bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rocks, Clays, Water, and Salts: Highly Durable, Infinitely Rechargeable, Eminently Controllable Thermal Batteries for Buildings
Authors: Rempel Alexandra , Rempel Alan
Published: January 2013

Materials that store the energy of warm days, to return that heat during cool nights, have been fundamental to vernacular building since ancient times. Although building with thermally rechargeable materials became a niche pursuit with the advent of fossil fuel-based heating and cooling, energy and climate change concerns have sparked new enthusiasm for these substances of high heat capacity and moderate thermal conductivity: stone, adobe, rammed earth, brick, water, concrete, and more recently, phase-change materials. While broadly similar, these substances absorb and release heat in unique patterns characteristic of their mineralogies, densities, fluidities, emissivities, and latent heats of fusion. Current architectural practice, however, shows little awareness of these differences and the resulting potential to match materials to desired thermal performance. This investigation explores that potential, illustrating the correspondence between physical parameters and thermal storage-and-release patterns in direct-, indirect-, and isolated-gain passive solar configurations. Focusing on heating applications, results demonstrate the superiority of water walls for daytime warmth, the tunability of granite and concrete for evening warmth, and the exceptional ability of phase-change materials to sustain near-constant heat delivery throughout the night.
Fast Automatic Precision Tree Models from Terrestrial Laser Scanner Data
Authors: Raumonen Pasi , Kaasalainen Mikko , Åkerblom Markku , Kaasalainen Sanna , Kaartinen Harri , Vastaranta Mikko , Holopainen Markus , Disney Mathias , Lewis Philip
Published: January 2013

This paper presents a new method for constructing quickly and automatically precision tree models from point clouds of the trunk and branches obtained by terrestrial laser scanning. The input of the method is a point cloud of a single tree scanned from multiple positions. The surface of the visible parts of the tree is robustly reconstructed by making a flexible cylinder model of the tree. The thorough quantitative model records also the topological branching structure. In this paper, every major step of the whole model reconstruction process, from the input to the finished model, is presented in detail. The model is constructed by a local approach in which the point cloud is covered with small sets corresponding to connected surface patches in the tree surface. The neighbor-relations and geometrical properties of these cover sets are used to reconstruct the details of the tree and, step by step, the whole tree. The point cloud and the sets are segmented into branches, after which the branches are modeled as collections of cylinders. From the model, the branching structure and size properties, such as volume and branch size distributions, for the whole tree or some of its parts, can be approximated. The approach is validated using both measured and modeled terrestrial laser scanner data from real trees and detailed 3D models. The results show that the method allows an easy extraction of various tree attributes from terrestrial or mobile laser scanning point clouds.
Compact Multipurpose Mobile Laser Scanning System — Initial Tests and Results
Authors: Glennie Craig , Brooks Benjamin , Ericksen Todd , Hauser Darren , Hudnut Kenneth , Foster James , Avery Jon
Published: January 2013

We describe a prototype compact mobile laser scanning system that may be operated from a backpack or unmanned aerial vehicle. The system is small, self-contained, relatively inexpensive, and easy to deploy. A description of system components is presented, along with the initial calibration of the multi-sensor platform. The first field tests of the system, both in backpack mode and mounted on a helium balloon for real-world applications are presented. For both field tests, the acquired kinematic LiDAR data are compared with highly accurate static terrestrial laser scanning point clouds. These initial results show that the vertical accuracy of the point cloud for the prototype system is approximately 4 cm (1σ) in balloon mode, and 3 cm (1σ) in backpack mode while horizontal accuracy was approximately 17 cm (1σ) for the balloon tests. Results from selected study areas on the Sacramento River Delta and San Andreas Fault in California demonstrate system performance, deployment agility and flexibility, and potential for operational production of high density and highly accurate point cloud data. Cost and production rate trade-offs place this system in the niche between existing airborne and tripod mounted LiDAR systems.
Critical Evaluation of Acetylthiocholine Iodide and Acetylthiocholine Chloride as Substrates for Amperometric Biosensors Based on Acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Bucur Madalina-Petruta , Bucur Bogdan , Radu Gabriel-Lucian
Published: January 2013

Numerous amperometric biosensors have been developed for the fast analysis of neurotoxic insecticides based on inhibition of cholinesterase (AChE). The analytical signal is quantified by the oxidation of the thiocholine that is produced enzymatically by the hydrolysis of the acetylthiocholine pseudosubstrate. The pseudosubstrate is a cation and it is associated with chloride or iodide as corresponding anion to form a salt. The iodide salt is cheaper, but it is electrochemically active and consequently more difficult to use in electrochemical analytical devices. We investigate the possibility of using acetylthiocholine iodide as pseudosubstrate for amperometric detection. Our investigation demonstrates that operational conditions for any amperometric biosensor that use acetylthiocholine iodide must be thoroughly optimized to avoid false analytical signals or a reduced sensitivity. The working overpotential determined for different screen-printed electrodes was: carbon-nanotubes (360 mV), platinum (560 mV), gold (370 mV, based on a catalytic effect of iodide) or cobalt phthalocyanine (110 mV, but with a significant reduced sensitivity in the presence of iodide anions).
The Mexican Drug War and the Consequent Population Exodus: Transnational Movement at the U.S.-Mexican Border
Authors: Morales Maria , Morales Oscar , Menchaca Angelica , Sebastian Adam
Published: January 2013

At the frontline of México’s “war on drugs” is the Mexican-U.S. border city of Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, which has become internationally known as the “murder capital of the world.” In Juárez, which neighbors El Paso, Texas, United States, estimates of the murders in Juárez are as high as 7,643 between 2006 and 2011, leaving approximately 10,000 orphans. Juárez has also experienced an exodus of approximately 124,000 people seeking safety, some migrating to the Mexican interior and others to the U.S., particularly along the U.S.-México border. Based on 63 in-depth interviews with Juárez-El Paso border residents, along with ethnographic observations, we examine the implications of the “war on drugs” on transnational movements and on the initial settlement of those escaping the violence. In particular, we construct a typology of international migrants who are represented in the Juárez exodus: the Mexican business elite, the “Refugees without Status,” and those who resided in México but who are U.S. born or have legal permanent residency in the U.S. This article highlights the role of transnational capital in the form of assets and income, social networks in the U.S., and documentation to cross the port of entry into the U.S. legally, in easing migration and initial settlement experiences in the U.S.
Advances in Membrane Distillation for Water Desalination and Purification Applications
Authors: Camacho Lucy , Dumée Ludovic , Zhang Jianhua , Li Jun-de , Duke Mikel , Gomez Juan , Gray Stephen
Published: January 2013

Membrane distillation is a process that utilizes differences in vapor pressure to permeate water through a macro-porous membrane and reject other non-volatile constituents present in the influent water. This review considers the fundamental heat and mass transfer processes in membrane distillation, recent advances in membrane technology, module configurations, and the applications and economics of membrane distillation, and identifies areas that may lead to technological improvements in membrane distillation as well as the application characteristics required for commercial deployment.
Strategies to Promote Safe Medication Administration in Assisted Living Settings
Authors: Young Heather M. , Sikma Suzanne K. , Reinhard Susan C. , McCormick Wayne C. , Cartwright Juliana C.
Published: January 2013

Assisted living (AL) provides lower cost, less institutional environments than skilled nursing facilities, yet less professional oversight, despite the high prevalence of chronic conditions among residents. Unlicensed staff administer large quantities of medications daily, and medication management is one of the three top quality issues in AL, with error rates ranging from 10% to 40%. This qualitative study described AL provider views on medication safety and strategies used to promote safety in medication administration. The sample included 96 participants representing all parties involved in medication administration (i.e., medication aides, administrators, RNs, consulting pharmacists, primary care providers) in 12 AL settings in three states. Core themes were the importance of medication safety, unique contextual factors in AL, and strategies used to promote medication safety. This study has implications for research on interventions to improve medication safety at the individual, facility, and policy levels.

[Res Gerontol Nurs. 2013; 6(3):161–170.]
Cristianos nuevos de origen ibérico en el Reino de Nápoles en el siglo XVII
Authors: Huerga Criado Pilar
Published: January 2013

En el Reino de Nápoles, de donde fueron expulsados los judíos en 1541, se desarrolló una importante comunidad de cristianos nuevos que pervivió hasta mediados del siglo XVII. Entonces, cuando la comunidad se hallaba en vías de asimilación social, y por tanto de disolución, la Inquisición romana procedió contra muchos de sus miembros. Los procesos de fe desvelan la compleja composición de la comunidad, aglutinada en torno a dos grandes redes de parentesco: la de los Vaaz, de origen portugués, y la de los Vargas, originarios de la Corona de Aragón. Estas familias habían logrado posesiones feudales, títulos de nobleza y puestos preeminentes en la magistratura, atributos que los situaban entre los poderosos: pero la comunidad incluía también a familias e individuos más humildes. Sus contradicciones internas provocaron la ruptura de la solidaridad y esa falta de protección fue aprovechada por los inquisidores para juzgarlos e imponerles las penas reservadas para los herejes judaizantes.
Review of Treatment Options for Myelofibrosis: Focus on Ruxolitinib
Authors: McLornan Donal P. , Laurie John , Harrison Claire N.
Published: January 2013

In November 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of a novel Janus Kinase (JAK) 1/JAK2 inhibitor, INCB 018424 (ruxolitinib), for use in both intermediate and high risk myelofibrosis. Approvals of this agent in both Canada and Europe have followed most recently. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that ruxolitinib was indicated for disease-related splenomegaly or symptoms in adult patients with primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythaemia vera (PV) myelofibrosis, and post-essential thrombocythaemia (ET) myelofibrosis. In this review we will consider the rationale for targeting of the JAK-pathway, discuss the pharmacological profile of ruxolitinib and review the currently available clinical trial data. We will also postulate on the current and potential future roles of ruxolitinib within the MPN field.
Impact of NO2 horizontal heterogeneity on tropospheric NO2 vertical columns retrieved from satellite, multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy, and in situ measurements
Authors: Mendolia D. , D'Souza R. J. C. , Evans G. J. , Brook J.
Published: January 2013

Abstract. Tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities were retrieved for the first time in Toronto, Canada using three methods of differing spatial scales. Remotely-sensed NO2 vertical column densities, retrieved from multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy and satellite remote sensing, were evaluated by comparison with in situ vertical column densities derived using a pair of chemiluminescence monitors situated 0.01 and 0.5 km above ground level. The chemiluminescence measurements were corrected for the influence of NOz, which reduced the NO2 concentrations at 0.01 and 0.5 km by 8 ± 1% and 12 ± 1%, respectively. The average absolute decrease in the chemiluminescence NO2 measurement as a result of this correction was less than 1 ppb. Good correlation was observed between the remotely sensed and in situ NO2 vertical column densities (Pearson R ranging from 0.68 to 0.79), but the in situ vertical column densities were 27% to 55% greater than the remotely-sensed columns. These results indicate that NO2 horizontal heterogeneity strongly impacted the magnitude of the remotely-sensed columns. The in situ columns reflected an urban environment with major traffic sources, while the remotely-sensed NO2 vertical column densities were representative of the region, which included spatial heterogeneity introduced by residential neighbourhoods and Lake Ontario. Despite the difference in absolute values, the reasonable correlation between the vertical column densities determined by three distinct methods increased confidence in the validity of the values provided by each of the methods.
An automated system for selective and continuous measurements of vertical Thoron profiles for the determination of transport times near the ground
Authors: Plake D. , Trebs I.
Published: January 2013

Abstract. The quantification of in-canopy transport times is of a~major importance for the investigation of sources, sinks and net fluxes of reactive trace gases within plant canopies. The Damköhler number, which compares timescales of chemical reactions with transport times, is a widely applied measure to evaluate flux divergences. In this study, we present and evaluate a novel automated measurement system for selective vertical Thoron (Tn) profiles near the earth's surface and demonstrate its suitability for the direct and reliable determination of transport times within a natural grassland canopy. For the first time, we perform a rigorous determination of systematic and random uncertainties of Tn (and Rn) concentrations under field conditions for this type of measurement system. The obtained median precisions for three concentration classes (> 100 Bq m−3, 100–15 Bq m−3 < 15 Bq m−3) were 8.8%, 23.2% and 132.1% for Tn (and 16.6%, 25.0%, 99.2% for Rn). We calculate in-canopy transport times (τ) and propagate it's uncertainty from the individual errors of the Tn concentration measurements. A quality assessment of τ for the field experiment revealed a good data quality with 44% of the relative uncertainties below 50%. The occurrence of transport time uncertainties higher than 100% was caused by absolute Tn gradients lower than 70 Bq m−3, which was found for 22% of all determined transport times. In addition, the method was found to be highly sensitive to the Tn concentrations at the upper of two inlet heights (zu). Low values of CTnzu result in high absolute uncertainties of the transport time. A comparison of the measured τ with empirical parameterizations revealed the lowest scatter for the measured τ values. We found an excellent agreement of τ with transport times obtained by the in-canopy resistance approach used, e.g. in the SURFATM model during daytime, while the SURFATM model significantly overestimated transport times during nighttime.
Putative fishery-induced changes in biomass and population size structures of demersal deep-sea fishes in ICES Sub-area VII, Northeast Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Godbold J. A. , Bailey D. M. , Collins M. A. , Gordon J. D. M. , Spallek W. A. , Priede I. G.
Published: January 2013

Abstract. A time series from 1977–1989 and 2000–2002 of scientific trawl surveys in the Porcupine Seabight and adjacent abyssal plain of the NE Atlantic was analysed to assess changes in demersal fish biomass and length frequency. These two periods coincide with the onset of the commercial deep-water fishery in the late 1970s and the onset of the regulation of the fishery in the early 2000's, which allowed us to investigate changes in the relationship between total demersal fish biomass and depth between the pre- and post commercial fishing periods, as well as changes in the biomass (kg km−2) depth distribution and length frequency distribution of the most dominant fish species. Our results show a decline in total demersal fish biomass of 36% within the depth range of the commercial fishery (< 1500 m). Whilst there were significant declines in target (e.g. Coryphaenoides rupestris decreased by 57%) and non-target (e.g. C. guentheri and Antimora rostrata) species, not all species declined significantly. Changes in the overall length-frequency distribution were detected for 5 out of the 8 dominant species occupying depth ranges both within and outside the maximum depth for commercial trawling. This suggests that whilst there is evidence for likely fishery impacts on the biomass distribution of the demersal fish population as a whole, species-specific impacts are highly variable. It is clear that changes in population structure can extend beyond the depth at which fishing takes place, highlighting the importance for also considering the indirect effects on deep-sea fish populations.
The exponential eigenmodes of the carbon-climate system, and their implications for ratios of responses to forcings
Authors: Raupach M. R.
Published: January 2013

Abstract. Several basic ratios of responses to forcings in the carbon-climate system are observed to be relatively steady. Examples include the CO2 airborne fraction (the fraction of the total anthropogenic CO2 emission flux that accumulates in the atmosphere) and the ratio T/QE of warming (T) to cumulative total CO2 emissions (QE). This paper explores the reason for such near-constancy in the past, and its likely limitations in future. The contemporary carbon-climate system is often approximated as a set of first-order linear systems, for example in response-function descriptions. All such linear systems have exponential eigenfunctions in time (an eigenfunction being one that, if applied to the system as a forcing, produces a response of the same shape). This implies that, if the carbon-climate system is idealised as a linear system (Lin) forced by exponentially growing CO2 emissions (Exp), then all ratios of responses to forcings are constant. Important cases are the CO2 airborne fraction (AF), the cumulative airborne fraction (CAF), other CO2 partition fractions and cumulative partition fractions into land and ocean stores, the CO2 sink uptake rate (kS, the combined land and ocean CO2 sink flux per unit excess atmospheric CO2), and the ratio T/QE. Further, the AF and the CAF are equal. Since the Lin and Exp idealisations apply approximately to the carbon-climate system over the past two centuries, the theory explains the observed near-constancy of the AF, CAF and T/QE in this period. A nonlinear carbon-climate model is used to explore how future breakdown of both the Lin and Exp idealisations will cause the AF, CAF and kS to depart significantly from constancy, in ways that depend on CO2 emissions scenarios. However, T/QE remains approximately constant in typical scenarios, because of compensating interactions between CO2 emissions trajectories, carbon-climate nonlinearities (in land–air and ocean–air carbon exchanges and CO2 radiative forcing), and emissions trajectories for non-CO2 gases. This theory establishes a basis for the widely assumed proportionality between T and QE, and identifies the limits of this relationship.
Macroscopic anomalies before the September 2010 M = 7.1 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
Authors: Whitehead N. E. , Ulusoy Ü.
Published: January 2013

Abstract. Previous published work after the Kobe and İzmit earthquakes (1995 and 1999, respectively) demonstrated some reported meteorological and animal behaviour precursors were valid. Predictions were freshly tested for the Christchurch earthquake (M = 7.1, 4 September 2010). An internet survey with nearly 400 valid replies showed relative numbers of reports in precursor categories the day before the quake, were statistically significantly different from those in the preceding three days (excess meteorological events and animal behaviour). The day before the quake, there was also altered relative precursor class occurrence within 56 km compared with further away. Both these confirmed the earlier published work. Owners were woken up by unique pet behaviour 12 times as often in the hour before the quake compared with other hours immediately before (statistically highly significant). Lost and Found pet reports were double normal the week before, and 4.5 times normal both the day before the quake, and 9 days before. (Results were again statistically significant). Unique animal behaviour before the quake was often repeated before the numerous aftershocks. These pet owners claimed an approximate 80% prediction reliability. However, a preliminary telephone survey suggested that animals showing any precursor response are a minority. Some precursors seem real, but usefulness seemed mostly restricted to 7 cases where owners were in, or near, a place of safety through disruptive pet behaviour, and one in which owners were diverted by a pet from being struck by falling fixtures. For a later 22 February 2011 M = 6.3 quake no reports of escape through warning by pets were recorded, which raises serious questions whether such prediction is practically useful, because lives claimed saved are extremely low compared with fatalities. It is shown the lost-pet statistics dates, correspond to ionospheric anomalies recorded using the GPS satellite system and geomagnetic disturbance data, and claimed as precursory. The latter more objective measurements may be the way of the future, but improved statistical treatment should include observations over longer periods of time without earthquakes.
Global, National, and Local Goals: English Language Policy Implementation in an Indonesian International Standard School
Authors: Haryanto Eddy , Mukminin Amirul
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the achievement of students in math and science subjects as the impact of using English as a medium of instruction at an international standard school. A questionnaire was used as a research instrument to 190 students at one international standard school in Jambi Province, Indonesia. A focus group discussion (FGD) approach was undertaken to validate and verify the data gathered through the questionnaire and clarify some issues raised in the questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. It was found that the students’ demographic profile, attitude toward English and grades in math and science subjects were significantly related with their academic achievement. However, students’ perception on methods and techniques was not significantly related with their academic achievement in English, math, and the science subjects. The result showed that the implementation of English as a medium of instruction was not done well in the international standard school. This is perhaps due to the difficulty of learning science and math in English. This study provided information for policy makers, school leaders, researchers, and teacher educators to understand how the policy is implemented at the school level. The challenges of attempting too ambitious linguistic and academic goals in the school were discussed as were policy implications and future research.
Presentación No.2
Authors: Icaza Juan José
Published: January 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/derecho.v0i2.923 Revista de Derecho No.2 2002
El procedimiento administrativo y el procedimiento contencioso - administrativo en Nicaragua
Authors: Arríen Somarriba Juan Bautista
Published: January 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/derecho.v0i2.925 Revista de Derecho No.2 2002 pp.17-60
Marco Jurídico de Participación Ciudadana: Los retos de su Eficacia
Authors: Obregón Ortega Pauni de Jesús
Published: January 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/derecho.v0i2.926 Revista de Derecho No.2 2002 pp.61-95
Esfuerzos históricos y perspectivas del Locus-Standi ante la corte Centroamericana de Justica
Authors: Guerrero Mayorga Orlando
Published: January 2013

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5377/derecho.v0i2.932 Revista de Derecho No.2 2002 pp.175-188
Boundaries of Tolerance: Charter 08 and Debates over Political Reform
Authors: Potter Pitman B. , Woodman Sophia
Published: January 2013

This chapter chapter provides a critical review of Charter 08's compatibility and inconsistency with the existing constitutional and legal order. Charter 08 is a sophisticated document that both reflects a Western bourgeois agenda in advocating a new liberal order and engages the existing system in calling on the Party-state to live up to its own rhetoric of rights. Because the charter adopts official rights discourses to challenge the government, it opens a window of opportunity for a possible alliance between the Chartists outside the political system and reformers within the political system. In the end, the perceived danger of Charter 08 can only be understood within China's segmented publics, in which the Chinese government sets formal and informal rules to limit discussions of particular issues to specific institutional spaces.
Workplace drug testing in Italy – critical considerations
Authors: Vignali Claudia , Stramesi Cristiana , Morini Luca , Pozzi Fulvia , Collo Giancarlo , Groppi Angelo
Published: January 2013

Workplace drug testing (WDT) was established in Italy on 30 October 2007. Two tiers of survey are required: the first tier concerns drug testing on urine samples, the second involves both urine and hair analysis. Between July 2008 and December 2011, 10 598 workers’ urine samples and 72 hair samples for opiates, cocaine, cannabinoids, amphetamines, methylenedioxyamphetamines, methadone, and buprenorphine were tested in our laboratory. Urine analyses were performed by immunological screening (EMIT); hair analysis and confirmation tests in urine were performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Employees tested positive in urine for drugs of abuse numbered 2.8% in 2008, 2.03% in 2009, 1.62% in 2010, and 1.43% in 2011. As regards the second level of analysis, we observed that only one‐third of the workers who had been tested positive for drugs of abuse were referred to an Addiction Treatment Unit in order to verify drug addiction. Our experience shows that, four years after approval of the law on WDT, the percentage of workers positive for drugs of abuse in urine has reduced in comparison to the first year. Moreover, our data show that most of the times employees who tested positive are tardily referred or not referred at all to a Public Addiction Treatment Unit to verify drug addiction. This makes us believe that the legal provisions are widely disregarded not paying the right tribute to the fact that Italy is one of few European countries with legislation on WDT. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advanced MRI in malignant neoplasms of the uterus
Authors: Kido Aki , Fujimoto Koji , Okada Tomohisa , Togashi Kaori
Published: January 2013

Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) such as T1‐weighted and T2‐weighted images of the female pelvis provide morphological information with excellent tissue contrast, which reflects the pathology of malignant diseases of the uterus. Owing to the recent improvement in hardware and software, in combination with extensive research in imaging techniques, not only MRI at higher magnetic field was facilitated, but also insight into tumor pathophysiology was provided. These methods include diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI), dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI) with pharmacokinetic analysis, and MR spectroscopy (MRS). The application of these techniques is expanding from the brain to the body because information on the tissue microenvironment and cytoarchitecture is helpful for lesion characterization, evaluation of treatment response after chemotherapy or radiation, differentiating posttherapeutic changes from residual active tumor, and for detecting recurrent cancer. These techniques may provide clues to optimize the treatment of patients with malignant diseases of the uterus. In the first half of this article we provide an overview of the technical aspects of MRI of the female pelvis, especially focusing on the state‐of‐the‐art techniques such as 3 T MRI, DCE‐MRI, DWI, etc. For the latter half we review the clinical aspects of these newly developed techniques, focusing on how these techniques are applicable, what has been revealed with respect to clinical impact, and the remaining problems. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;37:249–264. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cardiovascular and respiratory effects of the degree of head‐down angle during robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Kadono Yoshifumi , Yaegashi Hiroshi , Machioka Kazuaki , Ueno Satoru , Miwa Sotaro , Maeda Yuji , Miyagi Tohru , Mizokami Atsushi , Fujii Yuka , Tsubokawa Tsunehisa , Yamamoto Ken , Namiki Mikio
Published: January 2013

Background

Robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) requires a steep Trendelenburg position and CO2 pneumoperitoneum for several hours to secure the surgical visual field. The present study was performed to investigate the influence of each angle of Trendelenburg position during RALP on cardiovascular and respiratory homeostasis.

Methods

Forty‐seven ASA physical status 1 and 2 patients underwent open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) or RALP. Patients receiving RALP were randomized to undergo the operation in the 20°, 25° or 30° Trendelenburg position. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RR), end‐tidal CO2 pressure (PetCO2), tidal volume (Vt), peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and dynamic compliance (Cdyn) were recorded during the operation.

Results

Angle of head‐down tilt was significantly correlated with MAP, PIP and Cdyn, but not with HR, RR or PetCO2. MAP decreased gradually over time in each group in the Trendelenburg position with pneumoperitoneum. As the angle of head‐down tilt became stronger, MAP, RR, PetCO2 and PIP tended to increase and Cdyn tended to decrease.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that the degree of the head‐down angle at RALP affected the cardiovascular and respiratory parameters. Pneumoperitoneum with head‐down position in RALP influenced the cardiovascular and respiratory system to a greater extent than RRP, and these effects were stronger with deeper head‐down angle. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Behavioral Correlates of Post‐Breeding Weight Change in a Captive Flock of American Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber)
Authors: Hughes Austin L. , Raynes Amber , Driscoll Caroline , Babler Jenna
Published: January 2013

In a captive flock of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber), a pattern of weight loss after the breeding season was observed in the majority of individuals of both sexes, but weights eventually stabilized after several months. Social dominance (as determined by a 6‐month behavioral study) was a highly significant predictor of early post‐breeding weight loss, with dominant individuals undergoing less severe weight loss over this period; and behavioral observations supported the hypothesis that social dominance enhanced access to food in both males and females. Later in the study period, social dominance was no longer a significant predictor of weight changes, but rather individuals that had undergone previous large weight losses seemed to spend a greater amount of time feeding in an apparent effort to offset weight loss. Over the course of the study, there was a marked decline in both the proportion of agonistic encounters that were resolved and in the proportion of agonistic encounters that occurred at the feeder. These trends occurred even though there was no evidence of a decrease in overall use of the feeder. Thus, dominance‐related differences with respect to food access and post‐breeding weight loss appeared to be transitory phenomena, which corrected themselves as levels of aggression eventually declined. Intervention to increase the equality of food access in the post‐breeding period may not be necessary in captive flamingo flocks, since low social rank in most cases appears not to have harmful long‐term consequences. Zoo Biol. 32:204–209, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals Inc.
Olanzapine treatment of adolescent rats alters adult reward behaviour and nucleus accumbens function
Authors: Vinish Monika , Elnabawi Ahmed , Milstein Jean A. , Burke Jesse S. , Kallevang Jonathan K. , Turek Kevin C. , Lansink Carien S. , Merchenthaler Istvan , Bailey Aileen M. , Kolb Bryan , Cheer Joseph F. , Frost Douglas O.
Published: January 2013

Antipsychotic drugs are increasingly used in children and adolescents to treat a variety of psychiatric disorders. However, little is known about the long-term effects of early life antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment. Most APDs are potent antagonists or partial agonists of dopamine (DA) D2 receptors; atypical APDs also have multiple serotonergic activities. DA and serotonin regulate many neurodevelopmental processes. Thus, early life APD treatment can, potentially, perturb these processes, causing long-term behavioural and neurobiological sequelae. We treated adolescent, male rats with olanzapine (Ola) on post-natal days 28–49, under dosing conditions that approximate those employed therapeutically in humans. As adults, they exhibited enhanced conditioned place preference for amphetamine, as compared to vehicle-treated rats. In the nucleus accumbens core, DA D1 receptor binding was reduced, D2 binding was increased and DA release evoked by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area was reduced. Thus, adolescent Ola treatment enduringly alters a key behavioural response to rewarding stimuli and modifies DAergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens. The persistence of these changes suggests that even limited periods of early life Ola treatment may induce enduring changes in other reward-related behaviours and in behavioural and neurobiological responses to therapeutic and illicit psychotropic drugs. These results underscore the importance of improved understanding of the enduring sequelae of paediatric APD treatment as a basis for weighing the benefits and risks of adolescent APD therapy, especially prophylactic treatment in high-risk, asymptomatic patients.
Computervermittelter Wissensaustausch als Soziales Dilemma: Ein Überblick
Authors: Cress Ulrike , Kimmerle Joachim
Published: January 2013

Prozesse des computervermittelten Wissensaustauschs ermöglichen Gruppen den Aufbau eines Wissenspools, den alle Gruppenmitglieder nutzen können. Während die Vorzüge dieses Wissensaustauschs unmittelbar einsichtig sind, ist aus psychologischer Sicht zu konstatieren, dass der Aufbau solcher Wissenspools als Soziales Dilemma aufgefasst werden kann. Dieser Überblickartikel thematisiert den computervermittelten Wissensaustausch auf Basis der experimentellen Forschung zu Sozialen Dilemmata, und stellt Experimentalumgebungen vor, die dieses Informationsaustausch-Dilemma operationalisieren und seine empirische Untersuchung ermöglichen. Zunächst werden Ergebnisse zur subjektiven Wahrnehmung des Dilemmas berichtet, dann Befunde zu strukturellen und psychologischen Einflussfaktoren. Erstere verändern die Payoff-Struktur (Kosten und Nutzen der Informationsweitergabe), letztere die erlebte soziale Situation. Hier spielen präskriptive und deskriptive Normen, die Identifizierbarkeit des Verhaltens oder die Anonymität der Person eine Rolle. Darüber hinaus werden Befunde zum Einfluss einer Reihe von Persönlichkeitsvariablen vorgestellt. Die Befunde werden in einer integrativen Darstellung zusammengefasst und kritisch bewertet.
Die Prädiktion von Leseleistungen bei türkisch-deutschsprachigen Kindern: Die Rolle der phonologischen Bewusstheit
Authors: Duzy Dagmar , Gold Andreas , Schneider Wolfgang , Souvignier Elmar
Published: January 2013

In vielen Studien erwies sich die phonologische Bewusstheit als bedeutsamer Prädiktor für die Leseleistungen einsprachiger Kinder. Allerdings ist unklar, ob die Leseleistungen türkisch-deutschsprachiger Kinder in gleichem Maße durch diesen Faktor vorhergesagt werden können. In einer Längsschnittstudie nahmen 112 türkisch-deutschsprachige und 111 rein deutschsprachige Kinder ab dem Vorschulalter an Erhebungen zu Vorläuferfertigkeiten des Schriftspracherwerbs sowie in der 1. und 2. Klassenstufe an Erfassungen der Dekodiergeschwindigkeit teil. Regressionsanalysen zeigten, dass die phonologische Bewusstheit in beiden Sprachgruppen einen unterschiedlichen Beitrag zur Aufklärung der Dekodiervarianz leistete. Für die rein deutschsprachigen Kinder erwies sich die vorschulisch erfasste phonologische Bewusstheit in beiden Klassenstufen als bedeutsamer Prädiktor der Dekodiergeschwindigkeit. Bei der Prädiktion der Dekodiergeschwindigkeit der türkisch-deutschsprachigen Kinder erwies sich die phonologische Bewusstheit jedoch nicht als vorhersagestark.
Development of Biological Motion Processing in Normalcy and Pathology
Authors: Pavlova Marina A.
Published: January 2013

Visual processing of biological motion by living organisms is crucial for adaptive social behavior and nonverbal communication. Investigations of how the perception of body motion operates in populations with developmental disorders of different etiologies can provide important insights into the neural mechanisms that underlie social perceptions. This chapter describes the role of structural and functional brain connectivity for biological motion perception and visual social cognition.
It’s the Way You Walk
Authors: Johnston Lucy
Published: January 2013

This chapter considers whether human gait conveys information to observers about one’s vulnerability to attack. Specifically, it describes a program of research in which the “kinematic fingerprint” of physical vulnerability is assessed. Observers of point-light-defined body motions form impressions of physical vulnerability that achieve a high level of consensus. Additionally, the authors examine factors that contribute to these perceptions (e.g., manner of dress) and that can mitigate these perceptions (e.g., changing gait).
Coordinating Social Beings in Motion
Authors: Marsh Kerry L.
Published: January 2013

This chapter offers a body-movement-based account of how essential our bodies, embedded in a social environment, are to social interaction. Evidence suggests that multiple bodies in motion are interdependent and coordinated such that, through self-organization processes, body movements are pulled toward universal patterns of synchrony. Consequently, through mutual response and adaptation to one another’s actions, individuals shift from being autonomous to coordinated units.
Brain Mechanisms for Social Perception
Authors: Pelphrey Kevin , Shultz Sarah
Published: January 2013

The levels of social impairment experienced by different individuals with autism spectrum disorder strongly correlate with the degrees of dysfunction within each individual’s superior temporal sulcus (STS), a key region in social perception, in general, and in the perception of biological motion, in specific. From a developmental perspective, while STS responsiveness becomes increasingly selective for human movement in typical children, observers with autism show less selective tuning. Brain imaging research is reviewed that supports an interactive development model of the social brain and social perception.
Did Concentration Increase Inequality?
Authors: Rohit
Published: January 2013

After presenting independent evidence of a weakened working class and a resurgent capitalist class in chapter 2, chapter 3 attempts to link these two up. An aggressive process of concentration in business through ‘downsize and distribute’ involved steps like union busting, labour-displacing technical change, and greater incentive to top executives whose sole focus was on shareholder value maximisation. At the same time, a stronger capitalist class could force the government to keep a tab on the minimum wages to ensure competitiveness in the global markets. These arguments are established by presenting some secondary level data on the possible macroeconomic effects of mergers and acquisitions.
Conclusion
Authors: Rohit
Published: January 2013

With the withdrawal of the Keynesian demand-management policies of the post-World War era, the world economy became increasingly dependent of the asset-price inflated consumption demand in the US and, consequently, on the exports from the ‘emerging economies’. But once the asset-price bubbles burst and consequently consumption evaporated in the US, the world economy witnessed the worst crisis since the days of the Great Depression. It is becoming clear by the day that the burden of cleaning up the mess created by such a growth process is falling invariably on the working classes of both the third world countries as well as the advanced capitalist world. This is the time to reassert alternative policy prescriptions which would be beneficial to the common people of the world.
Introduction: The Lands of the Britons
Authors: Charles-Edwards T. M.
Published: January 2013

The chapter considers the different senses of ‘Britain’. ‘the Britons’, ‘the Welsh’, and ‘Cymry’ in the early medieval period. It also surveys the lands that remained British up to c. 600. These extended southwards from the Firth of Forth (which divided the territory of the Picts to the north from the British people known as the Votadini, later Gododdin) and proceeds from one people and kingdom to another down the west side of Britain, including the Isle of Man, to Wales, Dumnonia and Cornwall in the south‐west, and across the sea to Brittany.
The Britons and the Northumbrians, 547–685
Authors: Charles-Edwards T. M.
Published: January 2013

This chapter begins the third part of the book, devoted mainly to relations between the Welsh (and other Britons) and the English. It tackles some major sources of which scholars have taken very different views. Included are, first, sources for the history of events: the Annales Cambriae, the Chronicle of Ireland, and the Northern History in the Historia Brittonum; then the early British royal genealogies; and finally early British poetry (the Gododdin and the poems ascribed to Taliesin). It is argued that the Annales Cambriae and the British entries in the Chronicle of Ireland did not derive from a single North‐British source and that the Northern History may well be independent of the Annales Cambriae. The B version of the Gododdin is seen as a very early text.
The Transformations of the Ninth Century
Authors: Charles-Edwards T. M.
Published: January 2013

The chapter deals with two major changes: the first was in Gwynedd, where a new dynasty took power in the person of Merfyn Frych, a dynasty that derived from the Isle of Man and would endure until 1282–3; the second was the change from an England of several kingdoms to an England of one. Although the second was primarily part of English history, the Welsh were involved at several points and the consequences were crucial for Welsh as well as for English history. Before this change, a Wales of several kingdoms faced an England of several kingdoms; after this change, the English kingdom came to encompass the whole English people, something which never happened in Wales. The reign of Alfred saw, in the 880s, a policy towards the Welsh different from any that preceded it or any followed by his successors.
The Publicity of Meaning and the Interiority of Mind
Authors: Smith Barry C.
Published: January 2013

In his writings on the later Wittgenstein, Crispin Wright deals in detail with two themes he sees as closely related: the nature of our knowledge of our own intentional states and the nature of rule-following. Wright’s work brings out deep connections between the two issues and he attempts to provide a similar epistemological treatment of both. However, in each case, the first-person perspective of the thinker and rule-follower goes missing from the accounts of the special way we know our own minds and meanings. The chapter shows that other parts of Wright’s work provide him with the resources to provide a fully satisfying account that reconciles the inner and outer aspects of mind and meaning.
Objectivity, Explanation, and Cognitive Shortfall
Authors: Shapiro Stewart
Published: January 2013

The chapter addresses some of Wright’s main theses in his widely influential Truth and Objectivity. According to Wright, objectivity is not a univocal concept. There are different notions or axes of objectivity, and a given chunk of discourse can exhibit some of these and not others. The purpose of this chapter is to explore aspects of two of these axes, cognitive command and the width of cosmological role. In both cases, we quickly run up against a sort of Kant/Waismann/Quine perspective. We have to explore the extent to which we can sort out the aspects of our best theories, explanations, and, indeed, statements, that are tied to human interests, perspectives, and judgements, and the parts that are tied to the way the world is, independent of said interests, perspectives, and judgements. We also encounter delicate issues in epistemology and the philosophy of science along the way.
Introduction
Authors: Stobart Jon
Published: January 2013

The introduction critically reviews the historiography of consumption and how this relates to the grocery trade. It draws out novelty, luxury and utility as key concepts shaping our understanding of eighteenth‐century consumption; evaluates a number of important theories of consumption, including those of Simmel, Veblen, McKendrick, Smith, and de Vries, and outlines the relative neglect of groceries in the historiography of retailing. In tracing these debates, the introduction highlights key themes to be explored in the book: first, the relationship between the grocery trade and British colonialism; second, the changing nature of eighteenth‐century retailing, and particularly the relationship between supply and demand; third, the extent and nature of consumers' engagement with the market and particularly their shopping practices; fourth, the relative usefulness of novelty, luxury and utility as causal factors underpinning consumer choices, and fifth, the relationship between groceries and wider conceptions of consumer change.
8 Baskets of Goods: Customers and Shopping Practices
Authors: Stobart Jon
Published: January 2013

This chapter examines in detail the changing patterns and practices of shopping for groceries, highlighting three related areas which link into the broader literature on shopping. It starts by exploring the social and gender characteristics of those buying new and more traditional groceries. Whilst there were typical baskets of goods purchased by men and women, few conformed to these gender norms, consumption bundles being broad and inclusive. The chapter builds on this to argue that the practices of even poor consumers suggests that shopping for groceries was an everyday activity by the late eighteenth century and that many people were able to spread their custom and effectively ‘shop around’. It is less certain that shoppers engaged in the sort of polite consumption practices modelled by Berry, but they undoubtedly enjoyed the sociability of shopping and the shop.