bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Ecological Niche Modelling to Predict Spatial and Temporal Distribution Patterns in Chinese Gibbons: Lessons from the Present and the Past
Authors: Chatterjee H.J. , Tse J.S.Y. , Turvey S.T.
Published: October 2012

Ecological niche modelling (ENM) is used to predict species’ tolerance to changing environmental conditions. Understanding changes in the spatial distribution of species across time is essential in order to develop effective conservation strategies. Here we map the past and present distribution of gibbons across China, a country experiencing extensive anthropogenic habitat destruction and ongoing biodiversity loss. The distribution of gibbons across three time intervals is described based on fossil, historical and modern-day data, and ENM, implemented using DIVA-GIS, is used to predict how modern-day gibbon distributions might respond to future climate change. Predictions based on modern-day data alone fail to reveal patterns of environmental tolerance and geographical distribution shown by gibbons in the relatively recent historical period, emphasizing the need to incorporate past as well as present data in conservation analyses.
Cytogenetic Study in a Mutant of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Carrying a Spontaneous Autosomal Fusion and an Extra Chromosome
Authors: Poggio M.G. , Gaspe M.S. , Papeschi A.G. , Bressa M.J.
Published: October 2012

Triatomainfestans (2n = 20 A + XY, male) is a blood-sucking bug and the most important vector of Chagas disease in the Southern Cone countries. A cytogenetic analysis of 14 individuals from the Argentine Gran Chaco has revealed the presence of a naturally heterozygous for an autosomal fusion. The fusion heterozygote (2n = 19 A + 1 extra chromosome + XY, male) presented an autosomal trivalent, 8 bivalents, the X and Y sex univalents, and a minute extra chromosome at meiosis I. The autosomal trivalent divided equationally at first anaphase. At metaphase II, cells had 8 autosomes, X and Y sex chromosomes, and an autosomal pseudo-trivalent composed by 3 different-sized chromatids. The orientation of this pseudo-trivalent led to a reductional segregation. The meiotic behaviour of this new chromosome complement was highly regular. The extra chromosome did not affect the segregation of autosomes and sex chromosomes during both meiotic divisions. We propose that the extra chromosome was originated as a product of an autosomal fusion, and it might become a B chromosome. Many authors suggest that karyotype evolution in Heteroptera has proceeded mainly by fusions and fragmentations. The fact that this rearrangement has been found in a natural population of T. infestans and that it shows a regular meiotic behaviour seems to support the suggested hypothesis.
Variation in Warfarin Dose Adjustment Practice Is Responsible for Differences in the Quality of Anticoagulation Control Between Centers and Countries
Authors: Van Spall Harriette G.C. , Wallentin Lars , Yusuf Salim , Eikelboom John W. , Nieuwlaat Robby , Yang Sean , Kabali Conrad , Reilly Paul A. , Ezekowitz Michael D. , Connolly Stuart J.
Published: October 2012

Background—

The outcome of atrial fibrillation patients on warfarin partially depends on maintaining adequate time in therapeutic International Normalized Ratio range (TTR). Large differences in TTR have been reported between centers and countries. The association between warfarin dosing practice, TTR, and clinical outcomes was evaluated in Randomized Evaluation of Long-term Anticoagulation Therapy (RE-LY) trial patients receiving warfarin.

Methods and Results—

RE-LY provided an algorithm for warfarin dosing, recommending no change for in-range, and 10% to 15% weekly dose changes for out-of-range International Normalized Ratio values. We determined whether dose adjustments were consistent with algorithm recommendations but could not verify whether providers used the algorithm. Using multilevel regression models to adjust for patient, center, and country characteristics, we assessed whether algorithm-consistent warfarin dosing could predict patient TTR and the composite outcome of stroke, systemic embolism, or major hemorrhage. We included 6022 nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients from 912 centers in 44 countries. We found a strong association between the proportion of algorithm-consistent warfarin doses and mean country TTR (
R
2
=0.65). The degree of algorithm-consistency accounted for 87% of the between-center and 55% of the between-country TTR variation. Each 10% increase in center algorithm-consistent dosing independently predicted a 6.12% increase in TTR (95% confidence interval, 5.65–6.59) and an 8% decrease in rate of the composite clinical outcome (hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.85–1.00).

Conclusions—

Adherence, intentional or not, to a simple warfarin dosing algorithm predicts improved TTR and accounts for considerable TTR variation between centers and countries. Systems facilitating algorithm-based warfarin dosing could optimize anticoagulation quality and improve clinical outcomes in atrial fibrillation on a global scale.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00262600.
Reversal of Vascular Macrophage Accumulation and Hypertension by a CCR2 Antagonist in Deoxycorticosterone/Salt-Treated Mice
Authors: Chan Christopher T. , Moore Jeffrey P. , Budzyn Klaudia , Guida Elizabeth , Diep Henry , Vinh Antony , Jones Emma S. , Widdop Robert E. , Armitage James A. , Sakkal Samy , Ricardo Sharon D. , Sobey Christopher G. , Drummond Grant R.
Published: October 2012

Infiltration of macrophages into the artery wall plays detrimental roles during hypertension by promoting vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, and it occurs via a chemo-attractant action of chemokines on macrophage cytokine receptors. We sought to identify the key chemokine receptors associated with macrophage infiltration into the vascular wall during deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)/salt-induced hypertension in mice and to evaluate the impact of pharmacological inhibition of these receptors on blood pressure and leukocyte accumulation. Mice treated with DOCA/salt for 21 days displayed markedly elevated systolic blood pressure (158±2 versus 114±5 mm Hg in sham group;
P
<0.0001). Polymerase chain reaction screening via a gene array of 20 chemokine receptors indicated an increased expression of CCR2 in aortas of DOCA/salt-treated mice. Real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed mRNA upregulation of CCR2 in aortas from DOCA/salt-treated animals and of the CCR2 ligands CCL2, CCL7, CCL8, and CCL12 (all >2-fold versus sham;
P
<0.05). Flow cytometry revealed 2.9-fold higher macrophage numbers (ie, CD45
+
CD11b
+
F4/80
+
cells) in the aortic wall of DOCA/salt versus sham-treated mice. Intervention with a CCR2 antagonist, INCB3344 (30 mg/kg per day, IP), 10 days after the induction of hypertension with DOCA/salt treatment, reduced the aortic expression of CCR2 mRNA and completely reversed the DOCA/salt-induced influx of macrophages. Importantly, INCB3344 substantially reduced the elevated blood pressure in DOCA/salt-treated mice. Hence, our findings highlight CCR2 as a promising therapeutic target to reduce both macrophage accumulation in the vascular wall and blood pressure in hypertension.
Religion and Coalition Politics
Authors: Birnir Jóhanna Kristín , Satana Nil S.
Published: October 2012

The literature holds that coalition-building parties prefer the policy distance of coalition partners to be as small as possible. In light of continued importance of religion in electoral politics cross-nationally, the distance argument is worrisome for minorities seeking political access because many minorities are of different religion than the majority representatives forming coalitions. The authors suggest plurality parties’ objectives to demonstrate inclusiveness outweigh the concern over policy distance. They test their hypotheses on a sample of all electorally active ethnic minorities in democracies from 1945 to 2004. The authors find support for their hypothesis that ethnic parties representing minorities that diverge in religious family from the majority are more likely to be included in governing coalitions than are ethnic minorities at large. It is interesting, however, that they also find that minority parties representing ethnic groups that differ in denomination from the majority are less likely to be included in governing coalitions.
Party-System Nationalization and the Scope of Public Policy
Authors: Crisp Brian F. , Olivella Santiago , Potter Joshua D.
Published: October 2012

Party-system nationalization is supposed to result in the provision of nationally focused policy, including spending priorities with widespread benefits. Conversely, democracies characterized by parties with geographically narrower patterns of support are suspected of parochial policies, including targetable spending. The authors show that party-system nationalization alone is not sufficient to generate national benefits. In addition, governing parties’ constituents must be similar across districts. Nationalization can occur because parties are making the same appeal to similar constituents across different electoral districts, but it can also occur because parties are skillfully tailoring different appeals to diverse constituencies across districts. In the latter case, the authors expect to see the targeted spending priorities typically associated with party systems that are not nationalized. The authors test for the conditional effect of party-system nationalization in 36 elections across 20 countries using a Bayesian multinomial model and find support for their reasoning regarding the importance of cross-district constituency similarity.
Rethinking the Hawthorne Studies: The Western Electric research in its social, political and historical context
Authors: Hassard John S
Published: October 2012

In primary accounts of the Hawthorne Studies (1924–32), the host organization, Western Electric, is treated as a largely anonymous actor. Through case-based historical research we find such treatment masks the distinctive profile of the company in the years preceding and encompassing the Hawthorne investigations. Besides its significant industrial standing, when Western’s reputation for welfare capitalism is considered alongside a tragedy that galvanizes its Hawthorne workforce, the company emerges as an iconic manufacturer with a singular cultural inheritance. Unlike previous retrospective studies, this research explains a range of social and political factors that shaped the Hawthorne Works at this time. In particular, it describes how an ostensibly ‘human relations’ philosophy had been espoused at Western prior to Elton Mayo’s arrival in 1928, but that this outwardly ‘progressive’ ethos was underpinned by hard-edged paternalism and tough-minded anti-unionism. Later, during the 1930s, an increasingly challenging organizational climate developed at Western as a result of the Great Depression coupled with exigent AT&T policies. Findings from this research can be contrasted with ‘enlightenment’ or ‘revelatory’ narratives on Hawthorne as expressed in management textbooks. The article offers, at once, fresh insights into the history of Western Electric and new interpretations of the Harvard-influenced research conducted therein.
Breaches of past promises, current job alternatives, and promises of future idiosyncratic deals: Three-way interaction effects on organizational commitment
Authors: Ng Thomas WH , Feldman Daniel C
Published: October 2012

This article examines the three-way interaction effect of breaches of past promises, current job alternatives, and promises of future idiosyncratic deals on affective organizational commitment. Specifically, we posit that the negative relationship between breaches of past promises and affective organizational commitment is strongest when employees are promised idiosyncratic deals in the future and when they perceive that few job alternatives are currently available elsewhere. Data collected from 196 managers at two points in time over a one-year period support the proposed three-way interaction effect. This article highlights the importance of differentiating fulfillment of past contract obligations from promises of future idiosyncratic deals in further research on psychological contract breaches.
Oral Health Disparities and the Future Face of America
Authors: Ebersole J.L. , D’Souza R. , Gordon S. , Fox C.H.
Published: October 2012

The 4th Annual AADR Fall Focused Symposium (FFS), “Oral Health Disparities Research and the Future Face of America”, took place on November 3-4, 2011 in Washington, DC. The FFS strategy was developed by the AADR to help provide additional opportunities for members to engage in research discussions during the year by identifying specific research topics of interest among the 21 Scientific Groups and 4 Networks of the IADR and targeting a focused topic area for the FFS. The conference attracted an international group of approximately 120 registrants, including participants from Canada, India, Mexico, and China; 4 oral sessions and 32 poster presentations were offered.
Gender Matters in Social Polarisation: Comparing Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei
Authors: Tai Po-Fen
Published: October 2012

This paper focuses on a relatively overlooked aspect of social polarisation in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taipei: its gender implications. The transformation of these cities, from industrial to post-industrial cities, has been accompanied by a transition from Chinese patriarchal society to modern society. A dual gendered structure is emerging—a regime of labour intimacy (RLI) under state regulations and a technomuscular capitalism (TMC), presenting itself as a competitive labour market. Migrant workers are introduced to compensate for the loss of household labour, but the wage gap between them and their local counterparts may be controlled. The occupational segmentation and income disparity between men and women are improving because of the upgrade of women’s status. The model of bound RLIs and open TMCs emphasises a more contextually situated construction in which state migration policies and changing gender status play an intermediate role in the division of labour between work and home.
The Evolution of Internal IT Applications and e-Government Studies in Public Administration
Authors: Moon M. Jae , Lee Jooho , Roh Chul-Young
Published: October 2012

This study reviews research themes and methods used in information technology (IT) in government and e-government research. Although IT/e-government studies (including inward aspects of IT applications in government and e-government studies) continue to increase, they are not comprehensively understood as a subfield within public administration. Based on Rosenbloom’s three competing approaches to public administration (managerial, political, and legal), we investigated the major research themes of IT/e-government studies in public administration. We analyzed 248 IT/e-government articles published in six major public administration journals from 1965 to 2010 to examine IT/e-government research trends in terms of research themes and methods.
Identity Crises in Love and at Work
Authors: Andersson Matthew A.
Published: October 2012

Using the 2004 General Social Survey (N = 453), the identity stress process is investigated in terms of crises in intimate relationships and at the workplace. I discuss dispositional optimism as a psychological resource that is relatively independent of the situation and the self, making it ideal for structurally disadvantaged actors and for navigating crises that diminish self-based personal resources such as self-esteem. Consistent with this logic, dispositional optimism was associated with increases in self-esteem and self-rated health net of emotional stability; its effect on these outcomes intensified around the time of relationship crises and was stronger for women than for men. Moreover, optimism was more vital to self-rated health than self-esteem during either type of crisis, suggesting it may be a uniquely durable psychological resource in the stress process.
Public policy futures: A Left trilemma?
Authors: Taylor-Gooby Peter
Published: October 2012

Why is it so hard for the Left to produce a coherent, progressive and practicable response to the crisis, when markets and private enterprise have so obviously failed? One answer is that the Left faces a trilemma in developing adequate, electable and progressive public policy. It must respond adequately to the economic crisis to be seen as competent, it must address the established themes in public opinion to be electable, and it must develop generous and inclusive policies, to be progressive. This article identifies conflicts in all three areas: low public sector productivity growth and demographic shifts tighten already harsh spending constraints. Entrenched public suspicions of higher taxes for any but the distant rich and a public discourse which makes rigid distinctions between those deserving and undeserving of state welfare conflict with egalitarian or redistributive policies. Both spending constraints and the key themes in public opinion conflict with generous and inclusive policies. The Coalition strategy, by contrast, rests on a private enterprise-led recovery, work-ethic values and policies that exclude less deserving groups. It does not face the same problems. This article analyses a range of policy programmes suggested by commentators on the centre-left in the light of these points. It concludes that a central task for a progressive strategy is not so much designing the policies which will be attractive and will meet needs effectively as developing a framework of provision which will help to build solidarity and shift public discourse in order to make inclusive and generous policy possible.
Family Medicine’s Waltz With Systems
Authors: Downing Raymond
Published: October 2012

Family Medicine first formally confronted systems thinking with the adoption of the biopsychosocial model for understanding disease in a holistic manner; this is a description of a natural system. More recently, Family Medicine has been consciously engaged in developing itself as a system for delivering health care, an artificial system. We make this new system available to all people, whether sick or well, offering to manage not just their diseases, but their lives. However, a major difference between natural and artificial systems is that natural systems have smooth feedback loops to ensures homeostasis, whereas artificial systems do not. They can only adjust themselves by disruptive adaptive and renewal cycles. Further, Family Medicine aspires to base its creation of this artificial system on the key principles of Family Medicine - continuity, comprehensiveness, and compassionate care in the context of family and community. However, there are another set of principles driving the modern Family Medicine system of healthcare, principles that function like the hidden curriculum of medical education. These principles - risk thinking, health as a commodity, and individual responsibility - are part of a deeper current within healthcare called by some biomedicalization. On closer analysis, many of these characteristics are intimately tied with liberal economies that must grow. Yet this economic system is an artificial system that lacks feedback. It is imperative that we in Family Medicine reexamine our commitment to developing artificial systems.
Tensor-voting-based navigation for robotic inspection of 3D surfaces using lidar point clouds
Authors: Stumm E , Breitenmoser A , Pomerleau F , Pradalier C , Siegwart R
Published: October 2012

This paper describes a solution to robot navigation on curved 3D surfaces. The navigation system is composed of three successive subparts: a perception and representation, a path planning, and a control subsystem. The environment structure is modeled from noisy lidar point clouds using a tool known as tensor voting. Tensor voting propagates structural information from points within a point cloud in order to estimate the saliency and orientation of surfaces or curves found in the environment. A specialized graph-based planner establishes connectivities between robot states iteratively, while considering robot kinematics as well as structural constraints inferred by tensor voting. The resulting sparse graph structure eliminates the need to generate an explicit surface mesh, yet allows for efficient planning of paths along the surface, while remaining feasible and safe for the robot to traverse. The control scheme eventually transforms the path from 3D space into 2D space by projecting movements into local surface planes, allowing for 2D trajectory tracking. All three subparts of our navigation system are evaluated on simulated as well as real data. The methods are further implemented on the MagneBike climbing robot, and validated in several physical experiments related to the scenario of industrial inspection for power plants.
Heterogeneity in Drug Abuse Among Juvenile Offenders
Authors: Montgomery Katherine L. , Vaughn Michael G. , Thompson Sanna J. , Howard Matthew O.
Published: October 2012

Research on juvenile offenders has largely treated this population as a homogeneous group. However, recent findings suggest that this at-risk population may be considerably more heterogeneous than previously believed. This study compared mixture regression analyses with standard regression techniques in an effort to explain how known factors such as distress, trauma, and personality are associated with drug abuse among juvenile offenders. Researchers recruited 728 juvenile offenders from Missouri juvenile correctional facilities for participation in this study. Researchers investigated past-year substance use in relation to the following variables: demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age, familial use of public assistance), antisocial behavior, and mental illness symptoms (psychopathic traits, psychiatric distress, and prior trauma). Results indicated that standard and mixed regression approaches identified significant variables related to past-year substance use among this population; however, the mixture regression methods provided greater specificity in results. Mixture regression analytic methods may help policy makers and practitioners better understand and intervene with the substance-related subgroups of juvenile offenders.
Examining the Roles of Victim–Perpetrator Relationship and Emotional Closeness in Judgments Toward a Depicted Child Sexual Abuse Case
Authors: Davies Michelle , Patel Fehmida , Rogers Paul
Published: October 2012

The current study investigated the impact that respondent gender, victim–perpetrator relationship, and the level of emotional closeness had on attributions in a hypothetical child sexual abuse case. A total of 160 university students read a hypothetical scenario depicting a female child sexually abused by an adult male. The perpetrator was either the victim’s biological father or her stepfather, with this relationship described as being either emotionally close or emotionally distant. Respondents read one of four (2 victim–perpetrator relationship × 2 emotional closeness) scenarios before completing 26 attribution items pertaining to credibility, blame, and severity. Principle components analysis yielded five factors, namely victim credibility, mother culpability, perpetrator culpability, assault severity, and victim culpability. Multivariate analysis of covariance—controlling for respondent (Caucasian vs. non-Caucasian) ethnicity—revealed, as predicted, significant main effects for respondent gender, victim–perpetrator relationship, and emotional closeness. In general, females assigned more provictim/ antiperpetrator/antimother attributions than males. Results were also suggested that both victim–perpetrator relationship and emotional closeness influence attributions made toward the victim, perpetrator, and nonoffending mother. Methodological issues and suggestions for future work are also discussed.
Bonuses Don’t Matter . . . in a High-Performance Organization
Authors: Waal André de
Published: October 2012

Ever since the financial scandals that rocked the business world and the worldwide financial crisis that followed, the debate on the effects of bonuses and the role of reward systems has divided academics and practitioners alike. On one side are the proponents of bonuses, who state that monetary rewards increase productivity and organizational performance. On the other side are the opponents, who state that bonuses create higher pay inequality with as result greater manager and employee turnover, with less than desirable long-term effects. In the polemic between proponents and opponents, a key question regarding bonuses is often overlooked: How important is handing out bonuses for an organization to become and stay successful for a longer period of time? This question can be answered by studying the results of research into the characteristics of high-performance organizations.
Practical notes on rotordynamics of power generation trains
Authors: Almasi Amin
Published: October 2012

The purpose of this article is to provide new practical guidelines on rotordynamics and stability analysis of power generation trains. Latest methods, modern recommendations, recent lesson learned and new practical notes on power generation machinery rotordynamics are presented. Critical areas relative to safety and reliability of power generation machine design and component selection including the bearing dynamic effects, the rotordynamics study/modelling methods, the third party analysis, the gear unit dynamic and potential instability sources are discussed. The main concern is the correct design and dynamic study of a power generation train before the equipment fabrication and the component sub-supply started and for some issues even before the train order. Case studies are also presented.
A Comparative Theoretical Examination of Troublesome Adolescents in Germany and Bosnia-Herzegovina
Authors: Winfree L. Thomas
Published: October 2012

This article explores the reasons for joining and staying in youth-oriented groups offered by 13 to 16 year-old adolescents residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Germany, all surveyed as part of two separate school-based youth and violence studies that used the same questionnaire and data collection protocol. The 1,785 youths included in the current analysis self-identified as members of one of three types of youth groups: noncriminal youth group, crime-involved youth group, and street-oriented youth gang, the latter defined by the Eurogang definition. Besides looking at why they joined their respective groups and how they benefitted from membership in them, the current study explores the ties between membership and measures drawn from self-control theory, bonding, and social learning theories, plus the collective influence of these variables on the level of delinquency attributed by the youths to their respective groups. The implications of the findings for both cross-national tests of theory and antigang policies are discussed.
Examining the Role of Personal Identification With the Leader in Leadership Effectiveness
Authors: Zhu Weichun , Wang Gang , Zheng Xiaoming , Liu Taoxiong , Miao Qing
Published: October 2012

Although much research has been done on employee collective identification with the organization and the work unit, the role of followers’ personal identification with the leader in followers’ work outcomes has not been fully examined. Drawing on research on transformational leadership and social identity theory, the authors examined a partial nomological network of personal identification with the leader and its mediating effects. Results show that transformational leadership was positively related to personal identification with the leader, which was significantly associated with followers’ innovativeness, affective organizational commitment, and turnover intention. In addition, personal identification with the leader significantly mediated the relationships of transformational leadership with followers’ affective organizational commitment and turnover intention. Although personal identification with the leader did not significantly mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and followers’ work outcomes, transformational leaders might indirectly increase followers’ innovativeness through gaining followers’ personal identification.
The Psychometric Properties of the Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET)
Authors: Steed Elizabeth A. , Webb Mi-young L.
Published: October 2012

This report documents the reliability and validity of scores on the Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET), an assessment used to measure program-wide implementation of the universal level of positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS) in early childhood settings. Initial analyses of descriptive statistics, item, subscale, and total correlations and tests of internal consistency reveal that the PreSET meets or exceeds basic psychometric criteria for measurement tools used in research. The PreSET had strong subscale intercorrelations, high interobserver agreement, positive correlations to conceptually related subscales on the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool, and sensitivity to implementation change. Overall, the PreSET demonstrates strong promise as a tool that generates reliable and valid scores to use in the assessment of program-wide implementation of universal PBIS in early learning environments.
Multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases: what we know and what we would need to know!
Authors: Alkhawajah Mona M , Caminero Ana B , Freeman Hugh J , Oger Joel JF
Published: October 2012

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) but the causes have not been defined. The disease process appears to involve interplay between environmental factors and certain susceptibility genes. It is likely that the identification of the exact etiological mechanisms will permit the development of preventive and curative treatments. Evaluation of several diseases found to be more often associated than by chance alone may reveal clues to the etiology of those disorders. An association between MS and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) was suggested by the observation of an increased incidence of IBD among MS patients. A problem in the interpretation of the data rests, in part, with the observation that abnormal findings in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be reported as MS in IBD patients. Defining the limits between incidental MRI findings and findings compatible with MS has resulted in further exploration of this possible association.
A non-randomised trial of an art therapy intervention for patients with haematological malignancies to support post-traumatic growth
Authors: Singer Susanne , Götze Heide , Buttstädt Marianne , Ziegler Corinna , Richter Robert , Brown Anna , Niederwieser Dietger , Dorst Jana , Jäkel Nadja , Geue Kristina
Published: October 2012

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of art therapy on post-traumatic growth in patients with haematological malignancies in a non-randomised trial ( n = 36, intervention group; n = 129, control group). Art therapy was administered over a period of 22 weeks in small groups. Post-traumatic growth was measured with the Stress-Related Growth Scale. After controlling for the effect of potential confounders, no difference in post-traumatic growth was observed between the intervention and control groups after 22 weeks. There was no evidence for an effect of weekly group sessions with art therapy on post-traumatic growth in patients with haematological malignancies.
The importance of illness perceptions, quality of life and psychological status in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease
Authors: Rochelle Tina L , Fidler Helen
Published: October 2012

The present study investigates illness perceptions of inflammatory bowel disease patients in an outpatient population, examining whether these illness perceptions are related to disease severity, quality of life and psychological adjustment. A cohort of 102 inflammatory bowel disease outpatients was prospectively enrolled on the study. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing illness perceptions, anxiety, depression and disease-specific symptoms. The study has identified specific illness perceptions of inflammatory bowel disease sufferers that are strongly associated with patients’ quality of life. By raising and addressing these issues, clinicians may be able to allay these significant and often unexpressed concerns, and improve quality of life for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Web campaigning in the 2009 European Parliament elections: A cross-national comparative analysis
Authors: Vergeer Maurice , Hermans Liesbeth , Cunha Carlos
Published: October 2012

Political communication has transformed drastically since the Internet made its way into the political arena. Political parties seem unable to do without a website or a social networking profile any longer, particularly in election campaigns. One of the many approaches to studying online political communication is measuring specific website features political parties, politicians and candidates utilize in order to engage visitors in the political process. Even though the analysis of online political communication has evolved over the years, website-feature analysis is still a valid instrument to study political actors. The explanations sought to understand website-feature utilization are found in earlier cross-national comparative studies (technological and human development) as well as new ones (political systems characteristics, ideology, participation and engagement). This study looks back on two prior cross-national comparative research projects and reports on a cross-national comparative analysis of 1026 candidate and party websites from 17 countries participating in the European Parliament (EP) elections of 2009. To analyze these data, some methodological improvements are made compared to earlier studies.
I consent: An analysis of the Cookie Directive and its implications for UK behavioral advertising
Authors: McStay Andrew
Published: October 2012

This paper assesses implications for the practical and theoretical understanding of consent in light of the coming into force of the European Cookie Directive (2009/136/EC). This Directive shifts behavioral advertising from being an opt-out practice to an opt-in one requiring consent. The aim of this paper is to assess conceptions of consent as detailed by the European Article 29 Data Protection Working Party, the UK government and the behavioral advertising industry. This is achieved through the application of philosophical understandings of consent generated in the first half of the paper that detail the ways in which these have been applied in health, an area that deals extensively with informed consent. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to behavioral advertisers on how best to implement opt-in consent policies so as to progress to ethically sound privacy practices.
High speed machining induced residual stresses in Grade 5 titanium alloy
Authors: Madyira DM , Laubscher RF , van Rensburg N Janse , Henning PFJ
Published: October 2012

The surface and near surface residual stress state induced by machining may have a significant effect on the structural integrity of some important mechanical components. This article describes an experimental investigation of this stress state during high speed machining of Grade 5 titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). The size and depth of the stress field is evaluated by non-contact probing measurement techniques as a function of cutting speed (70–200 m/min) and depth of cut (0.25–1.0 mm). X-ray diffraction and synchrotron energy dispersive diffraction are used to evaluate the surface (X-ray diffraction) and sub-surface (energy dispersive diffraction) residual stress fields. The results indicate that both techniques may be successfully employed to evaluated machining induced residual stress fields and that the energy dispersive diffraction method is eminently suitable for probe depths up to 100 µm in Grade 5. The results clearly indicated that significant residual stresses are introduced during machining both at conventional and high cutting speeds. The stresses are largely compressive and aligned with the main cutting direction for both rough and finish cuts. The results also show that the residual stress level is a strong function of the cutting speed. The overall stress level effectively becomes more tensile but also decreases with increasing cutting speed.
Fermentation Product of Soybean, Black Bean, and Green Bean Mixture Induces Apoptosis in a Wide Variety of Cancer Cells
Authors: Chia Jean-San , Du Jia-Ling , Wu Ming-Shiou , Hsu Wei-Bin , Chiang Chun-Pin , Sun Andy , Lu John Jenn-Yenn , Wang Won-Bo
Published: October 2012

Previous studies have shown that soybean fermentation products can act as cancer chemoprevention or therapeutic agents. In this study, the anticancer activities of a fermentation product of soybean, black bean, and green bean mixture (BN999) were investigated. We found that BN999 inhibited the growth of human breast cancer AU565 cells and prostate adenocarcinoma PC-3 cells but not that of normal human cells. BN999 induced apoptosis in various human cancer cells but not in normal human cells. BN999 treatment of AU565 cancer cells resulted in activation of calpain and caspase-8, -9, and -3, suggesting that BN999 induces apoptosis via receptor-, mitochondria-, and endoplasmic reticulum–mediated pathways. Finally, we showed that BN999 inhibited the growth of mouse CT-26 colon cancer xenografts in syngenic BALB/c mice without causing obvious side effects. Together, these data suggest that BN999 has potential to be used as a cancer chemoprevention or therapeutic agent.
Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism Caused by an Intravascular Synovial Sarcoma of the Common Femoral Vein
Authors: Schoneveld J. M. , Debing E. , Verfaillie G. , Geers C. , Van den Brande P.
Published: October 2012

Malignant tumors arising in deep veins of the lower extremities are very uncommon. To our best knowledge, this is the seventh case of a primary venous intravascular synovial sarcoma (SS) reported in literature. A 32-year-old woman was admitted with a second episode of deep venous thrombosis of the right lower limb and pulmonary embolism. Physical and radiological examinations showed besides the thrombosis a tumor arising from the right common femoral vein involving the bifurcation of the common femoral artery. At surgery, en block resection of the tumor including the deep femoral vein and arterial bifurcation was done with an arterial reconstruction using a synthetic graft. Histopathological examination revealed an intravascular SS of the common femoral vein. The mainstay of curative therapy is complete surgical resection of all tumor manifestations with negative histological margins.
Heat transfer analysis for Falkner–Skan boundary layer nanofluid flow past a wedge with convective boundary condition considering temperature-dependent viscosity
Authors: Khan Waqar A , Hamad Mohammed AA , Ferdows Mohammed
Published: October 2012

This article presents the similarity solutions for the steady two-dimensional Falkner–Skan boundary layer flow of a nanofluid over wedge with convective boundary condition. The model used for the nanofluid is the one that incorporates the variable viscosity and nanoparticle volume fraction parameter. Numerical results for the dimensionless velocity and temperature as well as skin friction and Nusselt number are presented graphically for different values of the controlling parameters. Four different types of nanoparticles, namely, copper (Cu), alumina (Al2O3), titania (TiO2) and silver (Ag) as well as two different types of the base fluid, namely, water and ethylene glycol are considered. It is shown that the skin friction and dimensionless heat transfer rate increase with an increase in nanoparticle volume fraction, wedge, viscosity and convective parameters. Comparisons with the published results for the skin friction and Nusselt number are presented and found to be in good agreement.
Does the sliding dichotomy result in higher powered clinical trials for stroke and traumatic brain injury research?
Authors: Price Megan , Hertzberg Vicki , Wright David W
Published: October 2012

Background

Recent research has proposed a new method for defining a favorable outcome in traumatic brain injury and stroke research.

Purpose

This new method is called the sliding dichotomy, and it is suggested as a potential solution to the problem of underpowered clinical trials.

Methods

We present a brief simulation study and graphical comparison of the power of each method to detect varying treatment effect sizes.

Results

Simulations of a patient population similar to the National Acute Brain Injury Study: Hypothermia (NABISH) study indicate that the sliding dichotomy method does not result in higher power than traditional methods.

Conclusions

Although the sliding dichotomy may present gains in power in some cases, several aspects of the patient population need to be considered in choosing between sliding dichotomy and traditional definitions of favorable outcomes.
Updates in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Seeley Eric J.
Published: October 2012

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of respiratory failure in medical and surgical ICUs, totaling an estimated 200 000 cases per year in the United States. Despite improved supportive care, the mortality associated with ARDS remains high (30% to 40%). ARDS results from a variety of direct or indirect insults, including sepsis, aspiration, and trauma, all of which lead to pulmonary endothelial and epithelial injury. Several recent trials have led to improvements in the care of patients with ARDS, including the use of a fluid conservative treatment strategy and the use of neuromuscular blockade for severe ARDS. Patients with refractory hypoxemia due to ARDS may benefit from advanced therapies, including inhaled nitric oxide and extracorporeal life support; however, evidence from large clinical trials is lacking. Currently, clinical trials are underway for the treatment of ARDS with statins and inhaled heparin and preclinical evidence is promising for adoptive cellular therapy with mesenchymal stem cells.
Therapeutic Hypothermia After Perioperative Cardiac Arrest in Cardiac Surgical Patients
Authors: Rinehart Thomas W. , Merkel Matthias J. , Schulman Peter M. , Hutchens Michael P.
Published: October 2012

Background. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has been established as an effective treatment for preserving neurological function after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (CA). Use of TH has been limited in cardiac surgery patients in particular because of concern about adverse effects such as hemorrhage and dysrhythmia. Little published data describe efficacy or safety of TH in cardiac surgical patients who suffer unintentional CA. However, the benefits of TH are such as may suggest clinical equipoise, even in this high-risk patient population. Objective. To report a series of 3 patients in our institution’s cardiac surgery ICU who suffered unintentional CA within 48 hours of cardiac surgery and were treated with TH. Methods. After institutional review board approval, study patients were identified by diagnosis of undesired intraoperative CA or arrest on ICU days 1 to 2, as well as having documented TH. The institution’s electronic medical record and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons database were retrospectively reviewed for demographic information, comorbid diagnoses, surgical procedure, and outcomes, including hemorrhage, rewarming dysrhythmias, infection, in-hospital mortality, and neurologic outcome were assessed. TH was initiated and monitored using active cooling pads according to written institutional protocol. Results. Four patients received TH after perioperative arrest. One patient was inadequately cooled and had massive surgical bleeding, and was therefore excluded from this review. The remaining 3 patients had a predicted mortality of 14.6% (±13.3) based on Euroscore calculation and were cooled for 17.6 ± 4.0 hours after CA. Coagulopathy, hypovolemia, severe electrolyte abnormalities, and rewarming dysrhythmias were not identified in any patient. Two patients were discharged home and one was discharged to a long-term care facility. Conclusion. Herein we report the safe and successful use of TH after unintentional perioperative CA in 3 cardiac surgery patients. These data suggest that further investigation of this therapy may be warranted given the potential benefit and apparent safety in a small series.
Gay Naming in Online Gaming
Authors: Kelley James B
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis essay analyzes the naming strategies of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) gamers and their allies in massively multiplayer online games. The name choices for their characters and for the groups to which their characters belong are informed by game developers’ policies on acceptable and unacceptable language, symbols, and phrases commonly associated with LGBT cultures, and commonplace online hostility toward sexual minorities. These factors often result in creative naming strategies to negotiate the conflicting desire for both openness and protective concealment within the public spaces of online gaming.
Linguistic and Cultural Characteristics of Domain Names of the Top Fifty Most-Visited Websites in the US and China: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Domain Names and e-Branding
Authors: Xiang Xuehua
Published: October 2012

AbstractThe current study is a cross-linguistic, cross-cultural analysis of the domain names of the fifty most-visited websites of Internet-based businesses in the US and China (100 domain names examined; the ranking is an extraction from the alexa.com database). In particular, the study examines brevity, rhythm, recourse to semiotic systems, and semantic characteristics of the domain names. The findings suggest that the US most-visited domain names are more homogeneous in orthography and recourse to semiotic systems (largely alphabetic; semantic transparency). Chinese domain names are heterogeneous, mixing semiotic systems and featuring more cultural symbolism (particularly number symbolism) and literary intertextuality.
The Fandom Pairing Name: Blends and the Phonology-Orthography Interface
Authors: DiGirolamo Cara M
Published: October 2012

AbstractIn English, blending is a highly predictable and productive naming process. However, no systematic morphological template for blends has yet been proposed. Using data from Internet fandom pairing names (FPNs), I describe the phonological and orthographic constraints that shape blended words, such as preference for complex onsets, maintenance of stress placement, and phonological and orthographic overlap. Outputs are compared with lexical neighbors to evaluate their phonotactic acceptability and orthographic transparency. This model of blending describes the interaction of many layers of representation, and also shows the effect of the Internet as a text-based speech community participating in linguistic decision-making.