bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sliding manipulation of rigid bodies on a controlled 6-DoF plate
Authors: Vose Thomas H , Umbanhowar Paul , Lynch Kevin M
Published: May 2012

We model the full dynamics of a rigid part in three-point frictional sliding contact with a flat rigid six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) plate. When the plate moves periodically, we show the part’s dynamics are well approximated by a first-order system represented by an asymptotic velocity field that maps part configurations in SE(2) to unique velocities (linear and angular) in ℝ2 . The form of the asymptotic velocity field depends on the plate’s motion, the location and friction coefficient of each contact point, and the inertial properties of the part. Asymptotic velocity vectors in the field approximate the part’s cycle-averaged velocity at each configuration and are independent of time or the system’s initial state. For the special case of a rigid part with infinitesimal thickness, we prove that asymptotic velocities are always unique and well defined. With the ability to program arbitrary periodic plate motions, part manipulation reduces to finding plate motions that generate asymptotic velocity fields to accomplish desired tasks. Several fields useful for manipulation tasks (e.g. sensorless part alignment) are verified in simulation and experiment.
Percutaneous intracardiac beating-heart surgery using metal MEMS tissue approximation tools
Authors: Gosline Andrew H , Vasilyev Nikolay V , Butler Evan J , Folk Chris , Cohen Adam , Chen Rich , Lang Nora , del Nido Pedro J , Dupont Pierre E
Published: May 2012

Achieving superior outcomes through the use of robots in medical applications requires an integrated approach to the design of the robot, tooling and the procedure itself. In this paper, this approach is applied to develop a robotic technique for closing abnormal communication between the atria of the heart. The goal is to achieve the efficacy of surgical closure as performed on a stopped, open heart with the reduced risk and trauma of a beating-heart catheter-based procedure. In the proposed approach, a concentric tube robot is used to percutaneously access the right atrium and deploy a tissue approximation device. The device is constructed using a metal microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication process and is designed to both fit the manipulation capabilities of the robot as well as to reproduce the beneficial features of surgical closure by suture. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through ex vivo and in vivo experiments.
Solid recovered fuels in the cement industry with special respect to hazardous waste
Authors: Thomanetz Erwin
Published: May 2012

Cements with good technical properties have been produced in Europe since the nineteenth century and are now worldwide standardized high-quality mass products with enormous production numbers. The basic component for cement is the so-called clinker which is produced mainly from raw meal (limestone plus clay plus sands) in a rotary kiln with preheater and progressively with integrated calciner, at temperatures up to 1450 °C. This process requires large amounts of fossil fuels and is CO2-intensive. But most CO2 is released by lime decomposition during the burning process. In the 1980s the use of alternative fuels began – firstly in the form of used oil and waste tyres and then increasingly by pre-conditioned materials from commercial waste and from high calorific industrial waste (i.e. solid recovered fuel (SRF)) – as well as organic hazardous waste materials such as solvents, pre-conditioned with sawdust. Therefore the cement industry is more and more a competitor in the waste-to-energy market – be it for municipal waste or for hazardous waste, especially concerning waste incineration, but also for other co-incineration plants. There are still no binding EU rules identifying which types of SRF or hazardous waste could be incinerated in cement kilns, but there are some well-made country-specific ‘positive lists’, for example in Switzerland and Austria. Thus, for proper planning in the cement industry as well as in the waste management field, waste disposal routes should be considered properly, in order to avoid surplus capacities on one side and shortage on the other
Stress Perception in Public Organisations
Authors: Giauque David , Anderfuhren-Biget Simon , Varone Frédéric
Published: May 2012

Although stress has been a longstanding issue in organizations and management studies, it has never been studied in relation to Public Service Motivation. This article therefore aims to integrate PSM into the job demands–job resources model of stress to determine whether PSM might contribute to stress in public organizations. Drawing on original data from a questionnaire in a Swiss municipality, this study unsurprisingly shows that “red tape” is an antecedent of stress perception, whereas satisfaction with organizational support, positive feedback, and recognition significantly decrease the level of perceived stress. Astonishingly, the empirical results show that PSM is positively and significantly related to stress perception. By increasing individuals’ expectations toward their jobs, PSM might thus contribute to increased pressure on public agents. Ultimately, this article investigates the “dark side” of PSM, which has been neglected by the literature thus far.
To Post or Not to Post
Authors: Jacobson Willow S. , Tufts Shannon Howle
Published: May 2012

Employing an interdisciplinary approach this research examines the issue of employee rights in relation to social media policies both on and off the job. The proliferation of the use and forms of social media in the past 5 years has been extensive and governments are seeking to capture its power as a communication and engagement resource. Meanwhile, governments struggle to create appropriate, legal, and meaningful policies related to employee usage and behavior. Social media policies are analyzed with attention to the rights of employees. Content analysis of state government policies provide an overview of the current state of practice and highlights issues of public employee rights. The article includes a discussion of key issues of employee rights, recommendations for practice, and identifies future research needs.
Satisfaction With Work-Life Benefits and Organizational Commitment/Job Involvement
Authors: Caillier James Gerard
Published: May 2012

Given that an employee’s personal responsibilities can have an effect on their work, one method increasingly used by government agencies to improve performance has been to offer programs that assist workers in balancing work and personal obligations. Employee demand for such work-life programs is also increasing due to the growing amount of women in the workplace, two-career families, and workers wanting a greater ability to manage work and life. Yet despite the increase in supply and demand for work-life programs, empirical examinations regarding the benefits of these programs in government agencies are scarce. As a result, this article examines the association between employee satisfaction with work-life programs and two important factors that drive work motivation: organizational commitment and job involvement. Data was obtained from the 2010 Federal Employee Viewpoint survey, and the results from the analysis extended previous literature in several important ways. First, work motivation was not consistently affected by employee levels of satisfaction with work-life benefits in federal agencies. More specifically, employee satisfaction with most work-life benefits (i.e., telework, health and wellness programs, child care, and older adult care) were positively associated to organizational commitment, and none were associated to job involvement. Next, organizational commitment was influenced more by family-friendly programs and health and wellness programs than by flexible working arrangements. The implications of these findings are detailed in the study.
The influence of silane surface treatment of SiO2 on the tribological property of PMMA composite filled with graphite
Authors: Zhenhua Li
Published: May 2012

This article is concerned with the effects of the silane surface treatment of SiO2 on the tribological properties of the SiO2-reinforced poly(methyl methacrylate) (SiO2/PMMA) composites filled with graphite. Silane treatment and graphite bring positive effect on the improvement of friction reducing and antiwear of SiO2/PMMA composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows that the SiO2 has been oxidized and etched by the silane treatment. The presence of active groups increases the polarity of SiO2, and hence the bond property between the particle and matrix is improved.
Effects of psychological interventions for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang J , Wei W , Wang CM
Published: May 2012

The purpose of this systematic review was to quantify the effects of psychological interventions on psychological health, physical health and disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studies were identified through a systematic search of six electronic databases and were included if they used a randomized controlled trial designed to explore the effects of psychological interventions in patients with SLE. Two authors independently assessed the methodological quality of included studies using a quality-scoring instrument developed by Jadad et al. and extracted relevant information according to a pre-designed extraction form. Data was analysed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s Revman5.1. Finally, six studies involving 537 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that psychological interventions could reduce the levels of anxiety (standard mean difference (SMD) −0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.57,−0.34, p-value 0.00), depression (SMD −1.14, 95% CI −1.84,−0.44, p-value 0.00), stress (SMD −0.63, 95% CI −1.02,−0.23, p-value 0.00), and disease activity (SMD −0.34, 95% CI −0.57,−0.11, p-value 0.00). Although the effects on mental health, fatigue and physical function were in the expected direction, they were not statistically significant ( p > 0.05). The present data indicate that psychological interventions are promising treatments for patients with SLE. The findings were based on only six randomized controlled trials (RCTs), some of which were relatively small, so more methodologically rigorous large-scale randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these preliminary estimates of effectiveness.
Fulminant amoebic colitis mimicking intestinal vasculitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Lee J , Jung H-S , Nam H-C , Kwok S-K , Ju JH , Park K-S , Kim H-Y , Park S-H
Published: May 2012

Colitis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is quite rare. It can be caused by intestinal vasculitis, mesenteric vascular thrombosis, concomitant inflammatory bowel disease or infectious colitis. It is important to make an accurate and early diagnosis as the treatments for each condition differ and a delayed diagnosis can result in life-threatening complications. However, non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms make a timely diagnosis challenging. Amoebic colitis is a rare condition in patients with SLE. Here we present a case of fulminant amoebic colitis in a patient with SLE which was initially misdiagnosed as ischemic colitis due to intestinal vasculitis. Her colitis was complicated with multiple intestinal perforations, disseminated intravascular coagulation and acute respiratory distress syndrome; but in the end, the patient was successfully treated with metronidazole and paromomycin.
Tacrolimus versus cyclophosphamide as treatment for diffuse proliferative or membranous lupus nephritis: a non-randomized prospective cohort study
Authors: Wang S , Li X , Qu L , Wang R , Chen Y , Li Q , He X , Zhang X , Wang H , Wu J , Xu Y , Chen J
Published: May 2012

Treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) with cyclophosphamide (CYC) is effective but retains a certain severe adverse effect. Tacrolimus (TAC) may be a suitable treatment for LN. Forty patients with diffuse proliferative or membranous LN were recruited for this non-randomized open-label study — 67.5% (27/40) had nephrotic proteinuria (>3.5 g/day) and 50.0% (20/40) had low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (<60 mL/min/1.73m2). We compared the efficacy and adverse effects of TAC (0.04–0.08 mg/kg/d)/prednisone for 12 months (TAC group, n = 20) with intravenous CYC (750 mg/m2 per month)/prednisone for six months followed by azathioprine (Aza) (100 mg/day)/prednisone for six months (CYC group, n = 20). The TAC target concentration was 6–8 ng/mL or 4–6 ng/mL, respectively, when induction or maintenance therapy was required and 4.0 ng/mL for patient with renal insufficiency. In the TAC group, mean urinary protein excretion decreased significantly from 5.00 ± 1.91 g/day at baseline to 2.54 ± 1.68 g/day after two weeks of therapy ( P < 0.001), compared with the CYC group (4.9 ± 19.4 g/day), P = 0.001, and 65.0% (13/20) achieved partial remission at one month, compared with the CYC group (0/20), P < 0.001. The incidence of complete remission (CR) was significantly higher in the TAC group than in the CYC group (55.0% vs.15.0% by five months, P = 0.008, and 75.0% vs.40.0% by 12 months, P = 0.025, respectively). The significant improvement in serum anti-dsDNA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity index (DAI) was in the TAC group relative to the CYC group at 12 months ( P = 0.031, P = 0.003, respectively). The eGFR improved in the TAC group from 59.90 ± 23.64 mL/min/1.73m2 at baseline to 93.75 ± 28.52 mL/min/1.73m2 after 12 months, P = 0.001. In the CYC group, two patients developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD), three patients experienced serious pneumonia, and one patient died. Our preliminary study showed TAC is a safe and effective treatment for LN with severe renal disease, and with less-severe adverse events compared with CYC followed Aza therapy. Further larger sample studies are needed to confirm our conclusion.
An Examination of the Effectiveness of Case Method Teaching Online
Authors: Watson Sharon , Sutton Jann Marie
Published: May 2012

This article discusses the effectiveness of the case method when teaching online by comparing synchronous and asynchronous communication technologies with respect to how well they each embody Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. The authors also present their empirical study of the effectiveness of different online case discussion methods with respect to student learning and satisfaction. The empirical findings suggest that student satisfaction and perceived learning are affected by the type of technology used to implement the case method online. The technology used for case discussions in an online course seems to matter, especially with respect to how well it enhances students’ engagement and interaction with the instructor and their fellow students.
Control of incommensurate sinusoids using enhanced adaptive filtering algorithm based on sliding mode approach
Authors: Kim Byeongil , Washington Gregory N , Singh Rajendra
Published: May 2012

This article focuses on the active control of a combination of incommensurate sinusoids and its subsets. Two sliding mode control (SMC) algorithms are proposed to enhance the conventional least mean squares (LMS) algorithm maintaining its inherent advantages. The SMC is utilized to update the filter coefficients, and a feedback loop with the SMC is introduced in the adaptive filtering system. The proposed methods are evaluated for several cases by comparing the results with the LMS algorithm. An experiment with an active strut is also constructed and longitudinal vibrations excited by an amplitude modulated type signal are measured before and after the control for each adaptive filtering algorithm. Overall, the proposed algorithms demonstrate faster convergence and reduce amplitudes at multiple peaks even when only one frequency is targeted.
Experienced music teachers’ views on the role of journal writing in the first year of teaching
Authors: Conway Colleen , Christensen Stephanie , Garlock Mandi , Hansen Erin , Reese Jill , Zerman Tavia
Published: May 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of five experienced music teachers (6–11 years) as they reviewed journals that they had completed during their first year of teaching. Research questions included: What role, if any, do participants believe journal writing had in their first-year teacher development? and What can these experienced teachers tell us about journal writing in relation to beginning music teaching experiences? Data included: (a) participant written reflections on all year one journals; and (b) an individual interview with each participant. Profiles of each participant are presented. Emergent themes from data analysis include: (a) being in the study was the primary motivation to write; (b) the importance of the audience in writing; (c) isolation; (d) participants’ surprise in examining their beginning teacher voice; and (e) the usefulness of journaling as a tool for self-reflection. Suggestions for music teacher preparation and future research are provided.
The association between Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) public perceptions and reactions: A prospective study
Authors: Karademas Evangelos C. , Bati Aspasia , Karkania Vassiliki , Georgiou Vassilki , Sofokleous Stella
Published: May 2012

The aim of this study was to examine the relation between the public perceptions and reactions to the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in Crete, Greece. It was conducted in two phases: at the early phase of the outbreak and during the peak. The Common Sense Model was used as an appropriate theoretical framework. Participants were 273 healthy adults. Perceptions, especially perceived control and emotions, were related to protective behaviours, infection management behaviours and detachment at both phases of the study and also predicted follow-up reactions. Moreover, emotions predicted changes in behaviour and moderated the effects of several perceptions on pandemic-related behaviour.
Can counter-stereotypes boost flexible thinking?
Authors: Gocłowska Małgorzata A. , Crisp Richard J. , Labuschagne Kirsty
Published: May 2012

To reduce prejudice psychologists design interventions requiring people to think of counter-stereotypes (i.e., people who defy stereotypic expectations— a strong woman, a Black President). Grounded in the idea that stereotypes constrain the ability to think flexibly, we propose that thinking of counter-stereotypes can have benefits that extend beyond the goal of prejudice reduction—in particular to tasks measuring cognitive flexibility and creative performance. Findings supported this conjecture. In Experiment 1 priming a gender counter-stereotype enhanced cognitive flexibility. This effect could not be attributed to changes in mood. In Experiment 2, using a gender-independent manipulation, priming various social counter-stereotypes brought a boost to creative performance. We discuss implications of these extended benefits of counter-stereotypic thinking for developing future prejudice-reduction interventions.
Numerical investigation of the effect of swirl flow in-homogeneity and stability on diesel engine combustion and emissions
Authors: Rezaei Reza , Pischinger Stefan , Ewald Jens , Adomeit Philipp
Published: May 2012

The present study is aimed at numerically investigating the effect of in-cylinder charge motion on mixture preparation, combustion and emission formation in a high-speed direct-injection diesel engine. Previous investigations have shown that different valve-lift strategies nominally lead to similar in-cylinder filling and global swirl levels. However, significant differences in engine-out emissions, especially soot emission, give rise to the assumption that the flow structure and local differences of the swirl motion distribution have a noticeable effect on emission behaviour. In this work, different swirl generation strategies applying different intake valve actuation schemes are numerically investigated by applying transient in-cylinder computational fluid dynamic simulations using both the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model and the multi-cycle large-eddy simulation approach. Two operating points within the operating range of current diesel passenger cars during federal test procedure 75 and new European driving cycles are simulated. The injection and combustion simulations of different valve strategies show that an in-homogeneity in the in-cylinder flow structure leads to a significant increase in soot emissions, and agree with the observed trends of corresponding experimental investigations.
After Cultural Theory: The Power of Images, the Lure of Immediacy
Authors: Wolff Janet
Published: May 2012

A number of recent tendencies seem to have resulted in the evaporation of the social in visual and cultural theory. This article begins by exploring arguments for the ‘power of images’, invoked by scholars for good reason to draw attention to the ways in which images appear to compel their own interpretations. The problem only arises when this power seems to have its own autonomy, and its origins in social–historical relations are ignored or obscured. Similarly, recent important correctives to social and cultural theory have taken their critiques too far in the direction of a notion of experience unmediated by language, experience and social life. Specifically, the article addresses revivals of phenomenology, theories of affect, theories of the post-human and neuroaesthetics. All of these correctly note the sense of immediacy in aesthetic experience, but mistakenly conclude that this ‘presence’ is not in fact mediated in many ways, necessarily invisible at the moment of the encounter. The article reviews the historic lacks in cultural theory that these developments seek to address, agreeing with their project but ultimately rejecting their overstatement of an idea of immediacy.
The Panda Man and the Anti-Counterfeiting Hero: Art, Activism and Appropriation in Contemporary China
Authors: Wong Winnie Won Yin
Published: May 2012

This article examines the public art practice of the Chinese performance artist Zhao Bandi, aka the ‘Panda Man’, and situates it in relation to the social activism of the Chinese consumer rights campaigner Wang Hai, aka the ‘Anti-Counterfeiting Hero’. Contextualizing the appropriation strategies of these two unlikely figures within contemporary China’s changing legal, market, and media spheres, this article places global contemporary concerns with authenticity, copyright, counterfeits, and fakes in relation to notions of performativity and behavior. Challenging the expectation that appropriation need resemble oppositional or antagonistic strategies of Western precedent, it argues that Chinese figures like Zhao and Wang presented transformative models for consumption and citizenship in 1990s China, laying the groundwork for today’s public discourse of ‘shanzhai’ − a distinctly self-conscious Chinese claim on appropriation.
Warning: Do Not Dig’: Negotiating the Visibility of Critical Infrastructures
Authors: Starosielski Nicole
Published: May 2012

This article highlights the visual traces of undersea cables, technologies that carry the majority of transoceanic telecommunications traffic, in order to make visible the material systems that support an ‘immaterial’ internet. The author documents the cultural production of these traces, recording how infrastructural visibility must be negotiated at points where cables cross through public spaces, including beaches, highways, and state parks. By examining the cultural conflicts over cables in California and O‘ahu, the article shows how telecommunications companies reorganize visual space to protect the cable, using diverse media such as nautical charts and warning signs. The cultural specificity of these representations testifies to the ways in which global cable systems develop in relation to local spatial politics. The article seeks to broaden research on infrastructure’s invisibility, disruption, and sensationalization to include the ‘existing visibilities’ of undersea cables as they are constituted in everyday life and material environments.
Investigation on sound absorption properties for recycled fibrous materials
Authors: Seddeq Hoda Soliman , Aly Nermin M , Marwa A Ali , Elshakankery MH
Published: May 2012

Acoustic is currently one of the most important fields of study. Recently, many studies have been carried out in this field and new findings have uncovered the potential use of new materials for sound absorption applications. This paper investigated the sound absorption properties for recycled fibrous materials including natural fibers, synthetic fibers and agricultural lignocellulosic fibers. Nonwovens produced from recycled natural fibers blended with synthetic fibers have been tested acoustically. Also, biocomposites from agriculture wastes such as rice straw and sawdust have been investigated. The results indicated that nonwoven samples have high sound absorption coefficients at high frequencies (2000–6300 Hz), low sound absorption coefficients at low frequencies (100–400 Hz) and better sound absorption coefficients at mid (500–1600 Hz) frequencies. The sound absorption coefficients at all frequency ranges improved by increasing the thickness of nonwovens. Also, adding air space behind the sample improved the sound absorption at low and mid frequencies. The tested rice straw and sawdust composite samples achieved low sound absorption at low and mid frequencies. However, they have slightly high sound absorption at high frequencies. A significant improvement in sound absorbing performance at low, mid and high frequencies was achieved by adding perforation of 6% for the tested sample and increasing the thickness of nonwoven samples. Adding air spaces behind the tested composite systems could improve the sound absorption at low and mid frequencies. Generally, the results indicated that recycled fibrous materials hold promise for use as raw material for sound absorbing, being low cost, lightweight and biodegradability.
Declining Physical Capacity But Maintained Aerobic Activity in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Cedervall Ylva , Kilander Lena , Åberg Anna Cristina
Published: May 2012

The longitudinal influences on physical capacity and habitual aerobic activity level in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are unclear. Therefore, changes in physical capacity and aerobic activity level were evaluated. Twenty-five individuals with AD were assessed annually for 2 years, by 10-m walk test, 6-minute walk test, and timed up-and-go (TUG) single/dual tasks. Habitual aerobic activity was assessed by diary registrations. The AD group showed a lower physical capacity than controls at baseline but comparable levels of aerobic activity. During the follow-up period, physical capacity declined in the AD group, but the aerobic activity levels changed only marginally. Our results show that in the early stages of AD, people are capable of maintaining health-promoting aerobic activity levels, despite a decline in their physical capacity. Additionally, it appears that cognitive dysfunction contributes to an impaired physical capacity. The TUG tasks might, therefore, be useful for detecting early signs of cognitive impairment.
Semi-Legibility and Visual Evidence: An Initial Exploration
Authors: Mnookin Jennifer L.
Published: May 2012

This essay names and examines an often-used but little discussed category of legal evidence: semi-legible visual evidence. Semi-legible visual evidence can take many forms, including blurry photographs; low-quality films shot by police dashboard cameras, surveillance cameras, or iphones; fingerprints; x-rays; MRIs and PET scans, to name just a few of the many types of visual display introduced in court that are only partly decipherable to a (lay) viewer. Semi-legible images cannot be said simply to speak for themselves; they must be made to speak, through the exertion of effort, expertise, or both. I argue that thinking about these different kinds of visual evidence together has the effect, not only of highlighting semi-legibility as a meaningful evidentiary category, but also of suggesting important but often-unnoticed connections between expertise and visual legibility. In addition, this essay offers a basic taxonomy of semi-legible visual evidence, examining, in turn, blurry images; interpretively ambiguous images; “jigsaw” images, in which an important piece is missing; images semi-legible to laypeople but readily decipherable by those with relevant expertise; and images semi-legible even to experts. For each category, I describe its parameters, focus on strategies by which it may be made more (or less) legible, and discuss particular challenges it offers as evidence. This essay thus aims to contribute to our understanding of the complex methods by which we produce, wield, enhance, read and interpret visual evidence in court.
Art Words and Art Worlds: The Methodological Importance of Language Use in Howard S. Becker’s Sociology of Art and Cultural Production
Authors: Cluley Robert
Published: May 2012

This article reviews Howard S. Becker’s work on cultural production. It suggests that Becker’s influential framework for analysing cultural production, the art world, leaves us with one important but unanswered question: the question of methodology. Exploring this question by a close reading of Becker’s writings and noting recent uses of the art world framework in combination with social psychological methods, the article explains why language use, or art words, offers us a powerful way to study the collective action of cultural production in art worlds.
The Art/Ethnography Binary: Post-Colonial Tensions within the Field of Australian Aboriginal Art
Authors: Fisher Laura
Published: May 2012

An Art/Ethnography binary informs a range of discursive engagements with Australian Aboriginal art. Ethnography is usually associated with colonialism, primitivism and regarded as circumscribing the art, while Art is posited as unequivocally progressive and good. This article will discuss the activities of various Indigenous and non-Indigenous actors in the Aboriginal art world, and explore the way the Art/Ethnography binary’s reiteration by these actors instantiates the way this field is shaped by the tensions that arise from Australia’s condition as a settler state with a marginalized Indigenous population. It will show that the trope of Art versus Ethnography has a multifaceted operative power that reflects remote and urban Aboriginal artists’ differential participation within the field, and the complex relationship between two objectives that politicize it: the desire for recognition on the part of Indigenous actors, and the desire for post-colonial redemption on the part of non-Indigenous actors.
Justifying the Art Critique: Clement Greenberg, Michael Kimmelman, and Orders of Worth in Art Criticism
Authors: Eyck Toby A. Ten , Busch Lawrence
Published: May 2012

Art critics straddle the boundaries between art worlds and the public. To legitimate and maintain this role, critics must be able to justify their standing as judges of the creation and display of art. This article draws on Boltanski’s and Thévenot’s work on the sorts of justifications which arise when joint action is interrupted. Specifically, we look at the justifications embedded in two seemingly disparate critiques – one from Clement Greenberg dating from the 1950s and another by Michael Kimmelman from the 2000s. An investigation of the justifications used within these critiques – separated by over five decades – reveals how boundaries between art and its public have been generated and maintained over the years.
Modified total trapezial and partial trapezoidal excision and ligament reconstruction tendon interposition reduces symptoms in isolated scaphotrapezial-trapezoid arthritis of the wrist
Authors: Andrachuk J. , Yang S. S.
Published: May 2012

Trapezial excision arthroplasty with ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) modified to include proximal trapezoid excision was performed on 12 wrists in 10 patients with symptomatic, isolated scaphotrapezial-trapezoid (STT) arthritis. Wrist range of motion, lateral pinch and grip strength, and analog pain scores were measured pre- and post-operatively. Mean follow-up was 18 (11–42) months. Post-operatively, reported pain scores uniformly decreased ( p < 0.0001). Mean range of wrist flexion increased from 48 to 53° ( p < 0.05) and extension from 51 to 55° ( p < 0.05). There was also an overall increase in mean grip strength from 15.6 to 19.2 kg and pinch strength from 3.5 to 4.3 kg. Modified Mayo Wrist Scores were excellent in six cases, good in three, and fair in one. Our results suggest that modified total trapezial, partial trapezoidal excision and LRTI could be an effective surgical alternative in cases of isolated STT arthritis.
End-to-side nerve repair in a large animal model: how does it compare with conventional methods of nerve repair?
Authors: Kettle S. J. A. , Starritt N. E. , Glasby M. A. , Hems T. E. J.
Published: May 2012

A large animal (sheep) model was used to compare nerve axon regeneration and return of muscle function after a median-to-ulnar nerve end-to-side neurorrhaphy technique with conventional, clinically established, methods of nerve repair and untreated controls. Three groups of sheep were allocated to end-to-side repair (12 animals), a conventional method of nerve repair (18 animals), or a control group (eight animals). After a year nerve repairs were assessed electrophysiologically and histologically, and the muscles supplied by the repaired nerves were assessed physiologically. There were no significant differences in the outcomes of nerve repair between different conventional techniques. Half of the end-to-side nerve repairs supported nerve regeneration. The functional outcomes of the end-to-side repairs were inferior to conventional techniques which were, in turn, inferior to controls. End-to-side neurorrhaphy supported nerve regeneration, but the reliability of this technique is called into question and its use as a clinical tool can only be recommended as a salvage procedure.
The Monetary Policy Risks of Hospitality Stocks
Authors: Goukasian Levon , Ma Qingzhong , Majbouri Mehdi
Published: May 2012

On the basis of 100 monetary policy announcements made by the U.S. Federal Reserve between 1994 and 2005, we estimate the reaction of the hotel and restaurant industry stock values to the Fed’s monetary policy actions. We find that the portfolios of hotel industry stocks react strongly to unexpected changes in the Federal Funds Target Rate. Specifically, for a hypothetical surprise 25-basis-point rate cut, the value-weighted hotel industry stock portfolio registers a one-day gain of 245 basis points (or 2.45 percent). This response is 78 percent stronger than that of the overall equity market in the United States. On the other hand, the restaurant industry is not as responsive to the unexpected changes in the monetary policy. When the Federal Reserve announces a reversal of monetary policy in either direction, hotel industry stocks react more strongly than do others.
Overexpression of the autoimmunity-associated phosphatase PTPN22 promotes survival of antigen-stimulated CLL cells by selectively activating AKT
Authors: Negro Roberto , Gobessi Stefania , Longo Pablo G. , He Yantao , Zhang Zhong-Yin , Laurenti Luca , Efremov Dimitar G.
Published: May 2012

A polymorphic variant of the phosphatase PTPN22 has been associated with increased risk for multiple autoimmune diseases. The risk allele is thought to function by diminishing antigen-receptor signals responsible for negative selection of autoreactive lymphocytes. We now show that PTPN22 is markedly overexpressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a common malignancy of autoreactive B lymphocytes. We also show that overexpression of PTPN22 significantly inhibits antigen-induced apoptosis of primary CLL cells by blocking B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathways that negatively regulate lymphocyte survival. More importantly, we show that PTPN22 positively regulates the antiapoptotic AKT kinase, which provides a powerful survival signal to antigen-stimulated CLL cells. This selective uncoupling of AKT from other downstream BCR signaling pathways is a result of inhibition of a negative regulatory circuit involving LYN, CD22, and SHIP. Finally, we show that PTPN22 can be effectively down-regulated by the PKC inhibitors ruboxistaurin and sotrastaurin, resulting in enhanced killing of CLL cells exposed to proapoptotic BCR stimuli. Collectively, these data suggest that PTPN22 overexpression represents a protective mechanism that allows autoantigen-activated CLL cells to escape from negative selection and indicate that this mechanism could be exploited for therapeutic purposes by targeting PTPN22 with PKC inhibitors.
Nitrate transport in cucumber leaves is an inducible process involving an increase in plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity and abundance
Authors: Nikolic Miroslav , Cesco Stefano , Monte Rossella , Tomasi Nicola , Gottardi Stefano , Zamboni Anita , Pinton Roberto , Varanini Zeno
Published: May 2012

Background

The mechanisms by which nitrate is transported into the roots have been characterized both at physiological and molecular levels. It has been demonstrated that nitrate is taken up in an energy-dependent way by a four-component uptake machinery involving high- and low- affinity transport systems. In contrast very little is known about the physiology of nitrate transport towards different plant tissues and in particular at the leaf level.

Results

The mechanism of nitrate uptake in leaves of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Chinese long) plants was studied and compared with that of the root. Net nitrate uptake by roots of nitrate-depleted cucumber plants proved to be substrate-inducible and biphasic showing a saturable kinetics with a clear linear non saturable component at an anion concentration higher than 2 mM. Nitrate uptake by leaf discs of cucumber plants showed some similarities with that operating in the roots (e.g. electrogenic H+ dependence via involvement of proton pump, a certain degree of induction). However, it did not exhibit typical biphasic kinetics and was characterized by a higher K
m with values out of the range usually recorded in roots of several different plant species. The quantity and activity of plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase of the vesicles isolated from leaf tissues of nitrate-treated plants for 12 h (peak of nitrate foliar uptake rate) increased with respect to that observed in the vesicles isolated from N-deprived control plants, thus suggesting an involvement of this enzyme in the leaf nitrate uptake process similar to that described in roots. Molecular analyses suggest the involvement of a specific isoform of PM H+-ATPase (CsHA1) and NRT2 transporter (CsNRT2) in root nitrate uptake. At the leaf level, nitrate treatment modulated the expression of CsHA2, highlighting a main putative role of this isogene in the process.

Conclusions

Obtained results provide for the first time evidence that a saturable and substrate-inducible nitrate uptake mechanism operates in cucumber leaves. Its activity appears to be related to that of PM H+-ATPase activity and in particular to the induction of CsHA2 isoform. However the question about the molecular entity responsible for the transport of nitrate into leaf cells therefore still remains unresolved.
Household related predictors of burn injuries in an Iranian population: a case–control study
Authors: Sadeghi-Bazargani Homayoun , Arshi Shahnam , Mashoufi Mehrnaz , Deljavan-anvari Reza , Meshkini Mohammad , Mohammadi Reza
Published: May 2012

Background

To prevent burn injuries it is vital to have sound information on predictors of its occurrence in different settings. Ardabil Province is the coldest province of Iran with high burden of burn injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the household related predictors of unintentional burns in Ardabil Province located at North-West of Iran.

Methods

The study was conducted through a hospital based case–control design. 239 burn victims as well as 246 hospital-based controls were enrolled. Both bivariate and multivariate analysis methods were used.

Results

Males comprised 55.2% of all the study subjects. Mean age of the participants was 21.8 years (95% CI: 19.17-24.4). The economic ability of the households was associated with risk of burn injuries. Multivariate conditional logistic regression results showed the following variables to be independent factors associated with burn injuries. Using non-conventional pipe-less air heaters instead of conventional piped kerosene- or gas-burning heaters (Odds ratio: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.1-3.6). Common use of picnic gas-stove for cooking at home (odds ratio = 1.6, 95%CI: 1–2.4). Using electric samovars instead of other types of samovars (Odds ratio = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-1). Using samovars lacking the national standard authorization mark (Odds ratio = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.6).

Conclusion

Using some types of specific heating or cooking appliances, and unsafe use of conventional appliances were major risk predictors of burn injuries in this population.
Acceptability – a neglected dimension of access to health care: findings from a study on childhood convulsions in rural Tanzania
Authors: Dillip Angel , Alba Sandra , Mshana Christopher , Hetzel Manuel W , Lengeler Christian , Mayumana Iddy , Schulze Alexander , Mshinda Hassan , Weiss Mitchell G , Obrist Brigit
Published: May 2012

Background

Acceptability is a poorly conceptualized dimension of access to health care. Using a study on childhood convulsion in rural Tanzania, we examined social acceptability from a user perspective. The study design is based on the premise that a match between health providers’ and clients’ understanding of disease is an important dimension of social acceptability, especially in trans-cultural communication, for example if childhood convulsions are not linked with malaria and local treatment practices are mostly preferred. The study was linked to health interventions with the objective of bridging the gap between local and biomedical understanding of convulsions.

Methods

The study combined classical ethnography with the cultural epidemiology approach using EMIC (Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue) tool. EMIC interviews were conducted in a 2007/08 convulsion study (n = 88) and results were compared with those of an earlier 2004/06 convulsion study (n = 135). Earlier studies on convulsion in the area were also examined to explore longer-term changes in treatment practices.

Results

The match between local and biomedical understanding of convulsions was already high in the 2004/06 study. Specific improvements were noted in form of (1) 46% point increase among those who reported use of mosquito nets to prevent convulsion (2) 13% point decrease among caregivers who associated convulsion with ‘evil eye and sorcery’, 3) 14% point increase in prompt use of health facility and 4)16% point decrease among those who did not use health facility at all. Such changes can be partly attributed to interventions which explicitly aimed at increasing the match between local and biomedical understanding of malaria. Caregivers, mostly mothers, did not seek advice on where to take an ill child. This indicates that treatment at health facility has become socially acceptable for severe febrile with convulsion.

Conclusion

As an important dimension of access to health care ‘social acceptability’ seems relevant in studying illnesses that are perceived not to belong to the biomedical field, specifically in trans-cultural societies. Understanding the match between local and biomedical understanding of disease is fundamental to ensure acceptability of health care services, successful control and management of health problems. Our study noted some positive changes in community knowledge and management of convulsion episodes, changes which might be accredited to extensive health education campaigns in the study area. On the other hand it is difficult to make inference out of the findings as a result of small sample size involved. In return, it is clear that well ingrained traditional beliefs can be modified with communication campaigns, provided that this change resonates with the beneficiaries.
Direct measurements of IPTG enable analysis of the induction behavior of E. coli in high cell density cultures
Authors: Fernández-Castané Alfred , Caminal Glòria , López-Santín Josep
Published: May 2012

Background

The E. coli lac operon and its components have been studied for decades, and lac-derived systems are widely used for recombinant protein production. However, lac operon dynamics and induction behavior remain the paradigm of gene regulation. Recently, an HPLC-MS-based method to quantify IPTG in the medium and inside the biomass has been established, and this tool may be useful to uncover the lack of knowledge and allow optimization of biotechnological processes.

Results

The results obtained from the study of IPTG distribution profiles in fed-batch, high cell density cultures allowed discrimination between two different depletion patterns of an inducer from the medium to the biomass in E. coli-expressing rhamnulose-1-phosphate aldolase (RhuA). Moreover, we could demonstrate that active transport mediates the uptake of this gratuitous inducer. Additionally, we could study the induction behaviors of this expression system by taking into account the biomass concentration at the induction time.

Conclusions

In the bistable range, partial induction occurred, which led to intermediate levels of RhuA activity. There was a direct relationship between the initial inducer concentrations and the initial inducer transport rate together with the specific activity. A majority of the inducer remains in the medium to reach equilibrium with the intracellular level. The intracellular inducer accumulation was a further evidence of bistability of the lac operon.
Proteomic analysis of purified Newcastle disease virus particles
Authors: Ren Xiangpeng , Xue Chunyi , Kong Qingming , Zhang Chengwen , Bi Yingzuo , Cao Yongchang
Published: May 2012

Background

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an enveloped RNA virus, bearing severe economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Previous virion proteomic studies have shown that enveloped viruses carry multiple host cellular proteins both internally and externally during their life cycle. To address whether it also occurred during NDV infection, we performed a comprehensive proteomic analysis of highly purified NDV La Sota strain particles.

Results

In addition to five viral structural proteins, we detected thirty cellular proteins associated with purified NDV La Sota particles. The identified cellular proteins comprised several functional categories, including cytoskeleton proteins, annexins, molecular chaperones, chromatin modifying proteins, enzymes-binding proteins, calcium-binding proteins and signal transduction-associated proteins. Among these, three host proteins have not been previously reported in virions of other virus families, including two signal transduction-associated proteins (syntenin and Ras small GTPase) and one tumor-associated protein (tumor protein D52). The presence of five selected cellular proteins (i.e., β-actin, tubulin, annexin A2, heat shock protein Hsp90 and ezrin) associated with the purified NDV particles was validated by Western blot or immunogold labeling assays.

Conclusions

The current study presented the first standard proteomic profile of NDV. The results demonstrated the incorporation of cellular proteins in NDV particles, which provides valuable information for elucidating viral infection and pathogenesis.