bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instrumentos de políticas públicas e seus impactos para a sustentabilidade
Authors: Nascimento Vanessa Marcela , Van Bellen Hans Michael , Coelho Christiano , Nascimento Marcelo
Published: October 2013

O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi analisar os instrumentos de políticas públicas existentes, e seus conseqüentes impactos nas questões ambientais. No final dos anos 60 e inicio dos anos 70 as diferentes idéias sobre o progresso começaram a apontar para a direção do desenvolvimento sustentável, como alternativa para o crescimento econômico ilimitado. No Brasil a questão ambiental começou a ser discutida quando surgiu a Secretaria Especial de Meio Ambiente (SEMA), que estabeleceu a base para o controle da poluição e a criação de unidades de conservação da natureza. Neste contexto, as políticas ambientais estão baseadas quase que exclusivamente nas políticas de comando e controle e nos instrumentos econômicos. Embora vários autores sugiram a utilização conjunta dos dois instrumentos, o instrumento de comando e controle por tratar o poluidor como “ecodelinquente”, e por apresentar resultados não satisfatórios na obtenção de objetivos ambientais, necessita ser complementada ou substituída, pelos instrumentos econômicos, para alcançar resultados mais adequados. Pois ao fornecer incentivos ao controle da poluição ou outros danos ambientais, permite que o custo social de controle ambiental seja menor e pode ainda fornecer aos cofres do governo local a receita de que tanto necessitam. Outro fator é que o instrumento econômico apresentou mais recentemente dois tipos de mecanismos, os royalties, pagos pela exploração de recursos minerais, aos entes, e que em decorrência das receitas do pré-sal são uma excelente fonte de recursos e o ICMS – Ecológico, que é a compensação financeira para os Municípios que possuíam restrições em seus territórios no uso do solo, para o desenvolvimento de atividades econômicas.
Centrais de Compras e de Serviços no Setor de Farmácias do Brasil: Alternativa para a Sobrevivência das Farmácias Independentes Face às Grandes Redes
Authors: Mantovani Norival , Crispim Sergio
Published: October 2013

No setor de farmácias brasileiro, composto por mais de 55 mil unidades, observa-se uma polarização entre as grandes cadeias, caracterizadas por gestão profissionalizada e escala de compra, e os varejistas independentes. As farmácias independentes encontraram no associativismo, por meio das Centrais de Negócios, alternativa para competir com as grandes redes. Esta pesquisa, realizada junto a 426 gestores de farmácias que operam em associações, identificou por meio de análise fatorial exploratória as principais contribuições das associações para a competitividade face as redes: atendimento; imagem da rede; compras conjuntas; nível de informação; suporte operacional; e treinamento. O fator “compras conjuntas”, relacionado à escala de compra e que está na origem das associações em geral, já figura em terceiro plano, suplantado por outros serviços supridos, e caracterizando a evolução para o conceito de Centrais de Serviços. Os resultados evidenciaram que as associações possibilitam melhoria da competitividade das farmácias anteriormente independentes, segundo seus gestores.
Contabilidade Enxuta (Lean Accounting) na Indústria Automobilística: O Caso da FIAT
Authors: Slavov Tiago Nascimento Borges , Faria Ana Cristina de , Di Serio Luiz Carlos , Pereira Antonio Nunes
Published: October 2013

O pensamento enxuto tem provocado mudanças significativas nas empresas. Este artigo tem por objetivo investigar como os princípios da Contabilidade Enxuta são aplicados e quais informações são geradas por essa filosofia em montadora da indústria automobilística. Por meio de estudo de caso na FIAT, constatou-se que esta empresa busca atingir nível zero em defeitos, desperdícios, quebras e estoques, de maneira que sejam atingidos seus objetivos de produtividade, qualidade, eficiência técnica e nível de serviço. Os princípios da Manufatura Enxuta e Contabilidade Enxuta são praticados pela empresa, bem como são empregados os sistemas de Custeio Alvo e Custeio Kaizen, além de indicadores de natureza financeira e não-financeira. São mensurados os custos, desperdícios e perdas incorridos no processo produtivo, bem como são geradas informações relativas à gestão dos estoques, visando a dar suporte aos gestores em seu processo de tomada de decisão.
Pathology Consultation on Anticoagulation Monitoring
Authors: Wool Geoffrey D. , Lu Chuanyi M.
Published: October 2013

Objectives:

To review various anticoagulation therapies and related laboratory monitoring issues, with a focus on factor X–related chromogenic assays.

Methods:

A case-based approach is used to review pertinent published literatures and product inserts of anticoagulation drugs and to look back on clinical use of factor X–related chromogenic assays.

Results:

The number of anticoagulants available to clinicians has increased greatly in the past decade. Whether and how these anticoagulants should be monitored are areas of uncertainty for clinicians, which can lead to misuse of laboratory assays and suboptimal patient management. Factor X–related assays are of particular concern because of the similar and often confusing test names. Based on a common clinical case scenario and literature review regarding anticoagulant monitoring, an up-to-date discussion and review of the various factor X–related assays are provided, focusing on the differences in test designs and clinical utilities between the chromogenic anti-Xa and chromogenic factor X activity assays.

Conclusions:

Anticoagulation therapy and related laboratory monitoring are rapidly evolving areas of clinical practices. A good knowledge of relevant laboratory assays and their clinical applications is necessary to help optimize patient care.
Police Response to Approaching Subjects at Height: Examining the Balcony Jumper Phenomenon
Authors: Kais-Prial Krista , Martino Joseph
Published: October 2013

The phenomenon of balcony jumpers is examined with reference to 68 cases in which a subject jumped or fell at least two storeys from a balcony, window or roof because of, or in the presence of, responding police officers. The cases constitute all such incidents in a Canadian jurisdiction between 2000 and 2010 in which the subject was seriously injured or killed in connection with the jump or fall. Profiles of the typical balcony jumper are identified across gender and age groups. Female jumpers are prominently associated with suicidal ideation and mental illness. Criminal histories and a desire to avoid incarceration are more commonly associated with male jumpers. The data results are approached cautiously given the small sample size in comparison to the total number of balcony jumpers in the jurisdiction and the lack of any treatment of this issue in the social science literature. It is suggested that changes in police tactics to approaching subjects at height, informed by a refocus on an officer's foremost duty to protect life and, longer term, the development of institutional best practices in the area, could mitigate the risk of serious injury and death in these cases.
Shots to the mind: Violence, the brain and biomedicine in popular novels and film in post-1960s America
Authors: Quinlan Sean M.
Published: October 2013

This article traces an unlikely and gruesome subject: how and why images of people getting shot in the head have become so pervasive in contemporary US fiction and film. Adopting a historical-genealogical approach, the analysis explores how the so-called headshot image emerged from two socio-cultural trends. First, the headshot referenced key historical traumas from the 1960s that involved the deaths of Ernest Hemingway, J. F. Kennedy and Nguyễn Văn Lém. Second, it drew upon strong anxieties over the new brain death diagnosis that was established by medical authorities in the late 1960s. The analysis then traces how this image was subsequently elaborated in books such as Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (1969) and Lawrence Sanders’ The First Deadly Sin (1973), as well as films such as Ted Post’s Magnum Force (1973) and Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter (1978). Finally, the article demonstrates key uses of the headshot in the recent novels of Don DeLillo and Cormac McCarthy. In all this, the headshot points to a much deeper undercurrent of narcissism and fragmentation that characterizes post-1960s culture in the United States.
Neighbourhoods or nothing? Social relations in David Lynch's Blue Velvet
Authors: Martin Richard
Published: October 2013

David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) raises significant questions concerning small-town social relations in the United States, the corrupting powers of industrial urbanism and the notion of propinquity. It is a vivid rejoinder to the idealization of the small town and to comfortable notions of community in general. Through a close reading of the spatial strategies employed in Blue Velvet, this article maps Lynch’s conception of the neighbour and the neighbourhood. The analysis encompasses the political rhetoric of Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin, the planning ideas of New Urbanism and critiques of the neighbour articulated by Freud and Žižek, as well as placing Blue Velvet in the context of Lynch’s other work.
‘It’s not your country any more’. Contested national narratives and the Columbus Day parade protests in Denver
Authors: Hitchmough Sam
Published: October 2013

This article explores long-standing American Indian opposition to Columbus Day in Denver. In 2007, Glenn Morris, a leading activist from the American Indian Movement of Colorado, stated that the rejection of the racist philosophy behind Columbus Day ‘may be the most important issue facing Indian country today’. Activism aimed at Columbus Day and the parades is a struggle over identity and historical memory, and Denver forms a distinctive, complex and emotive stage. The ideological nature of American Indian opposition to the holiday is examined and discussed as a blend of patriotic counter-narrative and nationalistic counter-memory. The opposition aims to highlight the historical actions of Columbus, but this is ultimately less important than confronting the way in which a conservative, individualistic myth of Columbus infuses itself into American society and psyche; the crux of activism revolves around the legacy of Columbus and the wider issues of decolonization that this raises.
Continental conjecture: Ephemera, imitation and America’s (late) modernist canons in the Three Mountains Press and Robert McAlmon’s Contact Editions
Authors: White Eric B.
Published: October 2013

Despite exciting occasional interest from critics of modernist fiction, autobiography and expatriate publishing, the writer-editor Robert McAlmon has remained on the margins of American modernist studies. Paradoxically, however, his fine press publishing house Contact Editions, in partnership with William Bird’s Three Mountains Press, played a central role in negotiating and problematizing mechanisms of canon formation at the onset of the late modernist cultural turn. The hallmarks of late modernism are revealed in prototypical form in selected titles they published – books which deliberately distorted the features of ‘major’ contemporaneous works to critique the failures and exclusions of high modernism. This essay examines the ‘American background’ of such responses through the lens of McAlmon’s editorial and literary career. Taking his contributions to American little magazines of the early 1920s as its point of departure, the essay explores how his publishing partnerships and intellectual transactions shaped his poetics of imitation, ephemera, and hybridity (emphases which modernists often connected to America as a literary subject). To this end, it also explores deluxe editions by William Carlos Williams, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and Djuna Barnes, and concludes with readings of McAlmon’s Portrait of a Generation (1926a) and North America: Continent of Conjecture (1929a). Together, these works gave a physical shape to and archly satirical accounts of the themes and materials that accumulated in the wake of high modernism.
Androgen deprivation decreases prostate specific antigen in the absence of tumor: implications for interpretation of PSA results
Authors: Wenisch Judith M. , Mayr Florian B. , Spiel Alexander O. , Radicioni Milko , Jilma Bernd , Jilma-Stohlawetz Petra
Published: October 2013

Background: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is used as an outcome measure for relapsed disease in prostate cancer. Nonetheless, there are considerable concerns about its indiscriminate use as a surrogate endpoint for cell growth or survival. We hypothesized that treatment with a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analog would decrease PSA levels even in the absence of malignant disease.

Methods: We determined testosterone and PSA levels in 30 healthy volunteers after a single intramuscular injection of a LHRH depot formulation. Testosterone and PSA levels were quantified by radioimmunoassay and electrochemi-luminescence immunoassay, respectively.

Results: After an initial flare-up during the first 3 days testosterone decreased reaching castration levels in 18 of the 30 young men (60%). After the nadir on day 28, testosterone levels increased to normal again. Changes in PSA paralleled those of testosterone. Castration reduced PSA levels by 29% (95% CI 19%–39%) compared to baseline (p<0.0001).

Conclusions: LHRH superagonists decrease PSA levels by testosterone deprivation. Conferring these findings to tumor patients, decreases in PSA after treatment with LHRH analogs might not only reflect disease regression but also a direct testosterone mediated effect on PSA. Thus, PSA levels should be cautiously interpreted when patients receive hormonal therapy.
Surface Morphology and Electric Property of the AlGaN/AlN/GaN Multilayers with Varying the AlN Thickness
Authors: Huang Shih-Chun , Chen Wen-Ray , Lin Jia-Ching , Chang Kuo-Jen , Lin Wen-Jen , Wang Li-Chun
Published: October 2013

The surface morphologies of AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures were examined by using the atomic force microscopy (AFM).These HEMT structures have been grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) onto the sapphire (0001) substrates where the thicknesses of AlN interlayers were varied from 0 to 5 nm. After the growth of GaN buffer layer, the AlN intermediate and AlGaN top layers were subsequently deposited at 1130°C in an trimethylaluminum (TMAl) and ammonia (NH3) atmosphere. The surface of AlGaN layers shows the thick- and fine-thread patterns.

It was found that the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of the samples with 0, 0.5, 2.5 and 5nm AlN interlayer thickness are 0.503, 0.534, 0.534 and 0.601nm, respectively. Although the cracks and rougher surfaces show that the qualities of AlGaN barrier layers have slightly degraded in the samples with thicker AlN layer. These phenomena could be attributed to the lattice mismatch and the growth temperature. In addition, the room-temperature two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) mobility and density analysis were performed on the AlGaN surfaces and the measured results were discussed in detail.
A decoding method of an n length binary BCH code through (n + 1)n length binary cyclic code
Authors: SHAH TARIQ , KHAN MUBASHAR , ANDRADE ANTONIO A. DE
Published: October 2013

For a given binary BCH code Cn of length n = 2 s - 1 generated by a polynomial of degree r there is no binary BCH code of length (n + 1)n generated by a generalized polynomial of degree 2r. However, it does exist a binary cyclic code C (n+1)n of length (n + 1)n such that the binary BCH code Cn is embedded in C (n+1)n . Accordingly a high code rate is attained through a binary cyclic code C (n+1)n for a binary BCH code Cn . Furthermore, an algorithm proposed facilitates in a decoding of a binary BCH code Cn through the decoding of a binary cyclic code C (n+1)n , while the codes Cn and C (n+1)n have the same minimum hamming distance.
Germination responses of the invasive Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br. (Apocynaceae): comparisons with seeds from two ecosystems in northeastern Brazil
Authors: LEAL LAURA C. , MEIADO MARCOS V. , LOPES ARIADNA V. , LEAL INARA R.
Published: October 2013

Life history traits are considered key indicators of plant invasibility. Among them, the germination behavior of seeds is of major relevance because it is influenced by environmental factors of invaded ecosystem. Here, we investigated how seed traits and seed tolerance to environmental factors on seed germination of Calotropis procera vary depending on the invaded ecosystems in northeastern Brazil. We have tested seeds from two vegetation types – Caatinga and Restinga – to different levels of light intensity, salinity, and water stress. Previous to those experiments, seed-set and morphometric analysis were carried out for both studied populations. We have observed a higher seed-set in Caatinga. Seeds produced in this ecosystem had lower seed moisture content. Seeds from Restinga showed lower germination time when light intensity decreased. We observed a reduction in both the germinability and the synchronization index with decreasing osmotic potential and increasing salinity. Nevertheless, both populations exhibited changes in photoblastism when seeds were submitted to water and saline stress. In conclusion, C. procera seeds are tolerant to environmental factors assessed. That characteristic ensures the colonization success and wide distribution of this plant species in the studied ecosystems.
Biochemical and hematological analysis in acute intermittent porphyria (AIP): a case report
Authors: SANTOS ANNA R.R. DOS , ALBUQUERQUE RAFAELA R. DE , DORIQUI MARIA J.R. , COSTA GRACIOMAR C. , SANTOS ANA PAULA S.A. DOS
Published: October 2013

Acute intermittent porphyria is the most common acute porphyria caused by a decrease in hepatic porphobilinogen deaminase activity, resulting in an accumulation of delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen. This disease shows nonspecific signs and symptoms that can be confused with other diseases, thereby making the diagnosis difficult. We report a case of acute intermittent porphyria, reviewing clinical and laboratory aspects, highlighting the hematological and biochemical parameters during and after the crisis. A female patient, aged 28 years, suffered two crises, both presenting gastrointestinal disorders. The second presented neuropsychiatric symptoms. The analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters during the second crisis showed anemia, leukocytosis, hyponatremia, mild hypokalemia, uremia and elevated C-reactive protein. The initial treatment included glucose infusion, a diet rich in carbohydrates and interruption of porphyrinogenic drugs. Subsequently, treatment was maintained with oral contraceptive use. According to the observed data, signs and symptoms of gastrointestinal, neurological and psychiatric disorders, associated with laboratory results presented in this paper can be applied to screen acute porphyria, contributing to early diagnosis.
Efficiency of snake sampling methods in the Brazilian semiarid region
Authors: Mesquita Paulo C.M.D. , Passos Daniel C. , Cechin Sonia Z.
Published: October 2013

The choice of sampling methods is a crucial step in every field survey in herpetology. In countries where time and financial support are limited, the choice of the methods is critical. The methods used to sample snakes often lack objective criteria, and the traditional methods have apparently been more important when making the choice. Consequently researches using not-standardized methods are frequently found in the literature. We have compared four commonly used methods for sampling snake assemblages in a semiarid area in Brazil. We compared the efficacy of each method based on the cost-benefit regarding the number of individuals and species captured, time, and financial investment. We found that pitfall traps were the less effective method in all aspects that were evaluated and it was not complementary to the other methods in terms of abundance of species and assemblage structure. We conclude that methods can only be considered complementary if they are standardized to the objectives of the study. The use of pitfall traps in short-term surveys of the snake fauna in areas with shrubby vegetation and stony soil is not recommended.
The role of cyclooxygenase-2 on endurance exercise training in female LDL-receptor knockout ovariectomized mice
Authors: OLIVEIRA FLAVIA DE , MAIFRINO LAURA B.M. , JESUS GUSTAVO P.P. DE , CARVALHO JULIANA G. , MARCHON CLAUDIA , RIBEIRO DANIEL A.
Published: October 2013

Estrogen deprivation in postmenopausal women increases cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular risk as a result of atherosclerosis is able to induce an inflammatory disease as far as cyclooxygenase-2 ( COX-2) expression. The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of COX-2 on exercise training in female mice low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout ( LDL-KO) with or without ovariectomy. A total of 15 female C57BL/6 mice and 15 female LDL-KO mice were distributed into 6 groups: sedentary control, sedentary control ovariectomized, trained control ovariectomized, LDL-KO sedentary, LDL-KO sedentary ovariectomized and LDL-KO trained ovariectomized. The ascending part of the aorta was stained with H&E and COX-2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results revealed that ovariectomy as well as exercise training were not able to induce histopathological changes in mouse aorta for all groups investigated. LDL-KO mice demonstrated plaque containing cholesterol clefts, foamy histiocytes and mild inflammatory process for all groups indistinctly. Ovariectomy induced a strong immunoexpression in atherosclerosis lesion of LDL-KO mice. Nevertheless, a down-regulation of COX-2 expression was detected in LDL-KO trained ovariectomized when compared to LDL-KO sedentary. Our results are consistent with the notion that exercise training is able to modulate COX-2 expression in LDL-KO mice as a result of COX-2 down-regulation.
Evidence of separate karyotype evolutionary pathway in Euglossa orchid bees by cytogenetic analyses
Authors: FERNANDES ANDERSON , WERNECK HUGO A. , POMPOLO SILVIA G. , LOPES DENILCE M.
Published: October 2013

Euglossini are solitary bees considered important pollinators of many orchid species. Information regarding chromosome organization is available for only a small number of species in this group. In the present work, the species Euglossa townsendi and E. carolina were analyzed by cytogenetic techniques to collect information that may aid the understanding of their evolution and chromosomal organization. The chromosome number found was n = 21 for males and 2n = 42 for females in the two species. The distribution and amount of heterochromatin regions differed in the two species analyzed, where they were classified as “high” or “low” heterochromatin content, similarly to what has already been performed in social bee species of the genus Melipona. Banding patterns found in this study suggest that other mechanisms may have occurred in the karyotype evolution of this group, unlike those suggested for social bees and ants. Karyotype evolution of solitary bees appears to have occurred as an event separate from other hymenopterans and did not involve chromosome fissions and heterochromatin amplification.
Spinal Cord Injury Functional Ambulation Profile: A Preliminary Look at Responsiveness
Authors: Musselman Kristin E. , Yang Jaynie F.
Published: October 2013

Background

The Spinal Cord Injury Functional Ambulation Profile (SCI-FAP) is a valid, reliable measure of walking skill (eg, walking while negotiating obstacles, doors, and stairs).

Objective

The responsiveness of the SCI-FAP was assessed at least 7 months after spinal cord injury (SCI) and compared with that of the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT).

Design

A secondary analysis of data collected during a randomized, single-blind, crossover trial was performed.

Methods

Participants had incomplete SCI and could walk at least 5 m without manual assistance. After 3 or 4 baseline assessments, participants completed 2 months of precision training (stepping over obstacles and onto targets on the ground) and 2 months of endurance training (treadmill training with body weight support, if needed). Walking function was assessed with the SCI-FAP, 10MWT, and 6MWT. Internal responsiveness was evaluated through change scores and standardized response means (SRMs). External responsiveness was gauged by correlating change scores on the SCI-FAP, 10MWT, and 6MWT. The minimal detectable change was calculated from the standard error of measurement from the baseline assessments.

Results

The SCI-FAP scores improved with both interventions. The magnitude of change was greater for participants whose pretraining self-selected speed was less than 0.5 m/s. The SCI-FAP had moderate SRMs. The 10MWT (fastest speed) and 6MWT had the largest SRMs after precision training and endurance training, respectively. The minimal detectable change in the SCI-FAP was 96 points.

Limitations

The convenience sample was small and all participants could ambulate independently (with devices); therefore, the generalizability of the findings is limited.

Conclusions

The SCI-FAP was responsive to changes in walking ability in participants who had incomplete SCI and walked at slow speeds, but overall the 10MWT and 6MWT were more responsive.
Occipital diploic cranial fasciitis after radiotherapy for a cerebellar medulloblastoma
Authors: Wu Bo , Zhu Hong , Liu Weidong , Chen Longyi
Published: October 2013

Radiation-induced cranial fasciitis is a rare complication of radiotherapy, especially in an intradiploic location. The authors report such a case of cranial fasciitis in a 13-year-old girl previously subjected to cranial radiotherapy for a recurrent cerebellar medulloblastoma. The patient had undergone a gross-total removal of a medulloblastoma followed by no radiation therapy at the age of 10 years. The tumor recurred at the original site 2 years later, warranting a repeat operation with a gross-total tumor removal and subsequent radiation therapy. The follow-up MRI sequence demonstrated no abnormal appearance for 1 year, until a new enhancing mass was found within the occipital bone adjacent to the prior bone window. Following its resection, the new lesion was histologically identified as cranial fasciitis. Differential diagnosis of a well-circumscribed bone lesion should include cranial fasciitis, especially in young children with radiotherapy for a previous intracranial malignancy. Radiotherapy should be considered among the inciting factors in the development of cranial fasciitis. The osteolytic lesions of cranial fasciitis, although nontumoral and self-limited in duration, should be eligible candidates for early, total resection to avoid potential intracranial expansion.
Reduction in upper-extremity tone after lumbar selective dorsal rhizotomy in children with spastic cerebral palsy
Authors: Gigante Paul , McDowell Michael M. , Bruce Samuel S. , Chirelstein Genevieve , Chiriboga Claudia A. , Dutkowsky Joseph , Fontana Elizabeth , Hyman Joshua , Kim Heakyung , Morgan Dean , Pearson Toni S. , Roye Benjamin D. , Roye David P. , Ryan Patricia , Vitale Michael , Anderson Richard C. E.
Published: October 2013

Object

Randomized clinical trials have established that lumbar selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) reduces lower-extremity tone and improves functional outcome in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Significant data exist to support a secondary effect on upper-extremity function in patients with upper-extremity spasticity. The effects of SDR on upper-extremity tone, however, are not well characterized. In this report, the authors sought to assess changes in upper-extremity tone in individual muscle groups after SDR and tried to determine if these changes could be predicted preoperatively.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed 42 children who underwent SDR at Columbia University Medical Center/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian between 2005 and 2011. Twenty-five had upper-extremity spasticity. All underwent pre- and postoperative examination for measuring tone (Modified Ashworth Scale) and assessing functional outcome. Follow-up examinations with therapists were performed at least once at a minimum of 2 months postoperatively (mean 15 months).

Results

In the upper extremities, 23 (92%) of 25 patients had improvements of at least 1 Ashworth point in 2 or more independent motor groups on the Modified Ashworth Scale, and 12 (71%) of 17 families surveyed reported increases in motor control or spontaneous movement. The mean Modified Ashworth Scale scores for all upper-extremity muscle groups demonstrated an improvement from 1.34 to 1.22 (p < 0.001). Patients with a mean preoperative upper-extremity tone of 1.25–1.75 were most likely to benefit from reduction in tone (p = 0.0019). Proximal and pronator muscle groups were most likely to demonstrate reduced tone.

Conclusions

In addition to improvements in lower-extremity tone and function, SDR has demonstrable effects on upper extremities. Greater than 90% of our patients with elevated upper-extremity tone demonstrated reduction in tone in at least 2 muscle groups postoperatively. Patients with a mean Modified Ashworth Scale upper-extremity score of 1.25–1.75 may encounter the greatest reduction in upper-extremity tone.
Frog Swarms: Earthquake Precursors or False Alarms?
Authors: Grant Rachel , Conlan Hilary
Published: October 2013

In short-term earthquake risk forecasting, the avoidance of false alarms is of utmost importance to preclude the possibility of unnecessary panic among populations in seismic hazard areas. Unusual animal behaviour prior to earthquakes has been reported for millennia but has rarely been scientifically documented. Recently large migrations or unusual behaviour of amphibians have been linked to large earthquakes, and media reports of large frog and toad migrations in areas of high seismic risk such as Greece and China have led to fears of a subsequent large earthquake. However, at certain times of year large migrations are part of the normal behavioural repertoire of amphibians. News reports of “frog swarms” from 1850 to the present day were examined for evidence that this behaviour is a precursor to large earthquakes. It was found that only two of 28 reported frog swarms preceded large earthquakes (Sichuan province, China in 2008 and 2010). All of the reported mass migrations of amphibians occurred in late spring, summer and autumn and appeared to relate to small juvenile anurans (frogs and toads). It was concluded that most reported “frog swarms” are actually normal behaviour, probably caused by juvenile animals migrating away from their breeding pond, after a fruitful reproductive season. As amphibian populations undergo large fluctuations in numbers from year to year, this phenomenon will not occur on a yearly basis but will depend on successful reproduction, which is related to numerous climatic and geophysical factors. Hence, most large swarms of amphibians, particularly those involving very small frogs and occurring in late spring or summer, are not unusual and should not be considered earthquake precursors. In addition, it is likely that reports of several mass migration of small toads prior to the Great Sichuan Earthquake in 2008 were not linked to the subsequent M = 7.9 event (some occurred at a great distance from the epicentre), and were probably co-incidence. Statistical analysis of the data indicated frog swarms are unlikely to be connected with earthquakes. Reports of unusual behaviour giving rise to earthquake fears should be interpreted with caution, and consultation with experts in the field of earthquake biology is advised.
Effects of Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy on the Stock Market in Poland
Authors: Hsing Yu
Published: October 2013

The focus of this paper is to examine potential impacts of fiscal and monetary policies on stock market performance in Poland. Applying the GARCH model and based on a sample during 1999.Q2 to 2012.Q4, this paper finds that Poland’s stock market index is not affected by the ratio of government deficits or debt to GDP and is negatively influenced by the money market rate. The stock index and the ratio of M3 to GDP show a quadratic relationship with a critical value of 46.03%, suggesting that they have a positive relationship if the M3/GDP ratio is less than 46.03% and a negative relationship if the M3/GDP ratio is greater than 46.03%. Furthermore, Poland’s stock index is positively associated with industrial production and stock market performance in Germany and the U.S. and negatively affected by the nominal effective exchange rate and the inflation rate.
Integrated Metagenomic and Metatranscriptomic Analyses of Microbial Communities in the Meso- and Bathypelagic Realm of North Pacific Ocean
Authors: Wu Jieying , Gao Weimin , Johnson Roger , Zhang Weiwen , Meldrum Deirdre
Published: October 2013

Although emerging evidence indicates that deep-sea water contains an untapped reservoir of high metabolic and genetic diversity, this realm has not been studied well compared with surface sea water. The study provided the first integrated meta-genomic and -transcriptomic analysis of the microbial communities in deep-sea water of North Pacific Ocean. DNA/RNA amplifications and simultaneous metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses were employed to discover information concerning deep-sea microbial communities from four different deep-sea sites ranging from the mesopelagic to pelagic ocean. Within the prokaryotic community, bacteria is absolutely dominant (~90%) over archaea in both metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data pools. The emergence of archaeal phyla Crenarchaeota, Euryarchaeota, Thaumarchaeota, bacterial phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, sub-phyla Betaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria, and the decrease of bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes and Alphaproteobacteria are the main composition changes of prokaryotic communities in the deep-sea water, when compared with the reference Global Ocean Sampling Expedition (GOS) surface water. Photosynthetic Cyanobacteria exist in all four metagenomic libraries and two metatranscriptomic libraries. In Eukaryota community, decreased abundance of fungi and algae in deep sea was observed. RNA/DNA ratio was employed as an index to show metabolic activity strength of microbes in deep sea. Functional analysis indicated that deep-sea microbes are leading a defensive lifestyle.
Evaluation of Passive Samplers as a Monitoring Tool for Early Warning of Dinophysis Toxins in Shellfish
Authors: Pizarro Gemita , Moroño Ángeles , Paz Beatriz , Franco José , Pazos Yolanda , Reguera Beatriz
Published: October 2013

From June 2006 to January 2007 passive samplers (solid phase adsorbing toxin tracking, SPATT) were tested as a monitoring tool with weekly monitoring of phytoplankton and toxin content (liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, LC-MS) in picked cells of Dinophysis and plankton concentrates. Successive blooms of Dinophysis acuminata, D. acuta and D. caudata in 2006 caused a long mussel harvesting closure (4.5 months) in the Galician Rías (NW Spain) and a record (up to 9246 ng·g resin-week−1) accumulation of toxins in SPATT discs. Best fit of a toxin accumulation model was between toxin accumulation in SPATT and the product of cell densities by a constant value, for each species of Dinophysis, of toxin content (average) in picked cells. Detection of Dinophysis populations provided earlier warning of oncoming diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) outbreaks than the SPATT, which at times overestimated the expected toxin levels in shellfish because: (i) SPATT accumulated toxins did not include biotransformation and depuration loss terms and (ii) accumulation of toxins not available to mussels continued for weeks after Dinophysis cells were undetectable and mussels were toxin-free. SPATT may be a valuable environmental monitoring and research tool for toxin dynamics, in particular in areas with no aquaculture, but does not provide a practical gain for early warning of DSP outbreaks.
Transcriptomics and Metabonomics Identify Essential Metabolic Signatures in Calorie Restriction (CR) Regulation across Multiple Mouse Strains
Authors: Collino Sebastiano , Martin François-Pierre , Montoliu Ivan , Barger Jamie , Da Silva Laeticia , Prolla Tomas , Weindruch Richard , Kochhar Sunil
Published: October 2013

Calorie restriction (CR) has long been used to study lifespan effects and oppose the development of a broad array of age-related biological and pathological changes (increase healthspan). Yet, a comprehensive comparison of the metabolic phenotype across different genetic backgrounds to identify common metabolic markers affected by CR is still lacking. Using a system biology approach comprising metabonomics and liver transcriptomics we revealed the effect of CR across multiple mouse strains (129S1/SvlmJ, C57BL6/J, C3H/HeJ, CBA/J, DBA/2J, JC3F1/J). Oligonucleotide microarrays identified 76 genes as differentially expressed in all six strains confirmed. These genes were subjected to quantitative RT-PCR analysis in the C57BL/6J mouse strain, and a CR-induced change expression was confirmed for 14 genes. To fully depict the metabolic pathways affected by CR and complement the changes observed through differential gene expression, the metabolome of C57BL6/J was further characterized in liver tissues, urine and plasma levels using a combination or targeted mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Overall, our integrated approach commonly confirms that energy metabolism, stress response, lipids regulators and the insulin/IGF-1 are key determinants factors involved in CR regulation.
Comparison between SAR Soil Moisture Estimates and Hydrological Model Simulations over the Scrivia Test Site
Authors: Santi Emanuele , Paloscia Simonetta , Pettinato Simone , Notarnicola Claudia , Pasolli Luca , Pistocchi Alberto
Published: October 2013

In this paper, the results of a comparison between the soil moisture content (SMC) estimated from C-band SAR, the SMC simulated by a hydrological model, and the SMC measured on ground are presented. The study was carried out in an agricultural test site located in North-west Italy, in the Scrivia river basin. The hydrological model used for the simulations consists of a one-layer soil water balance model, which was found to be able to partially reproduce the soil moisture variability, retaining at the same time simplicity and effectiveness in describing the topsoil. SMC estimates were derived from the application of a retrieval algorithm, based on an Artificial Neural Network approach, to a time series of ENVISAT/ASAR images acquired over the Scrivia test site. The core of the algorithm was represented by a set of ANNs able to deal with the different SAR configurations in terms of polarizations and available ancillary data. In case of crop covered soils, the effect of vegetation was accounted for using NDVI information, or, if available, for the cross-polarized channel. The algorithm results showed some ability in retrieving SMC with RMSE generally <0.04 m3/m3 and very low bias (i.e., <0.01 m3/m3), except for the case of VV polarized SAR images: in this case, the obtained RMSE was somewhat higher than 0.04 m3/m3 (≤0.058 m3/m3). The algorithm was implemented within the framework of an ESA project concerning the development of an operative algorithm for the SMC retrieval from Sentinel-1 data. The algorithm should take into account the GMES requirements of SMC accuracy (≤5% in volume), spatial resolution (≤1 km) and timeliness (3 h from observation). The SMC estimated by the SAR algorithm, the SMC estimated by the hydrological model, and the SMC measured on ground were found to be in good agreement. The hydrological model simulations were performed at two soil depths: 30 and 5 cm and showed that the 30 cm simulations indicated, as expected, SMC values higher than the satellites estimates, with RMSE higher than 0.08 m3/m3. In contrast, in the 5-cm simulations, the agreement between hydrological simulations, satellite estimates and ground measurements could be considered satisfactory, at least in this preliminary comparison, showing a RMSE ranging from 0.054 m3/m3 to 0.051 m3/m3 for comparison with ground measurements and SAR estimates, respectively.
Sensing Lanthanide Metal Content in Biological Tissues with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Hingorani Dina , Gonzalez Sandra , Li Jessica , Pagel Mark
Published: October 2013

The development and validation of MRI contrast agents consisting of a lanthanide chelate often requires a determination of the concentration of the agent in ex vivo tissue. We have developed a protocol that uses 70% nitric acid to completely digest tissue samples that contain Gd(III), Dy(III), Tm(III), Eu(III), or Yb(III) ions, or the MRI contrast agent gadodiamide. NMR spectroscopy of coaxial tubes containing a digested sample and a separate control solution of nitric acid was used to rapidly and easily measure the bulk magnetic susceptibility (BMS) shift caused by each lanthanide ion and gadodiamide. Each BMS shift was shown to be linearly correlated with the concentration of each lanthanide ion and gadodiamide in the 70% nitric acid solution and in digested rat kidney and liver tissues. These concentration measurements had outstanding precision, and also had good accuracy for concentrations ³10 mM for Tm(III) Eu(III), and Yb(III), and ³3 mM for Gd(III), gadodiamide, and Dy(III). Improved sample handling methods are needed to improve measurement accuracy for samples with lower concentrations.
Toxicity of Ochratoxin A and Its Modulation by Antioxidants: A Review
Authors: Sorrenti Valeria , Di Giacomo Claudia , Acquaviva Rosaria , Barbagallo Ignazio , Bognanno Matteo , Galvano Fabio
Published: October 2013

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin involved in the development of different types of cancers in rats, mice and humans. A growing number of in vitro and in vivo studies has been collected and has described evidence compatible with a role for oxidative stress in OTA toxicity and carcinogenicity. Because the contribution of the oxidative stress response in the development of cancers is well established, a role in OTA carcinogenicity is plausible. Several studies have been performed to try to counteract the adverse effects of oxygen radicals generated under OTA-exposure. A number of molecules with various antioxidant properties were tested, using in vivo or in vitro models. Protection against OTA-induced DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, as well as cytotoxicity were observed, further confirming the link between OTA toxicity and oxidative damage. These studies demonstrated that antioxidants are able to counteract the deleterious effects of chronic consumption or exposure to OTA and confirmed the potential effectiveness of dietary strategies to counteract OTA toxicity.
Xanthos en Lycie : nouvelles données sur la romanisation d'une ancienne cité indigène
Authors: Des Courtils Jacques
Published: October 2013

Like many others Lycian towns, Xanthos is an indigenous city which somehow quickly greets the Greek culture. The Alexander's conquest includes it really in the Greek world. Although it was early allied with Rome, it belonged to an roman province only in the Ist cent. A.D. The recent excavations give new informations to analyse the process of cultural hellenization or romanization. Some phenomena appear more precisely, like the fidelity to the indigenous traditions, but also the readiness to adopt some features of the roman ways. The Xanthos' evolution gives a rather good example of the evolution and the problems which affect a provincial city of Asia Minor, between an glorious past which is gone and a new world, where it's difficult to know his place. The paper mentions also the transition to the proto-byzantine period.
Site-selective growth of surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks on self-assembled monolayer patterns prepared by AFM nanografting
Authors: Ladnorg Tatjana , Welle Alexander , Heißler Stefan , Wöll Christof , Gliemann Hartmut
Published: October 2013

Surface anchored metal-organic frameworks, SURMOFs, are highly porous materials, which can be grown on modified substrates as highly oriented, crystalline coatings by a quasi-epitaxial layer-by-layer method (liquid-phase epitaxy, or LPE). The chemical termination of the supporting substrate is crucial, because the most convenient method for substrate modification is the formation of a suitable self-assembled monolayer. The choice of a particular SAM also allows for control over the orientation of the SURMOF. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the site-selective growth of the SURMOF HKUST-1 on thiol-based self-assembled monolayers patterned by the nanografting technique, with an atomic force microscope as a structuring tool. Two different approaches were applied: The first one is based on 3-mercaptopropionic acid molecules which are grafted in a 1-decanethiolate SAM, which serves as a matrix for this nanolithography. The second approach uses 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid, which is grafted in a matrix of an 1-octadecanethiolate SAM. In both cases a site-selective growth of the SURMOF is observed. In the latter case the roughness of the HKUST-1 is found to be significantly higher than for the 1-mercaptopropionic acid. The successful grafting process was verified by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy. The SURMOF structures grown via LPE were investigated and characterized by atomic force microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared microscopy.
Le silence des armes ou la paix importune
Authors: Roche Jean-Jacques
Published: October 2013

Les guerres sont de moins en moins nombreuses et meurtrières. Ce constat est corroboré par des études statistiques variées et sérieuses. Il s’explique notamment par le rôle pacificateur des États dans l’après-guerre froide. Cependant, les idées reçues sur l’instabilité et la dangerosité du monde ont la vie dure. Pour des raisons différentes, réalistes, libéraux et altermondialistes refusent de voir la réalité en face et perpétuent le stéréotype d’une planète au bord de l’implosion.
God, Providence and the Future of the Social Sciences
Authors: Bigo Vinca
Published: October 2013

Résumé On observe une tendance accrue en science économique à favoriser les méthodes formelles, car elles sont selon certains plus « rigoureuses », et (donc) plus « scientifiques » (Lawson 1997; Fullbrook 2004). Mais cela ne va pas de soi. Cette tendance est plutôt préoccupante, pour plusieurs raisons. En effet, l’attribution a priori d’un statut supérieur à une méthode donnée crée un climat anti intellectuel peu favorable au progrès scientifique. Par ailleurs, l’orientation méthodologique en question se propage auprès des autres sciences sociales. Si les questions de méthodologie, bien que centrales pour le bon avancement de la science, sont trop souvent reléguées au domaine de la philosophie des sciences, ceci est l’occasion de pointer à nouveau leur importance. Dans cet article, je propose d’examiner 1) quelles peuvent être les limites de l’usage des méthodes formelles en sciences sociales, d’après les apports du Réalisme Critique et/ou de la Cambridge School , et 2) l’étendue du phénomène méthodologique en question, tenant compte de sa composante dogmatique. Enfin, j’encourage la communauté scientifique à (re)trouver une démarche réflexive en matière de méthodologie, et à constituer des alliances interdisciplinaires visant à préserver la liberté intellectuelle qui sous tend tout progrès scientifique.