bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A method for detecting the temporal sequence of muscle activation during cycling using MRI
Authors: Elder Christopher P. , Cook Ryan N. , Wilkens Kenneth L. , Chance Marti A. , Sanchez Otto A. , Damon Bruce M.
Published: December 2010

Surface electromyography (EMG) can assess muscle recruitment patterns during cycling, but has limited applicability to studies of deep muscle recruitment and electrically stimulated contractions. We determined whether muscle recruitment timing could be inferred from MRI-measured transverse relaxation time constant (T2) changes and a cycle ergometer modified to vary power as a function of pedal angle. Six subjects performed 6 min of single-leg cycling under two conditions (E0°-230° and E90°-230°), which increased the power from 0°-230° and 90–230° of the pedal cycle, respectively. The difference condition produced a virtual power output from 0–180° (V0°-180°). Recruitment was assessed by integrating EMG over the pedal cycle (IEMG) and as the (post-pre) exercise T2 change (ΔT2). For E0°-230°, the mean IEMG for vastus medialis and lateralis (VM/VL; 49.3 ± 3.9 mV·s; mean ± SE) was greater ( P < 0.05) than that for E90°-230° (17.9 ± 1.9 mV·s); the corresponding ΔT2 values were 8.7 ± 1.0 and 1.4 ± 0.5 ms ( P < 0.05). For E0°-230° and E90°-230°, the IEMG values for biceps femoris/long head (BFL) were 37.7 ± 5.4 and 27.1 ± 5.6 mV·s ( P > 0.05); the corresponding ΔT2 values were 0.9 ± 0.9 and 1.5 ± 0.9 ms ( P > 0.05). MRI data indicated activation of the semitendinosus and BF/short head for E0°-230° and E90°-230°. For V0°-180°, ΔT2 was 7.2 ± 0.9 ms for VM/VL and −0.6 ± 0.6 ms for BFL; IEMG was 31.5 ± 3.7 mV·s for VM/VL and 10.6 ± 7.0 mV·s for BFL. MRI and EMG data indicate VM/VL activity from 0 to 180° and selected hamstring activity from 90 to 230°. Combining ΔT2 measurements with variable loading allows the spatial and temporal patterns of recruitment during cycling to be inferred from MRI data.
Gene Polymorphisms in Cyclophosphamide Metabolism Pathway,Treatment-Related Toxicity, and Disease-Free Survival in SWOG 8897 Clinical Trial for Breast Cancer
Authors: Yao Song , Barlow William E. , Albain Kathy S. , Choi Ji-Yeob , Zhao Hua , Livingston Robert B. , Davis Warren , Rae James M. , Yeh I-Tien , Hutchins Laura F. , Ravdin Peter M. , Martino Silvana , Lyss Alan P. , Osborne C. Kent , Abeloff Martin , Hortobagyi Gabriel N. , Hayes Daniel F. , Ambrosone Christine B.
Published: December 2010

Purpose: There are no established genetic markers for prediction of outcomes after cyclophosphamide (CP)-containing adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. In an ancillary study to a SWOG (Southwest Oncology Group) trial (S8897), we investigated functional polymorphisms in 4 genes in CP pharmacokinetic pathways in relation to hematologic toxicity and disease-free survival (DFS).

Experimental Design: Germline DNA was available from 458 women who were at high risk of relapse and was randomized to CAF (CP, intravenous doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil) versus CMF (CP, intravenous methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil) ± tamoxifen, and from 874 women who had a presumed favorable prognosis and did not receive adjuvant therapy. Odds ratios for grade 3 and 4 hematologic toxicity in the treated group and hazard ratios for DFS associated with selected functional polymorphisms in CYP2B6CYP3A4GSTA1and GSTP1were estimated by logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression.

Results: Compared with women with AA genotypes, those with at least 1 GSTP1 variant G allele had reduced risk of grade 3 and 4 neutropenia [odds ratios (OR) = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41–0.97] and leucopenia (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.39–0.89). No other associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms and toxicity or survival were found in the treated or untreated group.

Conclusion: Known genetic variants in genes involved in CP pharmacokinetics may not have major effects on DFS in breast cancer patients. The lower risk of developing high-grade hematologic toxicity among women with variant GSTP1alleles suggests that genetic markers in combination with clinical factors may be useful in defining a subgroup of women who are less susceptible to adverse hematologic toxicities with CP-containing therapies.
Randomized Phase II Trial of Inhaled Budesonide versus Placebo in High-Risk Individuals with CT Screen–Detected Lung Nodules
Authors: Veronesi Giulia , Szabo Eva , DeCensi Andrea , Guerrieri-Gonzaga Aliana , Bellomi Massimo , Radice Davide , Ferretti Stefania , Pelosi Giuseppe , Lazzeroni Matteo , Serrano Davide , Lippman Scott M. , Spaggiari Lorenzo , Nardi-Pantoli Angela , Harari Sergio , Varricchio Clara , Bonanni Bernardo
Published: December 2010

Screening CT identifies small peripheral lung nodules, some of which may be pre- or early invasive neoplasia. Secondary end point analysis of a previous chemoprevention trial in individuals with bronchial dysplasia showed reduction in size of peripheral nodules by inhaled budesonide. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIb trial of inhaled budesonide in current and former smokers with CT-detected lung nodules that were persistent for at least 1 year. A total of 202 individuals received inhaled budesonide, 800 μg twice daily or placebo for 1 year. The primary endpoint was the effect of treatment on target nodule size in a per person analysis after 1 year. The per person analysis showed no significant difference between the budesonide and placebo arms (response rate 2% and 1%, respectively). Although the per lesion analysis revealed a significant effect of budesonide on regression of existing target nodules (P = 0.02), the appearance of new lesions was similar in both groups and thus the significance was lost in the analysis of all lesions. The evaluation by nodule type revealed a nonsignificant trend toward regression of nonsolid and partially solid lesions after budesonide treatment. Budesonide was well tolerated, with no unexpected side effects identified. Treatment with inhaled budesonide for 1 year did not significantly affect peripheral lung nodule size. There was a trend toward regression of nonsolid and partially solid nodules after budesonide treatment. Because a subset of these nodules is more likely to represent precursors of adenocarcinoma, additional follow-up is needed. Cancer Prev Res; 4(1); 34–42. ©2010 AACR.
Functional Analysis of the p40 and p75 Proteins from Lactobacillus casei BL23
Authors: Bäuerl Christine , Pérez-Martínez Gaspar , Yan Fang , Polk D. Brent , Monedero Vicente
Published: December 2010

The genomes of Lactobacillus casei/paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains carry two genes encoding homologues of p40 and p75 from L. rhamnosus GG, two secreted proteins which display anti-apoptotic and cell protective effects on human intestinal epithelial cells. p40 and p75 carry cysteine, histidine-dependent aminohydrolase/peptidase (CHAP) and NLPC/P60 domains, respectively, which are characteristic of proteins with cell-wall hydrolase activity. In L. casei BL23 both proteins were secreted to the growth medium and were also located at the bacterial cell surface. The genes coding for both proteins were inactivated in this strain. Inactivation of LCABL_00230 (encoding p40) did not result in a significant difference in phenotype, whereas a mutation in LCABL_02770 (encoding p75) produced cells that formed very long chains. Purified glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-p40 and -p75 fusion proteins were able to hydrolyze the muropeptides from L. casei cell walls. Both fusions bound to mucin, collagen and to intestinal epithelial cells and, similar to L. rhamnosus GG p40, stimulated epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation in mouse intestine ex vivo. These results indicate that extracellular proteins belonging to the machinery of cell-wall metabolism in the closely related L. casei/paracasei-L. rhamnosus group are most likely involved in the probiotic effects described for these bacteria
Redox Regulation of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase by 15-Deoxy-Δ-Prostaglandin J
2
Controls Coronary Hypoxic Vasodilation
Authors: Charles Rebecca L. , Burgoyne Joseph R. , Mayr Manuel , Weldon Steven M. , Hubner Norbert , Dong Hua , Morisseau Christophe , Hammock Bruce D. , Landar Aimee , Eaton Philip
Published: December 2010

Rationale:

15-Deoxy-Δ-prostaglandin (15d-PG)J
2
is an electrophilic oxidant that dilates the coronary vasculature. This lipid can adduct to redox active protein thiols to induce oxidative posttranslational modifications that modulate protein and tissue function.

Objective:

To investigate the role of oxidative protein modifications in 15d-PGJ
2
–mediated coronary vasodilation and define the distal signaling pathways leading to enhanced perfusion.

Methods and Results:

Proteomic screening with biotinylated 15d-PGJ
2
identified novel vascular targets to which it adducts, most notably soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). 15d-PGJ
2
inhibited sEH by specifically adducting to a highly conserved thiol (Cys521) adjacent to the catalytic center of the hydrolase. Indeed a Cys521Ser sEH “redox-dead” mutant was resistant to 15d-PGJ
2
–induced hydrolase inhibition. 15d-PGJ
2
dilated coronary vessels and a role for hydrolase inhibition was supported by 2 structurally different sEH antagonists each independently inducing vasorelaxation. Furthermore, 15d-PGJ
2
and sEH antagonists also increased coronary effluent epoxyeicosatrienoic acids consistent with their vasodilatory actions. Indeed 14,15-EET alone induced relaxation and 15d-PGJ
2
–mediated vasodilation was blocked by the EET receptor antagonist 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(
Z
)-enoic acid (14,15-EEZE). Additionally, the coronary vasculature of sEH-null mice was basally dilated compared to wild-type controls and failed to vasodilate in response to 15d-PGJ
2
. Coronary vasodilation to hypoxia in wild-types was accompanied by 15d-PGJ
2
adduction to and inhibition of sEH. Consistent with the importance of hydrolase inhibition, sEH-null mice failed to vasodilate during hypoxia.

Conclusion:

This represents a new paradigm for the regulation of sEH by an endogenous lipid, which is integral to the fundamental physiological response of coronary hypoxic vasodilation.
Screening for Intracranial Aneurysm in 355 Patients With Autosomal-Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease
Authors: Xu H.W. , Yu Sheng Qiang , Mei Chang Lin , Li Ming Hua
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

The association of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) with intracranial aneurysm (ICAN) is well known but little is known about the characteristics of ICAN in ADPKD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of ICAN in ADPKD.

Methods—

We screened 355 patients with ADPKD (mean age, 46.5±13.2 years; range, 7 to 87 years) with 3-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography. Size, location, and morphology of aneurysms were assessed. The prevalence and characteristics of ICAN in patients with ADPKD were evaluated. Patients with ICAN found by MR angiography and moderate renal function subsequently were recommended to undergo digital subtraction angiography for comparison.

Results—

The prevalence of ICAN in ADPKD was 12.4% (95% CI, 8.95% to 15.82%) with an equal gender distribution. The prevalence increased as age increased, reaching a peak value of 23.3% (95% CI, 16.85 to 29.75%) in the 60- to 69-year age group. The prevalence of ICAN in patients with ADPKD with a positive family history of hemorrhagic stroke or ICAN was higher than patients with ADPKD lacking such family history (relative risk, 1.968; 95% CI, 1.57 to 2.67). The mean diameter of ICAN was 3.85±3.25 mm. The most frequent site of ICAN was the internal carotid artery. The result of digital subtraction angiography of 15 patients with 18 ICANs and moderate renal function corresponded to the detection of MR angiography.

Conclusion—

The characteristics of ICAN in patients with ADPKD were different from some previous reports. Systematic screening of ICAN with 3-dimensional time-of-flight MR angiography is recommended for patients with ADPKD, particularly for adult patients (≧30 years) or patients with a positive family history of hemorrhagic stroke or ICAN.
Proteomic Temporal Profile of Human Brain Endothelium After Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ning MingMing , Sarracino David A. , Kho Alvin T. , Guo Shuzhen , Lee Sun-Ryung , Krastins Bryan , Buonanno Ferdinando S. , Vizcaíno Juan A. , Orchard Sandra , McMullin David , Wang Xiaoying , Lo Eng H.
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

Because brain endothelial cells exist at the neurovascular interface, they may serve as cellular reporters of brain dysfunction by releasing biomarkers into the circulation.

Methods—

We used proteomic techniques to screen conditioned media from human brain endothelial cultures subjected to oxidative stress induced by nitric oxide over 24 hours. Plasma samples from human stroke patients were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results—

In healthy endothelial cells, interaction mapping demonstrated cross-talk involving secreted factors, membrane receptors, and matrix components. In oxidatively challenged endothelial cells, networks of interacting proteins failed to emerge. Instead, inflammatory markers increased, secreted factors oscillated over time, and endothelial injury repair was manifested as changes in factors related to matrix integrity. Elevated inflammatory markers included heat shock protein, chemokine ligand-1, serum amyloid-A1, annexin-A5, and thrombospondin-1. Neurotrophic factors (prosaposin, nucleobindin-1, and tachykinin precursors) peaked at 12 hours, then rapidly decreased by 24 hours. Basement membrane components (fibronectin, desomoglein, profiling-1) were decreased. Cytoskeletal markers (actin, vimentin, nidogen, and filamin B) increased over time. From this initial analysis, the high-ranking candidate thrombospondin-1 was further explored in human plasma. Acute ischemic stroke patients had significantly higher thrombospondin-1 levels within 8 hours of symptom onset compared to controls with similar clinical risk factors (659±81 vs 1132±98 ng/mL;
P
<0.05; n=20).

Conclusions—

Screening of simplified cell culture systems may aid the discovery of novel biomarkers in clinical neurovascular injury. Further collaborative efforts are warranted to discover and validate more candidates of interest.
New Approaches to Neuroprotective Drug Development
Authors: Fisher Marc
Published: December 2010

All prior drug development programs of neuroprotective agents were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons related to both preclinical assessment and the design/implementation of clinical trials. The neuroprotection hypothesis of improving functional outcome related to salvaging ischemic brain tissue is strongly supported by robust preclinical data for many agents. In the future, monotherapy neuroprotection trials will be difficult but could be performed in underused centers with drugs that have very promising and complete preclinical results. Additional approaches for the testing and use of neuroprotective agents should be considered. Novel approaches would include extending penumbral survival for the later use of reperfusion therapy, reducing reperfusion injury after successful reperfusion, and using drugs with both neuroprotective and recovery enhancing effects, as exemplified by granulocyte colony–stimulating factor and citicoline. To maximize outcome after stroke, the combined use or reperfusion and neuroprotection is likely to be needed, so we must begin to perform carefully designed trials with this combination.
Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Sensorimotor Function After Stroke
Authors: Sullivan Katherine J. , Tilson Julie K. , Cen Steven Y. , Rose Dorian K. , Hershberg Julie , Correa Anita , Gallichio Joann , McLeod Molly , Moore Craig , Wu Samuel S. , Duncan Pamela W.
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

Outcome measurement fidelity within and between sites of multi-site, randomized, clinical trials is an essential element to meaningful trial outcomes. As important are the methods developed for randomized, clinical trials that can have practical utility for clinical practice. A standardized measurement method and rater training program were developed for the total Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments; inter-rater reliability was used to test program effectiveness.

Methods—

Fifteen individuals with hemiparetic stroke, 17 trained physical therapists across 5 regional clinical sites, and an expert rater participated in an inter-rater reliability study of the Fugl-Meyer motor (total, upper extremity, and lower extremity subscores) and sensory (total, light touch, and proprioception subscores) assessments.

Results—

Intra-rater reliability for the expert rater was high for the motor and sensory scores (range, 0.95–1.0). Inter-rater agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient, 2, 1) between expert and therapist raters was high for the motor scores (total, 0.98; upper extremity, 0.99; lower extremity, 0.91) and sensory scores (total, 0.93; light touch, 0.87; proprioception, 0.96).

Conclusions—

Standardized measurement methods and training of therapist assessors for a multi-site, rehabilitation, randomized, clinical trial resulted in high inter-rater reliability for the Fugl-Meyer motor and sensory assessments. Poststroke sensorimotor impairment severity can be reliably assessed for clinical practice or rehabilitation research with these methods.
The Safety of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Clopidogrel in Patients After Stroke
Authors: Juurlink David N. , Gomes Tara , Mamdani Muhammad M. , Gladstone David J. , Kapral Moira K.
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

Evidence suggests that some proton pump inhibitors can attenuate the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel. The significance of this potential drug interaction in patients with cerebrovascular disease is unknown.

Methods—

We conducted a nested case–control study of all Ontario residents aged ≥66 years newly treated with clopidogrel after a stroke between April 1, 2002, and September 30, 2008. In the primary analysis, case patients were those readmitted for stroke, and a secondary analysis examined all-cause mortality. For each case, up to 4 event-free control subjects were matched on age, gender, and outcome type (stroke or transient ischemic attack). Exposure to proton pump inhibitors was categorized as current (within 60 days), previous (61 to 180 days), or remote (181 to 365 days).

Results—

Among 2765 patients entering the cohort, we identified 118 cases readmitted for stroke and 472 control subjects. After multivariable adjustment, current use of proton pump inhibitors was not associated with a significantly increased risk of recurrent stroke (adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.82) or death (adjusted odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 0.88 to 3.89).

Conclusions—

As a class, proton pump inhibitors are not associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke or death among older patients treated with clopidogrel after stroke.
Neuroprotection and Recovery
Authors: Hurtado Olivia , Lizasoain Ignacio , Moro María Ángeles
Published: December 2010

Background and Purpose—

In this work, we review recent data on the actions of citicoline, citicoline is a drug with demonstrated neuroprotective properties in both animals and humans.

Summary of Review—

For neuroprotection, mechanisms involved are the improvement of cellular functions aimed to control excitotoxicity and to maintain cellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate levels by preserving membrane function and integrity at different levels. Importantly, these actions are theoretically achieved without interfering with possible underlying mechanisms for neurorepair. Furthermore, citicoline stimulates neuronal plasticity and improves sensorimotor recovery in the chronic phase of experimental stroke.

Conclusions—

Although the mechanisms of some of these actions remain to be elucidated, so far citicoline appears as a drug with the ability to promote “safe” neuroprotection capable of enhancing endogenous protective pathways at the same time as preparing the scenario for plasticity.
Recent trends in French scholarship on Hobbes
Authors: Milanese Arnaud , Crignon Philippe
Published: December 2010

This paper presents the state of research on Hobbes in France these last 7-8 years. First of all, it explains how the generation of forerunners in the 1970s and 1980s has been replaced by the birth of a vigorous French school of Hobbes scholars in the 1990s and then by a new generation of academics during the recent years. The first part of this paper deals with the institutions and the institutional life concerned with Hobbes in France (Centre Hobbes, Groupe Hobbes, conferences, etc.). The second part is devoted to eight recent monographs on the English philosopher. The third one is focused on various collections of papers as well as special issues. The fourth part reckons five recent translations into French of some of Hobbes's works (Elements of Law, Latin Leviathan, Vitae, De cive). The whole gives a complete account of the intense activity of scholars on Hobbes in France today, including works that are about to be published.
Reason and Reciprocity in Hobbes's Political Philosophy: On Sharon Lloyd's: Morality in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes
Authors:   Martinich
Published: December 2010

Lloyd's book, Morality in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes, correctly stresses the deductive element in Hobbes's proofs of the laws of nature. She believes that “the principle of reciprocity” is the key to these proofs. This principle is effective in getting ego-centric people to recognize moral laws and their moral obligations. However, it is not, I argue, the basic principle Hobbes uses to derive the laws of nature, from definitions. The principle of reason, which dictates that all similar cases be treated similarly, is. It is important not to diminish the centrality of reason for Hobbes because it is essential to understanding his reply to “the fool” and understanding why the state of nature cannot be a continuum.
The Moral Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes: A Reply to Critics
Authors:   Lloyd
Published: December 2010

S. A. Lloyd responds to critics of her book Morality in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. She seeks to explain the centrality of Hobbes's reciprocity theorem to our understanding of his laws of nature.
Nation-Building and Nationalism in Karamzin's History of the Russian State
Authors: Offord Derek
Published: December 2010

This essay analyzes Karamzin's contribution, through his History of the Russian State, to the formation of national identity and to the development of nationalism in early nineteenth-century Russia. It explores Karamzin's argument that the development of a unified state gave Russia an equal claim to membership in Europe's family of nations, and thus underlines the way that, for Karamzin, Russia's national identity was subsumed in imperial expansion. Karamzin was first and foremost a political nationalist. Yet the essay also explores the humane, cosmopolitan elements of Karamzin's thinking – elements that were in some tension with his statism and which pointed toward a cultural nationalism more complex than this statism.
"Shestidesiatniki"
Authors: Ramer Samuel
Published: December 2010

Zubok's Zhivago's Children examines the rebirth of the Russian intelligentsia during the decades following Stalin's death. Zubok devotes particular attention to de-Stalinization and greater openness to the outside world that characterized the Khrushchev era. Leaders of the artistic as well as scientifi c intelligentsia sought to achieve a freer public life as well as greater autonomy and public infl uence for themselves. e Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 brought hopes for such an emancipated public life to an end until the advent of Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s. Zubok argues that the intelligentsia advisers that Gorbachev brought to power contributed to the demise of the Soviet Union.
Analysis of the Urban Thermal Fingerprint of the City of Trento in the Alps
Authors: Giovannini Lorenzo , Zardi Dino , de Franceschi Massimiliano
Published: December 2010

The temperature contrasts typically marking urban heat island (UHI) effects in the city of Trento, Italy, located in an Alpine valley and inhabited in its inner urban area by a population of about 56 000, are investigated. Time series of air temperature data, collected at an urban weather station, in the city center, and at five extraurban stations are compared. The latter are representative of rural and suburban areas, both on the valley floor and on the valley sidewalls. It is found that the extraurban weather stations, being affected by different local-scale climatic conditions, display different temperature contrasts with the urban site. However, the diurnal cycle of the UHI is characterized by similar patterns of behavior at all of the extraurban weather stations: the UHI intensity is stronger at night, whereas during the central hours of the day an “urban cool island” is likely to occur. The diurnal maximum UHI intensity turns out to be typically of order 3°C, but under particularly favorable conditions it may be higher than 6°C. An urban cool island effect is also detected, which is probably caused by the compactness of the inner urban area, and displays typical diurnal maximum intensities of order 1.5°C. As to the seasonal dependence, at the extraurban weather stations on the valley floor the UHI intensity tends to be slightly stronger during dry months, whereas on the valley sidewalls it is mainly influenced by the seasonal lapse-rate changes. Further weather factors, such as wind speed and cloud cover, also affect urbanization effects, making them weaker with stronger winds and cloudier skies.
The RAW Filter: An Improvement to the Robert–Asselin Filter in Semi-Implicit Integrations
Authors: Williams Paul D.
Published: December 2010

Errors caused by discrete time stepping may be an important component of total model error in contemporary atmospheric and oceanic simulations. To reduce time-stepping errors in leapfrog integrations, the Robert–Asselin–Williams (RAW) filter was proposed by the author as a simple improvement to the widely used Robert–Asselin (RA) filter. The present paper examines the behavior of the RAW filter in semi-implicit integrations. First, in a linear theoretical analysis, the stability and accuracy are interrogated by deriving analytic expressions for the amplitude errors and phase errors. Then, power-series expansions are used to interpret the leading-order errors for small time steps and hence to identify optimal values of the filter parameters. Finally, the RAW filter is tested in a realistic nonlinear setting, by applying it to semi-implicit integrations of the elastic pendulum equations. The results suggest that replacing the RA filter with the RAW filter could reduce time-stepping errors in semi-implicit integrations.
Modeling for prediction of surface roughness in drilling MDF panels using response surface methodology
Authors: Prakash S. , Palanikumar K.
Published: December 2010

Medium density fiberboard (MDF) panels are an industrial wood product which belongs to wood-based composite. MDF panels are made with wood fibers clued together with resin by heat and pressure. Nowadays the MDF products are preferred over solid wood in many applications due to certain comparative advantage and mainly used in furniture industry. This article discusses the use of Taguchi and response surface methodologies for predicting the surface roughness in drilling MDF material by a physical vapor deposition TiN coated carbide step drill bits. The experiments are conducted based on Taguchi’s experimental design technique. The drilling parameters used are spindle speed, feed rate, and drill diameter. The effect of drilling parameters on the surface roughness is evaluated and discussed in detail. The second order model has been established between the drilling parameters and the surface roughness using response surface methodology. The experimental result reveals that the most significant drilling parameter for the surface roughness is feed rate followed by the cutting speed. The predicted values and measured values are fairly close which indicates that the developed model can be effectively used to predict the surface roughness in the drilling of MDF panels. The predicted results are validated by using validation experiments.
Analytical modeling of fibrous composites with free edges
Authors: Andrianov Igor V. , Kalamkarov Alexander L. , Weichert Dieter
Published: December 2010

A novel asymptotic approach to the problem of laminated fibrous composites with free edges is proposed in this article. Commonly, this type of composites is modeled on the assumption of homogenized individual plies. In the presence of free edges, the elastic fields in the individual plies need additional investigation. Our approach is based on the asymptotic splitting of the governing biharmonic problem into two harmonic problems. All solutions are obtained in the closed analytical form. In particular, the obtained results can be used in the analysis of fracture of composite materials as well as for the analytical modeling of the pull-out and push-out tests.
Three-dimensional progressive failure analysis of bolted titanium-graphite fiber metal laminate joints
Authors: Hundley Jacob M. , Hahn H. Thomas , Yang Jenn-Ming , Facciano Andrew B.
Published: December 2010

This article presents experimental and numerical results regarding the bolt bearing strength of titanium—graphite (TiGr) fiber metal laminate joints as a function of joint geometry, in particular the edge—distance ratio. The measured strength values are used to examine the influence of the laminate constituent materials and optimize the joint geometry. Additionally, a finite element model of the bolt bearing test procedure is introduced; incorporating a three-dimensional progressive failure constitutive model for the fiber-reinforced composite layers. Model validation is accomplished through comparison with experimentally obtained TiGr joint bearing results in terms of loading history, measured strength, and deformed sample geometry.
The Impact of Self-Evaluation Instruction on Student Self-Evaluation, Music Performance, and Self-Evaluation Accuracy
Authors: Hewitt Michael P.
Published: December 2010

The author sought to determine whether self-evaluation instruction had an impact on student self-evaluation, music performance, and self-evaluation accuracy of music performance among middle school instrumentalists. Participants ( N = 211) were students at a private middle school located in a metropolitan area of a mid-Atlantic state. Students in intact classes, grades 5 through 8, were assigned to one of three treatment groups: self-evaluation instruction (SE-I), self-evaluation only (SE-O), or no self-evaluation (SE-No) for treatment lasting 5 weeks. All groups played through music used in the study at each lesson and heard a model recording of it. Participants in the SE-I group received instruction in self-evaluation while students in the SE-O group self-evaluated their performances daily and the SE-No group received no additional instruction. Results suggest that instruction in self-evaluation had little impact on students’ self-evaluation accuracy or music performance, although grade level did influence music performance. Additional time may be necessary for students to learn to evaluate their own performances effectively; however, it is interesting that students’ music performance did not appear to suffer from time spent in self-evaluation instruction or practice. Music teachers may wish to consider implementing self-evaluation strategies to help students develop the skills necessary for successful self-regulation of music performance.
The Housing-led Growth Hypothesis Revisited
Authors: Chen Jie , Guo Feng , Zhu Aiyong
Published: December 2010

This paper investigates the relationship between housing investment and economic growth in China, utilising province-level data via recently developed panel unit root tests and panel co-integration analysis. The empirical results suggest a stable long-run relationship between housing investment, non-housing investment and GDP in China. In addition, the existence is demonstrated of bi-directional Granger causality between housing investment and GDP at the national level. The panel error correction model supports the hypothesis that housing investment appears to have a dual role, acting as both a driver and follower in China’s economic fluctuations. However, the impacts of housing investment on economic growth in three sub-regions are found to be strikingly different.
Legislative Attack
Authors: Weizman Eyal
Published: December 2010

Israel’s 22-day attack on Gaza in December 2008—January 2009 exposed a paradox: the attack was not only one of the most violent and destructive of Israel’s recent wars on the Palestinians and the one most strongly opposed by its critics, but also the one in which Israeli experts in international humanitarian law (IHL) — the area of the law that regulates the conduct of war — were most closely involved. The article demonstrates how these facts are connected.
When the City Itself Becomes a Technology of War
Authors: Sassen Saskia
Published: December 2010

The essay is framed by the proposition that cities are the frontier spaces for much of what is usually referred to as global governance challenges. It uses the case of asymmetric war to explore the contradictions that arise from this urbanizing — most significantly, the limits of superior military power when war moves to cities and the ways in which this makes powerlessness complex rather than elementary. The core of the paper focuses on Mumbai and Gaza as two sites that help us understand the enormous variability of war once it gets urbanized, and thus the multiplicity of types of asymmetric war. The essay concludes with a discussion about larger patterns we can see through the cases examined here, such as the repositioning of territory, authority and rights.
Vertical Security in the Megacity
Authors: Adey Peter
Published: December 2010

By excavating the ambiguities of the helicopter’s machinic-prosthetic view, a perspective which may be distant and abstract, while also near and viscerally present, this article will explore how megacity security is increasingly waged and consumed. The article argues that megacity security marches to the rotator-beat of the police helicopter, fuelled by military technophilia and in a context of the biopolitical desertion of the megacities’ most vulnerable. The article takes three aspects, visually expressed and constituted through aerial-helicopter security. Drawing from several megacity examples including Mumbai, Lagos, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the first resolves megacity confusion with legibility. In the following section the article examines the mobilization of the security gaze, and the final section explores how helicopter visuality may hold or territorialize megacity space.
Introduction: The Problem of Violence
Authors: Bishop Ryan
Published: December 2010

The scale and diversity of megacities finds analogous scale and diversity in the violence witnessed and experienced in these complexly dense urban sites. From full-scale military invasion to internecine ethnic and tribal conflict, from paramilitary incursions to strategic car bombs, from slum clearance to pervasive everyday low-level violence, from Mafia-led armies to incessant inflictions of violence on the urban poor, and from missile launches to machete attacks, megacities, most unfortunately, have them all. This article contextualizes many of the key concerns and issues addressed by the four main articles in the section; it does so by arguing for some specific historical, genealogical and technological explanations for the range and scale of violence inflicted upon and within megacity sites. The section proleptically discusses megacity phenomena that will be taken up in greater detail in the forthcoming second volume of the New Encyclopaedia Project Megacities: Problematizing the Urban.
Modernity and the Holocaust, or, Listening to Eurydice
Authors: Hell Julia
Published: December 2010

In this article, I offer a literary-critical reading of Modernity and the Holocaust, arguing that Bauman’s non-Hobbesian ethics is linked to a form of Orphic authorship. I contextualize this reading with a study of three literary authors: W.G. Sebald, Peter Weiss and Janina Bauman, and their respective versions of this post-Holocaust authorship. At stake is the drama of the forbidden gaze, the moment when Orpheus turns to look at Eurydice, killing her a second time. Using Levinas’ ethics and his scenario of recognition, Bauman re-writes this fateful gaze as a loving gaze, implicitly proposing a counter-model to the Schmittian gaze — always ready to recognize the enemy, always ready to kill.
The Geospatialization of Calculative Operations
Authors: Crandall Jordan
Published: December 2010

In a modern, calculative world, the techniques of tracking are everywhere in the ascendant. Enhanced by algorithmic procedures and analytics, they have been incorporated into distributed network systems, augmented by new sensing and locationing technologies, and embedded into mobile devices, urban structures and environments. Simultaneously, new practices of tracking and sensing have emerged across the consumer, state and corporate sectors. These practices are amplified in the case of megacities as they strive to keep pace with rapid urban development. All movement is subordinated to a condition of 'calculative mobilization’, whereby the urban realm is understood through the spatialization of algorithmic operations. And yet, due to their unique large- and multi-scaled accumulations of data-enhanced actors and their complex, stratified modes of proximity and interoperable relationality, the particular densities of megacities challenge conventional spatial formats of movement and positioning. This article offers new formats of analysis for these calculative practices and the agential and ontological status of the hybrid urban entities that they register and engender. It also offers new structuring principles and political orientations, which are particularly urgent as we witness the ascendance of 'Spatial Data Infrastructures’ (SDIs) that are often promoted as participatory and inclusive while remaining largely inaccessible, pursuing proprietary aims, and infused with the potential not only to protect and inform but also to violate.
Some Ideas on How Group Analysis Can Survive: Response to Lecture by Jane Campbell
Authors: Lorentzen Steinar
Published: December 2010

Jane Campbell is a master of words and language and presents a strong plea for group analysis, in a poetic, metaphoric way. But what is she really saying? What are her beliefs? Remembering how the Sirens ‘lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island’, I have chosen to comment indirectly by presenting some of my own associations which were activated by her lecture. My comments will touch upon the context of group analysis, on training and practice, and on the differences between treatment goals and life goals. Do we all agree on what group analysis is and what characterizes a group analyst? Are we really persecuted, or can some criticism be justified because we have failed to validate what group analysis may offer? The field needs a thorough discussion of what the essentials of group analysis are. Another important issue is how group analysis can be adapted according to the needs of different patient groups. Training should mainly be according to ‘the university model’ and include research based on an array of different methodological approaches.
A Conversation with Malcolm Pines: Part One
Authors: Tubert-Oklander Juan , Hernández-Tubert Reyna
Published: December 2010

Part I: Personal and Public Life

This is the first part of the transcript of a conversation between the authors, Malcolm Pines and his wife, Iris. There is a particular dynamic of a couple interviewing another couple. This first part focuses on Malcolm’s personal history, studies, theoretical and clinical interests and experiences. But Iris’s participation opens the way for an exploration of their personal life together, and the way in which this relates to Malcolm’s professional life, which will be further explored in the second part.
Influence of nanoclay on rheological and mechanical properties of short glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites
Authors: Mohan TP , Kanny K.
Published: December 2010

The effect of nanoclays (0—5 wt%) on short glass fiber (GF)-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites is examined in this study with special emphasis on the processing, structure, tensile, and wear properties. Addition of nanoclay reduces the melt flow rate of PP and PP—GF composites; however, it improves the crystallization characteristics due to their nucleating effect. This nucleating effect of nanoclay is due to the nanolevel dispersion in polymer matrix and this phenomenon is not observed in the unmodified microclay-filled PP composites. Improved tensile properties are observed in nanoclay-filled PP—GF composites due the intercalated/exfoliated nanocomposite structure. Furthermore, the addition of nanoclay in PP—GF composites improves the wear properties.
Zanzibari women’s discursive and sexual agency: Violating gendered speech prohibitions through talk about supernatural sex
Authors: Thompson Katrina Daly
Published: December 2010

This article analyzes a conversation with two Zanzibari women about sex between humans and spirits. This research demonstrates how they navigate gender-based restrictions on discourse to discuss sex and desire, violating a hegemonic language ideology that would silence them. Whereas previous work has focused on how Swahili women subvert gendered speech prohibitions by nonverbally taking up discourse produced by others, this article examines how they produce resistant discourse themselves. The analysis is contextualized in terms of three social elements that shape women’s talk about (supernatural) sex: (1) a discursive culture that emphasizes equivocal interpersonal communication; (2) a language ideology informed by an Islamic emphasis on discretion; and (3) the extension of cultural transgressions allowed during spirit possession to transgressions during talk about spirit possession and other occult phenomena.
Detecting Data Error and Inaccuracy
Authors: Kasidi Faraji , Chaturvedi H. , Singh Rahul
Published: December 2010

Several studies reveal that organisational databases have significant errors (Klein, 2000; Morgenstern, 1963; Musgrove, 1974). Attributed to this, researchers, policy makers and other users are obliged to authenticate collected data for its randomness before usage in order to prevent problems caused by erroneous data. The objective of this study is to establish random databases for furthering scientific analysis. Motivation for the study comes from the circumstances where scientific inquiry is juxtaposed with different databases or sources of the same unit of inquiry having different datasets. This study uses three databases used by the Indian government, namely, the Economic Survey, Reserve Bank of India and United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on FDI inflows to the Indian economy (1991–2007), to establish randomness and detect data errors and inaccuracies. Applying the Run test method, the study established that all three datasets are random. The Chi-square test supports the dataset used by the Economic Survey and not other databases. Also, the Economic Survey dataset follows Benford’s distribution and its Pearson correlation coefficient is higher than the other sources of data. In general, the Economic Survey database does better in terms of data accuracy compared to other datasets for the period of study.
Spatial Price Linkages in Regional Food Grain Markets in India
Authors: Ghosh Madhusudan
Published: December 2010

This paper examines spatial integration of food grain markets in India. Using the maximum likelihood method of cointegration, it investigates whether regional food grain markets within and across states are spatially linked or not. The cointegration tests provide evidence in favour of spatial integration of the regional food grain markets. Even though regional markets are geographically dispersed, prices across different market centres within and across states have exhibited long-run spatial linkages, suggesting that all the exchange locations are integrated and that prices provide relevant market signals. There are, however, regional variations in the extent of market integration, which could be due to regional disparities in infrastructure and the institutional structure of food grain markets. The results have important implications for agricultural price policy and the food market liberalisation programme.
Toward Methodological Emancipation in Applied Health Research
Authors: Thorne Sally
Published: December 2010

In this article, I trace the historical groundings of what have become methodological conventions in the use of qualitative approaches to answer questions arising from the applied health disciplines and advocate an alternative logic more strategically grounded in the epistemological orientations of the professional health disciplines. I argue for an increasing emphasis on the modification of conventional qualitative approaches to the particular knowledge demands of the applied practice domain, challenging the merits of what may have become unwarranted attachment to theorizing. Reorienting our methodological toolkits toward the questions arising within an evidence-dominated policy agenda, I encourage my applied health disciplinary colleagues to make themselves useful to that larger project by illuminating that which quantitative research renders invisible, problematizing the assumptions on which it generates conclusions, and filling in the gaps in knowledge needed to make decisions on behalf of people and populations.
The (In)credible Words of Women: False Allegations in European Rape Research
Authors: Kelly Liz
Published: December 2010

The issue of false allegations in rape cases cannot be understood without reference to the ways in which rape law and its interpretation has historically problematized “the words of a woman” when what they were speaking about was sexual v iolation. Whilst the letter of the law has been reformed in many countries, legacies remain sedimented into institutional cultures and practices, creating a risk of ov er-identification of false allegations by police and prosecutors. Findings from two European studies on attrition in reported rape cases are drawn on to highlight both the mechanisms and processes which create the category of false allegations, especially the opaque “no crime/unfounded” designations and that CJS personnel believ e the rates to be considerably higher than their own data. The article concludes by raising the possibility of internationally agreed standards for designating a rape report “false.”
Behind the Torment of Rape Victims Lies a Dark Fear: Reply to the Commentaries
Authors: Lisak David
Published: December 2010

The historic and continuing preoccupation with the issue of false rape allegations is embedded in a profound fear of the vulnerability that rape victims represent. That fear leads to an intense need to shun the victim, a shunning that is accomplished most effectively by disbelieving that a rape ever occurred. Ironically, the preoccupation with false rape allegations increases our collective vulnerability. It serves to further undermine the criminal justice response to rape, thereby permitting serial rapists—who commit the vast majority of rapes—to continue preying on the vulnerable.