bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘World of the Text’ and Political Thought in Bengali Maṅgal-kāvya, c. 1500–1750
Authors: Curley David L.
Published: September 2011

Maṅgal-kāvya are long, didactic and literary narrative poems that teach benefits of worshipping particular deities. They were composed in Bengal during rapid expansion on two agrarian frontiers, and in the context of apical rule by Muslims. Maṅgal-kāvya developed innovative political thought through the invention of problematic scenes, ameliorative purposes and agencies ‘from below’. Using literal and symbolic contrasts between forests and settled and ruled domains, they portrayed imperfectly governed scenes of desire and anxiety. Ameliorative purposes of the deities to be worshipped were related to imperfectly governed scenes. Ameliorative purposes included counteracting literal and figurative ‘poisons’, resolving conflict cause by literal and figurative ‘hunting’, and inculcating a nor-mative warrior culture for men and women on the agrarian frontier. Per-haps partly in response to Muslim rule, Maṅgal-kāvya developed innovative political thought through the invention of agencies ‘from below’ which relied on both human and divine power. Although defined in terms of gender and caste, human agencies ‘from below’ included the capacity to change position on both gender and caste scales, but proper limits to agencies of women and low-caste men were debated both in Maṅgal-kāvya texts and in related oral stories.
Sex and the Border
Authors: Duque Adriano
Published: September 2011

This article discusses the relation between Byzantine bride-snatching ballads and Spanish Frontier Ballads. The article looks at social conflicts between different borderland societies and how the genre of bride-snatching ballads allowed characters to challenge social conventions and reconfigure new value systems. Ultimately, the article suggests that Byzantine sexual imagery contained in Byzantine material provides important clues for understanding the development of Muslim–Christian relations along the Spanish Christian–Muslim frontier.
Multilingual Dramas at the Tanjavur Maratha Court and Literary Cultures in Early Modern South India
Authors: Peterson Indira Viswanathan
Published: September 2011

This article examines literary multilingualism at the South Indian Maratha court of Tanjavur (aka Thanjavur) (1675–1855), where the Telugu yakṫagāna dance–drama, a Nayaka legacy, developed into a polyglot form and the premier literary and performance genre.

Composed in Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Sanskrit and Bhā ṫā (Hindi), and in combinations of these languages, Tanjavur yaksagānas were performed at court and temple. This article argues that these dramas both embodied and self-consciously represented the encounter of languages and literary cultures. The privileging of performance and the application of Tamil–Telugu formal conventions to Marathi, Sanskrit and Bhā ṫā resulted in the evolution of a hybrid, polyglot ‘vernacular’ literary culture, one which was simultaneously local and cosmopolitan, and in which differences were muted. At the same time, the dialogic texts and tropes of the polyglot dramas served as playful, imaginative representations of interlingual and inter-cultural encounter, often emphasizing the irreducible plurality of language and culture. Both aspects of the Maratha court’s performative multilingual-ism entailed the aestheticization of language in ways that contrast with other models posited for relations between languages and literary cultures in pre- and early modern South Asia, characterized by the linkage of lan-guage and region, and by hierarchy (cosmopolitan/vernacular) and con-testations for power.
REDCO Limited
Authors: Mishra Satyendra Nath
Published: September 2011

Renewable Energy Development Cooperative (REDCO) Ltd was primarily involved in the production of electricity from a solar photovoltaic plant and its distribution to ten hamlets of Durbuk. Earlier, a diesel generator set was used for electricity production and was distributed by the state electricity board, which was irregular and not dependable. With the inception of the cooperative, regular supply of electricity to the hamlets had been made which helped the cooperative in gaining people’s faith. However, for Dorges Tstanzin and the board members of the cooperative, the uneven financial posi-tion remained a major concern since the establishment. Money had been ‘pump primed’ from other activities to maintain the normal functioning of the cooperative. Against this backdrop, the cooperative had limited options to promote handicraft and ecotourism-based activities for revenue generation in Durbuk. This compelled Dorges to ponder over the situation about how to formalize new plans and strategies for entering into these new fields for achieving long-term organizational and financial sustainability of the cooperative.
Impact of sports’ characteristics on the labor market
Authors: Hwang Junwook , Hong Minki , Yee Seung-Yeol , Lee Sang-Min
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this article is to analyze how the characteristics of different sports affect their respective labor market characteristics. To that end, we first classified Korean sports into the following four groups according to number of spectators and playing population (participation): Popular, Non-popular, Leisure, and Media. One sport was selected for each classification, and a survey was conducted of the people specializing in each sport. The resulting data were used to analyze employment characteristics such as firm size, wages and job security, career-building path, career goals, and job satisfaction in the labor market for each sport. We found significant differences between the sports with high and low spectatorship, whereas participation appeared to have almost no impact on labor market characteristics. Based on the results, we try to expand the meaning of Bourdieu’s social meaning of sports participation to apply it to spectator sports.
Sport and social class: The case of Finland
Authors: Kahma Nina
Published: September 2011

Sports have often been neglected in the research on taste and cultural consumption. This article investigates lifestyle choices in the area of sports, with particular focus on the differences that can be drawn from occupational class and other background variables. Based on nationally representative survey data from Finland, participation in sports and sports spectatorship are examined. The main findings suggest that there are divisions between the occupational classes in the involvement in sports, but also in the involvement in individual sporting activities. However, the differences are less clear in sports spectatorship. The findings are somewhat at odds with recent research from different countries suggesting that education and income are important in explaining the differences, although occupational class also counts.
Stabilizing Output of an Electrorheological Gel Linear Actuator
Authors: Koyanagi K. , Kakinuma Y. , Anzai H. , Sakurai K. , Oshima T.
Published: September 2011

ER gel is a relatively new type of functional material. The surface of ER gel has a shear stress characteristic, which increases according to the applied electric field. Introducing the gel into interface elements of a force transmission system realizes functional clutches and brakes. This study aims to develop a linear actuator that is safe, can operate in reverse, and can generate a large force using such a functional clutch. Applying an ER gel clutch in a force transmission system decreases inertia and the mechanical limits of the maximum speed while not limiting controllability. Such properties contribute to a high level of safety. This article reports, in particular, on stabilizing the output of the linear actuator.
Modeling and Characterization of Dynamic Failure of Soda-lime Glass Under High-Speed Impact
Authors: Liu Wenning , Sun Xin , Chen Weinong , Templeton Douglas
Published: September 2011

In this article, the impact-induced dynamic failure of a soda-lime glass block is studied using an integrated experimental/analytical approach. The Split Hopkinson Pressure Bartechnique is used to conduct dynamic failure test of soda-lime glass first. The damage growth patterns and stress histories are reported for various glass specimen designs. Making use of a continuum damage mechanics-based constitutive model, the initial failure and subsequent stiffness reduction of glass are simulated and investigated. Explicit finite element analyzes are used to simulate the glass specimen impact event. A maximum shear stress-based damage evolution law is used in describing the glass damage process under combined compression/shear loading. The impact test results are used to quantify the critical shear stress for the soda-lime glass under examination.
Numerical study for impact resistant design of full scale arch type reinforced concrete structures under falling weight impact test
Authors: Bhatti Abdul Qadir , Khatoon Shameem , Mehmood Aamir , Dastgir Abid , Kishi Norimitsu
Published: September 2011

In this paper, a falling-weight impact test using full scale arch type reinforced concrete (RC) structures was conducted to verify a proposed impact response analysis method. The applicability of the numerical analysis method was confirmed by comparison with the experimental results. The validity of the current impact resistant design procedure to the performance based design procedure was investigated using the proposed numerical analysis method. From this study, it is confirmed that by applying the current impact resistant design procedure, a performance based impact resistant design with a sufficient safety margin may be obtained for the full scale arch type RC structures.
Sliding mode control of uncertain dynamical systems with time delay using the continuous time approximation method
Authors: Song Bo , Sun Jian-Qiao
Published: September 2011

A study of sliding mode control of uncertain dynamical systems with time delay is presented in this paper. The systems are assumed to have constant delay time and uncertain parameters with known upper and lower bounds. The method of continuous time approximation is applied to formulate the sliding mode control problem. The proposed treatment of the control delay leads to a higher-order control formulation for a system with additive uncertainties only. An optimal sliding surface is designed such that on the sliding surface, the controlled state variables act like a feedback control to the uncontrolled state variables. Examples of non-linear systems are presented to demonstrate the theoretical work.
Correlates of Recidivism Among Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended
Authors: Carpentier Julie , Proulx Jean
Published: September 2011

The present study investigates the recidivism rates of a sample of 351 male adolescents who sexually offended, and were assessed at an outpatient psychiatric clinic in Montreal, Canada, between 1992 and 2002. The mean age of the participants was 15.8 years ( SD = 1.8). Data on adolescent and adult recidivism were collected in Summer 2005 from official criminality sources in Canada. Over an 8-year follow-up period, 45% ( n = 158) of the participants were charged with a new criminal offense, 30% ( n = 104) were charged with a violent offense, and 10% ( n = 36) were charged with a sexual offense. Cox regression results suggest that overall, violent, and sexual recidivism can be predicted by a variety of developmental, social, and criminological factors. Paternal abandonment, childhood sexual victimization, association with significantly younger children, and having victimized a stranger were associated with a higher risk of sexual recidivism. Previous delinquency, attention deficit disorder, and childhood sexual victimization were found to increase the risk for both violent and overall recidivism. Also, the use of violence during a sex crime and victimizing a stranger were associated with violent recidivism, and school delay and association with delinquent peers were predictive of overall recidivism. The results confirm that a significant proportion of adolescents who have sexually offended pursue a criminal activity beyond adolescence, although few specialize in sexual offending.
Protective Effects of Aerosolized Scopolamine Against Soman-Induced Acute Respiratory Toxicity in Guinea Pigs
Authors: Perkins Michael W. , Pierre Zdenka , Rezk Peter , Song Jian , Oguntayo Samuel , Morthole Venee , Sciuto Alfred M. , Doctor Bhupendra P. , Nambiar Madhusoodana P.
Published: September 2011

The protective efficacy of the antimuscarinic agent scopolamine was evaluated against soman (o-pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate [GD])-induced respiratory toxicity in guinea pigs. Anesthetized animals were exposed to GD (841 mg/m3) by microinstillation inhalation exposure and treated 30 seconds later with endotracheally aerosolized scopolamine (0.25 mg/kg) and allowed to recover for 24 hours. Treatment with scopolamine significantly increased survival and reduced clinical signs of toxicity and body weight loss in GD-exposed animals. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid showed normalization of GD-induced increased cell death, total cell count, and protein following scopolamine treatment. The BAL fluid acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase levels were also increased by scopolamine treatment. Respiratory dynamics parameters were normalized at 4 and 24 hours post–GD exposure in scopolamine-treated animals. Lung histology showed that scopolamine treatment reduced bronchial epithelial and subepithelial inflammation and multifocal alveolar septal edema. These results suggest that aerosolized scopolamine considerably protects against GD-induced respiratory toxicity.
Seabuckthorn Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Rats
Authors: Malik Salma , Goyal Sameer , Ojha Shreesh Kumar , Bharti Saurabh , Nepali Saroj , Kumari Santosh , Singh Virendra , Arya Dharamvir Singh
Published: September 2011

We investigated the effects of seabuckthorn (SBT) oil in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiotoxicity with reference to hemodynamic, antioxidant, histopathological, and ultrastructural parameters. Rats were administered SBT oil (5, 10, and 20 mL/kg per d) or vehicle orally for 30 days along with ISO (85 mg/kg, subcutaneously, at 24-hour interval) on 29th and 30th day. On 31st day, ISO control rats showed cardiac dysfunction, increased lipid peroxidation, depletion of cardiac injury marker enzymes, and antioxidant activities. Myocardial necrosis, edema, and inflammation were evident from the light microscopic and ultrastructural changes. Seabuckthorn oil at the dose of 20 mL/kg per d significantly modulates hemodynamic and antioxidant derangements. The preventive role of SBT oil on ISO-induced cardiotoxicity was reconfirmed by histopathological and ultrastructural examinations. Thus, the present study reveals that SBT oil mitigates myocardial damage in ISO-induced cardiac injury in rats by maintaining hemodynamic, biochemical, histopathological, and ultrastructural perturbations owing to its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities.
A Preliminary 13-Week Oral Toxicity Study of Ginger Oil in Male and Female Wistar Rats
Authors: Jeena Kottarapat , Liju Vijayastelter B. , Kuttan Ramadasan
Published: September 2011

Zingiber officinale Roscoe, ginger, is a major spice extensively used in traditional medicine. The toxicity profile of ginger oil was studied by subchronic oral administration for 13 weeks at doses of 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg per day to 6 groups of Wistar rats (5/sex per dose). Separate groups of rats (5/sex per group) received either paraffin oil (vehicle) or were untreated and served as comparative control groups. There was no mortality and no decrease in body weight or food consumption as well as selective organ weights during the study period. Administration of ginger oil to rats did not produce any treatment-related changes in hematological parameters, hepatic, renal functions, serum electrolytes, or in histopathology of selected organs. The major component of ginger oil was found to be zingiberene (31.08%), and initial studies indicated the presence of zingiberene in the serum after oral dosing. These results confirmed that ginger oil is not toxic to male and female rats following subchronic oral administrations of up to 500 mg/kg per day (no observed adverse effect level [NOAEL]).
Differences in the impact of the frequency and enjoyment of joint family activities on adolescent substance use and violence
Authors: Windlin Béat , Kuntsche Emmanuel
Published: September 2011

Previous research has concentrated exclusively on the association between the frequency of joint family activities (JFA) and adolescent problem behaviours. In this study, multiple linear regressions based on a national sample of 3467 13– to 16–year-olds in Switzerland revealed that JFA enjoyment rather than JFA frequency is consistently related to low adolescent substance use and violence. By choosing JFA that their children enjoy, parents might provide opportunities for disclosure, strengthen family bonds and reduce the likelihood of adolescent problem behaviours. In terms of prevention, a shift in focus towards the quality rather than the quantity of JFA could prove more effective.
Young adult African American patients with type 2 diabetes: A high risk patient sub-group with few supports for good diabetes management
Authors: Hessler Danielle Marie , Fisher Lawrence , Naranjo Diana , Masharani Umesh
Published: September 2011

This study examined age differences in support, BMI, and HbA1c among African American patients with type 2 diabetes. Participants were 158 African American adults with type 2 diabetes. Average HbA1c was 1% higher among patients aged 20–49 than patients 60–77, and double the number of younger patients had a BMI ≥35 than older patients. Younger patients reported less trust in their physician and greater disagreement with recommendations. They reported relying less on partners, greater unresolved conflict with partners around diabetes, and less church involvement. The association between age and HbA1c was partially mediated by patients’ trust of their physician.
Increasing prevalence of depression from 2000 to 2006
Authors: Andersen Ingelise , Thielen Karsten , Bech Per , Nygaard Else , Diderichsen Finn
Published: September 2011

Aim: Depression is the leading cause of disability and is projected to become the second highest burden of disease (measured in disability-adjusted life years) by 2020, but only a few studies have examined changes over time in the occurrence of depression. The aim of this study is to provide evidence to the hypothesis that the prevalence of depression is rising in the Danish population. We will do that in a longitudinal design among adult Danes by studying the trends from 2000 to 2006 of major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as the distribution across the whole Major Depression Inventory (MDI) scale. In addition, we will investigate whether the trend in MDD is similar across socioeconomic groups. Methods: A random sample of 4759 Danes in their forties and fifties were followed in a longitudinal study based on postal questionnaires answered in 2000 and 2006. Results: The prevalence of MDD increased from 2.0% to 4.9% during 2000–06. Also the distribution of the MDI score in its entirety moves higher up the scale, with the 90th percentile changing from 12 in year 2000 to 20 in 2006. The increasing prevalence is in absolute terms more pronounced among women in their forties and in lower socioeconomic positions. Conclusions: The rising MDI score indicates that MDD as well as mental health generally is of public health concern.
Investigation in the Characteristics of the Personal Ventilation Using Computational Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Mazej Mitja , Butala Vincenc
Published: September 2011

Detailed information of transient exhaled air dispersion and recirculation in the breathing zone can be obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to generate detailed numerical models and obtain the necessary information. In this study, interaction of free convection flow around human body with respiration flow of breathing and vertical personalized flow from personalized ventilation (PV) system was simulated using a commercial CFD package. Impact of breathing process on personal exposure effectiveness εp was evaluated for different operating and environmental conditions. Re-inhaled exposure index εRI for exhaled CO2 was used to assess the amount of exhaled air re-inhaled due to the interaction between personalized and exhaled airflows. Another objective of this study was to consider the risk of airborne infection transmission, caused by undesirable transport and dispersion of exhaled pathogens to surrounding air when infected individual uses PV. Results show that calculation of personal exposure effectiveness would be sufficiently accurate to give proper information about the protection of occupant with a PV system also without the breathing simulation included. The operating mode of a PV proved as the main factor for dispersion of exhaled air and its transport to the background room air, resulting in an increased risk of airborne infection transmission.
Popular music as social policy: Hybrid-hierarchies and social inclusion through New Zealand’s pop renaissance
Authors: Scott Michael
Published: September 2011

This article addresses an interpretive gap in the creative industries as social policy literature. To date researchers have considered how contemporary governance formations enable artisans into markets and how state maintenance functions are reconfigured through creative industry workfare programmes. Drawing on research of state involvement with New Zealand’s music industries it is argued that these supports evince another older form of social inclusion where Bismarckian status orders are reproduced through hybrid state-music industry hierarchies. Considering most aspiring musicians also work in the flexibilized service sector, these music policies unintendedly allow for the inclusion of large numbers of artisans in a national cultural project which supplies meaning beyond their labour market position. Such hierarchical structures give form to fluid identities while also enabling struggles over social esteem to be played out; all for a small entry in the national budget.
Challenges for Australian sociology
Authors: Aberdeen Lucinda , Bye Lee-Anne
Published: September 2011

Sociologist Nicole Asquith argues that, in Australia, when it ‘comes to population ageing, sociology has been, in large part, silent in the face of neo-liberal policies of positive ageing’ (2009: 255). In the absence of such critical research, governments at all levels since the 1990s have pursued policies of ageing that tends to subordinate the social needs of older Australians to the nation’s economic needs. This paper seeks to explain why the critical social gerontology movement has not taken root in Australia through an historical analysis of ageing research in Australia. Furthermore, it aims to demonstrate the rewards of critical analysis through new research into the discourses of positive ageing. It also shows how older Australians resist ‘responsible’ ageing and its regulation of them. This analysis is designed to inspire further critical engagement, which recognizes the diversity of older Australians, giving voice to their resistance, and better inform policy development.
Always look on the bright side of life
Authors: Youll Jackie , Meekosha Helen
Published: September 2011

‘Positive thinking’ is widely advocated and encouraged, particularly in the area of serious illness. Yet what positive thinking really means for people remains elusive. Research undertaken with carers of people with cancer finds that positive thinking affects the experience of cancer. Findings suggest that positive thinking is an effort by carers to minimize stress and harm, which they perceive would follow from expressing negative feelings. However, from a Foucauldian perspective, common social values and discursive systems embedded in participants’ talk reveal institutional practices and power relations. In addition, positive thinking exists in popular discourse as a form of resistance and agency as well as a symptom of governmentality. It is found that the ideology of positive thinking reflects broader neo-liberal, capitalist culture and is therefore an example of ‘technologies of the self’ through which individuals and populations self-regulate so as to preserve health and maintain demographic norms.
Events of organicity: The state abducts the war machine
Authors: Bar-On Cohen Einat
Published: September 2011

A brief and schematic presentation of two ethnographic events illustrates the dynamic engendered by the clash between the state as striated and organicity. This clash is the Deleuzian war machine. The ethnographic events are part of Israeli nationality: one shows a close combat training session within the Israeli Defense Forces and the other a recording of Holocaust survivors’ stories for educational purposes. Both are instances in which somaticity is channelled into the national through abduction. The body animates and cultivates the mixed dynamic of nationality, infusing its forces of striation and congealment with life. Although Deleuze and Guattari posit that the war machine is born from the nomad as it encounters the state, and that it is external to the state, the following analysis of the ways in which the war machine operates within the national clearly shows that the war machine can be both a requirement and a product of the state. The forces of striation are just as unstable as the forces of rhizome. They tend to crumble and fall apart when the impetus of stasis becomes too overwhelming. To remain socially tenable, the striated craves the organic nature of the nomad, and depends on the emergence of the war machine.
The re-forming state: Actions and repercussions in preparing for future biological events
Authors: Samimian-Darash Limor
Published: September 2011

The article analyzes the heterogeneous forms of action within the state’s preparedness assemblage for biological threats in Israel. By examining preparedness practices in two biological preparedness events — the smallpox vaccination project (a possible event) and the ongoing preparations for pandemic influenza (a virtual event) — the analysis maintains that there are a number of simultaneous state practices that emerge in response to various events. This multiplicity points to the complexity of the state not only institutionally (as a form) but also in terms of its (forms of) action. A focus on complexity contrasts with dominant anthropological approaches, which conceive of the state as a monolithic imaginary tending toward homogeneity rather than as heterogeneous, dynamic and constantly changing in practice. To study the state’s dynamic form of action, I highlight a particular analytical mode that I term the ‘conceptual mode’. This mode of analysis lies between the object mode of analysis (concerned with the structure and form of the state) and the idea mode of analysis (interested in how the state, as an imaginary encompassing entity, increases its power).
Encircling the commons: Neotribal capitalism in New Zealand since 2000
Authors: Rata Elizabeth
Published: September 2011

This paper uses a neotribal capitalism approach to theorize the corporate Maori tribes’ economic and political strategies in New Zealand. I trace the current convergence between neoliberalism and the corporate tribe to the alliances and networks established in the inclusive bicultural stage of the 1970s. These alliances were later institutionalized in the exclusive bicultural stage through brokerage processes which, in the brokerage function itself, developed a political relationship between the corporate tribe and the government and established the brokers as self-interest class agents. The consequence of brokerage politics has been the consolidation of a system for the transfer of economic resources from public to tribal ownership and for the devolution of state services into tribal control. This has implications for New Zealand’s liberal democracy.
Questioning cognitive and interpretive takes on ritual
Authors: Stroeken Koen
Published: September 2011

Is ‘nature’ the only basis we have for explaining universal patterns in culture, such as religious practices? Cognitive and interpretive approaches seem to agree so in surprisingly Cartesian fashion. This paper proposes cosmologies as a second, ‘cultural’ type of universality. For an ethnographer affected by the field, culture is not something out there to either ‘explain’ (Sperber, Lévi-Strauss) or ‘interpret’ (Geertz, Weber). Culture is to be comprehended by ‘getting into’ a variety of shared cosmological states. These cosmological states are (1) reflexive, (2) exhaustive and (3) mutually exclusive categories, which can account for (4) the semantic shifts characterizing practices such as rituals. These four conditions are lacking in the binary mechanisms of cognitive modules of the Standard Model of religion (e.g. Boyer and Liénard’s hazard-precaution) and the epidemiological model (Sperber and Bloch).
Variables Associated With Outcome in Patients With Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction
Authors: Herdman Susan J. , Hall Courtney D. , Delaune William
Published: September 2011

Background. Not all individuals with unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH) have fewer subjective complaints and improved function after vestibular rehabilitation. Objective. To identify factors and/or combinations of factors that are strongly associated with rehabilitation outcome in patients with UVH and that ultimately can be used to develop models to predict outcome. Methods. Data from 209 patients with UVH were analyzed. All patients participated in similar vestibular rehabilitation (5 weeks of home exercises and once-weekly clinic visits). Outcome measures included intensity of oscillopsia and dysequilibrium, balance confidence, perceived disability, percentage of time symptoms interfered with activities, gait speed, fall risk, and dynamic visual acuity (DVA). Bivariate correlation and regression analysis were used to determine relationships between baseline (pretherapy) measures and outcome at discharge. Results. No baseline measure of subjective complaints (eg, symptom intensity) predicted improvement of physical function (eg, gait speed). Similarly, no baseline measure of physical function predicted improvement of subjective complaints. Certain patient characteristics, such as gender and time from onset, were not related to any outcomes. Most comorbidities did not affect outcome; however, anxiety and/or depression were associated with lower balance confidence and higher percentage of time for which symptoms interfered with activities at discharge. Baseline DVA and gait speed were associated with DVA and gait speed at discharge, respectively. Dynamic gait index (DGI) at discharge was affected by age, baseline DGI, and history of falls. Conclusion. These results provide insight into recovery of patients with UVH. Therapists can use this information in the development of expectations for patient outcome and treatment priorities.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Community-Based Dancing to Modify Disease Progression in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Duncan Ryan P. , Earhart Gammon M.
Published: September 2011

Background. Tango dancing has been effective in improving measures of physical function in people with Parkinson disease (PD). However, all previous studies were institution-based, tested participants on medication, and employed short-term interventions. Objective. To determine the effects of a 12-month community-based tango program for individuals with PD on disease severity and physical function. Methods. Sixty-two participants were randomly assigned to a twice weekly, community-based Argentine Tango program or a Control group (no intervention). Participants were assessed off anti-Parkinson medication at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary outcome measure was the Movement Disorders Society–Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale 3 (MDS-UPDRS-3). Secondary outcome measures were the MDS-UPDRS-1, MDS-UPDRS-2, MiniBESTest balance test; Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG_Q); 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT); gait velocity for comfortable forward, fast as possible forward, dual task, and backward walking; and Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). Results. Groups were not different at baseline. Overall, the Tango group improved whereas the Control group showed little change on most measures. For the MDS-UPDRS-3, there was no significant change in the Control group from baseline to 12 months, whereas the Tango group had a reduction of 28.7% (12.8 points). There were significant group by time interactions for MDS-UPDRS-3, MiniBESTest, FOG_Q, 6MWT, forward and dual task walking velocities, and 9HPT in favor of the dance group. Conclusions. Improvements in the Tango group were apparent off medication, suggesting that long-term participation in tango may modify progression of disability in PD.
Short-term effect of motivational interviewing on clinical and psychological outcomes and health-related quality of life in cardiac rehabilitation patients with poor motivation in Hong Kong: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Chair Sek Ying , Chan Sally Wai-Chi , Thompson David R , Leung Kei-Pui , Ng Samuel Ka-Chiu , Choi Kai Chow
Published: September 2011

Background

Motivational interviewing (MI) is effective in promoting behavioural changes in patients with substance abuse and smoking. However, its effectiveness on health outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation patients is unclear.

Design

A randomized controlled trial.

Method

A total of 146 patients assessed as having poor motivation attended a cardiac rehabilitation programme from February 2008 to June 2010. Patients (n = 73) in the control group received usual care while those in the experimental group (n = 73) received usual care plus four sessions of MI, each lasting 30–45 min. Clinical and psychological outcomes and health-related quality of life were measured at baseline and 3 months after entering the programme. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Pearson Chi-squared test, and generalized estimating equations models were used to analyse the data.

Results

There was no significant difference between the two groups on clinical outcomes (all p-values >0.05). Patients in the experimental group had higher increases in health-related quality of life (SF-36) scores in the aspects of general health (4.74, 95% CI 0.04–9.44; p = 0.048) and role limitation due to emotional problems (8.80, 95% CI 1.16–16.43; p = 0.024). However, they reported significantly higher increases in anxiety levels (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) than those in the control group (0.96, 95% CI 0.09–1.83; p = 0.030).

Conclusion

The short-term effectiveness of MI on clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life in poorly motivated cardiac rehabilitation patients is limited. MI, however, was shown to increase anxiety levels of patients during the study period (3 months). More evidence is needed to better understand this phenomenon in the future studies.
Uncertainty analysis of common cause failure in safety instrumented systems
Authors: Mechri W , Simon C , Ben Othman K
Published: September 2011

This paper analyses the problem of epistemic uncertainty in assessing the performance of safety instrumented systems (SIS) using fault trees. The imperfect knowledge concerns the common cause failure (CCF) involved in the SIS in low demand mode. The point-valued CCF factors are replaced by fuzzy numbers, allowing experts to express their uncertainty about the CCF values. This paper shows how these uncertainties propagate through the fault tree and how this induces an uncertainty to the values of the SIS failure probability on demand and to the safety integrity level of the SIS. For the sake of verification and comparison, and to show the exactness of the approach, a Monte Carlo sampling approach is proposed, where by a uniform or triangular second-order probability distribution of CCF factors is considered.
Downregulation of CXCL12 signaling and altered hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell trafficking in a murine model of acute Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection
Authors: Johns JL , Borjesson DL
Published: September 2011

Infection with a variety of bacterial pathogens results in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) mobilization. The mechanism and kinetics of HSPC mobilization during infection are largely unknown. Previously, we found altered HSPC activity in bone marrow, spleen and blood during infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis. We hypothesized that altered CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling, a central pathway for HSPC homing to, and retention within, the bone marrow, plays a role in infection-induced alterations in HSPC number and trafficking. Mice were infected with A. phagocytophilum. Lineage-cKit+ HSPCs were enumerated and proliferation determined. CXCL12 and CXCR4 mRNA were quantified along with CXCL12 protein, and CXCR4 surface, intracellular and total protein expression in HSPCs was determined. Increased bone marrow proliferation of HSPCs began at 2 d post-infection followed by HSPC mobilization and splenic homing. Proliferation of resident HSPCs contributed to increased splenic HSPC numbers. Bone marrow CXCL12 mRNA and protein levels were decreased at 4–8 d post-infection concurrent with HSPC mobilization. CXCR4 protein parameters were decreased in bone marrow HSPCs throughout 2–6 d post-infection. Reduction of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling simultaneously occurs with HSPC mobilization from bone marrow. Findings suggest that deranged CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling plays a causal role in HSPC mobilization during acute A. phagocytophilum infection.
Human microRNA-27a* targets Prf1 and GzmB expression to regulate NK-cell cytotoxicity
Authors: Kim Tae-Don , Lee Su Ui , Yun Sohyun , Sun Hu-Nan , Lee Suk Hyung , Kim Jae Wha , Kim Hwan Mook , Park Song-Kyu , Lee Chang Woo , Yoon Suk Ran , Greenberg Philip D. , Choi Inpyo
Published: September 2011

Perforin (Prf1) and granzyme B (GzmB) are essential effector molecules for natural killer (NK)–cell cytotoxicity, but how Prf1 and GzmB expression is regulated during arming of NK cells is poorly defined. We show that human microRNA (miR)–27a* is a negative regulator of NK-cell cytotoxicity by silencing Prf1 and GzmB expression. Human miR-27a* specifically bound to the 3′ untranslated regions of Prf1 and GzmB, down-regulating expression in both resting and activated NK cells, and it functioned as a fine-tuner for homeostasis of the net amount of the effector proteins. Consistent with miR-27a* having an inhibitory role, knockdown of miR-27a* in NK cells dramatically increased cytotoxicity in vitro and decreased tumor growth in a human tumor xenograft model. Thus, NK-cell cytotoxicity is regulated, in part, by microRNA, and modulating endogenous miR-27a* levels in NK cells represents a potential immunotherapeutic strategy.
In vivo structure/function and expression analysis of the CX3C chemokine fractalkine
Authors: Kim Ki-Wook , Vallon-Eberhard Alexandra , Zigmond Ehud , Farache Julia , Shezen Elias , Shakhar Guy , Ludwig Andreas , Lira Sergio A. , Jung Steffen
Published: September 2011

The CX3C chemokine family is composed of only one member, CX3CL1, also known as fractalkine, which in mice is the sole ligand of the G protein-coupled, 7-transmembrane receptor CX3CR1. Unlike classic small peptide chemokines, CX3CL1 is synthesized as a membrane-anchored protein that can promote integrin-independent adhesion. Subsequent cleavage by metalloproteases, either constitutive or induced, can generate shed CX3CL1 entities that potentially have chemoattractive activity. To study the CX3C interface in tissues of live animals, we generated transgenic mice (CX3CL1cherry:CX3CR1gfp), which express red and green fluorescent reporter genes under the respective control of the CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 promoters. Furthermore, we performed a structure/function analysis to differentiate the in vivo functions of membrane-tethered versus shed CX3CL1 moieties by comparing their respective ability to correct established defects in macrophage function and leukocyte survival in CX3CL1-deficient mice. Specifically, expression of CX3CL1105Δ, an obligatory soluble CX3CL1 isoform, reconstituted the formation of transepithelial dendrites by intestinal macrophages but did not rescue circulating Ly6Clo CX3CR1hi blood monocytes in CX3CR1gfp/gfp mice. Instead, monocyte survival required the full-length membrane-anchored CX3CL1, suggesting differential activities of tethered and shed CX3CL1 entities.
Frequent loss of HLA alleles associated with copy number-neutral 6pLOH in acquired aplastic anemia
Authors: Katagiri Takamasa , Sato-Otsubo Aiko , Kashiwase Koichi , Morishima Satoko , Sato Yusuke , Mori Yuka , Kato Motohiro , Sanada Masashi , Morishima Yasuo , Hosokawa Kohei , Sasaki Yumi , Ohtake Shigeki , Ogawa Seishi , Nakao Shinji ,   on behalf of the Japan Marrow Donor Program
Published: September 2011

Idiopathic aplastic anemia (AA) is a common cause of acquired BM failure. Although autoimmunity to hematopoietic progenitors is thought to be responsible for its pathogenesis, little is known about the molecular basis of this autoimmunity. Here we show that a substantial proportion of AA patients harbor clonal hematopoiesis characterized by the presence of acquired copy number-neutral loss of heterozygosity (CNN-LOH) of the 6p arms (6pLOH). The 6pLOH commonly involved the HLA locus, leading to loss of one HLA haplotype. Loss of HLA-A expression from multiple lineages of leukocytes was confirmed by flow cytometry in all 6pLOH(+) cases. Surprisingly, the missing HLA-alleles in 6pLOH(+) clones were conspicuously biased to particular alleles, including HLA-A*02:01, A*02:06, A*31:01, and B*40:02. A large-scale epidemiologic study on the HLA alleles of patients with various hematologic diseases revealed that the 4 HLA alleles were over-represented in the germline of AA patients. These findings indicate that the 6pLOH(+) hematopoiesis found in AA represents “escapes” hematopoiesis from the autoimmunity, which is mediated by cytotoxic T cells that target the relevant auto-antigens presented on hematopoietic progenitors through these class I HLAs. Our results provide a novel insight into the genetic basis of the pathogenesis of AA.
Thrombocytopenia resulting from mutations in filamin A can be expressed as an isolated syndrome
Authors: Nurden Paquita , Debili Najet , Coupry Isabelle , Bryckaert Marijke , Youlyouz-Marfak Ibtissam , Solé Guilhem , Pons Anne-Cécile , Berrou Eliane , Adam Frédéric , Kauskot Alexandre , Lamazière Jean-Marie Daniel , Rameau Philippe , Fergelot Patricia , Rooryck Caroline , Cailley Dorothée , Arveiler Benoît , Lacombe Didier , Vainchenker William , Nurden Alan , Goizet Cyril
Published: September 2011

Filaminopathies A caused by mutations in the X-linked FLNA gene are responsible for a wide spectrum of rare diseases including 2 main phenotypes, the X-linked dominant form of periventricular nodular heterotopia (FLNA-PVNH) and the otopalatodigital syndrome spectrum of disorders. In platelets, filamin A (FLNa) tethers the principal receptors ensuring the platelet–vessel wall interaction, glycoprotein Ibα and integrin αIIbβ3, to the underlying cytoskeleton. Hemorrhage, coagulopathy, and thrombocytopenia are mentioned in several reports on patients with FLNA-PVNH. Abnormal platelet morphology in 2 patients with FLNA-PVNH prompted us to examine a third patient with similar platelet morphology previously diagnosed with immunologic thrombocytopenic purpura. Her enlarged platelets showed signs of FLNa degradation in Western blotting, and a heterozygous missense mutation in FLNA was detected. An irregular distribution of FLNa within the total platelet population was shown by confocal microscopy for all 3 patients. In vitro megakaryocyte cultures showed an abnormal differentiation, including an irregular distribution of FLNa with a frayed aspect, the presence of enlarged α-granules, and an abnormal fragmentation of the cytoplasm. Mutations in FLNA may represent an unrecognized cause of macrothrombocytopenia with an altered platelet production and a modified platelet–vessel wall interaction.
SIV infection of rhesus macaques results in dysfunctional T- and B-cell responses to neo and recall Leishmania major vaccination
Authors: Klatt Nichole R. , Vinton Carol L. , Lynch Rebecca M. , Canary Lauren A. , Ho Jason , Darrah Patricia A. , Estes Jacob D. , Seder Robert A. , Moir Susan L. , Brenchley Jason M.
Published: September 2011

HIV infection is characterized by immune system dysregulation, including depletion of CD4+ T cells, immune activation, and abnormal B- and T-cell responses. However, the immunologic mechanisms underlying lymphocytic dysfunctionality and whether it is restricted to immune responses against neo antigens, recall antigens, or both is unclear. Here, we immunized SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques to induce immune responses against neo and recall antigens using a Leishmania major polyprotein (MML) vaccine given with poly-ICLC adjuvant. We found that vaccinated SIVuninfected animals induced high frequencies of polyfunctional MML-specific CD4+ T cells. However, in SIV-infected animals, CD4+ T-cell functionality decreased after both neo (P = .0025) and recall (P = .0080) MML vaccination. Furthermore, after SIV infection, the frequency of MML-specific antibody-secreting classic memory B cells was decreased compared with vaccinated, SIV-uninfected animals. Specifically, antibody-secreting classic memory B cells that produced IgA in response to either neo (P = .0221) or recall (P = .0356) MML vaccinations were decreased. Furthermore, we found that T-follicular helper cells, which are essential for priming B cells, are preferentially infected with SIV. These data indicate that SIV infection results in dysfunctional T-cell responses to neo and recall vaccinations, and direct SIV infection of T-follicular helper cells, both of which probably contribute to deficient B-cell responses and, presumably, susceptibility to certain opportunistic infections.
A distinctive form of immune thrombocytopenia in a phase 2 study of alemtuzumab for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cuker Adam , Coles Alasdair J. , Sullivan Herman , Fox Edward , Goldberg Mark , Oyuela Pedro , Purvis Annie , Beardsley Diana S. , Margolin David H.
Published: September 2011

In a phase 2 clinical trial of annual alemtuzumab for treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, 6 of 216 patients (2.8%) developed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Over mean follow-up of 4.5 years, the incidence rate of ITP was 6.2 (95% confidence interval, 2.3-13.3) per 1000 person-years. Median times from initial and last alemtuzumab exposure to ITP diagnosis were 24.5 and 10.5 months, respectively. Five patients developed severe thrombocytopenia. Four were symptomatic, including fatal intracranial hemorrhage in the index case. Four patients received standard first-line ITP therapy, all of whom responded to treatment within 1 week. All 5 surviving patients achieved complete remission and remained in complete remission without need for ongoing ITP therapy for a median duration of 34 months at last follow-up. A monitoring plan for the early detection of ITP, implemented after presentation of the index case, identified all 5 subsequent cases before serious hemorrhagic morbidity or mortality occurred. In conclusion, we describe a distinctive form of ITP associated with alemtuzumab treatment characterized by delayed presentation after drug exposure, responsiveness to conventional ITP therapies, and prolonged remission. Clinicians should maintain a high level of vigilance and consider routine monitoring for ITP in patients treated with this agent. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00050778.