bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Backwardation in Oil Futures Markets: Theory and Empirical Evidence
Authors: LITZENBERGER ROBERT H. , RABINOWITZ NIR
Published: April 2012

Oil futures prices are often below spot prices. This phenomenon, known as strong backwardation, is inconsistent with Hotelling's theory under certainty that the net price of an exhaustible resource rises over time at the rate of interest. We introduce uncertainty and characterize oil wells as call options. We show that (1) production occurs only if discounted futures are below spot prices, (2) production is non‐increasing in the riskiness of future prices, and (3) strong backwardation emerges if the riskiness of future prices is sufficiently high. The empirical analysis indicates that U.S. oil production is inversely related and backwardation is directly related to implied volatility.
Idiosyncratic Variation of Treasury Bill Yields
Authors: DUFFEE GREGORY R.
Published: April 2012

I document a dramatic increase in the importance of two types of variation in Treasury bill yields beginning in the early 1980s. The first is idiosyncratic variation in individual short‐maturity (less than three months) bill yields. The second is a common component in Treasury bill yields that is not shared by yields on other instruments, such as short‐maturity privately‐issued instruments or longer‐maturity Treasury notes and bonds. Some evidence suggests the first type reflects increased market segmentation. These results have important implications for the calibration and testing of no‐arbitrage term structure models and interpreting tests of the expectations hypothesis.
Another Puzzle: The Growth in Actively Managed Mutual Funds
Authors: GRUBER MARTIN J.
Published: April 2012

Mutual funds represent one of the fastest growing type of financial intermediary in the American economy. The question remains as to why mutual funds and in particular actively managed mutual funds have grown so fast, when their performance on average has been inferior to that of index funds. One possible explanation of why investors buy actively managed open end funds lies in the fact that they are bought and sold at net asset value, and thus management ability may not be priced. If management ability exists and it is not included in the price of open end funds, then performance should be predictable. If performance is predictable and at least some investors are aware of this, then cash flows into and out of funds should be predictable by the very same metrics that predict performance. Finally, if predictors exist and at least some investors act on these predictors in investing in mutual funds, the return on new cash flows should be better than the average return for all investors in these funds. This article presents empirical evidence on all of these issues and shows that investors in actively managed mutual funds may have been more rational than we have assumed.
Cream‐Skimming or Profit‐Sharing? The Curious Role of Purchased Order Flow
Authors: EASLEY DAVID , KIEFER NICHOLAS M. , O'HARA MAUREEN
Published: April 2012

Purchased order flow refers to the practice of dealers or trading locales paying brokers for retail order flow. It is alleged that such agreements are used to “cream skim” uninformed liquidity trades, leaving the information‐based trades to established markets. We develop a test of this hypothesis, using a model of the stochastic process of trades. We then estimate the model for a sample of stocks known to be used in order purchase agreements that trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Cincinnati Stock Exchange. Our main empirical result is that there is a significant difference in the information content of orders executed in New York and Cincinnati, and that this difference is consistant with cream‐skimming.
Why Do Markets Move Together? An Investigation of U.S.‐Japan Stock Return Comovements
Authors: KAROLYI G. ANDREW , STULZ RENÉ M.
Published: April 2012

This article explores the fundamental factors that affect cross‐country stock return correlations. Using transactions data from 1988 to 1992, we construct overnight and intraday returns for a portfolio of Japanese stocks using their NYSE‐traded American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and a matched‐sample portfolio of U. S. stocks. We find that U. S. macroeconomic announcements, shocks to the Yen/Dollar foreign exchange rate and Treasury bill returns, and industry effects have no measurable influence on U.S. and Japanese return correlations. However, large shocks to broad‐based market indices (Nikkei Stock Average and Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index) positively impact both the magnitude and persistence of the return correlations.
Impact of the 1988 Basle Accord on International Banks
Authors: WAGSTER JOHN D.
Published: April 2012

The ostensible purpose of the Basle Accord was to standardize bank‐capital regulations among the twelve leading industrial countries. Its ulterior goal was to “level the playing field” by eliminating a funding‐cost advantage of Japanese banks that had allowed them to capture more than one‐third of international lending. The wealth gain for Japanese bank shareholders was 31.63 percent. Wealth effects for shareholders of non‐Japanese banks were not significant. These results suggest that the Basle Accord did not eliminate the pricing advantage of Japanese banks, challenging the non‐Japanese regulators' contention that the regulation would help level the playing field.
Equilibrium Analysis of Portfolio Insurance
Authors: GROSSMAN SANFORD J. , ZHOU ZHONGQUAN
Published: April 2012

A martingale approach is used to characterize general equilibrium in the presence of portfolio insurance. Insurers sell to noninsurers in bad states, and general equilibrium requires that the risk premium rises to induce noninsurers to increase their holdings. We show that portfolio insurance increases price volatility, causes mean reversion in asset returns, raises the Sharpe ratio and volatility in bad states, and causes volatility to be correlated with volume. We also explain why out‐of‐the‐money S&P 500 put options trade at a higher volatility than do in‐the‐money puts.
Relative Pricing of Eurodollar Futures and Forward Contracts
Authors: GRINBLATT MARK , JEGADEESH NARASIMHAN
Published: April 2012

Past research explains observed spreads between futures and forward Eurodollar yields as being due to the futures contract's mark‐to‐market feature. We derive closed form solutions for this yield spread and show that, theoretically, it should be small. Also, differences in liquidity, taxation, and default risk cannot account for the large spreads observed. We also present evidence that the spreads, which are nonnegligible primarily in the first half of the sample period, are likely to be attributable to the mispricing of futures contracts relative to the forward rates and that the mispricing was gradually eliminated over time.
Noise Trading in Small Markets
Authors: PALOMINO FRÉDÉRIC
Published: April 2012

Considering noise traders as agents with unpredictable beliefs, we show that in an imperfectly competitive market with risk averse investors, noise traders may earn higher expected utility than rational investors. This happens when, by deviating from the Nash equilibrium strategy, noise traders hurt rational investors more than themselves. It follows that the willingness of arbitrageurs to exploit noise traders' misperceptions is lower relative to a perfectly competitive economy. This result reinforces the theory that noise trading may explain closed‐end fund discounts and small firms' returns, since these markets are less competitive than the market for large firms' stock.
Is There a Window of Opportunity for Seasoned Equity Issuance?
Authors: BAYLESS MARK , CHAPLINSKY SUSAN
Published: April 2012

The aggregate volume of equity issues is used to search for periods when seasoned equity capital can be raised at favorable terms. We find that the price reaction to equity issue announcements in high equity issue volume (HOT) periods is approximately 200 basis points lower on average than in low equity issue volume (COLD) periods. The lower price reaction in hot markets is economically important and is independent of the macroeconomic characteristics of hot and cold markets. The evidence supports the existence of windows of opportunity for equity issues that result at least partially from reduced levels of asymmetric information.
General Properties of Option Prices
Authors: BERGMAN YAACOV Z. , GRUNDY BRUCE D. , WIENER ZVI
Published: April 2012

When the underlying price process is a one‐dimensional diffusion, as well as in certain restricted stochastic volatility settings, a contingent claim's delta is bounded by the infimum and supremum of its delta at maturity. Further, if the claim's payoff is convex (concave), the claim's price is a convex (concave) function of the underlying asset's value. However, when volatility is less specialized, or when the underlying process is discontinuous or non‐Markovian, a call's price can be a decreasing, concave function of the underlying price over some range, increasing with the passage of time, and decreasing in the level of interest rates.
Measuring International Economic Linkages with Stock Market Data
Authors: AMMER JOHN , MEI JIANPING
Published: April 2012

This article develops a new framework for measuring financial and real economic linkages between countries. Using United States and United Kingdom data from 1957 to 1989, we find closer financial linkages after the Bretton Woods currency arrangement was abandoned and Britain suspended exchange controls. In a pairwise application to fifteen countries over a shorter period, we also find that news about future dividend growth is more highly correlated between countries than contemporaneous output measures. This suggests that there are lags in the international transmission of economic shocks and that contemporaneous output correlation may understate the magnitude of integration.
Quotes, Prices, and Estimates in a Laboratory Market
Authors: BLOOMFIELD ROBERT
Published: April 2012

This study examines the behavior of laboratory markets in which two uninformed market makers compete to trade with heterogeneously informed investors. The data provide three main results. First, market makers set quotes to protect against adverse selection and to control inventory. Second, when investors are less well‐informed, their trades are less reliable measures of their information, and market makers respond to those trades with greater skepticism. Third, errors in market makers' reactions to trades cause the time‐series behavior of quotes and prices to depend on the information environment in ways beyond those captured in extant theory.
The Determinants of the Maturity of Corporate Debt Issues
Authors: GUEDES JOSE , OPLER TIM
Published: April 2012

We document the determinants of the term to maturity of 7,369 bonds and notes issued between 1982 and 1993. Our main finding is that large firms with investment grade credit ratings typically borrow at the short end and at the long end and of the maturity spectrum, while firms with speculative grade credit ratings typically borrow in the middle of the maturity spectrum. This pattern is consistent with the theory that risky firms do not issue short‐term debt in order to avoid inefficient liquidation, but are screened out of the long‐term debt market because of the prospect of risky asset substitution.
The Wealth Effects of Bank Financing Announcements in Highly Leveraged Transactions
Authors: KRACAW WILLIAM A. , ZENNER MARC
Published: April 2012

We analyze the effect of financing announcements of highly leveraged transactions (HLTs) on the stock prices of the banks that lead HLT‐lending syndicates. For our sample of 41 HLTs, we document that the first HLT and bank financing announcements result in positive wealth effects for the lending banks. We also find that these wealth effects are lower in 1985, for smaller HLTs, and for banks with a high loan loss reserve to total asset ratio. Finally, we report that Leveraged Buyout (LBO) targets gain about 2 percent, whereas leveraged recap targets lose about 2 percent, when the first bank financing agreement is announced.
Outcomes of patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) under chronic hemodialysis requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and patients without ESRD in acute kidney injury requiring CRRT: A single‐center study
Authors: Jung Yeon Soon , Lee Junseop , Shin Ho Sik , Rim Hark
Published: April 2012

In most continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) studies, end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients were excluded and the outcomes of patients with ESRD treated with chronic hemodialysis (HD) were unknown. The purposes of this study were to (1) evaluate short‐term patient survival and (2) compare the survival of conventional HD patients needing CRRT with the survival of non‐ ESRD patients in acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring CRRT. We evaluated adults (>18 years) requiring CRRT who were treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Kosin University Gospel Hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. A total of 100 (24 ESRD, 76 non‐ESRD) patients underwent CRRT during the study period. Patients were divided into two major groups: patients with ESRD requiring chronic dialysis and patients without ESRD (non‐ESRD) with AKI. We compared the survival of conventional HD patients requiring CRRT with the survival of non‐ ESRD patients in AKI requiring CRRT. For non‐ESRD patients, the 90‐day survival rate was 41.6%. For ESRD patients, the 90‐day survival rate was 55.3%. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses demonstrated that conventional HD was not a significant predictor of mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.334, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.063–1.763, P = 0.196), after adjustment for age, gender, presence of sepsis, APACHE score, use of vasoactive drugs, number of organ failures, ultrafiltration rate, and arterial pH. The survival rates of non‐ESRD and ESRD patients requiring CRRT did not differ; ESRD with conventional HD patients may be not a significant predictor of mortality.
Significance of keratinized mucosa around dental implants: a prospective comparative study
Authors: Boynueğri Duygu , Nemli Seçil K. , Kasko Yeliz A.
Published: April 2012

Objective

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the significance of keratinized mucosa (KM) around dental implants both clinically and biochemically for 12 months.

Material and methods

Fifteen edentulous patients treated with implant‐retained overdentures in edentulous mandible (four implants per patient). Based on the presence of keratinized mucosa on the buccal surfaces, implants were divided into two groups: Implants having minimal 2 mm of KM on their buccal surfaces and implants having no KM on their buccal surfaces. Thirty‐six implants were included in the evaluations; 19 implants in 15 patients had minimal 2 mm of KM on their buccal surfaces and 17 implants in 15 patients had no KM on their buccal surfaces. Clinical measurements of Plaque Index, Gingival Index, probing depths, and Bleeding on Probing were performed and peri‐implant crevicular fluid (PICF) were collected immediately before loading (baseline) and at 6th, 12th months after loading. Interleukin‐1 beta (IL‐1 β) and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) have been assessed in the crevicular fluid. Results were analyzed by repeated‐measures of variance (ANOVA) and Wilcoxon signed rank tests.

Results

After 12 months of evaluation the results of ANOVA showed that implants with KM had lower levels of TNF‐α total amounts than implants without KM (P < 0.05). Additionally, TNF‐α total amounts were significantly higher at 12th month compared to baseline for implants without KM (P < 0.05). Plaque index and Gingival index values were also found significantly higher for implants without KM (P < 0.05). For IL‐1 β and PICF volume levels the differences between the implant groups were non significant, whereas the differences between the periods were significant. (P < 0.05) Additionally, both of the groups had higher levels of PII and BoP scores when compared to baseline (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The results of this study showed that an adequate band of keratinized mucosa was related with less plaque accumulation and mucosal inflammation as well as pro‐inflammatuar mediators, suggesting that it may be critical especially for plaque control and plaque associated mucosal lesions around dental implants.
Upregulation of N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase‐V by heparin‐binding EGF‐like growth factor induces keratinocyte proliferation and epidermal hyperplasia
Authors: Kimura Akihiro , Terao Mika , Kato Arisa , Hanafusa Takaaki , Murota Hiroyuki , Katayama Ichiro , Miyoshi Eiji
Published: April 2012

Oligosaccharide modification by N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase‐V (GnT‐V), a glycosyltransferase encoded by the Mgat5 gene that catalyses the formation of β1,6 GlcNAc (N‐acetylglucosamine) branches on N‐glycans, is thought to be associated with cancer growth and metastasis. Overexpression of GnT‐V in cancer cells enhances the signalling of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor‐β by increasing galectin‐3 binding to polylactosamine structures on receptor N‐glycans. We previously demonstrated that transgenic mice overexpressing GnT‐V fail to develop spontaneous tumors in any organs, but phenotypes reminiscent of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition were observed in their skin. However, the biological function of GnT‐V in normal skin remained unknown. In this study, we examined the role of GnT‐V in keratinocyte proliferation using GnT‐V‐deficient mice. Proliferation of human keratinocytes was suppressed by treatment with GnT‐V siRNA. Mgat5−/− mouse keratinocytes also showed impaired cell proliferation through the reduction in EGF receptors on the cell surface. Although the skin of Mgat5−/− mice appeared normal, epidermal hyperplasia and proliferation of keratinocytes induced by the phorbol ester 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl phorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) were downregulated in these mutants. Moreover, a dramatic increase in GnT‐V expression was observed by treatment with TPA or heparin‐binding EGF‐like growth factor (HB‐EGF) in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. This increase was inhibited by an EGF receptor inhibitor. These results indicate that a high expression of GnT‐V in keratinocytes contributes to HB‐EGF‐mediated epidermal hyperproliferation by inhibiting endocytosis of EGF receptors bearing β1,6 GlcNAc on their N‐glycans. Our findings demonstrate a novel role for GnT‐V in epidermal homoeostasis, particularly in hyperproliferative conditions.
Epidermolysis bullosa – a group of skin diseases with different causes but commonalities in gene expression
Authors: Knaup Julia , Verwanger Thomas , Gruber Christina , Ziegler Verena , Bauer Johann W. , Krammer Barbara
Published: April 2012

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of hereditary skin disorders. Although each subtype is caused by mutations in genes encoding differentially located components of the skin, the resulting phenotype is similar. In this study, we investigated similarities in the gene expression profiles of each subtype onmRNAlevel. Type XVI collagen (COL16A1),G0/G1 switch 2 (G0S2), fibronectin (FN1), ribosomal proteinS27A(RPS27A) and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) were shown to exhibit corresponding changes in gene expression in all threeEBsubtypes. WhileCOL16A1,G0S2 andFN1 are up‐regulated,LDLRandRPS27AmRNAlevels are decreased. These data indicate that EB cells seem to take measures increasing their mechanical stability. Apoptosis is likely to be exacerbated, and migratory potential appears to be elevated. Protein degradation is hampered, and the release of fatty acids and glycerol is restricted, probably to save energy. These commonalities might benefit existing EB treatment strategies or could help to reveal new starting points for the treatment of EB in the future.
Silent no more! The lived experiences of women with lichen sclerosis
Authors: Wehbe‐Alamah Hiba , Kornblau Barbara L. , Haderer JoAnn , Erickson Janetlynne
Published: April 2012

Purpose: Lichen Sclerosis (LS) is an often unrecognized and misdiagnosed chronic inflammatory skin condition of the anogenital area that affects quality of life, bringing severe discomfort and distress to affected men, women, and children. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of women with LS.

Data sources: Content analysis was conducted of data obtained from three public online forums/blogs used by women with LS. A total of 527 postings/entries were analyzed for patterns and themes by four researchers.

Conclusions: Five core themes emerged as a result of this study, revealing feelings of frustration and despair stemming from healthcare providers' lack of knowledge in relation to Lichen Sclerosis, often leading to misdiagnosis, prolonged suffering, and an altered quality of life.

Implications for practice: Knowledgeable healthcare providers and additional research into the cause, treatment, and cure of Lichen Sclerosis are needed. Advance‐practice nurses stand to play an important role in the areas of education, research, policy making, and clinical practice to advocate for and empower women with LS.
A questionnaire survey of patient experience with the Rheumatology Monitoring Clinic in Singapore
Authors: Chew Li‐Ching , Lim Teong Guan , Loy Kia Lan , Kong Ming Chai , Chang Wei Terk , Tan Siok Bee , PANG How Tze , Chen Li Li , Thumboo Julian
Published: April 2012

Aim

The concept of a pharmacist/advanced practice nurse (APN)‐led Rheumatology Monitoring Clinic (RMC) is a novel service in Singapore; we therefore conducted a questionnaire survey of patient experience.

Methods

Patients attending the RMC were provided with a set of questionnaires. As a substudy, a separate questionnaire was given to the rheumatologists and therapists conducting the RMC.

Results

Of the 105 patients surveyed, a total of 97 (92.4%) patients were satisfied/strongly satisfied with the overall service, and none were dissatisfied; 96% felt that the pharmacists/APNs provided clear, detailed information about their disease and medication, while 92% of patients were confident they knew what side‐effects were possible. Ninety‐two percent and 93% of patients were more likely to adhere to treatment, and were willing to come back for follow‐up at the RMC, respectively. There was no difference in patient satisfaction in the average Likert summed scores, between the pharmacists and APNs. Age, gender, ethnicity and underlying disease did not exert any influence on the responses. All the rheumatologists surveyed were satisfied with the patients' management and the professionalism of the therapists. They opined that the RMC freed up time for them to see more complex cases. All the pharmacists/APNs concurred that the referrals were appropriately selected.

Conclusions

We established the acceptability of a non‐physician‐led clinic in our local setting and highlighted the usefulness of having a routine clinic for monitoring medication toxicity and patient education. The RMC received positive feedback from patients, rheumatologists and allied health therapists, with a high degree of satisfaction among the respondents.
Biphasic Investigation of Tissue Mechanical Response During Freezing Front Propagation
Authors: Wright Jamie , Han Bumsoo , Chuong Cheng-Jen
Published: April 2012

Cryopreservation of engineered tissue (ET) has achieved limited success due to limited understanding of freezing-induced biophysical phenomena in ETs, especially fluid-matrix interaction within ETs. To further our understanding of the freezing-induced fluid-matrix interaction, we have developed a biphasic model formulation that simulates the transient heat transfer and volumetric expansion during freezing, its resulting fluid movement in the ET, elastic deformation of the solid matrix, and the corresponding pressure redistribution within. Treated as a biphasic material, the ET consists of a porous solid matrix fully saturated with interstitial fluid. Temperature-dependent material properties were employed, and phase change was included by incorporating the latent heat of phase change into an effective specific heat term. Model-predicted temperature distribution, the location of the moving freezing front, and the ET deformation rates through the time course compare reasonably well with experiments reported previously. Results from our theoretical model show that behind the marching freezing front, the ET undergoes expansion due to phase change of its fluid contents. It compresses the region preceding the freezing front leading to its fluid expulsion and reduced regional fluid volume fractions. The expelled fluid is forced forward and upward into the region further ahead of the compression zone causing a secondary expansion zone, which then compresses the region further downstream with much reduced intensity. Overall, it forms an alternating expansion-compression pattern, which moves with the marching freezing front. The present biphasic model helps us to gain insights into some facets of the freezing process and cryopreservation treatment that could not be gleaned experimentally. Its resulting understanding will ultimately be useful to design and improve cryopreservation protocols for ETs.
A Simple Method for In Vivo Measurement of Implant Rod Three-Dimensional Geometry During Scoliosis Surgery
Authors: Salmingo Remel A. , Tadano Shigeru , Fujisaki Kazuhiro , Abe Yuichiro , Ito Manabu
Published: April 2012

Scoliosis is defined as a spinal pathology characterized as a three-dimensional deformity of the spine combined with vertebral rotation. Treatment for severe scoliosis is achieved when the scoliotic spine is surgically corrected and fixed using implanted rods and screws. Several studies performed biomechanical modeling and corrective forces measurements of scoliosis correction. These studies were able to predict the clinical outcome and measured the corrective forces acting on screws, however, they were not able to measure the intraoperative three-dimensional geometry of the spinal rod. In effect, the results of biomechanical modeling might not be so realistic and the corrective forces during the surgical correction procedure were intra-operatively difficult to measure. Projective geometry has been shown to be successful in the reconstruction of a three-dimensional structure using a series of images obtained from different views. In this study, we propose a new method to measure the three-dimensional geometry of an implant rod using two cameras. The reconstruction method requires only a few parameters, the included angle θ between the two cameras, the actual length of the rod in mm, and the location of points for curve fitting. The implant rod utilized in spine surgery was used to evaluate the accuracy of the current method. The three-dimensional geometry of the rod was measured from the image obtained by a scanner and compared to the proposed method using two cameras. The mean error in the reconstruction measurements ranged from 0.32 to 0.45 mm. The method presented here demonstrated the possibility of intra-operatively measuring the three-dimensional geometry of spinal rod. The proposed method could be used in surgical procedures to better understand the biomechanics of scoliosis correction through real-time measurement of three-dimensional implant rod geometry in vivo.
Formation of mesa-type vertically aligned silicon nanowire bundle arrays by selective-area chemical oxidation and etching processes
Authors: Hung Yung-Jr , Lee San-Liang , Choon Beng Looi
Published: April 2012

A novel top-down scheme for post patterning of vertically aligned silicon nanowires (VA-SiNWs) is proposed and demonstrated by means of chemical oxidation, photolithographic patterning, and chemical etching processes. The authors discovered that only ∼1.4 nm chemical oxide layer is sufficient to protect SiNWs from the attack of KOH etchant. VA-SiNWs can simultaneously serve as an optical antireflective layer between photoresist and silicon substrate for eliminating the backreflection during photolithographic patterning due to the strong optical absorption and light trapping behavior at ultraviolet spectral region. After selective-area SiNW removal with chemical etching procedures, SiNWs at unmasked areas are drastically shortened with a decreased wire number density while oxide masked SiNWs are still vertically aligned with high wire number density and good uniformity. The patterned SiNWs preserves the superior antireflective performance of original SiNWs which makes every SiNW bundle to have dark appearance. Contrary to prepatterning scheme which creates embedded VA-SiNW patterns, this post patterning scheme enables the synthesis of patterned mesa-type SiNWs on silicon surface. The patterned VA-SiNW bundles can be employed for applications in arrayed sensors, arrayed photodiodes, or arrayed field emitters.
Attenuation of blast pressure behind ballistic protective vests
Authors: Wood Garrett W , Panzer Matthew B , Shridharani Jay K , Matthews Kyle A , Capehart Bruce P , Myers Barry S , Bass Cameron R
Published: April 2012

Background

Clinical studies increasingly report brain injury and not pulmonary injury following blast exposures, despite the increased frequency of exposure to explosive devices. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of personal body armour use on the potential for primary blast injury and to determine the risk of brain and pulmonary injury following a blast and its impact on the clinical care of patients with a history of blast exposure.

Methods

A shock tube was used to generate blast overpressures on soft ballistic protective vests (NIJ Level-2) and hard protective vests (NIJ Level-4) while overpressure was recorded behind the vest.

Results

Both types of vest were found to significantly decrease pulmonary injury risk following a blast for a wide range of conditions. At the highest tested blast overpressure, the soft vest decreased the behind armour overpressure by a factor of 14.2, and the hard vest decreased behind armour overpressure by a factor of 56.8. Addition of body armour increased the 50th percentile pulmonary death tolerance of both vests to higher levels than the 50th percentile for brain injury.

Conclusions

These results suggest that ballistic protective body armour vests, especially hard body armour plates, provide substantial chest protection in primary blasts and explain the increased frequency of head injuries, without the presence of pulmonary injuries, in protected subjects reporting a history of blast exposure. These results suggest increased clinical suspicion for mild to severe brain injury is warranted in persons wearing body armour exposed to a blast with or without pulmonary injury.
Integrating finite element and load-transfer analyses in modelling the effects of dewatering on pile settlement behaviour
Authors: Omer Joshua R.
Published: April 2012

A method of analysis is developed by integrating finite element (FE) and load-transfer analyses to predict the negative shaft resistance and settlement of piles due to ground water lowering. A program is written in MATLAB for linking the FE results of ground movements with the input interface system of a new pile load–settlement analysis program (named “PILESET”) developed by the author. PILESET is specially designed to allow automatic input of electronic site investigation data, although manual input of laboratory soil test data is also possible. Using PILESET, custom-defined load-transfer relationships can be either input manually or calculated internally by PILESET based on the input data from in situ or laboratory soil tests. To demonstrate the validity of the suggested analysis procedure, a case record is analyzed where sump pumping was to be carried out underneath a deep basement situated close to an existing building supported on 15 m long piles. Based on assumed steady-state flow conditions, ground settlements are calculated using FE analysis and used with site investigation data to predict the negative shaft resistance and settlement induced in the piles. The results are found to agree well with field measurements.
THE APPLICATION OF A CHARACTERIZATION OF ADJUNCTIONS
Authors: KENDZIORRA ANDREAS , SCHMIDT STEFAN E.
Published: April 2012

We apply a characterization of adjunction for the enumeration of adjunctions. This can further be applied to determine the cardinalities of proper finite simple semirings with zero.
RELATIVE NON-COMMUTING GRAPH OF A FINITE GROUP
Authors: TOLUE B. , ERFANIAN A.
Published: April 2012

The essence of the non-commuting graph remind us to find a connection between this graph and the commutativity degree as denoted by d(G). On the other hand, d(H, G) the relative commutativity degree, was the key to generalize the non-commuting graph ΓG to the relative non-commuting graph (denoted by ΓH, G) for a non-abelian group G and a subgroup H of G. In this paper, we give some results about ΓH, G which are mostly new. Furthermore, we prove that if (H1, G1) and (H2, G2) are relative isoclinic then ΓH1, G1 ≅ Γ H2, G2 under special conditions.
MORITA DUALITY AND RING EXTENSIONS
Authors: KOIKE KAZUTOSHI
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we show that there exists a category equivalence between certain categories of A-rings (respectively, ring extensions of A) and B-rings (respectively, ring extensions of B), where A and B are Morita dual rings. In this category equivalence, corresponding two A-ring and B-ring are Morita dual. This is an improvement of a result of Müller, which state that if a ring A has a Morita duality induced by a bimodule BQA and R is a ring extension of A such that RA and Hom A(R, Q)A are linearly compact, then R has a Morita duality induced by the bimodule S End R( Hom A(R, Q))R with S = End R( Hom A(R, Q)). We also investigate relationships between Morita duality and finite ring extensions. Particularly, we show that if A and B are Morita dual rings with B basic, then every finite triangular (respectively, normalizing) extension R of A is Morita dual to a finite triangular (respectively, normalizing) extension S of B, and we give a result about finite centralizing free extensions, which unify a result of Mano about self-duality and a result of Fuller–Haack about semigroup rings.
Embryonic Signaling Pathways and Rhabdomyosarcoma: Contributions to Cancer Development and Opportunities for Therapeutic Targeting
Authors: Belyea Brian , Kephart Julie Grondin , Blum Jordan , Kirsch David G. , Linardic Corinne M.
Published: April 2012

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma of childhood and adolescence, accounting for approximately 7% of childhood cancers. Current therapies include nonspecific cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, radiation therapy, and surgery; however, these multimodality strategies are unsuccessful in the majority of patients with high-risk disease. It is generally believed that these tumors represent arrested or aberrant skeletal muscle development, and, accordingly, developmental signaling pathways critical to myogenesis such as Notch, WNT, and Hedgehog may represent new therapeutic targets. In this paper, we summarize the current preclinical studies linking these embryonic pathways to rhabdomyosarcoma tumorigenesis and provide support for the investigation of targeted therapies in this embryonic cancer.
Participation in Physical Activity for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Authors: Arim Rubab G. , Findlay Leanne C. , Kohen Dafna E.
Published: April 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare rates of participation for children (4–9 years of age) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) with and without externalizing behavior problems (EBPs) with children without disability and to examine mediators of the relation between disability and physical activity participation. Data for this study were drawn from Cycle 7 (2006-07) of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). The frequency of children’s participation in organized sports or physical activities varied depending on the child’s health condition with children with NDDs and both NDDs and EBPs participating least in organized sports or physical activities followed by children with EBPs only. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences by health group for children’s participation in unorganized sports or physical activities. These differences remained even after controlling for the effects of other child and family sociodemographic characteristics, except for children with EBPs only. These findings highlight the importance of considering children’s primary and other existing health conditions as well as family sociodemographic characteristics in order to better understand the factors that influence participation in organized physical activities for children with disabilities.
A Fuzzy Genetic Algorithm Based on Binary Encoding for Solving Multidimensional Knapsack Problems
Authors: Jalali Varnamkhasti M. , Lee L. S.
Published: April 2012

The fundamental problem in genetic algorithms is premature convergence, and it is strongly related to the loss of genetic diversity of the population. This study aims at proposing some techniques to tackle the premature convergence by controlling the population diversity. Firstly, a sexual selection mechanism which utilizes the mate chromosome during selection is used. The second technique focuses on controlling the genetic parameters by applying the fuzzy logic controller. Computational experiments are conducted on the proposed techniques and the results are compared with other genetic operators, heuristics, and local search algorithms commonly used for solving multidimensional 0/1 knapsack problems published in the literature.
MicroRNAs and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Human Disease Mouse Modeling
Authors: Underbayev Chingiz , Kasar Siddha , Yuan Yao , Raveche Elizabeth
Published: April 2012

Human disease animal models are absolutely invaluable tools for our understanding of mechanisms involved in both physiological and pathological processes. By studying various genetic abnormalities in these organisms we can get a better insight into potential candidate genes responsible for human disease development. To this point a mouse represents one of the most used and convenient species for human disease modeling. Hundreds if not thousands of inbred, congenic, and transgenic mouse models have been created and are now extensively utilized in the research labs worldwide. Importantly, pluripotent stem cells play a significant role in developing new genetically engineered mice with the desired human disease-like phenotype. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells which represent reprogramming of somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells represent a significant advancement in research armament. The novel application of microRNA manipulation both in the generation of iPS cells and subsequent lineage-directed differentiation is discussed. Potential applications of induced pluripotent stem cell—a relatively new type of pluripotent stem cells—for human disease modeling by employing human iPS cells derived from normal and diseased somatic cells and iPS cells derived from mouse models of human disease may lead to uncovering of disease mechanisms and novel therapies.
Preparation of Porous Biodegradable Polymer and Its Nanocomposites by Supercritical CO2 Foaming for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Liao Xia , Zhang Haichen , He Ting
Published: April 2012

Using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as an alternative to conventional methods in the preparation of porous biodegradable polymer and polymer/nanocomposites for tissue engineering has attracted increasing interest in recent years due to the absence of using organic solvents and the ability to incorporate thermosensitive biologicals without loss of bioactivity. Additionally, scCO2 can exert a high level of control over porosity and morphology of scaffolds by tuning the processing parameters. This paper describes the newly achievements on the preparation of porous polymer materials using scCO2 foaming technology with focus on the porous biodegradable materials and its nanocomposites relevant to tissue engineering.
Stem Cells asIn VitroModel of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Martínez-Morales Patricia L. , Liste Isabel
Published: April 2012

Progress in understanding neurodegenerative cell biology in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been hampered by a lack of predictive and relevant cellular models. In addition, the lack of an adequatein vitrohuman neuron cell-based model has been an obstacle for the uncover of new drugs for treating PD. The ability to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from PD patients and a refined capacity to differentiate these iPSCs into DA neurons, the relevant disease cell type, promises a new paradigm in drug development that positions human disease pathophysiology at the core of preclinical drug discovery. Disease models derived from iPSC that manifest cellular disease phenotypes have been established for several monogenic diseases, but iPSC can likewise be used for phenotype-based drug screens in complex diseases for which the underlying genetic mechanism is unknown. Here, we highlight recent advances as well as limitations in the use of iPSC technology for modelling PD “in a dish” and for testing compounds against human disease phenotypesin vitro. We discuss how iPSCs are being exploited to illuminate disease pathophysiology, identify novel drug targets, and enhance the probability of clinical success of new drugs.
Vivisection as War: The “Moral Diseases” of Animal Experimentation and Slavery in British Victorian Quaker Pacifist Ethics
Authors: Glaholt Hayley Rose
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how British Quakers, between 1870 and 1914, attempted to understand and debate the issue of vivisection through the lens of the Quaker peace testimony. Drawing on primary source materials, the article argues that these Friends were able to agitate for radical legislative and social change using virtue ethics as their framework. The paper further suggests that the moral parameters of the Quaker testimony for peace expanded briefly in this period to include interspecies as well as intraspecies engagement. Friends accomplished this by arguing that humans could not engage in vivisection—a “moral disease” just like slavery and war—without risking individual and social virtue. Friends were able to call for radical change in society without arguing for ethical egalitarianism. Hierarchy was implicit in their virtue ethic, but this did not hinder their creation of a forward-thinking stance on human-animal relations.
Conceptualizing Household Consumption Informality in the South Texas Borderlands
Authors: Pisani Michael J. , Sepulveda Carlos
Published: April 2012

Abstract

In this paper we introduce a conceptual model and corresponding research propositions for consumption informality, utilizing households as the unit of analysis and the South Texas borderlands as our geographic exemplar. The model connects demographic and facilitation mechanisms as the primary determinants of consumption informality. In an initial and exploratory appraisal of the model, we find that a majority of households engage in informal consumption, when modeled, utilizing household work substitution services; and hence, we offer preliminary support for the conceptual model.
The Poetics of the Poet’s Autobiography: Voicings and Mutings in Fadwā Ṭūqān’s Narrative Journey
Authors: Sheetrit Ariel M.
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This article offers a literary reading of Palestinian poet Fadwā Ṭūqān’s autobiography, Riḥlah ṣaʿbah, riḥlah jabaliyyah (A Mountainous Journey, 1985). This text’s literary complexities have not yet been adequately addressed, despite the critical attention it has received. The present study maps this text’s central tension, namely, that on the one hand, it is populated by many characters and contains many voices, and on the other, that most of the voices which are sounded do not belong to the characters one might expect. In examining the voicings in this text, this study reveals how the text invokes genres not only through excerpting, but by writing in relation to traditional narrative structures, integrating them into a new context. It offers a reading of this text as an inverted riḥlah, that is, as a journey of one who cannot travel. It also argues that this text recalls the tradition of the short story cycle, showing how the purported linearity of the text is imbued with circularity in content, language and structure. By implicating other genres, the text subverts patriarchal tradition from within ostensibly masculine cultural and literary structures (such as the riḥlah), overlaying it with the more feminine-inclined framework of the short story cycle. In so doing, it challenges and extends the purport of the original texts, positioning them in dialogic conversation with Ṭūqān’s criticism of them and her own textual compositions.
A Sketch Map of Arabic Poetry Anthologies up to the Fall of Baghdad
Authors: Orfali Bilal
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This article provides a sketch map of Arabic poetry anthologies up to the fall of Baghdad in 759/1258 by grouping titles that share general characteristics in form or content, or exhibit specific goals and aspirations. The purpose is to provide an analytic framework to the study of this type of literature. With its ten categories, the map allows for the inclusion of new or previously overlooked anthologies. The map is introduced by a survey of the state of scholarship on the terms adab and anthology within the scope of classical Arabic literature, and highlights a number of the main approaches to the study of Arabic literary anthology in recent scholarship. The article also suggests some authorial motives behind the genesis, development, and popularity of this type of literature.
Qalāwūnid Discourse, Elite Communication and the Mamluk Cultural Matrix: Interpreting a 14th-Century Panegyric
Authors: Steenbergen Jo Van
Published: April 2012

Abstract

This article analyses a brief panegyric text from mid-14th-century Egypt, authored by the court scribe Ibrāhīm b. al-Qaysarānī (d. 1352) and dedicated to the Qalāwūnid Mamluk sultan al-Malik al-Ṣāliḥ Ismāʿīl (r. 1342-5). It challenges this panegyric’s standard treatment as a work of history and as a product of court propaganda, and instead connects it to wider issues of Mamluk literary production and social organisation. In doing so, a new understanding of this panegyric emerges within a specific context of Mamluk elite communication and social performance, demonstrating at the same time how such a social semiotic reading of Mamluk cultural expressions generates further insights into the symbiotic interactions between Mamluk culture and society.
Ethical Negotiations: Committees, Methods and Research with Children
Authors: Chakraborty Kabita , Nansen Bjorn , Gibbs Lisa , MacDougall Colin
Published: April 2012

This paper reflects on the ethical procedures encountered, and methodological strategies adopted, in order to develop and conduct qualitative research with children to explore their relationship to, and through, information and communication technologies (ICT). The study was conducted in Australia, which like many other nations, adopted a formal, mandatory institutional ethics framework historically formed in response to real and potential unethical and harmful research. This is now associated with a broader agenda of of risk-management and protection in universities which must be managed to enable the right of children to participate fully in research that affects them. Since calls for more multi-dimensional research with children and ICT have been made (Livingstone and Helsper, 2007; Livingstone, 2010), few academic studies have delved into the ethical processes and negotiations involved in such research, especially within academic institutions that are bounded by strict ethical and risk-management processes. This paper contributes to the growing field of appropriate research methods and methodologies, and their circumspection, for study with ICT connected-children, and adds to the growing debates around ethically including children in academic research.