bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT OF A ROTARY VANE EXPANDER FOR A CO2 HEAT PUMP CYCLE
Authors: KIM HYUN JIN , KIM WOO YOUNG , AHN JONG MIN , CHO SUNG OUG
Published: January 2012

In order to recover friction loss in the expansion process and increase refrigeration effect in a CO2 heat pump cycle, a rotary vane expander has been designed. Numerical simulation has been carried out to estimate the performance of designed expander, and it has been found that vane jumping or vane recession from the cylinder wall occurs in a certain range of the crank angle. To improve the vane motion, a way of pressurizing the vane back chamber has been employed, and elimination of the vane jumping phenomenon has been confirmed by the numerical simulation. With the operating pressure conditions of 9 MPa/4.5 MPa and inlet temperature of 35°C, the expander efficiency has been calculated to be 42.72%, and improvement of COP of a CO2 heat pump cycle with this expander has been estimated to be about 12.82%.
APPLICATION OF HYDROCARBON BASED REFRIGERANTS FOR AIR CONDITIONING IN INDONESIA
Authors: PASEK ARI D. , SUWONO ARYADI
Published: January 2012

Electrical energy consumption in air conditioning systems reaches 60% to 70% of the total electric energy consumption in buildings. Therefore, saving electrical energy consumption in air conditioning systems would have a significant impact on the national electrical energy consumption. Currently, the air conditioning sectors were having a dilemma on finding the alternative substitutes for CFC and HCFC refrigerants which are proven to cause destruction of the ozone layer and contribute to the effects of global warming. This paper will discuss the problems faced by an Article 5 country similar to Indonesia in phasing-out HCFC especially in air conditioning and refrigeration sectors. This paper will also discuss the possibility to use hydrocarbon-based refrigerants, which have zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and low global warming potential (GWP), in air conditioning sectors. Some results of field applications of this refrigerant will be reported, and in general it can be concluded that the air conditioning retrofitted with hydrocarbon refrigerant consumes 10%–20% less electrical energy. Mixture of R-290 and R-134a was also investigated. R-134a is used to reduce the flammability of R-290 and to make the saturation pressure close to R-22. The results show that at composition of 0.6 R-290/0.4 R-134a mole fractions, the mixture behave as an azeotrope refrigerant mixture and can be used for R-22 replacement. At this composition, lower flammability limit (LEL) is 3693%, which is higher than pure R-290. Hence, the refrigerant mixture can be classified as less flammable A2 class refrigerant. The performance test shows that the refrigerant mixture can be used as a drop-in refrigerant in the R-22 machine. The measurement of refrigeration capacity and compressor input work at the same chilled water temperature shows that the calculated COP of the refrigerant mixture is better than R-22's but lower than R-290's.
Mining temporal invariants from partially ordered logs
Authors: Beschastnikh Ivan , Brun Yuriy , Ernst Michael D. , Krishnamurthy Arvind , Anderson Thomas E.
Published: January 2012

A common assumption made in log analysis research is that the underlying log is totally ordered. For concurrent systems, this assumption constrains the generated log to either exclude concurrency altogether, or to capture a particular interleaving of concurrent events. This paper argues that capturing concurrency as a partial order is useful and often indispensable for answering important questions about concurrent systems. To this end, we motivate a family of event ordering invariants over partially ordered event traces, give three algorithms for mining these invariants from logs, and evaluate their scalability on simulated distributed system logs.
Energy-aware writes to non-volatile main memory
Authors: Chen Jie , Chiang Ron C. , Huang H. Howie , Venkataramani Guru
Published: January 2012

Scalability challenges of DRAM technology call for advances in emerging memory technologies, among which Phase Change Memory (PCM) has received considerable attention due to its non-volatility, storage density and capacity advantages. The drawbacks of PCM include limited write endurance and high power consumption for write operations (upto 10x in comparison to read operations). In this paper, we investigate new techniques that would perform writes to PCM with energy awareness. Our results show that we can minimize the write energy consumption by up to 8.1x by simply converting PCM native writes to read-before-write, and upto an additional 22.9% via intelligent out-of-position updates.
Searchlight
Authors: Bakht Mehedi , Trower Matt , Kravets Robin
Published: January 2012

The rapid deployment of millions of handheld communication devices has resulted in a demand for physical proximitybased opportunistic networking. However, the success of these emerging ad hoc networks requires that a device should be able to search and find other devices in its vicinity without infrastructure support, without consuming too much battery power, and preferably without requiring clock synchronization. While approaches exist to solve this problem of energy-efficient asynchronous neighbor discovery, they present an unpleasant trade-off between good average-case performance (probabilistic approaches) and strict bound on worstcase discovery latency (deterministic approaches). In response to these limitations, we present Searchlight, an asynchronous neighbor discovery protocol that has both deterministic and probabilistic components, a novel combination that enables it to have both good average-case performance and the best worst-case bound for any given energy budget.
Parallel data processing with MapReduce
Authors: Lee Kyong-Ha , Lee Yoon-Joon , Choi Hyunsik , Chung Yon Dohn , Moon Bongki
Published: January 2012

A prominent parallel data processing tool MapReduce is gaining significant momentum from both industry and academia as the volume of data to analyze grows rapidly. While MapReduce is used in many areas where massive data analysis is required, there are still debates on its performance, efficiency per node, and simple abstraction. This survey intends to assist the database and open source communities in understanding various technical aspects of the MapReduce framework. In this survey, we characterize the MapReduce framework and discuss its inherent pros and cons. We then introduce its optimization strategies reported in the recent literature. We also discuss the open issues and challenges raised on parallel data analysis with MapReduce.
Student assessment in the ubiquitously connected world
Authors: Adams A.
Published: January 2012

Student cheating on university assessments from entrance exams to finals and from contract cheating on coursework to requesting exam answers using a mobile phone during the exam, has received more and more attention of late. As connection to the Internet becomes ubiquitous and computing and communications technology more embedded in our environment, it is argued that a re-focussing on providing educational opportunities is needed in higher education, rather than chasing the ever-retreating prospect of perfect, or even adequate, assessment for the purposes of qualification.
ICT pollution and liability
Authors: Magnusson Christer
Published: January 2012

To a large extent liability for ICT perils is still a grey area, even though an increasing number of information security researchers adopt economic approaches to highlight market mechanisms and externalities. That is why this article focuses on the need for increased awareness of externalities and liability among ICT professionals and their customers. This is critical to achieve in order to promote appropriate ICT technologies and services with comprehensible privacy and security protection.

What is needed is a better understanding of the consequences of externalities from ICT perils. This would benefit customers and increase trust in ICT products and services which in turn may even increase suppliers' profit margin; customers would be prepared to buy more services and products if contracts and service level agreements would accept more liability. Moreover, suppliers could sell guaranties and insurances on top of their products and services. The result would be a win-win situation and would benefit society at large.
Factors influencing e-government maturity in transition economies and developing countries
Authors: Ifinedo Princely
Published: January 2012

This study examines the influences of relevant environmental factors on E-government (E-gov) maturity in transition economies and developing countries (TEDC). Countries from Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin American and South Asia were selected for the study. Prior research has investigated E-gov growth, development, and diffusion across both the developed and developing worlds. While such a focus is useful for comparative analyses at a global level, it is however argued that more useful information will emerge to enrich insight when research efforts particularly focus attention on issues in emerging parts of the world. Very few researchers have studied the factors influencing E-gov maturity in TEDC and with the approach employed in this present research. Using relevant theoretical frameworks, this research identified and examined the impact of 9 environmental factors of socio, political, economic, and technological dimensions on E-gov maturity in TEDC. A 5-year panel data consisting of 320 observations or data points was used in conjunction with the ordinary least squares (OLS) technique. This research also provided analyses for each of the selected sub-regions to enhance insight. Overall, the results showed that the availability of quality human resource, technological infrastructure, innovative capacity, wealth, rule of law, and transparency levels are important factors that positively impact E-gov maturity in TEDC. The implications of the study's findings for research and policy making are discussed. Future research avenues are also highlighted.
Extending monads with pattern matching
Authors: Petricek Tomas , Mycroft Alan , Syme Don
Published: January 2012

Sequencing of effectful computations can be neatly captured using monads and elegantly written using
do
notation. In practice such monads often allow additional ways of composing computations, which have to be written explicitly using combinators.

We identify joinads, an abstract notion of computation that is stronger than monads and captures many such ad-hoc extensions. In particular, joinads are monads with three additional operations: one of type
m
a
->
m
b
->
m
(
a
,
b
) captures various forms of parallel composition, one of type
m
a
->
m
a
->
m
a
that is inspired by choice and one of type
m
a
->
m
(
m
a) that captures aliasing of computations. Algebraically, the first two operations form a near-semiring with commutative multiplication.

We introduce
docase
notation that can be viewed as a monadic version of
case
. Joinad laws imply various syntactic equivalences of programs written using
docase
that are analogous to equivalences about case. Examples of joinads that benefit from the notation include speculative parallelism, waiting for a combination of user interface events, but also encoding of validation rules using the intersection of parsers.
A monad for deterministic parallelism
Authors: Marlow Simon , Newton Ryan , Peyton Jones Simon
Published: January 2012

We present a new programming model for deterministic parallel computation in a pure functional language. The model is monadic and has explicit granularity, but allows dynamic construction of dataflow networks that are scheduled at runtime, while remaining deterministic and pure. The implementation is based on monadic concurrency, which has until now only been used to simulate concurrency in functional languages, rather than to provide parallelism. We present the API with its semantics, and argue that parallel execution is deterministic. Furthermore, we present a complete work-stealing scheduler implemented as a Haskell library, and we show that it performs at least as well as the existing parallel programming models in Haskell.
Prettier concurrency
Authors: Leijen Daan , Fahndrich Manuel , Burckhardt Sebastian
Published: January 2012

This article presents an extension to the work of Launchbury and Peyton-Jones on the ST monad. Using a novel model for concurrency, called
concurrent revisions
[3,5], we show how we can use concurrency together with imperative mutable variables, while still being able to safely convert such computations (in the Rev monad) into pure values again.

In contrast to many other transaction models, like software transactional memory (STM), concurrent revisions never use rollback and always deterministically resolve conflicts. As a consequence, concurrent revisions integrate well with side-effecting I/O operations. Using deterministic conflict resolution, concurrent revisions can deal well with situations where there are many conflicts between different threads that modify a shared data structure. We demonstrate this by describing a concurrent game with conflicting concurrent tasks.
Internet and the Erlang formula
Authors: Bonald Thomas , Roberts James W.
Published: January 2012

We demonstrate that the Internet has a formula linking demand, capacity and performance that in many ways is the analogue of the Erlang loss formula of telephony. Surprisingly, this formula is none other than the Erlang delay formula. It provides an upper bound on the probability a flow of given peak rate suffers degradation when bandwidth sharing is max-min fair. Apart from the flow rate, the only relevant parameters are link capacity and overall demand. We explain why this result is valid under a very general and realistic traffic model and discuss its significance for network engineering.
Extracting benefit from harm
Authors: Dainotti Alberto , Amman Roman , Aben Emile , Claffy Kimberly C.
Published: January 2012

Unsolicited one-way Internet traffic, also called Internet background radiation (IBR), has been used for years to study malicious activity on the Internet, including worms, DoS attacks, and scanning address space looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. We show how such traffic can also be used to analyze macroscopic Internet events that are unrelated to malware. We examine two phenomena: country-level censorship of Internet communications described in recent work, and natural disasters (two recent earthquakes). We introduce a new metric of local IBR activity based on the number of unique IP addresses per hour contributing to IBR. The advantage of this metric is that it is not affected by bursts of traffic from a few hosts. Although we have only scratched the surface, we are convinced that IBR traffic is an important building block for comprehensive monitoring, analysis, and possibly even detection of events unrelated to the IBR itself. In particular, IBR offers the opportunity to monitor the impact of events such as natural disasters on network infrastructure, and in particular reveals a view of events that is complementary to many existing measurement platforms based on (BGP) control-plane views or targeted active ICMP probing.
pcapIndex
Authors: Fusco Francesco , Dimitropoulos Xenofontas , Vlachos Michail , Deri Luca
Published: January 2012

Long-term historical analysis of captured network traffic is a topic of great interest in network monitoring and network security. A critical requirement is the support for fast discovery of packets that satisfy certain criteria within large-scale packet repositories. This work presents the first indexing scheme for network packet traces based on compressed bitmap indexing principles. Our approach supports very fast insertion rates and results in compact index sizes. The proposed indexing methodology builds upon libpcap, the de-facto reference library for accessing packet-trace repositories. Our solution is therefore backward compatible with any solution that uses the original library. We experience impressive speedups on packet-trace search operations: our experiments suggest that the index-enabled libpcap may reduce the packet retrieval time by more than 1100 times.
Accumulation of Vesicle-Associated Human Tau in Distal Dendrites Drives Degeneration and Tau Secretion in anIn SituCellular Tauopathy Model
Authors: Lee Sangmook , Kim WonHee , Li Zhihan , Hall Garth F.
Published: January 2012

We used a nontransgenic cellular tauopathy model in which individual giant neurons in the lamprey CNS (ABCs) overexpress human tau isoforms cell autonomously to characterize the still poorly understood consequences of disease-associated tau processingin situ. In this model, tau colocalizes with endogenous microtubules and is nontoxic when expressed at low levels, but is misprocessed by a toxicity-associated alternative pathway when expressed above levels that saturate dendritic microtubules, causing abnormally phosphorylated, vesicle-associated tau to accumulate in ABC distal dendrites. This causes localized microtubule loss and eventually dendritic degeneration, which is preceded by tau secretion to the extracellular space. This sequence is reiterated at successively more proximal dendritic locations over time, suggesting that tau-induced dendritic degeneration is driven by distal dendritic accumulation of hyperphosphorylated, vesicle-associated tau perpetuated by localized microtubule loss. The implications for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease are discussed.
Modified and Simplified Sectional Flexibility of a Cracked Beam
Authors: Wang Chih-Shiung , Lee Lin-Tsang
Published: January 2012

This paper presents a new sectional flexibility factor to simulate the reduction of the stiffness of a single‐edge open cracked beam. The structural model for crack of the beam is considered as a rotational spring which is related to the ratio of crack depth to the beam height, a/h. The mathematical model of this single‐edge open crack beam is considered as an Euler‐Bernoulli beam. The modified factor, f(a/h), derived in this paper is in good agreement with previous researchers′ results for crack depth ratio a/h less than 0.5. The natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes for lateral vibration with different types of single‐edge open crack beams can then be evaluated by applying this modified factor f(a/h). Using the compatibility conditions on the crack and the analytical transfer matrix method, the numerical solutions for natural frequencies of the cracked beam are obtained. The natural frequencies and the mode shapes with crack at different locations are obtained and compared with the latest research literature. The numerical results of the proposed cracked beam model obtained by this method can be extended to construct frequency contour. The natural frequencies measured from field can be used in solving the inverse problem to identify cracks in structures.
Questionnaire-Related Deferrals in Regular Blood Donors in Norway
Authors: Reikvam Håkon , Svendheim Kjersti , Røsvik Anne S. , Hervig Tor
Published: January 2012

Voluntary donation is a key issue in transfusion medicine. To ensure the safety of blood transfusions, careful donor selection is important. Although new approaches to blood safety have dramatically reduced the risks for infectious contamination of blood components, the quality and the availability of blood components depend on the willingness to donate and the reliability of the information given by the donors about their own health, including risk behavior. As donors who are deferred by the blood bank will be less motivated to return for donation, it is important to reduce the number of deferrals. The aims of the present study were to investigate the reasons for deferral of registered donors coming to the blood bank for donation, in order to identify areas of importance for donor education—as these deferrals potentially could be avoided by better donor comprehension. Deferral related to testing of donors is not included in this study as these deferrals are dependent on laboratory results and cannot be indentified by questionnaire or interview. Data were collected from all blood donors in a period for 18 months who came for blood donation at a large university hospital in Norway. 1 163 of the 29 787 regular donors, who showed up for donation, were deferred (3.9%). The main reasons were intercurrent illness (n=182) (15.6%), skin ulcers (n=170) (14.6%), and risk behaviour (n=127) (10.9%). In a community, intercurrent illnesses, skin ulcers, and potential risk behavior are the most frequent reasons for deferral of regular donors. Strategized effort on donor education is needed, as “failure to donate” reduces donor motivation.
Gas Chromatography Electron Ionization Mass Spectral Analysis of Thio Analogues of Pyrimidine Bases: 5-Bromo-2,4-di-o-(m- and p-) chloro- (bromo-)benzylthiouracils and 6-methyluracils
Authors: Bartkowiak G. , Wyrzykiewicz E. , Schroeder G.
Published: January 2012

Electron ionization (EI) mass spectral fragmentation routes of twelve 5-bromo-2,4-di-o-(m- and p-) chloro- (bromo-)benzyl-thiouracils and 6-methyluracils are investigated. The compounds studied are analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Fragmentation pathways, whose elucidation is assisted by accurate mass measurements and metastable transitions, are discussed. Correlation between the abundances of the selected fragment ions of the compounds investigated is discussed. The data obtained make grounds for distinction of structural isomers.
Least Squares Estimators for Unit Root Processes with Locally Stationary Disturbance
Authors: Hirukawa Junichi , Sadakata Mako
Published: January 2012

The random walk is used as a model expressing equitableness and the effectiveness of various finance phenomena. Random walk is included in unit root process which is a class of nonstationary processes. Due to its nonstationarity, the least squares estimator (LSE) of random walk does not satisfy asymptotic normality. However, it is well known that the sequence of partial sum processes of random walk weakly converges to standard Brownian motion. This result is so-called functional central limit theorem (FCLT). We can derive the limiting distribution of LSE of unit root process from the FCLT result. The FCLT result has been extended to unit root process with locally stationary process (LSP) innovation. This model includes different two types of nonstationarity. Since the LSP innovation has time-varying spectral structure, it is suitable for describing the empirical financial time series data. Here we will derive the limiting distributions of LSE of unit root, near unit root and general integrated processes with LSP innovation. Testing problem between unit root and near unit root will be also discussed. Furthermore, we will suggest two kind of extensions for LSE, which include various famous estimators as special cases.
Food Store Environment Modifies Intervention Effect on Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Low-Income Women in North Carolina
Authors: Gustafson Alison A. , Sharkey Joseph , Samuel-Hodge Carmen D. , Jones-Smith Jessica C. , Cai Jianwen , Ammerman Alice S.
Published: January 2012

Background. The aim of the study is to determine how the food store environment modifies the effects of an intervention on diet among low-income women.Study Design. A 16-week face-to-face behavioral weight loss intervention was delivered among low income midlife women.Methods. The retail food environment for all women was characterized by (1) the number and type of food stores within census tracts; (2) availability of healthy foods in stores where participants shop; (3) an aggregate score of self-reported availability of healthy foods in neighborhood and food stores.Statistical Analyses. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the food store environment as an effect modifier between the intervention effect of fruit and vegetable serving change.Results. Among intervention participants with a low perception of availability of healthy foods in stores, the intervention effect on fruit and vegetable serving change was greater [1.89, 95% CI (0.48, 3.31)] compared to controls. Among intervention participants residing in neighborhoods with few super markets, the intervention effect on fruit and vegetable serving change was greater [1.62, 95% CI (1.27, 1.96)] compared to controls.Conclusion. Results point to how the food store environment may modify the success of an intervention on diet change among low-income women.
The Safety of EXPAREL ® (Bupivacaine Liposome Injectable Suspension) Administered by Peripheral Nerve Block in Rabbits and Dogs
Authors: Richard Brigitte M. , Newton Paul , Ott Laura R. , Haan Dean , Brubaker Abram N. , Cole Phaedra I. , Ross Paul E. , Rebelatto Marlon C. , Nelson Keith G.
Published: January 2012

A sustained-release DepoFoam injection formulation of bupivacaine (EXPAREL, 15 mg/mL) is currently being investigated for postsurgical analgesia via peripheral nerve block (PNB). Single-dose toxicology studies of EXPAREL (9, 18, and 30 mg/kg), bupivacaine solution (Bsol, 9 mg/kg), and saline injected around the brachial plexus nerve bundle were performed in rabbits and dogs. The endpoints included clinical pathology, pharmacokinetics, and histopathology evaluation on Day 3 and Day 15 (2/sex/group/period). EXPAREL resulted in a nearly 4-fold lower Cmax versus Bsol at the same dose. EXPAREL was well tolerated at doses up to 30 mg/kg. The only EXPAREL-related effect seen was minimal to mild granulomatous inflammation of adipose tissue around nerve roots (8 of 24 rabbits and 7 of 24 dogs) in the brachial plexus sites. The results indicate that EXPAREL was well tolerated in these models and did not produce nerve damage after PNB in rabbits and dogs.
Electroencephalographic Dipole Source Modeling of Frontal Intermittent Rhythmic Delta Activity
Authors: Motomura Eishi , Inui Koji , Ohoyama Keiko , Nishimura Yukika , Nakagawa Masanori , Maeda Masayuki , Matsushima Nobuyoshi , Ushiro Kengo , Suzuki Dai , Kakigi Ryusuke , Okada Motohiro
Published: January 2012

Background: Frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (FIRDA) on electroencephalography (EEG) consists of a run of rhythmic delta waves with frontal predominance. Although FIRDA is a relatively common abnormal EEG finding, the underlying mechanisms that produce FIRDA remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the cortical source of FIRDA using dipole source modeling. Methods: We selected EEG epochs, including typical FIRDAs, from EEG recordings obtained using 25 scalp electrodes on 5 subjects. We averaged these epochs by arranging the negative peaks of the delta waves at the Fp electrodes and estimated dipoles for nine averaged waveforms. Results: Averaged waveforms were explained by a single-dipole model in seven FIRDAs and by a two-dipole model in the remaining two FIRDAs with high reliability. Estimated dipoles had a radial orientation with respect to the frontal pole and were located in the medial frontal region. The anterior cingulate cortex was the most common dipole location. Conclusions: This is the first study to approach the fundamental FIRDA mechanism by dipole source modeling and to clarify that FIRDA may be generated from the medial frontal region, particularly from the anterior cingulate cortex.
Streptococcal IdeS and Its Impact on Immune Response and Inflammation
Authors: von Pawel-Rammingen Ulrich
Published: January 2012

Survival of the important bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes relies on its ability to circumvent the antimicrobial actions of innate and specific immune responses and to modulate the inflammatory responses induced during the course of an infection. Inflammatory processes play key roles during streptococcal pathogenesis and streptococcal infections are accompanied by an intense inflammatory state. As an exclusively human pathogen, S. pyogenes has adapted to the various countermeasures employed by its host to fight bacterial infections, in particular to interfere with the effector functions of immunoglobulin G (IgG). For this purpose, S. pyogenes has evolved an IgG-specific endopeptidase, IdeS, which is highly specific for the lower hinge region of IgG. This review summarizes the current knowledge about this intriguing enzyme as well as its role in inflammation and in the attenuation of human immune responses towards streptococcal infection.
Wnt-5a Is a Synaptogenic Factor with Neuroprotective Properties against Aβ Toxicity
Authors: Varela-Nallar Lorena , Parodi Jorge , Farías Ginny G. , Inestrosa Nibaldo C.
Published: January 2012

Background: We have recently found that Wnt-5a regulates the synaptic structure and function in hippocampal neurons. This ligand is expressed in the hippocampus, stimulates dendritic spine morphogenesis and increases glutamatergic neurotransmission. Moreover, we have also shown that Wnt-5a induces the clustering of PSD-95. Objective: To explore the role of Wnt-5a in the formation of synaptic contacts. Methods: Primary rat hippocampal neurons were exposed to a formylated hexapeptide (Foxy-5) derived from the sequence of Wnt-5a to study synapse formation and function. Results: In short-term experiments, Wnt-5a only induced the clustering of PSD-95 but had no effect on the density of presynaptic puncta, while in long-term experiments, it induced both pre- and postsynaptic protein clustering and the number of synaptic contacts, in agreement with electrophysiological studies. In long-term experiments, Foxy-5 increased miniature excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude and frequency. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Wnt-5a induces synapse formation in hippocampal neurons. In addition, we discuss recent findings indicating a neuroprotective action of Wnt-5a against Aβ neurotoxicity.
Plasma β-Amyloid Levels in Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-Associated Hemorrhagic Stroke
Authors: Hernandez-Guillamon Mar , Delgado Pilar , Penalba Anna , Rodriguez-Luna David , Molina Carlos A. , Rovira Alex , Alvarez-Sabin José , Boada Mercè , Montaner Joan
Published: January 2012

Background: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is one of the main causes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the elderly. Objective: To analyze β-amyloid (Aβ) species in plasma in order to uncover biological markers that may contribute to improve the diagnosis of CAA in life. Methods: We determined the level of Aβ(1–40), Aβ(N–40), Aβ(1–42) and Aβ(N–42) in plasma of CAA-related ICH patients (n = 29) and healthy controls (n = 21) using xMAP® technology. Hemorrhages were identified and classified using a CT scan and brain MRI. Patients were clinically classified as probable or possible CAA according to the Boston criteria. Results: We found that plasma full-length Aβ(1–42) and truncated fragments Aβ(N–42) were higher in probable CAA patients than in controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.046, respectively), and full-length Aβ(1–40) was selectively elevated in probable CAA compared to possible cases (p = 0.015) and controls (p = 0.005). In addition, plasma Aβ(N–42) levels were also higher in patients that presented multiple lobar macrohemorrhages compared to patients that had one symptomatic hemorrhagic event (p = 0.022), indicating that a certain degree of CAA severity is necessary to show increased Aβ fragments in peripheral circulation. Conclusion: Our results suggest that specific Aβ fragments in plasma might be considered as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of CAA.
Noble Gas (Argon and Xenon)-Saturated Cold Storage Solutions Reduce Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in a Rat Model of Renal Transplantation
Authors: Irani Y. , Pype J.L. , Martin A.R. , Chong C.F. , Daniel L. , Gaudart J. , Ibrahim Z. , Magalon G. , Lemaire M. , Hardwigsen J.
Published: January 2012

Background: Following kidney transplantation, ischemia-reperfusion injury contributes to adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a cold-storage solution saturated with noble gas (xenon or argon) could limit ischemia-reperfusion injury following cold ischemia. Methods: Sixty Wistar rats were randomly allocated to 4 experimental groups. Kidneys were harvested and then stored for 6 h before transplantation in cold-storage solution (Celsior®) saturated with either air, nitrogen, xenon or argon. A syngenic orthotopic transplantation was performed. Renal function was determined on days 7 and 14 after transplantation. Transplanted kidneys were removed on day 14 for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Creatinine clearance was significantly higher and urinary albumin significantly lower in the argon and xenon groups than in the other groups at days 7 and 14. These effects were considerably more pronounced for argon than for xenon. In addition, kidneys stored with argon, and to a lesser extent those stored with xenon, displayed preserved renal architecture as well as higher CD-10 and little active caspase-3 expression compared to other groups. Conclusion: Argon- or xenon-satured cold-storage solution preserved renal architecture and function following transplantation by reducing ischemia-reperfusion injury.
School-Age Outcomes in Preterm Children Born with Risk Factors for Hearing Loss: Contralateral Suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions
Authors: Durante Alessandra Spada , Mariano Stefanie , de Souza Pires Mariana , Pachi Paulo
Published: January 2012

We investigated the effect of contralateral suppression of linear transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) in 16 preterm children born with risk factors for hearing loss. We evaluated those children, together with a control group of term children, at 8–10 years of age. The magnitude of the TEOAE suppression effect in both ears was significantly smaller in the preterm children than in the term children (p < 0.05). There is increasing evidence of adverse school-age outcomes (including hearing loss) in preterm children. Such outcomes can interfere with the school performance of those infants. The TEOAE suppression effect seems to be a promising early marker of hearing outcomes in preterm infants.
Circulation: Heart Failure
Editors' Picks: Most Important Papers in Heart Failure and Imaging
Authors: Kociol Robb D.
Published: January 2012

The following are highlights from
Circulation: Heart Failure
Topic Review. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the editors, that have been published in the
Circulation
portfolio. The objective of this series is to provide our readership with a timely comprehensive selection of important papers that are relevant to the heart failure audience. The studies included in this article represent the most noteworthy research in the areas of heart failure and imaging.
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
Editors' Picks
Authors:   The Editors
Published: January 2012

The following are highlights from the new series,
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
Topic Review. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the editors, that have published in the
Circulation
portfolio. The objective of this new series is to provide our readership with a timely, comprehensive selection of important papers that are relevant to the quality and outcomes and general cardiology audience. The studies included in this article represent the most significant research in the area of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction care and address improvements in the timeliness of care, strategies for initial treatment—particularly with respect to reperfusion therapies—and trends.
Evidence for the Need to More Closely Examine School Effects in Value-Added Modeling and Related Accountability Policies
Authors: Franco M. Suzanne , Seidel Kent
Published: January 2012

Value-added approaches for attributing student growth to teachers often use weighted estimates of building-level factors based on “typical” schools to represent a range of community, school, and other variables related to teacher and student work that are not easily measured directly. This study examines whether such estimates are likely to be accurate in “outlier” schools where building-level characteristics, such as demographics and faculty qualifications, are at the outer edges of the distribution of schools on which the “typical school” estimates are based. We examined whether building-level factors correlate with grade-level ratings in one of the most widely used approaches to value-added modeling, thus impacting interpretation of value-added ratings of teachers. Urban schools may be particularly affected by findings that reliable interpretation of a model using typical school estimates is affected by aspects of the school, even when using a weighted model. More correlations were found than would be expected by chance, many fairly large. Correlations tend to cluster around particular variables, possibly an effect of system accommodations for demographic or economic factors. A greater range and number of correlations were found for mathematics than reading. Finally, correlations and strength of relationships increase with grade level.
Efficacy of continuous follow-up for preventing the involuntary readmission of psychiatric patients in Japan: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kikuchi Hiroyuki , Abo Mitsuru , Kumakura Emi , Kubota Noriko , Nagano Misako
Published: January 2012

Background:

Providing aftercare to psychiatric inpatients is important for preventing frequent readmissions; however, the lack of social resources is a problem in Japan. The prefectural Tama-Fuchu Public Health Centre has attempted to establish a new continuous follow-up system for all discharged psychiatric patients in order to reduce the frequency of readmissions.

Aims:

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of this system.

Methods:

The subjects of the present study were 200 psychiatric inpatients from the Tokyo catchment area. The continuous follow-up system was applied to 130 subjects for one year in addition to conventional standard care (the intervention group). Seventy subjects received conventional care alone (the comparison group). The incident rate ratios (IRR) of total and involuntary readmission to hospital were compared by survival analysis.

Results:

During the observation period, there were 41 readmissions and 29 involuntary readmissions in 49,731 person-days. The patients subjected to continuous follow-up showed a trend towards a lower overall risk of readmission (IRR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.29–1.10, p = .057) and a significantly reduced risk of involuntary admission (IRR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.22–0.96, p = .047).

Conclusion:

This study provides empirical evidence that providing continuous follow-up examinations as aftercare for discharged psychiatric patients significantly reduces the incidence of involuntary readmission.
Transsystemic Fantasies: Counterrevolutionary Hungary at Brussels Expo ’58
Authors: Péteri György
Published: January 2012

This article explains two paradoxes: Firstly, why did counterrevolutionary Hungary decide to participate in Expo ’58, at a time of great economic stringency and grave political problems? Secondly, it is pointed out that the Hungarian pavilion, if it was to be raised at all, would have been expected to be thoroughly soaked in projections affirming the state-socialist identity of the country and its people. From plans to implementation, however, the pavilion was all but up to such expectations. It had, both in terms of its architecture and in terms of its exhibitions, a distinctly modernist complexion and a universalistic-ecumenistic appeal. On the basis of archival sources related to the politicians, administrators and artists-professionals involved in creating the show, this article explains this transsystemic appeal of the pavilion as a manifestation of the emerging kádárist consolidation and its political and social order.
Ways Forward towards a Socially Just and Humane World
Authors: Fyfe Brenda
Published: January 2012

The article begins with a brief chronicle of the development of the internationally acclaimed preschools and infant toddler centres of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This school system and Reggio Children (an international organization, that conducts and disseminates research, offers travelling exhibits and organises conferences for thousands of international visitors each year), have propelled an international dialogue and exchange that highlights what its founder, Loris Malaguzzi, wished to promote: the rights of young children, their families and communities to high quality schools that are places of education, culture, relationship, citizenship and participatory democracy.

The fundamental principles of this educational approach are identified, elaborated and illustrated through examples from the Reggio Emilia schools and a public school in the United States that has been inspired by this approach. The Reggio movement across the world continuously searches for ways forward toward a socially just and humane world.
Critical Thoughts on Human Trafficking and How to Include the Subject in a Mainstream Education System in India
Authors: Mansberger Marion
Published: January 2012

The concept of human trafficking was elaborated on. Its forms and ways of appearance explained. India acts as a destination, transit and origin country. Women and girl children are at higher risk of falling victim. So far, there is no continuous mainstream training scheme in any school system. In regard to India’s long lasting traditions and cultural background, the author suggests including the subject of human trafficking in every school level. The information must be communicated from an early age on. The subject should be adapted for age appropriate communication.
A new model for breaking bad news to people with intellectual disabilities
Authors: Tuffrey-Wijne Irene
Published: January 2012

Objectives:

To develop a model for breaking bad news that meets the needs of people with intellectual disabilities (IDs).

Design:

A two-phase qualitative study featuring: (I) focus group meetings, on-line focus groups and one-to-one interviews; (II) structured feedback from participants and other stakeholders.

Setting:

Participants were drawn from National Health Service hospitals, Primary Care Trusts, independent organisations and on-line forums across England.

Participants:

109 participants were purposively selected: 21 people with mild/moderate IDs, 28 family carers, 26 ID professionals and 34 general health professionals.

Outcome measure:

Feedback on a preliminary model for breaking bad news to people with IDs was collected from 60 participants and other stakeholders to assess relevance and acceptability, before the model was finalised.

Results:

Breaking bad news is best seen as a process, not an event or a linear series of events. Bad news situations usually constitute a wide range of discrete items or chunks of information. ‘Building a foundation of knowledge’ is central to the model. Information needs to be broken down into singular chunks of knowledge that can be added over time to people’s existing framework of knowledge. Three other aspects should be considered at all times: capacity, people and support.

Conclusions:

Patients who have IDs do not easily process verbal information in a clinical setting. The new model for breaking bad news to people with IDs needs to be tested in practice using robust outcome measures. The model’s relevance to wider patient groups should also be evaluated.
Association analysis of STX1A gene variants in common forms of migraine
Authors: Tropeano Maria , Wöber-Bingöl Çiçek , Karwautz Andreas , Wagner Gudrun , Vassos Evangelos , Campos-de-Sousa Sara , Graggaber Andrea , Zesch Heidi E , Kienbacher Christian , Natriashvili Sofia , Kanbur Incifer , Wöber Christian , Collier David A
Published: January 2012

Objectives: To examine the association of genetic variants in the syntaxin 1A gene (STX1A) with common forms of migraine, and perform a combined analysis of the data from the current study and previously published reports.

Methods: We investigated the parent-to-offspring transmission of rs6951030, rs4363087 and rs2293489 in 191 family trios, each with a proband with childhood-onset migraine, and performed a case-control analysis between the probands and 223 unrelated controls. In addition, we performed a combined data analysis with an overall sample of 567 migraine patients and 720 unrelated controls and performed a migraine-specific gene-network analysis.

Results: The transmission disequilibrium test revealed significant transmission distortion of rs4363087 in migraine overall (OR = 1.56, p = 0.006; p = 0.01 after correction for multiple testing) and migraine without aura (OR = 1.58, p = 0.01; corrected p = 0.04). Two-marker haplotype analysis revealed transmission distortion of A-G (rs6951030-rs4363087; OR = 1.47, p = 0.01) and A-C (rs4363087-rs2293489; OR = 0.66, p = 0.01). Combined analysis showed significant association of rs941298 with migraine overall (OR = 1.28, p = 0.004) and migraine without aura (OR = 1.3, p = 0.008). Network analysis identified 24 genes relating STX1A to other migraine candidate genes, including KCNK18 (TRESK channel) involved in the cytoplasmatic calcium signalling together with syntaxin 1A.

Conclusion: Our results provide support for the hypothesis that STX1A represents a susceptibility gene for migraine.
Resin pressure and resin flow inside tapered laminates during zero-bleeding and bleeding processes
Authors: Gu Yizhuo , Xin Chaobo , Li Min , Cheng Yong , Zhang Zuoguang
Published: January 2012

Resin pressure greatly influences resin flow, void defect, and fiber distribution inside the laminates, especially inside the composite with complex geometry. Thus, obtaining a fundamental understanding on the resin pressure inside laminates with complex shapes can provide an important guidance to control these qualities. This article is mainly focused on the resin pressure inside the composite laminates with tapered thickness and its effect on the compaction of fiber bed. The resin pressure variations inside carbon fiber fabric/epoxy resin prepreg stacks during zero-bleeding and bleeding processes were investigated by means of an on-line monitoring method. It is demonstrated that significant differences are found between the two cases. The resin pressure inside tapered stack under zero-bleeding condition evenly distributes throughout the whole cycle and leads to even distribution of fiber content. In the case of bleeding condition, the application of bleeder materials results in through-thickness and in-plane resin pressure gradients, which provide driving forces for resin flow, and it directly results in different level of fiber compaction at different regions. These results provide a basic understanding on the resin pressure characteristic inside tapered laminate during autoclave process.
Properties enhancement of partially biodegradable polyamide/polylactide blends through compatibilization with novel polyalkenyl-poly-maleic-anhydride-amide/imide-based additives
Authors: Kucharczyk Pavel , Sedlarik Vladimir , Miskolczi Norbert , Szakacs Hajnalka , Kitano Takeshi
Published: January 2012

This work is dedicated to compatibilization process investigation between polyamide 6 and biodegradable polylactide. The process was conducted by newly developed polyalkenyl-poly-maleic-anhydride-imide/amide agents over a selected range of composition to identify morphologies and properties of these blends. The properties of resulted blends were studied by scanning electron microscopy, solvent extraction techniques, mechanical testing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Results show that blending of the two polymers without compatibilizers produced multiphase blends. It was shown by scanning electron microscopy imaging that addition of prepared compatibilizers reduced a domain size of a dispersed phase and also changes in nearly co-continuous state occurred. Static and dynamic mechanical properties were improved, and especially impact strength and tensile strength were the most sensitive on the presence of compatibilizers.