bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Densities of Ecological Replacement Herbivores Required to Restore Plant Communities: A Case Study of Giant Tortoises on Pinta Island, Galápagos
Authors: Hunter Elizabeth A. , Gibbs James P.
Published: October 2013

Loss of native herbivores and introduction of livestock in many arid and semi‐arid ecosystems around the world has shifted the competitive balance from herbaceous to woody plants, leading to biodiversity loss, reduced plant productivity, and soil erosion. To restore functions of these ecosystems, ecological replacements have been proposed as substitutes for extinct native herbivores. Here we predict how an ecological replacement giant tortoise population (Chelonoidis spp.) would interact with woody plants on Pinta Island in the Galápagos Archipelago, where a small group of replacement tortoises was introduced in 2010 to initiate restoration of the island's plant community. We developed an individual‐based, spatially explicit simulation model that incorporated field‐derived tortoise behavior and tortoise–plant interaction data to test whether tortoise introductions could lead to broad‐scale changes in the plant community and, if so, at what tortoise densities. Tortoises reduced vegetation density in most (81%) 50‐year‐long simulations if the tortoise density was at least 0.7 per hectare, a value well below typical densities. In a smaller proportion of simulations (30%), tortoises increased local vegetation patchiness. Our results suggest that even moderate‐density tortoise populations can reverse woody plant encroachment. Deployment of ecological replacement giant tortoises may therefore be a viable approach for restoring other arid and semi‐arid ecosystems where a native herbivore that previously had strong interactions with the plant community has gone extinct.
Risk: For Whom? Representations of Mining Activity by Different Social Actors in the Molango Manganese District of Hidalgo, Mexico
Authors: Catalán‐Vázquez Minerva , Riojas‐Rodríguez Horacio , Pelcastre‐Villafuerte Blanca Estela
Published: October 2013

Previous studies have shown high levels of manganese exposure and neurocognitive damage in the population living in the mining zone in Molango, Mexico. One of the objectives of the Intersectoral Group on Environmental Management for the mining district has been to provide public participation in the risk management plan. To achieve this, it is important to know how the different social actors represent the mining activity. The objectives of this study were to characterize the social representations of the mining activity by different social actors. A qualitative design was used based on in‐depth interviews of residents, public officials, and a mining company representative. The analysis was conducted according to themes for each group of actors. Essentially, distinct social representations of the different mining activities were identified. Residents viewed mining activities as synonymous with contamination and, therefore, as having affected all areas of their environment, health, and daily life. These activities were seen as a collective risk. The public officials and the mining company held that there was no evidence of harm and saw mining activities as a generator of regional development. Harm to health and the environment were seen as a stance taken by the communities in order to obtain economic benefits from the company. These images of the “other” are shaped by social, political, and cultural factors. They make it difficult for the actors to reach cooperative agreements and thereby affect progress on the risk management plan. Decisionmakers need to take these differences into account when promoting social participation.
Classic Dose‐Response and Time Postinoculation Models for Leptospira
Authors: Watanabe Toru , Teske Sondra S. , Haas Charles N.
Published: October 2013

Leptospirosis is a preeminent zoonotic disease concentrated in tropical areas, and prevalent in both industrialized and rural settings. Dose‐response models were generated from 22 data sets reported in 10 different studies. All of the selected studies used rodent subjects, primarily hamsters, with the predominant endpoint as mortality with the challenge strain administered intraperitoneally. Dose‐response models based on a single evaluation postinfection displayed median lethal dose (LD50) estimates that ranged between 1 and 107 leptospirae depending upon the strain's virulence and the period elapsed since the initial exposure inoculation. Twelve of the 22 data sets measured the number of affected subjects daily over an extended period, so dose‐response models with time‐dependent parameters were estimated. Pooling between data sets produced seven common dose‐response models and one time‐dependent model. These pooled common models had data sets with different test subject hosts, and between disparate leptospiral strains tested on identical hosts. Comparative modeling was done with parallel tests to test the effects of a single different variable of either strain or test host and quantify the difference by calculating a dose multiplication factor. Statistical pooling implies that the mechanistic processes of leptospirosis can be represented by the same dose‐response model for different experimental infection tests even though they may involve different host species, routes, and leptospiral strains, although the cause of this pathophysiological phenomenon has not yet been identified.
Evaluating Nationwide Health Interventions: Malawi’S Insecticide-Treated-Net Distribution Programme
Authors: Deuchert Eva , Wunsch Conny
Published: October 2013

We evaluate Malawi's main malaria prevention campaign, a nationwide insecticide-treated-net distribution scheme, in terms of its effect on infant mortality. Methodologically, evaluating such nationwide health interventions is particularly difficult. There is no contemporaneous comparison group that has not been subject to the intervention. Moreover, common environmental trends, the availability of new drugs and a variety of other health improving measures used at the same time imply that the often advocated before–after estimator is not a good choice. We propose an alternative estimator that can be used if the intervention influences health through its effect on individual health-seeking behaviour but has no other effect on the outcome. We also suggest some plausibility checks and falsification tests to assess the validity of the identifying assumptions that we impose in applications. Using the estimator proposed we find that Malawi's insecticide-treated-net distribution campaign reduced all-cause child mortality by about 1 percentage point, which corresponds to about 40% of the total reduction in infant mortality from 8.2% to 5.4% over the study period.
Impacts of Return Migration on Rural U.S. Communities
Authors: von Reichert Christiane , Cromartie John B. , Arthun Ryan O.
Published: October 2013

Rural population loss is caused as much by low in‐migration as by high out‐migration, and for geographically disadvantaged nonmetropolitan counties in the United States, return migration plays a crucial role. This research captures impacts of return migrants on population, economy, and society in declining rural U.S. communities using a qualitative, multisited approach. Interviews conducted at high school reunions with rural returnees in their late 20s to late 40s show that the vast majority of returnees brought spouses and children back with them, increasing the short‐term and long‐term population. They also brought back much needed human capital, including education, job skills, and life experiences, and filled professional positions that are often hard to fill in rural communities. Entrepreneurial activities and self‐employment of many return migrants favorably affected rural economies by improving the employment base and expanding available services. Interviews show how decisions to move back were grounded in social relations that promoted civic engagement. While they mainly moved back for their children and their families, return migrants valued involvement in familiar social networks and the opportunities to make a difference in their rural hometowns.
Primitive Accumulation, New Enclosures, and Global Land Grabs: A Theoretical Intervention
Authors: Ince Onur Ulas
Published: October 2013

Recent critical analyses of global land grabs have variously invoked global capitalism and neocolonialism to account for this trend. One line of inquiry approaches land grabs as instances of “primitive accumulation of capital” whereby lands in the Global South are “enclosed” and brought within the ambit of global capitalism. Another perspective invokes the history of Anglo‐American colonialism for critiquing the developmentalist discourse that depicts Africa as the “last frontier” to be tamed by the techno‐industrial civilization of the North. This essay integrates these two perspectives by elaborating capitalism as an irreducibly colonial formation with global inceptions. I begin with a discussion of “primitive accumulation” and, counter to many, question the suitability of “enclosure” for interpreting land grabs. The second section delves into the theoretical origins of primitive accumulation, proposing to situate it in a global and colonial genealogy of capitalism. A final section charts the theoretical and historical contours of this global genealogy and arrives at a more capacious reconceptualization of primitive accumulation. I conclude by reflecting on the implications of contemporary land grabs for in situ displacement, the fungibility of land, and new enclosures in the contemporary reconfiguration of global value chains.
Can Parity‐Time‐Symmetric Potentials Support Families of Non‐Parity‐Time‐Symmetric Solitons?
Authors: Yang Jianke
Published: October 2013

For the one‐dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equations with parity‐time (PT) symmetric potentials, it is shown that when a real symmetric potential is perturbed by weak PT‐symmetric perturbations, continuous families of asymmetric solitary waves in the real potential are destroyed. It is also shown that in the same model with a general PT‐symmetric potential, symmetry breaking of PT‐symmetric solitary waves does not occur. Based on these findings, it is conjectured that one‐dimensional PT‐symmetric potentials cannot support continuous families of non‐PT‐symmetric solitary waves.
Relationship between duration of treatment and oral health in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Authors: Finkelman Matthew D. , Stark Paul C. , Tao Wen , Morgan John P.
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how dental outcomes changed over time among subjects with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who were under treatment.

This retrospective study included 107 subjects who were treated at a Tufts Dental Facilities clinic. Data from each subject were collected at three time points: initial visit, midpoint visit, and most recent visit. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the relationship between time in treatment and several outcome variables (cooperation level, hygiene rating, presence of caries, periodontitis, dental pain, and infection).

Statistically significant decreases in caries (p < .001) and increases in periodontitis (p = .002) were found over time. Associations between time and other outcome variables were not statistically significant.

The prevalence of caries decreased and the prevalence of periodontitis increased over time among patients with IDDs receiving regular comprehensive dental care. Even among patients under routine maintenance, significant oral health problems remain.
Checking the cheek bite injury: fabrication of an interim cheek guard appliance
Authors: Nanda Aditi , Koli Dheeraj , Sharma Sunanda , Gill Shubhra , Verma Mahesh
Published: October 2013

Among the various sequelae associated with the treatment of oral carcinoma (both surgical and radiotherapy), the two conditions that can be of serious concern are reduced mouth opening and mucositis. The limited mouth opening can lead to entrapment of buccal mucosa in between teeth during the chewing cycle, which in turn can lead to further injury of the mucosa. A simple method has been described by the authors to prevent the cheek bite by fabrication of a cheek guard appliance. Favorable results were seen within a few days after insertion of the appliance.
Dramatic Improvement in Decompensated Right Heart Failure due to Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation Following Ligation of Arteriovenous Fistula in a Renal Transplant Recipient
Authors: Rao Nitesh , Worthley Matthew , Disney Patrick , Faull Randall
Published: October 2013

Arteriovenous (AV) fistulas with high blood flow rate are necessary for adequate hemodialysis, but they can also cause significant hemodynamic changes, including raised cardiac output, left ventricular hypertrophy and occasionally overt cardiac failure (Basile et al., Nephrol Dial Transplant, 23, 2008, 282; Unger et al., Am J Transplant, 4, 2004, 2038). We now report a case of rapid and dramatic improvement in symptomatic right heart failure due to severe tricuspid regurgitation following ligation of an arteriovenous fistula. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed before and after the ligation of fistula showed striking improvement in both the tricuspid regurgitation and right ventricular dimensions, with minimal impact on left ventricular mass, size, and function.
Association of Vascular Access Type with Inflammatory Marker Levels in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Dukkipati Ramanath , Molnar Miklos Z , Park Jongha , Jing Jennie , Kovesdy Csaba P. , Kajani Raahil , Kalantar‐Zadeh Kamyar
Published: October 2013

Aggressive NIH is a common histopathological lesion found at the sites of venous stenosis in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and arteriovenous grafts (AVG). Inflammatory mediators have been proposed to play a pathogenic role in NIH, but there is paucity of data evaluating this hypothesis in clinical studies or in animal models. Serum levels of inflammatory mediators can potentially identify patients at high risk of AVF and AVG dysfunction. In a cross‐sectional cohort study of 754 HD patients who were part of the NIED study cohort, we examined the associations between inflammatory markers including serum interleukin (IL) 1β, IL‐6, C‐reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and type of vascular access. Unadjusted and multivariate‐adjusted linear regression models were used. In addition, time‐dependent regression model was used to assess the association between inflammatory markers and mortality. We observed that in the multivariate‐adjusted model, inflammatory mediators interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin–1L‐ß (IL‐1ß), and C‐reactive protein (CRP), the predicted value in hemodialysis patients, are lowest in patients with AVF and highest in central venous catheter (CVC) and AVG even in case‐mix and malnutrition–inflammation complex syndrome (MICS)‐adjusted models. IL‐6 and CRP levels fall consistently in the same patients when AVG or CVC is changed to AVF and increase if the same patient changes access from AVF to AVG or CVC. Obesity is a risk factor for fistula failure and fistulas are associated with the lowest mortality compared with CVC and AVG. We did not find any statistically significant association between tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF‐ α) and vascular access outcomes. Higher levels of inflammatory mediators seen in CVC and AVG compared with AVF could potentially explain the higher mortality seen in patients with CVC and AVG compared with AVF.
Bolla Bollana boulder beds: A Neoproterozoic trough mouth fan in South Australia?
Authors: Le Heron Daniel P. , Busfield Marie E. , Collins Alan S.
Published: October 2013

The Bolla Bollana Formation is an exceptionally thick (ca 1500 m), rift‐related sedimentary succession cropping out in the northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia, which was deposited during the Sturtian (mid Cryogenian) glaciation. Lithofacies analysis reveals three distinct facies associations which chart changing depositional styles on an ice‐sourced subaqueous fan system. The diamictite facies association is dominant, and comprises both massive and stratified varieties with a range of clast compositions and textures, arranged into thick beds (1 to 20 m), representing stacked, ice‐proximal glaciogenic debris‐flow deposits. A channel belt facies association, most commonly consisting of normally graded conglomerates and sandstones, displays scour and fill structure of ca 10 m width and 1 to 3 m depth: these strata are interpreted as channelized turbidites. Rare mud‐filled channels in this facies association bear glacially striated lonestones. Finally, a sheet heterolithics facies association contains a range of conglomerates through sandstones to silty shales arranged into clear, normally graded cycles from the lamina to bed scale. These record a variety of non‐channelized turbidites, probably occupying distal and/or inter‐channel locations on the subaqueous fan. Coarsening and thickening‐up cycles, capped by dolomicrites or mudstones, are indicative of lobe build out and abandonment, potentially as a result of ice lobe advance and stagnation. Dropstones, recognized by downwarped and punctured laminae beneath pebbles to boulders in shale, or in delicate climbing ripple cross‐laminated siltstones, are clearly indicative of ice rafting. The co‐occurrence of ice‐rafted debris and striated lonestones strongly supports a glaciogenic sediment source for the diamictites. Comparison to Pleistocene analogues enables an interpretation as a trough mouth fan, most probably deposited leeward of a palaeo‐ice stream. Beyond emphasizing the highly dynamic nature of Sturtian ice sheets, these interpretations testify to the oldest trough mouth fan recorded to date.
Two‐layer scree/snow‐avalanche triggered by rockfall (Eastern Alps): Significance for sedimentology of scree slopes
Authors: Sanders Diethard , Widera Lukas , Ostermann Marc
Published: October 2013

Rockfalls that trigger scree‐laden snow avalanches are common in mountain ranges, but the resulting avalanche development and its role in understanding the sedimentology of scree slopes are rarely described in detail. On Riepenwand (2774 m above sea‐level, Kalkkögel range, Alps), on 6 May 2011 a 5800 m3 rockfall of dolostone detached from the flank of a gorge in the upper part of the mountain. After first collapsing into the gorge, the fragmented rock mass fell down freely for 150 m onto a talus covered by coarse‐granular snow. Rockfall impact triggered a medium‐scale avalanche that developed: (i) a lower layer A of entrained, pure snow; and (ii) an upper layer B of clay‐sized to boulder‐sized fragments mixed with snow. This ‘two‐layer scree/snow avalanche’ halted in the distal slope segment of the talus. Boulders within layer B mainly came to rest in the distal part of the avalanche deposit. Fragments smaller than cobble‐size grade did not show obvious downslope segregation. With snowmelt, the rockfall fragments dispersed in layer B were concentrated to a clast‐supported veneer that was draped over the older talus surface upon slower melting of avalanche layer A. In the grain‐size fraction ≤16 mm, a mean of 5 wt% matrix (silt‐sized to clay‐sized grains) of the rockfall‐derived scree of layer B is similar to a mean matrix content of 7 wt% within stratified talus slopes of the Kalkkögel range. This similarity suggests that a major share of matrix – widespread in stratified talus – stems from rockfalls. The characteristics of the scree veneer as melt‐lag of a scree‐laden snow avalanche will be blurred with time. Fossil talus successions may contain a substantial proportion of scree carried down by snow avalanches. The formation of a distinct sedimentary facies of snow avalanche‐deposited scree is impeded by processes of redeposition and deposit modification on talus.
T cell Suppression In Vitro During Toxoplasma gondii Infection is the Result of IL‐2 Competition Between Tregs and T cells Leading to Death of Proliferating T cells
Authors: Salinas N. , Olguín J. E. , Castellanos C. , Saavedra R.
Published: October 2013

A reduced proliferation to T cell mitogens is observed in vitro in murine cells isolated during the acute phase of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) mediate this suppression, which is interleukin (IL)‐2 dependent. In this work, we analysed the mechanism of this Treg‐mediated suppression. We found that removal of antigen‐presenting cells (APC) from spleen cells from infected mice did not modify suppression but further elimination of Tregs led to a restored proliferation, demonstrating that Tregs mediate suppression in the absence of APC. Production of IL‐2 by T cells from infected animals was abolished but partially restored when Tregs were removed. However, IL‐2 levels and T cell proliferation were restored when Tregs and T cells were separated by transwells, indicating that Tregs require close proximity with T cells to induce suppression. Tregs from infected mice were able to reduce proliferation of CTLL‐2 cells in the classical IL‐2 bioassay, strongly suggesting that Tregs compete with T cells for IL‐2. We found that T cells from infected mice died after a few rounds of division in vitro, but addition of recombinant IL‐2 or removal of Tregs abolished this effect. Our results showed that suppression of T cell proliferation during acute Toxoplasma gondii infection is the result of death of proliferating T cells by Treg‐mediated IL‐2 competition. Thus, immunosuppression is due to death of proliferating T cells as a consequence of low IL‐2 availability.
Upregulation of Membrane‐Bound CD40L on CD4+ T cells in Women with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Belkhir R. , Gestermann N. , Koutero M. , Seror R. , Tost J. , Mariette X. , Miceli‐Richard C.
Published: October 2013

Epigenetic deregulation of genes encoded on the X chromosome as reported for CD40L in lupus could explain the female predominance of autoimmune diseases. We compared CD40L expression on CD4+ T cells from primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) women and healthy controls and investigated DNA methylation patterns of the promoter and enhancer regions of CD40L. The expression of CD40L on activated CD4+ T cells was higher in patients with pSS than controls after phorbolmyristate acetate and ionomycin activation (P = 0.02). CD40L mRNA level in CD4+ T cells did not differ between patients with pSS and controls and was similar in both groups in cultures treated with the demethylating agent 5‐azacytidine C. Pyrosequencing analysis revealed no significant differences in methylation profiles between patients and controls. Inducible membrane‐bound CD40L on CD4+ T cells is increased in patients with pSS but was not related to epigenetic deregulation by demethylation patterns of the regulatory regions of CD40L.
Psychometric evaluation and normative data of the Swedish version of the 10‐item perceived stress scale
Authors: Nordin Maria , Nordin Steven
Published: October 2013

The perceived stress scale (PSS) has been translated to several languages and validated in many cultures. The longer 14‐item version (PSS‐14), has been translated to Swedish and validated for Swedish use. However, the Swedish version of the shorter 10‐item version (PSS‐10) has not been validated before. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 with regard to reliability and validity, and to provide normative data. Data from 3,406 individuals who took part in the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden were used. The respondents constitute a random sample, aged 18 to 79 years, and stratified for age and sex. They responded to the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 as well as to the hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the Shirom Melamed burnout questionnaire for assessment of construct validity. The results show that the PSS‐10 provides approximately normally distributed data, has good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.84), and has good construct validity with anxiety (r = 0.68), depression (r = 0.57), and mental/physical exhaustion (r = 0.71). The favorable psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the PSS‐10 suggest use of the instrument for assessing perceived stress in Swedish and similar populations.
Mental health among people with psoriasis undergoing patient education in climate therapy
Authors: Langeland E. , Robinson H. S. , Moum T. , Larsen M. H. , Wahl A. K.
Published: October 2013

This study investigated the mental health of people with psoriasis undergoing patient education in climate therapy. A prospective design included a baseline assessment and two follow‐ups after a 3‐week patient education program. Participants were 254 adults. Positive mental health was measured by the mental health continuum short form (0–70), and negative mental health by the emotional distress subscale (1–4) of the health education impact questionnaire. Paired‐samples t‐tests were used to evaluate changes in mental health from baseline to follow‐up. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the ability of socio‐demographic and clinical variables and emotional distress to predict changes in positive mental health. To predict change in negative mental health we repeated the same analysis but with a change in negative mental health as a dependent variable and positive mental health as an independent variable. The results show that positive mental health and health‐related emotional distress improved significantly from before to after the intervention by 7.1 points, p < 0.001 and 0.21 points, p < 0.001) respectively. At the second follow‐up, health‐related emotional distress remained significantly improved compared with baseline levels by 0.11 points, p = 0.004. The longer participants had lived with psoriasis ( β = 146, p = 0.027), and the presence of co‐morbid health problems (β  =  111, p = 0.051) the greater the improvement in the positive mental health immediately after the intervention. No predictors were identified for negative mental health. This study indicates that the promotion of positive mental health needs to be integrated into the climate therapy program, and sustained in their home context.
Contribution of parents' adult attachment and separation attitudes to parent‐adolescent conflict resolution
Authors: García‐Ruiz Marta , Rodrigo María José , Hernández‐Cabrera Juan A. , Máiquez María Luisa
Published: October 2013

This study examined the contribution to parent‐adolescent conflict resolution of parental adult attachment styles and attitudes toward adolescent separation. Questionnaires were completed by 295 couples with early to late adolescent children. Structural equation models were used to test self and partner influences on conflict resolution for three attachment orientations: confidence (model A), anxiety (model B) and avoidance (model C). Model A showed self influences between parents' confidence orientation and negotiation and also via positive attitudes towards separation. Also, the fathers' use of negotiation was facilitated by the mothers' confidence orientation and vice versa, indicating partner influences as well. Model B showed self influences between parents' anxiety orientation and the use of dominance and withdrawal and also via negative attitudes towards separation. Model C showed self influences between parents' avoidance orientation and dominance and withdrawal, and a partner influence between fathers' avoidance and mothers' use of dominance. The results indicated that the parents' adult attachment system and the parenting system were related in the area of conflict resolution, and that self influences were stronger than partner influences.
Poll of Polls: A Compositional Loess Model
Authors: Bergman Jakob , Holmquist Björn
Published: October 2013

A large number of polls on party preferences are published today. In order to obtain an estimate of the changes in political opinion, the polls may be combined into a poll of polls. We discuss a method for combining polls using the fact that they are compositions and respecting the properties of the compositional sample space (the simplex). The method is easily implemented and the estimate may be computed in linear time. We provide an example with Swedish data from year 2007 to 2010. The method also allows us to present the deviations between the estimated compositions and the observed. In the data set, we note, for example, differences between different polling institutes.
Is a Brownian Motion Skew?
Authors: Lejay Antoine , Mordecki Ernesto , Torres Soledad
Published: October 2013

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the maximum likelihood estimator corresponding to the observation of a trajectory of a skew Brownian motion, through a uniform time discretization. We characterize the speed of convergence and the limiting distribution when the step size goes to zero, which in this case are non‐classical, under the null hypothesis of the skew Brownian motion being an usual Brownian motion. This allows to design a test on the skewness parameter. We show that numerical simulations can be easily performed to estimate the skewness parameter and provide an application in Biology.
Using ground reaction force to predict knee kinetic asymmetry following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Authors: Dai B. , Butler R. J. , Garrett W. E. , Queen R. M.
Published: October 2013

Asymmetries in sagittal plane knee kinetics have been identified as a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) re‐injury. Clinical tools are needed to identify the asymmetries. This study examined the relationships between knee kinetic asymmetries and ground reaction force (GRF) asymmetries during athletic tasks in adolescent patients following ACL reconstruction (ACL‐R). Kinematic and GRF data were collected during a stop‐jump task and a side‐cutting task for 23 patients. Asymmetry indices between the surgical and non‐surgical limbs were calculated for GRF and knee kinetic variables. For the stop‐jump task, knee kinetics asymmetry indices were correlated with all GRF asymmetry indices (P < 0.05), except for loading rate. Vertical GRF impulse asymmetry index predicted peak knee moment, average knee moment, and knee work (R2 ≥ 0.78, P < 0.01) asymmetry indices. For the side‐cutting tasks, knee kinetic asymmetry indices were correlated with the peak propulsion vertical GRF and vertical GRF impulse asymmetry indices (P < 0.05). Vertical GRF impulse asymmetry index predicted peak knee moment, average knee moment, and knee work (R2 ≥ 0.55, P < 0.01) asymmetry indices. The vertical GRF asymmetries may be a viable surrogate for knee kinetic asymmetries and therefore may assist in optimizing rehabilitation outcomes and minimizing re‐injury rates.
The effect of ankle bracing on knee kinetics and kinematics during volleyball‐specific tasks
Authors: West T. , Ng L. , Campbell A.
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ankle bracing on knee kinetics and kinematics during volleyball tasks. Fifteen healthy, elite, female volleyball players performed a series of straight‐line and lateral volleyball tasks with no brace and when wearing an ankle brace. A 14‐camera Vicon motion analysis system and AMTI force plate were used to capture the kinetic and kinematic data. Knee range of motion, peak knee anterior–posterior and medial–lateral shear forces, and peak ground reaction forces that occurred between initial contact with the force plate and toe off were compared using paired sample t‐tests between the braced and non‐braced conditions (P < 0.05). The results revealed no significant effect of bracing on knee kinematics or ground reaction forces during any task or on knee kinetics during the straight‐line movement volleyball tasks. However, ankle bracing was demonstrated to reduce knee lateral shear forces during all of the lateral movement volleyball tasks. Wearing the Active Ankle T2 brace will not impact knee joint range of motion and may in fact reduce shear loading to the knee joint in volleyball players.
From Embodied to Disembodied Professionalism? Discussing the Implications of Medico‐Managerial Management in Welfare Service Work
Authors: Hirvonen Helena
Published: October 2013

Welfare service work is traditionally understood to comprise embodied, situational and social practices of care that are central to a worker's professional self‐image. Over the past few decades, public management reforms have called for reassessment of welfare service workers' professional accountability through practices of medico‐managerial service management. These practices promote the production of transparency and accountability in welfare service work through checking‐based trust and disembodied professional practices. This article argues that the changes in the nature of trust toward welfare service professionals have implications for care work cultures and workers' professional agency that has traditionally built on the idea of the embodied, situational and social practice of welfare service work. Drawing on an interview study with Finnish welfare service workers (n = 25), the article analyses frontline workers' descriptions of medico‐managerial management in the social and healthcare sector. The results point to the significance of embodied practices of care in creation of client trust and for workers' professional self‐images. The conclusion is that while disembodied professionalism offers opportunities for workers' self‐management and evaluation of accountability and transparency of service processes, it may disregard the importance of embodied practices for the workers' professional self‐images and client relations.
Race and Religion: Voting Behavior and Political Attitudes
Authors: Lockerbie Brad
Published: October 2013

Objectives

The purpose of this article is to examine the relationship between religion and voting behavior and political attitudes. Moreover, this work examines the distinction between black and white evangelicals.

Methods

This article makes use of regression and logit analysis of the American National Election Studies of 1992 through 2008.

Results

Identification with a particular tradition is important, along with attitudes concerning the authorship of the Bible. Moreover, affiliation with an evangelical tradition works in opposite directions for African Americans and whites. African‐American evangelicals, perhaps because of the messages on economics and civil rights that are preached in the traditional black church, are more likely than other African Americans to vote Democratic. Looking at differences concerning political issues, however, shows much less clarity than does voting behavior. The differences between African‐American and white evangelicals are largely nonexistent, except on issues that deal specifically with race.

Conclusion

The relationship between religion and voting behavior in presidential elections is more complex than previously thought.
An assessment of subsoil organic carbon stocks inEngland andWales
Authors: Gregory A. S. , Kirk G. J. D. , Keay C. A. , Rawlins B. G. , Wallace P. , Whitmore A. P.
Published: October 2013

It is estimated that half the soil carbon globally is in the subsoil, but data are scarce. We updated estimates of subsoil organic carbon (OC) inEngland andWales made by Bradleyet al. (2005) using soil and land‐use databases and compared the results with other published data. We estimated that the soils ofEngland andWales contained 1633, 1143 and 506 Tg of OC at 0–30, 30–100 and 100–150 cm depths, respectively. Thus, half of the soilOCwas found below 30 cm depth. Peat soils accounted for the largest proportion, containing 44% of all theOCbelow 30 cm despite their small areal extent, followed by brown soils, surface‐water gley soils, ground‐water gley soils and podzolic soils. Peat soils had more than 25% of their profileOCper unit area in the 100–150 cm depth, whereas most other soils had <8% at this depth. The differences between soil types were consistent with differences in soil formation processes. Differences in depth distributions between land uses were small, but subsoilOCstocks in cultivated soils were generally smaller than in soils under grassland or other land uses. Data on subsoilOCstocks in the literature were scarce, but what there was broadly agreed with the findings of the above database exercise. There was little evidence by which to assess how subsoilOCstocks were changing over time.
Word Order and Prosodic‐Structure Constraints in Tagalog
Authors: Sabbagh Joseph
Published: October 2013

This paper is concerned with two apparently unrelated word‐order facts in Tagalog: In interrogative sentences, frontedwh‐phrases follow the complementizer (Comp–WhP order), and in both interrogative and noninterrogative sentences, the subject follows the verb (verb‐initial order). It is argued that neither of these word orders reflects a word order that is expected on the basis of the syntactic structure alone. Instead, a unified explanation for these word orders is proposed, according to which they arise as the result of a lowering operation that applies at Phonological Form (PF) and is prosodically driven. Specifically, lowering applies in order to satisfy a prosodic‐structure constraint, Weak Start, which requires elements that are relatively high on the prosodic hierarchy to be preceded by elements that are equal to or lower than them on the prosodic hierarchy. The word orders discussed herein therefore involve a mismatch between syntax and phonology, and lowering provides a means by which syntactic principles as well as principles relating to prosodic‐structure can be simultaneously upheld.
Development of columnar jointing in albite rhyolite in a rapidly cooling volcanic environment (Rupnica, Papuk Geopark, Croatia)
Authors: Balen Dražen , Petrinec Zorica
Published: October 2013

The Rupnica locality became the first protected geosite in Croatia in 1948 owing to a well‐exposed phenomenon of columnar jointing developed in albite rhyolite. According to the geochemical signature, melt that originated at mid‐crustal depths (10–15 km) reached a shallow emplacement level as a high‐temperature lava. Non‐destructive statistical analysis conducted at the geosite revealed that relatively narrow (29.4 ± 6.3 cm) predominantly four‐ and five‐sided columns, tightly packed striae (4.8 ± 2.1 cm) and small‐amplitude wavy sets of columns (wavelength of 32.5 ± 6.7 cm) dominate the exposed part of the Rupnica. A number of features quantified through this statistical approach, together with petrography, geochemistry and the geology of the geosite's surroundings, suggest the rapid cooling of a (sub)surface acidic lava body and the behaviour of the evolving volcanic system, developing columnar jointing under the combined influence of large‐scale constitutional supercooling and thermal contraction processes.
Analysis of Interaction and Co‐editing Patterns amongst OpenStreetMap Contributors
Authors: Mooney Peter , Corcoran Padraig
Published: October 2013

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a very well known and popular Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) project on the Internet. In January 2013 OSM gained its one millionth registered member. Several studies have shown that only a small percentage of these registered members carry out the large majority of the mapping and map editing work. In this article we discuss results from a social‐network based analysis of seven major cities in OSM in an effort to understand if there is quantitative evidence of interaction and collaboration between OSM members in these areas. Are OSM contributors working on their own to build OSM databases in these cities or is there evidence of collaboration between OSM contributors? We find that in many cases high frequent contributors (“senior mappers”) perform very large amounts of mapping work on their own but do interact (edit/update) contributions from lower frequency contributors.
A Pattern‐Based Approach for Matching Nodes in Heterogeneous Urban Road Networks
Authors: Yang Bisheng , Luan Xuechen , Zhang Yunfei
Published: October 2013

This article presents an approach to hierarchical matching of nodes in heterogeneous road networks in the same urban area. Heterogeneous road networks not only exist at different levels of detail (LoD), but also have different coordinate systems, leading to difficulties in matching and integrating them. To overcome these difficulties, a pattern‐based method was implemented. Based on the authors' previous work on detecting patterns of divided highways, complex road junctions, and strokes to eliminate the LoD effect of road networks, the proposed method extracts the local networks around each node in a road network and uses them as the matching units for the nodes. Second, the degree of shape similarity between the matching units is measured using a Minimum Road Edit Distance based on a transformation. Finally, the proposed method hierarchically matches the nodes in a road network using the Minimum Road Edit Distance and eliminates false matching nodes using M‐estimators. An experiment involving matching heterogeneous road networks with different LoDs and coordinate systems was carried out to verify the validity of the proposed method. The method achieves good and effective matching regardless of differences in LoDs and road‐network coordinate systems.
The magnitude of diabetes and its association with obesity in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya: results from a cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Oti Samuel O. , van de Vijver Steven J. M. , Agyemang Charles , Kyobutungi Catherine
Published: October 2013

Objectives

To assess the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes and to examine the relationship of obesity with raised blood glucose in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

Methods

We used data from a cross‐sectional population‐based survey, conducted in 2008–2009, involving a random sample of 5190 (2794 men and 2396 women) adults aged ≥18 years living in two slums – Korogocho and Viwandani – in Nairobi.

Results

The prevalence (weighted by sampling and response rates) of diabetes was 4.8% (95%CI 4.0–5.7) in women and 4.0% (95%CI 3.3–4.7) in men. Less than a quarter of those found to have diabetes were aware of their condition among which just over half of men and three‐quarters of women reported being on any treatment in the 12 months preceding the survey. Overall, fewer than 5% of all people with diabetes had their blood sugar under control. Obesity and overweight were significantly associated with increased odds (1.7, 95%CI 1.1–2.6) of raised blood glucose only among women while adjusting for important covariates.

Conclusion

The prevalence of diabetes in this impoverished population is moderately high, while the levels of awareness, treatment and control are quite low. In this population, obesity is an important risk factor for raised blood glucose particularly among women. Prevention and control strategies that target modifiable risk factors for diabetes and increase access to treatment and control in such disadvantaged settings are urgently needed.
Survey of animal bite injuries and their management for an estimate of human rabies deaths in N’Djaména, Chad
Authors: Frey J. , Mindekem R. , Kessely H. , Doumagoum Moto D. , Naïssengar S. , Zinsstag J. , Schelling E.
Published: October 2013

Objective

To estimate the annual human rabies incidence as a baseline prior to mass dog vaccination campaigns in N'Djaména, Chad.

Methods

Survey of animal bites, involving 50% of all healthcare providers in N'Djaména, from September 2008 to April 2009. Of 86 people exposed to a suspected rabid animal, 50% received post‐exposure vaccination and a further 8% had their wound cleaned. We estimated annual incidence of bites from suspected rabid animals of 12.9/100 000 and an incidence of 0.7 human rabies deaths/100 000, resulting in 7 estimated deaths (95% confidence interval 4–10 deaths) per year in N'Djaména. 14% of bite victims sought help from veterinarians.

Conclusions

Closer cooperation between physicians and veterinarians warrants more effective rabies control. The high proportion (42%) of potentially exposed people without post‐exposure vaccination or wound treatment necessitates urgent attention.
Counselling on and women's awareness of pregnancy danger signs in selected rural health facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania
Authors: Duysburgh Els , Ye Maurice , Williams Afua , Massawe Siriel , Sié Ali , Williams John , Mpembeni Rose , Loukanova Svetla , Temmerman Marleen
Published: October 2013

Objective

The aims of this study were to (i) assess healthcare workers' counselling practices concerning danger signs during antenatal consultations in rural primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania; to (ii) assess pregnant women's awareness of these danger signs; and (iii) to identify factors affecting counselling practices and women's awareness.

Methods

Cross‐sectional study in rural PHC facilities in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania. In each country, 12 facilities were randomly selected. WHO guidelines were used as standard for good counselling. We assessed providers' counselling practice on seven danger signs through direct observation study (35 observations/facility). Exit interviews (63 interviews/facility) were used to assess women's awareness of the same seven danger signs. We used negative binomial regression to assess associations with health services' and socio‐demographic characteristics and to estimate per study site the average number of danger signs on which counselling was provided and the average number of danger signs mentioned by women.

Results

About one in three women was not informed of any danger sign. For most danger signs, fewer than half of the women were counselled. Vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain were the signs most counselled on (between 52% and 66%). At study facilities in Burkina Faso, 58% of the pregnant women were not able to mention a danger sign, in Ghana this was 22% and in Tanzania 30%. Fever, vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain were the danger signs most frequently mentioned. The type of health worker (depending on the training they received) was significantly associated with counselling practices. Depending on the study site, characteristics significantly associated with awareness of signs were women's age, gestational age, gravidity and educational level.

Conclusion

Counselling practice is poor and not very efficient. A new approach of informing pregnant women on danger signs is needed. However, as effects of antenatal care education remain largely unknown, it is very well possible that improved counselling will not affect maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.
Plant hemoglobins may be maintained in functional form by reduced flavins in the nuclei, and confer differential tolerance to nitro‐oxidative stress
Authors: Sainz Martha , Pérez‐Rontomé Carmen , Ramos Javier , Mulet Jose Miguel , James Euan K. , Bhattacharjee Ujjal , Petrich Jacob W. , Becana Manuel
Published: October 2013

The heme of bacteria, plant and animal hemoglobins (Hbs) must be in the ferrous state to bind O2 and other physiological ligands. Here we have characterized the full set of non‐symbiotic (class 1 and 2) and ‘truncated’ (class 3) Hbs of Lotus japonicus. Class 1 Hbs are hexacoordinate, but class 2 and 3 Hbs are pentacoordinate. Three of the globins, Glb1‐1, Glb2 and Glb3‐1, are nodule‐enhanced proteins. The O2 affinity of Glb1‐1 (50 pm) was the highest known for any Hb, and the protein may function as an O2 scavenger. The five globins were reduced by free flavins, which transfer electrons from NAD(P)H to the heme iron under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Class 1 Hbs were reduced at very fast rates by FAD, class 2 Hbs at slower rates by both FMN and FAD, and class 3 Hbs at intermediate rates by FMN. The members of the three globin classes were immunolocalized predominantly in the nuclei. Flavins were quantified in legume nodules and nuclei, and their concentrations were sufficient to maintain Hbs in their functional state. All Hbs, except Glb1‐1, were expressed in a flavohemoglobin‐deficient yeast mutant and found to confer tolerance to oxidative stress induced by methyl viologen, copper or low temperature, indicating an anti‐oxidative role for the hemes. However, only Glb1‐2 and Glb2 afforded protection against nitrosative stress induced by S‐nitrosoglutathione. Because this compound is specifically involved in transnitrosylation reactions with thiol groups, our results suggest a contribution of the single cysteine residues of both proteins in the stress response.