bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
State of knowledge about drugs used during pregnancy and their toxicity to the fetus – preliminary report
Authors: Duś Irena Małgorzata , Lepucka Maria , Hirnle Lidia , Radwan-Oczko Małgorzata
Published: October 2013

Most drugs pass through the placenta because of its small weight. What remains inadequate, is patients’ awareness of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy. There are not so many experiments showing the knowledge about pharmacotherapy during pregnancy among women. In the present study authors wanted to demonstrate what is the knowledge of women about drugs toxicity in FDA pregnancy categories, the use of prescription drugs and biological products, and what kind of drugs, supplements of diet and herbal products were used by patients during pregnancy. The aim was also to reveal knowledge about drugs toxicity on fetus. Questionnaire survey was anonymous, and done by a midwife 1-3 days after parturition. Patients were women from region of Lower Silesia (Poland), who chose to give birth in the Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Chalubinskiego Street in Wroclaw. Research resulted in 60 questionnaires received from women. Percentage of patients, who had been taking supplementation with folic acid and vitamins reached 77%. As much as 45% of women who took part in research had used pharmacotherapy during pregnancy. From all women, 17% declared to have taken herbal preparations for common cold, fever, cough. Result of the study revealed that 23% of women who took part in the study knew about the FDA division of drugs used during pregnancy. The knowledge about possible teratogenic effect of the drugs is not yet well established among women after parturition. Special observations have to be done among pregnant women for broadening the knowledge about pharmacotherapy in pregnancy and women’s treatment habits during pregnancy.
Barriers of medicinal products sales over the Internet in Poland
Authors: Pajdowski Jakub , Kijewska Anna , Poleszak Ewa , Doman Grzegorz
Published: October 2013

The basic aim of presented article is the identification and the systematization of the inhibitory factors in development of virtual pharmaceutical market in Poland. The phenomenon of barriers of market development is the object of many publications, however the majority of the affirming was not supported by empirical investigations. The study presents the results of questionnaire survey taken on a group of 582 respondents making the medicine purchases via the Internet. Thanks to that, it was possible to identify empirically real barriers and their range, recognizable only theoretically so far. On the basis of the resources the e-pharmacy consumer profile has been created. In the next part of the article, the systematization of unfavorable factors regarding to pharmaceutical online market was undertaken. Additionally, the opinion of the importance of key factors will be created in future.
Polish pharmacy job market in opinion of pharmacists
Authors: Kochaniec Monika , Drozd Mariola , Szymańska Jolanta , Szymańska Jolanta
Published: October 2013

For many years, the occupation of a pharmacist has been the profession, which ensured employment, and the period of seeking employment was not long. Those interested in this occupation may undertake education in the specialty of pharmacy at ten universities in Poland. Considering the wide scope of knowledge acquired by pharmacists during their studies, they are very well educated. Students at the faculties of pharmacy undertake an obligatory semi-annual apprenticeship in pharmacies, which after graduation results in obtaining the right to practice the occupation of a pharmacist, and is a passport to independent work in a phar macy. Those interested in further education have many educational possibilities: post-graduate studies and continuous improvement courses, which increase the knowledge and improve of qualifications. The objective of the study was identification of pharmacists’ opinions concerning the present pharmaceutical labour market in Poland. The research material was collected using an anonymous survey. The study was conducted during the period from September 2011 – January 2013, in a group of 504 respondents – Masters of Pharmacy employed in Polish community pharmacies. The analysis covered the period of seeking a job in this profession after graduation from university, number of changes of workplaces during occupational life as a pharmacist, and satisfaction with the occupation performed or lack thereof. The criteria of choosing this occupation and the attitude towards a phar macy as a workplace were also investigated.
Applications of Electronic Health Information in Public Health: Uses, Opportunities
and Barriers
Authors: Tomines Alan , Readhead Heather , Readhead Adam , Teutsch Steven
Published: October 2013

Electronic health information systems can re-shape the practice of public health
including public health surveillance, bi-directional communication, disease and injury
investigation and control, decision making, quality assurance, and policy development.
While these opportunities are potentially transformative, and the federal program for
the meaningful use of electronic health records has included important public health
components, significant barriers remain. Unlike incentives in the clinical care system,
scant funding is available to public health departments to develop the necessary
information infrastructure and workforce capacity to capitalize on electronic health
records, personal health records, or big data. Current electronic health record systems
are primarily built to serve clinical systems and practice rather than structured for
public health use. In addition, there are policy issues concerning how broadly the data
can be used by public health officials. As these issues are resolved and workable public
health solutions emerge, they should yield a more efficient and effective public health
system.
Line Selection and Parameter Optimization for Trace Analysis of Uranium in Glass Matrices by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
Authors: Choi Inhee , Chan George C.-Y. , Mao Xianglei , Perry Dale L. , Russo Richard E.
Published: October 2013

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been evaluated for the determination of uranium in real-world samples such as uraninite. NIST Standard Reference Materials were used to evaluate the spectral interferences on detection of uranium. The study addresses the detection limit of LIBS for several uranium lines and their relationship to non-uranium lines, with emphasis on spectral interferences. The data are discussed in the context of optimizing the choice of emission lines for both qualitative and quantitative analyses from a complex spectrum of uranium in the presence of other elements. Temporally resolved spectral emission intensities, line width, and line shifts were characterized to demonstrate the parameter influence on these measurements. The measured uranium line width demonstrates that LIBS acquired with moderately high spectral resolution (e.g., by a 1.25 m spectrometer with a 2400 grooves/mm grating) can be utilized for isotope shift measurements in air at atmospheric pressure with single to tens of parts per million (ppm) level detection limits, as long as an appropriate transition is chosen for analysis.
Rasa and the saturated event
Authors: Mason David
Published: October 2013

Western performance theorists have concluded, often, that rasa is an emotion, or a physical sensation, or the product of the physical expressivity of performers. For the Natyashastra, rasa is none of these things. Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman’s description of brain activity and consciousness may help understand rasa. Edelman’s description of consciousness as a ‘process’ entailed (but not caused) by the interaction of various brain systems may renew theoretical approaches to rasa. We may be able to talk about rasa as a ‘conscious state’, having its own unitary and subjective quality, as well as its own content determined by memory and knowledge. Certainly, given the Natyashastra’s insistence on aesthetic distance, rasa, like Edelman’s ‘consciousness’, is modulated by attention. Based on the precepts of Neural Darwinism, as articulated by Edelman, we can articulate rasa as a state of consciousness that arises from the contingent interactivity of brain systems, intentionality and attention.
Endocytic Rabs in membrane trafficking and signaling
Authors: Numrich Johannes , Ungermann Christian
Published: October 2013

The endolysosomal system controls the trafficking of proteins between the plasma membrane and the degradative environment of the lysosome. The early endosomal Rab5 and the late endosomal Rab7 GTPases have a key role in the transport along the endocytic pathway by recruiting tethering factors such as the hexameric CORVET and HOPS complexes that promote membrane fusion. Both Rabs are also involved in signaling at endosomal membranes and linked to amino acid sensing and autophagy, indicating that their role in trafficking may be connected to signal transduction and adaptation during cell stress. Here, we will summarize the current knowledge on the role of both Rab GTPases on both processes and discuss the possible crosstalk between them.
Ferritic Stainless Steels for High-Temperature Applications: Stabilization of the Microstructure by Solid State Precipitation of MX Carbonitrides
Authors: Nabiran N. , Weber S. , Theisen W.
Published: October 2013

Ferritic heat-resistant steels are commonly used for automotive exhaust systems and have replaced cast iron, the traditional material for this application. Efforts to improve the efficiency of engines, reduce weight, and minimize toxic ingredients by increasing the gas temperature have shifted the requirement for ferritic heat-resistant steels to a higher hot strength. Methods of improving the high-temperature strength are solid-solution strengthening, precipitation hardening, and grain refinement. In this work, the influence of MX precipitates on the high-temperature mechanical properties of three different ferritic Fe-Cr stainless steels was investigated and compared to a reference material. Investigations were performed with uniaxial compression tests of samples aged isothermally at 900 °C for up to 1440 h. The most effective method of increasing the high-temperature strength is to alloy the steel with 2 mass% tungsten. Grain growth during annealing at 900 °C was decelerated by solid-state formation of MX carbonitrides. Microstructural investigations also revealed a slow coarsening rate of the MX precipitates.
Altered MENIN expression disrupts the MAFA differentiation pathway in insulinoma
Authors: Hamze Z , Vercherat C , Bernigaud-Lacheretz A , Bazzi W , Bonnavion R , Lu J , Calender A , Pouponnot C , Bertolino P , Roche C , Stein R , Scoazec J Y , Zhang C X , Cordier-Bussat M
Published: October 2013

The protein MENIN is the product of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type I (MEN1) gene. Altered MENIN expression is one of the few events that are clearly associated with foregut neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), classical oncogenes or tumour suppressors being not involved. One of the current challenges is to understand how alteration of MENIN expression contributes to the development of these tumours. We hypothesised that MENIN might regulate factors maintaining endocrine-differentiated functions. We chose the insulinoma model, a paradigmatic example of well-differentiated pancreatic NETs, to study whether MENIN interferes with the expression of v-MAF musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homologue A (MAFA), a master glucose-dependent transcription factor in differentiated β-cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of a series of human insulinomas revealed a correlated decrease in both MENIN and MAFA. Decreased MAFA expression resulting from targetedMen1ablation was also consistently observed in mouse insulinomas.In vitroanalyses using insulinoma cell lines showed that MENIN regulated MAFA protein and mRNA levels, and bound toMafapromoter sequences. MENIN knockdown concomitantly decreased mRNA expression of bothMafaand β-cell differentiation markers (Ins1/2,Gck,Slc2a2andPdx1) and, in parallel, increased the proliferation rate of tumours as measured by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. Interestingly, MAFA knockdown alone also increased proliferation rate but did not affect the expression of candidate proliferation genes regulated by MENIN. Finally, MENIN variants with missense mutations detected in patients withMEN1lost the WT MENIN properties to regulate MAFA. Together, our findings unveil a previously unsuspected MENIN/MAFA connection regarding control of the β-cell differentiation/proliferation balance, which could contribute to tumorigenesis.
A Prospective Study of Factors Associated with Risk of Turnover among Care Workers in Group Homes for Elderly Individuals with Dementia
Authors: Suzumura Miwa , Fushiki Yasuhiro , Kobayashi Kota , Oura Asae , Suzumura Shigeo , Yamashita Masafumi , Mori Mitsuru
Published: October 2013

A Prospective Study of Factors Associated with Risk of Turnover among Care Workers in Group Homes for Elderly Individuals with Dementia: Miwa SUZUMURA,et al. Department of Public Health, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine—

Objectives

A prospective study was conducted to assess factors associated with risk of turnover among care workers in group homes (GHs) for elderly individuals with dementia.

Methods

In January, 2010, 51 out of 238 GHs in Sapporo City responded to our request for participation in a survey. During February and March of 2010, 438 out of 700 care workers (62.6%) in the GHs returned a completed questionnaire to us. They were followed up with until March of 2012, and 395 subjects (90.1%) responded to our survey, which was conducted twice. Over the course of 2 years, 91 subjects left their jobs. Cox's proportional hazards model was used for analysis, adjusting for gender and age.

Results

Less provision of social support by supervisors, colleagues, family or friends was significantly associated with increased risk of turnover. Financial aids for off‐the‐job training was marginally significantly associated with reduced risk of turnover. Longer duration of working for frail elderly care was significantly associated with decreased risk of turnover. Habitual smoking was significantly associated with increased risk of turnover.

Conclusions

Social support in the workplace may be important to reduce the risk of turnover in care workers at GHs. Further prospective studies are required in other areas in Japan.
First-principles investigations on the thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 doped with Se
Authors: Wan Liwen F. , Beckman Scott P.
Published: October 2013

In this work, the thermoelectric properties of Se-doped Bi2Te3 are examined using first-principles density functional theory and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. Placing a single Se atom on the 3a Wyckoff position lowers the unit cell energy by approximately 3.6 eV, compared to the 6c Te position. The electronic structure of Bi2Te3 has minor changes upon Se doping. At carrier concentration of 1019 cm-3, the optimal thermopower, S, is obtained as 207 and 220 μV/K for n-type and p-type doping, respectively. Unlike the thermopower, the power factor, S2σ/τ, is highly anisotropic for the in-plane and cross-plane conduction. At carrier concentrations of 1019 cm-3, the best power factor is predicted to be around 1.05 and 1.4×1011 W/m·s·K2 for n-type and p-type doping, respectively.
Thermoelectric properties of Ru and In substituted misfit-layered Ca3Co4O9
Authors: Saucke Gesine , Populoh Sascha , Vogel-Schäuble Nina , Sagarna Leyre , Mogare Kailash , Karvonen Lassi , Weidenkaff Anke
Published: October 2013

As an approach to improve the thermoelectric properties of the polycrystalline Ca3Co4O9 misfit-layered oxide, substitutions of Co2+…4+ with the heavier cations Ru3+/4+ and In3+ were tested. Polycrystalline samples Ca3Co4-xRuxO9 and Ca3Co4-xInxO9 (0 < x < 0.21) were prepared via a solid-state-reaction route. For each sample the crystal structure was analyzed and a complete thermoelectric characterization was done within a temperature range of 300 K < T < 1125 K.

Both substitution strategies resulted in a significant decrease of the thermal conductivity (κ). For the In3+-substituted samples the decrease of the Seebeck coefficient (α) balanced the κ reduction so that no overall enhancement of the figure of merit (ZT) was found. The Ru3+/4+ substitution reduced the p-type carrier concentration and thus increases the electrical resistivity (ρel), while α became larger at low temperatures. Despite the reduction of the power factor, a small enhancement in ZT was observed in the case of x = 0.1 Ru substitution, due to the strong κ reduction. Considering the observed preferred orientation of the Ru-substituted crystallites, a maximum value of ZT = 0.14 perpendicular to the pressing direction is found at T = 1125 K, indicating that Ru substitution is a promising strategy for a further ZT improvement.
Biophysical Constraints to Potential Production Capacity of Potato across the U.S. Eastern Seaboard Region
Authors: Resop Jonathan P. , Fleisher David H. , Timlin Dennis J. , Reddy V. R.
Published: October 2013

The Eastern Seaboard region (ESR) of the United States is densely populated and depends on imported food. Agricultural systems are vulnerable to uncertainties such as environmental conditions, climate change, and transportation costs. Local populations could benefit from regional food systems as a way to provide security; however, the potential production capacity of the region would first need to be quantified. Potential production capacity for a specific crop, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), was explored in two ways: expansion of the harvested land area and closing the yield gap between observed and potential yield. Potato production was assessed from Maine to Virginia for current land use (land under potato cultivation) and potential land use (other cropland). Simulations were based on two water availability scenarios: limited and nonlimited. A geospatial model implementing the explanatory model SPUDSIM estimated crop production (crop yield, water use, and N uptake) based on spatially variable input data (weather, soil, and management). Potato production was simulated in 35 potato‐producing counties and in 346 counties with cropland. Under water‐limited conditions, the response surface of production showed greater yield in the northern ESR states (median 28.24 Mg ha–1) than in the southern states (median 15.41 Mg ha–1). Resource requirements (water and N) and biophysical constraints (climate and soil) to production were also evaluated. In general, potato yield was negatively correlated with higher average seasonal temperatures and denser soil profiles. The results from this study will be valuable for regional policy planners to assess the capacity of the regional ESR food system.
School Principals' Perceptions of ‘Basic Values' in the Swedish Compulsory School System in Regard to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory
Authors: Drakenberg Margareth , Malmgren Therese Vincenti
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this study is to compare how Swedish school principals understand basic values that are important in fulfilling the Swedish national curriculum, Curriculum 1994 (a new curriculum, Curriculum 2011, which came into operation in autumn 2011, has only minor differences compared to the common text in Curriculum 1994), considering Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Two rounds (in 1998 and 2009) of somewhat different interview questions were conducted in the southern part of Sweden, and the data analysis technique of content analysis was chosen. The main results show a need to add levels into the original Bronfenbrenner ecological systems theory regarding basic values in the Swedish compulsory school system.
Ethics, Economics and Higher Education: A Comment
Authors: Morgan W. John
Published: October 2013

This comment was given to an international panel on the economics of education at the invitation of the Beijing Forum, China, on 3 November 2012. It was published in Chinese in Volume 11, 2013, of the Peking University Education Review. It considers the connections between ethics, economics and policy towards higher education, using a number of perspectives. It concludes that social choices will rely on the application of both economic and ethical theory if social harmony and cohesion are to be maintained; and that the development of an educated population through policies which are economically sustainable and socially just, and with the university as an essential public good, is a key to this.
How Appropriate is it to Teach Citizenship through Main Curriculum Subjects?
Authors: Syed Ghazal Kazim
Published: October 2013

In this article, the author argues that it is more appropriate to teach citizenship through other subjects than to limit it to one statutory subject. The author's argument is based on three important issues. The first issue is that citizenship, being an aim of education rather than a means, deserves to be part of the whole curriculum. This is to say that citizenship is one of the most important purposes that education should serve, and thus this purpose of education should not just be limited to one way of achieving it, like an ordinary subject. The second argument is that citizenship should not be confined to the limits of one subject, as it is much more beneficial for the nature of the subject to be taught in collaboration with different subjects, such as history, English, science and geography. There are many different useful ways of teaching citizenship which would be at stake if it is limited to one particular subject. This leads to the third argument that citizenship should not be limited to a single subject as it involves many risks and problems that can be resolved through a cross-curricular thematic approach. It highlights issues such as the lack of resources, staff and training. The article concludes that there is a strong case for teaching citizenship through other subjects.
Analysis of smile esthetics in American Board of Orthodontic patients
Authors: Akyalcin Sercan , Frels Leslie K. , English Jeryl D. , Laman Stephen
Published: October 2013

Objective:

To investigate the common denominators of an esthetically pleasing smile in patients who were considered to be successfully treated upon the submission to American Board Orthodontics (ABO) clinical examination.

Material and Methods:

A total of 462 patients were examined. Ninety subjects that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included. Standardized digital smile photographs of the subjects were rated by 30 panel members, including orthodontists, general dentists, and parents of orthodontic patients, using a numeric version of the visual analog scale. Three groups were formed using the mean esthetic score ± standard deviation range: unattractive (n  =  21), average (n  =  47), and attractive (n  =  22) smiles. Eleven smile characteristics were digitally measured on the photographs and compared between the groups using one-way analysis of variance and χ2 tests. Additionally, regression analyses were used to investigate the association of the smile characteristics with the esthetic score.

Results:

A significant difference was found between the three groups for the comparison of smile arc relationship (P < .001). When all the variables used in this study were entered in the regression analysis, a positive association was found (r  =  0.658; r2  =  0.434; P < .001). Additionally, two models were defined using stepwise regression. The first model included the smile arc (r  =  0.478; r2  =  0.228; P < .001), and the second model had both the smile arc and right gingival display/visible dentition display ratio (r  =  0.567; r2  =  0.321; P < .001).

Conclusions:

A harmonious smile arc relationship and less gingival display during a smile are significantly associated with smile attractiveness in patients considered successfully treated according to ABO standards.
Plexiform Fibromyxoma: Report of Two Pediatric Cases and Review of the Literature
Authors: Duckworth Lizette Vila , Gonzalez Raul S. , Martelli Matthew , Liu Chen , Coffin Cheryl M. , Reith John D.
Published: October 2013

Plexiform fibromyxoma is a distinctive mesenchymal neoplasm usually arising in the gastric antrum. We report 2 cases of this entity in pediatric patients, including the first case arising in the esophagus. The patients were a 16-year-old female who presented with chest pain and was found on computed tomographic scan to have a midesophageal mass at the level of the carina, and an 11-year-old female with a gastric mass. Both patients underwent surgical resection of their tumors, which histologically exhibited a plexiform growth pattern with multiple nodules in the muscularis propria and infiltrative borders. The nodules were composed of a rich myxoid stroma with bland uniform spindle cells, no mitoses or necrosis, and delicate blood vessels in the background. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that the tumor cells were immunoreactive with smooth muscle actin and not reactive with S-100, CD34, desmin, and c-kit (CD117). We report the first case of plexiform fibromyxoma originating in the esophagus, emphasize its occurrence in pediatric patients, and review the related literature.
Caucalido platycarpi-Vicietum michauxii — a new weed association from crop fields of Kyrgyzstan (Middle Asia)
Authors: Nowak Sylwia , Nowak Arkadiusz , Nobis Marcin , Nobis Agnieszka
Published: October 2013

The study presents the results of geobotanical investigations conducted in crop fields in the western Tian Shan Mts in Kyrgyzstan (Middle Asia). The main research focused on classification of weed communities developing within this poorly investigated area, were conducted in the vicinity of Bishkek and Kara-Balta in 2010. Altogether, 299 phytosociological relevés were sampled using the Braun-Blanquet method. Based on all segetal vegetation patches, the analyses distinguished a new association: Caucalido platycarpi-Vicietum michauxii. The results of these phytosociological studies fill a gap in the knowledge about the syntaxonomical diversity of the Middle Asia region, which is one of the most crucial for segetal weed species. The study shows that anthropogenic agrocoenoses could harbour relatively rich flora. Extensively cultivated fields could especially serve as a suitable habitat for many xerothermophilous and heliophilous plants. More than 75 species in vegetation plots, mainly permament weeds, have been found. There is also a considerable share of species coming over from swards, screes and meadows.
Toxigenic Fusarium species infecting wheat heads in Poland
Authors: Wiśniewska Halina , Stępień Łukasz , Waśkiewicz Agnieszka , Beszterda Monika , Góral Tomasz , Belter Jolanta
Published: October 2013

Toxigenic Fusarium species are common pathogens of wheat and other cereals worldwide. In total, 449 wheat heads from six localities in Poland, heavily infected with Fusarium during 2009 season, were examined for Fusarium species identification. F. culmorum was the most common species (72.1% on average) with F. graminearum and F. avenaceum the next most commonly observed, but much less frequent (13.4 and 12.5% respectively). F. cerealis was found in 1.8% of all samples, and F. tricinctum was found only in one sample (0.2%). Subsequent quantification of the three major mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and moniliformin) in grain and chaff fractions with respect to associated prevailing pathogen species uncovered the following patterns. Moniliformin (MON) was found in low amounts in all samples with F. avenaceum present. In contrast, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) were the contaminants of F. culmorum- and F. graminearum-infected heads. The highest concentration of DON was recorded in grain sample collected in Radzików (77 µg g−1). High temperatures in Central Poland during July and August accompanied with high rainfall in July were responsible for this high DON accumulation. Trichothecene, zearalenone, enniatin and beauvericin chemotypes were identified among 21 purified isolates using gene-specific PCR markers.
Validity of the Functional Gait Assessment in Patients With Parkinson Disease: Construct, Concurrent, and Predictive Validity
Authors: Yang Yaqin , Wang Yongjun , Zhou Yanan , Chen Chen , Xing Deli , Wang Chunxue
Published: October 2013

Background

The Functional Gait Assessment (FGA) is a validated measurement of gait-related activities in certain populations and may be potentially useful to assess balance and gait disorders in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine the construct, concurrent, and predictive validity of the FGA in inpatients with PD.

Design

This was a prospective cohort study.

Methods

One hundred twenty-one inpatients with PD were prospectively enrolled. The FGA and other relevant appraisals of gait, balance, disease severity, and activities of daily living were performed. Six months later, the patients were interviewed by telephone to have their fall information collected. Principal component analysis was used to determine construct validity. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to determine concurrent validity between the FGA and other measures. Cutoff point, sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood ratio were calculated for predictive validity based on the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results

One common factor was extracted for construct validity, which cumulatively explained 64.0% of the total variance. Correlation coefficients for the FGA compared with other measures ranged from .57 to .85. The cutoff point for predicting falls was 18, with sensitivity of 80.6%, specificity of 80.0%, and positive likelihood ratio of 4.03.

Limitations

This study was limited by the length of time of follow-up and self-reports of falls without the requirement of a fall diary. Medication adjustment after the FGA evaluation may have led to a different cutoff score for identifying those patients who were at risk of falling.

Conclusions

The FGA demonstrated good construct validity in patients with PD. It had moderate to strong correlations with other balance and gait appraisals. The FGA can be used to predict falls within the subsequent 6 months.
Latent but Not Less Significant: The Holocaust as an Argumentative Resource in German National Identity Discourse
Authors: Piwoni Eunike
Published: October 2013

There seems to be a wide consensus in the academic community that the Holocaust is gradually losing significance in the German public. This development is clearly reflected in public elite discourse on national identity, where “Holocaust-centered memory” has ceased to be hegemonic. In the literature, several interpretations and reasons have been presented to explain this development. This paper contributes to the debate by arguing that the declining presence of Holocaust-centered arguments in intellectual elite discourse on national identity is due to a new consensual idea of German nationhood. Based on an event-oriented discourse analysis of more than 800 articles in opinion-leading newspapers, journals and magazines covering a period of more than twenty years, I argue that in national identity discourse, the Holocaust has never been—as is usually assumed—a blockade to displays of national identity in general, but only to a specific interpretation of the German nation as a Volk and as an exclusionist culture nation. By contrast, the idea of nationhood that dominates in the German public sphere today, the civic nation model, has never invoked Holocaust-centered counter-arguments—not even in the Historikerstreit in the 1980s. Thus, over the past three decades, the way national identity discourse has operated might have changed less than had often been assumed. The central argument of this paper is that the Holocaust has become a “latent”—but not a less consequential—argumentative resource.
The Usage of Online Collaboration Platforms by Parties: Strengthening the “Party on the Ground” or the “Party in Central Office”?
Authors: Hanel Katharina , Marschall Stefan
Published: October 2013

Facing linkage problems, parties in Germany have started to respond to a changing media environment by reforming their internal structures of opinion forming and decision making, inter alia reacting to the rise of the social web and the successes of the Pirate Party whose party organization is to a large extent “digitalized”. Whether and how established parties implement and adapt Internet tools, i.e., whether these could contribute to more participation of the “party on the ground” or whether they strengthen the “party in central office” is the focus of this article. The case study on the employment of an online platform for drafting a motion for the party convention of the German Social Democrats in December 2011 reveals that the “party in central office” controlled the online procedure as well as the processing of the results to a remarkable extent—thereby constraining the participatory potential of the tool. At the same time, the case study indicates a quality of online collaboration platforms that might limit the instrumentalization of these tools by the party elites in the long run and possibly re-empower the “party on the ground.”
Stromal cell–derived factor-1 promoted angiogenesis and inflammatory cell infiltration in aneurysm walls
Authors: Hoh Brian L. , Hosaka Koji , Downes Daniel P. , Nowicki Kamil W. , Wilmer Erin N. , Velat Gregory J. , Scott Edward W.
Published: October 2013

Object

A small percentage of cerebral aneurysms rupture, but when they do, the effects are devastating. Current management of unruptured aneurysms consists of surgery, endovascular treatment, or watchful waiting. If the biology of how aneurysms grow and rupture were better known, a novel drug could be developed to prevent unruptured aneurysms from rupturing. Ruptured cerebral aneurysms are characterized by inflammation-mediated wall remodeling. The authors studied the role of stromal cell–derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in inflammation-mediated wall remodeling in cerebral aneurysms.

Methods

Human aneurysms, murine carotid artery aneurysms, and murine intracranial aneurysms were studied using immunohistochemistry. Flow cytometry analysis was performed on blood from mice developing carotid or intracranial aneurysms. The effect of SDF-1 on endothelial cells and macrophages was studied by chemotaxis cell migration assay and capillary tube formation assay. Anti–SDF-1 blocking antibody was given to mice and compared with control (vehicle)-administered mice for its effects on the walls of carotid aneurysms and the development of intracranial aneurysms.

Results

Human aneurysms, murine carotid aneurysms, and murine intracranial aneurysms all expressed SDF-1, and mice with developing carotid or intracranial aneurysms had increased progenitor cells expressing CXCR4, the receptor for SDF-1 (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). Human aneurysms and murine carotid aneurysms had endothelial cells, macrophages, and capillaries in the walls of the aneurysms, and the presence of capillaries in the walls of human aneurysms was associated with the presence of macrophages (p = 0.01). Stromal cell–derived factor-1 promoted endothelial cell and macrophage migration (p < 0.01 for each), and promoted capillary tube formation (p < 0.001). When mice were given anti–SDF-1 blocking antibody, there was a significant reduction in endothelial cells (p < 0.05), capillaries (p < 0.05), and cell proliferation (p < 0.05) in the aneurysm wall. Mice given anti–SDF-1 blocking antibody developed significantly fewer intracranial aneurysms (33% vs 89% in mice given control immunoglobulin G, respectively; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

These data suggest SDF-1 is associated with angiogenesis and inflammatory cell migration and proliferation in the walls of aneurysms, and may have a role in the development of intracranial aneurysms.
Stereotactic radiosurgery for arteriovenous malformations of the cerebellum
Authors: Bowden Greg , Kano Hideyuki , Tonetti Daniel , Niranjan Ajay , Flickinger John , Lunsford L. Dade
Published: October 2013

Object

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) of the posterior fossa have an aggressive natural history and propensity for hemorrhage. Although the cerebellum accounts for the majority of the posterior fossa volume, there is a paucity of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) outcome data for AVMs of this region. The authors sought to evaluate the long-term outcomes and risks of cerebellar AVM radiosurgery.

Methods

This single-institution retrospective analysis reviewed the authors' experience with Gamma Knife surgery during the period 1987–2007. During this time 64 patients (median age 47 years, range 8–75 years) underwent SRS for a cerebellar AVM. Forty-seven patients (73%) presented with an intracranial hemorrhage. The median target volume was 3.85 cm3 (range 0.2–12.5 cm3), and the median marginal dose was 21 Gy (range 15–25 Gy).

Results

Arteriovenous malformation obliteration was confirmed by MRI or angiography in 40 patients at a median follow-up of 73 months (range 4–255 months). The actuarial rates of total obliteration were 53% at 3 years, 69% at 4 years, and 76% at 5 and 10 years. Elevated obliteration rates were statistically higher in patients who underwent AVM SRS without prior embolization (p = 0.005). A smaller AVM volume was also associated with a higher rate of obliteration (p = 0.03). Four patients (6%) sustained a hemorrhage during the latency period and 3 died. The cumulative rates of AVM hemorrhage after SRS were 6% at 1, 5, and 10 years. This correlated with an overall annual hemorrhage rate of 2.0% during the latency interval. One patient experienced a hemorrhage 9 years after confirmed MRI and angiographic obliteration. A permanent neurological deficit due to adverse radiation effects developed in 1 patient (1.6%) and temporary complications were seen in 2 additional patients (3.1%).

Conclusions

Stereotactic radiosurgery proved to be most effective for patients with smaller and previously nonembolized cerebellar malformations. Hemorrhage during the latency period occurred at a rate of 2.0% per year until obliteration occurred.
Past and Future. Current Drugs Targeting HIV-1 Integrase and Reverse Transcriptase-Associated Ribonuclease H Activity: Single and Dual Active Site Inhibitors
Authors: Esposito Francesca , Tramontano Enzo
Published: October 2013

Catalytic HIV type-1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) and ribonuclease H (RNase H) domains belong to the polynucleotidyl transferase superfamily and are characterized by highly conserved motifs that coordinate two divalent Mg2+ cations and are attractive targets for new antiviral agents. Several structural features of both domains are now available. Drugs targeting the HIV-1 IN are currently approved for anti-HIV therapy, while no drug targeting the HIV-1 RNase H function is yet available. This review describes HIV-1 IN and the RNase H function and structures, compounds targeting their active sites and dual inhibition as a new approach for drug development.
La voix de l'enfant et ses troubles fonctionnels
Authors: Chevaillier Gérard
Published: October 2013

La phonopédiatrie, branche spécialisée de la médecine, étudie le développement psychomoteur, physiologique et pathologique de l’appareil phonatoire de l’enfant, de la naissance à la période postpubertaire. Cette spécificité est rendue nécessaire en raison des transformations permanentes de cette période. L’auteur présente les spécificités anatomiques du larynx, la physiologie de la voix et son développement, dont dépend l’acquisition de la parole et du langage, et passe en revue les différents dysfonctionnements de la voix chez le petit enfant puis chez l’adolescent. L’évolution de ces pathologies et leur devenir éventuel à l’âge adulte sont également abordés.
Le silence, à l'adolescence, a une voix
Authors: Le Fourn Jean-Yves
Published: October 2013

La voix résonne sur fond de silence. L’enfant, être parlé, est appelé à devenir un être qui parle. Dès lors, comment entendre le silence de l’adolescent ? L’auteur de cet article nous invite à distinguer différents types de silences à l’adolescence, et rappelle, à l’heure de la transparence, que le silence est un temps logique de construction du sujet adolescent, comme le silence du thérapeute est nécessaire, sous conditions, à la prise de parole du sujet lui-même.
Quelles voix s'expriment au 119 ?
Authors: Pinter Béatrice
Published: October 2013

La pratique d’écoutant au 119 a pour objectif de dégager les éventuels éléments de danger pour un enfant. Elle est centrée exclusivement sur la voix. Cette relation orale amène à une interrogation spécifique sur ce qui est dit ou pas, entendu ou pas, lors de l’appel téléphonique. L’objectif de la supervision est de démêler, à plusieurs, les différents enjeux entre l’appelant et l’écoutant.
« Je ne trouve pas les mots pour le dire... »
Authors: Pietrocola Annamaria
Published: October 2013

Les adolescents, avec leurs actions et leurs somatisations, essaient de mobiliser des réappropriations subjectives des excitations pulsionnelles pubertaires, et poussent les professionnels à inventer des modes de rencontre nouveaux. Dans des lieux de vie ordinaire comme l’infirmerie scolaire, offrir au jeune des occasions de penser à soi et à sa vie, en dehors de la famille et/ou du groupe des pairs, permet de (re)consolider une expérience de contenance, et de rendre franchissable l’épreuve pubertaire.
L'accompagnement entre pairs : le rôle d'une association de parents
Authors: Toletti Françoise
Published: October 2013

Le rôle d’une association de parents adoptifs est d’accueillir, d’informer et d’écouter les familles qui peuvent se sentir mal comprises et isolées. La parentalité adoptive présente des spécificités mal connues de l’entourage familial et social, qui peuvent être partagées et entendues par les pairs, permettant de dédramatiser et de trouver ses propres ressources. Au sein d’Enfance & familles d’adoption ( efa ), écoute et accompagnement sont effectués au niveau de chaque département, dans un cadre coordonné par la fédération nationale, à travers la formation des bénévoles et la définition de limites claires, dont le renvoi vers un réseau de professionnels. Les actions concernent tant les familles adoptives que les postulants qui ont aujourd’hui de plus en plus besoin d’information, de préparation et de soutien.
« Ces enfants maladroits » : le développement sensori-moteur des enfants nés avec une fente orofaciale
Authors: Monnier Maryline , Habersaat Stéphanie , Bolomey Luce
Published: October 2013

La zone bucco-labiale est l’un des relais principaux de la construction de l’environnement spatial et affectif dans les premiers mois de vie. Or, dans le cas d’une naissance avec une fente orofaciale, cette zone est mise précocement à rude épreuve, risquant de provoquer un désinvestissement ou, au contraire, une hypersensibilisation pouvant entraîner un certain de nombre de conséquences à long terme. Le but de ce travail est d’investiguer le développement sensori-moteur d’enfants nés avec une fente orofaciale et de les comparer à des enfants nés sans fente, à l’âge de 5 ans. Même si aucune différence importante n’est mise en évidence, les résultats montrent quelques zones grises dans le développement sensori-moteur des enfants nés avec une fente, telles que l’articulation des différents espace entre eux, pouvant faire apparaître ces enfants comme maladroits.
Increasing the Relevance of Masti Condoms for Consumers
Authors: Bhardwaj Ashish , Bakshi Monica , Dham Sanjeev
Published: October 2013

Population Services International (PSI) uses social marketing as a tool to deliver health impact among vulnerable and low-income populations. This approach encompasses the use of commercial marketing techniques to motivate the target audience to voluntarily adopt healthy behaviors and offers and promotes linkages between existing products and services to sustain their behavior. PSI measures accomplishments in terms of Couple Years of Protection (CYPs), a measurement unit widely used by bilateral agencies and governments. One CYP provided can be thought of as one year of protection against an unintended pregnancy. PSI socially markets contraceptives, including condoms, in order to positively impact the reproductive health of low income populations. Masti is a leading condom brand, which has been socially marketed by PSI since 1989. In recent years, the market share has stagnated at approximately 10%. This chapter discusses the evidence-based approach used by PSI to understand the reasons for stagnation in a growing market and the steps that PSI took to make Masti contemporary and relevant to today’s lower income consumers.
Securing Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Pomponiu Victor
Published: October 2013

The wireless technologies are bringing significant changes to data networking and telecommunication services, making integrated networks a reality. By removing the wires, personal networks, local area networks, mobile radio networks, and cellular systems, offer an entirely distributed mobile computing and communications environment. Due to their unique features such as shared medium, limited resources, and dynamic topology, wireless ad hoc networks are vulnerable to a variety of potential attacks. However, the common security measures employed for wired networks are not enough to protect the nodes of the networks against complex attacks. Therefore, a new line of defense, called intrusion detection, has been added. In this chapter, first we introduce the main wireless technologies along with their characteristics. Then, a description of the attacks that can be mounted on these networks is given. A separate section will review and compare the most recent intrusion detection techniques for wireless ad hoc networks. Finally, based on the current state of the art, the conclusions, and major challenges are discussed.
An Overview of Cryptography
Authors: Vahedi Ehsan , Wong Vincent W.S. , Blake Ian F.
Published: October 2013

As Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices become ever more ubiquitous it is very likely that demands on them to provide certain types of security such as authentication, confidentiality, and privacy and encryption for security, depending on the application, will increase. This chapter gives a brief overview of cryptographic techniques and protocols. Given the often limited complexity and power of RFID devices, much effort has been devoted to devising so-called “lightweight” cryptographic techniques for such devices, and a few of these are considered in this chapter. Even public key techniques to provide services such as identification and digital signatures have been proposed for some scenarios involving RFID devices, although such devices will obviously require significant computing power. While such applications are seemingly beyond currently available technology, given the speed at which technology is able to yield computational increases at reasonable cost and device size, it seems prudent to consider such protocols at this point.
Regulatory and Policy Compliance with Regard to Identity Theft Prevention, Detection, and Response
Authors: Francia Guillermo A. , Hutchinson Frances Shannon
Published: October 2013

The proliferation of the Internet has intensified the identity theft crisis. Recent surveys indicate staggering losses amounting to almost $50 billion incurred due to almost 9 million cases of identity theft losses. These startling and apparently persistent statistics have prompted the United States and other foreign governments to initiate strategic plans and to enact several regulations in order to curb the crisis. This chapter surveys national and international laws pertaining to identity theft. Further, it discusses regulatory and policy compliance in the field of information security as it relates to identity theft prevention, detection, and response policies or procedures. In order to comply with recently enacted security-focused legislations and to protect the private information of customers or other third-party members, it is important that institutions of all types establish appropriate policies and procedures for dealing with sensitive information.