bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heat Conduction of a Porous Material
Authors: Miyazaki Koji , Tanaka Saburo , Nagai Daisuke
Published: April 2012

In this study, we introduce our numerical and experimental works for the thermal conductivity reduction by using a porous material. Recently thermal conductivity reduction has been one of the key technologies to enhance the figure of merit (ZT) of a thermoelectric material. We carry out numerical calculations of heat conduction in porous materials, such as phonon Boltzmann transport (BTE) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, in order to investigate the mechanism of the thermal conductivity reduction of a porous material. In the BTE, we applied the periodic boundary conditions with constant heat flux to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of porous materials.In the MD simulation, we calculated the phonon properties of Si by using the Stillinger–Weber potential at constant temperature with periodic boundary conditions in the x, y, and z directions. Phonon dispersion curves of single crystal of Si calculated from MD results by time-space 2D FFT are agreed well with reference data. Moreover, the effects of nanoporous structures on both the phonon group velocity and the phonon density of states (DOS) are discussed. At last, we made a porous p-type Bi2Te3 by nanoparticles prepared by a beads milling method. The thermal conductivity is one-fifth of that of a bulk material as well as keeping the same Seebeck coefficient as the bulk value. However, electrical conductivity was much reduced, and the ZT was only 0.048.
Numerical Simulation of Laminar Liquid Film Condensation in a Horizontal Circular Minichannel
Authors: Da Riva E. , Del Col D.
Published: April 2012

A three-dimensional volume of fluid (VOF) simulation of condensation of R134a inside a 1 mm i.d. minichannel is presented. The minichannel is horizontally oriented and the effect of gravity is taken into account. Simulations have been run both with and without taking into account surface tension. A uniform interface temperature and a uniform wall temperature have been fixed as boundary conditions. The mass flux is G = 100 kg m−2 s−1 and it has been assumed that the flow is laminar inside the liquid phase while turbulence inside the vapor phase has been handled by a modified low Reynolds form of the k–ω model. The fluid is condensed till reaching 0.45 vapor quality. The flow is expected to be annular without the presence of waves, therefore the problem was treated as steady state. Computational results displaying the evolution of vapor–liquid interface and heat transfer coefficient are reported and validated against experimental data. The condensation process is found to be gravity dominated, while the global effect of surface tension is found to be negligible. At inlet, the liquid film is thin and evenly distributed all around the tube circumference. Moving downstream the channel, the film thickness remains almost constant in the upper half of the minichannel, while the film at the bottom of the pipe becomes thicker because the liquid condensed at the top is drained by gravity to the bottom.
Numerical Modeling of the Conjugate Heat Transfer Problem for Annular Laminar Film Condensation in Microchannels
Authors: Nebuloni Stefano , Thome John R.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents numerical simulations of annular laminar film condensation heat transfer in microchannels of different internal shapes. The model, which is based on a finite volume formulation of the Navier–Stokes and energy equations for the liquid phase only, importantly accounts for the effects of axial and peripheral wall conduction and nonuniform heat flux not included in other models so far in the literature. The contributions of the surface tension, axial shear stresses, and gravitational forces are included. This model has so far been validated versus various benchmark cases and versus experimental data available in literature, predicting microchannel heat transfer data with an average error of 20% or better. It is well known that the thinning of the condensate film induced by surface tension due to gravity forces and shape of the surface, also known as the “Gregorig” effect, has a strong consequence on the local heat transfer coefficient in condensation. Thus, the present model accounts for these effects on the heat transfer and pressure drop for a wide variety of geometrical shapes, sizes, wall materials, and working fluid properties. In this paper, the conjugate heat transfer problem arising from the coupling between the thin film fluid dynamics, the heat transfer in the condensing fluid, and the heat conduction in the channel wall has been studied. In particular, the work has focused on three external channel wall boundary conditions: a uniform wall temperature, a nonuniform wall heat flux, and single-phase convective cooling are presented. As the scale of the problem is reduced, i.e., when moving from mini- to microchannels, the results show that the axial conduction effects can become very important in the prediction of the wall temperature profile and the magnitude of the heat transfer coefficient and its distribution along the channel.
Characterizing Diesel Fuel Spray Cone Angle From Back-Scattered Imaging by Fitting Gaussian Profiles to Radial Spray Intensity Distributions
Authors: Johnson Jaclyn E. , Naber Jeffrey D. , Lee Seong-Young
Published: April 2012

Quantifying fuel spray properties including penetration, cone angle, and vaporization processes sheds light on fuel-air mixing phenomenon, which governs subsequent combustion and emissions formation in diesel engines. Accurate experimental determination of these spray properties is a challenge but imperative to validate computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models for combustion prediction. This study proposes a new threshold independent method for determination of spray cone angle when using Mie back-scattering optical diagnostics to visualize diesel sprays in an optically accessible constant volume vessel. Test conditions include the influence of charge density (17.6 and 34.9 kg/m3) at 1990 bar injection pressure, and the influence of injection pressure (990, 1370, and 1980 bar) at a charge density of 34.8 kg/m3 on diesel fuel spray formation from a multi-hole injector into nitrogen at a temperature of 100 °C. Conventional thresholding to convert an image to black and white for processing and determination of cone angle is threshold subjective. As an alternative, an image processing method was developed, which fits a Gaussian curve to the intensity distribution of the spray at radial spray cross-sections and uses the resulting parameters to define the spray edge and hence cone angle. This Gaussian curve fitting methodology is shown to provide a robust method for cone angle determination, accounting for reductions in intensity at the radial spray edge. Results are presented for non-vaporizing sprays using this Gaussian curve fitting method and compared to the conventional thresholding based method.
Epigenomic Enhancer Profiling Defines a Signature of Colon Cancer
Authors: Akhtar-Zaidi Batool , Cowper-Sal·lari Richard , Corradin Olivia , Saiakhova Alina , Bartels Cynthia F. , Balasubramanian Dheepa , Myeroff Lois , Lutterbaugh James , Jarrar Awad , Kalady Matthew F. , Willis Joseph , Moore Jason H. , Tesar Paul J. , Laframboise Thomas , Markowitz Sanford , Lupien Mathieu , Scacheri Peter C.
Published: April 2012

Colorectal Cancer Signature

The mutations and genome aberrations that characterize cancer result in often dramatically altered gene and protein expression patterns. It is these altered expression patterns that directly and indirectly drive progression of the disease. In human primary colorectal cancer cells,

Akhtar-Zaidi
et al.

(p.
736
, published online 12 April) analyzed the pattern of epigenetically modified chromatin at “enhancer” sequences that are known to be critical in the control of gene expression. An epigenetic enhancer signature was defined that was specifically associated with colorectal cancer cells.
Growing Microtubules Push the Oocyte Nucleus to Polarize the
Drosophila
Dorsal-Ventral Axis
Authors: Zhao Tongtong , Graham Owen S. , Raposo Alexandre , St Johnston Daniel
Published: April 2012

Pull Me-No!-Push You

The
Drosophila
dorsal-ventral (DV) axis is polarized by the movement of the nucleus from the posterior end of the oocyte to its anterior margin. It has long been assumed that the nucleus is pulled to the anterior end by the molecular motor dynein along the polarized microtubule cytoskeleton that defines the anterior-posterior (AP) axis. Using live imaging,

Zhao
et al.

(p. 999, published online 12 April; see the Perspective by

Bowerman and O'Rourke

) now demonstrate that the nucleus is pushed toward the anterior by the force exerted by growing microtubules hitting its posterior side. DV polarity thus depends on the posterior positioning of the microtubule organizing center rather than on AP axis formation.
Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire Devices
Authors: Mourik V. , Zuo K. , Frolov S. M. , Plissard S. R. , Bakkers E. P. A. M. , Kouwenhoven L. P.
Published: April 2012

Majoranas Arrive

When a negatively charged electron meets a positron—its positively charged antiparticle—they annihilate each other in a flash of gamma rays. A Majorana fermion, on the other hand, is a neutral particle, which is its own antiparticle. No sightings of a Majorana have been reported in the elementary particle world, but recently they have been proposed to exist in solid-state systems and suggested to be of interest as a quantum computing platform.

Mourik
et al.

(p.
1003
, published online 12 April; see the cover; see the Perspective by

Brouwer

) set up a semiconductor nanowire contacted on each end by a normal and a superconducting electrode that revealed evidence of Majorana fermions.
A Dive to Challenger Deep
Authors: Lutz Richard A. , Falkowski Paul G.
Published: April 2012

A recent manned dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench heralds new scientific discoveries.
New direct-acting antiviral agents for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection and perspectives
Authors: Welsch Christoph , Jesudian Arun , Zeuzem Stefan , Jacobson Ira
Published: April 2012

Until recently, the standard of care (SOC) for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has consisted of a combination of pegylated interferon-N1 plus ribavirin, administered for 24- to 48-weeks depending on the HCV genotype. The sustained virologic response rate for this SOC has been only about 50% in patients infected with genotype 1 HCV, the most prevalent genotype in Europe and North America. HCV therapy has been revolutionised recently by the approval of two direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) against the NS3/4A serine protease for use in genotype 1 HCV, the ketoamide inhibitors boceprevir and telaprevir. The novel SOC marks the beginning of an extraordinary new era in HCV therapy. We review this new SOC with an emphasis on practical issues related to protease inhibitors, e.g. prescribing guidelines, futility rules and management of adverse events. We also give a perspective on what to expect in the coming years. Newer DAA with simplified dosing regimens and/or minimal toxicity which, when used in combination, will lead to viral eradication in most if not all CHC patients who undergo treatment. The novel agents in clinical development are paving the way for future interferon-sparing regimens.
EMOTION RECOGNITION: EMPIRICAL STUDIES TOWARDS THE COMBINATION OF AUDIO-LINGUAL AND VISUAL-FACIAL MODALITIES THROUGH MULTI-ATTRIBUTE DECISION MAKING
Authors: VIRVOU M. , TSIHRINTZIS G.A. , ALEPIS E. , STATHOPOULOU I.-O. , KABASSI K.
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we present and discuss a novel approach for the integration of audio-lingual and visual-facial modalities in a bi-modal user interface for affect recognition. As it is widely acknowledged, two or more modalities of interaction can provide complementary information to each other with respect to affect recognition. However, satisfactory progress has not yet been achieved towards the integration of these modalities, since the problem of combining them effectively is quite complicated. In our research, we combine the two modalities from the perspective of a human observer by employing a multi-criteria decision making theory for dynamic affect recognition of computer users. An important research milestone that is required in our approach is the specification of the strengths and weaknesses of each modality with respect to affect recognition concerning 6 basic emotion states. These emotion states are happiness, sadness, surprise, anger and disgust as well as the emotionless state which we refer to as neutral. For this purpose, we describe two empirical studies that we have conducted involving human users and human observers concerning the recognition of emotions from audio-lingual and visual-facial modalities. The results of the empirical studies have been used to assign weights to criteria for the application of a multi-criteria decision making theory. Moreover, the results of the empirical studies provide information that may be used by other researchers in the field of affect recognition.
A NEW APPROACH TO EMOTION RECOGNITION FROM THE LIP CONTOUR OF A SUBJECT
Authors: HALDER ANISHA , CHAKRABORTY ARUNA , KONAR AMIT , SHAW SRISTI
Published: April 2012

This paper proposes an alternative approach to emotion recognition from the outer lip contour of the subjects. Subjects exhibit their emotions through their facial expressions, and the lip region is segmented from their facial images. A lip contour model has been developed, and the parameters of the model are adapted using differential evolution algorithm to match with the actual outer contour of the lip. An SVM classifier is then employed to classify the emotion of the subject from the parameter set of the subjects' lip contour. The experiment was performed on 50 subjects in the age group 20–30 years, and the worst accuracy in emotion classification is found to be 86%.
AN AGENT-ORIENTED APPROACH FOR IMAGE CLASSIFICATION WITH ICA-COLOR SIFT
Authors: KHAZAB MOHAMMAD , AI DAN-NI , TWEEDALE JEFFREY , CHEN YEN-WEI , JAIN LAKHMI
Published: April 2012

This paper discusses the research conducted on developing a Multi-Agent System (MAS) for solving an image classification task. The aim of this research is to equip agents in MAS with reusable autonomous capabilities. The system provides a flexible framework for developing the communication aspects within an agent-oriented architecture to program agents that dynamically acquire functionality at runtime using event based messaging. In this research agents are equipped with unique image processing capabilities and required to interact and cooperate to achieve the goal. Complementary research on a variety of agent tools (specifically JACK, JADE and CIAgent) and communication languages (ACL, KQML, FIPA and SOAP) has been reviewed to glean knowledge that enables these agents to adapt those capabilities. The system has generated encouraging results.
ANALYSIS OF REFERENCE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG RESEARCH PAPERS, BASED ON CITATION CONTEXT
Authors: WANG WENJUAN , VILLAVICENCIO PAUL , WATANABE TOYOHIDE
Published: April 2012

Many efforts have been successfully paid by researchers or developers to grasp efficiently the contents of related works with a view to making their investigations successfully, preparing their plans effectively or attaining their objectives smartly. Although the paper abstract prepared by authors themselves is one of the useful efforts in many cases the content is not always sufficient by them to know the features of objective, approach, method, experimental data, evaluation, etc. in comparison with other related works. In this paper, we focus on the text associated with citation to reveal reference relationships between papers in order to achieve an objective of analyzing the influence of related works. Citation indicates the connection between two papers. Also, the text associated with citation can reflect the contribution of scientific papers, expressions of authors' opinions or other researches and also can show the usage of the research to resolve problems. Our main discussion points in this paper are classification of reference relationship, extraction of text associated with citation and representation of reference relationship from a viewpoint of making the original features of our work clear.
AI TOOLS IN DECISION MAKING SUPPORT SYSTEMS: A REVIEW
Authors: PHILLIPS-WREN GLORIA
Published: April 2012

AI tools have advanced sufficiently such that they are integrated into decision making support systems for real applications and are impacting decision making in substantive ways. This paper reviews decision making theories and AI tools and the intelligent decision systems that result from the integration of these concepts.
SENSOR WEB INTERACTION
Authors: O'HARE GREGORY M. P. , MULDOON CONOR , O'GRADY MICHAEL J. , COLLIER REM W. , MURDOCH OLGA , CARR DOMINIC
Published: April 2012

Ubiquitous sensing fuses the concepts of intelligent systems with ubiquitous computing in the development of novel Sensor Web applications, whereby the interaction of multiple disparate autonomous artefacts is a key requirement. In this paper, we present SIXTH, which is a middleware infrastructure for Ubiquitous Sensing that facilitates, and supports, the development and deployment of Sensor Web applications. SIXTH has been designed to be extensible, with provisions for user definable data retention policies, custom sensor data representations, and custom sensor node representations, whilst still providing a rich set of default behaviours. Within SIXTH, support is provided for the development and interaction of applications that incorporate both physical and cyber (virtual server side) sensors. With a view to supporting intelligent, in network, interaction policies, whereby sensor nodes must negotiate and coordinate their behaviour, the system has been designed to operate in conjunction with Agent Factory Micro Edition (AFME). AFME is a minimised footprint intelligent agent platform designed for resource constrained devices. It is based on the standard Agent Factory platform, which was developed for desktop machines, and is representative of a class of agent systems, which are referred to as Agent Oriented Programming frameworks. The paper discusses a ubiquitous mapping application that was developed using the middleware.
CAMERA CONTROL FOR GENERATING COMICS FROM VIRTUAL MUSEUM VISITORS' EXPERIENCES
Authors: THAWONMAS RUCK , KATO KOHEI
Published: April 2012

We present a camerawork module for representing events in a virtual museum with a comic style. The module uses four basic camera shots, i.e., internal, external, apex, and group, to compose a shot sequence of two main events happening in a museum, i.e., move and stay. This module is fully implemented in a comic generation system we have been developing for summarizing user experiences in Second Life. We also discuss a user evaluation that compares comics whose camerawork is decided by the presented module with those decided by a baseline module that simply uses the same camera parameters as those of the Second Life's viewer. User evaluation results as well as visual comparisons confirm the effectiveness of the proposed camerawork module.
COGNITIVE MODEL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ITS REFLECTION IN EDUCATION
Authors: OJASTU DENISS , CHIU RICHARD , OLSEN PER INGVAR
Published: April 2012

This paper employs a novel method for assessing the appropriateness of different types of entrepreneurial education. With the help of cognitive mapping as a research tool, it visualizes entrepreneurship as a skill-and-attitude-demanding activity and compares a generated model of required entrepreneurship capabilities derived from cognitive mapping of engaged entrepreneurs, with mapping of three Scandinavian graduate programmes in entrepreneurship; at BI Norwegian Business School, University of Oslo and Lund University. The cognitive maps are discussed and compared, focusing on elements that are under- or over-represented in the programmes when compared to our model. Based on our findings, a number of recommendations to people involved in creating and managing entrepreneurship programs are proposed: More attention to selection of students with appropriate attitudes, increased attention to certain under-represented topics (employee management, social networks, marketing and sales skills), more application of experiential and networking approaches, and increased focus on self-learning.
Effects of nasal continuous positive-airway pressure on nutritive swallowing in lambs
Authors: Bernier Anne , Catelin Céline , Ahmed Mohamed Amine Hadj , Samson Nathalie , Bonneau Pauline , Praud Jean-Paul
Published: April 2012

Current knowledge suggests that, to be successful, oral feeding in preterm infants should be initiated as soon as possible, often at an age where immature respiration still requires ventilatory support in the form of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP). While some neonatologist teams claim great success with initiation of oral feeding in immature infants with nCPAP, others strictly wait for this ventilatory support to be no longer necessary before any attempt at oral feeding, fearing laryngeal penetration and tracheal aspiration. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to provide a first assessment of the effect of various levels of nCPAP on bottle-feeding in a neonatal ovine model, including feeding safety, feeding efficiency, and nutritive swallowing-breathing coordination. Eight lambs born at term were surgically instrumented 48 h after birth to collect recordings of electrical activity of laryngeal constrictor muscle, electrocardiography, and arterial blood gases. Two days after surgery, lambs were bottle-fed under five randomized nCPAP conditions, including without any nCPAP or nasal mask and nCPAP of 0, 4, 7, and 10 cmH2O. Results revealed that application of nCPAP in the full-term lamb had no deleterious effect on feeding safety and efficiency or on nutritive swallowing-breathing coordination. The present study provides a first and unique insight on the effect of nCPAP on oral feeding, demonstrating its safety in newborn lambs born at term. These results open the way for further research in preterm lambs to better mimic the problems encountered in neonatology.
Carbonic Anhydrase IX Promotes Tumor Growth and NecrosisIn Vivoand Inhibition Enhances Anti-VEGF Therapy
Authors: McIntyre Alan , Patiar Shalini , Wigfield Simon , Li Ji-liang , Ledaki Ioanna , Turley Helen , Leek Russell , Snell Cameron , Gatter Kevin , Sly William S. , Vaughan-Jones Richard D. , Swietach Pawel , Harris Adrian L.
Published: April 2012

Purpose: Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGFA antibody, inhibits the developing vasculature of tumors, but resistance is common. Antiangiogenic therapy induces hypoxia and we observed increased expression of hypoxia-regulated genes, including carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), in response to bevacizumab treatment in xenografts. CAIX expression correlates with poor prognosis in most tumor types and with worse outcome in bevacizumab-treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, malignant astrocytoma, and recurrent malignant glioma.

Experimental Design: We knocked down CAIX expression by short hairpin RNA in a colon cancer (HT29) and a glioblastoma (U87) cell line which have high hypoxic induction of CAIX and overexpressed CAIX in HCT116 cells which has low CAIX. We investigated the effect on growth rate in three-dimensional (3D) culture and in vivo, and examined the effect of CAIX knockdown in combination with bevacizumab.

Results: CAIX expression was associated with increased growth rate in spheroids and in vivo. Surprisingly, CAIX expression was associated with increased necrosis and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. We found that acidity inhibits CAIX activity over the pH range found in tumors (pK = 6.84), and this may be the mechanism whereby excess acid self-limits the build-up of extracellular acid. Expression of another hypoxia inducible CA isoform, CAXII, was upregulated in 3D but not two-dimensional culture in response to CAIX knockdown. CAIX knockdown enhanced the effect of bevacizumab treatment, reducing tumor growth rate in vivo.

Conclusion: This work provides evidence that inhibition of the hypoxic adaptation to antiangiogenic therapy enhances bevacizumab treatment and highlights the value of developing small molecules or antibodies which inhibit CAIX for combination therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 18(11); 3100–11. ©2012 AACR.
A Leukocyte-Mimetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent Homes Rapidly to Activated Endothelium and Tracks With Atherosclerotic Lesion Macrophage Content
Authors: McAteer Martina A. , Mankia Kulveer , Ruparelia Neil , Jefferson Andrew , Nugent Hannah B. , Stork Lee-Anne , Channon Keith M. , Schneider Jurgen E. , Choudhury Robin P.
Published: April 2012

Objective—

Endothelial cell activation is an important mediator of monocyte recruitment to sites of vascular inflammation. We hypothesized that high-affinity dual-ligand microparticles of iron oxide (MPIO), targeted to P-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (PV-MPIO), would identify activated endothelial cells during atherosclerosis progression.

Methods and Results—

In vivo magnetic resonance imaging in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice showed rapid binding of PV-MPIO to the aortic root, which was maximal 30 minutes post-MPIO injection and maintained at 60 minutes. Minimal binding was observed for control IgG-MPIO. Intensely low magnetic resonance signal areas, corresponding to PV-MPIO binding, were detected early (14 weeks), during foam cell formation. Contrast effects increased at 20 weeks during fibrofatty lesion development (
P
<0.05), but reduced by 30 weeks (
P
<0.01). Across all lesion severities, magnetic resonance imaging contrast effects correlated with lesion macrophage area quantified by immunohistochemistry (
R
=0.53;
P
<0.01). Near-infrared fluorescently labeled PV-MPIO were shown, by flow cytometry, to bind only activated endothelial cells and not to macrophages. Using
en face
immunofluorescence, we further demonstrate selective PV-MPIO accumulation at atherosclerosis-susceptible sites, with minimal binding to atherosclerosis-spared regions.

Conclusion—

This high-affinity leukocyte-mimetic magnetic resonance imaging agent reveals endothelial activation. PV-MPIO demonstrate exceptionally rapid in vivo steady state accumulation, providing conspicuous magnetic resonance contrast effects that can be objectively quantified. In atherosclerosis progression, PV-MPIO tracked closely with the burden and distribution of plaque macrophages, not merely plaque size. On a biocompatible platform, this approach has potential for quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of inflammatory disease activity.
Red Blood Cells Play a Role in Reverse Cholesterol Transport
Authors: Hung Kimberly T. , Berisha Stela Z. , Ritchey Brian M. , Santore Jennifer , Smith Jonathan D.
Published: April 2012

Objective—

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) involves the removal of cholesterol from peripheral tissue for excretion in the feces. Here, we determined whether red blood cells (RBCs) can contribute to RCT.

Methods and Results—

We performed a series of studies in apolipoprotein AI-deficient mice where the high-density lipoprotein–mediated pathway of RCT is greatly diminished. RBCs carried a higher fraction of whole blood cholesterol than plasma in apolipoprotein AI-deficient mice, and as least as much of the labeled cholesterol derived from injected foam cells appeared in RBCs compared with plasma. To determine whether RBCs mediate RCT to the fecal compartment, we measured RCT in anemic and control apolipoprotein AI-deficient mice and found that anemia decreased RCT to the feces by over 35% after correcting for fecal mass. Transfusion of [
3
H]cholesterol-labeled RBCs led to robust delivery of the labeled cholesterol to the feces in apolipoprotein AI-deficient hosts. In wild-type mice, the majority of the blood cholesterol mass, as well as [
3
H]cholesterol derived from the injected foam cells, was found in plasma, and anemia did not significantly alter RCT to the feces after correction for fecal mass.

Conclusions—

The RBC cholesterol pool is dynamic and facilitates RCT of peripheral cholesterol to the feces, particularly in the low high-density lipoprotein state.
High Prevalence of Respiratory Ciliary Dysfunction in Congenital Heart Disease Patients With Heterotaxy
Authors: Nakhleh Nader , Francis Richard , Giese Rachel A. , Tian Xin , Li You , Zariwala Maimoona A. , Yagi Hisato , Khalifa Omar , Kureshi Safina , Chatterjee Bishwanath , Sabol Steven L. , Swisher Matthew , Connelly Patricia S. , Daniels Mathew P. , Srinivasan Ashok , Kuehl Karen , Kravitz Nadav , Burns Kimberlie , Sami Iman , Omran Heymut , Barmada Michael , Olivier Kenneth , Chawla Kunal K. , Leigh Margaret , Jonas Richard , Knowles Michael , Leatherbury Linda , Lo Cecilia W.
Published: April 2012

Background—

Patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and heterotaxy show high postsurgical morbidity/mortality, with some developing respiratory complications. Although this finding is often attributed to the CHD, airway clearance and left-right patterning both require motile cilia function. Thus, airway ciliary dysfunction (CD) similar to that of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) may contribute to increased respiratory complications in heterotaxy patients.

Methods and Results—

We assessed 43 CHD patients with heterotaxy for airway CD. Videomicrocopy was used to examine ciliary motion in nasal tissue, and nasal nitric oxide (nNO) was measured; nNO level is typically low with PCD. Eighteen patients exhibited CD characterized by abnormal ciliary motion and nNO levels below or near the PCD cutoff values. Patients with CD aged >6 years show increased respiratory symptoms similar to those seen in PCD. Sequencing of all 14 known PCD genes in 13 heterotaxy patients with CD, 12 without CD, 10 PCD disease controls, and 13 healthy controls yielded 0.769, 0.417, 1.0, and 0.077 novel variants per patient, respectively. One heterotaxy patient with CD had the PCD causing
DNAI1
founder mutation. Another with hyperkinetic ciliary beat had 2 mutations in
DNAH11
, the only PCD gene known to cause hyperkinetic beat. Among PCD patients, 2 had known PCD causing
CCDC39
and
CCDC40
mutations.

Conclusions—

Our studies show that CHD patients with heterotaxy have substantial risk for CD and increased respiratory disease. Heterotaxy patients with CD were enriched for mutations in PCD genes. Future studies are needed to assess the potential benefit of prescreening and prophylactically treating heterotaxy patients for CD.
Naked Houses
Authors: Schrank Sarah
Published: April 2012

In the early twentieth century, organized nudism emerged as a collective social practice of predominantly white, middle-class Americans intent on pursuing alternative paths to health and well-being while shedding the poisonous sexual and cultural hang-ups of mainstream society. After World War II, nudism became more of a family concern and was increasingly practiced indoors with nudists modifying their homes to accommodate their alternative lifestyle. This article traces the history of nudism in American suburbs and the world nudists created in their homes and in the pages of nudist magazines, the one public outlet for their experience. I argue that the existence of suburban nudism forces a reconsideration of suburban conservatism while acknowledging how neatly alternative lifestyles could fit into a postwar domestic ideology of atomized family life and consumer capitalism.
Saints and the “Long Civil Rights Movement”
Authors: Beaupre Lauren Elizabeth
Published: April 2012

In the twentieth-century American South, black religious institutions played key roles in shaping and reshaping urban landscapes. In doing so, these institutions made significant, but often overlooked, contributions to the “Long Civil Rights Movement.” In Memphis, no church better exemplified the intimate intertwining of race, space, and religion than the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). The history of COGIC in Memphis complicates the assumption that the Civil Rights Movement dictated a simple move from segregated black space to racially integrated space and breaks down false spatial dichotomies such as black/white and religious/secular. Instead, COGIC built segregated worship space, moved into white residential space, adapted black religious space for overtly political purposes, and finally, claimed white secular space for black religious purposes. Alongside the properly celebrated deeds of national leaders, local reconfigurations of urban space by religious institutions deserve to be recognized as a prime factor in the long road to civil rights.
Constructing Global Firms? National, Transnational and Neocolonial Effects in International Management Consultancies
Authors: Boussebaa Mehdi , Morgan Glenn , Sturdy Andrew
Published: April 2012

Drawing on an empirical study of four major international management consultancies, this article examines managerial efforts to construct ‘global’ organizations. We show how these efforts are undermined by inter-office conflicts over the staffing of client projects. We argue that such constraints cannot be adequately understood as an outcome of inappropriate organizational structures and incentives since this explanation ignores the important role of institutional contexts. In this vein, we outline and develop four different institutionalist lenses and apply them to the empirical findings. In so doing, we reveal the need to adopt a multi-dimensional institutionalist approach to the study of ‘global’ firms, one that can account for not only national effects but also transnational and neocolonial influences on these organizations.
The Supremacy of the Sequence: Key Elements and Dimensions in the Process of Change
Authors: Liguori Mariannunziata
Published: April 2012

How single organizations manage the process of change and why only some of them are able to actually reach radical change are central questions in today’s theoretical debate. The role played by the process of change and its dimensions (namely, pace, sequence and linearity), however, has been poorly investigated. Drawing on archetype theory, this paper explores: (i) whether a specific pace of radical change exists; (ii) whether different outcomes of change are characterized by different sequences of change in key-structures and systems (iii) how the three dimensions of the process of change possibly interact. As an example of organizational change the study takes into consideration processes of accounting change in three departments of two Canadian and two Italian municipalities. The results suggest the supremacy of the sequence of implemented changes over the other two dimensions of the process in order to achieve a radical outcome of change.
Simultaneous Tonsillectomy and Nasal Surgery in Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Stow Nicholas W. , Sale Phillip J. P. , Lee Donald , Joffe David , Gallagher Richard M.
Published: April 2012

Objective

Although adenotonsillectomy is the accepted treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pediatric population, tonsillectomy has not been widely adopted in adults, and its success in this group has not been well reported. Despite the lack of current evidence, there may be an important role for tonsillectomy in selected adult cases, and further study is required. This is a pilot study from a larger group of subjects currently enrolled and awaiting surgery and repeat polysomnography.

Study Design

Retrospective series with chart review.

Setting

Tertiary referral teaching hospitals.

Subjects and Methods

Thirteen consecutive eligible subjects with tonsillar hypertrophy and OSA were identified after treatment. These patients had undergone pre‐ and postoperative polysomnography for assessment of the severity of sleep‐disordered breathing. Post hoc analysis of key parameters was performed by Wilcoxon signed rank and paired t tests. Tonsillectomy was performed on all subjects, using the diathermy dissection technique. Nasal surgery was performed simultaneously in 11 subjects for symptomatic nasal blockage unresponsive to medical treatment.

Results

There was a statistically significant improvement in the severity of OSA after surgery. The total Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) was significantly decreased from median values of 31.7 to 5.5 (P =. 0002). The RDI in rapid eye movement and non–rapid eye movement sleep and the arousal index were also significantly decreased.

Conclusion

In selected adult subjects, tonsillectomy with intercurrent nasal surgery should be considered an effective treatment for OSA and may reduce the requirement for continuous positive airway pressure, oral appliances, or further therapeutic intervention.
The influences of presentation modes and conducting gestures on the perceptions of expressive choral performance of high school musicians attending a summer choral camp
Authors: Napoles Jessica
Published: April 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the influences of presentation modes (audio and visual) on perceptions of expressive choral performance. The stimulus recording included four choral selections, each conducted by a different conductor in two ways: using expressive conducting gestures and using strict conducting gestures. Three groups of participants: (1) listened to the eight audio excerpts; or (2) listened and viewed the conductor from the rear; or (3) listened and viewed the conductor from the front. They then answered questions regarding expressivity, tone quality, and overall impression of the choral performance. Results indicate significant differences between presentation modes and conducting style. Participants rated performances conducted with an expressive gesture higher than performances conducted with a strict gesture in all three presentation modes.
Effects of peripheral sensory nerve stimulation plus task-oriented training on upper extremity function in patients with subacute stroke: a pilot randomized crossover trial
Authors: Ikuno Koki , Kawaguchi Saori , Kitabeppu Shinsuke , Kitaura Masaki , Tokuhisa Kentaro , Morimoto Shigeru , Matsuo Atsushi , Shomoto Koji
Published: April 2012

Objective:

To investigate the feasibility of peripheral sensory nerve stimulation combined with task-oriented training in patients with stroke during inpatient rehabilitation.

Design:

A pilot randomized crossover trial.

Setting:

Two rehabilitation hospitals.

Subjects:

Twenty-two patients with subacute stroke.

Interventions:

Participants were randomly assigned to two groups and underwent two weeks of training in addition to conventional inpatient rehabilitation. The immediate group underwent peripheral sensory nerve stimulation combined with task-oriented training in the first week, followed by another week with task-oriented training alone. The delayed group underwent the same training in reverse order.

Main measures:

Outcome measures were the level of fatigue and Wolf Motor Function Test. Patients were assessed at baseline, one and two weeks.

Results:

All participants completed the study with no adverse events. There was no significant difference in level of fatigue between each treatment. From baseline to one week, the immediate group showed larger improvements than the delayed groups in the Wolf Motor Function Test (decrease in mean time (± SD) from 41.9 ± 16.2 seconds to 30.6 ± 11.4 seconds versus from 46.8 ± 19.4 seconds to 42.9 ± 14.7 seconds, respectively) but the difference did not reach significance after Bonferroni correction ( P = 0.041). Within-group comparison showed significant improvements in the Wolf Motor Function Test mean time after the peripheral sensory nerve stimulation combined with task-oriented training periods in each group ( P < 0.01).

Conclusion:

Peripheral sensory nerve stimulation is feasible in clinical settings and may enhance the effects of task-oriented training in patients with subacute stroke.
Quaternary environments
Authors: Meadows Michael Edward
Published: April 2012

The call to adopt a longer-time perspective in order to better understand contemporary and near-future global environments is not new. Nevertheless, there is a growing recognition that evidence from the geologically recent past, in particular the late Quaternary, is essential if we are to understand the profound changes that have taken place in the human relationship with the living world. This progress report reviews how the understanding of environmental dynamics over extended time periods is now incorporated into science dealing with predictions of future climate change by the IPCC consortium, how possible analogues for a warmer future are still vigorously explored and how information on past environments may better inform an understanding of contemporary ecosystem processes and influence the future management of biodiversity in protected areas.
Employees, Supervisors, and Workplace Mediation
Authors: Nesbit Rebecca , Nabatchi Tina , Bingham Lisa Blomgren
Published: April 2012

This study explores the experience of disputant–disputant interpersonal justice in workplace mediation in a public organization. The results show that there are significant differences between employees’ and supervisors’ experiences of disputant–disputant interpersonal justice. Moreover, the results indicate that the quality of participants’ interactions in mediation is significantly related to the quality of the mediated outcome in terms of settlement or case resolution. When disputants experience interpersonal justice with each other during mediation, they are more likely to reach a full resolution to the dispute. When disputants corroborate each other’s reports of their own behaviors during mediation, they are also more likely to achieve settlement of the mediation. Disputants who received an apology from the other party were more likely to report a settlement to the dispute. In sum, this field test supports the theory of disputant–disputant interpersonal justice and provides evidence that it is an important element in the mediated resolution of a workplace dispute.
Numerical modelling of non-load-bearing light gauge cold-formed steel frame walls under fire conditions
Authors: Keerthan Poologanathan , Mahendran Mahen
Published: April 2012

Recently an innovative composite panel system was developed, where a thin insulation layer was used externally between two plasterboards to improve the fire performance of light gauge cold-formed steel frame walls. In this research, finite-element thermal models of both the traditional light gauge cold-formed steel frame wall panels with cavity insulation and the new light gauge cold-formed steel frame composite wall panels were developed to simulate their thermal behaviour under standard and realistic fire conditions. Suitable apparent thermal properties of gypsum plasterboard, insulation materials and steel were proposed and used. The developed models were then validated by comparing their results with available fire test results. This article presents the details of the developed finite-element models of small-scale non-load-bearing light gauge cold-formed steel frame wall panels and the results of the thermal analysis. It has been shown that accurate finite-element models can be used to simulate the thermal behaviour of small-scale light gauge cold-formed steel frame walls with varying configurations of insulations and plasterboards. The numerical results show that the use of cavity insulation was detrimental to the fire rating of light gauge cold-formed steel frame walls, while the use of external insulation offered superior thermal protection to them. The effects of real fire conditions are also presented.
Cement dust pollution induces toxicity or deficiency of some essential elements in wild plants growing around a cement factory
Authors: Mutlu Salih , Atici Ökkeş , Gülen Yasir
Published: April 2012

In the present study, it was aimed to determine the effects of cement dust pollution on contents of some significant essential elements (P, S, K, Ca, Fe and Cl) in wild plants ( Medigago varia, Anchusa leptophylla, Euphorbia orientalis, Lactuca serriola, Artemisia spicigera, Crambe orientalis, Convolvulus sepium and Senecio vernalis) using wavelength-dispersive spectrometer X-ray fluorescence technique. Plant samples were collected from different locations around a cement factory which is located at Askale about 50 km from Erzurum (Turkey). The element contents in the plant specimens that existed in both 0–100 m (dense dusted) and 2000 m (undusted) areas were compared. P, S, K and Cl contents were found to be high in the plants growing in areas 0–100 m from the cement factory, compared to same plants at 2000 m far from the factory. However, Ca and Fe contents were determined to be low in plants growing in 0–100 m area from the factory. Results of the study can contribute to understand how mineral deficiency and toxicity lead to detrimental effects on plant growth and development in the fields contaminated by cement dust.
A dramatic climatic transition at ~4000 cal. yr BP and its cultural responses in Chinese cultural domains
Authors: Liu Fenggui , Feng Zhaodong
Published: April 2012

Our review of recently published climatic proxy sequences shows that the most dramatic climate tranistion of the mid Holocene (~8500–~3500 cal. yr BP) occurred at the middle- to late-Holocene transition at ~4000 cal. yr BP. In northern China, an abrupt climatic shift at ~4000 cal. yr BP was recorded in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the western part of the Chinese Loess Plateau and in the vast Inner Mongolian Plateau. In southern China, the ~4000 cal. yr BP event was also abrupt, but it is expressed as one of several quasi-cyclic events in most of the records. We propose that the cumulative effects of insolation-dictated declining trend in tropical SST and the geologically documented increasing trend of ENSO activity were the first-order causes of the cooling and the associated drying during the past 6000 years. Superimposed on the first-order causes were the second-order causes, i.e. the additive effects of the ‘Bond Event 3’-associated lower insolation and the increasingly drying-resulted negative feedback of ‘air–land interactions’. The second-order causes made ~4000 cal. yr BP the tipping point when the resultant drying had destroyed many Chinese Neolithic cultures. Our review of published archaeological literature shows that six of the seven well-documented Chinese Neolithic cultures collapsed at ~4000 cal. yr BP with the exception of the Henan Longshan Culture that evolved to the more advanced Erlitou Culture. The indicators of the cultural collapse include (1) the number of archaeological sites was significantly reduced, (2) the quality of the archaeological artifacts of the succeeding culture is lower than that of the preceding culture, (3) more sophisticated architectures disappeared, and (4) agricultural cultures were replaced by pastoralism or by agro-pastoralism in northern China.
A boom of bones and books: The “popularization industry” of Atapuerca and human-origins research in contemporary Spain
Authors: Hochadel Oliver
Published: April 2012

Atapuerca is an important prehistoric site in northern Spain that yielded the oldest hominid fossils in Europe in 1994. Since 1998 the three co-directors of the research team have in sum (co-)authored more than twenty-five popular science books, a boom without precedent in human-origins research. This paper will put forward three hypotheses. First, that these books were instrumental in achieving public recognition and financial support for the research project. Second, popular books on human origins serve as “enlarged battlefields” and as a meta-forum to expose new ideas to the scientific community. Third, the public visibility of these publications enables their authors to assume new roles that go well beyond their part as paleoanthropologists.