bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re-evaluation of taxonomic utility of male phallic complex in higher-level classification of Acridomorpha (Orthoptera: Caelifera)
Authors: Song Hojun , Mariño-Pérez Ricardo
Published: October 2013

The current higher classification of the orthopteran superfamily group Acridomorpha is largely based on interpretation of male phallic structures. Internal male genitalia have been considered as an excellent taxonomic character because of a widespread belief that they are less subject to selective pressures from environment, and thus more stable than external characters. Furthermore, based on a notion that evolution proceeds from simple to complex, early taxonomists who shaped the higher classification of Acridomorpha considered those groups with less differentiated and membranous phallic structures as primitive and used this notion to deduce a phylogeny of Acridomorpha. In this study, we test these ideas based on a cladistic analysis of male phallic structures and a character optimization analysis to assess the level of homoplasy and synapomorphy for those phallic characters that have been traditionally used for the Acridomorpha systematics. We also perform an independent test of the phylogenetic utility of male phallic structures based on a molecular phylogeny. We show that while some phallic structures have strong phylogenetic signal, many traditionally used characters are highly homoplasious. However, even those homoplasious characters are often informative in inferring relationships. Finally, we argue that the notion that evolution proceeds in increasing complexity is largely unfounded and difficult to quantify in the higher-level classification of Acridomorpha.
Early Modern Jesuit Science. A Historiographical Essay
Authors: Rabin Sheila J.
Published: October 2013

The traditional narrative of early modern science, or the scientific revolution, made the Catholic church appear anti-scientific. However, as scholars during the last three decades have reconstructed science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they have found that members of the Catholic church and the Jesuits in particular, despite their rejection of Copernican astronomy, contributed significantly to the advancement of science in those centuries. Many members of the Society of Jesus were both practitioners of mathematics and science and teachers of these subjects. They were trained in mathematics and open to the use of new instruments. As a result they made improvements in mathematics, astronomy, and physics. They kept work alive on magnetism and electricity; they corrected the calendar; they improved maps both of the earth and the sky. As teachers they influenced others, and their method of argumentation encouraged rigorous logic and the use of experiment in the pursuit of science. They also used mathematics and science in their missions in Asia and the Americas, which aided their successes in these missions. Historians of science now realize that detailing the progress of science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries requires the inclusion of Jesuit science.
Mediated scandals as social dramas
Authors: Kantola Anu , Vesa Juho
Published: October 2013

In this article we apply Viktor Turner’s ideas on liminality and social dramas to scandals involving the Finnish political and economic elites that have occurred since the early 1970s. We suggest that mediated scandals are transformative social dramas through which society’s moral codes are negotiated. In Finland, scandals have increased considerably and have become more dangerous for Finnish elites because they have caused increasing numbers to lose their positions. We suggest that the trend signals a long-term social transformation in society’s moral order. The Finnish scandals have reworked societal moralities and addressed the problematic issues often associated with the Cold War political order, such as drinking and sexual harassment. As a result of this process, the media have developed into liminal-like spaces that are increasingly dangerous for elites.
Discourses of state identity and post-Lisbon national foreign policy: The case of Denmark
Authors: Larsen Henrik
Published: October 2013

The political system of the EU and its member states is frequently seen as post-Westphalian within constructivist-inspired research. This is based on the view that political authority and legitimacy are to be found both at the EU level and the national level with no clear borders between them. The question raised in this article is how the member states conceive of themselves as foreign policy actors in this situation where they are both politically embedded in EU foreign policy structures and, in most cases, formally able to act outside the EU structures in the field of foreign policy. The overall argument is that a pertinent answer to this question can be provided by looking at how (or whether) state identity is articulated in relation to the EU. The paper first presents theoretical considerations relating to discursive articulations of state identity in an EU context. The relevance of these discursive articulations is then illustrated through the empirical example of Danish articulations of actorness prior to and post Lisbon. It is shown that the articulation of national actorness in relation to the EU varied across the different areas of foreign policy before and after Lisbon. A research agenda that flows from these considerations is outlined.
Multilevel Factor Analyses of Family Data From the Hawai’i Family Study of Cognition
Authors: McArdle John J. , Hamagami Fumiaki , Bautista Randy , Onoye Jane , Hishinuma Earl S. , Prescott Carol A. , Takeshita Junji , Zonderman Alan B. , Johnson Ronald C.
Published: October 2013

In this study, we reanalyzed the classic Hawai’i Family Study of Cognition (HFSC) data using contemporary multilevel modeling techniques. We used the HFSC baseline data ( N = 6,579) and reexamined the factorial structure of 16 cognitive variables using confirmatory (restricted) measurement models in an explicit sequence. These models were initially fitted using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis techniques and the invariant six-factor models with two higher order factors fit fairly well (εa < 0.08) to the total, between- and within-family data. More crucially, a model requiring metric factorial invariance proved to be a reasonable fit to the between and within matrices, and allowed the ratio of the between-family variation to total family variation (eta-squared) to be calculated separately for each common factor (η2: Gc = .27, Gf = .22, Gm = .15, Gs = .04, Gv = .30, and SP = .16). Higher order factors were fitted using multilevel structural equation modeling techniques and these suggested a reasonable two-factor solution with unequal family impacts. These results suggest that (a) A “G only model” does not fit the data very well, and there are many sources of individual differences in cognitive abilities; (b) the sources of the individual differences in cognition can be measured the same way between and within families; and (c) even after the unique test components are removed, cognitive differences are larger within families than between families. We consider other general multivariate family models, and we raise questions about family influences.
In the Border’s Shadow: Reimagining Urban Spaces in Strasbourg, 1918–39
Authors: Carrol Alison
Published: October 2013

This article explores controversies over festivities and monument construction in interwar Strasbourg. After the return of Alsace to France in 1918, these battles became emblematic of broader debates about the region’s place in France and relationship with Germany, as different groups and individuals in Paris and Strasbourg used them to promote their views of the reintegration of Alsace into France. In these debates, the dominant understanding of Strasbourg treated the city as the limits of French territory, and a frontier with Germany. But this idea was challenged by ideas of the city as the heart of a transnational, cross border community, or a regional capital. These ideas co-existed, but were contested and were not articulated simultaneously. Through a discussion of the use of these ideas in debates over urban spaces in Strasbourg, this article traces how attitudes towards borders change over time, and vary according to the political context.
Are we still missing the elephant? C. S. Lewis’s ‘Fernseed and Elephants’ half a century on
Authors: Bauckham Richard
Published: October 2013

In his essay ‘Fernseed and Elephants’ C. S. Lewis was highly critical of the New Testament scholarship of the time (1959), especially scholarly scepticism about the historicity of the Gospels. This essay assesses his arguments, relating them to the changed situation in Gospels scholarship in the early twenty-first century. His critique of highly speculative historical reconstruction has stood the test of time better than his arguments about literary criticism and the Gospels.
An enhanced vision of rationality: C. S. Lewis on the reasonableness of Christian Faith
Authors: McGrath Alister
Published: October 2013

This study is a critical reflection on C. S. Lewis’s rich apologetic method, especially in Mere Christianity, which is shown to mingle an explicit appeal to reason and an implicit appeal to the imagination. The implications of this for how the churches might engage modern and postmodern cultures are considered.
Efficient frontier detection for robot exploration
Authors: Keidar Matan , Kaminka Gal A.
Published: October 2013

Frontier-based exploration is the most common approach to exploration, a fundamental problem in robotics. In frontier-based exploration, robots explore by repeatedly detecting (and moving towards) frontiers, the segments which separate the known regions from those unknown. A frontier detection sub-process examines map and/or sensor readings to identify frontiers for exploration. However, most frontier detection algorithms process the entire map data. This can be a time-consuming process, which affects the exploration decisions. In this work, we present several novel frontier detection algorithms that do not process the entire map data, and explore them in depth. We begin by investigating algorithms that represent two approaches: Wavefront Frontier Detector (WFD), a graph-search-based algorithm which examines only known areas, and Fast Frontier Detector (FFD), which examines only new laser readings data. We analytically examine the complexity of both algorithms, and discuss their correctness. We then improve by combining elements of both, to create two additional algorithms, called WFD-INC and WFD-IP . We empirically evaluate all algorithms, and show that they are all faster than a state-of-the-art frontier detector implementation (by several orders of magnitude). We additionally contrast them with each other and demonstrate the FFD and WFD-IP are faster than the others by one additional order of magnitude.
Artists Work Everywhere
Authors: Markusen Ann
Published: October 2013

Despite the specter of artists clustered in inner reaches of a few hip, fashionable cities, people do artwork as a major occupation in most U.S. communities. Artists move across state lines more often than workers in other occupations, and because more apt to be self-employed, for reasons other than a job. The author explores why artists migrate, varying by artistic discipline and age cohort. Some metros home grow more artists by offering nurturing infrastructure. Finding considerable complexity in the spatial distribution of artists over time, the author argues that the bohemian stereotype is inaccurate, undermining respect for artwork as an occupation and for artists’ roles in creative placemaking.
Looking Back, Looking Forward: Arts-Based Careers and Creative Work
Authors: Lingo Elizabeth L. , Tepper Steven J.
Published: October 2013

The last two decades of research and policy discussion have illuminated important changes in both the opportunities and challenges facing artists and artistic workers as they pursue their careers and advance their artistry. The authors argue that artists need to be masters of navigating across historically disparate domains, for example, specialization and generalist skills, autonomy and social engagement, the economy’s periphery and the core, precarious employment and self-directed entrepreneurialism, and large metro centers and regional art markets. In addition, artists both work beyond existing markets and create entirely new opportunities for themselves and others. As catalysts of change and innovation, artistic workers face special challenges managing ambiguity, developing and sustaining a creative identity, and forming community in the context of an individually based enterprise economy.
Synthesis and properties of novel poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing both 2,6-naphthylene and 1,4-naphthylene units
Authors: Chen Mengfei , Zhou Wenxiang , Yan Tao , Cai Mingzhong
Published: October 2013

A new monomer containing naphthalene, namely 4,4′-di(1-naphthoxy)benzophenone (DNOBN), was prepared by the condensation reaction of 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone with 1-naphthol in the presence of base in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). Novel poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing both 2,6-naphthylene and 1,4-naphthylene units were synthesized by the electrophilic Friedel-Crafts acylation polycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride with a mixture of 2,6-bis(4-phenoxybenzoyl)naphthalene (BPOBN) and DNOBN, over a wide range of BPOBN/DNOBN molar ratios, in the presence of anhydrous AlCl3 and NMP in 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE). The copolymers obtained were characterized by different physicochemical techniques. The copolymers with 10–20 mol% DNOBN are semicrystalline and had remarkably increased Tgs over commercially available poly(ether ether ketone) and poly(ether ketone ketone) due to the incorporation of 2,6-naphthylene and 1,4-naphthylene moieties in the main chains. The copolymer IV with 20 mol% DNOBN had not only high Tg of 189°C, but also moderate Tm of 338°C, having good potential for melt processing. The copolymer IV had tensile strength of 102.2 MPa, Young’s modulus of 3.25 GPa, and elongation at break of 18.5% and exhibited high thermal stability and excellent resistance to organic solvents.
Rural–urban Linkages for Development of Rural Economy in Assam: A Social Accounting Matrix Approach
Authors: Das Ira , Dutta Mrinal Kanti , Borbora Saundarjya
Published: October 2013

There is always a close and very complex linkage between rural and urban areas. However, failure to properly harness the linkages between rural and urban sectors does not help either rural or urban. To counter this and to ensure development of rural economy, strengthening the linkage between rural and urban areas is important. Studies have identified that promotion and enhancement of food-processing industries is a major key to strengthen rural–urban linkages for development of rural economy. In this article, an attempt has been made to examine the means to increase the strength of rural–urban linkages by promoting agriculture–industry interface for development of rural economy in Assam, a state of the North East India. A social accounting matrix analysis has been carried out to examine the impact of a food processing industry on a neighbouring village of the food processing industry for proper/fruitful rural–urban linkages in the state. The positive economic impact of the industry on the village confirms the enormity of impact a food processing industry can have on the neigbouring villages. The article concludes by advocating for setting up of more food processing industries in Assam for reducing rural–urban divide and ensuring development of rural economy.
The Impact of State Policy on the Costs of HIV Infection
Authors: Goldman Dana P. , Bhattacharya Jayanta , Leibowitz Arleen A. , Joyce Geoffrey F. , Shapiro Martin F. , Bozzette Samuel A.
Published: October 2013

There is substantial variation in the generosity of public assistance programs that affect HIV+ patients, and these differences should affect the economic outcomes associated with HIV infection. This article uses data from a nationally representative sample of HIV+ patients to assess how differences across states in Medicaid and AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) affect costs and labor market outcomes for HIV+ patients in care in that state. Making ADAP programs more generous in terms of drug coverage would reduce per patient total monthly costs, mainly through a reduction in hospitalization costs. In contrast, expanding ADAP eligibility by increasing the income threshold would increase the total cost of care. Expanding eligibility for Medicaid through the medically needy program would increase per patient total costs, but full-time employment would increase and so would monthly earnings. The authors conclude that more generous state policies toward HIV+ patients—especially those designed to provide access to efficacious treatment—could improve the economic outcomes associated with HIV.
Space, Place, and Social Justice in Education
Authors: Bright N. Geoffrey , Manchester Helen , Allendyke Sylvie
Published: October 2013

Here, guest editors N. Geoffrey Bright, Helen Manchester, and Sylvie Allendyke (formerly Sarah Dyke) introduce this special issue of Qualitative Inquiry on space, place, and social justice in education. They explore how the thematic focus originated in a series of informal and formal discussions that came together in an international research seminar that took place in Manchester, United Kingdom, in summer 2012. That event considered how qualitative inquirers in education research are currently deploying the “spatial turn” in social theory to respond to a global context of increasingly asymmetrical power relations. Uniquely, that is, the Manchester seminar called for a discussion that articulated theoretical interrogations of space and place to practical approaches aimed at doing social justice in education and education research. Picking up topics raised by the contributing authors and relating them to their own work, the editors explore the connections, divergences, and novel productivities that are evident in the theoretical and practical approaches adopted, noting their fruitfulness for an ongoing practice of “entanglement” in which research, as an aspect of living justly, might reside.
Researching Triads in Home Care
Authors: Lang Ariella , Macdonald Marilyn T. , Storch Jan , Stevenson Lynn , Mitchell Lori , Barber Tanya , Roach Sheri , Toon Lynn , Griffin Melissa , Easty Anthony , Curry Cherie Geering , LaCroix Hélène , Donaldson Susan , Doran Diane , Blais Régis
Published: October 2013

Home care demand in Canada has more than doubled in recent years. While research related to safety in home care is growing, it lags behind that of patient safety in institutional settings. One of the gaps in the literature is the study of the perceptions of home care triads (clients, their unpaid caregivers, and paid providers). Thus, the objectives of this qualitative study were to describe the safety challenges of home care triads and to further understand the multiple dimensions of safety that contribute to or reduce safety concerns for these triads. Findings indicate that clients, unpaid caregivers, and providers struggle in the home care system. Home care models that are client centered need to be considered to provide seamless, quality, sustainable home care.
The Bible, Religion, and Film in the Twenty-first Century
Authors: Ostwalt Conrad E.
Published: October 2013

This article examines developments in the academic study of the relationship between the Bible, religion, and film since 2000. The author reflects upon the status of the ‘discipline’ of ‘religion and film’, asking whether or not this area of study has evolved into a full-fledged addition to the religious studies curriculum. In addition, the article offers a brief examination of some representative films that intersect with religion and the Bible, and reviews some of the representative scholarship in the field. The conclusion of the article is that interest in religion and film is strong, and that scholarship is ongoing and productive.
The “Sugar Pack” Health Marketing Campaign in Los Angeles County, 2011-2012
Authors: Barragan Noel C. , Noller Ali J. , Robles Brenda , Gase Lauren N. , Leighs Michael S. , Bogert Suzanne , Simon Paul A. , Kuo Tony
Published: October 2013

As part of a comprehensive approach to combating the obesity epidemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched the “Sugar Pack” health marketing campaign in fall 2011. Carried out in three stages, the campaign sought to educate and motivate the public to reduce excess calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. The primary Sugar Pack creative concepts provided consumers with information about the number of sugar packs contained in sugary drinks. Data from formative market research as well as lessons from previous campaigns in other U.S. jurisdictions informed the development of the materials. These materials were disseminated through a multipronged platform that included paid outdoor media on transit and billboards and messaging using social media (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and sendable e-cards). Initial findings from a postcampaign assessment indicate that the Sugar Pack campaign reached broadly into targeted communities, resulting in more than 515 million impressions. Lessons learned from the campaign suggest that employing health marketing to engage the public can lead to increased knowledge, favorable recognition of health messages, and self-reported intention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, potentially complementing other obesity prevention strategies in the field.
On Public Forms of Competition
Authors: Werron Tobias
Published: October 2013

Competition is among the few social-scientific concepts clearly associated with the transparency discourse—obvious today when a myriad of public “ratings” and “rankings” evaluate states, universities, and other actors while often claiming to advance the transparency of those actors and their performances. This article deals with this association from a historical-sociological perspective. It argues that public rankings and similar discursive devices not only symbolize competition but also create and reproduce it, creating what is called here, “artificial zero-sum games.” On this basis, it also makes the case that a more sophisticated conceptualization of public forms of competition draws attention to a long-term historical trend, the beginnings of which can be traced to the 19th century. The argument is presented in two steps: In the first part, a sociological model of public forms of competition is proposed that combines classical sociologist Georg Simmel’s concept of “indirect” and “pure” competition (= competition as a struggle for the favor of a third party) with insights from communication theory, market sociology, media, and globalization research. This model implies that public communication processes create competition by imagining an anonymous audience that enables this kind of competition through its very indefiniteness and anonymity. Thus “publicity” or “publicness,” rather than “transparency,” seem to be the more adequate terms to conceptualize these forms of competition. The second part discusses historical-sociological implications of this model, analyzing competition between nation-states (and national collective identities) in the light of recent globalization research, claiming and describing three trends—toward competition for modernity prestige, specific cultural achievement prestige, and attention/legitimacy —since the late-19th century.
Ketamine as the prototype glutamatergic antidepressant: pharmacodynamic actions, and a systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy
Authors: Caddy Caroline , Giaroli Giovanni , White Thomas P. , Shergill Sukhwinder S. , Tracy Derek K.
Published: October 2013

The burden of depressive disorders and the frequent inadequacy of their current pharmacological treatments are well established. The anaesthetic and hallucinogenic drug ketamine has provoked much interest over the past decade or so as an extremely rapidly acting antidepressant that does not modify ‘classical’ monoaminergic receptors. Current evidence has shown several ways through which it might exert therapeutic antidepressant actions: blockade of glutamatergic NMDA receptors and relative upregulation of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) subtypes may alter cortical connectivity patterns; through intracellular changes in protein expression, including the proteins mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); and alteration of intracellular signalling cascades. The clinical evidence demonstrates rapid improvements in mood and suicidal thinking in most participants, although study numbers have generally been small and many trials are unblinded and methodologically weak. There is a small body of work to suggest ketamine might also augment electroconvulsive therapy and potentially have a role as a surgical anaesthetic in depressed patients. A major problem is that the effects of ketamine appear temporary, disappearing after days to weeks (although longer benefits have been sustained in some), and attempts to circumvent this through pharmacological augmentation have been disappointing thus far. These exciting data are providing new insights into neurobiological models of depression, and potentially opening up a new class of antidepressants, but there are significant practical and ethical issues about any future mainstream clinical role it might have.
Comprehensive analysis of expressed sequence tags from cultivated and wild radish (Raphanus spp.)
Authors: Shen Di , Sun Honghe , Huang Mingyun , Zheng Yi , Qiu Yang , Li Xixiang , Fei Zhangjun
Published: October 2013

Background

Radish (Raphanus sativus L., 2n = 2× = 18) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. A large collection of radish expressed sequence tags (ESTs) has been generated but remains largely uncharacterized.

Results

In this study, approximately 315,000 ESTs derived from 22 Raphanus cDNA libraries from 18 different genotypes were analyzed, for the purpose of gene and marker discovery and to evaluate large-scale genome duplication and phylogenetic relationships among Raphanus spp. The ESTs were assembled into 85,083 unigenes, of which 90%, 65%, 89% and 89% had homologous sequences in the GenBank nr, SwissProt, TrEMBL and Arabidopsis protein databases, respectively. A total of 66,194 (78%) could be assigned at least one gene ontology (GO) term. Comparative analysis identified 5,595 gene families unique to radish that were significantly enriched with genes related to small molecule metabolism, as well as 12,899 specific to the Brassicaceae that were enriched with genes related to seed oil body biogenesis and responses to phytohormones. The analysis further indicated that the divergence of radish and Brassica rapa occurred approximately 8.9-14.9 million years ago (MYA), following a whole-genome duplication event (12.8-21.4 MYA) in their common ancestor. An additional whole-genome duplication event in radish occurred at 5.1-8.4 MYA, after its divergence from B. rapa. A total of 13,570 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 28,758 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also identified. Using a subset of SNPs, the phylogenetic relationships of eight different accessions of Raphanus was inferred.

Conclusion

Comprehensive analysis of radish ESTs provided new insights into radish genome evolution and the phylogenetic relationships of different radish accessions. Moreover, the radish EST sequences and the associated SSR and SNP markers described in this study represent a valuable resource for radish functional genomics studies and breeding.
Association between erythrocyte parameters and metabolic syndrome in urban Han Chinese: a longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Wu Shuo , Lin Haiyan , Zhang Chengqi , Zhang Qian , Zhang Dongzhi , Zhang Yongyuan , Meng Wenjia , Zhu Zhenxin , Tang Fang , Xue Fuzhong , Liu Yanxun
Published: October 2013

Background

Although various cross-sectional studies have shown that erythrocyte parameters, including red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT), were linked with metabolic syndrome (MetS), few longitudinal studies have been used to confirm their relationship. The study, therefore, constructed a large-scale longitudinal cohort in urban Chinese population to highlight and confirm the association between erythrocyte parameters and MetS/its components.

Methods

A longitudinal cohort with 6,453 participants was established based on the routine health check-up systems to follow up MetS, and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was used to detect the association between erythrocyte parameters and MetS/its components (obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension).

Results

287 MetS occurred over the four-year follow-up, leading to a total incidence density of 14.19 per 1,000 person-years (287/20218 person-years). Both RBC and Hb were strongly associated with MetS (RR/95% CI, P value; 3.016/1.525-5.967, 0.002 for RBC; 3.008/1.481-6.109, 0.002 for Hb), with their dose–response trends detected. All three erythrocyte parameters (RBC, Hb and HCT) were found to be associated with obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia with similar dose–response trends respectively, while only Hb showed a significant association with hyperglycemia.

Conclusions

Elevated erythrocyte parameters were confirmed to be associated with MetS/its components in urban Chinese population, suggesting that erythrocyte parameters might be served as a potential predictor for risk of MetS.
Acute oral intake of a higenamine-based dietary supplement increases circulating free fatty acids and energy expenditure in human subjects
Authors: Lee Sang-Rok , Schriefer JohnHenry M , Gunnels Trint A , Harvey Innocence C , Bloomer Richard J
Published: October 2013

Background

Higenamine, also known as norcoclaurine, is an herbal constituent thought to act as a beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonist—possibly stimulating lipolysis. It was the purpose of this study to determine the impact of a higenamine-based dietary supplement on plasma free fatty acids and energy expenditure following acute oral ingestion.

Methods

Sixteen healthy subjects (8 men; 26.1 ± 2.5 yrs; 8 women 22.4 ± 3.1 yrs) ingested a dietary supplement containing a combination of higenamine, caffeine (270 mg), and yohimbe bark extract or a placebo, on two separate occasions in a double-blind, randomized, cross-over design, separated by 6–8 days. Blood samples were collected immediately before ingestion, and at 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes post ingestion, and analyzed for plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol. Breath samples were collected at the same times for a measure of kilocalorie expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) using indirect calorimetry. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded at all times. Data collection occurred in the morning following a 10 hour overnight fast.

Results

A condition effect was noted for both FFA (p < 0.0001) and kilocalorie expenditure (p = 0.001), with values higher for supplement compared to placebo at 60, 120, and 180 minutes post ingestion. No statistically significant effects were noted for glycerol or RER (p > 0.05). A condition effect was noted for heart rate (p = 0.03) and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.0001), with values higher for supplement compared to placebo.

Conclusion

Ingestion of a higenamine-based dietary supplement stimulates lipolysis and energy expenditure, as evidenced by a significant increase in circulating FFA and kilocalorie expenditure. The same supplement results in a moderate increase in heart rate (~3 bpm) and systolic blood pressure (~12 mmHg), which is consistent with previous studies evaluating moderate doses of caffeine and yohimbine, suggesting that higenamine contributes little to the increase in these hemodynamic variables. These findings are in reference to young, healthy and active men and women.
Short-term health service utilization after a paediatric injury: a population-based study
Authors: Baldi Ileana , Avossa Francesco , Fedeli Ugo , Foltran Francesca , Gregori Dario
Published: October 2013

Background

The aim of the study is to identify which types of injuries are responsible for a major component of the health burden in a population-based children cohort in North-Eastern Italy.

Methods

All children (1–13 years) residing in Veneto region, who were hospitalized in 2008 with a International Classification of Diseases, ninth edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for injury in the first diagnostic field were considered. The outcome was defined as the difference in hospital use in the 12 months following the injury and it was compared to the year preceding the injury occurrence. We computed hospitalization rates by gender, age class and injury type.

Results

Hospitalization rates for injury are highest in males, especially among school-aged children. Rates for intracranial injury exhibit a more pronounced decline with age in females, whereas a more marked rise in upper limb fracture rates among school-aged males is observed. Overall, 3 days of hospital stay per child are attributable to injury. Burns, skull fracture and a high injury severity are associated with a greater number of additional inpatient days.

Conclusions

The impact of specific injury types on health services utilization varies with gender, age and severity. These observed patterns contribute to build a clearer picture of this leading global public health problem and deserve more attention in planning preventive strategies and resource allocation.
Rapid regeneration and ploidy stability of ‘cv IR36’ indica rice (Oryza Sativa. L) confers efficient protocol for in vitro callus organogenesis and Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation
Authors: Krishnan Subramanian Radhesh , Priya Arumugam Mohana , Ramesh Manikandan
Published: October 2013

Background

Cereal crops are the major targets for transformation mediated crop improvement and IR36 is an early maturing, high yielding, insect and disease resistant rice variety however, it is abiotic stress sensitive. Hence, development of an efficient and reproducible micropropagation system via somatic embryogenesis and Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation is prerequisite to develop abiotic stress tolerant IR36. Further, Genetic stability of analysis of plantlets through RAPD and ISSR and Ploidy level through Flow cytometry (FCM) measurement of 2C DNA content is necessary for future application of transformed IR36.

Results

In this study, Mature seeds inoculated on (Murashige and Skoog) MS medium with 11.31 μM 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and 0.3 μM Kinetin (Kn) had highest callus induction frequency (98%). The highest regeneration frequency (80%) was observed in MS + 13.28 μM Benzyladenine (BA) with 8.06 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Flow Cytometry (FCM) analysis showed no significant variation in the 2C DNA (0.81 pg/2C) content and Ploidy level between wild type IR36 and in vitro maintained rice lines. Of the various OD bacterial culture, an optimum OD of 0.4 and inoculation duration of 10 min resulted in efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. β-glucuronidase activity was maximum in callus (99.05%).

Conclusions

These results described here confirm the reliability of this protocol for micropropagation and delivery of desirable gene using A. tumefaciens into indica rice.
DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types
Authors: Horvath Steve
Published: October 2013

Background

It is not yet known whether DNA methylation levels can be used to accurately predict age across a broad spectrum of human tissues and cell types, nor whether the resulting age prediction is a biologically meaningful measure.

Results

I developed a multi-tissue predictor of age that allows one to estimate the DNA methylation age of most tissues and cell types. The predictor, which is freely available, was developed using 8,000 samples from 82 Illumina DNA methylation array datasets, encompassing 51 healthy tissues and cell types. I found that DNA methylation age has the following properties: first, it is close to zero for embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells; second, it correlates with cell passage number; third, it gives rise to a highly heritable measure of age acceleration; and, fourth, it is applicable to chimpanzee tissues. Analysis of 6,000 cancer samples from 32 datasets showed that all of the considered 20 cancer types exhibit significant age acceleration, with an average of 36 years. Low age-acceleration of cancer tissue is associated with a high number of somatic mutations and TP53 mutations, while mutations in steroid receptors greatly accelerate DNA methylation age in breast cancer. Finally, I characterize the 353 CpG sites that together form an aging clock in terms of chromatin states and tissue variance.

Conclusions

I propose that DNA methylation age measures the cumulative effect of an epigenetic maintenance system. This novel epigenetic clock can be used to address a host of questions in developmental biology, cancer and aging research.
High-frequency seismic response during permeability reduction due to biopolymer clogging in unconsolidated porous media
Authors: Kwon Tae-Hyuk , Ajo-Franklin Jonathan B.
Published: October 2013

The accumulation of biopolymers in porous media, produced by stimulating either indigenous bacteria or artificially introduced microbes, readily blocks pore throats and can effectively reduce bulk permeability. Such a microbial clogging treatment can be used for selective plugging of permeable zones in reservoirs and is considered a potentially promising approach to enhance sweep efficiency for microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). Monitoring in situ microbial growth, biopolymer formation, and permeability reduction in the reservoir is critical for successful application of this MEOR approach. We examined the feasibility of using seismic signatures (P-wave velocity and attenuation) for monitoring the in situ accumulation of insoluble biopolymers in unconsolidated sediments. Column experiments, which involved stimulating the sucrose metabolism of Leuconostoc mesenteroides and production of the biopolymer dextran, were performed while monitoring changes in permeability and seismic response using the ultrasonic pulse transmission method. We observed that L. mesenteroides produced a viscous biopolymer in sucrose-rich media. Accumulated dextran, occupying 4%–6% pore volume after [Formula: see text] days of growth, reduced permeability more than one order of magnitude. A negligible change in P-wave velocity was observed, indicating no or minimal change in compressive stiffness of the unconsolidated sediment during biopolymer formation. The amplitude of the P-wave signals decreased [Formula: see text] after [Formula: see text] days of biopolymer production; spectral ratio analysis in the 0.4–0.8-MHz band showed an approximate 30%–50% increase in P-wave attenuation ([Formula: see text]) due to biopolymer production. A flow-induced loss mechanism related to the combined grain/biopolymer structure appeared to be the most plausible mechanism for causing the observed increase in P-wave attenuation in the ultrasonic frequency range. Because permeability reduction is also closely linked to biopolymer volume, P-wave attenuation in the ultrasonic frequency range appears to be an effective indicator for monitoring in situ biopolymer accumulation and permeability reduction and could provide a useful proxy for regions with altered transport properties.
Random denoising and signal nonlinearity approach by time-frequency peak filtering using weighted frequency reassignment
Authors: Lin Hongbo , Li Yue , Yang Baojun , Ma Haitao
Published: October 2013

Time-frequency peak filtering (TFPF) may efficiently suppress random noise and hence improve the signal-to-noise ratio. However, the errors are not always satisfactory when applying the TFPF to fast-varying seismic signals. We begin with an error analysis for the TFPF by using the spread factor of the phase and cumulants of noise. This analysis shows that the nonlinear signal component and non-Gaussian random noise lead to the deviation of the pseudo-Wigner-Ville distribution (PWVD) peaks from the instantaneous frequency. The deviation introduces the signal distortion and random oscillations in the result of the TFPF. We propose a weighted reassigned smoothed PWVD with less deviation than PWVD. The proposed method adopts a frequency window to smooth away the residual oscillations in the PWVD, and incorporates a weight function in the reassignment which sharpens the time-frequency distribution for reducing the deviation. Because the weight function is determined by the lateral coherence of seismic data, the smoothed PWVD is assigned to the accurate instantaneous frequency for desired signal components by weighted frequency reassignment. As a result, the TFPF based on the weighted reassigned PWVD (TFPF_WR) can be more effective in suppressing random noise and preserving signal as compared with the TFPF using the PWVD. We test the proposed method on synthetic and field seismic data, and compare it with a wavelet-transform method and [Formula: see text] prediction filter. The results show that the proposed method provides better performance over the other methods in signal preserving under low signal-to-noise ratio.
Turnover at the Top: Executive Team Departures and Firm Performance
Authors: Messersmith Jake G. , Lee Jeong-Yeon , Guthrie James P. , Ji Yong-Yeon
Published: October 2013

In a departure from the historical focus on individual-level turnover, scholars have recently examined turnover at the collective level. Building on this work, we invoke human and social capital arguments and analyze the implications of varying rates of top management team (TMT) turnover for firm performance. Our principal finding is that TMT departures have deleterious effects on subsequent firm performance, though we find evidence to suggest that this effect is nonlinear. Results also suggest that higher levels of average organizational tenure of the TMT will modestly attenuate this negative effect. Contrary to arguments grounded in the managerial discretion literature, environmental munificence weakened the negative effects of TMT turnover rates on subsequent firm performance, whereas the hypothesized moderating effects for both industry complexity and instability were not supported.
Impact of a Clinical Decision Support System on Pharmacy Clinical Interventions, Documentation Efforts, and Costs
Authors: Calloway Stacy , Akilo Hameed A. , Bierman Kyle
Published: October 2013

Health care organizations are turning to electronic clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) to increase quality of patient care and promote a safer environment. A CDSS is a promising approach to the aggregation and use of patient data to identify patients who would most benefit from interventions by pharmacy clinicians. However, there are limited published reports describing the impact of CDSS on clinical pharmacy measures. In February 2011, Good Shepherd Medical Center, a 425-bed acute care community hospital in East Texas, implemented a CDSS ( TheraDoc clinical surveillance system). Prior to CDSS implementation, clinicians struggled with obtaining and documenting the data needed to support clinical initiatives. The value of having both clinical and staff pharmacists utilizing the CDSS has improved communication and knowledge among staff and improved relationships with medical staff, nursing, and case management. The department of pharmacy increased its clinical interventions from an average of 1,986 per month to 4,065 per month; this represents a 105% increase in the number of interventions. The annual estimated cost savings after CDSS implementation is $2,999,508, representing a 96% increase per year and translating into a $1,469,907 annual return on investment.
The Re-actualization of Islamic Law: Munawir Sjadzali and the Politics of Islamic Legal Interpretation under the New Order Indonesia
Authors: Sembodo Cipto
Published: October 2013

Artikel ini mendiskusikan reaktualiasi hukum Islam di Indonesia, gagasan, posisi, dan peran sosial politik Munawir Sjadzali dalam perpolitikan Orde Baru, serta pengaruhnya terhadap bentuk dan isi hukum Islam. Setelah deskripsi tentang latar belakang kehidupan, karier serta pencarian intelektual Munawir, didiskusikan gagasan reaktualisasi dan polemik yang menyertainya. Penulis berargumen bahwa persoalan metodologilah yang sesungguhnya menyulut perdebatan. Keberatan banyak pihak tertuju pada lemahnya dasar metodologis gagasan reaktualisasi yang ingin melampaui batasan tafsir teks tradisional. Di samping itu, debat publik ini juga menggambarkan adanya perubahan dan penyebaran otoritas keagamaan dalam hukum Islam. Sebagai akibatnya, hukum Islam tidak lagi menjadi monopoli kaum agamawan yang secara tradisional disebut ulama. Kini, ia direformulasi oleh organ-organ negara melalui legislasi aturan-aturan Islam, para hakim dan institusi peradilannya.
Fikih Kiri: Revitalisasi Usul al-Fiqh untuk Revolusi Sosial
Authors: Nugroho Anjar
Published: October 2013

Classical fiqh, which is based on classical Usul al-Fiqh, has often been considered out of date and no longer has its effectiveness at handling new problems. The article is a study critically addressed to the classical theory of Usul al-fiqh, which is commonly accused as a factor that made fiqh static and has nothing to do with reality. The writer proposes, then, how to develop a new model of fiqh that is more sensitive to the real issues of society, left fiqh. The left fiqh is fiqh that takes side with oppressed, impoverished people (mustad‘afin) and demands criticism to a hegemonic power. This is an antithesis to mainstream fiqh, which tends to be used to protect people with the power. It is expected that left fiqh may colourize both the process and the result of ijtihad of Muslim scholars. Fiqh that is not sensitive to human problems will merely legitimate illegal collusion. If fiqh does not insist on handling and overcoming human problems, it will experience two problems: first, fiqh will indulge in its settled condition as a well established doctrine and will be always considered unnecessary. Second, fiqh will progressively narrow its role merely focused on ritual and make its self powerless at solving daily human problems.
Racialising Religion in the Debate on Religious Freedom in Malaysia
Authors: Shafer Saskia Louise
Published: October 2013

This article summarises the results of a media analysis conducted by the example of one of the country’s biggest daily newspapers, the New Straits Times. With regard to the controversial religious freedom debate, it summarises what actors are involved in the discussion and how their positions are presented in the mainstream media. Several examples from articles show what strategies are employed in the discourse, such as the rhetoric of fear and crisis and the constant emphasis of racial and other supposedly separating categories. The close linkage of the categories ‘ethnicity’ and ‘religion’, which is manifested legally as well as politically, is perpetuated linguistically. Especially important in this context is the construction of a Muslim-Malay identity.