bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Washington’s India Pivot
Authors: Andersen Walter , Verma Shrey
Published: June 2015

The ascendance of Narendra Modi to the post of India’s Prime Minister comes at a time when Asian geopolitics is in a state of flux. The rise of an assertive China and the resurgence of Japan under Shinzo Abe uniquely positions India as a stable, democratic force that the U.S. and Japan could partner with in order to maintain influence in the Asia-Pacific. India’s rise as a major power promises to transform the Asian security architecture from a purely Asia-Pacific security system to a broader “Indo-Pacific” framework, which includes India. However, settling the sub-continental fronts with Pakistan and Afghanistan will be critical for New Delhi to direct its resources to other regional fronts with China and beyond the Straits of Malacca. It is in this context that both Washington and New Delhi can coordinate their efforts to achieve a common security objective in the subcontinent and support India’s economic rise that complements U.S.’ pivot to Asia. An enhanced economic and security relationship with Washington can bolster India’s engagement with Asia and provide New Delhi an opportunity to be a part of a multilateral hedging system that strengthens its bilateral position vis-à-vis China and its South Asian neighbours. Yet, even as India strives closer to the U.S. and Japan, it will refrain from forging an overt security alliance under a U.S.-led architecture and continue to engage in a hedging policy to maintain maximum freedom of diplomatic maneuver.
Book Review: Beckert, Sven, Empire of Cotton: A New History of Capitalism
Authors: Rothermund Dietmar
Published: June 2015

Beckert, Sven, Empire of Cotton: A New History of Capitalism (London: Allen Lane/Penguin, 2014) Pp. 640, Price: £23.74.
Book Review: Rajurkar, N.G., Nehru: Utopian or a Statesman
Authors: George Sudhir Jacob
Published: June 2015

Rajurkar, N.G., Nehru: Utopian or a Statesman (New Delhi: Pentagon Press, 2014). Pp. 222, Price ₹ 895.
Chasing a Tiger in a network society? Hull City’s proposed name change in the pursuit of China and East Asia’s new middle class consumers
Authors: Hayton John William , Millward Peter , Petersen-Wagner Renan
Published: June 2015

The English Premier League possesses multiple global dimensions, including its clubs’ economic ownership, player recruitment patterns and television broadcasts of its matches. The owner of Hull City Association Football Club’s economic rights, Dr Assam Allam, announced plans to re-name the club ‘Hull City Tigers’ in an attempt to re-orientate the club towards seemingly lucrative East Asian, and specifically Chinese, markets in 2013. This article, first, draws upon Manuel Castells’ work in The Rise of the Network Society to critically discuss the logic of Hull City’s proposed reorientation to suit ‘new middle class’ consumers in China and the East Asian global region and second, uses the example to theoretically engage with Castells’ idea that ‘networks’ replace ‘hierarchies’ as social structures. This leads to the argument that while these plans might intend to strengthen the club’s financial position, they overlook a concern with local environments that Castells guides us toward. By looking toward the local consumer practices in China and the East Asian global region, Allam would find: (a) the normalisation in production and consumption of counterfeit club-branded sportswear and television broadcasts which makes increasing the club’s revenues difficult; and (b) that the region’s ‘new middle classes’ (marked by disposable income) are unlikely to foster support for Hull City, even if ‘Tigers’ is added to its name.
Your Millennial Toolbox
Authors: Yeazel Matthew R.
Published: June 2015

Discussion over the last decade has focused on how to approach the millennial generation, a term given to those born in the early 1980s and who graduated from high school in the 2000s. Much of the research has focused on how to best address this generation’s needs in business, academic, and advertising settings. Literature has been sparse on looking at millennial males specifically, not only in a non-therapeutic context but in a therapeutic context as well. Using current research from various disciplines as a platform, effective therapeutic interventions with millennial males will be discussed. New opportunities for developing the therapeutic relationship will be offered.
Fractional derivative formalism for non-destructive insulation diagnosis by polarization–depolarization current measurements
Authors: Sibatov RT , Uchaikin VV , Ambrozevich SA
Published: June 2015

The fractional derivative method is considered as a possible formalism for the non-destructive insulation diagnosis by polarization and depolarization current measurements. The underlying motive is based on non-Debye relaxation processes clearly observed in long-time relaxation experiments with oil–paper, electrolytic and ultra-capacitors, transformers and other systems. Modes of relaxation at different time scales depend on charging prehistory and are sensitive to the state of a system. Fractional formalism provides useful parameters characterizing the state of the insulation system, which can be extracted from polarization–depolarization current measurements. Adequacy of the technique is examined by comparison of theoretical and experimental results for oil–paper, and ultra-capacitors.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphisms associated with risk of atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis of 23 case-control studies
Authors: Ma Runwei , Li Xiang , Su Guoning , Hong Yunfei , Wu Xingjian , Wang Jiyang , Zhao Ziliang , Song Yi , Ma Shaohong
Published: June 2015

Aims:

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is important to the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). A lot of research has focused on the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion (I) /deletion (D) gene polymorphisms and AF, with inconsistent results. A meta-analysis was carried out to find the correlation between ACE I/D gene polymorphisms and AF.

Methods:

Data were extracted from articles published before September 2013 on ACE I/D polymorphisms and AF in Embase, PubMed, WanFangData, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure.

Results:

The recessive model found that ACE I/D gene polymorphisms were related to AF (odds ratio (OR) = 1.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–1.72). Subgroup analysis showed a significant association in the recessive model for Asian (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.19–1.80) and Caucasian (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.01–1.99) populations.

Conclusions:

ACE I/D gene polymorphisms and AF are significantly related to ethnicity. Individuals with the ACE D/D genotype appear to be at higher risk of AF.
Through the looking glass—Understanding informed consent
Authors: Rastogi Padmashri
Published: June 2015

The ethical principle of respect for patient autonomy is essential for balanced doctor–patient relationship. Understanding and following proper procedure for informed consent is the goal for a healthcare provider. There are clinical scenarios which are often encountered and are still challenging. In this article, those cases are described which presented dilemma at the time of obtaining informed consent and an ethical approach is described.
Occurrence of respiratory symptoms in persons with restrictive ventilatory impairment compared with persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Nonato Nívia L , Nascimento Oliver A , Padilla Rogelio P , de Oca Maria M , Tálamo Carlos , Valdivia Gonzalo , Lisboa Carmen , López Maria V , Celli Bartolomé , Menezes Ana Maria B , Jardim José R
Published: June 2015

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) usually complain of symptoms such as cough, sputum, wheezing, and dyspnea. Little is known about clinical symptoms in individuals with restrictive ventilatory impairment. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and type of respiratory symptoms in patients with COPD to those reported by individuals with restrictive ventilatory impairment in the Proyecto Latinoamericano de Investigacion en Obstruccion Pulmonar study. Between 2002 and 2004, individuals ≥40 years of age from five cities in Latin America performed pre and post-bronchodilator spirometry and had their respiratory symptoms recorded in a standardized questionnaire. Among the 5315 individuals evaluated, 260 (5.1%) had a restrictive spirometric diagnosis (forced vital capacity (FVC) < lower limit of normal (LLN) with forced expiratory volume in the first second to forced vital capacity ratio (FEV1/FVC) ≥ LLN; American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2005) and 610 (11.9%) were diagnosed with an obstructive pattern (FEV1/FVC < LLN; ATS/ERS 2005). Patients with mild restriction wheezed more ((30.8%) vs. (17.8%); p < 0.028). No difference was seen in dyspnea, cough, and sputum between the two groups after adjusting for severity stage. The health status scores for the short form 12 questionnaire were similar in restricted and obstructed patients for both physical (48.4 ± 9.4 vs. 48.3 ± 9.8) and mental (50.8 ± 10.6 vs. 50.0 ± 11.5) domains. Overall, respiratory symptoms are not frequently reported by patients with restricted and obstructed patterns as defined by spirometry. Wheezing was more frequent in patients with restricted pattern compared with those with obstructive ventilatory defect. However, the prevalence of cough, sputum production, and dyspnea are not different between the two groups when adjusted by the same severity stage.
The association between health information attitudes and skills in patients with chronic disease in China
Authors: Wang Fuzhi , Luo Aijing , Luo Dan , Hu Dehua , Xie Wenzhao , Chen Zhiheng , Xu Zehua , Feng Ruihua
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

To assess and explore the relationship between the health information (HI)-related attitudes and skills of patients with chronic disease in China.

Methods:

A questionnaire was developed to measure the participants’ HI-related attitudes and skills. The study included all participants ( N = 1671) undergoing routine physical examinations at the Health Management Centre, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan province, from September to November 2013. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to assess the impacts of social demographic factors and chronic disease conditions on the patients’ HI-related attitudes and skills. Multiple linear regression and bivariate correlation analyses were adopted to explain the relationship between attitudes and skills.

Results:

The chronic disease patients clearly know that HI was valuable for their health, but their general HI-related skills were inadequate, particularly for elderly and undereducated patients. Additionally, the participants’ HI attitudes positively correlated with their HI-related skills ( r = 0.47, p < 0.001). Because the attitudes ascended by grade (i.e. negative, moderate, and active), the HI-related evaluation, expression and comprehension, and seeking skills categories increased by 11%, 5.3%, and 8.4%, respectively.

Conclusions:

Although the chronic disease patients held explicit and active attitudes towards HI, their skills were unsatisfactory. Attitudes and skills, however, present a positive relationship. These results suggest that training in HI-related skills should be the main goal of health literacy promotion in patients who suffer from long-term chronic diseases, particularly elderly and undereducated patients. However, cultivating an active attitude towards HI is important to improve HI-related skills.
Education solutions for child poverty: New modalities from New Zealand
Authors: Airini
Published: June 2015

This article describes education solutions to child poverty. Through a focus on New Zealand, the article explores the meaning of child poverty, children’s perspectives on child poverty and solutions, and modalities in citizenship, social and economics education to help address child poverty. Four modalities are proposed: centre our work in citizenship, social and economics education on children; explicitly address indigenous peoples’ needs and strengths; take a social investment approach; and commit to community-based solutions. Experts in citizenship, social and economics education are encouraged to use the resources available to create solutions to child poverty by changing policies and norms through new modalities.
Learning from psychology: Concepts to develop citizens who thrive
Authors: Brown Ralph
Published: June 2015

In this article, I argue that modern psychology can make a valuable contribution to citizenship education. I present some key themes from research on human thriving and argue that they should be central to developing self-directed, resilient, altruistic citizens. The article includes language and analogies that educators can use to make the key concepts memorable. I also draw on recent research on engaging employees in the business world and suggest that we can use the same ideas to develop engaged citizens. The accumulated evidence has implications for parents, teachers and leaders.
A prospective non-interventional study for evaluation of quality of life in patients with Alzheimer’s disease treated with rivastigmine transdermal patch
Authors: Vagenas Vassileios , Vlachos Georgios S , Vlachou Nikoleta , Liakopoulos Dimitrios , Kalaitzakis Michail E , Vikelis Michail
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

The primary objective of this multicentre, prospective, observational study was to assess whether there is improvement in the patients’ quality of life under treatment with rivastigmine transdermal patch, as it is evaluated both by patients and their caregivers. Compliance to treatment and safety were secondary endpoints.

Methods:

In total, 1509 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, already treated with rivastigmine transdermal patch 4.6 or 9.5 mg/24 h, were enrolled within a 2.4-month period and prospectively followed up for 2 months on an outpatient basis. The ‘Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s disease (QOL-AD): Patient and Caregiver Report’ questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of life as an effectiveness measure.

Results and conclusion:

A significant improvement in quality of life, as indicated by a change of 2.7 and 2.5 points in the mean patients’ and caregiver’s QOL-AD: Patient and Caregiver Report score respectively (both p < 0.001) from baseline to end of study was recorded. No serious adverse events were reported. Compliance was high, with 100% compliance reported for almost 9 out of 10 patients at study end.
Sirolimus plus prednisone for Erdheim-Chester disease: an open-label trial
Authors: Gianfreda Davide , Nicastro Maria , Galetti Maricla , Alberici Federico , Corradi Domenico , Becchi Gabriella , Baldari Giorgio , De Filippo Massimo , Ferretti Stefania , Moroni Gabriella , Foti Rosario , Di Gangi Marcella , Jeannin Guido , Saffroy Raphael , Emile Jean-François , Buzio Carlo , Vaglio Augusto
Published: June 2015

Key Points

SRL and PDN often induce disease stabilization or objective responses in patients with ECD. The phosphorylated forms of mTOR and of its downstream kinase p70S6K are strongly expressed in infiltrating histiocytes.
Magnetically Separable Fe3O4/AgBr Hybrid Materials: Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Activity and Good Stability
Authors: Cao Yuhui , Li Chen , Li Junli , Li Qiuye , Yang Jianjun
Published: June 2015

Magnetically separable Fe3O4/AgBr hybrid materials with highly efficient photocatalytic activity were prepared by the precipitation method. All of them exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than the pure AgBr in photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. When the loading amount of Fe3O4 was 0.5 %, the hybrid materials displayed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the degradation yield of MO reached 85 % within 12 min. Silver halide often suffers serious photo-corrosion, while the stability of the Fe3O4/AgBr hybrid materials improved apparently than the pure AgBr. Furthermore, depositing Fe3O4 onto the surface of AgBr could facilitate the electron transfer and thereby leading to the elevated photocatalytic activity. The morphology, phase structure, and optical properties of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) techniques.
Acquisition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype in the tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cell: a new role for G protein-coupled estrogen receptor in mediating tamoxifen resistance through cancer-associated fibroblast-derived fibronectin and β1-integrin signaling pathway in tumor cells
Authors: Yuan Jie , Liu Manran , Yang Li , Tu Gang , Zhu Qing , Chen Maoshan , Cheng Hong , Luo Haojun , Fu Weijie , Li Zhenhua , Yang Guanglun
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Acquired tamoxifen resistance remains the major obstacle to breast cancer endocrine therapy. β1-integrin was identified as one of the target genes of G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), a novel estrogen receptor recognized as an initiator of tamoxifen resistance. Here, we investigated the role of β1-integrin in GPER-mediated tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer.

Methods

The expression of β1-integrin and biomarkers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition were evaluated immunohistochemically in 53 specimens of metastases and paired primary tumors. The function of β1-integrin was investigated in tamoxifen-resistant (MCF-7R) subclones, derived from parental MCF-7 cells, and MCF-7R β1-integrin-silenced subclones in MTT and Transwell assays. Involved signaling pathways were identified using specific inhibitors and Western blotting analysis.

Results

GPER, β1-integrin and mesenchymal biomarkers (vimentin and fibronectin) expression in metastases increased compared to the corresponding primary tumors; a close expression pattern of β1-integrin and GPER were in metastases. Increased β1-integrin expression was also confirmed in MCF-7R cells compared with MCF-7 cells. This upregulation of β1-integrin was induced by agonists of GPER and blocked by both antagonist and knockdown of it in MCF-7R cells. Moreover, the epidermal growth factor receptor/extracellular regulated protein kinase (EGFR/ERK) signaling pathway was involved in this transcriptional regulation since specific inhibitors of these kinases also reduced the GPER-induced upregulation of β1-integrin. Interestingly, silencing of β1-integrin partially rescued the sensitivity of MCF-7R cells to tamoxifen and the α5β1-integrin subunit is probably responsible for this phenomenon. Importantly, the cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by cancer-associated fibroblasts, or the product of cancer-associated fibroblasts, fibronectin, were reduced by knockdown of β1-integrin in MCF-7R cells. In addition, the downstream kinases of β1-integrin including focal adhesion kinase, Src and AKT were activated in MCF-7R cells and may be involved in the interaction between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Conclusions

GPER/EGFR/ERK signaling upregulates β1-integrin expression and activates downstream kinases, which contributes to cancer-associated fibroblast-induced cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in MCF-7R cells. GPER probably contributes to tamoxifen resistance via interaction with the tumor microenvironment in a β1-integrin-dependent pattern. Thus, β1-integrin may be a potential target to improve anti-hormone therapy responses in breast cancer patients.
nab-Paclitaxel dose and schedule in breast cancer
Authors: Martín Miguel
Published: June 2015

nab-Paclitaxel is approved for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer on an every-3-week schedule based on positive findings from a pivotal phase III trial in which nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2 every 3 weeks was superior to solvent-based paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for the primary endpoint of overall response rate (33 % vs 19 %; P = 0.001). Subsequently, a number of trials have examined different schedules, doses, and combinations in efforts to optimize nab-paclitaxel-based therapy for metastatic and early-stage breast cancer. The goal of this review is to evaluate the clinical experiences to date with nab-paclitaxel as a single agent or in combination with targeted agents in different treatment settings - with a focus on the feasibility of administration, adverse event profile, and standard efficacy endpoints, such as overall survival, progression-free survival, overall response rate, and pathologic complete response rate. In general, weekly dosing during the first 3 of 4 weeks appears to achieve the best clinical benefit in both the metastatic and early-stage settings. Furthermore, the data suggest that high doses of nab-paclitaxel, such as 150 mg/m2 during first 3 of 4 weeks or 260 mg/m2 every 2 weeks, may be more feasible and appropriate for treatment of early-stage disease compared with metastatic disease. Intense regimens of nab-paclitaxel may not be the best treatment approach for unselected patients with metastatic breast cancer, but may suit a subset of patients for whom immediate disease control is required. The growing number of nab-paclitaxel trials in breast cancer will lead to greater refinements in tailoring therapy to patients based on their individual disease and patient characteristics.
High mammographic density is associated with an increase in stromal collagen and immune cells within the mammary epithelium
Authors: Huo Cecilia W. , Chew Grace , Hill Prue , Huang Dexing , Ingman Wendy , Hodson Leigh , Brown Kristy A. , Magenau Astrid , Allam Amr H. , McGhee Ewan , Timpson Paul , Henderson Michael A. , Thompson Erik W. , Britt Kara
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Mammographic density (MD), after adjustment for a women’s age and body mass index, is a strong and independent risk factor for breast cancer (BC). Although the BC risk attributable to increased MD is significant in healthy women, the biological basis of high mammographic density (HMD) causation and how it raises BC risk remain elusive. We assessed the histological and immunohistochemical differences between matched HMD and low mammographic density (LMD) breast tissues from healthy women to define which cell features may mediate the increased MD and MD-associated BC risk.

Methods

Tissues were obtained between 2008 and 2013 from 41 women undergoing prophylactic mastectomy because of their high BC risk profile. Tissue slices resected from the mastectomy specimens were X-rayed, then HMD and LMD regions were dissected based on radiological appearance. The histological composition, aromatase immunoreactivity, hormone receptor status and proliferation status were assessed, as were collagen amount and orientation, epithelial subsets and immune cell status.

Results

HMD tissue had a significantly greater proportion of stroma, collagen and epithelium, as well as less fat, than LMD tissue did. Second harmonic generation imaging demonstrated more organised stromal collagen in HMD tissues than in LMD tissues. There was significantly more aromatase immunoreactivity in both the stromal and glandular regions of HMD tissues than in those regions of LMD tissues, although no significant differences in levels of oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor or Ki-67 expression were detected. The number of macrophages within the epithelium or stroma did not change; however, HMD stroma exhibited less CD206+ alternatively activated macrophages. Epithelial cell maturation was not altered in HMD samples, and no evidence of epithelial–mesenchymal transition was seen; however, there was a significant increase in vimentin+/CD45+ immune cells within the epithelial layer in HMD tissues.

Conclusions

We confirmed increased proportions of stroma and epithelium, increased aromatase activity and no changes in hormone receptor or Ki-67 marker status in HMD tissue. The HMD region showed increased collagen deposition and organisation as well as decreased alternatively activated macrophages in the stroma. The HMD epithelium may be a site for local inflammation, as we observed a significant increase in CD45+/vimentin+ immune cells in this area.
Education and microfinance: an alternative approach to the empowerment of the poor people in Indonesia
Authors: Hadi Rizali , Wahyudin Uyu , Ardiwinata Jajat S , Abdu Wamaungo Juma
Published: June 2015

There is good reason to combine education with microcredit for poverty alleviation in the poor communities of the developing world, including in Indonesia. Poverty is dangerous, it deprives people of their right to education, their right to good health, their right to freedom of speech, their right to democracy, their right to financial services and of course their right to knowledge enhancement, which are all crucial to living a better life. We must therefore, provide services beyond, credits for the poor. In this case, education should be included to each and every development agenda for the poor since it is key to any positive change and sustainable development of people. If well planned and well integrated within the microcredit services, education can serve a good purpose in poverty alleviation. This paper describes how education and microfinance have been used in combination to alleviate poverty in Indonesia, especially in the areas studied. The study uses a multi-cases approach to examine the purposively selected baitul maal tamwil (BMTs) organisations, which are sharia based semiformal microfinance institutions regarded to be among those few integrating education with their financial services.
Self organization based energy management techniques in mobile complex networks: a review
Authors: Fatima Bahjat , Shah Munam Ali
Published: June 2015

Today’s mobile devices offer a variety of computational, memory, storage, communication and sensing resources. In addition, mobile communication technologies are continuously evolving and mobile networks are becoming more and more complex. Modern mobile devices are capable of supporting a wide range of new innovative applications from real-time location-based tracking to mobile gaming. However, the usage of power-hungry applications, sensors and their demand for 24/7 Internet connectivity requires an efficient energy management mechanism in mobile devices. With the increasing energy limitations, there has been a corresponding rise of energy management solutions proposed by researchers. However, this research area is still immature and existing literature lacks the critical review of recent self organization based energy management techniques. This paper aims to provide a structured overview of the research developments on self organization based energy management techniques used in mobile complex networks. This review paper surveys the state-of-the-art self organization based energy management techniques that have been proposed over the period of 2010–2015. Based on the proposed optimization, we have grouped the existing approaches in different categories, which are further classified at different levels, from energy-efficient operating systems to computation off-loading. With this classification we aim to provide an easy and summarized view of the latest self organization based energy management techniques that can be implemented in mobile devices.
Effect of non-surgical maxillary expansion on the nasal septum deviation: a systematic review
Authors: Aziz Tehnia , Ansari Kal , Lagravere Manuel O. , Major Michael P. , Flores-Mir Carlos
Published: June 2015

Nasal breathing is a requirement for proper growth and development of the craniofacial complex. Inadequacy of the nasal airway from obstruction such as from nasal septal deviation (NSD) can affect craniofacial development. Further investigation of the possibility of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) correcting NSD would be valuable, considering the undesirable sequelae of NSD on nasal breathing, which can consequently affect craniofacial development. A systematic review of the effect of RME treatment on NSD was conducted. Electronic database searches were conducted until April 2015 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), American College of Physicians Journal Club (ACP Journal Club), Health Technology Assessments (HTA), and NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHSEED). MeSH terms used in database searches were ‘nasal septum,’ ‘palatal expansion,’ and ‘maxillary expansion,’ ‘orthodontic device,’ and ‘palatal expansion technique.’ The methodological quality of studies was reviewed using methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). Only two studies were finally selected and reviewed. Both studies had significant methodological limitations. One study reported a significant straightening of the nasal septum in the middle and the inferior third of nasal cavity from RME in children aged 5 to 9 years. The other study reported no positional change in the nasal septum from RME in adolescent orthodontic patients. Thus far, the limited available (moderate risk of bias) evidence suggests a potentially positive effect on the nasal septum asymmetry during childhood, but no significant change in adolescence from RME in patients with NSD. The clinical significance of reported changes could be considered questionable.
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: scaling of heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity in three southern African arid-zone passerines
Authors: Whitfield Maxine C. , Smit Ben , McKechnie Andrew E. , Wolf Blair O.
Published: June 2015

Many birds can defend body temperature (Tb) far below air temperature (Ta) during acute heat exposure, but relatively little is known about how avian heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity varies with body mass (Mb), phylogeny or ecological factors. We determined maximum rates of evaporative heat dissipation and thermal end points (Tb and Ta associated with thermoregulatory failure) in three southern African ploceid passerines, the scaly-feathered weaver (Sporopipes squamifrons, Mb≈10 g), sociable weaver (Philetairus socius, Mb≈25 g) and white-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali, Mb≈40 g). Birds were exposed to a ramped profile of progressively increasing Ta, with continuous monitoring of behaviour and Tb used to identify the onset of severe hyperthermia. The maximum Ta birds tolerated ranged from 48°C to 54°C, and was positively related to Mb. Values of Tb associated with severe heat stress were in the range of 44 to 45°C. Rates of evaporative water loss (EWL) increased rapidly when Ta exceeded Tb, and maximum evaporative heat dissipation was equivalent to 141–222% of metabolic heat production. Fractional increases in EWL between Ta<40°C and the highest Ta reached by each species were 10.8 (S. squamifrons), 18.4 (P. socius) and 16.0 (P. mahali). Resting metabolic rates increased more gradually with Ta than expected, probably reflecting the very low chamber humidity values we maintained. Our data suggest that, within a taxon, larger species can tolerate higher Ta during acute heat stress.
One-pot Optical Sensing of Keto Acids through the Combination of the Oxime-click Reaction and Aggregation-induced Emission (AIE)
Authors: Yoshihara Daisuke , Noguchi Takao , Tsuchiya Youichi , Roy Bappaditya , Yamamoto Tatsuhiro , Shinkai Seiji
Published: June 2015

Keto acids play important roles in vivo. In this paper, a novel one-pot keto acid detection system has been developed by the combination of the oxime-click reaction and aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Particularly high selectivity was observed for pyruvic acid (α-keto acid), but wide applications for sensing other keto acids are also possible by controlling the reaction conditions.
Size Control of ZnO Tetrapod in Gas-phase Synthesis using Flow Restrictor
Authors: Uchida Yoshiaki , Sakai Ken , Yamamoto Kaho , Nishiyama Norikazu
Published: June 2015

Monodispersed tetrapod-shaped ZnO (T-ZnO) particles with rods ranging from 1.3 to 10.5 µm are synthesized by gas-phase reaction of zinc vapor and oxygen gas using a flow restrictor in a single baking furnace. The size control of the T-ZnO particles is accomplished by changing the calcination time and the position of the flow restrictor.
Cytotoxic Metabolites Produced by the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus clavatus
Authors: Wang Jiaming , Bai Gang , Liu Yihan , Wang Hongbin , Li Yu , Yin Wanqiang , Wang Yonglu , Lu Fuping
Published: June 2015

A new spiro azaphilone derivative, aspergillusone C (1), and a new cadinane-type sesquiterpenoid, aspergillusone D (2), together with a known azaphilone, felinone A (3), were isolated from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus clavatus. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and electron circular dichroism data. Compound 2 exhibited detectable cytotoxic activity against two cell lines (MCF-7 and A549), with IC50 values of 5.9 and 0.2 µM, respectively, in the MTT assay.
Discovery of the Reduced Form of Methylviologen Activating Formate Dehydrogenase in the Catalytic Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Formic Acid
Authors: Amao Yutaka , Ikeyama Shusaku
Published: June 2015

The kinetic properties of the conversion of CO2 to formic acid with formate dehydrogenase (FDH) using dithionite-reduced methylviologen as an artificial coenzyme were studied. The catalytic production of CO2 from formic acid by FDH was suppressed using methylviologen as an artificial coenzyme. In contrast, compared to the natural coenzyme NADH, dithionite-reduced methylviologen was a more effective coenzyme in the conversion of CO2 to formic acid with FDH.
Is MTHFD1 polymorphisms rs 2236225 (c.1958G>A) associated with the susceptibility of NSCL/P? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhao Huaxiang , Zhang Jieni , Zhang Mengqi , Deng Feng , Zheng Leilei , Zheng Hui , Chen Feng , Lin Jiuxiang
Published: June 2015

Aims: To investigate the association between the methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1 (MTHFD1) polymorphism rs 2236225 (c.1958G>A) and susceptibility to non-syndromic cleft of the lip and/or palate (NSCL/P).

Methods: An extensive literature review has been conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Database for eligible researches. The terms for searching were “cleft lip OR cleft palate OR CLP OR CL/P OR oral facial cleft OR OFC” AND “methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (NADP+ dependent) 1 OR methenyltetrahydrofolate cyclohydrolase formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase OR MTHFD1 OR MTHFD”. Two independent researchers screened, evaluated and extracted the data of included studies. The pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by random effects model under five gene models. Subgroup, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also assessed.

Results: Ten case-control studies have been included in the systematic review and eight studies have been considered for the meta-analysis. Overall, the MTHFD1 polymorphism rs2236225 and the risk of NSCL/P showed pooled OR (95% CI) of 1.02 (0.86-1.21) under allelic model. A higher degree of heterogeneity was observed in Asian countries (I2 = 75.6%) compared to non-Asian countries (I2 = 48.9%). Similar consequence appeared in the subgroup of children (I2 = 78.6%) compared with that of mothers (I2 = 0.0%). There was no significant difference in the publication bias by the Begg’s funnel plot (P = 0.711) and Egger’s regression test (P = 0.746).

Conclusion: Our assessment suggested there was no significant association between the MTHFD1 polymorphism rs 2236225 (c.1958G>A) and the susceptibility to NSCL/P. Further investigations using a large sample size and a more advanced technique should be adopted to reach a more precise conclusion in the future.
Amicon-adapted enhanced FASP: an in-solution digestion-based alternative sample preparation method to FASP
Authors: Pellerin David , Gagnon Hugo , Dubé Jean , Corbin Francois
Published: June 2015

Sample preparation is a crucial step for liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based proteomics. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is a powerful denaturing detergent that allows for long-term preservation of protein integrity. However, as it inhibits trypsin and interferes with LC-MS/MS analyses, it must be removed from samples prior to these experiments. The Filter-Aided Sample Preparation (FASP) method is actually one of the preferred and simplest methods for such purpose. Nonetheless, there exist great disparities in the quality of outcomes when comparing FASP to other protocols depending on the authors, and recent reports have pointed to concerns regarding its depth of proteome coverage. To address these issues, we propose an Amicon-adapted in-solution-based enhanced FASP (eFASP) approach that relies on current best practices in comprehensive proteomics sample preparation. Human megakaryoblastic leukaemia cancer cells’ protein extracts were treated in parallel with both Amicon-adapted eFASP and FASP, quantified for remaining SDS and then analyzed with a 1-hr gradient LC-MS/MS run. The Amicon-adapted eFASP utilizes a passivated low molecular weight cut-off Amicon filter, and incorporates a cleaning step with a high-content deoxycholate buffer and a ‘one-step-two-enzymes’ trypsin/Lys-C in-solution digestion. Amicon-adapted eFASP was found more reproducible and deepened proteome coverage, especially for membrane proteins. As compared to FASP, Amicon-adapted eFASP removed much of SDS from high-protein samples and reached a notable depth of proteome coverage with nearly 1,700 proteins identified in a 1 hr LC-MS/MS single-run analysis without prior fractionation. Amicon-adapted eFASP can therefore be regarded as a simple and reliable sample preparation approach for comprehensive proteomics.
Analysing the role played by district and community nurses in bereavement support
Authors: Johnson Anna
Published: June 2015

This article explores bereavement support as one of the roles of the district nurse (DN) and community nurse (CN). Bereavement support is considered part of palliative care, which is a major role for all nurses. There is, however, a constant move to increase acute care in the home, questionably placing greater demand on DNs/CNs and primary care provision. Discussion in this article is framed around research into bereavement care in the community, existing guidelines, and policy drivers stressing its importance. Bereavement can result in depression, stress-related disorders, and high mortality; it is therefore imperative to understand the complexities, theoretical aspects, and implications of poor service provision. Palliative care is one of the primary roles of a DN, and it largely involves emotional support. It has been shown that DNs lack confidence and the skills to provide bereavement support to families and carers of palliative care patients. Education, training, and time management are the main determinants of effective bereavement support. The need is to develop a standard collaborative approach to bereavement support and incorporate it into the palliative care role of DNs.
Understanding the Code: scope of the duty of confidentiality
Authors: Griffith Richard
Published: June 2015

In a series explaining the law underpinning the Nursing and Midwifery Council's revised Code (2015), this month's article considers the scope of a district nurse's duty of confidence. The article explains how three areas of law are drawn together to provide maximum protection against inappropriate disclosure of sensitive health information.
Assessing in-utero activity
Authors: Gilchrist Lesley
Published: June 2015

Given that the stillbirth rate in the UK has seen only a small reduction in the last 20 years and that fetal demise is most often preceded by periods of reduced or an absence of fetal movements, it is important to ask ‘how is the assessment of in-utero activity undertaken?’ The evidence suggests that antenatally, women should be regularly asked about their fetal movements and informed on methods of self-assessment. However, there appears to be wide variation in policy and practice, which may be as a result of the lack of consensus as to the definition of reduced fetal movements. As midwives, we offer the majority of care and assessment antenatally and as such have a responsibility for ensuring that women are aware of both the importance of self-assessment of fetal movements and the techniques.
Public health: Breastfeeding battles
Authors: Birch Lucy
Published: June 2015

Breastfeeding is a worldwide public health issue, which has a major impact on reducing child mortality and several long-term non-communicable diseases ( World Health Organization (WHO), 2013 ; 2014 ). This article analyses and critiques various strategies, innovations and health promotion models that may help increase breastfeeding uptake and duration. These include the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, financial incentives, paternity leave rights and breastfeeding policies in the workplace. Recommendations have been made for the government, policy-makers and health-care agencies to evaluate: close loopholes within the International Code, increase funding for postnatal support, engage in further research into the logistics and practicalities of providing financial incentives to breastfeeding women, and provide national incentives for businesses who implement breastfeeding policies within the workplace.
What is happening in Scotland?
Authors: Smith Gillian
Published: June 2015

As part of our series on UK midwifery policy, Gillian Smith, director of RCM Scotland discusses the strengths and challenges of maternity care in Scotland.
Find your work life balance
Authors: Adams Margaret
Published: June 2015

Even the most dedicated teachers have the right to relax and do something trivial with their time, if that is their choice. Margaret Adams suggests some strategies.
Fun and games with story telling outdoors
Authors: Gibson Poppy
Published: June 2015

Fresh air is just the thing to fuel children's imagination and creativity. Follow Poppy Gibon's ideas for storytelling and writing outdoors, and add a dash of suspense.
All for good measure
Authors: Davis John
Published: June 2015

Try these guided learning and independent activities to help children become conversant with metric units, to measure accurately and make estimations.
Showing how they feel: the emotional reflexivity of people with dementia
Authors: Boyle Geraldine , Warren Lorna
Published: June 2015

This article explores whether people with dementia demonstrate emotional reflexivity within their personal relationships. Previous research has suggested that they may lose their capacity for reflection as the disease progresses. In turn, it has also been assumed that they lack the reflexive abilities necessary to exercise agency within their daily lives. The authors draw on findings from a qualitative study of everyday decision-making by people with dementia and their spouses undertaken in England. The sample consisted of 21 couples, but to enable emotional reflexivity to be examined in depth, this article focuses on the emotional communication of six people with more advanced dementia. The research found that even when their abilities for deliberation, discourse and social interaction were limited, they could nonetheless demonstrate emotional reflexivity. As they also exhibited a capacity for imaginative agency, this suggests that intersubjectivity can be preserved in dementia even when social skills are apparently lost.
Queering, gazing and containment in Giovanni’s Room
Authors: Bloom James D.
Published: June 2015

This article traces the relationship among three ubiquitous critical terms and the ostensibly disparate concepts they encompass: containment, intervention and the male gaze. Though these terms became prevalent late in the twentieth century, when they began to pervade ‘literary theory’, my article demonstrates how James Baldwin’s 1956 novel, Giovanni’s Room, proleptically lays the ground work for the interplay among these concepts and how Baldwin remained preoccupied both avant la lettre and throughout his career, as a novelist, critic and polemicist, with many of the questions that late twentieth-century-intellectuals, literary theorists, feminist critics addressed, including Salman Rushdie, Fredric Jameson, Laura Mulvey, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Cornel West and John Gaddis. In providing a context for the evolution of these preoccupations, this argument also highlights some of Baldwin’s formative influences and connections among such contemporaries of his as Norman Mailer, Wilhelm Reich and Lionel Trilling.
Reviews
Authors: Redgate Jamie P. , Tannenbaum Seth
Published: June 2015

Twenty-first-century Fiction: A Critical Introduction, Peter Boxall (2013) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 282 pp., (pbk) £15.99; ISBN-13: 9780521187299 (hbk) £45

The Nicest Kids in Town: American Bandstand, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and the Struggle for Civil Rights in 1950s Philadelphia, Matthew Delmont (2012) Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, xi, 294 pp., ISBN: 9780520272088 (pbk) $29.95
Reorienting scarlet letters: Suzan-Lori Parks’ and Marina Carr’s Hester plays
Authors: O’Gorman Siobhán
Published: June 2015

This article considers the figure of Hester from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (1850) and its adaptation to contemporary African American and Irish dramatic writing. It focuses on In the Blood (1999) and Fucking A (2001) by African American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, as well as Irish dramatist Marina Carr’s By the Bog of Cats … (1998). These theatre-makers consciously manipulate The Scarlet Letter in that each Hester figure is a racially different and already marginalized woman who goes on to murder her child. Drawing on the work of Sara Ahmed, I argue that Parks and Carr combine complex and overlapping processes of adaptation to expose the slippery relationship between signification and affect, and to reveal how affective economies shape and control racial and gendered bodies as well as their movements in space. In doing so, these dramatists call into question accepted conventions of judgement, justice and morality. Through processes of domestication, recontextualization and actualization, Parks and Carr engage complexly with hotly debated issues within their individual national contexts and in the wider, western milieu that they share.
Egypt shifts towards a networked journalism paradigm
Authors: Hamdy Naila Nabil
Published: June 2015

This study attempts to explore the relationship between the role of the traditional press, the output of social media as it emerged during the 25 January 2011 revolution, the 30 June 2011 protests and beyond; and also to determine if the mainstreaming of social media changed journalism practices in Egypt. The findings of this study indicate that there has been a significantly increased flow of citizen-generated content into journalism practice, although there is also a certain amount of resistance to its use. Findings also suggest that a traditional gatekeeping approach is the preferred model for governing this flow; yet, editorial structures and mechanisms to govern this model are not in place generally. Nonetheless, this uncertain transition period appears to harbour the possibility of better quality journalism in a networked future.