bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hydraulic characteristics of typical bank‐protection works along the Brahmaputra/Jamuna River, Bangladesh
Authors: Nakagawa H. , Zhang H. , Baba Y. , Kawaike K. , Teraguchi H.
Published: December 2012

Severe bank erosion is one of the most challenging problems in the management of large rivers in Bangladesh. This paper describes the detailed flow patterns around typical bank‐protection works on the Brahmaputra/Jamuna River as well as their morphological implications. Based on field surveys at several locations along this large alluvial river that are highly susceptible to erosion, attempts are made to clarify the flow fields and mechanisms of bank erosion. The performance of existing measures such as revetments and spur dykes are evaluated, and possible solutions for further enhancements are proposed. It is found that existing conventional works are generally huge in both size and cost, potentially exerting great disturbances on the river's dynamism and ecosystem. That said, the Bandal – a historied and indigenous structure – is cost‐effective and environmentally friendly. This study suggests the recurrent use of Bandal‐like structures for channel stabilisation and flood management of the braided Brahmaputra/Jamuna River.
Amelioration of cognitive deficits in plaque‐bearing Alzheimer's disease model mice through selective reduction of nascent soluble A42 without affecting other A pools
Authors: Mitani Yasuyuki , Yarimizu Junko , Akashiba Hiroki , Shitaka Yoshitsugu , Ni Keni , Matsuoka Nobuya
Published: December 2012

Given that amyloid‐β 42 (Aβ42) is believed to be a culprit in Alzheimer's disease (AD), reducing Aβ42 production should be a potential therapeutic approach. γ‐Secretase modulators (GSMs) cause selective reduction of Aβ42 or both reduction of Aβ42 and Aβ40 without affecting total Aβ through shifting the γ‐cleavage position in amyloid precursor protein. We recently reported on GSM‐2, one of the second‐generation GSMs, that selectively reduced brain Aβ42 level and significantly ameliorated cognitive deficits in plaque‐free 5.5‐month‐old Tg2576 AD model mice. Here, we investigated the effects of GSM‐2 on 10‐, 14‐, and 18‐month‐old mice which had age‐dependent increase in amyloid plaques. Eight‐day treatment with GSM‐2 significantly ameliorated cognitive deficits measured by Y‐maze task in the mice of any age. However, GSM‐2 reduced brain soluble Aβ42 only in 10‐month‐old mice. In contrast, GSM‐2 markedly reduced newly synthesized soluble Aβ42 in both 10‐ and 18‐month‐old mice with similar efficacy when measured using the stable isotope‐labeling technique, suggesting that nascent Aβ42 plays a more significant role than plaque‐associated soluble Aβ42 in the cognitive deterioration of Tg2576 mice. These findings further indicate the potential utility of approach to reducing Aβ42 synthesis in AD therapeutic regimens.
Dietary energy substrates reverse early neuronal hyperactivity in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Zilberter Misha , Ivanov Anton , Ziyatdinova Sofya , Mukhtarov Marat , Malkov Anton , Alpár Alan , Tortoriello Giuseppe , Botting Catherine H. , Fülöp Lívia , Osypov Alex A. , Pitkänen Asla , Tanila Heikki , Harkany Tibor , Zilberter Yuri
Published: December 2012

Deficient energy metabolism and network hyperactivity are the early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we show that administration of exogenous oxidative energy substrates (OES) corrects neuronal energy supply deficiency that reduces the amyloid‐beta‐induced abnormal neuronal activity in vitro and the epileptic phenotype in AD model in vivo. In vitro, acute application of protofibrillar amyloid‐β1–42 (Aβ1–42) induced aberrant network activity in wild‐type hippocampal slices that was underlain by depolarization of both the neuronal resting membrane potential and GABA‐mediated current reversal potential. Aβ1–42 also impaired synaptic function and long‐term potentiation. These changes were paralleled by clear indications of impaired energy metabolism, as indicated by abnormal NAD(P)H signaling induced by network activity. However, when glucose was supplemented with OES pyruvate and 3‐beta‐hydroxybutyrate, Aβ1–42 failed to induce detrimental changes in any of the above parameters. We administered the same OES as chronic supplementation to a standard diet to APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice displaying AD‐related epilepsy phenotype. In the ex‐vivo slices, we found neuronal subpopulations with significantly depolarized resting and GABA‐mediated current reversal potentials, mirroring abnormalities we observed under acute Aβ1‐42 application. Ex‐vivo cortex of transgenic mice fed with standard diet displayed signs of impaired energy metabolism, such as abnormal NAD(P)H signaling and strongly reduced tolerance to hypoglycemia. Transgenic mice also possessed brain glycogen levels twofold lower than those of wild‐type mice. However, none of the above neuronal and metabolic dysfunctions were observed in transgenic mice fed with the OES‐enriched diet. In vivo, dietary OES supplementation abated neuronal hyperexcitability, as the frequency of both epileptiform discharges and spikes was strongly decreased in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice placed on the diet. Altogether, our results suggest that early AD‐related neuronal malfunctions underlying hyperexcitability and energy metabolism deficiency can be prevented by dietary supplementation with native energy substrates.
One‐Year Outcome of Small‐Vessel Disease Treated with Sirolimus‐Eluting Stents: A Subgroup Analysis of the e‐SELECT Registry
Authors: GAO RUNLIN , ABIZAID ALEXANDRE , BANNING ADRIAN , BARTORELLI ANTONIO L. , DŽAVÍK VLADIMÍR , ELLIS STEPHEN , JEONG MYUNG HO , LEGRAND VICTOR , SPAULDING CHRISTIAN , URBAN PHILIP
Published: December 2012

Objectives

To investigate the characteristics and one‐year outcomes following sirolimus‐eluting CYPHER Select Plus stent (SES) implantation in small (SmVD) and non‐small vessel disease (NSmVD) in the international e‐SELECT registry.

Background

Large‐scale registry data are lacking on DES outcomes in SmVD treatment.

Methods

There were 4,700 SmVD (at least one vessel with estimated reference vessel diameter [RVD] < 2.5 mm, excluding 283 patients with unknown RVD vessels) and 10,139 NSmVD only patients.

Results

The SmVD population was older, with more women, diabetics, and vessels treated, higher mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score (CCI), shorter lesions, and less STEMI presentation. The 1‐year stent thrombosis (ST) rate (primary end‐point), was significantly higher (1.3% vs. 0.7%) in SmVD versus NSmVD, mainly driven by early events. One‐year major adverse cardiac event (MACE), myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically indicated target‐lesion revascularization (TLR) rates were significantly higher in SmVD although death and major bleeding rates were similar in both groups. Complication rates were similar between pure (3,188 patients; only RVD < 2.5 mm) and mixed (1,795 patients; some RVD < 2.5 mm or unknown RVD) SmVD. Multivariate predictors for 1‐year MACE in SmVD included saphenous vein graft or bifurcation lesions, major bleeding, any antiplatelet therapy discontinuation within 1 month, age, number of stents implanted, CCI, acute coronary syndrome, and insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

SES implantation for SmVD occurs more frequently in women, diabetics, and those with multivessel disease and comorbidities. One‐year ST, MACE, MI, and clinically indicated TLR rates are higher, although low overall, in SmVD or mixed SmVD patients while death rates are similar to NSmVD. (J Interven Cardiol 2013;26:163–172)
Synthesis and in-vitro antimicrobial evaluation of a high-affinity iron chelator in combination with chloramphenicol
Authors: Zhu Chun-Feng , Qiu Di-Hong , Kong Xiao-Le , Hider Robert C , Zhou Tao
Published: December 2012

Objectives

The objectives of this study were first to design and synthesize a hexadentate chelator with high iron(III) affinity and, second, to evaluate its antimicrobial activity in the presence and absence of chloramphenicol.

Methods

A hexadentate ligand was synthesized by conjugating a protected bidentate compound onto a tripodal structure. The pKa values and iron affinity of the chelator were determined by spectophotometric titration. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined by visual inspection of broth turbidity. The bactericidal rates were calculated by counting the colony numbers on a light board after incubation with and without an antimicrobial agent.

Key findings

A hexadentate 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one was found to possess a high affinity for iron(III), with a pFe value of 31.2 (negative logarithm of concentration of the free iron(III) in solution (when [Fe3+]Total = 10−6  m; [Ligand]Total = 10−5  m; pH = 7.4). We found that this chelator had an appreciable inhibitory effect in vitro against the two bacterial strains Providencia stuartii and Staphylococcus aureus, particularly in the presence of chloramphenicol.

Conclusions

A 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one hexadentate ligand has potential as an antimicrobial agent. Combination therapy with this iron chelator plus chloramphenicol has potential for the treatment of extracellular infections.
Refining the two‐parameter testlet response model by introducing testlet discrimination parameters
Authors: Tao Jian , Xu Bao , Shi Ning‐Zhong , Jiao Hong
Published: December 2012

For testlet response data, traditional item response theory (IRT) models are often not appropriate due to local dependence presented among items within a common testlet. Several testlet‐based IRT models have been developed to model examinees' responses. In this paper, a new two‐parameter normal ogive testlet response theory (2PNOTRT) model for dichotomous items is proposed by introducing testlet discrimination parameters. A Bayesian model parameter estimation approach via a data augmentation scheme is developed. Simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed 2PNOTRT model. The results indicated that the estimation of item parameters is satisfactory overall from the viewpoint of convergence. Finally, the proposed 2PNOTRT model is applied to a set of real testlet data.
IRTF observations of S complex and other asteroids: Implications for surface compositions, the presence of clinopyroxenes, and their relationship to meteorites
Authors: GIETZEN Katherine M. , LACY Claud H. S. , OSTROWSKI Daniel R. , SEARS Derek W. G.
Published: December 2012

Abstract– We have obtained near‐infrared spectra for near‐Earth asteroids (NEA) and Main Belt asteroids by using NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility. Most of the S complex classes of the Tholen‐Bus‐DeMeo scheme and the S(I)–S(VII) classes are represented. To help interpret the results, we examined visible/near‐IR spectra for ordinary chondrites. The unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOC) spectra contain a 2.3 μm feature which is absent in the spectra of the equilibrated ordinary chondrites (EOC). On the basis of literature data and new spectra low‐Ca clinopyroxenes, we suggest that the 2.3 μm in UOC is due to the presence of low‐Ca clinopyroxene in the UOC which is absent in EOC. While this difference can be seen in the raw spectra, we confirmed this observation using a modified Gaussian model (MGM) for spectral analysis. Both the UOC and the EOC plot in the S(IV) field of the band area ratio plot for asteroids. We suggest that many or most S(IV) asteroids have material resembling UOC on their surfaces. An internally heated ordinary chondrite parent object would have EOC material at depth and UOC material on the surface. Cosmic ray exposure ages, and K‐Ar ages for L chondrites, indicate that most EOC came from relatively few objects; however, the age distributions for UOC are unlike those of EOC. We suggest that while EOC come from the interiors of a limited number of S(IV) asteroids, the UOC come from the surfaces of a large number of S(IV) asteroids.
Early invitation to food and/or multiple micronutrient supplementation in pregnancy does not affect body composition in offspring at 54 months: follow‐up of theMINIMat randomised trial,Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Ashraful Islam , Kabir Iqbal , Hawkesworth Sophie , Ekström Eva‐Charlotte , Arifeen Shams , Frongillo Edward A. , Persson Lars Åke
Published: December 2012

Growth patterns in early life are associated with later health. The effect of nutrition duringin uterodevelopment on later body composition is unclear. We evaluated whether prenatal early invitation to food and/or multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) in pregnancy has an effect on offspring body composition at 54 months of age. InMaternal andInfantNutritionInterventions inMatlab trial (ISRCTN16581394) inBangladesh, 4436 pregnant women were randomised into six equally sized groups: double‐masked supplementation with capsules of either 30 mgFe and 400 μg folic acid, or 60 mgFe and 400 μg folic acid, orMMS(15 micronutrients), was combined with a randomised early invitation (around 9 weeks) or a usual invitation (around 20 weeks) to start food supplementation (608 kcal 6 days per week). At 54 months, the body composition of the offspring was assessed by leg‐to‐leg bioelectrical impedance analysis. Of the 3267 live singletons with birth anthropometry, 2290 children were measured at 54 months, representing 70% of the live births. There was no interaction between the food and micronutrient supplementation on body composition outcomes. There were no significant differences in a range of anthropometric and body composition measurements, including weight, height, mid‐upper arm circumference, head circumference, skinfold thickness, and fat mass and fat‐free mass between the different prenatal food and micronutrient groups using an intention‐to‐treat analysis. This analysis shows that early invitation to food supplementation andMMSprovided to ruralBangladeshi women during pregnancy did not affect offspring body composition at 54 months of age.
Effect of Fusarium virguliforme phytotoxin on soybean gene expression suggests a role in multidimensional defence
Authors: Radwan Osman , Li Min , Calla Bernarda , Li Shuxian , Hartman Glen L. , Clough Steven J.
Published: December 2012

Sudden death syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium virguliforme, is an important yield‐limiting disease of soybean. This soil‐borne fungus colonizes soybean roots causing root rot, and also releases a phytotoxin that is translocated to leaves causing interveinal chlorosis and necrosis leading to defoliation and early maturation. The objective of our study was to compare gene expression profiles during the early response of soybean leaves exposed to sterile culture filtrates of F. virguliforme in soybean genotypes with different levels of resistance to SDS. The analysis identified SDS‐related defence genes that were induced in the most resistant genotype, but not in the other genotypes. Further functional annotations based on sequence homology suggested that some of the induced genes probably encode proteins involved in cell wall modification, detoxification, defence responses, primary metabolism and membrane transport. Quantitative real‐time reverse‐transcribed polymerase chain reaction confirmed the differential transcript accumulation of a subset of these genes. In addition, in silico mapping of differentially expressed genes to SDS‐resistant quantitative trait loci allowed for the identification of new potential defence genes that could be genetically mapped to the soybean genome, and could be used further in a marker‐assisted selection programme. A comparison of the response of soybean to F. virguliforme phytotoxin (Fv toxin) relative to other biotic and abiotic stresses revealed that the resistance response to Fv toxin is quite similar to the response to inoculation with an incompatible Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea strain, suggesting that Fv toxin might induce hypersensitive response pathways in soybean leaf tissues in the absence of pathogen in these tissues.
Drebrin immunoreactivity in the striatum of a rat model of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia
Authors: Nishijima Haruo , Arai Akira , Kimura Tamaki , Mori Fumiaki , Yamada Junko , Migita Keisuke , Wakabayashi Koichi , Baba Masayuki , Ueno Shinya , Tomiyama Masahiko
Published: December 2012

Levodopa‐induced dyskinesia has been suggested to result from maladaptive plasticity at corticostriatal synapses. Synaptic plasticity is based upon morphologic changes of dendritic spines. To elucidate whether the morphologic changes of spines occur in the striatum of rat models of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia, we examined immunoreactivity of drebrin, an actin‐binding protein localized in dendritic spines of excitatory synapses, using 6‐hydroxydopamine‐lesioned rats repeatedly treated with levodopa. The cross‐sectional area of drebrin‐immunoreactive organelles, putative spines, in the dopamine‐denervated striatum of the levodopa‐induced dyskinesia model was greater than that of the Parkinson's disease model. Immunoelectron microscopic examinations confirmed that drebrin‐immunoreactive spines became enlarged in the dopamine‐denervated striatum of the levodopa‐induced dyskinesia model, but not in the Parkinson's disease model. These results suggest that the development of levodopa‐induced dyskinesia is associated with enlargement of dendritic spines at corticostriatal excitatory synapses.
Determinants affecting the well‐being of people in the Greater Mekong Subregion countries
Authors: Ruchiwit Manyat
Published: December 2012

The aim of this research was to examine the determinants/factors affecting the well‐being of the Thai and Lao people, and the factors that predict the well‐being of those respective peoples. Eight hundred and sixty participants were recruited from three major regions of Thailand and Laos and were selected using multistage random sampling. A self‐reported well‐being questionnaire was developed using the theoretical framework of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and a questionnaire assessing their perceptions/attitudes concerning the factors affecting their well‐being was administered. The major findings were the following: (i) the factors affecting the well‐being and the self‐reported well‐being of Thais and Laotians were significantly different; and (ii) the factors predicting the well‐being of Thais included the living and working environment and the availability of medical information and technology at their hospitals. On the other hand, one of the factors predicting the well‐being of Laotians was their attitudes toward their society and its cultural values. A comprehensive and system‐wide review of mental‐health policy planning to improve the well‐being of people in Thailand and Laos in accordance with those predicted factors is recommended.
Human Capital Questionnaire: Assessment of European nurses' perceptions as indicators of human capital quality
Authors: Yepes‐Baldó Montserrat , Romeo Marina , Berger Rita
Published: December 2012

Healthcare accreditation models generally include indicators related to healthcare employees' perceptions (e.g. satisfaction, career development, and health safety). During the accreditation process, organizations are asked to demonstrate the methods with which assessments are made. However, none of the models provide standardized systems for the assessment of employees. In this study, we analyzed the psychometric properties of an instrument for the assessment of nurses' perceptions as indicators of human capital quality in healthcare organizations. The Human Capital Questionnaire was applied to a sample of 902 nurses in four European countries (Spain, Portugal, Poland, and the UK). Exploratory factor analysis identified six factors: satisfaction with leadership, identification and commitment, satisfaction with participation, staff well‐being, career development opportunities, and motivation. The results showed the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, which when applied to healthcare organizations, provide a better understanding of nurses' perceptions, and is a parsimonious instrument for assessment and organizational accreditation. From a practical point of view, improving the quality of human capital, by analyzing nurses and other healthcare employees' perceptions, is related to workforce empowerment.
Student evaluation of simulation in undergraduate nursing programs in Australia using quality indicators
Authors: Kable Ashley K. , Arthur Carol , Levett‐Jones Tracy , Reid‐Searl Kerry
Published: December 2012

Student evaluation of the implementation of evidence‐based quality indicators for simulation experiences in undergraduate nursing programs in 2012 was explored in this study. The evaluation instrument used five specific measures derived from quality indicators. Students evaluated 10 simulation learning experiences in the first and second years of undergraduate nursing programs at two universities in Australia. Overall, students (n = 85) reported that simulation contributed to their achievement of objectives, but they did not always feel supported in these sessions. Student preparation and orientation was scored lower than other components of the simulation experience. Students reported very good scores for perceived realism and fidelity of simulation sessions, particularly the silicone mask and high‐fidelity sessions, which implies that learning from simulation is transferable into the clinical practice setting. However, patient charts and other clinical documents were not always considered to be realistic. Debriefing was scored very highly overall and for both approaches used for debriefing. The student‐evaluation instrument was an effective means of measuring student‐related quality indicators across a range of simulation sessions. It identified areas for the improved delivery of simulation sessions.
Three‐dimensional pharyngeal airway changes in orthodontic patients treated with and without extractions
Authors: Stefanovic N. , El H. , Chenin D. L. , Glisic B. , Palomo J. M.
Published: December 2012

Structured Abstract

Objective

To evaluate and compare three‐dimensional pharyngeal airway changes in orthodontic patients treated with and without extractions.

Material and Methods

Pharyngeal airway was analyzed for 31 subjects (15 males, 16 females) treated with extractions of four first premolars and 31 age‐ and gender‐matched controls (15 males, 16 females) treated without extractions. The mean age of subjects was 12.97 ± 1.15 years at the beginning and 15.69 ± 1.28 years at the end of treatment. The mean age of controls was 12.86 ± 0.74 years at the beginning and 15.18 ± 0.86 years at the end of treatment. Nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) volumes, area of maximum pharyngeal constriction (AMPC), and upper arch perimeter were measured on T0 and T1 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. Paired samples t‐test was used for analyzing statistical significance of changes (p ≤ 0.05).

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in the pharyngeal airway values between the extraction and non‐extraction groups at neither T0 nor T1. The extraction group showed a statistically significant increase for NP and OP volumes and AMPC values. Such increase was also noted in the non‐extraction group, without statistical significance for AMPC values.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that an extraction or non‐extraction choice for orthodontic treatment would not affect the pharyngeal airway.
Valganciclovir dosing using area under the curve calculations in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients
Authors: Villeneuve David , Brothers Adam , Harvey Eric , Kemna Mariska , Law Yuk , Nemeth Thomas , Gantt Soren
Published: December 2012

Pediatric valganciclovir dosing recommendations have not been extensively validated for prevention or treatment for CMV infection. As such, we performed a pharmacokinetic study to compare different valganciclovir dosing regimens and the potential benefits of individualized dose adjustments in children following organ transplantation. Ganciclovir AUCs were calculated from four plasma drug levels in pediatric SOT recipients aged six months through three yr receiving valganciclovir suspension by mouth. Of the 28 ganciclovir AUC calculations performed, 11 (39%) were outside the therapeutic target range of 40–60 mcg h/L leading to a valganciclovir dose adjustment. Current manufacturer‐recommended dosing based on BSA and CrCl was estimated to result in therapeutic AUCs in fewer patients than the simple weight‐based formula used in our institution (4 vs. 13; p = 0.017). An AUC calculation using only the two‐ and five‐h measurements was strongly correlated with the AUC using all four time measurements (R2 = 0.846; p < 0.001). A simple weight‐based dosing approach gives a higher probability for therapeutic AUCs compared to the manufacturer‐recommended dosing in pediatric transplant patients aged six months through three yr with normal renal function. An AUC calculated using two sample times might allow for fewer blood draws in the future.
New sources of resistance to Meloidogyne incognita race 3 in wild cotton accessions and histological characterization of the defence mechanisms
Authors: Mota F. C. , Alves G. C. S. , Giband M. , Gomes A. C. M. M. , Sousa F. R. , Mattos V. S. , Barbosa V. H. S. , Barroso P. A. V. , Nicole M. , Peixoto J. R. , Rocha M. R. , Carneiro R. M. D. G.
Published: December 2012

Accessions of Gossypium spp., some of them never previously tested, were evaluated for resistance to a local isolate of Meloidogyne incognita race 3 in greenhouse experiments. Nematode infection was characterized based on the galling and egg mass indexes and the reproduction factors (RF). Root‐knot nematode reproduction among the newly tested accessions varied from highly susceptible (AS0188, AS0189) to moderately resistant (MT123 no. 3), and some accessions showed highly reduced nematode reproduction (CIR1343, CIR1348, Fai Mui). Histological observations of two resistant accessions (G. barbadense CIR1348 and G. hirsutum TX‐25, respectively) showed that resistance occurs through a two‐stage mechanism in the first accession and through a single‐stage mechanism in the second. Parasitism is blocked early after second‐stage juvenile (J2) penetration or during its initial tissue migration (CIR1348) and the development of later‐stage juveniles into female adults is suppressed at a later stage (TX‐25 and CIR1348). Fluorescence and bright light microscopy showed that root cells surrounding nematodes exhibit a hypersensitivity‐like reaction, with the accumulation of presumably phenolic compounds and the presence of necrotic cells that limit the development of nematodes and the formation of giant cells. Underdeveloped giant cells with degenerated cytoplasmic content were found in small numbers in CIR1348 and in large numbers in TX‐25, along with deformed nematodes. The full characterization of the defence mechanisms of novel sources of resistance to the root‐knot nematode in cotton constitutes a first step towards their use in crop improvement.
Alveolar nitric oxide concentration reflects peripheral airway obstruction in stable asthma
Authors: Fujisawa Tomoyuki , Yasui Hideki , Akamatsu Taisuke , Hashimoto Dai , Enomoto Noriyuki , Inui Naoki , Nakamura Yutaro , Maekawa Masato , Suda Takafumi , Chida Kingo
Published: December 2012

Background and objective

Increased fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been shown to reflect airway inflammation in asthma. Central airway NO flux (J'awNO; nL/s) and peripheral airway/alveolar NO concentration (CANO; ppb) can be calculated separately. CANO has been reported to reflect small airway inflammation. The aim of the present study is to correlate CANO levels with clinical and physiological parameters in patients with stable asthma.

Methods

Seventy‐three well‐controlled asthmatics (mean age 61) were enrolled. Measurement of FeNO (at 50, 100, 150 and 200 mL/s) and pulmonary function test were performed. J'awNOTMAD and CANOTMAD were calculated and corrected by the trumpet shape of the airway tree and axial back‐diffusion (TMAD).

Results

CANOTMAD was significantly correlated with forced expiratory flow between 25–75% of the forced vital capacity (FVC) (FEF25–75), FEF25–75 percentage of the predicted value (%pred), forced expiratory flow at 50% of the FVC (FEF50) and FEF50 %pred (R = −0.39 P = 0.002, R = −0.29 P = 0.02, R = −0.39 P = 0.001, R = −0.29 P = 0.02, respectively). CANOTMAD was positively correlated with age (R = −0.45 P = 0.0002) and weakly correlated with duration of asthma (R = −0.27 P = 0.03). Forced expiratory volume in 1 s/FVC was negatively correlated with CANOTMAD, J'awNOTMAD and FeNO 50 mL/s. Among these, correlation between forced expiratory volume in 1 s/FVC and FeNO 50 mL/s was the strongest (R = −0.34 P = 0.004).

Conclusions

CANOTMAD may be a more specific marker of peripheral airway obstruction than FeNO and J'awNOTMAD in stable asthma.
Quality of life of Nigerian informal caregivers of community‐dwelling stroke survivors
Authors: Vincent‐Onabajo Grace , Ali Aisha , Hamzat Talhatu
Published: December 2012

Background

Caregivers play important roles in the collaborative efforts that characterize successful stroke rehabilitation, and their quality of life (QoL) may have implications for outcome of care.

Aim

This study explored the QoL of caregivers of community‐dwelling stroke survivors in north‐eastern Nigeria.

Methods

Fifty‐nine caregivers of community‐dwelling stroke survivors attending physiotherapy out‐patients departments of two government hospitals in the city of Maiduguri participated in the study. Information on participants' age, gender, employment status, educational background, relationship with the stroke patient, and time after onset of stroke were obtained through interview, while their QoL was assessed with WHOQoLBREF questionnaire. Demographic and QoL data were summarized with descriptive statistics, and influence of caregivers and care recipients' factors on QoL was analysed using Kruskal–Wallis test.

Results

Majority of caregivers were males (55.9%) and provided care for their parents (69.5%) who had suffered stroke within 1 year prior to study (72.9%). Mean scores on all QoL domains were above average with the physical domain recording the lowest scores. Caregivers' factors of age, educational background and employment, and duration poststroke onset were significantly associated with domains of QoL.

Conclusion

Although QoL of stroke caregivers was fair across domains, the physical domain recorded the lowest mean scores. Older age, lack of formal education, unemployment and caring for stroke patients within the second year poststroke were associated with lower QoL scores. Information from this study may aid in identifying those caregivers who require support programmes and care the most.
Development of an assessment tool for the multidisciplinary evaluation of neurological dependency: preliminary findings
Authors: Pierce Elaine , McLaren Susan
Published: December 2012

Background

Multidisciplinary inputs are of vital importance in the comprehensive care management and rehabilitation of individuals with long‐term neurological conditions. Although many ordinal measures of disability correlate with patient dependency and care, few are based on numbers of different health professionals required, or their skill‐mix, for assistance associated with levels of dependency.

Aim and objectives

To develop an instrument to assess dependency in adult patients suffering from severe and complex neurological disability for use by multidisciplinary teams. Objectives were to establish content validity, construct validity, inter‐rater reliability and internal consistency, and to demonstrate preliminary clinical utility from the perspective of professional staff.

Design and methods

A mixed methods design utilised qualitative and quantitative approaches. Stage I involved developmental fieldwork using focus groups (n = 3), questionnaires (n = 70), expert panel (n = 20) and direct observation (n = 12). In stage 2, intensive refinement through direct observation, construct validity and reliability testing (n = 100) of the instrument was completed. The research complied with the research governance and ethical standards set by the Department of Health (UK).

Results

In the final format, an instrument was developed which comprised two sections. Section 1: an ordinal scaled basic care section, with 15 categories of dependency and level of descriptors based on numbers, grade and time taken by staff providing assistance. Factor analysis identified one dominant and four subsidiary factors which explained 67% of the total variance. Overall inter‐rater agreement was 0.87 (kappa coefficient: range 0.67–1.0), and Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.733. Section 2: comprised a nominally measured specialist care section for inputs from nurses and therapists. The mean time taken to complete assessments was 12 minutes.

Conclusion

The instrument satisfied preliminary selective criteria for validity and reliability. Further research is necessary to satisfy other requirements of psychometric testing and clinical utility.
Hyperplane arrangements of Torelli type
Authors: Faenzi Daniele , Matei Daniel , Vallès Jean
Published: December 2012

We give a necessary and sufficient condition in order for a hyperplane arrangement to be of Torelli type, namely that it is recovered as the set of unstable hyperplanes of its Dolgachev sheaf of logarithmic differentials. Decompositions and semistability of non-Torelli arrangements are investigated.
World Famous in Wellington: 'Blanket Man' and contemporary celebrity
Authors: Lloyd Mike , McGovern Bronwyn
Published: December 2012

This article presents a case study of an iconic Wellington streetperson called 'Blanket Man' in order to engage with recent academic work on celebrity. Material presented comes from both detailed observational fieldwork, and media sources. We argue that Blanket Man is undoubtedly 'world famous in Wellington', and his fame may well reach slightly further. However, it is not clear what term best describes his situation, as the way he has become well-known certainly does not fit the existing models of celebrity creation. In contrast to the dominant emphasis on the 'media', we highlight the continued importance of the spatial routines and face-to-face interaction of everyday life in the construction of this locally identifiable character.
Indigenous Child Protection Policy in Australia: Using Whiteness Theory for Social Work
Authors: Young Susan
Published: December 2012

The so-called ‘crisis’ in child protection (Barter, 2006) has recently become the crisis in and of Indigenous communities in Australia. This paper had its beginnings before the Northern Territory experiment of 2007 but the concerns then were no less than they are now and require critical attention. A concern for me, as a social work educator, was the role and construction of social work as a major player in the protection of Indigenous children. This paper uses Whiteness theory to critique social work practice and Australian social policy regarding the protection of Indigenous children in Australia, before concluding with identifying some opportunities offered by Whiteness theory to social work practice.
15 October 2007, Aotearoa: Race, Terror and Sovereignty
Authors: Devadas Vijay
Published: December 2012

This paper discusses the anti-terror raids conducted on 15 October 2007 in Aotearoa through an exploration of the online print media coverage of the raids on that same day as well as the policing techniques employed. These two key instruments of state power and legitimacy, I argue, sought to produce a racialised moral panic around terrorism. Drawing on the works of Mbembe, Agamben, and Foucault, I examine the media practice as media necropower at work and the arrests in terms of state of exception and biopower to suggest that the racialisation of terror is a deliberate strategy of consolidating the sovereignty of the nation-state, a sovereignty preconditioned upon racism. The coverage of the event and the policing techniques both animates and perpetuates a racialised sovereignty that is foundational to the legitimacy of the postcolonial nation-state.
The Flavours of the Indigenous: Branding Native Food Products in Contemporary Australia
Authors: Craw Charlotte
Published: December 2012

Tis essay investigates the recent incorporation of Australian ‘native’ ingredients into a range of food products. Examples of the packaging of products containing such ingredients are analysed to provide an overview of ‘native’ food packaging, demonstrating the semiotic diversity of ideas of ‘indigeneity’ in this context. Te essay then explores how these multiple infections relate to wider discourses of racialised diference in contemporary Australia, focusing on how discussions of ‘natural’ phenomena refect confusion over who can be said to
‘properly’ belong to a place – a question that involves such urgent concerns for postcolonial societies as the (il)legitimacy of settler claims to land ownership. Much analysis of contemporary racisms positions them as articulating cultural
rather than biological diferences. Understandings of diference nonetheless continue to be inscribed with reference to particular bodies. ‘Native’ foods are a potent site for investigating such processes: food is ofen presented as a key
site of cross-cultural exchange and interaction, but despite this cultural infection, ‘native’ foodstufs are ofen marketed as ‘natural’. Tis constitutes a crucial diference between native foodstufs and the extensive range of products branded through references to ‘exotic’ ethnicities. Exploring the entanglement
of multiple narratives used to position native food products, this essay reveals how the realm of ecology, conceived of as ‘natural’ and therefore exterior to politics, is used as a forum for very political questions of ‘belonging’.
Postcolonial Studies and the Cultural Politics of Everyday Life
Authors: Prentice Christine Ann , Devadas Vijay
Published: December 2012

This essay traces key areas of scholarship constituting the domain of ‘everyday postcolonial politics’ in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, and the local terms and debates that inform, contextualise and animate them. We discuss how postcolonial studies in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia has been shaped by questions of its appropriateness or otherwise to analysis of local cultural politics, and the particular emphases it has developed to address that context. We then bring postcolonial studies together with the field of cultural studies more broadly, and its foundations in analyses of the ‘everyday.’ We argue that the proximity of postcolonial studies to cultural studies characterising the essays presented in this issue points to a specific conception of ‘politics’ that finds the priorities, concerns, and relations of power and resources, as integrally — even intimately — bound up with life at the everyday level; as inseparable from the social and semiotic regimes of representation, and as insisting on the necessary implication of the scholar and scholarship in its object of analysis.
'Loli-Pop' in Auckland: Engaging Asian Communities and Audiences through the Museum
Authors: Chuang Bevan K. Y. , Hardy Bernal Kathryn
Published: December 2012

This paper discusses how museums and galleries might positively engage with Asian audiences and bring Asian communities into the museum environment. Museums are cultural institutions that should reflect, preserve, interpret and promote cultural heritage and communities. In the local Acts of the four major metropolitan museums in New Zealand, there are specific requirements for these institutions to represent their communities' ethinic diversities. New Zealand has become increasingly multicultural. According to New Zealand's 2006 census, 17.8 percent of New Zealanders are of non-Pakeha, non-Maori ethnicity, and 22.9 percent were born outside New Zealand. With the growing number of Asians living in New Zealand, and in particular Auckland, a question may be raised as to whether local museums truly reflect and engage with these communities. Using the example of the exhibition Loli-pop: a downtown Auckland view on Japanese street fashion as a case study ( Auckland War Memorial Museum, 14 September - 26 November), the authors explore how New Zealand museums and galleries can effectively reflect and communicate with Asian audiences through exhibition.
Ubuntu - Beyond Belief in Southern Africa
Authors: McAllister Patrick Alister
Published: December 2012

The ideology of ubuntu (humane-ness) is currently widespread in Southern Africa, where it has experienced enormous growth since the demise of the apartheid state in South Africa in the early 1990s. In this paper the nature of the widespread belief in ubuntu as a principle guiding social action is examined, along with a variety of the ways in which it is manifested in public life. The claim that the contemporary manifestations of ubuntu are based on an indigenous African philosophy which informs action in daily life at the level of the village and kin group is then discussed and the evidence for such a claim examined. The positive as well as some of the potentially negative consequences of the belief in ubuntu are suggested.
Bracketing [Belief], or: The Locus and Status of ‘Belief’ in Cultural Analysis
Authors: Fuchs Martin
Published: December 2012

This introductory article rehearses some of the difficulties that anthropologists, among others, have with the notion of “belief”, especially when referring to cultural “others”. The essay calls for a renewal of reflexivity and discretion in anthropological description and analysis. While accepting arguments that “belief” refers to unexamined premises underlying thought systems, the article suggests a more nuanced approach to statements and interpretations of “belief”. For one, the tendency to blur the distinctions between belief and knowledge should not be simply taken for granted. Secondly, questions of intentionality and agency with respect to belief should be rethought. Thirdly, we require an epistemological dialogue with other understandings and conceptualisations of the domain(s) in question. Finally, it is necessary to recognise the several historical layers inscribed into the term, existing simultaneously. All these tendencies conspire towards a reflexive realignment of the notion of “belief”.
Doom or Salvation? Utopian Beliefs in Contemporary Development Discourses and Environmentalism
Authors: Linkenbach Antje
Published: December 2012

In the first part of this article I argue that utopian (as well as dystopian) ideas are vital for contemporary global discourses on development and for environmentalism. The utopian element of these discourses – which include mainstream and alternative ones - is deeply rooted in European philosophical, literary and socio-critical traditions, but in its ecotopian form also relates to non-western spiritual and moral thoughts. In the second part I concentrate on the “environmentalism of the poor”, predominant in Third World countries and fundamentally related to livelihood struggles and local ideas of social advancement. I argue that such grass root forms of environmentalism are less involved in imagining a global ecotopia but have become appropriated, interpreted and represented by intellectual elites, media and globally operating activists subsuming them into their own ecotopian imaginaries.
Soundscape, cultural landscape and connectivity
Authors: Kato Kumi
Published: December 2012

“Soundscape” is an environment of sound or sonic environment that focuses on the way a sound is perceived and understood by the individual or a society. With the special and temporal qualities of the sound, the concept presents a holistic way of knowing a place, and an attention to a sound distinct to a certain place, especially those distinct to certain human-nature interaction, allows new ways of sensing a place and connectivity (or lack of). Taking soundscape as a conceptual framework and incorporating concepts of cultural landscape and intangible cultural heritage, this chapter explores the role of sound in defining and articulating human-nature connectivity through a sound symbolic to a traditional Japanese divers’ culture. It is a phenomenological enquiry into a sustainable human-nature relationship where intangibility of human-nature relationship human is recognized in a sound.
River Ownership: Inalienable Taonga and Impartible Tupuna Awa
Authors: Muru-lanning Marama
Published: December 2012

This article examines Maori relationships with the State, the ownership of rivers and issues of identity.

At a meeting at Hopuhopu which was attended by over sixty Waikato elders, Waikato iwi’s principal negotiator for Treaty of Waitangi claims Robert Mahuta declared:
'We don’t need a bloody court document to tell us we own the river, we know we do'.

This paper examines Maori understandings of ownership. However, as I hope to illustrate, in many contexts what is more important for Maori than ‘owning’ in the conventional sense are issues of authority, status and prestige.
He Kaawai Hapuu Tuuhoe no te Ao o Mua: An ethnohistorical reconstruction of one hapuu branch of Ngai Tuuhoe in the Urewera District Native Reserve 1899-1903
Authors: Webster Steven
Published: December 2012

The Tuhoe (or Ngai Tuuhoe) are an iwi or 'tribe' of the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. This essay attempts to reconstruct the kinship and social organisation of a particular Tuhoe descent group at the turn of the last century, 1899-1903. It is concerned primarily with family organisation of the descent group through the four generations that were living at the time; the wider hapuu affiliations of this descent group are reconstructed in a sequel essay.

Although this study originated in field research begun in the 1970s, the ethnohistorical reconstruction is derived mainly from archives of public documents. The analysis hopes to show the wealth of detail and ethnographic insight that can be extracted from old historical records, even regarding relatively obscure aspects of Maori social organisation. Although the Tuhoe will be able to find mistaken interpretations, I hope that they themselves might be reassured that, regardless of Crown and government motives, these revealing records can continue in dialogue and fill gaps in the long Tuhoe memory, often regarding their own ancestral lands and sometimes in their ancestors' own words. While the records examined here are in some ways unique, in many ways they parallel the records kept in the Native Land Court. Consequently, as well as Tuhoe, other Maori researchers may find the ethnohistorical methods developed below to clarify family and social organisation useful for their own purposes.
Postpartum Depression and the Chaos of Moral Parenting
Authors: Oxley Rebecca Margaret , Fitzgerald Ruth
Published: December 2012

This paper explores the shared and personal experiences of postpartum depression (PPD) for five families in the lower east South Island, New Zealand. Despite the idealized accounts of recovery and community reintegration following depressive episodes which mark New Zealand’s mental health awareness public campaigns, these families, whilst officially ‘recovered’, continue to live with the effects of PPD and moral uncertainty over their ability to safely parent once more. They recount a fundamental ‘trigger’ of PPD as the inconsistency experienced between expectations of parenting as projected via the commoditised world of the ‘huggies family’ advertisements versus its reality of broken dreams encountered via its lived experience. These disjunctions lead families towards classical scenes of biographical disruption in which they experienced existential disturbances to identities, life histories, family dynamics and ideas of reproduction and from which they argue they have never fully recovered. The performance of moral parenting after such an experience requires a policing of the uncertainty over exactly what caused PPD and whether it will return once more; a somatic mode of attendance which remains arduous given the self ascribed ‘bizarre’, multi-aetiological character of PPD.