bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of High-Density Lipoprotein Elevation With Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Inhibition on Insulin Secretion
Authors: Siebel Andrew L. , Natoli Alaina K. , Yap Felicia Y. T. , Carey Andrew L. , Reddy-Luthmoodoo Medini , Sviridov Dmitri , Weber Chek Ing Kiu , Meneses-Lorente Georgina , Maugeais Cyrille , Forbes Josephine M. , Kingwell Bronwyn A.
Published: May 2013

Rationale:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol elevation via cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibition represents a novel therapy for atherosclerosis, which also may have relevance for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective:

The current study assessed the effects of a CETP inhibitor on postprandial insulin, ex vivo insulin secretion, and cholesterol efflux from pancreatic β-cells.

Methods and Results:

Healthy participants received a daily dose of CETP inhibitor (n=10) or placebo (n=15) for 14 days in a randomized double-blind study. Insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux from MIN6N8 β-cells were determined after incubation with treated plasma. CETP inhibition increased plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein AI, and postprandial insulin. MIN6N8 β-cells incubated with plasma from CETP inhibitor–treated individuals (compared with placebo) exhibited an increase in both glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux over the 14-day treatment period.

Conclusions:

CETP inhibition increased postprandial insulin and promoted ex vivo β-cell glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, potentially via enhanced β-cell cholesterol efflux.
Routes of Blackface
Authors: Cole Catherine M. , Davis Tracy C.
Published: May 2013

Throughout its history, blackface minstrelsy has been at once potent and slippery, notoriously difficult to control as signification. When one race impersonates another and bills it as entertainment, reception becomes a barometer of ethnic hegemony, interracial politics, and power. The essays in this issue of TDR challenge and contribute to the historiography of blackface by examining previously untapped evidence, questioning current orthodoxies about the role of minstrelsy in US racial formations, and expanding the geographic scope of its performative genealogies.
“The young men must blacken their faces”: The Blackface Minstrel Show in Preindustrial South Africa
Authors: Thelwell Chinua
Published: May 2013

The blackface minstrel troupes who toured preindustrial South Africa contributed to the preservation of both the boundaries of racial difference in the British colonies of that country and the racial hierarchies of the Cape and Natal colonies.
“It is us”: An Exploration of “Race” and Place in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
Authors: Davids Nadia
Published: May 2013

The presence of the blackface minstrel mask within the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival has been a source of divisive and prolonged local, national, and international debate. But the mask also invites us to consider both the procession's historical relationship to slavery and its participants' contemporary, though fleeting, occupation of a postcolonial, postapartheid urban center.
Lessons in Blackbody Minstrelsy: Old Plantation and the Manufacture of Black Authenticity
Authors: Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin Amma Y.
Published: May 2013

In 1901, a white theatre director reportedly established an exclusive school to teach 150 African Americans from the South how to perform themselves. His curriculum: the original blackface minstrel act. The report of this school illuminates how minstrelsy not only defined “blackness” but also made it a teachable concept by white Americans.
“How you durrin?”: Chuck Knipp, Shirley Q. Liquor, and Contemporary Blackface
Authors: Schlueter Jennifer
Published: May 2013

F. Charles “Chuck” Knipp claims his portrayal of Shirley Q. Liquor, a saucy, middle-aged Louisiana black woman, is more “an extended drag comedy character” than a minstrel routine. But the most salient feature of the live performances by Knipp—a gay, white male—is his blackface makeup.
Cross-amplification of microsatellite loci for the Mediterranean stripe-necked terrapin (Mauremys leprosa)
Authors: Veríssimo Joana , Veríssimo Joana , Pereira Paulo , Veríssimo Joana , Pereira Paulo , Lopes Susana , Veríssimo Joana , Pereira Paulo , Lopes Susana , Teixeira José , Veríssimo Joana , Pereira Paulo , Lopes Susana , Teixeira José , Fritz Uwe , Veríssimo Joana , Pereira Paulo , Lopes Susana , Teixeira José , Fritz Uwe , Velo-Antón Guillermo
Published: May 2013

To accurately infer population structuring and manage species, it is advised to combine data obtained from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with data from fast evolving markers such as microsatellites. To date, the evolutionary history of a threatened Mediterranean species, Mauremys leprosa, was inferred based solely on mtDNA data, which may lead to an incomplete, or partially explained, population structuring. We tested the cross-amplification of 16 microsatellite loci in 190 individuals of M. leprosa from six Iberian and two African populations. We obtained a successful set of 11 polymorphic loci with 2-18 alleles and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.007-0.783. This panel of loci can be used for future research in M. leprosa, such as population structuring, analysis of gene flow in secondary contact zones, paternity analyses, changes in phenotypic traits and to assemble a comprehensive genetic dataset (mtDNA and nuDNA) that will allow the geographic assignment of individuals of unknown origin. These tools will help managing M. leprosa populations throughout the species’ range.
Ocean-finding in marine turtles: the importance of low horizon elevation as an orientation cue
Authors: Limpus Col , Kamrowski Ruth L.
Published: May 2013

Sea finding behaviour in hatchling sea turtles is widely believed to be guided by orientation towards the brightest horizon and away from high silhouettes. We propose that the horizon profile at the lowest angle of elevation is a more important cue for ocean finding than light intensity. Examples of hatchling orientation occurring at natural nest sites, at preselected beach release sites, and within a walled wooden arena under various conditions in the field, are presented. We conclude that hatchlings orient as follows: (1) Hatchlings move towards the horizon line at the lowest angle of elevation; (2) Hatchlings move away from high silhouettes, in a direction that remains close to the horizon line at the lowest angle of elevation; (3) Should a conflict exist regarding the direction of lowest horizon elevation, hatchlings move towards the brightest lowest horizon. This refinement to current theory explains numerous instances of natural non-ocean-finding behaviour in marine turtles, which occur both by day and by night, and in the absence of artificial lighting. We propose that the disruption caused to hatchling orientation by artificial lighting close to nesting beaches occurs because bright lights mask the horizon line as a cue by making it impossible to discern, causing the hatchlings to move towards the only visible “horizon” — the artificial lights. Consequently, we recommend that managers of sea turtle rookeries where turtles have an ocean-finding problem should manipulate the beach profile to ensure the direction of the ocean matches the lowest angle of elevation, in combination with light reduction strategies — as the most effective means of preventing disrupted orientation.
Concurrent effects of familiarity and kinship on social affiliations in convict cichlid (Amatitlania siquia) young
Authors: Lee-Jenkins Stacey S.Y. , Godin Jean-Guy J.
Published: May 2013

The cues associated with social familiarity and genetic relatedness and how they interact to influence the formation of social associations among individuals, and thus group composition and dynamics, is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the concurrent effects of social familiarity and kinship on social affiliations in free-swimming convict cichlid fish young or ‘fry’ (Amatitlania siquia) by pitting the cues of social familiarity and kinship against each other in a four-way choice apparatus. Individual focal fish were given a simultaneous choice to associate (‘shoal’) with conspecifics that were either socially familiar and kin (full sibs), socially unfamiliar and kin, socially familiar and not kin, or socially unfamiliar and not kin. Stimulus shoal preference differed depending on the body length of the focal fish; smaller fry exhibited no preference, whereas larger (more mobile) fry significantly preferred to associate with familiar kin. In the convict cichlid system, where brood mixing occurs in the wild, a preference to associate with familiar kin may confer fitness benefits to individuals, especially when fry become more mobile as they grow and encounter predators more often. Our results contribute to further our understanding of the roles of familiarity and kinship in the formation of social associations in the convict cichlid in particular and in animals in general.
Studies on Ironus Bastian, 1865 (Enoplida: Ironidae) from Iran with a comment on its phylogenetic position
Authors: Shokoohi Ebrahim , Mehrabi-Nasab Abdolrahman , Abolafia Joaquín
Published: May 2013

During a survey on the soil nematodes from Kerman province, three species of Ironus, i.e., I. andamanus, I. elegans and I. ignavus, were isolated from natural areas in Kerman province (Iran). Descriptions, measurements and illustrations are provided for all three species. Furthermore, sequence data of the 18S rDNA gene are provided for I. andamanus and I. elegans. The Blast search results of I. andamanus showed six nucleotide differences with I. longicaudatus (FJ040495) from The Netherlands. Molecular analysis of I. elegans set this population apart from other species of Ironus, although I. elegans is closer to an undescribed Ironus (FJ040496) from The Netherlands. These are the first data of 18S rDNA for I. andamanus and I. elegans. Phylogenetic relationships with other related species of Ironus and closely related genera available in GenBank are discussed.
The Gift Relationship
Authors: Ashworth Peter D.
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Derrida (1992 / 1991) made the case (following Mauss, 1990 / 1925) that the ‘pure gift’ is impossible. Because of the element of obligation and reciprocity involved, gift relationships are inevitably reduced to relationships of economic exchange. This position echoes the exchange theory of the social behaviourists, the cost-benefit analyses of evolutionary psychology, and other reductionist conjectures. In this paper, 18 written accounts of gifting are analysed using established phenomenological tools of reflection. It is shown that the dynamics of the gift relationship are complex (for example the statuses of giver and recipient are problematical, as is the expression of gratitude) and, specifically, reciprocation in gifting is not akin to ‘repaying’ the gift, but should rather be seen as a response to the gift as an expression of affective affirmation, rendering this mutual. Gift giving is in the expressive realm rather than the practical (Harré, 1979). This was, intriguingly, known explicitly by Adam Smith (2006 / 1790).
A Phenomenology of Artistic Doing: Flow as Embodied Knowing in 2D and 3D Professional Artists
Authors: Banfield Janet , Burgess Mark
Published: May 2013

Abstract

This research investigates flow experiences and explores meaning construction for artistic practices that differ in haptic nature. In addition to the phenomenological analysis of interviews, videos of artistic practice and practice-based research (in which participants instruct the researcher in their primary techniques) were employed to obtain both retrospective and real-time records of the physicality of artistic practice.

Drawing on authors who emphasise the automatisation of actions in flow (Dietriche, 2004; Spinelli, 2005) and heightened body awareness (Pagis, 2009) flow is reconceptualised in non-representational terms as optimal precognitive engagement with the world. In this light meaning in flow results not from bringing order to the mind as Csikszentmihalyi (2002) proposed, but through its embodied construction in activity.

Analyses revealed that the sources of enjoyment and meaning, the relationship between artist, tools and artwork, and the nature and extent of self-differentiation differ between artists who work in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions, and whose physical actions differ in the production of their artwork. 2D artists derive enjoyment from their creative process and meaning from capturing an atmosphere or place, and attribute artistic control to their artwork. 3D artists derive more enjoyment from the product of their artistic activity and meaning from the recreation of the self in material form, and do not attribute artistic control to the artwork.

Consequently, embodied physicality of activity appears fundamental to similarities in flow experiences and meaning-making: accounts of flow and the meanings generated in activity differ between activities that differ in their haptic or performative nature but are similar among haptically similar activities.
Depressive Habituality and Altered Valuings. The Phenomenology of Depressed Mental Life
Authors: Schlimme Jann E.
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Phenomenological descriptions of depressed mental life offer a profound understanding of depression from the first-person perspective. In this paper, such descriptions are developed by drawing on the work by Ludwig Binswanger (1881–1966) and on the autobiographical report of depression by Piet C. Kuiper (1919–2002). I will argue that Binswanger’s central claim in his phenomenological description of the depressed state of mind fails due to crucial misunderstandings of Edmund Husserl’s (1859–1938) phenomenology. Nonetheless, by drawing on Kuiper’s first-hand account, I will develop a phenomenological description of depressed mental life, highlighting the altered manner of pre-reflective valuing in depression and introducing the concept of a ‘depressive habituality.’ This term refers to the acquisition of a new set of habitualisations, especially on the foundational levels of automatic mental life. It offers explanations for the fact that it is not easy to recover from depression and that people may more easily become depressed again.
Portentous Birds Flying West: On the Mesopotamian Origin of Homeric Bird-Divination
Authors: Smith Duane E.
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Drawing on the Akkadian omen series Šumma Ālu and its predecessors, this essay argues for a Mesopotamian origin of Homeric bird-divination. Against the suggestion of Högemann and Oettinger that Greek bird-divination has its closest parallels with Hittite bird-divination, I argue that both in its function as a tool for divination and in its specific content, Homeric bird-divination, if not all such ancient Greek divination, finds much closer parallels in Mesopotamian divination traditions than it does in Anatolian traditions. I suggest that the late 8th century B.C.E. and the decades before and after 1200 B.C.E. represent two periods when conditions were particularly ripe for the introduction of Mesopotamian bird-divination into the Aegean and that itinerant diviners, perhaps in the employment of armies, were the most likely conveyors of this particular form of divination.
Religion and All-Day Schools: Impact of All-Day Schools on the Systems of School and Religion
Authors: Gärtner Claudia , Könemann Judith
Published: May 2013

Abstract

The following essay has as point of departure the changes which, by the introduction of all-day schooling, are imposed on schools themselves and on parishes. Against the background of the discussion on religious education in all-day environments and the debate on conceptions for the pedagogy of religion, one suspects to find reciprocal transformation processes in both the school system and religion when clerical actors are taken into account on the conceptual level of all-day schooling. Up to the present, there are hardly any investigations on the involvement of clerical actors, the services they render, and the way in which they are integrated into the conception of school programmes. The current essay fulfils this need by presenting the results of an empirical investigation into religious and church-related services rendered in various types of schools with all-day programmes in Germany/North Rhine-Westphalia, taking into account curricular and extra-curricular activities in the schools. Among other things, it shows a wide range of religious programmes in the curricular as well as extra-curricular activities, and also a wide variety of different religious and clerical collaborative partners. In addition, the programmes show up differences pertaining to school types.
Iranian Bilateral Investment Treaties: Substantive Principles and Standards
Authors: Atai Ardeshir
Published: May 2013

There are more than 3000 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in force. BITs are designed to facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) and developing countries negotiate them as a strategy to attract FDI. BITs contain common denominators of free admission, fair treatment, non-expropriation and dispute resolution procedure which are the core components of an investment friendly regime. This article makes a proposition that even if a location does not have an ideal FDI legal system in conformity with the Perry-Kessaris Paradigm, it may still be attractive for foreign investment if there are BITs containing the substantive investment protection standards. The author refers to Iran as a case study which has signed more than 50 BITs with capital exporting and neighbouring countries to promote capital flows. Iran is a resource-rich country and its economy depends on foreign exchange revenues from petroleum exports. Therefore to attract FDI flows in the energy sector it should develop a legal framework that is investor friendly. BITs contain the blueprint for reforming FDI legal system to develop an investment friendly regime. This article for the first time provides a comprehensive review of Iranian BITs.
The Conservation of Exhaustible Natural Resources in the GATT and WTO: Implications for the Conservation of Oil Resources
Authors: Abu-Gosh Ehab S. , Leal-Arcas Rafael
Published: May 2013

The conservation of exhaustible natural resources constitutes a prominent linkage and one of the ongoing debates in the relationship between trade liberalization and environmental sustainability. Indeed, the recognition of this linkage was embodied as an important exception to the rules of the GATT, which justifies a violating measure related “to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources”. The trade dispute settlement tribunals have remarkable experience in handling debates concerning the application of this crucial exception. However, the various decisions that were held in these debates have not yet examined the application of the exception to the interaction between trade and the conservation of oil as an exhaustible natural resource. This paper argues that the decisions of the dispute settlement systems of the GATT and WTO have limited and narrowed the scope of conserving exhaustible natural resources within the trade regime and, most probably, they would restrict the protection of oil resources in any future dispute. This paper will examine the various decisions relating to the tensions between trade and the conservation of exhaustible natural resources. It will demonstrate that the GATT and WTO tribunals focused the discussion of conserving exhaustible natural resources on the exceptions and not on the rules, and that they narrowed the application of the trade exception. It is most likely that this approach will limit the protection of any future oil-conserving measure.
New retroplumid crabs (Crustacea, Brachyura, Retroplumidae Gill, 1894) from the Eocene of Huesca (Aragón, Spain)
Authors: ARTAL PEDRO , VAN BAKEL BARRY W.M. , FRAAIJE RENÉ H. B. , JAGT JOHN W. M.
Published: May 2013

Two new brachyurans assignable to the family Retroplumidae Gill, 1894, Serrablopluma diminuta n. gen., n. sp., and Gaudipluma bacamortensis n. gen., n. sp., from the Eocene of northern Spain (Huesca, Aragón), substantially enlarge our current knowledge of the morphological diversity of the family. The material, with well-preserved ventral surfaces, per-mits the erection of two new genera that can be referred to the family with confidence on the basis of the general carapace shape, narrow front, a reduced last pair of pereiopods and characteristic thoracic sternum (broad, trapezoidal sternites 3, 4, subrectangular sternites 5–7, sternite 8 conspicuously reduced and inclined). Serrablopluma diminuta n. gen., n. sp. co-occurs with two other retroplumids in the most diverse fossil assemblage of that family known to date.
Review of Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Zhejiang Province, China
Authors: LI WEIHAI , LIANG HAIYAN , LI WENLIANG
Published: May 2013

The species of the perlid genus Neoperla are reviewed from eastern coastal Zhejiang Province, China. Neoperla xuanson-gae sp. nov. is described and compared with related congeners. Neoperla yangae Du is considered a junior synonym of N. anjiensis Yang & Yang and the first record of N. flagellata Li & Murányi is given for the Province. Several additional species are redescribed or diagnosed. A provisional key to the known species for Zhejiang Province is also presented.
Social Inequality and Health Across the Life Course
Authors: Pavalko Eliza K. , Caputo Jennifer
Published: May 2013

Social inequalities in health persist across the life course, but the magnitude of these differences differs for children, young adults, and those in mid and later life. Longitudinal data confirm that health disparities do change as individuals move through the life course, that these processes are intertwined with selection and causation between socioeconomic status (SES) and health and from variation across cohorts representing vastly different historical contexts. Variations in health disparities across the life course offer unique opportunities to gain traction into understanding the production of these disparities. The life course perspective provides a rich set of concepts, methods, and a theoretical framework for guiding our inquiry into how SES disparities in health unfold as people live their lives. This article focuses attention on how socioeconomic conditions experienced as one is growing up relate to health and mortality across the adult life course. We first review recent work exploring the association between childhood SES and adult health and mortality, examining the evidence, and the types of questions raised, for early, mid, and later life. We then turn to a growing body of evidence examining accumulative processes between health and SES across the life course. We conclude with a discussion of three major gaps and promising directions that draw upon advances in life course research to advance our understanding of how inequality shapes health throughout the life course.
Inequality, Family Processes, and Health in the “New” Rural America
Authors: Burton Linda M. , Lichter Daniel T. , Baker Regina S. , Eason John M.
Published: May 2013

Rural America is commonly viewed as a repository of virtuous and patriotic values, deeply rooted in a proud immigrant history of farmers and industrious working-class White ethnics from northern Europe. These views are not always consistent with the population and socioeconomic realities of rural terrains. Exceptions to these stereotypes are self-evident among large poor racial/ethnic minorities residing in rural ghettos in the “dirty” South and among poor Whites living in remote, mountainous areas of Appalachia. For these disadvantaged populations, sociocultural and economic isolation, a lack of quality education, too few jobs, and poor health have taken a human toll, generation after generation. Moreover, the past several decades have brought dramatic shifts in the spatial distribution and magnitude of poverty in these areas. And, America’s persistent racial inequalities have continued to fester as rural communities become home to urban-origin racial minority migrants and immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. As a result, the face of rural America has changed, quite literally. In this article, we address the primary question these changes pose: How will shifting inequalities anchored in poverty and race shape health disparities in a “new” rural America? Guided by fundamental cause theory, we explore the scope and sources of poverty and race inequalities in rural America, how patterns in these inequalities are transduced within families, and what these inequalities mean for the future of health disparities within and across rural U.S. terrains. Our goal is to review and interrogate the extant literature on this topic with the intent of offering recommendations for future research.
The relationship between excessive daytime sleepiness and depressive and anxiety disorders in women
Authors: Hayley Amie C , Williams Lana J , Berk Michael , Kennedy Gerard A , Jacka Felice N , Pasco Julie A
Published: May 2013

Objective:

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common clinical symptom that affects women more than men. However, the association of excessive sleepiness with depressive and anxiety disorders in the broader population is unclear. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine the association between excessive daytime sleepiness as measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and depressive and anxiety disorders in a population-based sample of women.

Methods:

Using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (Non-Patient) (SCID-I/NP), 944 women aged 20–97 years (median 49 years, IQR 33–65 years) were assessed for depressive and anxiety disorders as part of the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. EDS was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS, cut-off > 10). Lifestyle factors were documented by self-report, height and weight were measured, and socioeconomic status categorised according to the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage.

Results:

Overall, 125 (13.2%) of the women were identified with EDS. EDS was associated with an increased likelihood for both current (OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.10–4.06) and lifetime history (OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.28–2.97) of depressive disorders, but not anxiety disorders, independent of age and alcohol consumption. These findings were not explained by antidepressant or sedative use, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, or socioeconomic status.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that excessive daytime sleepiness is associated with current and lifetime depressive, but not anxiety disorders. Clinically, this highlights the need to take into account the possible bidirectional relationship between depressive disorders and excessive sleepiness when assessing mental health issues in patients with EDS.
Effects of Hypothetical Type 2 Diabetes Genetic Testing on Parents’ Efforts to Prevent Diabetes in Children
Authors: Tarini Beth A. , Herman William H. , Lee Joyce M.
Published: May 2013

Objective. To examine the effect of hypothetical genetic susceptibility test results on diabetic parents’ intention to prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D) in their children. Methods. Parents with T2D indicated their intention to prevent T2D in their youngest child at baseline and after a hypothetical positive and negative T2D genetic test result. We calculated mean/median “preventive intention scores” for each scenario and examined the association between parents’ score change and parent/child characteristics. Results. A total of 63% of parents reported that their child had “almost no risk” or “slight risk” of developing T2D. Parents’ median baseline preventive intention score was 8. It increased to 10 after a positive test result and decreased to 5 after a negative test result. Conclusions. Negative T2D genetic susceptibility test results may decrease diabetic parents’ intentions to prevent T2D for their children. Future research studies in a real-life clinical context should examine this phenomenon.
Reaffirming African-Centered Scientists’ Place in the Paradigm Shift
Authors: Dade Lennell R.
Published: May 2013

Using research findings from spiritual healing to remote viewing and the limitations of the Newtonian model that characterize science, new age scientists are working to shift the current paradigm. However, a closer inspection reveals that they are working toward a shift that is not only reminiscent of what Africa has already given to the world but also of what contemporary African-centered scientists have been working toward recreating/creating. New age scientists acknowledge neither ancient Africa nor current-day African-centered scientists. This omission has left the story incomplete and for erroneous conclusions to be drawn. As in the past and documented by James in his book Stolen Legacy, a theft of science is once again occurring. African-centered scientists must move to familiarize themselves with such efforts so that they might take their rightful place in the paradigm shift and help steer it in the proper direction.
Effects of water immersion ageing on the mechanical properties of flax and jute fibre biocomposites evaluated by nanoindentation and flexural testing
Authors: Dhakal HN , Zhang ZY , Bennett N , Lopez-Arraiza A , Vallejo FJ
Published: May 2013

Flax and jute fibres are inexpensive and easily available bast fibres and they are extensively used as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites. However, due to their susceptibility to moisture absorption, their application is restricted to non-structural interior products. In this study, flax- and jute fibre-reinforced bioresin-based epoxy biocomposites were fabricated using hand lay-up method and their nanoindentation and flexural properties were investigated. In order to study the effects of water absorption on the nanoindentation and flexural properties, the biocomposites were subjected to water immersion tests by immersing specimens in a de-ionised water bath at 25℃ for a period of 961 h. The nanoindentation behaviour and flexural properties of water-immersed specimens were evaluated and compared alongside with dry specimens. The percentage of moisture uptake and diffusion coefficient ( D) was recorded higher for jute-reinforced specimens compared with flax. The flexural properties for both types of specimens were found to decrease with increase in percentage moisture uptake. Comparison of flexural strength and flexural modulus between flax dry and flax wet biocomposites showed that wet samples lost almost 40% of strength and 69% of modulus compared with dry flax samples. The jute wet samples lost 60% of strength and 80% of modulus compared with dry samples. The nanohardness value decreased from 0.207 to 0.135 GPa for dry flax sample after immersion in water.
Multifunctional structural supercapacitors for electrical energy storage applications
Authors: Javaid A , Ho KKC , Bismarck A , Shaffer MSP , Steinke JHG , Greenhalgh ES
Published: May 2013

A novel concept of structural supercapacitors based on carbon fibre-reinforced composites has been introduced that can simultaneously act as a structural component and an electrical energy storing device. Supercapacitors consisting of woven carbon fibre mat electrodes; filter paper insulator and crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidylether/diglycidylether of bisphenol-A polymer electrolytes were fabricated. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis and tensile tests were conducted on the as-received and activated carbon fibre reinforcements. Compression tests and ionic conductivity measurements were conducted on the polymer electrolytes while charge/discharge electrochemical tests and shear testing were done on the structural supercapacitors. This was to investigate the implications of increased diglycidylether of bisphenol-A loading in crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidylether polymer electrolytes and carbon fibre activation on the multifunctionality of structural supercapacitors. The addition of diglycidylether of bisphenol-A increased the compressive stiffness, although the ionic conductivity was compromised. Specific capacitance of the structural supercapacitors was increased with the chemical activation of carbon fibre electrodes. Carbon fibre activation led to improved specific capacitance of the structural supercapacitors and the addition of diglycidylether of bisphenol-A increased the shear modulus, although the specific capacitance was compromised.
Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Martins-Júnior P.A. , Alcântara C.E. , Resende R.R. , Ferreira A.J.
Published: May 2013

One of the main goals of bone tissue engineering is to identify and develop new biomaterials and scaffolds for structural support and controlled cell growth, which allow for formation or replacement of bone tissue. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNT) have emerged as a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering. CNT present remarkable mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties with easy functionalization capability and biocompatibility. In oral regenerative medicine, bone reconstruction is an essential requirement for functional rehabilitation of the stomatognathic system. Autologous bone still represents the gold standard graft material for bone reconstruction. However, the small amounts of bone available in donor regions, together with the high costs of surgeries, are critical aspects that hinder the selection of this procedure. Thus, CNT alone or combined with biopolymers have promise to be used as novel potential biomaterials for the restoration of bone defects. Indeed, recent evidence demonstrates CNT to be a feasible material that can increase the formation of bone in tooth sockets of rats. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent developments in bone repair/regeneration with CNT or CNT-based composites. We further provide an overview of bone tissue engineering and current applications of biomaterials, especially of CNT, to enhance bone regeneration.
Shifting sands
Authors: Shellman Stephen M , Levey Brian P , Young Joseph K
Published: May 2013

Why does a dissident group go through phases of violence and nonviolence? Many studies of states and dissidents examine related issues by focusing on structural or rarely changing factors. In contrast, some more recent work focuses on dynamic interaction of participants. We suggest forecasting state–dissident interaction using insights from this dynamic approach while also incorporating structural factors. We explore this question by offering new data on the behavior of groups and governments collected using automated natural language processing techniques. These data provide information on who is doing what to whom at a directed-dyadic level. We also collected new data on the attitudes or sentiment of the masses using novel automated techniques. Since obtaining valid and reliable time-series public opinion data on mass attitudes towards a dissident group is extremely difficult, we have created automated sentiment data by scraping publicly available information written by members of the population and aggregating this information to create a pollof opinion at a discrete time period. We model the violence and nonviolence perpetrated by two groups: the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines. We find encouraging results for predicting future phase shifts in violence when accounting for behaviors modeled with our data as opposed to models based solely on structural factors.
The Carolinian Context of John Locke’s Theory of Slavery
Authors: Hinshelwood Brad
Published: May 2013

The debate over Locke’s theory of slavery has focused on his involvement with the Royal African Company and other institutions of African slavery, as well as his rhetorical use of slavery in opposing absolutism. This overlooks Locke’s deep involvement with the Carolina colony, and in particular that colony’s Indian slave trade, which was largely justified in just-war terms. Evidence of Locke’s participation in the 1682 revisions to the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which removed the infamous “absolute power and authority” clause, and his knowledge of colonial affairs, when examined alongside textual evidence of the timing of the composition of Locke’s theory of slavery, indicates a significant connection between the colony and Locke’s work. In light of this evidence, this article suggests an interpretation of Locke’s theory that stresses its character as a response to the conditions he encountered in Carolina.
Emotional Response Profiles to Racial Discrimination
Authors: Jones Shawn C. T. , Lee Daniel B. , Gaskin Ashly L. , Neblett Enrique W.
Published: May 2013

The present study examined the association between racial identity and patterns of emotional responses to blatant and subtle racial discrimination vignettes in a sample of 129 African American college students. Using latent profile analyses, we identified eight patterns of emotional responses to the scenarios. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that racial identity was associated with these response patterns. Specifically, private and public regard were related to profiles in the blatant condition, while private regard, centrality, and nationalist ideology were related to profiles in the subtle condition. These findings suggest that there are varied ways in which African American youth respond emotionally to discrimination and that the significance and meaning that one places on race may affect these responses.
Image‐Guided Surgery Influences Perioperative Morbidity from Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Dalgorf Dustin M. , Sacks Raymond , Wormald Peter‐John , Naidoo Yuresh , Panizza Ben , Uren Brent , Brown Chris , Curotta John , Snidvongs Kornkiat , Harvey Richard J.
Published: May 2013

Objective

Although image‐guided surgery (IGS) is considered a valuable tool, its impact on perioperative morbidity for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) remains unclear. The evidence from reported literature is systematically reviewed with meta‐analysis.

Data Sources

MEDLINE (1946 to September 14, 2012, week 2) and EMBASE (1974 to September 14, 2012, week 37).

Review Methods

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched using a search strategy for publications on IGS during ESS that reported original data on perioperative morbidity. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses) guidelines were followed. Both comparative cohort studies with non‐IGS cases and case series were included. Primary outcome was major and total complications. Secondary outcomes were specific orbital and intracranial injury, major hemorrhage, ability to complete the operation, and revision surgery. The incidence of these events was defined as dichotomous variables and expressed as a risk ratio (RR) in a fixed‐effects model.

Results

In total, 2586 articles fulfilled the search, producing 55 included studies. Fourteen were comparative cohorts of IGS and non‐IGS sinus surgical patient populations used for meta‐analysis. Among the cohorts, major complications were more common in the non‐IGS group (RR = 0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28‐0.82; P =. 007). Total complications were greater in the non‐IGS group (RR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.47‐0.94; P =. 02). All other outcomes did not reach significance on meta‐analysis.

Conclusion

Contrary to current review articles on the topic of IGS use during ESS, there is evidence from published studies that the use of IGS for sinus surgery, within selected populations, is associated with a lower risk of major and total complications compared with non‐IGS sinus surgery.
On the Pragmatics of Inscription: Detecting Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Rajão Raoni , Vurdubakis Theo
Published: May 2013

‘Methods’ and their devices have been conventionally viewed as the means through which the move from world to representation (and back again) might be reliably performed. An alternative view, perhaps most clearly exemplified by the post-ANT empirical programme of ‘material semiotics’, sees methods and devices as integral to the ways particular ‘realities’ are enacted in practices of inscription and intervention. Drawing upon this latter work, the present paper examines the role of satellite images, GIS and GPS data and devices in the methods utilized in the location, identification and classification of ‘illegal deforestation’ in Brazilian Amazonia. Here we witness how efforts to render ‘deforestation’ into a stable object of knowledge, singular and coordinated, are countered by attempts to render it multiple and irreconcilable as methods and devices become entangled in the conflicts and antagonisms of social life.
Naturalistic outcomes of community treatment orders: antipsychotic long-acting injections versus oral medication
Authors: Patel Maxine X , Matonhodze Jane , Baig Mirza K , Taylor David , Szmukler George , David Anthony S
Published: May 2013

Background:

Community treatment orders (CTOs) are initiated to compel the patient in the community to take part in a management plan, of which medication is often a part. CTOs were introduced in 2008, in England and Wales. We evaluated naturalistic outcomes of CTOs, according to the antipsychotic formulation prescribed at CTO initiation.

Methods:

A cohort study with prospective consecutive sampling and 1-year follow-up was conducted in a large mental health trust in South London. Measures included: demographics, psychotropics and CTO outcomes. Comparison groups were long-acting injection (LAI) versus oral formulations only, for the primary outcomes of time to CTO cessation in days and time to first hospital admission in days, whilst the CTO remained active.

Results:

For the 188 included patients, the CTO ceased within 1 year, either due to revocation (22.3%), discharge (28.1%) or lapse (19.7%). The CTO was renewed at 6 months for 92 (48.9%) patients, and then 56 (29.8%) were renewed again at 12 months. The antipsychotic formulation at CTO initiation was more likely to be LAI (60.6%) than oral (39.4%). Time to CTO cessation was longer for LAI than oral (median 251 versus 182 days, p = 0.030). A total of 54 patients experienced at least one admission; there was no difference between groups by drug formulation (oral 28.4% versus LAI 28.9%, p = 0.933). The mean time to first admission was 147.1 days and did not differ by formulation.

Conclusions:

CTO duration was longer for those prescribed an antipsychotic LAI at CTO initiation, although the time to first admission and number of admissions did not differ between groups. CTOs not only compel treatment, but bind services to the patient, resulting in more intensive follow up. Whether enhanced treatment, via oral or LAI and enabled by the CTO, translates into improved clinical outcomes is yet to be determined.
Broken tempos: Of means and memory in a Senegalese university laboratory
Authors: Tousignant Noemi
Published: May 2013

Focusing on the Laboratory of Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Senegal, this article foregrounds temporality as a key dimension of the postcolonial history of African science. This laboratory, like many others across Africa, is experienced by its current and former members as a space of shortage. I explore how memories of ‘means’ and past scientific activity in Dakar and abroad give meaning to subsequent experiences of the lab as a place filled with inactive ‘antiques’ and ‘wreckage’. I suggest that the waning of means not only displaces scientific activity ‘elsewhere’ but also fragments its tempos, altering its rhythms along with its social, moral and affective qualities. The interpenetration of past and future generates nostalgia, segmented narratives and trajectories, quests for immediacy and continuity, as well as new engagements with routines of scientific regulation and management. Paying attention to the intersection of materiality and temporality – by taking seriously African scientists’ longing for science that moves forward, keeps pace, begins now and fills up time – thus opens up new ways of understanding what science means and what it means to do science in times of promise and decline, emergence and interruption, hope and uncertainty in postcolonial Africa.
Being ‘evidence-based’ in the absence of evidence: The management of non-evidence in guideline development
Authors: Knaapen Loes
Published: May 2013

Since the emergence of the Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) movement, the nature and role of evidence in medicine has been much debated. The formal classification of evidence that is unique to Evidence-Based Medicine, referred to as the Evidence hierarchy, has been fiercely criticized. Yet studies that examine how Evidence is classified in EBM practice are rare. This article presents an observational study of the nature of Evidence and Evidence-Based Medicine as understood and performed in practice. It does this by examining how an absence of Evidence is defined and managed in Evidence-Based Guideline development. The EBM label does not denote the quantity or quality of evidence found, but the specific management of the absence of evidence, requiring a transparently reported process of evidence searching, selection and presentation. I propose the term ‘Evidence Searched Guidelines’ to better capture this specific way of ‘being’ EBM. Moreover, what counts as Evidence depends not just on the Evidence hierarchy, but requires agreement between the members of each guideline development group who mobilize a range of ‘other’ knowledges, such as biological principles and knowledge of the clinic. In addition, I distinguish four non-Evidentiary justifications that are relied upon in the formulation of recommendations (literature, qualified opinions, ethical principles, and practice standards). These are not always secondary to Evidence but may be positioned outside the hierarchy, allowing them to trump Evidence. The legitimacy of Evidence-Based Medicine relies neither on experts nor numbers, but on distinct procedures for handling (non-)Evidence, reflecting its ‘regulatory objectivity’. Finally, the notion of transparency is central for understanding how Evidence-Based Medicine regulates, and is regulated within, contemporary biomedicine.
The Factorial Structure of Four Temperament Styles and Measurement Invariance Across Gender and Age Groups
Authors: Rowiński Tomasz , Cieciuch Jan , Oakland Thomas
Published: May 2013

The Polish Temperament Styles Questionnaire (PTSQ), derived from Student Style Questionnaire (SSQ) was developed to measure four bipolar temperament styles: extroverted versus introverted, practical versus imaginative, thinking versus feeling, and organized versus flexible. The study focuses on factorial validity and measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) across gender and age groups using data from 1,022 students ages 8 to19. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports the four factor model, and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) supports measurement invariance for both age and gender groups.