bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dabigatran and Thrombin Modulate Electrophysiological Characteristics of Pulmonary Vein and Left Atrium
Authors: Chang Chien-Jung , Chen Yao-Chang , Kao Yu-Hsun , Lin Yung-Kuo , Chen Shih-Ann , Chen Yi-Jen
Published: November 2012

Background—

Dabigatran reduces stroke in atrial fibrillation. Pulmonary veins (PVs) and left atrium (LA) play a critical role in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. We investigated the effects of thrombin, blood clot solution, and dabigatran on PVs and LA.

Methods and Results—

Conventional microelectrodes were used to record the action potentials in isolated PV and LA preparations before and after the administration of thrombin or blood clot solution in control and dabigatran-treated rabbits. Thrombin (0.01, 0.1, and 1 unit/mL), respectively, reduced the PV (n=6) spontaneous beating rates from 1.9±0.2 to 1.7±0.2, 1.6±0.2, and 1.4±0.3 Hz (
P
=0.046). Blood clot solution (0.5% and 5.0%), respectively, reduced the PV (n=5) spontaneous beating rates from 2.0±0.4 to 1.8±0.4 and 1.3±0.3 Hz (
P
=0.044). Thrombin (0.01, 0.1, and 1 unit/mL) and blood clot solution (0.5% and 5.0%) increased LA diastolic tension and the resting membrane potential with decreased action potential duration and contractility. Thrombin (0.01, 0.1, and 1 unit/mL) and blood clot solution (0.5% and 5%) induced delayed afterdepolarization and burst firing in PVs, but not in LA. N
G
-nitro-
l
-arginine methyl ester (100 μmol/L) or a protease-activated receptor type 1 blocker (BMS 200261, 1 μmol/L) attenuated the effects of thrombin and blood clot solution in PVs and LA. Dabigatran-treated PVs had slower spontaneous activity (1.1±0.1 Hz; n=10;
P
=0.0001 versus control). Their electrophysiological characteristics were not changed by thrombin (1 unit/mL) and blood clot solution (5%).

Conclusions—

Thrombin modulates PV and LA electric and mechanical characteristics, which were blocked by dabigatran.
Comments on “Convectively Generated Potential Vorticity in Rainbands and Formation of the Secondary Eyewall in Hurricane Rita of 2005”
Authors: Terwey Wesley , Abarca Sergio F. , Montgomery Michael T.
Published: October 2012

In a previous paper Judt and Chen propose that secondary eyewall formation can be the result of the accumulation of convectively generated potential vorticity in the rainbands. They argue that secondary potential vorticity maxima precede the development of the secondary wind maximum and conclude that vortex Rossby waves do not contribute to the formation of the secondary eyewall. Amidst examination of their thought-provoking study, some questions arose regarding their methodology, interpretation, and portrayal of previous literature.

Here the authors inquire about aspects of the methodology for diagnosing vortex Rossby waves and assessing their impact on their simulation. Inaccuracies in the literature review are noted and further analysis of existing, three-dimensional, full-physics, numerical hurricane integrations that exhibit canonical secondary eyewalls are encouraged.
Intensification of North American Megadroughts through Surface and Dust Aerosol Forcing*
Authors: Cook Benjamin I. , Seager Richard , Miller Ron L. , Mason Joseph A.
Published: October 2012

Tree-ring-based reconstructions of the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) indicate that, during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the central plains of North America experienced recurrent periods of drought spanning decades or longer. These megadroughts had exceptional persistence compared to more recent events, but the causes remain uncertain. The authors conducted a suite of general circulation model experiments to test the impact of sea surface temperature (SST) and land surface forcing on the MCA megadroughts over the central plains. The land surface forcing is represented as a set of dune mobilization boundary conditions, derived from available geomorphological evidence and modeled as increased bare soil area and a dust aerosol source (32°–44°N, 105°–95°W). In the experiments, cold tropical Pacific SST forcing suppresses precipitation over the central plains but cannot reproduce the overall drying or persistence seen in the PDSI reconstruction. Droughts in the scenario with dust aerosols, however, are amplified and have significantly longer persistence than in other model experiments, more closely matching the reconstructed PDSI. This additional drying occurs because the dust increases the shortwave planetary albedo, reducing energy inputs to the surface and boundary layer. The energy deficit increases atmospheric stability, inhibiting convection and reducing cloud cover and precipitation over the central plains. Results from this study provide the first model-based evidence that dust aerosol forcing and land surface changes could have contributed to the intensity and persistence of the central plains megadroughts, although uncertainties remain in the formulation of the boundary conditions and the future importance of these feedbacks.
Is a Decline of AMOC Causing the Warming Hole above the North Atlantic in Observed and Modeled Warming Patterns?
Authors: Drijfhout Sybren , van Oldenborgh Geert Jan , Cimatoribus Andrea
Published: October 2012

The pattern of global mean temperature (GMT) change is calculated by regressing local surface air temperature (SAT) to GMT for an ensemble of CMIP5 models and for observations over the last 132 years. Calculations are based on the historical period and climate change scenarios. As in the observations the warming pattern contains a warming hole over the subpolar North Atlantic. Using a bivariate regression of SAT to GMT and an index of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), the warming pattern is decomposed in a radiatively forced part and an AMOC fingerprint. The North Atlantic warming hole is associated with a decline of the AMOC. The AMOC fingerprint resembles Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV), but details of the pattern change when the AMOC decline increases, underscoring the nonlinearity in the response.

The warming hole is situated south of deep convection sites, indicating that it involves an adjustment of the gyre circulation, although it should be noted that some models feature deep convection in the middle of the subpolar gyre. The warming hole is already prominent in historical runs, where the response of the AMOC to GMT is weak, which suggests that it is involved in an ocean adjustment that precedes the AMOC decline. In the more strongly forced scenario runs, the warming hole over the subpolar gyre becomes weaker, while cooling over the Nordic seas increases, consistent with previous findings that deep convection in the Labrador and Irminger Seas is more vulnerable to changes in external forcing than convection in the Nordic seas, which only reacts after a threshold is passed.
Climate Change and National Security
Authors: Malone Elizabeth L.
Published: October 2012

Climate change is increasingly recognized as having national security implications, which has prompted dialogue between the climate change and national security communities—with resultant advantages and differences. Climate change research has proven useful to the national security community sponsors in several ways. It has opened security discussions to consider climate as well as political factors in studies of the future. It has encouraged factoring in the stresses placed on societies by climate changes (of any kind) to help assess the potential for state stability. And it has shown that changes such as increased heat, more intense storms, longer periods without rain, and earlier spring onset call for building climate resilience as part of building stability. For the climate change research community, studies from a national security point of view have revealed research lacunae, such as the lack of usable migration studies. This has also pushed the research community to consider second- and third-order impacts of climate change, such as migration and state stability, which broadens discussion of future impacts beyond temperature increases, severe storms, and sea level rise and affirms the importance of governance in responding to these changes. The increasing emphasis in climate change science toward research in vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation also frames what the intelligence and defense communities need to know, including where there are dependencies and weaknesses that may allow climate change impacts to result in security threats and where social and economic interventions can prevent climate change impacts and other stressors from resulting in social and political instability or collapse.
Reading behaviour from adolescence to early adulthood
Authors: Nagel Ineke , Verboord Marc
Published: October 2012

In this article we study how the frequency of book-reading – a form of legitimate culture – develops in the period from adolescence to young adulthood and how it is influenced by parents’ education, parental reading socialization climate, school and their interactions. In disentangling parental and educational effects we contribute to the cultural reproduction–cultural mobility debate. We use multi-actor panel data on three cohorts of Dutch secondary school students (and their parents) who took part in a classroom survey between the ages of 14 and 17, and who participated in at least one of the follow-up surveys two, four and six years later. We find that the amount of book-reading is more strongly associated with education than with parents’ reading socialization. The influence of parents increases slightly in the period from adolescence to young adulthood. Differences in reading behaviour between students of different educational programmes increase during secondary education, but decrease in the period after secondary schooling. The transition to tertiary education hardly affects the frequency of reading. Overall, the results are more in line with the cultural reproduction model than with the cultural mobility model.
Bridging two worlds? The troubled transfer of new environmental knowledge from science to consulting engineers
Authors: Hojem Thea Sofie Melhuus
Published: October 2012

Today, there is widespread political optimism regarding the role of scientific knowledge as a driving force for innovation and economic growth. Could this lead us to overestimate science’s ability to provide innovation central to solving the challenges facing our society? This article is a study of the appropriation of science in knowledge intensive services: specifically, about how consulting engineers engage with new environmental knowledge. First, I investigate research communities’ efforts with respect to transfer of new environmental knowledge to the consulting engineering industry. Second, I analyse consulting engineers’ accounts of acquisition and use of scientific and other forms of new knowledge relevant to dealing with environmental issues. The article engages with the optimistic view by employing three theoretical perspectives, representing greater caution and highlighting different aspects of knowledge transfer and acquisition: Mode 2 theory, Latourian sociology of innovation and two-community theory. The ensuing empirical analysis challenges the optimistic views with regard to the role of new scientific knowledge for innovation; transfer efforts are limited and slow. Instead, the importance of indirect roads of transfer of scientific knowledge is emphasized, such as newly educated candidates and the development of regulations and codes. Another main finding is that consulting engineers’ acquisition of new knowledge was guided mainly by pragmatic demand, generated through problem-solving in the context of application.
Beating the Odds: Exploring the Impact of Social Risk on Young People's School-to-Work Transitions during Recession in the UK
Authors: Duckworth Kathryn , Schoon Ingrid
Published: November 2012

Drawing on nationally representative data collected for two age cohorts in the UK, this paper a) assesses the effect of multiple independent socioeconomic risk factors in shaping the transition from school to work; and b) identifies potential protective factors enabling young people to beat the odds. By comparing experiences and findings across two cohorts we assess the generalisability of findings across contexts, i.e. the 2008 and 1980s recessions. The results show that some young people exposed to even severe socioeconomic risks avoid being NEET (not in education, employment or training). Factors that appear to reduce the cumulative risk effect in both cohorts include prior attainment, educational aspirations and school engagement, as well as the social mix of the school environment.
Age at Motherhood and Child Development: Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort
Authors: Hawkes Denise , Joshi Heather
Published: November 2012

Age at entry to motherhood is increasingly socially polarised in the UK. Early childbearing typically occurs among women from disadvantaged backgrounds relative to women with later first births. The Millennium Cohort finds differentials in their children's development, cognitive and behavioural, at age 5, by mother's age. These could be due to difficulties facing immature mothers, but much of it is attributable to young mothers’ social origins, or inequalities apparent at the age 0 survey, which may also have had earlier origins. The developmental penalty left to be attributed to the mother's age per se is, at most, modest.
Place Stratification or Spatial Assimilation? Neighbourhood Quality Changes after Residential Mobility for Migrants in Germany
Authors: Lersch Philipp M.
Published: November 2012

Neighbourhoods provide unequal resources and opportunities. Past research has shown that migrants are less able to move to more resourceful neighbourhoods. For Germany, cross-sectional evidence shows that migrants live in worse neighbourhoods on average, but no longitudinal analysis of changes in neighbourhood quality after residential mobility has been conducted. The present paper closes this gap and tests the place stratification model and the spatial assimilation model. Data from the German Socio-economic Panel and the MICROM dataset are used for the years 2000–09. The data are analysed using fixed-effects panel regression. The analysis shows that Turkish households are less able to improve their neighbourhood quality through moves compared with German households, while households with other ethnic backgrounds do not differ significantly from the native population.
Compatibility of Intravenous Medications With Parenteral Nutrition
Authors: Bouchoud Lucie , Fonzo‐Christe Caroline , Klingmüller Martin , Bonnabry Pascal
Published: October 2012

Background and Aim: Hospitalized patients requiring parenteral nutrition (PN) often need to receive intravenous (IV) medications as well. Y‐site administration is occasionally necessary, but physicochemical incompatibilities can occur between the medications and PN. The aim of the present study was to assess the physical compatibility between 25 frequently coadministered IV medications and a commercially available ready‐to‐use total PN. Methods: PN (NuTRIflex Lipid Special; B. Braun Medical AG, Sempach, Switzerland) and medications were mixed in 1:1 (v/v) proportions, and the stability was assessed at the time of mixing and after 1 and 4 hours. The stability of lipid emulsion was observed by microscopic investigation, visual inspection, dynamic laser light scattering, and laser light obscuration. The binary admixtures of PN (without lipid emulsion) and medications were used to detect discoloration, visibly detectable precipitates, and subvisual particles. Results: Two of 25 medications were incompatible with the lipid emulsion (serum albumin 20% and tropisetron), 2 showed signs of degradation (discoloration) over time (esomeprazole and pantoprazole), and 1 precipitated at high concentrations (5‐fluorouracil). The other 20 medications were considered compatible when administered by Y‐site. Conclusion: The present study validated the compatibility of 1 commercially available PN and 20 medications. These results offer new solutions to support the implementation of complex therapeutic schemes in practice, when coadministration via Y‐site cannot be avoided.
A Parenteral Nutrition Use Survey With Gap Analysis
Authors: Boullata Joseph I. , Guenter Peggi , Mirtallo Jay M.
Published: October 2012

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a high‐alert medication for which safe practice guidelines are available. Recent adverse events associated with PN have been widely reported. A survey of current practices was indicated as new guidelines are being considered. Methods: A web‐based survey consisting of 70 items was made available for the month of August 2011. Respondents provided answers to questions that addressed all aspects of the PN use process. Results: There were a total of 895 respondents to the survey, including dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. They predominantly represented hospital settings (89%), with 44% from academic institutions. Most organizations use a once‐daily PN admixture with 21% outsourcing preparation. Electronic PN order entry is available in one‐third of organizations, and the use of standardized order sets prevails. Unfortunately, electronic interfaces between computer systems remain infrequent, meaning that at least one transcription step is required by most in the PN use process. There are a wide variety of methods for ordering PN components, many of which are inconsistent with safe practices. Most organizations dedicate a pharmacist to review the PN orders, many of which require clarifications. Documentation at each step of the PN use process with oversight to identify deviations from best practice recommendations is infrequent. A significant proportion (44%) does not track PN‐related medication errors. Conclusions: The survey data are a valuable snapshot of current practices with PN. Poor compliance with some of the safe practice guidelines continues. This will help guide new safety initiatives for the PN use process.
Does Family Involvement Influence Firm Performance? Exploring the Mediating Effects of Board Processes and Tasks
Authors: Zattoni Alessandro , Gnan Luca , Huse Morten
Published: October 2012

Following calls to capture the consequences of family involvement in the business, this article empirically investigates the mediating role of board processes (i.e., effort norms, use of knowledge and skills, and cognitive conflicts) and board (control and strategy) tasks in the relationship between family involvement and firm performance in small and medium-sized companies. To address this purpose, we developed a theoretical model using family business and corporate governance literature. We collected data from one sample of small and medium-sized enterprises, and we applied structural equation modeling to validate and test constructs and relationships. Our results show that (a) family involvement in the business has a positive impact on effort norms and use of knowledge and skills, and a negative one on cognitive conflicts, (b) board processes have generally a positive influence on board tasks performance, and (c) board strategy task performance positively influences firm financial performance, while board control tasks do not have a significant impact. Results have implications for both research and practice.
Perceived Well-Being and Metacognitive Efficiency in Life Course
Authors: Fastame Maria C. , Penna Maria P. , Rossetti Elena S. , Agus Mirian
Published: October 2012

The main purpose of current research was to investigate the impact of self-rated metacognitive measures and depressive symptoms in predicting psychological well-being in different aged healthy adults. A further goal was to explore the effect of genre and age on metacognition and depression scores. Ninety-six healthy adults were, respectively, assigned to young (i.e., 20–30 years), old (i.e., 65–74 years), very old (i.e., 75–84 years), and oldest old (i.e., >85 years) groups. Participants were administered self-referent social desirability, cognitive efficiency, subjective wellness, and psychological distress questionnaires. It was found that social desirability, depression, cognitive functioning, and metamnestic scores represent the best predictors of well-being. Moreover, a significant main effect of age and genre was found on measures of depression and metamemory. Finally, personal satisfaction, coping strategies, emotional control, and general well-being levels of the very old group did not reach critical cutoff for the Italian octogenarian population.
The Reproduction of Gender Norms Through Downsizing in Later Life Residential Relocation
Authors: Addington Aislinn , Ekerdt David J.
Published: October 2012

Using data collected from qualitative interviews in 36 households, this article examines people’s use of social relations based on gender to perform tasks associated with residential relocation in later life. Without prompting, our respondents addressed the social relations of gender in the meanings of things, in the persons of gift recipients, and in the persons of actors accomplishing the tasks. They matched gender-typed objects to same-sex recipients, reproducing circumstances of possession and passing on expectations for gender identity. The accounts of our respondents also depicted a gendered division of household labor between husbands and wives and a gendered division of care work by daughters and sons. These strategies economized a big task by shaping decisions about who should get what and who will do what. In turn, these practices affirmed the gendered nature of possession and care work into another generation.
The adaptation and validation of the Emotion Matching Task for preschool children in Spain
Authors: Alonso-Alberca Natalia , Vergara Ana I. , Fernández-Berrocal Pablo , Johnson Stacy R. , Izard Carroll E.
Published: October 2012

The Emotion Matching Task (EMT; Izard, Haskins, Schultz, Trentacosta, & King, 2003) was developed to assess emotion knowledge in preschoolers and was demonstrated to show adequate convergent and predictive validity in an American sample (Morgan, Izard, & King, 2010). In light of the need for valid measures for assessing emotion knowledge in Spanish-speaking children, we adapted the EMT for preschoolers in Spain and conducted a psychometric validation with 110 Spanish children, aged 3 to 6. The EMT Spanish version showed good internal consistency and demonstrated expected concurrent validity with externalizing problems and adaptive abilities. Therefore the current study indicates that the adapted EMT is a valid tool to assess preschool children’s emotion knowledge in Spain.
Sleep Endoscopy with Midazolam
Authors: Abdullah Victor James , Lee Dennis Lip Yen , Ha Stanley Ching Nam , van Hasselt Charles Andrew
Published: October 2012

Objective

This study examines subjects’ level of consciousness with bispectral analysis in sedation endoscopy of the upper airway.

Study Design

A prospective study.

Setting

University hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Bispectral analysis levels recorded in natural sleep of 43 patients with obstructive sleep apnea during an overnight polysomnographic sleep study were directly compared with the levels recorded during midazolam sedation sleep endoscopy in the same subjects. The possible muscle relaxation effect of midazolam was examined via surface chin electrodes. Supine Müller maneuver findings in 50 patients with obstructive sleep apnea were also compared with soft tissue dynamics during midazolam sedation sleep endoscopy.

Results

In our study of the 43 patients with bispectral analysis during natural sleep and midazolam sedation sleep endoscopy, a predominance of bispectral analysis values indicating N1 and N2 sleep was observed during the sedation study. Midazolam failed to achieve deeper levels of sleep with minimal N3 and no convincing rapid eye movement. As N1 and N2 are the stages during which maximal dynamic activities occur, and they make up an average of 70.5% of total sleep time, from 210 sleep studies at our laboratory, the present technique would be ideal as a surgical assessment tool. No muscle relaxation effect could be detected at our protocol dose of midazolam. The supine Müller maneuver findings were significantly different from those observed during sedation sleep.

Conclusion

These findings support the value of sleep endoscopy as an efficient and informative technique for the examination of upper airway dynamics relevant to focused surgical planning.
Detection of Staphylococcal Exotoxins in Antrochoanal Polyps and Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps
Authors: Guven Mehmet , Karabay Oguz , Akidil Oznur , Yilmaz Mahmut Sinan , Yildirim Muzaffer
Published: October 2012

Objective

Staphylococcal exotoxins have been reported in the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases. Recent reports have hypothesized that staphylococcal exotoxins might be related to inflammatory mucosal changes seen in chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps (CRS‐NPs). Staphylococcal exotoxins have the capacity to act as superantigens (SAgs), bypassing normal antigen processing and directly stimulating a massive inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to analyze polyp tissue samples from patients with antrochoanal polyps (ACPs) and CRS‐NPs for the presence of staphylococcal exotoxins.

Study Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary medical center.

Subjects and Methods

Tissue samples were obtained from 29 patients and 16 controls. Thirteen of 29 patients had ACPs, and 16 had CRS‐NPs. Specimens were analyzed for the presence of 5 staphylococcal exotoxins (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, and toxic shock syndrome toxin–1) using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results

At least 1 toxin was detected in 7 of 13 patients with ACPs and in 13 of 16 patients with CRS‐NPs, whereas it was detected in only 4 controls. There were no statistically significant differences between ACP and control groups (P =. 063). Our results showed a statistically significant association between toxin detection and patients with CRS‐NPs (P =. 003).

Conclusion

Inflammatory triggers in ACP remain a subject of debate, and this study does not support the hypothesis that staphylococcal exotoxins may play a role in ACP ethiopathogenesis. Our research is consistent with the possibility of SAgs as etiological agents in the development of bilateral nasal polyposis.
Association between Anxiety, Type A Personality, and Treatment Outcome of Dysphonia due to Benign Causes
Authors: Ng Jia Hui , Lo Stephen , Lim Francoise , Goh Susan , Kanagalingam Jeeve
Published: October 2012

Objective

Dysphonia has been linked to psychosocial factors such as anxiety and personality type. The aim of this study is to determine whether these factors also affect the treatment outcome of benign dysphonia.

Study Design

Prospective case series.

Setting

Voice clinic of a tertiary otolaryngology clinic.

Subjects and Methods

Thirty‐seven patients diagnosed with benign dysphonia over a 3‐month period were included. Demographic data, the Voice Handicap Index–10 (VHI‐10), Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Clinical Anxiety Scale (CAS), and Bortner Personality Scale were recorded at presentation. After a period of treatment with lifestyle advice, proton pump inhibitors, and/or speech therapy, the VHI‐10 and RSI were repeated.

Results

After standard dysphonia treatment, 18 patients who reported complete recovery were found to be significantly less anxious (lower CAS scores) than those who did not recover completely (P =. 023). However, there was no significant difference in number of complete recoveries between patients of personality types A and B (P >. 05). Multivariate regression showed that higher CAS scores had a negative influence on the amount of improvement of VHI‐10 (P =. 026) but had no impact on RSI (P =. 148). Again, personality type had no influence on either RSI or VHI‐10 improvement (both P >. 05). An additional factor, older age, was found to predict negatively for the amount of RSI improvement (P =. 017), but no other predictive variables were identified.

Conclusion

This is the first study to show that psychosomatic factors may affect treatment outcome in patients with dysphonia due to benign causes. The benefit of adjunctive psycho‐cognitive measures warrants further investigation.
Communication and Low Mood (CALM): a randomized controlled trial of behavioural therapy for stroke patients with aphasia
Authors: Thomas Shirley A , Walker Marion F , Macniven Jamie A , Haworth Helen , Lincoln Nadina B
Published: October 2012

Objective:

The aim was to evaluate behavioural therapy as a treatment for low mood in people with aphasia.

Design:

A randomized controlled trial comparing behavioural therapy plus usual care with a usual care control. Potential participants with aphasia after stroke were screened for the presence of low mood. Those who met the criteria and gave consent were randomly allocated.

Setting:

Participants were recruited from hospital wards, community rehabilitation, speech and language therapy services and stroke groups.

Subjects:

Of 511 people with aphasia identified, 105 had low mood and were recruited.

Interventions:

Behavioural therapy was offered for up to three months. Outcomes were assessed three and six months after random allocation.

Main measures:

Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire, Visual Analog Mood Scales ‘sad’ item, and Visual Analogue Self-Esteem Scale.

Results:

Participants were aged 29 to 94 years (mean 67.0, SD 13.5) and 66 (63%) were men. Regression analysis showed that at three months, when baseline values and communication impairment were controlled for, group allocation was a significant predictor of the Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire ( P < 0.05), visual analogue ‘sad’ ( P = 0.03), and Visual Analogue Self-Esteem Scale ( P < 0.01). At six months, group alone was a significant predictor of the Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire ( P < 0.05), and remained significant when baseline values were controlled for ( P = 0.02). Mean Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire 10-item hospital version scores decreased from baseline to six months by six points in the intervention group as compared with an increase of 1.9 points in the control group.

Conclusions:

Behavioural therapy seemed to improve the mood of people with aphasia.
Accounts of the Ineffable
Authors: Brownlie Douglas
Published: November 2012

The Call for Papers for this special issue asked authors to step back and look at the fundamental processes at work in the globalization of the “very idea of marketing.” This is itself a version of a powerful Western doctrine, the totalizing cultural narrative of objectivity and transcendence, of orderings and distances: various avenues suggest themselves. The following commentary seeks to contribute to this project by considering the insertion of this discourse of vantage points and perspective into the narrow cultural consciousness of marketing through exploring one trail: the role of the research community in the production of the research subject.
On making robots understand safety: Embedding injury knowledge into control
Authors: Haddadin Sami , Haddadin Simon , Khoury Augusto , Rokahr Tim , Parusel Sven , Burgkart Rainer , Bicchi Antonio , Albu-Schäffer Alin
Published: November 2012

Enabling robots to safely interact with humans is an essential goal of robotics research. The developments achieved over recent years in mechanical design and control made it possible to have active cooperation between humans and robots in rather complex situations. For this, safe robot behavior even under worst-case situations is crucial and forms also a basis for higher-level decisional aspects. For quantifying what safe behavior really means, the definition of injury, as well as understanding its general dynamics, are essential. This insight can then be applied to design and control robots such that injury due to robot–human impacts is explicitly taken into account. In this paper we approach the problem from a medical injury analysis point of view in order to formulate the relation between robot mass, velocity, impact geometry and resulting injury qualified in medical terms. We transform these insights into processable representations and propose a motion supervisor that utilizes injury knowledge for generating safe robot motions. The algorithm takes into account the reflected inertia, velocity, and geometry at possible impact locations. The proposed framework forms a basis for generating truly safe velocity bounds that explicitly consider the dynamic properties of the manipulator and human injury.
Return to Competitive Play After Hamstring Injuries Involving Disruption of the Central Tendon
Authors: Comin Jules , Malliaras Peter , Baquie Peter , Barbour Tim , Connell David
Published: October 2012

Background:

The hamstring muscles are the most commonly injured muscle group in many different sports. Recovery time is often unpredictable and prolonged, and recurrent injury is common.

Hypothesis:

Hamstring injuries that disrupt the central tendon enclosed within the muscle belly require a longer recovery time than do injuries involving only muscle, epimysial fascia, or the musculotendinous junction.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Injury records from professional sports teams were reviewed to determine the length of recovery from each hamstring injury that occurred over a 24-month period. The integrity of the central tendon on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was retrospectively reviewed for each case. The association between central tendon disruption on MRI and recovery time was determined.

Results:

There were 62 hamstring injuries included for analysis; 45 (72%) involved the biceps femoris, 11 (18%) involved the semimembranosus, and 6 (10%) involved the semitendinosus. Central tendon disruption was identified in 12 (45%) of the biceps femoris injuries and in none of the injuries to the other 2 muscles. Three of these injuries were treated surgically, with a median recovery time of 91 days. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) recovery times for those remaining biceps femoris injuries with and without central tendon disruption were 21 days (IQR, 9-28) and 72 days (IQR, 42-109), respectively ( P < .01).

Conclusion:

Disruption of the central tendon in injuries to the biceps femoris results in a significantly longer recovery time than injuries that do not disrupt the central tendon. This highlights the distinction between injury to the hamstring muscle and injury to the hamstring tendon, which is underappreciated as being a distinct entity when injury involves the enclosed central portion of the tendon.
Rheological properties of ground rubber tire filled isotactic polypropylenes of different molecular weight characteristics
Authors: Prut E , Kuznetsova O , Karger-Kocsis J , Solomatin D
Published: October 2012

Dynamic rheological properties of the thermoplastic composites containing ground rubber tire have been investigated. Isotactic polypropylenes of different molecular weights were used as thermoplastic polymer matrices. Ground rubber tire powder with a particle size of d = 0.1−0.4 mm was incorporated into the polypropylene by melt blending. The dynamic viscoelastic properties, such as storage and loss moduli, complex viscosity, and loss tangent of polypropylene/ground rubber tire composites were determined in function of ground rubber tire loading and compared with those of the parent polypropylene. The rheological properties of the composites showed shear thinning and power-law behavior. A significant improvement in the melt flowability of polypropylene/ground rubber tire composites was found to depend on the polypropylene molecular weight and the content of ground rubber tire. The higher was the ground rubber tire loading in the composites, the greater was the deviation from the Newtonian flow behavior. Results showed that the viscosity of polypropylene of high molecular weight significantly decreased with the addition of ground rubber tire up to 10 wt.%. The appearance of a minimum in the viscosity curve was traced to the formation of additional free volume in the polymer layers adjacent to the ground rubber tire particles. The dynamic rheological behavior of composites depended strongly on the degree of agglomeration of the ground rubber tire powder.
Experimental study on flexural behavior of concrete beams reinforced by steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bars
Authors: Sun ZY , Yang Y , Qin WH , Ren ST , Wu G
Published: October 2012

Experimental studies investigating the flexural behavior of six concrete beams were conducted with various reinforcements, including ordinary steel bars, steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bars, pure fiber-reinforced polymer bars (either carbon fiber reinforced polymer bars or basalt fiber reinforced polymer bars), and hybrid bars (steel bars and basalt fiber reinforced polymer bars). The test results show the following: (a) steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar beams exhibit stable post-yield stiffness after the yielding of the inner steel bar of the steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar and concrete crushed after the rupture of the outer fiber-reinforced polymer of the steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar; (b) the ordinary reinforced concrete beam has the largest ductility coefficient, but the ultimate load was just approximately 31% of that of the corresponding steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar beams; (c) brittle shear failure was observed for both fiber reinforced polymer bar reinforced beams because of the high ultimate tensile strength of fiber-reinforced polymer bar; (d) although the steel-fiber-reinforced polymer ratio of the hybrid beam (reinforced by steel and basalt fiber reinforced polymer bars) is the same as that of the steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar beams, the ultimate load of hybrid beam is approximately 72% of that of the corresponding steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar, which is caused by the premature slip of basalt fiber reinforced polymer bar in hybrid beam where the bond stress is large; (e) by comparing coefficients of displacement ductility and energy ductility, it is demonstrated that energy ductility coefficient is more reasonable for evaluating the performance of steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar beams take into account of the post-yield stiffness of steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar beams; and (f) high initial stiffness and good ductility for steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar reinforced concrete beams can be obtained by adjusting the steel-fiber-reinforced polymer ratio and fiber-reinforced polymer type. Furthermore, because of the steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar’s outer fiber-reinforced polymer, steel-fiber reinforced polymer composite bar reinforced concrete beams have a high durability.
Structure and properties of flax/polylactide/alumina nanocomposites
Authors: Siengchin Suchart , Pohl Thomas , Medina Luisa , Mitschang Peter
Published: October 2012

Composites composed of polylactide (PLA), woven flax fiber textiles (weave style of 2 × 2 twill and 4 × 4 hopsack) and boehmite alumina were produced by hot press. The spraying technique served for the pre-dispersion of the alumina nanoparticles. The aqueous alumina slurry was produced by mixing the water with water dispersible alumina. The dispersion of the flax structures and alumina particles in the composites was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The polylactide composites were subjected to water absorption and instrumented falling weight impact tests. The creep and thermomechanical properties of the composites were determined in short-time creep tests (performed at various temperatures), thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis, respectively. It was found that the incorporation of alumina particles reduced the water uptake compared to the polylactide/flax blends. The impact energy and stiffness value of polylactide/flax blends was markedly higher than that of PLA but reflected the effects of composite structures. Incorporation of alumina particles enhanced storage modulus and the creep resistance compared to the polylactide/flax blends but slightly incremented thermal resistance at high temperature. No clear trend in the flax weave style-effect was found in the thermal behavior. The creep master curves were constructed by applying the time–temperature superposition principle. The Findley power law could satisfactorily describe the creep compliance versus time traces for all systems studied.
Dynamic mechanical analysis and three-body abrasive wear behavior of epoxy nanocomposites
Authors: Suresha B , Ravishankar BL , Sukanya L
Published: October 2012

The aim of this investigation is to study the dynamic mechanical analysis and three-body abrasive wear behavior of organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposites with different weight percentage of organo-modified montmorillonite. In the dynamic mechanical analysis of organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposites, the viscoelastic properties such as storage modulus, loss modulus, damping and glass transition temperature were discussed. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis showed the decrease in glass transition temperature with increase in organo-modified montmorillonite filler loading in epoxy nanocomposites. Also the storage modulus of organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposite exhibits decreasing trends than that of unfilled epoxy. Three-body abrasive wear of organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposites were studied for different filler loading. The results of the abrasive wear tests revealed that the wear volume loss of all samples was increased with increase of load and abrading distance. Further, 5 wt.% organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposite exhibited better wear abrasive resistance as compared to that of neat epoxy and other organo-modified montmorillonite-filled epoxy nanocomposites. Different wear mechanisms were observed on the worn surfaces of the composites, including pitting, micro- and/or macro-cracks, as well crack propagation of the matrix in the transverse direction.
Sex Differences in Item Functioning in the Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills−II Vocabulary Assessments
Authors: French Brian F. , Gotch Chad M.
Published: October 2012

The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills–II (CIBS-II) is a diagnostic battery intended for children in grades 1st through 6th. The aim of this study was to test for item invariance, or differential item functioning (DIF), of the CIBS-II across sex in the standardization sample through the use of item response theory DIF detection methods. Specifically, we studied two subtests—Reading Vocabulary Comprehension and Listening Vocabulary Comprehension. Form A exhibited a smaller degree of DIF compared to Form B across the two subtests. Thus, we recommend that Form A be the form of choice for practitioners.
Development and Confirmatory Factory Analysis of the Achievement Task Value Scale for University Students
Authors: Lou Yu-Chiung , Lin Hsiao-Fang , Lin Chin-Wen
Published: October 2012

The aims of the study were (a) to develop a scale to measure university students’ task value and (b) to use confirmatory factor analytic techniques to investigate the construct validity of the scale. The questionnaire items were developed based on theoretical considerations and the final version contained 38 items divided into 4 subscales. Analyses were conducted on 2 samples of university students ( n1 = 430, n2 = 430). The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested a modified version of the 4-factor model. The scale may have construct validity for the current sample of university students. Finally, possible applications for this scale, including for the early identification and prevention of problematic task values among university students, and implications for further psychometric research are highlighted.
Two-Year Follow-Up Study on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Term Intrapartum Asphyxia Using Age and Stages Questionnaire
Authors: Keihani-Doust Zarrin , Saeedi Maryam , Esmaeilni Tahere , Habibi Massoud , Nazari Seyed Saeed Hashemi
Published: October 2012

Birth asphyxia is one of the multiple causes of neonatal encephalopathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes of newborn term infants with definitive asphyxia. Thirty infants met study criteria for asphyxia. The 5-year incidence of asphyxia was estimated to be 5.5 in 1000. According to the Age and Stage Questionnaire, 10.5% of 6-month-old infants, 14.3% of 12- and 18-month-old infants, and 5.3% of 24-month-old infants had neurodevelopmental delay in gross motor function in the absence of cerebral palsy. In 7.3% of 18-month-old infants, neurodevelopmental delay in problem-solving ability was observed. Higher values of Apgar score and bicarbonate levels were associated with higher Age and Stage Questionnaire total score. Delivery type, maternal age, gravidity of mother, and existence of mother disease during pregnancy were also associated with lower Age and Stage Questionnaire total score in different stages of life.
New Niemann-Pick Type C1 Gene Mutation Associated With Very Severe Disease Course and Marked Early Cerebellar Vermis Atrophy
Authors: Fusco Carlo , Russo Angelo , Galla Daniela , Hladnik Uros , Frattini Daniele , Giustina Elvio Della
Published: October 2012

Niemann-Pick type C is an autosomal recessive lipid storage disease caused by mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2 gene. In childhood-onset Niemann-Pick type C, the usual course is slowly progressive, with normal cerebral magnetic resonance at onset. Here the authors present the case of a patient carrying 2 compound heterozygous NPC1 mutations: the known nonsense mutation (p.Trp833X) in exon 16 and a novel missense mutation (p.Ile609Phe) in exon 12. At onset, the patient presented ataxia, cognitive decline, and epilepsy, with early cerebral atrophy and marked cerebellar vermis atrophy. The course of the disease was rapid, and the patient died within 1-2 years of onset. A possible phenotype-genotype correlation is discussed. This case further expands the clinical spectrum and the genetic heterogeneity of Niemann-Pick type C due to NPC1 mutations.
Longitudinal Analysis of Developmental Delays in Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1
Authors: Wessel Lauren E. , Gao Feng , Gutmann David H. , Dunn Courtney M.
Published: October 2012

Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 exhibit a variety of developmental delays. However, there is little information about the progression of these deficits over the course of development. Using the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status measurement tool, we assessed 124 infants (0-2 years of age), preschool-age children (3-5 years of age), and school-age children (6-8 years of age) with neurofibromatosis type 1 to define the natural history of delays. School-age children exhibited significantly more areas of delay than infants or preschool-age children. Delays in math, reading, gross motor, fine motor, and self-help development were observed more frequently in older than younger children. Finally, analysis of 43 subjects for whom longitudinal assessments were available revealed that children often migrated between delayed and nondelayed groups in all areas except gross motor development. Based on these findings, we advocate early developmental screening and intervention for this at-risk pediatric population, especially in the area of gross motor function.