bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of after-school physical activity levels and organized physical activity participation in Hong Kong children
Authors: Cheung Peggy PY
Published: May 2012

The aims of this study were to 1) describe the children’s physical activity (PA) patterns during the after-school period and 2) to compare the type and intensity of activity during the after-school period of children with or without participation in organized PA programmes. The participants were 456 children from four primary schools in Hong Kong. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure the PA pattern and intensity level of the children during the after-school period. Independent t-test and factorial ANOVA was used for data analysis. Results indicated that children engaged substantial time in light intensity PA during the after-school period. Children who participated in organized PA programmes spent fewer time blocks on light intensity PA and more time blocks in vigorous PA. The boys spent more time blocks on high intensity PA than the girls. A structured PA programme during the after-school period is a potential intervention strategy to increase children’s PA participation without using up the time intended for children’s homework.
The Birth of the Clinic and the Advent of Reproduction: Pregnancy, Pathology and the Medical Gaze in Modernity
Authors: Shaw Jennifer
Published: May 2012

In conjunction with the growing feminist literature on pregnancy and visualization, this paper uses Foucault’s The Birth of the Clinic to demonstrate how the effort to make the interior of the pregnant body visible in medical discourse was a crucial part of the development of the modern medical gaze. In doing so I develop two concurrent arguments. First, I argue that the pathological corpse of the Clinic can conceptually serve as a double for the pregnant body as it emerged in modern medicine in the 20th century. At the same time I use the insights of the Clinic to illustrate changes in pregnancy from early modernity to the 20th century. In early modernity, the pregnant body was understood in terms of generation, as a tree that bears fruit; by the 19th century, the pregnant body was a machine that reproduced the species. This transition can be seen in the overlap of pathology and pregnancy in early modernity, an overlap that continued throughout the 19 century and is inadvertently reinforced through the practice of ultrasound.
Pro-anorexia Communities and Online Interaction: Bringing the Pro-ana Body Online
Authors: Boero Natalie , Pascoe C.J.
Published: May 2012

This article details the making of community and bodies in online environments, specifically the online pro-anorexia community. Building community among members of these groups is particularly fraught because tensions over claims to authenticity permeate these groups. Because these are embodied practices and online spaces are presumably disembodied, participants constantly grapple with authenticity, largely through the threat of the ‘wannarexic’. Participants manage these tensions through engaging in group rituals and deploying individual tools that attempt to make the body evident online. This article documents the way in which tensions around authenticity and embodied practices are managed through treatment of the wannarexic.
Boxers, Briefs or Bras? Bodies, Gender and Change in the Boxing Gym
Authors: Paradis Elise
Published: May 2012

In this ethnography of Full Contact, a San Francisco Bay Area boxing gym, I use Bourdieu’s theory of practice to illustrate how ‘rules of the game’ shape people’s perceptions, interactions and positions ( capital). First, I show how the unwritten, unspoken rules of boxing as a field (its doxa) impact readings of bodies and bodily capital, readings that then have an impact on micro-level interactions and hierarchies at Full Contact. Second, I show the micro-level consequences of hysteresis – delays in the realignment of habitus and field that result from change at the field level – on social interactions and hierarchies. Gender is at the core of my analysis, for it is both a fundamental part of my and others’ habitus, and a symbolic trait of significance in the hypermasculine doxa of boxing as a field.
Digesting men? Ethnicity, gender and food: Perspectives from a ‘prison ethnography’
Authors: Earle Rod , Phillips Coretta
Published: May 2012

Drawing from an ethnographic study of men’s social relations in an English prison, this article explores the potential of attending closely to men’s practice for the light it may shed on the boundaries of punishment. Interviews with prisoners and fieldwork experiences reveal something of the way prison acts on an ethnically diverse group of men. Focusing on the way men use cooking facilities on the prison’s wings, the article explores the way men make food for themselves and each other and thereby occupy prison space with unconventional (and conventional) gender practice. Using intersectional perspectives the article shows how practices of racialization, racism, conviviality and coercion are woven into the fabric of prison life. These quotidian experiences are juxtaposed against the question of how prisons and prisoner populations represent a spectrum of violence in which gender dynamics remain under-examined. By providing glimpses of men’s lives in an English prison to reveal aspects of the ways masculinities and ethnicities interact to shape a penal regime the authors offer some resources for, and perspective on, the theorization of punishment’s boundaries.
Overweight and lifestyle among 13–15 year olds: A cross-sectional study in northern Sweden
Authors: Vaezghasemi Masoud , Lindkvist Marie , Ivarsson Anneli , Eurenius Eva
Published: May 2012

Aim: To increase knowledge of self-rated health and lifestyle in relation to overweight/obesity among 13–15 year olds in northern Sweden. Methods: All 6768 13–15 year olds in nine out of 15 municipalities in Västerbotten County were asked to complete a cross-sectional school-based on-line survey in 2007. Eighty-two per cent participated in the study. Responses were considered reliable for 74% of the participants (2517 boys/2470 girls). The survey addressed demography, self-rated health, self-reported weight, height, and lifestyle characteristics. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Results: Overweight/obesity (ISO body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) was more prevalent among boys (20%) than girls (11%), but more girls (19%) than boys (9%) reported fair or bad health. Overweight/obese boys and girls were more often physically inactive. For the boys, overweight/obesity was also associated with skipping breakfast, insufficient tooth brushing, and using snuff. For the girls, overweight/obesity was also associated with living with one parent and more television watching. Boys reported healthier habits concerning sleep duration, physical activity, eating breakfast, and smoking compared to the girls. On the other hand, girls reported better dietary and tooth brushing habits. Conclusions: This study uncovered two alarming findings: a fifth of the boys were overweight/obese and a fifth of the girls reported fair or bad health. Girls living with a single parent and boys and girls with unhealthy lifestyles were more likely to be overweight. Our findings emphasise the need for developing and implementing effective health promotion strategies for school-aged children to prevent an overweight and obesity epidemic that could continue into adulthood.
Urbanisation and the nutrition transition: A comparison of diet and weight status of South African and Kenyan women
Authors: Steyn Nelia P. , Nel Johanna H. , Parker W. , Ayah Rosemary , Mbithe Dorcus
Published: May 2012

Aims: To determine and compare the extent of the nutrition transition between Kenyan and South African women. Methods: A nationally representative sample of women aged ≥15 years ( n=1008) was assessed in Kenya. Weight, height, and waist and hip circumferences were measured. A 24-hour dietary recall was conducted with each participant. This data was compared with data of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of women in South Africa ( n=4481). Dietary intake of South African women was based on secondary data analysis of dietary studies using the 24-hour recall method ( n=1726). Results: In South Africa, 27.4% women had a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 compared with 14.2% of Kenyan women. In both countries there were large urban–rural differences in BMI, with the highest prevalence in women in urban areas. BMI increased with age, as did abdominal obesity which was equally prolific in both countries with more than 45% of women in the older groups having a waist/hip ratio ≥0.85. The nutrient mean adequacy ratio (MAR) of the South African rural diet was lower than those of the Kenyans diet (55.9; 57.3%, respectively). Dietary diversity score (DDS) and food variety score (FVS) were significantly lower in South African rural women (3.3; 4.9) compared with Kenyans (4.5; 6.8). Conclusions: Urban–rural differences in diet and weight status indicates that the nutrition transition was similar in both countries despite large sociodemographic differences; however, rural Kenyan women had a better MAR, DDS, and FVS than South African women, most probably due to 60% having access to land.
The evolution of policy attitudes in France
Authors: Stimson James A. , Thiébaut Cyrille , Tiberj Vincent
Published: May 2012

The theory of issue evolution predicts that the dimensional space of party competition is simple. We contrast this prediction with the expectation that a complicated multi-party system, such as the one in France, produces a more complicated dimensional structure. To test this claim, we examine the longitudinal structure of the policy preferences that underlie public opinion in France. Using surveys of preferences as a basic data source, we are able to extract two latent dimensions that almost fully explain the reported preferences. Both dimensions are defined by the left–right structure of the French party system. Whereas one is the traditional socioeconomic domain, the other comprises a wide array of new cultural issues. The orthogonal solution, however, does not produce the expected socioeconomic and cultural dimensions. Thus we impose our prior belief in the socioeconomic and cultural content and rotate the two dimensions independently to maximize fit with the two prior dimensions. We show that the same two-dimensional structure is also present in cross-sectional data, and can be used to position parties in the two-dimensional space. Moreover, we find that the two dimensions are closely connected, despite their completely different content. The explanation, which arises from the theory of issue evolution, is that the meaning of left–right is dynamic as well as elastic and incorporates new issues as they arise.
Think different? An investigation of network antecedents and performance consequences of creativity as deviation
Authors: Soda Giuseppe , Bizzi Lorenzo
Published: May 2012

In this study, the authors investigate how network relations affect project performance through creativity. They challenge previous conceptualizations of creativity by proposing the idea that creative outcomes in project industries can be conceptualized as deviation from past projects and deviation from partners’ projects. While previous research has mostly assumed that network relations are beneficial to performance because they increase innovation and creativity, this conceptualization of creativity reveals different empirical regularities. The authors show that network relations are likely to exercise both positive and negative effects on creativity and that creativity is also likely to exercise both positive and negative effects on performance. In addition, networks show both convergent and divergent effects on the two dimensions of creativity. The findings show that network relations activate important trade-offs that organizations must consider in their strategic choices and open up research on the social side of creativity.
The effect of levofloxacin and moxifloxacin on cardiovascular functions of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes
Authors: Absi Mais , Ghareeb Hussam , Khalil Ahmad , Ruegg Urs T
Published: May 2012

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics cause rare, but clinically important, adverse events including hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. The present study focuses on the possible effect of levofloxacin and moxifloxacin on the cardiovascular functions of rats with type I diabetes. Both antibiotics caused bradycardia. Levofloxacin but not moxifloxacin caused hypoglycaemia in diabetic rats and an increase in amplitude of the ST segment revealed by electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis of isolated hearts. In pressurized mesenteric arteries, levofloxacin did not affect the endothelium-derived hyperpolarising factor (EDHF) pathway or its main components, the small-conductance Ca2+ activated potassium (SKCa) and intermediate-conductance Ca2+ activated potassium (IKCa) channels. In moxifloxacin-treated rats, an increase in the EDHF response was observed, which was largely attributed to SKCa-activation. In conclusion, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin use appeared to vary but with no evidence of impairment of the cardiovascular function. However, it is still possible that these antibiotics may produce different effects if there are co-morbidities and therefore their use must be with care.
Urban Blueways
Authors: Muller Edward K.
Published: May 2012

The convergence of urban renewal, the emerging environmental movement, and historic preservation in the 1960s spawned great interest in redeveloping the central waterfronts of American cities. The prominent landscape architect John Ormsbee Simonds advocated, and consulted on, the transformation of several city riverfronts during the 1960s and 1970s. Working from an environmental philosophy, Simonds viewed central riverfronts as the keystone of a system of metropolitan blueways or protected water-based park lands and corridors. His planning efforts, and those of others like him, laid the foundations for the waterfront redevelopment movement’s sweeping success in the closing decades of the twentieth century.
Determinants of Quality of Life in HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment at a Medical College ART Center in Kolkata, India
Authors: Talukdar Arunansu , Ghosal Malay Kumar , Sanyal Debasish , Talukdar Payel Sengupta , Guha Prathama , Guha Subhasis Kamal , Basu Saugata
Published: May 2012

Health-related quality of life (QOL) has become a high priority of long-term management of HIV-infected individuals. The newly diagnosed HIV cases were assessed to obtain sociodemographic and clinical findings. Eyesenk Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) for HIV-infected patients, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used to get data regarding personality traits, QOL, and depression scores. A total of 175 patients were included in the study, 128 (73.1%) men and 47 (26.9%) women. Overall 56% of patients screened positive for depression. Presence of depression and high neuroticism score in the personality profile of HIV-infected patients are significantly associated with poorer QOL. High neuroticism score was a strong predictor of poorer QOL in psychological and spiritual domain. Management of HIV-infected patients therefore needs to address these psychological issues.
Robotic Gait Training Is not Superior to Conventional Treadmill Training in Parkinson Disease
Authors: Carda Stefano , Invernizzi Marco , Baricich Alessio , Comi Cristoforo , Croquelois Alexandre , Cisari Carlo
Published: May 2012

Background. The use of robots for gait training in Parkinson disease (PD) is growing, but no evidence points to an advantage over the standard treadmill. Methods. In this randomized, single-blind controlled trial, participants aged <75 years with early-stage PD (Hoehn-Yahr <3) were randomly allocated to 2 groups: either 30 minutes of gait training on a treadmill or in the Lokomat for 3 d/wk for 4 weeks. Patients were evaluated by a physical therapist blinded to allocation before and at the end of treatment and then at the 3- and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was the 6-minute walk test. Results. Of 334 screened patients, the authors randomly allocated 30 to receive gait training with treadmill or the Lokomat. At baseline, the 2 groups did not differ. At the 6-month follow-up, both groups had improved significantly in the primary outcome measure (treadmill: mean = 490.95 m, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 448.56-533.34, P = .0006; Lokomat: 458.6 m, 95% CI = 417.23-499.96, P = .01), but no significant differences were found between the 2 groups ( P = .53). Discussion. Robotic gait training with the Lokomat is not superior to treadmill training in improving gait performance in patients with PD. Both approaches are safe, with results maintained for up to 6 months.
Reinfusion of Succus Entericus Into the Mucous Fistula Decreases Dependence on Parenteral Nutrition in Neonates
Authors: Drenckpohl Douglas , Vegunta Ravindra , Knaub Lisa , Holterman Mark , Wang Huaping , Macwan Kamlesh , Pearl Richard
Published: May 2012

Background. Neonates who undergo surgery and have an ostomy with a creation of a mucous fistula are at nutritional risk, especially if the ostomy placement is proximal and the remaining bowel is not being used. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is used to maintain the neonatal nutritional status, but long-term use is associated with increased morbidities. The concept of reinfusing succus entericus into the mucous fistula to decrease the neonate’s dependence on TPN has been limited to case reports. Methods. This is a retrospective cohort study documenting the effectiveness of reinfusing succus entericus into the mucous fistula for neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The authors’ primary hypothesis was that neonates who had succus entericus reinfused into the mucous fistula had decreased dependence on TPN. Results. Of the premature infants receiving mucous fistula feedings, 65% had TPN discontinued, whereas 67% of the term infants had TPN discontinued. The type of ostomy affected the neonate’s ability to be weaned off TPN. In all, 80% of the neonates with ileostomies were able to have TPN discontinued as compared with only 38% of the neonates with jejunostomies. Conclusions. The reinfusion of succus entericus into the mucous fistula decreases the neonate’s dependence on TPN and may prevent the progression of TPN-related morbidities from long-term use. Reinfusion of succus entericus into the mucous fistula may be a beneficial practice for neonates with ostomy placements.
Pediatric Obesity Treatment in Children With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Authors: Irby Megan B. , Kolbash Stacy , Garner-Edwards Dara , Skelton Joseph A.
Published: May 2012

Obesity can affect any child, but it occurs disproportionately in children with developmental disabilities. Treatment efforts, however, have focused primarily on nondisabled children, and more research is needed to determine how current approaches can be modified for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This article briefly reviews what is currently known about obesity treatment in these children and presents a case series describing methods employed by a family-based, multidisciplinary weight management program in the treatment of obesity. Lessons learned from clinical experience are also discussed, with implications for collaborating with families of children with disabilities in treatment, establishing healthy routines and schedules, setting the pace of treatment progression, and minimizing disruptions in the behavior change process. Though there are no expert recommendations specifically tailored to obesity treatment in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, existing clinical programs such as the one described here can be adapted to better meet the needs of this underserved population. Further research is warranted to determine the most effective methods for addressing obesity in these children, as has been specified as a national health priority.
Early Physical Rehabilitation in the ICU: A Review for the Neurohospitalist
Authors: Mendez-Tellez Pedro A. , Nusr Rasha , Feldman Dorianne , Needham Dale M.
Published: May 2012

Advances in critical care have resulted in improved intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. However, improved ICU survival has resulted in a growing number of ICU survivors living with long-term sequelae of critical illness, such as impaired physical function and quality of life (QOL). In addition to critical illness, prolonged bed rest and immobility may lead to severe physical deconditioning and loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness. ICU-acquired weakness is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation and weaning, longer ICU and hospital stay, and increased mortality. These physical impairments may last for years after ICU discharge. Early Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) interventions in the ICU may attenuate or prevent the weakness and physical impairments occurring during critical illness. This article reviews the evidence regarding safety, feasibility, barriers, and benefits of early PM&R interventions in ICU patients and discusses the limited existing data on early PM&R in the neurological ICU and future directions for early PM&R in the ICU.
Sox4 cooperates with CREB in myeloid transformation
Authors: Sandoval Salemiz , Kraus Christina , Cho Er-Chieh , Cho Michelle , Bies Juraj , Manara Elena , Accordi Benedetta , Landaw Elliot M. , Wolff Linda , Pigazzi Martina , Sakamoto Kathleen M.
Published: May 2012

The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a nuclear transcription factor that is critical for normal and neoplastic hematopoiesis. Previous studies have demonstrated that CREB is a proto-oncogene whose overexpression promotes cellular proliferation in hematopoietic cells. Transgenic mice that overexpress CREB in myeloid cells develop a myeloproliferative disease with splenomegaly and aberrant myelopoiesis. However, CREB overexpressing mice do not spontaneously develop acute myeloid leukemia. In this study, we used retroviral insertional mutagenesis to identify genes that accelerate leukemia in CREB transgenic mice. Our mutagenesis screen identified several integration sites, including oncogenes Gfi1, Myb, and Ras. The Sox4 transcription factor was identified by our screen as a gene that cooperates with CREB in myeloid leukemogenesis. We show that the transduction of CREB transgenic mouse bone marrow cells with a Sox4 retrovirus increases survival and self-renewal of cells in vitro. Furthermore, leukemic blasts from the majority of acute myeloid leukemia patients have higher CREB, phosphorylated CREB, and Sox 4 protein expression. Sox4 transduction of mouse bone marrow cells results in increased expression of CREB target genes. We also demonstrate that CREB is a direct target of Sox4 by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. These results indicate that Sox4 and CREB cooperate and contribute to increased proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Distinct roles for long-term hematopoietic stem cells and erythroid precursor cells in a murine model of Jak2V617F-mediated polycythemia vera
Authors: Mullally Ann , Poveromo Luke , Schneider Rebekka K. , Al-Shahrour Fatima , Lane Steven W. , Ebert Benjamin L.
Published: May 2012

In the current model of the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera (PV), the JAK2V617F mutation arises in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that maintain the disease, while erythroid precursor populations expand, resulting in excessive red blood cell production. We examined the role of these specific cell populations using a conditional Jak2V617F knockin murine model. We demonstrate that the most immature long-term (LT) HSCs are solely responsible for initiating and maintaining the disease in vivo and that Jak2V617F mutant LT-HSCs dominate hematopoiesis over time. When we induced Jak2V617F expression in erythropoietin receptor expressing precursor cells, the mice developed elevated hematocrit, expanded erythroid precursors, and suppressed erythropoietin levels. However, the disease phenotype was significantly attenuated compared with mice expressing Jak2V617F in LT-HSCs. In addition to developing a PV phenotype, all mice transplanted with Jak2V617F LT-HSCs underwent myelofibrotic transformation over time. These findings recapitulate the development of post-PV myelofibrosis in human myeloproliferative neoplasms. In aggregate, these results demonstrate the distinct roles of LT-HSCs and erythroid precursors in the pathogenesis of PV.
PV-1 is recognized by the PAL-E antibody and forms complexes with NRP-1
Authors: Keuschnigg Johannes , Tvorogov Denis , Elima Kati , Salmi Marko , Alitalo Kari , Salminen Tiina , Jalkanen Sirpa
Published: May 2012

Pathologische anatomie leiden endothelium (PAL-E) antibody has been used for more than 20 years as a prototype marker for vascular endothelium. The elusive target of this antibody has been claimed to be plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein-1 (PV-1) and neuropilin-1 (NRP-1). Using immunofluorescence, we show that PAL-E, anti–PV-1, anti–NRP-1, and anti-CD31 antibodies show largely identical staining patterns in the vasculature of different tissues. However, PV-1–transfected cells only bind PAL-E and anti–PV-1 antibodies, whereas NRP-1 transfectants stain with anti–NRP-1 antibodies in flow cytometry. Using lysates from tissues and transfected cells, we further confirm that the molecule recognized by PAL-E and anti–PV-1 antibodies is not NRP-1 but PV-1. Nevertheless, coimmunoprecipitation studies unambiguously demonstrate that NRP-1 can form complexes with PV-1. This connects, for the first time, 2 molecules involved in leukocyte trafficking and angiogenesis, thereby opening interesting possibilities for future research in this field.
Transmaternal cell flow leads to antigen-experienced cord blood
Authors: Dierselhuis Miranda P. , Blokland Els C. , Pool Jos , Schrama Ellen , Scherjon Sicco A. , Goulmy Els
Published: May 2012

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is used for HSCT. It is known that UCB can comprise Ag-specific T cells. Here we question whether solely transmaternal cell flow may immunize UCB. Twenty-three female UCB samples were collected from healthy mothers and analyzed for minor histocompatibility Ag HY-specific responses. Forty-two of 104 tetramerpos T-cell clones, isolated from 16 of 17 UCB samples, showed male-specific lysis in vitro. Male microchimerism was present in 6 of 12 UCB samples analyzed. In conclusion, female UCB comprises HY-specific cytotoxic T cells. The immunization is presumably caused by transmaternal cell flow of male microchimerism present in the mother. The presence of immune cells in UCB that are not directed against maternal foreign Ags is remarkable and may explain the reported clinical observation of improved HSCT outcome with younger sibling donors.
Ho Chi Minh City's Beauty Regime: Haptic Technologies of the Self in the New Millennium
Authors: Hien Nina
Published: May 2012

Through an often seemingly contradictory system of market socialism in Vietnam and specifically within the economic capital of Ho Chi Minh City, how may the ways in which people have been using photography and its practices since Ðổi mới (Renovation) elucidate modes of neoliberalism related to self-management and governmentality that may be at play? This article will explore the shifting idea of beauty and how the Vietnamese state has been using it historically to hegemonize the nation. It will also examine Vietnamese subject formation and subjectivities in the southern urban center through contemporary individual acts of self-fashioning, projects of physical aestheticization and the manufacturing of new individual fates evident in the activity of studio portraiture and its postproduction digital manipulations in photo recovery shops. Some of the ways in which different modes of tactility, touch, and digital processes and technologies are used in conjunction with visual images in complicity and compliance with state agendas as well as in the creation of fluid spaces that may subvert the political and structural constraints that the state has been known to impose on Vietnamese lives will be illuminated.
Afterword: Flexible Postsocialist Assemblages from the Margin
Authors: Zhang Li
Published: May 2012

In this essay I suggest that rather than asking whether China or Vietnam is becoming neoliberal, we might be better served by asking how Chinese or Vietnamese political and social actors make use of neoliberal ideas and techniques for their own ends. A central task of the anthropology of neoliberalism today thus is to investigate how such historically and culturally contingent articulations of neoliberal logics and techniques work out (or do not work out) in diverse social and political settings. To illustrate this point, I highlight some of the convergent and divergent issues in two important domains: ethics and techniques of the self and class making and space making. I argue that such flexible postsocialist assemblages with their own characteristics may well become a distinct and viable pathway of social formation that dislocates the prevailing way of thinking about social change and world historical trajectory. Finally, I briefly discuss some research possibilities that deserve further attention in the future study of postsocialist assemblages from the margin.
Myotubular myopathy and the neuromuscular junction: a novel therapeutic approach from mouse models
Authors: Dowling James J. , Joubert Romain , Low Sean E. , Durban Ashley N. , Messaddeq Nadia , Li Xingli , Dulin-Smith Ashley N. , Snyder Andrew D. , Marshall Morgan L. , Marshall Jordan T. , Beggs Alan H. , Buj-Bello Anna , Pierson Christopher R.
Published: May 2012

Myotubular myopathy (MTM) is a severe congenital muscle disease characterized by profound weakness, early respiratory failure and premature lethality. MTM is defined by muscle biopsy findings that include centralized nuclei and disorganization of perinuclear organelles. No treatments currently exist for MTM. We hypothesized that aberrant neuromuscular junction (NMJ) transmission is an important and potentially treatable aspect of the disease pathogenesis. We tested this hypothesis in two murine models of MTM. In both models we uncovered evidence of a disorder of NMJ transmission: fatigable weakness, improved strength with neostigmine, and electrodecrement with repetitive nerve stimulation. Histopathological analysis revealed abnormalities in the organization, appearance and size of individual NMJs, abnormalities that correlated with changes in acetylcholine receptor gene expression and subcellular localization. We additionally determined the ability of pyridostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, to ameliorate aspects of the behavioral phenotype related to NMJ dysfunction. Pyridostigmine treatment resulted in significant improvement in fatigable weakness and treadmill endurance. In all, these results describe a newly identified pathological abnormality in MTM, and uncover a potential disease-modifying therapy for this devastating disorder.
Alternative splicing and trans-splicing events revealed by analysis of the Bombyx mori transcriptome
Authors: Shao Wei , Zhao Qiong-Yi , Wang Xiu-Ye , Xu Xin-Yan , Tang Qing , Li Muwang , Li Xuan , Xu Yong-Zhen
Published: May 2012

Alternative splicing and trans-splicing events have not been systematically studied in the silkworm Bombyx mori. Here, the silkworm transcriptome was analyzed by RNA-seq. We identified 320 novel genes, modified 1140 gene models, and found thousands of alternative splicing and 58 trans-splicing events. Studies of three SR proteins show that both their alternative splicing patterns and mRNA products are conserved from insect to human, and one isoform of Srsf6 with a retained intron is expressed sex-specifically in silkworm gonads. Trans-splicing of mod(mdg4) in silkworm was experimentally confirmed. We identified integrations from a common 5′-gene with 46 newly identified alternative 3′-exons that are located on both DNA strands over a 500-kb region. Other trans-splicing events in B. mori were predicted by bioinformatic analysis, in which 12 events were confirmed by RT-PCR, six events were further validated by chimeric SNPs, and two events were confirmed by allele-specific RT-PCR in F1 hybrids from distinct silkworm lines of JS and L10, indicating that trans-splicing is more widespread in insects than previously thought. Analysis of the B. mori transcriptome by RNA-seq provides valuable information of regulatory alternative splicing events. The conservation of splicing events across species and newly identified trans-splicing events suggest that B. mori is a good model for future studies.
ANN and ANFIS Models for COP Prediction of a Water Purification Process Integrated to a Heat Transformer with Energy Recycling
Authors: El Hamzaoui Youness , Hernandez J.A , Roman Abraham Gonzalez , Ramírez José Alfredo Rodríguez
Published: May 2012

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the comparison of an artificial neural network (ANN) and an adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the prediction of the coefficient of performance (COP) for a water purification process integrated in an absorption heat transformer system with energy recycling. ANN and ANFIS models take into account the input and output temperatures for each one of the four components (absorber, generator, evaporator, and condenser), as well as two presures and LiBr+H2O concentrations. Experimental results are performed to verify the results from the ANN and ANFIS approaches. For the network, a feedforward with one hidden layer, a Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm, a hyperbolic tangent sigmoid transfer function and a linear transfer function were used. The best fitting training data set was obtained with three neurons in the hidden layer. On the validaton data set, simulations and experimental data test were in good agreement (R2>0.9980). However, the ANFIS model was developed using the same input variables. The statistical values are given in as tables. However, comparaison between two models shows that ANN provides better results than the ANFIS results. Finally this paper shows the appropriateness of ANN and ANFIS for the quantitative modeling with reasonable accuracy.
Finite p-groups whose non-normal cyclic subgroups have small index in their normalizers
Authors: Zhang Xiaohong , Guo Xiuyun
Published: May 2012

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The “K-9 Corps” of the Third Dynasty of Ur: The Dog Handlers at Drehem and the Army
Authors: Tsouparopoulou Christina
Published: May 2012

The use of dogs in Mesopotamian military history has so far been obscure due to the apparent absence of any documentary evidence. This also holds true for the Ur III period, one of the best-documented periods in Mesopotamian history. However, a close examination of Drehem administrative texts documenting dog handlers provides evidence that dogs were indeed used in the Ur III military and were part of the military personnel stationed at Drehem and beyond.
Industrializing Data Integration Projects using a Metadata Driven
Assembly Line
Authors: Maier Albert , Oberhofer Martin , Schwarz Thomas
Published: May 2012

Data integration is essential for the success of many enterprise business
initiatives, but also a very significant contributor to the costs and risks of
the IT projects supporting these initiatives. Highly skilled consultants and
data stewards re-design the usage of data in business processes, define the
target landscape and its data models, and map the current information landscape
into the target landscape. Still, the largest part of a typical data integration
effort is dedicated to the implementation of transformation, cleansing, and data
validation logic in robust and highly performing commercial systems. This effort
is simple and doesn´t demand skills beyond commercial product knowledge, but it
is very labour-intensive and error prone. In this paper we describe a new
commercial approach to data integration that helps to “industrialize” data
integration projects and significantly lowers the amount of simple, but
labour-intensive work. The key idea is that the target landscape for a data
integration project has pre-defined data models and associated meta data which
can be leveraged for building and automating the data integration process. This
approach has been implemented in the context of the support of SAP consolidation
projects and is used in some of the largest data integration projects
world-wide.
Multi-Scale Data Integration Challenges in the Observational Science
Data Space
Authors: Berti-Équille Laure
Published: May 2012

In Europe, more than one thousand of laboratories intensively collect data to
measure various properties of the Earth. Scientists observe environmental
conditions, ecosystems and biological species. The ability to understand complex
phenomena (e. g., global warming) and predict trends from spatio-temporal data
becomes a major issue in observational science. However, theoretical and
technical advances in multi-scale data integration are necessary to achieve
this. This paper will present some challenging research directions for
integrating such massive multi-scale scientific data.
Frontiers in Crowdsourced Data Integration
Authors: Braunschweig Katrin , Eberius Julian , Thiele Maik , Lehner Wolfgang
Published: May 2012

There is an ever-increasing amount and variety of open web data available that is
insufficiently examined or not considered at all in decision making processes.
This is because of the lack of end-user friendly tools that help to reuse this
public data and to create knowledge out of it. Therefore, we propose a
schema-optional data repository that provides the flexibility necessary to store
and gradually integrate heterogeneous web data. Based on this repository, we
propose a semi-automatic schema enrichment approach that efficiently augments
the data in a “pay-as-you-go” fashion. Due to the inherently appearing
ambiguities we further propose a crowd-based verification component that is able
to resolve such conflicts in a scalable manner.
Managing Uncertainty: The Road Towards Better Data
Interoperability
Authors: van Keulen Maurice
Published: May 2012

Data interoperability encompasses the many data management activities needed for
effective information management in anyone´s or any organization´s everyday work
such as data cleaning, coupling, fusion, mapping, and information extraction. It
is our conviction that a significant amount of money and time in IT that is
devoted to these activities, is about dealing with one problem: “semantic
uncertainty”. Sometimes data is subjective, incomplete, not current, or
incorrect, sometimes it can be interpreted in different ways, etc. In our
opinion, clean correct data is only a special case, hence data management
technology should treat data quality problems as a fact of life, not as
something to be repaired afterwards. Recent approaches treat uncertainty as an
additional source of information which should be preserved to reduce its impact.
We believe that the road towards better data interoperability, is to be found in
teaching our data processing tools and systems about all forms of doubt and how
to live with them. In this paper, we show for several data interoperability use
cases (deduplication, data coupling/fusion, and information extraction) how to
formally model the associated data quality problems as semantic uncertainty.
Furthermore, we provide an argument why our approach leads to better data
interoperability in terms of natural problem exposure and risk assessment, more
robustness and automation, reduced development costs, and potential for natural
and effective feedback loops leveraging human attention.
Source-Path-Goal: Investigating the Cross-Linguistic Potential of
Frame-Semantic Text Analysis
Authors: Čulo Oliver , de Melo Gerard
Published: May 2012

The ability to analyse natural language semantically has been a long-standing
goal in information technology. In the last few decades, the increased
availability of annotated text collections and new statistical methods have led
to great advances in this area. Frame-semantic annotation, as exemplified by the
FrameNet project, describes the meaning of a sentence in terms of the involved
cognitive scenarios and the roles of individual participants (e. g. the buyer
and the seller in a commerce scenario, but also abstract entities like source,
path, and goal in a travel scenario). This contribution studies the
cross-linguistic potential of FrameNet from multiple perspectives. It
investigates a statistical method to determine frame-semantic relatedness of
individual words across languages. It also shows how commonalities and
differences between languages in expressing states of affairs can be analysed
and extracted from annotated parallel corpora.
Flexible Polymer Atomic Switches using Ink-Jet Printing Technique
Authors: Mohapatra Saumya R. , Tsuruoka Tohru , Hasegawa Tsuyoshi , Terabe Kazuya , Aono Masakazu
Published: May 2012

Gapless-type atomic switches were fabricated on a flexible plastic substrate by printing ‘solid polymer electrolyte’ (SPE) layers using suitable ink and drop-on-demand ink-jet technique. High surface energy difference between Pt microelectrode patterned on the plastic substrate and the substrate itself, led to the successful printing of electrolytic solution on a bottom Pt electrodes. Bipolar resistive switching behavior was observed in Ag/SPE/Pt cross-point structures under electrical bias. The switching between ON and OFF states is attributed to the formation and dissolution of a metal filament between the electrodes. The cells also exhibited stable switching behavior under mechanical stress as performed by substrate bending. Switching characteristics measured under mechanical stress and without stress are matching well. The results demonstrate that the SPE-printed atomic switch has great potential for flexible switch/memory applications.
Time-Dependent Forming Characteristics in Pt/NiO/Pt Stack Structures for Resistive Random Access Memory
Authors: Nishi Yusuke , Iwata Tatsuya , Horie Daisuke , Kimoto Tsunenobu
Published: May 2012

Constant voltage Time-Dependent Forming (TDF) measurements in as-deposited Pt/NiO/Pt stack structures have been conducted. From TDF characteristics, formation of conductive filaments at forming process by applying voltage follows weakest link theory. Furthermore, weakest spots are almost randomly distributed in NiO thin films according to Poisson statistics, each of which can contribute conductive paths locally generated. A “percolating layer” in which the conductive filaments percolate by applying voltage may exist in the NiO thin film. The thickness of the layer is much smaller than that of NiO thin films.
Briefing: Making space for green places
Authors: Grant Laura E
Published: May 2012

Green infrastructure can provide sustainable regenerative solutions for the urban challenges to be faced now and into the future. The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has produced a publically available report on current policy and legislation regarding green infrastructure for policy-makers and practitioners. This briefing outlines the report's findings in terms of the benefits that can be derived from green infrastructure, the challenges to increasing green infrastructure provision in urban areas and the institution's suggestions as to how these challenges might be met.
Bioeconomic forecasting of invasive species by ecological syndrome
Authors: Schmidt John Paul , Springborn Michael , Drake John M.
Published: May 2012

Invasive non‐native species cause enormous economic damage. Although there is both regulative and legislative precedent for policies restricting introduction of potentially invasive species, lack of a unified theory of invasions—particularly with respect to plants—has impeded efforts to implement screening despite empirical patterns suggesting the existence of “invasion syndromes”. Motivated by recent advances in the comparative biology of invasive species, we sought to develop a cost‐sensitive model that would associate groups of species according to biological traits and assign them to risk categories based on their invasion potential. Focusing on invasive plants in the US, which are estimated to generate costs of $US 34.7 billion/year, we then combined this scheme with estimates of the per species expected economic losses associated with forgoing trade and with benchmark values for the economic costs associated with plant pests to obtain a decision tool that would maximize economic benefits. If used for screening, this tool is estimated to yield expected net benefits of $80,000–$140,000 per species assessed under very conservative estimates of losses due to invasion.
Association of Leptin in Periodontitis and Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Gundala Rupasree , Chava Vijay K. , Ramalingam K.
Published: May 2012

Background: Serum leptin concentrations are reported to be elevated in patients with periodontal diseases and may have a modulating role in cardiovascular diseases. Serum leptin concentrations have not been assessed in periodontitis associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to date. The purpose of this study was to assess the concentration of serum leptin in periodontitis associated with AMI.

Methods: A cross‐sectional clinical study was conducted comprising a sample size of 120 participants divided into four groups (n = 30 each) based on their clinical signs: 1) control; 2) AMI; 3) generalized chronic periodontitis (GCP); and 4) GCP + AMI. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and recorded for all the subjects based on BMI chart of the World Health Organization. After thorough clinical and oral examination, plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment loss (AL) were recorded. In addition, 2 mL venous blood was collected by venipuncture from all participants to determine serum leptin concentration using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method.

Results: A strong correlation of serum leptin concentration to BMI was observed in AMI, GCP, and GCP + AMI groups. Serum leptin levels were significantly elevated in AMI, GCP, and GCP + AMI groups compared to the control group. Significant associations between serum leptin concentration and PI, GI, PD, and AL were also seen in the GCP group. PI, GI, PD, and AL were statistically significantly elevated in GCP + AMI and AMI groups.

Conclusion: Elevated serum leptin concentration was associated with increased BMI, GCP, and AMI and may serve as a risk marker for these conditions.
Splinted and Unsplinted Short Implants in Mandibles: A Retrospective Evaluation With 5 to 16 Years of Follow‐Up
Authors: Sivolella Stefano , Stellini Edoardo , Testori Tiziano , Di Fiore Adolfo , Berengo Mario , Lops Diego
Published: May 2012

Background: The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate the medium‐ to long‐term prognosis of short implants in partially and totally edentulous patients with mandibular bone atrophy.

Methods: The study involved 109 patients with 280 implants placed in the mandible. The implants were 7 or 8.5 mm long and 3.75 or 4 mm in diameter. The implant surfaces were machined (M; n = 176) or rough (R; n = 104). Patients were asked to attend a radiographic and clinical follow‐up, and their previous clinical records and radiographs were assessed. Implant‐related and prosthetic failures and complications were recorded.

Results: The mean follow‐up was 9 years (range of 5 to 16 years). The survival rate (SSR) and success rate (SR) were calculated using life‐table analysis for both M and R short implants. The M implants had a 16‐year SSR of 95.7% and a corresponding SR of 93.9%, whereas the 16‐year SSR and SR for the R implants were 97.2% and 95.2%, respectively. The mean ± SD bone resorption for all implants was 1.37 ± 0.5 mm. For marginal bone loss, there was no statistically significant difference between the two implant lengths (P = 0.38) or diameters (P = 0.34) or between the M and R implant surfaces (P = 0.47).

Conclusions: Different implant lengths, diameters, and surface treatments do not appear to influence the prognosis of the implant. Within the limitation that most of the short implants were splinted to longer implants, the reduced length of the fixtures did not worsen the long‐term survival of the implant‐supported fixed prostheses.