bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Palliative Treatment for Tracheal Stenoses Using Carbon Dioxide Laser and the Gianturco Stent Long-Term Results
Authors: Remacle Marc , Lawson Georges , Gaafar Alaad , Keghian Jerôme , Jamart Jacques
Published: October 2014

Between September 1992 and March 1998, the self-expandable Gianturco prosthesis was inserted in 23 patients suffering from tracheal stenosis. After radial incision and dilation of the stenosis as described by Shapshay, the positioning of the stent was performed during an endoscopic procedure under optical control. The prosthesis used was a double-ring stent 50 mm long and 20 mm in diameter. The follow-up period ranged between 0.5 and 67 months with an average of 31 ± 18 months. Pulmonary function tests showed an average improvement of the peak expiratory flow (50%) from preoperative results of 1.06 ± 0.60 L/s to short-term postoperative results of 2.08 ± 0.78 L/s and long-term postoperative results of 2.11 ± 0.78 L/s. The mean peak inspiratory flow (50%) improved from 1.43 ± 0.85 L/s to 2.40 ± 1.29 L/s at short term and to 2.56 ± 1.20 L/s at long term. Eight patients out of the 23 had to undergo a second endoscopic procedure: 3 patients for granuloma vaporization; 1 patient to change a malpositioned stent; 2 patients to add a second stent because of insufficient tracheal enlargement; and 2 patients to resect mucosal membranes between the 2 stent rings and to place a second stent. Optical control of the accurate positioning and use of this model of Gianturco prosthesis helped to avoid the severe complications described in the literature (migration, extrusion, fracture, wall erosion, and hemorrhage). The follow-up must particularly target the prevention of granulomas. The self-expandable Gianturco prosthesis can be advocated for long-term palliative treatment of tracheal stenoses that are inoperable by an external surgical approach.
Surfactant Protein a in Rabbit Sinus and Middle Ear Mucosa
Authors: Dutton Jay M. , Goss Kelli , Khubchandani Kavita R. , Shah Chirag D. , Smith Richard J. H. , Snyder Jeanne M.
Published: October 2014

In the present study, pulmonary surfactant protein A (SP-A) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein were characterized in adult rabbit middle ear and maxillary sinus. Fifteen adult rabbits were used for the study: 6 with evidence of acute middle ear infections and maxillary sinusitis, 6 with infections that were successfully treated with tetracycline, and 3 that were pathogen-free. We detected SP-A mRNA in maxillary sinus and middle ear tissues by Northern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase—polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The RT-PCR also revealed the presence of SP-B and SP-C mRNA in middle ear and sinus tissues. We detected SP-A protein, of molecular weight approximately 29 and 70 kd, in middle ear and sinus tissues by immunoblot analysis. Unlike the SP-A protein present in the lung, the molecular weight of the SP-A protein present in the middle ear and paranasal sinus was not altered by digestion with an enzyme that cleaves N-linked carbohydrates. Immunostaining and in situ hybridization showed that SP-A protein and mRNA, respectively, were present in surface epithelial cells of the middle ear and in epithelial cells of submucosal glands in sinus tissues. These data provide the first evidence of the presence of pulmonary surfactant proteins in the paranasal sinuses and confirm previous reports of SP-A in the middle ear epithelium.
Pharyngeal Pouch Carcinoma: Real or Imaginary Risks?
Authors: Bradley Patrick J. , Kochaar Amit , Quraishi M. Shahed
Published: October 2014

Pharyngeal pouch or Zenker's diverticulum presents to the otolaryngologist with symptoms of dysphagia. As supported by the published literature, the condition is more frequently seen in Northern Europe, especially the United Kingdom, than elsewhere in the world. The cause of the reported increased incidence in the United Kingdom is not known, but may be dietary. Surgical management is the treatment of choice and is directed at the cricopharyngeus muscle by either an external or an internal approach. There is a real risk of carcinoma or carcinoma in situ developing in a treated or untreated pharyngeal pouch. Excision of the pouch sac is recommended in younger patients, less than 65 years, and in patients who have a large pouch. If endoscopic diverticulotomy is performed, then long-term patient symptom follow-up is to be advocated.
Local Corticosteroid Treatment of Caustic Injuries of the Esophagus
Authors: Gunnarsson Mats
Published: October 2014

So far, no therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence of strictures in the esophagus after ingestion of caustic agents. Two patients with pronounced caustic ingestion injuries were treated locally with solutions of corticosteroids normally used for inhalation therapy in lung diseases. Serious strictures did not appear, and their swallowing returned to normal. Further studies are needed.
Decellularized Periodontal Ligament Cell Sheets with Recellularization Potential
Authors: Farag A. , Vaquette C. , Theodoropoulos C. , Hamlet S.M. , Hutmacher D.W. , Ivanovski S.
Published: October 2014

The periodontal ligament is the key tissue facilitating periodontal regeneration. This study aimed to fabricate decellularized human periodontal ligament cell sheets for subsequent periodontal tissue engineering applications. The decellularization protocol involved the transfer of intact human periodontal ligament cell sheets onto melt electrospun polycaprolactone membranes and subsequent bi-directional perfusion with NH4OH/Triton X-100 and DNase solutions. The protocol was shown to remove 92% of DNA content. The structural integrity of the decellularized cell sheets was confirmed by a collagen quantification assay, immunostaining of human collagen type I and fibronectin, and scanning electron microscopy. ELISA was used to demonstrate the presence of residual basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the decellularized cell sheet constructs. The decellularized cell sheets were shown to have the ability to support recellularization by allogenic human periodontal ligament cells. This study describes the fabrication of decellularized periodontal ligament cell sheets that retain an intact extracellular matrix and resident growth factors and can support repopulation by allogenic cells. The decellularized hPDL cell sheet concept has the potential to be utilized in future “off-the-shelf” periodontal tissue engineering strategies.
Religious Heterogeneity and Cultural Diffusion: The Impact of Christian Neighbors on Muslim and Druze Women’s Participation in the Labor Force in Israel
Authors: Yonay Yuval P , Yaish Meir , Kraus Vered
Published: October 2014

This study exploits the unique demographic structure of the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel and their geographical immobility in order to help resolve the riddle why women in the Middle East and North Africa are less likely to participate in the labor force than women elsewhere in the world. We show that, controlling for economic variables, Muslim and Druze Arab women are more likely to enter the labor force if they live in a locality where Christian Arabs live as well. A possible explanation of this finding is the impact of social interaction among people who have different cultural schemas. Female labor force participation is rising throughout the Middle East, including among Arab-Palestinians in Israel, but the tempo of this transformation depends on various local variables, and in this article we identify one such factor, namely, the ethno-religious composition of a community.
Multi-needle, electrospun, nanofiber filaments: effects of the needle arrangement on the nanofiber alignment degree and electrostatic field distribution
Authors: Tian Long , Zhao Chuchu , Li Jie , Pan Zhijuan
Published: October 2014

Nanofiber filaments were produced by a home-made, multi-needle, liquid bath, electrospinning device, and the nanofiber alignment degrees of the filaments were investigated. The electrostatic fields of the multi-needle, liquid bath, electrospinning processes were simulated by the finite-element method, and an index, the average offset of the electrostatic field distribution in the needle tips, was established to quantify the existing electrostatic field interference. The effects of the number and the arrangement of the needles on the alignment degrees of the nanofibers and the breaking stress of the filaments were analyzed. The results showed that there was a linear negative correlation between the nanofiber alignment degrees and the number of needles with an R2 of 0.96. The larger average offset indicated the stronger electrostatic field interference, and a logarithmic positive correlation was determined between the average offsets and the number of needles with an R2 of 0.99. There was a linear negative correlation between the nanofiber alignment degrees and the average offsets with an R2 of 0.97. Meanwhile, when the average offsets in different numbers of needles increased from 0 to 0.160 mm, the average alignment degrees decreased from 0.964 to 0.774. Therefore, the optimal needle arrangement with the lowest average offset for each number of needles could be obtained. In addition, the breaking stress of the filaments decreased with the increase of the average offsets in the same number of needles, and the average breaking stress decreased initially with increasing the number of needles until three needles and then increased.
The view from a broken window: How residents make sense of neighbourhood disorder in Flint
Authors: Johansen Rachel , Neal Zachary , Gasteyer Stephen
Published: October 2014

This paper explores how members of a neighbourhood association in a post-industrial blighted community in Flint, Michigan are working to reduce disorder conditions in their neighbourhood. We seek to understand how members are impacted by disorder, what they perceive to be the cause of disorder, and how they respond to disorder conditions. We argue that a disordered physical environment characterised by abandoned buildings and neglected properties is viewed by association members as giving rise to fear and incidences of crime and the impression of the loss of social control by formal authorities. As a result, association members focus their attention on interventions specifically geared toward controlling environmental factors such as neighbourhood greenspace. Our findings suggest that residents are deeply and negatively impacted by the presence of disorder, and that they view such neighbourhood greening initiatives as an effective way to mobilise neighbourhood residents against disorder-producing conditions.
Gender Effects on Emotional Labor in Seoul Metropolitan Area
Authors: Yang Seung-Bum , Guy Mary E.
Published: October 2014

Emotional labor is essential to public service at the street level. And there is evidence that it contributes to job satisfaction. But the interaction of gender with performance of emotional labor remains a conundrum, and more is known about the U.S. context than other cultures. To sort through this in a Confucian culture, we investigate how gender moderates the relationship between emotional labor, job satisfaction, and turnover intent. The study employs a multigroup structural modeling analysis using a survey of local government employees in Seoul, South Korea. Results indicate that for both women and men, authentically expressed emotion contributes to job satisfaction. But when workers must express an emotion they do not actually feel, the level of job satisfaction varies according to gender. While it is not associated with either job satisfaction or turnover intent for men, it affects both for women. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Psychological Jurisprudence, Normative Philosophy, and Trans-Desistance Theory
Authors: Arrigo Bruce A.
Published: October 2014

For more than two decades, the diagnostic and cultural insights of psychological jurisprudence (PJ) have informed social theory, clinical practice, and public policy. As a form of heterodox criticism, PJ probes the relationship between human agency and social structure, and it examines how both are informed by and co-produce extant reality. This article explores the utility of PJ—especially as a basis to reconfigure the problem of crime, to redefine institutional responses to it, and to reconceive the process of desistance. To accomplish this objective, the article addresses two issues. First, it explains how the diagnostic and cultural footing of PJ functions as philosophical critique concerning the subject of crime. Second, it demonstrates how this critique represents the grounding of an ethic with considerable relevance for developing a normative theory of trans-desistance. The article concludes by suggesting how the normative dimensions of trans-desistance portend dynamic change for future criminal justice practice and mental health treatment.
A Multi-Component Treatment to Reduce Packing in Children With Feeding and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Levin Darren S. , Volkert Valerie M. , Piazza Cathleen C.
Published: October 2014

Despite the high prevalence and potential negative consequences of feeding disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there are surprisingly few studies that examine the efficacy of treatment exclusively with these children. Children with feeding disorders also frequently exhibit packing (holding or pocketing food without swallowing). Investigators have evaluated procedures in the general pediatric population to treat packing, and some have shown that procedures need to be combined to form an effective treatment. Although investigators have evaluated the efficacy of re-distribution, swallow facilitation, and a chaser, these procedures have not been evaluated specifically with children with ASD. Prior to the current investigation, we successfully used nonremoval procedures to increase acceptance of pureed foods and liquids and decrease the inappropriate mealtime behavior of two children diagnosed with ASD and feeding problems; however, in each case, packing emerged during initial treatment. We then used different combinations of re-distribution, swallow facilitation, and chaser treatments to decrease packing for both children.
A Smartphone‐Optimized Web Site for Conveniently Viewing Otolaryngology Journal Abstracts
Authors: Golub Justin S. , Sharma Arun , Samy Ravi N.
Published: October 2014

Access to the medical literature has not kept pace with the mobile revolution. We aimed to (1) gauge interest in a smartphone‐optimized Web site for conveniently accessing otolaryngology literature and (2) create an easy‐to‐access and convenient Web site that displays otolaryngology journal abstracts in a format optimized for smartphones. A survey was sent to physicians of a major US academic otolaryngology–head and neck surgery department. Demographics, literature‐browsing habits, and barriers to staying updated were assessed. The response rate was 87%. Ninety‐one percent of respondents used a smartphone, and 85% wished they could stay more up to date with the otolaryngology literature. Most respondents believed a convenient smartphone‐optimized Web site could help them achieve this goal. A Web site was then developed in collaboration with a university creative department as a proof of concept. The site uses a simple RSS aggregator to display journal abstracts formatted for smartphone‐sized screens (www.otosurg.com).
Influence of network density on information diffusion on social network sites
Authors: Luarn Pin , Chiu Yu-Ping
Published: October 2014

Information diffusion through social network sites is a new and important context that has received scant attention in extant research. This study developed a Facebook application to uncover the influence of network density and transmitter activity on the information diffusion process. The results showed that network density is positively related to transmitter activity on social network sites. In addition, transmitter activity partially mediated the effect of network density on the extent of information viewed and retransmitted. That is, transmitter activity can affect the information diffusion process, and the activity effect is plausible and should become stronger as social networks become denser. The findings of this study provide useful implications, not only for theory in the social network, but also useful references and suggestions to marketing practitioners.
The effects of acute nicotine on contextual safety discrimination
Authors: Kutlu Munir G , Oliver Chicora , Gould Thomas J
Published: October 2014

Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may be related to an inability to distinguish safe versus threatening environments and to extinguish fear memories. Given the high rate of cigarette smoking in patients with PTSD, as well as the recent finding that an acute dose of nicotine impairs extinction of contextual fear memory, we conducted a series of experiments to investigate the effect of acute nicotine in an animal model of contextual safety discrimination. Following saline or nicotine (at 0.0275, 0.045, 0.09 and 0.18 mg/kg) administration, C57BL/6J mice were trained in a contextual discrimination paradigm, in which the subjects received presentations of conditioned stimuli (CS) that co-terminated with a foot-shock in one context (context A (CXA)) and only CS presentations without foot-shock in a different context (context B (CXB)). Therefore, CXA was designated as the ‘dangerous context’, whereas CXB was designated as the ‘safe context’. Our results suggested that saline-treated animals showed a strong discrimination between dangerous and safe contexts, while acute nicotine dose-dependently impaired contextual safety discrimination (Experiment 1). Furthermore, our results demonstrate that nicotine-induced impairment of contextual safety discrimination learning was not a result of increased generalized freezing (Experiment 2) or contingent on the common CS presentations in both contexts (Experiment 3). Finally, our results show that increasing the temporal gap between CXA and CXB during training abolished the impairing effects of nicotine (Experiment 4). The findings of this study may help link nicotine exposure to the safety learning deficits seen in anxiety disorder and PTSD patients.
The Development of Writing Habitus
Authors: Compton-Lilly Catherine
Published: October 2014

Peter, an African American writer from a low-income community, is followed across a 10-year period as he progresses from first grade through high school. Drawing on writing samples and interviews, the author identifies a set of interrelated dispositions that contribute to his development of habitus as a writer. This article considers Peter’s developing writing abilities alongside these emerging dispositions that include (a) meeting school expectations for reading and writing, (b) being good in school and being a good student, (c) forming friendships and affiliations that involve reading and writing practices, and (d) crafting future goals related to writing. Future success as a professional writer was contingent on his writing abilities being recognized, valued, and taken up in contexts beyond high school. The author draw on Bourdieu’s constructs of habitus and field to explore Peter’s becoming a writer across time.
The US Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers
Authors: Casper T. Charles , Rose John W. , Roalstad Shelly , Waubant Emmanuelle , Aaen Gregory , Belman Anita , Chitnis Tanuja , Gorman Mark , Krupp Lauren , Lotze Timothy E. , Ness Jayne , Patterson Marc , Rodriguez Moses , Weinstock-Guttman Bianca , Browning Brittan , Graves Jennifer , Tillema Jan-Mendelt , Benson Leslie , Harris Yolanda
Published: October 2014

Multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases in the pediatric population have received an increasing level of attention by clinicians and researchers. The low incidence of these diseases in children creates a need for the involvement of multiple clinical centers in research efforts. The Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers was created initially in 2006 to improve the diagnosis and care of children with demyelinating diseases. In 2010, the Network shifted its focus to multicenter research while continuing to advance the care of patients. The Network has obtained support from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The Network will continue to serve as a platform for conducting impactful research in pediatric demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system. This article provides a description of the history and development, organization, mission, research priorities, current studies, and future plans of the Network.
Philo-Germanism without Germans in Romania after 1989
Authors: Cercel Cristian
Published: October 2014

This article argues that positive representations of the German minority in post-1989 Romania, discernible in specific memory and identity discourses, are linked to an internalized self-orientalizing view of Romanianness and to a symbolic wish to “belong to Europe,” present in Romanian society and displayed on the Romanian political scene. In other words, it maintains that a phenomenon describable as “philo-Germanism without Germans” in contemporary Romania is tightly connected with the production and reproduction of symbolic geographies whose aim is to insert Romania into the “civilized” Western/European world.
Post-Communism, the Civilizing Process, and the Mixed Impact of Leninist Violence
Authors: Kopstein Jeffrey , Bernhard Michael
Published: October 2014

Leninism and the central role that violence played in it is most commonly presented as a hindrance to democratic development in post-communist Eastern Europe. This paper reconsiders this proposition in light of the classics of comparative historical analysis. These classic works maintain that the long-term consequences of revolutionary violence sometimes counteract its short-term anti-democratic impact. Social change unleashed by revolution can contribute to the emergence of democracy in subsequent periods by removing pre-modern barriers to democracy. Two aspects of Leninist violence are highlighted as having such effects: forced modernization and the civilizing process. Communist modernization altered pre-modern social structures which had served as impediments to democracy prior to the Leninist seizure of power. The resulting social structures and the values reinforced by the communist version of the “civilizing process,” patterned on those of bourgeois conventions of the early twentieth century, helped some post-communist countries overcome obstacles to the introduction of liberal democracy encountered in earlier attempts in the region after World War I.
An onsite inspection sensor for the formation of hull plates based on active binocular stereovision
Authors: Wang Zhenxing , Wu Zhuoqi , Zhen Xijin , Yang Rundang , Xi Juntong
Published: October 2014

Nowadays, the inspection of formed hull plates is still more dependent on wooden templates. The method based on wooden templates is imprecise, inefficiency and costly. In this article, an alternate measurement sensor for onsite inspection of formed hull plates is developed. The sensor can obtain accurate quantitative result with high efficiency. The case study demonstrated that the sensor could substitute wooden templates to inspect formed hull plates in workshop.
Heavy-duty engine electric turbocompounding
Authors: Kant Manuel , Romagnoli Alessandro , Mamat Aman MI , Martinez-Botas Ricardo F
Published: October 2014

This paper analyses the performance of a heavy-duty engine when integrating a turbocompound system including a low-pressure-ratio turbine. The main feature of the low-pressure-ratio turbine is that of achieving efficiencies greater than 75% at very low pressure ratios (of approximately 1.1).

The engine performance is predicted by a one-dimensionanl simulation model of a 10 l heavy-duty engine. An electric turbocompound system with a low-pressure-ratio turbine is fitted downstream of the main turbocharger to extract the exhaust gas energy. This additional energy supplies the electronic units and batteries. A method to scale an existing low-pressure-ratio turbine, designed for a 1.0 l gasoline engine, is defined and the changes in the turbine losses and the blade stresses are discussed. Low-pressure-ratio turbines of different sizes are analysed and compared in order to obtain the greatest benefit. In all cases the sum of the engine power and the turbocompound power is matched to the baseline engine power output. The full-load results show a power output from the low-pressure-ratio turbine of up to 15.8 kW, an improvement in the brake specific fuel consumption of the engine of up to 4% and a reduction in the brake mean effective pressure of up to 5%. The recovered exhaust gas energy is higher than the engine power required to balance the increased back pressure due to the additional component within the exhaust system. The electrical power produced is sufficiently high to replace the alternator.
The effect of a lane change on a car-following manoeuvre: anticipation and relaxation behaviour
Authors: Ghaffari Ali , Khodayari Alireza , Hosseinkhani Niloofar , Salehinia Saeed
Published: October 2014

Car-following and lane-changing manoeuvres are the most common driving behaviour on urban roads and highways. Although these two manoeuvres have been studied extensively, the effect of a lane change on a car-following manoeuvre remains elusive. Analysing these effects leads to integration of the car-following and the lane-changing manoeuvre which has been relatively neglected. A lane-changing manoeuvre causes the immediately following driver to deviate from common car-following models to accommodate the lane changer ahead; this is called anticipation and relaxation behaviour. These behaviours are transient states which occur between two car-following behaviours owing to the lane-changing manoeuvre. In this paper, a novel adaptive neurofuzzy model is proposed for simulating the behaviour of the follower vehicle during anticipation and relaxation behaviour. Comparison between the simulation results and the field data shows that errors in the proposed model are significantly smaller and the model can describe anticipation and relaxation behaviour properly. The anticipation and relaxation model can improve current car-following model applications to enhance the safety of vehicles such as driving assistant and collision avoidance systems.
Holocene environmental changes inferred from sedimentary records in the lower reach of the Yeongsan River, Korea
Authors: Nahm Wook-Hyun , Hong Sei-Sun
Published: October 2014

Multidisciplinary paleoproxy data from three sedimentary cores (9.05-m-long MW-2, 16.50-m-long IL-3, and 11.88-m-long JD-1) recovered from the Yeongsan River Estuary of Korea are presented. A marine influence can be observed at 10,400 yr BP (−21 m) and 8600 yr BP (−14 to −12 m) around the Yeongsan River Estuary. However, if we take the macro-tidal setting of the Yeongsan River Estuary into consideration, actual sea level could differ from the depositional surfaces, and might be higher or lower than the sediment elevation. Precipitation at around 6300–5000 yr BP is estimated to have been higher or stronger than in earlier and later periods. The core sites received increased terrigenous sediment input during this period because of intensified rainfall and consequent river activity. Although sea level was estimated to be high enough to have a strong influence on the study area during the mid-Holocene, the sedimentary features suggest that riverine activity was the dominant factor controlling the sedimentation patterns. This implies that even during the Holocene Climate Optimum in Korea, roughly 7000–5000 yr BP, the wetter condition has occurred within the interval of 6300–5000 yr BP. After the Holocene Climate Optimum, sea level decreased to 0 to −1 m around 5000 yr BP and increased again starting around 4000 yr BP. The time-series results presented in this study are coincident with global trends, and show the potential for developing geomorphological and climate histories for this region.
Early occurrence of temperate oak-dominated forest in the northern part of the Little Hungarian Plain, SW Slovakia
Authors: Jamrichová Eva , Potůčková Anna , Horsák Michal , Hajnalová Mária , Barta Peter , Tóth Peter , Kuneš Petr
Published: October 2014

Using a multi-proxy analysis of a postglacial sedimentary sequence from a lowland wetland, we address the possible drivers of change in the wetland habitats and surrounding landscapes of southwestern Slovakia. A 5 m-deep core in the Parížske močiare marshes was investigated for pollen, plant macro-remains, molluscs, organic content and magnetic susceptibility. The palaeoecological record extends from the Pleistocene–Holocene transition (≥11,200 cal. BP) to the 5th millennium cal. BP and was correlated with a macrophysical climate model (MCM) and archaeological data. Our results show the transformation of an open parkland landscape with patches of coniferous forest to a temperate deciduous forest at the onset of the Holocene. The record is remarkable for an early occurrence of Quercus pollen and macro-remains around 11,200 cal. BP and its early expansion (10,390 cal. BP) in the vegetation. Such an early spread of Quercus has not previously been recorded in the region, where Corylus is usually the first to expand among temperate trees. This unusual development of forest communities was most probably triggered by a short-lived increase in precipitation and decrease in temperature, as reconstructed by the MCM model. Higher moisture availability and low temperature inhibited Corylus and favoured the spread of Quercus. Later, the climate became drier and warmer, which, together with fires, supported the expansion of Corylus. Since 7300 cal. BP, human activities became most likely the dominant influence on the landscape. Deforestation contributed to soil erosion, which halted the accumulation of organic material after 5520 cal. BP, followed by the accumulation of clay sediments.
An imaging method for impact localization using metal-core piezoelectric fiber rosettes
Authors: Zhang Chao , Qiu Jinhao , Ji Hongli , Shan Shengbo
Published: October 2014

As a novel piezoelectric device, metal-core piezoelectric fiber has great potential to be a structurally integrated transducer for guided-wave structural health monitoring. Compared with common piezoelectric ceramics with in-plane isotropic characteristic, metal-core piezoelectric fiber exhibits unique directivity in Lamb wave sensing which can locate the direction of the impact without any information about time of flight or speed of propagation. This article introduces a metal-core piezoelectric fiber rosette that contains three metal-core piezoelectric fibers with an angle of 120° between adjacent metal-core piezoelectric fibers. To simplify the process of placing three metal-core piezoelectric fibers onto the structure and improve the performance of metal-core piezoelectric fiber rosettes, a method for packaging metal-core piezoelectric fiber rosette is presented. By coupling the piezoelectric effect to the wave strain field, the directivity of metal-core piezoelectric fiber is derived. In order to determine the direction of an incoming wave, previous work measures the amplitudes of metal-core piezoelectric fibers and calculates the wave direction by the rosette principles. However, the calculated wave direction is very sensitive to the measurement error, which comes from unavoidable sensor noise and complex dispersive effect in actual application. To improve the accuracy, a new method that combines an imaging method with the rosette approach is proposed. Its accuracy is validated by experiments, and the phenomena in experiments are also discussed.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–IV Dyads for Estimating Global Intelligence
Authors: Girard Todd A. , Axelrod Bradley N. , Patel Ronak , Crawford John R.
Published: October 2014

All possible two-subtest combinations of the core Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–IV (WAIS-IV) subtests were evaluated as possible viable short forms for estimating full-scale IQ (FSIQ). Validity of the dyads was evaluated relative to FSIQ in a large clinical sample ( N = 482) referred for neuropsychological assessment. Sample validity measures included correlations, mean discrepancies, and levels of agreement between dyad estimates and FSIQ scores. In addition, reliability and validity coefficients were derived from WAIS-IV standardization data. The Coding + Information dyad had the strongest combination of reliability and validity data. However, several other dyads yielded comparable psychometric performance, albeit with some variability in their particular strengths. We also observed heterogeneity between validity coefficients from the clinical and standardization-based estimates for several dyads. Thus, readers are encouraged to also consider the individual psychometric attributes, their clinical or research goals, and client or sample characteristics when selecting among the dyadic short forms.
Volunteering as a Pathway to Productive and Social Engagement Among Older Adults
Authors: Morrow-Howell Nancy , Lee Yung Soo , McCrary Stacey , McBride Amanda
Published: October 2014

Introduction. Research on outcomes of volunteering in later life largely focuses on the health of volunteers. This is in contrast to studies of youth, where attention is directed toward the effects of volunteering on subsequent productive and citizen behaviors. In this study, we examined the effects of volunteering on subsequent social and civic activity of older adults. Method. This study was conducted with volunteers from Experience Corps® (EC), a national program that brings older adults into schools to work with students. Data were derived from a baseline survey of older adults who were new EC volunteers in fall of 2006 and 2007. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 338 volunteers in fall 2010 to capture work, education, and community activities undertaken subsequent to joining EC. Results. Subsequent to joining EC, 16% of volunteers reported that they started a new job, 53% started another volunteer position, 40% started a community activity, and 39% took a class/started educational program. When asked if and how EC participation played a role in their new involvements, 71% said it increased confidence, 76% said it increased realization of the importance of organized activities/daily structure, and more than 40% said they made social connections that led to new involvements. Most reported they were more likely to be involved in advocacy efforts for public education. Discussion. Volunteering among older adults is a means as well as an end—just as it is for young people. Programs can do more to attract and serve older adults by promoting volunteering as a pathway to other engagements, including work, social, and civic activities.
Questions of control in child protection decision making: Laypersons’ monitoring and governance in child protection committees in Sweden
Authors: Forkby Torbjörn , Höjer Staffan , Liljegren Andreas
Published: October 2014

In Sweden, decision making in child protection is heavily dependent on laypersons appointed to municipal child protection committees (CPCs). These laypersons have the power to decide upon proposals coming from professionals. Members of the committees are appointed from among their political party’s members. In the committee, they are supposed to act as judicious laypersons equipped with sound judgement. In this study, 31 committee meetings in three municipalities were followed using observational techniques and audio recordings. The appointed CPC members’ decision-making processes and communicative strategies to influence social work practice were analysed.

Findings

The results show differences between the CPCs, indicating localized decision-making cultures. The representatives worked (not as party politicians, but) as a team with the professionals as counterparts. Communication strategies, most frequently questions, were used to govern the social work practice, over and above the decision making. Questions served both to obtain the information needed and also to exert normative influence by setting up a normative grid for ways to pass the committee.

Applications

This research shows that social work in Sweden has a long way to go until it is acknowledged full professional status. The study also suggests that improvements in the CPCs’ decision making need to be based on a closer look at the laypersons’ knowledge, values and common sense and how these aspects affect decision making.
Area epidemiological research on hypertension risk factors of Keriyans in the Taklimakan Desert
Authors: Cao Haitao , Cheng Zuheng , Chen Fenghui , Ding Zhijian
Published: October 2014

Introduction:

The Keriyans live in the hot, arid areas of Taklimakan Desert and maintain a primitive way of life. They have a low incidence of hypertension. However, little is known about the adaptive compensation in the organism. In the present study, we explored the the traditional risk factors of hypertension in the Keriyans.

Materials and methods:

We performed an epidemiological survey of Keriyans in a randomly selected natural population including 508 individuals aged 16 years or more, using the WHO MONICA scheme and 151 randomly selected age/gender-matched controls, Uighurs, from the nearest villagers to the Keriyans.

Results:

The incidence of hypertension in the Keriyans was significantly lower than that in the controls( p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age, hyperglycemia and salt consumption as well as sodium intake in diet were associated with traditional hypertension risk factors. Correlation between water quality and hypertension showed that calcium was positively associated with the detection rate of hypertension.

Conclusions:

Age, hyperglycemia and salt consumption as well as sodium intake in diet were correlated with hypertension risk factors, which leads to the speculation that the water of the desert draught area which is characterized by low calcium and high magnesium levels might account for the low incidence of hypertension in Keriyans.
The effect of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors on intact parathyroid hormone levels in peritoneal dialysis patients
Authors: Gao Luyan , Wang Zhi , Feng Sheng , Jiang Shan , Ouyang Han , Shi Yongbing , Shen Huaying
Published: October 2014

Hypothesis/Introduction:

The objective of this article is to investigate the effect of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASIs) on intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients.

Materials and methods:

All patients were divided into RASI-treated and non-treated groups. The relationships between the iPTH levels in CAPD patients and the clinical parameters and medication use were analyzed via linear regression.

Results:

A total of 149 CAPD patients were included in this study. The average iPTH level of the entire group was 189.4 pg/ml (range, 102.8–373.4 pg/ml). There were 79 (53.0%) and 70 (47.0%) cases in the RASI-treated and non-treated groups, respectively, with average iPTH levels of 139.0 pg/ml (range, 91.6–258.4 pg/ml) and 253.0 pg/ml (range, 134.3–467.2 pg/ml), respectively; this difference was statistically significant ( p = 0.001). Multilinear regression analysis showed that age, dialysis vintage, serum phosphatemia, ALP, Hb and RASI use were independent factors that were associated with iPTH level.

Conclusion:

RASI use may be associated with a lower iPTH level in CAPD patients, although the underlying mechanism requires further study.
Combined Structural and Functional Imaging of the Breast
Authors: Williams Mark B. , More Mitali J. , Narayanan Deepa , Majewski Stan , Weisenberger Andrew. G. , Wojcik Randal , Stanton Martin , Phillips Walter , Stewart Alex
Published: October 2014

Scintimammography, or single gamma nuclear imaging of the breast, has shown promise as a way of characterizing certain biological properties of suspicious breast masses. Conventional scintimammography, performed using large clinical gamma cameras and prone patient positioning suffers from several drawbacks including poor sensitivity for small (< 1 cm) lesions and no reliable method for correlating scintigraphic findings with those of other imaging modalities. We are developing a system designed to overcome some of these problems. The system combines x-ray mammography with scintimammography on a common gantry. The x-ray and gamma ray images are obtained in quick succession, with the breast in a common configuration under mild compression. A digital x-ray detector is used, permitting rapid assessment of lesion location prior to gamma imaging, and enabling fusion of the x-ray transmission and gamma emission information in a single digital image. In a pilot clinical diagnostic study, the system has demonstrated high pathology-proven accuracy in differentiating benign and malignant masses.
Imaging Technology Development Initiatives by the National Cancer Institute's Biomedical Imaging Program
Authors: Baker Houston
Published: October 2014

The extramural research community is invited to compete for grant application funding to perform research and development in Cancer Imaging, which is prominent in the list of Extraordinary Opportunities that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) currently recognizes as likely to yield significant gains in public health. Through its Biomedical Imaging Program (BIP), NCI offers grant support for advances in medical imaging technologies applicable to cancer and pre-cancer research, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of treatment progress. Many investigators are familiar with generic NIH Program Announcements to which they may submit investigator-initiated grant applications that support missions of the NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs). However, fewer know about specific grant application initiatives by individual ICs. Active NCI Imaging Initiatives administered by BIP are listed on its website, http://cancer.gov/bip . The short descriptions include additional web-links that lead directly to full-text Program Announcements that provide comprehensive information for investigators who wish to respond with applications. Current initiatives include Exploratory/Developmental Grants for Diagnostic Cancer Imaging (R21), Development of Novel Imaging Technologies (Phased Innovation Award-R21/R33), and Development of Novel Imaging Technologies (SBIR/STTR-R43/R44 and R41/R42). Domestic and foreign investigators from academia, research organizations, and large and small businesses are invited to check specific eligibility requirements found in the details of each program announcement. Investigators contemplating multi-disciplinary imaging technology development projects are encouraged to assemble teams that include necessary expertise either through direct participation or with collaborations and/or sub-contracts, as needed. Brief descriptions of older Program Announcements that are now closed are provided to show the range of initiatives supported by the Biomedical Imaging Program in the recent past. New NCI imaging initiatives are under consideration.
The Impact of TNF-α Induction on Therapeutic Efficacy following High Dose Spatially Fractionated (GRID) Radiation
Authors: Sathishkumar Sabapathi , Dey Swatee , Meigooni Ali S. , Regine William F. , Kudrimoti Mahesh , Ahmed Mansoor M. , Mohiuddin Mohammed
Published: October 2014

A variety of cytokines especially TNF-α and TGF-β are known to be released in response to high dose radiation of tumors. However, these are not normally measurable in systemic circulation unless high levels of these cytokines are produced by tumor cells. This study was undertaken to see if circulating levels of these cytokines could be measured in the serum of patients treated with high dose spatially fractionated (GRID) radiation and to correlate the finding of these cytokines with clinical response to treatment. Thirty-four patients (31 patients had single treatment site and 3 patients had 2 treatment sites) treated with spatially fractionated (GRID) radiation were entered in this study. Serum samples were collected before treatment and at 24, 48 and 72 hours after GRID radiation. Sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to estimate the levels of TNF-α and activated TGF-β1 proteins. Seven of 37 patients studied had no TNF-α protein before treatment but showed induction of TNF-α after GRID radiation. Three patients showed faint basal level of TNF-α protein before treatment and these levels were induced after treatment. Three patients showed a basal level of TNF-α protein before treatment and these levels decreased after treatment. In 21 cases no TNF-α protein was detected before or after treatment at the time points measured. In the case of TGF-β1 protein, 2 patients showed no TGF-β1 protein before GRID radiation and an induction of TGF-β1 protein was observed after treatment. Seven patients showed basal level of TGF-β1 protein prior to treatment and these levels were induced after treatment. Seventeen patients showed a basal level of TGF-β1 protein before treatment and these levels decreased after treatment. In 8 cases no TGF-β1 protein was detected before or after treatment. Complete clinical response (CR) to GRID therapy was seen in 12/37 (32%) treatment sites and partial response (PR) in 18/37 (49%) treatment sites. A strong correlation was observed between clinical CR rate and TNF-α induction. The rate of CR was 6/10 (60%) in patients where TNF-α was induced as compared to 6/27 (23%) treatment sites in patients where TNF-α induction was not seen (p = 0.029). No significant correlation with CR rate and TGF-β1 induction (44% vs. 28%, p = 0.36) was observed. High dose spatially fractionated (GRID) radiation results in significant induction of TNF-α that can be measured in serum of some patients 24 – 72 hours after radiation. Complete tumor response strongly correlated with the induction of TNF-α levels in the serum.