bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-124 Controls the Proliferative, Migratory, and Inflammatory Phenotype of Pulmonary Vascular Fibroblasts
Authors: Wang Daren , Zhang Hui , Li Min , Frid Maria G. , Flockton Amanda R. , McKeon B. Alexandre , Yeager Michael E. , Fini Mehdi A. , Morrell Nicholas W. , Pullamsetti Soni S. , Velegala Sivareddy , Seeger Werner , McKinsey Timothy A. , Sucharov Carmen C. , Stenmark Kurt R.
Published: October 2013

Rationale
:

Pulmonary hypertensive remodeling is characterized by excessive proliferation, migration, and proinflammatory activation of adventitial fibroblasts. In culture, fibroblasts maintain a similar activated phenotype. The mechanisms responsible for generation/maintenance of this phenotype remain unknown.

Objective
:

We hypothesized that aberrant expression of microRNA-124 (miR-124) regulates this activated fibroblast phenotype and sought to determine the signaling pathways through which miR-124 exerts effects.

Methods and Results
:

We detected significant decreases in miR-124 expression in fibroblasts isolated from calves and humans with severe pulmonary hypertension. Overexpression of miR-124 by mimic transfection significantly attenuated proliferation, migration, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression of hypertensive fibroblasts, whereas anti–miR-124 treatment of control fibroblasts resulted in their increased proliferation, migration, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression. Furthermore, the alternative splicing factor, polypyrimidine tract–binding protein 1, was shown to be a direct target of miR-124 and to be upregulated both in vivo and in vitro in bovine and human pulmonary hypertensive fibroblasts. The effects of miR-124 on fibroblast proliferation were mediated via direct binding to the 3′ untranslated region of polypyrimidine tract–binding protein 1 and subsequent regulation of Notch1/phosphatase and tensin homolog/FOXO3/p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 signaling. We showed that miR-124 directly regulates monocyte chemotactic protein-1 expression in pulmonary hypertension/idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension fibroblasts. Furthermore, we demonstrated that miR-124 expression is suppressed by histone deacetylases and that treatment of hypertensive fibroblasts with histone deacetylase inhibitors increased miR-124 expression and decreased proliferation and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 production.

Conclusions
:

Stable decreases in miR-124 expression contribute to an epigenetically reprogrammed, highly proliferative, migratory, and inflammatory phenotype of hypertensive pulmonary adventitial fibroblasts. Thus, therapies directed at restoring miR-124 function, including histone deacetylase inhibitors, should be investigated.
Zoroastrian and Hindu Connections in the Priestly Strata of the Pentateuch: The Case of Numbers 31:19-24
Authors: Kiel Yishai
Published: October 2013

Abstract

Previous studies have traced important parallels between biblical and Iranian and Indic traditions. As opposed to the meticulous philological work invested in the field of ancient near eastern parallels, however, the Indic and Iranian parallels to the Bible were often invoked in a very general manner and no attempt was made to locate these parallels textually through careful philological investigation.

The article demonstrates that, later additions to the priestly strata of the Pentateuch can be significantly illuminated by exploring Indic and Zoroastrian parallels. Through a close examination of Numbers 31:19-24 and its parallels from the Indic and Iranian literatures, the study surmises that particularly the late additions in the biblical text bear resemblance and are connected to the Indic and Iranian traditions. Following an internal analysis of the biblical text, which presents exegetic difficulties that indicate the existence of later interpolations in the text, the study examines Zoroastrian and Hindu parallels relevant to the biblical passage. The light shed by these parallels greatly aids in solving the difficulties and discrepancies inherent in the biblical text.
A Muslim Turned Jesuit: Baldassarre Loyola Mandes (1631-1667)
Authors: Colombo Emanuele
Published: October 2013

Abstract

The goal of this article is to show, through a case study of a convert from Islam to Catholicism in the seventeenth century, how multi-faceted and complex the phenomenon of conversion is, where political, social, and religious factors are intertwined. The article recounts the conversion story of Mohammed el-Attaz, later known as Baldassarre Loyola (1631-1667). Son of the king of Fez (Morocco) of the Saʿadian dynasty, Mohammed was captured on his way to Mecca by the Knights of Malta; he converted to Christianity, went to Italy, became a Jesuit, and spent some years of his life converting Muslims in Italian port cities. The story of Baldassarre Loyola is unique for many reasons. First, this is the only known case of a Muslim prince joining the Society of Jesus. Second, we have an extraordinary range of sources: more than 200 letters written by Baldassarre, Christian and Muslim first-hand sources, an unpublished Autobiography, and a 600-page unpublished Life written by Baldassarre’s spiritual director, the Jesuit Domenico Brunacci. Additionally, a sacred drama on Baldassarre’s story (El gran principe de Fez) was composed by Calderón de la Barca and performed in Jesuit colleges in Europe as well as overseas. This case study of a man between two worlds—struggling for a new identity but always linked to his ancient roots—illuminates, through the phenomenon of conversion, the tormented, rich, and fascinating relationship between Islam and Christianity on the eve of modernity.
Picturing Global Conversion: Art and Diplomacy at the Court of Paul V (1605-1621)
Authors: Mansour Opher
Published: October 2013

Abstract

This article examines the progress of a series of ambassadorial visits to Rome by emissaries from the Kongo, Japan, and Safavid Persia as they unfolded over the reign of Pope Paul V. Close attention is paid to the visual representation of the ambassadors, and of their actions, in engravings and in the decoration of the Quirinal Palace. The author argues that the public aspects of diplomacy, and of the visual representations based on it, played a significant role in articulating the Papacy’s missionary ambitions and sense of its global position. Furthermore, it is argued that the diplomatic and courtly practices of the papal court played a significant role in mediating the representation of “other” cultures in early modern Europe.
The 1850s Prosecution of Gerasim Fedotov for Witchcraft
Authors: Worobec Christine D.
Published: October 2013

The article examines a detailed case involving an accusation of witchcraft against the serf Gerasim Fedotov, which was heard before the Moscow Court of Equity in 1853. In comparison with other cases of witchcraft in the four decades between the 1820s and 1850s, the one involving Fedotov provides a window onto popular beliefs in witchcraft and sorcery intertwined with Russian Orthodox practices, the medical profession’s rationalist arguments against the power of quotidian magic, and the state’s intent on maintaining law and order without infringing upon serfowners’ rights. Ultimately, the autocratic state’s seemingly more enlightened prosecution of witchcraft as a superstition turned out to be unsuccessful in combating popular beliefs in sorcery, witchcraft, and divination.
‘Poison and Enchantment Rule Ruthenia.’ Witchcraft, Superstition, and Ethnicity in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Authors: Ostling Michael
Published: October 2013

How shall one understand the evidence adduced before the Kraków court against an alleged witch in 1713: that “she has lived in Ruthenia”? This article unpacks the context and effects of the early modern Polish stereotype of Ruthenian magic. Both superstition and ethnicity could be used as resources for what David Chidester calls “sub-classification,” the categorization of others as less than fully human. Both humanist poetry and ribald satire made use of such sub-classification to construct German Lutheran “heretics” as learned practitioners of literate black magic, in contrast to simple Ruthenians who, in their comic country-bumptiousness, made poor candidates for a thorough-going demonization. The Witch Denounced, a (likely Jesuit) anti-witch-trial polemic of the 17th century, deploys such ethnic stereotype to defend merely superstitious Polish and Ruthenian “witches,” redirecting attention toward the threat of heretical Reform. Thus the accused Kraków witch was both victim and beneficiary of an ethnic slur – a stereotypical image that helped place her under suspicion but classified that suspicion in terms of ignorant superstition not diabolical witchcraft.
A 1646 Case of “Ordeal by Water” of Individuals Accused of Witchcraft in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Authors: Lavrov Aleksandr
Published: October 2013

This article analyzes a single withcraft case that was investigated in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. That case appears on the surface to have been typical of the majority of surviving trials. It was a rural trial that reflected the tensions and conflicts in peasant society and did not exhibit any features of learned demonology. Both the accused and accusers came from the same social status (the status was not even specified in the case), the exception being one of the defendants who was the wife of a minor official. The case is, nevertheless, unusual and idiosyncratic in terms of both the accusation against the defendants and the procedure employed to decide their fate. The suspected witches were charged with spoiling the harvest, a charge that was fairly rarely voiced in the witchcraft trials of the Grand Duchy, and were subjected to ordeal by water. In order to understand the logic behind the implementation of the ordeal, the essay draws upon materials from Westphalia and Ancient Rus’ in addition to those stemming solely from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
DEVELOPMENTAL LOCALIZATION OF HOMOGALACTURONAN AND XYLOGLUCAN EPITOPES IN PIT MEMBRANES VARIES BETWEEN PIT TYPES IN TWO POPLAR SPECIES
Authors: Kim Jong Sik , Daniel Geoffrey
Published: October 2013

Localization of homogalacturonan (HG) and xyloglucan epitopes in developing and mature pit membranes from different pit types in xylem of Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx. (hybrid aspen) and Populus tremula L. (European aspen) was investigated using immunogold labeling. Pit types not mediated by ray parenchyma (intervessel- and fiber pits) showed significant developmental changes in HG epitope localization. Both low- and high methyl-esterified HG epitopes (recognized by LM19 and LM20, respectively) were detected in developing pit membranes of intervessel- and fiber pits until late stages of xylem formation, whereas no HG- and high methyl-esterified HG epitopes were detected in mature intervessel (except for annulus regions of pit membranes)- and mature fiber pit membranes, respectively. In contrast, no notable developmental changes in HG epitope localization were detected in pit types mediated by ray parenchyma (vessel-ray-, ray- and fiber-ray pits) during pit maturation. Vesselray- and fiber-ray pits showed abundant low- and high methyl-esterified HG epitopes in pit membranes, while ray pits showed presence of primarily low methyl-esterified HG epitope during all stages of pit development including at maturity. With xyloglucan (recognized by LM15), specific developmental changes in epitope localization were detected in vessel-ray pits. Xyloglucan epitope was detected in developing vessel-ray pit membranes, but was almost absent in mature pit membranes. Instead, xyloglucan was detected in the protective layers of vessel-ray pits showing completely different localization pattern than homogalacturonan, which was only detected in pit membranes. Together, our results suggest that the chemistry of pit membranes varies depending on both the developmental stage and pit type.
Social Discrimination in the Corporate Elite
Authors: Park Sun Hyun , Westphal James D.
Published: October 2013

This study examines social discrimination in the attributions that top executives make about the performance of other firms with minority CEOs in their communications with journalists. Drawing from the literatures on intergroup relations and status competition, our theory suggests how out-group biases and negative forms of envy toward higher-status minority CEOs may increase the propensity for white male CEOs to make negative or internal attributions for the low performance of the minority CEOs’ firms. We also examine how CEOs’ internal attributions in conversations with journalists increase the tendency for those journalists to attribute performance to internal causes in reporting on the minority CEOs’ firms. We consider how the gender and race of journalists could moderate the influence of CEOs’ performance attributions on journalists’ reports, such that female or racial minority journalists would be less easily persuaded by white male CEOs’ internal attributions for the low performance of firms with female or racial minority CEOs, and thus less prone to issuing negative statements about the CEOs’ leadership. Empirical analyses based on original survey data from a large sample of CEOs and journalists provided strong support for our hypotheses. We discuss implications of the findings for theory and research on social discrimination in the corporate elite and social psychological determinants of corporate leader reputation.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and albuminuria as predictors of acute kidney injury in patients treated with goal-directed haemodynamic therapy after major abdominal surgery
Authors: Cullen MR , Jhanji S , Pearse RM , Fitzgibbon MC
Published: October 2013

Background

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is emerging as a new biomarker for the early identification of acute kidney injury (AKI). There is also increasing evidence of an association between urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and AKI. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of these biomarkers to predict AKI in a population of perioperative patients treated with goal-directed haemodynamic therapy (GDHT). Secondary aims were to examine NGAL and ACR as sensitive biomarkers to detect the effects of GDHT and to investigate the association of these biomarkers with secondary outcomes.

Methods

Urine was obtained from 109 patients admitted to a critical care unit following major abdominal surgery. Patients were treated with intravenous fluid, GDHT with intravenous fluid or GDHT with intravenous fluid and dopexamine. Urine was collected preoperatively, and at times 0, 8 and 24 h postoperatively and outcome monitored for 28 days.

Results

There were no significant differences in NGAL or ACR concentrations between the cohorts treated with GDHT compared to standard care. However, both biomarker concentrations rose significantly in all cohorts over the time points. There were no significant differences in NGAL observed between patients who developed AKI and those who did not. However, there were significantly higher ACR preoperatively in patients who developed AKI. There were higher NGAL concentrations in patients who developed an infection and who died.

Conclusions

NGAL has a poor predictive role in evaluating AKI in this clinical setting. Preoperative ACR may have a role as an AKI marker.
Critical Change for the Greater Good
Authors: Santamaría Lorri J.
Published: October 2013

Background: Educational leadership for social justice and equity is the primary leadership response to inclusive and equitable education. This inquiry builds on multicultural education and educational leadership to explore an alternative approach to mainstream leadership practice. Purpose: To examine ways in which educational leaders of color in K-12 schools and higher education settings, tap into positive attributes of their identities to address issues germane to social justice and educational equity. Data Collection and Analysis: Qualitative data were examined to determine connections among participants with regard to literature reviewed and research questions. Analyses checked for evidence of culturally responsive leadership practice and the use of critical race theory. Findings: Nine common leadership characteristics were identified. Any leader can choose to use a critical race theory lens when practicing leadership for social justice and equity in diverse settings. Conclusions: These findings suggest the need for alternative models of leadership as a response to diversity in schools and universities, and value in exploring connections between multicultural education and educational leadership.
Attitudes Toward Interracial Relationships Among College Students
Authors: Field Carolyn J. , Kimuna Sitawa R. , Straus Murray A.
Published: October 2013

This study uses a sample of college students ( N = 1173) at four American and one Canadian university to examine attitudes toward interracial relationships. The sample allowed for comparison of the attitudes toward interracial relationships at historically Black universities (HBUs) with those at predominantly White universities (PWUs). Results revealed that attitudes toward Black/White relationships were less positive at HBUs, and that overall, Black students disapproved of interracial dating more commonly than White. Results further indicated that approval of Asian/White relationships was higher than approval of Black/White relationships. There were no statistically significant differences between male and female respondents in their attitudes toward interracial relationships. When it comes to the perceived attitudes of parents reported by the students, a clear racial difference became apparent. White students believed their parents had the least favorable attitudes toward Black/White marital and dating relationships.
Not So Subtle
Authors: Jones Kristen P. , Peddie Chad I. , Gilrane Veronica L. , King Eden B. , Gray Alexis L.
Published: October 2013

Extant research suggests subtle, interpersonal forms of discrimination, though often normalized and overlooked, may be just as detrimental to targets as compared to more traditional, overt forms of discrimination. To further examine this question, we meta-analyzed the current literature to estimate the relationship between discrimination and a host of psychological, physical health, and work-related correlates as a function of its form (subtle or overt). Analysis of 90 effect sizes suggested that subtle and overt forms of discrimination hold relationships of comparable magnitude with a host of adverse correlates. By demonstrating that these two forms of discrimination are not differentially related to relevant outcomes, our findings call into serious question the pervasive belief that subtle discrimination is less consequential for targets as compared to overt discrimination (Landy, 2008; McWhorter, 2008). Taken together, our results suggest that subtle discrimination is at least as important to consider and address as its overt counterpart. Implications for organizational scholars and practitioners are discussed.
Paternal Masculinities in Early Fatherhood
Authors: Eerola Petteri , Mykkänen Johanna
Published: October 2013

In this article, we seek to extend understanding of the role of gender in early fatherhood by examining narratives of paternal masculinities, that is, the social and cultural constructions of gendered practices and conventions produced by men on their roles as male parents. The data comprised interviews with 44 Finnish first-time fathers (aged 20-42 years) living in a heterosexual relationship. The narrative of the “decent father,” was identified as the dominant narrative of paternal masculinity in early fatherhood. Although the narrative was characterized by some important gendered differences, it was also in line with the well-known concept of the “new father.” Two counter narratives, labeled the “equal father” and “masculine father,” in which gendered parenthood was rejected in the former and essentialized in the latter, were also identified. The results indicate the normative quality of narratives on paternal masculinity.
Links Between Remembered Childhood Emotion Socialization and Adult Adjustment
Authors: Leerkes Esther M. , Supple Andrew J. , Su Jinni , Cavanaugh Alyson M.
Published: October 2013

The purpose of this article was to examine whether recollections of mothers’ emotion socialization practices during childhood are linked to adult emotional well-being as indexed by depression, trait anger, and cardiac vagal tone, and whether these effects vary for African American and European American women. Participants included 251 women (128 European American, 123 African American) who ranged in age from 18 to 44 years ( M = 25 years). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated strong measurement and factor invariance across African American and European American participants. Remembered nonsupportive emotion socialization was linked with elevated depressive symptoms for European American women but not African American women and with elevated trait anger for both groups. Remembered supportive emotion socialization was linked with higher resting vagal tone for both groups. The results provide some support for the view that nonsupportive emotion socialization may be more detrimental for European Americans than African Americans.
Missed pulmonary metastasis
Authors: Althagafi Khalid Turki , Alashgar Omniyah Abdullah , Almaghrabi Huda Saddig , Nasralla Awrad , Ahmed Mohamed Hussein , Alshehri Ameen Mohammad , Saleh Waleed Neamatallah , Alkattan Khaled Manae
Published: October 2013

Objective

To assess the rate of detection of pulmonary nodules on preoperative computed tomography, based on intraoperative palpation of non-imaged pulmonary nodules, in patients who underwent thoracotomy for metastasectomy with bimanual lung palpation.

Methods

A retrospective study carried out on all cases of pulmonary metastasectomy performed in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center over a 10-year period (2001–2011). The number of nodules detected on preoperative computed tomography by a radiologist was compared with the number of nodules identified on pathology. Resected pulmonary nodules were classified to benign or malignant. Secondary outcomes were operative approach and primary malignancy.

Results

215 metastasectomies were performed by thoracotomy. The incidence of nodules that were not imaged preoperatively was 36% (41% of mesenchymal tumors, 28% of epithelial tumors).

Conclusion

Metastasectomy by an open approach, which affords bimanual palpation of the entire lung, discovered ipsilateral non-imaged malignant pulmonary metastases in 36% of cases (41% of mesenchymal tumors).
Neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome treatment by the supraclavicular approach
Authors: Yaseen Ziyad , Baram Aram
Published: October 2013

Background

thoracic outlet syndrome refers to compression of one or more of the neurovascular structures traversing the superior aperture of the thoracic cavity.

Objective

a symptom-based patient-directed questionnaire was used to evaluate the outcome of the supraclavicular approach for treatment of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.

Patients and Methods

a prospective study was performed between April 2007 and October 2010. During this period, 97 patients in different age groups, with signs and symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, were surgically treated by the supraclavicular approach. The patients were aged between 14 and 60 years (mean 32.5 years), and the majority were female (89.69%). Surgery was performed on the left side in 52 patients and on the right side in 48, including 3 who had bilateral operations. The median follow-up was 11.2 months.

Results

in 78% of the 100 operations, excellent improvement in symptoms was noted, there was partial improvement in 18%, and 4% resulted in no response.

Conclusions

first rib resection remains an important and essential step in the management of the thoracic outlet syndrome, in the absence of bony abnormalities. The supraclavicular approach can be employed with minimal morbidity and an excellent outcome.
Two-incision approach for video-assisted thoracoscopic sleeve lobectomy
Authors: Peña Emilio , Blanco Montserrat , Ovalle Juan Pablo
Published: October 2013

The video-assisted thoracoscopic approach for bronchoplasty procedures is not standardized. Although 3 to 4 incisions are usually made, with adequate surgical technique, the operation can be successfully carried out using only 2 incisions. We describe the technique of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for a right upper lobe sleeve lobectomy for a carcinoid tumor in the right upper bronchus, using only 2 ports.
Patterns of habituation and clinical fluctuations in migraine
Authors: Restuccia Domenico , Vollono Catello , Virdis Daniela , Piero Ivana del , Martucci Lucia , Zanini Sergio
Published: October 2013

Background

Habituation deficit, suggesting a deregulation of cortical excitability, represents a typical hallmark of interictal stages of migraine. We previously demonstrated that several neurophysiological markers of altered cortical excitability are significantly correlated to spontaneous clinical fluctuations of migraine. We therefore aimed at verifying whether clinical fluctuations are correlated to specific patterns of somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) habituation.

Methods

We analyzed habituation after median nerve stimulation of both high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) and N20 SEP in 25 migraine patients and 18 healthy volunteers. Subjects underwent six consecutive series of 500 stimuli.

Results

Migraine patients as a whole showed a significant habituation deficit of the N20 response. Moreover, spontaneously worsening patients show a clear potentiation of this wave in the last block of stimuli, whereas in spontaneously improving patients the N20 amplitude remained stable. Presynaptic HFOs were smaller in worsening patients and larger in improving ones, but they did not undergo habituation in patients as well as in healthy subjects.

Conclusions

Potentiation of the N20 response in spontaneously worsening migraineurs confirms that the reduction of the thalamocortical drive plays a major role in migraine pathogenesis. Moreover, the stable pattern we observed in spontaneously improving patients suggests that compensatory mechanisms can also play an important role. The normal response to repeated stimuli of HFOs in migraineurs might indicate that, although its initial amount depends on clinical conditions, high-frequency thalamocortical drive remains stable during the stimulation and probably reflects the activity of a buffer mechanism.
Preferential Loading of the ACL Compared With the MCL During Landing
Authors: Quatman Carmen E. , Kiapour Ata M. , Demetropoulos Constantine K. , Kiapour Ali , Wordeman Samuel C. , Levine Jason W. , Goel Vijay K. , Hewett Timothy E.
Published: October 2013

Background:

Strong biomechanical and epidemiological evidence associates knee valgus collapse with isolated, noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. However, a concomitant injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) would be expected under valgus collapse, based on the MCL’s anatomic orientation and biomechanical role in knee stability.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative ACL to MCL strain patterns during physiological simulations of a wide range of high-risk dynamic landing scenarios. We hypothesized that both knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments would generate a disproportionate increase in the ACL strain relative to the MCL strain. However, the physiological range of knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments that produce ACL injuries are not of sufficient magnitude to compromise the MCL’s integrity consistently.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

A novel in sim approach was used to test our hypothesis. Seventeen cadaveric lower extremities (mean age, 45 ± 7 years; 9 female and 8 male) were tested to simulate a broad range of landings after a jump under anterior tibial shear force, knee abduction, and internal tibial rotation at 25° of knee flexion. The ACL and MCL strains were quantified using differential variable reluctance transducers. An extensively validated, detailed finite element model of the lower extremity was used to help better interpret experimental findings.

Results:

Anterior cruciate ligament failure occurred in 15 of 17 specimens (88%). Increased anterior tibial shear force and knee abduction and internal tibial rotation moments resulted in significantly higher ACL:MCL strain ratios ( P < .05). Under all modes of single-planar and multiplanar loading, the ACL:MCL strain ratio remained greater than 1.7, while the relative ACL strain was significantly higher than the relative MCL strain ( P < .01). Relative change in the ACL strain was demonstrated to be significantly greater under combined multiplanar loading compared with anterior tibial shear force ( P = .016), knee abduction ( P = .018), and internal tibial rotation ( P < .0005) moments alone.

Conclusion:

While both the ACL and the MCL resist knee valgus during landing, physiological magnitudes of the applied loads leading to high ACL strain levels and injuries were not sufficient to compromise the MCL’s integrity.

Clinical Relevance:

A better understanding of injury mechanisms may provide insight that improves current risk screening and injury prevention strategies. Current findings support multiplanar knee valgus collapse as a primary factor contributing to a noncontact ACL injury.
A Novel Radiographic Index for the Diagnosis of Posterior Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocations
Authors: Vaisman Alex , Villalón Montenegro Ignacio Eduardo , Tuca De Diego María Jesús , Valderrama Ronco Juanjose
Published: October 2013

Background:

Posterior acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocations are frequently misclassified because posterior translation of the clavicle is difficult to evaluate in Zanca radiograph views. A novel radiographic index was used in this study to accurately diagnose posterior dislocations of the AC joint.

Hypothesis:

This novel index has a high degree of accuracy for the diagnosis of posterior AC joint dislocations.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

This was an analytic, descriptive study of 150 patients with different grades of AC injuries according to the Rockwood classification (30 patients for each grade of injury: I, II, III, IV, and V). The diagnosis of an AC injury was made both clinically and radiographically by using comparative Zanca and axillary views. Two measurements were performed in Zanca views: the coracoclavicular distance and the AC width distance. A width index was calculated for each patient. The Student t test, Bonferroni test, logistic regression, linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for statistical analysis. Forty cases were impartially selected to obtain a κ concordance value.

Results:

The average value of the AC width index per group (according to the Rockwood classification) was as follows: type I, 2.1% (range, –12% to 25%); type II, 4.2% (range, –19% to 29%); type III, 19.1% (range, –59% to 91%); type IV, 110.3% (range, 47% to 181%); and type V, –3.8% (range, –71% to 62%). There was a significant difference between the average width index in the patients with type IV injuries and those in the remaining groups ( P < .05). The ROC curve showed that a width index of 60% has a sensitivity of 95.7% and specificity of 97.5%, with a positive predictive value of 96.7% and negative predictive value of 95.6% to predict a type IV injury. Intraobserver reliability was rated as substantial agreement for each of 3 observers; the interobserver reliability of the 3 independent raters was almost perfect.

Conclusion:

An AC width index of ≥60% is highly accurate for the diagnosis of a posterior AC joint dislocation, with high intraobserver and interobserver concordance.
Do Human Resource Departments Act as Strategic Partners? Strategic Human Capital Management Adoption by County Governments
Authors: Jacobson Willow S. , Sowa Jessica E. , Lambright Kristina T.
Published: October 2013

Drawing on qualitative data from 40 counties in New York and North Carolina, this article examines the adoption of strategic human capital management (SHCM) principles and practices at the county level and presents a typology of five levels of SHCM adoption. The level of SHCM implementation in a county depends on the view of the HR function by executive county leadership, the capacity of the county to engage in strategic planning and management, and the capacity of the HR director to think strategically about the role of HR in the government. The article concludes with recommendations for practice, which focus on educating a diverse set of actors about SHCM, building executive-level support, developing HR skill and competencies, and applying basic change management practices.
Science Instruction for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
Authors: Therrien William J. , Taylor Jonte C. , Watt Sarah , Kaldenberg Erica R.
Published: October 2013

This review examined classroom science instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A total of 11 group and single-subject studies were analyzed. Across all group studies, a conservatively calculated mean effect size of .471 was obtained indicating the interventions as a whole had at least a small to moderate impact on students’ with EBD achievement. Findings were further analyzed by student characteristics, intervention type, dependent measures utilized, and study variables. A significant result of these subanalyses indicates that while additional research is needed, students with EBD may benefit from inquiry approaches provided the method implemented includes enough structure to ensure student engagement. Results also suggest that mnemonic instruction is highly effective at increasing students’ with EBD knowledge and retention of science facts.
Pain Variability and Its Predictors in Older Adults
Authors: Zakoscielna Karolina M. , Parmelee Patricia A.
Published: October 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this secondary data analysis is to determine whether depression, cognition, functional status, health, and pain severity are predictors of day-to-day pain variability in older adults in long-term care settings. Methods: Seventy-seven adults aged 68 years and older were included in the multiple linear regression analyses. Pain severity mean and variability were measured over 30 days of daily self-reported pain levels. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Blessed Memory-Information-Concentration test, Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS), baseline pain severity, mean of daily health, and mean of daily pain severity were used as predictors. Pain variability was measured by examining intra-individual standard deviations of daily pain scores. Results: Results show that global depression and pain severity are predictors of pain variability in that greater baseline depression and pain severity predicted higher pain variability. Daily mean pain and health were also found to be predictors of pain variability. Discussion: Pain variability is an important characteristic that is not given enough emphasis in current literature. Understanding pain variability may give insight into older adults’ experiences with both pain and depression, and may essentially improve quality of care and quality of life.
Neural networks for prediction of robot failures
Authors: Diryag Ali , Mitić Marko , Miljković Zoran
Published: October 2013

It is known that the supervision and learning of robotic executions is not a trivial problem. Nowadays, robots must be able to tolerate and predict internal failures in order to successfully continue performing their tasks. This study presents a novel approach for prediction of robot execution failures based on neural networks. Real data consisting of robot forces and torques recorded immediately after the system failure are used for the neural network training. The multilayer feedforward neural networks are employed in order to find optimal solution for the failure prediction problem. In total, 7 learning algorithms and 24 neural architectures are implemented in two environments – Matlab and specially designed software titled BPnet. The results show that the neural networks can successfully be applied for the problem in hand with prediction rate of 95.4545%, despite having the erroneous or otherwise incomplete sensor measurements invoked in the dataset. Additionally, the real-world experiments are conducted on a mobile robot for obstacle detection and trajectory tracking problems in order to prove the robustness of the proposed prediction approach. In over 96% for the detection problem and 99% for the tracking experiments, neural network successfully predicted the failed information, which evidences the usefulness and the applicability of the developed intelligent method.
Control of separations in a highly loaded diffusion cascade by tailored boundary layer suction
Authors: Cao Zhiyuan , Liu Bo , Zhang Ting
Published: October 2013

In order to explore the control mechanism of boundary layer suction on the separated flows of highly loaded diffusion cascades, a linear compressor cascade, which has separated flows on the whole span and three-dimensional separations over the suction surface/endwall corner, was investigated by tailored boundary layer suction. Three suction surface-slotted schemes and two combined suction surface/endwall-slotted schemes were designed. The original cascade and the cascade with part blade span suction were experimentally investigated on a high-subsonic cascade wind tunnel. In addition, numerical simulation was employed to study the flow fields of different suction schemes in detail. The results shows that while tailored boundary layer suction at part blade span can effectively remove the separations at the suction span, the flow fields of other spans deteriorated. The reasons are the ‘C’ shape or reverse ‘C’ shape spanwise distribution of static pressure after part blade span boundary layer suction. Suction surface boundary layer suction over the whole span can obviously eliminate the separation at the suction surface. However, because of the endwall boundary layer, suction surface boundary layer suction cannot effectively remove the corner three-dimensional separation. The separation over the whole span and the three-dimensional separation at the corner are completely eliminated by combined suction surface/endwall boundary layer suction. After combined boundary layer suction, the static pressure distribution over the blade span just like the shape of ‘C’ is good for the transport of the low-energy fluid near the endwall to the midspan.
Vehicle path planning in various driving situations based on the elastic band theory for highway collision avoidance
Authors: Song Xiaolin , Cao Haotian , Huang Jiang
Published: October 2013

This paper presents an emergency path generation method which could be applied in various driving situations, such as on a straight or a curved road, and in the lane-change and lane-departure scenarios which are the most likely from a traffic viewpoint. It is based on the artificial potential approach and the elastic band theory. The assessment of the emergency path is based on the dynamic performances; the yaw rate and the lateral acceleration of the host vehicle are chosen in this paper. In order to make evasion manoeuvres steadier, a guide potential attached at the front of the obstacle vehicle and a guide potential attached at the rear of the obstacle vehicle are built to affect the moving vehicles in such a way that it encourages the host vehicle to change lane appropriately. Meanwhile, a hazard map of the road environment including the borders and the obstacle vehicles is generated. Thus the forces acting on the corresponding nodes of an elastic band should be zero because of the equilibrium condition; the trajectory with a low hazard is calculated via a numerical method. The simulation results show that the approach is acceptable and leads to a successful collision avoidance manoeuvre in various driving situations.
Determination and analysis of the head and chest parameters by simulation of a vehicle–teenager impact
Authors: Virzì Mariotti Gabriele , Golfo Salvatore
Published: October 2013

This paper reports the results of multi-body numerical simulation of a vehicle crash with a teenager pedestrian. A previous technique utilized for adult pedestrian impact is applied. The work starts with the determination of the masses for the various segments of the body of a teenager with a total mass of 45 kg and then switches to the construction of the dummy and the middle-class vehicle in the Visual Nastran environment. Simulations are performed for both frontal impacts and lateral impacts, when the vehicle is travelling at a constant speed and when the vehicle is braking, following the Euro NCAP rules on the subject. The results are analysed by calculating the values of the head injury criterion for the head and the values of the thoracic trauma index and 3 ms criterion for the chest; the injuries are assessed according to the current interpretation. Abbreviated injury scale curves are used to determine the dangerousness of the impact. Finally, the results are close to those obtained by applying the same technique to an adult pedestrian and other available data in the literature for an adult or a child.
Experimental and simulation study of in-cylinder strategies for regeneration of lean nitrogen oxide traps in a high-speed direct-injection diesel engine
Authors: Koochak Mostafa , Gharehghani Ayatallah , Shahbakhti Mahdi
Published: October 2013

The use of lean nitrogen oxide traps is an attractive solution for reducing the tailpipe emissions of nitrogen oxides in vehicles with diesel engines. During the operation, nitrogen oxides are stored on the surfaces of lean nitrogen oxide traps, and regeneration of lean nitrogen oxide traps is required for proper operation. In this paper, two in-cylinder combustion strategies for regeneration of lean nitrogen oxide traps were assessed for a high-speed direct-injection diesel engine. In particular, a delayed and extended main strategy and a premixed compression ignition strategy were studied through experiments and simulations. The experimental data were collected from a 1.5 l diesel engine to analyze its combustion, exhaust temperature, fuel consumption, and emission characteristics resulting from either the delayed and extended main strategy or the premixed compression ignition strategy. The results indicated that the premixed compression ignition strategy offered a better fuel economy and lower soot and nitrogen oxide emissions, while the delayed and extended main strategy offered a hotter exhaust temperature and higher production rates of reductant species. In addition, a one-dimensional numerical lean nitrogen oxide trap model was designed and validated to study the efficiency of the surface adsorbents on lean nitrogen oxide traps for each of these two strategies in terms of a reduction in the nitrogen oxide emissions. The simulation results revealed that both strategies can reach a lean nitrogen oxide trap efficiency rate of 100% when the exhaust gas recirculation rate was equal to 30% but that the lean nitrogen oxide trap efficiency rate drops when lower exhaust gas recirculation rates were applied. Overall, the results indicated that the premixed compression ignition strategy performed better than the delayed and extended main strategy in terms of the fuel economy and lower tailpipe emissions.
Early development of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome related to Pneumocystis pneumonia after antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Mok Hoi Ping , Hart Elizabeth , Venkatesan Pradhib
Published: October 2013

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is a recognized complication after the initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We report a patient who developed life-threatening pulmonary immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) three days after initiation of cART. We reviewed published cases of IRIS after Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), in particular the time from initiation of cART to IRIS event. The median duration from the initiation of cART to the onset of IRIS was 15 days in the 33 patients reviewed. This report alerts clinicians to the rapidity of the development of pulmonary IRIS following PCP after the initiation of cART.
Beauty at the Ballot Box
Authors: White Andrew Edward , Kenrick Douglas T. , Neuberg Steven L.
Published: October 2013

Why does beauty win out at the ballot box? Some researchers have posited that it occurs because people ascribe generally positive characteristics to physically attractive candidates. We propose an alternative explanation—that leadership preferences are related to functional disease-avoidance mechanisms. Because physical attractiveness is a cue to health, people concerned with disease should especially prefer physically attractive leaders. Using real-world voting data and laboratory-based experiments, we found support for this relationship. In congressional districts with elevated disease threats, physically attractive candidates are more likely to be elected (Study 1). Experimentally activating disease concerns leads people to especially value physical attractiveness in leaders (Study 2) and prefer more physically attractive political candidates (Study 3). In a final study, we demonstrated that these findings are related to leadership preferences, specifically, rather than preferences for physically attractive group members more generally (Study 4). Together, these findings highlight the nuanced and functional nature of leadership preferences.
Information Matching the Content of Visual Working Memory Is Prioritized for Conscious Access
Authors: Gayet Surya , Paffen Chris L. E. , Van der Stigchel Stefan
Published: October 2013

Visual working memory (VWM) is used to retain relevant information for imminent goal-directed behavior. In the experiments reported here, we found that VWM helps to prioritize relevant information that is not yet available for conscious experience. In five experiments, we demonstrated that information matching VWM content reaches visual awareness faster than does information not matching VWM content. Our findings suggest a functional link between VWM and visual awareness: The content of VWM is recruited to funnel down the vast amount of sensory input to that which is relevant for subsequent behavior and therefore requires conscious access.
The Price of Racial Bias
Authors: Kubota Jennifer T. , Li Jian , Bar-David Eyal , Banaji Mahzarin R. , Phelps Elizabeth A.
Published: October 2013

Existing stereotypes about Black Americans may influence perceptions of intent during financial negotiations. In this study, we explored whether the influence of race on economic decisions extends to choices that are costly to the decision maker. We investigated whether racial group membership contributes to differential likelihood of rejection of objectively equal unfair monetary offers. In the Ultimatum Game, players accept or reject proposed splits of money. Players keep accepted splits, but if a player rejects an offer, both the player and the proposer receive nothing. We found that participants accepted more offers and lower offer amounts from White proposers than from Black proposers, and that this pattern was accentuated for participants with higher implicit race bias. These findings indicate that participants are willing to discriminate against Black proposers even at a cost to their own financial gain.