bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Large amplitude vibrations of heated Timoshenko beams with delamination
Authors: Manoach Emil , Warminski Jerzy , Warminska Anna
Published: February 2015

In this work, the large amplitude vibration of a heated Timoshenko composite beam having delamination is studied. The model of delamination considers the contact interaction between sublaminates including normal forces, shear forces, and additional damping due to the interaction of sublaminates. This work is an extension of the previous analysis based on a model of the dynamic behavior of a beam with delamination considering additionally the nonlinearities due to large displacements and temperature changes. Numerical calculations are performed in order to estimate the influence of the delamination, the geometrically nonlinear terms, and elevated temperature on the response of the beam.
Nonlinear prediction of condition parameter degradation trend for hydropower unit based on radial basis function interpolation and wavelet transform
Authors: An Xueli , Yang Li , Pan Luoping
Published: February 2015

A nonlinear prediction model of condition parameter degradation trend of hydropower unit is proposed. This model is based on radial basis function interpolation, wavelet transform, largest Lyapunov exponent prediction method, and grey prediction model (GM(1, 1) method). The condition parameter degradation trend model of hydropower unit is built by using RBF interpolation regression method. In this model, the effect of active power and working head is taken into consideration. The degradation trend time series is decomposed into several high-frequency parts and one low-frequency part. For high-frequency parts, their chaotic characteristics are identified. The largest Lyapunov exponent prediction method or GM(1, 1) method is selected to predict each frequency part according to their different properties. For low-frequency part, the GM(1, 1) method is used to predict it. Finally, the predicted results of high-frequency parts and low-frequency part are reconstructed by wavelet theory. The predicted results of the original condition parameter degradation trend time series are obtained. The results show that the proposed method has a high prediction precision.
Experimental and numerical analysis of fillet-welded joints under low-cycle fatigue loading by means of full-field techniques
Authors: Corigliano Pasqualino , Crupi Vincenzo , Fricke Wolfgang , Friedrich Nils , Guglielmino Eugenio
Published: February 2015

The welded structures used in the naval field are generally subjected to fluctuating stress over time. In some structural welded details, due to changing loading conditions, significant elastic-plastic deformation can arise, which may lead to the failure of the structure after a relatively low number of cycles. The aim of this scientific work was to investigate the behavior of welded T-joints under low-cycle fatigue using full-field techniques: digital image correlation and infrared thermography. Low-cycle fatigue tests were carried out on welded “small-scale” specimens with the aim of obtaining loading and boundary conditions similar to those that occur in “large-scale” components in their real operating conditions. A nonlinear finite element analysis was also performed. The material curves, relative to different zones (base material, heat-affected zone, weld), were obtained by hardness measurements, which were done by means of a fully automated hardness scanner with high resolution. This innovative technique, based on the ultrasonic contact impedance method, allowed to identify the different zones (base material, heat-affected zone, weld metal) and to assess their cyclic curves, which were considered in the finite element model. Finally, the finite element model was validated experimentally comparing the results with the measurements obtained using the digital image correlation technique. The applied procedure allows providing useful information to the development of models for the prediction of fracture and fatigue behavior of the welded joints under the low-cycle fatigue loading.
Thermal capacity of tread-braked railway wheels. Part 2: Applications
Authors: Teimourimanesh Shahab , Vernersson Tore , Lundén Roger
Published: February 2015

Tread braking is a common friction-based braking system that finds use on metro and suburban trains. Here the wheels are safety-related components and there is a need to develop design specifications and guidelines to ensure that the wheels perform properly under the service conditions to which they are exposed. In the present paper, examples of applications are given that employ a modelling framework that was developed in a companion paper. The examples represent typical conditions in metro and suburban operations, in particular during sequential stop braking. Also results for drag braking, mechanical loading, residual stresses and wheel–axle interference fit are given. Parametric studies are performed to demonstrate the influence of load levels and other factors on the fatigue life of the wheels. The results should be useful for establishing design rules that consider the thermal capacity of tread-braked railway wheels.
Securing through the failure to secure? The ambiguity of resilience at the bombsite
Authors: Heath-Kelly Charlotte
Published: February 2015

Resilience discourses resignify uncertainty and insecurity as the means to attain security. Security failure is resignified as productive and becomes part of the story about security learning and improvements in anticipatory capability. In this article, I explore questions of failure mediation and ‘securing through insecurity’. If resilience policies suggest that failure and insecurity can be mediated and redeployed in the cause of success, what becomes of visceral sites of security failure such as the terrorist bombsite? This article focuses on a site where security agencies failed to prevent the bombing of a packed nightclub in Bali, in order to explore ambiguity of failure in the resilience era. It considers the efforts of politicians and activists to perform the site as resilient, and the spatial and temporal excess which eludes this performance. The article contributes to critical literatures on resilience by showing, through the ambiguities of resilience at the bombsite, that resilience is a chimera with regards to its supposed incorporation of insecurity.
Security and the performative politics of resilience: Critical infrastructure protection and humanitarian emergency preparedness
Authors: Brassett James , Vaughan-Williams Nick
Published: February 2015

This article critically examines the performative politics of resilience in the context of the current UK Civil Contingencies (UKCC) agenda. It places resilience within a wider politics of (in)security that seeks to govern risk by folding uncertainty into everyday practices that plan for, pre-empt, and imagine extreme events. Moving beyond existing diagnoses of resilience based either on ecological adaptation or neoliberal governmentality, we develop a performative approach that highlights the instability, contingency, and ambiguity within attempts to govern uncertainties. This performative politics of resilience is investigated via two case studies that explore 1) critical national infrastructure protection and 2) humanitarian emergency preparedness. By drawing attention to the particularities of how resilient knowledge is performed and what it does in diverse contexts, we repoliticize resilience as an ongoing, incomplete, and potentially self-undermining discourse.
Constructing resilience through security and surveillance: The politics, practices and tensions of security-driven resilience
Authors: Coaffee Jon , Fussey Pete
Published: February 2015

This article illuminates how, since 9/11, security policy has gradually become more central to a range of resilience discourses and practices. As this process draws a wider range of security infrastructures, organizations and approaches into the enactment of resilience, security practices are enabled through more palatable and legitimizing discourses of resilience. This article charts the emergence and proliferation of security-driven resilience logics, deployed at different spatial scales, which exist in tension with each other. We exemplify such tensions in practice through a detailed case study from Birmingham, UK: ‘Project Champion’ an attempt to install over 200 high-resolution surveillance cameras, often invisibly, around neighbourhoods with a predominantly Muslim population. Here, practices of security-driven resilience came into conflict with other policy priorities focused upon community-centred social cohesion, posing a series of questions about social control, surveillance and the ability of national agencies to construct community resilience in local areas amidst state attempts to label the same spaces as ‘dangerous’. It is argued that security-driven logics of resilience generate conflicts in how resilience is operationalized, and produce and reproduce new hierarchical arrangements which, in turn, may work to subvert some of the founding aspirations and principles of resilience logic itself.
Resilience and (in)security: Practices, subjects, temporalities
Authors: Dunn Cavelty Myriam , Kaufmann Mareile , Søby Kristensen Kristian
Published: February 2015

Diverse, sometimes even contradictory concepts and practices of resilience have proliferated into a wide range of security policies. In introducing this special issue, we problematize and critically discuss how these forms of resilience change environments, create subjects, link temporalities, and redefine relations of security and insecurity. We show the increased attention – scholarly as well as political – given to resilience in recent times and provide a review of the state of critical security studies literature on resilience. We argue that to advance this discussion, resilience needs to be conceptualized and investigated in plural terms. We use temporalities and subjectivities as key analytical aspects to investigate the plural instantiations of resilience in actual political practice. These two issues – subjectivity and temporality – form the overall context for the special issue and are core themes for all the articles collected here.
Oil boom, human capital and economic development: Some recent evidence
Authors: Obeng-Odoom Franklin
Published: February 2015

This article highlights and assesses orthodox responses to three crucial questions in political economy, namely: the role of human capital in the process of economic development, how this role transforms during a period of resource abundance and what is the place of education in empowering labour to reclaim or transform surplus value. Drawing on recent evidence collected from Ghana, a new and young oil economy, it proposes different responses to all these questions which imply the need to replace the concept of ‘human capital’ with ‘human development’ and to move from theoretical to substantivist analysis of oil, education and labour relations.
Managerial attitudes: Influences on workforce outcomes for working women with chronic illness
Authors: Werth Shalene
Published: February 2015

Individual managers may make judgements and decisions which reflect social expectations rather than organisational policy. Society generally requires that individuals with an illness take leave from their work, seek medical assistance and return when they are well. This is not possible for individuals with chronic illness. By its nature, chronic illness has no cure. Individuals who are diagnosed with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease and who also undertake paid employment may need to disclose their illness and seek some form of accommodation in their workplace. Understanding attitudes of managers plays a significant role in the success of managing work and chronic illness. This article examines the working experiences of women with chronic illness where the attitudes of managers were less understanding.
Not the Promised Land
Authors: Shamai Michal , Amir Yair
Published: February 2015

The phenomenon of African asylum seekers in Israel is relatively new. The purpose of the study was twofold: (a) to investigate how the asylum seekers construct their life stories and (b) to discover which aspects of the constructed life stories can be taken into consideration by various mental health professionals when providing help to asylum seekers. In this study, we interviewed 16 asylum seekers residing in Israel using the narrative method. Based on holistic analysis, we collected three groups of stories: “Then see what course life takes in the future,” “I’m not yet free,” and “Open prison.” In the discussion of the findings, we focus on the similarities and differences among the groups of stories, with reference to the role of the sociopolitical context and to the private and social self as part of the participants’ well-being. We make implementation suggestions for mental health interventions.
Social Support for Women Who Have Undergone Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Ogle Jennifer Paff , Park Juyeon , Damhorst Mary Lynn , Bradley Linda Arthur
Published: February 2015

We explored the role that social support plays in the lives of women who have undergone bariatric surgery. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 women who had had bariatric surgery ( M age = 53.0 years) and analyzed the data using constant comparison processes. We found that individuals in participants’ lives offered support by acting as role models and providing information, offering empathy and expressions of concern and caring, assisting with everyday responsibilities, and serving as companions. In turn, these forms of support guided participants’ behavior, calmed their concerns, enhanced their self-esteem, relieved them of daily responsibilities, and offered them companionship in their bariatric journeys. Consistent with the existing theory, differently situated individuals specialized in offering particular types of support. Although participants appreciated the support received, many indicated a desire for more or “better” support, pointing to a need for resources guiding supporters in how to best offer support to bariatric patients.
On the Creative Edge
Authors: Seko Yukari , Kidd Sean A. , Wiljer David , McKenzie Kwame J.
Published: February 2015

The last decade has witnessed an exponential growth in user-generated online content featuring Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), including photography, digital video, poems, blogging, and drawings. Although the increasing visibility of NSSI content has evoked public concern over potential health risks, little research has investigated why people are drawn to create and publish such content. This article reports the findings from a qualitative analysis of online interviews with 17 individuals who produce NSSI content. A thematic analysis of participants’ narratives identified two prominent motives: self-oriented motivation (to express self and creativity, to reflect on NSSI experience, to mitigate self-destructive urges) and social motivation (to support similar others, to seek out peers, to raise social awareness). Participants also reported a double-edged impact of NSSI content both as a trigger and a deterrent to NSSI.
Measuring the Quality of Inclusive Practices
Authors: Soukakou Elena P. , Winton Pam J. , West Tracey A. , Sideris John H. , Rucker Lia M.
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP), an observation measure designed to assess the quality of classroom practices in inclusive preschool programs. The measure was field tested in 51 inclusive classrooms. Results confirmed and extended previous research findings, providing further evidence for the measure’s interrater reliability, factor structure, and construct validity. New information from testing the relationship between the ICP and key program characteristics provided support for the measure’s discriminant validity. Reports on the ease of use of the ICP from state assessors involved in collecting data for the study indicate that the ICP holds promise for use in quality assessment. Findings from the present study are discussed with respect to implications for use of the ICP in research, policy, program evaluation, and professional development.
Malakoplakia of the Thyroid Gland
Authors: Vitkovski Taisia , Costales Cristina , Chen Sheng , Saltman Benjamin , Kahn Leonard
Published: February 2015

Malakoplakia is a rare granulomatous disease that most commonly occurs in the urinary tract. It is characterized by sheets of histiocytes with granular basophilic inclusions and Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. We present an exceedingly rare case of malakoplakia of the thyroid in a 54-year-old Caucasian woman on immunosuppressive therapy for renal transplant performed in 1994.
Ovarian Immature Teratoma With Gliomatosis Peritonei and Pleural Glial Implant
Authors: Wu Pao-Shu , Lai Chiung-Ru
Published: February 2015

Gliomatosis peritonei is a very rare phenomenon occurring almost exclusively in association with ovarian immature teratoma. It is characterized by numerous benign, mature glial nodules in the omentum and mesentery. The presence of glial tissue outside abdominal cavity is extremely rare in the setting of ovarian immature teratoma. We present a case of ovarian immature teratoma with both gliomatosis peritonei and pleural glial implant in a 4-year-old girl. Glial emboli were present in the pleural implant, suggesting lymphovascular dissemination might be the cause of extra-abdominal glial implantation.
Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment in a Representative Student Sample in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Ko Ling
Published: February 2015

The study examined the prevalence of the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM) to determine whether IPV is a factor associated with the latter. A total of 5,841 students from a representative sample of schools in Hong Kong were surveyed. The results show that the lifetime and preceding-year co-occurrence rates of IPV and CM were 12.3% and 3.6%, respectively. IPV and parents’ use of psychological aggression and corporal punishment led to increased odds of physical violence. This study suggests a need for the comprehensive assessment of IPV and CM.
Sampling sites for detection of feline herpesvirus-1, feline calicivirus and Chlamydia felis in cats with feline upper respiratory tract disease
Authors: Schulz Catharina , Hartmann Katrin , Mueller Ralf S , Helps Chris , Schulz Bianka S
Published: February 2015

Objectives

Feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV) and Chlamydia felis are involved in feline upper respiratory tract disease (FURTD). Clinical signs caused by these agents can overlap, and the involvement of certain pathogens is often unpredictable. The objectives of this study were to compare detection rates of FHV-1, FCV and C felis at different sampling sites, and to investigate the correlation between positive test results and clinical signs in cats with FURTD.

Methods

Swabs were taken from the nose, pharynx, tongue and conjunctiva of 104 cats with signs of FURTD. Real-time PCR was performed on all samples for the detection of FHV-1, FCV and C felis.

Results

Infectious agents were identified in 93 (89.4%) cats. Of these, 55.8% were positive for FHV-1, 50.0% for FCV and 35.6% for C felis. FCV was found more frequently in the oropharynx (92.3% of FCV-positive cats) and on the tongue (90.4%) than the conjunctiva (38.5%) ( P <0.001). There was no significant difference between the four sampling sites for the detection of FHV-1 and C felis. If nasal samples had also been taken, 94.9% of FHV-1-positive cats, 96.2% of FCV-positive cats and 81.1% of C felis-positive cats would have been detected.

Conclusions and relevance

The oropharynx can be recommended as the preferred single sampling site for the detection of FCV, FHV-1 and C felis if only one sample can be taken; however, taking samples at different sites significantly increases the detection rate for all pathogens studied. Interestingly, sampling from a site with FURTD-associated lesions did not increase the likelihood of detecting the infectious agents.
Tribological studies on polyetherketone composite under reciprocating sliding condition against steel cylinder
Authors: Harsha AP , Wäsche Rolf , Hartelt Manfred
Published: February 2015

Tribological studies on neat polyetherketone (PEK) and glass fiber reinforced PEK composite were carried out at room and elevated temperature (120 ℃). The objective of this study was to characterize for friction and wear properties under dry reciprocating sliding condition at different experimental conditions. The polymer specimens were made to oscillate against steel cylinder as a counterpart. This kind of contact condition are frequently found in bushes, sliding bearing, electronic parts, seals, etc. The friction and wear behavior of neat PEK and composite was quite different at room temperature and elevated temperature. It was observed that glass fiber reinforcement is beneficial in controlling the wear of PEK matrix at room temperature than at elevated temperature. The test results are discussed by considering the surface properties i.e. material removal and film transfer formation. Scanning electron micrographs and optical micrographs of the worn polymer and steel cylinder was used to study the wear mechanisms.
Quantitative studies on wear behavior of Al–(Al2O3–SiC–C) composite prepared with in situ ceramic composite developed from colliery waste
Authors: Venkata Siva SB , Ganguly RI , Srinivasa Rao G , Sahoo KL
Published: February 2015

The present study reports the influence of wear parameters like sliding speed ( V), applied load ( L) and sliding distance ( S) on the dry sliding wear behavior of aluminum metal matrix composites prepared with thermally treated colliery shale (CS) material, a waste from coal mine. The design of experiment approach is employed to acquire data in a controlled way using Taguchi method. A pin-on-disc apparatus is used to conduct the dry sliding wear tests. Orthogonal array and analyses of variance are employed to investigate the wear behavior of the developed composite. For comparison purpose, similar tests are conducted on the composites made of Al–Al2O3 and Al–Al2O3–SiC. Regression equations are obtained using experimental data, interrelated operating variables such as S, V, and L on weight loss, coefficient of friction, and cumulative wear of the composites. Confirmation tests are conducted to verify the experimental results. The worn out surfaces are examined with scanning electron microscopy to understand the wear mechanism. The in situ conversion of SiC from SiO2 in the vicinity of Al2O3 and the presence of carbon in the form of graphite have helped to improve the wear resistance of the developed Al–CS composite.
TIMP-1 resistant matrix metalloproteinase-9 is the predominant serum active isoform associated with MRI activity in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Trentini Alessandro , Manfrinato Maria C , Castellazzi Massimiliano , Tamborino Carmine , Roversi Gloria , Volta Carlo A , Baldi Eleonora , Tola Maria R , Granieri Enrico , Dallocchio Franco , Bellini Tiziana , Fainardi Enrico ,   the Emilia-Romagna network for Multiple Sclerosis (ERMES) study group, Granieri E , Castellazzi M , Casetta I , Tola MR , Fainardi E , Dallocchio F , Bellini T , Rizzo R , Rotola A , Di Luca D , Seraceni S , Contini C , Sabbioni S , Negrini M , Tognon M , Antonelli T , Groppo E , Gentile M , Baldi E , Caniatti ML , Ceruti S , Manfrinato MR , Trentini A , Bortolotti D , Miotto E , Ferracin M , Mazzoni E , Pietrobon S , Masini I , Rotondo JC , Martini F , Baruzzi A , D’Alessandro R , Michelucci R , Salvi F , Stecchi S , Scandellari C , Terzano G , Granella F , Nichelli P , Sola P , Ferraro D , Vitetta F , Simone AM , Bedin R , Marcello N , Motti L , Montepietra S , Guidetti D , Immovilli P , Montanari E , Pesci I , Guareschi A , Greco G , Santangelo M , Mauro AM , Malagù S , Rasi F , Spadoni M , Galeotti M , Fiorani L , Neri W , Ravasio A , Pasquinelli M , Gutman S , Monaldini C
Published: February 2015

Background:

The activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) depends on two isoforms, an 82 kDa active MMP-9 modulated by its specific tissue inhibitor (TIMP-1), and a 65 kDa TIMP-1 resistant active MMP-9. The relevance of these two enzymatic isoforms in multiple sclerosis (MS) is still unknown.

Objective:

To investigate the contribution of the TIMP-1 modulated and resistant active MMP-9 isoforms to MS pathogenesis.

Methods:

We measured the serum levels of the 82 kDa and TIMP-1 resistant active MMP-9 isoforms by activity assay systems in 86 relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) patients, categorized according to clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence of disease activity, and in 70 inflammatory (OIND) and 69 non-inflammatory (NIND) controls.

Results:

Serum levels of TIMP-1 resistant MMP-9 were more elevated in MS patients than in OIND and NIND ( p < 0.05, p < 0.02, respectively). Conversely, 82 kDa active MMP-9 was higher in NIND than in the OIND and MS patients ( p < 0.01 and p < 0.00001, respectively). MRI-active patients had higher levels of TIMP-1 resistant MMP-9 and 82 kDa active MMP-9, than did those with MRI inactive MS ( p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusion:

Our findings suggested that the TIMP-1 resistant MMP-9 seem to be the predominantly active isoform contributing to MS disease activity.
Anti-MOG antibodies plead against MS diagnosis in an Acquired Demyelinating Syndromes cohort
Authors: Ketelslegers Immy A , Van Pelt Daniëlle E , Bryde Susanne , Neuteboom Rinze F , Catsman-Berrevoets Coriene E , Hamann Dörte , Hintzen Rogier Q
Published: February 2015

Background:

Acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) in children are a group of distinct first immune-mediated demyelinating events of the central nervous system (CNS). Predictive biomarkers for future diagnosis are lacking. A putative target antigen is myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). We analyzed the presence of MOG antibodies in a cohort of ADS patients in The Netherlands.

Methods:

Using a cell-based assay, we analyzed 117 children with ADS from a nationwide cohort, whom were divided into five groups: optic neuritis (ON; n = 20), transverse myelitis (TM; n = 7), other monofocal ADS ( n = 22), polyfocal ADS without encephalopathy ( n = 44) and polyfocal ADS with encephalopathy ( n = 24). Additionally, we tested children with other neurological diseases (OND; n = 13), healthy children ( n = 31) and adult polyfocal ADS plus encephalopathy (ADEM) patients ( n = 29).

Results:

We found that 21 of the 117 children with ADS tested anti-MOG seropositive (18%). The group of patients with ADEM had the highest prevalence of anti-MOG seropositivity (42% versus 18% in the non-encephalopathic polyfocal ADS patients). Although 47 ADS children had a final diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), in only one of them were MOG antibodies detected (2%), with only borderline positivity. Only 1 out of the 29 adult ADEM patients tested anti-MOG seropositive.

Conclusions:

MOG antibodies are strongly skewed towards ADS children that present with an ADEM-like disease onset. The presence of such antibodies pleads against a future diagnosis of MS.
Regulation of Treg-associated CD39 in multiple sclerosis and effects of corticotherapy during relapse
Authors: Muls Nathalie GV , Dang Hong Anh , Sindic Christian JM , van Pesch Vincent
Published: February 2015

Background:

Accumulating data highlight proinflammatory processes leading to MS relapses. Whether anti-inflammatory mechanisms are concomitantly activated is unclear. The ectonucleotidase CD39 has been described as a novel T regulatory cell (Treg) marker. The purpose of this study was to explore whether regulatory mechanisms are activated during MS relapses and reinforced by intravenous methylprednisolone (ivMP).

Methods:

Blood samples were collected from stable and relapsing MS patients and healthy controls. We used FOXP3 methylation-specific qPCR and CD4+CD25highFOXP3+ analysis to quantify Tregs. Cytokine mRNA expression levels were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and in CD4+ T cells. CD39 expression was determined by flow cytometry in monocytes, NK, T and B cells. CD39 enzymatic activity was assessed by ATP luminometry.

Results:

The proportion of Tregs was similar in relapsing MS patients and healthy controls. CD39 mRNA level was higher in PBMCs of relapsing MS patients than in controls. The proportion of CD39-expressing Tregs was higher in MS patients. IvMP decreased the overall proportion of Tregs while it increased CD39 mRNA levels, the proportions of CD39-expressing Tregs and monocytes as well as CD39 ectonucleotidase activity.

Conclusions:

Our data suggest that immunoregulatory mechanisms are ongoing in MS patients, particularly during relapses, and strengthened by ivMP.
Neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis: Seeing differences through optical coherence tomography
Authors: Bennett JL , de Seze J , Lana-Peixoto M , Palace J , Waldman A , Schippling S , Tenembaum S , Banwell B , Greenberg B , Levy M , Fujihara K , Chan KH , Kim HJ , Asgari N , Sato DK , Saiz A , Wuerfel J , Zimmermann H , Green A , Villoslada P , Paul F ,   with the GJCF-ICC&BR
Published: February 2015

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that preferentially targets the optic nerves and spinal cord. The clinical presentation may suggest multiple sclerosis (MS), but a highly specific serum autoantibody against the astrocytic water channel aquaporin-4 present in up to 80% of NMO patients enables distinction from MS. Optic neuritis may occur in either condition resulting in neuro-anatomical retinal changes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a useful tool for analyzing retinal damage both in MS and NMO. Numerous studies showed that optic neuritis in NMO typically results in more severe retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer thinning and more frequent development of microcystic macular edema than in MS. Furthermore, while patients’ RNFL thinning also occurs in the absence of optic neuritis in MS, subclinical damage seems to be rare in NMO. Thus, OCT might be useful in differentiating NMO from MS and serve as an outcome parameter in clinical studies.
Unilateral and bilateral upper limb dysfunction at body functions, activity and participation levels in people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Bertoni Rita , Lamers Ilse , Chen Christine C , Feys Peter , Cattaneo Davide
Published: February 2015

Background:

There has been limited research on upper limb dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to study unilateral and bilateral upper limb dysfunction at different International Classification of Functioning (ICF) levels according to overall disability in PwMS.

Methods:

A total of 105 PwMS (16 with EDSS<4 (mild); 17 with EDSS 4–5.5 (moderate); 37 with EDSS 6–6.5 (severe); 35 with EDSS>6.5 (severe non-ambulant)) were recruited from two rehabilitation centers and assessed in a cross-sectional study.

Results:

The whole sample showed a diminished sensory function (median (first/third interquartile)) score of 3 (2/3) on the Monofilament Test and a reduced strength 91 (76/100) points on the Motricity Index (Body-Function level). Sensory dysfunction did not increase with higher EDSS while strength decreased from 100 (86/100) in the mild subgroups to 91 (80/100) points in the severe subgroup. All showed diminished dexterity, scoring 0.28 peg/s (0.17/0.35) on the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT) (activity level). Score was better for the mild (0.38 (0.35/0.46)) peg/s compared to the severe subgroup (0.28 (0.17/0.35)). Sixty-eight percent, 44% and 75% of PwMS showed bilateral disorders in sensation, strength and dexterity, respectively. The Community Integration Questionnaire (participation level) showed a 35% reduction in home activities, even among PwMS with EDSS<4.

Conclusion:

This study showed uni-/bilateral upper limb abnormalities at all ICF levels increasing with the overall disability.
The influence of cognitive dysfunction on benefit from learning and memory rehabilitation in MS: A sub-analysis of the MEMREHAB trial
Authors: Chiaravalloti Nancy D. , DeLuca John
Published: February 2015

Background:

This study examined the influence of processing speed (PS) on benefit from treatment with the modified Story Memory Technique© (mSMT), a behavioral intervention shown to improve new learning and memory in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods:

This double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial included 85 participants with clinically definite MS, 45 assigned to the treatment group and 40 to the placebo-control group. Participants completed baseline and follow-up neuropsychological assessment. The present study represents a post-hoc analysis to examine the role of PS on treatment efficacy.

Findings:

The treatment group showed a significantly improved CVLT learning slope relative to the placebo group post-treatment, after co-varying PS performance. SDMT performance was a significant predictor of benefit from mSMT treatment, beyond group assignment. Post-hoc analysis indicated a significant correlation between the SDMT and overall cognition, indicating that the SDMT may be serving as a proxy for overall cognitive impairment.

Interpretation:

Performance on measures of cognitive dysfunction aside from learning and memory impact the benefit of mSMT treatment. While the current study focused on PS as a critical factor, PS may be serving as a marker for generalized cognitive dysfunction. Implications for cognitive rehabilitation in MS are discussed.© Kessler Foundation Inc. All rights reserved.
Longitudinal JCV serology in multiple sclerosis patients preceding natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
Authors: Vennegoor Anke , van Rossum Johannis A , Polman Chris H , Wattjes Mike P , Killestein Joep
Published: February 2015

The presence of anti-John Cunningham Virus (JCV) antibodies is a risk factor for the development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in MS patients treated with natalizumab. It has been suggested that an increase in serum anti-JCV antibody index precedes the development of PML. We here describe extensive longitudinal serum anti-JCV antibody indexes of four MS patients who developed PML. Anti-JCV antibodies were measured using the STRATIFY JCV™DxSelect™ test. All four patients had rather stable high anti-JCV antibody indexes in all samples obtained before developing PML. Possibly caused by reaching the saturation level of the assay, no increase in anti-JCV antibody indexes was seen just before the diagnosis of PML. This study confirms that high serum anti-JCV antibody indexes precede natalizumab-associated PML.
Fingolimod effect on brain volume loss independently contributes to its effect on disability
Authors: Sormani MP , De Stefano N , Francis G , Sprenger T , Chin P , Radue EW , Kappos L
Published: February 2015

Background:

Brain volume loss occurs in patients with relapsing–remitting MS. Fingolimod reduced brain volume loss in three phase 3 studies.

Objective:

To evaluate whether the effect of fingolimod on disability progression was mediated by its effects on MRI lesions, relapses or brain volume loss, and the extent of this effect.

Methods:

Patients (992/1272; 78%) from the FTY720 Research Evaluating Effects of Daily Oral Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis (FREEDOMS) study were analyzed. Month-24 percentage brain volume change, month-12 MRI-active lesions and relapse were assessed. The Prentice criteria were used to test surrogate marker validity. The proportion of treatment effect on disability progression explained by each marker was calculated.

Results:

Two-year disability progression was associated with active T2 lesions (OR = 1.24; p = 0.001) and more relapses during year 1 (OR = 2.90; p < 0.001) and lower percentage brain volume change over two years (OR = 0.78; p < 0.001). Treatment effect on active T2 lesions, relapses and percentage brain volume change explained 46%, 60% and 23% of the fingolimod effect on disability. Multivariate analysis showed the number of relapses during year 1 (OR = 2.62; p < 0.001) and yearly percentage brain volume change over two years (OR = 0.85; p = 0.009) were independent predictors of disability progression, together explaining 73% of fingolimod effect on disability.

Conclusions:

The treatment effect on relapses and, to a lesser extent, brain volume loss were both predictors of treatment effect on disability; combining these predictors better explained the effect on disability than either factor alone.
The persistence of gender and racial disparities in vascular lower extremity amputation: An examination of HCUP-NIS data (2002–2011)
Authors: Lefebvre Kristin M , Chevan Julia
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in racial and gender disparities in the severity of lower extremity amputation among individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) over the period of a decade (2002–2011). This is a longitudinal secondary analysis of data from the Healthcare Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Survey (HCUP-NIS) for the years 2002–2011. Level of amputation was determined from ICD-9-CM procedure and coded as either transfemoral (TF) or transtibial (TT). The main predictors were gender and race; covariates including age, race, income, insurance status and presence of vascular disease were incorporated as control variables in regression analysis. A total 121,587 cases of non-traumatic dysvascular amputations were identified. Female gender (odds ratio (OR) 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32, 1.39) and black race (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.12, 1.23) are both significantly associated with increased odds for receiving TF amputation with no change in these odds over the decade of study. Other covariates with significant associations with TF amputation level include increased age (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.99, 1.09), low income (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.15, 1.27), Medicaid insurance (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.29, 1.44), Medicare insurance (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.21, 1.32), and cerebrovascular disease (OR 2.12; 95% CI 2.03, 2.23). In conclusion, although overall rates of amputation have decreased, disparities in level of amputation related to female gender and black race have not significantly changed over time. Higher-level amputation has significant consequences from a quality-of-life, medical and economic perspective.
Maternal exposure to intimate partner abuse before birth is associated with autism spectrum disorder in offspring
Authors: Roberts Andrea L , Lyall Kristen , Rich-Edwards Janet W , Ascherio Alberto , Weisskopf Marc G
Published: February 2015

We sought to determine whether maternal (a) physical harm from intimate partner abuse during pregnancy or (b) sexual, emotional, or physical abuse before birth increased risk of autism spectrum disorder. We calculated risk ratios for autism spectrum disorder associated with abuse in a population-based cohort of women and their children (54,512 controls, 451 cases). Physical harm from abuse during pregnancy was not associated with autism spectrum disorder. However, autism spectrum disorder risk was increased in children of women who reported fear of partner or sexual, emotional, or physical abuse in the 2 years before the birth year (abuse in the year before the birth year: risk ratio = 1.58, 95% confidence interval = 1.04, 2.40; abuse in both of the 2 years before the birth year: risk ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval = 1.33, 3.50). Within-family results were similar, although did not reach statistical significance. Association of intimate partner abuse before the child’s birth year with autism spectrum disorder in the child was not accounted for by gestation length, birth weight, maternal smoking or alcohol consumption during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or history of induced abortion.
Comparison of Injury Severity Between Moped and Motorcycle Crashes: A Finnish Two-Year Prospective Hospital-Based Study
Authors: Airaksinen N. , Nurmi-Lüthje I. , Lüthje P.
Published: February 2015

Background and Aims:

The coverage of the official statistics is poor in motorcycle and moped accidents. The aim of this study was to analyze the severity of motorcycle and moped crashes, and to define the degree of under-reporting in official statistics.

Material and Methods:

All first attendances due to an acute motorcyclist or moped driver injury registered in the emergency department between June 2004 and May 2006 were analyzed. The severity of the injuries was classified using the Abbreviated Injury Scale score and the New Injury Severity Score. The hospital injury data were compared to the traffic accident statistics reported by the police and compiled and maintained by Statistics Finland.

Results:

A total of 49 motorcyclists and 61 moped drivers were involved in crashes, leading to a total of 94 and 109 injuries, respectively. There were slightly more vertebral and midfoot fractures among motorcyclists than among moped drivers (p = 0.038 and 0.016, respectively). No significant differences were found between the severity (maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale and median New Injury Severity Scores) of the motorcycle and moped crashes. There was no in-hospital mortality. The degree of agreement (overlap) between the hospital dataset and the official statistics was 32%. The rate of under-reporting was 68%.

Conclusions:

According to the maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale and New Injury Severity Scores, the injury severity was equal for motorcycle and moped crashes. The degree of agreement between the hospital dataset and the official statistics was 32%.
Amputation-Free Survival after Crural Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty for Critical Limb Ischemia
Authors: Strøm M. , Konge L. , Lönn L. , Schroeder T. V. , Rørdam P.
Published: February 2015

Background and Aim:

To evaluate the amputation-free survival after below the knee percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in a consecutive group of patients with critical ischemia of the lower extremity.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 70 consecutive patients with critical ischemia were treated with below the knee percutaneous transluminal angioplasty at the vascular center at Rigshospitalet with the purpose of limb salvage. All patients were deemed unfit for major surgery due to anatomical limitations or severe co-morbidity, and no prior attempts of revascularization were performed. Follow-up clinical examinations were performed within 6 weeks and after 1 year. All medical records were crosschecked with the national vascular registry ensuring a valid 1-year status in 97% of the patients.

Results:

A total of 15 major amputations were performed during follow-up, with 11 amputations performed within the first year. Complications after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were rare. Cumulative mortality after 1 and 2 years was 22% and 34%, respectively. Amputation-free survival at 1 and 2 years of follow-up was 68% and 58%, respectively. There were no association between known risk factors such as diabetes, ischemic ulcers, cardiac disease, history of smoking, major amputation, or overall amputation.

Conclusion:

Below the knee percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in patients with end-stage peripheral arterial disease and critical limb ischemia is a safe procedure in relieving critical ischemia, reducing the short-term rate of a major amputation as opposed to best medical treatment alone.
Three-dimensional modeling and simulation of the AFM-based manipulation of spherical biological micro/nanoparticles with the consideration of contact mechanics theories
Authors: Korayem Moharam Habibnejad , Mahmoodi Zahra , Taheri Moein , Saraee MB
Published: February 2015

By using an atomic force microscope as an ideal instrument for the manipulation of biological particles, the user deprives herself of the direct observation of the manipulation process in real time. In order to understand this process and to remove this limitation, an auxiliary method should be adopted which itself is not hampered by such a constraint. One of the approaches that has become of interest in this regard is the atomic force microscope based modeling and simulation of the manipulation process. Up to now, two-dimensional simulations have been performed using this technique; and as for three-dimensional modeling, only non-biological particles with cylindrical geometries have been investigated without the consideration of contact mechanics. For the first time, the present research has focused on the three-dimensional modeling and simulation of spherical biological particles in air medium while considering the mechanics of contact. Based on the simulation results, the manipulation force and indentation depth values that are produced in the contacts made during the manipulation process depend on the properties of the biological micro/nanoparticles involved; and in comparison with the two-dimensional case, increased values of manipulation force, contact radius and indentation depth have been observed in the three-dimensional models.
The digital animation of literary journalism
Authors: Jacobson Susan , Marino Jacqueline , Gutsche Robert E
Published: February 2015

Since The New York Times published Snow Fall in 2012, media organizations have produced a growing body of similar work characterized by the purposeful integration of multimedia into long-form journalism. In this article, we argue that just as the literary journalists of the 1960s attempted to write the nonfiction equivalent of the great American novel, journalists of the 2010s are using digital tools to animate literary journalism techniques. To evaluate whether this emerging genre represents a new era of literary journalism and to what extent it incorporates new techniques of journalistic storytelling, we analyze 50 long-form multimedia journalism packages published online from August 2012 to December 2013. We argue that this new wave of literary journalism is characterized by executing literary techniques through multiple media and represents a gateway to linear storytelling in the hypertextual environment of the Web.
Customer usage processes
Authors: Pfisterer Lucas , Roth Stefan
Published: February 2015

For more than a decade, marketing scholars in the field of service-dominant logic have discussed the ideas of customer value and value creation. An important element in customer value creation is the resources customers use in usage processes. A thorough investigation of these processes, however, is absent in the literature. The purposes of this article are to (1) provide a conceptual understanding of customer usage processes and (2) identify the dimensions for differentiating these processes. Building on an extensive literature review, we derive a conceptualization of customer usage processes and identify three dimensions to differentiate these processes, namely, actor intensity, interaction intensity, and resource intensity. We specify these dimensions further by using the repertory grid technique. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the nature of customer usage processes, the possibilities for differentiating them, and their relationship to the value creation process.