bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Connexin 37 Limits Thrombus Propensity by Downregulating Platelet Reactivity
Authors: Angelillo-Scherrer Anne , Fontana Pierre , Burnier Laurent , Roth Isabelle , Sugamele Rocco , Brisset Anne , Morel Sandrine , Nolli Séverine , Sutter Esther , Chassot Alexandra , Capron Claude , Borgel Delphine , Saller François , Chanson Marc , Kwak Brenda R.
Published: August 2011

Background—

Formation of platelet plug initiates hemostasis after vascular injury and triggers thrombosis in ischemic disease. However, the mechanisms leading to the formation of a stable thrombus are poorly understood. Connexins comprise a family of proteins that form gap junctions enabling intercellular coordination of tissue activity, a process termed
gap junctional intercellular communication
.

Methods and Results—

In the present study, we show that megakaryocytes and platelets express connexin 37 (Cx37). Deletion of the
Cx37
gene in mice shortens bleeding time and increases thrombus propensity. Aggregation is increased in murine
Cx37
−/−
platelets or in murine
Cx37
+/+
and human platelets treated with gap junction blockers. Intracellular microinjection of neurobiotin, a Cx37-permeant tracer, revealed gap junctional intercellular communication in platelet aggregates, which was impaired in
Cx37
−/−
platelets and in human platelets exposed to gap junction blockers. Finally, healthy subjects homozygous for Cx37–1019C, a prognostic marker for atherosclerosis, display increased platelet responses compared with subjects carrying the Cx37–1019T allele. Expression of these polymorphic channels in communication-deficient cells revealed a decreased permeability of Cx37–1019C channels for neurobiotin.

Conclusions—

We propose that the establishment of gap junctional communication between Cx37-expressing platelets provides a mechanism to limit thrombus propensity. To our knowledge, these data provide the first evidence incriminating gap junctions in the pathogenesis of thrombosis.
Ultrafast and Whole-Body Cooling With Total Liquid Ventilation Induces Favorable Neurological and Cardiac Outcomes After Cardiac Arrest in Rabbits
Authors: Chenoune M. , Lidouren F. , Adam C. , Pons S. , Darbera L. , Bruneval P. , Ghaleh B. , Zini R. , Dubois-Randé J.-L. , Carli P. , Vivien B. , Ricard J.-D. , Berdeaux A. , Tissier R.
Published: August 2011

Background—

In animal models of cardiac arrest, the benefit afforded by hypothermia is closely linked to the rapidity of the decrease in body temperature after resuscitation. Because total liquid ventilation (TLV) with temperature-controlled perfluorocarbons induces a very rapid and generalized cooling, we aimed to determine whether this could limit the post–cardiac arrest syndrome in a rabbit model. We especially focused on neurological, cardiac, pulmonary, liver and kidney dysfunctions.

Methods and Results—

Anesthetized rabbits were submitted to either 5 or 10 minutes of untreated ventricular fibrillation. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation and resumption of a spontaneous circulation, the animals underwent either normothermic life support (control) or therapeutic hypothermia induced by TLV. The latter procedure decreased esophageal and tympanic temperatures to 32°C to 33°C within only 10 minutes. After rewarming, the animals submitted to TLV exhibited an attenuated neurological dysfunction and decreased mortality 7 days later compared with control. The neuroprotective effect of TLV was confirmed by a significant reduction in brain histological damages. We also observed limitation of myocardial necrosis, along with a decrease in troponin I release and a reduced myocardial caspase 3 activity, with TLV. The beneficial effects of TLV were directly related to the rapidity of hypothermia induction because neither conventional cooling (cold saline infusion plus external cooling) nor normothermic TLV elicited a similar protection.

Conclusions—

Ultrafast cooling instituted by TLV exerts potent neurological and cardiac protection in an experimental model of cardiac arrest in rabbits. This could be a relevant approach to provide a global and protective hypothermia against the post–cardiac arrest syndrome.
Activation of NADPH Oxidase 1 Increases Intracellular Calcium and Migration of Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Zimmerman Matthew C. , Takapoo Maysam , Jagadeesha Dammanahalli K. , Stanic Bojana , Banfi Botond , Bhalla Ramesh C. , Miller Francis J.
Published: August 2011

Redox-dependent migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are central events in the development of vascular proliferative diseases; however, the underlying intracellular signaling mechanisms are not fully understood. We tested the hypothesis that activation of Nox1 NADPH oxidase modulates intracellular calcium ([Ca
2+
]
i
) levels. Using cultured SMCs from wild-type and Nox1 null mice, we confirmed that thrombin-dependent generation of reactive oxygen species requires Nox1. Thrombin rapidly increased [Ca
2+
]
i
, as measured by fura-2 fluorescence ratio imaging, in wild-type but not Nox1 null SMCs. The increase in [Ca
2+
]
i
in wild-type SMCs was inhibited by antisense to Nox1 and restored by expression of Nox1 in Nox1 null SMCs. Investigation into potential mechanisms by which Nox1 modulates [Ca
2+
]
i
showed that thrombin-induced inositol triphosphate generation and thapsigargin-induced intracellular calcium mobilization were similar in wild-type and Nox1 null SMCs. To examine the effects of Nox1 on Ca
2+
entry, cells were either bathed in Ca
2+
-free medium or exposed to dihydropyridines to block
l
-type Ca
2+
channel activity. Treatment with nifedipine or removal of extracellular Ca
2+
reduced the thrombin-mediated increase of [Ca
2+
]
i
in wild-type SMCs, whereas the response in Nox1 null SMCs was unchanged. Sodium vanadate, an inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases, restored the thrombin-induced increase of [Ca
2+
]
i
in Nox1 null SMCs. Migration of SMCs was impaired with deficiency of Nox1 and restored with expression of Nox1 or the addition of sodium vanadate. In summary, we conclude that Nox1 NADPH oxidase modulates Ca
2+
mobilization in SMCs, in part through regulation of Ca
2+
influx, to thereby promote cell migration.
Multimodel Analysis of Energy and Water Fluxes: Intercomparisons between Operational Analyses, a Land Surface Model, and Remote Sensing
Authors: Vinukollu Raghuveer K. , Sheffield Justin , Wood Eric F , Bosilovich Michael G. , Mocko David
Published: August 2011

Using data from seven global model operational analyses (OA), one land surface model, and various remote sensing retrievals, the energy and water fluxes over global land areas are intercompared for 2003/04. Remote sensing estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) are obtained from three process-based models that use input forcings from multisensor satellites. An ensemble mean (linear average) of the seven operational (mean-OA) models is used primarily to intercompare the fluxes with comparisons performed at both global and basin scales. At the global scale, it is found that all components of the energy budget represented by the ensemble mean of the OA models have a significant bias. Net radiation estimates had a positive bias (global mean) of 234 MJ m−2 yr−1 (7.4 W m−2) as compared to the remote sensing estimates, with the latent and sensible heat fluxes biased by 470 MJ m−2 yr−1 (13.3 W m−2) and −367 MJ m−2 yr−1 (11.7 W m−2), respectively. The bias in the latent heat flux is affected by the bias in the net radiation, which is primarily due to the biases in the incoming shortwave and outgoing longwave radiation and to the nudging process of the operational models. The OA models also suffer from improper partitioning of the surface heat fluxes. Comparison of precipitation (P) analyses from the various OA models, gauge analysis, and remote sensing retrievals showed better agreement than the energy fluxes. Basin-scale comparisons were consistent with the global-scale results, with the results for the Amazon in particular showing disparities between OA and remote sensing estimates of energy fluxes. The biases in the fluxes are attributable to a combination of errors in the forcing from the OA atmospheric models and the flux calculation methods in their land surface schemes. The atmospheric forcing errors are mainly attributable to high shortwave radiation likely due to the underestimation of clouds, but also precipitation errors, especially in water-limited regions.
Microscale Numerical Prediction over Montreal with the Canadian External Urban Modeling System
Authors: Leroyer Sylvie , Bélair Stéphane , Mailhot Jocelyn , Strachan Ian B.
Published: August 2011

The Canadian urban and land surface external modeling system (known as urban GEM-SURF) has been developed to provide surface and near-surface meteorological variables to improve numerical weather prediction and to become a tool for environmental applications. The system is based on the Town Energy Balance model for the built-up covers and on the Interactions between the Surface, Biosphere, and Atmosphere land surface model for the natural covers. It is driven by coarse-resolution forecasts from the 15-km Canadian regional operational model. This new system was tested for a 120-m grid-size computational domain covering the Montreal metropolitan region from 1 May to 30 September 2008. The numerical results were first evaluated against local observations of the surface energy budgets, air temperature, and humidity taken at the Environmental Prediction in Canadian Cities (EPiCC) field experiment tower sites. As compared with the regional deterministic 15-km model, important improvements have been achieved with this system over urban and suburban sites. GEM-SURF’s ability to simulate the Montreal surface urban heat island was also investigated, and the radiative surface temperatures from this system and from two systems operational at the Meteorological Service of Canada were compared, that is, the 15-km regional deterministic model and the so-called limited-area model with 2.5-km grid size. Comparison of urban GEM-SURF outputs with remotely sensed observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) reveals relatively good agreement for urban and natural areas.
A Multidiagnostic Intercomparison of Tropical-Width Time Series Using Reanalyses and Satellite Observations
Authors: Davis Sean M. , Rosenlof Karen H.
Published: August 2011

Poleward migration of the latitudinal edge of the tropics of 0.25°–3.0° decade−1 has been reported in several recent studies based on satellite and radiosonde data and reanalysis output covering the past ~30 yr. The goal of this paper is to identify the extent to which this large range of trends can be explained by the use of different data sources, time periods, and edge definitions, as well as how the widening varies as a function of hemisphere and season. Toward this end, a suite of tropical edge latitude diagnostics based on tropopause height, winds, precipitation–evaporation, and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) are analyzed using several reanalyses and satellite datasets. These diagnostics include both previously used definitions and new definitions designed for more robust detection. The wide range of widening trends is shown to be primarily due to the use of different datasets and edge definitions and only secondarily due to varying start–end dates. This study also shows that the large trends (>~1° decade−1) previously reported in tropopause and OLR diagnostics are due to the use of subjective definitions based on absolute thresholds. Statistically significant Hadley cell expansion based on the mean meridional streamfunction of 1.0°–1.5° decade−1 is found in three of four reanalyses that cover the full time period (1979–2009), whereas other diagnostics yield trends of −0.5°–0.8° decade−1 that are mostly insignificant. There are indications of hemispheric and seasonal differences in the trends, but the differences are not statistically significant.
The 2010 Pakistan Flood and Russian Heat Wave: Teleconnection of Hydrometeorological Extremes
Authors: Lau William K. M. , Kim Kyu-Myong
Published: August 2011

In this paper, preliminary results are presented showing that the two record-setting extreme events during 2010 summer (i.e., the Russian heat wave–wildfires and Pakistan flood) were physically connected. It is found that the Russian heat wave was associated with the development of an extraordinarily strong and prolonged extratropical atmospheric blocking event in association with the excitation of a large-scale atmospheric Rossby wave train spanning western Russia, Kazakhstan, and the northwestern China–Tibetan Plateau region. The southward penetration of upper-level vorticity perturbations in the leading trough of the Rossby wave was instrumental in triggering anomalously heavy rain events over northern Pakistan and vicinity in mid- to late July. Also shown are evidences that the Russian heat wave was amplified by a positive feedback through changes in surface energy fluxes between the atmospheric blocking pattern and an underlying extensive land region with below-normal soil moisture. The Pakistan heavy rain events were amplified and sustained by strong anomalous southeasterly flow along the Himalayan foothills and abundant moisture transport from the Bay of Bengal in connection with the northward propagation of the monsoonal intraseasonal oscillation.
Adaptive Range Oversampling to Achieve Faster Scanning on the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased-Array Radar
Authors: Curtis Christopher D. , Torres Sebastián M.
Published: August 2011

This paper describes a real-time implementation of adaptive range oversampling processing on the National Weather Radar Testbed phased-array radar. It is demonstrated that, compared to conventional matched-filter processing, range oversampling can be used to reduce scan update times by a factor of 2 while producing meteorological data with similar quality. Adaptive range oversampling uses moment-specific transformations to minimize the variance of meteorological variable estimates. An efficient algorithm is introduced that allows for seamless integration with other signal processing functions and reduces the computational burden. Through signal processing, a new dimension is added to the traditional trade-off triangle that includes the variance of estimates, spatial coverage, and update time. That is, by trading an increase in computational complexity, data with higher temporal resolution can be collected and the variance of estimates can be improved without affecting the spatial coverage.
Rapidly Intensifying Hurricane Guillermo (1997). Part II: Resilience in Shear
Authors: Reasor Paul D. , Eastin Matthew D.
Published: August 2011

This paper examines the structure and evolution of a mature tropical cyclone in vertical wind shear (VWS) using airborne Doppler radar observations of Hurricane Guillermo (1997). In Part I, the modulation of eyewall convection via the rotation of vorticity asymmetries through the downshear-left quadrant was documented during rapid intensification. Here, the focus is on the relationship between VWS, vortex tilt, and associated asymmetry within the tropical cyclone core region during two separate observation periods. A method for estimating local VWS and vortex tilt from radar datasets is further developed, and the resulting vertical structure and its evolution are subjected to statistical confidence tests. Guillermo was a highly resilient vortex, evidenced by its small tilt magnitude relative to the horizontal scale of the vortex core. The deep-layer tilt was statistically significant, oriented on average ~60° left of shear. Large-scale vorticity and thermal asymmetries oriented along the tilt direction support a response of Guillermo to shear forcing that is consistent with balanced dynamics. The time-averaged vertical motion asymmetry within the eyewall exhibited maximum ascent values ~40° left of the deep-layer shear, or in this case, right of the deep-layer tilt. The observation-based analysis of Guillermo’s interaction with VWS confirms findings of recent theoretical and numerical studies, and serves as the basis for a more comprehensive investigation of VWS and tropical cyclone intensity change using a recently constructed multistorm database of Doppler radar analyses.
Psychiatrists’ attitudes towards the procedure of involuntary admission to mental hospitals in China
Authors: Shao Yang , Xie Bin , Wu Zhiguo
Published: August 2011

Background:

In order to protect the rights of the mentally ill, legislation on the standards and procedures of compulsory detention has been made at the local and national level in China.

Aims:

This study aims to examine psychiatrists’ attitudes towards seeking involuntary admission in mainland China.

Method:

Three hundred and fourteen (314) qualified members of the Chinese Psychiatrist Association (CPA) were surveyed using a questionnaire to assess their attitudes about the procedure of involuntary admission to mental hospitals. Data were analysed using χ2 and logistic regression.

Results:

Some psychiatrists in the CPA had several arbitrary attitudes towards the process of admission. Females, aged under 35, with a low education level and a low position in the institution showed stricter attitudes in the procedure of involuntary admission. Areas with mental health legislation showed significant positive relationships with stricter attitudes.

Conclusions:

Every effort needs to be made to minimize these arbitrary attitudes to prevent potential negative outcomes. There is still a long way to go in protecting the rights of people diagnosed with mental illness.
Subjective accounts of the causes of mental illness in the USA
Authors: Elliott Marta , Maitoza Robyn , Schwinger Erik
Published: August 2011

Background:

Psychiatrists and advocates for persons with mental illness in the USA argue that the biomedical model of mental illness as a brain disease is both accurate and effective in reducing stigma. Few studies have queried individuals diagnosed with mental illness to determine the extent to which they define their condition as biologically based versus caused by social and psychological factors.

Method:

Fifty inpatients in a behavioral health unit of a non-profit hospital in Western USA were interviewed in depth regarding their perceptions of the nature and causes of the condition that brought them into the hospital.

Results:

The vast majority of patients, regardless of diagnosis, emphasized painful life experiences brought about by others and outside their own control as the primary cause of their mental illness.

Conclusions:

The biomedical model of mental illness does not necessarily dominate the minds of people with mental illness; therefore mental health practitioners should understand and respect their patients’ explanatory models in order to enlist their trust and compliance.
Effectiveness of family work interventions on schizophrenia: Evidence from a multicentre study in Catalonia
Authors: Tomás Esther Pousa , Hurtado Gemma , Noguer Sílvia , Domènech Cristina , García Montse , López Nuria , Negredo MaríaCruz , Penadés Rafael , Reinares María , Serrano Dolors , Dolz Montse , Gallo Pedro
Published: August 2011

Background:

Despite their proven efficacy, family work interventions on families of patients with schizophrenia are not being implemented in routine clinical practice in contexts where expressed emotion levels among caregivers are relatively high.

Aims:

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a family work intervention in a Mediterranean environment in Catalonia, Spain.

Method:

Participants were 23 patients and 35 key relatives in five different clinical settings. The family intervention was provided by 10 trained health care professionals during a nine-month period. A six-month follow-up was also conducted.

Results:

Statistically significant improvements were found in patients’ clinical status, global functioning and social functioning levels, as well as in caregivers’ burden of care. These results were maintained during follow-up.

Conclusion:

This is the first study to explore the effectiveness of family intervention in a high-expressed emotion context in Catalonia. The findings add weight to the growing literature supporting these interventions in different cultural settings.
Time-Frequency Analysis of Chewing Activity in the Natural Environment
Authors: Po J.M.C. , Kieser J.A. , Gallo L.M. , Tésenyi A.J. , Herbison P. , Farella M.
Published: August 2011

The aim of this observational study was to investigate the features of the chewing activity and the variability of the human chewing pace, as assessed in the natural environment. It was hypothesized that the chewing pace is relatively constant within individuals across different days but is variable across individuals. Electromyographic surface activity was recorded unilaterally from the masseter in 21 participants for 3 hours over 3 recording days, in the natural environment, by means of portable recorders. The time-frequency properties of chewing activity were assessed with a previously validated algorithm. Repeated-measurements ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Chewing activity mainly occurred in the range of 0.94 Hz (5th percentile) and 2.17 Hz (95th percentile). Mean and median chewing frequencies were 1.57 Hz and 1.58 Hz, respectively (95% confidence intervals: 1.45-1.68 Hz). The mean duration of chewing episodes was 13.0 sec, the 5th and 95th percentiles being 2.7 sec and 34.9 sec, respectively. Variability of the mean chewing frequency between individuals was much greater than that within individuals (F = 29.8; p < 0.001). The individual chewing paces were stable across different days (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.88; 95% confidence intervals = 0.79-0.94). Our findings provide evidence that each individual, in the natural environment, chews with a consistent pace across different days.

Abbreviations: ANOVA, analysis of variance; CPG, central pattern generator; EMG, electromyography; ICC, Intra-class Correlation coefficient; SD, standard deviation.
Fiscal Discipline: Rules Rather than Institutions
Authors: Wyplosz Charles
Published: August 2011

The lack of fiscal discipline is a natural and pervasive implication of the perceived separation between the benefits from public spending and the taxes that individuals and interest groups receive and pay, respectively. The implication is that budget preparation, decision and execution must be constrained. The challenge is that the policymakers who need to be constrained are those who must decide the constraints. Two broad classes of solutions are possible: institutions that shape the budgetary process and quantitative rules that set limits. The mounting experience with both institutions and rules is disappointing, for reasons that are often complementary. Examining the reasons for this state of affairs, this article argues that institutions and rules ought to be combined and associated with advisory fiscal councils.
The Irish Fiscal Crisis
Authors: Bergin Adele , Gerald John Fitz , Kearney Ide , O'Sullivan Cormac
Published: August 2011

This paper considers the origins and characteristics of the current economic crisis in Ireland. In particular, it examines how fiscal policy contributed to the crisis rather than preventing it. The paper gives details of the major fiscal tightening that is under way. By 2014 the authorities will have implemented a package ofex antecuts equivalent to one-fifth of GDP. The costs of this package, together with the more permanent effects of the recession on potential output, are discussed and the legacy effects of the crisis for government indebtedness are analysed.
From Indecision to Fast-Track Privatisations: Can Greece Still do it?
Authors: Christodoulakis Nicos
Published: August 2011

This paper explains how the collapse of growth after 2008, in combination with soaring public and external deficits, led to the escalation of Greek debt, while the government's delay in responding to the crisis increased the cost of borrowing and necessitated the bail-out agreement with the IMF and the European Union. One year later, Greece is struggling to harness fiscal deficits amidst a deep recession and rising social tension. Debt sustainability has not yet been ensured and another tranche of loans has been negotiated under new terms and conditions, including higher taxes and extensive privatisations of public companies and property. The paper discusses the main failures of the bail-out agreement and why the lack of growth so far has undermined efforts at stabilisation. As an alternative, the paper suggests that with a modest return to growth, combined with fast-track privatisations, the prospects of debt sustainability improve substantially. In light of the recent debate on the European Stability Mechanism, the paper suggests that the bail-out facility should avoid the debt seniority condition, so that Greece could return to normal market borrowing after 2013 without raising new fears of ‘haircuts’ on private sector obligations.
Prospects for Individual Economies
Authors: Holland Dawn , Delannoy Aurélie , Fic Tatiana , Hurst Ian , Orazgani Ali , Paluchowski Paweł , Whitworth Rachel
Published: August 2011

The rate of growth of the US economy moderated in the first quarter of 2011, and remained lacklustre in the second quarter of the year, as the high oil price eroded real wages and weighed on consumer spending. In 2011 as a whole, we expect GDP to expand by 2½ per cent, with an acceleration to nearly 3 per cent expected in 2012.
Appendix A: Summary of Key Forecast Assumptions
Authors: Holland Dawn , Delannoy Aurélie , Fic Tatiana , Hurst Ian , Orazgani Ali , Paluchowski Paweł , Whitworth Rachel
Published: August 2011

The forecasts for the world and the UK economy reported in this Review are produced using NIESR's global econometric model, NiGEM. The NiGEM model has been in use at the National Institute for forecasting and policy analysis since 1987, and is also used by a group of about 50 model subscribers, mainly in the policy community. Most countries in the OECD are modelled separately, and there are also separate models of China, India, Russia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brazil, South Africa, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. The rest of the world is modelled through regional blocks so that the model is global in scope. All models contain the determinants of domestic demand, export and import volumes, prices, current accounts and net assets. Output is tied down in the long run by factor inputs and technical progress interacting through production functions, but is driven by demand in the short to medium term. Economies are linked through trade, competitiveness and financial markets and are fully simultaneous. Further details on the NiGEM model are available on http://nimodel.niesr.ac.uk/.
Prospects for the UK Economy
Authors: Kirby Simon , Whitworth Rachel
Published: August 2011

The persistent weakness of UK economic growth figures has dominated recent economic commentary. This debate continued with the release of the Office for National Statistics‘ (ONS) preliminary estimate of GDP growth for the second quarter of this year. The ONS estimates that the economy enjoyed only a modest expansion in the second quarter: 0.2 per cent per quarter. This implies the level of output is little changed from the third quarter of 2010. ‘One-off effects’ are partly responsible for the weak growth in the second quarter. We expect GDP growth to accelerate in the third quarter of this year (see figure 1), but this increase is likely to be flattered by the events of the second quarter.
The N Word
Authors: Rahman Jacquelyn
Published: August 2011

Despite the general societal ban on use of forms of nigger, a variant finds continued acceptance among some members of the African American community for intragroup self-reference. The present research employs quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from narratives by African American comedians to show that a variant of nigger that developed in the early African American community persists in the lexicon of African American English because it conveys a social meaning that is foundational in the identity of many African Americans. Use of this form allows a speaker to construct an identity representing awareness of the history of African Americans and practical knowledge of the nature and implications of the diaspora experience. The form has been productive in its capacity to convey a range of attitudinal stances related to its basic meaning, including solidarity, censure, and a proactive stance that seeks to bring about positive change.
Synthesis of Functional Syndiotactic Polystyrene Copolymers with Graft and Block Structures by Nitroxide-Mediated Living Radical Polymerization
Authors: Abbasian Mojtaba
Published: August 2011

In this study, synthesis of controlled graft copolymers onto syndiotactic polystyrene using nitroxide-mediated living radical polymerization and 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) iniferter is reported. Syndiotactic polystyrene has been synthesized using half-sandwich titanocene/ methylaluminoxane catalyst in homogenous conditions. Then, α-phenyl chloroacetylation of syndiotactic polystyrene was accomplished in a heterogeneous process using carbon disulfide as dispersing medium and α-phenyl chloroacetyl chloride and anhydrous aluminum chloride as acetylating agent and catalyst, respectively. Then, 1-hydroxy 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO-OH) was synthesized by the reduction of TEMPO with sodium ascorbate. This functional nitroxyl compound was coupled with arylated syndiotactic polystyrene. The graft copolymerizations of styrene and methyl styrene were initiated by arylated syndiotactic polystyrene carrying TEMPO groups as a macroinitiator. The product of polymerization was then heated in the presence of styrene and methyl styrene to form graft copolymer. The structure of obtained copolymer was investigated by 1H-NMR, and Fourier transform—infrared spectroscopy, and thermal behavior of copolymers was performed by differential scanning calorimetry analyses.
Revisiting the whole-school approach to bullying: Really looking at the whole school
Authors: Richard Jacques F. , Schneider Barry H. , Mallet Pascal
Published: August 2011

The whole-school approach to bullying prevention is predicated on the assumption that bullying is a systemic problem, and, by implication, that intervention must be directed at the entire school context rather than just at individual bullies and victims. Unfortunately, recent meta-analyses that have looked at various bullying programs from many countries have revealed that whole-school interventions designed to combat bullying have had limited success in reducing bullying. The purpose of the present study was to establish more clearly the precise aspects of school climate that are linked specifically to the problem of bullying. We used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyse school-level effects in a data set consisting of 18,222 students from across France. For physical and verbal/relational bullying, the final models respectively explain 6% and 16% of the within-school variance, and 48% and 9% of the between-school variance, significant between-school effects, with the climate variables of school security and the quality of student-teacher relationships emerging as the strongest predictors.
Found in Translation
Authors: Rule Nicholas O. , Ishii Keiko , Ambady Nalini , Rosen Katherine S. , Hallett Katherine C.
Published: August 2011

Across cultures, people converge in some behaviors and diverge in others. As little is known about the accuracy of judgments across cultures outside of the domain of emotion recognition, the present study investigated the influence of culture in another area: the social categorization of men’s sexual orientations. Participants from nations varying in their acceptance of homosexuality (United States, Japan, and Spain) categorized the faces of men from all three cultures significantly better than chance guessing. Moreover, categorizations of individual faces were significantly correlated among the three groups of perceivers. Americans were significantly faster and more accurate than the Japanese and Spanish perceivers. Categorization strategies (i.e., response bias) also varied such that perceivers from cultures less accepting of homosexuality were more likely to categorize targets as straight. Male sexual orientation therefore appears to be legible across cultures.
Putting voter turnout in a longitudinal and contextual perspective: An analysis of actual participation data
Authors: Tawfik Amal , Sciarini Pascal , Horber Eugène
Published: August 2011

Based on a unique panel data-set of actual voter turnout covering 58 ballots and 12 years in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, we analyze political participation from a longitudinal and contextual perspective. Focusing on a small number of individual sociological factors we hypothesize about how the impact of these factors varies over time and as a function of different institutional ballot characteristics. By applying multilevel models for growth, we find suggestive evidence for three age effects: period, aging, and cohort. While the data exhibit the expected convergence in turnout between Geneva and non-Geneva citizens over time, the results suggest that women had already caught up with men by the beginning of our study. The results are less straightforward, but not less interesting, with regard to institutional variables, which interact with age, but not with sex or citizenship status.
The relationship between interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and fatigue in terminally ill cancer patients
Authors: Kwak Sang Mi , Choi Youn Seon , Yoon Ho Min , Kim Dae Gyun , Song Seung Hun , Lee Young Jae , Yeom Chang Hwan , Koh Su Jin , Park Jeanno , Lee Myung Ah , Suh Sang-Yeon
Published: August 2011

Although many cancer patients receiving palliative care experience distressing levels of fatigue, no well-designed studies have investigated contributing factors in Korean patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Brief Fatigue Inventory-K (BFI-K) to measure fatigue while assessing a variety of possible correlates. Ninety patients with incurable cancer in the terminal stage (median survival: 27 days) participated in a structured interview and questionnaire related to their medical conditions and underwent blood sampling for laboratory data and cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Body mass index, dyspnea, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and levels of albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total bilirubin, and C-reactive protein were significantly associated with fatigue. However, levels of the two proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF-α, were not significantly correlated with the BFI-K score. In stepwise multiple linear regression, fatigue was related to elevated BUN (β = 0.376, p = 0.002), severe pain intensity (β = 0.349, p = 0.004), and impaired performance status (β = 0.268, p = 0.027), but not related to levels of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, the diagnostic work-up and therapeutic plan for patients with cancer-related fatigue should include an evaluation of laboratory parameters, pain severity, and physical performance.
A brief guided self-help intervention for psychological distress in palliative care patients: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Galfin John M , Watkins Ed R , Harlow Tim
Published: August 2011

Background: Previous findings implicated rumination (recurrent dwelling on abstract concerns) in elevated psychological distress in palliative patients. We hypothesised that reducing rumination may be important in addressing psychological distress in palliative care.

Aim: This study tested the prediction that a brief guided self-help technique targeting abstract rumination would reduce psychological distress in palliative patients.

Design: A randomised controlled trial evaluated 4 weeks of guided self-help that involved patients practising thinking more concretely by recalling specific and vivid memories of when they were completely absorbed in an activity or scene. Participants completed a combination of standardised questionnaires to assess anxiety, depression, and quality of life.

Setting/participants: Palliative care patients who were reporting clinically significant psychological distress, whilst also physically well enough to take part in the trial were recruited from hospices in Devon and Somerset and randomised to either a treatment condition ( n = 19) receiving 4 weeks of guided self-help, or a waiting-list control condition ( n = 15) receiving treatment as usual.

Results: As predicted, the palliative patients receiving the intervention reported significantly greater reductions in anxiety than the waiting-list controls ( F(1,23) = 20.55, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.47). However, no significant effect was found on depression or quality of life.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that a brief guided self-help intervention based on concreteness training can be effective in addressing anxiety in palliative care.
Performance of African American Preschool Children From Low-Income Families on Expressive Language Measures
Authors: Qi Cathy H. , Kaiser Ann P. , Marley Scott C. , Milan Stephanie
Published: August 2011

The purposes of the study were to determine (a) the ability of two spontaneous language measures, mean length of utterance in morphemes (MLU-m) and number of different words (NDW), to identify African American preschool children at low and high levels of language ability; (b) whether child chronological age was related to the performance of either group; and (c) the relationship between maternal education and the performance of children on MLU-m, NDW, and on the Expressive Communication (EC) subscale of the Preschool Language Scale–3. Analyses revealed that children with low language abilities performed lower on the language sampling measures than did those with high language abilities. Using MLU-m and NDW successfully classified 72.1% children with low language abilities and 75.4% children with high language abilities. Children’s MLU-m and NDW were positively related with age. Children differed in their expressive language measures related to maternal education levels.
Combined 2D–3D categorization and classification for multimodal perception systems
Authors: Marton Zoltan-Csaba , Pangercic Dejan , Blodow Nico , Beetz Michael
Published: August 2011

In this article we describe an object perception system for autonomous robots performing everyday manipulation tasks in kitchen environments. The perception system gains its strengths by exploiting that the robots are to perform the same kinds of tasks with the same objects over and over again. It does so by learning the object representations necessary for the recognition and reconstruction in the context of pick-and-place tasks. The system employs a library of specialized perception routines that solve different, well-defined perceptual sub-tasks and can be combined into composite perceptual activities including the construction of an object model database, multimodal object classification, and object model reconstruction for grasping. We evaluate the effectiveness of our methods, and give examples of application scenarios using our personal robotic assistants acting in a human living environment.
Diagnostic Exercise: Equine Rhabdomyolysis
Authors: Quist E. M. , Dougherty J. J. , Chaffin M. K. , Porter B. F.
Published: August 2011

A 1.5-year-old Quarter Horse gelding with a history of chronic nasal discharge and leukocytosis presented with signs of increased lethargy and muscular pain. The horse quickly became recumbent and unable to rise and was euthanized due to a poor prognosis. At necropsy, severe bilateral guttural pouch empyema was observed, as well as numerous well-demarcated areas of pallor within the skeletal muscles of all major muscle groups. Polymerase chain reaction testing of the guttural pouch exudate confirmed an infection with Streptococcus equi subsp. equi, and an S. equi–associated immune-mediated rhabdomyolysis was initially considered to be the most likely diagnosis. This report briefly discusses the various etiologies that should be considered in cases of equine myopathy, and it demonstrates the complexity of these poorly understood muscular disorders.
Convict Bastards, Common-Law Unions, and Shotgun Weddings
Authors: Kippen Rebecca , Gunn Peter A.
Published: August 2011

This article uses reconstituted family data from birth, death, and marriage registers to measure ex-nuptial fertility and premarital pregnancies in nineteenth-century Tasmania. It also examines the extent to which convict origins of European society on the island caused a departure from English norms of family formation behavior, during a period when men greatly outnumbered women. Illegitimacy was high during the convict period. From the mid-1850s, after the convict system collapsed, levels of ex-nuptial births were relatively constant until the end of the century, as indicated both by the illegitimacy rate and by the proportion of marriages associated with prenuptial births. By the end of the nineteenth century, rates of illegitimacy and prenuptial conceptions in Tasmania were well within the range of those of contemporary English-speaking populations.
The Family as the Foundation of Political Rule in Western Philosophy
Authors: Jarvis Douglas E.
Published: August 2011

For both Aristotle and Hegel, the family is the foundation in which the universalized rule of law is validated according to the political structure of the “Polis” or “State” itself. This composite whole or structure of society (Ancient Polis/Modern State) is the political end of humanity for both philosophers, which in turn finds its primordial beginning in the family. For Aristotle, it is in the kingly rule of the household that the property-based distinction of citizenship is set for the rule of his ideal Polis. For Hegel, it is in the love affirmed through caring affection within the nuclear family that the dialectical framework for the freedom of civil society, and the rational unity of a congregational “spirit” in the State, finds its foundation. For both thinkers, the family sets the base for a political theory that defines citizenship in a manner that transcends the particularities of kin bonds.
Mothers of Invention?
Authors: Whittington Kjersten Bunker
Published: August 2011

Gender and motherhood dynamics feature prominently in research that examines professional workplace inequities. The rise of patenting as an available form of academic productivity presents a fruitful site to revisit these in the science profession and to compare academic and industrial science contexts. I predict patenting involvement across disciplines, sectors, and time. Contrary to findings regarding publishing, academic mothers suffer a motherhood penalty not experienced by childless women or mothers in industry. Controls for past involvement remove the disparity, and a sex gap in industry. Work/family balance, sector-level incentives, and status expectations may explain these results, providing implications for future research on gender, motherhood, and work.
“Golden Age,” Quiescence, and Revival
Authors: Gorman Elizabeth H. , Sandefur Rebecca L.
Published: August 2011

Both professional work and the sociological study of professional work experienced a “golden age” in the mid-20th century. When dramatic changes began to shake the professions in the 1970s and 1980s, however, old approaches no longer fit, and the research area became quiescent. Yet interest in professional work simply “went underground,” surfacing under other names in a variety of sociological and interdisciplinary fields. In the process, researchers’ focus expanded to include a broader range of “expert” or “knowledge-based” occupations as well as traditional professions. This essay brings these disparate research streams together and shows that they cohere around four central themes: expert knowledge, autonomy, a normative orientation grounded in community, and high status, income, and other rewards.
Value Is in the Eye of the Owner
Authors: Zellweger Thomas Markus , Dehlen Tobias
Published: August 2011

Drawing on the affect infusion model from cognitive psychology, the authors develop a conceptual framework that explains how affect related to corporate ownership influences the formation of socioemotional wealth perceptions among family firm owners, reflected in altered subjective value perceptions for the ownership stake. The authors explore target, personal, and situational features in the subjective valuation process for the ownership stake and explain how these factors mediate the relationship between affect and socioemotional wealth perceptions. They further the understanding about the level of bias in family owners’ subjective firm value assessments and offer new approaches for socioemotional wealth research.
Feature extraction in welding penetration monitoring with arc sound signals
Authors: Wang J F , Yu H D , Qian Y Z , Yang R Z , Chen S B
Published: August 2011

Using welding sound signals to monitor the welding pool state has potential in gas tungsten arc welding. A novel welding-penetration-monitoring method using the welding sound based on feature extraction and feature selection is proposed. In order to overcome the blindness of subjective dimensionless indicators selected as sensitive features without any experience, attempts are made to try to obtain as many relative features as possible. A feature selection technology is used to find the most effective features and to reduce the redundant features. In this paper, a wavelet packet transform method is used to decompose the welding sound signals; then the decomposed nodes are calculated and 128 features obtained through statistical processing; a genetic algorithm selects seven feature subsets from the 128 features and employs an artificial neural network to classify the different penetration states, with 85 per cent accuracy in test data.
A method for selecting driving system parameters of a new electric shovel's excavating mechanism with three-DOF
Authors: Wei B , Gao F , Chen J , He J , Zhao X
Published: August 2011

Driving system parameters include motor parameters and transmission ratio of the reducer. In this study, a new three-degrees-of-freedom parallel excavating mechanism of electric shovel is analysed for the selection of its driving system which consists of three sub-driving parts. Based on the principle of virtual work in the form of generalized coordinates, the dynamic model of the excavating mechanism is established to calculate the external inertia loads and force (or torque) loads. For this parallel excavating mechanism which has three sub-drives, the external inertia loads cannot be fully divided into three independent parts with respect to these three sub-driving systems. Hence, the dynamic model of the system is employed to get loads characteristic of three sub-driving systems in the excavating process. Thus, the parameters' range of the motors can be obtained and then the best transmission ratio of every reducer can be obtained.
Analysis of power flow in a counter-rotating epicyclic gearing for electrical propulsion system
Authors: Shi W K , Li L J , Qin D T , Lim T C
Published: August 2011

A novel compound epicyclic gearing that combines a planetary gear train with a differential gear train is designed for an electrical propulsion system of underwater unmanned vehicles. This epicyclic gearing can transform a single input into two counter-rotating outputs with equal torque amplitudes and speeds. Based on the analysis method of power flow in the differential gear train, the character of the power flow of the compound epicyclic gearing was determined. After comparing with the power distribution of input flow, the condition of this mechanism without power recirculation was investigated. Because the reactive torque of the motor stator is balanced by the torque on ring gear of planetary gear train, no net torque acts on the vessel being propelled.