bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Western Ideas and the Shaping of Zemstvo Policy, 1865–1868
Authors: Corcoran John
Published: May 2014

This article examines references to foreign practices and models during the early years of operation of the Moscow Provincial Zemstvo Assembly. The 1864 zemstvo statute established general areas of operation for the new organizations, but left the delegates themselves to work out the details of particular programs. In the discussions that ensued, delegates made regular reference to foreign practices to bolster the case for their preferred policy solutions. The article focuses on two issues in particular, both of which were heavily debated in the first three years of Assembly meetings. The first concerned a proposal to establish an all-zemstvo land bank, and the second related to the establishment of a Moscow teachers training institute. Both issues stretched over several meetings, with detailed proposals subject to strict scrutiny from the assembled delegates. In both cases, references to foreign models occurred with great frequency. The supporters of these initiatives referred to a myriad of foreign countries, suggesting that no one country was seen as the sole proper model for Russia’s future progression. We see the use of foreign models from the sponsors of these particular initiatives, but also from those who criticized various aspects of the proposal. The critics did not dispute the utility of foreign models; instead, they proposed other countries as more appropriate examples. The debate was not about whether Russia should follow precedents from Western Europe, but rather about which particular precedents were most useful. The discussions show that no one single model predominated; delegates cited precedents from different countries on different issues. Though the zemtsy conceded that Russia had certain characteristics that made it distinct from the countries they cited, they remained steadfast in their belief that exemplars from abroad were the best model to follow.
Morphological and molecular studies of Neosynechococcus sphagnicola, gen. et sp. nov. (Cyanobacteria, Synechococcales)
Authors: DVOŘÁK PETR , HINDÁK FRANTIŠEK , HAŠLER PETR , HINDÁKOVÁ ALICA , POULÍČKOVÁ ALOISIE
Published: May 2014

The genus Synechococcus represents an enigmatic group of cyanobacteria with very simple unicellular morphology and polyphyletic evolutionary origin. Here, we describe a new genus based on strain of Synechococcus-like cyanobacterium. The strain was isolated from the peat bog Klin (Slovakia), where it occupies different niches such as hyaline cells of Sphagnum, sheaths of cyanobacteria, dead cells of desmids, carapaces of dead crustaceans, and solitary in detritus. We describe this new genus using a combination of molecular, morphological and ecological features. A phylogeny of the 16S rRNA gene, 16S-23S ITS and rbcL loci showed a separate position of the investigated strain and its close proximity to filamentous cyanobacteria. Therefore, it is a novel lineage of Synechococcus-like cyanobacteria illustrating the polyphyletic nature of the genus Synechococcus. Moreover, the strain exhibits unique morphological and ecological features, which allow us to erect the new monospecific genus Neosynechococcus.
Echeveria marianae (Crassulaceae), a new species from Jalisco, México
Authors: GARCÍA-RUIZ IGNACIO , COSTEA MIHAI
Published: May 2014

A new species, Echeveria marianae (Crassulaceae) is described from Sierra del Tigre, Valle de Juárez, State of Jalisco, Mexico. The species belongs to ser. Gibbiflorae due to of its acaulescent or short caulescent rosette habit, paniculiform inflorescence, conical-urceolate corolla, and tricolpate pollen grains. Within ser. Gibbiflorae it shares morphological affinities with E. novogaliciana and E. dactylifera from which it differs in the shape, color and margin of leaves, corolla size and color, stamen length, nectaries morphology, and its geographical distribution.
Typification of five names listed by Roberto de Visiani in Plantarum Serbicarum Pemptas
Authors: CLEMENTI MORENO , KUZMANOVIĆ NEVENA , BARINA ZOLTAN , LAKUŠIĆ DMITAR , VUKOJIČIĆ SNEŽANA
Published: May 2014

Roberto de Visiani (1800–1878) was a Dalmatian botanist of Italian ancestry. During the 1850s he started a long lasting collaboration with a Serbian professor - botanist Josif Pančić (1814–1888), who worked in Belgrade. During this period, from 1858 to 1871, they described thirty-five new species and one new variety, in four articles (Visiani 1860, Visiani & Pančić 1862, Visiani & Pančić 1865, Visiani & Pančić 1870). Many of their names are still in general use or are basionyms of the names in use (Euro+Med 2014), but, with few exceptions, they have not yet been typified.
Persistent Contrails and Contrail Cirrus. Part II: Full Lifetime Behavior
Authors: Lewellen D. C.
Published: May 2014

More than 200 large-eddy simulations of long-lived contrails from several-seconds age until their demise have been performed and their lifetime-integrated behavior has been analyzed. The simulations employ size-resolved microphysics and include variations of effective ice crystal number emission index, temperature, relative humidity with respect to ice, stratification, shear, supersaturated-layer depth, uplift/subsidence, and coupled radiation. Basic scaling behaviors are analyzed for contrail lifetime, width, ice mass, and surface area. Lifetimes exceeding 40 h, widths exceeding 100 km, and ice masses exceeding 50 kg m−1 of flight path were sometimes encountered. Distinct behavior regimes produced by radiative forcing are identified and found to be predicted by a simplified model. The lifetime-integrated ice crystal surface area per length of flight path SΣ is used as an approximate metric of contrail significance, and a simple, physically based model is derived. Over much of the parameter space, SΣ is found to vary approximately simply as the product of the maximum contrail depth and the effective number of ice crystals per flight path; other parameters have their impact on SΣ dominantly through their effects on these two quantities. Model and simulation results highlight the importance of crystal number loss mechanisms, the interaction between shear and ice sedimentation, the depth of the supersaturated layer below flight level, and the potential integrated significance of “cold” subvisible contrails. The results can aid in estimating the effects of more complex contrail scenarios or mitigation strategies and in understanding some aspects of natural-cirrus dynamics.
Dual Forcing and State Correction via Soil Moisture Assimilation for Improved Rainfall–Runoff Modeling
Authors: Chen Fan , Crow Wade T. , Ryu Dongryeol
Published: May 2014

Uncertainties in precipitation forcing and prestorm soil moisture states represent important sources of error in streamflow predictions obtained from a hydrologic model. An earlier synthetic twin experiment has demonstrated that error in both antecedent soil moisture states and rainfall forcing can be filtered by assimilating remotely sensed surface soil moisture retrievals. This opens up the possibility of applying satellite soil moisture estimates to address both key sources of error in hydrologic model predictions. Here, in an attempt to extend the synthetic analysis into a real-data environment, two satellite-based surface soil moisture products—based on both passive and active microwave remote sensing—are assimilated using the same dual forcing/state correction approach. A bias correction scheme is implemented to remove bias in background forecasts caused by synthetic perturbations in the ensemble filtering routines, and a triple collocation–based technique is adopted to derive rescaled observations and observation error variances. Results are largely in agreement with the earlier synthetic analysis. That is, the correction of satellite-derived rainfall forcing is able to improve streamflow prediction, especially during relatively high-flow periods. In contrast, prestorm soil moisture state correction is more efficient in improving the base flow component of streamflow. When rainfall and soil moisture state corrections are combined, the RMSE of both the high- and low-flow components of streamflow can be reduced by ~40% and ~30%, respectively. However, an unresolved issue is that soil moisture data assimilation also leads to underprediction of very intense precipitation/high-flow events.
Developing Organizational Capacity for Implementing Complex Education Reform Initiatives
Authors: Malen Betty , Rice Jennifer King , Matlach Lauren K. B. , Bowsher Amanda , Hoyer Kathleen Mulvaney , Hyde Laura H.
Published: May 2014

Purpose: This article seeks to enhance our understanding of the ever-present challenge of developing organizational capacity to implement complex education reform initiatives. We analyze the strategies in one large metropolitan education system used to address the district-level and site-level capacity challenges that surfaced as they implemented a multifaceted educator incentive pay program. Research Design: We draw on the theoretical literature on organizational capacity and on data from documents, interviews, and observations collected as part of an in-depth, multiyear study of an educator incentive pay program. Throughout this research process, we incorporated broadly endorsed procedures to minimize bias and error in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of these data. Findings: This case study illustrates an array of interrelated and ongoing capacity challenges highlighted in the literature on the implementation of complex education reform initiatives. It also generates insights about the range of resources and the combination of strategies that may be required to address these challenges and underscores the importance of continuously attending to the dual dimensions of capacity. Implications for Research and Practice: Although case studies of capacity-building challenges can generate useful insights, they do not offer clear prescriptions for “solving” capacity issues. Our study is a point of departure for understanding how school systems seek to address the array of interrelated capacity challenges embedded in a particular genre of reforms and a point of comparison for others who examine the capacity challenges associated with this set of reforms.
The Optics of Urban Ruination
Authors: Fedman David , Karacas Cary
Published: May 2014

World War II yielded many photographs of bombed-out cities. In this paper we telescope between two sets and scales of images that represent the principal frames through which the American and Japanese publics have memorialized the incendiary bombings that laid waste to urban Japan: aerial photographs taken by the US Army Air Forces during its wartime planning, prosecution, and assessment of the raids; and the ground-level images captured by Ishikawa Ko–yo–, a photographer working on behalf of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. By means of a detailed examination of the production, circulation, and consumption of these photographs—what some scholars have called an “archaeological approach” to images of ruination—we explore not only the visual rhetoric and reality of the destruction of Japan’s cities, but also how that destruction is situated in history, memory, and visual culture.
Expressways before the Interstates
Authors: Biles Roger
Published: May 2014

After the Second World War, city halls and local business communities cooperated to forestall urban decline in the face of population, industry, and retail loss to the suburbs and the Sunbelt. Before the U.S. Congress passed laws that established national housing programs, pro-growth coalitions in threatened cities launched programs designed to revitalize central business districts and lobbied in state capitals for legislation authorizing redevelopment efforts. In some notable cases, path-breaking measures crafted at the local and state levels served as models for the national initiatives that followed. Believing in the centrality of improved automobile access to their downtown redevelopment efforts, city leaders and business interests followed the same path in transportation as they had in housing. The case of Detroit illustrates how the drive for downtown renewal began before the federal government assumed the primary role with the passage of the 1956 Interstate Highway Act.
Realignment
Authors: Fein Michael R.
Published: May 2014

While federal policy makers have pursued “livable” communities since the late 1970s, they have rarely agreed on precisely what “livability” entailed and how best to achieve it. When U.S. Secretary of the Department of Transportation Ray LaHood promised in 2009 to make livability the hallmark of an ambitious interagency partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency—and, in the process, to undo long-standing patterns of auto-dependency—it appeared that LaHood was poised to shift American transportation policy in a bold new direction. And yet other policies, such as those that govern the alignment of highway interchanges serving super-regional shopping malls, continued to promote the dominance of highway-driven economies. This article demonstrates how the failure to confront historic development patterns fostered by the Interstate highway system undermined LaHood’s campaign for livable communities.
Citizen Activism and Freeway Revolts in Memphis and Nashville
Authors: Mohl Raymond A.
Published: May 2014

In the 1950s, the Tennessee State Highway Department planned Interstate-40 segments through Overton Park in Memphis and a central city black community in Nashville. Although slow to develop, freeway revolts emerged in both cities by the mid-1960s. Citizen activists in each city battled local municipal regimes and downtown business allies, Tennessee state road engineers, and bureaucrats in several federal transportation agencies. In Memphis, the anti-freeway organization Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, led by relentless activist and park preservationist Anona Stoner, outwitted opponents for years with appeals, demands for reviews or modifications, and eventually litigation that ended up, successfully, in the U.S. Supreme Court. In Nashville, the Interstate-40 Steering Committee, a group of black professionals led by Fisk University professor Flournoy Coles, cobbled together an opposition movement at the last moment. Their legal argument that the I-40 expressway through the North Nashville black community represented racial discrimination against an entire community seemed logical in Nashville but failed in the Supreme Court. The goal of this article, then, is to reflect on the impact of the Interstates on American cities, as well as to analyze how and why one anti-freeway movement succeeded and another failed.
A GS-MPSO-WKNN method for missing data imputation in wireless sensor networks monitoring manufacturing conditions
Authors: Ni JiaCheng , Li Li , Qiao Fei , Wu QiDi
Published: May 2014

Wireless sensor networks have been utilized to monitor complex manufacturing processes but missing data from sensors cause problems for data-based applications. In this paper, a missing data estimation algorithm, GS-MPSO-WKNN (Gaussian mutation and simulated annealing-based memetic particle swarm optimization for weighted K nearest neighbours), based on a weighted K nearest neighbour (WKNN) and memetic computing is proposed. The GS-MPSO developed in our previous work is adopted in order to adjust the feature weights for the WKNN. A real world data set from a semiconductor manufacturing process is used to evaluate GS-MPSO-WKNN. Experimental results show that GS-MPSO-WKNN can reach a higher estimation accuracy, and GS-MPSO-WKNN is also robust to a high missing data ratio.
Book Review: Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
Authors: Motiram Sripad
Published: May 2014

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. Random House, New York
Effects of priming volume reduction on allogeneic red blood cell transfusions and renal outcome after heart surgery
Authors: Ranucci M , Pistuddi V , Carboni G , Cotza M , Ditta A , Boncilli A , Brozzi S , Pelissero G ,   for the Surgical and Clinical Outcome Research (SCORE) Group
Published: May 2014

Introduction:

Excessive hemodilution during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with an increased rate of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion and acute kidney injury (AKI). Minimization of the oxygenator priming volume is a measure to contain hemodilution. In this study, we evaluated the new oxygenator, Sorin Inspire 6™, with respect to its ability to limit hemodilution, RBC transfusion rate and postoperative AKI rate.

Methods:

A retrospective study on a consecutive series of 1,724 adult patients receiving heart surgery with CPB. Patients treated with the Inspire 6™ were assigned to the low priming volume oxygenator (LPVO) group (N=383) and patients treated with conventional oxygenators to the conventional group (N=1,341). Dynamic priming volume, time course of the hematocrit, RBC transfusions and AKI rate were compared between the groups.

Results:

Priming volume was significantly (p=0.001) lower in the LPVO group (624±113 mL) vs. the conventional group (775±150 mL), with higher values of hematocrit during and after CPB. After correction for other confounders, patients in the LPVO group had a significantly lower RBC transfusion rate (odds ratio 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.90, p=0.006) and AKI rate (odds ratio 0.55, 95% confidence interval 0.32-0.93, p=0.032).

Conclusion:

The Inspire 6™ oxygenator allows a significant containment of hemodilution during CPB, reducing the risk of RBC transfusions and postoperative AKI.
Promoting environmentally sound management of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Asia
Authors: Li Jinhui , Zhao Nana , Liu Xue , Wu Xiaoyang
Published: May 2014

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers with persistent organic pollutant properties are required to be controlled by the Stockholm Convention. Recently, polybrominated diphenyl ether contamination has become widespread in Asia, mainly because of the disposal and recycling processes of polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing wastes. The management status, production, usage, import/export, treatment, and disposal, as well as implementation deficiencies for the environmentally sound management of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing materials in ten Asian countries were investigated and assessed in this study. This information could help the participating countries implement the Stockholm Convention and could promote the regional environmentally sound management of polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing articles and products. The results obtained were as follows. (1) Most of the countries studied lacked environmental policies and regulations, or even standards of polybrominated diphenyl ether pollution management and emission control actions. Accurate data on the consumption and importation of polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing materials, however, were not available for all the participating countries. In addition, there were no special treatment or disposal systems for polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing materials, or emission-cutting measures for the treatment of waste in these countries, owing to the lack of sufficient funding or technologies. (2) The improper dismantling of e-waste is a major source of polybrominated diphenyl ether emissions in these countries. (3) Proper e-waste management could result in a breakthrough in the environmentally sound management of this major polybrominated diphenyl ether-containing material flow, and could significantly reduce polybrominated diphenyl ether emissions. Finally, based on the study results, this article puts forward some recommendations for improving the environmentally sound management of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Asia.
Experimental and numerical investigations of a dynamic cyclone
Authors: Zhou Yu , Mingfei Zhao , Ma Chunyuan
Published: May 2014

Cyclones are well known for their simple structure and stable performance. However, cyclones’ separation efficiency is not high enough, especially for particles smaller than 10 µm. The conventional cyclone is improved by adding rotor blades to the cyclone; this new configuration is known as a dynamic cyclone. To explore dynamic cyclone further, the separation efficiency and flow field in this dynamic cyclone were experimentally and numerically investigated. A homogeneous computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, which included a turbulence model based on the RNG k–ɛ model and the Reynolds stress model (RSM), was developed to analyse the flow field in the cyclone. Then, the discrete phase model (DPM) based on the Eulerian–Lagrangian method was used to predict the separation efficiencies and particle trajectories. The performance of the cyclone was numerically investigated in detail in terms of the tangential velocity, separation efficiency and total pressure. The effects of the inlet velocity, rotational speeds and the configuration of the blades on the dynamic cyclone were also analysed. The model was verified through experimentation, and the data were obtained from an electrical low pressure impactor (ELPI), digital microtonometer and Pitot tube. The results indicate that the separation efficiency and total pressure drop of dynamic cyclones increase significantly as the rotational speed and inlet gas velocity increase. The number of blades and the inclination angle of the blades have strong impacts on the separation efficiency and total pressure drop of the apparatus. In addition, the simulation predictions demonstrate that the tangential velocity distributions are dominated by the rotational speeds of the blades and inlet velocities of the gas. The simulation of the tangential velocity distributions can more clearly explain the increase in the separation efficiency.
Molecular characterization and virulence gene profiling of pathogenic Streptococcus agalactiae populations from tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) farms in Thailand
Authors: Kayansamruaj Pattanapon , Pirarat Nopadon , Katagiri Takayuki , Hirono Ikuo , Rodkhum Channarong
Published: May 2014

Streptococcus spp. were recovered from diseased tilapia in Thailand during 2009–2010 ( n = 33), and were also continually collected from environmental samples (sediment and water) from tilapia farms for 9 months in 2011 ( n = 25). The relative percent recovery of streptococci from environmental samples was 13–67%. All streptococcal isolates were identified as S. agalactiae (group B streptococci [GBS]) by a species-specific polymerase chain reaction. In molecular characterization assays, 4 genotypic categories comprised of 1) molecular serotypes, 2) the infB allele, 3) virulence gene profiling patterns ( cylE, hylB, scpB, lmb, cspA, dltA, fbsA, fbsB, bibA, gap, and pili backbone–encoded genes), and 4) randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting patterns, were used to describe the genotypic diversity of the GBS isolates. There was only 1 isolate identified as molecular serotype III, while the others were serotype Ia. Most GBS serotype Ia isolates had an identical infB allele and virulence gene profiling patterns, but a large diversity was established by RAPD analysis with diversity tending to be geographically dependent. Experimental infection of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) revealed that the GBS serotype III isolate was nonpathogenic in the fish, while all 5 serotype Ia isolates (3 fish and 2 environmental isolates) were pathogenic, with a median lethal dose of 6.25–7.56 log10 colony-forming units. In conclusion, GBS isolates from tilapia farms in Thailand showed a large genetic diversity, which was associated with the geographical origins of the bacteria.
An assessment of the potential of a novel ducted turbine for harvesting wind power
Authors: Goudarzi N , Zhu WD , Bahari H
Published: May 2014

A novel ducted turbine, referred to as a Wind Tower, as a smart architectural integrated design for capturing wind power in residential or commercial applications is theoretically and experimentally studied. A mathematical model is developed to predict the flow behavior inside the tower, and a velocity coefficient is defined to correct the results at different test conditions. A 1/8-scale wind tower prototype, including a four-quadrant-peak windcatcher rooftop, a tower, a nozzle, and a turbine, is designed and fabricated. The results from the mathematical model provide a good estimation of the output power obtained from experimental tests. Significant changes in the output wind speed due to pressure differences created by the surrounding environment and the Wind Tower components configuration are observed. The advantages of requiring low maintenance, and being reliable and sustainable, together with its special design that eliminates bird/bat mortality, make the Wind Tower a promising solution for residential, commercial, and off-grid applications.
The Impact of Parents’ Illness Representations on Treatment Acceptability for Child Mental Health Problems
Authors: Shanley Dianne C. , Reid Graham J.
Published: May 2014

To measure parents’ representations of their child’s mental health problems, the validity of the Parents’ Illness Perception Questionnaire–Children’s Mental Health (PIPQ-CMH), a modified version of The Illness Perception Questionnaire–Revised, was established to explore the link between parents’ representations and (a) child problem severity, (b) parental adjustment, and (c) treatment acceptability. Parents ( N = 487) of 4- to 15-year-old children (68% boys) from five children’s mental health centers across Southwestern Ontario, Canada completed the PIPQ-CMH along with additional measures to assess validity. The Brief Child and Family Phone Interview was used to assess problem severity, the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale was used to assess parental adjustment, and an adapted version of the Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire was used to assess the acceptability of five types of psychological treatment. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the PIPQ-CMH was a reasonable fit to the data. Cronbach’s alpha and test–retest reliabilities were above .70. Significant relationships were found between parents’ perceptions (e.g., timeline, controllability, consequences, illness coherence, emotional representations) and child problem severity, parental adjustment, and treatment acceptability. Preliminary construct validity exists for the PIPQ-CMH as a measure of parents’ representations of child mental health problems. This measure should help to inform the impact of parent representations on the treatment process.
Development and Validation of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality Brief Self-Description Rating Form (SNAP-BSRF)
Authors: Kotelnikova Yuliya , Clark Lee Anna , Vernon Philip A. , Hayden Elizabeth P.
Published: May 2014

The Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality full-length (SNAP) and short versions (SNAP-SRF and SNAP-ORF) were developed as measures of normal-range and more pathological personality traits. This study investigated the validity of the SNAP Brief Self-Description Rating Form (SNAP-BSRF), an alternative version of the SNAP Self-Description Rating Form (SNAP-SRF) revised for further brevity. The scales of the SNAP-BSRF showed good convergence with the SNAP-SRF and the SNAP Other-Description Rating Form (SNAP-ORF) scales. A three-factor structure consistent with extant literature was found for the SNAP-BSRF using an exploratory structural equation modeling approach. Scales from the SNAP-BSRF showed meaningful associations with self-reported internalizing symptoms. Results suggest that this new version is a reasonable substitute for the SNAP-SRF and will be useful when a very brief measure of adaptive and maladaptive personality is needed.
Middle School Teachers’ Discipline-Specific Use of Gestures and Implications for Disciplinary Literacy Instruction
Authors: Wilson Amy Alexandra , Boatright Michael D. , Landon-Hays Melanie
Published: May 2014

Framed in theories of social semiotics, this descriptive multiple case study examined six middle school teachers’ use of gestures during one school year as they each taught two different subject areas: earth science, language arts, mathematics, and/or social studies. The data, which included field notes and photographs from 354 lessons and 151 video-recordings of lesson segments, were analyzed using constant comparative methods and multimodal concordance charts. The analyses indicated discipline-specific differences in types of gestures, frequency of gestures, and centrality of gestures to the teachers’ messages. Earth science depended on a variety of iconic and deictic gestures, the latter of which was also common in mathematics. Communications in language arts and social studies commonly included non- essential action gestures that mimicked the movements of characters and historical figures. This study modifies existing claims of the importance of gestures in teaching, suggesting that gestures can play relatively central or minor roles in communicating disciplinary concepts. It concludes with implications for disciplinary literacy instruction that more rigorously accounts for the role that gestures play in disciplinary learning.
Intersectionality, migration and development
Authors: Bastia Tanja
Published: May 2014

Since the 1970s feminist theories have made considerable contributions to development theories and practice, challenged the androcentrism of much development thinking, the normative assumptions about how households behave, and the taking of heterosexuality as the norm. However, despite the uptake of feminist contributions to development, how gender based inequalities are often compounded or intersected by inequalities based on class, race and ethnicity remains largely under-theorized in mainstream development studies. This paper discusses the relevance of intersectionality in the context of development theory and practice, particularly by reviewing how intersectionality has been used in the area of migration studies.
Language as a middle ground: Using grammatical reading to ‘find’ theory in development practice
Authors: Read Róisín
Published: May 2014

It has been noted that development literature has overlooked theoretical issues, largely because theory and practice are viewed as separate. This separation is produced in language and can be collapsed. Pin-Fat’s grammatical reading offers a way of thinking about development by ‘staying on the surface of language’. Debates about naming development practices are not purely semantic; they reveal implicit theoretical understandings of what can and should be accomplished by those practices. Grammatical reading allows us to interrogate these assumptions. Thus, enabling reading theory from practice, to challenge how possibility has been constructed, opening space for new approaches to be explored.
Cluster randomised controlled trial evaluation of a Link Worker–delivered intervention to improve uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening in a South Asian population
Authors: Bush Kate , Thomas Ruth , Raymond Neil T , Sankar Sailesh , Barker Peter J , O’Hare J Paul
Published: May 2014

Attendance at diabetic retinopathy screening in minority ethnic groups, including the South Asian population, is known to be poor. We describe a cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in 10 general practitioner (GP) surgeries in Coventry, UK, during 2007 which aimed to evaluate the use of a Link Worker–delivered intervention to improve attendance. The intervention consisted of a simple telephone reminder with the main outcome measure being attendance at diabetic retinopathy screening. We found a statistically significant difference between mean attendance proportions for intervention (0.89) and control (0.74) practices: difference (95% confidence interval (CI)) 0.15 (0.04–0.27), t = 3.03, p = 0.0162; this difference remained significant when adjusted for previous year’s proportions. In this proof-of-concept study, in inner city Coventry, we demonstrated increased attendance at diabetic retinopathy screening by use of a simple Link Worker–implemented telephone call intervention. The use of Link Worker phone calls may be a useful tool to increase attendance for diabetic retinopathy screening in a group with high did-not-attend (DNA) rates and a high prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and visual impairment.
The DPP-4 inhibitor sitagliptin and endothelial function in patients with acute coronary syndromes and newly detected glucose perturbations: A report from the BEGAMI study
Authors: Hage Camilla , Brismar Kerstin , Lundman Pia , Norhammar Anna , Rydén Lars , Mellbin Linda
Published: May 2014

Objective:

Compromised endothelial function contributes to poor prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. Incretin-based therapy may exert beneficial cardiovascular effects beyond glucose lowering. We tested whether sitagliptin improves endothelial function.

Research design and methods:

In the double-blind BEta-cell function in patients with Glucose Abnormalities and Acute Myocardial Infarction (BEGAMI) trial, acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-patients with newly detected impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were randomised to sitagliptin 100 mg (n = 31) or placebo (n = 33) during 12 weeks. Endothelial function was studied as reactive hyperaemia index (RHI).

Results:

At baseline, the RHI was slightly compromised in both groups (sitagliptin 1.67; Q1;Q3: 1.46;2.17 vs placebo 1.61; 1.44;1.96; ns). The RHI did not change during the study period and was 1.57 (1.40;2.36) in the sitagliptin and 1.60 (1.46;1.81; ns) in the placebo group after treatment.

Conclusion:

Sitagliptin did not improve endothelial function in patients with ACS and newly detected glucose perturbations.
Cefazolin-loaded mesoporous silicon microparticles show sustained bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Yazdi Iman K , Murphy Matthew B , Loo Christopher , Liu Xuewu , Ferrari Mauro , Weiner Bradley K , Tasciotti Ennio
Published: May 2014

Cefazolin is an antibiotic frequently used in preoperative prophylaxis of orthopedic surgery and to fight secondary infections post-operatively. Although its systemic delivery in a bulk or bolus dose is usually effective, the local and controlled release can increase its effectiveness by lowering dosages, minimizing total drug exposure, abating the development of antibiotic resistance and avoiding the cytotoxic effect. A delivery system based on mesoporous silicon microparticles was developed that is capable of efficiently loading and continuously releasing cefazolin over several days. The in vitro release kinetics from mesoporous silicon microparticles with three different nanopore sizes was evaluated, and minimal inhibitory concentration of cefazolin necessary to eliminate a culture of Staphylococcus aureus was identified to be 250 µg/mL. A milder toxicity toward mesenchymal stem cells was observed from mesoporous silicon microparticles over a 7-day period. Medium pore size-loaded mesoporous silicon microparticles exhibited long-lasting bactericidal properties in a zone inhibition assay while they were able to kill all the bacteria growing in suspension cultures within 24 h. This study demonstrates that the sustained release of cefazolin from mesoporous silicon microparticles provides immediate and long-term control over bacterial growth both in suspension and adhesion while causing minimal toxicity to a population of mesenchymal stem cell. Mesoporous silicon microparticles offer significant advantageous properties for drug delivery applications in tissue engineering as it favorably extends drug bioavailability and stability, while reducing concomitant cytotoxicity to the surrounding tissues.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Like Presentation in a HIV-Positive Patient
Authors: Anand Kuljeet Singh , Wadhwa Ankur , Garg Jyoti , Mahajan Rakesh Kumar
Published: May 2014

There has been several reports of an MND like syndrome in HIV-1 infection, however the data is still sparse. Furthermore, HIV-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) syndrome differs from the classical ALS in some key aspects.. A 44-year-old male presented with a history of insidious onset and gradually progressive asymmetric weakness of lower limbs. He also complained of thinning in both legs, the left leg more than the right since 1 year along with spontaneous twitching of muscles in both the thighs. On neurological examination, the assessment of higher mental functions was normal. There were no cranial nerve deficits. Motor power was grade 5/5 (Medical Research Council scale) in both the upper limbs and 4+ at hips and knees bilaterally, 5 at right ankle, and 4+ at left ankle. All the deep tendon reflexes were brisk with extensor planter responses. There were no cerebellar signs or sensory deficits. HIV-1 was reactive in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Electrophysiological studies were conducted per the MND protocol.None of the nerves studied showed an abnormal drop in compound muscle action potential amplitude with proximal stimulation. There was evidence of diffuse spontaneous activity, which manifests as fibrillation and fasciculation potentials in most muscles tested . Overall there seems to be sufficient evidence toimplicate HIV as a potential cause of an ALS-like disorder, but one must also consider the possibility of coincidental HIV infection in patients who have sporadic ALS.
Preservation of ageing classes in deterioration models with independent increments
Authors: Sangüesa Carmen , Badía Francisco German , Cha Ji Hwan
Published: May 2014

In the present paper we consider ageing properties in a deterioration model in which the stochastic process measuring deterioration is a process with independent increments. Preservation of increasing and decreasing failure rates, as well as decreasing reversed hazard rate, is considered. We also take into account the preservation of log-concave and log-convex densities. Our main results are based on technical results concerning preservation of log-concave and log-convex functions by positive linear operators, and they include the study of stochastic ordering properties among the random variables in the process.

MSC:60G51, 60E15, 60K10, 26A51.
The general status of patients and limited physical activity as risk factors of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus occurrence in long-term care facilities residents in Krakow, Poland
Authors: Romaniszyn Dorota , Pobiega Monika , Wójkowska-Mach Jadwiga , Chmielarczyk Agnieszka , Gryglewska Barbara , Adamski Pawel , Heczko Piotr B , Ochońska Dorota , Bulanda Malgorzata
Published: May 2014

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology and resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from long-term care facilities (LTCF) residents and to analyze the potential risk factors for MRSA occurrence, defined as MRSA colonization and/or infection.

Methods

Point prevalence (PPS) and prospective incidence continuous study (CS) was carried out on a group of 193 residents in 2009-2010.

Results

Overall MRSA occurred (with or without infection) among 17.6% of residents. There was 16 cases of infections with SA aetiology, of which 10 (58.8%) were caused by MRSA. The MRSA prevalence in PPS was 12.9%, in CS infection incidence rate was 5.2%. Factors associated with MRSA occurrence were: general status of patients, limited physical activity, wound infections (odds ratio, OR 4.6), ulcers in PPS (OR 2.1), diabetes (OR 1.6), urinary catheterization (OR 1.6) and stool incontinence (OR 1.2).

Conclusions

Our data indicate a need for screening of MRSA before hospitalization or transfer to rehabilitation centres, especially in a group of residents with limitations in physical activity – i.e. with the highest risk of MRSA. Results also suggest the need for contact precautions in patients with high risk of MRSA occurrence, only. Focus on the high-risk population might be a solution for the cost-effective surveillance.
The chick chorioallantoic membrane as an in vivo xenograft model for Burkitt lymphoma
Authors: Klingenberg Marcel , Becker Jürgen , Eberth Sonja , Kube Dieter , Wilting Jörg
Published: May 2014

Background

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive malignancy that arises from B-cells and belongs to the group of Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). Due to the lack of appropriate in vivo models NHL research is mainly performed in vitro. Here, we studied the use of the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) for the generation of human BL xenograft tumors, which we compared with known characteristics of the human disease.

Methods

In order to generate experimental BL tumors, we inoculated human BL2B95 and BL2-GFP cells on the CAM. BL2B95 xenograft-tumors were grown for seven days and subsequently analyzed with transmission electron and immunofluorescence microscopy, as well as histological staining approaches. BL2-GFP cells were studied at regular intervals up to seven days, and their metastatic behavior was visualized with intravital immunofluorescence techniques.

Results

Xenografted BL2B95 cells formed solid tumors in the CAM model with a Ki67-index greater than 90%, preservation of typical tumor markers (CD10, CD19, CD20), a ‘starry sky’ morphology, production of agyrophilic fibers in the stroma, formation of blood and lymphatic vessels and lymphogenic dissemination of BL2B95 to distant sites. We identified macrophages, lymphocytes and heterophilic granulocytes (chick homolog of neutrophils) as the most abundant immune cells in the experimental tumors. BL2-GFP cells could be traced in real-time during their distribution in the CAM, and the first signs for their dissemination were visible after 2-3 days.

Conclusions

We show that xenografted BL2B95 cells generate tumors in the CAM with a high degree of cellular, molecular and proliferative concord with the human disease, supporting the application of the CAM model for NHL research with a focus on tumor-stroma interactions. Additionally we report that BL2-GFP cells, grafted on the CAM of ex ovo cultured chick embryos, provide a powerful tool to study lymphogenic dissemination in real-time.
A kinetic fluorescence assay reveals unusual features of Ca++ uptake in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes
Authors: Zipprer Elizabeth M , Neggers McKinzie , Kushwaha Ambuj , Rayavara Kempaiah , Desai Sanjay A
Published: May 2014

Background

To facilitate development within erythrocytes, malaria parasites increase their host cell uptake of diverse solutes including Ca++. The mechanism and molecular basis of increased Ca++ permeability remains less well studied than that of other solutes.

Methods

Based on an appropriate Ca++ affinity and its greater brightness than related fluorophores, Fluo-8 was selected and used to develop a robust fluorescence-based assay for Ca++ uptake by human erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum.

Results

Both uninfected and infected cells exhibited a large Ca++-dependent fluorescence signal after loading with the Fluo-8 dye. Probenecid, an inhibitor of erythrocyte organic anion transporters, abolished the fluorescence signal in uninfected cells; in infected cells, this agent increased fluorescence via mechanisms that depend on parasite genotype. Kinetic fluorescence measurements in 384-well microplates revealed that the infected cell Ca++ uptake is not mediated by the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC), a parasite nutrient channel at the host membrane; it also appears to be distinct from mammalian Ca++ channels. Imaging studies confirmed a low intracellular Ca++ in uninfected cells and higher levels in both the host and parasite compartments of infected cells. Parasite growth inhibition studies revealed a conserved requirement for extracellular Ca++.

Conclusions

Nondestructive loading of Fluo-8 into human erythrocytes permits measurement of Ca++ uptake kinetics. The greater Ca++ permeability of cells infected with malaria parasites is apparent when probenecid is used to inhibit Fluo-8 efflux at the host membrane. This permeability is mediated by a distinct pathway and may be essential for intracellular parasite development. The miniaturized assay presented here should help clarify the precise transport mechanism and may identify inhibitors suitable for antimalarial drug development.
pH-responsive micelles based on (PCL)2(PDEA-b-PPEGMA)2 miktoarm polymer: controlled synthesis, characterization, and application as anticancer drug carrier
Authors: Lin Wenjing , Nie Shuyu , Xiong Di , Guo Xindong , Wang Jufang , Zhang Lijuan
Published: May 2014

Amphiphilic A2(BC)2 miktoarm star polymers [poly(ϵ-caprolactone)]2-[poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b- poly(poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate)]2 [(PCL)2(PDEA-b-PPEGMA)2] were developed by a combination of ring opening polymerization (ROP) and continuous activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP). The critical micelle concentration (CMC) values were extremely low (0.0024 to 0.0043 mg/mL), depending on the architecture of the polymers. The self-assembled empty and doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded micelles were spherical in morphologies, and the average sizes were about 63 and 110 nm. The release of DOX at pH 5.0 was much faster than that at pH 6.5 and pH 7.4. Moreover, DOX-loaded micelles could effectively inhibit the growth of cancer cells HepG2 with IC50 of 2.0 μg/mL. Intracellular uptake demonstrated that DOX was delivered into the cells effectively after the cells were incubated with DOX-loaded micelles. Therefore, the pH-sensitive (PCL)2(PDEA-b-PPEGMA)2 micelles could be a prospective candidate as anticancer drug carrier for hydrophobic drugs with sustained release behavior.
Multi-point boundary value problems for a class of Riemann-Liouville fractional differential equations
Authors: Li Bingxian , Sun Shurong , Li Yanan , Zhao Ping
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we shall study the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the multi-point boundary value problem of fractional differential equations

D

0
+

α

u
(
t
)
+
f
(
t
,
u
(
t
)
)
=
0

,

0
<
t
<
1

,

2
<
α
≤
3

, with boundary conditions

u
(
0
)
=
0

,

D

0
+

β

u
(
0
)
=
0

,

D

0
+

β

u
(
1
)
=

∑

i
=
1

m
−
2

b
i

D

0
+

β

u
(

ξ
i

)

,

1
≤
β
≤
2

, involving Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives

D

0
+

α

and

D

0
+

β

. We use the nonlinear alternative of Leray-Schauder and the Banach contraction mapping principle to obtain the existence and uniqueness of solutions. Some examples are given to show the applicability of our main results.

MSC:34A08, 34K10.