bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role development of nurses for technology‐dependent children attending mainstream schools in Japan
Authors: Shimizu Fumie , Suzuki Machiko
Published: January 2015

Purpose

To describe the role development of nurses caring for medical technology‐dependent children attending Japanese mainstream schools.

Design and Methods

Semi‐structured interviews with 21 nurses caring for technology‐dependent children were conducted and analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach.

Results

Nurses developed roles centered on maintaining technology‐dependent children's physical health to support children's learning with each other, through building relationships, learning how to interact with children, understanding the children and the school community, and realizing the meaning of supporting technology‐dependent children.

Practice Implications

These findings support nurses to build relationships of mutual trust with teachers and children, and learn on the job in mainstream schools.
Pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of amoxicillin in chicken infected with caecal coccidiosis
Authors: Kandeel M.
Published: January 2015

Chicken infected with caecal coccidiosis (Eimeria tenella) was used to evaluate the effect of coccidiosis on the pharmacokinetic and bioavailability of amoxicillin. The level of amoxicillin was estimated by high‐performance chromatography (HPLC) to calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters and oral bioavailability. For i.v. injection of amoxicillin, Vd andCLwere 0.29 and 0.27 (mg/kg)/(μg/mL)/h, respectively. Compared with healthy chicken, intravenous injection of amoxicillin in the infected chicken showed higher distribution and elimination constants, delayed clearance and statistically significant higherAUCandMRT. Oral administration in healthy chicken was accompanied by rapid absorption and high bioavailability withTmax,CmaxandFabout 1.03 h, 3.26 μg/mL and 40.2, respectively. Furthermore, oral administration in the infected chicken produced higher mean absorption time, delayedTmax, lowerCmax, smallerAUCvalue and lower bioavailability (16.76). Based on these results, monitoring and adjustment of amoxicillin dosing could be practiced during the presence of coccidiosis. The measuredCmaxvalues suggest the administration of 1.3‐folds of the normal dose to maintain the normal maximal serum concentrations of amoxicillin in chicken infected with caecal coccidiosis.
The Politics of Comics: Popular Modernism, Abstraction, and Experimentation
Authors: Worden Daniel
Published: January 2015

Comics and graphic novels are now widely accepted to be legitimate aesthetic and literary texts, suitable for study in all manner of university classrooms and scholarly projects. Comics studies scholarship was often preoccupied with arguing for the aesthetic legitimacy and literary complexity of comics and graphic novels, and now that this debate is more or less over, comics studies scholarship has begun to consider not just why and how we should read comics but what comics might mean. The question of meaning is an inherently political question, as it asks us to think of comics in relation to our social world. This essay traces two ways that comics can be read politically: as part of popular modernism, and as a medium for experimentation with genre, narrative, and visual conventions.
Hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension: recent knowledge in pathogenesis and overview of clinical assessment
Authors: Raevens Sarah , Geerts Anja , Van Steenkiste Christophe , Verhelst Xavier , Van Vlierberghe Hans , Colle Isabelle
Published: January 2015

Hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension are cardiopulmonary complications, which are not infrequently seen in patients with liver disease and/or portal hypertension. These entities are both clinically and pathophysiologically different: the hepatopulmonary syndrome is characterized by abnormal pulmonary vasodilation and right‐to‐left shunting resulting in gas exchange abnormalities, whereas portopulmonary hypertension is caused by pulmonary artery vasoconstriction leading to hemodynamic failure. As both hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, and as these patients are commonly asymptomatic, all liver transplantation candidates should be actively screened for the presence of these two complications. The aim of is this review is to provide an overview on the hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension with primary focus on diagnosis and recent knowledge regarding pathogenesis and therapeutic targets.
The Cognitive Science of Bilingualism
Authors: Dong Yanping , Li Ping
Published: January 2015

Recent research in cognitive effects of bilingualism has generated both excitement and controversy. The current paper provides an overview of this literature that has taken a componential approach toward cognitive effects of bilingualism, according to which bilingual advantages in executive functions are measured in terms of executive control (inhibiting, switching, updating) and monitoring. Findings to date indicate that the presence or absence of bilingual advantages may be influenced by a variety of learner and environmental factors, including the bilingual individual's age, age of acquisition, language proficiency, frequency of language use, and difficulty of the experimental task. The cognitive effects of bilingualism must be interpreted in light of the bilingual's lifelong linguistic experience, which results in adaptive changes in the mind and the brain. We suggest directions for future research in this domain.
Measurement Scales in Natural Language
Authors: Solt Stephanie
Published: January 2015

The meaning of a wide variety of natural language expressions can be stated in terms of degrees on scales. This paper provides an overview of the contribution of scales to linguistic meaning. I discuss the ontology of scales, survey the role of scalarity within and across languages, and summarize recent research into the linguistically relevant features of scales, organizing these findings into a preliminary framework for a comprehensive model of scale structure. The relation between the scales underlying the interpretation of gradable expressions and those involved in the calculation of scalar implicatures – so‐called Horn scales – is also briefly discussed.
Nutritional condition of two coastal rocky fishes and the potential role of a marine protected area
Authors: Viladrich Núria , Rossi Sergio , López‐Sanz Angel , Orejas Covadonga
Published: January 2015

Knowledge of the nutritional conditions of coastal commercial fish populations is key to understanding stock health status, and is essential when making reasonable exploitation and management plans. Here, we present the first results on the condition and feeding preferences of two coastal fish species, Diplodus sargus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758). Using stable isotope and biochemical analyses, we tested the potential effects of a marine protected area (MPA) and the occurrence of a dramatic coastal storm on the condition and quality of nutrition. The results suggest that both condition (lipids) and nutrition quality (fatty acids, FAs) in P. erythrinus and D. sargus depend upon on food availability in the area in which they were captured. Pagellus erythrinus individuals inside the MPA stored higher quantities of lipids [46.73 ± 19.00 μg lipid·mg organic matter (OM)−1] than those outside the MPA (15.63 ± 5.30 μg lipid·mg OM−1) only before the storm. Diplodus sargus showed different FA signatures inside and outside the MPA before and after the storm. These results suggest that D. sargus increased their quality of nutrition inside (16.62 ± 3.17 μg FA·mg OM−1) versus outside (7.88 ± 2.36 μg FA·mg OM−1) the MPA, owing to increased food diversity and availability. Conversely, P. erythrinus did not show differences in nutritional quality inside (18.12 ± 1.13 μg FA·mg OM−1) or outside (18.81 ± 1.42 μg FA·mg OM−1) the MPA, possibly because of the increase in ingestion not affecting the studied parameters. In P. erythrinus, the FA concentration decreased after the storm, but in D. sargus, a change in lipid composition was observed. These results suggest that P. erythrinus appears to be more impacted by food quality (different saturated and unsaturated FAs) than D. sargus, owing to a more restrictive diet. We hypothesize that the observed differences between inside and outside the MPA are not only related to the degree of protection, but also to the feeding preferences and behaviour of both fishes.
Smart Artificial Firefly Colony Algorithm‐Based Support Vector Regression for Enhanced Forecasting in Civil Engineering
Authors: Chou Jui‐Sheng , Pham Anh‐Duc
Published: January 2015

Advanced data mining techniques are potential tools for solving civil engineering (CE) problems. This study proposes a novel smart artificial firefly colony algorithm‐based support vector regression (SAFCA‐SVR) system that integrates firefly algorithm (FA), chaotic maps, adaptive inertia weight, Lévy flight, and least squares support vector regression (LS‐SVR). First, adaptive approach and randomization methods are incorporated in FA to construct a novel and highly effective metaheuristic algorithm for global optimization. The enhanced FA is then used to optimize parameters in LS‐SVR model. The proposed system is validated by comparing its performance with those of empirical methods and previous works via cross‐validation algorithm and hypothesis test through the real‐world engineering cases. Specifically, high‐performance concrete, resilient modulus of subgrade soils, and building cooling load are used as case studies. The SAFCA‐SVR achieved 8.8%–91.3% better error rates than those of previous works. Analytical results confirm that using the proposed hybrid system significantly improves the accuracy in solving CE problems.
From microbiology to cancer biology: the Rid protein family prevents cellular damage caused by endogenously generated reactive nitrogen species
Authors: Downs Diana M. , Ernst Dustin C.
Published: January 2015

The Rid family of proteins is highly conserved and broadly distributed throughout the domains of life. Genetic and biochemical studies, primarily in Salmonella enterica, have defined a role for RidA in responding to endogenously generated reactive metabolites. The data show that 2‐aminoacrylate (2AA), a reactive enamine intermediate generated by some pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate‐dependent enzymes, accumulates in the absence of RidA. The accumulation of 2AA leads to covalent modification and inactivation of several enzymes involved in essential metabolic processes. This review describes the 2AA hydrolyzing activity of RidA and the effect of this biochemical activity on the metabolic network, which impacts organism fitness. The reported activity of RidA and the consequences encountered in vivo when RidA is absent have challenged fundamental assumptions in enzymology, biochemistry and cell metabolism regarding the fate of transiently generated reactive enamine intermediates. The current understanding of RidA in Salmonella and the broad distribution of Rid family proteins provide exciting opportunities for future studies to define metabolic roles of Rid family members from microbes to man.
Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders and Brain and Body Donation Program
Authors: Beach Thomas G. , Adler Charles H. , Sue Lucia I. , Serrano Geidy , Shill Holly A. , Walker Douglas G. , Lue LihFen , Roher Alex E. , Dugger Brittany N. , Maarouf Chera , Birdsill Alex C. , Intorcia Anthony , Saxon‐Labelle Megan , Pullen Joel , Scroggins Alexander , Filon Jessica , Scott Sarah , Hoffman Brittany , Garcia Angelica , Caviness John N. , Hentz Joseph G. , Driver‐Dunckley Erika , Jacobson Sandra A. , Davis Kathryn J. , Belden Christine M. , Long Kathy E. , Malek‐Ahmadi Michael , Powell Jessica J. , Gale Lisa D. , Nicholson Lisa R. , Caselli Richard J. , Woodruff Bryan K. , Rapscak Steven Z. , Ahern Geoffrey L. , Shi Jiong , Burke Anna D. , Reiman Eric M. , Sabbagh Marwan N.
Published: January 2015

The Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) at Banner Sun Health Research Institute (http://www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org) started in 1987 with brain‐only donations and currently has banked more than 1600 brains. More than 430 whole‐body donations have been received since this service was commenced in 2005. The collective academic output of the BBDP is now described as the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND). Most BBDP subjects are enrolled as cognitively normal volunteers residing in the retirement communities of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Specific recruitment efforts are also directed at subjects with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer. The median age at death is 82. Subjects receive standardized general medical, neurological, neuropsychological and movement disorders assessments during life and more than 90% receive full pathological examinations by medically licensed pathologists after death. The Program has been funded through a combination of internal, federal and state of Arizona grants as well as user fees and pharmaceutical industry collaborations. Subsets of the Program are utilized by the US National Institute on Aging Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Core Center and the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders. Substantial funding has also been received from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The Program has made rapid autopsy a priority, with a 3.0‐hour median post‐mortem interval for the entire collection. The median RNA Integrity Number (RIN) for frozen brain and body tissue is 8.9 and 7.4, respectively. More than 2500 tissue requests have been served and currently about 200 are served annually. These requests have been made by more than 400 investigators located in 32 US states and 15 countries. Tissue from the BBDP has contributed to more than 350 publications and more than 200 grant‐funded projects.
Revisiting the origin and diversification of vascular plants through a comprehensive Bayesian analysis of the fossil record
Authors: Silvestro Daniele , Cascales‐Miñana Borja , Bacon Christine D. , Antonelli Alexandre
Published: January 2015

Plants have a long evolutionary history, during which mass extinction events dramatically affected Earth's ecosystems and its biodiversity. The fossil record can shed light on the diversification dynamics of plant life and reveal how changes in the origination–extinction balance have contributed to shaping the current flora.

We use a novel Bayesian approach to estimate origination and extinction rates in plants throughout their history. We focus on the effect of the ‘Big Five’ mass extinctions and on estimating the timing of origin of vascular plants, seed plants and angiosperms.

Our analyses show that plant diversification is characterized by several shifts in origination and extinction rates, often matching the most important geological boundaries. The estimated origin of major plant clades predates the oldest macrofossils when considering the uncertainties associated with the fossil record and the preservation process.

Our findings show that the commonly recognized mass extinctions have affected each plant group differently and that phases of high extinction often coincided with major floral turnovers. For instance, after the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary we infer negligible shifts in diversification of nonflowering seed plants, but find significantly decreased extinction in spore‐bearing plants and increased origination rates in angiosperms, contributing to their current ecological and evolutionary dominance.
Silicon induces resistance to the brown spot fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus by preventing the pathogen from hijacking the rice ethylene pathway
Authors: Van Bockhaven Jonas , Spíchal Lukáš , Novák Ondřej , Strnad Miroslav , Asano Takayuki , Kikuchi Shoshi , Höfte Monica , De Vleesschauwer David
Published: January 2015

Although numerous studies have shown the ability of silicon (Si) to mitigate a wide variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, relatively little is known about the underlying mechanism(s). Here, we have investigated the role of hormone defense pathways in Si‐induced resistance to the rice brown spot fungus Cochliobolus miyabeanus.

To delineate the involvement of multiple hormone pathways, a multidisciplinary approach was pursued, combining exogenous hormone applications, pharmacological inhibitor experiments, time‐resolved hormone measurements, and bioassays with hormone‐deficient and/or ‐insensitive mutant lines.

Contrary to other types of induced resistance, we found Si‐induced brown spot resistance to function independently of the classic immune hormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Our data also rule out a major role of the abscisic acid (ABA) and cytokinin pathways, but suggest that Si mounts resistance to C. miyabeanus by preventing the fungus from hijacking the rice ethylene (ET) machinery. Interestingly, rather than suppressing rice ET signaling per se, Si probably interferes with the production and/or action of fungal ET.

Together our findings favor a scenario whereby Si induces brown spot resistance by disarming fungal ET and argue that impairment of pathogen virulence factors is a core resistance mechanism underpinning Si‐induced plant immunity.
When the lights go out: the evolutionary fate of free‐living colorless green algae
Authors: Figueroa‐Martinez Francisco , Nedelcu Aurora M. , Smith David R. , Reyes‐Prieto Adrian
Published: January 2015

The endosymbiotic origin of plastids was a launching point for eukaryotic evolution. The autotrophic abilities bestowed by plastids are responsible for much of the eukaryotic diversity we observe today. But despite its many advantages, photosynthesis has been lost numerous times and in disparate lineages throughout eukaryote evolution. For example, among green algae, several groups have lost photosynthesis independently and in response to different selective pressures; these include the parasitic/pathogenic trebouxiophyte genera Helicosporidium and Prototheca, and the free‐living chlamydomonadalean genera Polytomella and Polytoma. Here, we examine the published data on colorless green algae and argue that investigations into the different evolutionary routes leading to their current nonphotosynthetic lifestyles provide exceptional opportunities to understand the ecological and genomic factors involved in the loss of photosynthesis.
Pathways from life‐historical events and borderline personality disorder to symptomatic disorders among suicidal psychiatric patients: A study of structural equation modeling
Authors: Hayashi Naoki , Igarashi Miyabi , Imai Atsushi , Yoshizawa Yuka , Asamura Kaori , Ishikawa Yoichi , Tokunaga Taro , Ishimoto Kayo , Tatebayashi Yoshitaka , Kumagai Naoki , Ishii Hidetoki , Okazaki Yuji
Published: January 2015

Aims

Suicidal behavior (SB) is a major mental health problem. The research has identified many factors related to SB, such as problems in the developmental period and psychiatric and personality disorders. However, the interrelation of these factors has not been clearly delineated.

Methods

The subjects were 155 patients consecutively admitted with SB to a psychiatric center in Tokyo. Structured interviews, including the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID)‐I and SCID‐II, were conducted to determine characteristics of the SB‐related factors. To illustrate their interrelation, this study applied the technique of structural equation modeling. The latent constructs of life‐historical events, borderline personality disorder (BPD) features and three symptomatic disorders (depression, anxiety disorders and substance dependence) were aligned in the chronological order of their manifestation, and connected one another within the model. Indicator variables of life‐historical events were maltreatment in the developmental period and early onset of problematic behaviors. Indicators of BPD features and symptomatic disorders included the scales composed of the items in the SCID‐I and II.

Results

The constructed model with favorable goodness‐of‐fit indices confirmed that BPD features had a mediating role in which they were influenced by life‐historical events, and exerted an influence on the symptomatic disorders. Outside the BPD‐mediating paths, the model suggested three clinically interpretable links between life‐historical events and symptomatic disorders.

Conclusions

The model of this study demonstrated the pathways from life‐historical events and BPD to symptomatic disorders, and indicated a generating process of psychiatric comorbidity among suicidal patients. The wide‐range view this study portrayed has important clinical implications, and deserves further substantiation by future studies.
Association of HMOX1 gene promoter polymorphisms with hyperbilirubinemia in the early neonatal period
Authors: Katayama Yoshinori , Yokota Tomoyuki , Zhao Hui , Wong Ronald J , Stevenson David K , Taniguchi‐Ikeda Mariko , Nakamura Hajime , Iijima Kazumoto , Morioka Ichiro
Published: January 2015

Background

Heme oxygenase (HO) is the rate‐limiting enzyme in the heme degradation pathway that produces bilirubin. The promoter region of human heme oxygenase‐1 (HMOX1) contains a polymorphic (GT)n repeat that can regulate gene expression. Here, we investigated the association of (GT)n repeat length in the HMOX1 promoter region with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in a population of Japanese term neonates.

Methods

Using polymerase chain reaction and fragment analysis, we determined the number of (GT)n repeats in 149 Japanese neonates. To omit the effects of the G71R mutation in uridine diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase on hyperbilirubinemia, we excluded 41 neonates with the G71R mutation. As a result, 25 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia and 83 non‐hyperbilirubinemic controls were included in this prospective case–control study. Allele and genotype frequencies of (GT)n repeats in the HMOX1 gene were compared between hyperbilirubinemic and non‐hyperbilirubinemic control neonates.

Results

The prevalence of short alleles (<22 (GT)n repeats) was significantly higher in hyperbilirubinemic than in control neonates (18% vs 7%, P = 0.015). Hyperbilirubinemia was more frequent in homozygous or heterozygous short allele carriers than control neonates (28% vs 11%, respectively, P = 0.03). Possession of short alleles was significantly associated with the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (OR, 3.1; 95%CI: 1.03–9.53).

Conclusions

Infants carrying short alleles (<22 (GT)n repeats) in the HMOX1 gene promoter region appear to be at a higher risk for developing neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.
ADHD symptoms, breast‐feeding and obesity in children and adolescents
Authors: Türkoğlu Serhat , Bilgiç Ayhan , Akça Ömer Faruk
Published: January 2015

Background

Attention‐deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been found to be related to overweight/obesity in children and adolescents, but it is a heterogeneous disorder, and the relationships between the dimensions of ADHD and overweight/obesity are not clear. The aim of this study was to explore which dimensions of the disorder are specifically associated with overweight/obesity.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 300 treatment‐naive children with ADHD and 75 healthy controls aged 7–17 years. The ADHD module of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia–Present and Lifetime Version was used to diagnose ADHD. The severity of ADHD symptoms was assessed via Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). The weight, height, and breast‐feeding duration of the study samples and controls were recorded. Body mass index (BMI) was categorized according to the national age/sex‐specific reference values.

Results

The rate of overweight/obese children was higher in the ADHD group. The association between ADHD symptoms and BMI percentile scores was evaluated using structural equation modeling. In that model, it was observed that the Cognitive Problems/Inattentive and Oppositional subscores of the CPRS had a positive predictive effect on the BMI percentile scores, but breast‐feeding duration had a negative predictive effect on the BMI percentile scores.

Conclusion

Inattention, oppositionality and breast‐feeding duration were associated with overweight/obesity in children and adolescents with ADHD. Longitudinal studies are needed to more fully understand this relationship and the mechanisms underlying the association between ADHD and overweight/obesity.
Between Political Religion and Politicized Religion: Interwar Fascism and Religion Revisited
Authors: Assoudeh Eliot
Published: January 2015

The following article surveys the relationships between fascist ideology and religion in interwar Europe. First, it provides a working definition for the term ‘clerical fascism’ through the exploration of 14 case studies presented at the 2006 international workshop on Clerical Fascism in interwar Europe. Next, it argues that fascism, understood as a syncretic coalition between political and politicized religion, improves the analytical understanding of how fascist movements and religious entities extended collaborations. This approach enables us to study not only how fascist and religious forces respond to political opportunities but also how these collectivities reshape political context in their favor and create new opportunities. In most cases, battles over two key factions, the ‘custody of youths’ and the ‘rebirth of nations’, provided both political and politicized camps with opportunities to cooperate or struggle.
Incidence and clinical predictors of endobronchial tuberculosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Jung Sung‐Soo , Park Hee‐Sun , Kim Ju‐Ock , Kim Sun‐Young
Published: January 2015

Background and objective

Incidence and predictors of endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) remain unknown because of the lack of prospective studies. Our objective was to assess the incidence and predictors of concomitant EBTB in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

Methods

We prospectively performed routine bronchoscopic examination in all patients with PTB to detect EBTB. Clinical and bronchoscopic findings were analyzed to elucidate predictors of EBTB.

Results

Bronchoscopies of 429 PTB patients were performed at a tertiary referral hospital in Korea. Among those, 233 patients (54.3%) had EBTB. Female gender (odds ratio (OR) 4.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.78–10.63), longer symptom duration (>4 weeks; OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.05–5.46), and no previous history of tuberculosis (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.22–14.18) were found to be the independent predictors of concomitant EBTB in patients with active PTB. Most of the EBTB/PTB patients had mild stenosis, and more than 20% of them had severe stenosis at the time of diagnosis. Patients with EBTB had follow‐up bronchoscopy to evaluate persistent airway stenosis. Persistent bronchostenosis with the lumen narrowed by more than one third occurred in 20.7% (30/145) of patients. The involvement length and decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 s were the risk factors for persistent bronchostenosis.

Conclusions

In patients with active PTB, 50% or more have EBTB. Female gender and longer duration of symptoms are the main predictors of concomitant EBTB. Immediate diagnostic bronchoscopy in patients with active PTB should be considered in selected patients for detection of brocnhostenosis.
Tax Competition and Economic Integration
Authors: Hafner Kurt A.
Published: January 2015

This article examines the role of tax competition and economic integration in a core–periphery setting, where agglomeration forces are present. I present a New Economic Geography model, which accounts for firm entry/exit and international mobility of skilled labor employed in the public R&D sectors. In contrast to other literature on tax competition, I focus on its impact on labor migration and net earnings of skilled and unskilled labor. Economic integration is modeled as trade liberalization, an easing of factor mobility restrictions and technology diffusion. I find that tax competition favors skilled labor when trade costs are reduced. In contrast, unskilled labor benefits when factor mobility restrictions are eased and technology diffusion is enhanced.
Inequality and Saving: Further Evidence from Integrated Economies
Authors: Gu Xinhua , Huang Bihong , Tam Pui Sun , Zhang Yang
Published: January 2015

Renewed attention to inequality and saving has arisen owing to their pronounced implications for global imbalances and financial crises. We show that the relationship between saving and inequality is negative if savers' funds are borrowed by spending households for consumption as in theUSA, but positive if saving is allocated through financial systems to investing firms for production as inChina. This theoretical result is largely consistent with empirical evidence found from these two increasingly integrated economies and other related countries by estimating panel‐data models. The policy implication is that inequality must be reduced in order to increase saving in theUSAand otherOrganisation forEconomicCo‐operation andDevelopment (OECD) countries and to boost consumption in China and other parts of emergingAsia.
Poverty Reduction through Growth and Redistribution Policies—a Panel Analysis for 59 Developing Countries
Authors: Belke Ansgar , Wernet Andreas
Published: January 2015

In this paper, we empirically test the determinants of growth, as derived from a semi‐endogenous growth model, in terms of its poverty‐reducing effects. We base our empirical analysis of the growth and distribution effect of economic policies on a panel data set of 59 developing countries, divided into two subgroups, and a sample period ranging from 1960 to 2004. For purposes of estimation we make use of the generalized methods of moments (GMM) system estimator. The estimations reveal a poverty‐reducing effect of investment. In contrast population growth induces higher poverty. The import of knowledge is growth enhancing only for countries at a higher stage of development—meanwhile the positive growth effect of an increasing democratization is limited to the poor developing countries.
Business Cycle Synchronization in the EnlargedEU: The Role of Bilateral Trade andFDI
Authors: Asteriou Dimitrios , Moudatsou Argiro
Published: January 2015

The aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of business cycle (BC) synchronization across 21 (old and new) countries of the enlargedEuropeanUnion (EU). It utilizes international data to evaluate the linkages among bilateral trade in goods, bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) flows andBCco‐movements. The paper contributes to the current literature by examining the relationship using the latest available data (sample range: 1998–2011), and thus taking into account the European sovereign debt crisis period. It also examines the role ofFDI, which though increasingly important in the flows of international production factors, is currently neglected by the literature. Preliminary results show thatFDIhas no direct effect onBCsynchronization while international trade helps to synchronizeBCs but only before the recent financial crisis (pre‐2008) and only for the traditionalEUcountries.
Ordinal Bivariate Inequality: Concepts and Application to Child Deprivation inMozambique
Authors: Sonne‐Schmidt Christoffer , Tarp Finn , Østerdal Lars Peter
Published: January 2015

This paper introduces a concept of inequality comparisons with ordinal bivariate categorical data. In our model, one population is more unequal than another when they have common arithmetic median outcomes and the first can be obtained from the second by correlation‐increasing switches and/or median‐preserving spreads. For the canonical 2 × 2 case (with two binary indicators), we derive a simple operational procedure for checking ordinal inequality relations in practice. As an illustration, we apply the model to childhood deprivation inMozambique.
A cross‐sectional study on Swedish licensed nurses' use, practice, perception and knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine
Authors: Jong Mats , Lundqvist Veronica , Jong Miek C.
Published: January 2015

Rationale

No data exist on the percentage of licensed nurses in Sweden who practise a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Objective

To investigate the use, practice, perception and knowledge of CAM among a representative sample of licensed nurses in Sweden.

Methods

A cross‐sectional descriptive anonymous survey on CAM‐related issues was distributed between April and June 2012 to 1200 licensed nurses who were member of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals (Vårdförbundet).

Results

A total of 335 nurses (28%) responded to the survey of which 83% reported to have used at least one CAM method for self‐care. Massage (59.7%), dietary supplements (51.3%) and mind–body therapies (24.8%) were most frequently used. CAM practice was reported by 11 and 43% of the nurses wished to practise a CAM method in the future. Main barriers for practise of CAM were lack of knowledge, lack of scientific evidence and little knowledge on legislative issues concerning CAM. A high proportion (73%) of nurses never or seldom asked patients about CAM use although 59.1% opined that health‐care personnel should inform clients about CAM when they ask for it. Having knowledge about CAM was found to be significantly (p < 0.05) associated with a higher odds of respondents to ask their patients about CAM use (OR 3.3; CI 1.4–7.6). Similar findings on CAM use, knowledge and perception were observed in a confirmatory analysis among an additional convenience sample of 625 nurses in Sweden.

Conclusion

Licensed nurses in Sweden seemed to have an overall positive attitude towards CAM. Although CAM practice was low, a substantial number wished to practise a CAM method in the future. Main barrier for CAM practise and communication was lack of knowledge and evidence, emphasizing the need for structural education, information and research on CAM in Sweden.
Gender differences in gait kinematics in runners with iliotibial band syndrome
Authors: Phinyomark A. , Osis S. , Hettinga B. A. , Leigh R. , Ferber R.
Published: January 2015

Atypical running gait biomechanics are considered a primary factor in the etiology of iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). However, a general consensus on the underpinning kinematic differences between runners with and without ITBS is yet to be reached. This lack of consensus may be due in part to three issues: gender differences in gait mechanics, the preselection of discrete biomechanical variables, and/or relatively small sample sizes. Therefore, this study was designed to address two purposes: (a) examining differences in gait kinematics for male and female runners experiencing ITBS at the time of testing and (b) assessing differences in gait kinematics between healthy gender‐ and age‐matched runners as compared with their ITBS counterparts using waveform analysis. Ninety‐six runners participated in this study: 48 ITBS and 48 healthy runners. The results show that female ITBS runners exhibited significantly greater hip external rotation compared with male ITBS and female healthy runners. On the contrary, male ITBS runners exhibited significantly greater ankle internal rotation compared with healthy males. These results suggest that care should be taken to account for gender when investigating the biomechanical etiology of ITBS.
Prognostic factors in canine acute leukaemias: a retrospective study
Authors: Novacco M. , Comazzi S. , Marconato L. , Cozzi M. , Stefanello D. , Aresu L. , Martini V.
Published: January 2015

Canine acute leukaemias (ALs) have a poor prognosis, with reported survival times (ST) of only a few weeks or months. Also, clinical studies assessing prognostic factors are lacking. This study aims to retrospectively assess variables that predict ST in dogs with AL, and to identify correlations between outcome and therapeutic protocols. Diagnosis and sub‐classification into AL subtypes was made based on haematological findings, morphological assessment and flow cytometric immunophenotyping. Clinical–pathological features of AL subtypes at presentation concurred with those described in the literature. A normal neutrophil count at presentation significantly prolonged ST (P = 0.027). Additionally, there was a trend for anaemic dogs to have shorter survival compared with those without anaemia, and the incorporation of cytosine in the chemotherapy protocol produced a moderate but not significant increase in median ST for dogs with AL. Further prospective studies with standardized treatments are needed to confirm and improve our results.
Finite basis problem for semigroups of order six
Authors: Lee Edmond W. H. , Zhang Wen Ting
Published: January 2015

Two semigroups are distinct if they are neither isomorphic nor anti-isomorphic. Although there exist $15\,973$ pairwise distinct semigroups of order six, only four are known to be non-finitely based. In the present article, the finite basis property of the other $15\,969$ distinct semigroups of order six is verified. Since all semigroups of order five or less are finitely based, the four known non-finitely based semigroups of order six are the only examples of minimal order.
Experimental Analysis of the Dynamic Characteristics of a Foil Thrust Bearing
Authors: Balducchi Franck , Arghir Mihai , Gauthier Romain
Published: January 2015

This paper deals with the experimental analysis of the dynamic characteristics of a foil thrust bearing (FTB) designed according to specifications given by NASA scientists in 2009 (Dykas et al., 2009, “Design, Fabrication, and Performance of Foil Gas Thrust Bearings for Microturbomachinery Applications,” ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power, 131(1), p. 012301). The present work details the new configuration of the same test rig that was used to test start-up characteristics of the aforementioned bearing (Balducchi et al., 2013, “Experimental Analysis of the Start-Up Torque of a Mildly Loaded Foil Thrust Bearing,” ASME J. Tribol., 135(3), p. 031703). The rig has been reconfigured to test dynamic characteristics. The dynamic characteristics of the bump foil structure were measured for static loads comprised between 30 N and 150 N while measurements for the FTB were performed at 35 krpm for 30 N, 60 N, and 90 N. Excitation frequencies were comprised between 150 Hz and 750 Hz. Results showed that the dynamic stiffness of the FTB increase with excitation frequency while the equivalent damping decreases. Both stiffness and damping increase with the static load but are smaller at 35 krpm compared to 0 rpm.
Comparative Study Between Experimental Data and Numerical Results of Turbulent Mixed Convection in a Ventilated Cavity
Authors: Rodríguez Norma A. , Hinojosa J. F. , Xamán J.
Published: January 2015

Experimental and numerical results of heat transfer by mixed convection in a ventilated cavity are presented. The results were obtained for a 1.0 m × 1.0 m × 1.0 m cavity. The inlet and outlet dimensions were of 0.08 m × 0.08 m, and the air velocity at the inlet was set to 0.1 and 0.5 m/s. The left wall receives a uniform and constant heat flux whereas the right wall was maintained at a constant temperature. Experimental and numerical results of temperature profiles and heat transfer coefficients are presented and compared. The results showed that the variation of the Rayleigh number increases about 1% the percentage differences between experimental and numerical values, and the maximum percentage differences on heat transfer coefficients are 2.0% for Ra = 2.7 × 108 and 3.0% for Ra = 4.5 × 108.
Microstructure Effects on Cutting Forces and Flow Stress in Ultra-Precision Machining of Polycrystalline Brittle Materials
Authors: Venkatachalam Siva , Fergani Omar , Li Xiaoping , Guo Yang Jiang , Chiang Kuo-Ning , Liang Steven Y.
Published: January 2015

This paper presents a physics-based analysis to quantitatively describe the effects of grain size, grain boundaries, and crystallographic orientation on the flow stress of the polycrystalline material and thereby on the cutting and thrust forces. The model has been experimentally validated, in terms of the force intensities and sensitivities to microstructure attributes such as the grain size and the misorientation by comparing the forces to measured data in micromachining of polycrystalline silicon carbide (p-SiC). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to explore the effects of grain boundaries and misorientation and to validate the modeling analysis in the context of resulting force ratios.
Modeling Pop Action Pressure Relief Valve as a Bistable Element
Authors: Xie Lili , Zheng Xinhua , Liu Lizhuo
Published: January 2015

To overcome the shortcomings of traditional method for modeling pop action pressure relief valves (PAPRVs), a new method for modeling PAPRVs as a bistable element is proposed. The effects of the model’s main parameters on a valve’s behavior are simulated and analyzed. Through simulations, the atypical behaviors of PAPRV previously found by other researchers do arise and can be explained based on the simulation data. Then, according to this new method, a model was built for a special pressure relief valve, and the simulation data agree well with the experimental results. These results demonstrate the validity of the modeling method.
Effect of Dissimilar Leading Edges on the Flow Structures Around a Square Cylinder
Authors: Ajith Kumar R. , Arunkumar K. , Hariprasad C. M.
Published: January 2015

In the present study, results of a flow visualization study on the flow around a square cylinder with dissimilar leading edges are presented. The radii of the leading edges of the cylinder “r1” and “r2” are such that the ratio r1/r2 is systematically varied from 0 to 1. The flow structures around the cylinder with different leading edge radii particularly the vortex shedding mode and mechanism are investigated. For studies with stationary as well as oscillated cylinder cases, the results are taken at a Reynolds number value of 2100. For the oscillated case, a special mechanism is made to oscillate the cylinders at a desired amplitude and frequency. That is, the cylinder undergoes forced oscillation in this case. Results indicate that dissimilar leading edges bring notable changes in the near-wake flow structures of a square cylinder. For the stationary cylinder cases, the vortex formation length decreases with increase in the r1/r2 ratio. Flow structures are also found to be influenced by the amplitude ratio (amplitude to body size ratio); the higher the amplitude, the larger the size of vortices shed per cycle of cylinder oscillation. In view of marine structures and building sections with similar geometries, the present results carry considerable practical significance.
Characterization of PTFE-Based Gaskets at High Temperature
Authors: Bouzid Abdel-Hakim , Benabdallah Samir
Published: January 2015

The objective of this work is to analyze the hot blow-out test procedure (HOBT) used to determine the maximum operating temperature of Teflon-based gaskets. The study focuses on the effect of thermal cycles and a few considerations that can be made to improve the characterization procedure for better prediction of the long-term performance of these types of gaskets at high temperature. The determination of their safe operating temperature limit requires a good knowledge of their capacity to resist creep-relaxation due to temperature exposure in the short and long terms. The study investigates the effects of the cumulative gasket deformation due to thermal cycling, gasket stress level, and holding time on the relaxation of these materials. In parallel, an experimental fixture has been developed to measure the thermal expansion coefficient and the short-term creep resistance of such materials. Based on this study, the introduction of thermal cycling in the HOBT test procedure shows that ratcheting damage has some impact on the reduction of the gasket lower bound stress and therefore on the temperature limit of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaskets. The effect of holding temperature for a short period of time is also investigated. The modified HOBT rig allows measurement of the gasket deflection during the test in order to accurately quantify the cumulative permanent deformation. Tests on small size PTFE-based gaskets are conducted to demonstrate the above mentioned effects.
A Piecewise-Linear Approximation of the Canonical Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum Model of Legged Locomotion
Authors: Shen Zhuohua , Seipel Justin
Published: January 2015

Here, we introduce and analyze a novel approximation of the well-established and widely used spring-loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model of legged locomotion, which has made several validated predictions of the center-of-mass (CoM) or point-mass motions of animal and robot running. Due to nonlinear stance equations in the existing SLIP model, many linear-based systems theories, analytical tools, and corresponding control strategies cannot be readily applied. In order to provide a significant simplification in the use and analysis of the SLIP model of locomotion, here we develop a novel piecewise-linear, time-invariant approximation. We show that a piecewise-linear system, with the only nonlinearity due to the switching event between stance and flight phases, can predict all the bifurcation features of the established nonlinear SLIP model over the entire three-dimensional model parameter space. Rather than precisely fitting only one particular solution, this approximation is made to quantitatively approximate the entire solution space of the SLIP model and capture all key aspects of solution bifurcation behavior and parametric sensitivity of the original SLIP model. Further, we provide an entirely closed-form solution for the stance trajectory as well as the system states at the end of stance, in terms of common functions that are easy to code and compute. Overall, the closed-form solution is found to be significantly faster than numerical integration when implemented using both matlab and c++. We also provide a closed-form analytical stride map, which is a Poincaré return section from touchdown (TD) to next TD event. This is the simplest closed-form approximate stride mapping yet developed for the SLIP model, enabling ease of analysis and numerical coding, and reducing computational time. The approximate piecewise-linear SLIP model presented here is a significant simplification over previous SLIP-based models and could enable more rapid development of legged locomotion theory, numerical simulations, and controllers.
Performance Analysis of a Turbine Stage Having Cooled Nozzle Blades With Trailing Edge Ejection
Authors: Kim J. H. , Kim T. S. , Lee J. S. , Ro S. T.
Published: January 2015

This work presents an aerothermodynamic modeling of a cooled turbine blade and the performance analysis of a turbine stage having cooled nozzle blades with trailing edge coolant ejection. A mean line analysis, based on the well-known Ainley-Mathieson scheme, is adopted for the basic loss prediction of the blade rows without cooling. A unique model regarding the interaction between coolant and main gas is proposed. The interactions considered are the heat transfer from main gas to coolant and the temperature and pressure losses by the mixing of two streams due to the trailing edge coolant ejection. For a model turbine stage with nozzle cooling, parametric analyses are carried out to investigate the effect of main design variables (amount of coolant flow, coolant temperature and coolant ejection area) on the stage performance. The influences of coolant mass flow ratio and temperature on the mixing loss and specific work are investigated. The results are also rearranged to investigate the effect of blade temperature on the specific work. Analysis is also carried out by varying the ejection area, which may give useful criteria in determining the coolant condition and ejection hole size of real gas turbine engines.