July 2015

The consensus problem of heterogeneous first-order multi-agent systems with diverse nominal velocities is investigated in this paper, and three adaptive consensus algorithms are constructed by introducing an adaptive variable into the usual consensus algorithm. Under fixed interconnection topology, consensus criteria are obtained for the three algorithms. Moreover, delay-dependent consensus criteria are also presented for the three algorithms in synchronously coupled form under identical input delay and communication delay. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the validity of our theoretical results.
Adaptive consensus tracking for linear multi-agent systems with input saturation
Authors: Chu Hongjun , Zhang Weidong
Published: July 2015

This paper addresses the consensus protocol design problem for linear multi-agent systems with input saturation. Existing consensus protocols usually contain certain global information, such as network size or the spectrum of the Laplacian matrix, and this global knowledge is often unavailable to all agents. In this paper, based on only the agent dynamics and the relative states of neighbouring agents, a novel adaptive consensus protocol is designed by assigning a time-varying coupling weight to each node. This protocol has two advantages: it is independent of any global information, and hence is fully distributed; and it is implemented by actuators with input saturation constraints. By combining the low-gain feedback method and appropriate Lyapunov techniques, it is shown that our protocol can achieve the semi-global consensus tracking in a fully distributed fashion, under the mild assumptions on agent dynamics and the topology graph. The results are illustrated by numerical simulations
Modelling and control of non-linear tissue compression and heating using an LQG controller for automation in robotic surgery
Authors: Li Baichun , Sinha Utkarsh , Sankaranarayanan Ganesh
Published: July 2015

Robot-assisted surgery is being widely used as an effective approach to improve the performance of surgical procedures. Autonomous control of surgical robots is essential for tele-surgery with time delay and increased patient safety. In order to improve safety and reliability of the surgical procedure of tissue compression and heating, a control strategy for simultaneously automating the surgical task is presented in this paper. First, the electrosurgical procedure such as vessel closure that involves tissue compression and heating has been modelled with a multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) non-linear system for automation simultaneous. After linearizing the models, the linear-quadratic Gaussian (LQG) is used to control the tissue compression process and tissue heating process, and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to choose the optimal weighting matrices for the LQG controllers according to the desired controlling accuracy. The LQG controllers with optimal weights were able to track both the tissue compression and temperature references in finite time horizon and with minimal error (tissue compression – the max absolute error was [Formula: see text] m and temperature – the max absolute error is 0.4561°C). Compared with a LQG controller with weighting matrices chosen by trial and error, a PSO-based optimized controller provided the least error and faster convergence. We have developed a control framework for simultaneously automating the surgical tasks of tissue compression and heating in robotic surgery, and modelled the automation of electrosurgical task using LQG controller with optimal weighting matrix obtained using a PSO algorithm.
Immmunophenotype of Spontaneous Hematolymphoid Tumors Occurring in Young and Aging Female CD-1 Mice
Authors: Rehg Jerold E. , Rahija Richard , Bush Dorothy , Bradley Alys , Ward Jerrold M.
Published: July 2015

A few reports indicated the incidence of hematolymphoid neoplasms in old CD-1 mice, but the cellular lineage of CD-1 mouse neoplasms has not been published. In this study, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to characterize the cellular lineage of spontaneous hematolymphoid neoplasms arising in 24 young female CD-1 mice used as health-monitoring sentinels and 32 aging female CD-1 mice used as controls in 80-week carcinogenesis studies. Lymphoblastic lymphomas of T-cell and B-cell lineage were common in mice aged 12 months or less, whereas a wide range of non-lymphoblastic B-cell lymphomas and lymphoblastic B-cell lymphomas were common in mice >12-mo-old. Renal hyaline droplets positive for lysozyme were observed in aged mice with a histiocytic-associated large B-cell lymphoma (HA-BCL) and a myeloid leukemia. Endogenous ecotropic mouse leukemia virus ( MuLV) genes have been recovered from CD-1 mice, but MuLV protein expression has not been previously demonstrated. We reported for the first time the expression of a MuLV protein p30 by IHC in lymphomas and some normal tissues of both young and aging CD-1 mice. This report should help to differentiate spontaneous lymphomas and leukemias in CD-1 mice from those induced by chemicals and other methods.
Towards the future: Teachers’ vision of professional development in the arts
Authors: Andrews B. W.
Published: July 2015

Teachers enrolled in a professional development program involving artists on site at cultural institutions participated in a study in which they expressed their views on upgrading in the arts. Findings indicate that they were influenced in their own schooling by passionate teachers who conveyed the importance of the arts. Their progress was impeded by a self-perception of their own limited artistic ability. Community experiences, such as private lessons and amateur productions, played a more significant role in their development. The ideal scenario for their personal and professional development in the arts is an environment where discipline-based and integrative curricular activities are offered, and both the creative process and the creative product are valued. Lack of personal expertise, limited professional development opportunities, and inadequate funding are obstacles that can be overcome by teacher commitment to upgrading in the arts, a range of arts courses offered by education faculties, and involvement by arts stakeholders in program design and delivery, respectively.
Women’s headscarves in news photographs: A comparison between the secular and Islamic press during the AKP government in Turkey
Authors: Özcan Esra
Published: July 2015

This article compares the visual representations of the female headscarf in Islamic and secular newspapers in Turkey during the 10-year rule of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP)). This study is based on a content analysis of all visuals from three election periods (November 2002, July 2007 and June 2011) and two neutral time frames outside of the elections (August 2002 and August 2012). It also includes a qualitative analysis of the news articles that showed pictures of successful women wearing headscarves. The results show that the number of women wearing headscarves increased in both Islamic and secular newspapers between 2002 and 2012. The increase is not only more prominent in Islamic newspapers but the valence attached to headscarves and to the women wearing them is also qualitatively different. This article argues that the Islamic newspapers have created an image of a new ideal conservative woman that ignores the worsening conditions for women in general and AKP’s increasingly restrictive gender politics specifically.
Reliability of the Thoratec HeartMate II flow measurements and alarms in the presence of reduced or non-existent flow
Authors: Hall Seana G , Gardner Kayla , Larson Douglas F , Smith Richard
Published: July 2015

Introduction: The Thoratec Corporation has over 10,000 patients registered as recipients of the HeartMate II left ventricular assist device (LVAD) worldwide. Although it has undoubtedly prolonged the lifespan of heart failure patients, the most recognized risk associated with these devices is the development of thrombus. In the presence of a small or developing clot, the HeartMate II display module and system monitor indicate that there is a decrease in pump flow, adjusts its pump power and is accompanied by audible and visual alarms when flow rates drop below a fixed threshold established by Thoratec. In contrast, when thrombus completely inhibits flow through the device, the display module and system monitor have failed in previous case studies to indicate that flow has reduced to zero and do not produce any corresponding alarms. Methods: To test the efficacy of the HeartMate II alarms, a cardiovascular simulation tank was used to reproduce the hemodynamics of a typical heart failure patient. The hemodynamics were then improved by the addition of the HeartMate II LVAD and different partial and complete occlusions were applied to the inlet and outlet of the HeartMate II pump. Conclusions: Partially occluding the inflow and/or outflow of the HeartMate II did display changes in flow and presented with alarms when flow was estimated to be below 2.5 L/min; however, complete occlusion of the inflow and/or outflow failed to produce any alarms or accurately measured changes in flow.
Does the Program Manager Matter? New Public Management and Defense Acquisition
Authors: Eckerd Adam , Snider Keith
Published: July 2015

Past efforts to reform defense acquisition have been based in New Public Management assumptions that certain attributes of program managers (PMs), such as their training and experience levels, are important for improving outcomes. This article documents an effort to examine the relationship between such PM attributes and program outcomes using data drawn from annual Department of Defense Selected Acquisition Reports for major defense acquisition programs between 1997 and 2010. The findings provide little support for these assumptions. They point instead to the potential for institutionalist theories to explain acquisition outcomes, which can enable more nuanced reform policies in the future.
A case study of teaching and learning strategies in an orchestral composition masterclass
Authors: Love Karlin G. , Barrett Margaret S.
Published: July 2015

Over recent decades music composition has occupied an increasingly prominent place in international school music curricula with a consequent expansion of opportunities for students and of research into classroom-based composition learning and teaching. Concurrently, creativity researchers have investigated the lives and work of past and living eminent composers. This study of an orchestral composers’ school sits in the gap between research into school-age students’ composition and studies of eminent composers. For non-neophyte, but not yet expert, students, the professional workshop offers a prime space for learning. Drawing on expertise theory, this case study examines practices of expert composers working with advanced composer-students in an orchestral workshop environment. Observation and interview methods were used during and after the workshop to gain insight into outward manifestations of teaching and learning and into longer-term perceptions and reflections. This article focuses on one setting: a masterclass in which expert composers and students discussed issues emerging from the first rehearsal of students’ works. Findings suggest that, in this setting, teaching and learning strategies are characterized by modeling expert thinking, problem-finding, and sharing possibilities deemed promising based on experts’ accumulated experience. By sharing from their more extensive experience, expert composers led students to consider additional dimensions in compositional decision-making, extending students’ understandings of composing for orchestra to include not only nuanced technique, but also more insightful perceptions of professional orchestral culture.
Concealing Communities Within the Crowd
Authors: Askay David A. , Gossett Loril
Published: July 2015

This study investigates organizational identity and member identification in a hidden organization operating within a crowd-based collective. Specifically, it draws from Scott’s hidden organization framework to examine the role of the Yelp Elite Squad, an invitation-only organization that receives access to free monthly parties and other rewards organized by a local employee of Yelp. Analyses of qualitative interviews and participant observation indicate that through limited information, restricted channels of communication, and framing participation as “community,” Yelp is able to conceal the Elite Squad organizational identity from both the public as well as members of the Elite Squad. Further analysis reveals tensions emerging from expressing and suppressing organizational identification among members of the Elite Squad. Finally, Yelp is shown to broker (in)visibilities of the Elite Squad with local businesses to create value for the organization.
Preparation and optical properties of poly(arylene ether ketone) nanocomposites containing cadmium sulfide nanoparticles
Authors: Hu Xiyu , Du Jiahui , Mu Yongfeng , Hu Chuhui , Zhang Shuling , Jiang Zhenhua
Published: July 2015

Polymer nanocomposites are usually synthesized by incorporating dried nanoparticles into polymer matrices. This method often leads to aggregation of nanoparticles. In this study, a series of novel poly(arylene ether ketone) (PAEK) nanocomposites containing cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method with carboxylic-functionalized PAEK (ACA-PAEK) as ligand. The optical characterization of the nanocomposites were carried out using ultraviolet (UV)–visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies, the morphological properties using transmission electron microscopy, and the thermal properties had using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The analyses had shown that CdS quantum dots with diameter of about 4 nm could be synthesized by such route, and the nanocomposites exhibited not only good light emission in the UV range but also excellent heat resistance. In general, a new CdS/ACA-PAEK nanohybrid was synthesized without ligand exchange and had good optical properties and excellent heat resistance.
Urbanization, Extreme Events, and Health
Authors: Siri José Gabriel , Newell Barry , Proust Katrina , Capon Anthony
Published: July 2015

Extreme events, both natural and anthropogenic, increasingly affect cities in terms of economic losses and impacts on health and well-being. Most people now live in cities, and Asian cities, in particular, are experiencing growth on unprecedented scales. Meanwhile, the economic and health consequences of climate-related events are worsening, a trend projected to continue. Urbanization, climate change and other geophysical and social forces interact with urban systems in ways that give rise to complex and in many cases synergistic relationships. Such effects may be mediated by location, scale, density, or connectivity, and also involve feedbacks and cascading outcomes. In this context, traditional, siloed, reductionist approaches to understanding and dealing with extreme events are unlikely to be adequate. Systems approaches to mitigation, management and response for extreme events offer a more effective way forward. Well-managed urban systems can decrease risk and increase resilience in the face of such events.
Natural Medicine
Authors: Dietrich Zachary Clayborne , Joye Shauna Wilson , Garcia Joseph Amos
Published: July 2015

Wilderness Experience Programs (WEPs) have been shown to enhance psychological well-being for numerous populations. However, among veteran populations, these studies have historically evaluated programs that are short-term experiences, usually less than 1 week. The current research sought to evaluate a WEP for post-9/11 combat veterans engaging in a 6-month long-distance thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Narratives were analyzed using grounded theory qualitative data analyses, and four themes were revealed: Social Reconnection, Life-Improving Change, Inner Peace and Psychological Healing, and Processing and Reflection.
An unusual cause of subacromial impingement after traumatic intrathoracic displacement of the scapula
Authors: Qadir Omar , Jaiswal Anuj , McClelland Damian
Published: July 2015

Intrathoracic displacement of the scapula is a rare injury, with only five cases reported in the literature. They usually occur following high-energy accidents, often involving a motor vehicle. We report a case of a 50-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of subacromial impingement 31 years ago after a road traffic accident, which resulted in multiple fractures and malunion of the fourth and fifth ribs posteriorly; this incident resulted in displacement of the inferior tip of the scapula between the malunited ribs. Scapula-thoracic dyskinesis as a result of this injury led to symptoms of subacromial impingement.