bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alcohol, Drugs, Sexual Behavior, and HIV in Trinidad and Tobago—The Way Forward
Authors: Reid Sandra D. , Malow Robert M. , Rosenberg Rhonda
Published: August 2011

The HIV epidemic in Trinidad and Tobago is primarily heterosexual, fueled by a high level of risky sex, gender inequality, and alcohol and drug use; however, the influence of alcohol and drugs has been neglected in the literature. Research shows that current HIV prevention approaches have failed to substantially impact sexual behavior change. This may be so because they do not incorporate a comprehensive understanding of the sociocultural factors underlying sexual behavior. There is an urgent need to understand how socially accepted patterns of alcohol and drug use contribute to sexual behaviors and HIV risk in Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover, specialized, evidence-based interventions are needed for HIV-infected substance abusers. Using an adaptation of the cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) protocol, this intervention project aimed to assess effectiveness in reducing relapse and risky behaviors among recovering HIV-infected substance abusers in Trinidad and Tobago.
School Board Governance
Authors: Johnson Paul A.
Published: August 2011

Do school boards have a role in student achievement? Recent research suggests that they do. This case study identifies 12 board of education governance practices associated with higher levels of student achievement. The relationship between these board governance practices and the role of the board in district leadership is examined in the context of Superintendent Smith’s change initiative.
Addressing the Challenge of Informed Decision Making in Prostate Cancer Community Outreach to African American Men
Authors: Wray Ricardo J. , Vijaykumar Santosh , Jupka Keri , Zellin Stacie , Shahid Mellve
Published: August 2011

African American men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. This project adopted a community-based participatory approach to design and pilot test an educational outreach strategy that promotes informed decision making about screening among African American men in community settings in St. Louis, Missouri. Interviews with local subject matter experts informed the design of the strategy. The revised curriculum was pilot tested in 2009 with 63 men who completed pre- and posttest surveys that measured knowledge, norms, beliefs, decision self-efficacy, and screening intention. The intervention resulted in statistically significant improvement in prostate cancer knowledge, decreased perceived risks and barriers, and increased screening decision self-efficacy. The educational outreach strategy offered in community settings was effective in improving knowledge, beliefs, and decision self-efficacy related to prostate cancer screening. This project sought to devise a screening outreach strategy that struck a balance between the imperatives of informed decision-making goals and the pragmatics of community settings. The findings suggest the need for further research to assess the effectiveness of community-based outreach efforts in enhancing engagement of men in decision making related to screening, diagnostics, and treatment.
Emotional Bonds and Social Support Exchange Between Men Living With HIV Infection and Their Mothers
Authors: Uphold Constance R. , Shehan Constance L. , Bender Joyce McDonald , Bender Bradley S.
Published: August 2011

Men infected with HIV are often faced with caregiving responsibilities of aging, ill parents, while simultaneously looking for support from their parents in dealing with their own health problems. Unfortunately, the reciprocal roles of HIV-positive adult sons and aging mothers as caregivers have not been examined. To address this gap in the literature, HIV-positive men ( n = 118) answered open-ended questions about the support they exchanged with their mothers, completed the Depth of Relationships Inventory, and rated the importance of health-related assistance between themselves and their mothers. The men viewed themselves as important providers of both instrumental and emotional support to their mothers. Men perceived their mothers to be significant providers of emotional support but only moderately important in providing instrumental support. About a third of the men responded that the help they provided and received from the mothers in managing each other’s health and staying healthy was extremely important. Men regarded their relationships with their mothers as one of their most important social relationships. Non-White men rated the quality of their mother–son relationships more highly, exchanged more instrumental support, and provided more emotional support to their mothers than White men. Men who disclosed their HIV-positive status to their mothers rated the importance of the help they received from their mothers in managing their illnesses higher than men who had not disclosed.
On Same-Sex Sexual Behaviors Among Male Bachelors in Rural China
Authors: Yang Xueyan , Attané Isabelle , Li Shuzhuo , Zhang Qunlin
Published: August 2011

Using data from a survey conducted in the rural areas of Anhui Province, this study adopted the crosstabs and logistic regression model to analyze the same-sex sexual behaviors of forced male bachelors and the determinants when compared with married men with same ages. The prevalence of same-sex sexual behaviors among the unmarried men was reported as 17.2%, significantly higher than 8.9% among married men with same ages, indicating that same-sex sexual behaviors could be as a compensation for the absence of female sexual partners to some extent for those marriage squeezed or forced male bachelors. Among all groups, the occurrence of unprotected sexual behaviors were reported above 60%, regardless of marital status and the genders of sexual partners; the scores obtained on knowledge of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among bachelors (AIDS knowledge = 2.85; STDs knowledge = 2.38) are much poorer than those of married men (AIDS knowledge = 3.45; STDs knowledge = 2.79), which might exert potential negative impacts on men’s health.
Beyond Omnivores and Univores: The Promise of a Concept of Musical Habitus
Authors: Rimmer Mark
Published: August 2011

In recent years the omnivore thesis has come to take centre stage in debates surrounding cultural taste and its social structural co-ordinates. On the assumption that tastes for music are reflective of people’s tastes in other cultural domains, the matter of musical preference has received substantial attention within omnivore-related empirical research. Yet while the ongoing omnivore debate has seen the concept’s original formulation undergo revision and refinement in light of new findings, a number of substantive and theoretical difficulties continue to receive inadequate attention, especially in respect of music. These difficulties include commonly made assumptions about the sanctity of musical genre categories and hierarchies of cultural legitimacy, the reliability of decontextualized expressions of taste for disclosing real-world cultural practices, and questions about the deployment of cultural capital. This article assesses the implications of these difficulties and goes on to outline the concept of musical habitus, a heuristic theoretical construct with which to think through questions about musical objects’ correlations with actors’ social locations and the contemporary role of music in status competition.
The Predicament of Intercultural Dialogue: Reconsidering the Politics of Culture and Identity in the EU
Authors: Vidmar-Horvat Ksenija
Published: August 2011

This paper examines the ‘intercultural dialogue’ paradigm to ask whether, as conveyed through EU discourses, its conceptualization is flexible enough to encompass the challenges of an increasingly multicultural EU environment. It is argued that, in the past two decades, the notion of a ‘European culture’ has become instrumental to envisioning the EU and has been pushed forward by two main occurrences: the 1989 collapse of cold-war Europe and the subsequent incorporation into the body of Europe of the new central and eastern Europeans, and the processes of globalization, which have rendered Europe’s presence on the global map increasingly vulnerable. Therefore, critical encounters with the employment of ‘culture’ and its support concepts of identity and difference are crucial to the framing of ‘intercultural dialogue’ beyond the cold-war cultural and mental geography, as well as to managing the predicaments which its use may generate in global contexts.
Art after 9/11: Critical Moments in Lean Times
Authors: Rothenberg Julia
Published: August 2011

This article presents fieldwork that I conducted on the response of several New York artists to the events of 9/11 and the representation of these events in the mainstream media. Through interviews, analysis of works of art, and the development of a theoretical framework derived from both Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, I argue that the work of these artists constituted a critical response to historical events. I explain how Adorno’s argument concerning the critical dimension of aesthetic experience is useful for understanding this response. In addition, I invoke Adorno’s dialectical understanding of art’s ‘dual-character’ in order to explain how critical art is possible within an art world dominated by market concerns. I also explore Walter Benjamin’s contentions concerning the democratizing capacities of new media and the withering of the aura as an important corrective to Adorno’s narrow focus on modernist formal development.
The Man from Leisure: An Interview with Chris Rojek
Authors: Blackshaw Tony
Published: August 2011

This article is an interview with the eminent British sociologist, theorist of leisure and stardom, publisher and critic of cultural studies Chris Rojek. It begins with an introduction that outlines his career trajectory and key publications, and puts some flesh on his particular way of doing sociology. The interview itself falls into three broad parts. First, Rojek answers some questions about the source of his sociological imagination, his formative work on the sociology of leisure, and the relationship between his academic and publishing work. The second and third parts intersect one another. The second concentrates on Rojek’s key ideas and how these relate to some important themes and issues in cultural sociology and the study of leisure. The third part of the interview explores some shifts in Rojek’s work and how these are connected to major currents in cultural sociology and the demise of leisure studies. The interview concludes with reflections on the function and responsibilities of sociology today.
Aseptic tissue necrosis and chronic inflammation after irrigation of penetrating hand wounds using Octenisept®
Authors: Franz T. , Vögelin E.
Published: August 2011

Penetrating hand wounds are common and these are managed by thorough debridement. However, stab wounds without evidence of divided structures are often treated with irrigation using antiseptic substances, antibiotic therapy, and immobilization. Octenisept® (Schülke & Mayr Ltd) is a widely used antiseptic agent for disinfection of acute or chronic wounds. It has a broad spectrum of antiseptic efficacy and has become an antiseptic of first choice in many hospitals. Within a few months, four patients presented to us with chronic inflammation and severe tissue necrosis after irrigation of penetrating hand wounds with Octenisept®. Repeated surgery and debridement was required in all patients. Wound healing was prolonged and patients had persisting oedema. Penetrating hand wounds must not be irrigated with Octenisept®.
Effects of natural and recombinant hirudin on superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and endothelin levels in a random pattern skin flap model
Authors: Ying-Xin Guo , Guo-Qian Yin , Jia-Quan Li , Han Xiao
Published: August 2011

We have assessed the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-coagulant effects of locally applied natural and recombinant hirudin in a random skin flap rat model. Thirty Wistar rats with venous congested skin flaps were randomly divided into two treatment groups and a control group to receive subcutaneous injections of natural hirudin (6 U), recombinant hirudin (6 U) or physiological saline, respectively. Superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and endothelin levels as well as flap survival rates of the skin flaps were measured after surgery. Compared to the control group, the treatment groups had significant higher superoxide dismutase levels and lower malondialdehyde and endothelin levels in the skin flaps. The surviving areas of the flaps were larger in the treatment groups than the control group. Our results demonstrated that hirudin could improve skin flap survival through its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-coagulant activities.
Multiple regression analysis of factors influencing dominant hand grip strength in an adult Malaysian population
Authors: Hossain M. G. , Zyroul R. , Pereira B. P. , Kamarul T.
Published: August 2011

Grip strength is an important measure used to monitor the progression of a condition, and to evaluate outcomes of treatment. We assessed how various physical and social factors predict normal grip strength in an adult Malaysian population of mixed Asian ethnicity (254 men, 246 women). Grip strength was recorded using the Jamar dynamometer. The mean grip strength for the dominant hand was 29.8 kg for men and 17.6 kg for women. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the dominant hand grip strength was positively associated with height and body mass index, and negatively associated with age for both sexes. Dominant hand grip strength was related to work status for men ( p < 0.05) but not for women. However, there was no difference in grip strength among ethnic groups.
Outcome of corticosteroid injection versus physiotherapy in the treatment of mild trigger fingers
Authors: Salim N. , Abdullah S. , Sapuan J. , Haflah N. H. M.
Published: August 2011

We compared the effectiveness of physiotherapy and corticosteroid injection treatment in the management of mild trigger fingers. Mild trigger fingers are those with mild crepitus, uneven finger movements and actively correctable triggering. This is a single-centred, prospective, block randomized study with 74 patients; 39 patients for steroid injection and 35 patients for physiotherapy. The study duration was from Jun 2009 until August 2010. Evaluation was done at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months post-treatment. At 3 months, the success rate (absence of pain and triggering) for those receiving steroid injection was 97.4% and physiotherapy 68.6%. The group receiving steroid injection also had lower pain score, higher rate of satisfaction, stronger grip strength and early recovery to near normal function (findings were all significant, p < 0.05). At 6 months, only those who were successfully treated were further questioned on recurrence (presence of pain and triggering). Those who received corticosteroid injections had a significant recurrence rate of pain but not triggering. The physiotherapy group had no recurrence of pain or triggering due to the type of triggering responsive to physiotherapy or possibly due to awareness of physiotherapy exercises. Perhaps they were able to institute self-treatment on early onset of symptoms of trigger fingers. We conclude that corticosteroid injection has a better outcome compared to physiotherapy in the treatment of mild trigger fingers but physiotherapy may have a role in prevention of recurrence.
Comparison of modified Kessler tendon suture at different levels in the human flexor digitorum profundus tendon and porcine flexors and porcine extensors: an experimental biomechanical study
Authors: Havulinna J. , Leppänen O. V. , Järvinen T. L. N. , Göransson H.
Published: August 2011

This study compared the biomechanical behaviour of repairs in the human flexor digitorum profundus tendon in zones I, II and III with repairs of different segments of the porcine flexor tendon of the second digit and the extensor digiti quarti proprius tendon, in order to assess the validity of porcine tendons as models for human flexor tendon repairs. These porcine tendons were selected after comparing their size with the human flexor digitorum profundus tendon. The tendon repairs were done in three segments of each porcine tendon and repairs in the human tendons were done in zones I,II and III. Ten tendons in each group yielded a total of 90 specimens. A modified Kessler repair was done with 3-0 coated braided polyester suture and subjected to uniaxial tensile testing. In human flexor tendons, the ultimate force was higher in zones I and II than in zone III. The porcine flexor digitorum profundus tendon from the second digit and the proximal segment of the extensor digiti quarti proprius tendon behaved similarly to the human flexor tendon in zone III and can be considered as surrogates for the human flexor tendon.
The rise, fall and subsequent triumph of thalidomide: lessons learned in drug development
Authors: Rehman Waqas , Arfons Lisa M. , Lazarus Hillard M.
Published: August 2011

Perhaps no other drug in modern medicine rivals the dramatic revitalization of thalidomide. Originally marketed as a sedative, thalidomide gained immense popularity worldwide among pregnant women because of its effective anti-emetic properties in morning sickness. Mounting evidence of human teratogenicity marked a dramatic fall from grace and led to widespread social, legal and economic ramifications. Despite its tragic past thalidomide emerged several decades later as a novel and highly effective agent in the treatment of various inflammatory and malignant diseases. In 2006 thalidomide completed its remarkable renaissance becoming the first new agent in over a decade to gain approval for the treatment of plasma cell myeloma. The catastrophic collapse yet subsequent revival of thalidomide provides important lessons in drug development. Never entirely abandoned by the medical community, thalidomide resurfaced as an important drug once the mechanisms of action were further studied and better understood. Ongoing research and development of related drugs such as lenalidomide now represent a class of irreplaceable drugs in hematological malignancies. Further, the tragedies associated with this agent stimulated the legislation which revamped the FDA regulatory process, expanded patient informed consent procedures and mandated more transparency from drug manufacturers. Finally, we review recent clinical trials summarizing selected medical indications for thalidomide with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies. Herein, we provide a historic perspective regarding the up-and-down development of thalidomide. Using PubMed databases we conducted searches using thalidomide and associated keywords highlighting pharmacology, mechanisms of action, and clinical uses.
Reducing vascular events risk in patients with dyslipidaemia: an update for clinicians
Authors: Hermans Michel P. , Fruchart Jean-Charles
Published: August 2011

Reducing the risk of vascular events in patients with dyslipidaemia requires cardiovascular disease risk stratification and lifestyle/pharmacological intervention on modifiable risk factors. Reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with statins is highly effective in reducing cardiovascular disease in patients with and without diabetes, but leaves unaddressed a sizeable residual vascular risk (RvR), which is rarely quantified in routine clinical practice. Such RvR may relate to lack of strict target attainment for all atherogenic variables [LDL-C, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and/or apolipoprotein B100]. Another substantial lipid-related and modifiable RvR component is related to atherogenic dyslipidaemia, especially as global rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome are increasing. Atherogenic dyslipidaemia is associated with insulin-stimulated very-low-density lipoprotein overproduction and reduced reverse cholesterol transport. The hallmark of atherogenic dyslipidaemia is the coexistence of low HDL-C and elevated triglycerides. Therapeutic lifestyle changes and combination lipid-lowering therapy with drugs targeting atherogenic dyslipidaemia (such as fibrates or innovative drugs targeting atherogenic dyslipidaemia and/or apolipoprotein B100 metabolism) on top of background statins, have a potential to reduce RvR in high-risk groups, as shown in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, in which combination therapy with simvastatin plus fenofibrate decreased macrovascular risk in patients with diabetes and atherogenic dyslipidaemia, and retinopathy risk irrespective of baseline lipids.
Promoting the Knowledge Economy in the Arab World
Authors: Lightfoot Michael
Published: August 2011

This article looks at the information and communication technology (ICT)–related education reform programs in three countries in the Middle East. It indicates the evident policy linkage between the implementation of school-based ICT programs and the development of pupils’ 21st-century skills to address the knowledge economy. The policy aspirations are put in the context of the history of education in the region and the Islamic traditions and beliefs about the nature of knowledge. The impact of the reforms is evaluated on the basis of realities of day-to-day life in schools as reported by independent inspection, review, and evaluation agencies. It concludes that much deeper institutional reform is necessary to fulfill the policy aspirations rather than speculating over progress through technology-enriched futures.
Influence of V and Ti on hot ductility of Nb containing steels of peritectic C contents
Authors: Banks K M , Tuling A , Mintz B
Published: August 2011

The hot ductility of in situ melted tensile specimens of Ti–Nb containing steels having C contents in the peritectic C range 0·12–0·17 with and without V has been examined over the temperature range 700–1000°C. An improved testing regime for simulating the continuous casting process was used, which takes into account both primary and secondary cooling conditions. For the Nb containing steels, the ductility improved in the temperature range 750–850°C as the Ti/N ratio increased. However, ductility at 800°C was still below the 35–40 reduction in area values required to avoid transverse cracking. This was attributed to the copious precipitation of sub 40 nm NbTi(CN) precipitates along the grain boundaries and finer precipitates within the grains. Adding V to the Ti–Nb containing steels resulted in significantly improved ductility with reduction in area values at 800°C in excess of 45. This improvement was due to a decrease in the fraction of fine particles, and in accord with this better ductility, transverse cracking of industrial slabs was avoided.
Characterisation of different types of dispersoids present in homogenised Al–4·5Zn–1Mg alloy containing Zr, Cr and Mn
Authors: Eivani A R , Ahmed H , Zhou J , Duszczyk J , Kwakernaak C
Published: August 2011

In the present paper, various types of dispersoids possibly formed during homogenisation of AA7020 alloy containing Cr, Zr and Mn are described. It shows that, in addition to the Zr containing dispersoids, three other types of dispersoids may be present in the homogenised microstructure of AA7020 aluminium alloy. These dispersoids are Cr and Mn containing ones and the one with a mixture of different elements. The Zr and Cr containing dispersoids are formed in the grain interior at all of the homogenisation conditions. However, the Mn containing ones form only in the grain boundary regions in the vicinity of Al17(Fe3·2,Mn0·8)Si2 particles at temperatures ⩾510°C and holding times longer than 4 h.
Hot deformation behaviour and constitutive modelling of P92 heat resistant steel
Authors: Liu C Y , Zhang R J , Yan Y N
Published: August 2011

Hot compression tests are conducted in the present paper to investigate hot deformation behaviour of the newly developed heat resistant steel P92, which is used to fabricate main steam pipes for ultra supercritical power plants. Stress–strain curves at elevated temperatures and different strain rates are obtained. It is found that dynamic recrystallisation happens only when the temperature is above 1100°C and strain rate is below 0·1 s−1. Otherwise, dynamic recovery is the main softening mechanism. Constitutive modelling with the hyperbolic sine, including an Arrhenius term, is used to predict peak and saturated stresses. Material constants for this model are determined. Results show that the model can be used to predict peak and saturated stresses. However, the model would fail in predicting flow stress with respect to strain; thus, a model containing nine independent parameters and the complete form of Spittel equation are utilised to predict flow stress curves softened by dynamic recrystallisation and dynamic recovery respectively since there are no unified equations. The predicted stress–strain curves are in good agreement with experimental results, which confirmed that the models developed in the present paper are effective and accurate for P92 steel.
Preparation and wear properties of discontinuous ceramic fibre reinforced iron alloy by low isostatic press sintering
Authors: Sueyoshi H , Kume K , Kurose R , Hashinokuchi K , Uchida S , Inoue T
Published: August 2011

Low isostatic press sintering (LIPS) behaviour was examined using a mixture of high speed steel powder and discontinuous alumina fibre, and mechanical properties of the obtained LIPS compact were estimated. LIPS is applicable to the composite system in which a reaction gas is generated during sintering because evacuation is continuously carried out during sintering. As the volume fraction of discontinuous alumina fibres is large, pores are formed in the fibre aggregated region, resulting in an increase in porosity. For discontinuous alumina fibre uniformly dispersed composite with no fibre aggregated region, the critical volume fraction of discontinuous alumina fibres exists and depends on both the ratio of the particle diameter of the high speed steel powder to the diameter of the discontinuous alumina fibre and the dispersion morphology of discontinuous alumina fibres. The dispersion of 20 vol.- discontinuous alumina fibre in high speed steel leads to an increase in wear resistance.
Microstructure and properties of hot isostatically pressed powder and extruded Ti25V15Cr2Al0·2C
Authors: Jiang H , Zhang K , Garcia-Pastor F A , Loretto M H , Hu D , Withers P J , Preuss M , Wu X
Published: August 2011

The influence of process route on the microstructure and tensile behaviour of specimens prepared from hot isostatically pressed powders and extruded ingot of the burn resistant alloy, Ti–25V–15Cr–2Al–0·2C (wt-), has been investigated. Samples based on gas atomised (GA) and plasma rotating electrode process (PREP) powders have been studied. Microstructural examination shows that many PREP powder particles are single crystals, whereas GA particles are polycrystalline. The mechanical properties of hot isostatically pressed specimens have been assessed using tensile testing monitored by acoustic emission, while microstructures have been characterised by synchrotron X-ray microtomography and optical and analytical scanning electron microscopy. Tomographic examination revealed a small fraction (<0·002 vol.-) of pores in samples made from hot isostatically pressed GA powders, but no porosity was detected in samples made from hot isostatically pressed PREP powder. In view of their similar tensile behaviour, it is concluded therefore that the porosity does not contribute to the scatter and poor ductility in these hot isostatically pressed samples. These pores increased in size and volume fraction after heat treatment above the hot isostatic press temperature. The large scatter in tensile properties of both hot isostatically pressed GA and PREP samples was correlated with the presence of large (100–400 μm) circular crack initiation sites on the fracture surfaces, but the origin of these initiation sites has not been identified.
The Political Economy of US—China Trade and Investment: The Role of the China Investment Corporation
Authors: Clark Gordon L , Monk Ashby H B
Published: August 2011

As an emerging economy, China has relied on trade for export-led economic growth, imitating the path taken by its immediate neighbours over the past 25 years and the road taken previously by Germany and Japan. The original deal to normalize relations between the USA and China has been over-taken by the massive surge in Chinese exports to the USA, the tensions occasioned by the global financial crisis and the sense in which the USA, as a debtor country, is now reliant upon China for its long-term future. This article focuses on the China Investment Corporation (CIC) Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which is a product of the original deal and is emblematic of the new status of China in the global economy. It is argued that, as one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, the CIC has eschewed conventional portfolio investment in developed financial markets for strategic investment in resources and jurisdictions deemed essential to China's long-term growth. As such, attempts to rein-in its ambitions through the “Santiago Principles” may be circumvented by a very different approach to investment. The CIC has the ability to re-make the rules of engagement in global financial markets, thereby redrawing the nature and scope of the long-term relationship between the two superpowers of the twenty-first century: China and the USA.
Pressures for Change in the Australian and South African Insurance Markets: A Comparison of Two Companies
Authors: Keneley Monica , Verhoef Grietjie
Published: August 2011

Since the 1980s a wave of demutualizations has occurred across the financial services sector from stock exchanges to building societies, savings and loans associations and insurers. In both Australia and South Africa, this has had a marked effect on the life insurance markets that had been dominated by mutual life insurers for 150 years. This article adopts a case study approach to analyse the key drivers of organizational change. It examines the experiences of the Australian Mutual Provident (Australia's oldest and largest life insurance mutual) and Sanlam (the second-largest mutual life office in South Africa) as they proceeded down the path to demutualization. Firm-specific, market-specific and country-specific forces are identified as placing pressure on existing mutual structures.
Review and Positions: Global Production Networks and Labour
Authors: Rainnie Al , Herod Andrew , McGrath-Champ Susan
Published: August 2011

Commodity chains that are global in extent have increasingly come to be seen as the defining element of the contemporary globalized world economy. Since the 1990s a body of theory — evolving from global commodity chain analysis to global value chain analysis to global production network analysis — has focused upon understanding how such commodity chains function. However, despite providing many important insights, these bodies of literature have generally suffered from a major deficiency in that they have failed to consider labour as an active agent capable of shaping such chains' structure and geographical organization. Here, then, we present a case for locating more centrally labour, in production network analysis.
Effect of modification melt treatment and chilling on eutectic arrest temperature and time during solidification of A357 alloy
Authors: Prabhu K N , Hegde S
Published: August 2011

Thermal analysis technique has been recognised as an efficient non-destructive tool to assess the degree of modification in Al–Si alloys. Apart from chemical modification, chilling refines the microstructure. This is particularly significant as majority of Al–Si alloys are cast in metallic moulds. In the present study, the interaction between chilling and modification melt treatment is investigated to assess their effect on thermal analysis parameters using computer aided cooling curve analysis. For modified alloys, the depression of the eutectic arrest temperature was significant at higher cooling rates. The eutectic arrest temperature and time were correlated with the cooling rate using a power law. High cooling regime in thermal analysis plots was attributed to the combined effect of chilling and modification melt treatment on heat transfer.
Modelling of inertia welding of IN718 superalloy
Authors: Yang L B , Gebelin J-C , Reed R C
Published: August 2011

A simple model for the inertia welding of a nickel based superalloy is proposed. The heat flow occurring in the vicinity of the joint is considered, assuming it to be one-dimensional, and this is coupled to a treatment of the stress state expected there using Hill's general method, so that the upset can be estimated. A state variable constitutive model is included, for the IN718 alloy. It is demonstrated that many of the important characteristics of the process are predicted correctly. It is shown that the shear stress developed at the last stage of the process must be accounted if the upset is to be correctly predicted. The results are compared with those from a 2½D finite element model of the process, and the differences rationalised.
Deformed metals – structure, recrystallisation and strength
Authors: Hansen N , Juul Jensen D
Published: August 2011

It is shown how new discoveries and advanced experimental techniques in the last 25 years have led to paradigm shifts in the analysis of deformation and annealing structures of metals and in the way the strength of deformed samples is related to structural parameters. This is described in three sections: structural evolution by grain subdivision, recovery and recrystallisation and strength–structure relationships.
SHP-1 expression accounts for resistance to imatinib treatment in Philadelphia chromosome–positive cells derived from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Esposito Nicola , Colavita Irene , Quintarelli Concetta , Sica Agostino Rodeo , Peluso Anna Lucia , Luciano Luigia , Picardi Marco , Del Vecchio Luigi , Buonomo Tonia , Hughes Timothy P. , White Deborah , Radich Jerald P. , Russo Domenico , Branford Susan , Saglio Giuseppe , Melo Junia V. , Martinelli Rosanna , Ruoppolo Margherita , Kalebic Thea , Martinelli Giovanni , Pane Fabrizio
Published: August 2011

We prove that the SH2-containing tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP-1) plays a prominent role as resistance determinant of imatinib (IMA) treatment response in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines (sensitive/KCL22-S and resistant/KCL22-R). Indeed, SHP-1 expression is significantly lower in resistant than in sensitive cell line, in which coimmunoprecipitation analysis shows the interaction between SHP-1 and a second tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2, a positive regulator of RAS/MAPK pathway. In KCL22-R SHP-1 ectopic expression restores both SHP-1/SHP-2 interaction and IMA responsiveness; it also decreases SHP-2 activity after IMA treatment. Consistently, SHP-2 knocking-down in KCL22-R reduces either STAT3 activation or cell viability after IMA exposure. Therefore, our data suggest that SHP-1 plays an important role in BCR-ABL–independent IMA resistance modulating the activation signals that SHP-2 receives from both BCR/ABL and membrane receptor tyrosine kinases. The role of SHP-1 as a determinant of IMA sensitivity has been further confirmed in 60 consecutive untreated patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia, whose SHP-1 mRNA levels were significantly lower in case of IMA treatment failure (P < .0001). In conclusion, we suggest that SHP-1 could be a new biologic indicator at baseline of IMA sensitivity in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Complex regulation of human NKG2D-DAP10 cell surface expression: opposing roles of the γc cytokines and TGF-β1
Authors: Park Yuk Pheel , Choi Seung-Chul , Kiesler Patricia , Gil-Krzewska Aleksandra , Borrego Francisco , Weck Jennifer , Krzewski Konrad , Coligan John E.
Published: August 2011

Natural killer (NK) cells help protect the host against viral infections and tumors. NKG2D is a vital activating receptor, also expressed on subsets of T cells, whose ligands are up-regulated by cells in stress. Ligation of NKG2D leads to phosphorylation of the associated DAP10 adaptor protein, thereby activating immune cells. Understanding how the expression of NKG2D-DAP10 is regulated has implications for immunotherapy. We show that IL-2 and TGF-β1 oppositely regulate NKG2D-DAP10 expression by NK cells. IL-2 stimulation increases NKG2D surface expression despite a decrease in NKG2D mRNA levels. Stimulation with IL-2 results in a small increase of DAP10 mRNA and a large up-regulation of DAP10 protein synthesis, indicating that IL-2–mediated effects are mostly posttranscriptional. Newly synthesized DAP10 undergoes glycosylation that is required for DAP10 association with NKG2D and stabilization of NKG2D expression. TGF-β1 has an opposite and dominant effect to IL-2. TGF-β1 treatment decreases DAP10, as its presence inhibits the association of RNA polymerase II with the DAP10 promoter, but not NKG2D mRNA levels. This leads to the down-regulation of DAP10 expression and, as a consequence, NKG2D protein as well. Finally, we show that other γc cytokines act similarly to IL-2 in up-regulating DAP10 expression and NKG2D-DAP10 surface expression.
Adverse psychological outcomes in long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation: a report from the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS)
Authors: Sun Can-Lan , Francisco Liton , Baker K. Scott , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Forman Stephen J. , Bhatia Smita
Published: August 2011

Little information exists regarding long-term psychological health of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors. Using resources offered by the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study (BMTSS), we evaluated adverse psychological outcomes in 1065 long-term HCT survivors and a healthy comparison group composed of siblings. Psychological health status was evaluated using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. Twenty-two percent of the HCT survivors reported adverse psychological outcomes, compared with 8% of the siblings. Exposure to prednisone was associated with psychological distress across all domains (anxiety, depression, and somatic distress). Fifteen percent of the HCT survivors reported somatic distress, representing an almost 3-fold higher risk comparing to siblings. Among survivors, in addition to low annual household income and self-reported poor health, having severe/life-threatening conditions and presence of active chronic GVHD were associated with a 2-fold increased risk for somatic distress. Seven percent of the HCT survivors expressed suicidal ideation; patients with higher scores on depression subscale were most vulnerable. This study demonstrates that somatic distress is the biggest challenge faced by survivors long after HCT. These results identify vulnerable subpopulations and provide patients, families, and healthcare providers with necessary information to plan for post-HCT needs many years after HCT.
B-cell receptor signaling in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Stevenson Freda K. , Krysov Sergey , Davies Andrew J. , Steele Andrew J. , Packham Graham
Published: August 2011

The B-cell receptor (BCR) is a key survival molecule for normal B cells and for most B-cell malignancies. Recombinatorial and mutational patterns in the clonal immunoglobulin (Ig) of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have revealed 2 major IgMD-expressing subsets and an isotype-switched variant, each developing from distinct B-cell populations. Tracking of conserved stereotypic features of Ig variable regions characteristic of U-CLL indicate circulating naive B cells as the likely cells of origin. In CLL, engagement of the BCR by antigen occurs in vivo, leading to down-regulated expression and to an unanticipated modulation of glycosylation of surface IgM, visible in blood cells, especially in U-CLL. Modulated glycoforms of sIgM are signal competent and could bind to environmental lectins. U-CLL cases express more sIgM and have increased signal competence, linking differential signaling responses to clinical behavior. Mapping of BCR signaling pathways identifies targets for blockade, aimed to deprive CLL cells of survival and proliferative signals. New inhibitors of BCR signaling appear to have clinical activity. In this Perspective, we discuss the functional significance of the BCR in CLL, and we describe strategies to target BCR signaling as an emerging therapeutic approach.
Shiga toxin (Stx)1B and Stx2B induce von Willebrand factor secretion from human umbilical vein endothelial cells through different signaling pathways
Authors: Liu Fang , Huang Jing , Sadler J. Evan
Published: August 2011

Diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (D+HUS) is caused by the ingestion of Escherichia coli that produce Shiga toxin (Stx), which is composed of a cytotoxic A subunit and pentameric B subunits that bind globotriaosylceramide on susceptible cells. Stx occurs in 2 types, Stx1 and Stx2. B subunits of either type stimulate von Willebrand factor (VWF) secretion from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and Stx2B can cause thrombotic microangiopathy in Adamts13−/− mice. We have now determined that Stx1B and Stx2B activate different signaling pathways in HUVECs. VWF secretion induced by Stx1B is associated with a transient rise in intracellular Ca2+ level that is blocked by chelation with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethyl ester, removal of extracellular Ca2+, the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122, the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine, or small interfering RNA knockdown of protein kinase Cα. In contrast, Stx2B-induced VWF secretion is associated with activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and is blocked by the PKA inhibitor H89 or small interfering RNA knockdown of PKA. Stx2B does not increase cAMP levels and may activate PKA by a cAMP-independent mechanism. The activation of distinct signaling pathways may be relevant to understanding why E coli that express Stx2 are more likely to cause D+HUS than are E coli expressing only Stx1.
Successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for GATA2 deficiency
Authors: Cuellar-Rodriguez Jennifer , Gea-Banacloche Juan , Freeman Alexandra F. , Hsu Amy P. , Zerbe Christa S. , Calvo Katherine R. , Wilder Jennifer , Kurlander Roger , Olivier Kenneth N. , Holland Steven M. , Hickstein Dennis D.
Published: August 2011

We performed nonmyeloablative HSCT in 6 patients with a newly described genetic immunodeficiency syndrome caused by mutations in GATA2—a disease characterized by nontuberculous mycobacterial infection, monocytopenia, B- and NK-cell deficiency, and the propensity to transform to myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myelogenous leukemia. Two patients received peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) from matched-related donors, 2 received PBSCs from matched-unrelated donors, and 2 received stem cells from umbilical cord blood (UCB) donors. Recipients of matched-related and -unrelated donors received fludarabine and 200 cGy of total body irradiation (TBI); UCB recipients received cyclophosphamide in addition to fludarabine and TBI as conditioning. All patients received tacrolimus and sirolimus posttransplantation. Five patients were alive at a median follow-up of 17.4 months (range, 10-25). All patients achieved high levels of donor engraftment in the hematopoietic compartments that were deficient pretransplantation. Adverse events consisted of delayed engraftment in the recipient of a single UCB, GVHD in 4 patients, and immune-mediated pancytopenia and nephrotic syndrome in the recipient of a double UCB transplantation. Nonmyeloablative HSCT in GATA2 deficiency results in reconstitution of the severely deficient monocyte, B-cell, and NK-cell populations and reversal of the clinical phenotype. Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00923364.
Mometasone furoate/formoterol reduces asthma deteriorations and improves lung function
Authors: Meltzer E.O. , Kuna P. , Nolte H. , Nayak A.S. , LaForce C.
Published: August 2011

This study evaluated the effect of mometasone furoate (MF)/formoterol (F)versusits monocomponents, each administeredviametered-dose inhaler, on asthma deteriorations and lung function.

This 26-week, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included subjects aged ≥12 yrs with not well-controlled asthma on low-dose inhaled corticosteroids. After a 2–3-week open-label run-in (MF 100 μgb.i.d.), 746 subjects were randomised to receive placebo, F 10 μg, MF 100 μg or MF/F 100/10 μgb.i.d.Co-primary end-points were time to first asthma deterioration (MF/FversusF to assess effect of MF) and change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) area under the curve of serial spirometry measurements over the 12-h period following the morning dose (AUC0–12h) (baseline to week 12; MF/FversusMF to assess effect of F).

The therapeutic effect of MF in the combination was demonstrated by a reduction in asthma deterioration incidence with MF/FversusF and a delayed time to first asthma deterioration (p<0.001). Asthma deterioration incidence was also reduced with MF/FversusMF (p=0.006). The therapeutic effect of F in the combination was demonstrated by MF/FversusMF in FEV1AUC0–12hchange (4.00versus2.53 L·h, respectively; p=0.001). MF/F treatment also resulted in a marked improvement in health-related quality of life.

MF/F 100/10 μgb.i.d.treatment showed greater clinical efficacy than its individual components or placebo; both components contributed to the efficacy of MF/F.
NiO and Co3O4nanoparticles induce lung DTH-like responses and alveolar lipoproteinosis
Authors: Cho W-S. , Duffin R. , Bradley M. , Megson I.L. , MacNee W. , Howie S.E.M. , Donaldson K.
Published: August 2011

Lung exposure to metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) comprising soluble metal haptens may produce T-helper cell type 1 (Th1)- and Th17-associated delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP).

In order to study this, haptenic metal oxide NPs (NiO, Co3O4, Cr2O3and CuO) were instilled into the lungs of female Wistar rats, and the immunoinflammatory responses were assessed at 24 h and 4 weeks post-instillation. Primary culture of alveolar macrophages from Wistar rats was used to evaluate the effect of the NPs on the ability to clear surfactant.

NiO NPs induced chronic interstitial inflammation and pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 immune responses characterised by increases in the cytokines monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1/CCL2, interleukin (IL)-12 p40, interferon-γ and IL-17A, whilst similar pathological responses induced by Co3O4NPs were associated with increases in MCP-1/CCL2 and IL-12 p40. However, neither Cr2O3nor CuO NPs elicited immunoinflammatory reactions. PAP was induced by both NiO and Co3O4NPs during the chronic phase. PAP was associated with over-production of surfactant by proliferation of type II cells and impaired clearance of surfactant by macrophages.

These findings have implications for the risk management of occupational NP exposure and provide evidence that haptenic metal oxide NPs can induce chronic progressive lung immune responsesviaa DTH-like mechanism.