bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of non-axisymmetric contouring on performance and film cooling of a rotating turbine endwall subjected to the secondary air purge: A combined numerical and experimental study
Authors: Schobeiri MT , Lu K , Rezasoltani M
Published: July 2015

Applying a new non-axisymmetric endwall contouring technology introduced by Turbomachinery Performance and Flow Research Laboratory (TPFL) at Texas A&M University to the second rotor row of a three-stage research turbine has shown that for a single rotor row a major turbine efficiency improvement can be achieved. Motivated by these results, numerical and experimental investigations were conducted to determine the effect of non-axisymmetric contouring on the endwall film cooling behavior of a rotating turbine row. To accomplish the film cooling, the endwall of the first rotor row is chosen for the contouring. It is subjected to the secondary air exiting from a large cavity through a circumferential slot that is inclined at 25° and impinges on the contoured hub. Performing Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations by using the boundary conditions from the experiments, aerodynamics, performance, and film cooling effectiveness studies were performed by varying the injection blowing ratio and turbine rotational speed. Performance measurements were carried out within a rotational speed range of 1800–3000 r/min. The corresponding computational fluid dynamic simulations were carried out for four rotational speeds, 2000, 2400, 2600, and 3000 r/min. Comparison of the RANS aerodynamics simulations with experiments reveals noticeable differences. Considering the film cooling effectiveness, major differences between experiment and numerical results were observed and discussed in the paper.
Conceptualizing personal epistemology as beliefs about knowledge and knowing: A grammatical investigation
Authors: Tafreshi Donna , Racine Timothy P.
Published: July 2015

Personal epistemology is a research area that concerns beliefs about knowledge and knowing. We attempt to clarify what researchers mean by this phenomenon and what the coherent forms of use of this description are. We outline the current state of personal epistemology in terms of theoretical perspectives and argue that conceptual analysis is necessary in order for researchers to clarify the conceptualization of the phenomenon under study. We then analyze beliefs about knowledge and knowing through grammatical investigations, i.e., their standard everyday uses, in order to determine the sense of current conceptualizations of personal epistemology. Drawing primarily on the work of Bennett and Hacker, we examine the issue of whether epistemological beliefs should be thought of as mental states, dispositions, theories, or bodies of knowledge. We discuss the implications of these analyses for the study of personal epistemology.
Population-based analysis of hospitalizations in a West-European region revealed major changes in hospital utilization for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus over the period 2001–2012
Authors: Piga M , Casula L , Perra D , Sanna S , Floris A , Antonelli A , Cauli A , Mathieu A
Published: July 2015

Objective

The objective of this paper is to evaluate hospital admissions in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients through a retrospective population-based study analyzing hospitalization data during 2001–2012 in Sardinia, an Italian region with universal health system coverage.

Methods

Data on the hospital discharge records with the ICD-9-CM code for SLE (710.0) were obtained from the Department of Health and Hygiene and analyzed, mostly focusing on primary and non-primary diagnosis and Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) code. In order to establish the significance of the annual trend for number and type of primary and non-primary discharge diagnosis, the two-tailed Cochran-Armitage test for trend was applied. In order to estimate SLE prevalence, data from administrative database and medical records were assembled.

Results

This study included 6222 hospitalizations in 1675 patients (87% women). Hospitalizations with SLE as primary diagnosis were 3782 (58.0%) and significantly decreased during the study period. The annual number of renal, hematologic and neuropsychiatric disorders as non-primary diagnosis associated with SLE remained constant; however, their percentage increased ( p < 0.0001) because of a declining number of admissions for SLE without associated diagnosis and without complications. Hospitalizations with SLE as non-primary diagnosis showed a significant upward trend in number and percentage of cerebrovascular accident ( p = 0.0004), acute coronary syndrome ( p = 0.0004) and chronic renal failure ( p = 0.0003) as underlying primary diagnosis, while complications of pregnancy, labor and childbirth ( p = 0.3375), malignancies ( p = 0.6608) and adverse drug reactions ( p = 0.2456) did not show statistically significant changes. Infections showed an increasing trend between 2001 and 2012 but did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.0304). After correction for hospitalization (93.8%) and survival (91.1%) rates calculated over the study period, the 2012 SLE prevalence in Sardinia was estimated to be 99.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Conclusions

While overall hospitalizations for SLE patients declined, those for cerebrovascular accident, acute coronary syndrome and chronic renal failure as underlying primary diagnosis increased during the study period.
Police work and new ‘security devices’: A tale from the beat
Authors: Tanner Samuel , Meyer Michaël
Published: July 2015

Mobile technologies have brought about major changes in police equipment and police work. If a utopian narrative remains strongly linked to the adoption of new technologies, often formulated as ‘magic bullets’ to real occupational problems, there are important tensions between their ‘imagined’ outcomes and the (unexpected) effects that accompany their daily ‘practical’ use by police officers. This article offers an analysis of police officers’ perceptions and interactions with security devices. In so doing, it develops a conceptual typology of strategies for coping with new technology inspired by Le Bourhis and Lascoumes: challenging, neutralizing and diverting. To that purpose, we adopt an ethnographic approach that focuses on the discourses, practices and actions of police officers in relation to three security devices: the mobile digital terminal, the mobile phone and the body camera. Based on a case study of a North American municipal police department, the article addresses how these technological devices are perceived and experienced by police officers on the beat.
Smart Icon Cards
Authors: Dunbar Laura
Published: July 2015

Icons are frequently used in the music classroom to depict concepts in a developmentally appropriate way for students. SmartBoards provide music educators yet another way to share these manipulatives with students. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial to create Smart Icon Cards using the folk song “Lucy Locket.”
What Brings You Here? Exploring Why Young Adults Seek Help for Social Anxiety
Authors: Hjeltnes Aslak , Moltu Christian , Schanche Elisabeth , Binder Per-Einar
Published: July 2015

Social anxiety disorder typically manifests in young adulthood, but there is an absence of qualitative research on the actual experiences of young adults suffering with this disorder. The aim of the present study was to investigate the lived experiences of 29 Norwegian university students who were seeking professional help for symptoms of social anxiety. We conducted in-depth interviews prior to a clinical trial. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a team-based thematic analysis method based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological epistemology. We identified five themes: (a) from being shy to interpreting anxiety as a mental health problem, (b) experiencing emotions as threatening and uncontrollable, (c) encountering loneliness as relationships fall away, (d) hiding the vulnerable self from others, and (e) deciding to face social fears in the future. We relate our findings to existing theory and research, discuss our process of reflexivity, highlight study limitations, and suggest implications for future research.
Office Ergonomics Driven by Contextual Design
Authors: Löffler Diana , Wallmann-Sperlich Birgit , Wan Juri , Knött Jennifer , Vogel Anna , Hurtienne Jörn
Published: July 2015

Following contextual design, we identified motivational and social aspects, as well as environmental factors of desk-based office workplaces, that contribute to sedentary behavior in the workplace. Through 10 full-day work observations, we gathered detailed qualitative data on why and when workers sit and unveiled tacit knowledge about habits and physical workplace layouts that favor prolonged sitting, complementing the mostly quantitative research done in the field. Developing social motivations for standing and walking, distributing frequently used objects to require more walking, and reducing the attractiveness of sitting turned out to be key drivers for reducing and interrupting sedentary behavior.
Research Needs for and Barriers to Use of Treadmill Workstations
Authors: Cifuentes Manuel , Fulmer Scott
Published: July 2015

Although laboratory studies demonstrate increases in energy expenditure with the use of treadmill workstations, effectiveness and efficiency studies demonstrating improved energy expenditure in real workplaces have yet to build the evidence to support use of such workstations. Psychosocial barriers to using treadmill workstations are related to communication (noise and hierarchy), need for motivation, peer pressure, and adaptation that might affect performance. Answers to questions such as whether the institution is willing to pay more to acquire very-low-noise devices, whether it is able to tolerate low use of treadmills, and whether vendors exist with no-hassle return policies may help in properly implementing treadmill workstations.
Thymic Tumor With Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma–Like Features
Authors: Rampisela Debby , Zreik Riyam , Donner Ludvik R.
Published: July 2015

Thymic tumors with adenoid cystic carcinoma–like features are true rarities, with only 6 cases reported. Our knowledge of their clinical behavior is insufficient. We present a case of a noninvasive cribriform tumor that was followed, including a 4-year period after tumor resection and radiation therapy, for a total of 9 years. The tumor was purely epithelial. It was positive for keratins (AE-1/AE-3, CK19, 34βE12,CK5/6), MOC-31, P63, P40, CD10, and MYB, and was negative for myoepithelial or neuroendocrine markers. Presence of cell processes, desmosome-like junctions with tonofilaments and multifocally reduplicated basal lamina was noted on ultrastructural examination. Two signals of the MYB gene per cell were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. No monosomy or translocations of the gene were found. Although additional clinical studies are necessary, it seems that indolent behavior of cribriform noninvasive subset of these tumors may be anticipated.
Center-Periphery Dissonance as a Possible Factor of the Revolutionary Wave of 2013-2014
Authors: Korotayev Andrey , Issaev Leonid , Zinkina Julia
Published: July 2015

Jack Goldstone proposes three predictors for acute social and political destabilization during the revolutionary wave of 2013-2014: (a) an intermediate level of per capita GDP, (b) a high level of corruption, and (c) a transitional type of political regime. After testing this theory on a broader sample, this study suggests and finds support for another predictor—“center-periphery dissonance” for the destabilization of the 2013-2014 wave. The emergence of this factor is common in the process of modernization, and is due to the heterogeneity of modernization processes, when a system’s central elements (“capitals”) are almost always modernized faster than its periphery. Identification of this factor is of considerable interest because accounting for this factor could significantly improve our capability to predict risks of sociopolitical destabilization of modernizing social systems.
Noninvasive Arterial Testing in Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Wukich Dane K. , Shen Wei , Raspovic Katherine M. , Suder Natalie C. , Baril Donald T. , Avgerinos Efthymios
Published: July 2015

Background:

This study was designed to compare the findings of noninvasive arterial testing in patients with and without diabetic foot pathology.

Methods:

The ABI (ankle brachial index), TBI (toe brachial index), and great toe pressures were measured in 207 patients. PAD (peripheral artery disease) was defined as an ABI < 0.91 on either extremity or a TBI < 0.7.

Results:

PAD was identified in 103 of the 207 patients (49.8%), 80 patients with diabetic foot pathology and 23 patients with nondiabetic foot pathology. Although patients with diabetic foot pathology were 1.4 times more likely to have PAD compared to patients without diabetic pathology, this increased risk was not statistically significant (OR 1.41 [95% CI 0.75-2.64], P = .28). Patients with PAD and diabetic foot pathology were 4.9 times more likely to have ischemia (toe pressure < 60 mm Hg) than patients with PAD and nondiabetic foot pathology (OR 4.93 [95% CI 1.35-17.94], P < .05). Patients on dialysis had a 7.3 times increased likelihood of having PAD compared to patients not on dialysis (OR 7.3 [95% CI 1.6-33.6], P < .01). Patients with absent pedal pulses were 4.9 more likely to have PAD than patients with normal pulses (OR 4.9 [95% CI 2.6-9.4], P < .0001). PAD was identified in 97 of 188 patients (51.6%) with peripheral neuropathy compared to 6 of 19 patients (31.5%) without peripheral neuropathy (OR 2.31 [95% CI 0.84-6.33], P = .10).

Conclusions:

Combining the ABI with TBI improved the ability to diagnose PAD in diabetic patients because the ABI has high specificity (low false positives) and the TBI has high sensitivity (low false negatives). The TBI was more reliable in patients with noncompressible arteries, medial artery calcinosis and/or neuropathy. Due to the relative incompressibility of calcified distal arteries in patients with DM, the ABI may be within normal limits in patients with PAD. This false negative result may lead surgeons to assume that normal perfusion is present.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, comparative study.
How Patient Involvement Can Contribute to the Development of Information Materials About Malignant Melanoma for Healthy Older Men
Authors: Ulff Eva , Melin-Johansson Christina , Maroti Marianne , Koinberg Ingalill
Published: July 2015

The incidence for malignant melanoma (MM) in older men is 3 to 4 times higher than the rest of the population. Patient information about MM could be a way to reach men. The aim of the study was to design and develop a pamphlet in collaboration with older men. The study was conducted in two steps. In the first step, 73 men were interviewed; in the second step, the pamphlets were sent out to 306 men. All men were recruited in connection with an aorta screening. Men wanted concisely written information with illustrations and 85% of the men reported that they have read the pamphlet. The study demonstrates a cost-effective method to reach out with information to older men about MM.
The Impact of Condom Use Negotiation Self-Efficacy and Partnership Patterns on Consistent Condom Use Among College-Educated Women
Authors: Nesoff Elizabeth D. , Dunkle Kristin , Lang Delia
Published: July 2015

This study sought to explore the impact of condom negotiation self-efficacy, interpersonal factors, and sensational factors on condom use behavior among a population of college-educated women with different patterns and types of sexual partner. We administered an online questionnaire capturing sexual behavior, partnership patterns, perceived benefits of and barriers to condom use, and condom use negotiation self-efficacy. A total of 433 women completed the online survey. Perceived sensual, erotic, and interpersonal benefits and barriers to condom use, along with negotiation self-efficacy, were found to be significantly associated with consistent condom use. When compared to respondents reporting only main partners, respondents reporting only casual partners were more likely to use condoms while respondents reporting both main and casual partners were least likely to use condoms. Previous negative experiences with condoms were significantly associated with decreased condom use, while history of sexually transmitted infection diagnosis was not consistently associated with condom use. This study supports the importance of negotiation self-efficacy in promoting condom use; however, building women’s self-efficacy is not enough for effective condom use promotion among women. The impact of interpersonal, sensual and erotic factors, as well as the context of different partnership patterns, must be considered in future interventions.
Accuracy of Parameter Estimates and Confidence Intervals in Moderated Mediation Models
Authors: Cheung Gordon W. , Lau Rebecca S.
Published: July 2015

Currently, the most popular analytical method for testing moderated mediation is the regression approach, which is based on observed variables and assumes no measurement error. It is generally acknowledged that measurement errors result in biased estimates of regression coefficients. What has drawn relatively less attention is that the confidence intervals produced by regression are also biased when the variables are measured with errors. Therefore, we extend the latent moderated structural equations (LMS) method—which corrects for measurement errors when estimating latent interaction effects—to the study of the moderated mediation of latent variables. Simulations were conducted to compare the regression approach and the LMS approach. The results show that the LMS method produces accurate estimated effects and confidence intervals. By contrast, regression not only substantially underestimates the effects but also produces inaccurate confidence intervals. It is likely that the statistically significant moderated mediation effects that have been reported in previous studies using regression include biased estimated effects and confidence intervals that do not include the true values.
Contagious Effects of Customer Misbehavior in Access-Based Services
Authors: Schaefers Tobias , Wittkowski Kristina , Benoit (née Moeller) Sabine , Ferraro Rosellina
Published: July 2015

Customer misbehavior in service settings is problematic for two reasons: (1) because of the direct damage it causes and (2) because of additional negative effects that arise from the contagion of such misbehavior. The authors extend existing theory of customer misbehavior by studying its contagious effect. The investigation focuses on access-based services, defined as transactions in which multiple consumers successively gain temporal, short-term access to a good, while legal ownership remains with the service provider (e.g., car sharing and fashion rentals). Due to the nature of these services, they are especially prone to indirect customer misbehavior, which is directed at the accessed product and occurs in the absence of others. Two online experiments provide the first empirical evidence for a contagiousness of misbehavior and reveal that this effect is driven by customers’ perceptions of the social norms among the customer group. Moreover, they indicate that greater strength of the accessed product’s brand as well as lower anonymity of the accessed product’s owner attenuate contagion. A field experiment shows that an increase in the communal identification among access-based service customers reverses the contagious effect, with customers more likely to remove signs of previous users’ misbehavior. The results suggest that access-based service providers should address customer misbehavior by (a) investing in the products they offer access to, (b) establishing more personal relationships with customers, and, foremost, (c) increasing communal identification among customers.
The perceived effects of televised political satire among viewers and the communication directors of political parties: A European case
Authors: Ferré-Pavia Carme , Sintes Marçal , Gayà Catalina
Published: July 2015

This study broaches the question of the impact of televised political satire as perceived by viewers. It offers a new perspective: the differing perceptions of citizens and the communication directors of political parties regarding its capacity for bringing about changes or contributing to the diffusion of information about political issues. The main research question is about whether there are differences between the views of citizens and those of the communication directors of political parties regarding the perceived effects of the satirical Spanish programme Polònia. As a result of data obtained by means of three cross-referenced methodological approaches (random surveys, focus groups and interviews), it is concluded that political communication directors consider that the satire is closer to real events than citizens do, and believe that it has a considerable persuasive effect. However, the citizens consulted in the sample deny that it could heighten their interest in politics or lead to a change of opinion.
Global media and local worlds: The devotees of Madonna of the Arch are using social media – An exploratory case study
Authors: Stazio Marialuisa
Published: July 2015

This ‘exploratory case study’ focuses on the Web 2.0 practices related to the popular cult of ‘Madonna dell’Arco’. Actually, the devotees share a large number of contents regarding the devotional practices using social networking sites, blogs and video sharing sites. The use of social media by the devotees is striking, as the novelty of technology and practices seems to contrast with the ancestral themes of popular religiosity. In fact, the penitential pilgrimage on foot to the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Arco in Sant’Anastasía (Province of Naples) has taken place on Easter Mondays every year since the end of the 15th century. It is also rooted in very ancient fertility rites, probably tied to Cybele’s cults. In other words, the use of social media by the devotees seems to reveal for us how the slowly evolving structures and the short-term time-scale events intertwine, in a space and time in which we find the coexistence of forms, practices and power relations, both established and innovative. Therefore, the principal aim of this article is not to consider the use of social media by the devotees in its religious substance. It would rather confront these evidences with the metanarratives which describe how the homogenisation, the mediatisation and the network society are reducing cultural diversities and eroding national identities. At the same time, it aims at confronting them with some widely diffused ideas about the ‘trajectory’ or ‘logic’ of the media and some narratives (and/or mythologies) about information and communications technologies and their social effects. Otherwise, we could consider this article as an attempt towards ‘non-media-centric media studies’ which acknowledges the distinctive characteristics and affordances of the media but also, and fundamentally, puts the social and everyday practices at the centre of the investigation, not necessarily explaining them through media features.
The inclusion of methodological information in poll-based news: How do Spanish newspapers conform to professional recommendations and legal requirements?
Authors: Portilla Idoia
Published: July 2015

Opinion polls are widely reported in the media, and special attention is often paid to pre-election polls in order to protect voters’ interests, as well as to preserve the research industry’s credibility. In accordance with these two purposes, professional associations publish guidelines for journalists on how to report the underlying methodological details of opinion polls/surveys. In Spain, such details are even legally required for poll news reporting. But to what extent news outlets follow these professional recommendations and legal requirements? Based on a content analysis of poll news reporting in five Spanish newspapers before the 2012 Catalonian Parliament election, this article attempts to answer that question. The results show that basic methodological information was present in almost two-thirds of the sampled news stories. The newspapers tend to do better when they commission the reported polls. However, some vital information was still missing or mistaken, highlighting the need for collaboration between pollsters and journalists.
Island intersections: Music and tourism on Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Authors: Fitzgerald Jon , Reis Arianne C
Published: July 2015

This article examines the intersections between musical practices and tourism on the island of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, and draws on field research undertaken by the authors in 2012 and 2014. Tourism currently represents the major source of income for island residents, and musical activity is largely oriented towards the tourism industry. Complex patterns of interconnectivity become apparent when one traces specific links between tourism and musical activity in relation to areas such as ‘covers’ versus original music, musical genre selection, live performance practices and recorded music. The research suggests that while the island’s largely self-contained musical environment fosters and rewards musical versatility, the tourism industry acts as a continuing impediment to the development of original music. This posits a conundrum to the island’s musicians, who need to find their own musical identity within a space that at the same time nurtures and curbs their musical development.
Exploring women’s employment in tourism under state socialism: Experiences of tourism work in socialist Romania
Authors: Dumbrăveanu Daniela , Light Duncan , Young Craig , Chapman Anya
Published: July 2015

Recent academic debate into women’s experiences of tourism employment has emphasised the extremely heterogeneous nature of such work and the need for sensitivity to local political, economic, social and cultural contexts. This article focuses on one such context which has received little attention – state socialism – and we explore women’s experiences of tourism work in socialist Romania. Such work had characteristics in common with non-socialist contexts, but in other ways took a form which was distinctive to the socialist state. It was characterised by extensive training, good pay and opportunities for promotion (at least to middle management level). The socialist state also devised unique solutions to the problem of the seasonality of tourism work. However, women also faced extensive surveillance by the state’s security services and faced harsh penalties for under-performance.
Possible prevention of dialysis-requiring congestive heart failure by angiotensin-II receptor blockers in non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease
Authors: Ikeda Masato , Nakao Masatsugu , Hirano Keita , Yokoyama Keitaro , Yokoo Takashi , Joki Nobuhiko , Ando Ryoichi , Shinoda Toshio , Inaguma Daijo , Yamaka Toshihiko , Komatsu Yasuhiro , Koiwa Fumihiko , Sakaguchi Toshifumi , Negi Shigeo , Shigematsu Takashi
Published: July 2015

Background:

Preventive medications for dialysis-requiring congestive heart failure (CHF) in non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unknown. Our aim was to explore which CKD medication was associated with a reduced prevalence of dialysis-requiring CHF in non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 CKD.

Methods:

The present multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional study examined the association between CKD medications and the prevalence of dialysis-requiring CHF in non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 CKD.

Results:

There were 1536 Japanese Stage 5 CKD patients who satisfied our inclusion criteria. We had 309 (20.1%) patients whom had developed dialysis-requiring CHF and 940 patients (60.8%) whom had been using angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs) before initiating dialysis. In our multivariate analysis, only ARB use was significantly associated with a lower risk of CHF (Odds ratio (OR): 0.680, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.516–0.897; p = 0.0064), of the CKD treatments examined in this study.

Conclusions:

We found that ARB use during the pre-dialysis period is associated with a lower prevalence of CHF in the non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 CKD, suggesting a possible prevention of dialysis-requiring CHF by ARBs, in non-dialysis Japanese patients with Stage 5 CKD.
Angiotensin type 1 receptor mediates renal production and conversion of prostaglandins E2 to F2α in conscious diabetic rats
Authors: Abadir Peter M , Siragy Helmy M
Published: July 2015

Introduction:

Previous studies demonstrated that stimulation of angiotensin subtype 1 receptor (AT1R) led to increased renal generation of prostaglandins E2 (PGE2) and renal inflammation. In turn, PGE2 increases AT1R activity. The conversion of PGE2 to the less active metabolite prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) via 9-ketoreductase interrupts this feedback loop. The effects of diabetes on the interface between AT1R, PGE2 and PGF2α are not well established. We hypothesized that in diabetes, an aberrant AT1R activity enhances the biosynthesis of PGE2 and impairs the activity of PGE 9-ketoreductase, leading to accumulation of PGE2.

Materials and methods:

Using microdialysis technique, we monitored renal interstitial fluid levels of angiotensin II (Ang II), PGE2 and PGF2α in control and AT1R blocker, valsartan, treated diabetic rats ( N=8 each). We utilized the PGF2α to PGE2 ratio as indirect measure of PGE 9-ketoreductase activity.

Results:

Diabetes increased renal interstitial fluid levels of Ang II, PGE2 and PGF2α. PGF2α/PGE2 ratio increased by the third week, but declined by the sixth week of diabetes. Valsartan reduced PGE2 and PGF2α levels and increased Ang II and the conversion of PGE2 to PGF2α.

Conclusion:

Our results suggest that in diabetes, AT1R increases PGE2 generation and reduces conversion of PGE2 to PGF2α with the progression of diabetes.
Serum adiponectin levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes: Serial changes and relation to infarct size
Authors: Alkofide Hadeel , Huggins Gordon S , Ruthazer Robin , Beshansky Joni R , Selker Harry P
Published: July 2015

Background:

The role of adiponectin in patients with acute coronary syndromes is incompletely defined. This study investigated adiponectin levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes and the association between adiponectin and 30-day infarct size and 1-year clinical outcomes.

Methods:

Retrospective analysis of 120 participants with acute coronary syndromes enrolled in the Immediate Myocardial Metabolic Enhancement During Initial Assessment and Treatment in Emergency care Trial. Blood levels were tested three times within 24 h of onset of ischaemic symptoms. Infarct size was measured at 30 days. The 1-year clinical outcome was the composite of all-cause mortality or hospitalization for heart failure.

Results:

Using linear mixed models, log adiponectin levels decreased by −0.005 µg/mL per hour ( p = 0.035). After stratifying the analysis by gender, there was no decrease in log adiponectin in men; however, levels decreased by −0.01 µg/mL per hour in women ( p = 0.02). Results of multivariable regression models showed no association between log adiponectin and infarct size ( β = −1.1, p = 0.64). Log adiponectin levels did not predict 1-year outcomes using Cox-proportional hazard models.

Conclusion:

There was a small decrease in plasma adiponectin shortly after symptoms of ischaemia, more noticeable in women. No relationship was found between adiponectin and infarct size or clinical outcomes. This adds to evidence showing no clear association between adiponectin and adverse outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Hyperglycemia in acute coronary syndromes: from mechanisms to prognostic implications
Authors: Angeli Fabio , Reboldi Gianpaolo , Poltronieri Cristina , Lazzari Ludovico , Sordi Martina , Garofoli Marta , Bartolini Claudia , Verdecchia Paolo
Published: July 2015

Hyperglycemia is a frequent condition in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Hyperglycemia during ACS is caused by an inflammatory and adrenergic response to ischemic stress, when catecholamines are released and glycogenolysis induced. Although the involved pathophysiological mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated, it is believed that hyperglycemia is associated with an increase in free fat acids (which induce cardiac arrhythmias), insulin resistance, chemical inactivation of nitric oxide and the production of oxygen reactive species (with consequent microvascular and endothelial dysfunction), a prothrombotic state, and vascular inflammation. It is also related to myocardial metabolic disorders, leading to thrombosis, extension of the damaged area, reduced collateral circulation, and ischemic preconditioning. In the last few years, several observational studies demonstrated that hyperglycemia in ACS is a powerful predictor of survival, increasing the risk of immediate and long-term complications in patients both with and without previously known diabetes mellitus. Glucose management strategies in ACS may improve outcomes in patients with hyperglycemia, perhaps by reducing inflammatory and clotting mediators, by improving endothelial function and fibrinolysis and by reducing infarct size. Recent clinical trials of insulin in ACS have resulted in varying levels of benefit, but the clinical benefit of an aggressive treatment with insulin is yet unproved.
An Inspiration for Expanding the Self-Expansion Model of Love
Authors: Aron Arthur , Aron Elaine N.
Published: July 2015

Lamy’s view coincides with much of the self-expansion model of love, but also suggests potential interesting directions for expanding it and integrating it with other ideas. These include the potential role of anticipated rapid self-development through falling in love itself being a self-expansion motivation, which although consistent with the model, has not been fully tested; and the potential role of stories/scripts of love, which although existing in the literature, have been minimally integrated with other lines of work and not at all with the self-expansion model.
Completion of fit notes by GPs: a mixed methods study
Authors: Coole Carol , Nouri Fiona , Potgieter Iskra , Drummond Avril
Published: July 2015

Aims:

The aim of this study was to investigate the completion of fit notes by UK general practitioners (GPs). A series of actual fit notes issued to employed patients were examined, and their GPs’ reflections and experiences of fit note completion explored.

Methods:

A mixed-methods design was used. Data were collected from copies of 94 fit notes issued to employed patients by 11 GPs, and from 86 questionnaires completed by these GPs reflecting on the fit notes they had issued. Face-to-face interviews were then conducted with each GP.

Results:

Fit note completion is not meeting expectations for a number of reasons. These include the following: limited knowledge and awareness of the guidance in fit note completion; problems with the fit note format; lack of mandatory training in completing fit notes; lack of incentive to change practice; incomplete implementation of the electronic fit note; GPs’ lack of confidence in, and doubts about the appropriateness of performing this role.

Conclusion:

If UK GPs are to continue their contractual responsibility for completing fit notes, further consideration of their education and training needs is urgently required. Weaknesses in the design and format of the fit note and the availability of the electronic version also need to be addressed.
Overcoming resistance to targeted therapies in NSCLC: current approaches and clinical application
Authors: Maione Paolo , Sacco Paola Claudia , Sgambato Assunta , Casaluce Francesca , Rossi Antonio , Gridelli Cesare
Published: July 2015

The discovery that a number of aberrant tumorigenic processes and signal transduction pathways are mediated by druggable protein kinases has led to a revolutionary change in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) are the targets of several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), some of them approved for treatment and others currently in clinical development. First-generation agents offer, in target populations, a substantial improvement of outcomes compared with standard chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Unfortunately, drug resistance develops after initial benefit through a variety of mechanisms. Novel generation EGFR and ALK inhibitors are currently in advanced clinical development and are producing encouraging results in patients with acquired resistance to previous generation agents. The search for new drugs or strategies to overcome the TKI resistance in patients with EGFR mutations or ALK rearrangements is to be considered a priority for the improvement of outcomes in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.
President of state in face of mortality: Exploring implications of Drnovšek’s radical shift on media, public relations and relationships between the two
Authors: Jelen Alenka
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this article is to explore the influence a radical transformation of a politician facing mortality has on public relations, media and relationships between the two, focusing on the case of former Slovenian President Janez Drnovšek, who towards the end of his mandate transformed from a conventional, pragmatic politician to a New Age critical spiritual leader. Drawing on grounded theory approach, 12 qualitative interviews with journalists and Drnovšek’s political advisers were conducted. The results show that while the opinions and perceptions of Drnovšek’s change differed significantly between political advisers and journalists with the former neutralising it and the latter emphasising it, the methods of communication and relationships between them somewhat surprisingly remained the same, indicating their endurance and resistance to a radical political transformation in the process of public dying. What changed were Drnovšek himself and his ‘private’ style of communication with the media, and journalistic routines, resulting in amplified media coverage of an unconventional and ‘loopy’ President.
From Vice to Virtue
Authors: Smith Christi M.
Published: July 2015

While historians have documented the criminalization process of Blacks during the Jim Crow and Progressive Eras, few scholars include in their analyses the contemporaneous change in attitudes toward poor Whites. This study examines boundary processes and organizational activism in decriminalizing a particularly virulent and hypervisible series of violent events, the Appalachian feuds of the late 19th century. How are criminal acts committed by Whites rendered less criminal? Not only are Whites less likely to be brought before legal adjudication for criminal behavior, even when there is detailed evidence of their crimes, criminal acts can be made legitimate using redemption narratives that depict White violence as justifiable and even, as in the case here, indicative of a deeper moral worth. The decriminalization of Whites hinges on organized efforts by empowered actors to maintain and police racial boundaries. This article draws on independently collected archival materials including organizational records and financial reports, Board of Trustee records, interorganizational and private correspondence, and 727 newspaper articles.
Shape memory properties of electrically conductive multi-walled carbon nanotube-filled polyurethane/modified polystyrene blends
Authors: Ahmed Naveed , Kausar Ayesha , Muhammad Bakhtiar
Published: July 2015

Shape memory polyurethanes are synthetic materials with great potential to respond to external stimulus. Desired properties of shape memory polyurethanes can be achieved by blending with other polymers or varying the hard and soft segments. In this study, structure, morphology, mechanical, thermal and electrical conductivity properties of a shape memory blend reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotube were investigated. One blend component was polyethylene glycol and toluene diisocyanate polyurethane, and the second component was either polystyrene or nitro-functional or amino-functional. The fundamental chemical and physical linkages were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopic images demonstrated the generation of polyurethane–polystyrene interpenetrating polymer network over multi-walled carbon nanotube surface. The tensile strength and modulus were found to increase systematically with increasing filler content in all series and was higher for polyurethane/polystyrene amino-functional/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites. The stress-bearing capacity and mechanical properties were enhanced due to a matrix made up of two different chemically interlinked polymers. On the whole, using amino-functional polystyrene showed better physical and shape memory properties. Electrical conductivity was superior for composites with polystyrene amino-functional matrix, compared with neat blend and other composite. The polyurethane/polystyrene amino-functional/multi-walled carbon nanotube 0.5 electrical conductivity tested at 1.08 S cm−1. The polyurethane/polystyrene amino-functional/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites showed remarkable thermally triggered shape memory behavior to the extent of 95%. Electric field-triggered shape recovery of the polyurethane/polystyrene amino-functional/multi-walled carbon nanotube sample was found to be 96%. The synergetic effect of the fine electrical conductivity and high mechanical strength renders the composites as high-performance shape memory materials.
Kiwi genome provides insights into evolution of a nocturnal lifestyle
Authors: Le Duc Diana , Renaud Gabriel , Krishnan Arunkumar , Almén Markus Sällman , Huynen Leon , Prohaska Sonja J. , Ongyerth Matthias , Bitarello Bárbara D. , Schiöth Helgi B. , Hofreiter Michael , Stadler Peter F. , Prüfer Kay , Lambert David , Kelso Janet , Schöneberg Torsten
Published: July 2015

Background

Kiwi, comprising five species from the genus Apteryx, are endangered, ground-dwelling bird species endemic to New Zealand. They are the smallest and only nocturnal representatives of the ratites. The timing of kiwi adaptation to a nocturnal niche and the genomic innovations, which shaped sensory systems and morphology to allow this adaptation, are not yet fully understood.

Results

We sequenced and assembled the brown kiwi genome to 150-fold coverage and annotated the genome using kiwi transcript data and non-redundant protein information from multiple bird species. We identified evolutionary sequence changes that underlie adaptation to nocturnality and estimated the onset time of these adaptations. Several opsin genes involved in color vision are inactivated in the kiwi. We date this inactivation to the Oligocene epoch, likely after the arrival of the ancestor of modern kiwi in New Zealand. Genome comparisons between kiwi and representatives of ratites, Galloanserae, and Neoaves, including nocturnal and song birds, show diversification of kiwi’s odorant receptors repertoire, which may reflect an increased reliance on olfaction rather than sight during foraging. Further, there is an enrichment of genes influencing mitochondrial function and energy expenditure among genes that are rapidly evolving specifically on the kiwi branch, which may also be linked to its nocturnal lifestyle.

Conclusions

The genomic changes in kiwi vision and olfaction are consistent with changes that are hypothesized to occur during adaptation to nocturnal lifestyle in mammals. The kiwi genome provides a valuable genomic resource for future genome-wide comparative analyses to other extinct and extant diurnal ratites.
Accelerated Mann and CQ algorithms for finding a fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping
Authors: Dong Qiao-Li , Yuan Han-bo
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this paper is to present accelerations of the Mann and CQ algorithms. We first apply the Picard algorithm to the smooth convex minimization problem and point out that the Picard algorithm is the steepest descent method for solving the minimization problem. Next, we provide the accelerated Picard algorithm by using the ideas of conjugate gradient methods that accelerate the steepest descent method. Then, based on the accelerated Picard algorithm, we present accelerations of the Mann and CQ algorithms. Under certain assumptions, we show that the new algorithms converge to a fixed point of a nonexpansive mapping. Finally, we show the efficiency of the accelerated Mann algorithm by numerically comparing with the Mann algorithm. A numerical example is provided to illustrate that the acceleration of the CQ algorithm is ineffective.
Iterative approximation of solutions for proximal split feasibility problems
Authors: Shehu Yekini , Cai Gang , Iyiola Olaniyi S
Published: July 2015

In this paper, our aim is to introduce a viscosity type algorithm for solving proximal split feasibility problems and prove the strong convergence of the sequences generated by our iterative schemes in Hilbert spaces. First, we prove strong convergence result for a problem of finding a point which minimizes a convex function f such that its image under a bounded linear operator A minimizes another convex function g. Secondly, we prove another strong convergence result for the case where one of the two involved functions is prox-regular. In all our results in this work, our iterative schemes are proposed by way of selecting the step sizes such that their implementation does not need any prior information about the operator norm because the calculation or at least an estimate of the operator norm $\|A\|$
∥
A
∥
is not an easy task. Finally, we give a numerical example to study the efficiency and implementation of our iterative schemes. Our results complement the recent results of Moudafi and Thakur (Optim. Lett. 8:2099-2110, 2014, doi:10.1007/s11590-013-0708-4) and other recent important results in this direction.
Augmented reality applications for cultural heritage using Kinect
Authors: Bostanci Erkan , Kanwal Nadia , Clark Adrian F
Published: July 2015

This paper explores the use of data from the Kinect sensor for performing augmented reality, with emphasis on cultural heritage applications. It is shown that the combination of depth and image correspondences from the Kinect can yield a reliable estimate of the location and pose of the camera, though noise from the depth sensor introduces an unpleasant jittering of the rendered view. Kalman filtering of the camera position was found to yield a much more stable view. Results show that the system is accurate enough for in situ augmented reality applications. Skeleton tracking using Kinect data allows the appearance of participants to be augmented, and together these facilitate the development of cultural heritage applications.