bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Minimal alveolar concentration of sevoflurane for maintaining bispectral index below 50 in morbidly obese patients
Authors: ZEIDAN A. , MAZOIT J. X.
Published: December 2012

Background

Morbid obesity is associated with important differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The aim of this study was to determine minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane for maintaining bispectral index (BIS) below 50 (MACBIS50) in morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery using the Continual Reassessment Method (CRM) method.

Methods

Twenty‐four morbidly obese patients (body mass index 40–70 kg/m2) were enrolled in our study. Twenty minutes following pre‐medication with fentanyl 100 μg, general anaesthesia was induced using propofol 2 mg/kg and cisatracurium 2 mg/kg to facilitate tracheal intubation. The lowest BIS score was recorded following induction. Thereafter, when BIS began to increase > 60, maintenance of anaesthesia was started with a pre‐determined end‐tidal sevoflurane concentration (ETSevo) and maintained for 10 min followed by 1‐min assessment of BIS taken at 10‐s intervals to determine the ETSevo. The ETSevo leading to a probability close to 80% success was calculated using the CRM, and the MACBIS50 leading to 50% success was calculated by fitting the data to a dose‐probability sigmoid curve, respectively.

Results

The ETSevo able to maintain BIS value below 50 was 1.8% in 67% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.86] and higher in the remaining 33% of the patients and the ETSevo leading to a BIS value below 50 in 50% of the patients (MACBIS50) was 1.6 ± 0.10%.

Conclusions

The calculated values (1.8% and 1.6%) were higher than that previously reported in normal adult patients (0.97%; 95% CI 0.89–1.1%) and less than that reported in children (2.8%; 95% CI 2.7–3.1%).
Assessing Medical Knowledge of Emergency Medicine Residents
Authors: Goyal Nikhil , Aldeen Amer , Leone Katrina , Ilgen Jonathan S. , Branzetti Jeremy , Kessler Chad
Published: December 2012

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that emergency medicine (EM) residency graduates are competent in the medical knowledge (MK) core competency. EM educators use a number of tools to measure a resident's progress toward this goal; it is not always clear whether these tools provide a valid assessment. A workshop was convened during the 2012 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference “Education Research in Emergency Medicine: Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategies for Success” where assessment for each core competency was discussed in detail. This article provides a description of the validity evidence behind current MK assessment tools used in EM and other specialties. Tools in widespread use are discussed, as well as emerging methods that may form valid assessments in the future. Finally, an agenda for future research is proposed to help address gaps in the current understanding of MK assessment.
Benefits and costs of using a lungworm parasite to control invasive toads in Australia
Authors: Harris R. N.
Published: December 2012

Read the Feature Paper: Typhoid Mary in the frogpond: can we use native frogs to disseminate a lungworm biocontrol for invasive cane toads?

Other Commentaries on this paper:Is Typhoid Mary a good role model?

Response from the authors: New methods in the battle against cane toads: when should we move from research to implementation?
Cyclic Stretch Augments Production of Neutrophil Chemokines and Matrix Metalloproteinase‐1 in Human Uterine Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Zhao Yin , Koga Kaori , Osuga Yutaka , Izumi Gentaro , Takamura Masashi , Harada Miyuki , Hirata Tetsuya , Hirota Yasushi , Yoshino Osamu , Fujii Tomoyuki , Kozuma Shiro
Published: December 2012

Problem

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of uterine contraction on the immune environment within the uterus during parturition.

Method of study

Uterine smooth muscle cells (USMC) were isolated from uterine myometrial tissues and cultured. The effects of cyclic stretch on mRNA and/or protein expression of IL‐8, Groα, and pro‐MMP‐1 by USMC were measured using RT‐PCR and ELISA. Neutrophil chemotactic activity in conditioned media was evaluated using migration assays. To evaluate the effect of progesterone (P4), USMC were pretreated with P4 for 24 hr.

Results

Cyclic stretch increased IL‐8 and Groα mRNA and protein and pro‐MMP‐1 production significantly. Supernatants from stretched cells induced neutrophil chemotactic activity significantly; these effects were abrogated by anti‐IL‐8 or Groα neutralizing antibodies. Stretch effects were reduced by P4.

Conclusion

These results suggest that uterine contraction may induce neutrophil infiltration and MMP‐1 production, which may contribute to cervical ripening and rupture of membrane. The inhibitory effects of P4 may explain the mechanism by which progestin prevents preterm labor.
Adaptation of ostriches to transport‐induced stress: Physiometabolic response
Authors: Vazquez‐Galindo Giovanni , de Aluja Aline S. , Guerrero‐Legarreta Isabel , Orozco‐Gregorio Hector , Borderas‐Tordesillas Fernando , Mora‐Medina Patricia , Roldan‐Santiago Patricia , Flores‐Peinado Salvador , Mota‐Rojas Daniel
Published: December 2012

This study assessed the effects of five different transport periods on physiometabolic responses and gas exchange in ostriches. It included 138 ostriches that were assigned to five experimental groups. G1 included 78 birds that were set aside as a reference group (RG). Each one of the four remaining experimental groups included 20 ostriches, which were transported in the following manner: G1 on one occasion for a period of 1 h; G2 on one occasion for 2 h; and G3 on one occasion for 3 h; G4a was made up of the ostriches from G1 but they were shipped on a second occasion, for 2 h (making a total of 3 h); finally, G4b was that same group, but after a third transport period, on this occasion during 3 h (for a total of 6 h). Groups G2 and G3 presented the most marked blood alterations (P < 0.05), including an increase in pH, hypocapnia (27.8 ± 0.80 mmHg), hypernatremia (171.75 ± 1.84 mmol/L), hypocalcemia (0.95 ± 0.03 mmol/L), and hyperglycemia (224.05 ± 3.94 mg/dL). Also, group G3 presented the lowest hematocrit values (26.5 ± 0.47 HTC%). Therefore, transporting ostriches with no prior experience for 3 h caused the most pronounced physiometabolic changes.
‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’: moral entrepreneurship, or the fine art of recycling evil into good
Authors: Fuller Steve
Published: December 2012

Moral entrepreneurship is the fine art of recycling evil into good by taking advantage of situations given or constructed as crises. It should be seen as the ultimate generalisation of the entrepreneurial spirit, whose peculiar excesses have always sat uneasily withhomo oeconomicusas the constrained utility maximiser, an image that itself has come to be universalised. A task of this essay is to reconcile the two images in terms of what by the endIcall ‘superutilitarianism’, which draws on the lore of both superheroes and utilitarianism. After briefly surveying the careers of three exemplars of the moral entrepreneur (RobertMcNamara,GeorgeSoros andJeffreySachs),Iexplore the motives of moral entrepreneurs in terms of their standing debt to society for having already caused unnecessary harm but which also now equips him with the skill set needed to do significant good. Such a mindset involves imagining oneself a vehicle of divine will, which would be a scary proposition had it not been long presumed byChristians touched byCalvin. In conclusion,Iargue that moral entrepreneurship looks most palatable – and perhaps even attractive – if the world is ‘reversible’, in the sense that every crisis, however clumsily handled by the moral entrepreneur, causes people to distinguish more clearly the necessary from contingent features of their existence. This leads them to reconceptualise past damages as new opportunities to assert what really matters; hence, a ‘superutilitarian’ ethic that treats all suffering as less cost than investment in a greater sense of the good.
To be respected and to respect: The challenge of mutual respect in intergroup relations
Authors: Simon Bernd , Grabow Hilmar
Published: December 2012

Building on theorizing in social and political philosophy the article illuminates the phenomenology of respect and examines its role in intergroup relations. The particular focus is on members of the gay and lesbian community in Germany, their respect experiences, and how these experiences relate to their attitudes towards Muslims. We predicted and found that the experience of being respected in society primarily reflected perceived recognition of gays and lesbians as equal members of society. In addition, we predicted and found that perceived respect from the Muslim community was negatively related to anti‐Muslim attitude among gays and lesbians. The same was true for perceived respect from society at large. More specifically, respondents who felt respected by the majority of society showed lower levels of anti‐Muslim attitude and, in line with the dominant status of perceived equality recognition in the experience of being respected, this decrease was fully mediated via an increase in perceived equality recognition.
The Future of Virtual Compound Screening
Authors: Heikamp Kathrin , Bajorath Jürgen
Published: December 2012

We provide a future perspective of the virtual screening field. A number of challenges will be highlighted that virtual screening will likely face when compound data will further grow at or beyond current rates and when much more target information will become available. These challenges go beyond computational efficiency issues (that will of course also play a critical role). For example, for structure‐based approaches, the accuracy of scoring functions and energy calculations will need to be improved. For ligand‐based approaches, the compound class‐dependence of similarity methods needs to be further explored and relationships between molecular similarity and activity similarity need to be established. We also comment on the current and future value of virtual screening. Opportunities for further development in a postgenome era are also discussed. It is hoped that some of the views and hypotheses we articulate might stimulate further discussion about the virtual screening field going forward.
Stress‐Related Mitochondrial Components and Mitochondrial Genome as Targets of Anticancer Therapy
Authors: Giannattasio Sergio , Guaragnella Nicoletta , Arbini Arnaldo A. , Moro Loredana
Published: December 2012

In addition to their role as cell powerhouse mitochondria are key organelles in the processes deciding about cell life or death that are crucial for tumor cell growth and survival, as well as for tumor cell ability to metastasize. Alterations in mitochondrial structure and functions have long been observed in cancer cells, thus targeting mitochondria as an anticancer therapeutic strategy has gained momentum recently. We will review the achievements and perspectives in the elucidation of the molecular basis for developing mitochondrial‐targeted compounds as potential anticancer agents with special attention to mitochondrial DNA mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction. Molecules/agents candidate to affect mitochondrial metabolism in cancer cells will be dealt with, with a particular focus on approaches targeting defects in the mitochondrial genome.
Antibody‐Drug Conjugates for the Treatment of Cancer
Authors: Flygare John A. , Pillow Thomas H. , Aristoff Paul
Published: December 2012

With over 20 antibody‐drug conjugates in clinical trials as well as a recently FDA‐approved drug, it is clear that this is becoming an important and viable approach for selectively delivering highly cytotoxic agents to tumor cells while sparing normal tissue. This review discusses the critical aspects for this approach with an emphasis on the properties of the linker between the antibody and the cytotoxic payload that are required for an effective antibody‐drug conjugate. Different linkers are illustrated with attention focused on (i) the specifics of attachment to the antibody, (ii) the polarity of the linker, (iii) the trigger on the linker that initiates cleavage from the drug, and (iv) the self‐immolative spacer that liberates the active payload. Future directions in the field are proposed.
The Moving Window Technique: A Window Into Developmental Changes in Attention During Facial Emotion Recognition
Authors: Birmingham Elina , Meixner Tamara , Iarocci Grace , Kanan Christopher , Smilek Daniel , Tanaka James W.
Published: December 2012

The strategies children employ to selectively attend to different parts of the face may reflect important developmental changes in facial emotion recognition. Using the Moving Window Technique (MWT), children aged 5–12 years and adults (N = 129) explored faces with a mouse‐controlled window in an emotion recognition task. An age‐related increase in attention to the left eye emerged at age 11–12 years and reached significance in adulthood. This left‐eye bias is consistent with previous eye tracking research and findings of a perceptual bias for the left side of faces. These results suggest that a strategic attentional bias to the left eye begins to emerge at age 11–12 years and is likely established sometime in adolescence.
Smoking attenuates the age‐related decrease in IgE levels and maintains eosinophilic inflammation
Authors: Nagasaki T. , Matsumoto H. , Nakaji H. , Niimi A. , Ito I. , Oguma T. , Muro S. , Inoue H. , Iwata T. , Tajiri T. , Kanemitsu Y. , Mishima M.
Published: December 2012

Background

Epidemiological studies have shown that smoking increases the propensity for atopy and asthma. However, the effects of smoking on atopy and eosinophilic inflammation in asthmatics, including the elderly, remain unknown.

Objective

To determine the effects of smoking on serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and eosinophilic inflammation in asthmatics of all ages.

Methods

The associations of serum IgE levels, blood eosinophil counts and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels with smoking and age in steroid‐naive asthmatics were cross‐sectionally assessed (n = 307). Levels of sputum eosinophil and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) that promotes Th2 inflammation were also analysed. Current smokers were excluded when analysing contributing factors of FeNO.

Results

Levels of serum IgE, blood eosinophil and FeNO decreased with increasing age in never‐smokers, whereas decrease in serum IgE levels with increasing age was not observed in current smokers. In addition, current smoking was associated with higher blood eosinophil counts. In atopic asthmatics, age‐related declines in serum IgE levels were less steep in ex‐smokers than in never‐smokers, and atopic ex‐smokers with asthma showed higher blood eosinophil counts and higher FeNO irrespective of age. Lastly, sputum TSLP levels were associated with sputum eosinophil proportions and pack‐years. Current and ex‐smokers had higher TSLP levels than never‐smokers.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

In steroid‐naive asthmatics, smoking may attenuate the age‐related decrease in IgE levels and maintain eosinophilic inflammation, in which TSLP may be involved.
Human T cells depend on functional calcineurin, tumour necrosis factor-α and CD80/CD86 for expansion and activation in mice
Authors: Søndergaard H , Kvist P H , Haase C
Published: December 2012

Dysregulated T cells are a hallmark of several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases; thus, models to study human T cells in vivo are advantageous, but limited by lacking insight into human T cell functionality in mice. Using non-obese diabetic (NOD), severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) or recombination activating gene-1 (RAG1)−/− and interleukin-2 receptor gamma-chain (IL-2Rγ)−/− mice reconstituted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we have studied the mechanisms of human T cell expansion and activation in mice. Injection of human PBMCs into mice caused consistent xeno-engraftment with polyclonal expansion and activation of functional human T cells and production of human cytokines. Human T cell expansion coincided with development of a graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-like condition observed as weight loss, multi-organ immune infiltration and liver damage. CD8+ T cells alone were sufficient for expansion and required for disease development; in contrast, CD4+ T cells alone expanded but did not induce acute disease and, rather, exerted regulatory capacity through CD25+CD4+ T cells. Using various anti-inflammatory compounds, we demonstrated that several T cell-activation pathways controlled T cell expansion and disease development, including calcineurin-, tumour necrosis factor-α and co-stimulatory signalling via the CD80/CD86 pathway, indicating the diverse modes of action used by human T cells during expansion and activation in mice as well as the pharmacological relevance of this model. Overall, these data provide insight into the mechanisms used by human T cells during expansion and activation in mice, and we speculate that PBMC-injected mice may be useful to study intrinsic human T cell functions in vivo and to test T cell-targeting compounds.
Inequality in Pupils' Test Scores: How Much do Family, Sibling Type and Neighbourhood Matter?
Authors: Nicoletti Cheti , Rabe Birgitta
Published: December 2012

We explore the relative influence of family and neighbourhood on pupils' test scores and how this varies by sibling type. Using English register data we find that the neighbourhood explains at most 10–15% of the variance in pupils' test scores, whereas the variance explained by family is between 44% and 54% at the end of primary school and between 47% and 61% at the end of compulsory schooling. The family influence is significantly higher for identical twins. It is also higher for dizygotic twins than for non‐twin siblings brought up at different times and therefore experiencing varying family circumstances.
Determinants of Left Ventricular Vortex Flow Parameters Assessed by Contrast Echocardiography in an In Vivo Animal Model
Authors: Kim Dae‐Hee , Seo Jeong‐Sook , Choi Yun‐Sil , Kim Hye‐Ran , Chung Youn‐Ju , Yun Sung‐Cheol , Song Jong‐Min , Kang Duk‐Hyun , Song Jae‐Kwan
Published: December 2012

Background

Various left ventricular (LV) vortex parameters obtained during contrast echocardiography (CE) have been recently described. The aim of this study was to investigate their determinants and associations with conventional hemodynamic variables.

Methods

CE was performed and LV pressure was simultaneously measured during pharmacologic inotropic modulation in 8 mongrel dogs. Customized software was used to assess both vortex geometric parameters (vortex depth [VD], length [VL], width [VW], transverse position, and sphericity index [SI]) and pulsatility parameters (relative strength [RS], vortex relative strength [VRS], and vortex pulsation correlation [VPC]). The associations between each of these parameters and conventional indices representing LV systolic and diastolic function were analyzed.

Results

VD and VW did not change significantly during pharmacologic modulation, whereas VL (P = 0.0034) and SI (P = 0.001) showed significant and progressive linear decreases from baseline during dobutamine infusion. Significant linear changes during positive and negative inotropic modulation were observed in all pulsatiliy parameters (P < 0.01 each). Geometric parameters were critically dependent on LV volume, with pulsatility parameters showing significant positive correlations with heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), dp/dtmax, early and late mitral inflow velocities, and peak systolic and diastolic annular velocities. In multivariate analysis, LV end‐diastolic volume was a main determinant for VL (r = 0.29, P < 0.001) and VW (r = 0.65, P < 0.001), whereas dp/dtmax for pulsatility parameters (RS [r = 0.61, P < 0.001], VRS [r = 0.46, P < 0.001] and VPC [r = 0.62, P < 0.001]).

Conclusion

Geometric and pulsatility parameters differed in their association with LV geometry and conventional physiologic indices representing LV function. These differences should be considered in interpreting these variables.
Intra‐adrenal bile ductules associated with adreno‐hepatic fusion: a possible origin for adrenal epithelial cysts
Authors: Matsukuma Susumu , Kono Takako , Takeo Hiroaki , Sato Kimiya
Published: December 2012

Aims

To elucidate the relationship between the rare phenomenon of adrenal cysts and adreno‐hepatic fusion (AHF)‐related intra‐adrenal bile ductules.

Methods and results

We examined 673 right and 662 left postmortem adrenal glands. AHF was defined as an adhesion between the liver and an adrenal with closely intermingled parenchymal cells or partial absence of the capsule dividing the two organs. AHF was found in seven (1.0%) right adrenals. AHF‐related intra‐adrenal bile ductules were observed in four (0.6%) adrenals, and were accompanied by aberrant hepatocytes (two adrenals), microcystic changes (two adrenals) and, in one case, a 15‐mm‐sized cyst. The cyst‐lining cells, which focally resembled the cells of the neighbouring intra‐adrenal bile ductules, were positive for cytokeratin 7 (CK7), CK19 and epithelial membrane antigen, and negative for CK20, vimentin, CD34 and calretinin. Identical findings were made in bile ductules located within fused adrenals and livers. CD10 staining was weaker or absent in the microcystic or cystic bile ductules found within adrenals.

Conclusions

The 15‐mm cyst we describe may have been an adrenal epithelial cyst derived from AHF‐related intra‐adrenal bile ductules, a possible pathogenesis for the rare phenomenon of right adrenal epithelial cysts.
Well‐differentiated papillary mesothelioma: a clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of 18 cases with additional observation
Authors: Chen Xiaochen , Sheng Weiqi , Wang Jian
Published: December 2012

Aims

To present our experience with 18 cases of well‐differentiated papillary mesothelioma (WDPM), with an emphasis on its relationship to adenomatoid tumour and multicystic mesothelioma.

Methods and results

Eighteen cases of WDPM were retrieved. Twenty cases of multicystic mesothelioma were selected for comparative study. The WDPM patients comprised 14 females and four males, with age ranging from 18 to 60 years (median 37 years). The tumour involved the abdominal or pelvic peritoneum (14 cases), the pleura (two cases), and the testicular tunica vaginalis (two cases). The majority of WDPMs were incidental findings during surgery for a wide variety of conditions. Histologically, 13 cases were consistent with classical WDPM. Two cases had a combined component of adenomatoid tumour, and three cases contained coexisting areas of multicystic mesothelioma. Among the multicystic mesothelioma cases, four had adenomatoid tumour‐like foci present in the stroma. Immunohistochemically, all cases of WDPM and multicystic mesothelioma, as well as the coexisting combined components, were positive for mesothelial markers, with a low Ki67 index. This study also showed that WDPM was negative for epithelial membrane antigen and desmin.

Conclusions

The simultaneous occurrence of WDPM, adenomatoid tumour and multicystic mesothelioma in some cases suggested histogenetic relationships among these three less aggressive mesotheliomas.
Ironic case of hepatic dysfunction following the global withdrawal of sitaxentan
Authors: Don G.W. , Joseph F. , Celermajer D.S. , Corte T.J.
Published: December 2012

A patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension secondary to systemic sclerosis was successfully treated with sitaxentan prior to its worldwide withdrawal (because of hepatotoxicity concerns), but then ironically experienced acute hepatic dysfunction during substitute bosentan therapy, and was eventually stabilised on a phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitor.
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink: love, sex and gay men with intellectual disabilities – a helping hand or a human right?
Authors: Abbott D.
Published: December 2012

Background

How do human rights help us with the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) who face discrimination and barriers in their sexual lives? Men with ID who are gay face a whole range of rights violations when it comes to exercising their sexual identity. How can such a seemingly marginalised group draw on rights based claims for better and equal treatment? This paper explores how the power of men's own stories may usefully challenge prevailing social norms and in turn strengthen human rights claims in this area. It also reflects on the challenges posed to such an agenda by current economic difficulties and changes in the organisation of adult social care in the UK.

Method

The paper draws on empirical research with gay men with ID completed in the UK in 2005 and briefly revisits some key messages from the data. It also considers the wider literature on the power and possibilities of human rights, ‘intimate stories’ and translating human rights into everyday change.

Conclusions

Gay men with ID tell powerful stories of love, longing and exclusion. Such stories have the capacity to transform wider social attitudes and in turn strengthen the rights claims of this marginalised groups. There are question marks about the possibility of such change in a time of austerity and the broader move in the UK's welfare state from the collective to the individual consumer of services. However, the telling of men's ‘intimate stories’ creates an almost unassailable challenge to current discriminatory practices and norms.
Narrative abilities of children with epilepsy
Authors: Strekas Amy , Ratner Nan Bernstein , Berl Madison , Gaillard William D.
Published: December 2012

Background

There is a noticeable publication gap in the speech–language pathology literature regarding the language abilities of children with common types of epilepsy. This paper reviews studies that suggest a high frequency of undetected language problems in this population, and it proposes the need for pragmatically based assessment of children with epilepsy that includes analysis of spontaneous language skills.

Aims

To compare the language skills of two groups of children with epilepsy—those with recent onset seizures and those with more chronic seizure activity (>3 years’ duration)—using a mix of standardized tests, analysis of elicited narratives and listener judgments of the children's narratives.

Methods & Procedures

Twenty‐five children with epilepsy, divided into two groups (recent onset versus chronic), were age‐ and gender‐matched to 25 typically functioning peers. In addition to standardized IQ and language testing, children produced narratives to accompany the book Frog, Where Are You? (1969). Narratives were analysed for syntax, vocabulary and narrative components. Forty‐five adult listeners each blindly rated nine narratives to create a large pool of listener judgments.

Outcomes & Results

Children with chronic epilepsy showed the greatest and significant differences in both language skill and listener judgments from their unaffected peers. Differences were smaller for children whose epilepsy was of more recent onset and their matched peers.

Conclusions & Implications

Although based on cross‐sectional data rather than on longitudinal study, the current results raise the possibility that continued seizures, or prolonged exposure to the medications used to control them, produce decrements in children's language performance over time. Thus, the authors strongly urge that there is greater awareness of seizure disorder among speech‐and‐language pathologists/therapists, and they strongly recommend baseline testing at first diagnosis so that changes over time can be reliably documented.
Quantifying the Contextual Influences on Road Design
Authors: Beukes Edward , Vanderschuren Marianne , Zuidgeest Mark , Brussel Mark , van Maarseveen Martin
Published: December 2012

Abstract:  This article describes the COSMA (COntext Sensitive Multimodal Assessment) method that uses contextual information to develop road infrastructure recommendations for the purpose of improved road design. The method uses a GIS‐based Spatial Multi‐criteria Analysis (SMCA) that is combined with statistical clustering techniques to identify contextually similar areas along arterials. The context is defined in terms of a range of land use, socioeconomic, environmental, and transportation information, presented spatially, which are used as inputs to the SMCA. The results of this analysis describe the relative suitability of different modes of transport to locations along an arterial route. Clustering the output of this analysis allows for sections of the route with similar contexts to be identified. The attributes of these clusters are then used to derive descriptive statements of contextually appropriate operational conditions for each mode in a particular section of the route in terms of access, right of way, and independence of movement. These can be used by road designers to develop proposals for road infrastructure design. We demonstrate the workings of the method for an arterial road in Cape Town, South Africa. The method described is explicitly multimodal and sensitive to the variations in local context. It can be used by planners and roads authorities to provide additional perspective on road user needs and facility provision, and introduces quantification, and the concomitant benefits thereof, to the largely qualitative field of Context Sensitive Design.
Seeing it Whole: Staging Totality in Social Theory and Art
Authors: Toscano Alberto
Published: December 2012

Can, or should, social theory try to ‘see it whole’? This article explores some of the aesthetic, political and conceptual issues that arise when we pose the problem of representing social totality today. It revisits two influential assertions of theory's calling to generate orienting and totalizing representations of capitalist society: C. Wright Mills' plea for the ‘sociological imagination’ and Fredric Jameson's appeal for an ‘aesthetic of cognitive mapping’. Mills and Jameson converge on the need to mediate personal experience with systemic constraints, knowledge with action, while underscoring the political urgency and epistemic difficulty of such a demand. The article contrasts these perspectives with the repudiation of a sociology of totality in the actor-network theory of Bruno Latour. It explores this contrast through the ‘panorama’ as a visual practice and a metaphor for theory itself. Against Latour's proposal to reduce and relativize totality, it argues that sociology can learn from contemporary artistic efforts to map social and economic power as a whole. ‘Panoramic’ projects in the arts, such as Allan Sekula's and Mark Lombardi's, can allow us to reflect on sociology's own deficit of imagination, and on the persistence of the desire to ‘see it whole’ – especially when that whole is opaque, fragmented, contradictory. A live sociology can only gain from greater attention to the critical experiments with forms and methods of representation that are being carried out by artists preoccupied with the staging of social totality.
Sources of L2 writing apprehension: a study of Egyptian university students
Authors: Abdel Latif Muhammad M.
Published: December 2012

High levels of apprehension cause students to have writing difficulties. This study attempted to identify the sources of Egyptian university students’ English writing apprehension. The study made use of both quantitative and qualitative data. The scores of 57 students on a writing apprehension scale were compared to their scores on another scale assessing writing self‐efficacy and three linguistic tests measuring English grammar and vocabulary. Additionally, 15 apprehensive students and 16 nonapprehensive students were interviewed about their writing experiences and beliefs. Analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data showed that there are six sources of the students’ English writing apprehension: linguistic knowledge level, perceived language competence, writing performance level, perceived writing competence, instructional practices and fear of criticism. These results indicate the integrative nature of L2 writing ability and emphasise the need for dealing with these sources of apprehension. The study recommends that reducing L2 students’ writing apprehension should start by improving their linguistic knowledge and writing ability; this will result in bringing about a positive change in their language and writing competence self‐perceived beliefs. In addition, the study presents some other recommendations for improving instructional practices of English writing in the Egyptian context.
Accuracy Assessment of Commercial Self‐Calibrating Bundle Adjustment Routines Applied to Archival Aerial Photography
Authors: Aguilar Manuel A. , Aguilar Fernando J. , Fernández Ismael , Mills Jon P.
Published: December 2012

The use of archival or historical photography for photogrammetric purposes often involves a lack of data concerning the aerial cameras employed, difficulties in identifying control points on the photos and inappropriate conservation of the photography. When camera calibration parameters are unknown, they should be estimated by means of a self‐calibrating bundle adjustment. Several calibration models available in the Leica Photogrammetry Suite software have been tested on two archival datasets, captured in 1956 and 1977, covering the same working area. The accuracy of the dataset triangulation was found to depend significantly on the self‐calibration method and the number of ground control points used; when the latter ranged from six to nine per stereopair, self‐calibrating bundle adjustment techniques were found to slightly, but not always significantly, improve the photogrammetric capability of archival aerial photography. Thus, the adoption of self‐calibration cannot guarantee the improvement of results when working on poorly conserved imagery. Results from such datasets are very dependent on numerous local variables which cannot be extrapolated to other areas for the same camera since each dataset is unique and may present systematic errors of a different nature.
Life Cycle Energy and Climate Change Implications of Nanotechnologies
Authors: Kim Hyung Chul , Fthenakis Vasilis
Published: December 2012

The potential environmental and health impacts of nanotechnologies triggered a recent surge of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on nanotechnologies. Focusing on the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions impacts, we reviewed 22 LCA‐based studies on nanomaterials, coatings, photovoltaic devices, and fabrication technologies that were published until 2011. The reviewed LCA studies indicate that nanomaterials have higher cradle‐to‐gate energy demand per functional unit, and thus higher global warming impact, than their conventional counterparts. Depending on the synthesis method, carbon‐based nanoparticles (i.e., carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes) require 1 to 900 gigajoules per kilogram (GJ/kg) of primary energy to produce, compared with ∼200 megajoules per kilogram (MJ/kg) for aluminum. This is mainly attributed to the fact that nanomaterials involve an energy‐intensive synthesis process or an additional mechanical process to reduce particle size. Most reviewed studies ascertain, however, that the cradle‐to‐grave energy demand and global warming impact from nanotechnologies at a device level are lower than from conventional technologies because nanomaterials are typically used in a small amount to improve functionality and the upgraded functionality offers more energy‐efficient operation of the device. Because of the immature status of most nanotechnologies, the studies reviewed here often rely on inventory data estimated from literature values and parametric analyses based on laboratory or prototype production, warranting future analyses to confirm the current findings.
Life Cycle Assessment of End‐of‐Life Management Options for Construction and Demolition Debris
Authors: Carpenter Alberta , Jambeck Jenna R. , Gardner Kevin , Weitz Keith
Published: December 2012

A life cycle assessment (LCA) of various end‐of‐life management options for construction and demolition (C&D) debris was conducted using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Municipal Solid Waste Decision Support Tool. A comparative LCA evaluated seven different management scenarios using the annual production of C&D debris in New Hampshire as the functional unit. Each scenario encompassed C&D debris transport, processing, separation, and recycling, as well as varying end‐of‐life management options for the C&D debris (e.g., combustion to generate electricity versus landfilling for the wood debris stream and recycling versus landfilling for the nonwood debris stream) and different bases for the electricity generation offsets (e.g., the northeastern U.S. power grid versus coal‐fired power generation). A sensitivity analysis was also conducted by varying the energy content of the C&D wood debris and by examining the impact of basing the energy offsets on electricity generated from various fossil fuels. The results include impacts for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, criteria air pollutants, ancillary solid waste production, and organic and inorganic constituents in water emissions. Scenarios with nonwood C&D debris recycling coupled with combustion of C&D wood debris to generate electricity had lower impacts than other scenarios. The nonwood C&D debris recycling scenarios where C&D wood debris was landfilled resulted in less overall impact than the scenarios where all C&D debris was landfilled. The lowest impact scenario included nonwood C&D debris recycling with local combustion of the C&D wood debris to generate electricity, providing a net gain in energy production of more than 7 trillion British thermal units (BTU) per year and a 130,000 tons per year reduction in GHG emissions. The sensitivity analysis revealed that for energy consumption, the model is sensitive to the energy content of the C&D wood debris but insensitive to the basis for the energy offset, and the opposite is true for GHG emissions.
Genetic structure and phylogeography of a European flagship species, the white‐tailed sea eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
Authors: Langguth Tobias , Honnen Ann‐Christin , Hailer Frank , Mizera Tadeusz , Skoric Stefan , Väli Ülo , Zachos Frank E.
Published: December 2012

We analysed 120 white‐tailed sea eagles Haliaeetus albicilla from eastern (Poland and Estonia) and southeastern (Serbian Danube population) Europe for genetic variability and structuring at the mitochondrial control region and seven nuclear microsatellite loci. We combined this new dataset with sequence and genotype data from previous analyses covering Greenland and Eurasia (total sample sizes of 420 and 186 individuals for mtDNA and microsatellites, respectively) to address the following questions: 1) does the large eastern population in Europe add significantly to the species‘ overall genetic diversity? 2) Do the new sequence data match the clinal distribution pattern (west to east) of the two major mtDNA lineages? 3) Does the preliminary hypothesis of two nuclear genetic clusters recently found in this species hold for the whole of Europe, and do these clusters show a geographic pattern? Our results confirmed Europe as a stronghold of genetic diversity in white‐tailed sea eagles, and the east of the continent contributed disproportionately to this, the reason being the admixture of eagles with different genetic background. As hypothesised, both mitochondrial lineages were recovered also in eastern Europe, but the globally more eastern lineage was dominant. The presence of two microsatellite clusters was also confirmed, and these groups, too, show a non‐random geographic distribution, with, except for Poland, a high proportion of ‘eastern‐type’ eagles in the populations of east–central and eastern Europe.
Quantifying island isolation – insights from global patterns of insular plant species richness
Authors: Weigelt Patrick , Kreft Holger
Published: December 2012

Isolation is a driving factor of species richness and other island community attributes. Most empirical studies have investigated the effect of isolation measured as distance to the nearest continent. Here we expanded this perspective by comparing the explanatory power of seventeen isolation metrics in sixty‐eight variations for vascular plant species richness on 453 islands worldwide. Our objectives were to identify ecologically meaningful metrics and to quantify their relative importance for species richness in a globally representative data set. We considered the distances to the nearest mainland and to other islands, stepping stone distances, the area of surrounding landmasses, prevailing wind and ocean currents and climatic similarity between source and target areas. These factors are closely linked to colonization and maintenance of plant species richness on islands. We tested the metrics in spatial multi‐predictor models accounting for area, climate, topography and island geology. Besides area, isolation was the second most important factor determining species richness on the studied islands. A model including the proportion of surrounding land area as the isolation metric had the highest predictive power, explaining 86.1% of the variation. Distances to large islands, stepping stone distances and distances to climatically similar landmasses performed slightly better than distance to the nearest mainland. The effect of isolation was weaker for large islands suggesting that speciation counteracts the negative effect of isolation on immigration on large islands. Continental islands were less affected by isolation than oceanic islands. Our results suggest that a variety of immigration mechanisms influence plant species richness on islands and we show that this can be detected at macro‐scales. Although the distance to the nearest mainland is an adequate and easy‐to‐calculate measure of isolation, accounting for stepping stones, large islands as source landmasses, climatic similarity and the area of surrounding landmasses increases the explanatory power of isolation for species richness.
Do ecological differences between taxonomic groups influence the relationship between species’ distributions and climate? A global meta‐analysis using species distribution models
Authors: Kharouba Heather M. , McCune Jenny L. , Thuiller Wilfried , Huntley Brian
Published: December 2012

Understanding whether and how ecological traits affect species’ geographic distributions is a fundamental issue that bridges ecology and biogeography. While climate is thought to be the major determinant of species’ distributions, there is considerable variation in the strength of species’ climate–distribution relationships. One potential explanation is that species with relatively low dispersal ability cannot reach all geographic areas where climatic conditions are suitable. We tested the hypothesis that species from different taxonomic groups varied in their climate–distribution relationships because of differences in life history strategies, in particular dispersal ability. We conducted a meta‐analysis by combining the discrimination ability (AUC values) from 4317 species distribution models (SDMs) using fit as an indication of the strength of the species’ climate–distribution relationship. We found significant differences in the strength of species’ climate–distribution relationships across taxonomic groups, however we did not find support for the dispersal hypothesis. Our results suggest that relevant ecological trait variation among broad taxonomic groups may be related to differences in species’ climate–distribution relationships, however which ecological traits are important remains unclear.
Modeling Fine‐Scale Geological Heterogeneity—Examples of Sand Lenses in Tills
Authors: Kessler Timo Christian , Comunian Alessandro , Oriani Fabio , Renard Philippe , Nilsson Bertel , Klint Knud Erik , Bjerg Poul Løgstrup
Published: December 2012

Sand lenses at various spatial scales are recognized to add heterogeneity to glacial sediments. They have high hydraulic conductivities relative to the surrounding till matrix and may affect the advective transport of water and contaminants in clayey till settings. Sand lenses were investigated on till outcrops producing binary images of geological cross‐sections capturing the size, shape and distribution of individual features. Sand lenses occur as elongated, anisotropic geobodies that vary in size and extent. Besides, sand lenses show strong non‐stationary patterns on section images that hamper subsequent simulation. Transition probability (TP) and multiple‐point statistics (MPS) were employed to simulate sand lens heterogeneity. We used one cross‐section to parameterize the spatial correlation and a second, parallel section as a reference: it allowed testing the quality of the simulations as a function of the amount of conditioning data under realistic conditions. The performance of the simulations was evaluated on the faithful reproduction of the specific geological structure caused by sand lenses. Multiple‐point statistics offer a better reproduction of sand lens geometry. However, two‐dimensional training images acquired by outcrop mapping are of limited use to generate three‐dimensional realizations with MPS. One can use a technique that consists in splitting the 3D domain into a set of slices in various directions that are sequentially simulated and reassembled into a 3D block. The identification of flow paths through a network of elongated sand lenses and the impact on the equivalent permeability in tills are essential to perform solute transport modeling in the low‐permeability sediments.
The etiology of autoimmune diseases: the case of myasthenia gravis
Authors: Bach Jean‐François
Published: December 2012

Autoimmune diseases comprise a wide variety of disorders, from those that are acute and spontaneously regressive to chronic diseases. Their occurrence is the sign of a loss of tolerance to self‐antigens. With few exceptions, the etiology of autoimmune diseases has not been clearly established. In all cases, it is complex, involving genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. In this article I will attempt to analyze the various factors that have a triggering or protecting role, with particular reference to myasthenia gravis.
Thermomechanical Modeling of Laser‐Induced Structural Relaxation and Deformation of Glass: Volume Changes in Fused Silica at High Temperatures
Authors: Vignes Ryan M. , Soules Thomas F. , Stolken James S. , Settgast Randolph R. , Elhadj Selim , Matthews Manyalibo J.
Published: December 2012

A fully coupled thermomechanical model of the nanoscale deformation in amorphous SiO2 due to laser heating is presented. Direct measurement of the transient, nonuniform temperature profiles was used to first validate a nonlinear thermal transport model. Densification due to structural relaxation above the glass transition point was modeled using the Tool‐Narayanaswamy (TN) formulation for the evolution of structural relaxation times and fictive temperature. TN relaxation parameters were derived from spatially resolved confocal Raman scattering measurements of Si–O–Si stretching mode frequencies. Together, these thermal and microstructural data were used to simulate fictive temperatures which are shown to scale nearly linearly with density, consistent with previous measurements from Shelby et al. Volumetric relaxation coupled with thermal expansion occurring in the liquid‐like and solid‐like glassy states lead to residual stresses and permanent deformation which could be quantified. However, experimental surface deformation profiles between 1700 and 2000 K could only be reconciled with our simulation by assuming a roughly 2 × larger liquid thermal expansion for a‐SiO2 with a temperature of maximum density ~150 K higher than previously estimated by Bruckner et al. Calculated stress fields agreed well with recent laser‐induced critical fracture measurements, demonstrating accurate material response prediction under processing conditions of practical interest.