bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting type 2 diabetes using Sasang constitutional medicine
Authors: Cho Nam H , Kim Jong Yeol , Kim Sung Soo , Lee Seung Ku , Shin Chol
Published: December 2013

Aims/Introduction

Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) has existed in traditional Korean medicine for more than 100 years. SCM consists of four different types: So‐Eum (SE), So‐Yang (SY), Tae‐Eum (TE) and Tae‐Yang (TY). It is of great importance that the Sasang constitution type (SCT) be evaluated accurately and recognized by medical communities.

Materials and Methods

From the Ansung–Ansan prospective cohort study, 10,038 participants were recruited from the years 2001–2002. Of 10,038 original participants, 2,460 participants underwent SCT evaluation. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to predict diabetes during the 10‐year follow‐up period.

Results

During 10 years of follow up (22,007 person‐years), 472 incidence cases (215/10,000 Incidence Density) of type 2 diabetes mellitus were documented. We identified that the TE group was significantly older, more obese, and had higher blood pressure, glucose metabolic values and lipid profiles levels. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confident intervals (CI) for type 2 diabetes were 1.696 (95% CI 1.204–2.39, P = 0.003) for TE when compared with the SE type. After controlling all potential confounders, the Cox proportional hazard model showed that RR was 1.635 (95% CI 1.111–2.406) in non‐obese (body mass index <25) TE, and RR was 1.725 (95% CI 1.213–2.452) in obese (body mass index ≥25) TE when compared with the SE type. We did not find any differences when comparing SE and SY types. The findings shows that TE is a higher risk factor for type 2 Diabetes, independent of obesity level.

Conclusions

The present study suggests that the TE type, independent of obesity level, is a strong risk factor of type 2 diabetes.
Learning clinical reasoning
Authors: Pinnock Ralph , Welch Paul
Published: December 2013

Errors in clinical reasoning continue to account for significant morbidity and mortality, despite evidence‐based guidelines and improved technology. Experts in clinical reasoning often use unconscious cognitive processes that they are not aware of unless they explain how they are thinking. Understanding the intuitive and analytical thinking processes provides a guide for instruction. How knowledge is stored is critical to expertise in clinical reasoning. Curricula should be designed so that trainees store knowledge in a way that is clinically relevant. Competence in clinical reasoning is acquired by supervised practice with effective feedback. Clinicians must recognise the common errors in clinical reasoning and how to avoid them. Trainees can learn clinical reasoning effectively in everyday practice if teachers provide guidance on the cognitive processes involved in making diagnostic decisions.
Route less travelled? Ambulance use for children with high‐acuity acute illness
Authors: Hopgood Timothy , Shepherd Michael
Published: December 2013

Aim

Ambulance transportation offers important supportive care and treatment en route to definitive treatment. However, children may be at risk of under‐utilising ambulance transportation, where private vehicle is possible. This study aims to determine how many of the sickest children present to hospitals in Auckland via ambulance and whether certain population groups are lower users of ambulance services.

Methods

Transportation, demographic and outcome data were collected and analysed for children presenting to Starship Children's Health (Starship) from 1 January to 31 December 2011), who were ‘self referrals’ to hospital, less than 15 years of age, and assigned triage category 1 and 2 on presentation.

Results

There were 1047 presentations to Starship identified that met inclusion criteria. Of these, 256 of the 341 triage one presentations (75.1%) and 217 of the 706 triage two presentations (30.7%) were transported by ambulance.Ambulance use was higher among older children (P < 0.001). Severity of illness or injury, as estimated by admission rates (56.7% vs. 43.3%, P = 0.21) and length of hospital stay (median = 1 day, P = 0.92), did not differ significantly by mode of transportation. There was no observed relationship with gender, ethnicity or area deprivation index score.

Conclusion

A significant proportion of acutely unwell children presenting to hospital were not transported by ambulance, particularly those aged less than 1 year. This has the potential to result in worse health outcomes. There were no identified associations with patient demographics, and further research is required to better understand this problem and develop solutions.
Iron deficiency in children with global developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Sidrak Samuel , Yoong Terence , Woolfenden Susan
Published: December 2013

Aim

To investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for iron deficiency in children with global developmental delay and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Method

A retrospective review was conducted of the files of children referred to community paediatric clinics in South West Sydney from May 2009 to July 2011 who were diagnosed with global developmental delay and/or ASD. Data were extracted on iron studies and potential risk factors. Data were analysed using Pearson's ÷2‐test and Fisher's exact test.

Results

Subjects included 122 children. The prevalence of iron depletion was 2.5% (95% CI 0.5–7.0%); that of iron deficiency was 6.6% (95% CI 2.9–12.5%), and that of iron deficiency anaemia was 4.1% (95% CI 1.3–9.3%). In children with global developmental delay without ASD, the prevalence of iron depletion was 1.8% (95% CI 0–9.7%), that of iron deficiency 5.5% (95% CI 1.1–15.1%) and that of iron deficiency anaemia 5.5% (95% CI 1.1–15.1%). In children with ASD with or without global developmental delay, the prevalence of iron depletion was 3.0% (95% CI 0.4–10.4%), that of iron deficiency 7.5% (95% CI 2.5–16.6%) and that of iron deficiency anaemia 3.0% (95% CI 0.4–10.4%). Univariate analysis demonstrated three significant potential risk factors for iron depletion, iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia: problems sucking, swallowing or chewing (P = 0.002); poor eating behaviour (P = 0.008); and inadequate amounts of meat, chicken, eggs or fish (P = 0.002).

Conclusion

Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia were more common in this clinical sample of children with global developmental delay and/or ASD than in the general population.
Modeling of the Vacuum Arc Remelting Process for Estimation and Control of the Liquid Pool Profile
Authors: Beaman Joseph J. , Felipe Lopez Luis , Williamson Rodney L.
Published: December 2013

Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) is an industrial metallurgical process widely used throughout the specialty metals industry to cast large alloy ingots. The final ingot grain structure is strongly influenced by the molten metal pool profile, which in turn depends on the temperature distribution in the ingot. A reduced-order model of the solidifying ingot was developed specifically for dynamic control and estimation of the depth of molten liquid pool atop the ingot in a VAR process. This model accounts only for the thermal aspects of the system ignoring other physical domains such as fluid flow and electromagnetic effects. Spectral methods were used to obtain a set of nonlinear dynamic equations which capture the transient characteristics of liquid pool profile variations around a quasi-steady operating condition. These nonlinear equations are then linearized and further simplified by suppressing fast modes. The resulting system was used to construct a linear-quadratic-gaussian (LQG) controller which was tested in a laboratory-scale furnace showing a good performance. A high-fidelity physics-based model is used in real-time to provide information about the solidifying ingot and potential solidification defects.
Covariant renormalizable modified and massive gravity theories on (non)commutative tangent Lorentz bundles
Authors: Vacaru Sergiu I.
Published: December 2013

The fundamental field equations in modified gravity (including general relativity; massive and bimetric theories; Hořava–Lifshitz (HL); Einstein–Finsler gravity extensions etc.) possess an important decoupling property with respect to nonholonomic frames with 2 (or 3) + 2 + 2 + ⋯ spacetime decompositions. This allows us to construct exact solutions with generic off-diagonal metrics depending on all spacetime coordinates via generating and integration functions containing (un-)broken symmetry parameters. Such nonholonomic configurations/models have a nice ultraviolet behavior and seem to be ghost-free and (super-)renormalizable in a sense of covariant and/or massive modifications of HL gravity. The apparent noncommutativity and breaking of Lorentz invariance by quantum effects can be encoded into fibers of noncommutative tangent Lorentz bundles for corresponding "partner" anisotropically induced theories. We show how the constructions can be extended to include conjectured covariant renormalizable models with massive graviton fields and effective Einstein fields with (non)commutative variables.
Macrophage as cellular vehicles for delivery of nanoparticles
Authors: Feng Song , Cui Sisi , Jin Jing , Gu Yueqing
Published: December 2013

Treatment of malignant brain tumors continues to challenge scientists and clinicians alike. Location of these tumors within the central nervous system (CNS), which is considered a "privileged" organ, can prevent the penetration of chemotherapeutic agents through the blood–brain barrier (BBB). To overcome this limitation, nanoparticles are taken up and transported by macrophage and then delivered directly into the CNS. In this study, we used macrophage to uptake the folate-targeted bifunctional micelles loaded with near-infrared (NIR) dye ICG-Der-01 and investigate the dynamic bio-distributions of macrophage after intravenous injection into tumor-bearing mice. In vitro cellular experiments by confocal microscopy indicated that the uptake of micelles in macrophage was greatly enhanced due to the folate receptor overexpression. Dynamic bio-distributions of macrophage showed a rapid clearing rate through the liver intestine pathway. In conclusion, macrophage could potentially be used as nanoparticle drug carriers and require further investigation.
Reconciliating the Vertical and Horizontal Gradients of the Sunspot Magnetic Field
Authors: Bommier Véronique
Published: December 2013

In the literature, we found 15 references showing that the sunspot photospheric magnetic field vertical gradient is on the order of 3-4 G/km, with field strength decreasing with height, whereas the horizontal gradient is nine times weaker on the order of 0.4-0.5 G/km. This is confirmed by our recent THEMIS observations. As a consequence, the vanishing of divB→ is not realized. In other words, a loss of magnetic flux is observed with increasing height, which is not compensated for by an increase of the horizontal flux. We show that the lack of spatial resolution, vertical as well as horizontal, cannot be held responsible for the nonvanishing observed divB→. The present paper is devoted to the investigation of this problem. We investigate how the magnetic field is influenced by the plasma anisotropy due to the stratification, which is responsible for an “aspect ratio” between horizontal and vertical typical lengths. On the example of our THEMIS observations, made of two spectral lines formed at two different depths, which enables the retrieval of the three components entering divB→, it is shown that once this aspect ratio is applied, the rescaled divB→ vanishes, which suggests a new methodology for MHD modeling in the photosphere.
Primary Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma of a Urethral Diverticulum Treated with Multidisciplinary Robotic Anterior Pelvic Exenteration
Authors: Scantling Dane , Ross Curtis , Jaffe Jamison
Published: December 2013

Primary urethral carcinoma is extremely rare and is marked by a variety of clinical symptoms. Primary carcinoma of a urethral diverticulum is still rarer and clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urethra is particularly uncommon (Swartz et al., 2006). Such infrequency has led to inadequate management guidance in the literature for a disease that is often late in presentation and carries substantial morbidity and mortality. This treatable but grave disease deserves definitive curative treatment. We present the first published instance in which it was treated with robotic anterior exenteration. In our case, a 47-year-old female was referred to the urology service for investigation of recurring urinary tract infections. During the workup, the patient was found to have an advanced clear cell urethral adenocarcinoma originating in a urethral diverticulum. We discuss the natural history of this condition, its consequences, and the first instance of its treatment using robotic anterior pelvic exenteration.
Rough Set Theory Based Fuzzy TOPSIS on Serious Game Design Evaluation Framework
Authors: Su Chung-Ho , Chen Ken T.-K. , Fan Kuo-Kuang
Published: December 2013

This study presents a hybrid methodology for solving the serious game design evaluation in which evaluation criteria are based on meaningful learning, ARCS motivation, cognitive load, and flow theory (MACF) by rough set theory (RST) and experts’ selection. The purpose of this study tends to develop an evaluation model with RST based fuzzy Delphi-AHP-TOPSIS for MACF characteristics. Fuzzy Delphi method is utilized for selecting the evaluation criteria, Fuzzy AHP is used for analyzing the criteria structure and determining the evaluation weight of criteria, and Fuzzy TOPSIS is applied to determine the sequence of the evaluations. A real case is also used for evaluating the selection of MACF criteria design for four serious games, and both the practice and evaluation of the case could be explained. The results show that the playfulness (C24), skills (C22), attention (C11), and personalized (C35) are determined as the four most important criteria in the MACF selection process. And evaluation results of case study point out that Game 1 has the best score overall (Game 1 > Game 3 > Game 2 > Game 4). Finally, proposed evaluation framework tends to evaluate the effectiveness and the feasibility of the evaluation model and provide design criteria for relevant multimedia game design educators.
Attitudes towards and Beliefs about HIV Testing among Latino Immigrant MSM: A Comparison of Testers and Nontesters
Authors: Solorio Rosa , Forehand Mark , Simoni Jane
Published: December 2013

Latino immigrant men who have sex with men (MSM) are at risk for HIV and delayed diagnosis. An exploratory study using qualitative interviews that assess the beliefs and attitudes of 54 Latino immigrant MSM in Seattle, Washington, is presented. The goal of this research is to determine whether attitudinal differences exist between participants who had and had not been tested and to use any insight into the development of a media campaign to promote testing. Over one-third of the men have never been tested for HIV. Nontesters are more likely to be men who have sex with men and women, have less knowledge about HIV risks, perceive their sexual behaviors as less risky, and deflect HIV-related stigma. Testers are more likely to be self-identified as being gays. Both groups believe that fear of a positive result is the main barrier to testing. Both groups believe that family members have negative attitudes towards HIV testing and that having Latino staff at HIV testing sites hinders confidentiality. Financial concerns with regard to the cost of testing were also expressed by both groups. Based on these insights, recommended strategies for the development of HIV prevention and testing campaigns are made.
Transcriptionally Repressive Chromatin Remodelling and CpG Methylation in the Presence of Expanded CTG-Repeats at the DM1 Locus
Authors: Brouwer Judith Rixt , Huguet Aline , Nicole Annie , Munnich Arnold , Gourdon Geneviève
Published: December 2013

An expanded CTG-repeat in the 3′ UTR of theDMPKgene is responsible for myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1). Somatic and intergenerational instability cause the disease to become more severe during life and in subsequent generations. Evidence is accumulating that trinucleotide repeat instability and disease progression involve aberrant chromatin dynamics. We explored the chromatin environment in relation to expanded CTG-repeat tracts in hearts from transgenic mice carrying the DM1 locus with different repeat lengths. Using bisulfite sequencing we detected abundant CpG methylation in the regions flanking the expanded CTG-repeat. CpG methylation was postulated to affect CTCF binding but we found that CTCF binding is not affected by CTG-repeat length in our transgenic mice. We detected significantly decreasedDMPKsense andSIX5transcript expression levels in mice with expanded CTG-repeats. Expression of the DM1 antisense transcript was barely affected by CTG-repeat expansion. In line with altered gene expression, ChIP studies revealed a locally less active chromatin conformation around the expanded CTG-repeat, namely, decreased enrichment of active histone mark H3K9/14Ac and increased H3K9Me3 enrichment (repressive chromatin mark). We also observed binding of PCNA around the repeats, a candidate that could launch chromatin remodelling cascades at expanded repeats, ultimately affecting gene transcription and repeat instability.
Feasibility of Whole RNA Sequencing from Single-Cell mRNA Amplification
Authors: Xu Yunbo , Hu Hongliang , Zheng Jie , Li Biaoru
Published: December 2013

Single-cell sampling with RNA-seq analysis plays an important role in reference laboratory; cytogenomic diagnosis for specimens on glass-slides or rare cells in circulating blood for tumor and genetic diseases; measurement of sensitivity and specificity in tumor-tissue genomic analysis with mixed-cells; mechanism analysis of differentiation and proliferation of cancer stem cell for academic purpose. Our single- cell RNA-seq technique shows that fragments were 250–450 bp after fragmentation, amplification, and adapter addition. There were 11.6 million reads mapped in raw sequencing reads (19.6 million). The numbers of mapped genes, mapped transcripts, and mapped exons were 31,332, 41,210, and 85,786, respectively. All QC results demonstrated that RNA-seq techniques could be used for single-cell genomic performance. Analysis of the mapped genes showed that the number of genes mapped by RNA-seq (6767 genes) was much higher than that of differential display (288 libraries) among similar specimens which we have developed and published. The single-cell RNA-seq can detect gene splicing using different subtype TGF-beta analysis. The results from using Q-rtPCR tests demonstrated that sensitivity is 76% and specificity is 55% from single-cell RNA-seq technique with some gene expression missing (2/8 genes). However, it will be feasible to use RNA-seq techniques to contribute to genomic medicine at single-cell level.
Human Interaction With Multiple Remote Robots
Authors: Lewis Michael
Published: December 2013

In this chapter, I review research involving remote human supervision of multiple unmanned vehicles (UVs) using command complexity as an organizing construct. Multi-UV tasks range from foraging, requiring little coordination among UVs, to formation following, in which UVs must function as a cohesive unit. Command complexity, the degree to which operator effort increases with the number of supervised UVs, is used to categorize human interaction with multiple UVs. For systems in which each UV requires the same form of attention (O( n)), effort increases linearly with the number of UVs. For systems in which the control of one UV is dependent upon another (O(> n)), additional UVs impose greater than linear increases due to the expense of coordination. For other systems, an operator interacts with an autonomously coordinating group, and effort is unaffected by group size (O(1)). Studies of human/multi-UV interaction can be roughly grouped into O( n) supervision, involving one-to-one control of individual UVs, or O(1) commanding, in which higher-level commands are directed to a group. Research in O( n) command has centered on round-robin control, neglect tolerance, and attention switching. Approaches to O(1) command are divided into systems using autonomous path planning only, plan libraries, human-steered planners, and swarms. Each type of system has its advantages. Less complete work in scalable displays for multiple UVs is reviewed. Mixing levels of command is probably necessary to supervise multiple UVs performing realistic tasks. Research in O( n) control is mature and can provide quantitative and qualitative guidance for design. Interaction with planners and swarms is less mature but more critical to developing effective multi-UV systems capable of performing complex tasks.
Space Telerobotics
Authors: Fong Terrence , Rochlis Zumbado Jennifer , Currie Nancy , Mishkin Andrew , Akin David L.
Published: December 2013

In this chapter, we survey the current state of the art in space telerobots. We begin by defining relevant terms and describing applications. We then examine the design issues for space telerobotics, including common requirements, operational constraints, and design elements. A discussion follows of the reasons space telerobotics presents unique challenges beyond terrestrial systems. We then present case studies of several different space telerobots, examining key aspects of design and human–robot interaction. Next, we describe telerobots and concepts of operations for future space exploration missions. Finally, we discuss the various ways in which space telerobots can be evaluated in order to characterize and improve performance.
Addressing Fundraising Challenges of a Non-Profit Organization Caused by Financial Uncertainty Using an Appreciative Inquiry Approach
Authors: Brands Kristine , Elam Debora
Published: December 2013

The increasing demands on non-profit organizations to support the growing needs of communities during economic hardships require these organizations to look for alternative and creative fundraising options. This study used a customized approach of the Appreciative Inquiry organizational analysis model developed by Thatchenkery ( 2005 ) to examine a non-profit organization’s fundraising enablers and to identify how the organization could sustain its fundraising levels during the economic challenges of 2009. This process-consulting model was used to focus on the organization’s strengths to allow the organization to build on them. A three-member doctorate student research team not affiliated with the organization used a multiple phased process to collect and analyze data. The research was used to ultimately identify possibilities for increasing fundraising levels to meet the growing needs of the Pikes Peak Region community in Colorado, United States. It is a research case study.
Karnavati Pagarkha Bazaar
Authors: Jayswal Mitesh , Jayswal Rachita
Published: December 2013

The evolution process of an organized sector is always interesting to study from management perspective. The study becomes fascinating if the sector has grown with the same people who earlier used to manage the same business in traditional ways. In the Indian sub-continent type of business is generally concentrated in a caste grouping. Goldsmiths or textile weavers belong to a particular caste group. This case narrates a story of a group of people from shoemaker community who successfully transform their hereditary business to a modern organized retailing format by forming an association. It explains how small businesses can sustain against the winds of globalization and keep alive the spirit of entrepreneurship. It is the story of a giant step of tiny traders from a tradition bound business format to a business based on modern concepts of management.
Bayer CropScience, India
Authors: Roy Vineeta Dutta
Published: December 2013

The case is about Bayer, a multinational firm that finds itself facing stiff accusations in India and its home turf Germany when the acquisition of Indian seeds business leads it inadvertently to having the worst forms of child labour in its hybrid cotton seed production supply chain. A company with a strong brand identity and a clear human rights position that bans child labour in its own operations and does not tolerate it anywhere in its supply chain chooses to tackle the situation when exiting the business would have made a more convenient business decision. It designs a multifaceted programme the Bayer CropScience Child Care Programme with top level management commitment, a dedicated team and an independent budget. After striving for almost a decade with its implementation, the company achieves a practically zero child labour existent supply chain and a reputation of having turned around a difficult situation. The company now aspires to transform its successful Child Care Programme into a vehicle for delivering innovative solutions aimed at strengthening the rural economy and bringing about a socio-cultural change.
Rottlerin-induced autophagy leads to the apoptosis in breast cancer stem cells: molecular mechanisms
Authors: Kumar Dhruv , Shankar Sharmila , Srivastava Rakesh K
Published: December 2013

Background

Autophagy is an indispensable lysosomal self-digestion process involved in the degradation of aggregated proteins and damaged organelles. Autophagy is associated with the several pathological processes, including cancer. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play significant roles in cancer initiation, progression and drug resistance. Recent studies have demonstrated the antitumor activities of plant-derived chemopreventive agent rottlerin (Rott). However, the molecular mechanism by which Rott induces autophagy in breast CSCs has not been investigated.

Results

The objectives of this study were to examine the molecular mechanism by which Rott induces autophagy which leads to apoptosis in breast CSCs. Treatment of breast CSCs with Rott for 24 h resulted in a concentration dependent induction of autophagy, followed by apoptosis as measured by flow cytometry. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of autophagosomes in Rott treated breast CSCs. Western blot analysis showed that Rott treatment increased the expression of LC3, Beclin-1 and Atg12 that are accumulated during autophagy. Prolonged exposure of breast CSCs to Rott caused apoptosis which was associated with the suppression of phosphorylated Akt and mTOR, upregulation of phosphorylated AMPK, and downregulation of anti-apoptosis Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, XIAP and cIAP-1. Knock-down of Atg7 or Beclin-1 by shRNA inhibited Rott-induced autophagy at 24 h. Our study also demonstrates that pre-treatment of breast CSCs with autophagosome inhibitors 3-methyladenine and Bafilomycin, as well as protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide inhibited Rott-induced autophagy and apoptosis. Rott induces autophagy via extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization in breast CSCs. Molecular docking results between C2-domain of protein kinase C-delta and Rott indicated that both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions contributed significantly for ligand binding with minimum binding affinity of ≈ 7.5 Kcal/mol. Although, autophagy inhibitors suppress the formation of cytoplasmic vacuolization and autophagy in breast CSCs, the potency of Rott to induce autophagy and apoptosis might be based on its capability to activate several pathways such as AMPK and proteasome inhibition.

Conclusions

A better understanding of the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis would eventually allow us to discover novel drugs for the treatment of breast cancer by eliminating CSCs.
Do parents drink their children’s welfare? Intra-household allocation of time between market labour, domestic work and child care in Russia
Authors: Giannelli Gianna Claudia , Mangiavacchi Lucia , Piccoli Luca
Published: December 2013

The aim of this paper is to investigate whether parental alcohol consumption leads to a reduction of child welfare. To this end, we analyse whether alcohol consumption decreases parents’ time spent looking after children and working. Using the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, we estimate a model of intra-household allocation of time for mono-nuclear families with children under fifteen years of age. We find that fathers’ alcohol consumption has a negative impact on their weekly hours spent doing child care, while no significant effect is observed for mothers’ alcohol consumption.

JEL codes

D1; I1; J13; J22
Bacterial attachment on poly[acrylonitrile-co-(2-methyl-2-propene-1-sulfonic acid)] surfaces
Authors: Landsberger Petra , Boenke Viola , Gorbushina Anna A. , Rodenacker Karsten , Pierce Benjamin F. , Kratz Karl , Lendlein Andreas
Published: December 2013

The influence of material properties on bacterial attachment to surfaces needs to be understood when applying polymer-based biomaterials. Positively charged materials can kill adhered bacteria when the charge density is sufficiently high [1] but such materials initially increase the adherence of some bacteria such asEscherichia coli[2]. On the other hand, negatively charged materials have been shown to inhibit initial bacterial adhesion [3], but this effect has only been demonstrated in relatively few biomaterial classes and needs to be evaluated using additional systems. Gradients in surface charge can impact bacterial adhesion and this was tested in our experimental setup.

Moreover, the evaluation of bacterial adhesion to biomaterials is required to assess their potential for biological applications. Here, we studied the bacterial adhesion ofE. coliandBacillus subtilison the surfaces of acrylonitrile-based copolymer samples with different amounts of 2-methyl-2-propene-1-sulfonic acid sodium salt (NaMAS) comonomer. The content related to NaMAS based repeating units nNaMASvaried in the range from 0.9 to 1.5 mol%.

We found a reduced colonized area ofE. colifor NaMAS containing copolymers in comparison to pure PAN materials, whereby the bacterial colonization was similar for copolymers with different nNaMASamounts. A different adhesion behavior was obtained for the second tested organismB. subtilis, where the implementation of negative charges into PAN did not change the overall adhesion pattern. Furthermore, it was observed thatB. subtilisadhesion was significantly increased on copolymer samples that exhibited a more irregular surface roughness.
Quantification of Protein Adsorption on Polyglycerol-based Polymer Network Films
Authors: Ekinci Duygu , Sisson Adam L. , Lendlein Andreas
Published: December 2013

Neutral, hydrophilic, polymer-based architectures are widely investigated for a wide range of biomedical applications from drug-conjugates to delivery systems and scaffolds for regenerative therapies. In most cases, it is crucial that biomaterials provide a blank, inert background in order to hinder unspecific cell-material interactions so that protein mediated biological events leading to foreign body reactions are prevented. Hydrophilic polyglycerol-based polymer network films are a recently developed class of amorphous macroscopic materials, which offer great versatility in design and control of resultant properties. In this study, protein adsorption on polyglycerol-based polymer network films is investigated by using Micro BCA protein assay for three types of proteins having critical roles in the human body, and various copolymer networks with differing sidechains and crosslink densities.
Coffee Consumption and Periodontal Disease in Males
Authors: Ng Nathan , Kaye Elizabeth Krall , Garcia Raul I.
Published: December 2013

Background: Coffee is a major dietary source of antioxidants as well as of other anti‐inflammatory factors. Given the beneficial role of such factors in periodontal disease, whether coffee intake is associated with periodontal disease in adult males was explored.

Methods: Existing data collected by a prospective, closed‐panel cohort study of aging and oral health in adult males was used. Participants included the 1,152 dentate males in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Dental Longitudinal Study who presented for comprehensive medical and dental examinations from 1968 to 1998. Mean age at baseline was 48 years; males were followed for up to 30 years. Participants are not VA patients; rather, they receive their medical and dental care in the private sector. Periodontal status was assessed by probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing, and radiographic alveolar bone loss (ABL), measured on intraoral periapical radiographs with a modified Schei ruler method. Moderate‐to‐severe periodontal disease was defined as cumulative numbers of teeth exhibiting PD ≥4 mm or ABL ≥40%. Coffee intake was obtained from participant self‐reports using the Cornell Medical Index and food frequency questionnaires. Multivariate repeated‐measures generalized linear models estimated mean number of teeth with moderate‐to‐severe disease at each examination by coffee intake level.

Results: It was found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a small but significant reduction in number of teeth with periodontal bone loss. No evidence was found that coffee consumption was harmful to periodontal health.

Conclusion: Coffee consumption may be protective against periodontal bone loss in adult males.
Situating Hong Kong Pet-Dog-Child Figures within Colonialist Flows and Disjunctures
Authors: Blaise Mindy
Published: December 2013

In this article the author works with posthuman research practices to think with and through the natureculture figure of the pet–dog–child to explore specific dog practices she keeps encountering within the postcolonial nexus of Hong Kong, Britain, and China. By tracing, gathering, and reassembling six knotty aspects of the pet–dog–child figure (i.e. population governance, gender-expressive dogs, the Peke, Victorian sentimentality, becoming ‘common’, and designer dog-bags) the author shows how connections, movements, and disjunctures about pet, dog, and child emerge. By situating Hong Kong dog practices within colonialist flows and disjunctures, the author opens up space for thinking differently about childhoods as situated and gestures towards new ways of reconfiguring Hong Kong childhoods.
School performance and behaviour change after adenoidectomy with myringotomy in children suffering from otitis media with effusion
Authors: Al-Masum Syed Hasan Imam , Fakir Abu Yousuf
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icmj.v2i1.17414 Ibrahim Cardiac Med J 2012; 2(1): 27-31
Statistical Model and Method in ensuring validity of HIV Data
Authors: Shah MA
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icmj.v2i1.17417 Ibrahim Cardiac Med J 2012; 2(1): 42-50
Use of 'Amikacin Nebulisation' in ventilator Associated Pneumonia from Pseudomonas to Reduce Nephrotoxicity: A Case Report
Authors: Mohammad Najob , Mayedah Rita
Published: December 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/icmj.v2i1.17421 Ibrahim Cardiac Med J 2012; 2(1): 65-66
Experimental analysis of temperature profiles in ceramic brickwork elements subjected to high temperatures
Authors: Maciá M. E. , Rolando A.
Published: December 2013

This article discusses heat transfer through a brick element in order to know the thermal behavior of onedimensional brickwork masonry samples exposed to high temperatures.

The object of the tests is to build time-temperature curves according to different thermal steps in transient to experimentally determine the temperature profiles in the interior of a wall.

Through this study, it is possible to demonstrate absolute moisture of a factory item from 300 °C (variation of temperatures in the interior of the element), avoid the associated phenomenon of evaporation of water during the thermal process as well as to obtain profiles of temperatures that help calculate the cross section of a factory element subjected to high temperatures.
The acoustic absorption of textile curtains on the function of the fullness
Authors: Del Rey R. , Alba J. , Blanes M. , Marco B.
Published: December 2013

Acoustic absorbing materials are applied to reduce noise levels in a room. They are also used to adjust the reverberation time an acoustic enclosure to use for which it´s designed. There are multi-purpose rooms for conferences, concerts, cinemas, etc. In this case, the acoustic absorbent materials should be changed according to use. Curtains can be an easy way to modify the acoustics of a room based on usage. This paper presents a study of the acoustic absorption of different curtains under actual placement. The study was performed in a reverberant chamber. It takes into account different textiles. It also takes into account different air plenums and different fullness to pucker. It can be seen in the results, good acoustic behavior of such systems. The acoustic absorption of different fabrics, air plenums and plicate of textiles (fullness) are compared in this work. The good acoustic behaviour of these systems is observed in the results.
Prairie Grande flax
Authors: Duguid S. D. , Rashid K. Y. , Kenaschuk E. O.
Published: December 2013

Duguid, S. D., Rashid, K. Y. and Kenaschuk, E. O. 2014. Prairie Grande flax. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 791–795. Prairie Grande, a medium-early maturing oilseed flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), was released in 2007 by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Morden Research Station, Morden, Manitoba. Developed from a cross of AC Watson/CI3395 made in 1996, Prairie Grande was evaluated in the Flax Cooperative Trials in (2003–2005) before being registered in 2007. Prairie Grande's desirable combination of significantly higher yield with significantly earlier maturity (3.1 d earlier than Flanders), along with seed quality similar to Flanders, but with higher protein content in the meal and a good disease resistance package, should make it a useful cultivar for producers in the northern prairies of Canada and the flax industry.
Simulated radiative forcing from contrails and contrail cirrus
Authors: Chen C.-C. , Gettelman A.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. A comprehensive general circulation model including ice supersaturation is used to estimate the climate impact of aviation induced contrails. The model uses a realistic aviation emissions inventory for 2006 to initiate contrails, and allows them to evolve consistently with the model hydrologic cycle. The radiative forcing from linear contrails is very sensitive to the diurnal cycle. For linear contrails, including the diurnal cycle of air traffic reduces the estimated radiative forcing by 29%, and for contrail cirrus estimates, the radiative forcing is reduced by 25%. Estimated global radiative forcing from linear contrails is 0.0031 ± 0.0005 Wm−2. The linear contrail radiative forcing is found to exhibit a strong diurnal cycle. The contrail cirrus radiative forcing is less sensitive to the diurnal cycle of flights. The estimated global radiative forcing from contrail cirrus is 0.013 ± 0.01 Wm−2. Over regions with the highest air traffic, the regional effect can be as large as 1 Wm−2.
Free-troposphere ozone and carbon monoxide over the North Atlantic for 2001–2011
Authors: Kumar A. , Wu S. , Weise M. F. , Honrath R. , Owen R. C. , Helmig D. , Kramer L. , Val Martin M. , Li Q.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. In situ measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) at the Pico Mountain Observatory (PMO) located in the Azores, Portugal, are analyzed together with results from an atmospheric chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and satellite remote sensing data (AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) for CO, and TES (Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer) for O3) to examine the evolution of free-troposphere CO and O3 over the North Atlantic for 2001–2011. GEOS-Chem captured the seasonal cycles for CO and O3 well but significantly underestimated the mixing ratios of CO, particularly in spring. Statistically significant (using a significance level of 0.05) decreasing trends were found for both CO and O3 based on harmonic regression analysis of the measurement data. The best estimates of the possible trends for CO and O3 measurements are −0.31 ± 0.30 (2-σ) ppbv yr−1 and −0.21 ± 0.11 (2-σ) ppbv yr−1, respectively. Similar decreasing trends for both species were obtained with GEOS-Chem simulation results. The most important factor contributing to the decreases in CO and O3 at PMO over the past decade is the decline in anthropogenic emissions from North America, which more than compensate for the impacts from increasing Asian emissions. It is likely that climate change in the past decade has also affected the intercontinental transport of O3.
SoFi, an IGOR-based interface for the efficient use of the generalized multilinear engine (ME-2) for the source apportionment: ME-2 application to aerosol mass spectrometer data
Authors: Canonaco F. , Crippa M. , Slowik J. G. , Baltensperger U. , Prévôt A. S. H.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. Source apportionment using the bilinear model through a multilinear engine (ME-2) was successfully applied to non-refractory organic aerosol (OA) mass spectra collected during the winter of 2011 and 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland using the aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM). Five factors were identified: low-volatility oxygenated OA (LV-OOA), semivolatile oxygenated OA (SV-OOA), hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA), cooking OA (COA) and biomass burning OA (BBOA). A graphical user interface SoFi (Source Finder) was developed at PSI in order to facilitate the testing of different rotational techniques available within the ME-2 engine by providing a priori factor profiles for some or all of the expected factors. ME-2 was used to test the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, the fully constrained chemical mass balance (CMB) model, and partially constrained models utilizing a values and pulling equations. Within the set of model solutions determined to be environmentally reasonable, BBOA and SV-OOA factor mass spectra and time series showed the greatest variability. This variability represents the uncertainty in the model solution and indicates that analysis of model rotations provides a useful approach for assessing the uncertainty of bilinear source apportionment models.
On the impact of wave-like disturbances on turbulent fluxes and turbulence statistics in nighttime conditions: a case study
Authors: Durden D. J. , Nappo C. J. , Leclerc M. Y. , Duarte H. F. , Zhang G. , Parker M. J. , Kurzeja R. J.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. The interpretation of flux measurements in nocturnal conditions is typically fraught with challenges. This paper reports on how the presence of wave-like disturbances in a time series, can lead to an overestimation of turbulence statistics, errors when calculating the stability parameter, erroneous estimation of the friction velocity u* used to screen flux data, and errors in turbulent flux calculations. Using time series of the pressure signal from a microbarograph, wave-like disturbances at an AmeriFlux site are identified. The wave-like disturbances are removed during the calculation of turbulence statistics and turbulent fluxes. Our findings suggest that filtering eddy-covariance data in the presence of wave-like events prevents both an~overestimation of turbulence statistics and errors in turbulent flux calculations. Results show that large-amplitude wave-like events, events surpassing three standard deviations, occurred on 18% of the nights considered in the present study. Remarkably, on flux towers located in a very stably stratified boundary-layer regime, the presence of a gravity wave can enhance turbulence statistics more than 50%. In addition, the presence of the disturbance modulates the calculated turbulent fluxes of CO2 resulting in erroneous turbulent flux calculations of the order of 10% depending on averaging time and pressure perturbation threshold criteria. Furthermore, the friction velocity u* was affected by the presence of the wave, and in at least one case, a 10% increase caused u* to exceed the arbitrary 0.25 m s−1 threshold used in many studies. This results in an unintended bias in the data selected for analysis in the flux calculations. The impact of different averaging periods was also examined and found to be variable specific. These early case study results provide an insight into errors introduced when calculating "purely" turbulent fluxes. These results could contribute to improving modeling efforts by providing more accurate inputs of both turbulent kinetic energy, and isolating the turbulent component of u* for flux selection in the stable nocturnal boundary layer.
Trends and drivers of regional sources and sinks of carbon dioxide over the past two decades
Authors: Sitch S. , Friedlingstein P. , Gruber N. , Jones S. D. , Murray-Tortarolo G. , Ahlström A. , Doney S. C. , Graven H. , Heinze C. , Huntingford C. , Levis S. , Levy P. E. , Lomas M. , Poulter B. , Viovy N. , Zaehle S. , Zeng N. , Arneth A. , Bonan G. , Bopp L. , Canadell J. G. , Chevallier F. , Ciais P. , Ellis R. , Gloor M. , Peylin P. , Piao S. , Le Quéré C. , Smith B. , Zhu Z. , Myneni R.
Published: December 2013

Abstract. The land and ocean absorb on average over half of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. These CO2 "sinks" are modulated by climate change and variability. Here we use a suite of nine Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) and four Ocean Biogeochemical General Circulation Models (OBGCMs) to quantify the global and regional climate and atmospheric CO2 – driven trends in land and oceanic CO2 exchanges with the atmosphere over the period 1990–2009, attribute these trends to underlying processes, and quantify the uncertainty and level of model agreement. The models were forced with reconstructed climate fields and observed global atmospheric CO2; Land Use and Land Cover Changes are not included for the DGVMs. Over the period 1990–2009, the DGVMs simulate a mean global land carbon sink of −2.4 ± 0.7 Pg C yr−1 with a small significant trend of −0.06 ± 0.03 Pg C yr−2 (increasing sink). Over the more limited period 1990–2004, the ocean models simulate a mean ocean sink of –2.2 ± 0.2 Pg C yr–1 with a trend in the net C uptake that is indistinguishable from zero (−0.01 ± 0.02 Pg C yr−2). The two ocean models that extended the simulations until 2009 suggest a slightly stronger, but still small trend of −0.02 ± 0.01 Pg C yr−2. Trends from land and ocean models compare favourably to the land greenness trends from remote sensing, atmospheric inversion results, and the residual land sink required to close the global carbon budget. Trends in the land sink are driven by increasing net primary production (NPP) whose statistically significant trend of 0.22 ± 0.08 Pg C yr−2 exceeds a significant trend in heterotrophic respiration of 0.16 ± 0.05 Pg C yr−2 – primarily as a consequence of wide-spread CO2 fertilisation of plant production. Most of the land-based trend in simulated net carbon uptake originates from natural ecosystems in the tropics (−0.04 ± 0.01 Pg C yr−2), with almost no trend over the northern land region, where recent warming and reduced rainfall offsets the positive impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 on carbon storage. The small uptake trend in the ocean models emerges because climate variability and change, and in particular increasing sea surface temperatures, tend to counteract the trend in ocean uptake driven by the increase in atmospheric CO2. Large uncertainty remains in the magnitude and sign of modelled carbon trends in several regions, and on the influence of land use and land cover changes on regional trends.