bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recognition Contradicted
Authors: Gunn Richard , Wilding Adrian
Published: May 2014

The eruption of global struggles in 2010 calls for theoretical reflection. What distinguishes the new movements is not only their refusal of the existing socioeconomic order but their conscious experiments in alternative forms of social organization, interaction, and self-determination. Gunn and Wilding’s article argues that the movements’ inspiring mix of “refusal” and “alternatives” can be understood within a theoretical framework that foregrounds the concepts of contradiction and recognition. In this context, the article presents Herbert Marcuse and Slavoj Žižek as theorists who, in different fashions, turn away from contradictions that an alienated world contains. Self-determination exists—but in a self-contradictory way. The article argues therefore that recognition is a fundamental category of revolution.
The Long Summer of Turkey: The Gezi Uprising and Its Historical Roots
Authors: Yörük Erdem
Published: May 2014

This article provides the trajectory of the political and social conditions that structured the sudden and puzzling explosion of the nationwide Gezi revolt in Turkey out of a small protest for an urban park in Istanbul during the summer of 2013. It depicts the macro-level political struggles that shaped the last decade in Turkey as well as the short history of grassroots political activism during the year preceding the Gezi revolt. In explaining the conditions of existence of the revolt, the article considers the grassroots effects of two political developments: (1) during the last decade, the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) had been involved in a striking level of intra-elite political competition for national power with the Kemalist establishment, which consisted of the high ranks of the military bureaucracy (the army), the civil bureaucracy (jurisdiction), and the Kemalist main opposition party (Republican People’s Party), and (2) the level of grassroots political activism, particularly against the government, had gradually and dramatically escalated during the year preceding the uprising in June 2013.
The Politics of the Gezi Park Resistance: Against Memory and Identity
Authors: Eken Bülent
Published: May 2014

Eken’s essay contends that the mass insurrection that resulted in a fifteen-day occupation of Gezi Park in Istanbul in June 2013 can be seen as a response to the ongoing implementation of new forms of social control in Turkey. Itself the result of a process of convergence with global capitalism, the new regime of domination capitalizes on culture as a site for monitoring social desire. In Turkey, “memory” and “minorities” emerged as two privileged topics of cultural discourse through which the state seeks to achieve real political effects. The Gezi resistance is best seen as the autonomous organization of social desire against the politics of these cultural discourses. It is mainly in its embodiment of this antagonistic, anticapitalist desire that the value of the Gezi Resistance lies.
Concepts of Simultaneity and Community in the Crowd-Sourced Video DiaryLife in a Day
Authors: Lénárt-Cheng Helga
Published: May 2014

This article seeks to contribute to the debate about the relationship between time and social identity by studying the recent trend of simultaneous, crowd-sourced visual diaries. The article focuses on the concept of simultaneity and its relation to communal identity. Crowd-sourced visual diaries such as 2010’s Life in a Day are often celebrated as a means to relativize time and social homogeneity through individual narrative perspectives. To challenge this view, I show how the notion of simultaneity itself can be appropriated for purposes of legitimation and how Life in a Day’s universalist understanding of simultaneity actually undermines the heterogeneity of time that the project was meant to celebrate.
“The Conspiracy of Imbeciles,” Reloaded
Authors: Rubenstein Diane
Published: May 2014

This essay is a rhetorical invention. It projects what Jean Baudrillard would have found theoretically interesting in the recent Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) affair, configured as a transpolitical media pseudo event revealing the immunodeficiency of Europe’s political class. The DSK affair is doubly contextualized in relation to its reception on both sides of the Atlantic: in (academic) North American feminists’ critique of French cultural exceptionalism and in French (real-time) resolutely nonhermeneutic coverage of “the already told story.” Both readings of the affair are centered upon a key Baudrillardian term, seduction, either in its “hot” (Don Juan) form or in its “cold” ludic form. When viewed from the perspective of immersive, immediate, and immanent forms of distance-abolishing media (such as smartphones and GPS), the summer sex scandals of 2011 instantiate shifts within simulation toward integral reality.
Mahmoud Darwish in Film
Authors: Dyer Rebecca , Mulot François
Published: May 2014

Focusing on two films by Jean-Luc Godard that feature the work of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, this essay analyzes the rhetorical effects of Godard’s choice to subtitle, translate, or speak over Arabic speech and highlights Godard’s decades-long working relationship with the translator Elias Sanbar, who also translated Darwish’s work from Arabic into French. It argues that both filmmaker and poet in Notre musique (2004) are engaged in autoquotation in that Godard is alluding to his earlier films, particularly to Ici et ailleurs (1976), his extensive “rethinking” of his 1970 trip to film the Palestinian intifada, and in that Darwish restates his published commentary from the 1990s in a staged interview with an actress playing an Israeli journalist. It analyzes as well the political implications of Darwish’s poetry being recited in English translation by Native American actors in Sarajevo’s destroyed library.
Kelch-like ECT2 interacting protein KLEIP regulates late stage pulmonary maturation via Hif-2α
Authors: Woik Nicole , Dietz Christian T. , Schäker Kathrin , Kroll Jens
Published: May 2014

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) caused by preterm delivery is a major clinical problem with limited mechanistic insight. Late stage embryonic lung development is driven by hypoxia and hypoxia inducible transcription factors Hif-1α and Hif-2α, which act as important regulators for lung development. Expression of BTB-kelch protein KLEIP (Kelch-like ECT2 interacting protein; also named Klhl20) is controlled by two hypoxia response elements and KLEIP regulates stabilization and transcriptional activation of Hif-2α. Based on the data, we hypothesised an essential role for KLEIP in murine lung development and function. Therefore, we have performed a functional, histological, mechanistic and interventional study in embryonic and neonatal KLEIP-/- mice. Here we show that half of the KLEIP-/- neonates die due to respiratory failure that is caused by insufficient aeration, septal thickness, reduced glycogenolysis, type II pneumocyte immaturity and reduced surfactant production. Expression analyses in E18.5 lungs identified KLEIP in lung capillaries and strongly reduced mRNA and protein levels for Hif-2α and VEGF, which is associated with embryonic endothelial cell apoptosis and lung bleedings. Betamethasone injection in pregnant females prevented respiratory failure in KLEIP-/- neonates, normalized lung maturation, aeration and function and increased neonatal Hif-2α expression. Thus, the experimental study shows that respiratory failure in KLEIP-/- neonates is determined by insufficient angiocrine Hif-2α/VEGF signaling and that betamethasone activates this new identified signaling cascade in late stage embryonic lung development.
Restoring the balance: immunotherapeutic combinations for autoimmune disease
Authors: Smilek Dawn E. , Ehlers Mario R. , Nepom Gerald T.
Published: May 2014

Autoimmunity occurs when T cells, B cells or both are inappropriately activated, resulting in damage to one or more organ systems. Normally, high-affinity self-reactive T and B cells are eliminated in the thymus and bone marrow through a process known as central immune tolerance. However, low-affinity self-reactive T and B cells escape central tolerance and enter the blood and tissues, where they are kept in check by complex and non-redundant peripheral tolerance mechanisms. Dysfunction or imbalance of the immune system can lead to autoimmunity, and thus elucidation of normal tolerance mechanisms has led to identification of therapeutic targets for treating autoimmune disease. In the past 15 years, a number of disease-modifying monoclonal antibodies and genetically engineered biologic agents targeting the immune system have been approved, notably for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. Although these agents represent a major advance, effective therapy for other autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, remain elusive and will likely require intervention aimed at multiple components of the immune system. To this end, approaches that manipulate cells ex vivo and harness their complex behaviors are being tested in preclinical and clinical settings. In addition, approved biologic agents are being examined in combination with one another and with cell-based therapies. Substantial development and regulatory hurdles must be overcome in order to successfully combine immunotherapeutic biologic agents. Nevertheless, such combinations might ultimately be necessary to control autoimmune disease manifestations and restore the tolerant state.
Integrating pathology into human disease modelling – how to eat the elephant
Authors: Scudamore Cheryl L.
Published: May 2014

Mouse models are increasingly being used for the study of human disease, and the generation and functional characterisation of new models is underpinned by high-throughput phenotyping consortia such as the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. A new study by Adissu and colleagues, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, demonstrates the usefulness of histopathology in providing corroborative information and uncovering novel phenotypes in genetically modified mice in a high-throughput screen. Although pathology is recognised as a valuable tool to enhance our understanding of animal disease models, it has also been systematically under-resourced. This Editorial aims to highlight ways in which the gap between the usefulness of pathology and its perceived inaccessibility can be addressed by considering pragmatic solutions for planning, resourcing and accessing pathology expertise. The role of funding agencies, academic centres and journals in ensuring that the value of pathology is fully recognised and is adequately supported and funded is also discussed.
Electroreduced Tantalum Pentaoxide for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Awaludin Zaenal , Okajima Takeyoshi , Ohsaka Takeo
Published: May 2014

A novel technique to activate tantalum pentaoxide is introduced. An electrochemical reductive treatment in acidic solution is found to be an effective method for transforming the Ta5+ in Ta2O5 to Ta<5+, in such a way that it is active for hydrogen evolution. This opens a new route to the development of metal oxide-based catalysts.
Preparation, Redox Properties, and X-ray Structures of Electrochromic 11,11,12,12-Tetraarylanthraquinodimethane and Its Bianthraquinodimethane Analogue: Drastic Geometrical Changes upon Interconversion with Dicationic Dyes
Authors: Sakano Yuto , Katoono Ryo , Fujiwara Kenshu , Suzuki Takanori
Published: May 2014

Tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)anthraquinodimethane 1(b) with a bent geometry undergoes reversible redox interconversion with twisted dication 1(t)2+ exhibiting a vivid change in color (electrochromism) accompanied by a drastic structural change. Electrochemical oxidation of bianthraquinodimethane 2(b) with a doubly bent structure to bianthrylidene-type twisted dication 2(t)2+ proceeded smoothly, whereas the reverse conversion was less effective because 2(t)2• generated upon reduction of 2(t)2+ is a long-lived species to undergo side reactions.
Raj Chetty: 2013 Clark Medal Recipient
Authors: Feldstein Martin
Published: May 2014

Raj Chetty is eminently deserving of being awarded the John Bates Clark Medal at the age of 33. His research has transformed the field of public economics. His work is motivated by important public policy issues in the fields of taxation, social insurance, and public spending for education. He approaches his subjects with a creative redefinition of the problems that he studies, and his empirical methods often draw on experimental evidence or unprecedentedly large sets of integrated data. While his work is founded on basic microeconomics, he modifies this framework to take into account behavioral and institutional considerations. Chetty is a prolific scholar. It is difficult to summarize all of Chetty's research or even to capture the details of his most significant papers. I have therefore chosen a selection of Chetty's important papers dealing with taxation, social insurance, and education that contributed to his selection as the winner of the John Bates Clark Medal.
Retrospectives: The Cyclical Behavior of Labor Productivity and the Emergence of the Labor Hoarding Concept
Authors: Biddle Jeff E.
Published: May 2014

The concept of “labor hoarding,” at least in its modern form, was first fully articulated in the early 1960s by Arthur Okun (1963). By the end of the 20th century, the concept of “labor hoarding” had become an accepted part of economists' explanations of the workings of labor markets and of the relationship between labor productivity and economic fluctuations. The emergence of this concept involved the conjunction of three key elements: the fact that measured labor productivity was found to be procyclical, rising during expansions and falling during contractions; a perceived contradiction with the theory of the neoclassical firm in a competitive economy; and a possible explanation based on optimizing behavior on the part of firms. Each of these three elements—fact, contradiction, and explanation—has a history of its own, dating back to at least the opening decades of the twentieth century. Telling the story of the emergence of the modern labor hoarding concept requires recounting these three histories, histories that involve the work of economists motivated by diverse purposes and often not mainly, if at all, concerned with the questions that the labor hoarding concept was ultimately used to address. As a final twist to the story, the long-standing positive relationship between labor productivity and output in the US economy began to disappear in the late 1980s; and during the Great Recession, labor productivity rose while the economy contracted.
High-Dimensional Methods and Inference on Structural and Treatment Effects
Authors: Belloni Alexandre , Chernozhukov Victor , Hansen Christian
Published: May 2014

Data with a large number of variables relative to the sample size—“high-dimensional data”—are readily available and increasingly common in empirical economics. Highdimensional data arise through a combination of two phenomena. First, the data may be inherently high dimensional in that many different characteristics per observation are available. For example, the US Census collects information on hundreds of individual characteristics and scanner datasets record transaction-level data for households across a wide range of products. Second, even when the number of available variables is relatively small, researchers rarely know the exact functional form with which the small number of variables enter the model of interest. Researchers are thus faced with a large set of potential variables formed by different ways of interacting and transforming the underlying variables. This paper provides an overview of how innovations in “data mining” can be adapted and modified to provide high-quality inference about model parameters. Note that we use the term “data mining” in a modern sense which denotes a principled search for “true” predictive power that guards against false discovery and overfitting, does not erroneously equate in-sample fit to out-of-sample predictive ability, and accurately accounts for using the same data to examine many different hypotheses or models.
Big Data: New Tricks for Econometrics
Authors: Varian Hal R.
Published: May 2014

Computers are now involved in many economic transactions and can capture data associated with these transactions, which can then be manipulated and analyzed. Conventional statistical and econometric techniques such as regression often work well, but there are issues unique to big datasets that may require different tools. First, the sheer size of the data involved may require more powerful data manipulation tools. Second, we may have more potential predictors than appropriate for estimation, so we need to do some kind of variable selection. Third, large datasets may allow for more flexible relationships than simple linear models. Machine learning techniques such as decision trees, support vector machines, neural nets, deep learning, and so on may allow for more effective ways to model complex relationships. In this essay, I will describe a few of these tools for manipulating and analyzing big data. I believe that these methods have a lot to offer and should be more widely known and used by economists.
Political Campaigns and Big Data
Authors: Nickerson David W. , Rogers Todd
Published: May 2014

Modern campaigns develop databases of detailed information about citizens to inform electoral strategy and to guide tactical efforts. Despite sensational reports about the value of individual consumer data, the most valuable information campaigns acquire comes from the behaviors and direct responses provided by citizens themselves. Campaign data analysts develop models using this information to produce individual-level predictions about citizens' likelihoods of performing certain political behaviors, of supporting candidates and issues, and of changing their support conditional on being targeted with specific campaign interventions. The use of these predictive scores has increased dramatically since 2004, and their use could yield sizable gains to campaigns that harness them. At the same time, their widespread use effectively creates a coordination game with incomplete information between allied organizations. As such, organizations would benefit from partitioning the electorate to not duplicate efforts, but legal and political constraints preclude that possibility.
The SSCI Syndrome in Taiwan’s Academia
Authors: Chou Chuing Prudence
Published: May 2014

With the global expansion of higher education in the last two decades, the maintenance of academic quality to meet requirements for international competitiveness has become a critical issue for policymakers and universities. In addition, the neoliberal emphasis on the market has increased the competition for global university rankings, and this emphasis continues to have consequences for university autonomy and academic governance. To cope with these challenges, Taiwan has introduced strategies for benchmarking its leading universities. Under the new evaluation system, universities are evaluated by external standards instead of those ensuring academic autonomy or contributions to society. This article details how these recent policy reforms have given rise to a new ‘SSCI syndrome’, which risks turning faculty members into paper producers rather than public intellectuals. These changes have also impacted students’ rights as well as the greater goals of academic development. The article then argues that, as voices from both within and outside of Taiwan’s academia have begun to respond to the issue, it begs the question as to whether or not Taiwan can serve as a model for the many other non-English-speaking countries of the academic ‘periphery’ who are currently confronting similar issues. Given the increasing global pervasiveness of this SSCI syndrome, understanding the effects of policies recently implemented in Taiwan has important implications for higher education throughout the world.
The Influence of Rankings and Incentive Systems on Academic Publishing in South African Universities
Authors: Soudien Crain
Published: May 2014

This essay looks at the influence of ranking and incentive systems on decisions higher education institutions are making with respect to research and academic publishing. It describes and analyses how institutions within the South African higher education system have navigated their way through the contradictory forces confronting them. Characterizing these forces are, on the one hand, the country’s higher education policy platform which calls for institutions to address South Africa’s legacy issues of inclusion and social redress, and, on the other, the demands for institutions to maintain and grow their research profiles. The paper argues that South African institutions are struggling with this tension, as they struggle to pose, to articulate, and deliberately to respond to the question of what it means to be ‘excellent’.  Drawing upon institutional documents in the public domain, this paper shows how significantly this tension animates the decisions that institutions are making about their research and publication policies and practices.
The Reaction of Patients to Back Pain
Authors: Lorencowicz Regina , Jasik Józef , Kołodyńska Marlena , Turowski Krzysztof
Published: May 2014

Introduction. Back pain is an increasing health problem that significantly affects the feasibility of life goals of the individual. Back problems are the second most common cause of physical disability and absenteeism at work.Aim. Analysis of the most common reaction to the appearance of chronic pain in the population diagnosed with back pain syndrome.Material and Methods. The study included 187 patients diagnosed with back pain syndrome at the age from 20 to 83 years. The study was conducted in April and May 2013. A diagnostic survey method was used — the statistical analysis. The results were compared with studies nationwide that held a group of scientists under the direction of prof. J. Czapiński within the framework of the project “Social Diagnosis 2013 Conditions and Quality of Life Poles”.Results. The study showed that the average duration of back pain in the study group was 14.93±9.11 years (from 1 to 40 years). Average time elapsed since diagnosis was 8.34±6.24 years (from 1 to 25 years). 80.75% of respondents received assistance from the family doctor, 80.21% conducted X-ray, 28.34% CT and MRI of the spine 29.5%, 40.73% were diagnosed with neurological consultation. 85.56% of respondents performed work increased back pain, 80.75% preferred the systematic physical activity, 19.25% rested passively more than two hours a day or more, 56.15% did not cope with stress, 24.06% was dependent on nicotine.Conclusions. 1. Back pain occasionally prompts respondents to resort to professional help. 2. 22.9% of all households used hospital treatments, while among those diagnosed with spinal pain syndrome only 16.04% has decided on this form of therapy. 3. Back pain has prompted the majority (80.75%) of respondents to a systematic physical activity. 4. People diagnosed with spinal pain syndrome spend significantly less time on passive leisure than individuals from the general population. 5. The share of smokers in the group of patients diagnosed with spinal pain syndrome is 24.06%, which is comparable with the percentage of smokers in the general population of Poles (25.8%). (JNNN 2014;3(1):4–9)
Size-Tunable Magnetofluorescent Nanoparticles as In Vivo Imaging
Authors: Sato Keisuke , Hirakuri Kenji , Fujioka Kouki , Manome Yoshinobu , Sukegawa Hiroaki , Iwai Hideo , Fukata Naoki
Published: May 2014

Magnetic/fluorescent (magnetofluorescent) materials have become one of the most important tools in the imaging modality in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluorescence imaging. We succeeded in fabricating magnetofluorescent nanoparticles (MFNPs) consisting of silicon/magnetite composite nanoparticles. Our unique synthetic approach can control simultaneously the magnetic and fluorescence behaviors by varying the particle size, demonstrating the superparamagnetic behavior and green fluorescence for the MFNPs having mean diameter of 3.0 nm, and the ferromagnetic behavior without fluorescence for the MFNPs having mean diameter more than 5.0 nm. More intriguingly, the MFNPs with superparamagnetism can detect green fluorescence even after the magnetic guidance of MFNPs by the commercial neodymium magnet. Additionally, the MFNPs having two magnetic behaviors also possess good biocompatibility.
The Role of Collaborative Student Research on the Development of 21st Century Skills
Authors: Day Deborah A , Ferrari Nicole , Broadbridge Christine C.
Published: May 2014

Collaborative student research takes place in educational settings where the teacher directs the laboratory (traditional class) or allows the students to research a topic (non-traditional class). This study examines the role of collaborative student research in two separate settings: in high school (grades 9-12) and in college undergraduate institutions. These experiences include college level Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and high school level Authentic Science Research (ASR) programs. These programs promote collaboration among student peers, teachers, professors, graduate students, post-docs, community members, and industry experts. Benefits of these collaborative student research programs may include development of skills aligned with educational standards such as Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. This study examines the short and long-term outcome of student engagement in collaborative student research experiences, and offers new insight regarding the impact that these unique experiences have on 21st century skill development. Students in this study have participated in non-traditional, research-based experiences ranging from 8 weeks to 4 years. Pre-post and retrospective student survey data was examined qualitatively and quantitatively to better understand the role in which collaborative student research experiences play in the formation of 21st century skills. Results of the study support the notion that collaborative student research experiences offer students meaningful interdisciplinary benefits, and these experiences are more than just a means of recruiting students into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
Graphene-like Membranes: From Impermeable to Selective Sieves
Authors: Brunetto G. , Galvao D. S.
Published: May 2014

Recently, it was proposed that graphene membranes could act as impermeable atomic structures to standard gases. For some other applications, a higher level of porosity is needed, and the so-called Porous Graphene (PG) and Biphenylene Carbon (BPC) membranes are good candidates to effectively work as selective sieves. In this work we have used classical molecular dynamics simulations to study the dynamics of membrane permeation of He and Ar atoms and possible selectivity effects. For the graphene membranes we did not observe any leakage through the membrane and/or membrane/substrate interface until a critical pressure limit, then a sudden membrane detachment occurs. PG and BPC membranes are not impermeable as graphene ones, but there are significant energy barriers to diffusion depending on the atom type. Our results show that this kind of porous membranes can be effectively used as selective sieves for pure and mixtures of gases.
Mechanical Properties of Graphene Nanowiggles
Authors: Bizao R. A. , Botari T. , Galvao D. S.
Published: May 2014

In this work we have investigated the mechanical properties and fracture patterns of some graphene nanowiggles (GNWs). Graphene nanoribbons are finite graphene segments with a large aspect ratio, while GNWs are nonaligned periodic repetitions of graphene nanoribbons. We have carried out fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations using a reactive force field (ReaxFF), as implemented in the LAMPPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator) code. Our results showed that the GNW fracture patterns are strongly dependent on the nanoribbon topology and present an interesting behavior, since some narrow sheets have larger ultimate failure strain values. This can be explained by the fact that narrow nanoribbons have more angular freedom when compared to wider ones, which can create a more efficient way to accumulate and to dissipate strain/stress. We have also observed the formation of linear atomic chains (LACs) and some structural defect reconstructions during the material rupture. The reported graphene failure patterns, where zigzag/armchair edge terminated graphene structures are fractured along armchair/zigzag lines, were not observed in the GNW analyzed cases.
Approval After Phase I: Ceritinib Runs the Three-Minute Mile
Authors: Chabner Bruce A.
Published: May 2014

The FDA approval of ceritinib after its phase I trial marks the beginning of a new era of cancer drug development for industry, for its academic partners, and for patients. Cautions remain about dosing and side effects, but this is an important new drug, filling a void for crizotinib-resistant disease, and its accelerated approval after phase I is well justified.
Mineralising effect of jarosite: a zinc industry by-product in the manufacturing of cement
Authors: Agarwal Satish K. , Ali Mohammad M. , Pahuja Ashwani , Singh Birendra K. , Duggal Sunil
Published: May 2014

The presence of mineral phases bearing iron, sulfur, sodium, potassium and zinc in jarosite, a residual by-product of the zinc industry, showed its suitability for use as a mineraliser in the development of clinker mineral phases. Different cement raw mixes RM-1 to RM-5, prepared by incorporating 0·5–1·75 wt% jarosite, maintaining clinker parameters LSF: 0·92, SM: 2·14–2·22, AM: 1·09–1·13, potential phases C3S: 57·73–58·84, C2S: 17·37–17·97, C3A: 5·57–6·00 and C4AF: 14·06–14·42 and fired at temperatures of 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450°C showed the mineralising effect of jarosite in terms of rapid lime assimilation and improved clinker mineral phase formation as compared to a control mix prepared without using jarosite. The optimum clinkerisation temperature was reduced by ∼50°C. The physical characteristics of the cement sample (OPC-4) prepared with 1·5 wt% optimised dose of jarosite showed a 18–25% increase in compressive strength development at early ages as compared to the control cement. As jarosite contains heavy elements such as barium, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, strontium, zinc and so on, a leaching study was taken up by immersing 28-d hardened neat cement cubes in aggressive mediums such as sulfate, chloride and alkaline solutions along with lean water over a period of 24 months. The leachates contents were found to be in negligible amounts, indicating fixation of heavy elements in clinker mineral phases.
Revisiting Nigawa landslide of the 1995 Kobe earthquake
Authors: LING H. , LING H.I. , KAWABATA T.
Published: May 2014

A simplified pseudo-static limit equilibrium approach is used to analyse a full-scale slope failure that occurred during the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The slope is 28 m high, having a gentle angle of 26·5°, and has a factor of safety as high as 2·43 in the absence of an earthquake. In addition to a factor of safety, the critical failure surface obtained from pseudo-static analysis is compared with that of the actual failure surface. Contradictory to some design codes that use only a horizontal seismic coefficient, this study finds that a rational analysis must take into consideration both horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations. The analysis including vertical acceleration may give a shallower or deeper failure surface than cases where vertical acceleration is ignored. An analysis combining horizontal and upward accelerations results in a deeper failure surface than when only downward or no vertical acceleration is considered. The effects of soil properties on the slope stability are also investigated. The study suggests that for near-fault earthquakes, slopes may be subjected to vertical (upward) seismic coefficient as large as 90% that of horizontal, larger than that specified in existing design codes.
Microstructural analysis of sands with varying degrees of internal stability
Authors: FONSECA J. , SIM W.W. , SHIRE T. , O'SULLIVAN C.
Published: May 2014

Internal erosion involves the migration of particles through a geotechnical structure. Internal erosion poses a significant hazard to embankment dams and flood embankments. The fundamental mechanisms operate at the particle scale and a thorough understanding of these mechanisms can inform the filter design and specification process and reduce the hazard that internal erosion is known to pose to many engineered embankment structures. Engineers have long acknowledged the importance of the grain scale interactions, but until recently, explanations of the mechanisms have been purely hypothetical, as direct observation of the internal structure of filters was not possible. Recent research has used the discrete-element method to establish a particle-scale basis for Kézdi's filter internal stability criterion. The discrete-element method can provide significant useful data on soil microstructure, so a discrete-element method model is inherently ideal. This study therefore examines a number of real sand samples with varying degrees of internal stability at the particle scale using high-resolution micro-computed tomography. The correlation between coordination number and internal stability is confirmed, with the coordination number values being significantly higher for the real material.
Deep Soil Carbon: Quantification and Modeling in Subsurface Layers
Authors: James Jason , Devine Warren , Harrison Rob , Terry Thomas
Published: May 2014

Soil is the primary sink for C in forest ecosystems but is often overlooked in ecosystem C budgets. Efforts to quantify C pools often sample soils to a depth of 0.2 m despite observations that deep soil C is neither scarce nor entirely stable. This study examined the systematic sampling depth for ecosystem C analyses in the Pacific Northwest and compared best‐fit models of C in deep soil layers with laboratory measurements. Forest floor samples and mineral soil bulk density samples were collected at regular intervals from the soil surface to depths of 2.5 m from 22 sites across the coastal Pacific Northwest Douglas‐fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] zone. Soil samples were screened to 4.7 mm and analyzed for C content. We found that systematic soil sampling shallower than 1.5 m significantly underestimated total soil C. On average, sampling to 2.5 m compared with 0.5 m increased total C by 156% (85.3–132.7 Mg ha−1), and 21% of total C within the depth range sampled was below 1.0 m. A nonlinear mixed model using an inverse polynomial curve form and predicting total C to 2.5 m given only data to 1.0 m was reliable for 20 of 22 sites; the sites that could not be accurately modeled carried the greatest C at depth and contained noncrystalline minerals. Shallow soil sampling at best provides a biased estimate and at worst leads to misleading conclusions regarding soil C. Researchers seeking to quantify soil C or measure change with time should sample deep soil to create a more complete picture of soil pools and fluxes.
Soil Soluble Nitrogen Availability across an Elevation Gradient in a Cold‐Temperate Forest Ecosystem
Authors: Shan Shan , Coleman Mark , Kimsey Mark
Published: May 2014

Little is known about the distribution of plant‐available N with elevation or under different plant–mycorrhizal associations. Our study evaluated soil amino acids, NH4+, and NO3− pools, soil properties, and enzyme activities under three types of plant–mycorrhizal associations along a cold‐temperate forest elevation gradient. We found that amino acid concentrations increased as elevation increased (0.21 mg kg−1 per 100 m), while NH4+ and NO3− pool sizes remained constant (0.9–3 mg kg−1 for NH4+–N and 0–0.5 mg kg−1 for NO3−–N). Similar pool sizes and composition of soil soluble N were found under three plant–mycorrhizal associations. We concluded that amino acids, as a major component of soil N, increasingly supplement inorganic N as elevation increases. This study provides evidence of the importance of amino acids in soil soluble N of northern Idaho cold‐temperate forest ecosystems, especially at high elevations, suggesting the need to include organic amino acids in future studies of forest nutrient availability.
Micromechanical Analysis of Force Transport in Wet Granular Soils
Authors: Wan R. , Khosravani S. , Pouragha M.
Published: May 2014

This study investigated the mechanical behavior of a wet granular soil at low moisture content in which isolated pendular water bridges (menisci) at the interface of the solid particles give rise to capillary forces in addition to existing interparticle contact forces. We derived a single effective stress tensor encapsulating evolving liquid bridges, packing, interfaces, and water saturation. Apart from the fact that the stress due to contact forces is dependent on the fabric, we found that the so‐called suction (capillary) stress arising from liquid bridges is inevitably direction dependent, i.e., anisotropic. The latter is at odds with the common belief that capillary stress is isotropic. We demonstrate that capillary stress is a function of the distribution of liquid bridges, degree of saturation, as well as particle packing, and thus provide an adequate effective stress definition to describe both the constitutive behavior and strength of unsaturated media. We conducted discrete element modeling simulations of triaxial compression tests of pendular‐state granular samples at different matric suctions to verify the anisotropic nature of the capillary stress and resulting strength contributions to validate the proposed effective stress equation.
HIF Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase-2 Inhibition Improves Glucose and Lipid Metabolism and Protects Against Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction
Authors: Rahtu-Korpela Lea , Karsikas Sara , Hörkkö Sohvi , Blanco Sequeiros Roberto , Lammentausta Eveliina , Mäkelä Kari A. , Herzig Karl-Heinz , Walkinshaw Gail , Kivirikko Kari I. , Myllyharju Johanna , Serpi Raisa , Koivunen Peppi
Published: May 2014

Obesity is a major public health problem, predisposing subjects to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Specific prolyl 4-hydroxylases (P4Hs) regulate the stability of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), a potent governor of metabolism, with isoenzyme 2 being the main regulator. We investigated whether HIF-P4H-2 inhibition could be used to treat obesity and its consequences. Hif-p4h-2–deficient mice, whether fed normal chow or a high-fat diet, had less adipose tissue, smaller adipocytes, and less adipose tissue inflammation than their littermates. They also had improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of the HIF-1 targets glucose transporters, glycolytic enzymes, and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 were increased in their tissues, whereas acetyl-CoA concentration was decreased. The hepatic mRNA level of the HIF-2 target insulin receptor substrate-2 was higher, whereas that of two key enzymes of fatty acid synthesis was lower. Serum cholesterol levels and de novo lipid synthesis were decreased, and the mice were protected against hepatic steatosis. Oral administration of an HIF-P4H inhibitor, FG-4497, to wild-type mice with metabolic dysfunction phenocopied these beneficial effects. HIF-P4H-2 inhibition may be a novel therapy that not only protects against the development of obesity and its consequences but also reverses these conditions.
Effect of Early Multifactorial Therapy Compared With Routine Care on Microvascular Outcomes at 5 Years in People With Screen-Detected Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sandbæk Annelli , Griffin Simon J. , Sharp Stephen J. , Simmons Rebecca K. , Borch-Johnsen Knut , Rutten Guy E.H.M. , van den Donk Maureen , Wareham Nicholas J. , Lauritzen Torsten , Davies Melanie J. , Khunti Kamlesh
Published: May 2014

OBJECTIVE

To determine the benefit of multifactorial treatment on microvascular complications among people with type 2 diabetes detected by screening.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This study was a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care with randomization at the practice level. In four centers in Denmark; Cambridge, U.K.; the Netherlands; and Leicester, U.K., 343 general practices participated in the trial. Eligible for follow-up were 2,861 of the 3,057 people with diabetes detected by screening included in the original trial. Biomedical data on nephropathy were collected in 2,710 (94.7%) participants, retinal photos in 2,190 (76.6%), and questionnaire data on peripheral neuropathy in 2,312 (80.9%). The prespecified microvascular end points were analyzed by intention to treat. Results from the four centers were pooled using fixed-effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Five years after diagnosis, any kind of albuminuria was present in 22.7% of participants in the intensive treatment (IT) group and in 24.4% in the routine care (RC) group (odds ratio 0.87 [95% CI 0.72–1.07]). Retinopathy was present in 10.2% of the IT group and 12.1% of the RC group (0.84 [0.64–1.10]), and severe retinopathy was present in one patient in the IT group and seven in the RC group. Neuropathy was present in 4.9% and 5.9% (0.95 [0.68–1.34]), respectively. Estimated glomerular filtration rate increased between baseline and follow-up in both groups (4.31 and 6.44 mL/min, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with RC, an intervention to promote target-driven, intensive management of patients with type 2 diabetes detected by screening was not associated with significant reductions in the frequency of microvascular events at 5 years.
Evaluating Structured Care for Diabetes: Can Calibration on Margins Help to Avoid Overestimation of the Benefits? An Illustration From French Diabetes Provider Networks Using Data From the ENTRED Survey
Authors: Chevreul Karine , Brunn Matthias , Cadier Benjamin , Nolte Ellen , Durand-Zaleski Isabelle
Published: May 2014

OBJECTIVE

While there is growing evidence on the effectiveness of structured care for diabetic patients in trial settings, standard population level evaluations may misestimate intervention benefits due to patient selection. In order to account for potential biases in measuring intervention benefits, we tested the impact of calibration on margins as a novel adjustment method in an evaluation context compared with simple poststratification.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We compared the results of a before–after evaluation on HbA1c levels after 1 year of enrollment in a French diabetes provider network (DPN) using an unadjusted sample and samples adjusted by simple poststratification to results obtained after adjustment via calibration on margins to the general diabetic population’s characteristics using a national cross-sectional sample of diabetic patients.

RESULTS

Both with and without adjustment, patients in the DPN had significantly lower HbA1c levels after 1 year of enrollment. However, the reductions in HbA1c levels among the adjusted samples were 22–183% lower than those measured in the unadjusted sample, regardless of the poststratification method and characteristics used. Compared with simple poststratification, estimations using calibration on margins exhibited higher performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluations of diabetes management interventions based on uncontrolled before–after experiments may overestimate the actual benefit for patients. This can be corrected by using poststratification approaches when data on the ultimate target population for the intervention are available. In order to more accurately estimate the effect an intervention would have if extended to the target population, calibration on margins seems to be preferable over simple poststratification in terms of performance and usability.
Psychological Distress and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in High-Risk and Low-Risk Populations: The Whitehall II Cohort Study
Authors: Virtanen Marianna , Ferrie Jane E. , Tabak Adam G. , Akbaraly Tasnime N. , Vahtera Jussi , Singh-Manoux Archana , Kivimäki Mika
Published: May 2014

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether psychological distress predicts incident type 2 diabetes and if the association differs between populations at higher or lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This was a prospective cohort of 5,932 diabetes-free adults (4,189 men and 1,743 women, mean age 54.6 years) with three 5-year data cycles (1991–2009): a total of 13,207 person-observations. Participants were classified into four groups according to their prediabetes status and Framingham Offspring Type 2 Diabetes Risk Score: normoglycemia with a risk score of 0–9, normoglycemia with a risk score of 10–19, prediabetes with a risk score of 10–19, and prediabetes with a risk score of >19. Psychological distress was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire. Incident type 2 diabetes was ascertained by 2-h oral glucose tolerance test, doctor diagnosis, or use of antihyperglycemic medication at the 5-year follow-up for each data cycle. Adjustments were made for age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, antidepressant use, smoking, and physical activity.

RESULTS

Among participants with normoglycemia and among those with prediabetes combined with a low risk score, psychological distress did not predict type 2 diabetes. Diabetes incidence in these groups varied between 1.6 and 15.6%. Among participants with prediabetes and a high risk score, 40.9% of those with psychological distress compared with 28.5% of those without distress developed diabetes during the follow-up. The corresponding adjusted odds ratio for psychological distress was 2.07 (95% CI 1.19–3.62).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that psychological distress is associated with an accelerated progression to manifest diabetes in a subpopulation with advanced prediabetes.
Effects of the Fitkids Exercise Therapy Program on Health-Related Fitness, Walking Capacity, and Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Kotte Elles M.W. , de Groot Janke F. , Winkler Alexander M.F. , Huijgen Barbara C.H. , Takken Tim
Published: May 2014

Background

Children with disabilities have an increased risk for reduced fitness and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Fitkids, a nationwide exercise therapy program in the Netherlands, was developed to improve fitness and HRQoL in children with disabilities.

Objective

The study objective was to determine the effects of the Fitkids program on health-related fitness, walking capacity, and HRQoL in children with disabilities or chronic conditions.

Design

This was a quasi-experimental single-group longitudinal study.

Methods

Fifty-two children and adolescents who were referred to the Fitkids program participated in this study. Participants received a graded exercise training program for 6 months, with frequencies of 1 hour 2 times per week in the first 3 months and 1 hour per week during months 4 to 6. Health-related fitness (aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, and muscle strength), walking capacity, and HRQoL were evaluated at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of training. Multilevel modeling was used to quantify the contributions of repeated measures, participants, and Fitkids centers to variations in health-related fitness, walking capacity, and HRQoL during the intervention period. The models were adjusted for sex, height, and weight.

Results

After 6 months of training, significant intervention effects were found for aerobic fitness, anaerobic fitness, and muscle strength. A significant effect also was found for walking capacity. On the HRQoL measure, significant improvements were found for the self-reported and parent-reported physical and emotion domains and for the parent-reported total score for HRQoL.

Limitations

No control group was included in this study.

Conclusions

The Fitkids exercise therapy program has significantly improved health-related fitness, walking capacity, and HRQoL in children and adolescents with chronic conditions or disabilities.