bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α in hippocampal sclerosis: A postmortem study
Authors: Feast Alexandra , Martinian Lillian , Liu Joan , Catarino Claudia B. , Thom Maria , Sisodiya Sanjay M.
Published: July 2012

Purpose:  Hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) is involved in critical aspects of cell survival in response to hypoxia and regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Previous experimental and human studies in epilepsy show up‐regulation of VEGF following seizures, although expression of HIF‐1α as its potential regulator has not been explored. We used a postmortem (PM) series from patients with epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis (HS) to investigate patterns of expression of HIF‐1α and VEGF and their potential contribution to neuroprotection.

Method:  In 33 PMs (17 cases with unilateral HS, 3 with bilateral HS, 3 with No‐HS, and 10 controls), we quantified neuronal immunolabeling for HIF‐1α and VEGF in hippocampal subfields.

Key Findings:  HIF‐1α‐ and VEGF‐immunopositive hippocampal neurones were observed in HS, No‐HS, and also in control cases; there was no significant difference in overall labeling between epilepsy cases and controls. In positive cases, HIF‐1α and VEGF neuronal labeling localized primarily in CA1, CA4, and CA3 subfields in all groups; significantly more positive neurons were seen in the entorhinal cortex in epilepsy cases (p < 0.05). Labeling lateralized to the side of sclerosis in unilateral HS cases, with significant differences between hemispheres (p < 0.05). There was a trend for high HIF‐1α labeling scores in patients with Dravet syndrome without HS and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases, and lower scores with long seizure‐free periods prior to death. Hippocampal HIF‐1α and VEGF labeling showed a significant correlation. There was neuronal colocalization of HIF‐1α and VEGF.

Significance:  Regional expression patterns are in keeping with seizure‐related activation of HIF‐1α and VEGF. The prominent expression in non‐HS cases could support an overall neuroprotective effect. Correlation between HIF‐1α and VEGF neuronal immunolabeling supports HIF‐1α–mediated induction of VEGF in epilepsy.
Cortical excitability decreases in Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome
Authors: Badawy Radwa A. B. , Macdonell Richard A. L. , Vogrin Simon J. , Lai Alan , Cook Mark J.
Published: July 2012

Purpose: We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate cortical excitability changes in Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome (LGS), anticipating we would find a marked increase in excitability compared to other patients with refractory epilepsies.

Methods: Eighteen patients with LGS were studied. Motor threshold (MT), short intracortical inhibition (paired pulse TMS at 2 and 5 msec interstimulus intervals [ISIs]), intracortical facilitation (10 and 15 msec ISIs), and long intracortical inhibition (100–300 msec ISIs) were measured. Results were compared to those of 20 patients with chronic refractory idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), 20 patients with chronic refractory focal epilepsy, and 20 healthy nonepilepsy controls.

Key Findings: A significant decrease in cortical excitability was observed in LGS compared to the other two groups with refractory epilepsy as evidenced by increased MT and intracortical inhibition at both short (2, 5 msec ISIs), and long (100–300 msec ISIs) as well as decreased intracortical facilitation (10, 15 msec ISIs), (p < 0.01; effect sizes ranging from 0.3 to 1.8). Cortical excitability was also lower in LGS compared to nonepilepsy controls (increased MT and decreased intracortical facilitation; p < 0.05; effect sizes ranging from 0.5 to 0.9).

Significance: Interictal cortical excitability is decreased in LGS; a feature that distinguishes it from other refractory epilepsy syndromes. This decrease may be an important mechanism for the neurobehavioral comorbidities associated with LGS.
Presidential Address: The Corporation in Finance
Authors: RAJAN RAGHURAM G.
Published: July 2012

To produce significant net present value, an entrepreneur has to differentiate her enterprise from the ordinary. To take collaborators with her, she needs to have substantial ownership, and thus financing. But it is hard to raise finance against differentiated assets. So an entrepreneur has to commit to undertake a second transformation, standardization, that will make the human capital in the firm, including her own, replaceable, so that outside financiers obtain control rights that will allow them to be repaid. A vibrant stock market helps the entrepreneur commit to these two transformations. The nature of firms and financing are intimately linked.
Randomized Trial of Intracardiac Echocardiography During Cavotricuspid Isthmus Ablation
Authors: BENCSIK GÁBOR , PAP RÓBERT , MAKAI ATTILA , KLAUSZ GERGELY , CHADAIDE SZÁMI , TRAYKOV VASSIL , FORSTER TAMÁS , SÁGHY LÁSZLÓ
Published: July 2012

Randomized Trial of ICE During CTI Ablation. Introduction: Despite a high success rate, radio‐frequency ablation (RFA) of the cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) can be unusually challenging in some cases. We postulated that visualization of the CTI with intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) could maximize the succes rate, decrease the procedure and ablation time, and minimize the radiation exposure.

Methods and Results:
In our prospective, randomized study, we included 102 patients scheduled for CTI ablation. We randomized patients in 2 groups: guided only by fluoroscopy (n = 52) or ICE‐guided (n = 50) group. Procedure time, fluoroscopy time, and the time spent for RFA were significantly shorter, radiation exposure (dose‐area product‐DAP) and the sum of delivered radio frequency energy were significantly lower in the ICE‐group (68.06 ± 15.09 minutes vs 105.94 ± 36.51 minutes, P < 0.001, 5.54 ± 3.77 minutes vs 18.63 ± 10.60 minutes, P < 0.001, 482.80 ± 534.12 seconds vs 779.76 ± 620.82 seconds, P = 0.001 and 397.62 ± 380.81 cGycm2 vs 1,312.92 ± 1,129.28 cGycm2, P < 0.001, 10,866.84 ± 6,930.84 Ws vs 16,393.56 ± 13,995.78 Ws, P = 0.048, respectively). Seven patients (13%) from the fluoroscopy‐only group crossed over to ICE‐guidance because of prolonged unsuccessful RFA and were all treated successfully. Four vascular complications and 2 recurrences were equally distributed between the 2 groups.

Conclusions:
ICE‐guided ablation of the CTI significantly shortens the procedure and fluoroscopy time, markedly decreases radiation exposure, and time spent for ablation in comparison with fluoroscopy‐only procedures. At the same time, visualization with ICE allowed successful ablation in challenging cases. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23, pp. 996‐1000, September 2012)
Specialization, diversification, and productivity: a panel data analysis of rice farms in Korea
Authors: Kim Kwansoo , Chavas Jean‐Paul , Barham Bradford , Foltz Jeremy
Published: July 2012

This article examines the microeconomics of productivity associated with specialization/diversification in production activities, with an application to Korean rice farms. Korean rice farms tend to be very small and highly specialized. Our analysis examines the productivity effects associated with both farm size and farm specialization/diversification in Korean agriculture. Relying on farm‐level panel data, the analysis studies farm productivity in a multi‐input multi‐output context, accounting not only for changes in inputs and technical change in rice production, but also for the role of diversification in the production of other crops in current and previous periods. We find positive but small productivity gains from farm diversification. These gains come mostly from complementarity effects across farm outputs, with minimal effect of scale economies. The positive complementarity effects work against nonconvexity effects, which provide strong productivity incentives for rice farms to specialize.
Predominant immunoreactivity of Porphyromonas gingivalis heat shock protein in autoimmune diseases
Authors: Jeong E. , Lee J‐Y. , Kim S‐J. , Choi J.
Published: July 2012

Jeong E, Lee J‐Y, Kim S‐J, Choi J. Predominant immunoreactivity of Porphyromonas gingivalis heat shock protein in autoimmune diseases. J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 811–816. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Background and Objective:  Autoimmune diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis, can be triggered and aggravated by the pathogen‐driven antigenic peptide from Porphyromonas gingivalis HSP60. P. gingivalis is the major pathogen of chronic periodontitis, which is a global epidemic prevalent in two‐thirds of the adult population. The monoclonal antibody raised against peptide 19 (Pep19: TLVVNRLRGSLKICAVKAPG) from P. gingivalis HSP60 was polyreactive to the human homolog. The aim of this study was to determine if Pep19 from P. gingivalis HSP60 manifests itself as a predominant antigen in infection‐triggered autoimmune diseases.

Material and Methods:  Pep19 from P. gingivalis HSP60, Mycobacterium tuberculosis HSP60 and Chlamydia pneumoniae HSP60 was synthesized for comparative recognition by the sera from patients with atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, all with ongoing periodontal disease, and by the sera of a control group of patients with periodontal disease but with no history of atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.

Results:  Of the Pep19 peptides from P. gingivalis HSP60, M. tuberculosis HSP60 and C. pneumoniae HSP60, Pep19 from P. gingivalis HSP60 was the peptide epitope predominantly and most consistently recognized by the serum samples of the four disease groups (chronic periodontitis, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis).

Conclusion:  Seroreactivity to Pep19 of P. gingivalis HSP60, an oral pathogen, was predominant in patients with autoimmune disease with ongoing periodontal disease.
Changes in intake of milk and dairy products among elementary schoolchildren following experiential studies of dairy farming
Authors: SEO Tetsuya , KANEKO Masayuki , KASHIWAMURA Fumiro
Published: July 2012

This study intends to clarify the effects of hands‐on dairy farming experience on the consumption of milk and dairy products. A survey was conducted on 474 elementary schoolchildren and their parents at eight elementary schools that offered hands‐on dairy farming experience at four dairy farms in Hokkaido, Japan. In the survey, questionnaires were used to inquire about the children's milk and dairy product intake before and after the hands‐on experience. In addition, milk intake at school was investigated weekly for 3 months after the hands‐on experience. The parents were asked about the children's intake of milk and dairy products at home before and after the hands‐on experience. Analysis of the survey results indicated a significant increase in the amount and frequency of milk consumed and the frequency of yogurt consumed at home by the children immediately after the hands‐on experience. Accordingly, the study suggested that the hands‐on dairy farming experience had the effect of increasing children's milk and dairy product consumption at home.
Psychosexual Functioning and Body Image Following a Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Authors: Bober Sharon L. , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Emmons Karen M. , Winer Eric , Partridge Ann
Published: July 2012

Introduction

There has been exponential growth in diagnoses of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in the past decade, yet little is known about sexual functioning and body image in women after diagnosis of DCIS. This is of particular importance because many of the parallel treatment modalities also used to treat invasive breast cancer, e.g., surgery and hormonal therapy, have been shown to have a detrimental effect on psychosexual function.

Aim

The aim was to explore changes in sexual function and body image after diagnosis and treatment of in situ cancer.

Main Outcome Measures

Evidence-based self-report measures assessing psychosexual functioning and body image.

Methods

Women diagnosed with DCIS within the past 3 months and who reported being sexually active completed measures assessing various aspects of psychosocial and sexual functioning and body image. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline, 9-, and 18-month time points. All statistical tests were two sided.

Results

Three hundred four women completed this prospective survey. Overall, sexual function in women with DCIS appears to be very similar to women in the general population and does not seem to be significantly disrupted by a diagnosis of DCIS. Sexual function and body image were notably stable across the 18-month length of follow-up. Of those patients who underwent mastectomy, there were no differences in sexual satisfaction for patients who had reconstruction compared with patients who did not.

Conclusion

Although it has been shown that women with DCIS have a number of psychosocial challenges, results from this large-scale prospective study of women suggest that sexual function and body image may not be significantly negatively affected by this diagnosis. Of note, these results were also the case for women who underwent mastectomy and hormonal therapy. These findings are reassuring for both patients and physicians in the context of decision making about treatment options.
Reproduction, development, growth, and the length of larval life of Phascolosoma turnerae, a wood‐dwelling deep‐sea sipunculan
Authors: Rice Mary E. , Reichardt Hugh F. , Piraino Julianne , Young Craig M.
Published: July 2012

Specimens of the deep‐sea sipunculan Phascolosoma turnerae were retrieved over a 5‐year period from fibrous collectors placed for various time intervals at a depth of 520 m in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. Sipunculans removed from the collectors were counted, weighed, and maintained in the laboratory at 14°C, where they were monitored for gametogenic activity, spawning, development, and growth. In a 2‐year study of seasonality, worms were most abundant in collectors retrieved in the spring and summer, and least abundant in the fall. Small animals (<0.01 g) were present in all seasons and represented ≥70% of the animals in winter collections. Large specimens (>0.16 g) were found from May through August, but in markedly lower frequencies than small animals. Over the entire study, spawning was observed in the laboratory from April through August. We inferred from analyses of size frequencies, growth, and spawning seasonality that settlement of the larvae occurs primarily from November through April and that oceanic larval life could be as short as 7 months and as long as 12–14 months. Cleavage of fertilized eggs, as observed from laboratory spawnings, was spiral and holoblastic, resulting in a trochophore that transformed into a typical planktotrophic pelagosphera larva at 21 d. A few larvae survived as long as 2 months in the laboratory. This is the first study of biological processes in living sipunculans from the deep sea, and one of the first studies of living deep‐sea wood dwellers.
Globalising Economic Governance, Political Projects, and Spatial Imaginaries: Insights from Four Australasian1 Cities
Authors: WETZSTEIN STEFFEN
Published: July 2012

This paper explores how territorial economic governance is discursively constituted in a globalising and neoliberalising world. It acknowledges both the increasingly recognised formative role of spatial imaginaries in economic interventions and the workings of co‐constitutive political projects that link particular imaginaries with political ambitions and policy strategies. Embracing recent calls for comparative ethnographic urban research at the local‐global interface, it explores currently dominant spatial imaginaries across the four Australasian cities of Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. Based on multiple qualitative methods, this study claims that a considerable number of actor's spatial associations and reference points can be related to particular city‐specific governmental projects; Auckland's Super‐City, Sydney's Global and Green City, Melbourne's Liveable City, and Perth's Vibrant City. It is demonstrated how discursive governance techniques such as ‘story‐telling’, benchmarking, and policy transfer have been pivotal in the activation, circulation, and performance of those spatial imaginaries and their transformation into temporarily dominant visions for strategic urban interventions aimed at repositioning urban actors, spaces, and activities. While spatial imaginaries can be related to differently framed global aspirations, the effects of spatial political projects on urban governance and investment trajectories differ significantly across space. Theoretically, the paper stresses the importance of particular conceptions of territorial relations and time‐ and place‐specific institutional mediation in shaping context‐dependent discursive material governance alignments.
Sustainability as Adaptability
Authors: Reeves Martin , Haanaes Knut , Love Claire , Levin Simon
Published: July 2012

Most corporations now view sustainability as a key requirement for competitive advantage, but few claim to have achieved it. One of the key obstacles separating intention from execution is that the sustainability frameworks employed by companies tend to be insufficiently clear, precise, or comprehensive to guide decision making. One of the most pressing challenges for corporate leaders today is, of course, to sustain the economic viability of the core businesses. But given the implicit “beyond business” focus of most sustainability efforts, corporate executives would be better served by a more integrated, holistic framework—one that enables them to make tradeoffs among the economic, social, and ecological aspects of business.

This article introduces such a framework—one that redefines sustainability as the ability of companies to adapt to change in three different spheres of operation—ecological, social, and economic—with a near‐term as well as a longer‐term planning horizon. Without such adaptation, business models become obsolete for reasons that can range from economic failure, to competitive inferiority, to social or ecological limits.

This ability to adapt can be measured and valued by using the BCG Adaptive Advantage Index, a composite measure of corporate performance during market downturns. The BCG analysis also shows that although the most adaptive companies tend to report lower profits and have lower values during periods of relative stability, such companies perform consistently better over full cycles.

Creating social and ecological value alone doesn't automatically confer economic rewards, but—with the right business model and capabilities—it can. The authors explore some of the business model archetypes that successfully achieve this “co‐optimization.”
Public Pensions and U.S. Infrastructure Investment: The Perfect Partnership?
Authors: Offutt J. Perry , Runde James , Selinger Stacie D.
Published: July 2012

Public pension funds have been passive investors in U.S. infrastructure projects for years, serving primarily as limited partners in designated infrastructure funds. However, the continued maturation of U.S. public‐private partnerships, combined with pension funds' need for yield to match future liabilities, has prompted the funds to take a more active role in infrastructure investment. In recent years, many pension funds have built internal teams to make direct (as opposed to indirect and for the most part passive) investments in infrastructure projects.

Governments in particular should pay close attention to the emergence of pension funds as direct infrastructure investors. With OECD pension assets totaling $10.6 trillion at the end of 2010, the world's pension funds offer governments a strong value proposition. Given the fixed nature of their pension liabilities, pension funds emphasize yield and long‐term appreciation, and are likely to accept rate of returns in the neighborhood of CPI + 5%. Infrastructure investments, which generate highly stable cashflow and enjoy high barriers to entry, are ideally suited to meet these criteria.

Also of particular significance to governments, pension funds have two bottom lines. First is expected yield and returns; second is their desire to invest in projects that meet a mission of social responsibility. Pension investors prefer, when possible, to invest in projects that promote government objectives such as reduced congestion and clean air. Taking account of pension funds' double mission can help governments capture opportunities to develop infrastructure through meaningful partnerships with like‐minded investors.
Efficient low‐dose CT artifact mitigation using an artifact‐matched prior scan
Authors: Xu Wei , Mueller Klaus
Published: July 2012

Purpose:

Low‐dose CT has attracted increasing attention due to growing concerns about radiation exposure in medical scans. However, the frugal use of x‐ray radiation inevitably reduces the quality of the CT images, introducing artifacts such as noise and streaks which make the reconstructed images difficult to read in clinical routine. For follow‐up CT exams a prior scan is often available. It typically contains the same anatomical structures, just somewhat deformed and not aligned. This work describes a two‐step technique that utilizes this prior scan to achieve high‐quality low‐dose CT imaging, overcoming difficulties arising from noise artifacts and misalignment. We specifically focus on reducing the dose by lowering the number of projections. This gives rise to severe streak artifacts which possibly lower the readability of CT images to a larger extent than the fine‐grained noise that results from lowering the mA or kV settings.

Methods:

A common approach is to apply image filtering to reduce the noise artifacts. These techniques typically utilize pixel neighborhoods in the degraded image to estimate the true value of a pixel at the center of this neighborhood. However, this can lead to poor results when the image is severely contaminated under very low low‐dose situations. We propose a method that utilizes the nondegraded, clean prior to determine higher quality pixel statistics to form the pixel estimates, supported by the matching scheme of the non‐local means filter. To make this matching reliable, a good registration of prior and low‐dose image is required. For this, we employ a state‐of‐the‐art registration method, called SIFT‐flow, which can tolerate the high amount of streak noise. But even for properly registered images, using an artifact free prior for the matching yields inferior results. We hence describe a scheme that first constructs a tandem‐prior with streak artifacts resembling those in the low‐dose image, and then employs this image for the matching, but uses the corresponding high‐quality prior to determine the pixel estimates.

Results:

Two experimental studies are carried out, using a head phantom and a human lung with projections gathered via simulation. We assess the quality of the processed reconstruction with various metrics: mathematical and perceptual. We find that the quality that can be obtained with the artifact‐matched prior‐based scheme significantly exceeds that of all competing schemes. Even though the general prior‐based approach is able to eliminate the streak artifacts, only the artifact‐matched scheme can restore small detail and feature sharpness.

Conclusions:

The reduced‐projection low‐dose image reconstruction algorithm we present outperforms traditional image restoration algorithms when a prior scan is available. Our method is quite efficient and as such it is well suited for fast‐paced clinical applications such as image‐assisted interventions, orthopedic alignment scans, and follow‐ups.
Feasibility and potential effectiveness of a non-pharmacological multidisciplinary care programme for persons with generalised osteoarthritis: a randomised, multiple-baseline single-case study
Authors: Hoogeboom Thomas J , Kwakkenbos Linda , Rietveld Leonie , den Broeder Alfons A , de Bie Rob A , van den Ende Cornelia H M
Published: July 2012

Objectives

To evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a 12-week, non-pharmacological multidisciplinary intervention in patients with generalised osteoarthritis (GOA).

Design

A randomised, concurrent, multiple-baseline single-case design. During the baseline period, the intervention period and the postintervention period, all participants completed several health outcomes twice a week on Visual Analogue Scales.

Setting

Rheumatology outpatient department of a specialised hospital in the Netherlands.

Participants

1 man and four women (aged 51–76 years) diagnosed with GOA.

Primary outcome measures

To assess feasibility, the authors assessed the number of dropouts and adverse events, adherence rates and patients' satisfaction.

Secondary outcome measures

To assess the potential effectiveness, the authors assessed pain and self-efficacy using visual data inspection and randomisation tests.

Results

The intervention was feasible in terms of adverse events (none) and adherence rate but not in terms of participants' satisfaction with the intervention. Visual inspection of the data and randomisation testing demonstrated no effects on pain (p=0.93) or self-efficacy (p=0.85).

Conclusions

The results of the present study indicate that the proposed intervention for patients with GOA was insufficiently feasible and effective. The data obtained through this multiple-baseline study have highlighted several areas in which the therapy programme can be optimised.
The organising vision for telehealth and telecare: discourse analysis
Authors: Greenhalgh Trisha , Procter Rob , Wherton Joe , Sugarhood Paul , Shaw Sara
Published: July 2012

Objective

To (1) map how different stakeholders understand telehealth and telecare technologies and (2) explore the implications for development and implementation of telehealth and telecare services.

Design

Discourse analysis.

Sample

68 publications representing diverse perspectives (academic, policy, service, commercial and lay) on telehealth and telecare plus field notes from 10 knowledge-sharing events.

Method

Following a familiarisation phase (browsing and informal interviews), we studied a systematic sample of texts in detail. Through repeated close reading, we identified assumptions, metaphors, storylines, scenarios, practices and rhetorical positions. We added successive findings to an emerging picture of the whole.

Main findings

Telehealth and telecare technologies featured prominently in texts on chronic illness and ageing. There was no coherent organising vision. Rather, four conflicting discourses were evident and engaged only minimally with one another's arguments. Modernist discourse presented a futuristic utopian vision in which assistive technologies, implemented at scale, would enable society to meet its moral obligations to older people by creating a safe ‘smart’ home environment where help was always at hand, while generating efficiency savings. Humanist discourse emphasised the uniqueness and moral worth of the individual and tailoring to personal and family context; it considered that technologies were only sometimes fit for purpose and could create as well as solve problems. Political economy discourse envisaged a techno-economic complex of powerful vested interests driving commodification of healthcare and diversion of public funds into private business. Change management discourse recognised the complicatedness of large-scale technology programmes and emphasised good project management and organisational processes.

Conclusion

Introduction of telehealth and telecare is hampered because different stakeholders hold different assumptions, values and world views, ‘talk past’ each other and compete for recognition and resources. If investments in these technologies are to bear fruit, more effective inter-stakeholder dialogue must occur to establish an organising vision that better accommodates competing discourses.
An HIV/STI prevention intervention for internally displaced women in Leogane, Haiti: study protocol for an N-of-1 pilot study
Authors: Logie Carmen H , Daniel CarolAnn , Newman Peter A , Loutfy Mona R
Published: July 2012

Introduction

Haiti has the highest HIV infection rate in the Western hemisphere, with approximately one in 50 people infected. The January 2010 earthquake led to the collapse of Haiti's social, economic and health infrastructure, exacerbating social and structural HIV risk factors. Internally displaced (ID) women are particularly at high risk for HIV infection due to breakdown of community networks, increased poverty and sexual violence. The authors present the rationale and study protocol for pilot-testing FASY (Famn an Aksyon Pou Santé Yo) (Women Taking Action For Their Health), a psychoeducational HIV/STI prevention intervention with ID women in Haiti.

Methods and analysis

This is a single-centre pragmatic N-of-1 pilot study. The target population is ID women in Leogane, Haiti. The authors aim to recruit 200 participants using purposive peer-driven recruitment methods. ID women will be trained as community health workers to deliver the FASY intervention in Kreyol. Participants will conduct a pretest that involves an individual HIV/STI educational video-based component followed by a 6-week group programme of 2 h women's health meetings. The primary outcome is HIV knowledge; our prespecified index of clinically significant change is an effect size of 0.30. Secondary outcomes include: sexually transmitted infections knowledge, condom use, social support, resilient coping, depression and relationship control. Multivariate analysis of variance will be used to compare pretest and post-test differences across variables to assess if the intervention influenced primary or secondary outcomes. Significant multivariate analysis of variance will be followed up with both univariate tests and discriminant function analyses to understand significant effects.

Ethics and dissemination

Research Ethics Board approval (2011-0033-E) was attained from the Women's College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Trial results will be published according to the CONSORT statement, modified for the N-of-1 pilot study design, regardless of the outcomes.

Trial registration number

This study is registered athttp://clinicaltrials.gov, registration numberNCT01492829.
Detection of Cu(I) and Zn(II) ions in colon tissues by multi-photon microscopy: novel marker of antioxidant status of colon neoplasm
Authors: Kim Eun Sun , Lim Chang Su , Chun Hoon Jai , Keum Bora , Seo Yeon Seok , Kim Yong Sik , Jeen Yoon Tae , Lee Hong Sik , Um Soon Ho , Kim Chang Duck , Ryu Ho Sang , Cho Bong Rae
Published: July 2012

Aims

Establishing probe-based analysis is important for developing multi-photon microscopy (MPM) to make an early diagnosis of colon neoplasm and assess its antioxidant status. Cu(I) and Zn(II) ions are trace elements which roll as cofactors of antioxidant, superoxide dismutase. However, there have been no reports on the features of MPM image using probe of Cu(I) and Zn(II) ions. Our main objective in this study was application of newly developed multi-photon probe (MP) probe on Cu(I) and Zn(II) ions as a tool to assess antioxidative status of colon neoplasm.

Methods

This study was a pilot study. Colon cancer cell lines (ACT116 and HT-29), NIH3T3 cells and tissues of normal colon mucosa and colon neoplasm obtained during colonoscopic biopsy from 17 patients were stained with MP probes for Cu(I) and Zn(II) (ACu1 and AZn1). Cu(I)/Zn(II) levels in the cells and tissues were determined by detecting MP-excited fluorescence by MPM.

Results

MPM images of cells stained with MP probes revealed that Cu(I) was more abundant in ACT116 and HT-29 cells than in NIH3T3 cells, while Zn(II) was more abundant in NIH3T3 cells than in ACT116 and HT-29 cells. Normal tissues had a defined texture, whereas adenoma/adenocarcinoma tissues were amorphous. The level of Cu(I) increased and that of Zn(II) decreased with the transition from normal to adenoma to adenocarcinoma tissue.

Conclusion

MPM can be used to determine the relative Cu(I)/Zn(II) levels in cells and colon tissues by using ACu1 and AZn1 as MPM probes. These finding are new research tools for gastroenterologists to assess antioxidant status of colon neoplasm.
Faecal markers of gastrointestinal inflammation
Authors: Sherwood Roy A
Published: July 2012

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea are a relatively common reason for consulting a physician. They may be due to inflammatory bowel disease (inflammatory bowel disease; Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis), malignancy (colorectal cancer), infectious colitis or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Differentiation between these involves the use of clinical, radiological, endoscopic and serological techniques, which are invasive or involve exposure to radiation. Serological markers include C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and antibodies (perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody). Faecal markers that can aid in distinguishing inflammatory disorders from non-inflammatory conditions are non-invasive and generally acceptable to the patient. As IBS accounts for up to 50% of cases presenting to the GI clinic and is a diagnosis of exclusion (Rome III criteria), any test that can reliably distinguish IBS from organic disease could speed diagnosis and reduce endoscopy waiting times. Faecal calprotectin, lactoferrin, M2-PK and S100A12 will be reviewed.
Republished: Which questions of two commonly used multidimensional palliative care patient reported outcome measures are most useful? Results from the European and African PRISMA survey
Authors: Higginson Irene J , Simon Steffen T , Benalia Hamid , Downing Julia , Daveson Barbara A , Harding Richard , Bausewein Claudia
Published: July 2012

Aim

To evaluate the views of clinicians and researchers on their use of outcome measures and which questions are most important in palliative and end-of-life care.

Methods

Online survey of professionals working in clinical care, clinical audit and research in palliative care across Europe and Africa identified through national and international associations and databases. Questions focused on measures used, reasons and which questions were important in two commonly used multidimensional measures, the Palliative care Outcome Scale (POS) and the Support Team Assessment Schedule (STAS).

Results

The overall completion rate was 59% (392/663). Three outcome measures were commonly used by over one in four respondents for clinical practice and over one in 10 for research: the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), followed by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the POS. Measures were used twice as often in clinical practice as in research. The main uses were similar: assessing patients' symptoms/needs (88% and 85% of POS and STAS users, respectively), monitoring changes (62%, 58%), evaluating care (61%, 48%) and assessing family needs (59%, 60%). Respondents rated the most important questions as pain, symptoms, emotional and family aspects. There were no differences in the choice of the most important questions between doctors and nurses or between researchers and clinicians.

Conclusions

In palliative care, outcome measures often used in clinical practice are also often used in research. Questions relating to pain, symptoms, emotional needs and family concerns are consistently considered the most useful and important in palliative patient reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Improving outpatient services: the Southampton IBD virtual clinic
Authors: Hunter Jo , Claridge Andrew , James Shirley , Chan David , Stacey Bernard , Stroud Mike , Patel Praful , Fine David , Cummings J R Fraser
Published: July 2012

The follow-up of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients is challenging due to the relapsing remitting nature of the diseases, the wide spectrum of severity and complexity as well as the need for monitoring of long-term complications and drug treatments. Conventional outpatient follow-up lacks flexibility for patients and there are competing pressures for clinic time. Alternative follow-up pathways include telephone clinics, self-management programmes or discharging patients. The IBD virtual clinic (VC) is a further option. Patients with an established diagnosis for >2 years, who have been stable for >1 year, do not have primary sclerosing cholangitis and who give their consent, are entered into the VC system. Two months before their annual follow-up is due patients are sent blood test forms and a simple questionnaire with an information sheet. If they meet any of the criteria on the questionnaire, they are asked to contact the IBD specialist nursing team to discuss their situation. The blood test results and the patient's database entry are reviewed to ensure that they are not due surveillance investigations. The patients and their GPs then receive a letter informing them of their management plan. We currently follow-up 20% of the Southampton IBD cohort using the VC. The VC system is an innovative, efficient and patient-responsive method for following up mild to moderate IBD. It is well liked by patients but is dependent on a well-maintained database with good integration of IT systems and requires both clerical and IBD nurse specialist support.
STABILITY FOR A SYSTEM OF N FERMIONS PLUS A DIFFERENT PARTICLE WITH ZERO-RANGE INTERACTIONS
Authors: CORREGGI M. , DELL'ANTONIO G. , FINCO D. , MICHELANGELI A. , TETA A.
Published: July 2012

We study the stability problem for a non-relativistic quantum system in dimension three composed by N ≥ 2 identical fermions, with unit mass, interacting with a different particle, with mass m, via a zero-range interaction of strength α ∈ ℝ. We construct the corresponding renormalized quadratic (or energy) form [Formula: see text] and the so-called Skornyakov–Ter–Martirosyan symmetric extension Hα, which is the natural candidate as Hamiltonian of the system. We find a value of the mass m*(N) such that for m > m*(N) the form [Formula: see text] is closed and bounded from below. As a consequence, [Formula: see text] defines a unique self-adjoint and bounded from below extension of Hα and therefore the system is stable. On the other hand, we also show that the form [Formula: see text] is unbounded from below for m < m*(2). In analogy with the well-known bosonic case, this suggests that the system is unstable for m < m*(2) and the so-called Thomas effect occurs.
The redox chemistry of copper tetraphenylporphyrin revisited
Authors: Saphier Magal , Yifrah Tova , Zilbermann Israel , Saphier Oshra , Shames Alexander I. , Froumin Natalya , Meyerstein Dan , Guldi Dirk M.
Published: July 2012

Mixing Cu(II)Cl2 with free base tetraphenylporphyrin (( H2 (TPP)) in dry deaerated 1,2-dichloroethane surprisingly yields a mixture of Cu(II) (TPP) and Cu(III) (TPP). The later is long-lived in the absence of water and slowly decomposes within days to yield Cu(II) (TPP). Furthermore, in the presence of air, a slightly different CuIII porphyrin species forms, presumably, Cu(III) (TPP)•+, in which the Q-band is subject to a 10 nm red shift. The new Cu(III) (TPP) and Cu(III) (TPP)•+ differ in terms of absorption, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) when compared to the well-characterized Cu(II) (TPP), Cu(II) (TPP)•+, and Cu(II) (TPP)2+ species.
BANKING FLOWS AND FINANCIAL CRISIS FINANCIAL INTERCONNECTEDNESS AND BASEL III EFFECTS
Authors: Ghosh Swati R. , Sugawara Naotaka , Zalduendo Juan
Published: July 2012

This paper examines the factors that determine banking flows from advanced economies to emerging markets. In addition to the usual determinants of capital flows in terms of global push and local pull factors, we examine the role of bilateral factors, such as growth differentials and economic size, as well as contagion factors and measures of the depth in financial interconnectedness between lenders and borrowers. We find profound differences across regions. In particular, in spite of the severe impact of the global financial crisis, emerging Europe stands out as a more stable region. Assuming that the determinants of banking flows remain unchanged in the presence of structural changes, we use these results to explore the short-term implications of Basel III capital regulations on banking flows to emerging markets.
Acoustic Resonance of a Two-Dimensional Isotropic Medium Studied Using Airy Stress Function
Authors: Tarumi Ryuichi , Yamada Shinpei , Shibutani Yoji
Published: July 2012

We have developed a theory that determines a complete set of stress field, σ
i
j
, in a freely vibrating two-dimensional isotropic medium within the framework of the calculus of variation. Our formulation is based on the Airy stress function φ and the minimization of the complementary strain energy under the constrain condition ||
φ||
2

L
2
=const. By the Ritz method, the constrained variational problem becomes a linear eigenvalue problem. Numerical analysis yields 36 types of the stress functions φ
i
. Unlike the stress fields determined from the conventional resonant ultrasound spectroscopy theory, the stress fields derived from the stress functions φ
i
explicitly satisfy the stress-free natural boundary condition and the equilibrium equation. It is also confirmed that the 36 resonant modes can be classified into four groups according to the parity of the coefficient of the basis function. Furthermore, the stress functions φ
i
are orthogonal in the sense of the L
2 inner product. These features are similar to those of the conventional resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) theory.
Theoretical Study of Switching Characteristics of 40 and 100 Gbps Pulse Trains by Weighted Collinear Acoustooptic Switches
Authors: Goto Nobuo , Miyazaki Yasumitsu
Published: July 2012

Optical switching of high-bit-rate pulse trains using collinear acoustooptic (AO) devices is theoretically discussed. Since the collinear AO devices have wavelength selectivity, the switched optical pulse trains suffer from distortion when the bandwidth of the pulse train is comparable to the pass bandwidth of the AO device. As the AO device, a sidelobe-suppressed device with a tapered surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) waveguide and a Butterworth-type filter device with a lossy SAW directional coupler are considered. Distortion of optical pulse trains at 40 to 100 Gbps is numerically analyzed. Although filtering characteristics of collinear AO devices for continuous wave or narrow-bandwidth signals have been reported so far, distortion of short pulse trains having wide bandwidth is clarified for the first time.
Study of Bandgap Energies of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Thin Films Grown by a Sequential Evaporation Method Using Piezoelectric Photothermal Spectroscopy
Authors: Mori Takayuki , Motono Yutaro , Ding Wen , Fukuyama Atsuhiko , Yamaguchi Toshiyuki , Ikari Tetsuo
Published: July 2012

By using a sequential evaporation method, Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin films with a high Ga/(Ga+In) mole ratio were fabricated on Mo/soda-lime glass substrates. The bandgap energy (E
g) estimated by the photoreflectance (PR) and piezoelectric photothermal (PPT) methods shifted to the higher photon energy side with increasing Ga/(Ga+In) mole ratio. Although PR signals could not be observed, the PPT method could determine E
g even for high Ga/(Ga+In) mole ratio samples. A broad photoluminescence peak originating from band-to-band or impurity level was also observed for all samples. The present experimental results imply that the Ga/(Ga+In) mole ratio of CIGS thin films can easily be controlled by a sequential evaporation method, and that the PPT method is a powerful method for determining the E
g of low crystallinity samples.
Accuracy Evaluation of Surface Temperature Profiling by a Laser Ultrasonic Method
Authors: Kosugi Akira , Ihara Ikuo , Matsuya Iwao
Published: July 2012

Accuracy in measuring surface temperature distributions by a laser ultrasonic method is examined. Surface temperature distributions of an aluminum plate whose single side is heated up to 110 °C are estimated by the inverse analysis coupled with surface acoustic wave (SAW) measurements, and the results are compared with those measured by an infrared radiation method. A random fluctuation in the temperature estimated by the ultrasonic method is observed and decreases with an increase in the distance from the heating area. The standard deviation in fluctuation is estimated to be about 2 °C at the heating area. Furthermore, the systematic errors in the temperature estimation due to the deviations in the temperature dependence of SAW velocity and thermal diffusivity are investigated. It is found that the temperature dependence of SAW is an important factor affecting the systematic error, but the influence of the deviation in thermal diffusivity is negligible.
Staggered Grid with Collocated Grid Points of Velocities for Modeling Propagation of Elastic Waves in Anisotropic Solids by Finite-Difference Time Domain Method
Authors: Hasegawa Koji , Shimada Takao
Published: July 2012

A staggered grid for velocity–stress formulation is presented for modeling elastic waves in anisotropic solids by the finite-difference time domain method. To simply impose boundary conditions on numerical models, our grid is derived by applying a finite integration technique to a single control volume satisfying Newton's law instead of interleaved control volumes for conventional staggered grids. Computed results for the numerical dispersions of the new grid for propagating vertically polarized shear and longitudinal waves in an isotropic solid show that the numerical dispersions of the new grid can be suppressed to the same levels as those of the conventional staggered grids by using a third-degree bi-polynomial interpolation.
Detection of Second-Harmonic Components of Lamb Waves Generated from Fatigue Plate Using a Double-Layered Piezoelectric Transducer
Authors: Fukuda Makoto , Imano Kazuhiko
Published: July 2012

Detections of second-harmonic components generated from fatigue-tested plates using finite amplitude Lamb waves were carried out using a double-layered piezoelectric transducer (DLPT) with a pulse-echo method. Three pure magnesium (Mg) plates subjected to fatigue tests of 0, 1×105, and 2×105 cycles were used in this experiment. In a received waveform from the plate subjected to the fatigue test of 2×105 cycles, a second-harmonic component was increased by 10 dB compared with that in the case of an unstressed plate. The usefulness of the DLPT system for detecting second-harmonic components of Lamb waves in the pulse-echo method was confirmed.
Acoustic Hygrometer Based on Reverberation Time Measurement
Authors: Motegi Takahiro , Mizutani Koichi , Wakatsuki Naoto
Published: July 2012

In this paper, a hygrometer operated by acoustic means is proposed. It is important to measure spatial average humidity for environmental management in a room. In a large space, it is difficult to determine spatial average humidity because conventional sensors measure only local humidity at the measurement point. The proposed acoustic hygrometer utilizes the relationship between the sound attenuation coefficient and humidity. To measure the sound attenuation coefficient, reverberation time in a room is utilized. An acoustic hygrometer based on reverberation time achieves a noncontact measurement of spatial average humidity. As a practical examination, relative humidity (RH) was measured on the basis of reverberation time in a chamber, and compared with reference values. The humidity measurement accuracy of the hygrometer was evaluated by statistical means because the measured reverberation time showed variability. From the results, the possibility of humidity measurement with an accuracy of about 5% RH at 50% RH or more using this hygrometer was verified. Here, the unit of RH is % RH.