bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Circulatory Support with Venoarterial ECMO Unsuccessful in Aiding Endogenous Diltiazem Clearance after Overdose
Authors: Frazee Erin N. , Lee Sarah J. , Kalimullah Ejaaz A. , Personett Heather A. , Nelson Darlene R.
Published: August 2014

Introduction.In cardiovascular collapse from diltiazem poisoning, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may offer circulatory support sufficient to preserve endogenous hepatic drug clearance. Little is known about patient outcomes and diltiazem toxicokinetics in this setting.Case Report.A 36-year-old woman with a history of myocardial bridging syndrome presented with chest pain for which she self-medicated with 2.4 g of sustained release diltiazem over the course of 8 hours. Hemodynamics and mentation were satisfactory on presentation, but precipitously deteriorated after ICU transfer. She was given fluids, calcium, vasopressors, glucagon, high-dose insulin, and lipid emulsion. Due to circulatory collapse and multiorgan failure including ischemic hepatopathy, she underwent transvenous pacing and emergent initiation of venoarterial ECMO. The peak diltiazem level was 13150 ng/mL (normal 100–200 ng/mL) and it remained elevated at 6340 ng/mL at hour 90. Unfortunately, the patient developed multiple complications which resulted in her death on ICU day 9.Conclusion.This case describes the unsuccessful use of ECMO for diltiazem intoxication. Although past reports suggest that support with ECMO may facilitate endogenous diltiazem clearance, it may be dependent on preserved hepatic function at the time of cannulation, a factor not present in this case.
Racial Comparison of Receptor-Defined Breast Cancer in Southern African Women: Subtype Prevalence and Age–Incidence Analysis of Nationwide Cancer Registry Data
Authors: Dickens Caroline , Duarte Raquel , Zietsman Annelle , Cubasch Herbert , Kellett Patricia , Schüz Joachim , Kielkowski Danuta , McCormack Valerie
Published: August 2014

Background: Receptor-defined breast cancer proportions vary across Africa. They have important implications for survival prospects and research priorities.

Methods: We studied estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 receptor statuses in two multiracial Southern African countries with routine diagnostic immunohistochemistry. A total of 12,361 women with histologically confirmed breast cancer diagnosed at age ≥20 years during (i) 2009–2011 from South Africa's national cancer registry (public sector) and (ii) 2011–2013 from Namibia's only cancer hospital were included. Crude, age, and age + laboratory–adjusted ORs of receptor status were analyzed using logistic regression, and age–incidence curves were analyzed using Poisson regression.

Results: A total of 10,047 (81%) women had known ER status. Ranking of subtypes was consistent across races: ER+/PR+HER2− was most common (race-specific percentage range, 54.6%–64.8%), followed by triple-negative (17.4%–21.9%), ER+/PR+HER2+ (9.6%–13.9%), and ER−PR−HER2+ (7.8%–10.9%). Percentages in black versus white women were 33.8% [95% confidence (CI), 32.5–35.0] versus 26.0% (24.0–27.9) ER−; 20.9% (19.7–22.1) versus 17.5% (15.4–19.6) triple-negative; and 10.7% (9.8–11.6) versus 7.8% (6.3–9.3) ER−PR−HER2+. Indian/Asian and mixed-ancestry women had intermediate values. Age–incidence curves had similar shapes across races: rates increased by 12.7% per year (12.2–13.1) across ER subtypes under the age of 50 years, and thereafter slowed for ER+ (1.95%) and plateaued for ER− disease (−0.1%).

Conclusions: ER+ breast cancer dominates in all Southern African races, but black women have a modest excess of aggressive subtypes.

Impact: On the basis of the predominant receptor-defined breast tumors in Southern Africa, improving survival for the growing breast cancer burden should be achievable through earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(11); 2311–21. ©2014 AACR.
A Three-microRNA Signature Predicts Responses to Platinum-Based Doublet Chemotherapy in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Saito Motonobu , Shiraishi Kouya , Matsumoto Kenji , Schetter Aaron J. , Ogata-Kawata Hiroko , Tsuchiya Naoto , Kunitoh Hideo , Nokihara Hiroshi , Watanabe Shun-ichi , Tsuta Koji , Kumamoto Kensuke , Takenoshita Seiichi , Yokota Jun , Harris Curtis C. , Kohno Takashi
Published: August 2014

Purpose: To examine the clinical utility of intratumor microRNAs (miRNA) as a biomarker for predicting responses to platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in patients with recurring lung adenocarcinoma (LADC).

Experimental Design: The expression of miRNAs was examined in LADC tissues surgically resected from patients treated with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy at the time of LADC recurrence. Microarray-based screening of 904 miRNAs followed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR–based verification in 40 test cohort samples, including 16 (40.0%) responders, was performed to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in chemotherapy responders and nonresponders. Differential expression was confirmed in a validation cohort (n = 63 samples), including 18 (28.6%) responders. An miRNA signature that predicted responses to platinum-based doublet chemotherapy was identified and its accuracy was examined by principal component and support vector machine analyses. Genotype data for the TP53-Arg72Pro polymorphism, which is associated with responses to platinum-based doublet chemotherapy, were subsequently incorporated into the prediction analysis.

Results: A signature comprising three miRNAs (miR1290, miR196b, and miR135a*) enabled the prediction of a chemotherapeutic response (rather than progression-free and overall survival) with high accuracy in both the test and validation cohorts (82.5% and 77.8%). Examination of the latter was performed using miRNAs extracted from archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Combining this miRNA signature with the TP53-Arg72Pro polymorphism genotype marginally improved the predictive power.

Conclusion: The three-miRNA signature in surgically resected primary LADC tissues may by clinically useful for predicting responsiveness to platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in patients with LADC recurrence. Clin Cancer Res; 20(18); 4784–93. ©2014 AACR.
Tissue Penetration and Activity of Camptothecins in Solid Tumor Xenografts
Authors: Kyle Alastair H. , Baker Jennifer H.E. , Gandolfo Maria-Jose , Reinsberg Stefan A. , Minchinton Andrew I.
Published: August 2014

The ability of a panel of camptothecin derivatives to access the tumor compartment was evaluated to determine the mechanisms by which the architecture of solid tumors may act to limit their activity. Microregional localization and activity of members of the camptothecin class of topoisomerase I targeting agents, including topotecan, irinotecan, and irinophore C, a lipid-based nanoparticulate formulation of irinotecan, were evaluated over time in HCT116 and HT29 colorectal tumor xenografts. Using native drug fluorescence, their distributions in tissue cryosections were related to the underlying tumor vasculature, tumor cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Topotecan exhibited a relatively uniform tumor distribution; in tissue 100 μm away from vessels, it reached 94% ± 5% of levels seen around blood vessels, whereas irinotecan and irinophore C were found to reach only 41% ± 10% and 5% ± 2%, respectively. Surprisingly, all three agents were able to initially inhibit proliferation uniformly throughout the tumors, and it was their rate of washout (topotecan > irinotecan > irinophore C) that correlated with activity. To explain this discrepancy, we looked at SN38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, and found it to penetrate tissue similarly to topotecan. Hence, the poor access to the tumor compartment of irinotecan and irinophore C could be offset by their systemic conversion to SN38. It was concluded that all three agents were effective at reaching tumor cells, and that despite the poor access to the extravascular compartment of irinophore C, its extended plasma exposure and systemic conversion to the diffusible metabolite SN38 enabled it to effectively target solid tumors. Mol Cancer Ther; 13(11); 2727–37. ©2014 AACR.
Diffuse Ventricular Fibrosis Measured by T
1
Mapping on Cardiac MRI Predicts Success of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: McLellan Alex J.A. , Ling Liang-han , Azzopardi Sonia , Ellims Andris H. , Iles Leah M. , Sellenger Michael A. , Morton Joseph B. , Kalman Jonathan M. , Taylor Andrew J. , Kistler Peter M.
Published: August 2014

Background—

There is a complex interplay between the atria and ventricles in atrial fibrillation (AF). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging provides detailed tissue characterization, identifying focal ventricular fibrosis with late gadolinium enhancement (ventricular late gadolinium enhancement) and diffuse fibrosis with postcontrast-enhanced T
1
mapping. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between postcontrast ventricular T
1
relaxation time on CMR and freedom from AF after pulmonary vein isolation.

Methods and Results—

One hundred three patients undergoing catheter ablation for symptomatic AF (66% paroxysmal AF; age, 58±10 years; left atrial area, 27±7 cm
2
) underwent preprocedure CMR to determine postcontrast ventricular T
1
time. Follow-up included clinical review and 7-day Holter monitors at 6 monthly intervals. All patients underwent successful pulmonary vein isolation. At a mean follow-up of 15±7 months, the single procedure success was 74%. Postcontrast ventricular T
1
time was significantly shorter in patients with recurrent AF (366±73 ms) versus patients without AF recurrence (428±90 ms;
P
=0.002). Univariate predictors of AF recurrence included postcontrast ventricular T
1
time, AF type (paroxysmal versus persistent), AF duration, and body mass index. After multivariate analysis, ventricular T
1
time (
P
=0.03) and AF duration (
P
=0.03) were the only independent predictors. Freedom from AF was present in 84% of patients with a postcontrast ventricular T
1
time >380 ms versus 56% in patients with a postcontrast ventricular T
1
time <380 ms (
P
=0.002).

Conclusions—

A shorter postcontrast ventricular T
1
relaxation time on CMR is associated with reduced freedom from AF after catheter ablation. Diffuse ventricular fibrosis as demonstrated by CMR may, in part, explain recurrent AF after AF ablation.
“A Little Willingness to See”: Sacramental Vision in Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping and Gilead
Authors: Stout Andrew C.
Published: August 2014

The “sacramental imagination” is closely associated with writers from the Roman Catholic tradition. However, Marilynne Robinson, drawing on the creational and sacramental theology of John Calvin, has successfully developed a distinctly American Protestant sacramental vision in and through her novels Housekeeping and Gilead. In this article, I examine Robinson’s appropriation of Calvin to show how he has shaped her sacramental view of the world. I then look at the two novels in succession to show how this vision manifests itself in her fiction. Robinson sees creation itself as bearing a sacramental character that is particularly evident in the elements of water, bread, and wine. When these elements are concentrated in sacramental actions and viewed through the corrective lens of Scripture, they reveal this intention with an even greater clarity. Through her depictions of the sacred nature of ordinary people and places, Robinson articulates a vision that invites the reader to see the divine in the common.
Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk and His Attitude toward Gentiles
Authors: Cohen Yitshak
Published: August 2014

This article examines various issues in R. Meir Simha Hacohen’s (rms) halakhic approach toward gentiles. His approach demonstrates innovation, and it attests mostly to moderation and an effort to reach a compromise with gentiles. We see that his halakhic and judicial approach does not advocate a complete detachment between Jews and gentiles; on the contrary, it encourages increased relations between them. On all the issues examined here, where the Halakhah could be interpreted in a strict manner or leniently, rms follows the approach that facilitates relations between Jews and gentiles. His position is consistent and forms a broad fundamental approach according to which, whenever it is possible to set the laws governing the relations between Jew and gentiles on an even footing, one should make an effort to do so. The article exposes several broad principles in rms’s attitude toward gentiles, for example, the rationale that distinguishes between religious matters and worldly affairs. The laws governing the latter apply to gentiles as well and are identical for gentiles and Jews. The article also shows that rms issued a series of rulings aimed at compromising with gentiles and bringing Jews and gentiles closer together. The article explains rms’s approach of meeting gentiles half way by examining the historical and sociological circumstances within which he acted, including the fact that in Eastern Europe his Jewish circle did not perceive itself as self-referential and conservative. This enabled rms to develop his moderate approach.
Hannah Arendt’s Philosophy of Law Approach to International Criminal Law
Authors: Birmingham Peg
Published: August 2014

My argument in this article is that Hannah Arendt has a coherent and well-developed, although not systematic, philosophy of law which she brings to the Eichmann trial specifically and to international criminal law generally. In Part One of the article, I lay out Arendt’s philosophy of law, focusing on her account of the difference between the Greek and Roman conceptions of the law, the status of the consensus iuris, and the status of legal principles. Part Two offers a comparison of Arendt’s and Dworkin’s legal and political principles that animate the law. Part Three takes up Arendt’s approach to international criminal law through an analysis of her report of the Eichmann trial, specifically her account of the unprecedented nature of crimes against humanity, the new type of criminal who commits administrative massacres, and the difference between the criminal and the political trial at the international level.
The End of an Era: Static and Dynamic Interpretation in International Courts
Authors: Olsen Henrik Palmer , Toddington Stuart
Published: August 2014

Ninety per cent of international courts’ (ICs) legal decisions have been issued within the last two decades. This increase in case law - along with other significant changes in the operation of ICs - signals a new form of judicialised international law. This change is best described as a shift from a 'static' regime of contractual relations between sovereign states to a more 'organic' regime of 'living law'. In criminal law, this development is exemplified by the reasoning of the ICTY, the ICTR and the ICC. In examining the institutional undercurrents that accompany these changes important questions arise: through what social processes is legitimacy imputed to ICs? How do ICs handle or avoid crises in legitimacy? In the context of recent critiques of judicial reasoning in international criminal law, the article suggests that the analysis of case law from ICs must become as dynamic and agile as contemporary international law itself.
Anostracan (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) zoogeography II. Relating distribution to geochemical substrate properties in the USA
Authors: ROGERS D. CHRISTOPHER
Published: August 2014

Anostracan zoogeography, biogeography, and habitat preferences have predominately been studied as related to the water quality parameters of their seasonally astatic wetland habitats. However, since water quality in seasonally astatic wetlands can fluctuate dramatically over a range of time scales, water quality data are generally of limited usefulness. Anostracan taxa occurrences in each of the nine North American anostracan bioregions across the United States of America were examined in relation to basic substrate geochemistry parameters (%CaSO4*H2O, %CaCO3, salinity, and dominate salt cations), and substrate type. Relationships between these parameters and the distributions of all 63 US species were discovered. Most anostracan species occurred only in habitats with specific geochemical ranges and attributes unique to that species. Additionally, three widespread species were found to occur in very different habitat types in different regions. Upon closer examination, these three taxa were each found to be comprised of more than one species.
Bryozoans from RV Sonne deep-sea cruises SO 167 ‘Louisville’ and SO 205 ‘Mangan’
Authors: MATSUYAMA KEI , JANSSEN ANNIKA , ARBIZU PEDRO MARTÍNEZ , MARTHA SILVIU O. , FREIWALD ANDRÉ
Published: August 2014

The German research vessel Sonne is operating in the Pacific, Southern and Indian Oceans. In the current stage of development in Pacific deep-sea mining projects, prior understanding of biodiversity patterns in the affected regions is one of the major research goals of the RV Sonne cruises. In the present study, nine bryozoan species are reported from the Equatorial East Pacific and the Kermadec–Tonga Ridge, collected during RV Sonne cruises SO 167 “Louisville” and SO 205 “Mangan”, from 356–4007 m. Two new species, Raxifabia oligopora n. sp. and Opaeophora triangula n. sp., are described.
Descriptions of four species of grenadier fishes of the genera Hymenocephalus and Hymenogadus (Teleostei, Gadiformes, Macrouridae) from the New Zealand region and Tasman Sea, including two new species of Hymenocephalus
Authors: MCMILLAN PETER , IWAMOTO TOMIO
Published: August 2014

Two new species of Hymenocephalus are described from the New Zealand region and Tasman Sea. Hymenocephalus fuscus sp. n. has 11–12 pelvic fin rays, is darkly pigmented, with enlarged bony ridges on the dorsal aspects of head, lacks a chin barbel, has few (16–19) gill rakers on inner side of first arch and is similar to other species in the H. aterrimus species group. Hymenocephalus maculicaudus sp. n. has 8 pelvic fin rays, a mid-lateral line of melanophores on body and tail that extends about a head length posterior to anal fin origin, a short (7–16 % HL) chin barbel and is similar to other species in the H. megalops species group. Hymenocephalus nascens has 12–14 pelvic fin rays, lacks a chin barbel, has a mid-lateral stripe of silvery (fresh) or brownish (preserved) pigment running along trunk and tail. Hymenogadus gracilis has a serrated (weak, near tip) first dorsal fin spine, 7–9 pelvic fin rays, long (20–30% HL) chin barbel, and one row of enlarged melanophores along lateral mid-line of the tail. Hymenocephalus nascens and Hymenogadus gracilis are recorded for the first time from the New Zealand region. A key to the known New Zealand species of Hymenocephalus and Hymenogadus is provided.
Distributed Cognition in Top Management Teams and Organizational Ambidexterity
Authors: Heavey Ciaran , Simsek Zeki
Published: August 2014

How can a firm develop, distribute, and use knowledge more effectively and efficiently in ways that increase its ability to pursue an ambidextrous orientation? Synthesizing insights from social cognition and upper-echelons perspectives, we offer a new theoretical vantage point that brings the role of top management teams’ cognitive structure to the fore and, in particular, the enabling influence of transactive memory systems. We argue that transactive memory provides a top management team with a system for generating, distributing, and integrating knowledge based on members’ specific areas of expertise in ways that increase its ability to both differentiate and integrate strategic agendas for ambidexterity. From a multisource study of top management teams in a sample of technology-based small-to-medium-sized firms, we find that while top management teams with well-developed transactive memory systems are able to pursue an ambidextrous orientation, the impact of transactive memory is also shaped by diverse organizational experience and functional expertise within these teams. We discuss the scope and significance of these findings for theory, future research, and managerial practice.
Model-Driven Meta-Analyses for Informing Health Care
Authors: Brown Sharon A. , Becker Betsy Jane , García Alexandra A. , Brown Adama , Ramírez Gilbert
Published: August 2014

A relatively novel type of meta-analysis, a model-driven meta-analysis, involves the quantitative synthesis of descriptive, correlational data and is useful for identifying key predictors of health outcomes and informing clinical guidelines. Few such meta-analyses have been conducted and thus, large bodies of research remain unsynthesized and uninterpreted for application in health care. We describe the unique challenges of conducting a model-driven meta-analysis, focusing primarily on issues related to locating a sample of published and unpublished primary studies, extracting and verifying descriptive and correlational data, and conducting analyses. A current meta-analysis of the research on predictors of key health outcomes in diabetes is used to illustrate our main points.
Pentecostal Healing Prayer in an Age of Evidence-Based Medicine
Authors: Brown Candy Gunther
Published: August 2014

Although testimonies of divine healing figure prominently in pentecostal missions, pentecostals are frequently reluctant to subject testimonials to empirical investigation. In an age of evidence-based medicine, many people insist on medical corroboration before giving claims credence. Hence, pentecostal resistance toward medical validation comes at a price of reduced missionary impact. Investigation of healing claims reveals medically unexpected healings for which there is no obvious medical explanation, and recoveries that can be explained naturalistically or seem not to have occurred. Since fraudulent cases tend to attract the most notice, they are widely perceived as normative in the absence of countervailing examples.
Pharmacological treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with co-morbid drug dependence
Authors: Cunill R , Castells X , Tobias A , Capellà D
Published: August 2014

Background:

Drug dependence is frequent in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nevertheless, the efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatments in this population are unclear.

Methods:

A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed. Randomised placebo-controlled clinical trials investigating the efficacy of pharmacological treatment in patients with co-occurring ADHD and substance use disorder (SUD) were included. ADHD symptom severity, drug abstinence and all-cause treatment discontinuation were the primary study endpoints. The effects of patient-, intervention- and study-related covariates over the primary outcomes were investigated by means of meta-regression.

Results:

Thirteen studies were included, enrolling a total of 1,271 patients. A small to moderate reduction of ADHD symptoms was found. Meta-regression analysis identified the presence of a lead-in period as a covariate associated with reduced efficacy. Conversely, no beneficial effect was observed either on drug abstinence or treatment discontinuation. The efficacy on ADHD symptoms was smaller in studies with a lead-in period. A positive correlation between the efficacy for ADHD and that for SUD was found.

Conclusions:

The efficacy of pharmacological interventions for co-occurring ADHD and SUD has been little investigated. Mixed results were obtained: while pharmacological interventions improved ADHD symptoms, no beneficial effect on drug abstinence or on treatment discontinuation was noted. The strength of the recommendation of pharmacological treatment for co-occurring ADHD and SUD is therefore modest. The study was registered with the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO): CRD 4212003414.
Vision-aided inertial navigation with rolling-shutter cameras
Authors: Li Mingyang , Mourikis Anastasios I.
Published: August 2014

In this paper, we focus on the problem of pose estimation using measurements from an inertial measurement unit and a rolling-shutter (RS) camera. The challenges posed by RS image capture are typically addressed by using approximate, low-dimensional representations of the camera motion. However, when the motion contains significant accelerations (common in small-scale systems) these representations can lead to loss of accuracy. By contrast, we here describe a different approach, which exploits the inertial measurements to avoid any assumptions on the nature of the trajectory. Instead of parameterizing the trajectory, our approach parameterizes the errors in the trajectory estimates by a low-dimensional model. A key advantage of this approach is that, by using prior knowledge about the estimation errors, it is possible to obtain upper bounds on the modeling inaccuracies incurred by different choices of the parameterization’s dimension. These bounds can provide guarantees for the performance of the method, and facilitate addressing the accuracy–efficiency tradeoff. This RS formulation is used in an extended-Kalman-filter estimator for localization in unknown environments. Our results demonstrate that the resulting algorithm outperforms prior work, in terms of accuracy and computational cost. Moreover, we demonstrate that the algorithm makes it possible to use low-cost consumer devices (i.e. smartphones) for high-precision navigation on multiple platforms.
Culture, poverty, politics: Cultural sociologists, Oscar Lewis, Antonio Gramsci
Authors: Kurtz Donald V
Published: August 2014

This paper explores the methodological relevance of the culture concept for the study of poverty by cultural sociologists, Oscar Lewis, and Antonio Gramsci. Cultural sociologists currently dominate poverty studies in America and focus on the relationship of culture and poverty. Oscar Lewis’s idea of the culture of poverty influenced poverty studies by anthropologists in the 1960s. In the early twentieth century Antonio Gramsci argued that culture could serve as a revolutionary force to subvert the domination of the proletariat by the capitalist bourgeoisie. After exploring the political presumptions of each view point I evaluate their ideas against data from a field study of a community action council in America’s 1960s war on poverty.
A clinical interview versus prospective headache diaries in the diagnosis of menstrual migraine without aura
Authors: Vetvik Kjersti G , MacGregor E Anne , Lundqvist Christofer , Russell Michael B
Published: August 2014

Objectives

The objective of this article is to compare the diagnosis of menstrual migraine without aura (MM) from a clinical interview with prospective headache diaries in a population-based study.

Material and methods

A total of 237 women with self-reported migraine in at least half of menstruations were interviewed by a neurologist about headache and diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders II (ICHD II). Additionally, the MM criteria were expanded to include other types of migraine related to menstruation. Subsequently, all women were asked to complete three month prospective headache diaries.

Results

A total of 123 (52%) women completed both clinical interview and diaries. Thirty-eight women were excluded from the analyses: Two had incomplete diaries and 36 women recorded ≤1 menstruation, leaving 85 diaries eligible for analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and Kappa for the diagnosis of MM in clinical interview vs. headache diary were 82%, 83%, 90%, 71% and 0.62 (95% CI 0.45–0.79). Using a broader definition of MM, Kappa was 0.64 (95% CI 0.47–0.83).

Conclusion

A thorough clinical interview is valid for the diagnosis of MM. When this is undertaken, prospective headache diaries should not be mandatory to diagnose MM but may be necessary to exclude a chance association.
Tensile, impact, and vibration properties of coconut sheath/sisal hybrid composites: Effect of stacking sequence
Authors: Kumar K Senthil , Siva I , Rajini N , Jeyaraj P , Jappes JT Winowlin
Published: August 2014

This work addresses the tensile, impact, and free vibration properties of sisal/coconut sheath fiber hybrid-reinforced unsaturated polyester composites. The hybrid composites are fabricated using a compression molding technique with varying stacking sequences under as-received or chemically treated conditions. The chemical treatments (alkali and tri-chloro vinyl silane) have shown better performance than untreated composites. Furthermore, the silane-treated composite shows enhanced static mechanical and free vibration properties for all stacking sequences relative to the other two cases. From the experimental results, the silane-treated coconut sheath/sisal/coconut sheath hybrid stack is found to be an optimum stacking sequence for better properties. Further, an encouraging damping factor value is also observed for the optimum stacking sequence. The failure mechanism of interfacial de-bonding between the fibers and the matrix is analyzed with the aid of scanning electron microscopy.
“I Think That Sometimes Reading Is Overrated”
Authors: Sturzaker John
Published: August 2014

This article uses the analogy of tactical and strategic planning to suggest methods for increasing the amount of reading done by planning students, inspired by data revealing disappointingly low levels of reading among students at one institution. The article also advocates reflection on teaching and learning practices at an epistemological level, questioning whether the teaching practices of planning scholars have completed the transition to a constructivist epistemology implied by much of the research within the discipline.
Everolimus Treatment for an Early Infantile Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Fukumura Shinobu , Watanabe Toshihide , Takayama Rumiko , Minagawa Kimio , Tsutsumi Hiroyuki
Published: August 2014

Subependymal giant cell astrocytomas are benign tumors often observed with tuberous sclerosis complex. These tumors are rarely diagnosed during fetal life or early infancy. Until recently, the only available treatment has been surgical resection. Current clinical research has demonstrated that everolimus can induce these tumors’ regression. We report a 19-month-old boy with tuberous sclerosis complex. At 2 months of age, he presented with congenital subependymal giant cell astrocytoma that was complicated by refractory epilepsy and severe mental retardation. Treatment with everolimus was started when he was 10 months old. Three months after initiating everolimus, the tumor was significantly reduced in size, and the reduction was subsequently maintained. His seizures decreased and he showed cognitive and developmental improvement. No severe adverse events have been observed to date. Everolimus has promise as an effective alternative to surgery for subependymal giant cell astrocytomas during early infancy.
Atoning Shame?
Authors: Clough Miryam
Published: August 2014

‘Wrongdoing does not remain isolated in time’ (Radzik, 2009: 4). In February 2013 the McAleese Report confirmed that more than 11,000 women and girls were incarcerated in Ireland’s Magdalen laundries between 1922 and 1996. These women were arguably the scapegoats of Ireland’s national shame as it struggled to develop its identity as a morally pure state following independence, of familial shame as communities fought to hide abuse and illegitimacy, and of male shame, as men (lay and clerical) sought to have their cake and eat it. What does ‘atonement’ – a concept that embodies connection and integration (at-one-ment) mean in the context of shame – a state that signifies rupture, separation and isolation? This paper will explore the role of shame in the dis-integration of relationships and lives and ask whether the Christian concept of atonement can be utilized to put this right. In a moral climate where past abuses in church-run (as well as secular) institutions are increasingly coming to light, what value does atonement have in the way we respond to the on-going reverberations of shaming and shameful wrongdoing?
Never too old for health and human rights?
Authors: Clough Beverley , Brazier Margaret
Published: August 2014

The protection of the human rights of older people is becoming an increasingly urgent concern. At the same time, an analysis of the current legal protections available for older people to challenge health and care decisions exposes the obstacles faced in obtaining meaningful recognition and implementation of these rights. In this article, we consider the problems faced when relying on a primarily legalistic means of human rights protection. The potential to reconceptualize the issue and focus instead on what it means to secure rights for older people is explored. We conclude that moving away from reliance on predominantly procedural and doctrinal approaches to the substantive protection of rights provides greater opportunities to address the more pressing issues facing vulnerable older people in society. Whilst much has been written about individuals who lack capacity and the relationship between a rights approach and best interests tests, we primarily address older people who retain capacity but are nonetheless vulnerable as a result of illness, poverty, isolation or simply extreme old age.
A new approach for online T-S fuzzy identification and model predictive control of nonlinear systems
Authors: Rastegar Saeid , Araújo Rui , Mendes Jérôme
Published: August 2014

This paper proposes a new unsupervised fuzzy clustering algorithm (NUFCA) to construct a novel online evolving Takagi–Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model identification method and an adaptive predictive process control methodology. The proposed system identification approach consists of two main steps: antecedent T-S fuzzy model parameters identification and consequent parameters identification. The NUFCA combines the K-nearest neighbour and fuzzy C-means methods into a fuzzy modelling method for partitioning of the input–output data and identifying the antecedent parameters of the fuzzy system; then the recursive least squares method is exploited to obtain initialization type consequent parameters and to construct a method for on-line fuzzy model identification. The integration of the proposed adaptive identification method with the generalized predictive control results in an effective adaptive predictive fuzzy control methodology. For better demonstration of the robustness and efficiency of the proposed methodology, it is applied to the identification of a model for the estimation of the flour concentration in the effluent of a real-world wastewater treatment plant (WWTP); and to control a simulated continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), and a real experimental setup composed of two coupled DC motors. The results show that the developed evolving T-S fuzzy model methodology can identify nonlinear systems satisfactorily and can be successfully used for a prediction model of the process for the generalized predictive controller. It is also shown that the algorithm is robust to changes in the initial parameters, and to unexpected disturbances.
Adaptive feedback active noise control using wavelet frames: simulation and experimental results
Authors: Akraminia Mahdi , Mahjoob Mohammad J
Published: August 2014

Two strategies for adaptive feedback active noise control (ANC) systems are presented here based on wavelet frames. In the first strategy, the noise at the cancellation point is estimated and used as the reference signal in the feedforward ANC system. In the second strategy only the error signal is utilized in the wavelet-based ANC system. The advantages of the second method are: simple structure and less computational load (no need to estimate noise) as well as less sensitivity to the accuracy of estimated secondary path filter. Its disadvantage is high sensitivity to learning rate. To treat this, an adaptive learning rate is proposed to maintain the stability and convergence rate simultaneously. Simulations are carried out for typical linear/nonlinear cases to compare the proposed methods with FxLMS and neural network-based ANC algorithms. Experiments are then conducted to evaluate the developed algorithms. Results show the superior performance of proposed methods in terms of the convergence rate and noise attenuation especially in the presence of an inaccurate identified secondary path filter.
Thick Narratives
Authors: Cooper Karyn A. , Hughes Naomi Rebecca
Published: August 2014

In this article, we report upon the adoption of Jerome Bruner’s narrative approach, which served as a theoretical framework for analyzing, representing, and disseminating more than 60 hrs of documentary research footage. We invited international scholars in the field of the social sciences and humanities to document their philosophies and autobiographies on videotape. We asked the following questions: What are the overarching themes or theories that unite the scholars’ methodological and conceptual frameworks? How have the scholars’ unique lived experiences contributed to their interpretivist or critical viewpoints? What autobiographical stories rise to the forefront? Can these stories be linked or connected to represent an unfolding narrative through both space and time? Through the course of narrative analysis, significant themes such as poverty, social inequality, classism, oppression, and colonization emerged from the videotaped dialogues. The scholars’ unique narratives coalesced into a single narrative that traced and documented the history of qualitative research.
Psychoanalytic-Autoethnography
Authors: Garratt Dean
Published: August 2014

This article presents a psychoanalytic-autoethnography of embodied masculinity. It examines the sport of competitive natural bodybuilding as a means to pursue relevant ontological questions as part of a wider philosophical project. The embodied narrative addresses three overlapping themes: an examination of the discourses defining a crisis of masculinity relating to an evolving body project; an analysis of the subject’s ambivalence toward the spoken ideal of “physical culture” while imagining other forms of desire and risk-taking practices; an analytic autoethnographic account of a competitive body experiencing temporal feelings of “loss,” reflecting on fragmentary experiences connected to socially conditioned roles. Enframed by psychoanalytic theory, the analysis draws inspiration from the work of Lacan and supporting cast of Butler, Kristeva, and Agamben.
The Long Way Home
Authors: Dutta Urmitapa
Published: August 2014

The salience of home often comes into being in the wake of its loss. The loss of home for me was engendered by a physical departure from the place of my birth as well as the uncertainty of return posed by escalation of ethnic violence in the region. That loss became the impetus for my ethnographic journey engaging with issues of identity, belonging, conflict, and resistance in my home community—the Garo Hills region of Northeast India. In this article, I draw from my autoethnographic journeys to offer a more nuanced and discursively complex understanding of ethnic antagonisms in Northeast India. Challenging dominant security-driven perspectives, my article is foregrounded in the everyday experiences of ordinary citizens in the Northeastern borderlands. Dissolving strict boundaries between ethnography, oral history, testimonials, and storytelling, I open up discursive spaces to explore alternative framing of home and belonging for people located in Northeastern India.
Examining Specialization Among Sex Offenders Released From Prison
Authors: Lin Jeffrey , Simon Walter
Published: August 2014

A prevailing cultural stereotype about sex offenders is that they tend to specialize in sexual offending. Many recent policy developments—mainly aimed to restrict the liberties of sex offenders—are rooted in this idea. We examined the correctional and arrest records of a sample of 312 sex offenders released on parole in Colorado to determine the prevalence of sexual specialization among these offenders, and to compare the legal and social characteristics of specialists and versatile sex offenders. Overall we found that very few participants officially classified as sex offenders fit the specialist stereotype. Study participants generally displayed versatile histories of criminal offending. We also found that specialists were distinguishable from versatile offenders on certain indices of social integration and mental health, and they were more likely to have had a history of offending against children.
Measurement of glomerular filtration rate in cats
Authors: Finch Natalie
Published: August 2014

Practical relevance:

Routinely used markers of renal function in clinical practice include urea and creatinine. However, these are insensitive markers, particularly in the early stages of kidney disease. Measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is regarded as the most sensitive index of functioning renal mass. It may be useful for feline patients in varying clinical scenarios; for example, where a more accurate measurement of renal function may aid diagnosis, to enable response to therapeutic interventions to be more closely monitored, or to evaluate renal function prior to the use of nephrotoxic or renally cleared drugs.

Clinical challenges:

Traditional methods of measuring GFR, such as renal clearance or multisample plasma clearance techniques, are generally impractical for clinical use. Limited sampling and single sample plasma clearance methods using the filtration marker iohexol have been validated in cats. These have the advantages of reduced stress to cats associated with repeated sampling and reduced costs of analysis, and therefore offer greater clinical utility. Attempts to develop an estimated GFR (eGFR) formula similar to that used in human patients have been made in cats, although currently an accurate and reliable formula is not available.

Audience:

This review presents the basis for the theoretical understanding and practical measurement of GFR for any veterinary practitioner wishing to obtain a more accurate and sensitive assessment of renal function than routinely used markers provide.

Evidence base:

The review draws evidence from peer-reviewed publications, the author’s PhD thesis and also clinical experience.
Digital Traumascape
Authors: Bégin Richard
Published: August 2014

Ever since its much noticed use in the 1973 film Westworld (Michael Crichton, USA, 1973) CGI (computer-generated imagery) has been continuously altering cinematic perception of reality. One of the major changes concerns the production of space. Though CGI is regularly employed to create fantasy worlds or utopian landscapes, it is worth noting that more and more filmmakers are turning to it in order to produce contemporary landscapes of devastation brought about by an atomic, military, or environmental catastrophe. Films such as Wall e (Andrew Stanton, USA, 2008) or 9 (Shane Acker, USA, 2009) are symptomatic in this respect of the aesthetic importance filmmakers now attach to the use of CGI for the representation of devastation. This phenomenon, which can be described here as a “new aesthetic of disaster,” leads us to examine the concept of “Traumascape” in connection with current digital culture, and more particularly in relation to the cinematic “virtualization” of spatial reality. In our view, this “virtualization” allows for a visual “exponentiation” of said reality, thus making it ascend to the power of the “Traumatic Real” in which originates the enigmatic sublimeness of space. Generally speaking, our article intends to analyse the production of digital traumatic space in cinema and to demonstrate its novel relationship with the sublime.
Frontline collaborations: The research relationship in unstable places
Authors: Hoffman Danny , Tarawalley Mohammed
Published: August 2014

The stereotype of the ethnographic research assistant as marginal figure, ‘inside’ enough to facilitate access but ‘outside’ enough to broker worlds of understanding, has likely always been a fiction. But as qualitative researchers increasingly focus on unfolding events in unstable places, research collaborators are even less likely to be the ambiguous figures of legend. To conduct research in violent environments, researchers often find that they must rely on individuals who are central to the unfolding story of conflict. This piece explores the implications of one such relationship. In the exchange recorded here we examine what it means for ethnographers and participant/research assistants to collaborate on a project of ‘frontline’ anthropology. Through our own experiences during and after the war in Sierra Leone and Liberia, we focus on the ethics of ethnographic access and the problems associated with constructing ethnographic histories.
Ethnographic agency, field assistants and the rise of cultural activism in Nepal
Authors: Holmberg David
Published: August 2014

This paper explores 38 years of association and collaboration with Ngyema Karma Himdung in the genesis of ethnographic projects related to the western Tamang of Nepal. During this time, Tamang people have moved from the peripheral position of a degraded population to a dynamic presence in contemporary attempts to construct a ‘new Nepal’ and our work was structured in these transformations. I seek to point out how ethnographic agency paradoxically depends to a significant degree on the suspension of that very agency to the agency of others, including assistants, and how ethnographers and the communities among whom they live are in turn caught up in encompassing contexts where agency is always constrained in transforming culturally embedded structures of power. I conclude with discussion of the multiple institutional and ethical constraints at play in the question of recognition of field assistants.
Coming to terms: Reinserting research assistants into ethnography’s past and present
Authors: Middleton Townsend , Cons Jason
Published: August 2014

Research assistants have long been central to ethnographic practice, yet the conventions of academic labor have left their roles under-stated and obscure. The implications, we opine, are both theoretical and practical. Writing research assistants back in to our collective considerations of the method does more than simply fill a lacuna in the ‘reflexive turn’. It opens windows onto a radically transformed field of ethnographic practice. Today, the ‘field’ appears neither where nor what it used to be. Ethnographers are exploring ever-new terrains—many of them emergent, unstable, and dangerous. These endeavors, in turn, are prompting new kinds of research relationships. Against this backdrop, the time is now for a critical reappraisal of the players of contemporary ethnography. Venturing a new calculus of reflexive thinking, this Introduction engages the research assistant to revisit core ethnographic concerns—among them: research in dangerous places; the ethics of ethnographic labor; the shifting differentials of ‘academic vs. native’ expertise; and the socially produced nature of the ‘field’ itself. As the articles and Introduction of this special issue show, research assistants unsettle conventional understandings of what ethnography is and can be. Readmitted to the conversation, they provide a unique look into ethnography's current state of play—and glimpses of the method's future possibilities.
Can online contacts between immigrants and veterans facilitate immigrants’ social integration?
Authors: Lissitsa Sabina
Published: August 2014

The current study analyzes whether cross-cultural communication through online social platforms between immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and different sectors of veteran Israelis reduces social distances and facilitates immigrants’ integration. The research was conducted through an online survey of 296 Former Soviet Union immigrants who use social media sites in Hebrew. The findings show a positive impact of online contacts, only on social distances toward groups with very different cultures from Former Soviet Union immigrants: Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews. Online contacts were found not to have a positive impact on social distances between immigrants and veteran Israelis from the dominant culture. In other words, online contact was not found to contribute to the social integration of Former Soviet Union immigrants, but the social media were found to have the potential to narrow cleavages in Israeli society by reducing stigmas and alienation.