bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of two child passenger safety questionnaires
Authors: Uherick Lisa , Gorelick Marc H , Biechler Robert , Brixey Suzanne N , Melzer-Lange Marlene
Published: August 2010

Objective

To measure the validity of a booster seat questionnaire and a car seat questionnaire so that they can be reliably used in future trials.

Design

The two child passenger safety questionnaires were created. Each underwent expert review to ensure face and content validity. Two reliability studies were conducted independently of each other. Care givers for children who were cared for in a paediatric emergency department were enrolled. Criterion validity was tested by direct observation, and inter-rater reliability was measured. Test–retest reliability and internal consistency were also measured on the booster seat questionnaire.

Results

Booster seat questionnaire: test–retest agreement was good, with 16 of the 18 questions having agreement of at least 80%. Agreement was acceptable (>70%) in all other questions in which agreement was expected when the answers of two different care givers were compared. All care givers were able to report booster seat use as it was found on direct observation, yielding a κ value of 1. Car seat questionnaire: the respondents showed 95% agreement between their reported type of child safety restraint and what was found on direct observation. Inter-rater agreement for the type of safety restraint was 77% or a κ value of 0.7.

Conclusion

Both the booster seat questionnaire and the car seat questionnaire are valid and can be reliably used in future studies. The findings of this study need to be verified with larger studies and different populations.
Motor vehicle mismatch: a national perspective
Authors: Mandell Samuel P , Mack Christopher D , Bulger Eileen M
Published: August 2010

Objective

To determine the RR of the severe injury associated with light truck vehicle (LTV) versus passenger vehicle (PV) mismatch following motor vehicle collisions across the USA.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study with the primary outcomes of Injury Severity Score (ISS) >8 and body region Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) >2. The National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS CDS) was searched for occupants in frontal and side impact crashes from 1993 to 2007. Occupants in PVs struck by LTVs were compared to PV occupants struck by another PV. Poisson regression was used to estimate the RR of severe injury after adjusting for driver age, driver gender, and change in velocity during the crash (∆v). Because 21% of cases were missing ∆v, multiple imputation was used to estimate the missing values. NASS CDS weights were used to estimate the risk of severe injury nationally.

Results

PV occupants in front impact crashes with an LTV as the striking vehicle were at increased risk of severe injury compared to those struck by another PV (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.73). A similar increase risk was observed in side impact crashes (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.62). Increased risk of injury was also identified in several body regions.

Conclusions

Motor vehicle mismatch crashes are associated with a significant increase in risk of severe injury for PV occupants in the USA. Addressing vehicle compatibility remains an important issue for occupant safety.
SOME NOTES ON LOW-DIMENSIONAL ELASTIC THEORIES OF BIO- AND NANO-STRUCTURES
Authors: ZHOU XIAO-HUA
Published: August 2010

The shapes of DNA, carbon nanotube (CNT) and vesicle are determined by the minimum of their elastic energy. Two central results about the low-dimensional elastic structure are reported here. Firstly, if the energy density of a one-dimensional structure is only related to its curvature, we generally find that a helix solution with the helix angle θ = ±π/4 will have zero total energy. Secondly, with the fixed length and radii, the helical multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and DNA will have the lowest energy when the helix angle θ = ±π/3.
EXTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECT ON THE HYDROGENIC DONOR IMPURITY IN ZINC-BLENDE GaN/AlGaN CYLINDRICAL QUANTUM WELL WIRE
Authors: JIANG LIMING , SUN JIANMENG
Published: August 2010

The binding energy of a hydrogenic donor impurity in a zinc-blende GaN / AlGaN cylindrical quantum well wire (QWW) is calculated in the framework of effective-mass envelope-function theory using the plane wave basis. It is shown that the donor binding energy is highly dependent on the impurity position, the radius of the wire and the external electric field. In addition, Stark shift dependence on the radius of the QWW and the external electric field is also calculated. The donor binding energy has a maximum when the impurity is located at the center of the QWW. The donor binding energy decreases with the increase of the external electric field, but stark shift increases with the increase of the external electric field or the radius of the QWW.
ANALYSIS OF TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL OPTICAL TRAP STIFFNESS AND ITS APPLICATION IN A NOVEL MEASUREMENT METHOD OF MICRO-PARTICLE REFRACTIVE INDEX
Authors: LI JIXIANG , ZHANG XIAOLIN , YU YOULI , LI WENJING , LIU PENG
Published: August 2010

Based on the model of the single TEM00 Gaussian beam optical tweezers, the transverse and longitudinal optical trapping forces of micro-particles are calculated by ray-optics theory. The similarities and differences of the longitudinal optical trap shapes, which are computed by two different methods, are analyzed. We studied the relation between the optical trap stiffness and the particle parameters which include the size and refractive index (RI), and found that the ratio of the transverse and longitudinal stiffness is a constant when the refractive indices of the particles are the same. Through the analysis, the results show that there is an important relationship between the optical stiffness and the product of particle RI and radius. With this relationship, we can obtain the particle RI by measuring the optical stiffness and the particle radius. This novel micro-particle RI measurement method is of great usefulness in atmospheric environmental science, polymer chemistry science, identification of mineral science and bio-medical science.
PREDICTING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT EFFORT USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK
Authors: SINGH YOGESH , KAUR ARVINDER , BHATIA PRADEEP KUMAR , SANGWAN OMPRAKASH
Published: August 2010

Software effort estimation is an important and integral part of software development life cycle of any project. However, cost, time and manpower estimation is required prior to implementation of the project. The objective of this work is to explore the possibilities of application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) as a tool for predicting software development effort. We proposed an ANN model for predicting software development effort. A multilayer feed forward network is trained using back-propogation algorithm and demonstrated to be suitable. This study used the training and validation data, which is randomly selected from the data repository of 650 projects [8]. The experimental results indicate that the Mean Absolute Relative Error (MARE) is 0.261 of ANN model and shows that ANN model is a competitive model for predicting software development effort.
BREAKING WAVES IN AN IDEAL QUARK GLUON PLASMA
Authors: FOGAÇA D. A. , NAVARRA F. S. , FERREIRA FILHO L. G.
Published: August 2010

We study the propagation of perturbations in the energy density in a quark gluon plasma. Expanding the Euler and continuity equations of relativistic hydrodynamics around equilibrium configurations we obtain a nonlinear differential equation called the breaking wave equation. We solve it numerically and follow the time-evolution of initially localized pulses. We find that, quite unexpectedly, these pulses live for a very long time (compared to the reaction time-scales) before breaking. In practice, they mimick the Korteweg–de Vries solitons. Their existence may have some observable consequences.
EXO 0748-676 AS A QUARK STAR
Authors: RODRIGUES H. , DUARTE S. B. , OLIVEIRA J. C. T.
Published: August 2010

This work shows results for the EXO 0748-676 neutron star structure obtained with the use of a phenomenological quark matter description by taking into account a quark interaction, and observing the asymptotic freedom and the confinement characteristics of the fundamental theory. An appropriated choice of model parameters permit to reach the stability of compact dense stellar objects compatible with the observational data to the neutron star EXO 0748-676. It is assumed a color-flavor locked (CFL) superconducting phase to the ground state of the quark–gluon plasma formed in the object interior. We also discuss the surface properties of these objects, introducing a crust composed by a lattice of neutron-rich nucleus close to the neutron drip line, imbedded in an electron gas.
RESULTS FROM THE ETM COLLABORATION AT LIGHT DYNAMICAL QUARK MASSES
Authors: JANSEN K.
Published: August 2010

We present lattice QCD simulation results from the European Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC). In particular, we present the non-perturbatively computed strange baryon spectrum, list a number of precisely determined low energy constants of chiral perturbation theory, and provide a first account of simulations including the strange and charm quark degrees of freedom.
THE ROLE OF ANTIKAON CONDENSATES IN THE ISOSPIN ASYMMETRY OF NEUTRON STARS
Authors: MESQUITA A. , RAZEIRA M. , VASCONCELLOS C. A. Z. , FERNÁNDEZ F.
Published: August 2010

We study the effects of the scalar-isovector light mesons on the isospin asymmetry and phase transition of hadronic matter to hadronic matter with a condensate of antikaons, using an effective model with derivative couplings. In our formalism, nucleons interact through the exchange of σ, ω, ϱ, δ, and ς mesons in the presence of electrons and muons to accomplish electric charge neutrality and beta equilibrium. The phase transition to the antikaons condensate was implemented through the Gibbs conditions combined with the mean-field approximation, giving rise to a mixed phase of coexistence between nucleon matter and the condensed antikaons. As expected, our results indicate that the scalar-isovector mesons increase the range of the mixed phase–space, they operate for restoring isospin symmetry and they reduce the value of the effective nucleon mass, independently of the depth of the optical potential for antikaons. Also as expected the increase of the depth of optical potential favors the population of antikaons. Our results predict the density threshold of birth of the K-antikaons. The most expressive result of our calculation is the abrupt change in the isospin asymmetry due to the presence of the condensate. Moreover, we have found that scalar-isovector mesons increase the fraction of protons and reduced the fraction of neutrons in the system, since these mesons couple with the conserved isovector current of baryons and thus the minimum in the energy of the system corresponds to saturated isospin states (symmetric in isospin). Finally, we have found as expected that these mesons produce the stiffness of the EoS.
SELF-ENERGY AND SELF-FORCE ON A SCALAR PARTICLE IN A WORMHOLE SPACE–TIME
Authors: BEZERRA V. B. , KHUSNUTDINOV N. R.
Published: August 2010

We consider the self-energy and the self-force for scalar massless particles at rest in the short-throat flat-space–time wormhole background. In some limiting cases we found how the sign of the self-energy changes with the non-minimal constant ξ. We found that the self-force is always attractive for the profile of the throat considered.
FRACTAL INTERPOLANTS ON THE s-SETS
Authors: PARAMANATHAN P. , UTHAYAKUMAR R.
Published: August 2010

In this paper, we mainly study the s-sets (regular 1-sets), which is the most important fractal in the study of fractal geometry. The regular 1-sets are subsets of countable collection of rectifiable curves. Also we define new real maps on the s-sets by using the methodology based on fractal interpolation functions. In addition, some results are applied to the waveform signals for interpolation.
Degrees, distance, and dollars
Authors: Krakovsky Marina
Published: August 2010

The Internet is making higher education accessible to a whole new class of students---but not necessarily at a lower cost.
A framework for flexible scheduling in the RTSJ
Authors: Zerzelidis Alexandros , Wellings Andy
Published: August 2010

This article presents a viable solution to introducing flexible scheduling in the Real-Time specification for Java (RTSJ), in the form of a flexible scheduling framework. The framework allows the concurrent use of multiple application-defined scheduling policies, each scheduling a subset of the total set of threads. Moreover, all threads, regardless of the policy under which they are scheduled, are permitted to share common resources. Thus, the framework can accommodate a variety of interworking applications (soft, firm, and hard) running under the RTSJ. The proposed approach is a two-level scheduling framework, where the first level is the RTSJ priority scheduler and the second level is under application control. This article describes the framework's protocol, examines the different types of scheduling policies that can be supported, and evaluates the proposed framework by measuring its execution cost. A description of an application-defined Earliest-Deadline-First (EDF) scheduler illustrates how the interface can be used. Minimum backward-compatible changes to the RTSJ specification are discussed to motivate the required interface. The only assumptions made about the underlying real-time operating system is that it supports preemptive priority-based dispatching of threads and that changes to priorities have immediate effect.
Formal specification of wireless and pervasive healthcare applications
Authors: Coronato Antonio , Pietro Giuseppe DE
Published: August 2010

Wireless and pervasive healthcare applications typically present critical requirements from the point of view of functional correctness, reliability, availability, security, and safety. In contrast to the case of classic safety critical applications, the behavior of wireless and pervasive applications is affected by the movements and location of users and resources.

This article presents a methodology to formally express requirements in safety critical wireless and pervasive healthcare applications in order to achieve a higher degree of dependability. In particular, it will be shown how it is possible to formalize and constrict mobility characteristics by combining, and in some cases extending, several formal methods. The article also describes a rigorous specification process. Finally, it concludes with a case study of a real safety critical pervasive healthcare application that is going to be deployed in a city hospital.
MobiSense
Authors: Waluyo Agustinus Borgy , Yeoh Wee-Soon , Pek Isaac , Yong Yihan , Chen Xiang
Published: August 2010

This article introduces MobiSense, a novel mobile health monitoring system for ambulatory patients. MobiSense resides in a mobile device, communicates with a set of body sensor devices attached to the wearer, and processes data from these sensors. MobiSense is able to detect body postures such as lying, sitting, and standing, and walking speed, by utilizing our rule-based heuristic activity classification scheme based on the extended Kalman (EK) Filtering algorithm. Furthermore, the proposed system is capable of controlling each of the sensor devices, and performing resource reconfiguration and management schemes (sensor sleep/wake-up mode). The architecture of MobiSense is highlighted and discussed in depth. The system has been implemented, and its prototype is showcased. We have also carried out rigorous performance measurements of the system including real-time and query latency as well as the power consumption of the sensor nodes. The accuracy of our activity classifier scheme has been evaluated by involving several human subjects, and we found promising results.
Transmission power assignment with postural position inference for on-body wireless communication links
Authors: Quwaider Muhannad , Rao Jayanthi , Biswas Subir
Published: August 2010

This article presents a novel transmission power assignment mechanism for on-body wireless links formed between severely energy-constrained wearable and implanted sensors. The key idea is to develop a measurement-based framework in which the postural position as it pertains to a given wireless link is first inferred based on the measured RF signal strength and packet drops. Then optimal power assignment is done by fitting those measurement results into a model describing the relationship between the assigned power and the resulting signal strength. A closed loop power control mechanism is then added for iterative convergence to the optimal power level as a response to both intra-and-inter posture body movements. This provides a practical paradigm for on-body power assignment, which cannot leverage the existing mechanisms in the literature that rely on localization, which is not realistic for on-body sensors. Extensive experimental results are provided to demonstrate the model building and algorithm performance on a prototype body area network. The proposed mechanism has also been compared with a number of other closed loop mechanisms and an experimental benchmark.
Semi-supervised distance metric learning for collaborative image retrieval and clustering
Authors: Hoi Steven C.h. , Liu Wei , Chang Shih-Fu
Published: August 2010

Learning a good distance metric plays a vital role in many multimedia retrieval and data mining tasks. For example, a typical content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system often relies on an effective distance metric to measure similarity between any two images. Conventional CBIR systems simply adopting Euclidean distance metric often fail to return satisfactory results mainly due to the well-known semantic gap challenge. In this article, we present a novel framework of
Semi-Supervised Distance Metric Learning
for learning effective distance metrics by exploring the historical relevance feedback log data of a CBIR system and utilizing unlabeled data when log data are limited and noisy. We formally formulate the learning problem into a convex optimization task and then present a new technique, named as “Laplacian Regularized Metric Learning” (LRML). Two efficient algorithms are then proposed to solve the LRML task. Further, we apply the proposed technique to two applications. One direct application is for Collaborative Image Retrieval (CIR), which aims to explore the CBIR log data for improving the retrieval performance of CBIR systems. The other application is for Collaborative Image Clustering (CIC), which aims to explore the CBIR log data for enhancing the clustering performance of image pattern clustering tasks. We conduct extensive evaluation to compare the proposed LRML method with a number of competing methods, including 2 standard metrics, 3 unsupervised metrics, and 4 supervised metrics with side information. Encouraging results validate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Model-based verification of adaptive embedded systems under environment constraints
Authors: Schaefer Ina , Poetzsch-Heffter Arnd
Published: August 2010

Model-based verification of adaptive embedded systems is a promising approach to deal with the increased complexity that adaptation imposes on system design. Properties of embedded systems typically depend on the environment in which they are deployed. Thus, the environment has to be considered for verification. In this paper, we propose a technique to verify properties of design-level models of adaptive embedded systems under environment constraints. We transfer ideas originating from assume-guarantee reasoning for Kripke structures to design-level models of adaptive embedded systems in order to reduce conditional validity checking to standard model checking.
Acyclovir Nephrotoxicity: A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of Acyclovir-Induced Nephropathy
Authors: Fleischer Raymond , Johnson Michael
Published: August 2010

Acute kidney injury is an unfortunate complication of acyclovir therapy secondary to crystal-induced nephropathy. It is characterized by a decrease in renal function that develops within 24–48 hours of acyclovir administration indicated by a rapid rise in the serum creatinine. Failure to quickly realize this as an etiology of acute kidney injury can lead to excessive morbidity to the patient. The case described in this vignette is an example of the clinical manifestation of acyclovir crystal obstructive nephrotoxicity. We will briefly discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, and management of patients that present with acyclovir nephrotoxicity.
Hypodysfibrinogenaemia due to production of mutant fibrinogen alpha-chains lacking fibrinopeptide A and polymerisation knob ‘A’
Authors: Vorjohann Silja , Fish Richard , Biron-Andreani Christine , Nagaswami Chandrasekaran , Weisel John , Boulot Pierre , Reyftmann Lionel , Moerloose Philippe de , Neerman-Arbez Marguerite
Published: August 2010

Inherited disorders of fibrinogen are rare and affect either the quantity (hypofibrinogenaemia and afibrinogenaemia) or the quality of the circulating fibrinogen (dysfibrinogenaemia) or both (hypodysfibrinogenaemia). Extensive allelic heterogeneity has been found for all these disorders: in congenital afibrinogenaemia for example more than 40 mutations, the majority in FGA, have been identified in homozygosity or in compound heterozygosity. Numerous mutations have also been identified in patients with hypofibrinogenaemia, many of these patients are in fact heterozygous carriers of afibrinogenaemia mutations. Despite the number of genetic analyses performed, the study of additional patients still allows the identification of novel mutations. Here we describe the characterization of a novel FGA intron 2 donor splice-site mutation (Fibrinogen Montpellier II) identified in three siblings with hypodysfibrinogenaemia. Functional analysis of RNA produced by the mutant minigene in COS-7 cells revealed that the mutation led to the in-frame skipping of exon 2. Western blot analysis of COS-7 cells expressing an exon 2 deleted FGA cDNA revealed that an alpha-chain lacking exon 2, which codes in particular for fibrinopeptide A and polymerisation knob ‘A’, has the potential to be assembled into a hexamer and secreted. Analysis of precipitated fibrinogen from patient plasma showed that the defect leads to the presence in the circulation of alpha-chains lacking knob ‘A’ which is essential for the early stages of fibrin polymerisation. Fibrin made from purified patient fibrinogen clotted with thrombin displayed thinner fibers with frequent ends and large pores.
Factor XII: New life for an old protein
Authors: LaRusch Gretchen , Schmaier Alvin
Published: August 2010

Ratnoff and his coworkers recognised that factor XII (XII) stimulates cell growth and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase. We determined the receptor(s) for this function and the consequence of this signalling pathway. Investigations show that the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor serves as the XII binding site on cultured umbilical vein endothelial cells. When XII binds, it stimulates ERK1/2 and Akt S473 phosphorylation. These events are distinct because when cell mTORC2 is absent, XII phosphorylates ERK1/2 but not Akt S473. Zymogen XII is an equal stimulator of signalling as XIIa or inhibitor-treated XIIa. Peptides from uPAR domain 2 block XII binding and ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation. Furthermore, antibodies to the integrins β1 and α5 block XII signalling. Likewise, inhibitors to the EGFR block XII-induced phosphorylation events. XII stimulates cell growth and proliferation. XII induces angiogenesis ex vivo in normal aortic sprouts and in vivo in matrigel plugs in normal mice, but not in aorta from uPAR knockout mice or matrigel plugs placed into uPAR-deleted mice. Skin biopsies constitutively or in a wound nine days after injury show reduced CD31 antigen expression in specimens from XII knockout mice compared to wild-type mice. These studies indicate that XII stimulates angiogenesis, a physiologic function independent of contact activation.
Interaction of PF4 (CXCL4) with the vasculature: A role in atherosclerosis and angiogenesis
Authors: Aidoudi Sallouha , Bikfalvi Andreas
Published: August 2010

Platelet factor-4 (PF4), a platelet-derived chemokine, has two important functions in the vasculature. It has a pro-atherogenic role while also having anti-angiogenic effects. The activity of platelet factor-4 (PF4), unlike other chemokines that bind to specific receptors, depends on its unusually high affinity for proteoglycans and other negatively charged molecules. High affinity for heparan sulfates was thought to be central to all of PF4’s biological functions. However, other mechanisms have been described such as direct growth factor binding, activation of the CXCR3B chemokine receptor isoform that is present in some vascular cells or binding to lipoprotein-related protein-1 (LRP1). Furthermore, PF4 also binds to integrins with affinities similar to matrix molecules. These interactions may explain the effects of PF4 in healthy and pathological tissues. However, the mechanisms involved in PF4’s activity are complex and may depend on a given tissue or localisation. Overall, while much is already known about PF4, its specific role in atherosclerosis and angiogenesis remains still to be clarified.
Incidence, Mechanisms, Predictors, and Clinical Impact of Acute and Late Stent Malapposition After Primary Intervention in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Guo Ning , Maehara Akiko , Mintz Gary S. , He Yong , Xu Kai , Wu Xiaofan , Lansky Alexandra J. , Witzenbichler Bernhard , Guagliumi Giulio , Brodie Bruce , Kellett Mirle A. , Dressler Ovidiu , Parise Helen , Mehran Roxana , Stone Gregg W.
Published: August 2010

Background—

The incidence and mechanisms of acute and late stent malapposition after primary stent implantation in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction remain unclear.

Methods and Results—

The Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction (HORIZONS-AMI) trial was a dual-arm, factorial, randomized trial comparing paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) and otherwise equivalent bare metal stents (BMS) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients. The intravascular ultrasound substudy enrolled 241 patients with 263 native coronary lesions (201 PES, 62 BMS) with baseline and 13-month follow-up imaging. Postintervention acute stent malapposition (ASM) occurred in 34.3% PES- and 40.3% BMS-treated lesions. Of these, 39.1% PES- and 40.0% BMS-treated lesions resolved at follow-up, especially within the stent body (66.7%); complete resolution was accompanied by a reduction in external elastic membrane area. An ASM area >1.2 mm
2
best separated persistent from resolved ASM. At follow-up, a higher frequency of late stent malapposition was detected in PES-treated lesions (46.8%) mainly because of more late acquired stent malapposition (30.8%) compared with BMS-treated lesions. Late acquired stent malapposition area correlated to the decrease of peri-stent plaque in the subset of lesions without positive remodeling and only to change in external elastic membrane in the group with positive remodeling. Independent predictors of late acquired stent malapposition were plaque/thrombus protrusion (odds ratio, 5.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.32 to 13.54) and PES use (odds ratio, 6.32; 95% CI, 2.15 to 18.62).

Conclusions—

The incidence of ASM was similar in PES- and BMS-treated lesions, but late acquired stent malapposition was more common in PES-treated lesions. The reason for resolved ASM was negative remodeling, with larger ASM areas separating persistent from resolved ASM. Late acquired stent malapposition was due mainly to positive remodeling and plaque/thrombus resolution.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00433966.
Definition of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage as an Outcome Event in Clinical Trials and Observational Studies
Authors: Vergouwen Mervyn D.I. , Vermeulen Marinus , van Gijn Jan , Rinkel Gabriel J.E. , Wijdicks Eelco F. , Muizelaar J. Paul , Mendelow A. David , Juvela Seppo , Yonas Howard , Terbrugge Karel G. , Macdonald R. Loch , Diringer Michael N. , Broderick Joseph P. , Dreier Jens P. , Roos Yvo B.W.E.M.
Published: August 2010

Background and Purpose—

In clinical trials and observational studies there is considerable inconsistency in the use of definitions to describe delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. A major cause for this inconsistency is the combining of radiographic evidence of vasospasm with clinical features of cerebral ischemia, although multiple factors may contribute to DCI. The second issue is the variability and overlap of terms used to describe each phenomenon. This makes comparisons among studies difficult.

Methods—

An international ad hoc panel of experts involved in subarachnoid hemorrhage research developed and proposed a definition of DCI to be used as an outcome measure in clinical trials and observational studies. We used a consensus-building approach.

Results—

It is proposed that in observational studies and clinical trials aiming to investigate strategies to prevent DCI, the 2 main outcome measures should be: (1) cerebral infarction identified on CT or MRI or proven at autopsy, after exclusion of procedure-related infarctions; and (2) functional outcome. Secondary outcome measure should be clinical deterioration caused by DCI, after exclusion of other potential causes of clinical deterioration. Vasospasm on angiography or transcranial Doppler can also be used as an outcome measure to investigate proof of concept but should be interpreted in conjunction with DCI or functional outcome.

Conclusion—

The proposed measures reflect the most relevant morphological and clinical features of DCI without regard to pathogenesis to be used as an outcome measure in clinical trials and observational studies.
Flow-Diverter Stent for the Endovascular Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms
Authors: Lubicz Boris , Collignon Laurent , Raphaeli Gaï , Pruvo Jean-Pierre , Bruneau Michaël , De Witte Olivier , Leclerc Xavier
Published: August 2010

Background and Purpose—

The purpose of this study is to report our preliminary experience with the flow-diverter Silk stent for the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms.

Methods—

This prospective study was approved by the authors’ ethical committees. Twenty-nine patients with 34 fusiform or wide-necked unruptured aneurysms were included and treated by Silk stent placement alone by 2 physicians in 3 different centers. Technical issues, immediate findings, delayed complications, clinical follow-up, and imaging follow-up at 3 and 6 months were assessed.

Results—

Endovascular treatment was successfully performed in 26 patients (90%). In 3 patients, the stent could not be delivered. Mortality and morbidity rates were of 4% (1 of 26) and 15% (4 of 26), respectively; 1 patient died from a delayed aneurysm rupture related to stent migration, 3 experienced a thromboembolic event, and 1 patient developed progressive visual disturbances related to an increased mass effect. Clinical outcome in 25 patients was unchanged (n=19), improved (n=2), or worsened (=4). Angiographic follow-up in 24 patients (29 aneurysms) showed 20 complete occlusions (69%), 1 neck remnant (3.5%), and 8 incomplete occlusions (27.5%). Significant parent artery stenosis at 6 months occurred in 8 cases (33%).

Conclusions—

Despite the potential interest of the Silk flow-diverter stent to treat complex intracranial aneurysms without coils, the delayed complication rate is quite high and leads to use this technique only in selective cases.
Managing Religion in Communist-Era Poland: Catholic Priests versus the Secret Police
Authors: Szporer Michael
Published: August 2010

Solidarity, the free Polish trade union that emerged in 1980, acted in close alliance with the Roman Catholic Church. The union's struggle for human dignity and freedom became a question of national redemption and often used religious symbols and rituals. Although one can argue whether Pope John Paul II was personally the fulcrum of revolt, Solidarity and the demise of Polish Communism are hard to imagine without him. Not surprisingly, the Polish security forces made vigorous efforts to penetrate the Polish Catholic Church, eventually enlisting as informants some 15 percent of the clergy. Recent revelations of extensive collaboration by priests, notably in Father Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski's acclaimed book, provide a valuable correction to the historical record but do not greatly detract from the overall image of the Church as having resisted Communism. The Church, among other things, served as a refuge for many in the darkest moments of the Communist era and helped to force change by throwing its support behind Solidarity.
Dynamic Norm-based Encoding for Unfamiliar Shapes in Human Visual Cortex
Authors: Panis Sven , Wagemans Johan , Op de Beeck Hans P.
Published: August 2010

Previous studies have argued that faces and other objects are encoded in terms of their deviation from a class prototype or norm. This prototype is associated with a smaller neural population response compared with nonprototype objects. However, it is still unclear (1) whether a norm-based representation can emerge for unfamiliar or novel object classes through visual experience at the time scale of an experiment and (2) whether the results from previous studies are caused by the prototypicality of a stimulus, by the physical properties of individual stimuli independent from the stimulus distribution, and/or by the trial-to-trial adaptation. Here we show with a combined behavioral and event-related fMRI study in humans that a short amount of visual experience with exemplars from novel object classes determines which stimulus is represented as the norm. Prototypicality effects were observed at the behavioral level by behavioral asymmetries during a stimulus comparison task. The fMRI data revealed that class exemplars closest to the prototypes—the perceived average of each class—were associated with a smaller response in the anterior part of the visual object-selective cortex compared with other class exemplars. By dissociating between the physical characteristics and the prototypicality status of the stimuli and by controlling for trial-to-trial adaptation, we can firmly conclude for the first time that high-level visual areas represent the identity of exemplars using a dynamic, norm-based encoding principle.
Voluntary Explicit versus Involuntary Conceptual Memory Are Associated with Dissociable fMRI Responses in Hippocampus, Amygdala, and Parietal Cortex for Emotional and Neutral Word Pairs
Authors: Ramponi Cristina , Barnard Philip J. , Kherif Ferath , Henson Richard N.
Published: August 2010

Although functional neuroimaging studies have supported the distinction between explicit and implicit forms of memory, few have matched explicit and implicit tests closely, and most of these tested perceptual rather than conceptual implicit memory. We compared event-related fMRI responses during an intentional test, in which a group of participants used a cue word to recall its associate from a prior study phase, with those in an incidental test, in which a different group of participants used the same cue to produce the first associate that came to mind. Both semantic relative to phonemic processing at study, and emotional relative to neutral word pairs, increased target completions in the intentional test, but not in the incidental test, suggesting that behavioral performance in the incidental test was not contaminated by voluntary explicit retrieval. We isolated the neural correlates of successful retrieval by contrasting fMRI responses to studied versus unstudied cues for which the equivalent “target” associate was produced. By comparing the difference in this repetition-related contrast across the intentional and incidental tests, we could identify the correlates of voluntary explicit retrieval. This contrast revealed increased bilateral hippocampal responses in the intentional test, but decreased hippocampal responses in the incidental test. A similar pattern in the bilateral amygdale was further modulated by the emotionality of the word pairs, although surprisingly only in the incidental test. Parietal regions, however, showed increased repetition-related responses in both tests. These results suggest that the neural correlates of successful voluntary explicit memory differ in directionality, even if not in location, from the neural correlates of successful involuntary implicit (or explicit) memory, even when the incidental test taps conceptual processes.
On the Economic Nature of Crop Production Decisions Using the Oklahoma Mesonet
Authors: Klockow Kimberly E. , McPherson Renee A. , Sutter Daniel S.
Published: August 2010

Because of the sensitivity of agricultural production to both short-term weather and long-range climatic patterns, the availability of reliable and relevant meteorological data and climate products can potentially affect the entire production process. This study focuses on the use of information from a dense meteorological network—the Oklahoma Mesonet—and its AgWeather program in support of agricultural production decisions. Production decisions that are particularly dependent on information from the Mesonet are identified. Producers in Oklahoma are influenced by Mesonet data at several levels, including agricultural policy, production choices, and risk management. Additionally, producers use the Mesonet to attain their financial goals, through such measures as cost saving and maximization of quality and quantity, in addition to others. Potential savings from Mesonet data for the state’s agricultural sector are also estimated.
Early Responses to Climate Change: An Analysis of Seven U.S. State and Local Climate Adaptation Planning Initiatives
Authors: Poyar Kyle Andrew , Beller-Simms Nancy
Published: August 2010

State and local governments in the United States manage a wide array of natural and human resources that are particularly sensitive to climate variability and change. Recent revelations of the extent of the current and potential climate impact in this realm such as with the quality of water, the structure of the coasts, and the potential and witnessed impact on the built infrastructure give these political authorities impetus to minimize their vulnerability and plan for the future. In fact, a growing number of subnational government bodies in the United States have initiated climate adaptation planning efforts; these initiatives emphasize an array of climate impacts, but at different scales, scopes, and levels of sophistication. Meanwhile, the current body of climate adaptation literature has not taken a comprehensive look at these plans nor have they questioned what prompts local adaptation planning, at what scope and scale action is being taken, or what prioritizes certain policy responses over others. This paper presents a case-based analysis of seven urban climate adaptation planning initiatives, drawing from a review of publicly available planning documents and interviews with stakeholders directly involved in the planning process to provide a preliminary understanding of these issues. The paper also offers insight into the state of implementation of adaptation strategies, highlighting the role of low upfront costs and cobenefits with issues already on the local agenda in prompting anticipatory adaptation.
Domestic terror: 1970s radicalism in Philip Roth’s An American Pastoral and Susan Choi’s An American Woman
Authors: Scanlan Margaret
Published: August 2010

A generation after the Vietnam War ended, Philip Roth and Susan Choi published novels that place the radical protesters of that era in the context of American history. Each examines the legacy of violence in the US; Roth’s American Pastoral (first published 1997) evokes the Revolutionary War and John Brown’s anti-slavery insurrection, while Choi’s American Woman (first published 2003) notes the violence of the Gold Rush and the settlement of California. Each lays particular emphasis on the legacy of World War II and its influence on the generation of radical youth born in its immediate aftermath. Roth sees Merry Levov’s career as a bomber in terms of her largely ignored family history, which includes grandparents shaped by the knowledge that their European cousins were being killed in German camps, her father’s combat service in the South Pacific, and the brutalities of the immigrant experience. Choi sets Wendy Yoshimura’s bomb-making in the context of her father’s repressed experience of the war years, when the US interned him because of his Japanese parentage and later prosecuted him for failing to honour a draft notice sent to him in the camp. Both novels see the violence of the Vietnam era, the war itself and the radical protests, as very much in the mainstream of American history, in which a nation that officially begins with a revolutionary war erupts into civil war less than a century later.
The Knowledge Base of Products: Implications for Organizational Structures
Authors: Ozman Muge
Published: August 2010

This paper investigates the impact of two dimensions of product knowledge bases on organizational structures. The first dimension, knowledge breadth, measures the complexity of a product. The second dimension, knowledge depth, measures the extent to which the knowledge embedded in the product can be used in different contexts. An agent-based simulation study is carried out to analyse the structural characteristics of organizations that emerge when self-interested agents select partners to combine their expertise and produce together. Agents learn from their interactions, which shapes their choice of partners in the future. The results reveal that multi-product companies with fewer inter-firm relationships emerge when products are complex and knowledge is highly reusable in different contexts. A network of specialized firms is a dominant organizational structure when products are complex and deep. The results are demonstrated through a brief case study of the history of the computer industry.
Geography and gender: Feminism and a feeling of justice
Authors: Wright Melissa W.
Published: August 2010

The recent emphasis on emotional geographies has turned critical attention to the connections linking affect and social justice. It is hard to imagine this ‘emotional turn’ in the field without much of the ground having been laid by feminist challenges to epistemology, objectivity, rationality, to the gendering of knowledge and the conceptualization of human embodiment, psychic life, subjectivity, and political agency, all in relation to power so often substantiated around a belief that the public and the private are discrete and oppositional domains necessary for organizing social, economic, and political life. In this report, I address the following questions. How can feminist and emotional geography tighten their connections, fuel their shared passions and generate a synergy of scholarship oriented toward activism and progressive change? How can geographies of feeling broaden the path for justice that feminism endeavors to plow? In doing so, I continue my emphasis on research that grounds theoretical discussion with research conducted in activist projects conducted in the name of social justice. I do so as a matter of my own emotional investments — I firmly believe that scholarship must engage with the ways in which people beyond the academy wrestle with the concepts in their daily lives that scholars contemplate, sharpen, and circulate through academic production. So the debates that we scholars so often have with ourselves over the finer points of theory reveal, in my view, their greater significance when they provide tools useful for people who seek to create kinder and more compassionate worlds. Thus, I highlight the scholarship that creates toolkits out of feminist scholarship, emotional geographies, and research on social justice.
The Great Indoors: Research frontiers on indoor environments as active political-ecological spaces
Authors: Day Biehler Dawn , Simon Gregory L.
Published: August 2010

In this progress report we call for nature-society geographers to give greater attention to indoor environments as active political-ecological spaces. Nature-society geographers often treat such spaces as fixed and unnatural. Yet a growing body of research attests to the active role played by sites ranging from homes to factories to shopping malls in the production of nature, scale, and environmental citizens. Furthermore, environmentalist and public health projects have increasingly targeted indoor spaces for scrutiny and action, yet these projects and scientific literature typically lack a critical geographical perspective on scale, space, power, and nature. We argue that exploring indoor environments is necessary to fully encompass socio-natural assemblages that include flows of energy and knowledge, embodied subjects, technologies of power and resistance, and a variety of non-humans.
On Narcissism, Evolution and Group Dynamics: A Tribute to Malcolm Pines
Authors: Karterud Sigmund
Published: August 2010

Malcolm Pines was instrumental to the establishment of group analytic training in Norway. My personal relation to Malcolm was coined by our shared interest in self-psychology and group analysis. In this article I take the opportunity to rethink the foundation of narcissism. Heinz Kohut regarded the ultimate source of narcissism to be an innate striving for perfection, which had to be modified and mourned with the help of reliable and good enough selfobjects. An alternative evolutionary perspective leads us to group dynamics. Alfamale behaviour among primates satisfies all criteria for DSM-IV narcissistic personality disorder, except for the overall requirement of being maladaptive. What we label narcissism seems thus to be behavioural tendencies that are linked to our genetic heritage of being primates. If so, narcissism is not the heir of each individual’s striving for perfection, but predominantly a group phenomenon. The case of narcissism indicates, paradoxically, that we possibly harbour an inborn tendency to take a group perspective with respect to own and other’s strivings.
Neuroendocrine-Type Prostatic Adenocarcinoma With Microsatellite Instability in a Patient With Lynch Syndrome
Authors: Wagner David G. , Gatalica Zoran , Lynch Henry T. , Kohl Shane , Johansson Sonny L. , Lele Subodh M.
Published: August 2010

Lynch syndrome is an autosomal-dominant cancer syndrome that can be identified with microsatellite instability molecular tests or immunohistochemical stains on pathologic material from patients who meet the Amsterdam Criteria II. The development of prostatic carcinoma in situ or invasive small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the prostate has not been previously reported in a patient with this syndrome. In this report, an 87-year-old White man with the Lynch syndrome had a prostate biopsy that revealed a mixed high-grade conventional adenocarcinoma and SCC of the prostate with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia of the small cell neuroendocrine-type (HGPIN-NE), all showing MSH2 microsatellite instability and loss of MSH2 expression, a finding not previously published. These findings suggest that HGPIN-NE is a precursor of invasive SCC and also that prostatic SCC can develop in a patient with the Lynch syndrome.