bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Terahertz plasmonics in ferroelectric-gated graphene
Authors: Jin Dafei , Kumar Anshuman , Hung Fung Kin , Xu Jun , Fang Nicholas X.
Published: May 2013

Inspired by recent advancement of ferroelectric-gated memories and transistors, we propose a design of ferroelectric-gated nanoplasmonic devices based on graphene sheets clamped in ferroelectric crystals. We show that the two-dimensional plasmons in graphene can strongly couple with the phonon-polaritons in ferroelectrics, leading to characteristic modal wavelength of the order of 100–200 nm at low temperature and low-THz frequencies albeit with an appreciable dissipation. By patterning the ferroelectrics into different domains, one can produce compact on-chip plasmonic waveguides, which exhibit negligible crosstalk even at 20 nm separation distance. Harnessing the memory effect of ferroelectrics, low-power operation can be achieved on these plasmonic waveguides.
Occurrence of zero gate oxide thickness coefficient in junctionless transistors
Authors: Singh Parihar Mukta , Ghosh Dipankar , Kranti Abhinav
Published: May 2013

In this paper, we report on the occurrence of Zero Gate Oxide Thickness Coefficient (ZToxC) in junctionless transistors. It is shown that due to bipolar effects, drain current increases with an increase in oxide thickness up to a certain gate voltage (VZToxC), whereas beyond (VZToxC), current follows the conventional transistor theory and reduces with an increment in gate oxide thickness. These two different trends lead to a condition of drain current being independent of oxide thickness at the gate bias corresponding to VZToxC. The occurrence of ZToxC classifies the predominant conduction mechanism into bipolar or unipolar mode in junctionless transistors.
Optical dispersion and interband transition in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-x%BaTiO3 lead-free relaxor ferroelectric single crystals
Authors: Zhang Haiwu , Zhang Qinhui , Zhao Xiangyong , Li Xiaobing , Wang Dong , Luo Haosu
Published: May 2013

Optical properties of A-site disordered Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-x%BaTiO3 (NBT-xBT) single crystals with three typical compositions were studied systematically. Refractive index as a function of wavelength was measured by Spectroscopic ellipsometry, and modified Sellmeier dispersion equations were obtained by the least square fitting. High optical transmittance (65%) over a wide transparent region (from 400 to 6000 nm) has been found in NBT-7.5BT, much higher than that of NBT and NBT-5BT. Optical band gap energies were calculated using the absorption coefficient through Tauc equation. With increasing BT content, refractive index and absorption coefficient decrease, while transmission and band gap energy increase.
A simple method used to evaluate phase-change materials based on focused-ion beam technique
Authors: Peng Cheng , Wu Liangcai , Rao Feng , Song Zhitang , Lv Shilong , Zhou Xilin , Du Xiaofeng , Cheng Yan , Yang Pingxiong , Chu Junhao
Published: May 2013

A nanoscale phase-change line cell based on focused-ion beam (FIB) technique has been proposed to evaluate the electrical property of the phase-change material. Thanks to the FIB-deposited SiO2 hardmask, only one etching step has been used during the fabrication process of the cell. Reversible phase-change behaviors are observed in the line cells based on Al-Sb-Te and Ge-Sb-Te films. The low power consumption of the Al-Sb-Te based cell has been explained by theoretical calculation accompanying with thermal simulation. This line cell is considered to be a simple and reliable method in evaluating the application prospect of a certain phase-change material.
Imaging Fukushima Daiichi reactors with muons
Authors: Miyadera Haruo , Borozdin Konstantin N. , Greene Steve J. , Lukić Zarija , Masuda Koji , Milner Edward C. , Morris Christopher L. , Perry John O.
Published: May 2013

A study of imaging the Fukushima Daiichi reactors with cosmic-ray muons to assess the damage to the reactors is presented. Muon scattering imaging has high sensitivity for detecting uranium fuel and debris even through thick concrete walls and a reactor pressure vessel. Technical demonstrations using a reactor mockup, detector radiation test at Fukushima Daiichi, and simulation studies have been carried out. These studies establish feasibility for the reactor imaging. A few months of measurement will reveal the spatial distribution of the reactor fuel. The muon scattering technique would be the best and probably the only way for Fukushima Daiichi to make this determination in the near future.
Illusory Speed is Retained in Memory during Invisible Motion
Authors: Battaglini Luca , Campana Gianluca , Casco Clara
Published: May 2013

The brain can retain speed information in early visual short-term memory in an astonishingly precise manner. We investigated whether this (early) visual memory system is active during the extrapolation of occluded motion and whether it reflects speed misperception due to contrast and size. Experiments 1A and 2A showed that reducing target contrast or increasing its size led to an illusory speed underestimation. Experiments 1B, 2B, and 3 showed that this illusory phenomenon is reflected in the memory of speed during occluded motion, independent of the range of visible speeds, of the length of the visible trajectory or the invisible trajectory, and of the type of task. These results suggest that illusory speed is retained in memory during invisible motion.
Preferences, barriers and facilitators for establishing comprehensive stroke units: a multidisciplinary survey
Authors: O'Rourke Fintan , Chan Daniel K.Y. , Chan Daniel L. , Man Ding Xiao
Published: May 2013

Objectives.
To determine the preferences of multidisciplinary stroke clinicians for models of inpatient stroke unit care and perceived barriers to establishing a comprehensive stroke unit (CSU) model (acute and rehabilitation care in the same ward).

Methods.
Written questionnaires distributed and completed at multidisciplinary stroke unit case conferences in NSW, Australia.

Results.
Twenty hospitals with 22 stroke units were surveyed, 13 acute stroke units, 7 rehabilitation stroke units, 2 CSUs. Two hundred and twenty-eight respondents: 99 (43.4%) allied health, 72 (31.6%) nurses and 57 (25.0%) doctors. One hundred and fifty-one respondents (67.0%) thought CSU to be the best model. Seventy-three % of doctors and 79% of allied health preferred CSU v. 57% of nurses (P = 0.041). Of doctors, rehabilitation specialists were most likely to favour comprehensive model (84.2%) and neurologists least (57.0%). The main perceived advantages of CSU were reduced cost and improved functional outcomes; perceived disadvantages were increased workload and unwell patients unable to participate in rehabilitation. Main perceived barriers to establishing CSU were lack of space, money, staffing and time.

Conclusion.
Although most current stroke unit care in NSW is based on the traditional model of acute and rehabilitation components in separate wards or hospitals, the majority of multidisciplinary stroke team clinicians believe CSU is the optimum model.

What is known about the topic?
Stroke unit care is known to improve survival and dependency but the optimum model of care is unproven, despite some small studies suggesting that the CSU model may result in better outcomes.

What does this paper add?
This paper is the first to survey stroke clinicians from various disciplines and types of unit, to determine their preferences for stroke unit model.

What are the implications for practitioners?
A majority of clinicians expressed a preference for the CSU model, suggesting that most would be comfortable caring for patients in both acute and rehabilitation phases of stroke care if further such units are established.
Hospital readmission among older adults with congestive heart failure
Authors: Islam Tasneem , O'Connell Beverly , Lakhan Prabha
Published: May 2013

Introduction.
To examine the factors associated with unplanned readmission among older adults with congestive heart failure (CHF) within 28 days of discharge from an index admission, within a large Australian health service.

Methods.
Using a comparative cohort design, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to compare readmitted patients with non-readmitted patients and identify risk factors associated with readmission.

Results.
Significant risk factors identified were male gender, numerous diagnoses, length of stay 3 days or longer and patients being admitted from acute, subacute or aged-care facilities.

Conclusions.
The high risk of patients being readmitted from acute, subacute and aged-care services requires further review as these readmissions may be avoidable. It may also be useful to develop a readmission risk screening tool so that patients at risk of readmission can be identified.

What is known about this topic?
Older adults with CHF are likely to experience multiple readmissions to hospital. There have been several studies conducted on hospital readmissions; however, generalising the findings is problematic due to the use of variable definitions of what constitutes a readmission.

What does this paper add?
This paper addresses the absence of Australian research comparing groups of older patients with CHF who are readmitted to hospital with those who are not readmitted. It also adopts one of the more frequently used definitions of readmission to aid in future comparability of research.

What are the implications for practice?
Further work is necessary to improve discharge planning and effectively manage chronic illnesses such as CHF in patients’ homes. It may be useful to develop a readmission risk screening tool for staff of inpatient medical wards so that these at-risk patients can be identified before discharge.
Molecular phylogeny reveals multiple origins of seashore colonisation in the genus Aleochara Gravenhorst (Coleoptera : Staphylinidae : Aleocharinae)
Authors: Song Jeong-Hun , Ahn Kee-Jeong
Published: May 2013

A revised molecular phylogeny of the genus Aleochara Gravenhorst is presented. The dataset comprised partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) (1373 bp), COII (577 bp), and the complete sequences of tRNA leucine (71 bp) between them, for 56 Aleochara species and 8 outgroups. We added 15 populations of 8 coastal species: A. fucicola Sharp, A. littoralis (Mäklin), A. nubis (Assing), A. puetzi (Assing), A. squalithorax Sharp, A. sulcicollis Mannerheim, A. trisulcata Weise and A. zerchei (Assing). All phylogenetic analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the genus Aleochara, a curtula clade, a bilineata clade, and four other clades (A–D, described later) containing the coastal species. Based on the phylogenies, we hypothesise that there are four independent origins of specialisation to a coastal habitat in the genus Aleochara (clades A–D). Clade A (Emplenota and Triochara), with nine species, is the most successful lineage in terms of species number and broad distribution range.
Morphological assessment supports the recognition of four novel species in the widely distributed velvet worm Peripatopsis moseleyi sensu lato (Onychophora : Peripatopsidae)
Authors: Ruhberg Hilke , Daniels Savel R.
Published: May 2013

A recent phylogenetic study based on DNA sequence data (COI + 18S rDNA) together with basic morphological characteristics demonstrated the presence of four novel lineages within the widely distributed South African velvet worm species Peripatopsis moseleyi sensu lato (Onychophora, Peripatopsidae). In the present study, the morphological variation within P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) is quantified and the novel species delineated and described. A total of 31 new specimens were collected from the Amathole Mountains in the Eastern Cape while a further 12 specimens were collected from Mount Currie Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. These samples together with selected specimens from the DNA study material were subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the presence of diagnostic morphological characters that could potentially be utilised in the delineation of the four novel lineages. The species diagnosis of P. moseleyi (Wood-Mason, 1879) is elucidated and amended since the original type description is inadequate and could apply to several Peripatopsis taxa. A neotype for P. moseleyi is designated because the syntypes appear lost. Four new species of Peripatopsis Pocock, 1894 are described; viz. Peripatopsis birgeri, sp. nov., P. hamerae, sp. nov., P. janni, sp. nov. and P. storchi, sp. nov.
Attitudes to chlamydia screening elicited using the social networking site Facebook for subject recruitment
Authors: Ahmed Navera , Jayasinghe Yasmin , Wark John D. , Fenner Yeshe , Moore Elya E. , Tabrizi Sepehr N. , Fletcher Ashley , Garland Suzanne M.
Published: May 2013

Background
Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) is the commonest bacterial sexually transmissible infection worldwide and contributes to significant morbidity in females. We examined potential barriers and facilitating factors for screening in young Victorian women, using the social networking site, Facebook to recruit participants. Methods: This was part of a larger study on young women’s health that assessed the feasibility of using social networking sites for recruitment. An advertisement was placed on Facebook between May and September 2010, and was visible to eligible women. Women who clicked on the advertisement and expressed their interest in participating were invited to complete a questionnaire either at a study site or online. Results: In total, 278 participants completed the survey, with 76% reporting willingness to participate in chlamydia screening by recruitment via an online system. Overall, 73% of participants indicated they were comfortable providing a urine sample collected at home for chlamydia screening, with older participants less comfortable with this method (P = 0.02, odds ratio (OR) = 0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.01–0.7). Participants expressed comfort with their Pap smear and chlamydia screening being performed together (92.7%), especially those who were aware of human papillomavirus (P < 0.01, OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.3–4.7). Conclusions: This study demonstrated willingness by young Victorian women using Facebook to participate in screening for chlamydia. There was strong acceptance of self-collected sampling, and of combined chlamydia and cervical cytology screening. Facebook may therefore be a feasible way for improving screening coverage at a population level.
The seventh (and last?) International Microbicides Conference: from discovery to delivery
Authors: McGregor Skye , Tachedjian Gilda , Haire Bridget G. , Kaldor John M.
Published: May 2013

The most recent estimates indicate that in 2011, 34 million people were living with HIV, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa. Even though the estimated number of new infections is decreasing, there remains an urgent need for new prevention technologies, particularly those controlled by women and men who have receptive sex. Microbicides are products designed to be applied vaginally or rectally to prevent acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmissible infections and, as such, provide a great hope for female-controlled HIV prevention. Oral prevention drugs are a more recent development that also has great potential. The field changed radically in 2010–2011 with the first trials demonstrating effectiveness of a microbicide and oral prevention drugs. The seventh biannual Microbicides conference, which took place in Sydney, Australia, in April 2012, was the first conference in this series since these new results and represented a transition from the discovery phase of research to considerations of implementation. Researchers, advocates, community representatives, funders and the media came together over 3 days to talk about the realities of implementation, particularly in regard to challenges in adherence and funding, and also examined early findings for new prevention technologies. This report of the 2012 International Microbicides Conference provides a summary of recent developments and ongoing challenges in the field of microbicides research.
Frequent Usage of Tributaries by the Endangered Fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin: Observations from the San Rafael River, Utah
Authors: Bottcher Jared L. , Walsworth Timothy E. , Thiede Gary P. , Budy Phaedra , Speas David W.
Published: May 2013

The importance of main-stem rivers and major tributaries to endangered Colorado River fishes is well documented, but the use and significance of small tributary streams remains poorly understood. Historically, these fishes probably used smaller tributaries for spawning, rearing, feeding, and refuge. Currently, the proliferation of nonnative species and altered flows may have affected tributary use by endangered fishes. In February 2008 and 2009, we installed a PIT-tag passive interrogation array (PIA) in the San Rafael River, Utah, approximately 2 km upstream from the confluence with the Green River, and another PIA approximately 60 km upstream from the Green River confluence. Using passive detections and active captures in the San Rafael River from 2008 to 2010, we detected 15 Colorado Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, 16 Bonytails Gila elegans, 20 Razorback Suckers Xyrauchen texanus, and five “undocumented” fish. Several endangered fishes were detected on multiple occasions and across years, often moving into and out of the San Rafael River from distances up to 360 km away (range, 6–360 km). Our findings demonstrate the use and the potential importance of small tributaries and their fragile habitats to endangered fishes.

Received May 13, 2012; accepted March 10, 2013
The ‘psychological’ and the ‘spiritual’: an evolutional relationship within an ontological framework. A brief comment on Jung's ‘Self’
Authors: Tympas Grigorios Chrysostom
Published: May 2013

Despite the prevalence of phenomenological perspectives in most modern scientific fields addressing religion and spirituality, including psychology of religion, ontological inquiries retain an important position in certain fields, such as modern sociology (e.g., Weber, Giddens' concept of ‘ontological security’). Ontological and phenomenological approaches, alongside certain principles that function as interpretative tools in the social sciences (e.g., reductionism, teleology, supervenience), can be synthesised to construct a pluralistic methodology for understanding anew the dynamics between the ‘psychological’ and the ‘spiritual’. This paper attempts to articulate an ‘evolutional’ approach to the spiritual as an ‘emergent’ property arising from multiple factors beyond the psychological and the metaphysical (such as social and cultural constructs). This holistic understanding of the spiritual will be then applied to Jung's notion of the ‘Self’ to understand further its spiritual and/or ontological potential.
SASI ACTIVITY IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL NEUTRINO-HYDRODYNAMICS SIMULATIONS OF SUPERNOVA CORES
Authors: Hanke Florian , Müller Bernhard , Wongwathanarat Annop , Marek Andreas , Janka Hans-Thomas
Published: May 2013

The relevance of the standing accretion shock instability (SASI) compared to neutrino-driven convection in three-dimensional (3D) supernova-core environments is still highly controversial. Studying a 27 M
☉ progenitor, we demonstrate, for the first time, that violent SASI activity can develop in 3D simulations with detailed neutrino transport despite the presence of convection. This result was obtained with the Prometheus-Vertex code with the same sophisticated neutrino treatment so far used only in one-dimensional and two-dimensional (2D) models. While buoyant plumes initially determine the nonradial mass motions in the postshock layer, bipolar shock sloshing with growing amplitude sets in during a phase of shock retraction and turns into a violent spiral mode whose growth is only quenched when the infall of the Si/SiO interface leads to strong shock expansion in response to a dramatic decrease of the mass accretion rate. In the phase of large-amplitude SASI sloshing and spiral motions, the postshock layer exhibits nonradial deformation dominated by the lowest-order spherical harmonics (ℓ = 1, m = 0, ±1) in distinct contrast to the higher multipole structures associated with neutrino-driven convection. We find that the SASI amplitudes, shock asymmetry, and nonradial kinetic energy in three dimensions can exceed those of the corresponding 2D case during extended periods of the evolution. We also perform parameterized 3D simulations of a 25 M
☉ progenitor, using a simplified, gray neutrino transport scheme, an axis-free Yin-Yang grid, and different amplitudes of random seed perturbations. They confirm the importance of the SASI for another progenitor, its independence of the choice of spherical grid, and its preferred growth for fast accretion flows connected to small shock radii and compact proto-neutron stars as previously found in 2D setups.
Left atrial expansion index predicts all‐cause mortality and heart failure admissions in dyspnoea
Authors: Hsiao Shih‐Hung , Chiou Kuan‐Rau
Published: May 2013

Aims

The power of left atrial (LA) parameters for predicting adverse events in relatively low‐risk groups is not fully understood. This study investigated whether the LA expansion index predicts heart failure (HF) and all‐cause mortality in subjects with dyspnoea.

Methods and results

Echocardiography was performed to identify causes of dypnoea in 1735 patients. The LA expansion index was calculated as (Volmax – Volmin) × 100%/Volmin, where Volmax was defined as the maximal LA volume and Volmin was defined as the minimal LA volume. The endpoints were 2‐year frequencies of HF hospitalization and all‐cause mortality. Over a median follow‐up of 2.7 years, 91 participants reached endpoints. Rates of adverse events were exponentially proportional to the LA expansion index. For predicting adverse events, the LA expansion index was better than the maximal indexed LA volume and tissue Doppler parameters. Hospitalization for HF was independently associated with age, LVEF, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, LA expansion index, and history of prior HF. All‐cause mortality was associated with age, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and LA expansion index. Compared with the highest quartile of the LA expansion index, the lowest quartile had a 3.1‐fold higher hazard of HF events and a 17.8‐fold higher hazard of all‐cause mortality.

Conclusions

The LA expansion index predicts adverse events in patients with dyspnoea. The prognostic power of the index exceeds that of other well‐established echocardiographic parameters such as E/e' and maximal indexed LA volume.

Trial registration

NCT01171040.
Systematic investigation of the expected gravitational wave signal from supermassive black hole binaries in the pulsar timing band
Authors: Sesana A.
Published: May 2013

In this Letter, we carry out the first systematic investigation of the expected gravitational wave (GW) background generated by supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries in the nHz frequency band accessible to pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). We take from the literature several estimates of the redshift-dependent galaxy mass function and of the fraction of close galaxy pairs to derive a wide range of galaxy merger rates. We then exploit empirical black hole–host relations to populate merging galaxies with SMBHs. The result of our procedure is a collection of a large number of phenomenological SMBH binary merger rates consistent with current observational constraints on the galaxy assembly at z < 1.5. For each merger rate we compute the associated GW signal, eventually producing a large set of estimates of the nHz GW background that we use to infer confidence intervals of its expected amplitude. When considering the most recent SMBH–host relations, accounting for overmassive black holes in brightest cluster galaxies, we find that the nominal 1σ interval of the expected GW signal is only a factor of 3–10 below current PTA limits, implying a non-negligible chance of detection in the next few years.
RETINAL MICROANGIOPATHY AS AN INITIAL MANIFESTATION OF FAMILIAL AMYLOID CARDIOMYOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSTHYRETIN E89K MUTATION
Authors: Sandhu Ranjit , Westcott Mark , Pavesio Carlos , Rowczenio Dorota M. , Gilbertson Janet A. , Gillmore Julian D. , Gibbs Simon D. J.
Published: May 2013

Purpose:

To report a rare case of transthyretin (TTR) familial amyloid cardiomyopathy with retinal microangiopathy and vitreous amyloid as the initial manifestation.

Methods:

A 54-year-old woman presented with bilateral retinal microangiopathy, presumed idiopathic retinal vasculitis. She subsequently developed retinal ischemia associated vitreous hemorrhage and was treated with panretinal laser photocoagulation. Clinical eye signs remained stable for 6 years with the absence of overt inflammation. However, the patient developed chest pain and atrial flutter and underwent echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and 99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD) scintigraphy to investigate possible cardiac amyloidosis. Sequencing of the TTR gene was conducted and a rectal biopsy performed for tissue diagnosis. A full neurologic screen was also conducted.

Results:

Cardiac investigations were highly suggestive of an amyloid cardiomyopathy. The rectal biopsy stained positive for Congo red with demonstration of apple green birefringence, confirming amyloid, and immunostaining confirmed the TTR subtype. Gene sequencing revealed heterozygous TTR mutation encoding E89K variant. No significant neuropathy could be detected.

Conclusion:

Amyloid should be considered as a masquerade diagnosis in cases of retinal microangiopathy, especially in the absence of inflammation. Liaising with physicians for systemic evaluation and TTR gene sequencing is essential for early diagnosis and management of this rare condition.
Natural infection of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) with salmonid alphavirus 3 generates numerous viral deletion mutants
Authors: Petterson Elin , Stormoen Marit , Evensen Øystein , Mikalsen Aase B. , Haugland Øyvind
Published: May 2013

Salmon pancreas disease virus (SPDV) also referred to as salmonid alphavirus (SAV) is a virus causing pancreas disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Although the virus causes an economically important disease, relatively few full-length genome sequences of SAV strains are currently available. Here, we report full-length genome sequences of nine SAV3 strains from sites farming Atlantic salmon geographically spread along the Norwegian coastline. The virus genomes were sequenced directly from infected heart tissue, to avoid culture selection bias. Sequence analysis confirmed a high level of sequence identity within SAV3 strains, with a mean nucleotide diversity of 0.11 %. Sequence divergence was highest in 6K and E2, while lowest in the capsid protein and the non-structural proteins (nsP4 and nsP2). This study reports for the first time that numerous defective viruses containing genome deletions are generated during natural infection with SAV. Deletions occurred in all virus strains and were not distributed randomly throughout the genome but instead tended to aggregate in certain areas. We suggest imprecise homologous recombination as an explanation for generation of defective viruses with genome deletions. The presence of such viruses, provides a possible explanation for the difficulties in isolating SAV in cell culture. Primary virus isolation was successfully achieved for only two of eight strains, despite extensive attempts using three different cell lines. Both SAV isolates were easily propagated further and concomitant viral deletion mutants present in clinically infected heart tissue were maintained following serial passage in CHH-1 cells.
Adaptive Sampling of Implicit Surfaces for Interactive Modelling and Animation
Authors: Desbrun Mathieu , Tsingos Nicolas , Gascuel Marie‐Paule
Published: May 2013

This paper presents a new adaptive sampling method for implicit surfaces that can be used in both interactive modelling and animation. The algorithm samples implicit objects composed of blending primitives and efficiently maintains this sampling over time, even when their topology changes (during fractures and fusions). It provides two complementary modes of immediate visualization: displaying “scales” lying on the surface, or a “primitive‐wise” polygonization. The sampling method efficiently avoids unwanted blending between different parts of an object. Moreover, it can be used for partitioning an implicit surface into local bounding boxes that will accelerate collision detection during animation and ray‐intersections during final rendering.
Negotiating access to medical treatment and the making of patient citizenship: the case of hepatitis C treatment
Authors: Rhodes Tim , Harris Magdalena , Martin Anthea
Published: May 2013

Drawing on qualitative interview accounts with people who have injected drugs, we deploy ideas of biological and therapeutic citizenship to explore how the negotiation of access to hepatitis C treatment enacts patient citizenship potential. We find that the patient citizenship made through hepatitis C treatment divides those who are deserving from those who are not, largely in relation to their presentations of self‐control, responsibility and recovery regarding drug use. Accessing treatment requires that patients negotiate their entitlement by reflexively producing the patient citizen role expected of them. In this context of rationed treatment expectation, access to treatment is constructed in relation to gratitude rather than entitlement. Rationed treatment expectation also interplays with a utilitarian approach to hepatitis C expertise. Accounts of the bio‐effects of hepatitis C and its treatment as uncertain further weaken the potential for shared illness identity and biosocial membership as well as contributing to treatment delay. We conclude that the construction of hepatitis C treatment as a negotiation of ‘recovery towards normality’ positions people who continue to use or inject drugs as beyond patient citizenship. Our findings underscore the situated limits of therapeutic and biological citizenship, emphasising that these processes are unavoidably forces of governance.
Politics in the Informalizing Metropolis: Displacement, Resettlement and Unstable Negotiations in Uncivil Ahmedabad
Authors: Johnston Caleb
Published: May 2013

This article documents the displacement of Baoris, an adivasi (indigenous) community living in the city of Ahmedabad, India, and their subsequent resettlement along the city's precarious urban–rural frontier. I argue that this process signals the informalization of rights and territories, representing a political regime of governing in the remaking of the contemporary Indian metropolis. Recent actions taken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to evict Baoris from the inner city are situated within the entangled processes and politics of urban restructuring, liberalization and Hindu nationalism. The absence and erosion of democratic protections, however, has not precluded the possibility of political negotiations with the local agents of state and capital, and this article assesses the tactics that community residents have deployed in their bid to maintain claims to territory, labour and services. I end by tempering enthusiasm for the informalizing city as a site for realizing alternative forms of justice and possible democratization.
Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) enthesitis index in turkish patients with ankylosing spondylitis: Relationship with disease activity and quality of life
Authors: Zahiroglu Yeliz , Ulus Yasemin , Akyol Yesim , Tander Berna , Durmus Dilek , Bilgici Ayhan , Kuru Omer
Published: May 2013

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) enthesitis index and disease activity and health‐related quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods

Eighty‐six AS patients not receiving antitumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy were included in the study. Spinal pain by visual analogue scale (pain VAS rest and activity), disease activity by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), functional capacity by Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), enthesitis severity by SPARCC index, quality of life by Short Form‐36 (SF‐36), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) were assessed in patients. In the laboratory evaluations, the erythrocyte sedimentation rates and serum C‐reactive protein levels of the patients were determined.

Results

All participants were aged between 18 and 65 years, with a mean age of 36.9 ± 11.13 years. The most frequent region of enthesitis was Achilles tendon insertion into calcaneum (55.8%). Pain VAS rest and activity, BASFI and all parameters of SF‐36 were significantly different in AS patients with and without enthesitis. SPARCC index was significantly correlated with pain VAS activity (P < 0.05), pain VAS rest, BASDAI, BASFI and all parameters of SF‐36 (P < 0.001). There were no correlations between SPARCC index and BASMI, disease duration and laboratory parameters (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The clinical assessment of enthesitis in AS is an important outcome measure, and enthesitis indexes such as SPARCC enthesitis index can be valuable tools in the evaluation of disease activity in AS patients not receiving anti‐TNF therapy.
Measuring tree height: a quantitative comparison of two common field methods in a moist tropical forest
Authors: Larjavaara Markku , Muller‐Landau Helene C.
Published: May 2013

Tree height is a key variable for estimating tree biomass and investigating tree life history, but it is difficult to measure in forests with tall, dense canopies and wide crowns. The traditional method, which we refer to as the ‘tangent method’, involves measuring horizontal distance to the tree and angles from horizontal to the top and base of the tree, while standing at a distance of perhaps one tree height or greater. Laser rangefinders enable an alternative method, which we refer to as the ‘sine method’; it involves measuring the distances to the top and base of the tree, and the angles from horizontal to these, and can be carried out from under the tree or from some distance away.

We quantified systematic and random errors of these two methods as applied by five technicians to a size‐stratified sample of 74 trees between 5.7 and 39.2 m tall in a Neotropical moist forest in Panama. We measured actual heights using towers adjacent to these trees.

The tangent method produced unbiased height estimates, but random error was high, and in 6 of the 370 measurements, heights were overestimated by more than 100%.

The sine method was faster to learn, displayed less variation in heights among technicians, and had lower random error, but resulted in systematic underestimation by 20% on average.

We recommend the sine method for most applications in tropical forests. However, its underestimation, which is likely to vary with forest and instrument type, must be corrected if actual heights are needed.
Tax Policy, Adult Binge Drinking, and Youth Alcohol Consumption in the United States
Authors: Xuan Ziming , Nelson Toben F. , Heeren Timothy , Blanchette Jason , Nelson David E. , Gruenewald Paul , Naimi Timothy S.
Published: May 2013

Background

Prior research attributed youth alcohol consumption to the attitudes and drinking patterns among adults. Yet at a population level, few have examined the relationship between state‐level adult binge drinking prevalence and youth drinking behaviors, or whether tax policy plays a role in this relationship.

Methods

We analyzed 6 biennial surveys (1999 to 2009) of individual‐level youth alcohol use and related behaviors from state‐basedYouthRiskBehaviorSurveys and corresponding years of state‐level adult binge drinking prevalence from theBehavioralRiskFactorSurveillanceSystem. We employed logistic regression with generalized estimating equations method to assess the extent to which state adult binge drinking predicted individual‐level youth drinking outcomes and examined the role of alcohol taxes in that relationship.

Results

Population‐aggregate analyses based on 194 state‐year strata showed a positive correlation between state adult binge drinking and youth binge drinking (Pearsonr = 0.40,p < 0.01). For individual‐level youth drinking outcomes, a 5 percentage point increase in binge drinking prevalence among adults was associated with a 12% relative increase in the odds of alcohol use (adjusted OR = 1.12, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.16). Taxes were strongly inversely related with adult and youth drinking measures, and the effect of tax on youth drinking was attenuated after controlling for adult binge drinking.

Conclusions

Both tax and adult binge drinking are strong predictors of youth drinking. Tax may affect youth drinking through its effect on adult alcohol consumption. Implementing effective alcohol policies to reduce excessive drinking in the general population is an important strategy to reduce youth drinking.
Productivity, credit, risk, and the demand for weather index insurance in smallholder agriculture in Ethiopia
Authors: McIntosh Craig , Sarris Alexander , Papadopoulos Fotis
Published: May 2013

The article explores the relationship between fertilizer use and the demand for weather index insurance (WII) among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. We examine whether fertilizer use is profitable under current smallholder production conditions, whether risk‐related factors affect fertilizer use, and we estimate the returns to inputs in the agricultural production function in the absence of insurance. We then study how these primitives of agricultural production functions relate to insurance demand. The study compares a survey‐based estimate of willingness to pay with actual uptake for the weather insurance, finding the stated and actual demand to be almost completely uncorrelated. While those with high marginal returns to inputs say they would purchase insurance, only those with low marginal returns actually do, consistent with the stated purpose of the product as input insurance. Insurance demand proves to be highly responsive to the existence and amount of randomly allocated insurance vouchers.
The immunomodulatory role of esmolol in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy due to gastric cancer
Authors: Kim Y.S. , Kang S.‐H. , Song K.Y. , Cho M.‐L. , Her Y.‐M. , Huh J.W. , Lee J.
Published: May 2013

Esmolol has a beneficial effect on the T helper 1/T helper 2 balance in patients with heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory role of esmolol during and after surgery. Patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy due to gastric cancer were enrolled. Patients in the esmolol group (n = 15) received esmolol during surgery, and a saline‐treated group (n = 14) served as a control. Cytokines were quantified by sandwich enzyme‐linked immunoassays before, during and after surgery. The esmolol group was associated with higher ratios of interferon‐γ/interleukin‐4 (T helper 1/T helper 2 signature cytokines) than the saline group during (2.36 vs 0.57, respectively, p = 0.041) and after (5.79 vs 0.69, respectively, p = 0.033) surgery. The postoperative increase in interleukin‐6 was attenuated in the esmolol group, and the C‐reactive protein level on postoperative day 1 was significantly lower in the esmolol group than in the saline group (mean (SD) 26.2 (18.3) mmol.l−1 vs 56.8 (44.3) mmol.l−1, p = 0.021). Our findings suggest that esmolol played an immunomodulatory role and mitigated the postoperative inflammatory response in patients under surgical and anaesthetic stress.
Breech delivery – what influences on the mother's choice?
Authors: Glasø Anette H. , Sandstad Isa Mari , Vanky Eszter
Published: May 2013

Objective

To investigate factors influencing the mother's choice of delivery mode when vaginal breech delivery is considered possible and safe.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

University Hospital.

Population

Singleton, term pregnancies with breech presentation were included, n = 390.

Methods

Information was collected from patient records from January 2006 to December 2010. A questionnaire was sent to those 293 women in whom vaginal breech delivery was considered possible and safe.

Main outcome measures

Patient characteristics by choice of delivery mode.

Results

Women who were selected for vaginal breech delivery (n = 187) were younger, more often nulliparous and gave birth to smaller babies. Women who requested a cesarean section (n = 112) became more worried when the breech presentation was diagnosed. They had a more negative initial view on breech presentation, more often took additional advice from nonprofessionals and trusted them more. Women who requested cesarean section reported a positive birth experience more frequently than women who were selected for vaginal delivery, whether ending as vaginal or emergency cesarean delivery. Women in both groups searched web‐based information about breech delivery. We found no differences between the sources of information used.

Conclusions

Younger, nulliparous women with smaller babies trusted and listened more to professional advice and were more prone to choose vaginal delivery. Women who requested a cesarean section were more worried and had a more negative initial view on breech presentation. Both groups sought web‐based information equally.
Nerve stimulation for chronic pelvic pain and bladder pain syndrome: a systematic review
Authors: Tirlapur Seema A. , Vlismas Antonis , Ball Elizabeth , Khan Khalid S.
Published: May 2013

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and bladder pain syndrome (BPS) can have a negative impact on quality of life. Neuromodulation has been suggested as a possible treatment for refractory pain. To assess the effectiveness of tibial and sacral nerve stimulation in the treatment of BPS and CPP. We searched until July 2012: the Cochrane Library, EMBASE (1980–2012), Medline (1950–2012), Web of knowledge (1900–2012), LILACS (1982–2012) and SIGLE (1990–2012) with no language restrictions. We manually searched through bibliographies and conference proceedings of the International Continence Society. Randomized and prospective quasi‐randomized controlled studies vs. sham nerve stimulation treatment or usual care of patients with CPP and BPS who underwent sacral or tibial nerve stimulation were included. Any studies involving transcutaneous stimulation were excluded. The outcome was a cure or improvement in symptoms. Three studies with 169 patients treated with tibial nerve stimulation were included; two for CPP and one for BPS. There were improvements in pain, urinary and quality of life scores. There were no reported data for sacral nerve stimulation. There is scanty literature reporting variable success of posterior tibial nerve stimulation in improving pain, urinary symptoms and quality of life in CPP and BPS. In view of the dearth of quality literature, a large multi‐centered clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of electrical nerve stimulation to treat BPS and CPP along with the cost‐analysis of this treatment is recommended.
Direct comparisons of three alternative plasma fibrinogen assays with the von Clauss assay in prediction of cardiovascular disease and all‐causes mortality: the Scottish Heart Health Extended Cohort
Authors: Peters Sanne A. E. , Woodward Mark , Rumley Ann , Koenig Wolfgang , Tunstall‐Pedoe Hugh , Lowe Gordon D. O.
Published: May 2013

There is strong evidence from meta‐analyses of prospective epidemiological studies that increasing plasma fibrinogen levels are associated with an increasing risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all‐cause mortality. However, there are few published direct comparisons of the several different available fibrinogen assays in association with CVD or mortality. We therefore prospectively compared the standardized von Clauss assay of clottable fibrinogen with three other assays: prothrombin time (PT)‐derived clottable fibrinogen, immunonephelometric fibrinogen, and heat precipitable fibrinogen in the Scottish Heart Health Extended Cohort. Hazard ratios (HRs) for a standard deviation increase in fibrinogen for risk of CVD, adjusted for age and sex, were 1·17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1·14; 1·21) for the von Clauss assay; 1·19 (1·06; 1·33) for the heat precipitation assay; 1·16 (1·01; 1·35) for the PT‐derived assay; and 1·28 (1·10; 1·51) for the immunonephelometric assay. HRs for all‐cause mortality were 1·21 (1·18; 1·24); 1·13 (1·01; 1·26), 1·17 (1·00; 1·37) and 1·17 (0·99; 1·39), respectively. No significant differences were observed between the assays in such comparisons. We therefore conclude that the choice between plasma fibrinogen assays in routine clinical haematology and biochemistry laboratories should depend on practical factors, and not on expected differences in the strength of associations.
The source of the new Canadian job stability patterns
Authors: Brochu Pierre
Published: May 2013

This paper explores the causes of recent changes in Canadian job stability. Using the Labour Force Survey master files (1977–2010), I find that the increases in job stability first observed in the 1990s were, in fact, long lasting. Results indicate that compositional changes and the increased job stability of women within age and education groups play important roles in explaining the aggregate job stability patterns that emerge.
Public infrastructure, non‐cooperative investments, and endogenous growth
Authors: Figuières Charles , Prieur Fabien , Tidball Mabel
Published: May 2013

Two countries strategically invest in productive infrastructure within a general equilibrium model with endogenous growth. These public investments generate externalities. Dynamic analysis reveals that: (1) under constant returns, the two countries’ growth rates differ during the transition but are identical on the balanced growth path, (2) a country with decreasing returns can experience sustained growth provided that the other country grows at a positive constant rate, (3) cooperation does not necessarily lead to higher growth for each country, and it can increase or decrease the gap between countries’ growth rates depending on the countries’ consumption preferences regarding domestic and foreign goods.
The political economy of naturalization
Authors: Mariani Fabio
Published: May 2013

This paper presents a political economy model in which self‐interested natives decide when citizenship and/or voting rights should be granted to foreign‐born workers. Native voters know that immigrants hold different ‘political’ preferences and would thus tend to postpone their enfranchisement as much as possible. They also consider, however, that a more restrictive naturalization policy may reduce the gains from immigration. We find that the optimal timing of naturalization depends on the quantity, quality (productivity), and preferences of potential immigrants, the political composition and the age structure of the native population, as well as the sensitivity of migration choices to the citizenship issue.
Trade openness reduces growth volatility when countries are well diversified
Authors: Haddad Mona , Lim Jamus Jerome , Pancaro Cosimo , Saborowski Christian
Published: May 2013

This paper addresses the mechanisms by which trade openness affects growth volatility. Using a diverse set of export concentration measures, we present strong evidence pointing to an important role for export diversification in conditioning the effect of trade openness on growth volatility. Indeed, the effect of openness on volatility is shown to be negative for a significant proportion of countries with relatively diversified export baskets.