bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship Between Tumor Necrosis Factor‐α Release and Granulocyte and Monocyte Adsorption to Cellulose Acetate Beads
Authors: Nishise Shoichi , Abe Yasuhiko , Nomura Eiki , Sato Takeshi , Sasaki Yu , Iwano Daisuke , Yoshizawa Kazuya , Yagi Makoto , Nishise Yuko , Ueno Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2015

Tumor necrosis factor‐α, (TNF)‐α, a proinflammatory cytokine, is produced by activated granulocytes and monocytes (GMs) and implicated as a major factor in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. Reduction of TNF‐α should improve IBD pathology. GM adsorptive apheresis (GMA) is an effective therapy for inflammatory disorders including IBD. GM adsorption to cellulose acetate (CA) beads induces anti‐inflammatory cytokine release, although these effects on TNF‐α release are not clarified. We hypothesized that GMA may inhibit TNF‐α release. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of GM adsorption to CA beads on TNF‐α release in vitro. Peripheral blood was incubated with and without CA beads and TNF‐α was measured. For comparison, TNF‐α was measured in another lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐containing peripheral blood sample incubated similarly. The amount of TNF‐α in blood samples incubated with CA beads was significantly higher than in those incubated without beads, although it was significantly lower than TNF‐α incubated with LPS‐containing sample without beads. The amount of TNF‐α after incubation with CA beads positively correlated with GM adsorption ratio. GM adsorption to CA beads induced a small amount of TNF‐α release. This is the first report on TNF‐α release induced via GM adsorption stimuli. The biological effects of TNF‐α release during GM adsorption need to be clarified.
Taxonomic review of genus Evergestis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from Northeast China
Authors: Qi Mu‐jie , Park Bo‐Sun , Li Cheng‐de , Le Xuanvi , Bae Yang‐Seop
Published: October 2015

Four species of the genus Evergestis Hübner, 1816–1826 are recognized from NE China, of which E. pallidata (Hufnagel 1767) is reported for the first time from China. The adults and genitalia of the species are briefly redescribed and illustrated with their distributional ranges, host plants and biology. A key to species of the genus based on the external characters is provided.
Characterisation of Pectobacterium wasabiae and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum isolates from diseased potato plants in Finland
Authors: Pasanen M. , Laurila J. , Brader G. , Palva E.T. , Ahola V. , van der Wolf J. , Hannukkala A. , Pirhonen M.
Published: October 2015

To identify bacteria causing soft rot and blackleg in potato in Finland, pectinolytic enterobacteria were isolated from diseased potato stems and tubers. In addition to isolates identified as Pectobacterium atrosepticum and Dickeya sp., many of the isolated strains were identified as Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Phylogenetic analysis and biochemical tests indicated that one of the isolates from potato stems resembled Pectobacterium wasabiae. Furthermore, two blackleg‐causing P. carotovorum strains recently isolated in Europe clustered with P. wasabiae, suggesting that at least some of these isolates were originally misidentified. All the other Finnish P. carotovorum isolates resembled the subsp. carotovorum type strain in biochemical tests but could be clustered into two distinct groups in the phylogenetic analysis. One of the groups mainly contained strains isolated from diseased tubers, whereas the other mainly included isolates from potato stems. In contrast to the tuber isolates, the stem isolates lacked genes in Type III secretion genes, were not able to elicit a hypersensitive response in tobacco leaves and produced only small amounts of autoinducers in the stationary phase in vitro. P. wasabiae isolate was able to cause similar amount of blackleg‐like symptoms as P. atrosepticum in a field experiment with vacuum‐infiltrated tubers, whereas both P. atrosepticum and P. carotovorum isolates reduced emergence and delayed growth more than P. wasabiae. Our findings confirm the presence of P. wasabiae in Finland and show that the Finnish P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum isolates can be divided into two groups with specific characteristics and possibly also different ecologies.
What small rural emergency departments do: A systematic review of observational studies
Authors: Baker Tim , Dawson Samantha L.
Published: October 2015

Objective

Small rural emergency facilities are an important part of emergency care in many countries. We performed a systematic review of observational studies to determine what is known about the patients these small rural emergency facilities treat, what types of interventions they undertake and how well they perform.

Methods

Pubmed/Medline and Embase databases were systematically reviewed between 1980 and the present. Studies were included if they described hospital‐affiliated emergency care facilities which were open 24‐hours every day, and described themselves as rural, non‐urban or non‐metropolitan. Studies were excluded if facilities saw more than 15 000 patients annually. Study quality was assessed using 12 previously described indicators. Key activity and performance data were reported for individual studies but not numerically combined between studies.

Results

The search strategy found 19 studies that included quantitative data on activity and performance. Nine studies were from Canada, six were from Australia and four from the United States. The settings and scales used varied widely. Few studies adhered to methodological recommendations. The most common presentation was for injury or poisoning (30–53%). The number of patients requiring attention within 15 min was small (2.5–2.8%). Nurses treated many patients without physician input.

Conclusions

There is only enough evidence in the literature to make the most basic inferences about what small rural emergency departments do. To allow evidence‐based improvement, descriptive studies must employ measures and methods validated in the wider emergency medicine literature, and other research techniques should be considered.
Comparison of appendicectomy outcomes: acute surgical versus traditional pathway
Authors: Pillai Sandhya , Hsee Li , Pun Andy , Mathur Sachin , Civil Ian
Published: October 2015

Introduction

The acute surgical unit (ASU) is an evolving novel concept introduced to address the challenge of maintaining key performance indicators (KPIs) in the face of an increasing acute workload.

Methods

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the performance of the ASU (from June 2008 to December 2010) at Auckland City Hospital with the traditional model (from January 2006 to May 2008) and benchmark the results against other similar published studies. The analysis was on the basis of KPIs for 1857 appendicectomies, which form a large volume of acute surgical presentations.

Results

Our results show significant improvement in length of stay (2.8 days, 2.6 days, P = 0.0001) and proportion of daytime operations (59.4%, 65.8%, P = 0.004), in keeping with other studies on benchmarking.

Conclusion

The introduction of ASU has led to significant improvements in some KPIs for appendicectomy outcomes in the face of an increasing workload.
Exercise Hemodynamics During Extended Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Support: The Response of Systemic Cardiovascular Parameters and Pump Performance
Authors: Martina Jerson , Jonge Nicolaas , Rutten Marcel , Kirkels J. Hans , Klöpping Corinne , Rodermans Ben , Sukkel Eveline , Hulstein Nelienke , Mol Bas , Lahpor Jaap
Published: October 2015

Patients on continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (cf‐LVADs) are able to return to an active lifestyle and perform all sorts of physical activities. This study aims to evaluate exercise hemodynamics in patients with a HeartMate II cf‐LVAD (HM II). Thirty (30) patients underwent a bicycle exercise test. Along with exercise capacity, systemic cardiovascular responses and pump performance were evaluated at 6 and 12 months after HM II implantation. From rest to maximum exercise, heart rate increased from 87 ± 14 to 140 ± 32 beats/minute (bpm) (P < 0.01), while systolic arterial blood pressure increased from 93 ± 12 to 116 ± 21 mm Hg (P < 0.01). Total cardiac output (TCO) increased from 4.1 ± 1.1 to 8.5 ± 2.8 L/min (P < 0.01) while pump flow increased less, from 5.1 ± 0.7 to 6.4 ± 0.6 L/min (P < 0.01). Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) decreased from 1776 ± 750 to 1013 ± 383 dynes.s/cm5 (P < 0.001) and showed the strongest correlation with TCO (r = −0.72; P < 0.01). Exercise capacity was affected by older age, while blood pressure increased significantly in men compared with women. Exercise capacity remained consistent at 6 and 12 months after HM II implantation, 51% ± 13% and 52% ± 13% of predicted VO2max for normal subjects corrected for age and gender. In conclusion, pump flow of the HM II may contribute partially to TCO during exercise, while SVR was the strongest determinant of TCO.
What Firms’ Discretionary Narrative Disclosures Reveal About the Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards
Authors: Stent Warwick , Bradbury Michael , Hooks Jill
Published: October 2015

We use content analysis to investigate what discretionary narrative disclosures reveal about firms’ responses and attitudes to adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Specifically, we apply a framework adapted from Smith and Taffler () to examine annual reports of first‐time adopters of IFRS from 2005 to 2008 in New Zealand. Our ‘form‐oriented’ results reveal that the extent of such disclosures is limited in spite of material differences to financial statement information caused by IFRS adoption. To the extent that this reflects the importance that firms attach to IFRS adoption, these findings are contrary to prior literature suggesting that IFRS adoption is a significant event in accounting history with potential important consequences for capital markets and the quality of accounting information. Applying meaning‐oriented analysis, we find that ‘importance’ of IFRS adoption is the most dominant theme and that specific descriptions of IFRS impacts on financial statements are more prevalent than vague or general descriptions. Evaluative comments regarding the consequences of IFRS adoption are predominantly negative. Early (voluntary) adopters provide approximately twice as much narrative disclosure as late adopters, offering significantly more information about IFRS importance and impacts. There is, however, no significant difference between early and late adopters with regard to evaluative comments.
Vertebral fractures in two alpaca crias with rickets syndrome
Authors: Stieger‐Vanegas SM , Garret R , McKenzie EC , Löhr CV
Published: October 2015

Case report

Two dark‐coloured alpaca crias aged 5 and 5.5 months, respectively, born in September in thePacificNorthwest,USA, were presented for evaluation of acute recumbency.

Both crias had cervical spine fractures and one had additional fractures in other locations within the spine. Both crias had valgus deformities of the forelimbs and one had similar deformities of the hindlimbs. Both crias showed characteristic radiological signs of rickets syndrome, including wide, irregular physes, cupping of the metaphyses, bowing of long bones, pathological fractures and enlarged costochondral junctions.

One cria responded clinically to treatment with parenteral administration of vitaminD. The other cria was euthanased because of the multiple spinal fractures and postmortem examination supported the diagnosis of rickets syndrome.

Conclusions

HypovitaminosisDis associated with abnormal bone formation in young growing animals. The clinical and laboratory findings of rickets syndrome in camelids in thePacificNorthwest, and other regions with low annual sunlight exposure, have been described, although there are only few reports of the radiological signs associated with this condition in camelids and other animals. Additionally, vertebral fractures have not been previously reported in animals with rickets syndrome. Because vertebral fractures were identified in both crias in this report, it suggests that this is a common and clinically important manifestation of the disease in alpaca crias. Hence, in geographic regions with low sunlight exposure, rickets syndrome should be considered as a differential diagnosis in crias presenting with clinical signs consistent with vertebral fracture.
Serological survey for antibodies against bovine viral diarrhoea virus and Neospora caninum in a population of South Australian alpacas (Vicugna pacos)
Authors: Cockcroft PD , Dornin LE , Lambert RC , Perry J , Reichel MP
Published: October 2015

Objective

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and Neospora caninum may cause clinical disease in alpacas. Both diseases are present in the Australian cattle population. The objective of this study was to perform a serological prevalence survey for BVDV and N. caninum exposure in a regional alpaca population of South Australia.

Methods

Serum samples were taken from 182 alpacas on 10 farms, which had a combined population of 1308 alpacas. Serological analysis for BVD antibodies was performed using a competitive BVDV antibody ELISA kit. Serological analysis for N. caninum was performed using an anti‐Neospora ELISA with a protein G conjugate.

Results

Of the 182 alpacas sampled, 5 animals located on three properties were positive for BVDV antibodies, constituting a prevalence of 2.7% (95% confidence interval 1–6%). All samples tested negative for N. caninum antibodies.

Conclusion

There is a low BVDV seroprevalence and N. caninum is currently either absent or present at a very low prevalence in this population of alpacas in South Australia. There is serological evidence for the presence of both organisms in South Australian beef and dairy cattle herds. Appropriate biosecurity protocols to minimise the risk of introduction and exposure should be a high priority to maintain this favourable status.
Nutrition and neurodegeneration: epidemiological evidence and challenges for future research
Authors: Gillette‐Guyonnet Sophie , Secher Marion , Vellas Bruno
Published: October 2015

The prevention of dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a growing public health concern, due to a lack of effective curative treatment options and a rising global prevalence. Various potential risk or preventive factors have been suggested by epidemiological research, including modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet. Current epidemiological data are in favour of a protective role of certain micronutrients (B vitamins related to homocysteine metabolism, the anti‐oxidant vitamins C and E, flavonoids, polyunsatured omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin D) and macronutrients (fish) in the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia/AD. Some factors have been targeted by interventions tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but many of the results are conflicting with observational evidence. Epidemiological analysis of the relations between nutrient consumption and cognitive decline is complex and it is highly unlikely that a single component plays a major role. In addition, since multiple factors across the life course influence brain function in late life, multidomain interventions might be more promising in the prevention of cognitive decline and dementia/AD. Designing such trials remains very challenging for researchers. The main objective of this paper is to review the epidemiologic data linking potential protective factors to cognitive decline or dementia/AD, focusing particularly on the roles of adiposity, caloric restriction, micro (group B vitamins related to homocysteine metabolism, the anti‐oxidant vitamins C and E, flavonoids, polyunsatured omega‐3 fatty acids, vitamin D) and macronutrients (fish). Limitations of the current data, divergence with results of interventional prevention studies and challenges for future research are discussed.
Corporate citizenship inGermany and theUnitedStates – differing perceptions and practices in transatlantic comparison
Authors: Fifka Matthias S.
Published: October 2015

Because of the declining fiscal capabilities of theGerman welfare state and the resulting reductions in social services provided by the government, increasing attention has been given to the voluntary social engagement of businesses, often referred to as corporate citizenship. In that context, scholars and politicians alike have pointed to theUnitedStates as a country with a strong corporate citizenship culture and advocated a transatlantic transfer of the respective practices. Against this background, it is the first aim of this paper to examine the socio‐economic environment for corporate citizenship in both countries. Second, it will be investigated if corporate citizenship is really practiced more widely in theUnitedStates than inGermany and what forms of corporate citizenship are used by businesses. For that purpose, the corporate citizenship activities of the 100 largest companies in theUnitedStates andGermany each will be analyzed. Results show that moreUSthanGerman companies undertake corporate citizenship activities and apply a wider variety of different forms. The possibilities for a transatlantic transfer are limited because of the differences in the cultural and political systems of both countries.
Economy suspended: the possibilities of a Badiouian business ethics
Authors: Couch Robert B. , Spencer Joseph M.
Published: October 2015

In the philosophy of Alain Badiou, ethics can only arise in relation to an evental truth procedure that breaks from the economic logic of a situation. Further, because for Badiou there cannot be economic truths per se – rather, economic matters must be understood in their relation to one or more truths in the domain of love, art, science or politics – a Badiouian business ethics would look entirely distinct from any ethics that simply places limits on certain kinds of economic activity. Although Slavoj Žižek, among others, has suggested that this marks an essential weakness in Badiou's economic/political theory, it may actually be the greatest strength of his position. Within a capitalist system, a Badiouian business ethics would then be a question of mobilizing economic resources in order to serve the ongoing construction of a truth procedure. For a business to be considered ethical on Badiou's terms, it must break – and continue to break – from the dominant logic of capitalism and its merely economic pursuit of profit maximization.
Giving Birth with Rape in One's Past: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Halvorsen Lotta , Nerum Hilde , Øian Pål , Sørlie Tore
Published: October 2015

Background

Rape is one of the most traumatizing violations a woman can be subjected to, and leads to extensive health problems, predominantly psychological ones. A large proportion of women develop a form of posttraumatic stress termed Rape Trauma Syndrome. A previous study by our research group has shown that women with a history of rape far more often had an operative delivery in their first birth and those who gave birth vaginally had second stages twice as long as women with no history of sexual assault. The aim of this study is to examine and illuminate how women previously subjected to rape experience giving birth for the first time and their advice on the kind of birth care they regard as good for women with a history of rape.

Methods

A semi‐structured interview with 10 women, who had been exposed to rape before their first childbirth. Data on the birth experience were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.

Results

The main theme was “being back in the rape” with two categories: “reactivation of the rape during labor,” with subcategories “struggle,” “surrender,” and “escape” and “re‐traumatization after birth,” with the subcategories “objectified,” “dirtied,” and “alienated body.”

Conclusion

A rape trauma can be reactivated during the first childbirth regardless of mode of delivery. After birth, the women found themselves re‐traumatized with the feeling of being dirtied, alienated, and reduced to just a body that another body is to come out of. Birth attendants should acknowledge that the common measures and procedures used during normal birth or cesarean section can contribute to a reactivation of the rape trauma.
The long‐term outcome of patients in the LRF CLL4 trial: the effect of salvage treatment and biological markers in those surviving 10 years
Authors: Else Monica , Wade Rachel , Oscier David , Catovsky Daniel
Published: October 2015

With 10+ years follow‐up in the Leukaemia Research Fund (LRF) CLL4 trial, we report the effect of salvage therapy, and the clinical/biological features of the 10‐year survivors treated for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Overall survival (OS) was similar in the three randomized arms. With fludarabine‐plus‐cyclophosphamide (FC), progression‐free survival (PFS) was significantly longer (P < 0·0001), but OS after progression significantly shorter, than in the chlorambucil or fludarabine arms (P < 0·0001). 614/777 patients progressed; 524 received second‐line and 260 third‐line therapy, with significantly better complete remission (CR) rates compared to first‐line in the chlorambucil arm (7% vs. 13% after second‐, 18% after third‐line), but worse in the FC arm (38% vs. 15% after both second and third‐line). OS 10 years after progression was better after a second‐line CR versus a partial response (36% vs. 16%) and better with FC‐based second‐line therapy (including rituximab in 20%) or a stem cell transplant (28%) versus all other treatments (10%, P < 0·0001). The 176 (24%) 10‐year survivors tended to be aged <70 years, with a “good risk” prognostic profile, stage A‐progressive, achieving at least one CR, with a first‐line PFS >3 years and receiving ≤2 lines of treatment. In conclusion, clinical/biological features and salvage treatments both influence the long‐term outcome. Second‐line therapies that induce a CR can improve OS in CLL patients.
Immunology of membranous nephropathy: from animal models to humans
Authors: Sinico R A , Mezzina N , Trezzi B , Ghiggeri GM , Radice A
Published: October 2015

Membranous nephropathy (MN), the leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults, is characterized by the deposition of subepithelial immune deposits that consist mainly of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and complement. Most of the cases are primary or idiopathic (iMN), while only approximately 25% of the cases are secondary to some known disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus, hepatitis B, drugs and malignancies. Most of our knowledge on the pathogenesis of iMN has relied upon old experimental models (i.e. Heymann nephritis) that have shown that immune deposits are formed in situ by the reaction of autoantibodies against the respective podocyte antigen. Recent findings indicate that podocyte proteins also act as an autoantigen in human iMN. The M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) has been identified as the main target antigen, as it can be found in approximately 70% of iMN patients but only rarely in other glomerulonephritides. Podocytes damage in the experimental model of Heymann nephritis is complement-mediated. In humans, the presence of complement within the subepithelial deposits is well established, but IgG4, which does not activate complement by classical or alternative pathways, represents the predominant subclass of IgG anti-PLA2R. Some evidence suggests that IgG4 anti-PLA2R autoantibodies can bind mannan-binding lectin (MBL) and activate the lectin complement pathway. A genetic background for iMN has been demonstrated by genome-wide association studies that have shown highly significant associations of the PLA2R1 and the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DQA1 loci with iMN. In addition to their diagnostic value, anti-PLA2R antibodies may be useful to monitor disease activity and predict response to treatment.
Detection of Geometric Temporal Changes in Point Clouds
Authors: Palma Gianpaolo , Cignoni Paolo , Boubekeur Tamy , Scopigno Roberto
Published: October 2015

Detecting geometric changes between two 3D captures of the same location performed at different moments is a critical operation for all systems requiring a precise segmentation between change and no‐change regions. Such application scenarios include 3D surface reconstruction, environment monitoring, natural events management and forensic science. Unfortunately, typical 3D scanning setups cannot provide any one‐to‐one mapping between measured samples in static regions: in particular, both extrinsic and intrinsic sensor parameters may vary over time while sensor noise and outliers additionally corrupt the data. In this paper, we adopt a multi‐scale approach to robustly tackle these issues. Starting from two point clouds, we first remove outliers using a probabilistic operator. Then, we detect the actual change using the implicit surface defined by the point clouds under a Growing Least Square reconstruction that, compared to the classical proximity measure, offers a more robust change/no‐change characterization near the temporal intersection of the scans and in the areas exhibiting different sampling density and direction. The resulting classification is enhanced with a spatial reasoning step to solve critical geometric configurations that are common in man‐made environments. We validate our approach on a synthetic test case and on a collection of real data sets acquired using commodity hardware. Finally, we show how 3D reconstruction benefits from the resulting precise change/no‐change segmentation.
Age of onset of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis: a distribution analysis
Authors: San Giorgi M.R.M. , van den Heuvel E.R. , Tjon Pian Gi R.E.A. , Brunings J.W. , Chirila M. , Friedrich G. , Golusinski W. , Graupp M. , Horcasitas Pous R.A. , Ilmarinen T. , Jackowska J. , Koelmel J.C. , Ferran Vilà F. , Weichbold V. , Wierzbicka M. , Dikkers F.G.
Published: October 2015

Objective

Distribution of age of onset of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is generally described to be bimodal, with peaks at approximately 5 years and 30 years. This assumption has never been scientifically confirmed, and authors tend to refer to an article that does not describe distribution. Knowledge of the distribution of age of onset is important for virological and epidemiological comprehension. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of age of onset of RRP in a large international sample.

Design

Cross‐sectional distribution analysis.

Participants

Laryngologists from 12 European hospitals provided information on date of birth and date of onset of all their RRP patients treated between 1998 and 2012. Centers that exclusively treated either patients with juvenile onset RRP or patients with adult onset RRP, or were less accessible for one of these groups, were excluded to prevent skewness.

Main outcome measures

A mixture model was implemented to describe distribution of age of onset. The best fitting model was selected using the Bayesian information criterion.

Results

Six hundred and thirty‐nine patients were included in the analysis. Age of onset was described by a three component mixture distribution with lognormally distributed components. Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis starts at three median ages 7, 35 and 64 years.

Conclusions

Distribution of age of onset of RRP shows three peaks. In addition to the already adopted idea of age peaks at paediatric and adult age, there is an additional peak around the age of 64.
Cord blood processing by a novel filtration system
Authors: Sato N. , Fricke C. , McGuckin C. , Forraz N. , Degoul O. , Atzeni G. , Sakurai H.
Published: October 2015

Objectives

Availability of cord blood (CB) processing has been limited by the need for electrically aided centrifugal techniques, which often produce only low final cell product yield. Here, we describe development and characterization of a novel filter device aimed at allowing CB processing, using gentle gravity‐led flow.

Materials and methods

CB was processed with a novel filter device (CellEffic CB, consisting of non‐woven fabric), without any centrifugation. Cells were harvested by flushing the filter with either HES or physiological saline solution (SALINE). Differential cell counts and viability analysis, combined with Fluorescence‐Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) (total nucleated cells [TNC], mononuclear cells [MNC], CD45+ CD34+ cells, hematopoietic precursor cells [HPCs]) and clonogenic assay, were employed for analysis of CB pre‐ and post‐processing, and after freeze/thawing.

Results

Processing using the novel filter yielded high quality RBC depletion while maintaining good recovery of TNC, MNC, CD34+, HPCs and colony forming unit (CFU) output. The filter performed equally well using HES or SALINE. Gravity‐led flow provided gentle cell movement and protection of the stem cell compartment. Post‐thaw CFU output was maintained particularly, an important indicator for CB banking.

Conclusions

Geographical limitations of CB transplantation and banking have required a non‐electrical, non‐centrifugal solution. This novel filter CellEffic CB device revealed rapid yet gentle cell processing while maintaining the stem/progenitor cell compartment required for both haematological and regenerative medicine therapies.
To tell or not to tell: attitudes of transplant surgeons and transplant nephrologists regarding the disclosure of recipient information to living kidney donors
Authors: Meadow Jacqueline , Thistlethwaite James Richard , Rodrigue James R. , Mandelbrot Didier A. , Ross Lainie Friedman
Published: October 2015

Background

Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policy regarding “Living Donation Informed Consent Requirements” only requires general disclosure of candidate health information to prospective living kidney donors. We examined attitudes of transplant surgeons and transplant nephrologists regarding greater disclosure.

Methods

Web‐based and mailed surveys to explore attitudes about disclosing potential recipient health information, health‐associated behaviors, and lifestyle choices to living donors.

Results

Of 397 potential participants, 111 eligible participants (28%) fully or partially responded. Respondents were split between surgeons (42%) and nephrologists (58%). While 72% believed that general disclosure did not require explicit permission, 88% believed that disclosure of specific recipient information did. Many would disclose more information if legally permissible. Over 65% thought disclosure of recipient information should not depend on the donor–recipient relationship. Virtually all supported disclosing expected one‐ and five‐yr graft survival and anticipated deceased donor wait‐time. Sixty‐six percent supported disclosing non‐compliance or difficulty taking medications. Support was divided for disclosure of HIV (52%), hepatitis (49%), smoking (53%), illicit drugs (50%), alcohol (49%), and psychiatric history (44%).

Conclusions

While virtually all respondents support disclosing recipient information directly relevant to graft and patient survival to prospective living donors, they are divided about sharing other recipient health, health behavior, and/or lifestyle information.
From Tagging to Theorizing: Deepening Engagement with Cultural Heritage through Crowdsourcing
Authors: Ridge Mia
Published: October 2015

Crowdsourcing, or “obtaining information or services by soliciting input from a large number of people,” is becoming known for the impressive productivity of projects that ask the public to help transcribe, describe, locate, or categorize cultural heritage resources. This essay argues that crowdsourcing projects can also be a powerful platform for audience engagement with museums, offering truly deep and valuable connection with cultural heritage through online collaboration around shared goals or resources. It includes examples of well‐designed crowdsourcing projects that provide platforms for deepening involvement with citizen history and citizen science; useful definitions of “engagement”; and evidence for why some activities help audiences interact with heritage and scientific material. It discusses projects with committed participants and considers the role of communities of participants in engaging participants more deeply.
Development of a generic fidelity measure for rehabilitation intervention research for children with physical disabilities
Authors: Rezze Briano Di , Law Mary , Eva Kevin , Pollock Nancy , Gorter Jan Willem
Published: October 2015

Aim

To increase research rigour and create a plausible way to assess clinical effectiveness, it is necessary to measure the degree to which interventions are delivered as intended (fidelity). Generic fidelity measures enable evaluation of more than one intervention through observation of unique and general characteristics relevant across interventions. This study describes the first generic fidelity measure in paediatrics.

Method

Items were constructed from multiple sources to create a general attributes domain and two paediatric cerebral palsy (CP) intervention‐specific domains. After a pre‐testing procedure, raters were trained and videos of clinical interventions were rated to test the measure's psychometric properties.

Results

The Paediatric Rehabilitation Observational measure of Fidelity (PROF) consisted of 30 items. Six raters were trained on the PROF and rated 25 videos. Internal consistency (α) and interrater reliability (IRR) for the frequency scale showed the following results: context therapy: α=0.71, IRR=0.75; child therapy: α=0.85, IRR=0.87; and general attributes; α=0.78, IRR=0.82. Quality scale scores across domains demonstrated internal consistency greater than 0.80 and interrater reliability of less than 0.40. Pearson's correlations (r=−0.71, p<0.001) and analyses of variance (p=0.01) validated that each intervention domain was an independent construct.

Interpretation

The PROF is reliable and valid for evaluating interventions used for children with CP. Future studies may use the measure's framework, general attributes domain, and procedures to test the psychometric properties of other interventions.
Under New Management: What the Arab Spring Tells Us About Leadership Needs in the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Mameli Peter
Published: October 2015

Leadership analysis examines how political heads and managers of public sector organizations can employ styles that will dovetail with the aspirations and energy of their country's inhabitants. Uncovering leadership models capable of channeling growth and productivity in this manner within Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) settings is essential to the stability of the region. Turbulent change in a globalizing environment continues to deepen this realization. And the ongoing effects of the Arab Spring highlight the importance of such an undertaking. Clearing a path toward establishing the necessary cultural congruence among administrative processes, tools, solutions, and people is a prerequisite to success that rests on identifying indigenously acceptable approaches to change. Engaging authentic leadership to guide successful achievement of new public management and new public governance goals offers one way to both envision and construct ongoing balance in the future.
Stranger in a Strange Land: Thucydides' Stasis and the Arab Spring
Authors: Litsas Spyridon Nikolaou
Published: October 2015

The article reviews the Arab Spring, projecting an alternative point of view. Although it lies in the spectrum of international politics analysis, still it maintains an internal approach regarding the Arab troubles. I support the idea that the Arab Spring can be examined as a Stasis phenomenon, deriving from the Thucydidian analysis. Nevertheless, while it is a phenomenon that affects the evolution of the Islamic nucleus, it is also an international event that may turn into a large‐scale crisis for neighboring subsystems accordingly.
The Basis of China's Pro‐Palestine Stance and the Current Status of its Implementation
Authors: Chen Yiyi
Published: October 2015

This article is built upon the author's previous attempt to review Sino–Israel relations from the Chinese perspective, where it is argued that the relationship is at a crossroads because China is increasingly more proactively involved in the international arena, which will inevitably lead to a more assertive role in trying to facilitate a solution to the Israel–Palestinian conflicts. The author also affirmed that China is more supportive of the Palestinians. In this article, the author will further analyze China's pro‐Palestine stance, give empirical evidence of this preference by Chinese intelligentsia, and provide insight into the decision‐making mechanisms of the Chinese government in terms of its diplomatic policies. The author also wants to demonstrate that, despite the evident pro‐Palestine tendency of Chinese scholars and consequently the government, little has been done to implement this preference. The Israelis still have a sizable time window to achieve a fair and just peace agreement with the Palestinians. In the long run, China's pro‐Palestine inclination will work more and more against Israel, in contrast to the strong pro‐Israel inclination of the United States.
Climate‐Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Implications for Land Acquisition and Population Relocation
Authors: McDowell Christopher
Published: October 2015

In response to the challenge of climate change developing‐country governments are evolving adaptation and mitigation programmes for which they are seeking international financing. This article presents the findings of a review of national action programmes and other interventions to assess their likely societal impacts with an emphasis on land‐use change, future land acquisitions, population displacement and resettlement. It considers the policy and development challenges involuntary resettlement in particular will pose, and assesses the robustness of current governance arrangements to manage them and cautions that at present the financing arrangements do not prioritise the legal protection of affected populations.
Making and Shaping Poor Malawians: Citizenship Below the Poverty Line
Authors: Eggen Oyvind
Published: October 2015

This article explores a series of events in the global discourse on development and governance: the emergence of ‘the poor’ as a class of identifiable individuals rather than an abstract category; the preference for targeted development interventions; the organisation of beneficiaries into groups which are then used as sites for application of ‘governmentality’; and the Millennium Development Goals, which have necessitated national and local poverty lines corresponding to the global poverty line. One implication is that those below the poverty line may constitute a particular type of citizens: more subject to attempts to reform their rationality and conduct, and less the autonomous individuals that are presupposed by liberal democracy.
Policy Coherence for Sustainable Agricultural Development: Uncovering Prospects and Pretence within the Swedish Policy for Global Development
Authors: Larsen Rasmus Kløcker , Powell Neil
Published: October 2015

Within the European Union, promotion of ‘policy coherence’ is intended to improve co‐ordination across sectors and groups of professionals, who make competing claims for agricultural development in low‐income countries. This article examines the prospects for stakeholders in Sweden to implement such a policy, drawing on experiences from the launch of a national multi‐stakeholder platform with the participation of 99 organisations. Its findings demonstrate institutional fragmentation and struggles for legitimacy, with the internationally heralded Swedish Policy for Global Development operated largely as a tokenistic instrument, legitimised by the pretence of stakeholder engagement. It argues for improved institutional support to facilitate cross‐sectoral dialogues to deconstruct social boundaries which are no longer relevant.
Climate Variability and the Role of Access to Crop Insurance as a Social‐Protection Measure: Insights from India
Authors: Panda Architesh
Published: October 2015

Based on a primary survey conducted in India, this article examines the merits of crop insurance in adapting to the changing climate. However, lack of awareness and the complicated process of agricultural insurance were found to be major obstacles to the uptake of such schemes among small and marginal farmers. While crop insurance might help farmers at the household level, there is a need in developing countries like India to devise insurance schemes that take account of the long‐term negative consequences of present adaptation practices.
Confronting the Informal in Good Governance: The Case of Decentralised Education‐System Reform in Guinea
Authors: Swift‐Morgan Jennifer
Published: October 2015

For twenty years, technocratic planning and management approaches have dominated good‐governance reforms in developing countries. This is true even for newer ‘participatory’ and ‘citizen‐driven’ reforms that still struggle to engage with powerful informal forces affecting public service delivery. This article presents evidence from a case study of decentralised education‐system reform in Guinea, revealing a wide range of influential dynamics outside the technical realm. These corroborate the argument for ‘good‐fit’ alternatives to traditional governance approaches and concrete measures to better capture the constructive and disable the destructive effects of informality on development.
Do Fair Trade Pricing Policies Reduce Inequalities in Coffee Production and Trade?
Authors: Valkila Joni
Published: October 2015

This article assesses the Fair Trade pricing model for coffee, investigating the ability of minimum prices and a social premium to reduce price risk and remedy inequalities. It highlights some of the challenges involved in controlling prices. Inequalities exist among Fair Trade‐certified farmers; some are poorer than others, and the poorer ones typically produce less coffee. If Fair Trade succeeds in its aim of raising the prices received by farmers, this will benefit more those farmers producing greater volumes of coffee and who are typically less vulnerable. In addressing inequalities, the Fair Trade social premium is superior to minimum prices.
A Prevalidation of the Product‐Process Matrix
Authors: Ashenbaum Bryan
Published: October 2015

A major challenge for instructors of supply chain and operations management (SCOM) courses is to help students who have never seen a production floor visualize concepts, such as the product‐process matrix from standard introductory SCOM texts. This article presents a classroom exercise, which “prevalidates” the product‐process matrix. Student groups are given a product description and tasked to build the factory to make it using classroom furniture. Even with no prior knowledge, those tasked to make high‐volume standardized products will create simple assembly lines, while those tasked with customized products will create simple work center layouts. A description of how to run this exercise is provided, as well as key takeaways and evidence of effectiveness.
Impact of Hands‐On Research Experience on Students’ Learning in an Introductory Management Information System Course
Authors: Wu Yun , Sankar Chetan S.
Published: October 2015

Although students in Introductory Information Systems courses are taught new technology concepts, the complexity and constantly changing nature of these technologies makes it challenging to deliver the concepts effectively. Aiming to improve students’ learning experiences, this research utilized the five phases of design science methodology to develop an experiment to solve a real‐world problem, and then implemented it in an undergraduate classroom. As part of their classwork, students participated as subjects testing new information technologies to solve a real‐world problem. They were asked to complete a questionnaire and answer questions in a focus group to assess the effectiveness of the technologies tested and determine whether the experience had added to the learning they gained from the course. The results revealed that the students were able to use the new technologies effectively and provide useful feedback to the company sponsoring the study, contributing to the release of a new commercial product line. Students also reported that participating in this research project improved their satisfaction with the introductory MIS course. These results encourage educators to conduct hands‐on experience involving real‐world research projects since they provide valuable additional learning opportunities in introductory MIS courses.
The Return Of Centralised Energy Planning
Authors: Robinson Colin
Published: October 2015

After a brief period of liberalisation, the UK energy market is reverting towards its pre‐1980s state in which central government intervenes extensively, particularly in the fuel choices of electricity generators. Many powerful interest groups benefit from centralised energy planning, which may be why the market reverts to that situation as a norm. Of the two principal reasons given for government intervention, there is little substance in the argument that it improves security of supply. There may be a better case for action to offset prospective climate change, but the present centralised approach risks massive errors. Decentralised, market‐based action is more appropriate.
Ossification sequence heterochrony among amphibians
Authors: Harrington Sean M. , Harrison Luke B. , Sheil Christopher A.
Published: October 2015

Heterochrony is an important mechanism in the evolution of amphibians. Although studies have centered on the relationship between size and shape and the rates of development, ossification sequence heterochrony also may have been important. Rigorous, phylogenetic methods for assessing sequence heterochrony are relatively new, and a comprehensive study of the relative timing of ossification of skeletal elements has not been used to identify instances of sequence heterochrony across Amphibia. In this study, a new version of the program Parsimov‐based genetic inference (PGi) was used to identify shifts in ossification sequences across all extant orders of amphibians, for all major structural units of the skeleton. PGi identified a number of heterochronic sequence shifts in all analyses, the most interesting of which seem to be tied to differences in metamorphic patterns among major clades. Early ossification of the vomer, premaxilla, and dentary is retained by Apateon caducus and members of Gymnophiona and Urodela, which lack the strongly biphasic development seen in anurans. In contrast, bones associated with the jaws and face were identified as shifting late in the ancestor of Anura. The bones that do not shift late, and thereby occupy the earliest positions in the anuran cranial sequence, are those in regions of the skull that undergo the least restructuring throughout anuran metamorphosis. Additionally, within Anura, bones of the hind limb and pelvic girdle were also identified as shifting early in the sequence of ossification, which may be a result of functional constraints imposed by the drastic metamorphosis of most anurans.