bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does large body size relax constraints on bite‐force generation in lizards of the genus Uromastyx?
Authors: Herrel A. , Castilla A. M. , Al‐Sulaiti M. K. , Wessels J. J.
Published: November 2013

The evolution of large body size has often been considered a key trait allowing the evolution of herbivory in lizards. Although many omnivorous lizards appear unspecialized, they typically show high bite forces, allowing them to reduce tough and fibrous plant matter. In contrast, true herbivores often show a suite of morphological and physiological specializations, allowing them to efficiently process and assimilate plant material. Moreover, many specialized herbivores have a large body size, thus likely relaxing constraints on bite‐force generation given that bite force increases with increasing body mass. In this study, we test whether large herbivorous lizards of the genus Uromastyx have relatively lower bite forces for their body size compared with a medium‐sized congener. No differences in bite force or head dimensions were observed between the two species or between both sexes in our sample. Moreover, bite force scaled with positive allometry relative to jaw length, suggesting that larger animals have disproportionately large bite forces. This suggests that even in the largest species, constraints on bite‐force generation are still strong, possibly due to the demands imposed on the jaw system by the mechanical properties of the diet.
SYNDEMIC THEORY AS A MODEL FOR TRAINING AND MENTORSHIP TO ADDRESS HIV/AIDS AMONG LATINOS IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Romero‐Daza Nancy , Baldwin Julie A. , Lescano Celia , Williamson Heather J. , Tilley David L. , Chan Isabella , Tewell Mackenzie , Palacios Wilson R.
Published: November 2013

Syndemic Theory posits that an understanding of the HIV/AIDS pandemic can only be gained by examining the dynamic interaction of the disease with other health problems (e.g., tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, malnutrition, substance abuse), in the context of social and structural conditions such as poverty, unequal access to resources, violence, stigma, etc. While the theory has been extensively used to guide research, it has not been widely utilized as a training tool. This article presents a model for the use of Syndemic Theory as a framework for the training and mentorship of researchers and practitioners, particularly from underrepresented groups interested in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment among ethnic minorities.
SYNDEMICS OF WAR: MALNUTRITION‐INFECTIOUS DISEASE INTERACTIONS AND THE UNINTENDED HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF INTENTIONAL WAR POLICIES
Authors: Ostrach Bayla , Singer Merrill
Published: November 2013

Syndemics play a substantial role in shaping the disease burdens of populations, especially in times of war. It is estimated that in the 20th century, sixty‐two million civilians suffered war‐related deaths, in addition to forty‐five million combatant deaths. Many of these casualties were due to disease rather than battlefield injuries. Through a review and analysis of interdisciplinary literature on war and health, and using case studies of several wars from different periods of history, we argue that war is a disruptive biosocial process that sets in motion interactions between diseases and other conditions that increase war‐related morbidity and mortality.
HELMINTHS AND TB IN POLYNESIA: THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH PRACTICE
Authors: Littleton Judith , Park Julie , Nelesone Tekaai
Published: November 2013

Tuberculosis (TB) and helminth infestation are tied in multiple ways through physiological interactions both pre‐ and postnatally. In the Pacific, these interactions have occurred in the context of colonial and postcolonial changes. We argue that these biocultural interactions help to explain the historical experience of TB for people in the Pacific nations of Tuvalu and the Cook Islands. Successive campaigns against specific helminths and later efforts at TB control have led to variable outcomes. In this article, we analyze the implications of controlling syndemic conditions for health practice.
INTERLOCKED INFECTIONS: THE HEALTH BURDENS OF SYNDEMICS OF NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
Authors: Singer Merrill , Bulled Nicola
Published: November 2013

Tropical disease syndemics, the adverse morbidity‐enhancing interaction of two or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), like the diseases that comprise them, have been largely unrecognized and generally neglected. However, their role in contributing to the health burden of the poor is significant. This paper presents syndemics as a new theoretical perspective with which to develop a comprehensive approach to understand and respond to the health consequences of adverse interactions among NTDS and between NTDs and other diseases. Specifically the paper examines local social factors and macro‐level political economic factors that are both the ultimate source and ultimate arbiter of public and medical responses to syndemics of NTDs.
COCIRCULATING EPIDEMICS, CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS, AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY LABRADOR AND ALASKA
Authors: Sattenspiel Lisa , Mamelund Svenn‐Erik
Published: November 2013

Analyses of mortality in Alaska and Labrador during the 1918 influenza pandemic indicate that influenza itself was only one of several factors influencing mortality in different communities. We discuss the added impact of exposure to influenza prior to the major waves of the pandemic in 1918 and cocirculation of other acute infectious diseases, including pneumonia, smallpox, and measles; chronic conditions such as nutritional deficiencies and tuberculosis; and social and cultural factors such as the economic climate, ethnicity, official responses, and access to health care. The emphasis is on potential explanations for differential mortality in these regions and on how the experiences of Labradoreans and Alaskans can help to inform us about the multitude of interrelated factors influencing modern health issues.
Ceramic Traditions and Cultural Identities: West‐Central France during the Late Neolithic II Period (c.3400–2900 cal. BC)
Authors: Ard Vincent
Published: November 2013

Pottery is generally used as the main basis for characterizing Neolithic cultural identities: archaeologists tend to define groups and cultures in time and space on the basis of typological classification.

This paper proposes a different approach to the study of pottery that takes into account the various steps of the chaîne opératoire of manufacture, particularly the methods used to form and finish the pots, in order to characterize the cultural landscape of the Late Neolithic II period in west‐central France (3400−2900 BC). This cultural landscape has hitherto been poorly defined and subject to endless debate since the 1950s, largely because the pottery is fairly homogeneous in shape and is mostly undecorated. The technological study presented here, based on the examination of 23 ceramic assemblages and focusing on a variety of stages in the chaîne opératoire, has allowed the definition of three technical traditions.

The main characteristics and diagnostic features of these traditions are outlined below, together with their interrelationships.
From Greek Boar's‐Tusk Helmets to the First European Metal Helmets: New Approaches on Development and Chronology
Authors: Mödlinger Marianne
Published: November 2013

After more than a century of research into Bronze Age helmets throughout Europe, both the development and chronology of conical helmets with spool‐shaped sockets still remain unclear. The comprehensive studies and analysis of the helmet from Biecz have not completely resolved the discussions. Other helmets, when not solitary finds, have been usually dated according to their alleged associations in a hoard but have never been extensively discussed as a single helmet type of one date range. By introducing to the discussion a Greek bronze helmet with incised boar's tusks as well as those boar's‐tusk helmets with bronze cheek plates, more light is shed on the development and chronology of these very first European bronze helmets.
Justificatory Liberalism and Same‐Sex Marriage
Authors: Beckwith Francis J.
Published: November 2013

Supporters of Justificatory Liberalism (JL)—such asJohnRawls andGerardGaus—typically maintain that the state may not coerce its citizens on matters of constitutional essentials unless it can provide public justification that the coerced citizens would be irrational in rejecting. The state, in other words, may not coerce citizens whose rejection of the coercion is based on their reasonable comprehensive doctrines (i.e., worldviews). Proponents of the legal recognition of same‐sex marriage (SSM) usually offer some version ofJLas the most fundmental reason why laws that recognize marriage only if it is a union between one man and one woman are unjust. In this articleIargue that the application ofJLin support of legal recognition ofSSMdoes not succeed because the issue under scrutiny—the nature of marriage—is deeply embedded in, and in most cases integral to, many (if not most) citizens’ reasonable comprehensive doctrines. Thus,Iargue that because of the effects and consequences of the legal recognition ofSSM, it results (or will result) in a violation ofJLagainst dissenting citizens.
The Role of the Jurist: Reflections around Radbruch
Authors: Cotterrell Roger
Published: November 2013

Many different kinds of professionals work with law, but often they seek to use law for particular governmental or private purposes, they focus on some specific areas or aspects of its creation, interpretation or application, or they study it for its interest judged by criteria that are given by fields of scholarly practice outside it. Is there a special significance for a role exclusively concerned with analysing, protecting and enhancing the general well‐being or worth of law as a practical idea? This article argues that such a role is important. Building on Gustav Radbruch's juristic thought, it asks how that role could be elaborated and how a professional responsibility for discharging it might be envisaged. Many professionals concerned with law adopt such a role incidentally or intermittently, but it needs more prominence and clear demarcation. The article suggests that it might be seen as the specialised role of the jurist, treated as a particular kind of legal professional. The term “jurist” would then have not just an honorific connotation. It would indicate a Weberian “pure” type that may approximate some current understandings of “juristic” practice; but it would also identify a normative ideal—something intrinsically valuable. Seen in this way, the jurist is one who assumes a certain unique responsibility for law.
The Development and Regulation of China's Insurance Market: History and Perspectives
Authors: Chen Bingzheng , Tennyson Sharon , Wang Maoqi , Zhou Haizhen
Published: November 2013

China's private insurance market has been developing rapidly since the 1980s. Regulation of the market has developed in tandem with its growth. This article provides a systematic overview of China's insurance regulatory system and the evolving process of insurance supervision and regulation. The nature and direction of regulatory changes are evaluated in light of theories of public reform and the special character of China among developing economies.
People, Power, and Land: New Enclosures on a Global Scale
Authors: Geisler Charles , Makki Fouad
Published: November 2013

A global land rush is aggressively underway. It is reinventing frontier narratives wherever farmland, rangeland, and forestland appear “underutilized,” particularly in the Global South. Though the means and motives of these acquisitions are diverse, the lens of “new enclosures” lends itself to focusing on their similarities. New enclosures surpass the enclosures of bygone centuries in scale and speed and in the plethora of resources they reach. Sociological interventions, both theoretical and applied, are needed to contextualize and concretize this burgeoning alienation of land rights and power contingencies across communities and continents.
Dapsone‐induced methemoglobinemia in renal transplant recipients: more prevalent than previously thought
Authors: Mitsides N. , Green D. , Middleton R. , New D. , Lamerton E. , Allen J. , Redshaw J. , Chadwick P.R. , Subudhi C.P.K. , Wood G.
Published: November 2013

Background

After an outbreak of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in our nephrology unit, dapsone was used as the second‐line chemoprophylactic agent. Dapsone is the most common cause of drug‐induced methemoglobinemia (MHb). Its prevalence is poorly described in the renal transplant population. Because dapsone is excreted by the kidneys, we hypothesized that the rate of MHb in these patients would be higher than previously reported. We aimed to describe the demographics, risk factors, and presenting features of MHb in these renal transplant patients.

Methods

Twenty‐six transplant recipients commenced on dapsone for chemoprophylaxis against PCP from February to September 2011. All patients had normal glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase levels before treatment. Characteristics of patients with MHb were compared with those of the rest of the cohort to determine potential risk factors.

Results

Twelve (46%) patients developed MHb (levels 6.4 ± 4.1%). Six (50%) of the patients with MHb were asymptomatic on presentation. Cases had a mean drop in hemoglobin of 19 ± 7%. MHb led to five admissions (median length of stay 5 days, range 1–10 days). MHb level showed a strong correlation with the length of stay (correlation coefficient 0.762, P = 0.002).

Conclusion

This is the highest reported prevalence of MHb, to our knowledge, in patients receiving dapsone, and its use led to significant hospitalization in this population. This study raises concerns about the use of dapsone as chemoprophylaxis in renal transplant recipients.
High incidence of post‐transplant cytomegalovirus reactivations in myeloma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation after treatment with bortezomib‐based regimens: a survey from the Rome Transplant Network
Authors: Marchesi F. , Mengarelli A. , Giannotti F. , Tendas A. , Anaclerico B. , Porrini R. , Picardi A. , Cerchiara E. , Dentamaro T. , Chierichini A. , Romeo A. , Cudillo L. , Montefusco E. , Tirindelli M.C. , De Fabritiis P. , Annino L. , Petti M.C. , Monarca B. , Arcese W. , Avvisati G. ,   the Rome Transplant Network
Published: November 2013

The incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is relatively low. However, the recent increased use of novel agents, such as bortezomib and/or immunomodulators, before transplant, has led to an increasing incidence of Herpesviridae family virus infections. The aim of the study was to establish the incidence of post‐engraftment symptomatic CMV reactivations in MM patients receiving ASCT, and to compare this incidence with that of patients treated with novel agents or with conventional chemotherapy before transplant. The study was a survey of 80 consecutive patients who underwent ASCT after treatment with novel agents (Group A). These patients were compared with a cohort of 89 patients treated with VAD regimen (vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone) before ASCT (Group B). Overall, 7 patients (4.1%) received an antiviral treatment for a symptomatic CMV reactivation and 1 died. The incidence of CMV reactivations was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (7.5% vs. 1.1%; P = 0.048). When compared with Group B, the CMV reactivations observed in Group A were significantly more frequent in patients who received bortezomib, whether or not associated with immunomodulators (9.4% vs. 1.1%; P = 0.019), but not in those treated with immunomodulators only (3.7% vs. 1.1%; P = 0.396). These results suggest that MM patients treated with bortezomib‐based regimens are at higher risk of developing a symptomatic CMV reactivation after ASCT.
Currently recommended BK virus (BKV) plasma viral load cutoff of ≥4 log10/mL underestimates the diagnosis of BKV‐associated nephropathy: a single transplant center experience
Authors: Hassan S. , Mittal C. , Amer S. , Khalid F. , Patel A. , Delbusto R. , Samuel L. , Alangaden G. , Ramesh M.
Published: November 2013

Background

BK virus (BKV)‐associated nephropathy (BKVAN) is a major cause of renal dysfunction and graft loss in renal transplant recipients. Monitoring plasma BK viral load (BKVL) is the recommended screening tool to predict BKVAN. American Society of Transplantation (AST) guidelines define a BKVL of ≥4 log10/mL (10,000 copies) as presumptive BKVAN and recommend reduction in immunosuppression. We evaluated the clinical sensitivity of the quantitative BKV DNA assay in predicting risk for BKVAN using the AST‐recommended BKVL cutoff.

Methods

In a retrospective, single‐center study, all patients who underwent renal transplant at Henry Ford Hospital from January 2008 to August 2011 were analyzed (n = 490). Plasma BKVL Assay A (commercial large T antigen‐based polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) was done in all patients. Renal biopsy was done if there was a rise in serum creatinine ≥0.5 mg from baseline. BKVAN was confirmed by biopsy. As a subset to this study, from the same cohort, data for a set of 20 consecutive Assays A and B (in‐house VP1‐based PCR assay) from 15 patients over a period of 3 months were collected. Differences in physicians' clinical decision‐making (CDM) were analyzed between the 2 assays using chi‐square test.

Results

A total of 413 patients met the inclusion criteria, of which 222 patients had BK viremia. Among the 248 patients who had a renal biopsy done, 31 (12.5%) were found to have BKVAN. Eleven of the 31 (35%) patients had BKVL consistently <4 log10/mL, and thus were not diagnosed to have BKVAN using the AST‐recommended BKVL cutoff of ≥4 log10/mL. A total of 8 patients lost their graft owing to BKVAN, including 3 patients with BKVL <4 log10/mL. Using a cutoff point of plasma BKVL of ≥4 log10/mL, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predicative value of the PCR Assay A for the diagnosis of biopsy‐proven BKVAN were 64.5%, 98.4%, 87.0%, and 94.5%, respectively, and for the diagnosis of presumptive nephropathy were found to be 76.6%, 99.4%, 95.8%, and 96.4%, respectively. In the second part of the study, presumptive nephropathy was detected in 8 samples using Assay A and 14 samples using Assay B. Six samples in Assay A would have led to no changes in the CDM in terms of reduction in immunosuppression. Kidney biopsy was carried out in 5 patients, 4 of whom had BKVAN and had Assay B log count of ≥5. If Assay A had been used in CDM, BKVAN would have been missed in 1 patient.

Conclusion

Utilizing the current AST guideline cutoff of ≥4 log10/mL, the PCR Assay A underestimated the diagnosis of BKVAN. Urgent standardization of the various BKVL assays and establishment of universal cutoff points is imperative to avoid BKVAN‐related graft loss.
Assessing the influence of pronounced diurnal temperature variations in nontemperate zones on the denitrification/nitrification rate using the COST Benchmark activated sludge model no. 1 simulation
Authors: Paul Parneet
Published: November 2013

Activated sludge plants are usually designed using formulae based on fixed wastewater temperatures. In some nontemperate zones, these procedures may need altering, particularly for areas that experience large diurnal and seasonal temperature variation such as in desert or high‐altitude environments. This study investigates these temperature effects on the denitrification/nitrification rate by utilising the COST Benchmark activated sludge model no. 1 (ASM1) simulation model. The COST Benchmark was developed under the European Cooperation in Science and Technology programme Action 624 which specifically focused on the Optimal Management of Wastewater Systems. Various simulations and associated control strategies were carried out using gPROMS software package (Process Systems Enterprise Limited, London, UK) to ascertain the following: any likely nutrient removal implications; use of a nitrate and/or ammonia sensor coupled to a strategy to change the solids loading inventory to minimise falls in nitrification rate during night time hours; and changes to controller set point levels during the day and night to reflect diurnal load, flow and temperature variations using a temperature‐dependent control algorithm. It was found that inclusion of temperature dependency in simulation models may prove beneficial when designing plants located in these regions.
Velocity storage mechanism in zebrafish larvae
Authors: Chen Chien‐Cheng , Bockisch Christopher J. , Bertolini Giovanni , Olasagasti Itsaso , Neuhauss Stephan C. F. , Weber Konrad P. , Straumann Dominik , Ying‐Yu Huang Melody
Published: November 2013

Key points

Five‐day‐old zebrafish larvae already exhibit a velocity storage mechanism (VSM).

The VSM in zebrafish larvae emerges earlier than a functional horizontal angular vestibular reflex.

The VSM may be critical to ocular motor control in larval zebrafish.

Abstract  The optokinetic reflex (OKR) and the angular vestibulo‐ocular reflex (aVOR) complement each other to stabilize images on the retina despite self‐ or world motion, a joint mechanism that is critical for effective vision. It is currently hypothesized that signals from both systems integrate, in a mathematical sense, in a network of neurons operating as a velocity storage mechanism (VSM). When exposed to a rotating visual surround, subjects display the OKR, slow following eye movements frequently interrupted by fast resetting eye movements. Subsequent to light‐off during optokinetic stimulation, eye movements do not stop abruptly, but decay slowly, a phenomenon referred to as the optokinetic after‐response (OKAR). The OKAR is most likely generated by the VSM. In this study, we observed the OKAR in developing larval zebrafish before the horizontal aVOR emerged. Our results suggest that the VSM develops prior to and without the need for a functional aVOR. It may be critical to ocular motor control in early development as it increases the efficiency of the OKR.
I‐125 ROPES eye plaque dosimetry: Validation of a commercial 3D ophthalmic brachytherapy treatment planning system and independent dose calculation software with GafChromic® EBT3 films
Authors: Poder Joel , Corde Stéphanie
Published: November 2013

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to measure the dose distributions for different Radiation Oncology Physics and Engineering Services, Australia (ROPES) type eye plaques loaded with I‐125 (model 6711) seeds using GafChromic® EBT3 films, in order to verify the dose distributions in the Plaque Simulator™ (PS) ophthalmic 3D treatment planning system. The brachytherapy module of RADCALC® was used to independently check the dose distributions calculated by PS. Correction factors were derived from the measured data to be used in PS to account for the effect of the stainless steel ROPES plaque backing on the 3D dose distribution.

Methods:

Using GafChromic® EBT3 films inserted in a specially designed Solid Water™ eye ball phantom, dose distributions were measured three‐dimensionally both along and perpendicular to I‐125 (model 6711) loaded ROPES eye plaqueˈs central axis (CAX) with 2 mm depth increments. Each measurement was performed in full scatter conditions both with and without the stainless steel plaque backing attached to the eye plaque, to assess its effect on the dose distributions. Results were compared to the dose distributions calculated by Plaque Simulator™ and checked independently with RADCALC®.

Results:

The EBT3 film measurements without the stainless steel backing were found to agree with PS and RADCALC® to within 2% and 4%, respectively, on the plaque CAX. Also, RADCALC® was found to agree with PS to within 2%. The CAX depth doses measured using EBT3 film with the stainless steel backing were observed to result in a 4% decrease relative to when the backing was not present. Within experimental uncertainty, the 4% decrease was found to be constant with depth and independent of plaque size. Using a constant dose correction factor of T = 0.96 in PS, where the calculated dose for the full water scattering medium is reduced by 4% in every voxel in the dose grid, the effect of the plaque backing was accurately modeled in the planning system. Off‐axis profiles were also modeled in PS by taking into account the three‐dimensional model of the plaque backing.

Conclusions:

The doses calculated by PS and RADCALC® for uniformly loaded ROPES plaques in full and uniform scattering conditions were validated by the EBT3 film measurements. The stainless steel plaque backing was observed to decrease the measured dose by 4%. Through the introduction of a scalar correction factor (0.96) in PS, the dose homogeneity effect of the stainless steel plaque backing was found to agree with the measured EBT3 film measurements.
Motion‐map constrained image reconstruction (MCIR): Application to four‐dimensional cone‐beam computed tomography
Authors: Park Justin C. , Kim Jin Sung , Park Sung Ho , Liu Zhaowei , Song Bongyong , Song William Y.
Published: November 2013

Purpose:

Utilization of respiratory correlated four‐dimensional cone‐beam computed tomography (4DCBCT) has enabled verification of internal target motion and volume immediately prior to treatment. However, with current standard CBCT scan, 4DCBCT poses challenge for reconstruction due to the fact that multiple phase binning leads to insufficient number of projection data to reconstruct and thus cause streaking artifacts. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel 4DCBCT reconstruction algorithm framework called motion‐map constrained image reconstruction (MCIR), that allows reconstruction of high quality and high phase resolution 4DCBCT images with no more than the imaging dose as well as projections used in a standard free breathing 3DCBCT (FB‐3DCBCT) scan.

Methods:

The unknown 4DCBCT volume at each phase was mathematically modeled as a combination of FB‐3DCBCT and phase‐specific update vector which has an associated motion‐map matrix. The motion‐map matrix, which is the key innovation of the MCIR algorithm, was defined as the matrix that distinguishes voxels that are moving from stationary ones. This 4DCBCT model was then reconstructed with compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction framework such that the voxels with high motion would be aggressively updated by the phase‐wise sorted projections and the voxels with less motion would be minimally updated to preserve the FB‐3DCBCT. To evaluate the performance of our proposed MCIR algorithm, we evaluated both numerical phantoms and a lung cancer patient. The results were then compared with the (1) clinical FB‐3DCBCT reconstructed using the FDK, (2) 4DCBCT reconstructed using the FDK, and (3) 4DCBCT reconstructed using the well‐known prior image constrained compressed sensing (PICCS).

Results:

Examination of the MCIR algorithm showed that high phase‐resolved 4DCBCT with sets of up to 20 phases using a typical FB‐3DCBCT scan could be reconstructed without compromising the image quality. Moreover, in comparison with other published algorithms, the image quality of the MCIR algorithm is shown to be excellent.

Conclusions:

This work demonstrates the potential for providing high‐quality 4DCBCT during on‐line image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT), without increasing the imaging dose. The results showed that (at least) 20 phase images could be reconstructed using the same projections data, used to reconstruct a single FB‐3DCBCT, without streak artifacts that are caused by insufficient projections.
Tomotherapy treatment plan quality assurance: The impact of applied criteria on passing rate in gamma index method
Authors: Bresciani Sara , Dia Amalia Di , Maggio Angelo , Cutaia Claudia , Miranti Anna , Infusino Erminia , Stasi Michele
Published: November 2013

Purpose:

Pretreatment patient plan verification with gamma index (GI) metric analysis is standard procedure for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the variability of the local and global gamma index obtained during standard pretreatment quality assurance (QA) measurements for plans performed with Tomotherapy unit. The QA measurements were performed with a 3D diode array, using variable passing criteria: 3%/3 mm, 2%/2 mm, 1%/1 mm, each with both local and global normalization.

Methods:

The authors analyzed the pretreatment QA results for 73 verifications; 37 were prostate cancer plans, 16 were head and neck plans, and 20 were other clinical sites. All plans were treated using the Tomotherapy Hi‐Art System. Pretreatment QA plans were performed with the commercially available 3D diode array ArcCHECK™. This device has 1386 diodes arranged in a helical geometry spaced 1 cm apart. The dose measurements were acquired on the ArcCHECK™ and then compared with the calculated dose using the standard gamma analysis method. The gamma passing rate (%GP), defined as the percentage of points satisfying the condition GI < 1, was calculated for different criteria (3%/3 mm, 2%/2 mm, 1%/1 mm) and for both global and local normalization. In the case of local normalization method, the authors set three dose difference threshold (DDT) values of 2, 3, and 5 cGy. Dose difference threshold is defined as the minimum absolute dose error considered in the analysis when using local normalization. Low‐dose thresholds (TH) of 5% and 10% were also applied and analyzed.

Results:

Performing a paired‐t‐test, the authors determined that the gamma passing rate is independent of the threshold values for all of the adopted criteria (5%TH vs 10%TH, p > 0.1). Our findings showed that mean %GPs for local (or global) normalization for the entire study group were 93% (98%), 84% (92%), and 66% (61%) for 3%/3 mm, 2%/2 mm, and 1%/1 mm criteria, respectively. DDT was equal to 2 cGy for the local normalization analysis cases. The authors observed great variability in the resulting %GP. With 3%/3 mm gamma criteria, the overall passing rate with local normalization was 4.6% less on the average than with global one, as expected. The wide difference between %GP calculated with global or local approach is also confirmed by an unpaired t‐test statistical analysis.

Conclusions:

The variability of %GP obtained confirmed the necessity to establish defined agreement criteria that could be universal and comparable between institutions. In particular, while the gamma passing rate does not depend on the choice of threshold, the choice of DDT strongly influences the gamma passing rate for local calculations. The difference between global and local %GP was statistically significant for prostate and other treatment sites when DDT was changed from 2 to 3 cGy.
The Shapes of Physics
Authors: Greenslade Thomas B.
Published: November 2013

I have used many ploys to start a course in introductory physics, but one of the more interesting ones was to spend 20 minutes describing some of the curves and shapes that we would encounter in our year together. The students saw parabolas, catenaries, hyperbolas, cycloids, circles, ellipses, and helices, and were shown examples, either live or on slides, of these shapes. The world of physics is three-dimensional, and students need to see what curves and trajectories span it. Once they see these shapes in nature, they look at the world around them in fresh ways.
The Laser Level as an Optics Laboratory Tool
Authors: Kutzner Mickey
Published: November 2013

For decades now, the laser has been used as a handy device for performing ray traces in geometrical optics demonstrations and laboratories.1, 2 For many ray- trace applications, I have found the laser level3 to be even more visually compelling and easy for student use than the laser pointer.
Derivation of the Biot-Savart Law from Ampere's Law Using the Displacement Current
Authors: Buschauer Robert
Published: November 2013

The equation describing the magnetic field due to a single, nonrelativistic charged particle moving at constant velocity is often referred to as the “Biot-Savart law for a point charge.”1 Introductory calculus-based physics books usually state this law without proof.2 Advanced texts often present it either without proof or as a special case of a complicated mathematical formalism.3 Either way, little or no physical insight is provided to the student regarding the underlying physics. This paper presents a novel, basic, and transparent derivation of the Biot-Savart law for a point charge based only on Maxwell's displacement current term in Ampere's law. This derivation can serve many pedagogical purposes. For example, it can be used as lecture material at any academic level to obtain the Biot-Savart law for a point charge from simple principles. It can also serve as a practical example of the important fact that a changing electric flux produces a magnetic field.
Enrollments in physics courses at two-year colleges
Authors: White Susan C.
Published: November 2013

Enrollments in physics courses at two-year colleges About 176,000 students were enrolled in various physics courses on two-year college (TYC) campuses during the 2011–12 academic year. This represents a 60% increase in enrollments since the 1995–96 academic year. Enrollments in conceptual physics courses more than doubled during this period, going from 19,000 in 1995–96 to 41,000 in 2011–12. Enrollments in algebra/trig-based physics courses represented the largest block of students in both periods, accounting for more than one-third of the TYC physics students in 1995–96 and almost half in 2011–12. Enrollments in other types of physics courses declined from 24,000 in 1995–96 to 16,000 in 2011–12.
Perception of Relative Motion Between Two Systems Through the Sense of Touch: The Example of the Moving Walkway
Authors: Selçuk Gamze Sezgin , Yurumezoglu Kemal
Published: November 2013

Someone in a car moving at constant speed along a smooth, straight road cannot perceive movement unless he looks out a window. When the person looks out and sees another car traveling alongside, in the same direction and at an equal speed, he will think that the other car is not moving either. When we see a tree in the distance as we are driving along the road, although the tree is motionless with respect to the ground, we perceive it to be moving toward us. These perceptions are the result of relative motion. The velocity of a body in motion relative to another body that is stationary or in motion is called “relative velocity” and the motion itself is “relative motion.”
Angular momentum
Authors: Shakur Asif , Sinatra Taylor
Published: November 2013

The gyroscope in a smartphone was employed in a physics laboratory setting to verify the conservation of angular momentum and the nonconservation of rotational kinetic energy. As is well-known, smartphones are ubiquitous on college campuses. These devices have a panoply of built-in sensors. This creates a unique opportunity for a new paradigm in the physics laboratory.1–3 Many traditional physics experiments can now be performed very conveniently in a pedagogically enlightening environment while simultaneously reducing the laboratory budget substantially by using student-owned smartphones.
Head-related transfer function interpolation in azimuth, elevation, and distance
Authors: Gamper Hannes
Published: November 2013

Although distance-dependent head-related transfer function (HRTF) databases provide interesting possibilities, e.g., for rendering virtual sounds in the near-field, there is a lack of algorithms and tools to make use of them. Here, a framework is proposed for interpolating HRTF measurements in 3-D (i.e., azimuth, elevation, and distance) using tetrahedral interpolation with barycentric weights. For interpolation, a tetrahedral mesh is generated via Delaunay triangulation and searched via an adjacency walk, making the framework robust with respect to irregularly positioned HRTF measurements and computationally efficient. An objective evaluation of the proposed framework indicates good accordance between measured and interpolated near-field HRTFs.
The Ability of Sos1 to Oligomerize the Adaptor Protein LAT Is Separable from Its Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Activity in Vivo
Authors: Kortum Robert L. , Balagopalan Lakshmi , Alexander Clayton P. , Garcia Julie , Pinski John M. , Merrill Robert K. , Nguyen Phan H. , Li Wenmei , Agarwal Isha , Akpan Itoro O. , Sommers Connie L. , Samelson Lawrence E.
Published: November 2013

Thymocyte development requires that Sos1 acts both as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor and as a scaffold to cluster adaptor proteins.
Mitochondrial Fusion and Heart Development
Authors: Hurtley Stella M.
Published: November 2013

Interrupting mitochondrial fusion inhibits cardiac differentiation by dysregulating a specific cell signaling pathway.
A High-Content Phenotypic Screen Reveals the Disruptive Potency of Quinacrine and 3′,4′-Dichlorobenzamil on the Digestive Vacuole of Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Lee Yan Quan , Goh Amanda S. P. , Ch'ng Jun Hong , Nosten François H. , Preiser Peter Rainer , Pervaiz Shazib , Yadav Sanjiv Kumar , Tan Kevin S. W.
Published: November 2013

Plasmodium falciparum
is the etiological agent of malignant malaria and has been shown to exhibit features resembling programmed cell death. This is triggered upon treatment with low micromolar doses of chloroquine or other lysosomotrophic compounds and is associated with leakage of the digestive vacuole contents. In order to exploit this cell death pathway, we developed a high-content screening method to select compounds that can disrupt the parasite vacuole, as measured by the leakage of intravacuolar Ca
2+
. This assay uses the ImageStream 100, an imaging-capable flow cytometer, to assess the distribution of the fluorescent calcium probe Fluo-4. We obtained two hits from a small library of 25 test compounds, quinacrine and 3′,4′-dichlorobenzamil. The ability of these compounds to permeabilize the digestive vacuole in laboratory strains and clinical isolates was validated by confocal microscopy. The hits could induce programmed cell death features in both chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant laboratory strains. Quinacrine was effective at inhibiting field isolates in a 48-h reinvasion assay regardless of artemisinin clearance status. We therefore present as proof of concept a phenotypic screening method with the potential to provide mechanistic insights to the activity of antimalarial drugs.
In VitroPharmacodynamics of Human Simulated Exposures of Ceftaroline and Daptomycin against MRSA, hVISA, and VISA with and without Prior Vancomycin Exposure
Authors: Bhalodi Amira A. , Hagihara Mao , Nicolau David P. , Kuti Joseph L.
Published: November 2013

The effects of prior vancomycin exposure on ceftaroline and daptomycin therapy against methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) have not been widely studied. Humanized free-drug exposures of vancomycin at 1 g every 12 h (q12h), ceftaroline at 600 mg q12h, and daptomycin at 10 mg/kg of body weight q24h were simulated in a 96-hin vitropharmacodynamic model against three MRSA isolates, including one heteroresistant vancomycin-intermediateS. aureus(hVISA) isolate and one VISA isolate. A total of five regimens were tested: vancomycin, ceftaroline, and daptomycin alone for the entire 96 h, and then sequential therapy with vancomycin for 48 h followed by ceftaroline or daptomycin for 48 h. Microbiological responses were measured by the changes in log10CFU during 96 h from baseline. Control isolates grew to 9.16 ± 0.32, 9.13 ± 0.14, and 8.69 ± 0.28 log10CFU for MRSA, hVISA, and VISA, respectively. Vancomycin initially achieved ≥3 log10CFU reductions against the MRSA and hVISA isolates, followed by regrowth beginning at 48 h; minimal activity was observed against VISA. The change in 96-h log10CFU was largest for sequential therapy with vancomycin followed by ceftaroline (−5.22 ± 1.2,P= 0.010 versus ceftaroline) and for sequential therapy with vancomycin followed by ceftaroline (−3.60 ± 0.6,P= 0.037 versus daptomycin), compared with daptomycin (−2.24 ± 1.0), vancomycin (−1.40 ± 1.8), and sequential therapy with vancomycin followed by daptomycin (−1.32 ± 1.0,P> 0.5 for the last three regimens). Prior exposure of vancomycin at 1 g q12h reduced the initial microbiological response of daptomycin, particularly for hVISA and VISA isolates, but did not affect the response of ceftaroline. In the scenario of poor vancomycin response for high-inoculum MRSA infection, a ceftaroline-containing regimen may be preferred.
Urinary Concentrations and Antibacterial Activities of Nitroxoline at 250 Milligrams versus Trimethoprim at 200 Milligrams against Uropathogens in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Wagenlehner Florian M. E. , Münch Fabian , Pilatz Adrian , Bärmann Birte , Weidner Wolfgang , Wagenlehner Christine M. , Straubinger Marion , Blenk Holger , Pfister Wolfgang , Kresken Michael , Naber Kurt G.
Published: November 2013

Because of the increasing bacterial resistance of uropathogens against standard antibiotics, such as trimethoprim (TMP), older antimicrobial drugs, such as nitroxoline (NTX), should be reevaluated. This randomized crossover study investigated the urinary concentrations of parent drugs and their metabolites and their antibacterial activities (urinary inhibitory titers [UITs] and urinary bactericidal titers [UBTs]) against uropathogens at three different urinary pH values within 24 h in six healthy volunteers after a single oral dose of NTX at 250 mg versus TMP at 200 mg. In three additional volunteers, urinary bactericidal kinetics (UBK) were studied after oral administration of NTX at 250 mg three times a day. The mean urinary concentrations of NTX and NTX sulfate in 24 h were 0.012 to 0.507 mg/liter and 0.28 to 27.83 mg/liter, respectively. The mean urinary concentrations of TMP were 18.79 to 41.59 mg/liter. The antibacterial activity of NTX was higher in acidic urine than in alkaline urine, and that of TMP was higher in alkaline urine than in acidic urine. The UITs and UBTs of NTX were generally lower than those of TMP except for a TMP-resistant
Escherichia coli
strain, for which NTX showed higher UITs/UBTs than did TMP. UBK showed mainly bacteriostatic activity of NTX in urine. NTX exhibits mainly bacteriostatic activity and TMP also shows bactericidal activity in urine against susceptible strains. NTX is a more active antibacterial in acidic urine, and TMP is more active in alkaline urine. The cumulative effects of multiple doses or inhibition of bacterial adherence could not be evaluated. (This study has been registered at EudraCT under registration no. 2009-015631-32.)
Sequential Processing of Merozoite Surface Proteins during and after Erythrocyte Invasion by Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Boyle Michelle J. , Langer Christine , Chan Jo-Anne , Hodder Anthony N. , Coppel Ross L. , Anders Robin F. , Beeson James G.
Published: November 2013

Plasmodium falciparum
causes malaria disease during the asexual blood stages of infection when merozoites invade erythrocytes and replicate. Merozoite surface proteins (MSPs) are proposed to play a role in the initial binding of merozoites to erythrocytes, but precise roles remain undefined. Based on electron microscopy studies of invading
Plasmodium
merozoites, it is proposed that the majority of MSPs are cleaved and shed from the surface during invasion, perhaps to release receptor-ligand interactions. In this study, we demonstrate that there is not universal cleavage of MSPs during invasion. Instead, there is sequential and coordinated cleavage and shedding of proteins, indicating a diversity of roles for surface proteins during and after invasion. While MSP1 and peripheral surface proteins such as MSP3, MSP7, serine repeat antigen 4 (SERA4), and SERA5 are cleaved and shed at the tight junction between the invading merozoite and erythrocyte, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins MSP2 and MSP4 are carried into the erythrocyte without detectable processing. Following invasion, MSP2 rapidly degrades within 10 min, whereas MSP4 is maintained for hours. This suggests that while some proteins that are shed upon invasion may have roles in initial contact steps, others function during invasion and are then rapidly degraded, whereas others are internalized for roles during intraerythrocytic development. Interestingly, anti-MSP2 antibodies did not inhibit invasion and instead were carried into erythrocytes and maintained for approximately 20 h without inhibiting parasite development. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of invasion and knowledge to advance the development of new drugs and vaccines against malaria.
NLRP1 Is an Inflammasome Sensor for Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Ewald Sarah E. , Chavarria-Smith Joseph , Boothroyd John C.
Published: November 2013

The obligate intracellular parasite
Toxoplasma gondii
is able to infect nearly all nucleated cell types of warm-blooded animals. This is achieved through the injection of hundreds of parasite effectors into the host cell cytosol, allowing the parasite to establish a vacuolar niche for growth, replication, and persistence. Here we show that
Toxoplasma
infection actives an inflammasome response in mice and rats, an innate immune sensing system designed to survey the host cytosol for foreign components leading to inflammation and cell death. Oral infection with
Toxoplasma
triggers an inflammasome response that is protective to the host, limiting parasite load and dissemination.
Toxoplasma
infection is sufficient to generate an inflammasome response in germfree animals. Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) secretion by macrophage requires the effector caspases 1 and 11, the adapter ASC, and NLRP1, the sensor previously described to initiate the inflammasome response to
Bacillus anthracis
lethal factor. The allele of NLRP1b derived from 129 mice is sufficient to enhance the B6 bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM) inflammasome response to
Toxoplasma
independent of the lethal factor proteolysis site. Moreover, N-terminal processing of NLRP1b, the only mechanism of activation known to date, is not observed in response to
Toxoplasma
infection. Cumulatively, these data indicate that NLRP1 is an innate immune sensor for
Toxoplasma
infection, activated via a novel mechanism that corresponds to a host-protective innate immune response to the parasite.
What tools are available to identify patients with palliative care needs in primary care: a systematic literature review and survey of European practice
Authors: Maas Elke Arnoldina Theodora , Murray Scott A , Engels Yvonne , Campbell Christine
Published: November 2013

Background

It can be difficult to identify when a palliative care approach should be started both in malignant, and particularly, in non-malignant disease, ideally to run alongside disease-modifying care. A structured method or tool may be useful to help general practitioners (GPs) identify patients for early palliative care and trigger assessment and care planning.

Aims

To document what tools for identification of patients with palliative care needs are available in the published literature and to ascertain how GPs in Europe currently identify patients for palliative care.

Methods

A systematic literature search using PubMed and Embase, and a questionnaire survey among key informants in 14 European countries requesting data on methods used to identify patients with palliative care needs.

Results

The literature search identified four tools. The questionnaire survey identified a further three in current use and found that in current practice identification is largely based on a GP's own clinical judgement and information received from the hospital: tools are rarely used.

Conclusions

Although several identification tools have been developed, none of these have been validated or widely implemented in Europe. Further collaborative international development, implementation and evaluation of such tools are recommended.