bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental Attributes to Respiratory Diseases of Small Ruminants
Authors: Rahal Anu , Ahmad Abul Hasan , Prakash Atul , Mandil Rajesh , Kumar Aruna T.
Published: March 2014

Respiratory diseases are the major disease crisis in small ruminants. A number of pathogenic microorganisms have been implicated in the development of respiratory disease but the importance of environmental factors in the initiation and progress of disease can never be overemphasized. They irritate the respiratory tree producing stress in the microenvironment causing a decline in the immune status of the small ruminants and thereby assisting bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections to break down the tissue defense barriers. Environmental pollutants cause acute or chronic reactions as they deposit on the alveolar surface which are characterized by inflammation or fibrosis and the formation of transitory or persistent tissue manifestation. Some of the effects of exposures may be immediate, whereas others may not be evident for many decades. Although the disease development can be portrayed as three sets of two-way communications (pathogen-environment, host-environment, and host-pathogen), the interactions are highly variable. Moreover, the environmental scenario is never static; new compounds are introduced daily making a precise evaluation of the disease burden almost impossible. The present review presents a detailed overview of these interactions and the ultimate effect on the respiratory health of sheep and goat.
Hulthén and Coulomb-Like Potentials as a Tensor Interaction within the Relativistic Symmetries of the Manning-Rosen Potential
Authors: Tokmehdashi Hadi , Rajabi Ali Akbar , Hamzavi Majid
Published: March 2014

The bound-state solutions of the Dirac equation for the Manning-Rosen potential are presented approximately for arbitrary spin-orbit quantum numberκwith the Hulthén and Coulomb-like potentials as a tensor interaction. The generalized parametric Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method is used to obtain energy eigenvalues and corresponding two-component spinors of the two Dirac particles and these are obtained in the closed form by using the framework of the spin symmetry and p-spin symmetry concept. We have also shown that tensor interaction removes degeneracies between spin and p-spin doublets. Some numerical results are also given.
Nonlinear Disturbance Observer Based Robust Tracking Control of Pneumatic Muscle
Authors: Elobaid Youssif Mohamed Toum , Huang Jain , Wang Yongji
Published: March 2014

Presently pneumatic muscles (PMs) are used in various applications due to their simple construction, lightweight, and high force‐to‐weight ratio. However, pneumatic muscles are facing various problems due to their nonlinear characteristics and various uncertainties in real applications. To cope with the uncertainties and strong nonlinearity of a PM model, a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO) is designed to estimate the lumped disturbance. Based on the disturbance observer, the tracking control of PM is studied. Stability analysis based on Lyapunov method with respect to our proposed control law is discussed. The simulation results show the validity, effectiveness, and enhancing robustness of the proposed methods.
The Diophantine Equation8x2-y2+8x(1+t)+(2t+1)2=0andt-Balancing Numbers
Authors: Tekcan Ahmet , Tayat Merve , Özbek Meltem E.
Published: March 2014

Lett≥2be an odd integer such that2t2-1is a prime. In this work, we determine all integer solutions of the Diophantine equationDt:8x2-y2+8x(1+t)+(2t+1)2=0and then we deduce the general terms of allt-balancing numbers.
Survival Prediction Score: A Simple but Age-Dependent Method Predicting Prognosis in Patients Undergoing Palliative Radiotherapy
Authors: Angelo Kent , Dalhaug Astrid , Pawinski Adam , Haukland Ellinor , Nieder Carsten
Published: March 2014

Purpose. Validation of a Canadian three-tiered prognostic model (survival prediction score, SPS) in Norwegian cancer patients referred for palliative radiotherapy (PRT), and evaluation of age-dependent performance of the model. Patients and Methods. We analyzed all 579 PRT courses administered at a dedicated PRT facility between 20.06.07 and 31.12.2009. SPS was assigned as originally described, That is, by taking into consideration three variables: primary cancer type, site of metastases, and performance status. Results. Patients with poor prognosis (non-breast cancer, metastases other than bone, and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≤ 60) had median survival of 13 weeks. Those with intermediate prognosis (two of these parameters) survived for a median of 29 weeks, and patients with good prognosis for a median of 114 weeks, P<0.001. While this model performed well in patients who were 60 years or older, it was less satisfactory in younger patients (no significant difference between the good and intermediate prognosis groups). Conclusion. SPS should mainly be used to predict survival of elderly cancer patients. However, even in this group accuracy is limited because the good prognosis group contained patients with short survival, while the poor prognosis group contained long-term survivors. Thus, improved models should be developed.
Small Cell Deployment and Smart Cooperation Scheme in Dual-Layer Wireless Networks
Authors: Wei Su , Qi Liu , Yiqun Li , Meng Bi , Guoli Chen , Hongke Zhang
Published: March 2014

Traditional mobile networks will become dual-layer wireless networks due to small cells’ deployment. The advantages of dual-layer networks are improving network capacity and overcoming the problem of unbalanced traffic distribution in time-space domain. In this paper, performance of small cells deployment is evaluated in simulations. It is shown that users’ traffic is offloaded by small cells obviously. At the same time, performances of signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) and throughput are also improved. However, low SINR ([Formula: see text] dB) users are also increased because of interferences between macro cells and small cells. Furthermore, a new cooperation scheme is proposed for energy saving in dual-layer networks. This scheme is implemented through a functional modular, named by Area Control Center (ACC). Finally, simulations are given to verify the efficiency of this energy saving scheme. The numerical results show that energy consumption could be reduced by 20%.
Acceptance of Provider Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling among Tuberculosis Patients in East Wollega Administrative Zone, Oromia Regional State, Western Ethiopia
Authors: Kebede Wakjira , Keno Fikru , Ewunetu Temesgen , Mamo Gutu
Published: March 2014

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a powerful risk factor for the development of tuberculosis. This study assessed the acceptance and associated factors that can affect provider initiated HIV testing and counseling (PITC) among tuberculosis patients at the East Wollega administrative zone, Oromia regional state, western Ethiopia, from January to August, 2010. A single population proportion formula is used to calculate the total sample size of 406 and the cluster sampling technique was used to select 13 health centers that provide PITC services. The sample size was proportionally allocated to each health center. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique using the lottery method. Structured questionnaire was used for collection of sociodemographic data. From the total of study subjects, 399 (98.2%) TB patients were initiated for HIV test and 369 (92.5%) patients accepted the initiation. Of those, 353 (95.5%) patients had taken HIV test and received their results. According to the reviewed documents, the prevalence of HIV among tuberculosis (TB) patients in the study area was 137 (33.7%). The logistic regression result showed the PITC was significantly associated with their knowledge about HIV (AOR = 3.22, 95% CI: 1.3–7.97), self-perceived risk (AOR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.12–7.66), educational status (AOR = 3.51, 95% CI: 1.13–10.91), and knowledge on transmission of HIV/AIDS (AOR = 7.56, 95% CI: 1.14–40.35) which were significantly associated with the acceptance of PITC among TB patients. Therefore, this study’s results showed, the prevalence of HIV among TB patient was high; to enhance the acceptance of PITC among TB patients, health extension workers must provide health education during home-to-home visiting. TB treatment supervisors also provide counseling intensively for all forms of TB patients during their first clinical encounter.
Prevalence and Genetic Characterization of Carbapenem- and Polymyxin-ResistantAcinetobacter baumanniiIsolated from a Tertiary Hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia
Authors: Lean Soo-Sum , Suhaili Zarizal , Ismail Salwani , Rahman Nor Iza A. , Othman Norlela , Abdullah Fatimah Haslina , Jusoh Zakaria , Yeo Chew Chieng , Thong Kwai-Lin
Published: March 2014

Nosocomial infection caused byAcinetobacter baumanniiis of great concern due to its increasing resistance to most antimicrobials. In this study, 54 nonrepeat isolates ofA. baumanniifrom the main tertiary hospital in Terengganu, Malaysia, were analyzed for their antibiograms and genotypes. Out of the 54 isolates, 39 (72.2%) were multidrug resistant (MDR) and resistant to carbapenems whereas 14 (25.9%) were categorized as extensive drug resistant (XDR) with additional resistance to polymyxin B, the drug of “last resort.” Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses showed that the polymyxin-resistant isolates were genetically diverse while the carbapenem-resistant isolates were clonally related. The 14 XDR isolates were further investigated for mutations in genes known to mediate polymyxin resistance, namely,pmrCAB, and the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis genes,lpxA,lpxC,lpxD,andlpsB. All 14 isolates had a P102H mutation inpmrAwith no mutation detected inpmrCandpmrB. No mutation was detected inlpxAbut each polymyxin-resistant isolate had 2–4 amino acid substitutions inlpxDand 1-2 substitutions inlpxC. Eight resistant isolates also displayed a unique H181Y mutation inlpsB. The extent of polymyxin resistance is of concern and the novel mutations discovered here warrant further investigations.
Existence of Positive Solutions for an Elastic Beam Equation with Nonlinear Boundary Conditions
Authors: Liu Ruikuan , Ma Ruyun
Published: March 2014

We study the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions for the following fourth-order two-point boundary value problem subject to nonlinear boundary conditionsu′′′′(t)=λf(t,u(t)),  t∈(0,1),u(0)=0,  u′(0)=μh(u(0)),  u′′(1)=0,  u′′′(1)=μg(u(1)), whereλ>0, μ≥0are parameters, andf:0, 1×0,+∞→0, +∞, h:0, +∞→0, +∞, andg:0, +∞→-∞,0are continuous. By using the fixed-point index theory, we prove that the problem has at least one positive solution forλ,  μsufficiently small and has no positive solution forλlarge enough.
A Global Multilevel Thresholding Using Differential Evolution Approach
Authors: Charansiriphaisan Kanjana , Chiewchanwattana Sirapat , Sunat Khamron
Published: March 2014

Otsu’s function measures the properness of threshold values in multilevel image thresholding. Optimal threshold values are necessary for some applications and a global search algorithm is required. Differential evolution (DE) is an algorithm that has been used successfully for solving this problem. Because the difficulty of a problem grows exponentially when the number of thresholds increases, the ordinary DE fails when the number of thresholds is greater than 12. An improved DE, using a new mutation strategy, is proposed to overcome this problem. Experiments were conducted on 20 real images and the number of thresholds varied from 2 to 16. Existing global optimization algorithms were compared with the proposed algorithms, that is, DE, rank‐DE, artificial bee colony (ABC), particle swarm optimization (PSO), DPSO, and FODPSO. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm not only achieves a more successful rate but also yields a lower threshold value distortion than its competitors in the search for optimal threshold values, especially when the number of thresholds is large.
Simulation of Hydraulic Fracture in Unsaturated Soils with High Degree of Saturation
Authors: Chen Tielin , Zhang Liangyi , Zhang Dingli
Published: March 2014

A numerical simulation approach of hydraulic fracture process, considering the couplings of the stress distribution, the fluid flow of the water-air mixture, the compression and dissolution of air, and the element damage evolution, has been developed to investigate the mechanisms of crack initiation and propagation in porous media during hydraulic fracturing. The concept of homogenized pore fluid has been adopted to represent the water air mixture. A large number of numerical analysis on hydraulic fracturing in clay with incipient injection slot have been carried out to study the mechanism of hydraulic fracturing in unsaturated soil with the characteristic of critical model I type of crack loading using stress intensity factorKIc. The results provide a numerical picture depicting the mechanisms of crack initiation and propagation during hydraulic fracturing. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which confirms the adequacy and the power of the numerical approach.
Insulin-like Growth Factor-I and Risk of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
Authors: Schmidt Julie A. , Allen Naomi E. , Almquist Martin , Franceschi Silvia , Rinaldi Sabina , Tipper Sarah J. , Tsilidis Konstantinos K. , Weiderpass Elisabete , Overvad Kim , Tjønneland Anne , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Dossus Laure , Mesrine Sylvie , Kaaks Rudolf , Lukanova Annekatrin , Boeing Heiner , Lagiou Pagona , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Trichopoulou Antonia , Palli Domenico , Krogh Vittorio , Panico Salvatore , Tumino Rosario , Zanetti Roberto , Bueno-de-Mesquita H. Bas , Peeters Petra H. , Lund Eiliv , Menéndez Virginia , Agudo Antonio , Sánchez María-José , Chirlaque Maria-Dolores , Ardanaz Eva , Larrañaga Nerea , Hennings Joakim , Sandström Maria , Khaw Kay-Tee , Wareham Nick , Romieu Isabelle , Gunter Marc J. , Riboli Elio , Key Timothy J. , Travis Ruth C.
Published: March 2014

Background: Little is known about the causes of thyroid cancer, but insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) might play an important role in its development due to its mitogenic and antiapoptotic properties.

Methods: This study prospectively investigated the association between serum IGF-I concentrations and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in a case–control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. The 345 incident cases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma were individually matched to 735 controls by study center, sex and age, date, time, and fasting status at blood collection, follow-up duration, and for women menopausal status, use of exogenous hormones, and phase of menstrual cycle at blood collection. Serum IGF-I concentrations were measured by immunoassay, and risk of differentiated thyroid cancer in relation to IGF-I concentration was estimated using conditional logistic regression.

Results: There was a positive association between IGF-I concentrations and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma: the OR for a doubling in IGF-I concentration was 1.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.06–2.08; Ptrend = 0.02). The positive association with IGF-I was stable over time between blood collection and cancer diagnosis.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that IGF-I concentrations may be positively associated with risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Impact: This study provides the first prospective evidence of a potential association between circulating IGF-I concentrations and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma and may prompt the further investigations needed to confirm the association. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(6); 976–85. ©2014 AACR.
miR-141 Is a Key Regulator of Renal Cell Carcinoma Proliferation and Metastasis by Controlling EphA2 Expression
Authors: Chen Xuanyu , Wang Xuegang , Ruan Anming , Han Weiwei , Zhao Yan , Lu Xing , Xiao Pei , Shi Hangchuan , Wang Rong , Chen Li , Chen Shaoyong , Du Quansheng , Yang Hongmei , Zhang Xiaoping
Published: March 2014

Purpose: Although microRNAs (miRNA) have been revealed as crucial modulators of tumorigenesis, our understanding of their roles in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is limited. Here we sought to identify human miRNAs that act as key regulators of renal carcinogenesis.

Experimental Design: We performed microarray-based miRNA profiling of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) and adjacent normal tissues and then explored the roles of miR-141 both in vitro and in vivo, which was the most significantly downregulated in ccRCC tissues.

Results: A total of 74 miRNAs were dysregulated in ccRCC compared with normal tissues. miR-141 was remarkably downregulated in 92.6% (63/68) ccRCC tissues and would serve as a promising biomarker for discriminating ccRCC from normal tissues with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.93. Overexpression of miR-141 robustly impaired ccRCC cell migratory and invasive properties and suppressed cell proliferation by arresting cells at G0–G1 phase in vitro and in human RCC orthotopic xenografts. Significantly, the antitumor activities of miR-141 were mediated by its reversal regulation of erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular (Eph) A2 (EphA2), which then relayed a signaling transduction cascade to attenuate the functions of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), AKT, and MMP2/9. In addition, a specific and inverse correlation between miR-141 and EphA2 expression was obtained in human ccRCC samples. Finally, miR-141 could be secreted from the ccRCC donor cells, and be taken up and function moderately in the ccRCC recipient cells.

Conclusion: miR-141 serves as a potential biomarker for discriminating ccRCC from normal tissues and a crucial suppressor of ccRCC cell proliferation and metastasis by modulating the EphA2/p-FAK/p-AKT/MMPs signaling cascade. Clin Cancer Res; 20(10); 2617–30. ©2014 AACR.
Further Observations on the Effects of Long-Term Treatment with Recombinant Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 in Growth Hormone Insensitivity Syndrome
Authors: El Kholy Mohamed , Amr Nermine Hussein , Elsedfy Heba
Published: March 2014

Background/Aim: Growth hormone insensitivity syndrome (GHIS) is a spectrum of disorders. Laron syndrome was the earliest discovered. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) therapy is used to improve growth. IGF-1 has diverse effects on the growth of body organs. We aim to assess the long-term effects of IGF-1 therapy in patients with GHIS particularly on adiposity and acral growth. Methods: Six patients (5 with Laron syndrome and 1 with type 1A growth hormone deficiency) were followed for a mean (±SD) of 8.2 ± 1.8 years. Mean age at start of therapy was 7.6 ± 4.1 years. Anthropometric evaluation including growth of hand, foot, ear, and skin folds, and assessment of internal organ growth were done. Results: Hand and foot sizes improved significantly, especially when treatment was initiated early. Prominent effects on adiposity were observed, reflected by increment in body mass index standard deviation score (SDS) and skin fold SDS. Mean height, height velocity, sitting height, and head circumference SDS improved with therapy. A significant increase in spleen and right kidney was appreciated. Conclusion: IGF-1 therapy improves growth in GHIS. The hand and foot sizes increase significantly with therapy, and can even normalize with early initiation of treatment. Ear length further improves with therapy. Other effects include increase in adiposity and internal organ growth.
Acute Isolated Bilateral Mydriasis: Case Reports and Review of the Literature
Authors: Sato Hiromasa , Naito Kosuke , Hashimoto Takao
Published: March 2014

Isolated bilateral internal ophthalmoplegia is a rare and problematic condition affecting activities of daily living. Herein, we describe the cases of 2 patients with postinfectious isolated bilateral internal ophthalmoplegia, i.e., mydriasis without external ophthalmoplegia. One patient demonstrated no other neurological symptom, while the other patient showed mild gait ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed no abnormal findings in the brain or brainstem. Light-near dissociation of the pupils was not recognized in either patient, and supersensitivity to dilute pilocarpine was observed in 1 of the 2 patients. An increased titer of the anti-GQ1b IgG antibody was noted in 1 patient. A review of the literature revealed five similar cases; the symptomatic characteristics, ratio of positive anti-GQ1b IgG antibody, and effective treatment are discussed.
Bilateral Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Intensive Swallowing Rehabilitation for Chronic Stroke Dysphagia: A Case Series Study
Authors: Momosaki Ryo , Abo Masahiro , Kakuda Wataru
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this study was to clarify the safety and feasibility of a 6-day protocol of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with intensive swallowing rehabilitation for chronic poststroke dysphagia. In-hospital treatment was provided to 4 poststroke patients (age at treatment: 56-80 years; interval between onset of stroke and treatment: 24-37 months) with dysphagia. Over 6 consecutive days, each patient received 10 sessions of rTMS at 3 Hz applied to the pharyngeal motor cortex bilaterally, followed by 20 min of intensive swallowing rehabilitation exercise. The swallowing function was evaluated by the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS), Modified Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MMASA), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), laryngeal elevation delay time (LEDT) and Repetitive Saliva-Swallowing Test (RSST) on admission and at discharge. All patients completed the 6-day treatment protocol and none showed any adverse reactions throughout the treatment. The combination treatment improved laryngeal elevation delay time in all patients. Our proposed protocol of rTMS plus swallowing rehabilitation exercise seems to be safe and feasible for chronic stroke dysphagia, although its efficacy needs to be confirmed in a large number of patients.
Activated protein C based therapeutic strategies in chronic diseases
Authors: Bock Fabian , Shahzad Khurrum , Vergnolle Nathalie , Isermann Berend
Published: March 2014

Activated protein C (aPC) is a natural anticoagulant and a potent antiinflammatory and cytoprotective agent. At the expense of increased bleeding risk aPC has been used – with some success – in sepsis. The design of cytoprotective-selective aPC variants circumvents this limitation of increased bleeding, reviving the interest in aPC as a therapeutic agent. Emerging studies suggest that aPC’s beneficial effects are not restricted to acute illness, but likewise relevant in chronic diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy, neurodegeneration or wound healing. Epigenetic regulation of gene expression, reduction of oxidative stress, and regulation of ROS-dependent transcription factors are potential mechanisms of sustained cytoprotective effects of aPC in chronic diseases. Given the available data it seems questionable whether a unifying mechanism of aPC dependent cytoprotection in acute and chronic diseases exists. In addition, the signalling pathways employed by aPC are tissue and cell specific. The mechanistic insights gained from studies exploring aPC’s effects in various diseases may hence lay ground for tissue and disease specific therapeutic approaches. This review outlines recent investigations into the mechanisms and consequences of long-term modulation of aPC-signalling in models of chronic diseases.
Altered fibrin clot structure/function in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: association with thrombotic manifestation
Authors: Celińska-Löwenhoff Magdalena , Iwaniec Teresa , Padjas Agnieszka , Musiał Jacek , Undas Anetta
Published: March 2014

We tested the hypothesis that plasma fibrin clot structure/function is unfavourably altered in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Ex vivo plasma clot permeability, turbidity and susceptibility to lysis were determined in 126 consecutive patients with APS enrolled five months or more since thrombotic event vs 105 controls. Patients with both primary and secondary APS were characterised by 11% lower clot permeability (p<0.001), 4.8% shorter lag phase (p<0.001), 10% longer clot lysis time (p<0.001), and 4.7% higher maximum level of D-dimer released from clots (p=0.02) as compared to the controls. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed denser fibrin networks composed of thinner fibres in APS. Clots from patients with “triple-antibody positivity” were formed after shorter lag phase (p=0.019) and were lysed at a slower rate (p=0.004) than in the remainder. Clots from APS patients who experienced stroke and/or myocardial infarction were 8% less permeable (p=0.01) and susceptible to lysis (10.4% longer clot lysis time [p=0.006] and 4.5% slower release of D-dimer from clots [p=0.01]) compared with those following venous thromboembolism alone. Multivariate analysis adjusted for potential confounders showed that in APS patients, lupus anticoagulant and “triple-positivity” were the independent predictors of clot permeability, while “triple-positivity” predicted lysis time. We conclude that APS is associated with prothrombotic plasma fibrin clot phenotype, with more pronounced abnormalities in arterial thrombosis. Molecular background for this novel prothrombotic mechanism in APS remains to be established.
Recognizing Religion: Disciplinary Traditions, Epistemology, and History
Authors: Lambek Michael
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Questions of methodology hang on epistemology. I consider the conceptualization of the subject of the study of religion, arguing that the disciplines that carry out the study and also the objects or subjects of their study can be understood as traditions. I briefly review the conceptualization of religion within the anthropological tradition, noting a tension between understanding religion as socially immanent or as a set of explicit beliefs and practices constitutive of the transcendent. Religion is probably conceptualized rather differently within religious studies, especially insofar as each tradition has formulated itself in relation to secularism in its own way and in relation to, or confrontation with, other distinct traditions, whether of science or theology. Drawing on a meteorological metaphor, I suggest that both disciplines and religions qua traditions can be understood to change along historical “fronts;” these form both the conditions of our knowledge and its appropriate subject matter.
Thin and Thinner: Hypothesis-driven Research and the Study of Humans
Authors: Bulbulia Joseph , Wilson Marc Stewart , Sibley Chris G.
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Some say that researchers who study humans are locked in to frameworks of epistemic assumptions from which there can be no escape. We explain, on the contrary, how researchers who disagree may nevertheless reconcile their differences. Freedom from the epistemic dungeon is made possible by practices that convert beliefs into testable hypotheses, which are then tested. Such practices are the engines of scientific progress. To clarify misunderstandings about practices of hypothesis testing, we discuss Bayes’ rule, a mathematically perfect algebra for belief revision. To illustrate both the benefits and inevitable limitations of scientific research on religion, we work through the details of a recent national questionnaire study that revealed five different types of supernatural believers.
Long-lost Brothers: On the Co-histories and Interactions Between the Comparative Science of Religion and the Anthropology of Religion
Authors: Geertz Armin W.
Published: March 2014

Abstract

This article briefly surveys and compares the histories of research in the comparative science of religion (beginning with Friedrich Max Müller) and the anthropology of religion. The article notes the close interactions between these two fields and argues that the comparative science of religion drew significant inspiration from anthropology and sociology during the twentieth century until about the 1970s when anthropology came under heavy fire from critics. The postcolonial, feminist, and postmodern wave did not have a significant impact on the comparative science of religion until the 1990s. But already during the 1980s a new approach to religion, championed by Jonathan Z. Smith, contributed to a theoretical and critical analysis of religion that neither bought into postmodernism nor into thesui generisapproach to religion. During the 1990s, another new approach began making an impact, namely, the cognitive science of religion, championed by E. Thomas Lawson, Robert N. McCauley (both scholars of religion), and Pascal Boyer (anthropologist). The article suggests in conclusion that the two disciplines can once again meet in the growing fields of experimental anthropology and experimental science of religion and in the need to explore and address how culture affects and rewires the brain. Furthermore, evolutionary theory is also beginning to serve as a common framework for thinking about religion.
Betraying their Motherland: Soviet Military Tribunals of Izmenniki Rodiny in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, 1941–1953
Authors: Kaiser Claire P.
Published: March 2014

The immediate aftermath of the Second World War saw a transnational effort to identify and prosecute those individuals who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in such fora as the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. However, parallel national processes were carried out across Europe to punish those citizens who, by a range of definitions, allegedly collaborated with enemy occupiers and committed treason. In the Soviet Union, suspected collaborators were tried as counterrevolutionaries in both the areas where crimes were committed and also those distant from regions of German or Romanian occupation. By examining tribunals in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in this article, I argue for the importance of identifying and prosecuting alleged collaborators to the Soviet postwar project – a project which was far from limited to areas in the western parts of the country and which remained intimately linked to prewar, Stalinist understandings of justice and revolution.
A new species of Primulina (Gesneriaceae) from Guangdong, China
Authors: Zheng Yongli , Deng Yunfei
Published: March 2014

A new species of Gesneriaceace, Primulina yangchunensis, is described and illustrated from China. The species is related to P. orthandra, but it can be easily distinguished by its leaf blade base cuneate, margin entire and rugose, both surfaces hispid, longer bracts broadly lanceolate, 1–2 cm long, and the length of the abaxial lip obviously longer than that of the adaxial one. The conservation status of this new species was assessed as “Critically Endangered” (CR) according to IUCN Red List Category and Criteria.
Two new names in Clematis (Ranunculaceae)
Authors: Falck Daniel , Lehtonen Samuli
Published: March 2014

Molecular studies (Miikeda et al. 2006, Xie et al. 2011) have established that the genus Naravelia Adanson (1763: 460) nom. cons. is nested within the genus Clematis Linnaeus (1753: 543). Most of the names treated under Naravelia have combinations in Clematis already. However, N. siamensis Craib and N. pauciflora H.Eichler have not been transferred to Clematis, apparently because of the existing homonyms. Here, we provide new names for them.
Two new species of Xiphocentronidae (Trichoptera) and their bionomics in Central Amazonia, Brazil
Authors: PES ANA MARIA , HAMADA NEUSA , NESSIMIAN JORGE LUIZ , SOARES CLIMÉIA C.
Published: March 2014

Two new Xiphocentronidae species are described, Machairocentron falciforme sp. nov. and Xiphocentron(Antillotrichia) sclerothrix sp. nov. Illustrations of the males, females and pupae are presented. Adults were obtained through the emergence of pupae in the laboratory and from collections in traps suspended 1 m above the water in four streams in Presidente Figueiredo, Manaus and Barcelos municipalities in Amazonas state, and Oiapoque municipality in Amapá state, Brazil. Larvae inhabiting submerged substrates and on stream banks were collected in order to determine thefeeding habits by examining gut contents. Larvae of both species are practically indistinguishable; the list of material observed in the gut content therefore refers to both species. Larvae of analyzed species have scraper feeding habits.
A new apterous species of Platypalpus Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae) from Ecuador
Authors: FREITAS-SILVA RAFAEL AUGUSTO PINHEIRO , ALE-ROCHA ROSALY
Published: March 2014

Platypalpus is the most speciose genus of Tachydromiinae with approximately 550 described species, occurring preferen-tially in colder and temperate climates of the world. The genus is notably diverse in the Palaearctic, where almost 300 species are known, but it is much less diverse in tropical climates, a fact frequently attributed to the competition with spe-cies of Elaphropeza found in warmer regions. Despite the great variation of morphological features known, no apterous species of Platypalpus have been described. We describe Platypalpus apterus sp. nov., a very curious new wingless spe-cies of Platypalpus, which is the first record of a wingless species in the genus. We provide detailed illustrations of the male and female genital segments. This species appears to belong in the Platypalpus brevicornis species-group, which until now has only been recorded from the Oriental and Palaearctic regions. Twenty-three species of Platypalpus are now known from the Neotropical Region.
Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies off Baja California: A Possible Precursor of ENSO
Authors: Feng Jiaxin , Wu Zhaohua , Zou Xiaolei
Published: March 2014

Many recent studies have shown that observed El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events are spatially and temporally diverse and that they have undergone changes in characteristics. To quantitatively capture these features, multidimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition (MEEMD) is employed to isolate the temporal–spatial evolution of the sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) on naturally separated time scales. An alternative Niño-3.4 index is also defined to reflect more on the interannual variability of equatorial Pacific SSTAs. Using this alternative index, 27 ENSO warm events are identified and the spatial–temporal evolution of each event is examined. It is found that a patch of SSTAs off Baja California appears to extend southwestward and reach the equatorial region near the international date line in about 1 year. This warm signal then amplifies and extends eastward, developing into an ENSO warm event. This type of development has been dominant in recent decades. For this type of ENSO warm event, it appears that SSTAs off Baja California are instrumental to ENSO development, possibly serving as a precursor of an ENSO event.
City Population Size Is Associated with Examinee Outcomes on the American Board of Pediatrics Certifying Examination
Authors: Falcone John L.
Published: March 2014

Objective. The purpose of this article is to evaluate American Board of Pediatrics Certifying Examination performance based on city population, hypothesizing that larger cities are associated with higher exam performance. Methods. Pediatric residency programs were retrospectively evaluated from 2010 to 2012. The associated city populations were found using census data. Simple linear regression was performed for continuous variables, and χ2 tests were performed for categorical variables, using α = .05. Results. For 188 programs, the median pass rate was 79.5% (interquartile range = 69% to 90%). Regression showed that city size explains program size ( P < .001). Examinees from larger cities had a higher pass rates than examinees from smaller cities, and examinees who are in cities that share residency programs had a higher pass rate than examinees from solo city programs (both P < .05). Conclusions. City size is associated with examinee performance on the American Board of Pediatrics Certifying Examination. City size should be a consideration of future residency applicants.
Pediatric Behavioral Health Screening in Primary Care
Authors: Blucker Ryan T. , Jackson Dennis , Gillaspy J. Arthur , Hale Jessica , Wolraich Mark , Gillaspy Stephen R.
Published: March 2014

Background. Roughly 21% of youth in the United States meet criteria for a mental health diagnosis, but only one-fifth of those children obtain help. The Pediatric Behavioral Health Screen (PBHS) utilizes the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17) and functional impairment items to assess behavioral health concerns. Methods. Data were obtained from a systematic chart review for children 6 to 16 years old. Descriptive analyses and a confirmatory factor analysis were used to evaluate the clinical performance and utility of the PBHS. Results. A positive screen was endorsed for 26.7% of the sample, of whom 68% also experienced functional impairment. Clinicians appropriately administered the screen 73.5% of the time. The 3-factor model of the PSC-17 exhibited a good model fit. Conclusions. Prevalence rates of psychosocial concerns and functional impairment affirm the need for routine behavioral health screening in the pediatric primary care setting. The PBHS exhibited good psychometric performance and clinical utility.
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis in Infants and Preschool-Age Children
Authors: Gaspar-Marques João , Carreiro-Martins Pedro , Papoila Ana Luísa , Caires Iolanda , Pedro Catarina , Araújo-Martins José , Virella Daniel , Rosado-Pinto José , Leiria-Pinto Paula , Neuparth Nuno
Published: March 2014

Food allergy (FA) prevalence data in infants and preschool-age children are sparse, and proposed risk factors lack confirmation. In this study, 19 children’s day care centers (DCC) from 2 main Portuguese cities were selected after stratification and cluster analysis. An ISAAC’s (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) derived health questionnaire was applied to a sample of children attending DCCs. Outcomes were FA parental report and anaphylaxis. Logistic regression was used to explore potential risk factors for reported FA. From the 2228 distributed questionnaires, 1217 were included in the analysis (54.6%). Children’s median age was 3.5 years, and 10.8% were described as ever having had FA. Current FA was reported in 5.7%. Three (0.2%) reports compatible with anaphylaxis were identified. Reported parental history of FA, personal history of atopic dermatitis, and preterm birth increased the odds for reported current FA. A high prevalence of parental-perceived FA in preschool-age children was identified. Risk factor identification may enhance better prevention.
Introduction: Knowledge production in global context: Power and coloniality
Authors: Bhambra Gurminder K
Published: March 2014

This special issue addresses the growing concern with the Eurocentric nature of the sociological tradition (broadly understood) and its inadequacy in dealing with questions of power, race and coloniality. In pursuit of a global sociology, the special issue draws its contributors from a wide range of geographical locations and the articles address topics rarely considered within these debates, including, surprisingly, issues of gender. Broadly, they re-engage with standard debates from innovative theoretical positions and via new research from what are often regarded as peripheral locations. Together, the articles seek to contest the dominance of Europe and the US in the production of knowledge and transform the ways in which we understand sociology from a global perspective.
Radical Caribbean social thought: Race, class identity and the postcolonial nation
Authors: Reddock Rhoda
Published: March 2014

The Caribbean, that first place of significant European conquest, colonialism, large-scale transportation and varying levels of forced or coerced migration and labour, provided the impetus for many ‘race theories’ of the 18th and 19th centuries. This article explores the engaged scholarship of radical intellectuals of the English-speaking Caribbean emerging from this racially defined colonial context that emerged over the early to mid-20th century and produced counter-narratives of ‘postcolonial’ and ‘anti-colonial’ thought. With a focus on the radical pan-Africanist, socialist and neo-Marxist traditions it locates elements of radical Caribbean social thought within a larger radical global intellectual tradition and as a precursor in many ways to today’s critical race theories/studies. It focuses on particular themes and methodologies that characterize this work and writing as well as its regional and international impact. Also, the significance of women’s rights and ‘gender’ issues in this tradition is examined; both by its attention to the situation of women in writing and activism and through the important work of key women in these movements. Finally, the article makes a call for a re-engagement with this earlier radical tradition contributing to what Michael Burawoy refers to as public sociology, i.e. a sociology in dialogue with audiences outside the academy while drawing on the traditions of critical sociology.
Caste, race and difference: The limits of knowledge and resistance
Authors: Banerjee-Dube Ishita
Published: March 2014

This article reconsiders the past and the present of Dalit and lower-caste struggle in India, including recent efforts to link caste and race in order to make a common platform against discrimination at international fora. It explores the burden of colonial concepts and statist imaginaries in the shaping of objectified identities by Dalits, especially as they seize upon and crucially rework such categories. Critically engaging with the notion of coloniality, ‘the other side of modernity’, the article reveals the limits of categorical perspectives and intellectual theory in the articulation of social worlds. Instead, it points towards a global sociology that acknowledges and affirms ambivalence and contradiction as crucial attributes of thinking, writing and practice.
Spirit out of bounds returns to the East: The closing of the social sciences and the opening of independent thoughts
Authors: Mignolo Walter D
Published: March 2014

The cycle of the ‘social sciences’ as they were historically formed at the beginning of the nineteenth century is coming to its close. The Gulbenkian Report (1995) was an effort to maintain Western epistemic hegemony by ‘opening the social sciences,’ acknowledging the challenges from the Third World (geopolitics of knowledge) and from the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement in the US (disciplinary formations around ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual issues). The ‘opening’ was indeed the beginning of its ‘closing.’ Relevant social and cultural knowledges do not require the normative control and regulation of Eurocentric social sciences, even in their generous opening. New knowledge formation is emerging from the experiences, needs, and memories of the non-European world in contentious dialogue with 200 years of Western epistemic hegemony. Hegel’s Spirit is indeed returning, disillusioned and at the same time empowered to begin a different parkour, to the global East and the global South.
Afterword: Doing global sociology: Issues, problems and challenges
Authors: Patel Sujata
Published: March 2014

This Afterword maps out the methodological constituents that organize global sociology. It suggests that the starting point for doing global sociology is to deconstruct the inherent Eurocentrism which is there in the discipline’s cognitive frames. Also, it suggests that Eurocentrism is not merely represented in sociological theories and methods but is also enmeshed in practices and sites that administer and govern sociological knowledge, such as journals and curricula. Additionally, Eurocentric frames are organically connected with the discipline of anthropology with which sociology was interfaced through coloniality. It then discusses the other three methodological constituents that help to frame global sociology: provincialization, methodological nationalism and endogeneity. It concludes by suggesting that global sociology is possible if we work with these methodological constituents at many levels.
The smell of an impossible dream: Dallas, migration, and creative failure in Angie Cruz’s Let It Rain Coffee
Authors: Valovirta Elina , Kokkola Lydia , Korkka Janne
Published: March 2014

A Latin Caribbean (forced) migration experience is at the centre of Angie Cruz’s 2005 novel, Let It Rain Coffee, which depicts the life and history of the Colón family in three different time periods (the early 1920s, the 1960s, and the 1990s) in the Dominican Republic as well as in New York City. This article focuses on the early 1990s immigrant experience of Esperanza Colón, whose addiction to the television show Dallas becomes illustrative of a cultural identity formed by the ideal of the American Dream and mass culture. Although Esperanza fails to live up to the impossible standards she has set herself, the novel’s presentation of failure as a creative activity (as envisioned by Halberstam, 2011) challenges the hegemony of capitalism and globalization. Instead of reading the novel in terms of the two extremes of success or failure which typically characterize migrant narratives (Pearce, 2010), we focus on Esperanza’s “middle ranges of agency” (Sedgwick, 2003: 13) to show how the commonplace terms in which migration is often presented fail to capture the nuances of immigrant experience at odds with the promise of the metropolis as negotiated by Cruz in the novel.
Patterns and Transitions in Substance Use Among Young Swiss Men
Authors: Baggio Stéphanie , Studer Joseph , Deline Stéphane , N’Goran Alexandra , Dupuis Marc , Henchoz Yves , Mohler-Kuo Meichun , Daeppen Jean-Bernard , Gmel Gerhard
Published: March 2014

This study investigates the potential stages of drug use. Data from the longitudinal Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors were used ( N = 5,116). Drug use (alcohol, tobacco, and 16 illicit drugs) over the previous 12 months was assessed at two time points. Patterns and trajectories of drug use were studied using latent transition analysis (LTA). This study’s substantive contributions are twofold. First, the pattern of drug use displayed the well-known sequence of drug involvement (licit drugs to cannabis to other illicit drugs), but with an added distinction between two kinds of illicit drugs (“middle-stage” drugs: uppers, hallucinogens, inhaled drugs; and “final-stage” drugs: heroin, ketamine, GHB/GBL, research chemicals, crystal meth, and spice). Second, subgroup membership was stable over time, as the most likely transition was remaining in the same latent class.
Effects of Model Performances on Music Skill Acquisition and Overnight Memory Consolidation
Authors: Cash Carla D. , Allen Sarah E. , Simmons Amy L. , Duke Robert A.
Published: March 2014

This study was designed to investigate the extent to which the presentation of an auditory model prior to learning a novel melody affects performance during active practice and the overnight consolidation of procedural memory. During evening training sessions, 32 nonpianist musicians practiced a 13-note keyboard melody with their left (nondominant) hand in twelve 30-s practice intervals separated by 30-s rest intervals. Participants were instructed to play the sequence “as quickly, accurately, and evenly as possible.” Approximately half the participants, prior to the first practice interval, listened to 10 repetitions of the target melody played at 552 tones per minute (half note = 138). All participants were tested on the target melody the following morning, approximately 12 hr after training, in three 30-s blocks separated by 30-s rest intervals. Performance was measured in terms of the mean number of correct key presses per 30-s block (CKP/B). Consistent with previous research, participants made considerable improvements in CKP/B during the evening training sessions and between the end of training and the morning test sessions. Learners who listened to the model made significantly larger gains in performance during training and between the end of training and test than did those who did not hear the model.