bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The responsibility to prevent: Assessing the gap between rhetoric and reality
Authors: Welsh Jennifer
Published: November 2015

This article engages with the debate on the efficacy of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in the wake of the Arab Spring by articulating a defence of its role in preventing the commission, escalation, or recurrence of atrocity crimes. Taking as its starting point the claim by UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon that prevention remains the most important aspect of the principle of R2P, the article illustrates the extent to which prevention is embedded in R2P, the means by which it can be leveraged, and the obstacles to its operationalisation. The first section outlines why and how the prevention of the four crimes identified in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document became so important to UN member states. The second section analyses efforts to implement the commitment to prevention within the UN, regional organisations, and individual states. The final section offers an explanation for why prevention is in fact a controversial practice – despite the universal rhetorical commitment to its prioritisation – and advances a series of steps which might be undertaken to advance it.
R2P in the UN Security Council: Darfur, Libya and beyond
Authors: Gifkins Jess
Published: November 2015

It has been argued that consensus on the responsibility to protect (R2P) was lost in the United Nations Security Council as a result of the NATO-led intervention in Libya in 2011. This argument assumes that there was more agreement on R2P before the Libyan intervention than there was afterwards. Yet, a close examination of the Security Council’s use of language on R2P shows the opposite: R2P was highly contentious within the Security Council prior to the Libyan intervention, and less so afterwards. Not only has the Council used R2P language more frequently since 2011, but also negotiating this language has become quicker and easier. To demonstrate this I compare negotiations on Darfur with deliberations during and after the Arab Spring. Resolution 1706 on Darfur was the first time the Security Council referred to R2P in a country-specific resolution – and indeed it was the only country-specific resolution to refer to R2P before 2011 – making it an apt point of comparison. Via focused analysis on how the language used in Security Council resolution evolves over time, this article demonstrates that the Council has found ‘agreed language’ on R2P that is acceptable to members, both for thematic resolutions and country-specific resolutions. Language on R2P in Security Council resolutions has shifted from contentious to commonplace.
Satisfaction With Police in Violent Crime Hot Spots
Authors: Haberman Cory P. , Groff Elizabeth R. , Ratcliffe Jerry H. , Sorg Evan T.
Published: November 2015

This article argues that citizens’ perceptions of police can aid in selecting appropriate hot spots policing tactics and models satisfaction with police as evidenced by respondents who live or work in violent crime hot spots. Survey data ( N = 630) were collected by randomly sampling addresses within violent crime hot spots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The results reveal that being younger, or more educated, or perceiving higher procedural injustice, or higher social disorder, or being more fearful of crime, all link to lower satisfaction with police in violent crime hot spots. To maintain or improve public satisfaction with police services in hot spots, police departments should adopt tactics that are not only effective in reducing crime but also procedurally just, reduce fear of crime, and address social disorder problems.
A Gender-Biased Definition: Unintended Impacts of the Fear Requirement in Stalking Victimization
Authors: Gatewood Owens Jennifer
Published: November 2015

This study sought to understand (a) whether or not, compared with men, women are more likely to report being frightened by stalking behaviors, when controlling for correlates associated with fear, and (b) whether or not men and women have significantly different (gendered) reactions to factors associated with increased levels of fear. The author found women were exponentially more likely than men to report fear, despite controlling for indications that women had experienced the more serious stalking incidents. Furthermore, these variable factors affected both men and women in similar ways. Arguably, the fear requirement present in most states’ definitions of stalking is inherently gender-biased and should be removed, as no other type of crime is defined by an emotional response.
Toward a Fictionless Liberalism
Authors: Agassi Joseph
Published: November 2015

This Companion centers on the fictitious social contract that can be used to justify liberalism. As justification, the theory of the contract either fully justifies a regime as liberal or it fully condemns it as illiberal. This conflicts with the common recognition that liberalism is a matter of degree. John Rawls is taken as the leading light; yet at best the Companion manages to picture him as well-intended but hopelessly confusing.
Suicides in the U.S. Military
Authors: Griffith James , Bryan Craig J.
Published: November 2015

This paper builds a case for examining suicide in the U.S. military relative to broad societal context, specifically, the unique experiences of birth cohorts relating to processes described by Durkheim’s theory of suicide. In more recent birth cohorts, suicide rates have increased among teenagers and young adults. In addition, suicide rates of age intervals at a given time period have been reliably predicted by the size of the birth cohort and the percentage of nonmarital births—supposed indicators of Durkheim’s diminished social integration and behavioral regulation. Consequences of these trends are likely more evident in the U.S. military due to having proportionally more individuals known to be at risk for suicide, that is, young males who are from nontraditional households. The all-volunteer force compared to draft force has fewer applicants to select, and proportionally more of applicants are accepted for military service. Consequently, more recruits having varied conditions now than before, perhaps including greater vulnerability to suicide, serve in the U.S. military. These points are further elaborated with supporting evidence, concluding with a call for new directions in suicide research, practice, and policy.
Need for orientation predicts reporters’ reliance on blogs
Authors: Heim Kyle
Published: November 2015

A survey of political reporters covering the 2008 presidential election shows that Washington-based reporters with limited journalism experience are the most likely to rely on political blogs. The reporters appear to rely on bloggers more for their opinions about the presidential race than for factual information or interpretation.
What Comes After /f/? Prediction in Speech Derives From Data-Explanatory Processes
Authors: McMurray Bob , Jongman Allard
Published: November 2015

Acoustic cues are short-lived and highly variable, which makes speech perception a difficult problem. However, most listeners solve this problem effortlessly. In the present experiment, we demonstrated that part of the solution lies in predicting upcoming speech sounds and that predictions are modulated by high-level expectations about the current sound. Participants heard isolated fricatives (e.g., “s,” “sh”) and predicted the upcoming vowel. Accuracy was above chance, which suggests that fine-grained detail in the signal can be used for prediction. A second group performed the same task but also saw a still face and a letter corresponding to the fricative. This group performed markedly better, which suggests that high-level knowledge modulates prediction by helping listeners form expectations about what the fricative should have sounded like. This suggests a form of data explanation operating in speech perception: Listeners account for variance due to their knowledge of the talker and current phoneme, and they use what is left over to make more accurate predictions about the next sound.
Spiderman and science: How students’ perceptions of scientists are shaped by popular media
Authors: Tan Aik-Ling , Jocz Jennifer Ann , Zhai Junqing
Published: November 2015

This study addresses the influence of popular media on how young children perceive science and the work of scientists. Using an adapted version of the Draw-A-Scientist Test, 15 classes of fourth graders (9–10 years old) at three different schools in Singapore were sampled ( n =  266). The students’ drawings as well as their identification of three sources from which they obtained inspiration for their drawings were analyzed. Our results showed a strong relationship between students’ drawings of scientists and their reported sources of inspiration. The results suggest that popular media play a large role in shaping how young children view scientists.
Experimental and numerical investigation of active vibration control over wide range of operating temperature
Authors: Sharma Anshul , Kumar Rajeev , Vaish Rahul , Chauhan Vishal S
Published: November 2015

In this study, the dynamic response and the active vibration control behavior of cantilever-type structure over wide temperature range (−70°C to 70°C) are investigated experimentally and numerically. A cantilever structure of titanium alloy integrated with the collocated piezoelectric ceramic (PZT-5H) was studied for effective vibration amplitude reduction. The experimental results are verified with the numerical results which show good agreement among them. For the numerical simulations, finite element formulation using first-order shear deformation theory is implemented. The nonlinear fuzzy logic controller is designed as multi-input single-output system using 49 rules and implemented both experimentally and numerically to perform active vibration control. The results show that even moderate fluctuations in the temperature under study can considerably influence the performance of the piezoelectric ceramics used as sensors and actuators resulting in degraded performance for active vibration control.
Aztreonam—An Overview
Authors: Hopefl Alan W.
Published: November 2015

Aztreonam is the first synthetic monobactam to undergo clinical studies in the U.S. Aztreonam has excellent activity against P. aeruginosa and Enterobacteriaceae, but poor activity against anaerobic and gram-positive organisms. Aztreonam has poor oral bioavailability, but can be given intramuscularly or intravenously in doses of 1–2 g q6–12h. Clinical trials of aztreonam have shown it to be effective in infections of urine, lung, skin, blood, bones and joints, and abdomen with an adverse reaction profile similar to β-lactams. Aztreonam may be an alternate to aminoglycoside therapy, with the advantage of not being nephrotoxic.
The Pharmacokinetics of Cimetidine and Metabolites in a Neonate
Authors: Lloyd Charles W. , Martin William J. , Taylor Bruce D.
Published: November 2015

Limited pharmacokinetic data have been reported concerning the use of cimetidine in the neonate for the management of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. After receiving cimetidine at a dose of 10 mg/kg/d in a full-term infant, the steady-state peak and four-hour concentrations were 3.5 and 1.8 μg/ml, respectively. A mean half-life of 3.6 h for cimetidine and 2.2 h for cimetidine sulfoxide were determined. The cimetidine half-life was prolonged, and the total body clearance decreased as compared with values reported in critically ill children and adults.
Aisha, From Being Invisible to Becoming a Promoter of Social Change
Authors: Serradell Olga
Published: November 2015

Aisha is a Moroccan woman who lives with her three children in a city in northern Spain. In July 2014, her husband was sentenced to prison for drug trafficking. This situation led her to return to Morocco with her family, but her high level of involvement in the school where her children had received an excellent academic and humanistic education was a key factor in her decision to come back to Spain. Mustafa, Ali, and Mohamed, aged 3, 6, and 8, are schooled in a Learning Community where Aisha participates as a volunteer. Specifically, she participates in a Dialogic Literary Gathering that is mobilizing a large number of other Moroccan women, as they are engaged in crucial debates regarding the social conditions and opportunities in the neighborhood. This biography analyzes how her involvement in Dialogic Gatherings with other Moroccan women and the sharing of thoughts has helped Aisha to transform her own personal situation as well as the social context in her neighborhood and the lives of “other women.”
Do Individuals Perceive Income Tax Rates Correctly?
Authors: Gideon Michael
Published: November 2015

This article uses data from survey questions fielded on the 2011 wave of the Cognitive Economics Study to uncover systematic errors in perceptions of income tax rates. First, when asked about the marginal tax rates (MTRs) for households in the top tax bracket, respondents underestimate the top MTR on wages and salary income, overestimate the MTR on dividend income, and therefore significantly underestimate the currently tax-advantaged status of dividend income. Second, when analyzing the relationship between respondents’ self-reported average tax rates (ATRs) and MTRs, many people do not understand the progressive nature of the federal income tax system. Third, when comparing self-reported tax rates with those computed from self-reported income, respondents systematically overestimate their ATR while reported MTR are accurate at the mean, the responses are consistent with underestimation of tax schedule progressivity.
Quantification of Respiratory Movement of the Aorta and Side Branches
Authors: Sailer Anna M. , Wagemans Bart A. J. M. , Das Marco , de Haan Michiel W. , Nelemans Patricia J. , Wildberger Joachim E. , Schurink Geert Willem H.
Published: November 2015

Purpose: To assess and quantify the magnitude and direction of respiratory movement of the aorta and origins of its side branches. Methods: A quantitative 3-dimensional (3D) subtraction analysis of computed tomography (CT) scans during inspiration and expiration was performed to determine the respiratory geometric movements of the aorta and side branches in 60 patients. During breath-hold expiration and inspiration, 1-mm-thick CT slices of the aorta were acquired in unenhanced and contrast-enhanced scans. The datasets were compared using dedicated multiplanar reformation image subtraction software to determine the change in position of relevant anatomic sections, including the ascending thoracic aorta (AA), the origins of the brachiocephalic artery (BA) and left subclavian artery (LSA), the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) at the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra, as well as the origins of the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and the renal arteries. Results: Complex movement was visible during inspiration; the regions of interest in the thoracic aorta and side branches moved in the anterior, medial, and caudal directions compared with the expiration state. Mean 3D movement vectors (± standard deviation) were 8.9±3.6 mm (AA), 12.0±4.1 mm (BA), 11.1±3.9 mm (LSA), and 4.9±2.5 mm (DTA). Abdominal side branches moved in the caudal direction 1.3±1.1 mm. There was significantly less movement in the DTA compared to AA (p<0.001). The correlation coefficient between the extent of LSA movement and thoracic excursion was 0.78. Conclusion: The aorta and side branches undergo considerable respiratory movement. The results from this study provide an important contribution to understanding aortic dynamics.
The Ascending Aorta as an Exit Site for a Through-and-Through Wire in TEVAR
Authors: Brunkwall Silke , Ahmad Wael , Mylonas Spyridon , Sharkawy Mohamed , Wippermann Jens , Brunkwall Jan
Published: November 2015

Purpose: To describe a technique for trans–ascending aorta through-and-through guidewire placement for thoracic endograft advancement and deployment. Case Report: A 55-year-old man presented with a symptomatic pseudoaneurysm of the distal aortic arch after aortic coarctation open repair. He had also undergone mechanical aortic valve replacement. Planned were a left-sided carotid-subclavian bypass and a thoracic endovascular aortic repair with a chimney graft to the left common carotid artery. After carotid-subclavian bypass, efforts to retrograde cannulate the aortic arch and advance the thoracic endograft were unsuccessful. Because of the mechanical heart valve, no transapical approach could be used. Access to the ascending aorta was gained through a midline sternotomy. A through-and-through wire was positioned from the ascending aorta to femoral artery, which provided the required stability for advancement of the thoracic endograft. Six-month computed tomography documented patent endografts and carotid-subclavian bypass and no evidence of endoleak. Conclusion: A trans–ascending aorta through-and-through guidewire is a feasible adjunct that can be added to the endovascular armamentarium when transcardiac or transbrachial approaches are impossible or ineffective.
Five-Year Outcome of Self-Expanding Covered Stents for Superficial Femoral Artery Occlusive Disease and an Analysis of Factors Predicting Failure
Authors: Kruse Rombout R. , Poelmann Floris B. , Doomernik Denise , Burgerhof Hans G. M. , Fritschy Wilbert M. , Moll Frans L. , Reijnen Michel M. P. J.
Published: November 2015

Purpose: To investigate the 5-year outcome of patients treated with self-expanding covered stents for superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease and identify parameters that could predict loss of primary patency. Methods: In a dual-center study, 315 consecutive patients (mean age 69.0±10.1 years; 232 men) treated for SFA occlusive disease in 334 limbs with Viabahn self-expanding covered stents between 2001 and 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Mean lesion length was 11.7±8.8 cm, and half of the lesions were classified as TASC II C/D. Five-year patency rates were calculated, and Cox regression analyses were performed to assess potential factors affecting patency. Results: All-cause mortality at 5 years was 14.1%. Primary patency rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 72.2%, 51.8%, and 47.6%, respectively, with secondary patency rates of 86.2%, 78.7%, and 77.5%. Parameters predicting loss of primary patency in a univariate analysis were covered stent diameter (p=0.001), the number of covered stents per lesion (p=0.015), and TASC II D classification (p=0.007). Covered stent diameter was the only parameter predicting loss of primary patency in the multivariate regression analysis (p=0.001), with 7-mm covered stents having superior performance. Conclusion: Five-year patency rates of self-expanding covered stents inserted for SFA occlusive disease are within an acceptable range. Covered stent diameter is the most relevant factor in predicting loss of primary patency, and thus, an adequate diameter of the distal landing site seems to be among the most important factors in the decision-making process. In smaller vessels, one should not use covered stents but venous conduits, as oversizing may be detrimental.
Diving Deep Into Oppositional Beliefs
Authors: Bhattacharya Kakali
Published: November 2015

In this article using notions of liminality, I evoke Anzaldúa’s theorizing of nepantlera to demonstrate the pain caused by various oppositional discourses and to posit that self-healing is the key to transformative works in social justice. Beyond discussing border crossings, multiplicity, and disrupting polarizing binaries, I enact the path of becoming a nepantlera by demonstrating trans-temporal healing through writing a letter to my younger self. Noting that relational liberatory discourses are inevitably entangled, I invite myself and the readers to dive deep into our consciousness to explore how pain and suffering may function to forge paths for healing and transformation.
Beneficial effects of mycophenolate mofetil on cardiotoxicity induced by tacrolimus in wistar rats
Authors: Ferjani Hanen , Timoumi Rim , Amara Ines , Abid Salwa , Achour Abedellatif , Bacha Hassen , Boussema-Ayed Imen
Published: November 2015

The immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus (TAC) is used clinically to reduce the rejection rate in transplant patients. TAC has contributed to an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in patients receiving solid organ transplantation. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a potent inhibitor of de novo purine synthesis, is known to prevent ongoing rejection in combination with TAC. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidant and antigenotoxic effect of MMF on TAC-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Oral administration of TAC at 2.4, 24, and 60 mg/kg b.w. corresponding, respectively, to 1, 10, and 25% of LD50for 24 h caused cardiac toxicity in a dose-dependant manner. TAC increased significantly DNA damage level in hearts of treated rats. Furthermore, it increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) levels and decreased catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. The oral administration of MMF at 50 mg/kg b.w. simultaneously with TAC at 60 mg/kg b.w. proved a significant cardiac protection by decreasing DNA damage, MDA, and PC levels, and by increasing the antioxidant activities of CAT and SOD. Thus, our study showed, for the first time, the protective effect of MMF against cardiac toxicity induced by TAC. This protective effect was mediated via an antioxidant process.
Assessment of Some Immune Parameters in Occupationally Exposed Nuclear Power Plant Workers
Authors: Gyuleva Ilona Mihaylova , Penkova Kalina Ivanova , Rupova Ivanka Tankova , Panova Delyana Yonkova , Djounova Jana Nikolaeva
Published: November 2015

A 10-year survey of immune status of nuclear power plant (NPP) workers was assessed by cellular and humoral immune parameters. The cumulative doses of NPP workers were in the range of 0.06 to 766.36 mSv. The results did not show significant deviations in the studied parameters of cellular and humoral immunity, but a tendency of elevated values in CD3+4+ helper inducers cells, especially its CD4+62L+ subpopulation, regulatory CD4+25+ cells, CD8+28+ cytotoxic subpopulation, and immunoglobulin M, was established. The observed trend of the above-mentioned parameters could be interpreted by assumption that while the adaptation processes are dominated with low prevalence of T-helper (Th) 1 immune response to cumulative doses less than 100 mSv, a switch to Th-2 response occurred at doses above 100 mSv. The impact of a number of other confounding factors on the immune system does not allow definitive conclusions about the direct radiation-induced changes in immune parameters.
Dynamic traffic analysis model of multiple passengers for urban public transport corridor
Authors: Di Di , Dongyuan Yang
Published: November 2015

For researching travel choice behavior about different kinds of passenger-alone urban public transportation corridor, a dynamic multiple-passenger flow analysis model was proposed based on dynamic equilibrium assignment theory. Some factors which might influence passenger travel disutility were considered in the model, and they were closely related to the characteristic of passenger. And then a heuristic solution algorithm is developed to solve this model. Relying on MATLAB simulation, the model could reflect the time–space distribution of multiple-passenger flow along this corridor and gave a theoretically quantitative relationship among the passenger characteristics and departure time or path/mode choice. And some useful conclusions about travel choice behavior of different passengers were obtained finally. Compared with the actual data, the deviation of the simulation results is less than 20%, which shows the efficiency of the dynamic multiple-passenger flow analysis model clearly.
Options for the Development of Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring
Authors: Thomas Andreas , Heinemann Lutz , Ramírez Araceli , Zehe Alfred
Published: November 2015

Nowadays nanotechnology has many applications in products used in various areas of daily life; however, this technology has also an option in modern medicine and pharmacy. Therefore, this technology is also an attractive option for the field of diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Many people with diabetes measure their blood glucose levels regularly to determine the insulin dose. Ideally glucose values would be measured noninvasively (NI). However, none of all the NI approaches studied in the past decades enabled reliable NI measurements under all daily life conditions. Particularly an unfavorable signal-to-noise ratio turned out to be problematic. Based on the known physical possibilities for NI glucose monitoring the focus of this review is on nanotechnology approaches. Functional prototypes exist for some of these that showed promising results under defined laboratory conditions, indicating a good sensitivity and selectivity for glucose. On the second hand is to optimize the technological process of manufacturing. In view of the rapid progress in micro- and nanoelectronics hopefully NI glucose monitoring systems can be developed in the near future.
Can the Use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Be Improved to Optimize Quadriceps Strengthening?
Authors: Glaviano Neal R. , Saliba Susan
Published: November 2015

Context:

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a common modality used to retrain muscles and improve muscular strength after injury or surgery, particularly for the quadriceps muscle. There are parameter adjustments that can be made to maximize the effectiveness of NMES. While NMES is often used in clinical practice, there are some limitations that clinicians should be aware of, including patient discomfort, muscle fatigue, and muscle damage.

Evidence Acquisition:

PubMed was searched through August 2014 and all articles cross-referenced.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Results:

Clinicians can optimize torque production and decrease discomfort by altering parameter selection (pulse duration, pulse frequency, duty cycle, and amplitude). Pulse duration of 400 to 600 µs and a pulse frequency of 30 to 50 Hz appear to be the most effective parameters to optimize torque output while minimizing discomfort, muscle fatigue, or muscle damage. Optimal electrode placement, conditioning programs, and stimulus pattern modulation during long-term NMES use may improve results.

Conclusion:

Torque production can be enhanced while decreasing patient discomfort and minimizing fatigue.
Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, But More is Not Always Better
Authors: Muise Amy , Schimmack Ulrich , Impett Emily A.
Published: November 2015

Is it true that engaging in more frequent sex is associated with greater well-being? The media emphasizes—and research supports—the claim that the more sex you have, the happier you will feel. Across three studies ( N = 30,645), we demonstrate that the association between sexual frequency and well-being is best described by a curvilinear (as opposed to a linear) association where sex is no longer associated with well-being at a frequency of more than once a week. In Study 1, the association between sexual frequency and well-being is only significant for people in relationships. In Studies 2 and 3, which included only people in relationships, sexual frequency had a curvilinear association with relationship satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction mediated the association between sexual frequency and well-being. For people in relationships, sexual frequency is no longer significantly associated with well-being at a frequency greater than once a week.
Improving the Care of Dual Eligible Patients in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Authors: Doyle Daniel , Emmett Mary , Crist Amber , Robinson Craig , Grome Michael
Published: November 2015

Background: Dual eligible persons are those covered by both Medicare and Medicaid. There were 9.6 million dual eligible persons in the United States and 82 000 in West Virginia in 2010. Dual eligibles are poorer, sicker, and more burdened with serious mental health conditions than Medicare or Medicaid patients as a whole. Their health care costs are significantly higher and they are more likely to receive fragmented ineffective care. Purpose: To improve the care experience and health care outcomes of dual eligible patients by the expanded use of care coordinators and clinical pharmacists. Methods: During 2012, 3 rural federally qualified community health centers in West Virginia identified 200 dual eligible patients each. Those with hospitalizations received more frequent care coordinator contacts. Those on more than 15 chronic medications had drug utilization reviews with recommendations to primary care providers. Baseline measures included demographics, chronic diseases, total medications and Beers list medications, hospitalization, and emergency room (ER) use in the previous year. Postintervention measures included hospitalization, ER use, total medications, and Beers list medications. Results: Out of 556 identified patients, 502 were contacted and enrolled. Sixty-five percent were female. The median age was 69 years, with a range of 29 to 93 years. Nineteen percent (19%) of patients were on 15 or more medications, 56% on psychotropic medication, and 33% on chronic opiates. One site showed reductions of 34% in hospitalizations and 25% in ER visits during the intervention year. For all sites combined, there was a 5.5% reduction in total medications and a 14.8% reduction in Beers list medications. Conclusions: A modest investment in care coordination and clinical pharmacy review can produce significant reductions in hospitalization and harmful polypharmacy for community dwelling dual eligible patients.
Does Motor Competence Affect Self-Perceptions Differently for Adolescent Males and Females?
Authors: Rose Elizabeth , Larkin Dawne , Parker Helen , Hands Beth
Published: November 2015

Little is understood about the impact of level of motor competence on self-perceptions in adolescence, in particular how this may differentially affect girls and boys. A sample of 1,568 14-year-old participants (766 girls and 802 boys) were grouped into four motor competence levels (very low to high) based on the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND). Self-perceptions were assessed using the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. Boys had higher self-perceptions of global self-worth, athletic competence, and physical appearance, whereas girls had higher scores for close friendships and behavioral conduct. Main effects in the predicted direction were found for motor competence for self-perceptions of global self-worth, athletic competence, physical appearance, close friendships, social acceptance, and romantic appeal. These findings indicate that level of motor competence is important in many aspects of self-perceptions, affecting girls and boys differently. Higher motor competence has a protective effect on psychosocial health, particularly for girls.
Lactobacillus Empyema in a Patient With Schizophrenia
Authors: Staroselsky Mark , Awerbuch Elizabeth , Galperin Irene , Epelbaum Oleg
Published: November 2015

Lactobacillus species are anaerobic gram-positive rods that are part of the normal human flora as well as commercially available probiotic formulations. Although their pathogenicity in the normal host has been the subject of debate, lactobacilli have been associated with serious infections in immunosuppressed patients and those with predisposing risk factors. We report a case of a patient with a history of schizophrenia who presented with an empyema, cultures of which identified Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus as the causative organisms. To our knowledge, this is the first case of Lactobacillus parapneumonic pleural space infection reported from the Western Hemisphere.
Sonographic Detection of Metastatic Breast Cancer in the Liver
Authors: Eller Lambert W. , Merideth Kelsy L.
Published: November 2015

Sonography is an effective imaging modality for detecting the presence of breast cancer that has metastasized to other organs. Early determination of the presence of these metastatic lesions has proved essential in improving the survival of patients with this disease. This case study presents a patient who was diagnosed with breast cancer, treated, and considered cancer free 9 months prior to the sonogram presented. Within these 9 months, the breast cancer had metastasized to the liver, where it was initially detected on a right upper quadrant sonogram, evaluated further by computed tomography, and definitively diagnosed by histopathology following core needle biopsy.
Maternal care in Acanthosomatinae (Insecta: Heteroptera: Acanthosomatidae)—correlated evolution with morphological change
Authors: Tsai Jing-Fu , Kudo Shin-ichi , Yoshizawa Kazunori
Published: November 2015

Background

Maternal care (egg-nymph guarding behavior) has been recorded in some genera of Acanthosomatidae. However, the origin of the maternal care in the family has remained unclear due to the lack of phylogenetic hypotheses. Another reproductive mode is found in non-caring species whose females smear their eggs before leaving them. They possess pairs of complex organs on the abdominal venter called Pendergrast’s organ (PO) and spread the secretion of this organ onto each egg with their hind legs, which is supposed to provide a protective function against enemies. Some authors claim that the absence of PO may be associated with the presence of maternal care. No study, however, has tested this hypothesis of a correlated evolution between the two traits.

Results

We reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Acanthosomatinae using five genetic markers sequenced from 44 species and one subspecies with and without maternal care. Eight additional species from the other two acanthosomatid subfamilies were included as outgroups. Our results indicated that maternal care has evolved independently at least three times within Acanthosomatinae and once in the outgroup species. Statistical tests for correlated evolution showed that the presence of maternal care is significantly correlated with the secondary loss or reduction of PO. Ancestral state reconstruction for the node of Acanthosoma denticaudum (a non-caring species in which egg smearing with developed POs occurs) and A. firmatum (a caring species with reduced POs) suggested egg smearing was still present in their most recent common ancestor and that maternal care in A. firmatum has evolved relatively recently.

Conclusions

We showed that maternal care is an apomorphic trait that has arisen multiple times from the presence of PO within the subfamily Acanthosomatinae. The acquisition of maternal care is correlated with the reduction or loss of PO, which suggests an evolutionary trade-off between the two traits resulting from physiological costs. This prediction also implies that presence of maternal care can be highly expected for those groups lacking behavioral data, which invariably also lack the organ. No secondary loss of maternal care was detected in the present tree. We suggest that the loss of maternal care may be suppressed due to the vulnerability of the PO-free condition, which thus maintains maternal care.
Damage function for historic paper. Part II: Wear and tear
Authors: Strlič Matija , Grossi Carlota M. , Dillon Catherine , Bell Nancy , Fouseki Kalliopi , Brimblecombe Peter , Menart Eva , Ntanos Kostas , Lindsay William , Thickett David , France Fenella , De Bruin Gerrit
Published: November 2015

Background

As a result of use of library and archival documents, defined as reading with handling in the context of general access, mechanical degradation (wear and tear) accumulates. In contrast to chemical degradation of paper, the accumulation of wear and tear is less well studied. Previous work explored the threshold of mechanical degradation at which a paper document is no longer considered to be fit for the purpose of use by a reader, while in this paper we explore the rate of accumulation of such damage in the context of object handling.

Results

The degree of polymerisation (DP) of historic paper of European origin from mid-19th–mid-20th Century was shown to affect the rate of accumulation of wear and tear. While at DP > 800, this accumulation no longer depends on the number of handlings (the process is random), a wear-out function could be developed for documents with DP between 300 and 800. For objects with DP < 300, one large missing piece (i.e. such that contains text) developed on average with each instance of handling, which is why we propose this DP value as a threshold value for safe handling.

Conclusions

The developed model of accumulation of large missing pieces per number of handlings of a document depending on DP, enables us to calculate the time required for an object to become unfit for use by readers in the context of general access. In the context of the average frequency of document use at The UK National Archives (Kew), this period is 60 years for the category of papers with DP 300, and 450 years for papers with DP 500. At higher DP values, this period of time increases beyond the long-term planning horizon of 500 years, leading to the conclusion that for such papers, accumulation of wear and tear is not a significant collection management concern.
Protecting silver cultural heritage objects with atomic layer deposited corrosion barriers
Authors: Marquardt Amy E. , Breitung Eric M. , Drayman-Weisser Terry , Gates Glenn , Phaneuf R. J.
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Silver, prized throughout history for its luster and shine, develops a black Ag2S tarnish layer that is aesthetically displeasing when exposed to atmospheric pollutants. Tarnishing, and subsequent polishing, leads to irreversible material loss and object damage. Currently, nitrocellulose coatings are often used to prevent silver from tarnishing, however non-uniform coatings and degradation over time limit their effectiveness. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been explored as a new method for creating dense, uniform, and conformal coatings on 3-dimensional (3D) objects that are more effective than nitrocellulose in preventing silver from tarnishing.

Results

To create high quality ALD coatings on 3D objects, slowing down the ALD process is critical to ensure proper precursor exposure. Non-ideal deposition of organo-oxy-metallic compounds can occur with fast deposition rates that do not allow sufficient flow around 3D objects. The coatings can be removed by dissolving the Al2O3 ALD films in aqueous NaOH. Thicker ALD films prevent defects from occurring on non-ideal surfaces and effectively prevent silver objects from tarnishing under ambient aging conditions.

Conclusion

Thick ALD films, deposited with sufficiently long precursor pulse and purge times, may be effective in preventing complex, 3D non-mixed media silver cultural heritage objects from tarnishing.
Osteoblast-Specific Overexpression of Human WNT16 Increases Both Cortical and Trabecular Bone Mass and Structure in Mice
Authors: Alam Imranul , Alkhouli Mohammed , Gerard-O'Riley Rita L. , Wright Weston B. , Acton Dena , Gray Amie K. , Patel Bhavmik , Reilly Austin M. , Lim Kyung-Eun , Robling Alexander G. , Econs Michael J.
Published: November 2015

Previous genome-wide association studies have identified common variants in genes associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and risk of fracture. Recently, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site (WNT)16 that were associated with peak BMD in premenopausal women. To further identify the role of Wnt16 in bone mass regulation, we created transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing human WNT16 in osteoblasts. We compared bone phenotypes, serum biochemistry, gene expression, and dynamic bone histomorphometry between TG and wild-type (WT) mice. Compared with WT mice, WNT16-TG mice exhibited significantly higher whole-body areal BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) at 6 and 12 weeks of age in both male and female. Microcomputer tomography analysis of trabecular bone at distal femur revealed 3-fold (male) and 14-fold (female) higher bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV), and significantly higher trabecular number and trabecular thickness but lower trabecular separation in TG mice compared with WT littermates in both sexes. The cortical bone at femur midshaft also displayed significantly greater bone area/total area and cortical thickness in the TG mice in both sexes. Serum biochemistry analysis showed that male TG mice had higher serum alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin (OPG), OPG to receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (tumor necrosis family ligand superfamily, number 11; RANKL) ratio as compared with WT mice. Also, lower carboxy-terminal collagen cross-link (CTX) to tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5, isoform b (TRAPc5b) ratio was observed in TG mice compared with WT littermates in both male and female. Histomorphometry data demonstrated that both male and female TG mice had significantly higher cortical and trabecular mineralizing surface/bone surface and bone formation rate compared with sex-matched WT mice. Gene expression analysis demonstrated higher expression of Alp, OC, Opg, and Opg to Rankl ratio in bone tissue in the TG mice compared with WT littermates. Our data indicate that WNT16 is critical for positive regulation of both cortical and trabecular bone mass and structure and that this molecule might be targeted for therapeutic interventions to treat osteoporosis.
The Unaccounted inTessandTrishna
Authors: Kao Vivian
Published: November 2015

New Historicism and cultural studies have worked to reclaim the people, events, and narratives consigned to the trash heap of history, suggesting that what has been deemed unsuitable to a capitalist narrative of progress nevertheless has value and should be accounted for. Although the ethical intent behind such reclamation efforts is commendable, these efforts enact their own version of a capitalist improvement ideology—the imperative to turn all things, even “waste,” to profit or good account. This essay explores the tension between the desire to account for experiences that fall outside improvement's profitizing calculus and the choice to allow such experiences to remain unheard and erode away undetected. This tension informs Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891) and Michael Winterbottom's Trishna (2011), a recent film adaptation of the novel set in twenty-first-century India. The author reads the male protagonists in the novel and the film and the film's implied viewers as improving subjects—characters and spectators that marry a capitalist's desire to turn waste to profit and a New Historical impulse to uncover hidden narratives and make them count. She argues, however, that both texts ultimately resist such capitalist improvement energies by using the female protagonists and minor characters to foreground moments of withholding, silence, and nonnarrativity that refuse to be incorporated into a profitable project of articulation. The essay aims to demonstrate that twenty-first-century film adaptations of nineteenth-century British novels can make newly visible latent critiques of improvement discourse in the source novels while at the same time deploying these critiques against new objects of analysis.
Sketches of Autonomy: Capitalist Subsumption and Working-Class Resistance in Alan Sillitoe's Early Fiction
Authors: del Valle Alcalá Roberto
Published: November 2015

Alan Sillitoe's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” offer a fresh perspective on the endurance of class antagonisms in the Britain of the 1950s. These texts' radical import rests on their rejection of consensual discourses and on their fundamental insistence on working-class difference. Instead of offering a gradualist argument in the mold of much socialist writing of the period (whether revisionist or “New Leftist”), Sillitoe's fictional engagements point to a persistent rift, to a lasting separation that may effectively lead the working-class subject to a sense of self-worth without subordination. This article contends that in these classic pieces of British working-class literature Sillitoe sketches—in a sequential and incremental manner—a “strategy of refusal” of the conditions of incorporation defined by postwar capitalism. Following the theoretical analyses developed by the Italian school of Marxist workerism (operaismo), it is claimed that the increasing “socialization” of capital in the postwar period did not mark its waning or disappearance but rather a widespread effort to absorb or “subsume” the entire society in its value-producing logic. This came as a specific response to working-class struggles and subjective assertions and was therefore a confirmation of the working class's increasing autonomy rather than of its fading. Sillitoe's fiction is a potent illustration of the tension between capitalist subsumption/incorporation and working-class resistance/autonomy in this period—a tension that reaches a breaking point in the passage from Saturday Night and Sunday Morning to “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.”
Introduction
Authors: Arnesen Eric
Published: November 2015

In 1935, the civil rights leader and African American intellectual W. E. B. Du Bois published Black Reconstruction: An Essay toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860–1880. Largely ignored by academics at the time, the book attracted favorable attention from black readers; in the past half century, the classic has found an appreciative audience among historians who take inspiration from Du Bois's arguments and passion. Up for Debate invites four scholars—Brian Kelly, Susan Eva O'Donovan, Tera Hunter, and Jason P. McGraw—to reflect upon the book's origins, arguments, and evidence in light of the wealth of scholarship that has appeared over the past several generations. Du Bois's purpose and approach, the extent to which his arguments have been sustained or modified, the book's influence on modern scholarship, and the applicability of Du Bois's insights to studies of emancipation beyond the United States are questions that are discussed.
The Labor of Reality TV: The Case of “The Deadliest Catch”
Authors: Wells Richard
Published: November 2015

This article examines a reality television show about crab fishing on the Bering Sea, “The Deadliest Catch,” from three angles. First, it looks at how the content of the show, the story it tells, fits in with broader ideological patterns associated with neoliberalism. The other two angles analyze the program from the behind-the-scenes perspective of the labor that goes into its production. By uncovering the creative and editorial work that goes into the crafting of the program, a window is opened onto recent struggles to maintain a strong union presence in the TV industry. By pulling back the curtain still further and discussing the actual conditions in the crab fishing industry that the show purports to document, another window is opened, this time onto the emerging struggles of deckhands and skippers to maintain a foothold in a drastically restructured world of commercial fishing.
Upton Sinclair's 1934 EPIC Campaign: Anatomy of a Political Movement
Authors: Gregory James N.
Published: November 2015

Upton Sinclair's End Poverty in California campaign was international news in 1934. The socialist author was running for governor as a Democrat and pledging to enact an audacious plan to rebuild the state's economy through a “production for use” system of cooperative farms and factories. Tens of thousands joined his EPIC movement as he swept to victory in the primary and then watched in disbelief as he lost the general election. This article looks at the composition and dynamics of the EPIC movement, using new data to understand the class, ethnic, and gender profiles of activists and supporters. It attends closely to the geography of political institutions and political opportunity, showing why the movement appealed strongly to working-class voters in Los Angeles and how, in that setting, it attracted the talents of activists who were not usually drawn to left-wing politics.