bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Andrographolide‐Induced Platelet Apoptosis in Human Platelets: Regulatory Roles of the Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
Authors: Lien Li‐Ming , Su Cheng‐Chen , Hsu Wen‐Hsien , Lu Wan‐Jung , Chung Chi‐Li , Yen Ting‐Lin , Chiu Hou‐Chang , Sheu Joen‐Rong , Lin Kuan‐Hung
Published: January 2013

Andrographolide, a novel nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) inhibitor, is isolated from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata. Platelet activation is relevant to a variety of coronary heart diseases. Our recent studies revealed that andrographolide possesses potent antiplatelet activity by inhibition of the p38 MAPK/●HO‐NF‐κB‐ERK2 cascade. Although platelets are anucleated cells, apoptotic machinery apparatus recently has been found to regulate platelet activation and limit platelet lifespan. Therefore, we further investigated the regulatory effects of andrographolide on platelet apoptotic events. In this study, apoptotic signaling events for caspase‐3, ‐8, and Bid were time (10–60 min)‐ and dose (25–100 μΜ)‐dependently activated by andrographolide in human platelets. Andrographolide could also disrupt mitrochondrial membrane potential. In addition, caspase‐8 inhibitor (z‐IETD‐fmk, 50 μΜ) was found to reverse andrographolide‐induced caspase‐8 activation, whereas the antagonistic anti‐Fas receptor (ZB4, 500 ng/mL) and anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐R1 (H398, 10 µg/mL) monoclonal antibodies did not. In conclusion, this study for the first time demonstrated that andrographolide might limit platelet lifespan by initiating the caspase‐8‐dependent extrinsic apoptotic pathway, in spite of no direct evidence that death receptors are involved in this process proved. Overall, the various medicinal properties of andrographolide suggest its potential value in treating patients with thromboembolic disorders. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Density functional study of platinum polyyne monomer, oligomer, and polymer: Ground state geometrical and electronic structures
Authors: Motaghiani Shahram , Mirabbaszadeh Kavoos
Published: January 2013

Geometries of monomers and oligomers of a platinum polyyne and its free ligands were optimized using density functional theory with B3LYP hybrid functional. The LANL2DZ basis set was used for Pt and the 6‐31G* for other atoms in geometry optimizations. The electronic structures of these compounds were analyzed using Stuttgart/Dresden ECPs (SDD) basis set for metal atoms and 6‐311G* for others. The polymerization has very little effect on the bond lengths and by introducing the metal, the acetylide bond length increases slightly. The strong overlap between metal spx orbitals and σpx orbitals of acetylides results in localized σ bonding. The hybridization between the ligand pπ orbitals and the platinum dπ orbital resulted in the π‐conjugation enhancement. This conjugation enhancement causes some effects such as the highest‐occupied molecular orbital–lowest‐unoccupied molecular orbital gap reduction and charge transfer characteristic of low‐energy vertical transitions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reply on “comment on ‘statistical physics of a mesoscopic fermion system inside a rectangular box’”
Authors: Lungu Radu P.
Published: January 2013

This is the reply on the comment written by M. Toutounji, concerning the paper R. P. Lungu Statistical physics of a mesoscopic fermion system inside a rectangular box, Int. J. Quant. Chem., doi: 10.1002/qua.24128 (2013). © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Enforcing Luminescence at Organic Nanointerfaces: Luminescence Spatial Confinement and Amplification in Molecular‐Based Core–Shell Nanoparticles
Authors: Campioli Elisa , Rouxel Cédric , Campanini Marco , Nasi Lucia , Blanchard‐Desce Mireille , Terenziani Francesca
Published: January 2013

Fully organic core–shell nanoparticles that promote luminescence spatial confinement and enhancement at the core–shell nanointerface are designed and prepared. These molecular‐based bicomponent nanostructures give rise to very efficient directional excitation energy transfer from the shell to acceptor molecules in the core located at the core–shell nanointerface. A striking luminescence enhancement is observed with respect to the corresponding single‐component nanoparticles, which is ascribed to large local electric fields generated at the nanointerface between the polarizable molecular core and shell.
Experimental methods in studying child language acquisition
Authors: Ambridge Ben , Rowland Caroline F.
Published: January 2013

This article reviews the some of the most widely used methods used for studying children's language acquisition including (1) spontaneous/naturalistic, diary, parental report data, (2) production methods (elicited production, repetition/elicited imitation, syntactic priming/weird word order), (3) comprehension methods (act‐out, pointing, intermodal preferential looking, looking while listening, conditioned head turn preference procedure, functional neuroimaging) and (4) judgment methods (grammaticality/acceptability judgments, yes‐no/truth‐value judgments). The review outlines the types of studies and age‐groups to which each method is most suited, as well as the advantage and disadvantages of each. We conclude by summarising the particular methodological considerations that apply to each paradigm and to experimental design more generally. These include (1) choosing an age‐appropriate task that makes communicative sense (2) motivating children to co‐operate, (3) choosing a between‐/within‐subjects design, (4) the use of novel items (e.g., novel verbs), (5) fillers, (6) blocked, counterbalanced and random presentation, (7) the appropriate number of trials and participants, (8) drop‐out rates (9) the importance of control conditions, (10) choosing a sensitive dependent measure (11) classification of responses, and (12) using an appropriate statistical test. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:149–168. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1215

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Language
Can a systems biology approach unlock the mysteries of Kawasaki disease?
Authors: Rowley Anne H.
Published: January 2013

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic inflammatory illness of childhood that particularly affects the coronary arteries. It can lead to coronary artery aneurysms, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Clinical and epidemiologic data support an infectious cause, and the etiology remains unknown, but recent data support infection with a ‘new’ virus. Genetic factors influence KD susceptibility; the incidence is 10‐fold higher in children of Asian when compared with Caucasian ethnicity. Recent research has identified genes affecting immune response that are associated with KD susceptibility and outcome. A re‐examination of the pathologic features of KD has yielded a three process model of KD vasculopathy, providing a framework for understanding the KD arterial immune response and the damage it inflicts and for identifying new therapeutic targets for KD patients with coronary artery abnormalities. The researcher is faced with many challenges in determining the pathogenesis of KD. A systems biology approach incorporating genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and microbial bioinformatics analysis of high‐throughput sequence data from KD tissues could provide the keys to unlocking the mysteries of this potentially fatal illness of childhood. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2013, 5:221–229. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1202

This article is categorized under:

Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease

Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine > Translational Medicine
Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity of Dicarbene Dipalladium Complexes
Authors: Li Yunfei , Yang Longguang , Chen Qian , Cao Changsheng , Guan Pei , Pang Guangsheng , Shi Yanhui
Published: January 2013

A series of imidazole‐based and benzimidazole‐based di‐NHC dipalladium complexes with alkyl bridges of different chain lengths were prepared. All complexes were fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The crystal structures of three complexes were determined by X‐ray diffraction. X‐ray studies show the length of linker effects the solid structure of these complexes and π–π stacking plays an important role for the configuration of NHC‐Pd‐Py subunits. The activity of NHC‐palladium complexes was investigated in the mono‐ and double‐Heck reactions, and the imidazole‐based palladium complex bearing the shortest ethylene bridge shows the best activity and selectivity in both reactions.
Influence of Cation Size on the Co‐crystallisation of Benzoic Acid with Different Benzoates
Authors: Butterhof Christian , Milius Wolfgang , Breu Josef
Published: January 2013

In the pharmaceutical industry many new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are marketed as carboxylic salts because of enhanced solubility and dissolution rates. These salts are, however, often hard to crystallise and/or exhibit a low degree of crystallinity. The reason may be the largely differing sizes of cation and anion. One way out of the resulting “coordination dilemma“ is the formation of co‐crystals of the salt with its neutral acid which delivers additional coordination sites for the cation. In this line, the crystal structure of a new co‐crystal of benzoic acid (HBz) and lithium benzoate (LiBz) with composition 1HBz·1LiBz was determined and was compared to published ionic co‐crystals of other alkali salts with respect to the structure determining criteria: coordination number of the cation, ratio of HBz:Bz–, mode of coordination of the carboxylic groups (mono‐ or bidentate), and connectivity (edge‐ or corner‐sharing) between neighbouring polyhedra. The new crystal structure is closely related to form A of 2HBz·1NaBz. Both crystal structures contain dimers with shared edges which are further connected by bridging bidentate ligands to tapes.
A note on the eigenvectors of long-range spin chains and their scalar products
Authors: Serban Didina
Published: January 2013

Abstract

In this note, we propose an expression for the eigenvectors and scalar products for a class of spin chains with long-range interaction and su(2) symmetry. This class includes the Inozemtsev spin chain as well as the BDS spin chain, which is a reduction of the one-dimensional Hubbard model at half-filling to the spin sector. The proposal is valid for large spin chains and is based on the construction of the monodromy matrix using the Dunkl operators. For the Inozemtsev model these operators are known explicitly. This construction gives in particular the eigenvectors of (an operator closely related to) the dilatation operator of the
$ \mathcal{N}=4 $
gauge theory in the su(2) sector up to three-loop order, as well as their scalar products. We suggest how this will affect the expression for the quasi classical limit of the three-point functions obtained by I. Kostov and how to include the all-loop interaction.
Jet coherence in QCD media: the antenna radiation spectrum
Authors: Mehtar-Tani Yacine , Tywoniuk Konrad
Published: January 2013

Abstract

We study the radiation of a highly energetic partonic antenna in a colored state traversing a dense QCD medium. Resumming multiple scatterings of all involved constituents with the medium we derive the general gluon spectrum which encompasses both longitudinal color coherence between scattering centers in the medium, responsible for the well known Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal (LPM) effect, and transverse color coherence between partons inside a jet, leading, in vacuum, to angular ordering of the parton shower. We discuss shortly the onset of transverse decoherence which is reached in opaque media. In this regime, the spectrum consists of independent radiation off the antenna constituents.
A New Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial Methodology for Latent Category Identification
Authors: Blanchard Simon J. , DeSarbo Wayne S.
Published: January 2013

We introduce a new statistical procedure for the identification of unobserved categories that vary between individuals and in which objects may span multiple categories. This procedure can be used to analyze data from a proposed sorting task in which individuals may simultaneously assign objects to multiple piles. The results of a synthetic example and a consumer psychology study involving categories of restaurant brands illustrate how the application of the proposed methodology to the new sorting task can account for a variety of categorization phenomena including multiple category memberships and for heterogeneity through individual differences in the saliency of latent category structures.
Clinical verification in homeopathy and allergic conditions
Authors: Van Wassenhoven Michel
Published: January 2013

Background:
The literature on clinical research in allergic conditions treated with homeopathy includes a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) for hay fever with positive conclusions and two positive RCTs in asthma. Cohort surveys using validated Quality of Life questionnaires have shown improvement in asthma in children, general allergic conditions and skin diseases. Economic surveys have shown positive results in eczema, allergy, seasonal allergic rhinitis, asthma, food allergy and chronic allergic rhinitis.

Aims:
This paper reports clinical verification of homeopathic symptoms in all patients and especially in various allergic conditions in my own primary care practice.

Results:
For preventive treatments in hay fever patients, Arsenicum album was the most effective homeopathic medicine followed by Nux vomica, Pulsatilla pratensis, Gelsemium, Sarsaparilla, Silicea and Natrum muriaticum. For asthma patients, Arsenicum iodatum appeared most effective, followed by Lachesis, Calcarea arsenicosa, Carbo vegetabilis and Silicea. For eczema and urticaria, Mezereum was most effective, followed by Lycopodium, Sepia, Arsenicum iodatum, Calcarea carbonica and Psorinum.

Conclusions:
The choice of homeopathic medicine depends on the presence of other associated symptoms and ‘constitutional’ features. Repertories should be updated by including results of such clinical verifications of homeopathic prescribing symptoms.
Brugada syndrome in the presence of coronary artery disease
Authors: Ohkubo Kimie , Watanabe Ichiro , Okumura Yasuo , Kofune Masayoshi , Nagashima Koichi , Mano Hiroaki , Sonoda Kazumasa , Kogawa Rikitake , Sasaki Naoko , Nakai Toshiko , Kunimoto Satoshi , Kasamaki Yuji , Hirayama Atsushi
Published: January 2013

Background

Brugada‐type ECG changes have been described in association with various cardiac disease states including electrolyte abnormalities, myocardial pathologies, and mechanical cardiac abnormalities as well as drug therapies with particular medications. Such potential confounding factors make it difficult to diagnose Brugada syndrome on the basis of standard guidelines.

Methods

To investigate the incidence of significant coronary artery disease in patients with Brugada‐type ECG, coronary angiography was performed in 55 patients with Brugada‐type ECGs.

Results

Five of the 55 patients (9%) had significant coronary artery stenosis, and 3 out of these 5 were asymptomatic. Patients with coronary artery disease were older than in those without coronary artery disease (59.4±7.2 years vs. 49.0±13.8 years, P=0.03). An electrophysiological study was performed in 4 of the 5 patients, and ventricular fibrillation was induced in all 4.

Conclusions

We conclude that patients with Brugada‐type ECGs should be evaluated for coronary artery disease, and this is especially important for patients in whom age could be a risk factor for the disease.
Equidistribution results for geodesic flows
Authors: AMROUN ABDELHAMID
Published: January 2013

Using the works of Mañé [On the topological entropy of the geodesic flows.J. Differential Geom.45(1989), 74–93] and Paternain [Topological pressure for geodesic flows.Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér.(4)33(2000), 121–138] we study the distribution of geodesic arcs with respect to equilibrium states of the geodesic flow on a closed manifold, equipped with a$\mathcal {C}^{\infty }$Riemannian metric. We prove large-deviation lower and upper bounds and a contraction principle for the geodesic flow in the space of probability measures of the unit tangent bundle. We deduce a way of approximating equilibrium states for continuous potentials.
Scattering rigidity with trapped geodesics
Authors: CROKE CHRISTOPHER
Published: January 2013

We prove that the flat product metric on ${D}^{n} \times {S}^{1} $ is scattering rigid where ${D}^{n} $ is the unit ball in ${ \mathbb{R} }^{n} $ and $n\geq 2$. The scattering data (loosely speaking) of a Riemannian manifold with boundary is the map $S: {U}^{+ } \partial M\rightarrow {U}^{- } \partial M$ from unit vectors $V$ at the boundary that point inward to unit vectors at the boundary that point outwards. The map (where defined) takes $V$ to ${ \gamma }_{V}^{\prime } ({T}_{0} )$ where ${\gamma }_{V} $ is the unit speed geodesic determined by $V$ and ${T}_{0} $ is the first positive value of $t$ (when it exists) such that ${\gamma }_{V} (t)$ again lies in the boundary. We show that any other Riemannian manifold $(M, \partial M, g)$ with boundary $\partial M$ isometric to $\partial ({D}^{n} \times {S}^{1} )$ and with the same scattering data must be isometric to ${D}^{n} \times {S}^{1} $. This is the first scattering rigidity result for a manifold that has a trapped geodesic. The main issue is to show that the unit vectors tangent to trapped geodesics in $(M, \partial M, g)$ have measure zero in the unit tangent bundle.
THE TOP LEFT DERIVED FUNCTORS OF THE GENERALISED -ADIC COMPLETION
Authors: NAM TRAN TUAN
Published: January 2013

We study the top left derived functors of the generalised $I$-adic completion and obtain equivalent properties concerning the vanishing or nonvanishing of the modules ${L}_{i} {\Lambda }_{I} (M, N)$. We also obtain some results for the sets $\text{Coass} ({L}_{i} {\Lambda }_{I} (M; N))$ and ${\text{Cosupp} }_{R} ({ H}_{i}^{I} (M; N))$.
Colonial Population and the Idea of Development
Authors: Iyer Samantha
Published: January 2013

This article traces the shift in demographic thought from the Malthusian framework that predominated in English-language political economic writings of the nineteenth century to demographic transition theory, which prevailed by the mid-twentieth century. An analysis of demographic theory offers particular insights onto the intellectual history of development because the question of population served as the point of departure for various development theories. While the scholarly literature on U.S. development ideas and projects has grown increasingly rich and sophisticated in recent decades, it remains wedded to the notion that there was a stark rupture between American development theory and the conditions in and relationships to the underdeveloped world that it sought to describe. This belief threatens to trivialize the significance of violent economic, environmental, and political circumstances that made development a useful lens of interpretation. Focusing especially on ideas about India, this article examines how, in an era of economic crises, intellectual and political exchange between British colonial, Indian nationalist, and American thinkers concerning the problems of disease, famine, and immigration enabled a transformation in demographic thinking. The concept of development did not simply diffuse from the West to the Rest. Global conflict and dialogue—both between and within empires—enabled its emergence such that, by the early 1950s, peoples in various parts of the world had already taken the ideal of development for granted.
“To persuade them into speech and action”: Oratory and the Tamil Political, Madras, 1905–1919
Authors: Bate Bernard
Published: January 2013

All the elements of twentieth-century politics in Tamilnadu cohere in 1918–1919: human and natural rights, women's rights, the labor movement, linguistic nationalism, and even the politics of caste reservation. Much has been written of how this politics was mediated by newspapers, handbills, and chapbooks, and the dominant narrative of such events privileges the circulation of print and print culture of vernacular language. This paper explores the relatively lesser-known story of the role and impact of vernacular oratory on the development of the mass political in Tamilnadu from the Swadeshi movement (1905–1908) to the formation of labor unions (1917–1919), and the explicit attempt to persuade non-elites into speech, action, and ultimately politics. I argue that Tamil oratory was an infrastructural element in the production of the political, at least the political as we understand it in twentieth-century Tamilnadu, where oratory became the defining activity of political practice. When elites made the conscious move to begin addressing the common man, when Everyman was called to join into the political, a new agency was formed along with a new definition of what politics would look like. The paper considers what such new agency and definitions entail in pursuit of a better understanding of what constitutes the political generally and the Tamil political in particular.
Group Intentions and Oppression
Authors: Moltchanova Anna
Published: January 2013

A reductive theory of collective intentionality would imply that the ‘official’ intentions of an oppressive political authority cannot be constructed from the intentions of individuals when they follow the authority's rules. This makes it difficult to explain the unraveling of official group plans through time in a seemingly consistent fashion, and the corresponding source of coercion. A non-reductive theory, on the other hand, cannot capture whether the actions of individuals in an oppressive society are free or coerced, so long as a manifest institutional structure and rules are in place. I put forward a hybrid account of group intentionality that is capable of articulating why oppressive political power is illegitimate, which comes down to the official and individual intentions in joint group actions diverging in such a way that individuals are not governed on the basis of dependent reasons.
What is a Negative Property?
Authors: Baron Sam , Copley-Coltheart Richard , Majeed Raamy , Miller Kristie
Published: January 2013

This paper seeks to differentiate negative properties from positive properties, with the aim of providing the groundwork for further discussion about whether there is anything that corresponds to either of these notions. We differentiate negative and positive properties in terms of their functional role, before drawing out the metaphysical implications of proceeding in this fashion. We show that if the difference between negative and positive properties tabled here is correct, then negative properties are metaphysically contentious entities, entities that many philosophers will be unwilling to countenance.
The Importance of the Past
Authors: Teichmann Roger
Published: January 2013

A bias against the past is a feature of ourZeitgeist, and has a number of manifestations. One of these is the dominant model of rational agency as geared towards producing effects or outcomes, a model which cannot make sense of the cogency of backward-looking reasons for action. I discuss the nature of such reasons, and the way of perceiving and understanding the past which goes with them. This mode of understanding the past is one of the things that gives substance to the idea that the past has a reality lacked by the future, a reality which among other things makes the past a possible object of contemplation (as in the study of history). Such contemplation is a crucial component ofeudaimonia.
Predicting onset of major depression in general practice attendees in Europe: extending the application of the predictD risk algorithm from 12 to 24 months
Authors: King M. , Bottomley C. , Bellón-Saameño J. , Torres-Gonzalez F. , Švab I. , Rotar D. , Xavier M. , Nazareth I.
Published: January 2013

Background

PredictD is a risk algorithm that was developed to predict risk of onset of major depression over 12 months in general practice attendees in Europe and validated in a similar population in Chile. It was the first risk algorithm to be developed in the field of mental disorders. Our objective was to extend predictD as an algorithm to detect people at risk of major depression over 24 months.

Method

Participants were 4190 adult attendees to general practices in the UK, Spain, Slovenia and Portugal, who were not depressed at baseline and were followed up for 24 months. The original predictD risk algorithm for onset of DSM-IV major depression had already been developed in data arising from the first 12 months of follow-up. In this analysis we fitted predictD to the longer period of follow-up, first by examining only the second year (12–24 months) and then the whole period of follow-up (0–24 months).

Results

The instrument performed well for prediction of major depression from 12 to 24 months [c-index 0.728, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.675–0.781], or over the whole 24 months (c-index 0.783, 95% CI 0.757–0.809).

Conclusions

The predictD risk algorithm for major depression is accurate over 24 months, extending it current use of prediction over 12 months. This strengthens its use in prevention efforts in general medical settings.
Sleep deprivation amplifies striatal activation to monetary reward
Authors: Mullin B. C. , Phillips M. L. , Siegle G. J. , Buysse D. J. , Forbes E. E. , Franzen P. L.
Published: January 2013

Background

Sleep loss produces abnormal increases in reward seeking but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. The present study examined the influence of one night of sleep deprivation on neural responses to a monetary reward task in a sample of late adolescents/young adults.

Method

Using a within-subjects crossover design, 27 healthy, right-handed late adolescents/young adults (16 females, 11 males; mean age 23.1 years) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) following a night of sleep deprivation and following a night of normal sleep. Participants' recent sleep history was monitored using actigraphy for 1 week prior to each sleep condition.

Results

Following sleep deprivation, participants exhibited increased activity in the ventral striatum (VS) and reduced deactivation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during the winning of monetary reward, relative to the same task following normal sleep conditions. Shorter total sleep time over the five nights before the sleep-deprived testing condition was associated with reduced deactivation in the mPFC during reward.

Conclusions

These findings support the hypothesis that sleep loss produces aberrant functioning in reward neural circuitry, increasing the salience of positively reinforcing stimuli. Aberrant reward functioning related to insufficient sleep may contribute to the development and maintenance of reward dysfunction-related disorders, such as compulsive gambling, eating, substance abuse and mood disorders.
The comprehension of sentences derived by syntactic movement in Palestinian Arabic speakers with hearing impairment
Authors: FRIEDMANN NAAMA , HADDAD-HANNA MANAR
Published: January 2013

Sentence and text comprehension is known to be difficult for orally trained individuals with hearing impairment. This study explored the comprehension of several syntactic structures that are especially difficult for these individuals and may lead them to experience considerable comprehension difficulties. Ten structures derived bywh-movement were tested, some of them for the first time in hearing impairment research: five types of relative clauses, three types ofwh-questions, and two types of topicalized structures, compared with two types of simple sentences. Experiment 1 tested subject and object relatives using a sentence–picture matching task. Experiment 2 tested subject questions and object questions using a picture selection task. Experiment 3 tested subject and object relatives using comprehension questions. Experiment 4 tested subject and object relatives and topicalized sentences using a reading and paraphrasing task. The participants were 24 orally trained Palestinian Arabic speaking individuals, 21 of them had mild to profound binaural hearing loss, and 3 had monaural hearing loss. The participants with binaural hearing impairment, who were not sufficiently exposed to language input during the first year of life, failed to understand object relatives, object questions, and topicalization in subject–verb and verb–subject orders in both Palestinian Arabic and Standard Arabic. In some tasks, they even had difficulty understanding subject relatives and subject questions. The monaurally hearing impaired performed similarly to the controls on all tasks.
Disasters and Women's Health: Reflections from the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti
Authors: Bloem Christina M. , Miller Andrew C.
Published: January 2013

Introduction

Increasing attention is being focused on the needs of vulnerable populations during humanitarian emergency response. Vulnerable populations are those groups with increased susceptibility to poor health outcomes rendering them disproportionately affected by the event. This discussion focuses on women's health needs during the disaster relief effort after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Report

The Emergency Department (ED) of the temporary mobile encampment in L'Hôpital de l'Université d'Etat d'Haïti (HUEH) was the site of the team's disaster relief mission. In February 2010, most of the hospital was staffed by foreign physicians and nurses, with a high turnover rate. Although integration with local Haitian staff was encouraged, implementation of this practice was variable. Common presentations in the ED included infectious diseases, traumatic injuries, chronic disease exacerbations, and follow-up care of post-earthquake injuries and infections. Women-specific complaints included vaginal infections, breast pain or masses, and pregnancy-related concerns or complications. Women were also targets of gender-based violence.

Discussion

Recent disasters in Haiti, Pakistan, and elsewhere have challenged the international health community to provide gender-balanced health care in suboptimal environments. Much room for improvement remains. Although the assessment team was gender-balanced, improved incorporation of Haitian personnel may have enhanced patient trust, and improved cultural sensitivity and communication. Camp geography should foster both patient privacy and security during sensitive examinations. This could have been improved upon by geographically separating men's and women's treatment areas and using a barrier screen to generate a more private examination environment. Women's health supplies must include an appropriate exam table, emergency obstetrical and midwifery supplies, urine dipsticks, and sanitary and reproductive health supplies. A referral system must be established for patients requiring a higher level of care. Lastly, improved inter-organization communication and promotion of resource pooling may improve treatment access and quality for select gender-based interventions.

Conclusion

Simple, inexpensive modifications to disaster relief health care settings can dramatically reduce barriers to care for vulnerable populations.

BloemCM, MillerAC. Disasters and women's health: reflections from the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(2):1-5.
The Polarizing Effect of a Partisan Workplace
Authors: Jones David A.
Published: January 2013

The workplace provides an exceptional outlet for citizens to encounter different viewpoints and discuss politics with people with whom they may disagree. In Washington, DC, however, many people work in partisan environments where like-minded coworkers rarely encounter alternate points of view. Group polarization theory suggests that these environments push individuals to the partisan and ideological extremes. This study tests this hypothesis by comparing opinion change among interns who worked in a partisan workplace with that of interns who were employed in less-partisan environments. The results suggest that partisan workplace environments foster opinion polarization, especially among Republicans.
My Taxes Paid for That?! or Why the Past Is Prologue for Public Arts Funding
Authors: Harsell Dana Michael
Published: January 2013

Recent efforts to cut public funding for the arts and culture sectors in the United States are couched in the need for balanced budgets and fiscal discipline. Lawmakers who support cuts question whether artistic pursuits such as “cowboy poetry” or artistic endeavors that offend or shock some viewers are an appropriate use of public monies in a depressed economy. While the current debate is grounded in a need for balanced budgets and reduced deficits, long-standing unresolved legacies fragment arts and culture policy and leave arts and culture funding vulnerable to additional cuts. The normative implications for the role of the arts and culture sectors in a democratic society need to be considered.
Practical Reflexivity and Political Science: Strategies for Relating Scholarship and Political Practice
Authors: Berling Trine Villumsen , Bueger Christian
Published: January 2013

The simplistic, but still influential, idea of a clear-cut boundary between science and politics does not capture the complexities of the ongoing “dialogue between science and politics.” Neither do political scientists live in an ivory tower, nor do they breathe the air of a separate world. However, the relation between political science practitioners and the rest of the world remains knotty. In this contribution we outline the value of a focus on “practical reflexivity” to assist in the dialogue with political practice. Based on proposals from social theory we evaluate six strategies of coping with the dilemmas of engaging with practice. The strategies provide a menu of choice for political scientists, as well as systematization of furthering the discussion on practical reflexivity.
The Workplace Relevance of the Liberal Arts Political Science BA and How It Might Be Enhanced: Reflections on an Exploratory Survey of the NGO Sector
Authors: Robinson Andrew M.
Published: January 2013

Reflecting on a survey of employees of NGOs based in Ontario, Canada, the article considers two questions: How well are our BA programs preparing students for the workplace? Can we enhance workplace relevance without sacrificing our commitment to liberal education? Key findings are presented, including the BA continues to be a desired and employable degree and skills associated with it are valued; employers are not convinced that graduates with BAs necessarily possess these skills; and respondents associate their formal education with individual skills and extracurricular activities with interpersonal skills. Three strategies to enhance the workplace relevance of BA programs without sacrificing liberal education are suggested, and faculty are encouraged to think more holistically about their BA programs and what students need from them.
Teaching Students to Write for “Real Life”: Policy Paper Writing in the Classroom
Authors: Trueb Bettina
Published: January 2013

During their time at university, political science students frequently only learn to write for the academic setting. However, not all students will come to work in academia, nor do they want to. When entering the job market, they often do not have the writing skills that are demanded by potential employers and have to learn them “on the fly.” Simulating cooperative policy-writing processes in the classroom not only gives students the opportunity to acquire these skills, but also helps them make important connections between the theory taught in the classroom and the “real-life” policy-making process. Using the practical example of a policy paper-writing simulation, this article illustrates how posing a policy-writing challenge from the field of foreign policy making can equip students with a grasp on theories of policy making, their practical application, and policy writing as a practical skill.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Why Bo Didn't Fetch Many Votes for Barack Obama in 2012
Authors: Jacobsmeier Matthew L. , Lewis Daniel C.
Published: January 2013

In “The Dog that Didn't Bark: The Role of Canines in the 2008 Campaign,” Diana Mutz (2010) argues that dog ownership made voters significantly less likely to vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. We examine this claim further. Although President Obama has owned a dog since shortly after his 2008 election, we argue that Bo's presence most likely did little to improve his owner's chances of being reelected in 2012. Rather, the apparent significance of dog ownership uncovered by Mutz is due largely to key variables being omitted from the analysis. Using the same data, we show that Obama didn't so much have trouble with dog owners in 2008 as he had trouble with conservative, rural, Southern whites, who, for reasons we examine, are more likely than other Americans to own dogs. Accordingly, we suspect that Bo failed to boost Obama's vote tally in 2012. While we recognize the tongue-in-jowl tone of portions of Mutz's article, this tale is an important one, and is consistent with recent research linking racial attitudes to levels of support for Barack Obama. We also argue that while scholars are often wise to include control variables such as “South” in studies of political attitudes and behavior, it is important to consider the variety of politically relevant characteristics that such variables may be capturing.
ELECTION FORECAST: A LOOK BACK AT THE TIME FOR CHANGE MODEL AND THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Authors: Abramowitz Alan I.
Published: January 2013

The Time for Change Model once again correctly predicted the winner of the US presidential election. In late August, before the Republican and Democratic national conventions, the model predicted that President Obama would win 50.6% of the major party vote to 49.4% for his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney. When all the votes are counted, it now appears that Obama will end up with approximately 51.8% of the vote, making the Time for Change Model one of the nation's most accurate statistical forecasting models. Despite the fact that this prediction was made more than two months before Election Day, the Time for Change forecast was more accurate than the results of many national polls conducted immediately before the election including the Gallup and Rasmussen tracking polls both of which predicted a popular vote win for Mitt Romney.
FORECASTING WITH LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS AND THE POLLS IN 2012
Authors: Erikson Robert S. , Wlezien Christopher
Published: January 2013

On August 1, 2012, we prepared a forecast of the 2012 presidential vote forPS. Our model contains two variables: (1) the cumulated weighted growth in leading economic indicators (LEI) through quarter 13 of the current presidential term and (2) the incumbent party candidate's share in the most recent trial-heat polls, which were for the month of July. What mostly distinguishes our model from others is the reliance on leading indicators from the quarter ending in March of the election year. The early reading of LEI works well as a predictor because it summarizes growth in the economy leading up to the election year and also provides advance indication of changes in the economy during the election year. The exact equation and the exact forecast change as the poll readings change during the election year.
PROXY FORECASTS: A WORKING STRATEGY
Authors: Lewis-Beck Michael S. , Tien Charles
Published: January 2013

Our Proxy Model of presidential election forecasting declared, from data issued six months before the November contest, that Obama would garner 52.7% of the two-party popular vote. [See the model release in ourMonkey Cageblog-post (Lewis-Beck and Tien 2012a) on September 18, 2012, and in the October issue ofPS(Lewis-Beck and Tien 2012b).] Thus, that forecast called the correct winner, with a point estimate error of only 0.9 percentage points.
Let's Not Railroad American Higher Education!
Authors: Brady Henry E.
Published: January 2013

Politics, economics, and technology have conspired to make this an exceptionally challenging time for American higher education. Some critics claim that costs are out of control in traditional public and private nonprofit higher education. They believe these institutions will soon go the way of the railroads as for-profit institutions displace them and the Internet replaces college campuses and classrooms. Other critics bemoan the privatization of higher education and the increasing role of market forces. Still others think higher education has lost its way and fails to focus on educating undergraduates.
The Troubled Future of Colleges and Universities
Authors: King Gary , Sen Maya
Published: January 2013

The American system of higher education appears poised for disruptive change of potentially historic proportions due to massive new political, economic, and educational forces that threaten to undermine its business model, governmental support, and operating mission. These forces include dramatic new types of economic competition, difficulties in growing revenue streams as we had in the past, relative declines in philanthropic and government support, actual and likely future political attacks on universities, and some outdated methods of teaching and learning that have been unchanged for hundreds of years.
Executive Director's Report 2012
Authors: Brintnall Michael
Published: January 2013

Although APSA's program year for 2012 ended in a whirlwind, with Hurricane Isaac compelling the cancellation of the APSA Annual Meeting, certainly strong winds of activity carried on throughout the year.
Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Innovation, Adaptation, Preservation
Authors: Keohane Nannerl O.
Published: January 2013

Disruptive change is never easy for those who have helped construct the status quo. By definition, it undermines much that we take for granted and rely on, much that has evolved over time. It sometimes destroys things that are worth treasuring. This is why we fear it. But disruptive change also provides an opportunity for restructuring that can actually improve our institutions. Our task should be to adjust as nimbly as we can, taking advantage of new opportunities while we protect those aspects of traditional higher education that are of the greatest importance to our mission.
Paying the Piper: Higher Education Financing and Academic Freedom
Authors: Hansen John Mark
Published: January 2013

The university occupies a peculiar space in democratic societies with market economies. Higher education serves the cause of democracy by fostering a more able and enlightened citizenry and the needs of the economy by producing a more skilled and creative workforce. The university likewise depends on the state and the market for its resources, for the tuitions, the grants, the contracts, the licenses, the royalties, and the gifts that are the lifeblood of every institution of higher learning.
Comments on “The Troubled Future of College and Universities”
Authors: Sapiro Virginia
Published: January 2013

I share Gary King and Maya Sen's view that applying the knowledge, approaches, and tools of the social and policy sciences might help us be more intelligent about shaping the future of the American system of higher education and its component parts. I have even been surprised, in turning from the scholarly field of my training and academic field to a professional preoccupation with higher education, to search in vain for sessions at APSA meetings in which my fellow political scientists might focus their analytical eyes on our own sector and institutions. Taking more systematic analytical approaches might certainly be a good alternative to riding the most recent serious source of anxiety—and there have been many in recent decades—or mining a particular strand of data in search of indicators that might serve as tea leaves or life rafts, also known in the trade as “benchmarks.”
Next generation integrated SiGe mm-wave circuits for automotive radar sensors
Authors: Pohl Nils , Knapp Herbert , Bredendiek Christian , Lachner Rudolf
Published: January 2013

In this paper, radar transmitter circuits for next generation automotive radar sensors are presented. A 79 GHz radar transmitter with an output power of 14.5 dBm consuming only 165 mA (including frequency dividers) from a 3.3 V supply voltage clearly shows the advantage of using an improved SiGe technology with an fmax of 380 GHz. In addition, two radar transmitters for higher frequencies (around 150 GHz) based on frequency doubler circuits are showing the potential of SiGe technologies. The first transmitter achieves an output power of 3 dBm (single ended) at 144 GHz, whereas the second transmitters delivers a differential output power of 0 dBm at 150 GHz. Both transmitters achieve an ultra-wide tuning range of about 45 GHz.
Migratory Moves and Mobilizing Tactics in British Contemporary Dance
Authors: Bannerman Henrietta
Published: January 2013

This paper concerns the migration of American modern dance to Britain throughout the 1960s and 1970s when Martha Graham's technique and repertory were introduced to British dancers and audiences. The author addresses these issues from a historical and phenomenological point of view using her memories and reflections, the data from the research she has conducted into this milestone in British dance history, and the theories of Pierre Bourdieu.
Dance Migration and Norwegian Early Fri Dans
Authors: Fiskvik Anne Margrete
Published: January 2013

This paper will look at how early Norwegian fri dans (“free dance”) was constructed and discuss how Norwegian theater dance, and especially the fri dans was developed through what we can call cross-cultural “dance migrations” between 1910 and 1950. The paper also looks at how elements from Norwegian traditional folkdance blended into the contemporary dance styles and created a special form of fri dans especially evident in the works of the Norwegian choreographer Gerd Kjølaas.
Fall and Rise: The Transference and Transformations of a Vision of Dance
Authors: Jowitt Deborah
Published: January 2013

Doris Humphrey applied her principle of Fall and Recovery not only to the movements she choreographed but also to the architecture of her dances. José Limón, who learned about choreography from her teaching and example, adapted her ideas to his own compositions.
Pop Tradition in Nigeria: Transforming Traditional Yorùbá Bàtá Performance into a Worldly Fusion
Authors: Klein Debra
Published: January 2013

The most recent generational shift in the culture of Yorùbá Bàtá performance has provoked frustration in older artists who are worried that their tradition is dying. The generation of artists in its twenties fuses traditional bàtá, with popular musical genres, creating a fusion style I call “pop tradition.” “Pop” signifies the young artists' desires to identify with a pan-Yorùbá and global culture, fueling a particular worldly performance style rooted in both tradition and modernity.
Made in Chinatown: Bridging Cultures and Evolving Identities in Modern Dance
Authors: Snyder Marie Alonzo
Published: January 2013

American modern dance history frequently overlooks Eleanor Yung and H. T. Chen. This presentation explores how these choreographers shaped the dance scene in New York's Chinatown, a venue for the many Asian dancers and choreographers who come to train and perform in New York City.
Tanac Dances and Migrations on the Island of Krk, Croatia
Authors: Zebec Tvrtko
Published: January 2013

Analysis and the interpretation of the dance style of today's islanders have revealed the differences that likely emerged as a consequence of past migrations, particularly those by large groups moving to the western part of the island at the mid-fifteenth century. The conception of themselves, of neighbors as Others, the need for mutual differentiation, and the creation of linguistic and other symbolical borders developed on the island over a prolonged period of time.