bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stromal Cell Derived Factor-1α Promotes C-Kit+ Cardiac Stem/Progenitor Cell Quiescence Through Casein Kinase 1α and GSK3β
Authors: Dimova Neviana , Wysoczynski Marcin , Rokosh Gregg
Published: August 2013

A population of c-kit+ cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CSPC) has been identified in the heart and shown to contribute to myocardial regeneration after infarction. Previously, we have shown the chemokine, stromal cell derived factor 1α (SDF1) is necessary for the myocardial response to infarction where chronic infusion of the CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, exacerbated MI. Notably, AMD3100 increased CSPC proliferation. The effect of SDF1 on CSPC proliferation was further investigated in primary cultures of magnetically sorted c-kit+ CSPCs. SDF1 facilitated CSPC quiescence by blocking cell cycle progression at the G0 to G1 transition. SDF1 decreased casein kinase 1α (CK1α) consequently attenuating β-catenin phosphorylation, destabilization, and degradation. Increased levels of β-catenin with SDF1 were effective, increasing TCF/LEF reporter activity. SDF downregulation of CK1α was dependent on proteasomal degradation and decreased mRNA expression. CK1α siRNA knockdown verified SDF1-dependent CSPC quiescence requires CK1α downregulation and stablilization of β-catenin. Conversely, β-catenin knockdown increased CSPC proliferation. SDF1 also increased GSK3β Y216 phosphorylation responsible for increased activity. SDF1 mediated CK1α downregulation and increase in GSK3β activity affected cell cycle through Bmi-1 downregulation, increased cyclin D1 phosphorylation, and decreased cyclin D1 levels. In conclusion, SDF1 exerts a quiescent effect on resident c-kit+ CSPCs by decreasing CK1α levels, increasing GSK3β activity, stabilizing β-catenin, and affecting regulation of the cell cycle through Bmi-1 and cyclin D1. SDF1-dependent quiescence is an important factor in stem and progenitor cell preservation under basal conditions, however, with stress or injury in which SDF1 is elevated, quiescence may limit expansion and contribution to myocardial regeneration. Stem Cells  2014;32:487–499
What Next in the Read‐Aloud Battle?: Win or Lose?
Authors: Fox Mem
Published: August 2013

The primary focus of this piece is the fundamental need to read to children to set the scene for their literacy development. It is asserted, reading to all children should happen daily for the first three years of their schooling. The reasons for this assertion are explored and explained: a vast vocabulary is gleaned, learned and used; the simple and complex grammar of language is absorbed, understood, and later used correctly; the ideas embedded in every story, every sentence and every phrase become familiar and comfortable; and all these aspects of hearing language lead to a heightened ability to predict what comes next, thereby assisting children to learn to read far more easily, quickly and happily.

The secondary focus of the article is an expression of dismay that so many educators regard reading to children as an expendable part of the literacy curriculum. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Why Common Core Matters: What Parents Need to Know
Authors: Neuman Susan B. , Roskos Kathleen
Published: August 2013

Adopted by 45 states, the Common Core State Standards are now in full implementation throughout the country.  Parents need to be informed about these new rigorous, college‐ and career‐ready standards in order to support their children's learning and development. As critical partners in children's education, this article highlights some of the central features of this new educational reform for parents.
A lift‐net method for capturing diving and sea ducks
Authors: Ware Lindsay L. , Naumann Benjamin T. , Wilson Philip L. , Petrie Scott A. , Schummer Michael L.
Published: August 2013

Alternatives to bait‐trapping waterfowl are often necessary when studying health or body condition, when targeting species that are not easily attracted to bait or those that occur in deep‐water habitats where bait‐trapping can be difficult. We designed an active netting method for capturing diving and sea ducks, which we deployed at 8 sites in Lake Ontario, Canada from 2006 to 2007 and 2011 to 2012. A mist net suspended horizontally 0.5 m below the water surface was lifted out of the water when ducks swam over the capture area. The technique requires a stationary structure to anchor one end and is lifted out of the water by hand or using a vehicle on the non‐anchored end using attached ropes. We used structures including docks and walls of a shipping channel to secure ropes, but other structures could be used. Catch rates were 0.63 birds/hr for greater scaup (Aythya marila), and 0.65 birds/hr for long‐tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis). In comparison, catch rates for floating mist nets were 0.08 birds/hr and 0.86 birds/hr for greater scaup and long‐tailed ducks, respectively. Equipment costs to build a lift‐net were 85% less than to build a floating mist net. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Europium Phosphate, Europium Arsenate, and Europium Antimonate – Correlation of Crystal Structure and Physical Properties
Authors: Golbs Sylvia , Schappacher Falko M. , Pöttgen Rainer , Cardoso‐Gil Raul , Ormeci Alim , Schwarz Ulrich , Schnelle Walter , Grin Yuri , Schmidt Marcus
Published: August 2013

Crystals of EuPO4, EuAsO4, and EuSbO4 were grown by chemical vapor transport. These compounds exhibit complex anions and they crystallize in different structures. The modelling of the chemical transport experiment was carried out with the program TRAGMIN. By means of different spectroscopic methods structural and electronic influences of the complex anion on the electronic state of the europium ion were investigated. These results were in good agreement with calculations of the electronic structure. The magnetic susceptibility shows the typical van Vleck paramagnetism of trivalent europium. The specific heat capacity was determined in the range from 1.9 to 320 K. The conformity of these results was checked on the basis of specific heat determination through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the temperature range 235 to 473 K. The optical bandgaps, received from UV/Vis spectroscopy are in good agreement with calculated ones.
The Role of Decreased Hip IR as a Cause of Low Back Pain in a Golfer: A Case Report
Authors: Reinhardt Gregory
Published: August 2013

Background

Among golf injuries, low back pain (LBP) is the most common compliant for both professional and amateur golfers. Hip rotational range of motion (ROM) might be related to LBP in those who repeatedly place specific activity rotational demands on the hip in one direction. Coordination of timing of movement (neural control) between the hip and lumbopelvic region during trunk movements is critical for normal mechanics. Altered timing can contribute to areas of high tissue loading and can lead to LBP symptoms seen during active lower limb movement tests. Patient was a 42-year-old male recreational golfer who presented with low back pain and decreased hip internal rotation ROM.

Methods

With the use of manual physical therapy to increase hip ROM and lumbar stabilization therapeutic exercises, the patient was able to return to pain-free golf and to better his handicap by three strokes.

Results

Significant improvement was seen in his Oswestry outcome score, and a (−) prone instability test was noted.

Conclusion

It is recommended to address hip ROM limitations in those experiencing low back pain while golfing. Rapid spinal rotation may produce large spinal loads, but this is likely not the major contributor to low back pain in golfers. Mechanical factors may play a larger role.
Clinical Issues‐September 2013
Authors: Van Wicklin Sharon A. , Spry Cynthia , Conner Ramona
Published: August 2013

This Month

Requirements for immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS)

Key words: immediate use steam sterilization, IUSS.

Gravity‐displacement and dynamic air‐removal cycles for steam sterilizers located outside of the sterile processing area

Key words: gravity displacement, dynamic air removal, flash cycles, immediate use steam sterilization, IUSS.

Terminal sterilization using steam sterilizers located outside of the sterile processing area

Key words: terminal sterilization, physical monitors, chemical indicators, biological indicators.

Physical, chemical, and biological monitoring tools for steam sterilizers located outside of the sterile processing area and used for immediate use steam sterilization (IUSS)

Key words: physical monitors, chemical indicators, biological indicators, gravity displacement, dynamic air removal.

Unscrubbed personnel wearing long‐sleeved jackets

Key words: long‐sleeved jackets, recommended practices, skin squames, preoperative skin antisepsis, skin prep.

Unscrubbed personnel wearing blankets over surgical attire

Key words: blankets, low‐linting, surgical attire, skin squames, trips and falls, professional appearance.
The Future of Nursing: Understanding Who Nurses Are
Authors: Wyatt David A.
Published: August 2013

The Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health highlights the need for more information about the nursing workforce. Without attention to the problem, OR nursing is likely to continue to experience the nursing shortage more acutely than other practice areas. By changing how they acquire and use nursing data, and by advocating for improved exchange of data between federal and state governments and nursing schools, facilities can be better prepared for future workforce challenges.
Antibody formation in pregnant women with maternal‐neonatal human platelet antigen mismatch from a hospital in northern Taiwan
Authors: Yang Wan‐Hua , Cheng Chuen‐Sheng , Chang Jin‐Biou , Liu Kuang‐Ting , Chang Junn‐Liang
Published: August 2013

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) is a clinical syndrome that resembles hemolytic disease of the newborn, affecting the platelets only. The thrombocytopenia results from the maternal alloantibodies reacting with specific human platelet antigens (HPAs) on the fetal platelets. Forty‐four maternal plasma samples were screened for platelet alloantibodies using qualitative solid phase enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial kit (LIFECODES Pakplus, Hologic Gen‐Probe GTI Diagnostics, Waukesha, WI, USA), and both the maternal and the corresponding cord blood samples were genotyped (LIFECODES ThromboType, Hologic Gen‐Probe GTI Diagnostics, Waukesha, WI, USA). HPA genotyping results correlated with the genetic frequencies in the Taiwan population. A total of 34 newborns (77.3%) had partial HPA genotyping mismatches with the corresponding mothers. The most common partial mismatches between mothers and neonates in HPA genotypes were 13 (29.5%) in both HPA‐3b and HPA‐15a, followed by 12 (27.3%) in HPA‐15b, and 8 (18.2%) in HPA‐3a. The frequencies of homozygotic mother with heterozygotic neonate were 15.9% in both HPA‐3a and HPA‐15b, 9.1% in HPA‐15a, 6.8% in HPA‐3b, and 2.3% in both HPA‐2a and HPA‐6a. In this study, maternal HPA antibodies were found in five samples, whereas HLA class I antibodies were found in seven maternal plasma samples from the antibody screen. The results from this study have demonstrated that HPA mismatch is not the main cause for the production of HPA alloantibodies.
Jurassic paleogeography of the West Siberian sedimentary basin
Authors: Kontorovich A.E. , Kontorovich V.A. , Ryzhkova S.V. , Shurygin B.N. , Vakulenko L.G. , Gaideburova E.A. , Danilova V.P. , Kazanenkov V.A. , Kim N.S. , Kostyreva E.A. , Moskvin V.I. , Yan P.A.
Published: August 2013

Paleogeographic reconstruction of the West Siberian basin during the Jurassic is based on a variety of criteria used to evaluate the depositional environments (paleontological, sedimentological, geochemical, etc.). Extensive geochemical data on the hydrocarbon biomarkers in bitumen from organic matter are first used to constrain the depositional setting of this large region over a span of about 45 Myr. The study provides a detailed description of paleogeographic maps compiled for the main epochs of the Jurassic period with the reconstruction of paleorelief and differentiation of potential external and internal sources of terrigenous material. The paleogeographic reconstructions of the basin are considered with implications for the formation of regional seals and reservoir units. A special emphasis is given to interpretation of organic matter type and depositional setting of the major oil and gas source rocks. The study infers a paleogeographic control on the stratigraphic and areal distribution of hydrocarbon accumulations in the basin.
New data on the Upper Devonian biostratigraphy and sedimentology of Stolb Island (Lena River delta)
Authors: Yazikov A.Yu. , Izokh N.G. , Saraev S.V. , Bakharev N.K. , Gonta T.V. , Sobolev E.S.
Published: August 2013

The obtained new data on conodonts, brachiopods, ammonoids, and ostracods from the Stolb Island section indicate the predominantly Early Famennian (triangularis–Lower rhomboidea Zones) age of sedimentation. The Upper Kellwasser global biotic event, which marks the Frasnian/Famennian boundary, has been distinguished for Arctic Siberia for the first time. It was found that carbonate-terrigenous sequences accumulated in basinal sedimentary environments. Fine-clastic material was supplied to the sediments from different sources. A flow of dolomite debris is associated with the most distant source—areas of evaporite sedimentation. The presence of calcareous fragments is due to destruction of skeletal material (close provenance areas). Siliciclastics, which make up a considerable part of the sediments, were produced by partial rewashing and eolian differentiation of felsic pyroclastics. The existence of organic-rich horizons and beds of well-washed and well-sorted clastic sequences suggests that the Upper Devonian sediments have a high general petroleum potential.
Plate reconstructions in the Arctic region based on joint analysis of gravity, magnetic, and seismic anomalies
Authors: Koulakov I.Yu. , Gaina C. , Dobretsov N.L. , Vasilevsky A.N. , Bushenkova N.A.
Published: August 2013

Based on the analysis of various geophysical data, namely, free-air gravity anomalies, magnetic anomalies, upper mantle seismic tomography images, and topography/bathymetry maps, we single out the major structural elements in the Circum Arctic and present the reconstruction of their locations during the past 200 million years. The configuration of the magnetic field patterns allows revealing an isometric block, which covers the Alpha–Mendeleev Ridges and surrounding areas. This block of presumably continental origin is the remnant part of the Arctida Plate, which was the major tectonic element in the Arctic region in Mesozoic time. We believe that the subduction along the Anyui suture in the time period from 200 to 120 Ma caused rotation of the Arctida Plate, which, in turn, led to the simultaneous closure of the South Anyui Ocean and opening of the Canadian Basin. The rotation of this plate is responsible for extension processes in West Siberia and the northward displacement of Novaya Zemlya relative to the Urals–Taimyr orogenic belt. The cratonic-type North American, Greenland, and European Plates were united before 130 Ma. At the later stages, first Greenland was detached from North America, which resulted in the Baffin Sea, and then Greenland was separated from the European Plate, which led to the opening of the northern segment of the Atlantic Ocean. The Cenozoic stage of opening of the Eurasian Basin and North Atlantic Ocean is unambiguously reconstructed based on linear magnetic anomalies. The counter-clockwise rotation of North America by an angle of ~15° with respect to Eurasia and the right lateral displacement to 200–250 km ensure an almost perfect fit of the contours of the deep water basin in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
Historical-geological modeling of hydrocarbon generation in the Mesozoic–Cenozoic sedimentary basin of the Kara Sea (basin modeling)
Authors: Kontorovich A.E. , Burshtein L.M. , Malyshev N.A. , Safronov P.I. , Gus’kov S.A. , Ershov S.V. , Kazanenkov V.A. , Kim N.S. , Kontorovich V.A. , Kostyreva E.A. , Melenevskiy V.N. , Livshits V.R. , Polyakov A.A. , Skvortsov M.B.
Published: August 2013

Numerical models are developed to predict the generation, accumulation, and escape of hydrocarbons at the time of sediment accumulation (basin modeling) in the West Siberian geosyneclise during the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Cenozoic. A theoretical framework for such computer models is presented with a special emphasis on modeling of gas generation during early catagenesis. The study provides a description of the algorithm used for interpretation of simulation results and considers the stages of formation of a shale cap rock during lithogenesis. Peak oil generation began in the Aptian and continued for about 80 Myr until Eocene–Miocene times; gas generation in the late catagenetic window took place from the Valanginian to the Maastrichtian. Numerical simulations show that the major oil-prone source rocks in the South Kara kitchen area were, in the decreasing order of potential, the Bazhenovo (Yanov Stan), Kiterbyut, and Malyshevka Formations. The Upper Jurassic regional rock unit generated over 60% of liquid hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds (oils). The major gas-prone source rocks in the area were, in the decreasing order of potential, the Kiterbyut, Malyshevka, Alym, and Bazhenovo (Yanov Stan) Formations. The Lower and Middle Jurassic regional rock units generated about 65% of hydrocarbon gases. Results are presented to quantify the amount of hydrocarbons dissipated due to either the absence or poor effectiveness of confining seals and to explore the role of Cenozoic tectonic processes in the formation of petroleum accumulations in the basin.
Biomarkers and adamantanes in crude oils from Cenomanian deposits of northern West Siberia
Authors: Kashirtsev V.A. , Nesterov I.I. , Melenevskii V.N. , Fursenko E.A. , Kazakov M.O. , Lavrenov A.V.
Published: August 2013

Chromato-mass-spectrometric studies made it possible to identify a wide spectrum of hydrocarbon biomarkers in crude oils from Cenomanian pools of northern West Siberia (Russkoe, Pangodinskoe, Van-Eganskoe, Severo-Komsomol’skoe). The distribution pattern of the main hydrocarbon components (n-alkanes, acyclic isoprenanes, steranes, terpanes) shows that most of the oils underwent intense microbial oxidation. We have established high concentrations of 25-norhopanes typical of high-degree degradation; demethylated hopanes are also revealed in “alkane” crude oils. Among low-molecular chemofossils, bi- and tricyclic mono- and sesquiterpanes have been recognized, whose precursors are usually biomolecules synthesized by plants. Unsaturated precursors of mono- and sesquiterpanes might have been the starting material for thermocatalytical synthesis of framework adamantanoid structures, whose high concentrations have been found in alkane-free crude oils.
Organic geochemistry and petroleum potential of Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of the Yenisei–Khatanga regional trough
Authors: Kim N.S. , Rodchenko A.P.
Published: August 2013

We present results of geochemical studies of organic matter of the Jurassic–Cretaceous deposits in the west of the Yenisei–Khatanga regional trough. The studies were carried out on a representative set of well cores by a complex of modern organic-geochemistry methods (determination of organic-carbon content in rocks, pyrolysis, estimation of the carbon isotope composition in the kerogen of rocks, extraction, liquid and gas–liquid chromatography, and chromato-mass spectrometry). Based on the distribution of biomarkers in the studied bitumens and pyrolysis of rocks, two groups of the samples were recognized: with terrigenous (type III) and marine (type II) organic matter. The terrigenous bitumens are characterized by a low hydrogen index (HI) and a predominance of hydrocarbons C29 among steranes and C19 and C20 among tricyclanes. The marine bitumens, revealed in stratigraphic analogs of the Bazhenovo Formation and in the Malyshevka, Nizhnyaya Kheta, and Shuratovka Formations, show an even distribution of sterane homologues and a predominance of medium-molecular tricyclanes. The Pr/Ph and C35/C34 ratios and the presence of diahopanes testify to the burial of organic matter in suboxidizing sea coast environments. In the Yanov Stan (J3–K1), Gol’chikha (J2–K1), and, to a lesser extent, Malyshevka (J2), Nizhnyaya Kheta, and Shuratovka (K1) Formations, we have recognized widespread stratigraphic levels with marine organic matter of rocks. Its contents and degree of maturity permit these rocks to be considered oil-generating.
The Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic section of the Anabar–Lena province: structural framework, geological model, and petroleum potential
Authors: Kontorovich V.A. , Kontorovich A.E. , Gubin I.A. , Zoteev A.M. , Lapkovsky V.V. , Malyshev N.A. , Soloviev M.V. , Fradkin G.S.
Published: August 2013

Much work at A.A. Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (Novosibirsk) has been done to synthesize geological and geophysical data from the Siberian Arctic and Arctic shelf. Namely, seismic-geological modeling and petroleum potential assessment have been performed for the Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic section of the Anabar–Lena province in the northern Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The results include seismic-geological division, a set of structural maps, and structural, paleotectonic, and facies analysis. The study shows that Riphean, Vendian, Cambrian, and Permian sequences are of interest in terms of petroleum potential; oil and gas may accumulate in traps of different types.
A massive sensitive clay landslide, Quyon Valley, southwestern Quebec, Canada, and evidence for a paleoearthquake triggering mechanism
Authors: Brooks Gregory R.
Published: August 2013

A landslide debris field covering ~ 31 km2, the presence of large sediment blocks up to hundreds of meters long, and the exposure of deposits of a single landslide along the incised course of the Quyon River are evidence of a massive failure of sensitive Champlain Sea glaciomarine sediments along the lower Quyon Valley, southwestern Quebec, Canada. Seventeen radiocarbon ages indicate that the failure occurred between 980 and 1060 cal yr BP. Twenty-four additional radiocarbon ages reveal that nine landslides within a 65-km belt in the Quyon"Ottawa area also occurred at approximately this time. In combination, the contemporaneous occurrence of ten landslides between 980 and 1060 cal yr BP, the setting or morphology of five of the other failures, and the close proximity of two of the failures to the Quyon Valley landslide provide circumstantial evidence of a paleoearthquake-triggering mechanism. The paleoearthquake is estimated to be Mw ~ 6.1 or larger, with the epicenter within the West Quebec Seismic Zone. A common earthquake-triggering mechanism for the three largest landslides in eastern Canada suggests a close link between massive failures of sensitive glaciomarine sediments and the regional seismicity.
Public Health in the Field and the Emergency Operations Center: Methods for Implementing Real-Time Onsite Syndromic Surveillance at Large Public Events
Authors: Pogreba-Brown Kristen , McKeown Kyle , Santana Sarah , Diggs Alisa , Stewart Jennifer , Harris Robin B.
Published: August 2013

Objective

To develop an onsite syndromic surveillance system for the early detection of public health emergencies and outbreaks at large public events.

Methods

As the third largest public health jurisdiction in the United States, Maricopa County Department of Public Health has worked with academic and first-response partners to create an event-targeted syndromic surveillance (EVENTSS) system. This system complements long-standing traditional emergency department-based surveillance and provides public health agencies with rapid reporting of possible clusters of illness.

Results

At 6 high profile events, 164 patient reports were collected. Gastrointestinal and neurological syndromes were most commonly reported, followed by multisyndromic reports. Neurological symptoms were significantly increased during hot weather events. The interview rate was 2 to 7 interviews per 50 000 people per hour, depending on the ambient temperature.

Discussion

Study data allowed an estimation of baseline values of illness occurring at large public events. As more data are collected, prediction models can be built to determine threshold levels for public health response.

Conclusions

EVENTSS was conducted largely by volunteer public health graduate students, increasing the response capacity for the health department. Onsite epidemiology staff could make informed decisions and take actions quickly in the event of a public health emergency. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2013;0:1–8)
A new dietary strategy for long-term treatment of the metabolic syndrome is compared with the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines: the MEtabolic Syndrome REduction in NAvarra (RESMENA) project
Authors: de la Iglesia Rocio , Lopez-Legarrea Patricia , Abete Itziar , Bondia-Pons Isabel , Navas-Carretero Santiago , Forga Luis , Martinez J. Alfredo , Zulet M. Angeles
Published: August 2013

The long-term effects of dietary strategies designed to combat the metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain unknown. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a new dietary strategy based on macronutrient distribution, antioxidant capacity and meal frequency (MEtabolic Syndrome REduction in NAvarra (RESMENA) diet) for the treatment of the MetS when compared with the American Heart Association guidelines, used as Control. Subjects with the MetS (fifty-two men and forty-one women, age 49 (se1) years, BMI 36·11 (se0·5) kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of two dietary groups. After a 2-month nutritional-learning intervention period, during which a nutritional assessment was made for the participants every 15 d, a 4-month self-control period began. No significant differences were found between the groups concerning anthropometry, but only the RESMENA group exhibited a significant decrease in body weight ( − 1·7 %;P= 0·018), BMI ( − 1·7 %;P= 0·019), waist circumference ( − 1·8 %;P= 0·021), waist:hip ratio ( − 1·4 %;P= 0·035) and android fat mass ( − 6·9 %;P= 0·008). The RESMENA group exhibited a significant decrease in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentrations ( − 26·8 %;P= 0·008 and − 14·0 %;P= 0·018, respectively), while the Control group exhibited a significant increase in glucose (7·9 %;P= 0·011), AST (11·3 %;P= 0·045) and uric acid (9·0 %;P< 0·001) concentrations. LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations were increased (Control group: 34·4 %;P< 0·001 and RESMENA group: 33·8 %;P< 0·001), but interestingly so were the LDL-C:apoB ratio (Control group: 28·7 %;P< 0·001, RESMENA group: 17·1 %;P= 0·009) and HDL-cholesterol concentrations (Control group: 21·1 %;P< 0·001, RESMENA group: 8·7;P= 0·001). Fibre was the dietary component that most contributed to the improvement of anthropometry, while body-weight loss explained changes in some biochemical markers. In conclusion, the RESMENA diet is a good long-term dietary treatment for the MetS.
Traditional Jewish Sexual Practices and Their Possible Impact on Jewish Fertility and Demography
Authors: Marienberg Evyatar
Published: August 2013

Many religious traditions attempt to regulate the sexual practices of their members. Generally, their main tool for doing so is prescribing with whom one may or may not have intimate relations. Forbidden partners might include, for example, members of the same sex, relatives, or people of other religious and ethnic groups. Additional methods for defining how and when intimate relations are permissible are also not unheard of. For example, sexual relations using certain positions or occurring on certain days or hours or in certain places might be declared sinful. The three main Bible-related religious traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all have in their toolboxes these various regulatory instruments; many other religious groups use them as well.
“To Defer and Not to Hasten”: The Anabaptist and Baptist Appropriations of Tertullian's Baptismal Theology
Authors: Brewer Brian C.
Published: August 2013

Regardless of the historiographical arguments made over the course of the last century regarding the relationship between Baptists and Anabaptists in the seventeenth century, every historian of Christianity must concede at least a typological connection between the two movements. Seventeenth-century Baptists shared numerous theological convictions with their sixteenth-century forerunners, including the novel ideas of the separation of church and state, the freedom of the individual conscience, and a voluntary ecclesiology which restricted the practice of baptism and church membership to professing adult Christians. Historians have likewise noted that the two movements differed from their magisterial Protestant counterparts in that each viewed its movement as a restoration of the church to first-century practices rather than as a mere reformation of the church to some previous era of perceived relative purity which remained under the auspices of government.
Images of Empire, Imaging the Self: The Significance of the Imperial Statue Episode in theActs of Peter
Authors: Callon Callie
Published: August 2013

TheActs of Peter(hereafterActs Pet.) contains an account of the destruction of an imperial statue by an exorcised demon, a statue that is subsequently miraculously restored by its owner Marcellus with the help of prayer and the apostle Peter. Although scholars seldom examine this episode in significant detail, when they have addressed it, they have for the most part agreed that it is an indication of the anti-imperial stance of the text generally and an attack on the legitimacy of the imperial cult more specifically. This is perhaps not wholly surprising, given that the majority of the other apocryphal Acts of the apostles (hereafter AAA) do seem to exhibit this vein of hostility, and this corpus is often interpreted as something of a homogeneous whole.
Two new species of Roccellaceae (Ascomycota: Arthoniales) from Brazil, with the description of the new genus Sergipea
Authors: APTROOT André , ERTZ Damien , de LIMA Edvaneide Leandro , de JESUS Katia Almeida , MAIA Leonor Costa , CÁCERES Marcela Eugenia da Silva
Published: August 2013

The new lichen genus Sergipea M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot is described in the Roccellaceae, based on the new species Sergipea aurata M. Cáceres, Ertz & Aptroot from NE Brazil. The species was found in a remnant of Atlantic transition forest in Sergipe. It is similar in many respects to species of the genus Enterographa, but it is characterized by bright orange stromata, due to the presence of an anthraquinone, and a thallus with a somewhat byssoid hypothallus. Phylogenetically it is close to the genera Dichosporidium and Erythrodecton. The phylogenetic position of the generic type of Dichosporidium confirms the close relationship of the genus to Erythrodecton in the basal branch of the Roccellaceae. A new species of Enterographa is also described from NE Brazil. Enterographa rotundata E. L. Lima, M. Cáceres & Aptroot has solitary, round apothecia, which is unusual in this genus with mainly elongated apothecia or punctiform apothecia arranged in lines. It was found in Caatinga forest in Pernambuco.
Six new apotheciate species ofSticta(lichenized Ascomycota:Lobariaceae) from the Colombian Andes
Authors: MONCADA Bibiana , LÜCKING Robert , COCA Luis Fernando
Published: August 2013

As part of a phylogenetic and taxonomic revision of the lichenized genusStictain Colombia, six new species with apotheciate thalli but lacking vegetative propagules are described:Sticta atroandensisMoncada & Lücking sp. nov.,S. breviorMoncada & Lücking sp. nov.,S. lumbschianaMoncada & Lücking sp. nov.,S. macrocyphellataMoncada & Coca sp. nov.,S. parahumboldtiiMoncada & Lücking sp. nov., andS. pseudohumboldtiiMoncada & Lücking sp. nov. The last two are related toS. humboldtiibut phylogenetically distinct and differ in details of cyphellae morphology and spot reactions.Sticta atroandensisis similar toS. andensisbut has a dark lower tomentum, whereasS. breviorbelongs in theS. kunthiigroup, being characterized by mainly laminal apothecia with tomentose margins and a rather stout thallus. BothS. lumbschianaandS. macrocyphellataform part of theS. dilatatagroup and can be characterized by their lobe surface structure and cyphellae anatomy. Keys to species of theS. dilatataandS. humboldtiigroups are presented.
Domestic and CITES regulations controlling the international snake trade in China
Authors: Jiang Zhigang , Zhou Zhihua , Meng Zhibin , Meng Xianlin , Li Linlin , Ping Xiaoge , Zeng Yan , Mallon David P.
Published: August 2013

Trade records show that since the 1990s China has changed from a net exporting to a net importing country with respect to some species of snakes. Imports of snakes to China increased up to 2002, when the National Wildlife Management Authority imposed a suspension of international trade in snakes. We investigated the impact of the ban using the same methods as an earlier study of this trade for the period 1990–2001. We found that both imports and exports of snakes recorded in the CITES Trade Database and the Wild Animal and Plant International Trade Database of China have decreased markedly since 2004. The combination of national-level control measures and CITES regulations appear to have controlled the previously unsustainable utilization of snakes in China.
Linking brain to behavior for the visual perception of figures and objects
Authors: FESI JEREMY D. , MENDOLA JANINE D.
Published: August 2013

The dissociation of a figure from its background is an essential feat of visual perception, as it allows us to detect, recognize, and interact with shapes and objects in our environment. In order to understand how the human brain gives rise to the perception of figures, we here review experiments that explore the links between activity in visual cortex and performance of perceptual tasks related to figure perception. We organize our review according to a proposed model that attempts to contextualize figure processing within the more general framework of object processing in the brain. Overall, the current literature provides us with individual linking hypotheses as to cortical regions that are necessary for particular tasks related to figure perception. Attempts to reach a more complete understanding of how the brain instantiates figure and object perception, however, will have to consider the temporal interaction between the many regions involved, the details of which may vary widely across different tasks.
What are the long-term effects of treatment on survivors of childhood leukaemia? A review of the literature
Authors: Whitaker D. , Green D.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Key advances in cancer treatment have led to an increasing number of long-term cancer survivors. Knowledge of the long-term effects of cancer treatment on leukaemia survivors is to some degree limited. This article investigates the effects of the treatment of childhood leukaemia on the quality of life (QOL), the physical and the psychological wellbeing and general development of survivors. This article reviews current literature to examine existing gaps in knowledge and identify a potential focus of future research and clinical practice.

Materials and methods

Online systematic searching, along with historical searching took place in order to retrieve relevant primary research papers for the review. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to the literature, to create a manageable amount of research papers.

Results

The extent of intellectual impairment among radiotherapy patients was significantly greater than those treated with chemotherapy only. Body composition, including endocrine function, is readily affected by cancer treatment. Early identification and interventions can greatly improve the QOL of survivors.

Conclusion

Further research into the effect of treatment modality on the extent of chronic effects, along with investigations into the needs of the whole family unit, is required. Future practice must take into account long-term implications while ensuring effective holistic care.
The Spanish Legal Framework for Curbing the Public Debt and the Deficit
Authors: Almendral Violeta Ruiz
Published: August 2013

Constitutional reform in Spain – Budgetary stability – Debt and deficit limits – Fiscal Compact – Six Pack – Two Pack – Fiscal federalism – ‘State of autonomies’ – Financing of the autonomous communities – Adoption of an ‘internal stability pact’
Hic Sunt Nationes: The Elusive Limits of the EU Char ter and the German Constitutional Watchdog: Court of Justice of the European Union: Judgment of 26 February 2013, Case C-617/10 Åklagaren v. Hans Åkerberg Fransson
Authors: Fontanelli Filippo
Published: August 2013

In late February 2013, the ECJ handed down the Åkerberg Fransson preliminary ruling (Fransson), a ten-page decision which tackled the unresolved issue of the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter) to domestic measures. Notwithstanding the Advocate General's effort to investigate the theoretical foundations that legitimise this projection of the Charter upon state acts, the ECJ delivered a judgment which largely followed in the pattern of its own anodyne case-law on general principles. The judgment confirmed that the Swedish measures at stake – cumulating administrative and criminal penalties for tax evaders – ‘implemented’ EU law insofar as they contributed to the effective collection of VAT, one of the sources of the EU's budget. As a consequence, it is for the Swedish judge to check their compliance with the Charter's norm on ne bis in idem. This decision confirms that the Charter applies to national measures that do not transpose EU legislation and happen to fall within its scope only incidentally.

Regardless of the relative conservativeness of this finding, its implications are fated to displease member states and the reasoning of the Court was not compelling enough to prevent distinguishing and criticism. The first attack was promptly brought by the German Constitutional Court, which in its anti-terror database decision made clear that it subscribes only to a restrictive reading of Fransson and does not accept that the Charter applies to domestic measures whose objectives are set domestically, even if their purposes are shared by EU legislation.
Intraindividual Variability and Stability of Affect and Well-Being
Authors: Röcke Christina , Brose Annette
Published: August 2013

Whereas subjective well-being remains relatively stable across adulthood, emotional experiences show remarkable short-term variability, with younger and older adults differing in both amount and correlates. Repeatedly assessed affect data captures both the dynamics and stability as well as stabilization that may indicate emotion-regulatory processes. The article reviews (1) research approaches to intraindividual affect variability, (2) functional implications of affect variability, and (3) age differences in affect variability. Based on this review, we discuss how the broader literature on emotional aging can be better integrated with theories and concepts of intraindividual affect variability by using appropriate methodological approaches. Finally, we show how a better understanding of affect variability and its underlying processes could contribute to the long-term stabilization of well-being in old age.
Ncking BCR‐mediated PI3K activation
Authors: Cannons Jennifer L , Zhao Fang , Schwartzberg Pamela L
Published: August 2013

Nck has been recently shown to be a crucial regulator of B cell receptor (BCR) signaling and link it to PI3K pathways. Notably, this is independent from the known role of Nck in actin reorganization.
Experimental evaluation of regulated non‐linear under‐actuated mechanical systems via saturation‐functions‐based bounded control: the cart–pendulum system case
Authors: Soria‐López Alberto , Martínez‐García Juan Carlos , Aguilar‐Ibanez Carlos F
Published: August 2013

The authors are concerned in this study by bounded control of single input non‐linear under‐actuated mechanical systems. The authors focus the exposition on a feedback‐based stabilisation‐bounded control action shaped by saturation functions, and the proposed approach was illustrated via the design and the experimental evaluation of a simple stabilising controller for the cart–pendulum system, a well‐known control benchmark. The proposed simple control strategy is built around a lumped linear continuous time‐invariant description of the concerned under‐actuated non‐linear system. Namely, a model consisted of a cascade non‐linear dynamical system constituted by a chain of four integrators affected by a high‐order smooth non‐linear perturbation. Assuming initialisation of the under‐actuated system to the upper‐half plane, the proposed feedback‐based regulation design procedure involves the simultaneous combination of two control actions: one bounded linear and one bounded quasi‐linear. Control boundedness is provided in both involved control actions by specifically designed saturation functions. The first bounded control action brings the non‐actuated coordinate near to the upright position and keep it inside of a well characterised small vicinity, whereas the second bounded control action asymptotically brings the whole state of the dynamical system to the origin. The necessary closed‐loop stability analysis uses standard linear stability arguments as well as the traditional well‐known Lyapunov method and the LaSalle's invariance principle. The proposed control law ensures global stability of the closed‐loop system in the upper‐half plane.
Finite‐time fault‐tolerant control for rigid spacecraft with actuator saturations
Authors: Lu Kunfeng , Xia Yuanqing
Published: August 2013

This study investigates the finite‐time attitude‐tracking problem for rigid spacecraft. A novel non‐singular terminal sliding‐mode control (NTSMC) law is designed to provide finite‐time convergence and fast, high control precision even though inertia uncertainties and external disturbances affect the spacecraft systems under actuator failures and saturations. The proposed NTSMC scheme is chattering suppression and singularity‐free. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Explicit solutions to the matrix equation EXF  − AX  = C
Authors: Wu Ai‐Guo
Published: August 2013

The matrix equation E X F  − AX  = C is investigated in this study, and three approaches are provided to solve this equation. The first approach is to transform it into a real matrix equation with the help of real representation of complex matrices. In the second approach, the solution is given in terms of characteristic polynomial of a constructed matrix pair. In the third approach, the solution can be neatly expressed in terms of controllability matrices and observability matrices. By specialising the obtained solutions of E X F  − AX  = C, some new expressions of the generalised Sylvester matrix equations are also provided.
Exponential synchronisation of united complex dynamical networks with multi‐links via adaptive periodically intermittent control
Authors: Li Ning , Sun Haiyi , Jing Xin , Zhang Qingling
Published: August 2013

Based on a method of network split according to the different nature of time‐delay, the model of the united directed complex networks with multi‐links are established. The exponential synchronisation of this model via adaptive periodically intermittent control is further investigated in this study. Via the Lyapunov stability theory combined with the method of the adaptive control, pinning control and periodically intermittent control, some novel and simple criteria are derived for the global exponential synchronisation of the complex dynamical networks with multi‐links, and the derived results are less conservative. Several corresponding adaptive feedback synchronisation controllers, pinning controllers and impulsive controllers are designed, respectively. The restriction on the control width and the time delay are removed. This leads to a larger application scope for this method. Using chaotic system as the nodes of the networks, some numerical examples of the united directed complex networks with multi‐links and delayed complex networks are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control strategies, respectively.
Passivity and passification of T–S fuzzy descriptor systems with stochastic perturbation and time delay
Authors: Han Chunsong , Wu Ligang , Shi Peng , Zeng Qingshuang
Published: August 2013

This study is concerned with the passivity and passification problems for Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy descriptor systems subject to stochastic perturbation and time‐varying delay. The stochastic disturbance is given in the form of one‐dimensional Brownian motion and the delay is assumed to be time‐varying and differentiable. By utilising the Lyapunov functional method and the stochastic analysis techniques, a delay‐dependent criterion is presented to ensure that the considered system is regular, impulse‐free, asymptotically stable in the mean‐square sense and passive in the sense of expectation. Then, based on this criterion, two procedures are proposed for designing state‐feedback controller, which guarantee the resulting closed‐loop system admissible and passive in the sense of expectation. All conditions are cast in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, two illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed results.
Optimised speed profile design of a vehicle platoon considering road inclinations
Authors: Németh Balázs , Gáspár Péter
Published: August 2013

This study focuses on the design of a platoon control system which takes into consideration safe travel by using the string stability theorem and the knowledge of the inclinations of the road along the route of the platoon. By choosing the speed of the platoon fitting in with the inclinations of the road the number of unnecessary accelerations and brakings can be reduced, thus so can the operations of the actuators of the vehicles, that is, the driveline and the brake system. Although the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicles is formulated in a linear control‐oriented model, the non‐linear performance of the road inclinations and safety requirements based on the string stability are taken into consideration. The design of the platoon control is based on the robust H∞ control theory.
ℋ2‐matrix‐based fast volume integral equation solver for electrodynamic analysis
Authors: Omar Saad , Jiao Dan
Published: August 2013

An ℋ2‐matrix‐based mathematical framework is introduced and further developed to reduce the computational complexity of the volume integral equation (VIE)‐based analysis of electrodynamic problems. Numerical experiments have demonstrated a significant reduction in CPU time and memory consumption. A linear scaling with respect to matrix size in both CPU time and memory is achieved for small and medium‐sized electrodynamic problems with an interpolation‐based ℋ2‐representation of the VIE operator in conjunction with a rank function for accuracy control. The proposed solver is applicable to arbitrarily shaped three‐dimensional structures immersed in inhomogeneous materials.