bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blacklisting and the ban: Contesting targeted sanctions in Europe
Authors: de Goede Marieke
Published: December 2011

This article examines the practice of targeted sanctions as they are deployed against individuals and groups suspected of financing and facilitating terrorism in Europe. Substantial academic attention and critique has surrounded targeted sanctions and blacklists, as these practices challenge existing logics of evidence, criminal culpability and proportionality. This article seeks to move the analysis of blacklisting beyond the breach of individual rights and toward an understanding of the wider political implications. It draws upon the work of Giorgio Agamben to offer a reading of blacklisting in terms of its symbolic function of banishment and exclusion, which simultaneously redraws the boundaries around normal, valued, ways of life. The article teases out the exceptional and pre-emptive nature of blacklisting as a security measure. It analyses in some detail the Kadi case before the European Court of Justice, and argues that blacklisting and its current contestations work to inscribe the principles of pre-emption into the international juridical order.
An analysis of undergraduate and graduate student nurses’ moral sensitivity
Authors: Comrie Rhonda W
Published: December 2011

This study describes the level of moral sensitivity among nursing students enrolled in a traditional baccalaureate nursing program and a master’s nursing program. Survey responses to the Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses from 250 junior, senior, and graduate students from one nursing school were analyzed. It was not possible to draw conclusions based on the tool. Moral category analysis showed students ranked the category structuring moral meaning highest and interpersonal orientation second. The moral issue ranking highest was honesty, respect for the patient second, and third was responsibility to know the patient’s situation. Seniors agreed more often about the need to focus on patient safety. As students progress through the baccalaureate program and into the graduate program, their perspectives increasingly recognize the contextuality of moral issues. The results show a need to further develop a tool to measure moral sensitivity, using student understanding and perceptions of moral issues.
Ethical challenges in home mechanical ventilation: A secondary analysis
Authors: Dybwik Knut , Nielsen Erik Waage , Brinchmann Berit Støre
Published: December 2011

The aim of this study was to explore the ethical challenges in home mechanical ventilation based on a secondary analysis of qualitative empirical data. The data included perceptions of healthcare professionals in hospitals and community health services and family members of children and adults using home mechanical ventilation. The findings show that a number of ethical challenges, or dilemmas, arise at all levels in the course of treatment: deciding who should be offered home mechanical ventilation, respect for patient and family wishes, quality of life, dignity and equal access to home mechanical ventilation. Other challenges were the impacts home mechanical ventilation had on the patient, the family, the healthcare services and the allocation of resources. A better and broader understanding of these issues is crucial in order to improve the quality of care for both patient and family and assist healthcare professionals involved in home mechanical ventilation to make decisions for the good of the patient and his or her family.
Unravelling Governance Networks in Development Projects
Authors: Mishra Neeraj
Published: December 2011

This article proposes that the concept of depoliticization can be usefully employed to facilitate our understanding of the components of urban governance networks. It first defines the concept of depoliticization and then proposes a model to operationalize this concept for usage in concrete field situations. It outlines this concept with reference to the concepts of politicization and politics and identifies its different tactics. The article also provides a review of the authors who have worked with this framework, specifically in the field of development studies, and highlights the importance of this concept in facilitating our understanding of governance, especially in the urban development projects working in democratic societies.
Spatial Inequality and the Politics of Urban Expansion
Authors: Sridharan N.
Published: December 2011

Metropolitan regions in India act as growth engines and propel conurbation processes. Within metropolitan regions, there are strong ‘spatial juxtapositions’ (that is, spatial and economic development processes moved to urban peripheries to create agglomeration economies, competing with the existing city). Using the concepts of ‘ second capability’, that is, ‘the formation of a state bureaucracy for extracting revenue’ defined by Sassen (2006, p. 72) in a modified way of rent seeking (that are outside the ‘standardized taxation’ and includes politicians and not just state bureaucracy as outlined by Sassen), and ‘ regulatory fractures’—defined by Sassen as ‘in-between spaces that do not comply with regulation and yet not in violation’ (Sassen, 2006, p. 392)—the present article explains how spatial, legal, administrative, political, social and economic inequalities occur in the development process. The article shows that non-compliance to the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (74th CAA) in setting up Metropolitan Planning and District Planning Committees to manage the affairs of the periphery of the metropolitan cities have resulted in spatial inequalities in Indian cities. It reveals how the political economy equations within a state dictate the type of urban expansion that causes inequalities as evidenced through various case studies. This article analyzes such uneven spatial expansions and their consequences in terms of spatial, economic and social inequality, taking case studies of Hubli–Dharwad, Surat and Indore. It uses historical Google images and Survey of India maps along with land use surveys to study planned and unplanned development processes, relating this to state bureaucracy and regulatory fractures. It shows how a metropolitan government, if in place as per the 74th CAA, can reduce the spatial inequalities in metropolitan development.
In-Tensions to Infrastructure
Authors: Richter Christine
Published: December 2011

Digital property databases are being developed across Indian cities. There are intentions to develop these into state-wide information infrastructure. Recently, the Delhi State Spatial Data Infrastructure was launched, which evolved from a property database. Because these efforts are recent, little research exists on the problems involved and the consequences of the development. Through a lens of information infrastructure (II) theory, my aim is to explore how the effort is currently shaping up in the case of urban Karnataka. I find that in the II development, tensions dominate that are related to the concern of aligning end goals. These tensions are manifest in competition over short-term funding, individuals’ interests with respect to computerization and problems of populating the databases through changing survey techniques. Survey techniques for property boundaries imply a stable and categorizable space aiming to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the city. This clashes with the flexibility in urban land and property regimes. While geospatial technologies are employed to eliminate flexibility, land and property regimes pose the major problem to implementation at the moment of digital recording. This implies that successful II development in the long run may change current property and land ownership regimes with the potential of closing spaces of the city to some groups of people. It becomes a question also of whose interests, or what communities, are to be served by the II development.
Knowledge Production in Urban Governance Systems through Qualitative Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
Authors: Pfeffer Karin , Martinez Javier , Baud Isa , Sridharan N.
Published: December 2011

Urban governance offers opportunities for more inclusive urban management, incorporating tacit knowledge and citizens’ preferences. The question is how to elicit such knowledge and preferences so that they are both inclusive as well as efficient. Field visits to Indian cities have shown that a lot of effort is put into the implementation of E-governance tools and setting up Geographic Information Systems (GIS), focusing on administrative interaction with citizens. Little attention is paid to how GIS could be included in strategic governance processes.

The main question here is how a combination of GIS-based qualitative and quantitative approaches can make local embedded knowledge visible for inclusive urban governance. Therefore workshops were held in four Indian cities (Mysore, Hubli–Dharward, Kalyan and Mira–Bhayandar) with participants from local government departments and elected councillors to elicit and discuss local knowledge on urban inequalities. GIS maps were used as an input to the process and for visualizing outcomes.

The workshops show that using GIS throughout the process provides an understanding of the local context, enriches knowledge obtained from local databases, and therefore supports multiple forms of knowledge. However, the outcome depends greatly on the nature of input maps, the situated knowledge of workshop participants and map literacy.
Unemployment in multiple sclerosis: the contribution of personality and disease
Authors: Strober Lauren B , Christodoulou Christopher , Benedict Ralph HB , Westervelt Holly J , Melville Patricia , Scherl William F , Weinstock-Guttman Bianca , Rizvi Syed , Goodman Andrew D , Krupp Lauren B
Published: December 2011

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults. One of the most devastating consequences of MS in this relatively young population group is unemployment. Although certain demographic and disease factors have been associated with employment, few studies have examined the contribution of person-specific factors, such as personality.

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which personality, demographics, and clinical measures contribute to unemployment in MS.

Method: A total of 101 individuals with MS who were enrolled in a clinical trial on cognition underwent a brief neuropsychological battery and completed questionnaires related to vocation, mood, fatigue, and personality. Neurological impairment was measured with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).

Results: Employment status was related with disease duration, MS subtype, level of neurological impairment, fatigue, performance on measures assessing information processing speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)), learning and memory (Selective Reminding Test), and the personality characteristic of persistence. Based on a forward logistic regression analysis, EDSS, SDMT, and persistence were the strongest predictors of employment status.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of personality on outcomes in MS and point to the need for more clinical attention and research in this area.
Predictive nature of IgM anti-α-glucose serum biomarker for relapse activity and EDSS progression in CIS patients: a BENEFIT study analysis
Authors: Freedman MS , Metzig C , Kappos L , Polman CH , Edan G , Hartung H-P , Miller DH , Montalban X , Yarden J , Spector L , Fire E , Dotan N , Schwenke S , Lanius V , Sandbrink R , Pohl C
Published: December 2011

Background:

Higher serum levels of at least one of a panel of four α-glucose IgM antibodies (gMS-Classifier1) in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) patients are associated with imminent early relapse within 2 years.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic value of gMS-Classifier1 in a large study cohort of CIS patients.

Methods:

The BEtaseron® in Newly Emerging multiple sclerosis For Initial Treatment (BENEFIT) 5-year study was designed to evaluate the impact of early versus delayed interferon-β-1b (IFNβ-1b; Betaseron®) treatment in patients with a first event suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS). Patients ( n = 258, 61% of total) with a minimum of 2 ml baseline serum were eligible for the biomarker study. gMS-Classifier1 antibodies’ panel (anti-GAGA2, anti-GAGA3, anti-GAGA4 and anti-GAGA6) levels were measured blinded to clinical data. Subjects were classified as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ according to a classification rule.

Results:

gMS-Classifier1 was not predictive for the time to clinically definite MS or time to MS according to the revised McDonald’s criteria, but did significantly predict an increased risk for confirmed disability progression (log-rank test: p = 0.012).

Conclusions:

We could not confirm previous results that gMS-Classifier1 can predict early conversion to MS in CIS. However, raised titres of these antibodies may predict early disability progression in this patient population.
Internet dating sites as heterotopias of gender performance: A case study of Taiwanese heterosexual male daters
Authors: Wang Yow-Juin
Published: December 2011

This article explores the performance of heterosexual masculinity in the Yahoo! Taiwan dating site via a discourse analysis of daters’ self-introductions. Seeing the collective representations of masculinities as ‘masculine fronts’, the research finds that tender, domestic, emotional, passive and victimized fronts dominate the site; in comparison, tough and virile fronts, which reflect hegemonic Taiwanese masculinities, are much less performed. The dating site is argued to act as a heterotopia: it reflects the social imaginaries of appropriate masculinities in women’s perspectives; being quasi-anonymous and female-gaze-only, it compensates for the imperfect daily social spaces by allowing the public performance of marginalized masculinities; moreover, it manifests the illusory aspect of hegemonic masculinities, which are presumed to be ‘natural’, rather than acted out in accordance with the situated social relations and spectatorships.
Atomic comics: Parabolic mimesis and the graphic fictions of science
Authors: Kaur Raminder
Published: December 2011

The cumulative effect of the (post)colonial predicament is to see cultural productions in the global South such as films, comics and artworks, as imitative, transformations or, at worst, travesties of originals in the West, thus denying agency to those who develop them. Eurocentric legacies impel the development of discursive approaches which enable an appreciation of postcolonial cultural productions without seeing them as shadows of a master print. In this article, I propose that theories of mimesis need to be shifted away from planar mirrors of reflection and adaptation to coeval vectors of parabolic intersections where the ontological status of ‘original’ and ‘copy’ is put under question. With this approach, I consider the emergence of superhero comics in the context of a post-liberal and nuclearized India with a particular focus on fictions of science, superheroism, the state and gendered universes with respect to the comic book series on the atomic superhero Parmanu.
Globalization, immigration and national identity: How the level of globalization affects the relations between nationalism, constructive patriotism and attitudes toward immigrants?
Authors: Ariely Gal
Published: December 2011

Arguing that globalization is an important factor in shaping intergroup relations, this paper examines its impact on xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants and on the relationship between nationalism, constructive patriotism, and xenophobia. While multilevel analysis of data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) National Identity II (2003) across 31 countries indicates no direct effect of globalization on xenophobia, the relationship between nationalism, constructive patriotism, and xenophobia does appear to be affected. The negative relationship between constructive patriotism and xenophobia is obtained in countries with higher levels of globalization, and the positive relationship between nationalism and xenophobia is also stronger in such countries. A comparison of globalization and economic explanations for xenophobia indicates the unique effect of globalization. The common economic explanations of xenophobia are discussed in light of these findings.
The uses of satire: Unorthodox news, cultural chaos and the interrogation of power
Authors: Harrington Stephen
Published: December 2011

This article focuses on the satirical Australian show The Chaser’s War on Everything, and uses it to critically assess the potential political and social ramifications of what McNair (2006) has called ‘cultural chaos’. Drawing upon and analysing several examples from this particular program, alongside interviews with its production team and qualitative audience research, this article argues that this TV show’s engagement with politicians and political issues, in a way that departs from the conventions of traditional journalism, offers a significant opportunity for the interrogation of power. The program’s use of often bizarre and unexpected comedic confrontation allows it to present a perhaps more authentic image of political agents than is often cultivated in mainstream journalism. This suggests therefore that the shift from homogeneity to heterogeneity in the news media – which McNair (2006) sees as a key feature of cultural chaos – presents a significant challenge to those who wish to retain control over what the public sees and understands about the political world, and is a development which should be viewed in positive terms.
Restoration of active palmar abduction of the thumb in tetraplegia by tendon transfer of the extensor digiti minimi to abductor pollicis brevis
Authors: Fridén J. , Gohritz A. , Turcsányi I. , Ejeskär A.
Published: December 2011

We describe a method to restore active palmar abduction of the thumb and report its functional impact in tetraplegia. At 54.2 (SD 42.8) months after cervical spinal cord injury (12 traumatic, 3 nontraumatic), the extensor digiti minimi (EDM) tendon was transferred to the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) through the interosseous membrane in 15 tetraplegic patients (age range 19–70 years) in addition to a mean 3.2 procedures to restore key pinch. According to International Classification, the operated upper extremities were in the OCu4 to OCu8 (1 patient X) group. The maximum distance between thumb and index finger tips during active or passive opening of the hand, maximum angle of palmar abduction, grip and key pinch strength, and active finger range of motion were measured. All patients were re-examined after 38.4 (SD 22.7) months. The active thumb-index opening increased significantly from 2.5 (SEM 1.0) cm before to 9.0 (SEM 0.8) cm after surgery. Nine patients without previous active opening of the first web space recovered a mean thumb-index opening of 9.1 (SEM 1.7) cm, whereas this distance increased by an average of 2.9 (SEM 0.8) cm in six patients who had active thumb index distance of 6.3 (SEM 1.6) cm before surgery. All but one patient were able to direct and coordinate key pinch and perform tasks using the restored APB function, including five patients whose EDM strength was rated as grade 3 before transfer. This EDM-to-APB transfer meets the theoretical requirements of architecture matching between donor and recipient muscles, the principles of tendon transfer, and our surgical expectations. We strongly recommend that an active EDM is transferred to the APB to restore opening of the hand and help in key pinch control in patients with tetraplegia.
Human Capital and Labor Productivity
Authors: Marchante Andrés J. , Ortega Bienvenido
Published: December 2011

Using a linked employer–employee data set, this study estimates a production function for a sample of seventy Spanish hotels. This function, which identifies the main labor productivity determinants, leads to the conclusion that the more productive hotels in Andalusia are those older than twelve years, have three or more stars, belong to a chain, and subcontract some of the services offered. A chief finding is that a mismatch between the employees’ education levels and the education required for a job is relevant in explaining differences in the hotels’ and workers’ productivity. This result is especially clear when workers with less than five years of service were eliminated from the sample. Suitably educated employees are more efficient than those whose education is not matched to the job. In addition, undereducated employees (as compared to job requirements) are less efficient than overeducated ones. The study also found evidence that hotel employees with an average tenure of more than ten years have superior performance in terms of labor productivity.
Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) of Complex 3- and 4-Part Fractures of the Proximal Humerus
Authors: Grawe Brian , Le Toan , Lee Thomas , Wyrick John
Published: December 2011

Introduction: Treatment of complex fracture patterns of the proximal humerus continues to be a challenging and controversial clinical scenario. The aim of this study was to report on the outcomes of complex displaced 3- and 4-part fractures of the proximal humerus treated with locked plating and compare the functional results of patients on the basis of age at time of injury. Methods: A retrospective review was completed to identify patients whom had sustained a 3- or 4-part fracture of the proximal humerus (Neer classification), treated surgically with locked compression plating. Patients were recruited for a final follow-up, with clinical (Constant and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, Hand [DASH] scores) and radiographic outcome analysis. Results were compared (t test and Wilcoxon test) with fracture type (3- vs 4-part) and patient age at time of fracture (<65 years vs >65years) as the primary outcome measure. The presence or absence of a complication and presence or absence of a concomitant osseous injury at the time of presentation were evaluated as secondary outcome measures, in regard to overall functional results of the treatment in question. Complications were defined as posttraumatic osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis of the humeral head, and screw cutout with chondrolysis. The null hypothesis being that age of the patient at the time of injury would not greatly affect functional outcome measurements. Results: Forty-five fractures were identified in 45 patients, with 31 three-part fractures and 14 four-part fractures, and 17 patients were available for final follow-up (9 three-part and 8 four-part). Twelve patients were identified as under the age of 65 years and were compared with 5 patients who were identified as older than 65 years of age. The relative Constant score, at final follow-up, for those under the age of 65 was 88.58, while the score for those above the age of 65 was 82.5. In a similar fashion, the DASH score for those younger than 65 was 11.67, while the score for those older than 65 was 12.5. Neither the Constant score nor the DASH score differed in a statistically significant manner, when comparing patients who were younger than 65 to those older than 65 years of age. Conclusion: The current series of fractures was able to demonstrate similar and satisfactory outcomes following locked plating treatment of complex 3- and 4-part proximal humerus fractures in younger patients and patients older than the age of 65, while still accepting the null hypothesis.
Post-War Identity and Scholarship: The Correspondence of Paul Jacobsthal and Gero von Merhart at the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford
Authors: Ulmschneider Katharina , Crawford Sally
Published: December 2011

Archives form a valuable but under-researched resource for mapping the development of prehistoric archaeology as a discipline in post-war Europe. New work on the previously un-catalogued archives of Professor Paul Jacobsthal at the Institute of Archaeology, Oxford, exemplify the opportunities offered by archival research. Here, we focus on the correspondence between Professor Jacobsthal of Marburg University, who sought refuge in Oxford before the war, and his colleague, Professor Merhart, who remained in Germany. The surviving personal correspondence between Germany and Oxford from 1936 to 1957 illustrates the complexities, uncertainties, and challenges to personal and academic identities in the aftermath of the war, and show how the individual responses of archaeologists to their personal experiences impacted on the directions taken by archaeological scholarship in Europe and beyond after the war.
Collyrium Stamps: An Indicator of Regional Practices in Roman Gaul
Authors: Baker Patricia
Published: December 2011

Collyrium stamps, objects used to mark eye medicines, are more commonly found in Gaul than any other Roman province. Since they appear after Roman occupation, it is believed they evince a spread of Roman medicine, but this idea is not well-supported. Through a detailed study of the collyrium stamps it is apparent that the stamps took on other functions beyond marking remedies. They were used as amulets and votive offerings, signified by the fact that most are made of steatite and schist, almost all are green – a colour associated with eye care, and a number are decorated with magical symbols, and also by their context. Ultimately, the manner in which they were used demonstrates an adaptation of Roman material culture to fit the practices and beliefs based on earlier Iron Age traditions in the region.
Cremation Cemeteries in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula: Funeral Diversity and Social Transformation during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages
Authors: López-Cachero F. Javier
Published: December 2011

This article investigates the evolution of cremation rites during the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Spectacular finds during the last decade have shed much light on this subject; for example, the discovery and excavation of the largest cremation cemetery to date (Can PiteuCan Roqueta with more than 1000 graves); or the restudy of other sites (Can Bech de Baix or Roques de Sant Formatge). Additionally, relevant material has been obtained from studies of: excavations of settlements with exceptional defensive systems (Vilars d'Arbeca); the preceding and founding layers of the Greek colony of Emporion; and the development of political territories in the River Ebro region and surroundings. A detailed analysis of information from these sites has considerably increased knowledge about the social transformations that occurred over the 600 to 700 year timescale of the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages.
Mobility in the Mountains: Late Third and Second Millennia Alpine Societies' Engagements with the High-Altitude Zones in the Southern French Alps
Authors: Walsh Kevin , Mocci Florence
Published: December 2011

The assessment of the important changes that occurred in late third and second millennia societies across Europe often emphasizes changes in technology and the emergence of associated objects and art forms, changes in burial rites, and developments in economic practices. Notions relating to the evolution of homo economicus dominate many of the discourses, and the evidence for increased long-distance trade / contact across Europe is used to bolster this assessment. These themes are underpinned by an obsession with ever-refined chrono-typological phases. In an attempt to present a more socially embedded perspective, this paper considers the changes that occurred in the uses of the high-altitude, sub-alpine, and alpine zones in the southern French Alps during the third and second millennia BC. From c. 2500 BC onwards, there was a fundamental change in the use of and engagement with this landscape. The first substantial stone-built pastoral structures at high altitude (2000 m and above), appear at this time. This departure in the use and structuring of the alpine space would have included concomitant changes in the nature of mobility, notions of territory, and memories associated with this area.
Alterations in the adenosine metabolism and CD39/CD73 adenosinergic machinery cause loss of Treg cell function and autoimmunity in ADA-deficient SCID
Authors: Sauer Aisha V. , Brigida Immacolata , Carriglio Nicola , Jofra Hernandez Raisa , Scaramuzza Samantha , Clavenna Daniela , Sanvito Francesca , Poliani Pietro L. , Gagliani Nicola , Carlucci Filippo , Tabucchi Antonella , Roncarolo Maria Grazia , Traggiai Elisabetta , Villa Anna , Aiuti Alessandro
Published: December 2011

Adenosine acts as anti-inflammatory mediator on the immune system and has been described in regulatory T cell (Treg)–mediated suppression. In the absence of adenosine deaminase (ADA), adenosine and other purine metabolites accumulate, leading to severe immunodeficiency with recurrent infections (ADA-SCID). Particularly ADA-deficient patients with late-onset forms and after enzyme replacement therapy (PEG-ADA) are known to manifest immune dysregulation. Herein we provide evidence that alterations in the purine metabolism interfere with Treg function, thereby contributing to autoimmune manifestations in ADA deficiency. Tregs isolated from PEG-ADA–treated patients are reduced in number and show decreased suppressive activity, whereas they are corrected after gene therapy. Untreated murine ADA−/− Tregs show alterations in the plasma membrane CD39/CD73 ectonucleotidase machinery and limited suppressive activity via extracellular adenosine. PEG-ADA–treated mice developed multiple autoantibodies and hypothyroidism in contrast to mice treated with bone marrow transplantation or gene therapy. Tregs isolated from PEG-ADA–treated mice lacked suppressive activity, suggesting that this treatment interferes with Treg functionality. The alterations in the CD39/CD73 adenosinergic machinery and loss of function in ADA-deficient Tregs provide new insights into a predisposition to autoimmunity and the underlying mechanisms causing defective peripheral tolerance in ADA-SCID. Trials were registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00598481/NCT00599781.
The acute effect of budesonide/formoterol in COPD: a multi-slice computed tomography and lung function study
Authors: De Backer Lieve A. , Vos Wim , De Backer Jan , Van Holsbeke Cedric , Vinchurkar Samir , De Backer Wilfried
Published: December 2011

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) does not always match with other clinical disease descriptors such as exacerbation frequency and quality of life, indicating that forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) is not a perfect descriptor of the disease. The aim of this study was to find out whether changes in airway geometry after inhalation of the most commonly used inhalation therapy in severe COPD can more adequately be described with an image-based approach than with spirometry.

10 COPD GOLD stage III patients were assessed in a double-blind crossover study. Airway volumes were analysed using segmentation of multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) images; airway resistance was determined using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Distal airway volume significantly increased (p=0.011) in patients 4 h after receiving a budesonide/formoterol combination from 9.6±4.67 cm3to 10.14±4.81 cm3. Also CFD-determined airway resistance significantly decreased (p=0.047) from 0.051±0.021 kPa·s·L−1to 0.043±0.019 kPa·s·L−1. None of the lung function parameters showed a significant change. Only functional residual capacity (FRC) showed a trend to decline (p=0.056). Only the image-based parameters were able to predict the visit at which the combination product was administered.

This study showed that imaging is a sensitive, complementary tool to describe changes in airway structure.
Metabolic profiling detects biomarkers of protein degradation in COPD patients
Authors: Ubhi Baljit K. , Riley John H. , Shaw Paul A. , Lomas David A. , Tal-Singer Ruth , MacNee William , Griffin Julian L. , Connor Susan C.
Published: December 2011

There is a paucity of biomarkers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Metabolomics were applied to a defined COPD patient cohort from the ECLIPSE study (Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate End-points). Results were correlated with accepted biomarkers for the disease.

Baseline control serum (n=66) and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage II (n=70), III (n=64) and IV (n=44) COPD patients were analysed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to confirm amino acid changes detected by1H NMR. Data were correlated with body composition, emphysema and systemic inflammation.

1H NMR identified decreased lipoproteins,N,N-dimethylglycine, and increased glutamine, phenylalanine, 3-methylhistidine and ketone bodies in COPD patients with decreased branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) observed in GOLD stage IV patients. BCAAs, their degradation products, 3-methylhistidine, ketone bodies, and triglycerides were correlated negatively with cachexia and positively with systemic inflammation. Emphysema patients also displayed decreased serum creatine, glycine andN,N-dimethylglycine. LC-MS/MS confirmed1H NMR findings relating to BCAAs, glutamine and 3-methylhistidine in GOLD stage IV patients.

NMR-based metabolomics characterised COPD patients based on systemic effects and lung function parameters. Increased protein turnover occurred in all COPD patients with increased protein degradation in individuals with emphysema and cachexia.
Validation of the English Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire
Authors: Ghosh Dipansu , Rzehak Peter , Elliott Mark W. , Windisch Wolfram
Published: December 2011

Assessment of health-related quality of life in patients with respiratory failure on home ventilation requires appropriate and highly specific measurement tools. We attempt to validate the English version of the Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire (SRI).

Psychometric properties of the SRI in 152 patients established on home ventilation were assessed.

Cronbach’s alpha ranged between 0.77 and 0.89 for the seven subscales and and was 0.93 for the summary scale. Principal components analysis revealed a one-factor solution for four and two factors for three subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a two-factor solution for six subscales, but these factors were dependent on each other. One factor was extracted out of the subscales confirming one summary scale accounting for 70% of the total variance. Correlation analysis between scales of the SRI and the Medical Outcome Study 36-item short-form health survey demonstrated highest correlations between comparable subscales. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients had lower summary scale scores than patients with restrictive chest wall diseases, neuromuscular disorders and obesity hypoventilation syndrome.

The English SRI has high internal consistency reliability, clearly established construct and concurrent validity, and is capable of differentiating between different diseases. It is now validated for use in research involving patients receiving home ventilation.
Does dynamic hyperinflation contribute to dyspnoea during exercise in patients with COPD?
Authors: Guenette Jordan A. , Webb Katherine A. , O’Donnell Denis E.
Published: December 2011

Dynamic hyperinflation (DH) during exercise occurs in most but not all patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is not known whether the presence or absence of DH has implications for dyspnoea and exercise tolerance. Therefore, we compared detailed ventilatory and sensory responses to exercise in hyperinflators and nonhyperinflators with moderate-to-severe COPD.

Nonhyperinflators (n=65) were retrospectively identified from a sample of 427 patients and case-matched to a group of hyperinflators (n=65) based on sex, age, body mass index and % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s. Resting pulmonary function and constant work rate cycle exercise responses were compared.

Hyperinflators decreased inspiratory capacity (IC) from rest to peak exercise by 0.46±0.24 L whereas the nonhyperinflators increased IC by 0.10±0.15 L (p<0.0001). There were no significant group differences in endurance time (9.11±5.98versus8.87±5.24 min) or dyspnoea intensity for any given time or ventilation. An inflection in tidal volumeversusventilation occurred in the majority of nonhyperinflators (n=61) and hyperinflators (n=62) at a similar time and ventilation. Mechanical constraints on tidal volume expansion and the attendant rise in dyspnoea intensity were similar in both groups.

Dyspnoea intensity during exercise was associated with progressive mechanical constraints on tidal volume expansion regardless of the presence of DH.
Fuzzy Hyers-Ulam stability of an additive functional equation
Authors: Kenary Hassan Azadi , Rezaei Hamid , Ghaffaripour Anoshiravan , Talebzadeh Saedeh , Park Choonkil , Lee Jung Rye
Published: December 2011

In this paper, using the fixed point and direct methods, we prove the Hyers-Ulam stability of the following additive functional equation

2
f

x
+
y
+
z

2

=
f

x

+
f

y

+
f

z

in fuzzy normed spaces.

Mathematics Subject Classification (2010): 39B22; 39B52; 39B82; 46S10; 47S10; 46S40.
Vaccination of influenza a virus decreases transmission rates in pigs
Authors: Romagosa Anna , Allerson Matt , Gramer Marie , Joo Han Soo , Deen John , Detmer Susan , Torremorell Montserrat
Published: December 2011

Limited information is available on the transmission and spread of influenza virus in pig populations with differing immune statuses. In this study we assessed differences in transmission patterns and quantified the spread of a triple reassortant H1N1 influenza virus in naïve and vaccinated pig populations by estimating the reproduction ratio (R) of infection (i.e. the number of secondary infections caused by an infectious individual) using a deterministic Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) model, fitted on experimental data. One hundred and ten pigs were distributed in ten isolated rooms as follows: (i) non-vaccinated (NV), (ii) vaccinated with a heterologous vaccine (HE), and (iii) vaccinated with a homologous inactivated vaccine (HO). The study was run with multiple replicates and for each replicate, an infected non-vaccinated pig was placed with 10 contact pigs for two weeks and transmission of influenza evaluated daily by analyzing individual nasal swabs by RT-PCR. A statistically significant difference betweenRestimates was observed between vaccinated and non-vaccinated pigs (p< 0.05). A statistically significant reduction in transmission was observed in the vaccinated groups whereR(95%CI) was 1 (0.39-2.09) and 0 for the HE and the HO groups respectively, compared to anRovalue of 10.66 (6.57-16.46) in NV pigs (p< 0.05). Transmission in the HE group was delayed and variable when compared to the NV group and transmission could not be detected in the HO group. Results from this study indicate that influenza vaccines can be used to decrease susceptibility to influenza infection and decrease influenza transmission.
Morphometic analysis of TCGA glioblastoma multiforme
Authors: Chang Hang , Fontenay Gerald V , Han Ju , Cong Ge , Baehner Frederick L , Gray Joe W , Spellman Paul T , Parvin Bahram
Published: December 2011

Background

Our goals are to develop a computational histopathology pipeline for characterizing tumor types that are being generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) for genomic association. TCGA is a national collaborative program where different tumor types are being collected, and each tumor is being characterized using a variety of genome-wide platforms. Here, we have developed a tumor-centric analytical pipeline to process tissue sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for visualization and cell-by-cell quantitative analysis. Thus far, analysis is limited to Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma tissue sections. The final results are being distributed for subtyping and linking the histology sections to the genomic data.

Results

A computational pipeline has been designed to continuously update a local image database, with limited clinical information, from an NIH repository. Each image is partitioned into blocks, where each cell in the block is characterized through a multidimensional representation (e.g., nuclear size, cellularity). A subset of morphometric indices, representing potential underlying biological processes, can then be selected for subtyping and genomic association. Simultaneously, these subtypes can also be predictive of the outcome as a result of clinical treatments. Using the cellularity index and nuclear size, the computational pipeline has revealed five subtypes, and one subtype, corresponding to the extreme high cellularity, has shown to be a predictor of survival as a result of a more aggressive therapeutic regime. Further association of this subtype with the corresponding gene expression data has identified enrichment of (i) the immune response and AP-1 signaling pathways, and (ii) IFNG, TGFB1, PKC, Cytokine, and MAPK14 hubs.

Conclusion

While subtyping is often performed with genome-wide molecular data, we have shown that it can also be applied to categorizing histology sections. Accordingly, we have identified a subtype that is a predictor of the outcome as a result of a therapeutic regime. Computed representation has become publicly available through our Web site.
Retinoic acid is a key regulatory switch determining the difference between lung and thyroid fates in Xenopus laevis
Authors: Wang Jean H , Deimling Steven J , D'Alessandro Nicole E , Zhao Lin , Possmayer Fred , Drysdale Thomas A
Published: December 2011

Background

The lung and thyroid are derived from the anterior endoderm. Retinoic acid and Fgf signalling are known to be essential for development of the lung in mouse but little is known on how the lung and thyroid are specified in Xenopus.

Results

If either retinoic acid or Fgf signalling is inhibited, there is no differentiation of the lung as assayed by expression of sftpb. There is no change in expression of thyroid gland markers when retinoic acid signalling is blocked after gastrulation and when Fgf signalling is inhibited there is a short window of time where pax2 expression is inhibited but expression of other markers is unaffected. If exogenous retinoic acid is given to the embryo between embryonic stages 20 and 26, the presumptive thyroid expresses sftpb and sftpc, specific markers of lung differentiation and expression of key thyroid transcription factors is lost. When the presumptive thyroid is transplanted into the posterior embryo, it also expresses sftpb, although pax2 expression is not blocked.

Conclusions

After gastrulation, retinoic acid is required for lung but not thyroid differentiation in Xenopus while Fgf signalling is needed for lung but only for early expression of pax2 in the thyroid. Exposure to retinoic acid can cause the presumptive thyroid to switch to a lung developmental program.
Mechanisms of intron gain and loss in Drosophila
Authors: Yenerall Paul , Krupa Bradlee , Zhou Leming
Published: December 2011

Background

It is widely accepted that orthologous genes have lost or gained introns throughout evolution. However, the specific mechanisms that generate these changes have proved elusive. Introns are known to affect nearly every level of gene expression. Therefore, understanding their mechanism of evolution after their initial fixation in eukaryotes is pertinent to understanding the means by which organisms develop greater regulation and complexity.

Results

To investigate possible mechanisms of intron gain and loss, we identified 189 intron gain and 297 intron loss events among 11 Drosophila species. We then investigated these events for signatures of previously proposed mechanisms of intron gain and loss. This work constitutes the first comprehensive study into the specific mechanisms that may generate intron gains and losses in Drosophila. We report evidence of intron gain via transposon insertion; the first intron loss that may have occurred via non-homologous end joining; intron gains via the repair of a double strand break; evidence of intron sliding; and evidence that internal or 5' introns may not frequently be deleted via the self-priming of reverse transcription during mRNA-mediated intron loss. Our data also suggest that the transcription process may promote or result in intron gain.

Conclusion

Our findings support the occurrence of intron gain via transposon insertion, repair of double strand breaks, as well as intron loss via non-homologous end joining. Furthermore, our data suggest that intron gain may be enabled by or due to transcription, and we shed further light on the exact mechanism of mRNA-mediated intron loss.
Interspecific variation of calls in clownfishes: degree of similarity in closely related species
Authors: Colleye Orphal , Vandewalle Pierre , Lanterbecq Déborah , Lecchini David , Parmentier Eric
Published: December 2011

Background

Clownfishes are colorful coral reef fishes living in groups in association with sea anemones throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Within their small societies, size hierarchy determines which fish have access to reproduction. These fishes are also prolific callers whose aggressive sounds seem to play an important role in the social hierarchy. Agonistic interactions being involved in daily behaviour suggest how acoustic communication might play an important role in clownfish group. Sounds were recorded and compared in fourteen clownfish species (some of which have never been recorded before) to evaluate the potential role of acoustic communication as an evolutionary driving force.

Results

Surprisingly, the relationship between fish size and both dominant frequency and pulse duration is not only species-specific; all the specimens of the 14 species are situated on exactly the same slope, which means the size of any Amphiprion can be predicted by both acoustic features. The number of pulses broadly overlaps among species, whereas the pulse period displays the most variation even if it shows overlap among sympatric species. Sound comparisons between three species (A. akallopisos, A. ocellaris and A. frenatus) having different types of teeth and body shape do not show differences neither in the acoustic waveform nor in the power spectrum.

Conclusion

Significant overlap in acoustic features demonstrates that the sound-producing mechanism is highly conservative among species. Differences in the calls of some species are due to size dimorphism and the sound variation might be in this case a by-product. This morphological constraint does not permit a consideration of acoustic communication as the main driving force in the diversification of clownfishes. Moreover, calls are not produced to find mate and consequently are less subject to variations due to partner preference, which restricts the constraints of diversification. Calls are produced to reach and defend the competition to mate access. However, differences in the pulse period between cohabiting species show that, in some case, sounds can help to differentiate the species, to prevent competition between cohabiting species and to promote the diversification of taxa.