bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical evaluation of the Sorin Xtra® autotransfusion system
Authors: Overdevest EP , Lanen PWJ , Feron JCM , van Hees JWH , Tan MESH
Published: March 2012

The performance of the Sorin Xtra® Autotransfusion System (ATS) was studied in 62 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Blood was collected intraoperatively and washed using three different wash sets in 4 groups. Both collected and washed blood were analysed for hemoglobin levels and hematocrit, concentrations of proteins, albumin, heparin and plasma free hemoglobin (PFH) were determined, erythrocytes, platelets and leukocytes were counted.

Hematocrit measurements of the Xtra® were compared with laboratory measurements to study the accuracy of the Xtra® hematocrit sensor. In addition, the red blood cell recovery rate and elimination rates were calculated to evaluate the clinical performance of the Xtra®.

The Xtra® ATS produced a volume of concentrated red blood cells with an average hematocrit from 58% to 63%, depending on the size of the bowl and the chosen default program. In all bowl sizes and programs, the Xtra® Hct-out measurement underestimated the CELL-DYN measurement by approximately 15%.

The calculated recovery rates for red blood cells (RBC) in the 4 groups ranged from 86.7% to 91.6%. Elimination rates were calculated in each group for proteins (96.8-99.2%), albumin (96.4-98.7%), plasma free hemoglobin (83.6–91.2%), heparin (98.8-99.9%), platelets (82.4-94.3%) and white blood cells (28.6-42.3%).

The Xtra® ATS can be appealing for its performance by producing high hematocrit levels in the washed RBC volume, while keeping RBC recovery rate at the same high level (≈ 90%) as in its predecessor, the Electa® Autotransfusion System.
A general framework for using the rate law to simulate morphological response to disturbance in the fluvial system
Authors: Wu Baosheng , Zheng Shan , Thorne Colin Reginald
Published: March 2012

A general framework for modelling morphological responses to perturbation is proposed, based on the underpinning principle that the rates of morphological response in alluvial channels are initially high and then decrease through time as the system relaxes following disturbance. The framework includes three morphological response models, each developed from the fundamental rate law, which has the form of an exponential decay function. These models consider the possibility that characteristic behaviours of the fluvial system, such as delayed response and/or cumulative effects, may affect morphological responses, making them capable of representing relaxation paths and times for a range of morphological response variables, whatever their initial states. To test their utility, the models in the framework were applied to simulate the sequence of geomorphological responses to disruption observed in selected rivers with well-documented histories of morphological perturbation, adjustment and recovery. The results demonstrate that the models in the general framework can successfully simulate temporal and spatial patterns of morphological response in the fluvial system under a range of different circumstances, while also indicating how their reliability could be further improved.
Corrosion resistance of E6-glass fibre in simulated oilfield environments
Authors: Li Houbu , Zhang Xuemin , Qi Dongtao , Ding Nan , Cai Xuehua
Published: March 2012

In order to understand the corrosion behaviour of E6-glass fibres in oilfield environments, three different oilfield atmospheres were first given. Morphologies and chemical bonding status of the corroded fibres were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results reveal that corrosion of E6-glass fibres in simulated oilfield acidic media can be primarily attributed to the ion exchange mechanism, which is not only controlled by acid concentration, but is also dominated by the formation of complex ions or insoluble salts. The depletion of cations on E6-glass fibre surface can disrupt the continuity of the glass network, thus disturbing the glass structure and therefore reducing the strength of fibres.
Medical and Psychiatric Comorbidities Among Elderly Individuals With Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Lala Sonali V. , Sajatovic Martha
Published: March 2012

Introduction: The common comorbid conditions that accompany late-life bipolar disorder (BD) have not been well studied. This is a literature review on psychiatric and medical comorbidities among elderly individuals with BD. Methods: A focused literature review searched PubMed. Inclusion criteria were original research reports, in English, until June 2009, specifically focused on medical and psychiatric comorbidities in BD individuals over the age of 50. Results: A limited number of studies were identified. Most involved small samples (n < 100). Metabolic syndrome, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, and endocrine abnormalities are common, with patients having an average of 3 to 4 medical comorbid conditions. Approximately 4.5% to 19% of elderly individuals with BD have dementia. Rates of psychiatric comorbidity appear lower than in younger BD populations, with the most common concurrent psychiatric illnesses being anxiety and substance use disorders. Rates of comorbid medical conditions appear similar to rates among geriatric patients without BD. Conclusions: Elderly individuals with BD are burdened by multiple concomitant medical disorders. In contrast to the elevated rates of medical comorbidity, rates of psychiatric comorbidity appear lower in elderly individuals with BD than in younger populations with BD. Greater awareness of concurrent medical conditions might help inform coordinated care that considers both mental and physical health among geriatric patients with BD.
Acute Bipolar I Affective Episode Presentation Across Life Span
Authors: Al Jurdi Rayan K. , Nguyen Quang X. , Petersen Nancy J. , Pilgrim Petra , Gyulai Laszlo , Sajatovic Martha
Published: March 2012

Objectives. There is a paucity of evidence on bipolar I acute symptoms’ presentation in the elderly individuals compared to younger patients. The current literature provides little, and at times conflicting, information on age-related bipolar disorder (BD) symptom presentation. This article aims to compare symptom profile by age group among patients with bipolar I in an acute affective episode as evaluated in outpatient settings. Methods. The current analyses include all Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) participants with a lifetime diagnosis of bipolar I disorder. We compared the presence and severity of acute mood elevation (mania and hypomania) and acute depression symptoms between younger (20-59 years old) and older individuals (older than or equal to 60 years). Results. With the exception of distractibility, all acute depression symptoms presented with comparable frequency and severity between younger and older individuals. No statistical significance was found regarding the presence of psychotic symptoms between the 2 groups, with symptoms reported by 11.2% of younger versus 9.4% older individuals, χ2(1, N = 1541) = 0.03, P = .74. No significant effects were found for mood elevation severity between the 2 age groups. Psychotic symptoms were reported in 12.7% versus 15.2%, χ2 (1, N = 658) = 0.07, P = .65, and irritability in 97.7% versus 97.8%, χ2(1, N = 651) = 0.00, P = 1.00, in the younger and older group, respectively. Conclusion. We found no statistically significant association between age and symptoms presentation of acute depression and mood elevation among patients with BD I. Acute BD I affective states present with similar profile and severity in old and young patients.
Mortality Risk With the Use of Atypical Antipsychotics in Later-Life Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Bhalerao Sachin , Seyfried Lisa S. , Kim Hyungjin Myra , Chiang Claire , Kavanagh Janet , Kales Helen C.
Published: March 2012

Introduction: In recent years, concerns about the use of antipsychotic medications in dementia have grown. There is limited data on mortality risk of atypical antipsychotics for other psychiatric disorders of later life such as bipolar disorder. Methods: Data were derived from the national Department of Veterans Affairs registries for older patients with bipolar disorder (>65 years) with a new start of an atypical antipsychotic (risperidone, olanzapine, or quetiapine) or valproic acid and derivatives during fiscal years 2001-2008. Six-month mortality rates were compared for individual drug groups. Results: The sample included 4717 patients. The risperidone cohort had the highest mortality rate (11.8 per 100 person-years) with the quetiapine and valproic acid cohorts having the lowest (5.3 and 4.6 per 100 person-years, respectively). Various methods to adjust for baseline differences including propensity models showed similar patterns. Conclusions: Among older patients with bipolar disorder, there may be differences in mortality risks among individual antipsychotic agents.
Coenzyme Q10 Effects on Creatine Kinase Activity and Mood in Geriatric Bipolar Depression
Authors: Forester Brent P. , Zuo Chun S. , Ravichandran Caitlin , Harper David G. , Du Fei , Kim Susan , Cohen Bruce M. , Renshaw Perry F.
Published: March 2012

Introduction: Despite the prevalence, associated comorbidities, and functional consequences of bipolar depression (BPD), underlying disease mechanisms remain unclear. Published studies of individuals with bipolar disorder implicate abnormalities in cellular energy metabolism. This study tests the hypotheses that the forward rate constant (kfor) of creatine kinase (CK) is altered in older adults with BPD and that CoEnzyme Q10 (CoQ10), known to have properties that enhance mitochondrial function, increases kfor in elderly individuals with BPD treated with CoQ10 compared with untreated age- and sex-matched controls. Methods: Ten older adults (ages 55 and above) with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition [ DSM IV]) bipolar disorder, current episode depressed and 8 older controls underwent two 4 Tesla 31Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31PMRS) scans 8 weeks apart using a magnetization transfer (MT) acquisition scheme to calculate kfor. The BPD group was treated with open-label CoEnzyme Q10 400 mg/d titrated up by 400 mg/d every 2 weeks to a maximum of 1200 mg/d. The Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was used to measure depression symptom severity. Baseline kfor and changes in kfor were compared between individuals with BPD and controls, not receiving CoQ. Clinical ratings were compared across time and associated with kfor changes using repeated measures linear regression. Results: The kfor of CK was nonsignificantly lower for BPD than healthy controls at baseline (BPD mean (standard deviation [SD]) = 0.19 (0.02), control mean (SD) = 0.20 (0.02), Wilcoxon rank sum exact P = .40). The kfor for both CoQ10-treated BPD and controls increased after 8 weeks (mean increase (SD) = 0.03 (0.04), Wilcoxon signed rank exact P = .01), with no significant difference in 8-week changes between groups (BPD mean change (SD) = 0.03 (0.03), control mean change (SD) = 0.03 (0.05), Wilcoxon rank sum exact P = .91). In an exploratory analysis, depression severity decreased with CoQ10 treatment in the group with BPD ( F3,7 = 4.87, P = .04) with significant reductions in the MADRS at weeks 2 ( t9 = −2.40, P = .04) and 4 ( t9 = −3.80, P = .004). Conclusions: This study employing the novel MRS technique of MT did not demonstrate significance between group differences in the kfor of CK but did observe a trend that would require confirmation in a larger study. An exploratory analysis suggested a reduction in depression symptom severity during treatment with high-dose CoEnzyme Q10 for older adults with BPD. Further studies exploring alterations of high-energy phosphate metabolites in geriatric BPD and efficacy studies of CoQ10 in a randomized controlled trial are both warranted.
The Risk Factors for Elderly Patients With Bipolar Disorder Having Cerebral Infarction
Authors: Huang Shou-Hung , Chung Kuo-Hsuan , Hsu Jung-Lung , Wu Jui-Yu , Huang Yi-Lin , Tsai Shang-Ying
Published: March 2012

Objective: Patients with bipolar disorder are at high risk of developing strokes in the older life. Silent cerebral infarctions (SCIs) could be common in the elderly patients with bipolar disorder, but only small sample size reports are available. The purpose of this study was to assess the proportion of SCIs and determine the risk factors for cerebral infarction in elderly patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: We recruited 43 patients with bipolar disorder over the age of 60 to undergo whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We divided them into 2 groups depending on whether infarction was present, and compared the potential variables of these 2 groups. Results: There were 28 elderly patients with bipolar disorder (65.1%) having MRI-proven cerebral infarction. The SCIs were detected in 59.5% (N = 22) of 37 patients without a history of stroke, including 61.3% of 13 patients with late-onset age (>50 years) and 46.7% of 30 patients with typical-onset age (<50 years). Logistic regression revealed that comorbidity with metabolic diseases (95% confidence interval [CI] for odds ratio [OR] = 1.24-40.59) was most strongly associated with cerebral infarction. The leukocyte counts (95% CI for OR = 1.10-3.93) and fasting blood sugar (95% CI for OR = 1.00-1.07) during the most recent acute psychiatric admission may be substituted as the risk factors. Conclusions: Cerebral infarctions tend to be neglected in more than half of the elderly patients with bipolar disorder, regardless of their age at onset. Metabolic abnormality and systemic inflammation may be the risk factors.
The Effects of Lithium on Renal Function in Older Adults—A Systematic Review
Authors: Rej Soham , Herrmann Nathan , Shulman Kenneth
Published: March 2012

Chronic renal failure (CRF) and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) are potential consequences of chronic lithium use, while acute renal failure (ARF) has been described in lithium intoxication. We performed a systematic review of all studies pertaining to the effects of lithium on the kidney in older adults. The ARF incidence was 1.5% per person-year and concurrent loop diuretic and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use with lithium increased the risk. The CRF prevalence estimates varied from 1.2% to 34%, with risk factors including age, previous lithium intoxication, polyuria, previously impaired renal function, and decreased maximal urine osmolality. The prevalence of NDI varied widely from 1.8%  to 85%. Risk factors included lithium duration, dose, level, slow-release formulation, and clinical nonresponse. Except for amiloride use in NDI, there is little evidence for treatment of other lithium-induced adverse renal effects. Currently, there is no compelling evidence to suggest that lithium should be avoided in elderly patients for fear of renal side effects.
‘Ethnic’ neighbourhoods? Practices of belonging and claims to the city
Authors: Kalandides Ares , Vaiou Dina
Published: March 2012

The formation or consolidation of ‘ethnic’ neighbourhoods in European cities has made ethnic/racial differences more visible in urban space and has brought back to the forefront of both academic and political debate questions about the spatial concentration of ‘strangers’ (segregation), citizenship rights and ‘integration’. The women and men who live in the city have, or may claim, a right to the city that includes on the one hand the right to appropriate urban space and on the other hand the right to participate in its production and in decisions about it but also in (re)defining patterns of living it. In this context, migrants reconfigure the meanings of belonging against dominant spatializations through their everyday practices. Moreover, more or less institutionalized forms of political participation create new spatial levels of citizenship not limited to the scale of the nation-state. Interactions among migrants and locals continuously redefine the subject of rights as they activate processes of access, participation and inclusion/exclusion in/from the urban public sphere. This paper discusses these processes and terms, drawing on examples from Berlin and Athens. We focus in particular on neighbouring as the space and resource of belonging and on how this is related to participation and urban citizenship. The two cities offer different contexts in which institutional policies, informal practices and claims for participation at the neighbourhood level define, in different ways, citizenship as a spatial strategy and help qualify the content of the ‘right to the city’.
Can small regions construct regional advantages? The case of four Norwegian regions
Authors: Isaksen Arne , Karlsen James
Published: March 2012

The conceptual framework of constructing regional advantage (CRA) is implicitly relevant for large, well-off regions that have strong regional innovation systems, a diversity of industrial sectors and resourceful firms that can partake in global knowledge networks. This paper discusses the extent to which small regions, with less developed regional innovation systems, may also constitute the basis for developing regional advantage. Four cases of regional industries dominated by different innovation modes make up the empirical test bed in the paper. The innovation modes are STI (science, technology, innovation), CCI (complex, combined innovation) and DUI (doing, using, interacting). With some reformulations, the CRA framework also is found to represent a useful conceptual construct for small regions. Adapting the CRA framework to small regions involves focusing more on increasing the innovation capabilities at the level of the firm – placing less emphasis on the endogenous capacity of regional innovation systems, but emphasising the importance of experience-based knowledge in local labour markets – and concentrating more on the need for a diversity of knowledge bases at the regional level. Policy lessons for constructing regional advantages in small regions should, in general, consider the upgrading of DUI firms and stimulating extra-regional links.
Outcomes from a regular medication information programme for consumers with a mental illness
Authors: Tran Nga , Castle David
Published: March 2012

Objective: To describe the development of, and outcomes from, a medication information programme facilitated by trained mental health clinicians in an area mental health service.

Method: A step-wise programme entailing: (a) a consumer-led project to determine barriers faced by consumers in acquiring information about medication (Medicine Awareness Project:MAP); (b) the introduction of a weekly medication information forum (MIF) in an acute inpatient service; and (c) the development and roll-out of consumer and carer support materials in community settings.

Results: The MAP survey demonstrated that consumers’ knowledge about and access to standard Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) leaflets was poor and that they perceived a number of barriers in obtaining balanced information about their medication. Nearly half of the respondents preferred information about medications presented in both written and verbal form. Participants in the MIF sessions showed an increase in positive attitudes toward their medication following the forums. These findings brought upon the production of a tailored, consumer and carer-focused resource, which has been widely distributed throughout Australia.

Conclusions: A medication information programme can provide opportunities for mental health consumers and their carers to gain knowledge of psychotropic medications. The use of written and verbal formats enhances the transfer of such information.
Uncertainty in performance for linear and nonlinear energy harvesting strategies
Authors: Mann Brian P , Barton David AW , Owens Benjamin AM
Published: March 2012

Vibrational energy harvesters are often linear mass–spring–damper-type devices, which have their resonant frequency tuned to the dominant vibration frequency of their host environment. As such, they can be highly sensitive to uncertainties, which may arise from the imprecise characterization of the host environment or, alternatively, from manufacturing defects and tolerances. It has previously been claimed that the use of nonlinear energy harvesters may be one way to alleviate the problems of these uncertainties. This article presents a systematic uncertainty propagation study of a prototypical electromagnetic energy harvester. More specifically, the response of a linear harvester in the presence of parametric uncertainty is compared to the response of harvesters containing some common forms of nonlinearity, that is, hardening, softening, or bistability. Analytical solutions are used in combination with presumed levels of parametric uncertainty to quantify the resulting uncertainty in the power output. Consequently, these studies can determine the regions in the parameter space where a nonlinear strategy may outperform a more traditional linear approach.
Pure Pancreatic-Type Acinar Cell Carcinoma of the Stomach
Authors: Coyne John D
Published: March 2012

Acinar cell carcinoma is an uncommon carcinoma of the exocrine pancreas. On very rare occasions it has been reported in ectopic sites, sometimes with, but usually without contiguous heterotopic pancreatic tissue. Whilst mixed and composite glandular tumours have also been described, pure pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinomas arising in the stomach are very rare.
p53 in Pure Epithelioid PEComa
Authors: Bing Zhanyong , Yao Yuan , Pasha Theresa , Tomaszewski John E. , Zhang Paul J.
Published: March 2012

Pure epithelioid PEComa (PEP; so-called epithelioid angiomyolipoma) is rare and is more often associated with aggressive behaviors. The pathogenesis of PEP has been poorly understood. The authors studied p53 expression and gene mutation in PEPs by immunohistochemistry, single-strand conformation polymorphism, and direct sequencing in paraffin material from 8 PEPs. A group of classic angiomyolipomas (AMLs) were also analyzed for comparison. Five PEPs were from kidneys and 1 each from the heart, the liver, and the uterus. PEPs showed much stronger p53 nuclear staining (Allred score 6.4 ± 2.5) than the classic AML (2.3 ± 2.9) ( P < .01). There was no p53 single-strand conformation polymorphism identified in either the PEPs or the 8 classic AMLs. p53 mutation analyses by direct sequencing of exons 5 to 9 showed 4 mutations in 3 of 8 PEPs but none in any of the 8 classic AMLs. The mutations included 2 missense mutations in a hepatic PEComa and 2 silent mutations in 2 renal PEPs. Both the missense mutations in the hepatic PEComa involved the exon 5, one involving codon 165, with change from CAG to CAC (coding amino acid changed from glutamine to histidine), and the other involving codon 182, with change from TGC to TAC (coding amino acid changed from cysteine to tyrosine). The finding of stronger p53 expression and mutations in epithelioid angiomyolipomas might have contributed to their less predictable behavior. However, the abnormal p53 expression cannot be entirely explained by p53 mutations in the exons examined in the PEPs.
Enhancing Ethical Awareness
Authors: Montgomery Diane , Walker Mary
Published: March 2012

As teachers continue professional development throughout their careers to better serve the educational needs of students who are gifted, it becomes apparent that one of the goals is to strive to increase self-awareness of ethical and moral professional decisions and actions. Often, this requires intentional reminders and deliberate work to increase awareness or consciousness to facilitate continual emotional growth. Furthermore, teachers are the mirrors for gifted students as they evaluate their values, actions, civility, and ethics for living and working among others, which is of particular importance in gifted education. The authors present some ways that ethical teaching includes both awareness of the codes of ethics published by professional organizations and the actions to enhance ethical awareness, such as reflective teaching, contemplative practices, and proactive ethical classrooms.
Adaptive Teaching in Literacy Instruction
Authors: Parsons Seth A.
Published: March 2012

Researchers frequently suggest that effective teachers adapt their teaching to navigate the complexity of classroom literacy instruction. However, little research has examined how teachers adapt their instruction, teachers’ reflections on their adaptations, or the instructional conditions in which they adapt. To address this gap in the research literature, the study reported here used instrumental case studies to examine two third grade teachers’ literacy instruction. Specifically, this study explored teachers’ adaptations, their reflections on adapting, and the openness of the tasks they implemented. Observations and interviews illustrated the metacognition teachers use to adapt their instruction within the complexity of classroom instruction. Moreover, findings revealed that teachers adapted with greater frequency when using open tasks.
Collaborative Peer Video Analysis
Authors: Christ Tanya , Arya Poonam , Chiu Ming Ming
Published: March 2012

This mixed-methods study explored (a) the purposes for which teachers selected video clips of their own literacy teaching and assessment practices to share and discuss with peers, (b) how these purposes were related to the content of the discussions, and (c) what variables were related to teachers’ generation of new ideas and future actions that they considered. Data included 39 transcribed video events, in which 14 in-service teachers engaged in discussions of their video clips. Emergent coding and constant comparative method were used for analyses. The authors found three purposes for sharing clips—explicit problems, implicit problems, and successes. Three issues were addressed—methods/materials, reader engagement, and reader processes. Six themes described how teachers’ purposes were related to their discussion content. First, sharing one problem led to one conversational focus. Second, sharing multiple problems led to multiple conversational foci. Third, sharing a problem and then a success resulted in peers focusing on the success. Fourth, sharing a success and then a problem resulted in peers focusing on the problem. Fifth, sharing a success related to methods/materials or reader engagement bred peers’ interest in how to apply these ideas to their own practice. Sixth, sharing a success related to reader processing led to peers focusing on other issues in the video. Based on the statistical model, teachers’ generation of new ideas was related to purposes and issues for clip sharing, and future actions considered were related to the clip type (instructional clips yielded more future actions).
When Suffering Begets Suffering
Authors: Noor Masi , Shnabel Nurit , Halabi Samer , Nadler Arie
Published: March 2012

Inter-group competitive victimhood (CV) describes the efforts of members of groups involved in violent conflicts to establish that their group has suffered more than their adversarial group. Such efforts contribute to conflicts’ escalation and impede their peaceful resolution. CV stems from groups’ general tendency to compete with each other, along with the deep sense of victimization resulting from conflicts. The authors point to biases that contribute to groups’ engagement in CV, describe five dimensions of victimhood over which groups may compete, and contend that such competition serves various functions that contribute to the maintenance of conflicts. Drawing on the Needs-Based Model, they suggest that CV may reflect groups’ motivations to restore power or moral acceptance. They then review evidence of the negative consequences of CV for inter-group forgiveness and suggest potential strategies to reduce CV. Finally, the authors discuss potential moderators and directions for future research.
Tribocorrosion reactions between metal-on-metal and metal-on-polymer surfaces for total hip replacement
Authors: Hesketh James , Hu Xinming , Dowson Duncan , Neville Anne
Published: March 2012

The open circuit potential and linear polarisation resistance were measured during pin-on-plate tribometer tests for three different total hip replacement bearing material combinations in 0.35% NaCl and bovine serum solutions. In addition, surface analysis was performed using laser interferometry and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the level of tribologically enhanced corrosion taking place at the bearing surface was substantially higher for metal-on-metal tribocouples than metal-on-polymer ones. Tribological depassivation may be reduced by the presence of organic boundary lubricants.
Bearing torque characteristics of lithium soap greases with some synthetic base oils
Authors: Oikawa Eri , Inami Noriyuki , Hokao Michita , Yokouchi Atsushi , Sugimura Joichi
Published: March 2012

This article describes the influence of rheological properties on the bearing torque characteristics of the lithium soap greases with five types of base oils. The greases used had different yield stress depending on the base oils even with the same thickener concentration. Measurement of bearing torque was conducted for a deep-groove radial ball bearing by using a bearing test apparatus. The bearings filled with greases initially exhibited high torque but showed gradual decrease in the torque with prolonged rotation, where the greases with higher yield stress showed larger normalized torque decrease. Observation of bearing after the rotation revealed a tendency that the greases with larger normalized torque decrease had been pushed aside in the raceway by channeling. This implied that the greases with higher yield stress tended to show channeling. On the other hand, the greases with lower yield stress circulated within the bearing by churning and showed smaller normalized torque decrease. These behaviors were explained in terms of the yield stress of the greases and the shear stress to entrain the greases into the contacts. Observation of grease structure was made with atomic force microscopy showed that the greases whose thickener network structure was distributed more densely had higher yield stress.
Discharge petitions and the conditional nature of agenda control in the U.S. House of Representatives
Authors: Miller Susan M , Overby L. Marvin
Published: March 2012

While complementary in many ways, the cartel and the conditional party government (CPG) theories of legislative party power have disparate expectations for the stability of the majority party’s negative agenda control. Cartel theorists contend that negative agenda control is relatively constant over time, while CPG proponents suggest that this type of veto power varies with intra-party preference cohesion and inter-party preference distinction. In this article, we enter this debate by considering an alternative and under-explored indicator of negative agenda control: participation in discharge petition efforts. Our findings demonstrate the instability of the majority party’s ability to control discharge efforts, with majority party (co)sponsors showing a significantly greater likelihood of ‘waffling’ during periods of stronger party unity and more vigorous leadership power.
The agonistic turn of critical reason
Authors: Kioupkiolis Alexandros
Published: March 2012

Straddling the divide between universalism and relativism, agonistic reason as construed by Foucault and Castoriadis dismisses universal foundations without becoming context-bound or inescapably subjectivist. It is propelled by a strong commitment to freedom and it draws flexibly on available resources and its creative potentials in order to vindicate its conditional claims. This provides a hyper-critical and liberating mode of critical reason which delves into the underlying norms of agency in order to open them up to question and to enhance free self-direction. The argument that is put forward, then, is threefold. Firstly, Castoriadis’ accent on ontological reflection, the imaginative disclosure of new figures and the global intent of critique contrasts with Foucault’s account of agonistic reason and yields a more robust version of critical rationality. Secondly, this form of reflective agonism can effectively address fundamental challenges and reason across contexts, tackling moral and other issues that arise from cultural innovation and exchange. Lastly, agonistic reason need not, and should not, call upon absolute principles on any level in order to uphold its own values and do justice to its radical others.
Castoriadis at the limits of autonomy? Ecological worldhood and the hermeneutic of modernity
Authors: Adams Suzi
Published: March 2012

This article critically engages with Castoriadis’s elucidation of autonomy. It does so by taking into account the implications of Castoriadis’s enduring interest in the ecological devastation of the natural world, on the one hand, and the changing configuration of his philosophical anthropology, on the other—especially in regard to his reconsideration of the creativity of nature in the 1980s and the reconfiguration of the nomos and physis problematic. It contextualizes these movements in his thought within a broader hermeneutic of modernity that, following Johann Arnason, emphasizes the cultural currents of both Romanticism and the Enlightenment as constitutive of modernity as a field of tensions. In an extension of Arnason’s elaboration, however, the present article argues that a latent opening towards an ecological worldhood is implicit to Castoriadis’s hermeneutic of modernity that, conversely, also finds Castoriadis at the limits of autonomy.
New individualist configurations and the social imaginary
Authors: Elliott Anthony
Published: March 2012

The broad purpose of this article is to explore the theoretical conditions for understanding the new individualist configurations of imagination and identity in contemporary culture and critical discourse.  The article begins with a sketch of recent debates in social theory on identity, individualization and new individualism, focusing on the work of Giddens, Beck, and Bauman, as well as Lemert and Elliott.  The second part of the article turns to consider, in some detail, the path breaking contributions of Cornelius Castoriadis on the demise of the social imaginary in conditions of advanced capitalism or what he termed the spread of ‘generalized conformism’.  Whilst making the argument that the notion of ‘generalized conformism’ is of key importance in grasping the subjective and cultural dynamics promoted by the global electronic economy, the article also underscores the limitations of Castoriadis’s psychoanalytic and political position.  The third section of the article offers a pathway beyond such constraint by examining the recent social-theoretical contributions of Julia Kristeva on ‘new maladies of the soul’.  Like Castoriadis, Kristeva focuses on the atrophy of imagination in contemporary times, but does so from a more complex psychoanalytic prism.  The article concludes that the work of both Castoriadis and Kristeva are essential to grasping contemporary shifts in the new individualism.
You do what you have to do? Salience and territorial interest representation in EU environmental affairs
Authors: Tatham Michaël
Published: March 2012

Although the determinants of territorial mobilization at the level of the European Union (EU) have been examined since the 1990s, the analysis of the interaction between regional and state interest representation has been rather neglected. This article focuses on a single policy area – environmental affairs – in order to evaluate the impact of policy-specific preference intensity (salience) on state–region relationships in Brussels. Using original survey data, I demonstrate that greater salience tends to increase cooperative interest representation and to decrease state-bypassing interest representation. This finding shows how important salience configurations are in the strategic interactions between state and non-state players in the EU arena.
Reliability and Validity of the Hands-Up Survey in Assessing Commuting to School in New Zealand Elementary School Children
Authors: de Wit Babet , Loman Karen , Faithfull Kara , Hinckson Erica A.
Published: March 2012

The decrease in physical activity time in and out of school increases the need for active commuting. School travel plan programs have been used internationally to increase active commuting in elementary school children. However, little research has been conducted in the reliability and validity of travel survey instruments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability and validity of the Hands-Up survey to assess active commuting to school from a random sample of children within the Auckland region, New Zealand. Test–retest reliability and criterion validity of travel modes were determined in 118 elementary school children in the Auckland region. The survey tool consisted of one question on commuting to school. Test–retest reliability and validity were evaluated using kappa coefficients. The level of agreement between the children’s responses (κ = .96, 95% confidence interval = 0.92-1.00) and between children’s and parents’ (κ = .91, 95% confidence interval = 0.85-0.98) were almost perfect. The Hands-Up survey is a valid and reliable tool to determine travel mode to school among elementary school children.
Sexual Health
Authors: Oliver Vanessa , Cheff Rebecca
Published: March 2012

Recent statistics indicate limited condom use, high STI (sexually transmitted infection) rates, and a general lack of knowledge about reproductive and sexual health among homeless youth. This research focuses on the experiences of homeless female and transgendered youth, providing an insider’s perspective on shaping sexual health interventions. This qualitative research is based on life history interviews and participant observation with eight homeless young women who reflect the diversity of the homeless population in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their particularized sexual experiences and health-seeking behaviors illustrate the range of issues faced by this community, speaking to the efficacy of current health promotion strategies. Too often faced with judgmental health and social service providers who they perceive to undermine their agency and empowerment, these women highlight the challenges they face when seeking sexual and reproductive health services and information. In addition to speaking to the struggles and frustrations they face in regard to their sexual health and the services with which they choose to interact, the women provide suggestions for improved care. From these, the authors include key recommendations for the provision of culturally competent, sex-positive, and nonjudgmental health services with the hope that health practitioners and promoters can learn from these experiences, both positive and negative, when caring for and supporting young women living in exceptional circumstances.
Development of a Questionnaire on Everyday Navigational Ability to Assess Topographical Disorientation in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Pai Ming-Chyi , Lee Chih-Chien , Yang Ya-Chi , Lee Yen-Ti , Chen Kuang-Chi , Lin Shu-Han , Jheng Sheng-Siang , Sun Pei-Wen , Cheng Pei-Ju
Published: March 2012

We developed a Questionnaire on Everyday Navigational Ability (QuENA) to detect topographical disorientation (TD) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (PwAD). In the QuENA, 3 items were designed to assess landmark agnosia, 2 for egocentric disorientation, 3 for heading disorientation, and 2 for inattention. The PwAD and their caregivers rated QuENA according to which TD symptoms would occur. Regarding the construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the caregiver version of the QuENA fits the proposed TD model well but the patient version does not. Regarding the internal consistency, the Cronbach’s α for the caregiver version was 0.91 and that for the patient version was 0.87. A discrepancy existed between the appraisal of navigational abilities by PwAD and by caregivers, and it was correlated with the number of getting lost (GL) events. The caregiver version of QuENA is a feasible, reliable, and valid instrument to assess TD and it also discriminates well between the PwAD with GL and those without.
Getting on top through mass murder: Narrative, metaphor, and violence
Authors: Presser Lois
Published: March 2012

This paper makes a case for narrative criminology by describing the storied nature of mass murder by Jim David Adkisson in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Drawing on interviews with and writings by David, I suggest that his narrated identity was central to his violence. The ways in which he conjured himself, his personal and political situation, and despised others, animated his felt compulsion to do harm. In David’s story he simultaneously asserted (1) the license to harm and thus triumph over a depersonalized enemy and (2) harm’s inevitability. A narrative approach can explain the particulars of crime including its particular seductions.
Uncovering the French-speaking jihadisphere: An exploratory analysis
Authors: Ducol Benjamin
Published: March 2012

Terrorist groups have exploited the internet and other information technologies to advance their strategies since the mid-1990s. Violent jihadi groups are no exception. They have located the internet at the core of their media strategies, which has given birth to a vibrant global jihadisphere: an online community of militants and sympathizers united by their common adherence to a global Salafi jihadi ideology. Not only do jihadi groups devote increasing energy to attempting to connect with global audiences, but jihadi sympathizers from all around the world are more involved than ever in widening the spread of jihadi online content through para-personal media. The expanding use of non-Arabic languages such as French, English, German, Russian and Dutch by jihadi groups and ideologues has not yet been adequately examined in the academic literature. This article represents a preliminary effort at delineating the nature of the French-speaking jihadisphere, including discussion of the major websites and forums composing it, the real and virtual links between these, and how forum users originally learned of the forums’ existence.
What’s love got to do with it? Framing ‘JihadJane’ in the US press
Authors: Conway Maura , McInerney Lisa
Published: March 2012

The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast the US press coverage accorded to female terrorist plotter, Colleen LaRose, with that of two male terrorist plotters in order to test whether assertions in the academic literature regarding media treatment of women terrorists stand up to empirical scrutiny. The authors employed TextSTAT software to generate frequency counts of all words contained in 150 newspaper reports on their three subjects and then slotted relevant terms into categories fitting the commonest female terrorist frames, as identified by Nacos’s article in Studies in Conflict and Terrorism (2005). The authors’ findings confirm that women involved in terrorism receive significantly more press coverage and are framed vastly differently in the US press than their male counterparts.
Arthroscopic Delivery of Matrix-Induced Autologous Chondrocyte Implant
Authors: Cortese Fabrizio , McNicholas Michael , Janes Greg , Gillogly Scott , Abelow Stephen P. , Gigante Antonio , Coletti Nicolò
Published: March 2012

Objective:

To identify consensus recommendations for the arthroscopic delivery of the matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implant.

Design:

An invited panel was assembled on November 20 and 21, 2009 as an international advisory board in Zurich, Switzerland, to discuss and identify best practices for the arthroscopic delivery of matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation.

Results:

Arthroscopic matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation is suitable for patients 18 to 55 years of age who have symptomatic, contained chondral lesions of the knee with normal or corrected alignment and stability. This technical note describes consensus recommendations of the international advisory board for the technique of arthroscopic delivery of the matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implant.

Conclusions:

Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation can be further improved by arthroscopic delivery that does not require special instrumentation. In principle, arthroscopic versus open procedures of delivery of the matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implant are less invasive and may potentially result in less postoperative pain, less surgical site morbidity, and faster surgical recovery. Long-term studies are needed to confirm these assumptions as well as the efficacy and safety of this arthroscopic approach.
Experimental and statistical analysis of the effects of the processing parameters on the seal strength of heat sealed, biaxially oriented polypropylene film for flexible food packaging applications
Authors: Aiyengar Rajarajan , Divecha Jyoti
Published: March 2012

Seal strength is an important quality parameter for packaged products such as biaxially oriented polypropylene films. The seal quality can be insured and maintained under optimum heat sealing process parameters. This article shows that heat seal strength can be optimized through simultaneous study of dwell time, pressure, and temperature. The heat seal strength optimization trial for 18 µm thick untreated, both sides sealable biaxially oriented polypropylene film utilized response surface methods with a replicated central composite statistical experimental design. This gives a second-order model for heat seal strength. This experiment showed that dwell time, temperature, and their interaction have significant effects and that high seal strength is attained at a dwell time of 0.9 s and temperature 120°C.
Regulation of ENaC-mediated alveolar fluid clearance by insulin via PI3K/Akt pathway in LPS-induced acute lung injury
Authors: Deng Wang , Li Chang-Yi , Tong Jin , Zhang Wei , Wang Dao-Xin
Published: March 2012

Background

Stimulation of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) increases Na+ transport, a driving force of alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) to keep alveolar spaces free of edema fluid that is beneficial for acute lung injury (ALI). It is well recognized that regulation of ENaC by insulin via PI3K pathway, but the mechanism of this signaling pathway to regulate AFC and ENaC in ALI remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of insulin on AFC in ALI and clarify the pathway in which insulin regulates the expression of ENaC in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

A model of ALI (LPS at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg) with non-hyperglycemia was established in Sprague-Dawley rats receiving continuous exogenous insulin by micro-osmotic pumps and wortmannin. The lungs were isolated for measurement of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF), total lung water content(TLW), and AFC after ALI for 8 hours. Alveolar epithelial type II cells were pre-incubated with LY294002, Akt inhibitor and SGK1 inhibitor 30 minutes before insulin treatment for 2 hours. The expressions of α-,β-, and γ-ENaC were detected by immunocytochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting.

Results

In vivo, insulin decreased TLW, enchanced AFC, increased the expressions of α-,β-, and γ-ENaC and the level of phosphorylated Akt, attenuated lung injury and improved the survival rate in LPS-induced ALI, the effects of which were blocked by wortmannin. Amiloride, a sodium channel inhibitor, significantly reduced insulin-induced increase in AFC. In vitro, insulin increased the expressions of α-,β-, and γ-ENaC as well as the level of phosphorylated Akt but LY294002 and Akt inhibitor significantly prevented insulin-induced increase in the expression of ENaC and the level of phosphorylated Akt respectively. Immunoprecipitation studies showed that levels of Nedd4-2 binding to ENaC were decreased by insulin via PI3K/Akt pathway.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that insulin alleviated pulmonary edema and enhanced AFC by increasing the expression of ENaC that dependent upon PI3K/Akt pathway by inhibition of Nedd4-2.