bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction and assessment of springback in typical creep age forming tools
Authors: Yang Haoliang , Davies Catrin M , Lin Jianguo , Dear John P
Published: May 2013

Creep age forming is often carried out under vacuum or autoclave loading conditions, where a sufficiently high, uniform pressure is required to force the workpiece into close contact with the tool surface. However, many creep age forming tests are performed to evaluate springback by clamping the workpiece to both ends of a cylindrical tool and forcing it to the tool surface, which is different from reality. In this study, a set of mechanistically based unified creep ageing constitutive equations have been incorporated into the commercial finite element code ABAQUS and used to analyse a common creep age forming tester, which employs a cylindrical tool shape. Two loading conditions are investigated: (1) end clamp and (2) uniform pressure. The amount of springback has been predicted, compared and analysed for both loading cases. A method has been introduced to assess the local curvature and springback variations. Good contact was achieved between the workpiece and tool surfaces for the uniform pressure condition (except at the plate end), providing that sufficient pressure was applied. However, for the end clamp condition, contact was limited to the vicinity of the clamps.
Comparison of Ti6Al4V machining forces and tool life for cryogenic versus conventional cooling
Authors: Strano Matteo , Chiappini Elio , Tirelli Stefano , Albertelli Paolo , Monno Michele
Published: May 2013

The benefits of cryogenic cooling by liquid nitrogen in cutting of titanium alloys have often been evaluated as a comparison to dry machining conditions. However, it is more interesting to quantitatively assess the performance of cryogenic conditioning of the process with respect to standard industrial conditions, that is, with respect to flood emulsion cooling. The technical and scientific literature is scarce and somehow contradictory, especially in terms of cutting forces and coefficient of friction. The aim of this article is to enrich the common base of experimental data, by conducting a comparison of traditional and cryogenic turning of Ti6Al4V in a region of cutting parameters particularly relevant to the aerospace industry, where no previous data are available. This study confirms that cryogenic machining is able to increase the tool life, even with respect to wet cutting. Besides, the results show that not only cutting forces are reduced but also a small, albeit significant, reduction can be achieved in the coefficient of friction at the tool–workpiece interface.
Energetic analysis of cutting mechanisms in belt finishing of hard materials
Authors: Khellouki Abdeljabar , Rech Joel , Zahouani Hassan
Published: May 2013

Belt finishing has been tested successfully as a complementary process to hard turning. This technology improves the surface texture and generates compressive residual stress. However, the mechanisms and characteristics of this new process have not yet been fully explained. This article provides a comprehensive characterization of cutting mechanisms generated by belt finishing. First, an analytical analysis based on cutting forces is developed. Then, the macroscopic specific energy is dissociated into a cutting specific energy responsible of shearing and ploughing mechanisms and a sliding specific energy due to adhesion. It has been demonstrated that cutting is more predominant than sliding in belt finishing process. The omnipresence of cutting demonstrates the effectiveness and the profitability of belt finishing operation.
Modelling of heat transfer in submerged arc welding process
Authors: Ghosh Aniruddha , Barman Nilkanta , Chattopadhyay Himadri , Bag Swarup
Published: May 2013

In this work, an analytical model for transient temperature distribution during submerged arc welding for joining two steel plates is presented. The conservation of energy equation is used to represent the thermal behaviour of the submerged arc welding process. A three-dimensional double-paraboloid shape for volumetric heat source with Gaussian distribution is considered for electric arc during welding, and a parabolic-shaped cross section for the weld pool is considered. A set of experiments is conducted to determine the geometric parameters. The final analytical solution considers effect of the electric arc, convective heat transfer from the exposed surface and heat of molten electrode material. Subsequently, the prediction is compared with experimentally predicted temperatures where a good agreement is found.
Is Resilience Only Skin Deep?
Authors: Brody Gene H. , Yu Tianyi , Chen Edith , Miller Gregory E. , Kogan Steven M. , Beach Steven R. H.
Published: May 2013

Many African American youth may develop high levels of allostatic load, a measure of physiological wear and tear on the body, by developing psychosocial competence under conditions of high risk related to socioeconomic status (SES). The current study was designed to test this hypothesis, which is based on John Henryism theory. In a representative sample of 489 African American youth living in the rural South, cumulative SES-related risks and teacher-reported competence were assessed at ages 11 to 13; depressive symptoms, externalizing behavior, and allostatic load were assessed at age 19. The data revealed that rural African American preadolescents who evinced high psychosocial competence under conditions of high cumulative SES-related risk displayed low levels of adjustment problems along with high allostatic load at age 19. These results suggest that, for many rural African Americans, resilience may indeed be only “skin deep.”
The Truth About Chickens and Bats
Authors: Rabagliati Hugh , Snedeker Jesse
Published: May 2013

Words mean different things in different contexts, a phenomenon called polysemy. People talk about lines of both people and poetry, and about both long distances and long times. Polysemy lets a limited vocabulary capture a great variety of experiences, while highlighting commonalities. But how is this achieved? Are polysemous senses contextually driven modifications of core meanings, or must each sense be memorized separately? We show that participants’ ability to avoid referentially ambiguous descriptions of pictures named by polysemous words provides evidence for both possibilities. When senses followed a regular pattern (e.g., animals and the foodstuffs derived from them; noisy chicken, tasty chicken), participants avoided using ambiguous labels in referentially ambiguous situations (e.g., both types of chicken were present), a result indicating that they noticed a common meaning. But when senses were idiosyncratically related (e.g., sheet of glass, drinking glass), participants frequently produced ambiguous labels, a result indicating that the meanings were separately stored. We discuss implications for the relationship between word meanings and concepts.
Creating Buzz
Authors: Falk Emily B. , Morelli Sylvia A. , Welborn B. Locke , Dambacher Karl , Lieberman Matthew D.
Published: May 2013

Social interaction promotes the spread of values, attitudes, and behaviors. Here, we report on neural responses to ideas that are destined to spread. We scanned message communicators using functional MRI during their initial exposure to the to-be-communicated ideas. These message communicators then had the opportunity to spread the messages and their corresponding subjective evaluations to message recipients outside the scanner. Successful ideas were associated with neural responses in the communicators’ mentalizing systems and reward systems when they first heard the messages, prior to spreading them. Similarly, individuals more able to spread their own views to others produced greater mentalizing-system activity during initial encoding. Unlike prior social-influence studies that focused on the individuals being influenced, this investigation focused on the brains of influencers. Successful social influence is reliably associated with an influencer-to-be’s state of mind when first encoding ideas.
A pilot study on absolute pollen productivity estimates from mires in Norway
Authors: Sjögren Per
Published: May 2013

Bomb-pulse dated mini moss-monoliths were used to determine modern pollen accumulation rates on mire surfaces at six locations in northern and central Norway. Coupled with vegetation data these were used to assess the modern pollen–vegetation relationships for Pinus, Betula and Poaceae. Preliminary absolute pollen productivity (APP) estimates are for Pinus sylvestris 11,300 ± 2300 (SE) grains/cm2 per yr, Betula pubescens 2200 ± 300 and Poaceae 1800 ± 200. The study suggests that pollen accumulation rates and absolute pollen productivity estimates can be derived from mire surface peat. This would ease the establishment of APP estimates for more taxa and regions than available today.
Dignity-preserving dementia care
Authors: Tranvåg Oscar , Petersen Karin A , Nåden Dagfinn
Published: May 2013

Research indicates the essentiality of dignity as a vital component for quality of life, reconfirming the emphasis on dignity preservation in the international code of nursing ethics. Applying Noblit and Hare’s meta-ethnography, the aim of the study was to develop a theory model by synthesizing 10 qualitative articles from various cultural contexts, exploring nurse and allied healthcare professional perception/practice concerning dignity-preserving dementia care. “Advocating the person’s autonomy and integrity,” which involves “having compassion for the person,” “confirming the person’s worthiness and sense of self,” and “creating a humane and purposeful environment,” was identified as a primary foundation for dignity-preserving dementia care. “Balancing individual choices among persons no longer able to make sound decisions, against the duty of making choices on behalf of the person,” which involves “persuasion” and/or “mild restraint,” was considered a crucial aspect in certain situations. “Sheltering human worth—remembering those who forget” was identified as a comprehensive motive and core value within dignity-preserving dementia care.
The Last Cakravartin? The Gujarat Sultan as ‘Universal King’ in Fifteenth Century Sanskrit Poetry
Authors: Kapadia Aparna
Published: May 2013

The fifteenth century was a period of significant transitions in South Asian history. This was a period when Delhi ceased to be at the centre of political action as newer regional kingdoms emerged all over the subcontinent. Their courts also became important sites of patronage from where a variety of regional traditions flourished and continued into the following early modern era. This article explores one such transitional process, the gradual shift in the expression of political power through courtly literature in a Sanskrit text about the Muslim sultan of Gujarat entitledRājavinodamahākāvyam. It is argued that this was one of the last remaining examples of Sanskrit production in which an Islamicate king could be represented as an Indic cakravartin or ‘universal king’. As the regional vernaculars developed and Brajbhasha emerged as the new cosmopolitan courtly language from the sixteenth century under the Mughals, new ideologies of kingship and corresponding literary idioms were introduced all over the subcontinent. This article suggests that the Rājavinodamahākāvyam can be located at the intersection of two important literary traditions—the older Sanskrit tradition of aestheticised poetry that was established during the early medieval era and that of Brajbhasha, heralding the early modern.
Economic Growth, Tourism and Selected Macroeconomic Variables: A Triangular Causal Relationship in Malaysia
Authors: Li Cheam Chai , Mahmood Rosli , Abdullah Hussin , Chuan Ong Soon
Published: May 2013

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world, which makes it a potential strategic factor for economic growth. This adds to the strong interest in the role of tourism in Malaysia’s economic growth as it is the second-largest contributor to foreign exchange earnings after manufacturing. In addition, empirical results associated with Granger causality among economic growth, tourism and exports within the neoclassical framework are inconsistent. The objectives of this study, thus, are to determine: the long-run relationship; the long-run and short-run Granger causality; and the long-run triangular Granger causality between economic growth and tourism receipts corresponding to selected macroeconomic variables such as government tourism expenditure, physical capital, education, health and exports as control variables. The long-run Granger causality in vector error correction model (VECM) shows economic growth, tourism receipts and health complement each other (bidirectional causality), while unidirectional causalities are found between government tourism expenditure, physical capital, education and exports to economic growth. In addition, enhancing physical capital, education, health, exports and government tourism expenditure precede tourism receipts; all these in turn indirectly lead to economic growth, thus witnessing triangular relationships among them.

JEL Classification: C01, C32, L83, 047, O53
Trade Openness and Manufacturing Sector Performance in Nigeria
Authors: Umoh Okon J. , Effiong Ekpeno L.
Published: May 2013

How important is trade openness as a vehicle for driving productivity in developing countries? We offer a sector-specific analysis with focus on the manufacturing sector for meaningful policy insights. Using a modern econometric technique—the autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration—this article attempts to establish the relationship between openness to trade and manufacturing performance in Nigeria for the period 1970–2008. The results suggest that trade openness has a significant positive impact on manufacturing productivity in Nigeria both in the short and long run. These coefficient estimates are robust and stable over the time. Therefore, the policy direction for the manufacturing sector in Nigeria should focus more on open policies through trade liberalisation as a long-term plan. Reduction in trade restrictions and implementation of appropriate incentives are vital for resuscitating the performance of the sector. In this aspect, policy-makers should leverage the benefits of openness to the comparative advantages in the liberalised sector.

JEL Classification: F41, C22, O55
Income Tax Compliance Costs of Working Individuals
Authors: Blaufus Kay , Eichfelder Sebastian , Hundsdoerfer Jochen
Published: May 2013

We analyze the compliance costs of individual taxpayers resulting from the German income tax (tax year 2007). Using survey data that have been raised between December 2008 and April 2009, we find evidence for a considerably higher cost burden of self-employed taxpayers. Taxable income and a higher education (university degree) are positively correlated with compliance costs, while the time effort of female taxpayers is significantly lower. By contrast, joint filing of married couples reduces the burden of tax compliance. The aggregate cost estimate of German income taxpayers amounts to €6 to €9 billion, respectively, 3.1 to 4.7 percent of the income tax revenue in 2007. This estimate is higher than latest projections in a number of other European countries like Spain and Sweden, but lower than estimates for the United States and Australia.
Officer Decertification and the National Decertification Index
Authors: Atherley Loren T. , Hickman Matthew J.
Published: May 2013

Decertification is the process by which a state authority determines that an individual should not be allowed to continue exercising the duties and privileges of a law enforcement officer. This is a potentially powerful mechanism for ensuring integrity in law enforcement, yet little is known about the nature and scope of decertification actions. This article presents the findings of a national study of decertification practices among the states. Over 1,350 officers were decertified during 2011 (including corrections officers, police officers, and others), and the base rate of decertification among police officers is estimated to be 1.2 per 1,000 officers, varying from zero to 7.6 per 1,000 at the state level. Sources of variability and policy implications are discussed.
Interleukin-12p40 in the spinal fluid as a biomarker for clinically isolated syndrome
Authors: Orbach Rotem , Gurevich Michael , Achiron Anat
Published: May 2013

Background:

The cerebrospinal (CSF) constitutes a specific immune micro-environment to the central nervous system, thus it may contain specific biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objectives:

We aimed to study a large array of inflammatory CSF biomarkers in patients with suspected MS to recognize potential early diagnostic markers.

Methods:

CSF samples were obtained from 115 patients who presented with neurological symptomatology suggestive of MS as follows: clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) = 49, relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) = 29, and other neurologic disorders (OND) = 37. Protein expression profiles of 30 inflammatory biomarkers were measured by multiplex Luminex bead assay and further analyzed by group comparison statistics, correlation studies and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results:

Interleukin-12 subunit p40 (IL12p40) demonstrated a significant differential expression pattern between the groups (CIS vs OND: p = 1.17*10−7; RRMS vs OND: p = 4.98*10−5), with higher levels in CIS and RRMS patients. ROC analysis demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance of IL12p40 for discrimination between CIS and OND patients (area under the curve = 0.87 (95% CI 0.78–0.93), p = 0.0001). No associations were found with disease activity or severity measures.

Conclusions:

An increased IL12p40 level characterizes the CSF of MS patients and appears to be helpful in identifying CIS and OND patients early in the process of clinical diagnostic assessment.
Critical methods in International Relations: The politics of techniques, devices and acts
Authors: Aradau Claudia , Huysmans Jef
Published: May 2013

Methods have increasingly been placed at the heart of theoretical and empirical research in International Relations (IR) and social sciences more generally. This article explores the role of methods in IR and argues that methods can be part of a critical project if reconceptualized away from neutral techniques of organizing empirical material and research design. It proposes a two-pronged reconceptualization of critical methods as devices which enact worlds and acts which disrupt particular worlds. Developing this conceptualization allows us to foreground questions of knowledge and politics as stakes of method and methodology rather than exclusively of ontology, epistemology or theory. It also allows us to move away from the dominance of scientificity (and its weaker versions of systematicity and rigour) to understand methods as less pure, less formal, messier and more experimental, carrying substantive political visions.
Parental experiences of a developmentally focused care program for infants and children during prolonged hospitalization
Authors: So Stephanie , Rogers Alaine , Patterson Catherine , Drew Wendy , Maxwell Julia , Darch Jane , Hoyle Carolyn , Patterson Sarah , Pollock-BarZiv Stacey
Published: May 2013

This study investigates parental experiences and perceptions of the care received during their child’s prolonged hospitalization. It relates this care to the Beanstalk Program (BP), a develop-mentally focused care program provided to these families within an acute care hospital setting. A total of 20 parents (of children hospitalized between 1-15 months) completed the Measures of Processes of Care (MPOC-20) with additional questions regarding the BP. Scores rate the extent of the health-care provider’s behaviour as perceived by the family, ranging from ‘to a great extent’ (7) to ‘never’ (1). Parents rated Respectful and Supportive Care (6.33) as highest, while Providing General Information (5.65) was rated lowest. Eleven parents participated in a follow-up, qualitative, semi-structured interview. Interview data generated key themes: (a) parents strive for positive and normal experiences for their child within the hospital environment; (b) parents value the focus on child development in the midst of their child’s complex medical care; and (c) appropriate developmentally focused education helps parents shift from feeling overwhelmed with a medically ill child to instilling feelings of confidence and empowerment to care for their child and transition home. These results emphasize the importance of enhancing child development for hospitalized infants and young children through programs such as the BP.
Tracing festival imaginaries: Between affective urban idioms and administrative assemblages
Authors: Jamieson Kirstie
Published: May 2013

This article offers a way of understanding not only Festival Cities, but also the Creative City paradigm and to some extent the practices employed through the convergence of culture and urban planning that has come to dominate the logic of urban space. In its exploration of the 20th century’s nascent administrative imaginary of urban cultural festivals it is in part, a genealogy, but I hope it offers more, that it elaborates a re-reading of the urban predisposition towards a culturalized identity and the curation of affective urban space, which despite the economic downturn, continues to privilege its own legibility. In so doing, this article argues that the city promotes not only its cultural capital, but also its administration.
When national culture is disrupted: Cultural continuity and resistance to Muslim immigrants
Authors: Smeekes Anouk , Verkuyten Maykel
Published: May 2013

In three studies we examined the importance of cultural continuity for attitudes towards Muslim immigrants. Study 1 showed that perceiving national culture to be temporally enduring predicted opposition to Muslim expressive rights, and this effect was mediated by perceptions of continuity threat. Studies 2 (survey) and 3 (experiment), examined whether attitudes towards Muslim immigrants are dependent on the specific content of cultural continuity. Study 2 showed that a stronger perception of religious tolerant continuity was associated with lower opposition to Muslims, via reduced levels of continuity threat, whereas a Christian continuity representation was associated with higher continuity threat and more opposition. In Study 3, the causal effect of religious tolerant continuity was the same, but the salience of Christian continuity only resulted in more opposition to Muslims among younger adults. Together, these findings illustrate the importance of perceptions and representations of cultural continuity for the understanding of current intergroup dynamics.
The social bases of cosmetic surgery in Australia
Authors: Tranter Bruce , Hanson Dallas
Published: May 2013

Despite the demand for cosmetic surgery, little is known about the characteristics of recipients beyond the well-known gender divide. Data from a nationally representative Australian survey profiles the social background of cosmetic surgery recipients and those desiring surgery. Aside from strong gender differences, the middle-aged were most likely to desire cosmetic surgery, but older people were most likely to have had it, with body dissatisfaction also associated with desiring and having cosmetic surgery. Social status (education, occupation, income) effects and the fact that those who identify with the Liberal and National parties are more likely than Labor or Greens identifiers to have had surgery suggest it is an aspect of (upper) middle-class lifestyles and sought by those who aspire to them.
Sampling and sex trading: Lessons on research design from the street
Authors: Martin Lauren
Published: May 2013

This article explores the use of an action research (AR) approach with a marginalized population of people who trade sex and as a modality to engage diverse stakeholders to work together to reduce harm caused by sex trading. As a trained academic anthropologist thrust into leadership of a community research project, I cobbled together my own self-reflexive praxis and working method with the experts all around me – people who trade sex, police, residents, and more. In the process I discovered that involvement of women who traded sex in the project’s research design created a respectful, humane, connected, and acceptable research process in which participants felt comfortable sharing personal information. AR was better for participants and more useful in surfacing better and deeper knowledge of sex trading. It was also a cost-effective way to design a successful recruitment strategy to broaden the participant base of the study contacting participants not typically involved in research on sex trading. This is important because sampling is a perennial problem in studies of sex trading, prostitution, and sex trafficking. Our research led to new knowledge that formed the basis for action to reduce the harms of sex trading.
Transformative Visions
Authors: Hackett Colleen
Published: May 2013

This article examines how staff members at a gender-responsive, outpatient reentry center construct women’s criminality and explain treatment outcomes. Staff members acknowledge the structural causes of women’s criminality, yet during the process of rehabilitation this recognition is paradoxically replaced by a discourse of personal responsibility. By employing participant-observation methods and in-depth interviews with staff, this study demonstrates how the center’s use of “alternative” practices and rehabilitative logics serve to disempower and pathologize women’s lives. This research adds to our knowledge of punishment and governance by revealing how neoliberal strategies of self-regulation may take form in gendered, alternative spaces.
Syndactylization as a technique in treatment of infectious limb following aortobifemoral reconstruction
Authors: Ilic Nikola S , Dragas Marko , Koncar Igor , Kostic Dusan , Pejkic Sinisa , Miroslav Markovic , Davidovic Lazar
Published: May 2013

The infection in vascular surgery is a nightmare of every vascular surgeon. There are numerous ways of treatment but neither one is definitive. We present the case of the patient with infectious limb following aortobifemoral reconstruction treated by partial graft extirpation and with re-implantation of the superficial femoral artery into deep femoral artery.
The Incidence and Natural History of Forefoot Scar Pain Following Open Hallux Valgus Surgery
Authors: Ieong Edmund , Afolayan John , Little Nicholas , Solan Matthew , Pearce Christopher
Published: May 2013

Background. Scar symptoms are a recognized complication of forefoot surgery. The aim of our study was to quantify and qualify these symptoms following open Scarf osteotomy for hallux valgus. Methods. A total of 125 consecutive patients with a minimum of 1 year’s follow-up were questioned, with a response rate of 82%. Four patients were excluded because of superficial wound infections, leaving 98 patients in the study. Results. In all, 30 patients (31%) reported scar symptoms. In this symptomatic group, 8 patients (21%) undertook noninvasive intervention for their symptoms, and the remaining 22 symptomatic patients (79%) did not use any form of intervention for their symptoms. Patients who undertook some sort of intervention had a significantly shorter duration of symptoms (mean = 19 vs 44 weeks; P = .01). The mean duration of symptoms was 27.9 weeks, and mean symptom score was 3 out of 10. At the 1-year follow-up, 95% of patients had no scar symptoms. There was no significant difference in either the preoperative severity of the deformity or the degree of correction achieved between the symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Conclusion. These results can be used to obtain consent, educate, and reassure patients. We recommend simple noninvasive interventions should patients experience postoperative scar symptoms.

Levels of Evidence: Therapeutic, Level IV
The Impact of Correctional Officer Perceptions of Inmates on Job Stress
Authors: Misis Marcos , Kim Bitna , Cheeseman Kelly , Hogan Nancy L. , Lambert Eric G.
Published: May 2013

Research suggests that job-related stress affects correctional officers’ attitudes toward their work environment, coworkers, and supervisors, as well as their physical and mental health; however, very few studies have examined the relationship between stress and attitudes toward inmates. This study examined the relationship between correctional officers’ levels of stress and their perceptions of inmates by surveying a sample of 501 correctional officers employed by a Southern prison system. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the principal hypothesis of this study—that more negative perceptions of inmates would result in higher levels of stress for correctional officers. Independent variables were grouped into four groups (demographic variables, supervisory support, job characteristics, and attitudes toward inmates) and were entered into the model in blocks. Lower supervisory support and perceptions of the job being dangerous were associated with higher levels of job stress. More importantly, correctional officers who saw inmates as intimidated (not arrogant) and nonmanipulative reported lower levels of job stress, while officers who perceived inmates as being unfriendly, antisocial, and cold reported higher levels of stress.
LGBTI Variations in Crime Reporting
Authors: Miles-Johnson Toby
Published: May 2013

Research shows that people vary in their willingness to report crime to police depending on the type of crime experienced, their gender, age, and their race or ethnicity. Whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) and heterosexual people vary in their willingness to report crime to the police is not well understood in the extant literature. In this article, I examine variations in LGBTI respondents’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on their intentions to report crimes to the police. Drawing on a survey of LGBTI individuals sampled from a Gay Pride community event and online LGBTI community forums ( N = 329), I use quantitative statistical methods to examine whether LGBTI people’s beliefs in police homophobia are also directly associated with the behavioral intention to report crime. Overall, the results indicate that LGBTI and heterosexual people differ significantly in their intention to report crime to the police, and that a belief in police homophobia strongly influences LGBTI people’s intention to underreport crime to the police.
Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescents with Perinatal HIV Infection Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Louthrenoo Orawan , Oberdorfer Peninnah , Sirisanthana Virat
Published: May 2013

Background:

With effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), perinatally HIV-infected children are living longer through adolescence.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of perinatally HIV-infected adolescents, aged 11 to 18 years. Demographically matched controls were also enrolled. The adolescents completed the Youth Self-Report (YSR), while the caregivers filled out the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), to determine emotional and behavioral problems.

Results:

The sample included 50 HIV-infected adolescents and 56 controls. The internalizing problem scores from the YSR were significantly higher in the HIV-infected group than those in the control group (13.76 versus 9.95, P = .02). The total competence scores, from both the self-report and the caregiver report in the HIV-infected group, were significantly lower than those of the control group ( P = .005 and .001).

Conclusion:

Although HAART has prolonged the survival of HIV-infected children, they remain at increased risk of psychosocial problems as well as impaired social functioning.
HIV Clade-C Infection and Cognitive Impairment, Fatigue, Depression, and Quality of Life in Early-Stage Infection in Northern Indians
Authors: Cook R. , Jones D. L. , Nehra R. , Kumar A. M. , Prabhakar S. , Waldrop-Valverde D. , Sharma S. , Kumar M.
Published: May 2013

HIV disease progression is associated with declining quality of life and overall health status, although most research in this domain has been conducted among Western populations where B is the infecting clade. This study sought to determine the effects of early-stage clade-C HIV infection (CD4 count ≥400 cells/mm3) on neurocognitive functioning, cognitive depression, and fatigue by comparing a matched sample of HIV-positive and HIV-negative Northern Indians. This study also examined the impact of these factors on quality of life within the HIV-positive individuals. HIV-positive participants demonstrated reduced cognitive functioning, increased fatigue, and lower quality of life. Fatigue and cognitive impairment interacted to negatively impact quality of life. Results suggest that early-stage HIV clade-C-infected individuals may experience subclinical symptoms, and further research is needed to explore the benefit of therapeutic interventions to ensure optimal clinical outcomes and maintain quality of life in this vulnerable population.
Naturally secreted immunoglobulins limit B1 and MZ B-cell numbers through a microbiota-independent mechanism
Authors: Lino Andreia C. , Mohr Elodie , Demengeot Jocelyne
Published: May 2013

Key Points

The study of AID−/−µS−/− mice reveals a microbiota-independent negative feedback control of MZ and B1 cell numbers by naturally secreted Ig.
High prevalence of red blood cell alloimmunization in sickle cell disease despite transfusion from Rh-matched minority donors
Authors: Chou Stella T. , Jackson Tannoa , Vege Sunitha , Smith-Whitley Kim , Friedman David F. , Westhoff Connie M.
Published: May 2013

Key Points

Rh serologic phenotype–matched transfusions from minority donors do not prevent all Rh alloimmunization in patients with SCD. Variant RH genes are common in patients with SCD and contribute to Rh alloimmunization and transfusion reactions.
New onset migraine with aura after treatment initiation with ivabradine
Authors: Sprenger Till , Supronsinchai Weera , Goadsby Peter J
Published: May 2013

Background

Migraine with aura is a complex neurological disorder modeled in animals by cortical spreading depression. It is less usual to find complete animal models for the disease so any opportunity to test a human effect back at the bench is welcome.

Findings

We report the case of a 24 year old woman who developed new onset episodic migraine with visual aura shortly after treatment initiation with the If ion channel blocker ivabradine for frequency control in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We studied whether ivabradine could alter cortical spreading depression in a suitable animal model. Sixteen rats received either ivabradine or saline, and the number of depolarization shifts and blood flow changes induced by cortical spreading depression were measured in both groups. No significant differences between the ivabradine and saline group were detected.

Conclusions

Ivabradine is an interesting substance since it is known to produce migraine-like phosphenes frequently and the patient we report developed de novo migraine with aura. However, we were unable to demonstrate that the drug influences the susceptibility of the brain to cortical spreading depression with acute administration. The combined data show the relationship of migraine aura to cortical spreading depression may have some nuances yet to be identified.
B-type natriuretic peptide versus amino terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide: selecting the optimal heart failure marker in patients with impaired kidney function
Authors: Jafri Lena , Kashif Waqar , Tai Javed , Siddiqui Imran , Azam Iqbal , Shahzad Hira , Ghani Farooq
Published: May 2013

Background

The effect of impaired kidney function on B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) is vague. This study was performed to examine the effect of kidney dysfunction on the afore-mentioned markers and determine appropriate cutoffs for systolic heart failure (SHF).

Methods

In this cross sectional study adults with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min for ≥3 months were identified in consulting clinics from June 2009 to March 2010. SHF was defined as documented by a cardiologist with ejection fraction of < 40% and assessed by New York Heart Association classification (NYHA). Plasma was assayed for creatinine (Cr), BNP and NT-proBNP.

Results

A total of 190 subjects were enrolled in the study, 95 with and 95 without SHF. The mean age of patients was 58 (±15) years, 67.4% being males. Mean BNP levels showed a 2.5 fold and 1.5 fold increase from chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3 to stage 5 in patients with and without SHF respectively. NT-proBNP levels in non-heart failure group were 3 fold higher in CKD stage 5 compared to stage 3. Mean NT-proBNP levels were 4 fold higher in CKD stage 5 compared to stage 3 in patients with SHF. Optimal BNP and NT-proBNP cutoffs of SHF diagnosis for the entire CKD group were 300 pg/ml and 4502 pg/ml respectively.

Conclusion

BNP and NT-proBNP were elevated in kidney dysfunction even in the absence of SHF; however the magnitude of increase in NT-proBNP was greater than that of BNP. BNP and NT-proBNP can be useful in diagnosing SHF, nonetheless, by using higher cutoffs stratified according to kidney dysfunction. NT-proBNP appears to predict heart failure better than BNP.
Single dose of gentamicin in combination with metronidazole versus multiple doses for prevention of post-caesarean infection at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania: a randomized, equivalence, controlled trial
Authors: Lyimo Fadhili M , Massinde Anthony N , Kidenya Benson R , Konje Eveline T , Mshana Stephen E
Published: May 2013

Background

Caesarean section(C/S) has been found to increase rates of maternal infectious morbidities five times more than vaginal delivery. The provision of intravenous prophylactic antibiotics 30 to 60 minutes prior to C/S has been found to substantially reduce post-caesarean infection. At Bugando Medical Centre, there is no consistent protocol for the administration of antibiotic prophylaxis to patients who are undergoing emergency C/S. Providing repeated dosages of antibiotic prophylaxis after C/S is the common practice. This study aimed to determine the comparative efficacy of a single dose of gentamicin in combination with metronidazole versus multiple doses for prevention of post-caesarean infection.

Methods

From October 2011 to May 2012, a randomized, equivalence, non-blinding clinical trial was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania. A total of 500 eligible participants were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated into two study arms -- “A” and “B”. Participants in “A” received a single dose of gentamicin in combination with metronidazole 30 to 60 minutes prior to the operation, and participants in “B” received the same drugs prior to the operation but continued with for 24 hours. Both groups had 30 days of follow-up and were assessed for signs and symptoms of surgical-site infection as the primary outcome. The equivalence margin was set at 5%. The two-tailed equivalence was analyzed based on intention- to-treat analysis.

Results

The randomization was proper, as the distribution of various demographic and other baseline characteristics had a p-value of > 0.05. All 500 participants were included in our analysis; of these, no participants were lost to follow-up. Surgical-site infection occurred in 12 out of the 250 (4.8%) receiving single dose compared to 16 out of the 250 (6.4%) receiving multiple doses. There is an absolute proportion difference of 1.6% (95% Confidence interval: -2.4 – 5.6%) which lies outside the pre-specified 5% equivalence margin.

Conclusion

We recommend the administration of pre-operative single dose antibiotic prophylaxis for emergency caesarean as this intervention proved to be not equivalent to multiple doses antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing surgical site infection. Single dose therapy also reduces staff workload along with medication costs.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN44462542
Effectiveness of a facebook-delivered physical activity intervention for post-partum women: a randomized controlled trial protocol
Authors: Kernot Jocelyn , Olds Tim , Lewis Lucy K , Maher Carol
Published: May 2013

Background

Physical activity is reduced during the post-partum period. Facebook is frequently used by Australian mothers, and offers flexibility, high levels of engagement and the ability to disseminate information and advice via social contacts. The Mums Step it Up Program is a newly developed 50 day team-based physical activity intervention delivered via a Facebook app. The program involves post-partum women working in teams of 4–8 friends aiming to achieve 10,000 steps per day measured by a pedometer. Women are encouraged to use the app to log their daily steps and undertake social and supportive interactions with their friends and other participants. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of the Mums Step it Up Program.

Method/design

A sample of 126 women up to 12 months post-partum will be recruited through community-based health and family services. Participants will be randomly allocated into one of three groups: control, pedometer only and the Mums Step it Up Program. Assessments will be completed at baseline, 6 weeks and 6 months. The primary outcome (objective physical activity) and the secondary outcomes (sleep quality and quantity, depressive symptoms, weight and quality of life) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the Mums Step it Up Program compared with the control and pedometer only groups. Analyses will be undertaken on an intention-to-treat-basis using random effects mixed modeling. The effect of theorized mediators (physical activity attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control) will also be examined.

Discussion

This study will provide information about the potential of a Facebook app for the delivery of health behavior interventions. If this intervention proves to be effective it will be released on a mass scale and promoted to the general public.

Trial registration

Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register: ACTRN12613000069752
High glucose induces upregulation of scavenger receptors and promotes maturation of dendritic cells
Authors: Lu Hao , Yao Kang , Huang Dong , Sun Aijun , Zou Yunzeng , Qian Juying , Ge Junbo
Published: May 2013

Background

Both hyperglycaemia and dendritic cells (DCs) play causative roles in atherosclerosis. However, whether they interact in atherosclerosis remains uncertain. Therefore, we examined whether high glucose could regulate the expression of scavenger receptors responsible for oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) uptake in DCs, a critical step in atherogenesis. In addition, we investigated the impact of glucose on DC maturation regarding changes in phenotype and cytokine secretion.

Methods

Immature DCs were cultured with different concentrations of glucose (5.5 mmol/L, 15 mmol/L, 30 mmol/L) in the absence or presence of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), SB203580 or Bay11-7082 for 24 hours. We used 30 mmol/L mannitol as a high-osmolarity control treatment. The expression of the scavenger receptors SR-A, CD36 and LOX-1 was determined by real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Furthermore, DCs were incubated with DiI-labelled oxLDL. The DiI-oxLDL-incorporated fraction was investigated by flow cytometry analysis. The intracellular production of ROS in DCs was measured by dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence using confocal microscopy. Finally, flow cytometry analysis was used to investigate immunophenotypic protein expression (CD83 and CD86). Supernatant cytokine measurements were used for immune function assays.

Results

The incubation of DCs with glucose enhanced, in a dose-dependent manner, the gene and protein expression of SR-A, CD36 and LOX-1. This effect was partially abolished by NAC, SB203580 and Bay11-7082. Incubation of DCs with mannitol (30 mmol/L) did not enhance these scavenger receptors’ expression. High glucose upregulated the production of ROS and expression of p38 MAPK in DCs. NAC partially reversed p38 MAPK upregulation. High glucose increased the oxLDL-uptake capacity of DCs. Blockage of the scavenger receptors SR-A and CD36 reduced oxLDL uptake, but blockage of LOX-1 did not. Furthermore, high-glucose (15 mmol/L or 30 mmol/L) treatment increased CD86 and CD83 in DCs. High glucose also increased IL-6 and IL-12 secretion and decreased IL-10 secretion.

Conclusion

High glucose can increase the expression of the scavenger receptors SR-A, CD36 and LOX-1, which can increase the oxLDL-uptake capacity of DCs. High glucose induces a proinflammatory cytokine profile in human DCs, leading to DC maturation. These results support the hypothesis that atherosclerosis is aggravated by hyperglycaemia-induced DC activation and oxLDL uptake.
Activation of minority-variant Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites following artesunate + amodiaquine treatment in a 23-year old man with relapsing malaria in Antananarivo, Madagascar
Authors: Andrianaranjaka Voahangy , Lin Jessica T , Golden Christopher , Juliano Jonathan J , Randrianarivelojosia Milijaona
Published: May 2013

In endemic areas, Plasmodium vivax relapses are difficult to distinguish from new infections. Genotyping of patients who experience relapse after returning to a malaria-free area can be used to explore the nature of hypnozoite activation and relapse. This paper describes a person who developed P. vivax malaria for the first time after travelling to Boriziny in the malaria endemic coastal area of Madagascar, then suffered two P. vivax relapses 11 weeks and 21 weeks later despite remaining in Antananarivo in the malaria-free central highlands area. He was treated with the combination artesunate + amodiaquine according to the national malaria policy in Madagascar. Genotyping by PCR-RFLP at pvmsp-3α as well as pvmsp1 heteroduplex tracking assay (HTA) showed the same dominant genotype at each relapse. Multiple recurring minority variants were also detected at each relapse, highlighting the propensity for multiple hypnozoite clones to activate simultaneously to cause relapse.