bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of flat-wall impingement on diesel spray combustion
Authors: Li Kuichun , Nishida Keiya , Ogata Youichi , Shi Baolu
Published: August 2014

The effect of spray–flat-wall interaction on the diesel combustion characteristics in a constant-volume vessel was investigated. A flat wall was fixed perpendicular to the nozzle hole axis. Three injection pressures of 100 MPa, 150 MPa and 200 MPa and a single nozzle hole with a diameter of 0.133 mm were employed. Mie scattering was adopted to detect the spray formation process; OH* chemiluminescence and natural colour luminosity were conducted to analyse the combustion process. The two-colour method was applied to calculate the soot emissions and the temperature distribution. The results reveal that, in comparison with a free spray flame, flat-wall impingement causes diesel combustion to deteriorate when the liquid phase–wall interaction occurs; however, when an appropriate impinging distance (longer than liquid-phase penetration) is selected, combustion is observed to be enhanced. As for the impinging spray flame, when the injection pressure is increased, soot formation decreases; however, combustion is not linearly enhanced by increasing the injection pressure, and the OH* chemiluminescence intensity achieves the highest value with an injection pressure of 150 MPa.
Comparison of different scenarios in optimal design of a CCHP plant
Authors: Sanaye Sepehr , Hajabdollahi Hassan
Published: August 2014

Optimal design of a combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) generation system is presented in this paper. The goal of this study is to compare different outcomes which might be obtained during CCHP equipment selection due to following different scenarios: (1) when selecting the type of prime mover (PM, such as gas turbine or gas engine or diesel engine), what differences could be obtained when the selected nominal power of all PMs is similar (SNP) or they be selected non-similar (NSNP)? (2) What differences could be reached when selling electricity to the grid is feasible (SELL mode) or not (NO SELL mode)? (3) What differences are going to occur when PMs could run at variable partial load (VPL) during a year or constant partial load (CPL) during a year? Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method was applied to select the CCHP equipment by maximizing the relative annual benefit (RAB) as the objective function. Optimization results for our case study showed that NSNP-NO SELL-VPL scenario showed 15.41%, 10.80%, and 5.23% growth in optimum value of RAB in comparison with that for SNP-NO SELL-VPL scenario for gas engine, diesel engine and gas turbine, respectively. Furthermore, for our case study, NSNP-NO SELL-VPL scenario showed advantage over NSNP-NO SELL-CPL case, with 26.80%, 27.72%, and 13.60% higher RAB values when gas engine, diesel engine, and gas turbine were selected. Finally, differences were 12.37%, 23.76%, and 11.09% when SNP-NO SELL-VPL and SNP-NO SELL-CPL scenarios were compared.
The impoverishment of poverty: reflections on urban citizenship and inequality in contemporary Delhi
Authors: Bhan Gautam
Published: August 2014

This paper explores the mechanisms through which democratic urban polities produce, maintain and reproduce inequality. It does so by looking at case law from 1990–2007 in New Delhi, where a seemingly relentless series of evictions of poor illegal settlements (colloquially known as bastis) were ordered by the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India in Public Interest Litigations (PILs). While the power of the claims of the “middle class” and the emergence of a new urban political economy are well documented in the analysis of evictions, the specificity of how subaltern urban residents have been displaced from a development imagination remains relatively understudied. Put simply: how have the claims, presence and resistance of a significant proportion of urban residents been managed and even evaded within urban politics? This paper argues that case law on evictions makes visible not only the claims to the city of an insurgent urban elite but also the simultaneous “impoverishment of poverty”, which together create a new calculus for the contestations of urban citizenship in contemporary Delhi. This impoverishment is marked by a reduction in the efficacy of poverty and vulnerability as the basis of claims made by subaltern citizens to the elements of citizenship, i.e. the determination and distribution of rights and needs, access to resources and entitlements as well as a place within narratives of belonging and personhood. Making visible the multiple and particular processes of impoverishment is a critical part of a praxis that seeks to formulate effective resistance and imagine different urban futures.
Growth, Inequality and Well-being
Authors: Oommen M.A.
Published: August 2014

This article revisits 50 years of the development trajectory of India’s Kerala state, well known for its human development attainments. To put the discussion in perspective we use a conceptual framework integrating growth, inequality and well-being. Long accustomed to a low per capita income and caste–class iniquities of the worst order, Kerala acquired great human development and social justice largely through a process of public action involving the state and society. The article argues how the liberalization reforms of the 1990s and beyond, while ushering in an era of unprecedented growth shows signs of widening inequalities and marginalization of the poor, in particular the historically deprived communities. The widely known land reforms virtually bypassed the poor and the state now has a highly skewed land distribution. The service-led growth of Kerala with a dual structure of earnings has a built-in bias towards inequality. The state budget has not been an instrument of equity and the policy choices of the state and the union need strategic reorientation.
From Demanding to Delivering Development
Authors: Gupta Saurabh
Published: August 2014

The non-governmental development organization (NGO) sector in India has seen unprecedented growth in the recent past. A whole range of NGOs are not just ‘demanding’ development from the state but also ‘delivering’ development in the Indian countryside. While popular interest in the role of the non-governmental development sector is growing, it is not complemented by ethnographic studies which explain how local NGOs evolve and change over time. What happens when grassroots NGOs expand their capacities, resources and power to consolidate their position in the development regime? This article addresses these questions on the basis of the organizational life history of a local NGO in the desert state of Rajasthan. Based on new data on NGO practices in the arena of natural resource development over a span of four decades, the author argues that grassroots organizations working without the constraints of tight budgeting schedules and time-plans do alter local power relations and caste-based discriminations, and have the potential to end exploitative relations of patronage. But in their quest of delivering development services ‘professionally’ and rapidly, they face the challenge of increasing the bureaucratization of the organizational structure and functioning, and the creation of new relations of patronage that serves the purpose of NGO self-preservation.
Medicalisation by non-medical personnel in English literature
Authors: Pridmore Saxby , Garcia Juan
Published: August 2014

Objective:

To determine whether English literature contains depictions of medicalisation by non-medical people.

Method:

English literature was examined by us and skilled readers.

Results:

We identified four examples: two from Macbeth and two from Vanity Fair. Not only were non-medical people the instigators, but in each publication there is one example of the advice of a medical professional (whom denied the existence of a medical problem) opinion being rejected.

Conclusions:

Evidence from the work of respected authors indicates that medicalisation was practiced long before it was described in the 1970s, that it may be instigated by non-medical people, and that it may continue after medical professionals deny the existence of medical problems.
Albiglutide
Authors: Trujillo Jennifer M. , Nuffer Wesley
Published: August 2014

Objective: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of albiglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (1950-June 2014) was conducted using the keyword albiglutide. References were reviewed to identify additional sources. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Articles evaluating pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, or efficacy of albiglutide were included. Data Synthesis: Albiglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 RA that lowers glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and reduces weight by stimulating glucose-dependent insulin secretion, suppressing glucagon secretion, delaying gastric emptying, and promoting satiety. Albiglutide has a long half-life as a result of resistance to degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 and fusion to albumin, thus allowing once-weekly dosing. Albiglutide has been studied as monotherapy and add-on therapy to metformin, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, insulin glargine, and varying combinations of these agents. Clinical studies have shown albiglutide to be superior to placebo, sitagliptin, and glimepiride and noninferior to insulin glargine and insulin lispro at reducing A1C in T2D patients, with A1C changes from baseline ranging from −0.55% to −0.9%. Noninferiority was not achieved when compared to liraglutide and pioglitazone. Weight changes ranged from +0.28 to −1.21 kg. The most common side effects are upper-respiratory-tract infections, diarrhea, nausea, and injection-site reactions. Conclusion: Albiglutide is the fourth GLP-1 RA approved in the United States. Advantages include once-weekly dosing and fewer gastrointestinal side effects compared with liraglutide, but it is less effective at reducing A1C and weight compared to liraglutide. It has not been compared head to head with other GLP-1 RAs.
Kindred Narratives
Authors: Durham Aisha
Published: August 2014

Durham reinterprets home and reimagines the storied lives of Black women by fusing her experience with those described by author Robin Boylorn in Sweetwater. Boylorn privileges African diasporic storytelling traditions, such as orality. Durham employs them and provides a complementary performance narrative to recount southern Black girlhood in Sweetwater (North Carolina) and Tidewater (Virginia).
Scholarly Innovation for Difficult Times
Authors: Johnson John M.
Published: August 2014

Our current global situation is characterized by multiple crises, implying a need to think outside traditional disciplines and boundaries. Problem-based, international teams of collaborative workers, scholars, and researchers are needed to bring new knowledge and perspective to our situation. This congress is a good beginning point for this process.
Recovering the potentials of non-Western psychological perspectives: Combining Chinese and Indian perspectives
Authors: Misra Girishwar , Kapur Preeti
Published: August 2014

We add an Indian perspective to the effort that Wen and Wang (2013 ) took towards developing a cultural psychology based on Confucian roots. Their focus on contextually created co-creation of intentionality suggests a new way to conceptualize social reality. What needs to happen on elaboration of their perspective is the analysis of the process of the growth and development of the cultivated self—how will it be fulfilled, particularly in the modern world that is fast changing and placing demands upon the individual. The new perspective on cultural psychology that emerges from the contemporary intellectual efforts by psychologists in India could extend the synthesis suggested by Wen and Wang. Further links with the main theoretical achievements of occidental cultural psychologies are suggested.
“We are in the same boat”. The dialogue between identification and dis-identification underlying individual and group positioning
Authors: Rochira Alessia
Published: August 2014

Kadianaki in this Special Issue offers an interesting conceptualization of the process whereby macro-societal drives organize the dynamic of inter-individual communication with a specific focus on power asymmetries among researcher and researched. The author bridges the notions of identity and power through the theory of social representations inviting scholars to consider the social and cultural context within which research encounters take place. Starting from the “conceptual methodology” posited by Kadianaki, I suggest to go one step further towards a dialogical conceptualization of positionality discussing the key notion of positioning and the articulation between hegemonic, emancipated, and polemic social representations. In particular, the focus on the dynamic nature of consensus, underlying the production of social knowledge, entails to address a societal understanding of the complex dynamics of identification and dis-identification that feed the processes of self-construction and self-placing with both of them meant as a function of inter-group relations of power. Furthermore, some considerations are expanded with concern to the migration field of study. In particular, results from the study of Kadianaki stimulates reflections on the dynamics of resistance towards coercive self-categorization in search for a common identification that may reduce the power asymmetries among native and immigrant groups.
Endotoxin-induced lung alveolar cell injury causes brain cell damage
Authors: Rodríguez-González Raquel , Ramos-Nuez Ángela , Martín-Barrasa José Luis , López-Aguilar Josefina , Baluja Aurora , Álvarez Julián , Rocco Patricia RM , Pelosi Paolo , Villar Jesús
Published: August 2014

Sepsis is the most common cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a severe lung inflammatory disorder with an elevated morbidity and mortality. Sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome involve the release of inflammatory mediators to the systemic circulation, propagating the cellular and molecular response and affecting distal organs, including the brain. Since it has been reported that sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome contribute to brain dysfunction, we investigated the brain-lung crosstalk using a combined experimental in vitro airway epithelial and brain cell injury model. Conditioned medium collected from an in vitro lipopolysaccharide-induced airway epithelial cell injury model using human A549 alveolar cells was subsequently added at increasing concentrations (no conditioned, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 50%) to a rat mixed brain cell culture containing both astrocytes and neurons. Samples from culture media and cells from mixed brain cultures were collected before treatment, and at 6 and 24 h for analysis. Conditioned medium at 15% significantly increased apoptosis in brain cell cultures 24 h after treatment, whereas 25% and 50% significantly increased both necrosis and apoptosis. Levels of brain damage markers S100 calcium binding protein B and neuron-specific enolase, interleukin-6, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, as well as matrix metalloproteinase-9 increased significantly after treating brain cells with ≥2% conditioned medium. Our findings demonstrated that human epithelial pulmonary cells stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide release inflammatory mediators that are able to induce a translational clinically relevant and harmful response in brain cells. These results support a brain-lung crosstalk during sepsis and sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Delayed bronchobiliary fistula and cholangiolithiasis following percutaneous radio frequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Zhong Yuesi , Deng Meihai , Li Kai , Xu Ruiyun
Published: August 2014

Although percutaneous radio frequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma is a minimally invasive therapy, there are some complications reported; major complications include hemorrhage (0.477%), hepatic injuries (1.690%), and extrahepatic organ injuries (0.691%). We, for the first time, described a rare complication of delayed bronchobiliary fistula and cholangiolithiasis in common bile duct following radio frequency ablation and the salvage treatment in a patient with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Surgeons should be aware of severe and rare complications before deciding the ablation area and when performing radio frequency ablation, and should be aware of the relevant salvage treatment.
Transformative Inquiry While Learning∼Teaching
Authors: Tanaka Michele T. D. , Farish Maureen , Nicholson Diana , Tse Vanessa , Doll Jenn , Archer Elizabeth
Published: August 2014

In Transformative Inquiry (TI), pre-service teachers explore issues about which they are personally passionate in order to enter into the delicate work of transformation. We examine how shared vulnerability within three mentor~mentee pairs leads to new pedagogical possibilities. Michele and Vanessa discuss poetry as a way of entering into TI and how Michele became decentered as mentor as she was carried along in Vanessa’s knowing around poetry. Maureen and Jenn describe how, when faced with pervasive class dynamics of apathetic resistance, they opened themselves more fully to vulnerability. Diana describes the tension of showing interest in Liz’s inquiry without providing Liz with a “direction,” and Liz describes how she resisted traditional academic teachings about how to be a “good” student. Themes of safe enough space, emotion as catalyst, shifting power between learner and teacher, humble engagement, and holistic growth are overlaid with similar themes found by other transformative educators.
How well informed is the informed consent for cancer clinical trials?
Authors: Malik Laeeq , Kuo James , Yip Desmond , Mejia Alex
Published: August 2014

Aims:

The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of informed consent forms for clinical trials in medical oncology to assess readability, determine their completeness, and identify any shortcomings.

Methods:

Informed consent forms for Phase I–III studies that were conducted at two tertiary care cancer centers over a 3-year period were reviewed. Information pertaining to length of the informed consent form, research regimen/methods, treatment agent, potential risks, and benefits was extracted. The reading level was assessed by Flesch–Kincaid and Gunning-Fog index readability tests.

Results:

All of the 112 informed consent forms clearly stated the voluntary nature of participation. Nearly one half of the forms (51.8%) were of Phase I studies. The median length of informed consent form was 20 pages (range: 8–28). A detailed estimation of the frequency or intensity of risks (range: 3–8 pages) was provided. The average reading level of the informed consent forms was high (Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level of 9.8), which corresponds roughly to 10th-grade reading level. Less than 15% of all consent forms were written at the recommended eighth-grade reading level. A substantial number of forms did not report a potential risk to pregnant/lactating women (16.9%), mechanism of action of the investigational agent (34.8%), study schema (77.6%), a possibility of receiving sub-therapeutic dose (37%), or death (12.5%). Nearly one half of the forms (49.1%) stated clearly that individual participants may not benefit.

Conclusion:

Overall, these informed consent forms provided a detailed description of the trials in accordance to international guidelines. However, there remains room for improvement, particularly in areas of readability and document length.
Does transformational leadership encourage teachers’ use of digital learning materials
Authors: Vermeulen Marjan , Van Acker Frederik , Kreijns Karel , van Buuren Hans
Published: August 2014

To gain insight into how to promote teachers’ use of digital learning materials (DLMs) in their pedagogical practices we adopted the Integrated Model of Behaviour Prediction to investigate the relationships between organizational and teacher-related variables. A representative sample of 772 teachers from primary, secondary or vocational education took part in a survey study. Conjectured combinations of direct and indirect relationships between the variables were tested for the best model fit with structural equation modelling. The results suggest that a model with mediating relations from leadership through information and communication technology (ICT) policy and professional development activities to the variables self-efficacy, attitude and social norm, combined with direct relations from leadership to the latter, has the best fit for predicting teachers’ intention to use DLMs.
What is disturbing and why not to disturb. On mobile phones, gender, and privacy within heterosexual intimacy
Authors: Casado Elena , Lasén Amparo
Published: August 2014

Drawing on recent research conducted in Spain, this article analyses how mobile telephony contributes to (re)create and (re)mediate gender, couple intimacy, and privacy. We take a Goffmanian approach to analyse the utterances of disturb* ( to disturb, disturbing, disturbed) in interviews and focus groups on mobile phone uses and practices within heterosexual couples, showing how gendered ways of everyday management of intimate bonds and territories of the self contribute to the ordinary reconstitution of gender hierarchical differentiation. These gendered ways, in conjunction with mobile telephony possibilities and constraints, are producing the contextual norms and expectations which set the condition for privacy, or the lack of it, within current couple intimacies.
The acceptance of mobile government from a citizens’ perspective: Identifying perceived risks and perceived benefits
Authors: Ohme Jakob
Published: August 2014

Mobile government (in short: m-government) is just at the beginning of its rise as a future trend of e-government. Considering technical advancements such as mobile Internet, smartphones, and tablet-PCs, m-government represents a tremendous new potential for the communication between governments and citizens. There are many examples of failures of early e-government projects due to a lack of consideration of users’ requirements. Against this background, this article tries to contribute to governmental communication processes by addressing the driving factors influencing the acceptance of mobile government among e-government users. Extending the approaches of the technology acceptance model (TAM; Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) to mobile government, a new m-government acceptance model was developed. It shows that the intention to use m-government is significantly influenced by both, factors users see as a benefit but also by factors of perceived risks.
Epidemiology of chronic pancreatitis: burden of the disease and consequences
Authors: Lévy Philippe , Domínguez-Muñoz Enrique , Imrie Clem , Löhr Matthias , Maisonneuve Patrick
Published: August 2014

The epidemiology of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is incompletely understood. A number of difficulties exist in estimating the prevalence and incidence of CP. Long‐term follow‐up is often problematic, especially in chronic alcoholics, and obtaining a formal and standardised diagnosis can take years. The available studies are reasonably consistent in their estimation of the incidence of CP but few studies have attempted to estimate prevalence. Although life expectancy in CP is diminished compared with control populations, median survival lies in the range of 15–20 years. Such a survival would suggest a prevalence of CP rather higher than that determined from the survey studies. A recent epidemiological study in France found an annual incidence of 7.8 per 100,000. Assuming a survival of 15–20 years, the annual prevalence should be between 120 to 143 per 100,000. Overall, our understanding of the epidemiology of CP is poor compared with other illnesses. We consider that both prevalence and the rate of pancreatic insufficiency and of CP are currently underestimated. There is a distinct need for more studies to remedy this lack of knowledge.
Compound Extinction
Authors: Culver Najwa C. , Vervliet Bram , Craske Michelle G.
Published: August 2014

Although exposure therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, fear sometimes returns following successful therapy. The Rescorla–Wagner model predicts that presenting two fear-provoking stimuli simultaneously (compound extinction) will maximize learning during exposure and reduce the likelihood of relapse. Participants were presented with either single extinction trials only or single extinction trials followed by compound extinction trials. In addition, participants within each extinction group were randomized to caffeine or placebo ingestion prior to extinction to investigate the mechanism by which compound extinction may maximize learning (enhanced associative change or enhanced responding). Participants presented with compound trials demonstrated significantly less fear responding at spontaneous recovery compared with participants who received single extinction trials only. Ingestion of caffeine also provided some protection from spontaneous recovery (as measured by valence ratings). At the reinstatement test, only compound extinction trials predicted less fear responding; caffeine ingestion prior to extinction did not attenuate reinstatement effects.
Capital Concentration on Land Ownership in Rural Bangladesh
Authors: Akanda Aminul
Published: August 2014

This research was a case study on a selected sub-clan in rural Bangladesh that explored the pattern of capital concentration on rural land and identified the factors behind it. The primary data on a village, a sub-clan and its belonging households were used for the study. A panel survey in 2013 complemented for data collected earlier in 2004 covering a period of over hundred years. Originating in the early twentieth century from a very large farmer, there were 28 male heirs in the sample sub-clan in its 4th generation, who were categorised as non-farm household and marginal, small, medium and large farmers ascending to their land ownership. Based on the transactions, prices and returns to land during 1906–2013, its market was classified into four phases in sequence from derisive to desirous. The capital output ratio of land increased to an extreme high for an excessive price hike that led the households to get ambitious for land in the contemporary desirous market. The land-rich medium and large farmers were found to accumulate over three-forth of all purchases indicating their more contributions to land capitalisation. Their major sources of fund were surplus over service income followed by that of agriculture and business. Moreover, continuous capital concentration made the land a commodity, for which a few households with fast-rising service income were even engaged in reckless purchases. However, people with investment opportunities in other high-productive sectors were less eager to purchase agricultural land.
Determinants of Farmers’ Preference for Sustainable Land Management Practices for Maize and Cassava Production in Ogun State, Nigeria
Authors: D.A. Babalola , J.K. Olayemi
Published: August 2014

The need to focus policies on enhancing sustainable land management in Africa has become pertinent. This study analysed the determinants of farmers’ adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices (SLMPs) in crop production in Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted. The SLMPs studied included Structural and Mechanical Erosion Control, Agronomic Practices (AP), Cultivation Practices (CPs) and Soil Management Practices (SMPs). Data from 338 farmers were analysed using descriptive statistics and logit model. Farmers had average of nine years of formal education, 45 per cent participated in cooperatives, 91 per cent accessed extension services, 55 per cent had land tenancy security, 81 per cent use AP more and 47 per cent cultivated undulating farmlands vulnerable to degradation. Farmers’ level of education and their participation in cooperatives positively influenced their adoption of the SLMPs. Overall results showed that the adoption of SLMPs can be enhanced by the development of policy arrangement that will increase farmers’ literacy and encourage them to participate more in cooperatives.
Engineering grain boundary sliding and cavitation effects in superplastic alloys employing thermodynamics
Authors: Galindo-Nava E. I. , Torres-Villaseñor G. , Rivera-Díaz-del-Castillo P. E. J.
Published: August 2014

Plastic deformation by grain boundary sliding in superplastic alloys is described by a novel thermostatistical approach. The Gibbs free energy for cavity formation at moving grain boundaries is obtained. It equals the competition between the stored energy at the boundaries and the energy dissipated by grain boundary sliding. The latter is approximated by an entropy term induced by moving dislocations to facilitate boundary displacement. Strength loss evolution is estimated from the cavity evolution rate. The theory describes superplastic behaviour of Zn22Al, Zn21Al2Cu and Mg3Al1Zn for various temperatures, strain rates, grain sizes, and specimen geometries. Transition maps are defined for finding the optimal conditions for achieving superplastic behaviour in terms of composition, temperature, geometry and strain rate.
Extension of Jensen’s inequality to affine combinations
Authors: Pavić Zlatko
Published: August 2014

The article provides the generalization of Jensen’s inequality for convex functions on the line segments. The main and preliminary inequalities are expressed in discrete form using affine combinations that can be reduced to convex combinations. The resulting quasi-arithmetic means are used to extend the two well-known inequalities.

MSC:26A51, 26D15.
Nonoscillatory solutions for higher-order nonlinear neutral delay differential equations
Authors: Liu Zeqing , Jia Ming , Ume Jeong Sheok , Kang Shin Min
Published: August 2014

This paper deals with the solvability of the higher-order nonlinear neutral delay differential equationdndtn[x(t)+p(t)x(t−τ)]+(−1)n+1∑i=1mqi(t)x(αi(t))+(−1)n+1f(t,x(β1(t)),…,x(βl(t)))=r(t),t≥t0, whereτ>0,n,m,l∈N,p,r,qi,αi,βj∈C([t0,+∞),R), andf∈C([t0,+∞)×Rl,R)satisfyinglimt→+∞αi(t)=limt→+∞βj(t)=+∞,i∈{1,2,…,m},j∈{1,2,…,l}. With respect to various ranges of the functionp, we investigate the existence of uncountably many bounded nonoscillatory solutions for the equation. The main tools used in this paper are the Krasnoselskii and Schauder fixed point theorems together with some new techniques. Six nontrivial examples are given to illustrate the superiority of the results presented in this paper.

MSC:39A10, 39A20, 39A22.
Laplace-Fourier-domain elastic full-waveform inversion using time-domain modeling
Authors: Jun Hyunggu , Kim Youngseo , Shin Jungkyun , Shin Changsoo , Min Dong-Joo
Published: August 2014

To obtain subsurface information from onshore seismic exploration data using full-waveform inversion (FWI) based on the acoustic wave equation, elastic waves, such as ground roll and mode-converted waves, should be suppressed through heavy preprocessing. However, such preprocessing deforms not only the elastic waves but also the acoustic waves. Moreover, it is not easy to separate body waves from surface waves in seismic traces. For these reasons, we need to generate both types of waves in the modeling step to obtain seismic waves that are similar to real seismic waves. Therefore, elastic FWI using the elastic wave equation is necessary to achieve a more accurate FWI. In addition, elastic FWI can provide better geologic information than acoustic FWI because it inverts the P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, and density. Laplace-Fourier-domain elastic FWI is an effective method because it inverts these multiple parameters and can be applied to real seismic data that lack low-frequency components. However, the conventional Laplace-Fourier-domain FWI requires a matrix solver with a huge memory cost to perform the modeling in the Laplace-Fourier-domain, and memory usage becomes more intensive in the elastic case. In the present study, we combined time-domain wave propagation modeling and Laplace-Fourier-domain elastic FWI to invert multiple parameters with less memory cost. By using time-domain modeling, which does not require a matrix solver, we obtained the forward and adjoint wavefields with less memory cost. The residuals between the recorded and modeled data, the virtual sources, the Hessian matrices, and the gradient directions were calculated in the Laplace-Fourier domain. To validate the proposed algorithm, we performed numerical tests with Model 94 synthetic data and Benjamin Creek real seismic data.
Measurements of elastic constants in anisotropic media
Authors: Abell Bradley C. , Shao Siyi , Pyrak-Nolte Laura J.
Published: August 2014

Simulation of elastic-wave propagation in rock requires knowledge of the elastic constants of the medium. The number of elastic constants required to describe a rock depends on the symmetry class. For example, isotropic symmetry requires only two elastic constants, whereas transversely isotropic symmetry requires five unique elastic constants. The off-diagonal elastic constant depends on a wave velocity measured along a nonsymmetry axis. The most difficult barrier when measuring these elastic constants is the ambiguity between the phase and group velocity in experimental measurements. Several methods to eliminate this difficulty have been previously proposed, but they typically require several samples, difficult machining, or complicated computational analysis. Another approach is to use the surface (Rayleigh) wave velocity to obtain the off-diagonal elastic constant. Rayleigh waves propagated along symmetry axes have phase and group velocities that are equal for materials with no frequency dispersion, thereby eliminating the ambiguity. Using a theoretical secular equation that relates the Rayleigh velocity to the elastic constants enable determination of the off-diagonal elastic constant. Laboratory measurements of the elastic constants in isotropic and anisotropic materials were made using ultrasonic transducers (central frequency of 1 MHz) for the Rayleigh-wave method and a wavefront-imaging method. The two methods indicated agreement within 1% and 3% for isotropic and transversely isotropic samples, respectively, demonstrating the ability of the Rayleigh-wave method to measure the off-diagonal elastic constant. The surface-wave approach eliminates the need for multiple samples, expensive computational calculations, and most importantly, it removes the ambiguity between the phase and group velocity in the measured data for materials with no frequency dispersion because all measurements are made along symmetry axes.
Vitamin D Deficiency Impairs Rituximab-Mediated Cellular Cytotoxicity and Outcome of Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treated With but Not Without Rituximab
Authors: Bittenbring Jörg Thomas , Neumann Frank , Altmann Bettina , Achenbach Marina , Reichrath Jörg , Ziepert Marita , Geisel Jürgen , Regitz Evi , Held Gerhard , Pfreundschuh Michael
Published: August 2014

Purpose

To investigate the impact and mechanisms of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) on the outcome of elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Patients and Methods

Three hundred fifty-nine pretreatment 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) serum levels from the RICOVER-60 study (Six Versus Eight Cycles of Biweekly CHOP-14 With or Without Rituximab in Elderly Patients With Aggressive CD20+ B-Cell Lymphomas) and 63 from the RICOVER-noRTh study (an amendment to the RICOVER-60 study in which patients received six cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone administered at an interval of 2 weeks plus two cycles of rituximab [R-CHOP-14], but without radiotherapy) were determined by chemoluminescent immunoassay. Rituximab-mediated cellular cytotoxicity (RMCC) was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase release assay of CD20+ Daudi cells.

Results

RICOVER-60 patients with VDD (≤ 8 ng/mL) and vitamin D levels more than 8 ng/mL treated with rituximab had 3-year event-free survival (EFS) of 59% and 79% and 3-year overall survival (OS) of 70% and 82%, respectively. These differences were significant in a multivariable analysis adjusting for International Prognostic Index risk factors with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.1 (P = .008) for EFS and 1.9 (P = .040) for OS. EFS was not significantly different in patients with vitamin D levels ≤ 8 or more than 8 ng/mL (HR, 1.2; P = .388) treated without rituximab. This was confirmed in an independent validation set of 63 RICOVER-noRTh patients. RMCC increased significantly (P < .001) in seven of seven individuals with VDD after substitution and normalization of their vitamin D levels.

Conclusion

VDD is a risk factor for elderly patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP. That VDD impairs RMCC and substitution improves RMCC strongly suggests that vitamin D substitution enhances rituximab efficacy, which must be confirmed in appropriately designed prospective trials addressing VDD and substitution not only in DLBCL, but also in malignancies treated with other antibodies, of which the major mechanism of action is antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (eg, trastuzumab in breast cancer and cetuximab in colorectal cancer).
Serum Androgen Levels in Elite Female Athletes
Authors: Bermon Stéphane , Garnier Pierre Yves , Hirschberg Angelica Lindén , Robinson Neil , Giraud Sylvain , Nicoli Raul , Baume Norbert , Saugy Martial , Fénichel Patrick , Bruce Stephen J. , Henry Hugues , Dollé Gabriel , Ritzen Martin
Published: August 2014

Objective:

Prior to the implementation of the blood steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport, we measured the serum androgen levels among a large population of high-level female athletes as well as the prevalence of biochemical hyperandrogenism and some disorders of sex development (DSD).

Methods and Results:

In 849 elite female athletes, serum T, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, androstenedione, SHBG, and gonadotrophins were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry high resolution or immunoassay. Free T was calculated. The sampling hour, age, and type of athletic event only had a small influence on T concentration, whereas ethnicity had not. Among the 85.5% that did not use oral contraceptives, 168 of 717 athletes were oligo- or amenorrhoic. The oral contraceptive users showed the lowest serum androgen and gonadotrophin and the highest SHBG concentrations. After having removed five doped athletes and five DSD women from our population, median T and free T values were close to those reported in sedentary young women. The 99th percentile for T concentration was calculated at 3.08 nmol/L, which is below the 10 nmol/L threshold used for competition eligibility of hyperandrogenic women with normal androgen sensitivity. Prevalence of hyperandrogenic 46 XY DSD in our athletic population is approximately 7 per 1000, which is 140 times higher than expected in the general population.

Conclusion:

This is the first study to establish normative serum androgens values in elite female athletes, while taking into account the possible influence of menstrual status, oral contraceptive use, type of athletic event, and ethnicity. These findings should help to develop the blood steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport and to refine more evidence-based fair policies and recommendations concerning hyperandrogenism in female athletes.
Parathyroid Hormone 1–84 Alters Circulating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Hypoparathyroidism
Authors: Cusano Natalie E. , Rubin Mishaela R. , Zhang Chiyuan , Anderson Laura , Levy Elizabeth , Costa Aline G. , Irani Dinaz , Bilezikian John P.
Published: August 2014

Context:

We previously reported on four patients treated with PTH(1–84) who recovered from postoperative hypoparathyroidism many years after onset. Because vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be necessary for the induction of PTH-mediated angiogenesis, we postulated a possible role for VEGF in the recovery of parathyroid function in these subjects.

Objective:

Our objective was to measure VEGF levels in subjects with hypoparathyroidism who regained parathyroid gland function and matched controls.

Setting and Design:

Subjects with hypoparathyroidism who regained parathyroid gland function were each matched to two hypoparathyroid controls by postoperative etiology, age (within 5 y), menopausal status, and duration of hypoparathyroidism. We measured serum VEGF levels at baseline and through 48 months of PTH(1–84) therapy.

Results:

VEGF levels increased after the initiation of PTH(1–84) therapy for the entire cohort, from 309.7 ± 162 pg/ml at baseline to 380.2 ± 178 pg/ml at 12 months (P = .03). Levels trended downward thereafter. There were no significant differences in VEGF levels between the subjects with recovery of parathyroid function and the matched controls.

Conclusions:

PTH(1–84) alters serum VEGF levels in subjects with hypoparathyroidism. Additional investigation is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which some subjects with postoperative hypoparathyroidism recover parathyroid gland function.
Nuclear removal during terminal lens fiber cell differentiation requires CDK1 activity: appropriating mitosis-related nuclear disassembly
Authors: Chaffee Blake R. , Shang Fu , Chang Min-Lee , Clement Tracy M. , Eddy Edward M. , Wagner Brad D. , Nakahara Masaki , Nagata Shigekazu , Robinson Michael L. , Taylor Allen
Published: August 2014

Lens epithelial cells and early lens fiber cells contain the typical complement of intracellular organelles. However, as lens fiber cells mature they must destroy their organelles, including nuclei, in a process that has remained enigmatic for over a century, but which is crucial for the formation of the organelle-free zone in the center of the lens that assures clarity and function to transmit light. Nuclear degradation in lens fiber cells requires the nuclease DNase IIβ (DLAD) but the mechanism by which DLAD gains access to nuclear DNA remains unknown. In eukaryotic cells, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), in combination with either activator cyclins A or B, stimulates mitotic entry, in part, by phosphorylating the nuclear lamin proteins leading to the disassembly of the nuclear lamina and subsequent nuclear envelope breakdown. Although most post-mitotic cells lack CDK1 and cyclins, lens fiber cells maintain these proteins. Here, we show that loss of CDK1 from the lens inhibited the phosphorylation of nuclear lamins A and C, prevented the entry of DLAD into the nucleus, and resulted in abnormal retention of nuclei. In the presence of CDK1, a single focus of the phosphonuclear mitotic apparatus is observed, but it is not focused in CDK1-deficient lenses. CDK1 deficiency inhibited mitosis, but did not prevent DNA replication, resulting in an overall reduction of lens epithelial cells, with the remaining cells possessing an abnormally large nucleus. These observations suggest that CDK1-dependent phosphorylations required for the initiation of nuclear membrane disassembly during mitosis are adapted for removal of nuclei during fiber cell differentiation.
Heterotrimeric Go protein links Wnt-Frizzled signaling with ankyrins to regulate the neuronal microtubule cytoskeleton
Authors: Lüchtenborg Anne-Marie , Solis Gonzalo P. , Egger-Adam Diane , Koval Alexey , Lin Chen , Blanchard Maxime G. , Kellenberger Stephan , Katanaev Vladimir L.
Published: August 2014

Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) represent a powerful model system with which to study glutamatergic synapse formation and remodeling. Several proteins have been implicated in these processes, including components of canonical Wingless (Drosophila Wnt1) signaling and the giant isoforms of the membrane-cytoskeleton linker Ankyrin 2, but possible interconnections and cooperation between these proteins were unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the heterotrimeric G protein Go functions as a transducer of Wingless-Frizzled 2 signaling in the synapse. We identify Ankyrin 2 as a target of Go signaling required for NMJ formation. Moreover, the Go-ankyrin interaction is conserved in the mammalian neurite outgrowth pathway. Without ankyrins, a major switch in the Go-induced neuronal cytoskeleton program is observed, from microtubule-dependent neurite outgrowth to actin-dependent lamellopodial induction. These findings describe a novel mechanism regulating the microtubule cytoskeleton in the nervous system. Our work in Drosophila and mammalian cells suggests that this mechanism might be generally applicable in nervous system development and function.
Systematic discovery of novel ciliary genes through functional genomics in the zebrafish
Authors: Choksi Semil P. , Babu Deepak , Lau Doreen , Yu Xianwen , Roy Sudipto
Published: August 2014

Cilia are microtubule-based hair-like organelles that play many important roles in development and physiology, and are implicated in a rapidly expanding spectrum of human diseases, collectively termed ciliopathies. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), one of the most prevalent of ciliopathies, arises from abnormalities in the differentiation or motility of the motile cilia. Despite their biomedical importance, a methodical functional screen for ciliary genes has not been carried out in any vertebrate at the organismal level. We sought to systematically discover novel motile cilia genes by identifying the genes induced by Foxj1, a winged-helix transcription factor that has an evolutionarily conserved role as the master regulator of motile cilia biogenesis. Unexpectedly, we find that the majority of the Foxj1-induced genes have not been associated with cilia before. To characterize these novel putative ciliary genes, we subjected 50 randomly selected candidates to a systematic functional phenotypic screen in zebrafish embryos. Remarkably, we find that over 60% are required for ciliary differentiation or function, whereas 30% of the proteins encoded by these genes localize to motile cilia. We also show that these genes regulate the proper differentiation and beating of motile cilia. This collection of Foxj1-induced genes will be invaluable for furthering our understanding of ciliary biology, and in the identification of new mutations underlying ciliary disorders in humans.
Runx1 is required for progression of CD41+ embryonic precursors into HSCs but not prior to this
Authors: Liakhovitskaia Anna , Rybtsov Stanislav , Smith Tom , Batsivari Antoniana , Rybtsova Natalia , Rode Christina , de Bruijn Marella , Buchholz Frank , Gordon-Keylock Sabrina , Zhao Suling , Medvinsky Alexander
Published: August 2014

Haematopoiesis in adult animals is maintained by haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which self-renew and can give rise to all blood cell lineages. The AGM region is an important intra-embryonic site of HSC development and a wealth of evidence indicates that HSCs emerge from the endothelium of the embryonic dorsal aorta and extra-embryonic large arteries. This, however, is a stepwise process that occurs through sequential upregulation of CD41 and CD45 followed by emergence of fully functional definitive HSCs. Although largely dispensable at later stages, the Runx1 transcription factor is crucially important during developmental maturation of HSCs; however, exact points of crucial involvement of Runx1 in this multi-step developmental maturation process remain unclear. Here, we have investigated requirements for Runx1 using a conditional reversible knockout strategy. We report that Runx1 deficiency does not preclude formation of VE-cad+CD45−CD41+ cells, which are phenotypically equivalent to precursors of definitive HSCs (pre-HSC Type I) but blocks transition to the subsequent CD45+ stage (pre-HSC Type II). These data emphasise that developmental progression of HSCs during a very short period of time is regulated by precise stage-specific molecular mechanisms.