bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The manufacturing process should remain the focus for severe febrile reactions in children administered an Australian inactivated influenza vaccine during 2010
Authors: Li‐Kim‐Moy Jean , Booy Robert
Published: August 2015

Influenza vaccine safety is an ongoing issue. In 2010, inactivated trivalent influenza vaccines (TIVs), Fluvax® and Fluvax Junior® manufactured by CSL Biotherapies (‘CSL’), Parkville, Australia, were associated with a marked increase in febrile seizures (FS) in children <5 years old. Extensive investigations initially failed to identify a root cause. The company's researchers recently published two papers outlining their latest findings. Cytokine responses to TIV were measured in paediatric whole blood assays (WBA); NF‐κB activation was assessed using a HEK293 cell line reporter assay. CSL suggest that the combination of new influenza strains (H1N1 A/California/7/2009 and B/Brisbane/60/2008), increased complexes of viral RNA and lipid in the vaccine, and inherent sensitivities of some children <5 years old caused elevated inflammatory responses resulting in FS. Whilst the papers provide insight into pathogenesis, much remains unclear. The WBA were from only 10 ‘healthy’ children, potentially affecting generalisability of the results and reliability of these in vitro tests in assessing future influenza vaccine safety. Increased fever rates (without FS) found in CSL TIV studies between 2005 and 2010 suggest a long‐standing contribution to reactogenicity from the manufacturing process. More detailed comparisons with non‐CSL vaccines would have helped elucidate the relative contribution of patient/strain factors and the manufacturing process. The focus remains on manufacturing process differences as the key causative factor of elevated febrile responses. Studies underway, of modified vaccines in young children, will determine whether reactogenicity issues have been successfully addressed and whether CSL TIV can be relicensed in children <5 years of age.
Implementation in International Business Self‐regulation: The Importance of Sequences and their Linkages
Authors: Porter Tony , Ronit Karsten
Published: August 2015

Self‐regulation by business is increasingly common internationally, but the effective implementation of international rules often continues to be seen as something that only states can carry out. We argue that more exclusively private forms of effective implementation can be constructed in self‐regulation. Drawing on research in private international law, public policy implementation and self‐regulation, we identify four distinct implementation sequences: monitoring, compliance, adjudication, and sanctioning. These sequences are sometimes constituted in response to deliberate integrated plans, but also come together in a decentralized manner. Many international business actors devise ways to carry out the sequences in order to implement rules that are important for them, reflecting a functional logic of implementation that is creative and pragmatic, and together constitute an important stage in the policy process of self‐regulation.
Optical Thermometry Based on Up‐Conversion Luminescence Behavior of Er3+ ‐Doped Transparent Sr2YbF7 Glass‐Ceramics
Authors: Li XiaoMan , Cao JiangKun , Wei YunLe , Yang ZhiRong , Guo Hai
Published: August 2015

Transparent novel glass‐ceramics containing Sr2YbF7:Er3+ nanocrystals were successfully fabricated by melt‐quenching technique. Their structural and up‐conversion luminescent properties were systemically investigated by XRD, HRTEM, and a series of spectroscopy methods. The temperature‐dependent up‐conversion spectra prove that 2H11/2 and 4S3/2 levels of Er3+ are thermally coupled energy levels (TCEL). Consequently, the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 emissions of Er3+ in Sr2YbF7:Er3+ glass‐ceramics can be used as optical thermometry based on fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique. Combined with low phonon energy and high thermal stability, Er3+ ions in Sr2YbF7 glass‐ceramics present broad operating temperature range (300–500 K), large energy gap of TCEL (786 cm−1) and high theoretical maximum value of relative sensitivity (62.14 × 10−4 K−1 at 560 K), which suggests that Sr2YbF7:Er3+ glass‐ceramics may be excellent candidates for optical temperature sensors.
Participants’ views of telephone interviews within a grounded theory study
Authors: Ward Kim , Gott Merryn , Hoare Karen
Published: August 2015

Aim

To offer a unique contribution to the evolving debate around the use of the telephone during semistructured interview by drawing on interviewees’ reflections on telephone interview during a grounded theory study.

Background

The accepted norm for qualitative interviews is to conduct them face‐to‐face. It is typical to consider collecting qualitative data via telephone only when face‐to‐face interview is not possible. During a grounded theory study, exploring users’ experiences with overnight mask ventilation for sleep apnoea, the authors selected the telephone to conduct interviews. This article reports participants’ views on semistructured interview by telephone.

Design

An inductive thematic analysis was conducted on data pertaining to the use of the telephone interview in a grounded theory study.

Methods

The data were collected during 4 months of 2011 and 6 months in 2014. The article presents an inductive thematic analysis of sixteen participants’ opinions about telephone interviewing and discusses these in relation to existing literature reporting the use of telephone interviews in grounded theory studies.

Findings

Overall, participants reported a positive experience of telephone interviewing. From each participants reports we identified four themes from the data: being ‘phone savvy; concentrating on voice instead of your face; easy rapport; and not being judged or feeling inhibited.

Conclusion

By drawing on these data, we argue that the telephone as a data collection tool in grounded theory research and other qualitative methodologies need not be relegated to second best status. Rather, researchers can consider telephone interview a valuable first choice option.
Is Not Doing the Washing Up Like Draft Dodging? The Military Model for Resisting a Gender Based Labour Division
Authors: Bergès Sandrine
Published: August 2015

I will examine a version of Bubeck's and Robeyns' proposals for ‘care duty’ which looks at the ways in which care work is analogous to defence work, and what the implications are for the best models in terms both of distributive justice and serving the common good. My own analysis will differ from Bubeck's and Robeyns' in two respects. First I will apply their arguments to all aspects of care including housework. This will mean making a case for housework counting as a form of care work as it is not usually regarded as such, and in particular, would probably be excluded from Robeyns' own account as she follows Bubeck's earlier characterisation of care as involving face‐to‐face interaction. Secondly, I will explore various ways in which care, and especially housework, could and has been distributed by appealing to a number of military models, concluding that the best gender‐just distribution of care requires a style of care experience modelled on universal military service. I will consider a number of objections to my view before concluding that not doing one's share of the housework could indeed come to be regarded as not doing one's duty as a citizen.
Dentures are a Reservoir for Respiratory Pathogens
Authors: O'Donnell Lindsay E. , Smith Karen , Williams Craig , Nile Chris J. , Lappin David F. , Bradshaw David , Lambert Margaret , Robertson Douglas P. , Bagg Jeremy , Hannah Victoria , Ramage Gordon
Published: August 2015

Purpose

Recent studies have established a relationship between dental plaque and pulmonary infection, particularly in elderly individuals. Given that approximately one in five adults in the UK currently wears a denture, there remains a gap in our understanding of the direct implications of denture plaque on systemic health. The aim of this study was to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of putative respiratory pathogens residing upon dentures using a targeted quantitative molecular approach.

Materials and Methods

One hundred and thirty patients’ dentures were sonicated to remove denture plaque biofilm from the surface. DNA was extracted from the samples and was assessed for the presence of respiratory pathogens by qunatitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Ct values were then used to approximate the number of corresponding colony forming equivalents (CFEs) based on standard curves.

Results

Of the dentures, 64.6% were colonized by known respiratory pathogens. Six species were identified: Streptococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae B, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Moraxella catarrhalis. P. aeruginosa was the most abundant species followed by S. pneumoniae and S. aureus in terms of average CFE and overall proportion of denture plaque. Of the participants, 37% suffered from denture stomatitis; however, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of respiratory pathogens on dentures between healthy and inflamed mouths.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that dentures can act as a reservoir for potential respiratory pathogens in the oral cavity, thus increasing the theoretical risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. Implementation of routine denture hygiene practices could help to reduce the risk of respiratory infection among the elderly population.
Infant gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GORD): Australian GP attitudes and practices
Authors: Kirby Catherine N , Segal Ahuva Y , Hinds Rupert , Jones Kay M , Piterman Leon
Published: August 2015

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes and practices of Australian general practitioners (GPs) regarding infant gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) diagnosis and management.

Methods

A national cross‐sectional survey, involving a random sample of currently practising Australian GPs (n = 2319) was undertaken between July and September 2011. GPs attitudes and management of infant GORD were surveyed via an online and paper‐based 41‐item questionnaire.

Results

In total, 400 responses were analysed (17.24% response rate). The majority of GPs employed empirical trials of acid‐suppression medication and/or lifestyle modifications to diagnose infant GORD. GPs frequently recommended dietary modification despite the belief that they were only moderately effective at best. In addition, GPs frequently prescribed acid‐suppression medication, despite concerns regarding their safety in the infant population. Other GP concerns included the lack of clinical guidelines and education for GPs about infant GORD, as well as the level of evidence available for the safety and efficacy of diagnostic tests and treatments.

Conclusion

Despite the important role Australian GPs play in the diagnosis and management of infant GORD, high‐level evidence‐based guidelines for GPs are lacking. Consequently, GPs engage in diagnostic and management practices despite their concerns regarding the safety and effectiveness.
On the origins of observations of heterostyly in Primula
Authors: Gilmartin Philip M.
Published: August 2015

In 1862, Charles Darwin published his landmark study on the different forms of flower in Primula; he coined the term distyly and subsequently expanded his studies to other species, including those with tristyly. Darwin is widely recognized as the first to study pin and thrum flowers in Primula, and to provide an explanation for the functional significance of the two floral morphs. Our laboratory is pursuing the genes that underpin floral heteromorphy in Primula, work influenced by Darwin's observations. One day, while appreciating a print of Primula vulgaris from William Curtis’ Flora Londinensis, I was struck by the fact that I was looking at images of dimorphic Primula flowers captured in a late‐1700s copper‐plate engraving that predated Darwin's observations by over 70 yr. This realization triggered a journey into archives of botanical texts, herbals and florilegia from the 16th to 19th Centuries, and correspondence archives, in search of earlier documents that could have influenced Darwin and the origins of an idea. Darwin was not the first to observe floral heteromorphy in Primula, but he was the first to realize the significance of the two floral morphs. Darwin's insight and exposition of purpose have underpinned all consequent work on the subject.

Contents

Summary
39

I.
Introduction – the germination of an idea
39

II.
Developments since Darwin
40

III.
The evolution of Darwin's thinking on heterostyly
41

IV.
Influences on Darwin's thinking
43

V.
Darwin and the historical landscape of botanical illustration
45

VI.
The historical work cited in Darwin's Different Forms of Flowers book
46

VII.
The insights of Clusius and de Reneaulme and the influence of Linnaean thinking
47

Acknowledgements
48

References
49
Regression‐Kink Approach for Wage Effect on Male Work Hours
Authors: Kim Young‐sook , Lee Myoung‐jae
Published: August 2015

In finding the effect of after‐tax wage rate on work hours, the main difficulty is the endogeneity of after‐tax wage rate that equals ‘one minus average tax rate’ times wage rate. To overcome this endogeneity problem, we take advantage of jumps in the marginal income tax rate, which is a regression discontinuity (RD) idea. This RD, in turn, makes the average income tax rate ‘kink‐continuous’, which is a regression kink (RK) idea. We provide a simple economic model resulting in the RD and RK features, explain how to implement RK in practice, and then apply our methods to Korean male data. Our main RK‐based labour supply elasticity estimate 7.16% turned out to be insignificant with t‐value 1.52, but it is much larger than most estimates in the literature. This may be attributed to, among other things, the facts that the RK instrument is unique, that RK identifies only the local elasticity at the kink point and that RK requires large data as regression derivatives are estimated.
Magnetoencephalography in the study of children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Kikuchi Mitsuru , Yoshimura Yuko , Mutou Kouhei , Minabe Yoshio
Published: August 2015

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non‐invasive neuroimaging technique that provides a measure of cortical neural activity on a millisecond timescale with high spatial resolution. MEG has been clinically applied to various neurological diseases, including epilepsy and cognitive dysfunction. In the past decade, MEG has also emerged as an important investigatory tool in neurodevelopmental studies. It is therefore an opportune time to review how MEG is able to contribute to the study of atypical brain development. We limit this review to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The relevant published work for children was accessed using PubMed on 5 January 2015. Case reports, case series, and papers on epilepsy were excluded. Owing to their accurate separation of brain activity in the right and left hemispheres and the higher accuracy of source localization, MEG studies have added new information related to auditory‐evoked brain responses to findings from previous electroencephalography studies of children with ASD. In addition, evidence of atypical brain connectivity in children with ASD has accumulated over the past decade. MEG is well suited for the study of neural activity with high time resolution even in young children. Although further studies are still necessary, the detailed findings provided by neuroimaging methods may aid clinical diagnosis and even contribute to the refinement of diagnostic categories for neurodevelopmental disorders in the future.
Extended follow‐up of pediatric liver transplantation patients receiving once daily calcineurin inhibitor
Authors: Lin Henry C. , Melin‐Aldana Hector , Mohammad Saeed , Ekong Udeme D. , Alonso Estella M.
Published: August 2015

We describe longitudinal results in a cohort of pediatric liver transplant patients successfully minimized to once daily CNI monotherapy for longer than five yr and assess changes in liver biochemistries and liver histology. A retrospective chart review of all pediatric liver transplant patients at a single center was performed. Biopsies and serum biochemistries (AST, ALT, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, INR, creatinine) are reported at time points: PM, five‐yr, seven‐yr, and nine‐yr post‐minimization. Biopsies were assessed for inflammation and fibrosis using Ishak and Batts grading systems. Successful minimization to daily CNI monotherapy was defined as normal liver enzymes with no episodes of rejection. Thirty‐three patients have successfully remained on once daily CNI for >5 yr, and 19/33 of these patients have serial liver biopsies available for review. We report on the clinical and histological findings of these 19 patients. All 19 patients continue to have normal liver biochemistries. On post‐minimization biopsies, fibrosis progressed by ≥2 stages in one patient (5.3%) despite normal liver biochemistries. Carefully selected patients can tolerate minimization to once daily CNI monotherapy as few have progression of fibrosis.
A Bayesian Approach to Estimate Changes in Condom Use from Limited Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevalence Data
Authors: Dureau J. , Kalogeropoulos K. , Vickerman P. , Pickles M. , Boily M.-C.
Published: August 2015

Evaluation of large-scale intervention programmes against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is becoming increasingly important, but impact estimates frequently hinge on knowledge of changes in behaviour such as the frequency of condom use over time, or other self-reported behaviour changes, for which we generally have limited or potentially biased data. We employ a Bayesian inference methodology that incorporates an HIV transmission dynamics model to estimate condom use time trends from HIV prevalence data. Estimation is implemented via particle Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, applied for the first time in this context. The preliminary choice of the formulation for the time varying parameter reflecting the proportion of condom use is critical in the context studied, because of the very limited amount of condom use and HIV data available. We consider various novel formulations to explore the trajectory of condom use over time, based on diffusion-driven trajectories and smooth sigmoid curves. Numerical simulations indicate that informative results can be obtained regarding the amplitude of the increase in condom use during an intervention, with good levels of sensitivity and specificity performance in effectively detecting changes. The application of this method to a real life problem demonstrates how it can help in evaluating HIV interventions based on a small number of prevalence estimates, and it opens the way to similar applications in different contexts.
Calcium and Sudden Cardiac Death in End‐Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Kim Esther D. , Parekh Rulan S.
Published: August 2015

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for a quarter of all deaths in end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. While causative mechanisms of SCD in this high risk population remain poorly defined, interaction of the vulnerable myocardium with dialysis‐related arrhythmic triggers is thought to play a major role. Recent evidence suggests that dialysis‐induced derangement of calcium concentrations contributes to the increased risk of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality, vascular calcification, and SCD. Current KDIGO guidelines recommend avoiding high dialysate calcium concentrations as a precaution against adverse outcomes of increased calcium burden and vascular calcification. Conversely, low calcium concentration is also implicated in the development of SCD via increased QT dispersion and prolonged QT interval. Consequently, the optimal dialysate calcium concentration in dialysis patients remains debated and further studies are needed to establish the best strategy for managing calcium in dialysis patients.
Retrospective evaluation of the effect of antivenom administration on hospitalization duration and treatment cost for dogs envenomated by Crotalus viridis: 113 dogs (2004–2012)
Authors: Katzenbach Julia E. , Foy Daniel S.
Published: August 2015

Objective

To compare the effect of antivenom administration on mortality, hospitalization duration, and cost of hospitalization for dogs envenomated by Crotalus viridis.

Design

Retrospective study (January 2004–December 2012).

Setting

Private veterinary emergency and referral center.

Animals

One hundred thirteen dogs with confirmed C. viridis envenomation.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

Dogs were divided into groups treated with either supportive care only (group 1) or supportive care plus antivenin crotalidae polyvalent (group 2). A modified snakebite severity score was used to compare patients from group 1 and group 2. Patients in group 2 received one 10 mL vial of antivenin crotalidae polyvalent over 4–6 hours. The mortality rate was 1.8% (2/113).  Group 1 had a median duration of hospitalization of 20 hours (range, 8–50 hours), while group 2 had a median duration of hospitalization of 24 hours (range, 1.5–74 hours). Group 1 had a median cost of hospitalization of 1050.00 USD (range, 423.52–2266.09 USD) while group 2 had a median cost of hospitalization of 2002.19 USD (range, 1139.91–6908.01 USD). Both the duration of hospitalization (P < 0.01) and the cost of hospitalization (P < 0.01) were significantly greater in the group of dogs receiving antivenom.

Conclusions

Both the cost and the duration of hospitalization were significantly greater in the group of dogs that received antivenom. The difference in cost between the groups was approximately the cost of the antivenom vial and administration. Amongst the parameters evaluated, no significant benefit was associated with antivenom administered to dogs envenomated by C. viridis.
Nearest Neighbor-Based Rendezvous for Sparsely Connected Mobile Agents
Authors: Masoud Ahmad A.
Published: August 2015

In this paper, a convergent, nearest-neighbor, control protocol is suggested for agents with nontrivial dynamics. The protocol guarantees convergence to a common point in space even if each agent is restricted to communicate with a single nearest neighbor. The neighbor, however, is required to lie outside an arbitrarily small priority zone surrounding the agent. The control protocol consists of two layers interconnected in a provably correct manner. The first layer provides the guidance signal to a rendezvous point assuming that the agents have first-order dynamics. The other layer converts in a decentralized manner the guidance signal to a control signal that suits realistic agents, such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and holonomic agents with second-order dynamics.
Cooling Capacity Figure of Merit for Phase Change Materials
Authors: Shamberger Patrick J.
Published: August 2015

In this paper, a figure of merit for the cooling capacity (FOMq) of phase change materials (PCMs) is defined from the analytical solution of the two-phase Neumann–Stefan problem of melting of a semi-infinite material with a fixed temperature boundary condition (BC). This figure of merit is a function of the thermophysical properties of a PCM and is proportional to the heat transfer across the interface with the surrounding medium in this general case. Thus, it has important implications for design and optimization of PCMs for high heat-flux thermal management applications. FOMq of example low melting point metals are presented which exceed those in common nonmetallic PCMs over the same temperature range by over an order of magnitude.
Improved Efficiency of Microdiffuser Through Geometry Tuning for Valveless Micropumps
Authors: Chandrasekaran Arvind , Packirisamy Muthukumaran
Published: August 2015

Flow rectification in a mechanical valveless micropump that has applications in biological and microrocket propulsion is brought about by pressure drop created across the nozzle/diffuser pair in conjunction with the actuation stroke of the micropump. It has been reported that geometric tuning of the diffuser helps in improving the overall diffuser efficiency. The aim of the present work is to apply the geometry tuning principle over a wide range of flow conditions and to study the usability of this technique for optimized micropump design. Finite element modeling (FEM) of the diffuser behavior with geometry tuning has been carried out for different diffuser configurations and flow conditions, and the results have been validated through selective experimentation.
Glycogenic Hepatopathy in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Atmaca Murat , Ucler Rifki , Kartal Mehmet , Seven Ismet , Alay Murat , Bayram Irfan , Olmez Sehmus
Published: August 2015

Glycogenic hepatopathy is a rare cause of high transaminase levels in type 1 diabetes mellitus. This condition, characterized by elevated liver enzymes and hepatomegaly, is caused by irreversible and excessive accumulation of glycogen in hepatocytes. This is a case report on a 19-year-old male case, diagnosed with glycogenic hepatopathy. After the diagnosis was documented by liver biopsy, the case was put on glycemic control which led to significant decline in hepatomegaly and liver enzymes. It was emphasized that, in type 1 diabetes mellitus cases, hepatopathy should also be considered in the differential diagnoses of elevated liver enzyme and hepatomegaly.
The Songs We Love to Sing and the History We Like to Remember: Tereza Kesovija’s Comeback in Serbia
Authors: Petrov Ana
Published: August 2015

Less than a decade after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, some of the popular music stars from its former republics began giving concerts in new post-Yugoslav spaces, provoking divergent receptions, especially in Serbia and Croatia. Taking as a point of departure recent developments in the sociology of the body, sociology of emotions, and affect theory, I discuss here the political implications of enjoyment in these concerts, particularly by showing how they engage in the construction of multifarious emotional reactions concerning the sentimental remembrance of the past. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s discussions of ‘collective feelings’ and the argument that emotions are not a private matter, I will show how the concerts’ spaces offer channels for ‘emotions to work’, securing collectives via the process of reading the bodies of others. Using Tereza Kesovija’s comeback in Belgrade as a case study, I discuss the narratives of the past, according to which the concerts have been either just a continuation of the ‘perfect past’ in Yugoslavia, or a way of creating distance from it. I specifically focus on the issue of how the seemingly neutral concept of love is embedded in the memory practices of the Yugoslav past. I also discuss the refusal of nostalgia evident in the tendency of certain concert-goers to distance themselves from the past by claiming that this music is transcultural, transnational, and transtemporal. In both cases, I will point to the multifarious and ambiguous meanings of the concept of love as understood in the post-Yugoslav musical space.
On Discriminating between GCM Forcing Configurations Using Bayesian Reconstructions of Late-Holocene Temperatures*
Authors: Tingley Martin , Craigmile Peter F. , Haran Murali , Li Bo , Mannshardt Elizabeth , Rajaratnam Bala
Published: August 2015

Several climate modeling groups have recently generated ensembles of last-millennium climate simulations under different forcing scenarios. These experiments represent an ideal opportunity to establish the baseline feasibility of using proxy-based reconstructions of late-Holocene climate as out-of-calibration tests of the fidelity of the general circulation models used to project future climate. This paper develops a formal statistical model for assessing the agreement between members of an ensemble of climate simulations and the ensemble of possible climate histories produced from a hierarchical Bayesian climate reconstruction. As the internal variabilities of the simulated and reconstructed climate are decoupled from one another, the comparison is between the two latent, or unobserved, forced responses. Comparisons of the spatial average of a 600-yr high northern latitude temperature reconstruction to suites of last-millennium climate simulations from the GISS-E2 and CSIRO models, respectively, suggest that the proxy-based reconstructions are able to discriminate only between the crudest features of the simulations within each ensemble. Although one of the three volcanic forcing scenarios used in the GISS-E2 ensemble results in superior agreement with the reconstruction, no meaningful distinctions can be made between simulations performed with different estimates of solar forcing or land cover changes. In the case of the CSIRO model, sequentially adding orbital, greenhouse gas, solar, and volcanic forcings to the simulations generally improves overall consensus with the reconstruction, though the distinctions are not individually significant.
Social capital and innovation: A comparative analysis of regional policies
Authors: Murphy Lyndon , Huggins Robert , Thompson Piers
Published: August 2015

This paper analyses how different forms of social capital are associated with different types of innovation across regional policy interventions. Taking the case of a continuum of three policy interventions incorporating both ‘hard’/traditional and ‘soft’/non-traditional innovation measures, the analysis finds that differing regional innovation programmes are connected with different forms of social capital generation. Significant associations are found between the types of innovation generated and differing forms of social capital. In particular, the elements of social capital associated with the benefits of social networks are positively related to softer forms of innovation. However, there is also evidence that the positive influence of social networks varies in strength across policy interventions, suggesting a strong contextual and environmental influence on this relationship. It is concluded that social capital should not be considered a panacea for increasing levels of innovative activity within regional policy programmes.
Questioning security devices: Performativity, resistance, politics
Authors: Amicelle Anthony , Aradau Claudia , Jeandesboz Julien
Published: August 2015

Algorithms, biometrics and body scanners, computers and databases, infrastructures of various kinds, ranging from what is commonly referred to as ‘hi-tech’ to ‘low-tech’ items such as walls or paper files, have garnered increased attention in critical approaches to (in)security. This article introduces a special issue whose contributions aim to further these approaches by questioning the role and political effects of security devices. It proposes an analytics of devices to examine the configuration and reconfiguration of security practices by attending to the equipment or instrumentation that make these practices possible and temporally stabilize them. The aim here is not to advance devices as a new unit of analysis, but to open new forays in ongoing debates about security politics and practices, by asking different research questions and developing new research angles. We start by outlining what is at stake when thinking of and analysing security practices through devices, or shifting from the language of technology and ‘technologies of security’ to security devices. The remainder of the article then specifies how an analytics of devices involves a more varied vocabulary of performativity, on the one hand, and agency, on the other.
Alloying and thermal behaviour of CoCrFeNiMn0.5Ti0.5 high-entropy alloy synthesised by mechanical alloying
Authors: Niu B. , Ji W. , Li N. , Zhang F. , Wu Y.
Published: August 2015

An inequi-atomic CoCrFeNiMn0.5Ti0.5 high-entropy alloy (HEA) was synthesised by mechanical alloying. The structural and morphological evolution of the alloy powder during the mechanical alloying process and the thermal behaviour of 60 h ball-milled HEA powder were investigated systematically. A simple body-centred cubic solid solution HEA structure was obtained when the blended powder was ball-milled longer than 36 h. A 60 h ball-milled powder had an average particle size of 3 μm and consisted of hard agglomerated crystalline particles with a crystal size of < 20 nm. The body-centred cubic phase transformed into a face-centred cubic phase when the powder was annealed for 1 h at a temperature of 700°C; the liquidus point of the face-centred cubic phases was 1402.8°C.
Dietary supplementation with green tea extract promotes enhanced human leukocyte activity
Authors: Lowe Gordon M. , Gana Kalliopi , Rahman Khalid
Published: August 2015

Background: Leukocytes play a vital role in the host defence and inflammatory systems, the latter being responsible for the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of acute and chronic diseases. Green tea is a popular beverage, which is consumed worldwide and its active ingredients are epicatechin derivatives, which possess distinct anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate if a green tea extract could enhance leukocyte function in humans.

Methods: Volunteers were asked to take 300 mg of the green tea extract daily for 14 days and the capacity of circulating leukocytes to release both myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin was assessed. Whole blood from volunteers was stimulated with the bacterial peptide Formyl-Methionine-Leucine-Phenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe). Myeloperoxidase an enzyme that converts hydrogen peroxide to hypochlorous acid and is stored and secreted from the granules of neutrophils and monocytes and was measured as well as lactoferrin which is an iron-binding protein stored and secreted from the neutrophils. In conjunction the antioxidant capacity of the blood of the volunteers was also determined using a chemiluminescence method that measures the capacity of plasma to scavenge superoxide.

Results: After 14 days of treatment there was a significant increase in the release of myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin when whole blood was stimulated with fMet-Leu-Phe (p<0.05), which activates a number of leukocytes including mature neutrophils and monocytes. This was mirrored by a significant increase in the total antioxidant status after 14 days of green tea ingestion (p0.05). After the “wash-out” period of 4 weeks, all parameters were consistent with those observed at the start of the trial (day 0). Treatment with the green tea extract also caused a slight but non-significant decrease in the number of circulating leukocytes, but the counts remained within published “normal” ranges for healthy human adults.

Conclusions: This study indicates that a green tea extract when taken as a dietary supplement for 14 days can increase the leukocyte activity and the total plasma antioxidant status and may have role to play in the prevention of inflammatory disease.
Synthesis and characterization of gallium(III) dithiocarbamates as suitable nano-gallium(III) sulfide precursors
Authors: Ramalingam Kuppukkannu , Sivagurunathan G.S. , Rizzoli Corrado
Published: August 2015

Gallium(III) complexes [Ga(chmdtc)
GLP1 and glucagon co-secreting pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor presenting as hypoglycemia after gastric bypass
Authors: Guimarães Marta , Rodrigues Pedro , Pereira Sofia S , Nora Mário , Gonçalves Gil , Albrechtsen Nicolai Wewer , Hartmann Bolette , Holst Jens Juul , Monteiro Mariana P
Published: August 2015

Post-prandial hypoglycemia is frequently found after bariatric surgery. Although rare, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET), which occasionally are mixed hormone secreting, can lead to atypical clinical manifestations, including reactive hypoglycemia. Two years after gastric bypass surgery for the treatment of severe obesity, a 54-year-old female with previous type 2 diabetes, developed post-prandial sweating, fainting and hypoglycemic episodes, which eventually led to the finding by ultrasound of a 1.8-cm solid mass in the pancreatic head. The 72-h fast test and the plasma chromogranin A levels were normal but octreotide scintigraphy showed a single focus of abnormal radiotracer uptake at the site of the nodule. There were no other clinical signs of hormone secreting pNET and gastrointestinal hormone measurements were not performed. The patient underwent surgical enucleation with complete remission of the hypoglycemic episodes. Histopathology revealed a well-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma with low-grade malignancy with positive chromogranin A and glucagon immunostaining. An extract of the resected tumor contained a high concentration of glucagon (26.707 pmol/g tissue), in addition to traces of GLP1 (471 pmol/g), insulin (139 pmol/g) and somatostatin (23 pmol/g). This is the first report of a GLP1 and glucagon co-secreting pNET presenting as hypoglycemia after gastric bypass surgery. Although pNET are rare, they should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the clinical approach to the post-bariatric surgery hypoglycemia patient.

Learning points

pNETs can be multihormonal-secreting, leading to atypical clinical manifestations.

Reactive hypoglycemic episodes are frequent after gastric bypass.

pNETs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypoglycemia after bariatric surgery.
PROCESOS INNOVADORES, PERCEPCIÓN Y NUEVOS PERFILES EN VENTA DE TECNOLOGÍAS Y DISEÑO DE GESTIÓN DE CATEGORÍAS
Authors: Buitrago Reyes Richard Orlando , Reyes Páez Jaime Andrés
Published: August 2015

Se realizó una investigación comparativa acerca de la percepción, consumo y perfiles de los usuarios en procesos de uso y venta de software, hardware, dispositivos y suministros complementarios relacionados con la informática. Se hizo en negocios de ventas al detal, centros comerciales, supermercados, el Centro de Alta Tecnología y Unilago, es decir, tiendas especializadas en la oferta al detal de productos con alta tecnología. Tiendas de mercado nacional e internacional de Bogotá D.C. En el diseño metodológico se evidenciaron estrategias de comunicación, mensajes requeridos, modelos de activación de la marca, dinámicas de respuesta a los informes y presentaciones, posicionamiento y mercado objetivo, comportamientos y análisis de las estadísticas de ventas, diferenciales competitivos y mejores ubicaciones. El estudio detallado buscó diagnosticar la historia de venta al detal, las tendencias de consumo y las variables correspondientes. Igualmente, se contextualizó con referencias internacionales, textos especializados, cuestionarios, instrumentos y documentos de resultados, expuestos por universidades de Bogotá, por Fenalco, Fedesarrollo, la Cámara de Comercio y Acopi.
¿CÓMO SE MANIFIESTA LA LECTURA Y LA ESCRITURA EN EL APRENDIZAJE SIGNIFICATIVO?
Authors: Alicea Ortiz Rosa H.
Published: August 2015

En este artículo se examinan distintas maneras en que la lectura y la escritura se manifiestan dentro de un contexto de aprendizaje significativo. Las actividades presentadas han sido probadas en escenarios reales y validadas como mejores prácticas para la enseñanza de la comprensión lectura. Las mismas tienen un alcance desde el nivel elemental hasta el universitario. Las actividades de lectura y escritura se presentan desde un marco conceptual constructivista en el cual el aprendiz descubre e investiga mediante una variedad de técnicas favorecidas como medios de enseñanza y aprendizaje.
Spatial aspects of tree mortality strongly differ between young and old‐growth forests
Authors: Larson Andrew J. , Lutz James A. , Donato Daniel C. , Freund James A. , Swanson Mark E. , HilleRisLambers Janneke , Sprugel Douglas G. , Franklin Jerry F.
Published: August 2015

Rates and spatial patterns of tree mortality are predicted to change during forest structural development. In young forests, mortality should be primarily density dependent due to competition for light, leading to an increasingly spatially uniform pattern of surviving trees. In contrast, mortality in old‐growth forests should be primarily caused by contagious and spatially autocorrelated agents (e.g., insects, wind), causing spatial aggregation of surviving trees to increase through time. We tested these predictions by contrasting a three‐decade record of tree mortality from replicated mapped permanent plots located in young (<60‐year‐old) and old‐growth (>300‐year‐old)Abies amabilisforests. Trees in young forests died at a rate of 4.42% per year, whereas trees in old‐growth forests died at 0.60% per year. Tree mortality in young forests was significantly aggregated, strongly density dependent, and caused live tree patterns to become more uniform through time. Mortality in old‐growth forests was spatially aggregated, but was density independent and did not change the spatial pattern of surviving trees. These results extend current theory by demonstrating that density‐dependent competitive mortality leading to increasingly uniform tree spacing in young forests ultimately transitions late in succession to a more diverse tree mortality regime that maintains spatial heterogeneity through time.
Impact of model complexity and precipitation data products on modeled streamflow
Authors: Tobin Kenneth J. , Bennett Marvin E.
Published: August 2015

With the proliferation of remote sensing platforms as well as numerous ground products based on weather radar estimation, there are now multiple options for precipitation data beyond traditional rain gauges for which most hydrologic models were originally designed. This study evaluates four precipitation products as input for generating streamflow simulations using two hydrologic models that significantly vary in complexity. The four precipitation products include two ground products from the National Weather Service: the Multi-sensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE) and rain gauge data. The two satellite products come from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) and include the TRMM 3B42 Research Version 6, which has a built-in ground bias correction, and the real-time TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis. The two hydrologic models utilized include the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Gridded Surface and Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA). Simulations were conducted in three, moderate- to large-sized basins across the southern United States, the San Casimiro (South Texas), Skuna (northern Mississippi), Alapaha (southern Georgia), and were run for over 2 years. This study affirms the realization that input precipitation is at least as important as the choice of hydrologic model.
Three new species of Ametadoria Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Authors: Fleming AJ , Wood D. , Smith M. Alex , Hallwachs Winnie , Janzen Daniel
Published: August 2015

We describe three new species in the genus Ametadoria Townsend from Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG), Costa Rica. All three were reared from wild-caught Zygaenidae and Lacturidae caterpillars. We provide a concise description of each species using morphology, life history and molecular data, with photographic documentation. The new species are authored and described by Fleming and Wood: Ametadoria karolramosae sp. nov., Ametadoria leticiamartinezae sp. nov., and Ametadoria mauriciogurdiani sp. nov. The following are proposed by Wood as new synonyms of Ametadoria Townsend: Adidyma Townsend syn. nov., and Abolodoria Townsend syn. nov. The following new combinations occur as a result of these new synonymies: Ametadoria abdominalis (Townsend) comb. nov., Ametadoria austrina (Coquillett) comb. nov., Ametadoria humilis (Wulp) comb. nov., Ametadoria misella (Wulp) comb. nov. Ametadoria adversa (Townsend) is proposed as a junior synonym of ​Ametadoria unispinosa Townsend, syn. nov​.
Emerging Trends in 222Rn and 220Rn Decay Products Detection
Authors: Mishra Rosaline , Sapra B.K. , Mayya Y.S.
Published: August 2015

The importance of measuring the decay products of 222Rn (radon) and 220Rn (Thoron) is being realized by researchers as these are the major inhalation dose givers to the general population. Basically the decay products are radioisotopes of Polonium, Bismuth and Lead, which are solid particles. Upon inhalation, these particles deposit in different parts of the respiratory tract, undergo radioactive decay and irradiate the nearby tissues. So, the study of the behavior of the decay products in indoor air is important for assessing the natural background radiation exposures received by general populations through the inhalation route. Although the inhalation doses are predominantly due to decay products yet it had been the usual practice to measure the gas concentration rather than the decay products because of the complexities involved in their detection. The most common method is to derive the progeny concentration from the measured gas concentration using an assumed equilibrium factor. While this is fairly justified for radon in view of the short-lived nature of the progeny as compared to the gas, this approach is beset with serious limitations in thoron-rich environments. However, the development of passive detection system for the decay products known as deposition-based Direct Radon and Thoron Progeny Sensors, has provided a solution to the long standing problem of measuring the time integrated decay product activity concentration. These deposition sensors are calibrated against active measurement techniques, and provide an easy to use method for passive and simultaneous time integrated decay product measurement. In addition, for multi-parametric study, the different modes of these passive sensors, like flow-mode and wire-mesh capped mode, are also used. These are further discussed in the manuscript.
SSNTD Techniques in Radon Surveys for Hydrocarbon Exploration and Occurrence of Natural Gas Seeps
Authors: Palacios Daniel , Sajó-Bohus Lászlo , Yoshimura Elisabeth M.
Published: August 2015

Leakages of hydrocarbon reservoirs often increase the radon concentration on the soil surface through distinct pathways; gas migration results in either prolific macro-seeps or micro-seeps. Soil gases, including radon, are recognized as potential tracers in geoscience. The surficial radiometric anomalies over hydrocarbon reservoirs provide the oil community with a complementary survey tool for oil exploration through the use of nuclear track methodology. The Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) is one of the recognized techniques to be employed advantageously in radon surveys for hydrocarbon exploration and occurrence of natural gas seeps. The nuclear track method provides information on the nature of radioactive gas sources, emanations from the soil and their transport pathways. Latent track etching conditions and their analysis are included.
Pleural Fluid Analysis in Chronic Hemothorax: A Mimicker of Infection
Authors: DiVietro Matthew L. , Huggins John Terrill , Angotti Lauren Brown , Kummerfeldt Carlos E. , Nestor Jennings E. , Doelken Peter , Sahn Steven A.
Published: August 2015

Objectives

Timing to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in hemothorax is based on preventing acute and long-term complications of retained blood products in the pleural space, including pleural space infection. We propose that the persistence of blood in the pleural space induces a proinflammatory state, independent of active infection.

Methods

We identified six patients with a hemothorax by clinical history, radiographic imaging, and pleural fluid analysis from a database of 1133 patients undergoing thoracentesis from 2002 to 2010 at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Results

In four of the six patients identified, the time from injury to thoracentesis was one, four, four, and five days, respectively. The fluid pH range was 7.32–7.41. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) range was 210–884 IU/L (mean 547 IU/L), and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) range was 1196–3631 cells/μL. In two patients, the time from injury to thoracentesis was 7 and 60 days. In these two patients, the pH was 7.18 and 6.91, LDH was 1679 and 961 IU/L, and the ANC was 8134 and 5943 cells/μL. Microbiology and pathology were negative in all patients.

Conclusions

The persistence of blood outside the vascular compartment, and within the pleural space, biochemically mirrors infection. We will explore the multiple mechanisms that account for development of pleural fluid acidosis, inflammation, and neutrophil recruitment.