bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Biliary Decompression Preceding Pancreaticoduodenectomy With Plastic or Self-Expandable Metallic Stent
Authors: Haapamäki C. , Seppänen H. , Udd M. , Juuti A. , Halttunen J. , Kiviluoto T. , Sirén J. , Mustonen H. , Kylänpää L.
Published: July 2014

Background and Aims:

The rainage (PBD) prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is controversial. If PBD is required, large bore self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) are thought to maintain better drainage and have fewer postoperative complications than plastic stents. The confirming evidence is scarce. The aim of the study was to compare outcomes of surgery in patients who underwent PBD with SEMS or plastic stents deployed at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Material and Methods:

This is a retrospective study of 366 patients having had PD during 2000–2009. Preceding endoscopic PBD was performed in 191 patients and nine had had percutaneous transhepatic drainage (PTD). At the time of operation, 163 patients had a plastic stent and 28 had SEMS. Due to stent exchanges, 176 plastic stents and 29 SEMS were placed in all.

Results and Conclusions:

The stent failure rate was 7.4% for plastic stents and 3.4% for SEMS ( p = 0.697). A bilirubin level under 50 µmol/L was reached by 80% of the patients with plastic stents and by 61% of the patients with SEMS ( p = 0.058). A postoperative infection complication and/or a pancreatic fistula was found in 26% while using plastic stents and in 25% using SEMS ( p = 1.000). In unstented patients with biliary obstruction, the bile juice was sterile significantly more often than in endoscopically stented patients (100% vs 1%, p < 0.001). When the stented and unstented patients were compared regarding postoperative infection complications, there was no significant difference between the groups ( p = 0.365). Plastic stents did not differ from SEMS regarding the stent failure rate, bilirubin level decrease, amount of bacteria in the bile juice, or postoperative complications when used for PBD. The significantly higher price of SEMS suggests their use in selected cases only.
Establishing a community of practice for dementia champions (innovative practice)
Authors: Mayrhofer Andrea , Goodman Claire , Holman Cheryl
Published: July 2014

This discussion paper considers the currently evolving roles of dementia champions and describes an initiative designed to support their activities. The aim of this initiative was to establish a county-wide group that has a shared group identity and sufficient critical mass that is able to identify and implement dementia training and development needs for the health and social care workforce. The approach used to achieve this aim was a Dementia Champion Community of Practice Project, which involved dementia leads in various NHS Trusts. Whilst this approach might be effective at practitioner level, the Dementia Champion Community of Practice Project experience suggests that if such initiatives are to be sustainable they need to be strategically placed within networks that can bring together service providers, educators and commissioners.
Together but apart: Caring for a spouse with dementia resident in a care facility
Authors: Hemingway Dawn , MacCourt Penny , Pierce Joanna , Strudsholm Tina
Published: July 2014

This longitudinal, exploratory study was designed to better understand the lived experience of spousal caregivers age 60 and older providing care to partners with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias resident in a care facility. Twenty eight spousal caregivers were interviewed up to three times over a period of 2 years, and long-term care facility staff from four locations across British Columbia (BC), Canada participated in four focus groups. Thematic analysis of interview and focus group transcripts revealed a central, unifying theme ‘together but apart’. The results identify key targets for policy makers and service providers to support positive health and well-being outcomes for spousal caregivers providing care to their partners diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia and living in care facilities.
A good learning opportunity, but is it for me? A study of Swedish students’ attitudes towards exchange studies in higher education
Authors: Ahn Song-ee
Published: July 2014

This article describes students’ involvement and interest in exchange programmes in Swedish higher education. Law and Engineering bachelor’s programmes were chosen to exemplify an over-represented and under-represented group respectively in terms of international mobility in this context. The study combines interview and survey data. The author argues that the different institutional practices in educational programmes impact on students’ experienced involvement in exchange studies.
Technological Change, Relative Worker Productivity, and Firm-Level Substitution
Authors: Gannaway Grant , Palsson Craig , Price Joseph , Sims David
Published: July 2014

In this article, we examine the effect, on players, of a change in the technology for scoring points in the NBA, the introduction of the three-point line. While a naive prediction about the impact of this change suggests that it would disproportionately raise the productivity and value of guards who are more likely to shoot the ball from behind the three-point line, we show in a simple model that the strategic response of the defense leads the three-point line to increase the relative productivity of players who are more likely to shoot closer to the basket. We provide evidence that centers and forwards experienced increases in relative productivity with the introduction of the three-point line. Finally, we present evidence that the labor market in the NBA adjusted by increasing the demand for height in the NBA draft. Our results highlight the potential for strategic adjustments to affect the bias of technological change.
Selective Engagement of Cognitive Resources
Authors: Hess Thomas M.
Published: July 2014

In this article, I present a framework for understanding the impact of aging-related declines in cognitive resources on functioning. I make the assumption that aging is associated with an increase in the costs of cognitive engagement, as reflected in both the effort required to achieve a specific level of task performance and the associated depletion or fatigue effects. I further argue that these costs result in older adults being increasingly selective in the engagement of cognitive resources in response to these declines. This selectivity is reflected in (a) a reduction in the intrinsic motivation to engage in cognitively demanding activities, which, in part, accounts for general reductions in engagement in such activities, and (b) greater sensitivity to the self-related implications of a given task. Both processes are adaptive if viewed in terms of resource conservation, but the former may also be maladaptive to the extent that it results in older adults restricting participation in cognitively demanding activities that could ultimately benefit cognitive health. I review supportive research and make the general case for the importance of considering motivational factors in understanding aging effects on cognitive functioning.
Why Ineffective Psychotherapies Appear to Work
Authors: Lilienfeld Scott O. , Ritschel Lorie A. , Lynn Steven Jay , Cautin Robin L. , Latzman Robert D.
Published: July 2014

The past 40 years have generated numerous insights regarding errors in human reasoning. Arguably, clinical practice is the domain of applied psychology in which acknowledging and mitigating these errors is most crucial. We address one such set of errors here, namely, the tendency of some psychologists and other mental health professionals to assume that they can rely on informal clinical observations to infer whether treatments are effective. We delineate four broad, underlying cognitive impediments to accurately evaluating improvement in psychotherapy—naive realism, confirmation bias, illusory causation, and the illusion of control. We then describe 26 causes of spurious therapeutic effectiveness (CSTEs), organized into a taxonomy of three overarching categories: (a) the perception of client change in its actual absence, (b) misinterpretations of actual client change stemming from extratherapeutic factors, and (c) misinterpretations of actual client change stemming from nonspecific treatment factors. These inferential errors can lead clinicians, clients, and researchers to misperceive useless or even harmful psychotherapies as effective. We (a) examine how methodological safeguards help to control for different CSTEs, (b) delineate fruitful directions for research on CSTEs, and (c) consider the implications of CSTEs for everyday clinical practice. An enhanced appreciation of the inferential problems posed by CSTEs may narrow the science–practice gap and foster a heightened appreciation of the need for the methodological safeguards afforded by evidence-based practice.
Predatory Personalities as Behavioral Mimics and Parasites
Authors: Jones Daniel N.
Published: July 2014

Humans use a variety of deceptive tactics to extract resources from unsuspecting others. In this article, I suggest that much can be learned about patterns of human deception from predatory nonhuman animal behavior and parasitic infections. Nonhuman animals and parasitic infections utilize deceptive tactics to extract resources through two overarching strategies: (a) complex deception, slow resource extraction, heavy integration into a host or community, and low risk of detection, or (b) superficial deception, immediate resource extraction, little host or community specificity, and increased risk of detection. Predatory and parasitic human personalities may operate in analogous ways. Guided by analogies derived from nonhuman animal mimicry (such as color or behavioral deception) and micro-organismic infections, I have developed a theoretical framework to better understand deceptive and parasitic human behaviors as well as the characteristics defining them. Although applicable to areas of predatory and parasitic human behavior, two specific traits (psychopathy and Machiavellianism) are highlighted that have dire consequences for financial fraud, interpersonal harm, and organizational misbehavior.
An audit of neonatal and infant hepatitis B immunisation and serological testing in two counties of England, 2007–12
Authors: Beck Charles Richard , MacGregor Vanessa , Makki Sophia , Puleston Richard
Published: July 2014

We audited adherence to national hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunisation policy for neonates and infants born to HBV positive mothers in two counties of England during 2007/08 to 2011/12 ( n=112 in County X, n=190 in County Y). Over the five year period, 29.9% of at risk neonates in County X and 23.5% in County Y required hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) at birth. The annual median age of HBIG administration was 0.0–0.5 days. The annual median coverage and timeliness of the first (coverage range 92.3–100.0%; age of administration range 0.0–0.0 days), second (83.8–100.0%; 32.0–42.0 days), third (81.1–100.0%; 62.0–81.0 days) and fourth dose HBV immunisations (44.4–91.9%; 378.0–443.0 days) and serological testing (8.6–81.0%; 450.0–707.0 days) were calculated. Statistically significant variation was found in the coverage of third and fourth dose immunisations in County Y, age of fourth dose immunisation in County X, and the coverage and timeliness of serological testing in both counties ( p < 0.05). HBIG and the first three HBV immunisations were commonly administered according to the national schedule. Fourth dose immunisations and serological tests showed poor adherence. We advocate public health interventions to improve immunisation programme outcomes and hepatitis B surface antigen testing.
Cancer prevention in Africa: a review of the literature
Authors: Busolo David S. , Woodgate Roberta L.
Published: July 2014

Cancer is an emerging crisis in Africa. Cancer was the seventh leading cause of death in 2004. If not controlled, cancer incidence in Africa is expected to reach 1.28 million cases annually and claim 970,000 lives yearly by 2030. This paper presents a review of the literature on current cancer prevention approaches in Africa, and consists of cancer prevention studies conducted in African countries (e.g. South Africa and Nigeria) from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL databases. Common female cancers in Africa are breast and cervical cancer while prostate cancer is the most common neoplasm among African males. Other common cancers are liver, colorectal, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Mortality related to these cancers comes as a result of delays in screening and treatment, unfamiliarity with cancer and cancer prevention, inaccessibility and unaffordability of care, and inefficiency of healthcare systems. Cancer prevention efforts are deficient because many governments lack cancer prevention and control policies. Also contributing to the lack of cancer prevention and control policies are low levels of awareness, scarce human and financial resources, and inadequacy of cancer registries. Overall, governments grapple with limited funds and competing healthcare priorities. As cancer continues to increase in Africa, the need for rigorous interdisciplinary research on cancer etiology and monitoring in Africa has never been timelier. Cost-effective cancer prevention programs, coordination of donor funding, advocacy, and education should be aggressively pursued. The call for more collaborative approaches in research and policy is urgently needed.
Can the magnetic signatures from inorganic fly ash be used to mark the onset of the Anthropocene?
Authors: Oldfield Frank
Published: July 2014

Three possible candidates are considered as markers in lake sediments and peat for the onset of the Anthropocene. The artificial radioisotopes Americium 241 and Caesium 137, as well as Spherical Carbonaceous Particles, the by-product of fossil fuel combustion, are considered only briefly. They are possible markers for the onset of the Great Acceleration in the mid 20th century. More attention is given to Inorganic Ash Spheres which are mainly by-products of solid fuel combustion, iron and steel manufacture and metal smelting. Their changing contributions to the stratigraphic record can be detected by means of magnetic measurements. The date at which the deposition of inorganic fly ash is recorded varies from the 16th to the mid 20th centuries, depending mainly on location. In evaluating the prospects for using the magnetic record in recent peat and lake sediments as a marker for the start of the Anthropocene, special attention is given to the importance of developing and testing chronologies of deposition, the choice of appropriate locations and the problems posed by dissolution of magnetic minerals over time especially in acid peat.
Is there an isotopic signature of the Anthropocene?
Authors: Dean Jonathan R , Leng Melanie J , Mackay Anson W
Published: July 2014

We consider whether the Anthropocene is recorded in the isotope geochemistry of the atmosphere, sediments, plants and ice cores, and the time frame during which any changes are recorded, presenting examples from the literature. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have become more depleted since the 19th century, with the rate of change accelerating after ~ad 1950, linked to increased emissions from fossil fuel consumption and increased production of fertiliser. Lead isotope ratios demonstrate human pollution histories several millennia into the past, while sulphur isotopes can be used to trace the sources of acid rain. Radioisotopes have been detectable across the planet since the 1950s because of atmospheric nuclear bomb tests and can be used as a stratigraphic marker. We find there is isotopic evidence of widespread human impact on the global environment, but different isotopes have registered changes at different times and at different rates.
Map stories can provide dynamic visualizations of the Anthropocene to broaden factually based public understanding
Authors: Zolnai Andrew
Published: July 2014

Provision of broadly accessible and spatially referenced visualizations of the nature and rate of change in the Anthropocene is an essential tool in communicating to policy makers and to the wider public, who generally have little or no contact with academic publications and often rely on media-based information, to form and guide opinion. Three examples are used to demonstrate the use of geo-referenced data and GIS-based map compilations to provide accurate and widely accessible visual portrayals of historical processes. The first example shows the spread of Neolithic agriculture from Mesopotamia west and north across Europe over several millennia. The second plots the history of the drainage of the Fens (wetlands) in eastern England from the early seventeenth century onward. A third example illustrates one way in which releasing data in the public domain can lead to the enhancement of public data holdings. A concluding discussion outlines ways in which the methodology illustrated may be applied to processes key to understanding the Anthropocene.
Personality Predicts Individual Variation in Fear Learning
Authors: Gazendam Femke J. , Kamphuis Jan H. , Eigenhuis Annemarie , Huizenga Hilde M. H. , Soeter Marieke , Bos Marieke G. N. , Sevenster Dieuwke , Kindt Merel
Published: July 2014

Although fear-learning research has tended to focus on typical responses, there is substantial individual variation in response to threat. Here, we investigated how personality is related to variability in associative fear learning. We used multilevel growth curve modeling to examine the unique and interactive effects of Stress Reaction (SR) and Harmavoidance (HA; Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire scales) and their corresponding higher-order factors on differential fear conditioning ( n = 225) and extinction ( n = 109; 24–48 hr later). Fear was indexed by fear potentiation of the eyeblink startle reflex. Our findings demonstrated weaker discrimination between threat and safety with high levels of SR. Subsequently, both retention of differential fear acquisition and extinction were weaker with high levels of SR and HA, thereby indicating maladaptive fear learning, whereas they were stronger with low levels of SR and high levels of HA, which suggests efficient fear learning. These findings illustrate how specific personality traits may operate to confer vulnerability or resilience for anxiety disorders.
Hindu chiefs in Sultanate polity (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries)
Authors: Khan Iqtidar Alam
Published: July 2014

This article is a study of changing positions of Hindu chiefs in the Delhi Sultanate from the Ghaznavid origins to the fourteenth century. It is argued that a section of the chiefs from being rural potentates began turning into Sultanate commanders and bureaucrats.
The presence of the past: Tradition, creativity and identity in the architecture of medieval Bengal
Authors: Hasan Perween
Published: July 2014

Requiring an architecture to address their specific needs, the ruling class in Sultanate Bengal could only use local artisans who adapted their skills, building materials and styles to the tastes of their patrons. Thus, a new regional style flowered that was watered by two traditions, one from West Asia, the other rooted in Bengal, destined to be widely adopted even in medieval temple architecture.
Sanskrit literary works by Jains in Mughal North India: The historical significance of a reinvented tradition
Authors: Chojnacki Christine
Published: July 2014

The article seeks to bring out the largely neglected Jain contributions to the Sanskrit literature during the Mughal time. It points out that biographies of monks in the form of kavyas was a new trend. The Tapāgaccha monastic leaders are portrayed in terms suitable to rulers. There are also interesting references to Mughal emperors and other rulers.
The invention and persistence of a legend—The Anārkalī story
Authors: Moosvi Shireen
Published: July 2014

The article enquires into the origins of the Anārkalī legend, its early circulation and long persistence. It is argued that it arose out of a confusion of persons and misinterpretation of a harem event.
The origin of a social conflict in South India: The Sivakasi riots of 1899
Authors: Bandopadhyay Arun
Published: July 2014

The article examines the economic and social roots of the violent conflict at Sivakasi and other places in Tamilnadu in 1899 between the Nadars and Maravas. It analyses how a ‘warrior’ caste, Marava, losing its position in the old order, took to violence against ritual claims of a rising community (Nadar).
The politics and culture of a marginal community in North Bihar (circa 1910–42): Reconstruction from a Bengali novel
Authors: Chaudhuri B.B.
Published: July 2014

The article studies a rural locality and communities in Purnea district (Bihar) as portrayed in a Bengali novel by Satinath Bhaduri, Dhorai Charit Manas, being the life-story of Dhorai, belonging to the Tatma tribe, with the time range of 1910 to 1942. The local response to Gandhi’s Non-cooperation Movement as described in the novel is first considered, followed by a discussion of the tribal-caste reality appearing from the novel, set side by side with the sociologists’ views of village and community.
The rise of capitalism in England: Reviewing the Brenner thesis
Authors: Habib Irfan
Published: July 2014

The article contests Robert Brenner’s thesis that capitalism in England originated mainly through, first, the success of the landlords in their struggle against the peasants in early modern England, and, then, by the landlords’ sense of moderation in charging rents from capitalist tenants, creating thereby prosperity for all classes.
Book Review: K.V. Ramesh and M.D. Sampath (eds), Epigraphia Indica
Authors: Alam Ishrat
Published: July 2014

K.V. Ramesh and M.D. Sampath (eds), Epigraphia Indica, Vol. XLIII, Part-I, 2011–2012 (New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India), 2011, pp. 164 + x, ₹ 400
Extragestational βHCG Secretion Due to an Isolated Lung Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumor: Microsatellite Genotyping of Tumoral Cells Confirmed Their Placental Origin and Oriented Specific Chemotherapy
Authors: Fénichel Patrick , Rouzier Cécile , Butori Catherine , Chevallier Patrick , Poullot Anne-Gaelle , Thyss Antoine , Mouroux Jérôme
Published: July 2014

Context:

Persistent secretion of β-human chorionic gonadotropin (βHCG) in the absence of an ongoing or recent pregnancy and without persistent uterine gestational disease is a rare but challenging situation that requires locating the extrauterine secreting tumor and distinguishing between extragestational choriocarcinoma and gestational trophoblastic neoplasms.

Case Presentation:

An unexplained, persistent extragestational βHCG secretion occurring in a 29-year-old, nonsmoking woman with abnormal uterine bleeding 4 years after a normal pregnancy and without persistent gestational disease led to the discovery by whole-body computed tomography/positron emission tomography of an isolated pulmonary tumor.

Objective:

Characterization of paternal alleles in tumoral cells in order to establish their fetal origin, which may be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of such tumors.

Methods and Results:

After the surgical procedure, clinical, histological, and immunocytochemical analysis ruled out primary or metastatic bronchopulmonary carcinoma or choriocarcinoma and supported the diagnosis of an isolated, primary, epithelioid trophoblastic tumor. Microsatellite genotyping of tumoral cells identifying paternal alleles confirmed their placental origin and their migration to the lungs, with likely secondary malignant transformation, and guided the choice of postsurgical chemotherapy needed to completely eradicate βHCG secretion.

Conclusion:

Persistent extragestational secretion of βHCG in a young nonsmoking woman with a precedent pregnancy and an isolated lung tumor suggests the diagnosis of epithelioid trophoblastic tumor, a very rare malignant tumor for which placental origin needs to be confirmed, especially when occurring several years after the patient's last pregnancy. Simple microsatellite genotyping of tumoral cells will allow this confirmation of diagnosis and help in personalizing chemotherapy.
Increased Plasma DPP4 Activity Is Predictive of Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Onset in Chinese Over a Four-Year Period: Result From the China National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Study
Authors: Zheng Tianpeng , Gao Yun , Baskota Attit , Chen Tao , Ran Xingwu , Tian Haoming
Published: July 2014

Context:

The significance of associations between prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) activity in a Chinese population is not clear.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to determine whether DPP4 activity and active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were predictive of the onset of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Design, Setting, and Patients:

This was a 4-year follow-up study conducted in Sichuan, China. A total of 474 Chinese women and men aged 18–70 years were studied.

Main Outcome Measures:

All subjects were divided into 3 groups (normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes) on the basis of their glucose metabolism status after 4 years. The DPP4 activity, active GLP-1, and glucagon were measured at baseline and 4 years later.

Results:

The baseline DPP4 activity was significantly higher in subjects who had progressed to prediabetes or type 2 diabetes compared with subjects who remained normoglycemic (P < .01). In a multiple linear regression analysis, baseline DPP4 activity and active GLP-1 were independent predictors of an increase in insulin resistance over a 4-year period (P < .05). Cox proportional hazards models revealed that DPP4 activity independently predicted the risk of developing prediabetes [relative risk 2.77 (95% confidence interval 1.38–5.55), P < .01] and type 2 diabetes [5.10 (95% confidence interval 1.48–17.61), P < .05] after adjustment for confounding risk factors.

Conclusions:

DPP4 activity is an important predictor of the onset of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes in apparently healthy Chinese individuals. This finding may have important implications for understanding the etiology of diabetes.
Elevated Peritoneal Expression and Estrogen Regulation of Nociceptive Ion Channels in Endometriosis
Authors: Greaves Erin , Grieve Kelsey , Horne Andrew W. , Saunders Philippa T. K.
Published: July 2014

Context:

Ovarian suppression is a common treatment for endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. Its exact mechanism of action is poorly understood, although it is assumed to reflect reduced production/action of estrogens.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to measure the expression of mRNAs encoded by nociceptive genes in the peritoneum of women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) with or without endometriosis and to investigate whether estrogens alter nociceptive gene expression in human sensory neurons.

Design:

The study was performed using human tissue analysis and cell culture.

Setting:

The study was conducted at a university research institute.

Patients:

Peritoneal biopsies were obtained from women with CPP and endometriosis (n = 12), CPP and no endometriosis (n = 10), and no pain or endometriosis (n = 5). Endometriosis lesions were obtained from women with endometriosis (n = 18).

Main Outcome Measures:

mRNAs encoding ion channels (P2RX3, SCN9A, SCN11A, TRPA1, TRPV1) and the neurotransmitter TAC1 were measured in human tissue samples and in human embryonic stem cell-derived sensory neurons treated with estrogens.

Results:

TRPV1, TRPA1, and SCN11A mRNAs were significantly higher in the peritoneum from women with endometriosis (P < .001, P < .01). TRPV1, SCN9A, and TAC1 were elevated in endometriosis lesions (P < .05). P2RX3 mRNA was increased in the peritoneum of women with CPP, with and without endometriosis (P < .05). Incubation of sensory neurons with 17β-estradiol increased TRPV1 mRNA (P < .01). The estrogen receptor-β-selective agonist 2,3-bis(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-propionitrile increased concentrations of TRPV1, P2RX3, SCN9A, and TAC1 mRNAs.

Conclusions:

Estrogen-dependent expression of TRPV1 in sensory neurons may explain why ovarian suppression can reduce endometriosis-associated pain. Strategies directly targeting ion channels may offer an alternative option for the management of CPP.
Attachment to challenging substrates – fouling, roughness and limits of adhesion in the northern clingfish (Gobiesox maeandricus)
Authors: Ditsche Petra , Wainwright Dylan K. , Summers Adam P.
Published: July 2014

Northern clingfish use a ventral suction disc to stick to rough substrates in the intertidal zone. Bacteria, algae and invertebrates grow on these surfaces (fouling) and change the surface properties of the primary substrate, and therefore the attachment conditions for benthic organisms. In this study, we investigate the influence of fouling and surface roughness on the adhesive strength of northern clingfish, Gobiesox maeandricus. We measured clingfish tenacity on unfouled and fouled substrates over four surface roughnesses. We exposed surfaces for 6 weeks in the Pacific Ocean, until they were covered with periphyton. Clingfish tenacity is equivalent on both fouled and unfouled smooth substrates; however, tenacity on fouled rough surfaces is less compared with tenacity on unfouled ones. We hypothesize that parts of biofilm may act as a lubricant and decrease friction of the disc margin, thereby making disc margins slip inwards and fail at lower tenacities. Nevertheless, even on fouled surfaces the adhesive forces are approximately 150 times the body weight of the fish. To identify the upper threshold of surface roughness the fish can cling to, we tested seven unfouled substrates of increasing surface roughness. The threshold roughness at which northern clingfish failed increased with specimen size. We hypothesize that because of the elastic properties of the disc margin, a larger disc can adapt to larger surface irregularities. The largest specimens (length 10–12 cm) were able to cling to surfaces with 2–4 mm grain size. The fish can attach to surfaces with roughness between 2 and 9% of the suction disc width.
The metabolic cost of human running: is swinging the arms worth it?
Authors: Arellano Christopher J. , Kram Rodger
Published: July 2014

Although the mechanical function is quite clear, there is no consensus regarding the metabolic benefit of arm swing during human running. We compared the metabolic cost of running using normal arm swing with the metabolic cost of running while restricting the arms in three different ways: (1) holding the hands with the arms behind the back in a relaxed position (BACK), (2) holding the arms across the chest (CHEST) and (3) holding the hands on top of the head (HEAD). We hypothesized that running without arm swing would demand a greater metabolic cost than running with arm swing. Indeed, when compared with running using normal arm swing, we found that net metabolic power demand was 3, 9 and 13% greater for the BACK, CHEST and HEAD conditions, respectively (all P<0.05). We also found that when running without arm swing, subjects significantly increased the peak-to-peak amplitudes of both shoulder and pelvis rotation about the vertical axis, most likely a compensatory strategy to counterbalance the rotational angular momentum of the swinging legs. In conclusion, our findings support our general hypothesis that swinging the arms reduces the metabolic cost of human running. Our findings also demonstrate that arm swing minimizes torso rotation. We infer that actively swinging the arms provides both metabolic and biomechanical benefits during human running.
Improved performance of sequence search approaches in remote homology detection
Authors: Joshi Adwait Govind , Raghavender Upadhyayula Surya , Sowdhamini Ramanathan
Published: July 2014

The protein sequence space is vast and diverse, spanning across different families. Biologically meaningful relationships exist between proteins at superfamily level. However, it is highly challenging to establish convincing relationships at the superfamily level by means of simple sequence searches. It is necessary to design a rigorous sequence search strategy to establish remote homology relationships and achieve high coverage. We have used iterative profile-based methods, along with constraints of sequence motifs, to specify search directions. We address the importance of multiple start points (queries) to achieve high coverage at protein superfamily level. We have devised strategies to employ a structural regime to search sequence space with good specificity and sensitivity. We employ two well-known sequence search methods, PSI-BLAST and PHI-BLAST, with multiple queries and multiple patterns to enhance homologue identification at the structural superfamily level. The study suggests that multiple queries improve sensitivity, while a pattern-constrained iterative sequence search becomes stringent at the initial stages, thereby driving the search in a specific direction and also achieves high coverage. This data mining approach has been applied to the entire structural superfamily database.
Features of Project Management Office Organization in Company with Mixed Design and Process Activity
Authors: ��������  , Artemev Dmitry , ������������  , Sibgatullina G.
Published: July 2014

Offered in this paper approach represents a new way related to contours definition of design office of companies combining process and design activity. We offer theoretically justified technology for a choice of the most adequate project management office format functioning on the basis of process and project management maturity definition when these two specified approaches are combined in the company. Such view on project office allows use process interventions in project management as the element, allowing make project management more flexible. Concepts of maturity, as well as main techniques (models) of process and project management maturity were considered during theoretical and methodological research. Besides, the main types of project office, functions classification, project office positions in management structure were analyzed.
Sustainability of Economic Development of the Urals Regions
Authors: Басовская  , Basovskaya Elena
Published: July 2014

The new technique designed to assess sustainability of economic development

of regions is based on applying diagnostics of system sustainability failure.

Degree of sustainability is assessed by dispersion of economic growth rates.

Risks of instability in economic development dynamics is assessed by an index,

reflecting relative variations in economic growth rates. The author examines

economic development dynamics of Ural Federal District as a whole and also of

Kurgan, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen and Chelyabinsk regions, based on data for the

period of 2000–2012. As is found out, the said regions differ in terms of periods

of sustainable and unstable development and degrees of economic growth

instability. It is also found, that Tyumen and Sverdlovsk regions are more stable

in term of economic development than Kurgan and Chelyabinsk regions. As for

economic development of Ural Federal District as a whole, it is comparable in

terms of sustainability with that of the national economy. As correlation analysis

shows, indicators of unstable economic development affect substantially the

level of investments in regional economy. Economic growth instability has an

adverse effect on the level of investments in regional economy.
Dynamics and Drivers of Earned Income in Regions of Russia
Authors: Басовский  , Basovskiy Leonid , Овсянников  , Ovsyannikov Aleksandr
Published: July 2014

Econometric models for earned incomes per Russia’s regions are constructed. Impacts of capital-labor ratio, human capital and innovative technologies on earned incomes are evaluated. Capital-labor ratio is calculated as fixed assets value divided by amount of manpower employed. Human capital is evaluated in terms of average time of training in the education system. Implementation of innovation technologies is assessed in terms of proportion of usable (not wornout) fixed assets value. The models constructed can account for up to 70 per cent of remuneration of labor. The models are constructed based on crosssectional data by regions for the period of 2008–2012. It is found that the effect of capital-labor ratio on remuneration generally diminishes, while it showed temporal increase in 2010. The effect of human capital on remuneration also diminished. Nevertheless, in 2009, in the midst of severe slump human capital did acutely, while temporally, increased its effect on remuneration of labor. The impact of innovative technologies on labor remuneration shows growth, with the exception of 2011, when the impact took plunge. For the period examined the authors identify general trends of diminishing the effects of capital-labor ratio and human capital of manpower employed on the level of labor remuneration. The effect of innovation technologies, on the contrary, increases. The general trend of capital-labor ratio effectiveness diminishing can be reasoned by growing wearing out of fixed assets. Given the high educational level of manpower employed in this country and insufficient level of innovation technologies implementation, the defined trends in shifting the effects of the said drivers can be explained by the known effect of production drivers interplay.
Definable Zero-Sum Stochastic Games
Authors: Bolte Jérôme , Gaubert Stéphane , Vigeral Guillaume
Published: July 2014

Definable zero-sum stochastic games involve a finite number of states and action sets, and reward and transition functions, that are definable in an o-minimal structure. Prominent examples of such games are finite, semi-algebraic, or globally subanalytic stochastic games. We prove that the Shapley operator of any definable stochastic game with separable transition and reward functions is definable in the same structure. Definability in the same structure does not hold systematically: we provide a counterexample of a stochastic game with semi-algebraic data yielding a non-semi-algebraic but globally subanalytic Shapley operator. Our definability results on Shapley operators are used to prove that any separable definable game has a uniform value; in the case of polynomially bounded structures, we also provide convergence rates. Using an approximation procedure, we actually establish that general zero-sum games with separable definable transition functions have a uniform value. These results highlight the key role played by the tame structure of transition functions. As particular cases of our main results, we obtain that stochastic games with polynomial transitions, definable games with finite actions on one side, and definable games with perfect information or switching controls have a uniform value. Applications to nonlinear maps arising in risk sensitive control and Perron-Frobenius theory are also given.
Let's get ‘switched on’
Authors: White Kylie , Nunn Jan
Published: July 2014

Early years teacher Kylie White and head of early years, Jan Nunn, explain how an innovative ICT programme is preparing children for the new primary ICT curriculum, with wide-ranging technology.
A good place to start
Authors: de Bruin Eleanor
Published: July 2014

An ‘All about me’ topic is a great way to introduce a new group of children to each other and the setting. Here are some fresh ideas that help with making relationships and boost children's confidence and self-esteem.
A New Species of the Ponerine Ant Genus Myopias Roger from Yunnan, China, with a Key to the Known Oriental Species
Authors: Xu Zheng-Hui , Burrwel Chris J , Nakamura Akihiro
Published: July 2014

A new species of the ponerine ant genus Myopias Roger, 1861 collected from southwestern China is described based on morphological features. M. daia sp. nov. is allied to M. luoba Xu & Liu, 2012, but differs from the latter by the shape of the posterior head margin, eye facet number, petiolar node shape, head sculpture, body color, and total length. The new species is also allied to M. nops Willey & Brown, 1983 and M. menba Xu & Liu, 2012, but differs from the latter two species by petiolar node shape, eye facet number, and body sculpture and color. A key based on the worker caste is provided to the eleven known Oriental species of the genus for the first time.
‘Le Zèbre’/‘Zebra’, a story by Mouloud Mammeri
Authors: Boudraa Nabil , García Kay (Kayla) S.
Published: July 2014

‘Zebra’ is a translation of ‘Le Zèbre’, a short story written by the Francophone Algerian writer Mouloud Mammeri. Even though it was written in 1957, this story is more relevant now than ever. It perfectly describes the plight of Algeria under French colonialism, and the suffering that has persisted even after independence. The violence of the ‘black decade’ of the 1990s and the Kabyle uprisings of the 2000s are evidence of a continuing crisis. The protagonist of ‘Zebra’ represents the quintessence of Maghrebian society torn between tradition and modernity, between past and present, between oral and written traditions, between religion and democracy. In his desperate search for authentic identity, the protagonist is rejected by the Egyptians, imprisoned by the French, accused of spying by the English, and abused by his own compatriots. Mammeri’s story helps us to make sense of the tumultuous history of this region as well as to better understand the roots of the devastating experience of marginalization, a condition that has plagued his native Berber culture for centuries.

‘Zebra’ est la traduction en anglais de la nouvelle ‘Le zèbre’, de l’écrivain algérien, Mouloud Mammeri. Même si cette histoire est écrite en 1957, elle est plus que jamais pertinente aujourd’hui. Elle décrit si bien le contexte d’une Algérie sous le colonialisme français mais qui souffre toujours de ses malheurs même après l’indépendance. La violence de la décennie noire des années 1990 ainsi que les révoltes en Kabylie des années 2000 témoignent justement de cette situation de crise. ‘Le Zèbre’ est la quintessence même de la société maghrébine, tiraillée entre la tradition et la modernité, entre le présent et le passé, entre l’écriture et l’oralité, et entre la religion et la démocratie. Le protagoniste de cette histoire, en recherche de sa vraie identité, se voit rejeté par les Egyptiens, emprisonné par les Français, soupçonné par les Anglais, et enfin maltraité par ses propres compatriotes. Cette nouvelle de Mouloud Mammeri nous permet ainsi de mieux comprendre les soubassements de ce phénomène de marginalisation qui ravage sa culture berbère depuis plusieurs siècles.
The withdrawal of touch in close encounter: The tactility of facial close-ups in Ingmar Bergman’s films
Authors: Wen Xianghui
Published: July 2014

This article focuses on the tactility of facial close-ups in Ingmar Bergman’s films through Jean-Luc Nancy’s concept of touch. In contrast to the model of touch offered by phenomenological film scholars, which emphasizes the intimate and mutual contact between the viewer and the image, Nancy’s touch is a withdrawal or a degree of untouchability within contact, which can enable us to decode the ambiguity and tension within Bergman’s use of facial close-up more precisely. Both Nancy’s works and Bergman’s films follow a paradoxical logic in approaching the tactile dimension of aesthetic experience. By establishing a dialogue between them, this article explores how Bergman expresses the double effects of close-ups and creates the withdrawal of touch.
Film studies anno 2013: A bird’s eye view
Authors: Hedling Olof , Snickars Pelle
Published: July 2014

This short subject assessing the current state of the academic field of film studies as practiced at sites of higher learning in Sweden is based on experiences and knowledge the co-authors gained as members of a national committee to evaluate the ‘academic quality’ of programmes from a comparative point of view.
Más allá del significado. Merleau-Ponty y Agamben acerca del cuerpo y la educación
Authors: Vlieghe Joris
Published: July 2014

Este artículo desarrolla una perspectiva sobre la interconectividad entre educación y corporalidad con la cual es posible analizar prácticas escolares concretas en una manera hasta ahora no explorada. Después de proveer una breve explicación acerca de por qué el cuerpo es una cuestión importante en la investigación educativa, este artículo explora más detenidamente una escuela de pensamiento que se remonta al trabajo de Merleau-Ponty, la misma que ha monopolizado la forma en la cual nos inclinamos a pensar la relación entre corporalidad y educación. Se sostiene que, al fin y al cabo, dicha perspectiva no hace justicia a la importancia del cuerpo, porque reduce el cuerpo a un mero instrumento y porque el cuerpo siempre aparece como una fuente de significado. De ahí que se corre el riesgo de no prestar atención a dimensiones de la vida corporal potencialmente relevantes, aquellas que resisten la intencionalidad humana así como también cualquier intento de convertir el cuerpo en una cuestión funcional/operativa. Con el fin de desarrollar un enfoque alternativo que toma en serio y trata el cuerpo como un ente no expresivo y no funcional, este artículo recurre a las ideas acerca de los gestos y la potencialidad de movimiento formuladas por Agamben. Los gestos se refieren a un repertorio de acciones y experiencias corporales que dejan ver de una manera inmediata qué significa que seamos «criaturas de posibilidad». Desarrollando esta idea, este artículo se centra en acontecimientos y prácticas específicas en el quehacer educativo, durante las cuales coincidimos literalmente con nuestros cuerpos no expresivos/funcionales, y durante las cuales emerge una fuerte experiencia de potencialidad. De esta manera se puede sostener que ciertas prácticas corporales son en y por sí mismas educacionalmente relevantes.
Influence of superstructure geometry on the mechanical behavior of zirconia implant abutments: a finite element analysis
Authors: Geringer Alexander , Diebels Stefan , Nothdurft Frank P.
Published: July 2014

To predict the clinical performance of zirconia abutments, it is crucial to examine the mechanical behavior of different dental implant-abutment connection configurations. The international standard protocol for dynamic fatigue tests of dental implants (ISO 14801) allows comparing these configurations using standardized superstructure geometries. However, from a mechanical point of view, the geometry of clinical crowns causes modified boundary conditions. The purpose of this finite element (FE) study was to evaluate the influence of the superstructure geometry on the maximum stress values of zirconia abutments with a conical implant-abutment connection. Geometry models of the experimental setup described in ISO 14801 were generated using CAD software following the reconstruction of computerized tomography scans from all relevant components. These models served as a basis for an FE simulation. To reduce the numerical complexity of the FE model, the interaction between loading stamp and superstructure geometry was taken into account by defining the boundary conditions with regard to the frictional force. The results of the FE simulations performed on standardized superstructure geometry and anatomically shaped crowns showed a strong influence of the superstructure geometry and related surface orientations on the mechanical behavior of the underlying zirconia abutments. In conclusion, ISO testing of zirconia abutments should be accompanied by load-bearing capacity testing under simulated clinical conditions to predict clinical performance.