bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of optical properties of ZnO films and nanorods grown by atmospheric‐pressure CVD and chemical bath deposition
Authors: Terasako Tomoaki , Ogura Yoshinori , Fujimoto Shohei , Murakami Toshihiro , Yagi Masakazu , Shirakata Sho
Published: October 2013

Optical properties of ZnO films and nanorods (NRs) grown by atmospheric‐pressure CVD (AP‐CVD) and chemical bath deposition (CBD) were studied by photoluminescence (PL), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and photoacoustic (PA) measurements. Visible emissions from the samples were classified into three groups; a green band (GB) at ∼2.34 eV, an orange band (OB) at ∼1.97 eV and a red band (RB) at ∼1.77 eV. Regardless of precursor, PL spectra of the CBD NRs were dominated by the OB. However, PLE measurements revealed that the difference in precursor resulted in the difference of the excitation process for the OB. The PLE spectrum for the RB exhibited the excitation bands at 2.75‐3.18 eV and 1.91‐2.48 eV. The former was also observed on the PLE spectrum for the GB, suggesting that the same defect or impurity states contribute to both the GB and RB. The PA spectra of the NRs synthesized by CBD from the mixed aqueous solution of Zn(CH3COO)22H2O and C6H12N4 exhibited the decrease in intra‐band‐gap‐absorption with increasing solution concentration. For the AP‐CVD Ga‐doped ZnO films, when the carrier concentration (n) increased from 5.2×1017 to 7.2×1019 cm‐3, the difference between PLE and PL peak energies (EPLE‐EPL) decreased slightly. This is probably due to the broadening of the Ga‐related impurity level, followed by merging with the edge of the conduction band. Above n =9.5×1019 cm‐3, the EPLE‐EPL increased rapidly with increasing n, resulting from the filling of the tail states and lower parts of the conduction band. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Concise Review: Spinal Cord Injuries: How Could Adult Mesenchymal and Neural Crest Stem Cells Take Up the Challenge?
Authors: Neirinckx Virginie , Cantinieaux Dorothée , Coste Cécile , Rogister Bernard , Franzen Rachelle , Wislet-Gendebien Sabine
Published: October 2013

Since several years, adult/perinatal mesenchymal and neural crest stem cells have been widely used to help experimental animal to recover from spinal cord injury. More interestingly, recent clinical trials confirmed the beneficial effect of those stem cells, which improve functional score of patients suffering from such lesions. However, a complete understanding of the mechanisms of stem cell-induced recovery is seriously lacking. Indeed, spinal cord injuries gathered a wide range of biochemical and physiopathological events (such as inflammation, oxidative stress, axonal damage, demyelination, etc.) and the genuine healing process after cell transplantation is not sufficiently defined. This review aims to sum up recent data about cell therapy in spinal cord lesions using mesenchymal or recently identified neural crest stem cells, by describing precisely which physiopathological parameter is affected and the exact processes underlying the observed changes. Overall, although significant advances are acknowledged, it seems that further deep mechanistic investigation is needed for the development of optimized and efficient cell-based therapy protocols. Stem Cells  2014;32:829–843
Perceived efficacy of livestock‐guarding dogs in South Africa: Implications for cheetah conservation
Authors: Rust Nicola A. , Whitehouse‐Tedd Katherine M. , MacMillan Douglas C.
Published: October 2013

Large wild carnivore predation on domestic livestock and the associated financial losses may increase efforts toward lethal control of carnivore populations. Livestock‐guarding dogs could provide an effective alternative to such lethal control by mitigating depredation losses. Although this information is available in North America, the cost‐effectiveness of guarding dogs has not been studied in other areas experiencing large carnivore depredation such as South Africa, where the socio‐economic context is very different from that of North America. We assessed the costs and benefits of 97 livestock‐guarding dogs working on 94 farms in South Africa between 2005 and 2011 by reviewing data collected from questionnaires on perceived depredation losses prior to and during guarding dog placement, rates of guarding dog behavioral problems, removals, and pre‐senile mortality. Perceived livestock depredation ceased in 91% of guarding dog placements, with gross mean annual financial savings US$ 3,189/farm. Estimated annual program costs per year of the livestock‐guarding dog program were US$ 2,780. However, 16% of guarding dogs had reported behavioral problems, with inattentiveness cited as the most common problem. Twelve percent of guarding dogs were removed from the program because of behavioral problems. Premature death was observed in 22% of guarding dogs, most often due to snake bites. Participating farmer tolerance toward cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), as well as cheetah‐sighting frequency, appeared to increase during participation in the livestock‐guarding dog program. If further corrective behavioral and snake‐aversion training were implemented, guarding dogs may offer a cost‐effective method of non‐lethal predator control and could potentially contribute to the long‐term mitigation of human–carnivore conflict in South Africa. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
A Prospective Randomized Single‐Blind Control Study of Volume Threshold for Chest Tube Removal Following Lobectomy
Authors: Zhang Ye , Li Hui , Hu Bin , Li Tong , Miao Jin‐bai , You Bin , Fu Yi‐li , Zhang Wen‐qian
Published: October 2013

Background

The aim of the current study was to assess the feasibility and safety of a new volume threshold for chest tube removal following lobectomy.

Methods

The prospective randomized single‐blind control study included 90 consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy or bilobectomy for pathological conditions between March 2012 and September 2012. Eligible patients were randomized into two groups: early removal group (chest tube removal at the drainage volume of 300 ml/24 h or less) and traditional management group (chest tube removal when the drainage volume is less than 100 ml/24 h). Criteria for the early removal group were established and met prior to chest tube removal. The volume and characteristics of drainage, time of drainage tube extraction, and postoperative hospital stay were recorded. All patients received standard care while in the hospital and a follow‐up visit was performed 7 days after discharge from hospital.

Results

In accordance with the exit criteria, 20 patients were excluded from the study. The remaining 70 patients included in the final analysis were divided into two groups: early removal group (n = 41) and traditional management group (n = 29). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, comorbidities, and pathological evaluation of resection specimens. In eligible patients (n = 70), the mean volume of drainage 24 h after surgery was 300 ml, while the mean volume of drainage 48 h after surgery was 250 ml. The average daily drainage 48 h after surgery was significantly different than the average daily drainage 24 h after surgery (Z = −2.059, P = 0.039). The mean duration of chest tube placement was 44 h in the early removal group and 67 h in the traditional management group (P = 0.004). Patients who underwent early removal management had a shorter postoperative hospital stay compared to the traditional management group (5 vs. 6 days, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed between the rates of pleural effusion development, thoracentesis, and postoperative complications 1 week after hospital discharge.

Conclusion

Early removal of the chest tube after lobectomy is feasible and safe and may shorten patient hospital stay and reduce morbidity without the added risk of postoperative complications.
Structural and floristic behaviors in East Timor forest vegetation
Authors: Crespí António L. , Ferreira Marco , Fonseca Teresa F. , Marques Carlos Pacheco
Published: October 2013

Owing to the growing demand for the products supplied and to the slowness of their renewal, forests, the most important renewable resource of the East Timor lands, will lose the goods and services they provide unless this situation is overcome. The communities that live in these forests or in their vicinity will be the most affected by this problem. Understanding the structural organization of the East Timor forest flora is, therefore, critical for sustainable management of this natural resource. Thus, the main purpose of this preliminary study was to identify the differences in the floristic–structural behaviors of the woody vegetation. The study is based on data collected by the first National Forest Inventory (2008–2010), carried out in two environmentally different districts of East Timor: one drier region located to the north (Bobonaro district) and the other more humid, located in the south (Covalima district). A two‐stage sampling method was employed to account for species in 923 sample stations: 480 in the Bobonaro district and 443 in the Covalima district. These data were correlated with environmental variables (altitude, distance to sea, distance to the north coast, distance to roads, and distance to urban areas) and discussed based on the floristic–structural randomness of the species frequencies. Randomness was adopted here as a parameter to quantify the distributional relationship among species with spatial heterogeneity. Results show a higher percentage of species with low frequencies and abundances for the south (lower human pressure), in contrast with the north (higher human pressure). Altitude also emerges as an environmental parameter, since this randomness floristic–structural combination decreases from lower to higher altitudes. This research provides an innovative approach to describing the structural–floristic organization of vegetation, and its correlation with environmental variables.
The Politics of Resistance: Informal banks in the Caribbean
Authors: Hossein Caroline Shenaz
Published: October 2013

Informal banks are as relevant as they were in slave times because they are creating financial alternatives for marginalized people. I explore this issue with an empirical study of 398 business people in the slums of Jamaica and Guyana. I use intersectionality theorizing to explain that poor women organize local banks as a form of contestation against the threat of violence, partisan and informal politics. Women from poor communities mobilize economic resources through mutual aid to resist dependence on corrupt political systems and exclusionary financial institutions. I argue that the banker ladies reorganize money markets for themselves and others. By organizing inclusive financial programs the banker ladies also build social capital through managing locally-based economic resources.
Free-stream turbulence and the development of cross-flow disturbances
Authors: Downs Robert S. , White Edward B.
Published: October 2013

The cross-flow instability that arises in swept-wing boundary layers has resisted attempts to describe the path from disturbance initiation to transition. Following concerted research efforts, surface roughness and free-stream turbulence have been identified as the leading providers of initial disturbances for cross-flow instability growth. Although a significant body of work examines the role of free-stream turbulence in the cross-flow problem, the data more relevant to the flight environment (turbulence intensities less than 0.07 %) are sparse. A series of recent experiments indicates that variations within this range may affect the initiation or growth of cross-flow instability amplitudes, hindering comparison among results obtained in different disturbance environments. To address this problem, a series of wind tunnel experiments is performed in which the free-stream turbulence intensity is varied between 0.02 % and 0.2 % of free-stream velocity,${U}_{\infty } $. Measurements of the stationary and travelling mode amplitudes are made in the boundary layer of a 1.83 m chord,$45{{}^\circ} $swept-wing model. These results are compared to those of similar experiments at higher turbulence levels to broaden the current knowledge of this portion of the cross-flow problem. It is observed that both free-stream turbulence and surface roughness contribute to the initiation of unsteady disturbances, and that free-stream turbulence affects the development of both stationary and unsteady cross-flow disturbances. For the range tested, enhanced free-stream turbulence advances the transition location except when a subcritically spaced roughness array is employed.
The sedimentation of flexible filaments
Authors: Li Lei , Manikantan Harishankar , Saintillan David , Spagnolie Saverio E.
Published: October 2013

The dynamics of a flexible filament sedimenting in a viscous fluid are explored analytically and numerically. Compared with the well-studied case of sedimenting rigid rods, the introduction of filament compliance is shown to cause a significant alteration in the long-time sedimentation orientation and filament geometry. A model is developed by balancing viscous, elastic and gravitational forces in a slender-body theory for zero-Reynolds-number flows, and the filament dynamics are characterized by a dimensionless elasto-gravitation number. Filaments of both non-uniform and uniform cross-sectional thickness are considered. In the weakly flexible regime, a multiple-scale asymptotic expansion is used to obtain expressions for filament translations, rotations and shapes. These are shown to match excellently with full numerical simulations. Furthermore, we show that trajectories of sedimenting flexible filaments, unlike their rigid counterparts, are restricted to a cloud whose envelope is determined by the elasto-gravitation number. In the highly flexible regime we show that a filament sedimenting along its long axis is susceptible to a buckling instability. A linear stability analysis provides a dispersion relation, illustrating clearly the competing effects of the compressive stress and the restoring elastic force in the buckling process. The instability travels as a wave along the filament opposite the direction of gravity as it grows and the predicted growth rates are shown to compare favourably with numerical simulations. The linear eigenmodes of the governing equation are also studied, which agree well with the finite-amplitude buckled shapes arising in simulations.
Bremsstrahlung soft X-ray emission from clusters heated by a Gaussian laser beam
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Singh Rohtash , Verma Updesh
Published: October 2013

A theoretical model of soft X-ray emission from laser irradiated clusters is developed. An intense short pulse laser of Gaussian radial and temporal profiles impinged on a clustered gas jet, heats the cluster electrons, leading to Bremsstrahlung emission of X-rays. As the clusters expand under hydrodynamic pressure, plasma frequency of the cluster electrons ωpedecreases. When plasma frequency of a cluster approaches plasma resonance${\rm \omega}_{\,pe} = \sqrt{3} {\rm \omega}$(where ω is the laser frequency), the electrons are resonantly heated by the laser and a rapid rise in X-ray emission occurs. After a while, when cluster expansion detunes the plasma resonance, X-ray emission falls off.
“The Statute of Westminster, 1931: An Irish Perspective”
Authors: Mohr Thomas
Published: October 2013

The enactment of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 represents one of the most significant events in the history of the British Empire. The very name of this historic piece of legislation, with its medieval antecedents, epitomizes a sense of enduring grandeur and dignity. The Statute of Westminster recognized significant advances in the evolution of the self-governing Dominions into fully sovereign states. The term “Dominion” was initially adopted in relation to Canada, but was extended in 1907 to refer to all self-governing colonies of white settlement that had been evolving in the direction of greater autonomy since the middle of the nineteenth century. By the early 1930s, the Dominions included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State.
Interaction of plant phenols with food macronutrients: characterisation and nutritional–physiological consequences
Authors: Zhang Hao , Yu Dandan , Sun Jing , Liu Xianting , Jiang Lu , Guo Huiyuan , Ren Fazheng
Published: October 2013

Polyphenols are dietary constituents of plants associated with health-promoting effects. In the human diet, polyphenols are generally consumed in foods along with macronutrients. Because the health benefits of polyphenols are critically determined by their bioavailability, the effect of interactions between plant phenols and food macronutrients is a very important topic. In the present review, we summarise current knowledge, with a special focus on thein vitroandin vivoeffects of food macronutrients on the bioavailability and bioactivity of polyphenols. The mechanisms of interactions between polyphenols and food macronutrients are also discussed. The evidence collected in the present review suggests that when plant phenols are consumed along with food macronutrients, the bioavailability and bioactivity of polyphenols can be significantly affected. The protein–polyphenol complexes can significantly change the plasma kinetics profile but do not affect the absorption of polyphenols. Carbohydrates can enhance the absorption and extend the time needed to reach a maximal plasma concentration of polyphenols, and fats can enhance the absorption and change the absorption kinetics of polyphenols. Moreover, as highlighted in the present review, not only a nutrient alone but also certain synergisms between food macronutrients have a significant effect on the bioavailability and biological activity of polyphenols. The review emphasises the need for formulations that optimise the bioavailability andin vivoactivities of polyphenols.
Implements in a Sand-Stratum at Lyng
Authors: Cockrill H. W.
Published: October 2013

On Thursday, June 15th, 1911, accompanied by Mr. H. H. Halls, I went to Lyng to look over the Manor Farm for Neolithic implements, or other traces of prehistoric man. During the day, while looking round a pit, I noticed a number of flint flakes projecting from one side. I collected a few of these, and, upon examination, noticed they were different from anything I had seen on the surface. The following day I shewed these specimens to Mr. W. G. Clarke, explaining to him the position in which I had found them, and he suggested they might probably come from the remains of a floor, either Neolithic or Palæolithic. I visited the pit several times after this, each time getting further specimens. Quite recently Mr. Clarke, Mr. Halls, and myself, visited the pit, when, after careful examination, Mr. Clarke had no hesitation in stating that in his opinion the site was the remains of a floor, but whether Neolithic or Late Palffiolithic it is difficult to determine, the number of finished implements being so small, though the geological evidence would favour the latter view.
A Workshop Site of Primitive Culture at Two-Mile-Bottom, Thetford
Authors: Haward F. N.
Published: October 2013

I think all agree that arrow tips would first have been made of (a) hard wood or bone ground to a sharp point (as used to-day in East Africa), later by (b) sharp-pointed unworked splinters or flakes of stone or flint, followed by (c) flakes worked diagonally at one end to a sharp point, and the other end inserted in the arrow shaft.

As the worker's skill improved, these worked flake arrow tips would be superseded by (d) the beautifully flaked barbed and leaf arrows of the Neolithic and Bronze periods.

The whole prehistoric world would obviously not have been at any one time in the same stage of culture. At all periods, and in all districts, tribes would have existed side by side in various stages of culture, the work of the “᾽prentice” hand alongside that of the “master worker.”

It is therefore highly dangerous to assign an age to a worked flint solely by roughness of workmanship.

This communication is to record a prehistoric workshop site at Two-Mile-Bottom Common, near Thetford, Norfolk, containing worked flake tools of a very definite culture.
Cone Cultures in the Wensum Valley
Authors: Clarke W. G. , Halls H. H. , Sainty J. E.
Published: October 2013

Early this year we discovered a station, apparently with a homogeneous culture, on an arable field in the parish of Hellesdon, about half-a-mile above Norwich. The field, which has an area of about 12 acres, is on the north side of the river Wensum, from which it is about 74 yards distant at the south-east corner of the field, and 150 yards distant at the south-west corner. Between the field and the river is alluvium 12 ft. above O.D., and the field is 2—3 ft. higher. Flint implements, flakes and potboilers are very abundant on the lower part of the field, thin out rapidly on the higher part, and occur sporadically on the more elevated ground in the immediate vicinity.

Several thousand cones, flakes and chips were examined on the spot, but the number of implements retained was 482. The flint of which they are made is easily divisible into three groups.
Windmill Hill, Avebury, and Grime's Graves
Authors: Kendall H. G. O.
Published: October 2013

Mr. H. St. Geo. Gray's excavations at Avebury under the auspices of a Committee of the British Association, have shown that the famous vallum, fosse, and circle had their origin at the end of the Neolithic or beginning of the Bronze Age.

One mile N.W. of Avebury stands Windmill Hill. It may well have been to Avebury what the civil town of Old Sarum and its fortifications were to the clergy and the cathedral. The summit is surrounded by the remains of a rampart, which, however, may not truly deserve that title. For along most of its length it has the appearance of a bank only, supporting the flat platform of the hill top. A trench, recently made in connection with a water supply, failed to disclose any trace of a ditch below the bank at that spot. This, it is true, was overlooking the steeper side of the hill. There were probably other defensive banks on the lower slopes of the hill. Many round barrows stand upon the hill, some within, but most without the camp. Not far from the hill, at Winterbourne Monkton, stood a long barrow, destroyed, alas, some years ago, by a farmer.
Some Supposed Gun Flint Sites
Authors: Chandler R. H.
Published: October 2013

In 1909 I found, near the crest of the North Downs above Eynsford, several unshapely pieces of flint showing signs of having been flaked.

The flint is spicular and of a pale honey colour, some pieces quite unpatinated, but others very slightly patinated and with occasional flecks of siliceous high glaze. Judging from the appearance of the cortex, the flint has come from the clay-with-flints which caps the chalk in this neighbourhood.

Practically every piece of honey coloured flint to be found here bears a bulb or a bulb hollow, and none but the honey-coloured flint has been worked.

The site is in a narrow strip of woodland about 20 ft. deep, and just below the crest of the North Downs. It is in the bank of “hill-wash” formed by these trees that rabbits have burrowed and thrown up the flints under description. These flints have been shown to several collectors but the shapes are so crude and, apparently, purposeless that I could get no suggestions as to their use, or information about comparable finds.
A Double-ended Rostro-Carinate Flint Implement
Authors: Moir J. Reid
Published: October 2013

The object of this paper is to describe and to figure accurately a remarkable double-ended rostro-carinate flint implement found by me during this year (1929) upon the north-east coast of Norfolk. The discovery was made upon the foreshore about mid-way between East and West Run ton, where at low water there are exposed considerable areas of the Basement Bed, resting upon the chalk, and referable to either the lowermost division of the Cromer Forest Bed or to the Stone Bed beneath the Norwich Crag. The implement was not found in situ in the Basement Bed, but was lying, with other stones, close to an exposure of this deposit. Apart, also, from this association, the specimen contains, in some of its interstices, portions of the highly ferruginous sand of the Basement Bed, while its colour and condition make it clear to those who are familiar with the stones in this deposit, that the implement at one time—and that recently—formed a part of it. The implement exhibits a typical mottled colouration consisting of areas of black, tawny brown and chocolate brown, while its ridges and outstanding portions show in most cases a rounded and somewhat broken-down appearance, which may be due to attrition by water-rolling, but which I am inclined to regard, as I have stated elsewhere, is to be accounted for by the action of some solvent present in the Basement Bed. The specimen exhibits but few incipient cones of percussion upon its flaked surfaces (which show a well-marked glaze), and cannot, therefore, have been subjected to collisions with other stones set in movement by running water. On the other hand a certain number of striae are to be observed upon the flake-scars of the implement, and these scratches not only, as it appears, cut into the patinated surfaces, but are in a weathered-out condition, thus showing that the flint was first patinated, then striated, and afterwards exposed to atmospheric effects.
Drawing Upon the Past: Temporal Ontology and Mythological Ideology in South-central Californian Rock Art
Authors: Robinson David W.
Published: October 2013

The increasing influence of New Animism is providing useful ways of interpreting rock art as well as ways to move beyond generalizing models based upon Cartesian principles. However, the increasing attention to animism runs the risk of simply replacing one generalization with another. To avoid the pitfalls of generalization, this article sets out to explore the ways in which relational ontology may have been communicated throughout indigenous society in a specific case study from south-central California. To do this requires adopting a ‘third space’ approach (Porr & Bell 2011) to detail the didactic and pedagogical narrative roles of rock art and mythology in south-central California. Paraphrasing Bird-David (2006), the goal is to understand how an animistic epistemology is enacted into an institutionalized way of knowing. To do this, I look closely at new information on rock-art chronology in conjunction with mythological narratives. It is suggested that the vibrant pictographs of the region drew upon ontological notions of the past embodied at specific places in the landscape and that the narrative structure of myth helps inform our understanding of the narrative structure of rock-art composition. This provides an appreciation of indigenous perceptions of time, which in turn shows that mythology was a template for human institutions while explaining rock art as another ontological institution that was part-and-parcel of relational ideologies associated with ‘delayed-return’ complex societies of south-central California.
Memory and its Demolition: Ancestors, Animals and Sacrifice at Umm el-Marra, Syria
Authors: Schwartz Glenn M.
Published: October 2013

At Umm el-Marra in western Syria, a sequence of Bronze Age ritual installations facilitates the investigation of how Syrian elites employed memory, ancestor veneration, and animal (and perhaps human) sacrifice to reinforce their position, and how others used countermemory to contest it. Relevant data derive from an Early Bronze Age complex of elite tombs and animal interments and a Middle Bronze Age monumental platform and shaft containing animal and human bodies deposited ritually. Analysis of the spatial landscape, with patterns of access or inaccessibility, facilitates additional insights, as does the consideration of the intentionality or lack of it in ancient references to the past.
Multivalent interactions of the SUMO-interaction motifs in RING finger protein 4 determine the specificity for chains of the SUMO
Authors: Keusekotten Kirstin , Bade Veronika N. , Meyer-Teschendorf Katrin , Sriramachandran Annie Miriam , Fischer-Schrader Katrin , Krause Anke , Horst Christiane , Schwarz Günter , Hofmann Kay , Dohmen R. Jürgen , Praefcke Gerrit J. K.
Published: October 2013

RNF4 (RING finger protein 4) is a STUbL [SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier)-targeted ubiquitin ligase] controlling PML (promyelocytic leukaemia) nuclear bodies, DNA double strand break repair and other nuclear functions. In the present paper, we describe that the sequence and spacing of the SIMs (SUMO-interaction motifs) in RNF4 regulate the avidity-driven recognition of substrate proteins carrying SUMO chains of variable length.
Processing of Phonological Variation in Children With Hearing Loss: Compensation for English Place Assimilation in Connected Speech
Authors: Skoruppa Katrin , Rosen Stuart
Published: October 2013

Purpose

In this study, the authors explored phonological processing in connected speech in children with hearing loss. Specifically, the authors investigated these children's sensitivity to English place assimilation, by which alveolar consonants like
t
and
n
can adapt to following sounds (e.g., the word
te

n

can be realized as
te

m

in the phrase
te

n p

ounds
).

Method

Twenty-seven 4- to 8-year-old children with moderate to profound hearing impairments, using hearing aids (
n
= 10) or cochlear implants (
n
= 17), and 19 children with normal hearing participated. They were asked to choose between pictures of familiar (e.g., pen) and unfamiliar objects (e.g., astrolabe) after hearing
t
- and
n
-final words in sentences. Standard pronunciations (
Can you find the pe

n

d

ear
?) and assimilated forms in correct (…
pe

m

p

lease?
) and incorrect contexts (…
pe

m

dear?
) were presented.

Results

As expected, the children with normal hearing chose the familiar object more often for standard forms and correct assimilations than for incorrect assimilations. Thus, they are sensitive to word-final place changes and compensate for assimilation. However, the children with hearing impairment demonstrated reduced sensitivity to word-final place changes, and no compensation for assimilation. Restricted analyses revealed that children with hearing aids who showed good perceptual skills compensated for assimilation in plosives only.
Priming of soil decomposition leads to losses of carbon in soil treated with cow urine
Authors: Lambie S. M. , Schipper L. A. , Balks M. R. , Baisden W. T.
Published: October 2013

The extent to which priming of soil carbon (C) decomposition following treatment with cow urine leads to losses of soil C has not been fully investigated. However, this may be an important component of the carbon (C) cycle in intensively grazed pastures. Our objective was to determine soil C losses via priming in soil treated with cow urine and artificial urine. Cow urine, water, 14C-urea artificial urine, and 14C-glucose artificial urine were applied to repacked soil cores and incubated at 25°C for 84 days. We used radio-labelled artificial urine to determine the extent to which urea hydrolysis contributed to elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in urine-treated soil and as a comparison to the priming effects of cow urine. Water-soluble C, pH, dehydrogenase activity, urease activity, and CO2 evolution were monitored during the incubation. Priming of soil C decomposition (more CO2-C evolved than was added as a C source) in the cow urine treatment was 4.2 ± 0.7 mg C g–1 (5.2 ± 0.9% of soil C concentration, corrected for water control). In the cow urine treatment, ~54% of retained urea was hydrolysed and it contributed 0.4 ± 0.1 mg CO2-C g–1 to total CO2 fluxes. Low urea hydrolysis may have been due to decreased urease activity in the cow urine treatment due to the large amounts of urea present and the increased pH. Dehydrogenase activity was elevated immediately after cow urine application, and indicates that priming was likely due to heightened microbial activity. Negative priming (less CO2-C evolved than was added as a C source) was measured in the artificial urine treatments and this may reflect the differences in composition between the cow and artificial urines. Solubilisation of soil C was also found in the artificial urine treatments, but it did not appear to be correlated with increased pH or periods of greater urea hydrolysis. While cow urine decreased soil C by positively priming soil C decomposition, our artificial urine did not. Therefore, caution is recommended when using artificial urine for C-cycling research. The mechanisms by which both increased soil pH and priming occurs in urine-treated soils require further investigation.
Prevention of inflammation-mediated bone loss in murine and canine periodontal disease via recruitment of regulatory lymphocytes
Authors: Glowacki Andrew J. , Yoshizawa Sayuri , Jhunjhunwala Siddharth , Vieira Andreia E. , Garlet Gustavo P. , Sfeir Charles , Little Steven R.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Periodontal disease (gum disease) is an extremely prevalent inflammatory disease initiated by persistent bacterial insult, leading to the destruction of bone and gingival tissues. Current clinical treatments focus solely on the removal of bacteria. In this study, we put forth a strategy to address the underlying inflammatory imbalance in periodontal disease by harnessing the body’s own sophisticated immunoregulatory mechanisms through the recruitment of regulatory T cells (Tregs). This is accomplished by controllably releasing small quantities (nanogram/kilogram range) of chemokine recognized by Tregs using biodegradable, resorbable polymers with an excellent track record of regulatory approval. Administration of Treg-recruiting treatments to the gingiva of mice and canines reduces clinical scores of disease as well as hard and soft tissue destruction.
Transplantation of human islets without immunosuppression
Authors: Ludwig Barbara , Reichel Andreas , Steffen Anja , Zimerman Baruch , Schally Andrew V. , Block Norman L. , Colton Clark K. , Ludwig Stefan , Kersting Stephan , Bonifacio Ezio , Solimena Michele , Gendler Zohar , Rotem Avi , Barkai Uriel , Bornstein Stefan R.
Published: October 2013

Significance

Diabetes mellitus type 1 is an autoimmune disease that results in irreversible destruction of insulin-producing beta cells. Substantial advances have been made in beta cell replacement therapies over the last decades. However, lack of eligible donor organs and the need for chronic immunosuppression to prevent rejection critically limit a widespread application of these strategies. In this paper we present the clinical success of using a bioartificial pancreas for the transplantation of insulin-producing islets without affecting the immune system. In a patient with long-standing type-1 diabetes we could demonstrate persistent graft function and regulated insulin secretion without the need for immune-modulating medication. This strategy opens up avenues for more widespread and safe application of various cell-based therapies.
Elevated rates of gold mining in the Amazon revealed through high-resolution monitoring
Authors: Asner Gregory P. , Llactayo William , Tupayachi Raul , Luna Ernesto Ráez
Published: October 2013

Significance

Commodity gold prices increased substantially following the 2008 global financial crisis. Gold demand has fueled a massive increase in mining activity, some of which is centered in the Amazon basin. Western Amazonian forests of Peru have become an epicenter for mostly illegal gold mining, but the clandestine nature of mining activities has made monitoring and reporting of forest losses extremely challenging. We combined high-resolution satellite and aircraft-based imaging with field surveys to address this issue in one of the highest biodiversity regions on Earth: Madre de Dios, Peru. We found the gold mining extent and rates are far higher than previously reported, with critically important implications for the ecology and environmental policy of this unique tropical rainforest region.
Developing a New, National Approach to Surveillance for Ventilator-Associated Events: Executive Summary
Authors: Magill Shelley S. , Klompas Michael , Balk Robert , Burns Suzanne M. , Deutschman Clifford S. , Diekema Daniel , Fridkin Scott , Greene Linda , Guh Alice , Gutterman David , Hammer Beth , Henderson David , Hess Dean R. , Hill Nicholas S. , Horan Teresa , Kollef Marin , Levy Mitchell , Septimus Edward , VanAntwerpen Carole , Wright Don , Lipsett Pamela
Published: October 2013

This article is an executive summary of a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Surveillance Definition Working Group, entitled “Developing a new, national approach to surveillance for ventilator-associated events” and published in Critical Care Medicine. The full report provides a comprehensive description of the Working Group process and outcome.

In September 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Surveillance Definition Working Group to organize a formal process for leaders and experts of key stakeholder organizations to discuss the challenges of VAP surveillance definitions and to propose new approaches to VAP surveillance in adult patients (Table 1).
The Rac-GAP Bcr is a novel regulator of the Par complex that controls cell polarity
Authors: Narayanan Anjana S. , Reyes Steve B. , Um Kyongmi , McCarty Joseph H. , Tolias Kimberley F.
Published: October 2013

Cell polarization is essential for many biological processes, including directed cell migration, and loss of polarity contributes to pathological conditions such as cancer. The Par complex (Par3, Par6, and PKCζ) controls cell polarity in part by recruiting the Rac-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor T-lymphoma invasion and metastasis 1 (Tiam1) to specialized cellular sites, where Tiam1 promotes local Rac1 activation and cytoskeletal remodeling. However, the mechanisms that restrict Par-Tiam1 complex activity to the leading edge to maintain cell polarity during migration remain unclear. We identify the Rac-specific GTPase-activating protein (GAP) breakpoint cluster region protein (Bcr) as a novel regulator of the Par-Tiam1 complex. We show that Bcr interacts with members of the Par complex and inhibits both Rac1 and PKCζ signaling. Loss of Bcr results in faster, more random migration and striking polarity defects in astrocytes. These polarity defects are rescued by reducing PKCζ activity or by expressing full-length Bcr, but not an N-terminal deletion mutant or the homologous Rac-GAP, Abr, both of which fail to associate with the Par complex. These results demonstrate that Bcr is an integral member of the Par-Tiam1 complex that controls polarized cell migration by locally restricting both Rac1 and PKCζ function.
Burden of hospitalizations for bicycling injuries by motor vehicle involvement
Authors: Hamann Cara , Peek-Asa Corinne , Lynch Charles F. , Ramirez Marizen , Torner James
Published: October 2013

BACKGROUND

Bicycling and bicycling injuries have increased during the past decade in the United States, but research on the extent and outcomes of injuries has lagged behind. This study aimed to estimate the current burden of injury from bicycling injury hospitalizations by motor vehicle crash (MVC) and non-MVC in the United States.

METHODS

We included patients with primary or secondary diagnosis e-codes corresponding to MVC or non-MVC bicycle injury, drawn from the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2002–2009). Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and logistic regression were used to examine patient and hospital characteristics (length of stay, total charges, nonroutine discharges, and demographics) associated with hospitalizations for bicycling injuries by motor vehicle involvement.

RESULTS

On average, from 2002 to 2009, there were an annually estimated 6,877 MVC and 18,457 non-MVC bicycle injury hospitalizations nationwide. This translates to more than $1 billion of hospital charges overall, $425 million for MVC and $588 million for non-MVC per year. After controlling for covariates, MVC bicycling injury hospitalizations had an average length of stay that was 2 days longer (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8–2.3) and an average hospitalization charge of $23,424 more (95% CI, $21,360–$25,538) than non-MVC. Those with MVC bicycling injuries were more than two times as likely to have a nonroutine hospital discharge than non-MVC (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 2.06–2.39).

CONCLUSION

The burden of injury from bicycle crashes is large overall, and MVC-related bicycling injuries result in longer hospital stays, higher costs, and more nonroutine hospital discharges than non-MVC, despite the fact that non-MVC hospitalizations are more frequent and result in higher total charges, overall. To have the greatest impact on reducing the burden of injury from bicycle crashes, educational interventions, policy, and infrastructure changes should include all age groups and prioritize reducing bicycle–motor vehicle collisions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiologic study, level III.
Helmet use is associated with safer bicycling behaviors and reduced hospital resource use following injury
Authors: Webman Rachel , Dultz Linda A. , Simon Ronald J. , Todd S. Rob , Slaughter Dekeya , Jacko Sally , Bholat Omar , Wall Stephen , Wilson Chad , Levine Deborah A. , Roe Matthew , Pachter H. Leon , Frangos Spiros G.
Published: October 2013

BACKGROUND

While the efficacy of helmet use in the prevention of head injury is well described, helmet use as it relates to bicyclists’ behaviors and hospital resource use following injury is less defined. The objective of this study was to compare the demographics, behaviors, hospital workups, and outcomes of bicyclists based on helmet use.

METHODS

This study was a subset analysis of a 2.5-year prospective cohort study of vulnerable roadway users conducted at Bellevue Hospital Center, a New York City Level 1 trauma center. All bicyclists with known helmet status were included. Demographics, insurance type, traffic law compliance, alcohol use, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, initial imaging studies, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), admission status, length of stay, disposition, and mortality were assessed. Information was obtained primarily from patients; witnesses and first responders provided additional information.

RESULTS

Of 374 patients, 113 (30.2%) were wearing helmets. White bicyclists were more likely to wear helmets; black bicyclists were less likely (p = 0.037). Patients with private insurance were more likely to wear helmets, those with Medicaid or no insurance were less likely (p = 0.027). Helmeted bicyclists were more likely to ride with the flow of traffic (97.2%) and within bike lanes (83.7%) (p < 0.001 and p = 0.013, respectively). Nonhelmeted bicyclists were more likely to ride against traffic flow (p = 0.003). There were no statistically significant differences in mean GCS score, AIS score, and mean ISS for helmeted versus nonhelmeted bicyclists. Nonhelmeted patients were more likely to have head computed tomographic scans (p = 0.049) and to be admitted (p = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

Helmet use is an indicator of safe riding practices, although most injured bicyclists do not wear them. In this study, helmet use was associated with lower likelihood of head CTs and admission, leading to less hospital resource use. Injured riders failing to wear helmets should be targeted for educational programs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Epidemiologic study, level III.
An analysis of value in an organic food supply chain
Authors: Marques Vieira Luciana , Dutra De Barcellos Marcia , Hoppe Alexia , Bitencourt da Silva Silvio
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Several studies focus on agri-food value chain from a consumer or from a supply chain perspective. But there is little investigation integrating both approaches and providing empirical evidence from developing countries. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it describes the supply chain of organic products in Brazil, which is an emerging market. It describes how retailers manage its supply chain (wholesalers and small producers) in an organic own brand of fresh products. Second, this paper identifies the motivations, attitudes, beliefs and personal values behind Brazilian consumers' decision to purchase organic food.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used in two stages. First, it presents a case study of the organic supply chain. Then, a survey carried out with 261 consumers at supermarkets in a Brazilian city is presented.

Findings

– The case study points out that retailers transfer to wholesalers the responsibility to manage small organic producers. It also suggests that as the organic product is under the retailer own brand, and therefore most of the value perceived by the consumer is retained by the retailer. Survey results indicate that organic consumers have strong individual values and benefits are the most significant predictors of attitude toward organic food for the Brazilian consumers interviewed. Availability is significantly related to the intent to purchase organic food, which is a key point for the supply chain to respond efficiently to consumers' demand.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper is based on a single case study and the survey is applied in only one city of Brazil.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to expand the value analysis through a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, including consumer behaviour and supply chain management in the same analysis. It also adds to the debate on value, proposing Schwartz Value Theory as a complementary approach to value analysis.