bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The peridynamic model of viscoelastic creep and recovery
Authors: bin Azizi Muhammad Azim , bin Mohd Ihsan Ahmad Kamal Ariffin , bin Nik Mohamed Nik Abdullah
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to establish a peridynamic method in predicting viscoelastic creep behaviour with recovery stage and to find the suitable numerical parameters of peridynamic method.

Design/methodology/approach

– A rheological viscoelastic creep constitutive equation including recovery and an elastic peridynamic equation (with integral basis) are examined and used. The elasticity equation within the peridynamic equation is replaced by the viscoelastic equation. A new peridynamic method with two time parameters, i.e. numerical time and viscoelastic real time is designed. The two parameters of peridynamic method, horizon radius and number of nodes per unit volume are studied to get their optimal values. In validating this peridynamic method, comparisons are made between numerical and analytical result and between numerical and experimental data.

Findings

– The new peridynamic method for viscoelastic creep behaviour is approved by the good matching in numerical-analytical data comparison with difference of
<
0.1 per cent and in numerical-experimental data comparison with difference of 4-6 per cent. It can be used for further creep test which may include non-linear viscoelastic behaviour and creep rupture. From this paper, the variation of constants in Burger’s viscoelastic model is also studied and groups of constants values that can simulate solid, fluid and solid-fluid viscoelastic behaviours were obtained. In addition, the numerical peridynamic parameters were also manipulated and examined to achieve the optimal values of the parameters.

Research limitations/implications

– The peridynamic model of viscoelastic creep behaviour preferably should have only one time parameter. This can only be done by solving the unstable fluctuation of dynamic results, which is not discussed in this paper. Another limitation is the tertiary region and creep rupture are not included in this paper.

Practical implications

– The viscoelastic peridynamic model in this paper can serve as an alternative for conventional numerical simulations in viscoelastic area. This model also is the initial step of developing peridynamic model of viscoelastic creep rupture properties (crack initiation, crack propagation, crack branching, etc.), where this future model has high potential in predicting failure behaviours of any components, tools or structures, and hence increase safety and reduce loss.

Originality/value

– The application of viscoelastic creep constitutive model on peridynamic formulation, effect of peridynamic parameters manipulation on numerical result, and optimization of constants of viscoelastic model in simulating three types of viscoelastic creep behaviours.
Statistical simulation of pattern formation by ion-beam sputtering
Authors: Kudryashov Nikolay A. , Skachkov Mikhail V.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of ion-flow parameters on surface topography and making numerical simulation at the times when the process of surface erosion becomes strongly nonlinear.

Design/methodology/approach

– The base of the mathematical model of target ion-sputtering is nonlinear evolutionary equation in which the erosion velocity dependence on ion flux is evaluated by means of a Monte Carlo method. The difference between this equation and the one of continuum theory is that the ion flux is not smooth function. Instead, it is a set of separate incident ions.

Findings

– Some simulations with using independent random points of arrival for the incident ions leads to results uncorrelated with the continuum model at early times. The ripples are not quite developed or observed. This phenomenon is explained by random fluctuations of the target sputtering depth. Sufficiently big values of the random fluctuations destroy the ripple structure on target surface. The simulation with using equally distributed sequence (Holton sequence) of points of arrival for the incident ions leads to results well correlated with the continuum model.

Originality/value

– The discrete model which goes into the equation of continuum theory within the appropriate asymptotic limit has been proposed. The discretization parameters influence on surface morphology formation has been studied. This paper may be interesting to researchers making the theoretical and numerical analysis of pattern formation on plane target surfaces undergoing ion-beam sputtering.
Optimization of response parameters for polarity in submerged arc welding
Authors: Singh Ravinder Pal , Garg R. K. , Shukla D. K.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Optimization of response parameter is essential in any process .The purpose of this paper is to focus at achieving the optimized parameter for submerged arc welding to furnish the quality welds at direct current electrode positive (DCEP) polarity and direct current electrode negative (DCEN) polarity.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper achieves the parameter after extensive trial runs and finally parameters are optimized to acquire the cost effective and quality welds in submerged arc welding using the response surface methodology.

Findings

– Apart from effect of parameters on weld bead geometry has been identified but optimized parameters has also been achieved for submerged arc welding process for DCEP and DCEN polarities.

Practical implications

– As this study is related to practical work it may be useful for any relevant application.

Social implications

– The process parameters used in this experimental work will be basis for job work/industry for submerged arc welding.

Originality/value

– This paper identifies the effect of polarity in submerged arc welding.
Quality identification methodology applied to wall-elements based on modal analysis
Authors: Zóltowski Mariusz , Martinod Ronald M.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The recommendation of structural standards, e.g. PN-B-03002, shows a need to control the production quality of wall-elements; the quality control demands suitable guidelines to fit the requirements of the current mass-production of the wall-elements, then, the structural standard recognizes the need of improving the methods to identify the real elements quality. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed inspection methodology corresponds to assessment models that combine the numerical and symptomatic models to evaluate the critical levels of wall-elements, based on non-intrusive tests through the measurement of a set of signals, using the Experimental Modal Analysis (EMA)-based techniques.

Findings

– The presented work is developed with an approach that applies advanced calculating techniques used for the structural analysis in civil engineering focused on the technical state assessment.

Originality/value

– The paper proposes a diagnostic methodology that can be added to the current regulations and standards based on EMA techniques.
A systematic review of the methodologies used in research related to adult drug and alcohol rehabilitation in therapeutic communities published 2000-2013
Authors: Perryman Cassandra , Dingle Genevieve
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to summarize research conducted in long-term residential rehabilitation centers, including therapeutic communities (TCs), in order to further clarify the effectiveness of this treatment approach and to evaluate the quality of TC research conducted in the period 2000-2013.

Design/methodology/approach

– The composite search engine UQ database Summon were used to find articles with “Therapeutic Community” as title words, and the search was limited to adult participants, peer-reviewed articles, published between January 2000 and June 2013 in the English language. The review was conducted using Cochrane Collaboration methods and reported under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses guidelines.

Findings

– In total, 25 studies met inclusion criteria for the review and represented data from n=5,923 participants in the USA, Australia, Spain, England, and Belgium. Evidence supports the TC approach for a diverse range of individuals who misuse a range of substances. Several studies reported a relationship between retention and outcomes however dropout from treatment is a widespread issue. A paucity of research using multiple time points precludes any firm conclusions regarding the optimal length of treatment in a TC. There is a lack of research on the interplay between individual and community-level factors on client well-being, retention, and longer term outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

– This review highlights the need for TC research that includes multiple time points and follow-up assessments, and measures of change in theoretically meaningful constructs alongside standard measures of demographics, substance use, and psychiatric symptoms.

Practical implications

– The reporting format of TC research should be better standardized in order to create a better basis for research comparison. More standardized reporting would also allow for effect size analysis, and create a more efficacious evidence base.

Originality/value

– This updates the systematic review body of research.
Environmental predictors of woody plant encroachment in calcareous fens are modified by biotic and abiotic land‐use legacies
Authors: Bart David , Davenport Tara , Yantes Austin
Published: November 2015

Woody plant encroachment in grasslands is a world‐wide concern. Assertions that abiotic stress reduction facilitates encroachment are not universally supported. To devise restoration and management strategies, the ability of stress reduction, in the context of co‐occurring biotic land‐use legacies, needs to be assessed to predict shrub cover.

We determined whether legacy‐induced reduction in Carex stricta (a potential facilitator of shrub encroachment and attractor of animal dispersers) and an increase in herbaceous invaders (potential competitors) altered the ability of stress reduction to predict woody plant cover in ploughed and never‐ploughed plots within 11 Wisconsin (USA) calcareous fens. We hypothesized that drier conditions (low saturation stress) and higher nutrient availability associated with ploughing would be associated with high woody plant cover; that higher cover of herbaceous invaders associated with ploughing would predict low woody plant cover, and C. stricta cover predicts high woody plant cover in saturated, never‐ploughed plots. Restricted maximum‐likelihood (REML) multiple regression was used to determine the importance of interactions among ploughing, saturation, nutrients and the two biotic legacies in predicting woody richness and cover, as well as cover by dispersal syndromes and individual species.

Unexpectedly, encroachment by animal‐dispersed species was higher in never‐ploughed plots, while wind‐dispersed species had no relationship with ploughing. Animal‐dispersed species cover decreased with saturation stress in never‐ploughed plots, only. Carex cover was associated with increased encroachment by animal‐dispersed species, mainly in never‐ploughed highly saturated plots. Herbaceous‐invasive cover was associated with decreased encroachment. Wind‐dispersed species cover declined with increasing saturation stress, with responses varying among species.

Synthesis and applications. The results suggest that the impacts of stress reduction on encroachment are not uniform and are modified by biotic legacies. We suggest that impacts of restoring stressful abiotic conditions on encroachment may not be known until the impacts on competitors and facilitators are understood.
Agriculture, trade openness and emissions: an empirical analysis and policy options
Authors: Rafiq Shuddhasattwa , Salim Ruhul , Apergis Nicholas
Published: November 2015

This article investigates the impact of sectoral production allocation, energy usage patterns and trade openness on pollutant emissions in a panel consisting of high‐, medium‐ and low‐income countries. Extended STIRPAT (Stochastic Impact by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology) and EKC (Environmental Kuznets Curve) models are conducted to systematically identify these factors driving CO2 emissions in these countries during the period 1980–2010. To this end, the study employs three different heterogeneous, dynamic mean group‐type linear panel models and one nonlinear panel data estimation procedure that allows for cross‐sectional dependence. While affluence, nonrenewable energy consumption and energy intensity variables are found to drive pollutant emissions in linear models, population is also found to be a significant driver in the nonlinear model. Both service sector and agricultural value‐added levels play a significant role in reducing pollution levels, whereas industrialisation increases pollution levels. Although the linear model fails to track any significant impact of trade openness, the nonlinear model finds trade liberalisation to significantly affect emission reduction levels. All of these results suggest that economic development, and especially industrialisation strategies and environmental policies, need to be coordinated to play a greater role in emission reduction due to trade liberalisation.
What can Post‐Democracy tell us about TNCs and Extraterritorial Violations of Human Rights?
Authors: Palmer Claire
Published: November 2015

This article considers the problem of extraterritorial human rights violations committed by transnational corporations (TNCs), and draws on Crouch's framework in Post‐democracy to illustrate why the issue has proved so difficult for states to regulate. I begin by examining the problem of corporate regulation more generally, and set out Crouch's analysis to show why and how corporations have become so influential. The second section considers the area of business and human rights, and explains why there is ‘a governance gap’ in relation to extraterritorial human rights violations committed by corporations. The third section describes efforts at the international and domestic levels to regulate corporations in relation to this issue. It concludes that while new international principles and innovative hybrid schemes are playing a valuable role in norm creation and standard‐setting, the enforcement of these principles remains limited. Corporations have largely succeeded to date in their lobbying efforts to remain free of any direct obligations under international law.
Role of magnifying colonoscopy for diagnosis of colorectal neoplasms: From the perspective of Japanese colonoscopists
Authors: Yanai Shunichi , Nakamura Shotaro , Matsumoto Takayuki
Published: November 2015

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer‐related death. As the therapeutic strategy for colorectal cancer depends on the clinical stage of the tumor, precise and accurate staging is necessary prior to treatment decision‐making. Colonoscopy is an essential tool for detection and prevention of colorectal cancer, as it also allows for removal of adenomatous lesions. Using conventional endoscopy, however, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate neoplastic lesions from non‐neoplastic lesions. Several new endoscopic technologies have been developed to provide a more precise diagnosis. Magnifying chromoendoscopy and narrow‐band imaging endoscopy with or without magnification are invaluable not only for distinction of colorectal neoplastic lesions from non‐neoplastic lesions, but also for the accurate diagnosis of invasion depth in colorectal cancers. Based on an accumulation of a large number of clinical data, the use of magnifying colonoscopy has become inevitable for the prediction of histology and the diagnosis of invasion depth of colorectal neoplasms in Japan.
Longitudinal evidence linking processing speed to the development of reasoning
Authors: Kail Robert V. , Lervåg Arne , Hulme Charles
Published: November 2015

Age‐related change in processing speed has been linked directly to increases in reasoning as well as indirectly via increases in the capacity of working memory (WM). Most of the evidence linking change in speed to reasoning has come from cross‐sectional research; in this article we present the findings from a 2½‐year longitudinal study of 277 6‐ to‐13‐year‐olds. On three occasions, speed of information processing was assessed with Visual Matching and Cross Out; WM was assessed with reading, listening, backward digit, alphabet, and operation span tasks; and nonverbal reasoning was assessed with Raven's progressive matrices. The results provided consistent evidence of direct links from processing speed to reasoning but inconsistent evidence for indirect links from speed to WM to reasoning. These findings suggest that variations in processing speed may constrain the development of reasoning, directly and perhaps indirectly. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/nc0VlFdi468
Benefits of radial head excision in patients with haemophilia: mid‐term functional results
Authors: Atalar A.C. , Koc B. , Birisik F. , Ersen A. , Zulfïkar B.
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Recurrent haemarthrosis in haemophilic patients result with arthropathy of the radiocapitellar joint and blockage of the forearm rotation.

Aim

The aim of this study is to evaluate the mid‐term results of radial head excision with partial synovectomy in severe haemophilic patients retrospectively.

Methods

Persistent pain and decreased forearm rotation were the main indications for radial head excision. Between 2002 and 2013, radial head excisions were performed for 14 elbows of 14 patients. Eleven patients were haemophilia A, whereas two patients were haemophilia B patients and the remaining one had von Willebrand (Type 3) disease. The mean age of the patients was 29 at the time of the surgery. The mean follow‐up was 51 (12–155) months. VAS (visual analogue score) for pain, forearm rotation, qDASH and MEPS (Mayo Elbow Performance Score) were used as the primary outcome parameters.

Results

The mean VAS decreased significantly from 6.5 preoperatively to 2.2 at the final follow‐up (P = 0.0003). The mean forearm rotation increased from 40° to 115° respectively (P = 0.0007). In two patients, efficacious rotation increase was not achieved due to distal radioulnar joint problems. The mean qDASH score and MEPS were 18.1 and 87.5 at the latest follow‐up, respectively, where four patients had excellent and 10 patients had good results.

Conclusions

Radial head excision is a safe and effective procedure for haemophiliac patients with radiocapitellar arthropathy and decreased forearm rotation. Distal radioulnar joint should be evaluated preoperatively which may impair the results.
Choosing and using non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in haemophilia
Authors: Arachchillage D. R. J. , Makris M.
Published: November 2015

The management of pain and inflammation in haemophilic arthropathy is challenging due to the lack of anti‐inflammatory analgesic agents perfectly suitable for this population. Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used in the management of arthritis due to their analgesic and anti‐inflammatory effects. Their use in persons with haemophilia (PWH), however, is limited due to increased risk of bleeding mainly from the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract. Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) selective NSAIDs which have comparable analgesic effect to traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs) but with less UGI bleeding have been considered to be a suitable option for treatment of haemophilic arthropathy. COX‐2 inhibitors, however, have an increased in the risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Although the atherosclerotic burden in PWH is similar to that in the general population, the risk of CV‐related deaths is lower. PWH have a higher risk of GI bleeding and lower risk of thrombotic disease compared to general population. Therefore, when PWH require anti‐inflammatory/analgesic agents, it seems reasonable to use lowest dose of COX‐2 inhibitors for the shortest period together with a proton pump inhibitor. Helicobacter pylori infection should be tested for and eradicated prior to starting NSAID treatment in PWH. Furthermore, regular blood pressure and renal function test monitoring is required during COX‐2 inhibitor treatment.
Rape as a Hate Crime: An Analysis of New York Law
Authors: Campo‐Engelstein Lisa
Published: November 2015

New York defines rape as forced penile vaginal penetration, which means only women can be rape victims. Given this definition, rape should always be considered a type of hate crime and thus eligible for sentencing enhancement because the perpetrators target victims based on their group membership. Such a narrow definition of rape is problematic because it fails to acknowledge oral and anal rape and overlooks the fact that men can also be raped. I argue that regardless of the type of sexual assault that occurs (vaginal, oral, or anal), rape should be considered a hate crime when the rapist chooses the victim based on gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation and the rape reinforces the patriarchal and heteronormative hegemony.
The Effect of 2008 Crisis on the Volatility Spillovers among Six Major Markets
Authors: Akca Kübra , Ozturk Serda Selin
Published: November 2015

The scope of this paper is to determine whether global stock markets function differently under conditions of economic crisis by measuring volatility spillovers between six major markets, namely the US, the UK, Germany, Spain, Turkey, and Greece. We examine the volatility spillover effects of the 2008 US financial crisis to these six major markets using daily stock returns from January 2003 to December 2014, before, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis. We combine the Diebold and Yilmaz methodology with the stochastic volatility model of Taylor implemented through the sequential Efficient Importance Sampling method of Richard and Zhang to obtain variance decompositions derived from an estimated vector autoregressive model. The empirical findings suggest that stock markets tend to show increased volatility spillovers during the crisis period, thus resulting in lesser diversification benefits for investors.
Could Ethical Tensions in Oral Healthcare Management Revealed by Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Caregivers Explain Unmet Oral Health Needs? Participatory Research with Focus Groups
Authors: Blaizot Alessandra , Hamel Olivier , Folliguet Marysette , Herve Christian , Meningaud Jean‐Paul , Trentesaux Thomas
Published: November 2015

Background

Cognitively impaired patients often present poor oral health status that may be explained by ethical tensions in oral healthcare management. This participatory study explored such tensions among adults with intellectual disabilities and with caregivers. The second objective was to specify, with caregivers, the points that should be developed in a future study among dentists.

Materials and Methods

Three focus groups involving adults with intellectual disabilities, family caregivers and professional caregivers were organized in France in 2013.

Results

The thematic content analysis identified discrepancies between experiences and expectations, which were particularly marked for the dentist's competence and attitudes, the dentist's role in decisions, the dental care management and the French socio‐political context.

Conclusions

These discrepancies could partly explain multiple attempts to find the ‘right’ dentist or the fact that care was abandoned, and could at least contribute to oral health needs being unmet.
Treatment monitoring of 0.5% 5‐fluorouracil and 10% salicylic acid in clinical and subclinical actinic keratoses with the combination of optical coherence tomography and reflectance confocal microscopy
Authors: Malvehy J. , Alarcon I. , Montoya J. , Rodríguez‐Azeredo R. , Puig S.
Published: November 2015

Background

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and high‐definition optical coherence tomography (HD‐OCT) allow the observation in vivo of dynamic changes in response to non‐surgical treatment of actinic keratosis and field of cancerisation.

Objective

To non‐invasively assess the pharmacodynamic changes induced by treatment with low dose 5‐fluorouracil and 10% salicylic acid by means of RCM and high‐definition OCT in field cancerization and actinic keratosis.

Methods

Twenty patients aged >50 years with diagnosis of actinic keratosis on the head and face and indication for treatment with 0.5% 5‐fluorouracil and 10% salicylic acid were enrolled. An area of 25 cm² including visible type I and II AK and subclinical AK was treated once daily during 6 weeks and examination was performed with RCM and HD‐OCT before treatment and 2 weeks after the end of treatment

Results

High‐definition optical coherence tomography results at baseline of mean thickness of the stratum corneum and epidermis were in AK 10.4 (SD = 4.99) and 43.3 (SD = 24.01) μm respectively and in subclinical AK 3.7 (SD = 2.15) and 30.05 (SD = 16.85) μm. At week 8 (2 weeks after the end of treatment) measurements of stratum corneum and epidermis were significantly reduced in AK and subclinical AK for stratum corneum and epidermis. In RCM at week 8 scaling, detached corneocytes, atypical honeycomb, round nucleated cells in the spinosum granulosum layer, round vessels (dermal papillae), inflammatory cells and total AK score were significantly reduced in AK and subclinical AK.

Conclusions

Evaluation of AK and subclinical AK by RCM and HD‐OCT showed objective improvement after treatment with 5‐fluorouracil and 10% salicylic acid. These methods allowed the study of dynamic changes in the tissue at a subclinical level.
Benefits of adjunctive moxifloxacin in generalized aggressive periodontitis: a subgroup analyses in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans‐positive/negative patients from a clinical trial
Authors: Ardila Carlos M. , Guzmán Isabel C.
Published: November 2015

Aim

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the baseline detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) on the clinical outcomes of moxifloxacin (MOX) as an adjunct to full‐mouth scaling and root planing (SRP) in generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP).

Methods

Forty patients were randomly distributed to two therapy protocols: SRP + placebo or SRP combined with MOX. A. actinomycetemcomitans was detected using culture methods. The significance of the treatment option (MOX or SRP + placebo) on the dependent variables (probing depth [PD] and clinical attachment level [CAL]), considering the interaction with the baseline detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans, was estimated.

Results

MOX therapy led to a higher significant PD reduction and CAL gain in A. actinomycetemcomitans‐positive patients at baseline. In A. actinomycetemcomitans‐positive patients, the reduction of sites ≥5 mm was higher in the MOX group. A. actinomycetemcomitans was not present in sites with PD ≥6 mm in the MOX group. The interactions of A. actinomycetemcomitans and MOX were significantly associated with CAL gain and PD reduction at 6 months.

Conclusions

Adjunctive MOX trended toward better clinical responses in A. actinomycetemcomitans‐positive patients at baseline. These results suggest that A. actinomycetemcomitans at baseline might modify the effect of adjunctive MOX in GAgP.
Brain modularity across the theropod–bird transition: testing the influence of flight on neuroanatomical variation
Authors: Balanoff Amy M. , Smaers Jeroen B. , Turner Alan H.
Published: November 2015

Living birds constitute the only vertebrate group whose brain volume relative to body size approaches the uniquely expanded values expressed by mammals. The broad suite of complex behaviors exhibited by crown‐group birds, including sociality, vocal learning, parental care, and flying, suggests the origins of their encephalization was likely driven by a mosaic of selective pressures. If true, the historical pattern of brain expansion may be more complex than either a gradual expansion, as proposed by early studies of the avian brain, or a sudden expansion correlating with the appearance of flight. The origins of modern avian neuroanatomy are obscured by the more than 100 million years of evolution along their phylogenetic stem (from the origin of the modern radiation in the Middle Jurassic to the split from crocodile‐line archosaurs). Here we use phylogenetic comparative approaches to explore which evolutionary scenarios best explain variation in measured volumes of digitally partitioned endocasts of modern birds and their non‐avian ancestors. Our analyses suggest that variation in the relative volumes of the endocranium and cerebrum explain most of the structural variation in this lineage. Generalized multi‐regime Ornstein‐Uhlenbeck (OU) models suggest that powered flight does not appear to be a driver of observed variation, reinforcing the hypothesis that the deep history of the avian brain is complex, with nuances still to be discovered.
Anaphylactic Shock at the Beginning of Hemodialysis
Authors: Sayeed Khaleel , Murdakes Charlene , Spec Andrej , Gashti Casey
Published: November 2015

In patients who receive hemodialysis, most hypersensitivity reactions to components of the dialysis circuit are due to ethylene oxide or complement activating bio‐incompatible membranes. We present a case of a 59 year‐old female, with a 4‐year history of uneventful hemodialysis using a cellulose based dialyzer membrane at her outpatient dialysis center, who developed repeated anaphylactic reactions associated with markers of an IgE mediated hypersensitivity reaction when a polysulfone based dialyzer membrane was used while she was hospitalized. Only when the patient's dialyzer was changed back to her usual cellulose based membrane, did these reactions cease. On the basis of her clinical course and laboratory findings, we concluded that the patient's symptoms were due to exposure to polysulfone. This case reminds us that “biocompatible” membranes are not free from dialyzer reactions, and can be especially severe if the mechanism is an IgE mediated anaphylactic hypersensitivity reaction.
Seventy Years of Privatizing the British National Health Service?
Authors: Powell Martin , Miller Robin
Published: November 2015

The existence of different and conflicting definitions and different types, but few clear measures, of privatization has contributed to different interpretations of the extent of privatization in the almost 70‐year history of the British National Health Service (NHS). This article aims to examine the extent of privatization in the NHS over successive policy chronologies through the lens of the ‘three dimensional’ approach of the Mixed Economy of Welfare. We find that whilst privatization in the NHS is not new, the generally accepted view that it has increased in recent years appears valid, although precision is difficult due to the lack of a generally accepted typology or measure.
Organization and Supply of Long‐term Care Services for the Elderly: A Bird's‐eye View of Old and New EU Member States
Authors: Riedel Monika , Kraus Markus , Mayer Susanne
Published: November 2015

This article provides an overview of the organization of formal long‐term care (LTC) systems for the elderly in ten old and 11 new EU member states (MS). Generally, we find that the main responsibility for regulating LTC services is centralized in half of these countries, whereas in the remaining countries, this responsibility is typically shared between authorities at the central level and those at the regional or local levels in both institutional and home‐based care. Responsibilities for planning LTC capacities are jointly met by central and non‐central authorities in most countries. Access to publicly financed services is rarely means tested, and most countries have implemented legal entitlements conditional on needs. In virtually all countries, access to institutional care is subject to cost sharing, which also applies to home‐based care in most countries. The relative importance of institutional LTC relative to home‐based LTC services differs significantly across Europe. Although old MS appear to be experiencing some degree of convergence, institutional capacity levels still span a wide range. Considerable diversity may also be observed in the national public–private mix in the provision of LTC services. Lastly, free choice between public and private providers exists in the vast majority of these countries. This overview provides vital insights into the differences and similarities in the organization of LTC systems across Europe, especially between old and new MS, while also contributing valuable insight into previously neglected topics, thus broadening the knowledge base of international experience for mutual learning.
Policy Changes in Community Mental Health: Interventions and Strategies Used in Sweden over 20 Years
Authors: Bergmark Magnus , Bejerholm Ulrika , Markström Urban
Published: November 2015

The deinstitutionalization of mental health care has changed the responsibilities of involved authorities and has led to a continuous need for new treatment forms and interventions. This article describes this development in Europe, and in particular how these new conditions have been handled in Sweden over the past 20 years at the level of governmental policy‐making. Three major policy documents from 1994, 2009 and 2012 were included in this study. To increase our understanding of the policies' contents, we have used theoretical concepts concerning governance, implementation and political risk management. Although our main interest was to find out how the government handles interventions for users of the mental health care system, we found that the policy work is progressing stepwise. The first document, from the deinstitutionalization era, did not discuss interventions clearly. Instead, it was mainly concerned with both practical and economical areas of responsibility. The second document, from the post‐deinstitutionalization era, was more focused on what services should be delivered to the users, while the most recently published document to a greater extent addressed the question of how the support is supposed to be designed. The trend in European community mental health policy has been to advocate services in open forms that are integrated into the society's other care systems. This is also the case in Sweden, and continuous work is being done by the government to find strategies to support the development, and to meet the needs at both political and local levels.
Can Quasi‐market and Multi‐level Governance Co‐exist? Insights from the Case of Lombardy's Employment Services System
Authors: Trivellato Benedetta , Bassoli Matteo , Catalano Serida L.
Published: November 2015

This article explores the functioning of Lombardy's networked employment services system, inspired by quasi‐market and horizontal subsidiarity principles, and specifically addresses a gap in the quasi‐market literature, where little attention is devoted to the role played by institutions at lower levels of government. A qualitative study of the Lombardy system, with a focus on the municipality of Milan, is relied upon in order to explore the extent to which the principles of quasi‐market and multi‐level governance pursued by the regional government are allowed to co‐exist in practice. Here, sub‐regional levels of government are directly involved in services provision, but enjoy a more privileged condition relative to the private providers, thereby jeopardizing the implementation of an effective quasi‐market. The article contributes to existing theories by suggesting that horizontal subsidiarity and marketization cannot neglect multi‐level governance in those sectors where public bodies at various levels of government are directly involved in implementation.
The Crossroads of Synaptic Growth Signaling, Membrane Traffic and Neurological Disease: Insights from Drosophila
Authors: Deshpande Mugdha , Rodal Avital A.
Published: November 2015

Neurons require target‐derived autocrine and paracrine growth factors to maintain proper identity, innervation, homeostasis and survival. Neuronal growth factor signaling is highly dependent on membrane traffic, both for the packaging and release of the growth factors themselves, and for regulation of intracellular signaling by their transmembrane receptors. Here, we review recent findings from the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) that illustrate how specific steps of intracellular traffic and inter‐organelle interactions impinge on signaling, particularly in the bone morphogenic protein, Wingless and c‐Jun‐activated kinase pathways, regulating elaboration and stability of NMJ arbors, construction of synapses and synaptic transmission and homeostasis. These membrane trafficking and signaling pathways have been implicated in human motor neuron diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hereditary spastic paraplegia, highlighting their importance for neuronal health and survival.
Sympathetic overactivity occurs before hypertension in the two‐kidney, one‐clip model
Authors: Oliveira‐Sales Elizabeth B. , Colombari Eduardo , Abdala Ana Paula , Campos Ruy R. , Paton Julian F. R.
Published: November 2015

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

The aim was to evaluate whether elevated sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) occurs before the onset of arterial hypertension in a rat renovascular model of hypertension, the two‐kidney, one‐clip (2K1C) Goldblatt model, and to determine possible mechanisms and origins.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Sympathetic nerve activity can be raised before the onset of hypertension, by the third week after renal artery clipping, and this originates, in part, from enhanced respiratory modulation. Spinal circuits contribute to the elevation of SNA, but only after hypertension has developed.

Our knowledge of mechanisms responsible for both the development and the maintenance of hypertension remains incomplete in the Goldblatt (two‐kidney, one‐clip; 2K1C) model. We tested the hypothesis that elevated sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) occurs before the onset of hypertension in 2K1C rats, considering the time course of the increase in SNA in relationship to the onset of the hypertension. We used a decorticated in situ working heart–brainstem preparation of three groups of male Wistar rats, namely sham‐operated animals (SHAM, n = 7) and animals 3 weeks post‐2K1C, of which some were hypertensive (2K1C‐H, n = 6) and others normotensive (2K1C‐N, n = 9), as determined in vivo a priori. Perfusion pressure was higher in both 2K1C groups (2K1C‐H, 76 ± 1 mmHg; 2K1C‐N, 74 ± 3 mmHg; versus SHAM, 60 ± 2 mmHg, P < 0.05). The SNA was significantly elevated in both 2K1C groups (2K1C‐H, 47.7 ± 6.1 μV; 2K1C‐N, 32.8 ± 2.8 μV; versus SHAM, 20.5 ± 2.5 μV, P < 0.05) owing to its increased respiratory modulation; the chemoreflex was augmented and baroreflex depressed. Precollicular transection reduced SNA in all groups (2K1C‐H, −32.5 ± 7.5%; 2K1C‐NH, −48 ± 6.9%; versus SHAM, −13.2 ± 1%, P < 0.05). Subsequent medullary spinal cord transection abolished SNA in both SHAM and 2K1C‐N groups, but decreased it by only 57± 5.5% in 2K1C‐H preparations. Thus, SNA is raised before the onset of hypertension, by the third week after renal artery clipping, and this originates, in part, from its enhanced respiratory modulation. Spinal circuits contribute to the elevation of SNA in the 2K1C model, but only after hypertension has developed.
Structural and molecular regulation of lung maturation by intratracheal vascular endothelial growth factor administration in the normally grown and placentally restricted fetus
Authors: McGillick Erin V. , Orgeig Sandra , Morrison Janna L
Published: November 2015

Key points

Ablation of hypoxia signalling leads to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Administering vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protects from RDS.

Reduced surfactant maturation in the chronically hypoxaemic placentally restricted (PR) fetus is associated with altered regulation of hypoxia signalling and may predispose to RDS.

We determined the effect of intratracheal VEGF administration on the expression of genes regulating vascularization, alveolarization, proliferation, inflammation, surfactant maturation and structural markers of lung maturation in the normally grown and PR fetus.

Although there were relatively few effects of VEGF on gene expression, there were positive effects on structural maturation in the normally grown and PR lung. There was no effect on fetal blood pressure or fetal breathing movements.

We have provided evidence that VEGF promotes structural fetal lung maturation and may result in synergistic effects if combined with current therapeutic treatments aiming to induce surfactant maturation and reduce the risk of RDS.

Inhibition of hypoxia signalling leads to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), whereas administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the most widely characterized hypoxia responsive factor, protects from RDS. In the lung of the chronically hypoxaemic placentally restricted (PR) fetus, there is altered regulation of hypoxia signalling. This leads to reduced surfactant maturation in late gestation and provides evidence for the increased risk of RDS in growth restricted neonates at birth. We evaluated the effect of recombinant human VEGF administration with respect to bypassing the endogenous regulation of hypoxia signalling in the lung of the normally grown and PR sheep fetus. There was no effect of VEGF administration on fetal blood pressure or fetal breathing movements. We examined the effect on the expression of genes regulating VEGF signalling (FLT1 and KDR), angiogenesis (ANGPT1, AQP1, ADM), alveolarization (MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, COL1A1, ELN), proliferation (IGF1, IGF2, IGF1R, MKI67, PCNA), inflammation (CCL2, CCL4, IL1B, TNFA, TGFB1, IL10) and surfactant maturation (SFTP‐A, SFTP‐B, SFTP‐C, SFTP‐D, PCYT1A, LPCAT, LAMP3, ABCA3). Despite the effects of PR on the expression of genes regulating airway remodelling, inflammatory signalling and surfactant maturation, there were very few effects of VEGF administration on gene expression in the lung of both the normally grown and PR fetus. There were, however, positive effects of VEGF administration on percentage tissue, air space and numerical density of SFTP‐B positive alveolar epithelial cells in fetal lung tissue. These results provide evidence for the stimulatory effects of VEGF administration on structural maturation in the lung of both the normally grown and PR fetus.
The Influence of Nanoparticle Fillers on the Effectiveness of Phosphorus Diffusion Pastes
Authors: Nüssl Rudolf , Biba Josef , Britton David
Published: November 2015

A phosphosilicate polymer spin-on glass dopant has been adapted to produce a screen printable N-type diffusion pastes using different types of nanoparticles as functional additives to quantitatively change the doping strength of the paste. Strong qualitative and quantitative differences in the resulting phosphorous concentration profiles after diffusion have been found between different compositions. Not only is an intermediate doping level obtainable if silicon nanoparticles are used instead of silica but also a shallower dopant depth is also achieved. The electrical quality of the layer formed by diffusing phosphorus into the surface of a P-type silicon wafer has been investigated by the fabrication and testing of P-N junction solar cells. The devices exhibit diodelike current–voltage (IV) characteristics with open-circuit voltages of 0.437 V and 0.523 V and short-circuit current densities of 1.88 mA/cm2 and 4.78 mA/cm2 indicating a low doping level of the cell emitter and a relatively high series resistance of the junction.
Deployable Prismatic Structures With Rigid Origami Patterns
Authors: Liu Sicong , Lv Weilin , Chen Yan , Lu Guoxing
Published: November 2015

Rigid origami inspires new design technology in deployable structures with large deployable ratio due to the property of flat foldability. In this paper, we present a general kinematic model of rigid origami pattern and obtain a family of deployable prismatic structures. Basically, a four-crease vertex rigid origami pattern can be presented as a spherical 4R linkage, and the multivertex patterns are the assemblies of spherical linkages. Thus, this prismatic origami structure is modeled as a closed loop of spherical 4R linkages, which includes all the possible prismatic deployable structures consisting of quadrilateral facets and four-crease vertices. By solving the compatibility of the kinematic model, a new group of 2n-sided deployable prismatic structures with plane symmetric intersections is derived with multilayer, straight and curvy variations. The general design method for the 2n-sided multilayer deployable prismatic structures is proposed. All the deployable structures constructed with this method have single degree-of-freedom (DOF), can be deployed and folded without stretching or twisting the facets, and have the compactly flat-folded configuration, which makes it to have great potential in engineering applications.
Folding Flat Crease Patterns With Thick Materials
Authors: Ku Jason S. , Demaine Erik D.
Published: November 2015

Modeling folding surfaces with nonzero thickness is of practical interest for mechanical engineering. There are many existing approaches that account for material thickness in folding applications. We propose a new systematic and broadly applicable algorithm to transform certain flat-foldable crease patterns into new crease patterns with similar folded structure but with a facet-separated folded state. We provide conditions on input crease patterns for the algorithm to produce a thickened crease pattern avoiding local self-intersection, and provide bounds for the maximum thickness that the algorithm can produce for a given input. We demonstrate these results in parameterized numerical simulations and physical models.
Hybrid Delayed Synchronizations of Complex Chaotic Systems in Modulus-Phase Spaces and Its Application
Authors: Chao Luo
Published: November 2015

Compared with chaotic systems over the real number field, complex chaotic dynamics have some unique properties. In this paper, a kind of novel hybrid synchronizations of complex chaotic systems is discussed analytically and numerically. Between two nonidentical complex chaotic systems, modified projective synchronization (MPS) in the modulus space and complete synchronization in the phase space are simultaneously achieved by means of active control. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, a controller is developed, in which time delay as an important consideration is involved. Furthermore, a switch-modulated digital secure communication system based on the proposed synchronization scheme is carried out. Different from the previous works, only one set of drive-response chaotic systems can implement switch-modulated secure communication, which could simplify the complexity of design. Furthermore, the latency of a signal transmitted between transmitter and receiver is simulated by channel delay. The corresponding numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme.
How buried water makes diamonds and oil
Authors: Hand Eric
Published: November 2015

A new picture of water in the deep Earth predicts surprising chemistry.
Microbes aid cancer drugs
Authors: Leslie Mitch
Published: November 2015

Gut bacteria boost immunotherapies.
Eggs unlimited
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: November 2015

A company's fertility treatments spark disbelief as well as hope.