bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety Topics
Authors: Mayday
Published: November 2014

THE formal safety assessment of flying control actuation equipment is both an airworthiness requirement and a most powerful analytical tool for the definition of the equipment architecture and its detail design. A typical safety analysis is undertaken here on Airbus A330/A340 flap actuation gearboxes. These are associated with the trailing edge flap actuation system and Dowty in partnership with Zahnrad Fabrik, design and manufacture a sub‐system within the actuation system, consisting of the torque shafts transmission line, various gear boxes, overload protection devices, and the geared rotary actuators.
In Severe Environments
Authors: Ford Terry
Published: November 2014

HELICOPTER operations in the most demanding climatic conditions necessitate the highest standards of component reliability. Consideration of the problems involved in rotating wing aircraft in such environments was the subject of a Royal Aeronautical Society conference which encompassed a wide range of temperatures and harsh terrains. From the Norwegian Air Force, the difficulties associated with operation in — 26°C in the treeless landscape or Tundra, of the Arctic, were described. For Norway, the main area of interest and responsibility lies in the Arctic islands of Svalbard and the sea areas between Svalbard and the mainland of Norway. Fisheries take place up to 82° latitude, which is something of a record. There are also (Russian) coal mining areas of Svalbard.
Safety Topics
Authors: Mayday
Published: November 2014

A final rule has been issued by the FAA which revises the regulations to require improved access to the Type III emergency exits (typically of the smaller overwing type) in transport category aircraft with 60 or more passenger seats. These changes are the result of tests that were conducted at the FAA's Civil Areomedical Institute (CAMI) and are intended to improve the abililty of occupants to evacuate an aircraft under emergency conditions. They affect air carriers and commercial operaters of transport category aircraft as well as the manufacturers of such aircraft.
Airbus Shock Absorber Bi‐Stable Valve Design
Authors: Smith Tony
Published: November 2014

CLOSE collaboration between Dowty Aerospace Plc and CHAM on the Bi‐stable valve design for the A340 European Airbus main landing gear has enhanced passenger comfort.
Workload Assessment and Aviation Safety
Authors: Ford Terry
Published: November 2014

THIS conference had as its theme the measurement and effect of workload on pilots and air traffic controllers and the consequences for safe air transport operations. Held at the Royal Aeronautical Society, it addressed assessment techniques for workload and their applications to situations worldwide. The delegates included scientists and psychologists from civil and military organisations as well as representatives from regulatory bodies and associations of pilots and air traffic controllers.
An Important Book on Engines
Authors: Farren W.S.
Published: November 2014

Mr. Pye's book sets a high standard for those who are to follow him in this series. It consists of seven chapters and some 250 pages admirably printed on excellent paper. It has an adequate list of references, well arranged tables of relevant physical constants, and a good index. It abounds in numerical illustrations, but has no “examples.” It contains no enigmatic “working drawings.” It sticks to the point, which is to present a logical account of the principles which underlie the design and operation of the internal combustion engine.
MAKING The MOST OF WHAT YOU'VE GOT
Authors: HALL J.G.
Published: November 2014

Most information services start from small beginnings and the extent to which they may be allowed to expand depends largely on the impact which they make in their early stages. Such impact in turn depends upon making the maximum use of those limited resources which are inevitably associated with small beginnings—limited resources in the way of material, equipment, and staff—and the object of this present talk is to provide some indication of the manner in which such limited resources may be exploited to the greatest effect.
The PRODUCTION OF LIBRARY PUBLICATIONS
Authors: PAGE S.B.
Published: November 2014

I am using the word ‘publications’ in a broad sense, to cover the many bits of paper with inscriptions on them which are produced in quantity and distributed to the library's public. Most of them are book lists of one kind or another—subject lists, bibliographies, reading guides, library bulletins and the like—but there are other categories too, such as recruitment material, leaflets on the use of the library, plans of the library, annual reports, and even the miscellaneous forms used by or to the public.
Bowen's disease with features resembling myrmecia wart
Authors: Hsu Chao‐Kai , Chen Yu‐Chia , Yang Wei‐Li , Hsu Keng‐Fu , Chao Sheau‐Chiou , Lee Julia Yu‐Yun
Published: November 2014

We report the clinical and pathological findings of two cases of Bowen's disease (BD) with features resembling myrmecia wart, and tried to find evidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in such lesions by immunohistological staining, genotyping systems, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electron microscopy. Both cases manifested unique barnacle‐like hyperkeratotic nodules or plaques clinically, and microscopically proliferation of atypical keratinocytes involving the entire thickness of the epidermis, hypergranulosis with eosinophilic and/or basophilic inclusion bodies, features that mimicked myrmecia wart. Electron microscopy revealed myrmecia inclusion‐like large intranuclear and cytoplasmic electron‐dense bodies. Immunohistological staining with anti‐HPV antibody, genotyping systems for HPV infection and specific PCR designed to detect HPV‐1 L1 sequences failed to detect evidence of HPV infection. P16INK4a was overexpressed in the atypical keratinocytes of both cases. This finding suggests that the pathogenesis of these two BD may involve certain unknown or undetectable HPV, or reflect disturbances of the Rb signaling pathway unrelated to HPV infection. The unique “myrmecioid” clinicopathological features in our cases suggest that this type of lesion may be a new variant of BD.
Do pathogens limit the distributions of tropical trees across a rainfall gradient?
Authors: Spear Erin R. , Coley Phyllis D. , Kursar Thomas A.
Published: November 2014

Organisms are adapted to particular habitats; consequently, community composition changes across environmental gradients, enhancing regional diversity. In Panama, a rainfall gradient correlates with the spatial turnover of tree species. While strong evidence suggests that tree species common in the wetter forests are excluded from the drier forests by seasonal drought, the factor(s) excluding drought‐tolerant species, common in the drier forests, from the wetter forests remain ambiguous.

Here, we show that seedlings were significantly more likely to suffer pathogen‐caused damage and mortality in the wetter forest. While seedlings of dry‐ and wet‐forest species were equally likely to suffer pathogen attack, seedlings of dry‐forest species were significantly more likely to die when attacked and tended to suffer more pathogen‐caused mortality overall. Furthermore, seedlings of dry‐forest species suffered pathogen‐caused mortality in the forest in which they do not naturally occur and in which conspecific and/or congeneric adults are absent or rare, indicating that some pathogens are relatively widespread and/or are capable of damaging multiple host species.

Synthesis. Elevated risk of pathogen‐caused damage and mortality in the wetter forests and a greater impact to host fitness from pathogen attack for seedlings of dry‐forest species suggest that pathogens may enhance regional forest diversity by contributing to changes in tree species composition via the exclusion of dry‐forest tree species from the wetter forests. This study highlights a potentially widespread and under explored mechanism by which pathogens shape plant communities at the landscape scale. An understanding of how species’ distributions are shaped by the interplay between abiotic and biotic factors is essential for conservation biology.
Retinal‐binding proteins mirror prokaryotic dynamics in multipond solar salterns
Authors: Gomariz María , Martínez‐García Manuel , Santos Fernando , Constantino Marco , Meseguer Inmaculada , Antón Josefa
Published: November 2014

Microbial opsin (i.e. retinal‐binding protein) dynamics has been studied along a salinity gradient in Santa Pola solar salterns (Alicante, Spain) by using culture‐independent approaches and statistical analyses. Five ponds of salinities ranging from 18% to above 40% were sampled nine times along a year. Forty‐three opsin‐like sequences were retrieved by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clustered into 18 different phylogroups, indicating that their diversity was higher than expected according to previous data. Moreover, the statistical correlation between environmental factors controlling microbial community structure and dynamics of environmental rhodopsin proteins indicated almost identical temporal fluctuations between the opsin‐related sequences and their corresponding putative ‘producers’ in nature. Although most sequences were related to others previously detected in hypersaline environments, some pond‐specific opsins putatively belonged to previously uncharacterized hosts. Furthermore, we propose that subtle changes in the bacteriorhodopsin ‘retinal proton binding pocket’, which is key in the photocycle function, could be the molecular basis behind a fine ‘photocycle‐tuning’ mechanism to avoid inter/intraspecies light‐competition in hypersaline environments.
Ink Dating Using Thermal Desorption and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry: Comparison of Results Obtained in Two Laboratories
Authors: Koenig Agnès , Bügler Jürgen , Kirsch Dieter , Köhler Fritz , Weyermann Céline
Published: November 2014

An ink dating method based on solvent analysis was recently developed using thermal desorption followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and is currently implemented in several forensic laboratories. The main aims of this work were to implement this method in a new laboratory to evaluate whether results were comparable at three levels: (i) validation criteria, (ii) aging curves, and (iii) results interpretation. While the results were indeed comparable in terms of validation, the method proved to be very sensitive to maintenances. Moreover, the aging curves were influenced by ink composition, as well as storage conditions (particularly when the samples were not stored in “normal” room conditions). Finally, as current interpretation models showed limitations, an alternative model based on slope calculation was proposed. However, in the future, a probabilistic approach may represent a better solution to deal with ink sample inhomogeneity.
A Perfect Storm? Reimagining Work in the Era of the End of the Job
Authors: CEFKIN MELISSA , ANYA OBINNA , MOORE ROBERT
Published: November 2014

Trends of independent workers, an economy of increasingly automated processes and an ethos of the peer‐to‐peer “sharing economy” are all coming together to transform work and employment as we know them. Emerging forms of “open” and “crowd” work are particularly keen sites for investigating how the structures and experiences of work, employment and organizations are changing. Drawing on research and design of work in organizational contexts, this paper explores how experiences with open and crowd work systems serve as sites of workplace cultural re‐imagining. A marketplace, a crowdwork system and a crowdfunding experiment, all implemented within IBM, are examined as instances of new workplace configurations.
Manufacturing Expertise for the People: The Open‐Source Hardware Movement in Japan
Authors: KREBS MATT
Published: November 2014

Manufacturing itself is changing as open‐source sentiment grows with the “maker” movement, especially in FabLabs around the world. “Makers” are open‐source hardware enthusiasts who want anyone to be able to make almost anything. This ethnographic research, conducted in 2013, centers on the “makers” in FabLabs in Japan. The research addresses cultural coherence among actors – human and machine – in these FabLabs, and changing notions of expertise enabled by open‐source, DIY manufacturing practices. Are modern machines like 3D printers changing manufacturing? Will they change the world?
Corporate Care Reimagined: Farms to Firms to Families
Authors: ENGLISH‐LUECK J.A. , AVERY MIRIAM LUECK
Published: November 2014

In 2012, the Google Innovation Lab for Food Experiences convened a multi‐year conversation between corporate food stakeholders, farmers, chefs, food experts, social scientists and business consultants to reimagine the impact of companies on their employees and the food system. Corporate care increasingly includes food. Food origins and preparations create impacts well beyond the corporate cafe, reaching into fields and families. In the project, Farms to Firms to Families, university‐based anthropologists joined with the Institute for the Future to develop a Northern Californian case study on the implications of corporate care across the food system. Ethnographic observations and interviews of people in that system yielded a portrait of cultural values, schema for social change, and diverse practices. We then transformed ethnographic observations into alternative future scenarios, which could help participants in the Google Innovation Lab for Food Experiences, as well as a wider community of food thinkers, identify the impacts of their decisions and actions on the future.
China Over/Under: Exploring Urban China's Informal Markets
Authors: HYMAN ZACH
Published: November 2014

China's political and industrial leaders are striving to transform the most populous country in the world from the 20th century's “global workshop” into the 21st century's “global innovator”. In sharp contrast to these lofty ambitions, each day a force of 260 million migrant laborers (equal to the population of the world's ten largest cities combined) struggles simply to put food on the table while still having enough income to save or send home to their families. When work becomes too scarce, however, one of the only options left is to take to the streets to try and sell whatever and wherever possible. This is a visual journey through how an illegal street market in 21st century China looks, sounds, and feels, where listeners will meet some of the people that rely upon them for survival and come to understand the forces that threaten their existence.
Everyone's Trash: Recycling in China
Authors: STEVENS MOLLY
Published: November 2014

Are we really connected to the steps and act of recycling and reuse? Is the modern American vision for recycling too clean and removed from the reality of our waste? Images are a series of observations about a single example of community, value‐based recycling from Shanghai. The images challenge us to reflect on what we can learn from other approaches.
Service Designing the City
Authors: RADYWYL NATALIA
Published: November 2014

From cataclysmic recessions to unprecedented climate disasters, our cities seem awash with unintended consequences borne of complex times. While city administrations grapple with developing systemic supports, our infrastructure, communities and individual wellbeing are increasingly succumbing to the strain. This paper examines a practice gaining recent traction for improving our cities' sustainable resilience: service design. As an inherently user‐centered, reflexive and iterative practice, it develops service systems by drawing upon a range of disciplinary roles – from makers to strategists, and ethnographers to technologists. I examine three New York City‐based case studies which each attempt to improve the services its residents use and need. While responding to the complex needs of the same city, these case studies illustrate the vastly different possibilities for improving broken civic services through institutional intervention: housing in civic service design, mobility in private sector service design, and online access, in what I term ‘generative’, community‐based service design.
Place and Small Businesses: Reflections on Ethnographic Research in and on Place
Authors: KAPLAN JOSH
Published: November 2014

This paper examines the often taken‐for‐granted role of ‘place’ and geography (cities, neighborhoods) in business ethnography, using research on small business as a case‐in‐point. Most studies of small businesses tend to focus directly on businesses themselves, eliding from consideration the social and physical environment in which they are situated. Yet especially for businesses that operate in an actual physical location, place infuses all they do: how they organize their operations, what they care about, the way they are perceived by customers and potential customers, the reputations they develop, where they cluster, and the kind of communication they engage in.
The Model of Change: A Way to Understand the How and Why of Change
Authors: ENTWISTLE JOHANNE MOSE , RASMUSSEN MIA KRUSE
Published: November 2014

Developing sustainable solutions within the energy sector requires a holistic, interdisciplinary approach. Interdisciplinary partnerships need common frameworks that enable dialogue and knowledge exchange between different perspectives. In this paper we present ‘The Model of Change’ as a framework for designing and evaluating different efforts in innovation projects. By insisting that effects of solutions have to be understood as a complex interplay of context, preconditions, perception, and interaction, The Model of Change becomes a tool to help us bring nuance to the simplistic cause‐effect view that often dominates energy research. This type of contextual knowledge is essential to reproduce successes, improve failures and develop sustainable solutions that work.
Quotidian Ritual and Work‐Life Balance: An Ethnography of Not Being There
Authors: BICHARD JO‐ANNE , YURMAN PAULINA , KIRK DAVID , CHATTING DAVID
Published: November 2014

This paper reports on current interdisciplinary design research that explores values held by individuals in their performance of everyday or ‘quotidian’ rituals in family life. The work is focused on mobile workers who may be away from home and family for extended and/or regular periods of time. During the course of the research, a key hurdle that has arisen has revolved around gaining access to families for the purpose of conducting traditional ethnographic studies. For many mobile workers who are separated from the family on a regular basis, the idea of having an ethnographic researcher present during what becomes very limited and therefore sacrosanct family time has proved difficult to negotiate. Therefore the design researchers have had to develop more designerly means of engagement with ‘the field site’ through a series of design interventions that effectively provide forms of ethnographic data when both the researcher and the researched are away from the field site, namely the family home.
Saving Journalism from Churnalism
Authors: BATY GORDON
Published: November 2014

In keeping pace with online trends, news is being churned out to meet quota and to satisfy website metrics. When putting out content becomes more important than it's quality and value for the local community, it's called Churnalism. Fortunately, ethnographic research reveals an alternative path. It tells us that news outlets hold a special place in the community due to their heritage and trusted position. Being relevant and valuable isn't just about reporting news but being champions of passion topics and community matters. Journalism plays a part in the vibrant relationship people have with their city. Enroll local news people in ethnography and an innovation process means they can not only tap the epic stories of their city but also try out possibilities for them to break out of their traditional role.
Transforming a Financial Institution: The Value of UX Professionals
Authors: O'LOUGHLIN ERIN , TAHA GINA LUCIA , VISCIOLA MICHELE
Published: November 2014

Application of a user‐centered approach rooted in ethnographic methodologies facilitates a major European bank's transition to a business strategy based on understanding people's needs, behaviors, values and motivations. Three UX case studies conducted over three years illustrate our educator, moderator, partner framework for collaborating with large enterprises in flux.
Valuable Connections: Design Anthropology and Co‐creation in Digital Innovation
Authors: KJÆRSGAARD METTE GISLEV , SMITH RACHEL CHARLOTTE
Published: November 2014

This paper explores challenges and potentials for innovation and co‐creation within an increasingly interconnected and digitalized world, and its affect on ethnographic practices within the field of design and business development. Our discussion is based on material from an interdisciplinary research and design project with a leading computer game developer, exploring opportunities of involving online gaming communities in innovation processes and product development. Based on our case, we argue that in a world with increasingly blurred boundaries between physical, digital and hybrid contexts, as well as design, production and use, we might need to rethink the role of ethnography within user centred design and business development. Here the challenge is less about “getting closer” to user needs and real‐life contexts, through familiarization, mediation, and facilitation, and more about creating a critical theoretically informed distance from which to perceive and reflect upon complex interconnections between people, technology, business and design, as well as our roles as researchers and designers within these.
Iterating an Innovation Model: Challenges and Opportunities in Adapting Accelerator Practices in Evolving Ecosystems
Authors: HAINES JULIA KATHERINE
Published: November 2014

Startup accelerators have expanded worldwide in recent years, fostering the development of technology startups and spreading Lean practices and Silicon Valley values to all corners of the globe. These accelerators clearly create value—for the teams whose development they foster, the products they create, and the larger ecosystems they build. But there are also a number of challenges arising from the model and how it is implemented in different contexts globally. Through fieldwork at accelerators in Singapore and Buenos Aires, I investigate the global expansion of this innovation model. In this paper, I discuss the most salient challenges and discuss potential opportunities emerging from these challenges, and how other methods and practices such as design thinking, intensive user research and flexible, bottom up‐approaches can add value to the accelerator process. I also highlight mutually beneficial ways the EPIC community can become more involved in startups ecosystems.
Changes of Flavor Compounds of Hydrolyzed Chicken Bone Extracts during Maillard Reaction
Authors: Sun Hong‐Mei , Wang Jin‐Zhi , Zhang Chun‐Hui , Li Xia , Xu Xiong , Dong Xian‐Bing , Hu Li , Li Chun‐Hong
Published: November 2014

Flavor quality, including non‐volatile and volatile compounds, of hydrolyzed chicken bone extracts (HCBE) during Maillard reaction (MR) was evaluated with HPLC, tasting sensory system, Electronic‐Nose (E‐nose), and GC‐MS. Results showed that flavor amino acids (AA) accounted for 72% to 74% of total free AA in HCBE. Taste of umami increased first and then decreased during MR, while equivalent umami concentration remained at a stable level. Results of taste sensing system and bitter AA showed that MR could reduce the bitter taste of HCBE significantly. E‐Nose test showed there are great changes of volatile flavor during MR. And total of 59 volatile compounds were identified in HCBE during MR, which should responsible for the increase of flavor in HCBE. Our results indicated that MR could be used as an effective way to change the flavor compounds in HCBE, and therefore provide a strategy for preparation of meaty flavor enhancer from bone residue as a byproduct of meat industry.
Predictors of outcome after surgery for gastric cancer in a Western cohort
Authors: Pattison Sharon , Mann G. Bruce , Crosthwaite Gary , Lade Stephen , Mitchell Catherine , Leong Trevor , Busuttil Rita A. , Boussioutas Alex
Published: November 2014

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cause of cancer mortality. There are well‐documented prognostic factors for GC but these have not been rigorously examined in an Australian context. This study examines the clinical, surgical and histopathological variables associated with survival in a GC cohort from a predominantly Caucasian‐based population.

Methods

A multi‐centre cohort of patients undergoing curative resection for GC enrolled in an ongoing tissue bank study from 1999 to 2009 was retrospectively analysed. Prospectively collected demographic, surgical and pathological variables were available for this cohort. The primary endpoints investigated were cancer‐specific survival and recurrence‐free survival using multivariate Cox proportional hazard modelling.

Results

Five‐year cancer‐specific survival was 45.9%, 5‐year relapse‐free survival was 44.7% and 30‐day mortality was 2.2%. Variables showing significance on multivariate analysis for cancer‐specific and relapse‐free survival were AJCC stage, Lauren classification and age at surgery.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the prognostic variables for a predominantly Caucasian GC population are congruent with published prognostic features. These findings emphasize the importance of the pathological review in allocating prognosis in GC.
Supporting Focus and Context Awareness in 3D Modelling Tasks Using Multi‐Layered Displays
Authors: Masoodian M. , Yusof A. b. Mohd , Rogers B.
Published: November 2014

Most 3D modelling software have been developed for conventional 2D displays, and as such, lack support for true depth perception. This contributes to making polygonal 3D modelling tasks challenging, particularly when models are complex and consist of a large number of overlapping components (e.g. vertices, edges) and objects (i.e. parts). Research has shown that users of 3D modelling software often encounter a range of difficulties, which collectively can be defined as focus and context awareness problems. These include maintaining position and orientation awarenesses, as well as recognizing distance between individual components and objects in 3D spaces. In this paper, we present five visualization and interaction techniques we have developed for multi‐layered displays, to better support focus and context awareness in 3D modelling tasks. The results of a user study we conducted shows that three of these five techniques improve users' 3D modelling task performance.
Epigenetics in the Pathogenesis of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Kailasam Aparna , Mittal Sumeet K. , Agrawal Devendra K.
Published: November 2014

Epigenetic influences, such as DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and up‐regulation/down‐regulation of genes by microRNAs, change the genetic makeup of an individual without affecting DNA base‐pair sequences. Indeed, epigenetic changes play an integral role in the progression from normal esophageal mucosa to Barrett's esophagus to esophageal adenocarcinoma via dysplasia–metaplasia–neoplasia sequence. Many genes involved in esophageal adenocarcinoma display hypermethylation, leading to their down‐regulation. The classes of these genes include cell cycle control, DNA and growth factor repair, tumor suppressors, antimetastasis, Wnt‐related genes, and proapoptotic genes. Histone acetylation in the pathophysiology of esophageal diseases has not been thoroughly investigated, and its critical role in the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma is less defined. Many microRNAs have been associated with the development of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Here, we critically addressed the specific steps most closely influenced by microRNAs in the progression from Barrett's esophagus to esophageal adenocarcinoma. However, microRNAs can target up to hundreds of genes, making it difficult to correlate directly with a given phenotype of the disease. Esophageal adenocarcinoma progressing from premalignant condition of Barrett's esophagus carries an extremely poor prognosis. Risk stratification for patients based on their epigenetic profiles may be useful in providing more targeted and directed treatment to patients.
Integrating external evidence of intervention effectiveness with both practice and the parent perspective: development of ‘What Works’ for speech, language, and communication needs
Authors: Law James , Roulstone Susan , Lindsay Geoff
Published: November 2014

Aim

The aim of the study was to develop an ecologically valid synthesis of the evidence underpinning interventions for children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN), integrating a range of different data sources.

Method

Three sources of information were integrated: the Cochrane Review of interventions for children with primary speech and language delays/disorder; current practice from an online survey of 534 speech and language therapists and other professionals working with children with SLCN; and parent reports of preferred outcomes. Evidence was ranked as strong, moderate, or indicative.

Results

Of the 58 interventions identified, three (5%) were found to have a strong level of evidence, 32 (56%) had moderate evidence, and 23 (39%) had indicative evidence. Five were universal interventions, the remainder targeted and universal. The integrated findings were then turned into an online interactive database, which is moderated and updated at regular intervals.

Interpretation

There are a number of interventions that have a moderate or strong level of evidence underpinning them but they tend not to be those used by practitioners who often favour well‐established familiar programmes even if they have only indicative evidence. There is a degree of complementarity between professional and parent views about outcomes, albeit with different emphases.
Insulin degludec improves long‐term glycaemic control similarly to insulin glargine but with fewer hypoglycaemic episodes in patients with advanced type 2 diabetes on basal‐bolus insulin therapy
Authors: Hollander P. , King A. B. , Del Prato S. , Sreenan S. , Balci M. K. , Muñoz‐Torres M. , Rosenstock J. , Hansen C. T. , Niemeyer M. , Garber A. J.
Published: November 2014

The aim of the present study was to compare the long‐term safety and efficacy of insulin degludec with those of insulin glargine in patients with advanced type 2 diabetes (T2D) over 78 weeks (the 52‐week main trial and a 26‐week extension). Patients were randomized to once‐daily insulin degludec or insulin glargine, with mealtime insulin aspart ± metformin ± pioglitazone, and titrated to pre‐breakfast plasma glucose values of 3.9–4.9 mmol/l (70–88 mg/dl). After 78 weeks, the overall rate of hypoglycaemia was 24% lower (p = 0.011) and the rate of nocturnal hypoglycaemia was 31% lower (p = 0.016) with insulin degludec in the extension trial set, while both groups of patients achieved similar glycaemic control. Rates of adverse events and total insulin doses were similar for both groups in the safety analysis set. During 18 months of treatment, insulin degludec + mealtime insulin aspart ± oral antidiabetic drugs in patients with T2D improves glycaemic control similarly, but confers lower risks of overall and nocturnal hypoglycaemia than with insulin glargine treatment.
Parkinson's disease incidence and prevalence assessment in France using the national healthcare insurance database
Authors: Blin P. , Dureau‐Pournin C. , Foubert‐Samier A. , Grolleau A. , Corbillon E. , Jové J. , Lassalle R. , Robinson P. , Poutignat N. , Droz‐Perroteau C. , Moore N.
Published: November 2014

Background and purpose

The incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease are important for public health planning yet there is a lack of representative, up‐to‐date estimations for France.

Methods

For this cross‐sectional study, subjects with suspected Parkinson's were identified in the EGB database, a 1/97 random sample of the national healthcare insurance database, linked to the national hospital‐discharge summary database. Incidence and prevalence were estimated using a specific definition that included those with a diagnosis (hospitalization or listed as a long‐term chronic disease for full reimbursement) and a sensitive definition that also included those with an indicative drug reimbursement profile. Estimations were extrapolated to the national population, standardizing on age and gender.

Results

According to either the specific or the sensitive definitions, the annual incidence of Parkinson's disease during the study period was respectively 36 and 49 per 100 000 person‐years and prevalence in 2010 was 308–410 per 100 000 persons in the population as a whole. According to the age groups 55–64, 65–74, 75–84 and ≥85 years incidence was respectively 33–46, 139–172, 301–363 and 442–560 per 100 000 person‐years amongst men and 32–55, 81–117, 203–270 and 251–313 per 100 000 person‐years amongst women. The 2010 prevalence stratified by the same age groups was 293–376, 898–1161, 2524–3011 and 3760–4578 per 100 000 persons amongst men and 199–351, 618–889, 1910–2433 and 2504–3263 per 100 000 persons amongst women.

Conclusions

The specific and sensitive definitions of disease bracket the true values; the relatively small range indicates that the current study provides good estimations of incidence and prevalence of Parkinson's disease for recent years in France.
Dietary deficiencies of unsaturated fatty acids and starch cause atopic dermatitis‐like pruritus in hairless mice
Authors: Fujii Masanori , Shimazaki Yuki , Muto Yoshiko , Kohno Shigekatsu , Ohya Susumu , Nabe Takeshi
Published: November 2014

Hairless mice fed with a special diet (named HR‐AD) show atopic dermatitis (AD)‐like pruritic skin inflammation that is almost completely resolved with the supplementation of an unsaturated fatty acid (UFA), the linoleic acid (LA). This suggests that the dietary deficiency of LA is the key cause of this dermatitis. However, because there is no appropriate control diet for HR‐AD, the involvement of other dietary ingredients cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, it has not yet been tested whether only UFA deficiency can cause such AD‐like pruritus. In this study, using semi‐purified custom diets, we attempted to reproduce this syndrome. Four‐week‐old hairless mice were maintained on a widely used standard diet American Institute of Nutrition‐76A (AIN‐76A), its modifications, or HR‐AD. Several modifications of fat and carbohydrate components revealed that dietary deficiency of both UFAs and cornstarch was required to induce severe skin barrier dysfunction as typically occurred in HR‐AD‐fed mice. An UFA‐ and cornstarch‐deficient diet caused severe AD‐like pruritus comparable to HR‐AD, despite weak Th2 immune responses and absence of immunoglobulin E production. On the other hand, a diet lacking UFAs but containing cornstarch significantly alleviated the development of pruritic dermatitis. Furthermore, the supplementation of wheat starch similarly improved skin barrier function. In conclusion, this study showed that a lack of certain starches might also be the cause of diet‐induced AD. Our findings could help to reproduce the diet‐induced AD itch model and also provide evidence that certain starches can have protective and ameliorative effects on AD‐like pruritus.
Factors affecting fall down rates of dead aspen (Populus tremuloides) biomass following severe drought in west‐central Canada
Authors: (Ted) Hogg Edward H. , Michaelian Michael
Published: November 2014

Increases in mortality of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) have been recorded across large areas of western North America following recent periods of exceptionally severe drought. The resultant increase in standing, dead tree biomass represents a significant potential source of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, but the timing of emissions is partially driven by dead‐wood dynamics which include the fall down and breakage of dead aspen stems. The rate at which dead trees fall to the ground also strongly influences the period over which forest dieback episodes can be detected by aerial surveys or satellite remote sensing observations. Over a 12‐year period (2000–2012), we monitored the annual status of 1010 aspen trees that died during and following a severe regional drought within 25 study areas across west‐central Canada. Observations of stem fall down and breakage (snapping) were used to estimate woody biomass transfer from standing to downed dead wood as a function of years since tree death. For the region as a whole, we estimated that >80% of standing dead aspen biomass had fallen after 10 years. Overall, the rate of fall down was minimal during the year following stem death, but thereafter fall rates followed a negative exponential equation with k = 0.20 per year. However, there was high between‐site variation in the rate of fall down (k = 0.08–0.37 per year). The analysis showed that fall down rates were positively correlated with stand age, site windiness, and the incidence of decay fungi (Phellinus tremulae (Bond.) Bond. and Boris.) and wood‐boring insects. These factors are thus likely to influence the rate of carbon emissions from dead trees following periods of climate‐related forest die‐off episodes.
Systematic review comparing the safety and efficacy of conventional and drug‐eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization for inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xie Zhi‐Bo , Wang Xiao‐Bo , Peng Yu‐Chong , Zhu Shao‐Liang , Ma Liang , Xiang Bang‐De , Gong Wen‐Feng , Chen Jie , You Xue‐Mei , Jiang Jing‐Hang , Li Le‐Qun , Zhong Jian‐Hong
Published: November 2014

Aim

Conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) is widely used for treating patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A variation on the technique based on drug‐eluting beads (DEB‐TACE) has recently entered the clinic, but trials of its safety and efficacy have given conflicting results. This systematic review aimed to gain a current, comprehensive picture of how DEB‐TACE compares with cTACE.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database and clinical trial registries were searched through June 2014. Risk ratios (RR), hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

Results

The analysis included four randomized controlled trials, one uncontrolled prospective study and one prospective case–control study, altogether involving 652 patients. Overall survival benefit was similar between cTACE and DEB‐TACE patients (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.82–1.40, P = 0.875). However, DEB‐TACE was associated with a significantly higher objective tumor response rate (RR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.01–1.29, P = 0.03) and a slightly lower incidence of adverse events.

Conclusion

Though the available evidence suggests that although DEB‐TACE is associated with better tumor response and potentially fewer adverse events, it does not provide greater survival benefit than cTACE. These results need to be validated in high‐quality trials with large sample size.
PLA2G2A overexpression is associated with poor therapeutic response and inferior outcome in rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy
Authors: He Hong‐Lin , Lee Ying‐En , Shiue Yow‐Ling , Lee Sung‐Wei , Lin Li‐Ching , Chen Tzu‐Ju , Wu Ting‐Feng , Li Chien‐Feng
Published: November 2014

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of group IIA phospholipase A2 (PLA2G2A) expression and its role in predicting the response to neoadjuvant concurrent cheomoradiotherapy (CCRT) in rectal cancer.

Methods and results

Through analysing a public transcriptome of rectal cancers, the PLA2G2A gene was identified as a significant predictor for CCRT response. We validated the expression of PLA2G2A using immunohistochemistry in the pretreatment tumour specimens from 172 patients with rectal cancer. The results were correlated with clinicopathological features, tumour regression grade, overall survival (OS), disease‐free survival (DFS) and local recurrence‐free survival (LRFS). High expression of PLA2G2A was associated with advanced pretreatment tumour status (P = 0.001), advanced pretreatment nodal status (P = 0.010), advanced post‐treatment tumour status (P = 0.002) and lower tumour regression grade (P = 0.006). Furthermore, PLA2G2A expression was correlated negatively with gamma H2A histone family, member X (γ‐H2AX) expression (P < 0.001, r = −0.580). More importantly, high expression of PLA2G2A emerged as an adverse prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.0190), DFS (P < 0.0001) and LRFS (P < 0.0001). In multivariate analysis, it remained independently prognostic for shorter DFS (P = 0.014) and LRFS (P = 0.012).

Conclusions

High expression of PLA2G2A was associated with poor therapeutic response and worse survival in patients with rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant CCRT, justifying PLA2G2A as an important marker to predict CCRT response and outcome.
Is open access sufficient? A review of the quality of open‐access nursing journals
Authors: Crowe Marie , Carlyle Dave
Published: November 2014

The present study aims to review the quality of open‐access nursing journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals that published papers in 2013 with a nursing focus, written in English, and were freely accessible. Each journal was reviewed in relation to their publisher, year of commencement, number of papers published in 2013, fee for publication, indexing, impact factor, and evidence of requirements for ethics and disclosure statements. The quality of the journals was assessed by impact factors and the requirements for indexing in PubMed. A total of 552 were published in 2013 in the 19 open‐access nursing journals that met the inclusion criteria. No journals had impact factors listed in Web of Knowledge, but three had low Scopus impact factors. Only five journals were indexed with PubMed. The quality of the 19 journals included in the review was evaluated as inferior to most subscription‐fee journals. Mental health nursing has some responsibility to the general public, and in particular, consumers of mental health services and their families, for the quality of papers published in open‐access journals. The way forward might involve dual‐platform publication or a process that enables assessment of how research has improved clinical outcomes.
The Effects of Annealing Atmosphere on the Electrical Properties of MgNb2O6/ITO Heterostructures
Authors: Ho Yi‐Da , Chen Kung‐Rong , Yu Pei‐Ching , Huang Cheng‐Liang
Published: November 2014

The effects of annealing atmosphere (N2, air and O2) on the electrical properties of sol–gel‐derived MgNb2O6/ITO heterostructures are discussed in this work. All samples exhibited the amorphous phase and were highly transparent. The percentage of Nb4+ content increased when the films were annealed in the oxygen‐deficient conditions, which could lead to semiconducting films. In addition, the results show that the electrical properties of sol–gel‐derived MgNb2O6 thin films could be tuned based on the annealing atmosphere. Moreover, the conduction mechanisms of MgNb2O6/ITO heterostructures are also discussed in this study. The results show that MgNb2O6 thin films have potential for use in multifunctional optoelectronic applications, due to their flexible electrical properties and good transparency.
SNP rs7770370 in HLA‐DPB1 loci as a major genetic determinant of response to booster hepatitis B vaccination: Results of a genome‐wide association study
Authors: Wu Tzu‐Wei , Chen Chuen‐Fei , Lai Sheng‐Kai , Lin Hans Hsienhong , Chu Chen‐Chung , Wang Li‐Yu
Published: November 2014

Background and Aim

Hepatitis B (HB) vaccination is highly effective in reducing the risk of hepatitis B virus infection. However, breakthrough and chronic hepatitis B virus infections in vaccinated subjects raised concern about its long‐term efficacy. The specific aim of the study was to explore the host genetic determinants of long‐term immunological memory against HB vaccination.

Methods

We conducted a case–control study nested in a cohort of HB booster recipients who had received primary HB vaccination during infancy but failed to reside an anti‐HBs titers ≥ 10 mIU/mL at the age of 15–18 years. We used a genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array plate to scan autosomal chromosomes and assayed the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DPB1 genotype by sequence‐based techniques.

Results

We found that 10 of the 112 candidate SNPs (P‐value < 5.0 × 10−5) clustered within a 47‐Kb region of the HLA‐DP loci. All the minor alleles of these HLA‐DP candidate SNPs were correlated with lower likelihoods of nonresponse to HB vaccine. There was a significant linkage disequilibrium between these HLA‐DP candidate SNPs and HLA‐DPB1 protective alleles. Multivariate analyses showed that rs7770370 was the most significant genetic factor. As compared with rs7770370 GG homozygotes, adjusted odds ratios were 0.524 (95% confidence interval, 0.276–0.993) and 0.095 (95% confidence interval, 0.030–0.307) for AG heterozygotes and AA homozygotes, respectively.

Conclusion

Our results showed that rs7770370 was the most significant genetic factor of response to HB booster. The rs7770370 and nearby SNPs may also contribute to the long‐term immunological memory against HB vaccination.
Retrospective and comparative study of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the liver
Authors: Yang Xiaobo , Miao Ruoyu , Yang Huayu , Chi Tianyi , Jiang Chao , Wan Xueshuai , Xu Yiyao , Xu Haifeng , Du Shunda , Lu Xin , Mao Yilei , Zhong Shouxian , Zhao Haitao , Sang Xinting
Published: November 2014

Background and Aim

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the liver (IMTL) is a very rare benign disease with a good prognosis. The study aims to determine the clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics of IMTL. The diagnosis and treatment strategies were discussed.

Methods

A total of 11 patients with pathologically confirmed IMTL receiving treatment over a 15‐year period were reviewed retrospectively. The analysis included demographics information and pertinent clinical data. Results obtained from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC), and metastatic liver cancer (MLC) receiving surgical resection were compared.

Results

In comparison to HCC, IHCC, and MLC, IMTL has an earlier onset (P < 0.001). IMTL patients had significantly lower aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.003) and higher alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.034) than HCC patients, and higher gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (P = 0.010) than MLC patients. Increased serum α‐fetoprotein level was detected in only one patient. Serum α‐fetoprotein was significantly lower in patients with IMTL (P = 0.000) than in those with HCC but not IHCC (P = 0.558) or MLC (P = 0.514). In contrast to elevated serum CA19‐9 in patients with HCC/IHCC/MLC, the serum CA19‐9 in IMTL cases was generally normal (vs HCC P = 0.008; vs IHCC P = 0.000; vs MLC P = 0.022). In nine IMTL patients, the tumor appeared as a hypoechogenic solid mass on the ultrasonography. In contrast, most patients with HCC, IHCC, or MLC showed hybrid echo. In contrast computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the lesion of IMTL and MLC appeared as peripheral enhancement.

Conclusion

Lab tests, imaging features, and patient history are helpful in the differential diagnosis of IMTL from HCC/IHCC/MLC. Surgical resection is curative for IMTL.