bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Usability of Best Track Data in Climate Statistics in the Western North Pacific
Authors: Barcikowska Monika , Feser Frauke , von Storch Hans
Published: March 2012

Tropical cyclone (TC) activity for the last three decades shows strong discrepancies, deduced from different best track datasets (BTD) for the western North Pacific (WNP). This study analyzes the reliability of BTDs in deriving climate statistics for the WNP. Therefore, TC lifetime, operational parameters [current intensity (CI) number], and tracks are compared (for TCs identified concurrently) in BTD provided by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

The differences between the BTD are caused by varying algorithms used in weather services to estimate TC intensity. Available methods for minimizing these discrepancies are not sufficient. Only if intensity categories 2–5 are considered as a whole, do trends for annually accumulated TC days show a similar behavior. The reasons for remaining discrepancies point to extensive and not regular usage of supplementary sources in JTWC. These are added to improve the accuracy of TC intensity and center position estimates. Track and CI differences among BTDs coincide with a strong increase in the number of intense TC days in JTWC. These differences are very strong in the period of intensive improvement of spatiotemporal satellite coverage (1987–99).

Scatterometer-based data used as a reference show that for the tropical storm phase JMA provides more reliable TC intensities than JTWC. Comparisons with aircraft observations indicate that not only homogeneity, but also a harmonization and refinement of operational rules controlling intensity estimations, should be implemented in all agencies providing BTD.
Interest Group Influence in Authoritarian States
Authors: Steinberg David A. , Shih Victor C.
Published: March 2012

Why do countries keep their exchange rates weak and undervalued? This article argues that domestic politics is more important than systemic factors, but existing domestic political explanations do not fully explain how interest group preferences and political institutions influence exchange rate policy. The authors argue that tradable industries do not always demand an undervalued exchange rate, but do so only when they are unable to receive other compensatory policies. In addition, interest groups have a larger impact on exchange rate policy in nondemocratic regimes than is often recognized: Autocrats select exchange rate policies that correspond to the preferences of the most powerful interest groups because lobby groups have access to the political process and leaders are sensitive to their preferences. A case study of exchange rate policy in China supports these arguments. The major decisions to maintain an undervalued exchange rate in China were taken in response to demands for undervaluation from tradable industries. Second, the case study shows that exporters’ preferences for undervaluation ebb and flow with the policy mix: Tradable firms lobbied for an undervalued exchange rate when no other compensatory policies were implemented, but they did not insist on undervaluation in periods when they benefited from other state policies. The authors conclude that China keeps its exchange rate undervalued because the interest groups that support undervaluation are more powerful than those that oppose undervaluation. These findings indicate that interest groups influence exchange rate policy in authoritarian regimes, but their preferences for undervalued exchange rates are quite malleable.
Recent Johannine Studies: Part One: Commentaries
Authors: Moloney Francis J.
Published: March 2012

The ongoing growth in Johannine studies is reflected in the number of new and important commentaries on the Gospel that have appeared in the past decade. Renewed interest in literary theory has led to commentaries that explain the Gospel of John in terms of John. They see John 1:1-20:31, or 21:25, as a single literary utterance that must be interpreted as such. However, the focus of the bulk of commentaries across the second half of the Twentieth Century has not been lost. Narrative commentaries must continue to ask historical questions, as well as literary ones, and a steady flow of outstanding commentaries that search out the historical, literary and theological background that produced the text as we now have it continues to be published. Historical-critical readings and attempts to trace the tradition history of the Fourth Gospel are still part of recent Johannine commentary.
The Biosocial Event: Responding to Innovation in the Life Sciences
Authors: Lee Nick , Motzkau Johanna
Published: March 2012

Innovation in the life sciences calls for reflection on how sociologies separate and relate life processes and social processes. To this end we introduce the concept of the ‘biosocial event’. Some life processes and social processes have more mutual relevance than others. Some of these relationships are more negotiable than others. We show that levels of relevance and negotiability are not static but can change within existing relationships. Such changes, or biosocial events, lie at the heart of much unplanned biosocial novelty and much deliberate innovation. We illustrate and explore the concept through two examples – meningitis infection and epidemic, and the use of sonic ‘teen deterrents’ in urban settings. We then consider its value in developing sociological practice oriented to critically constructive engagement with innovation in the life sciences.
Work Identity in Crisis? Rethinking the Problem of Attachment and Loss at Work
Authors: Strangleman Tim
Published: March 2012

The identity and meaning people obtain from their work is a central issue in contemporary sociology. There is a debate between those suggesting that we have witnessed either great rupture or continuity in the way employees engage with their jobs. This article reframes the question posed, developing a critical theoretical framework for understanding narratives of change derived from a range of theorists using concepts of nostalgia, tradition and generations. This framework is then used to read a set of work/life history interviews and autobiographical material from mainly older male workers in the UK railway industry who lament the erosion of their workplace culture and the sustainable moral order of the past. The article seeks to move beyond dismissing such accounts as simple nostalgia and instead suggests that these narratives can be understood as valuable organic critiques of industrial and social change emergent from work culture.
Black and Hispanic Immigrants’ Resilience against Negative-ability Racial Stereotypes at Selective Colleges and Universities in the United States
Authors: Owens Jayanti , Lynch Scott M.
Published: March 2012

Stereotype threat is a widely supported theory for understanding the racial achievement gap in college grade performance. However, today’s minority college students are increasingly of immigrant origins, and it is unclear whether two dispositional mechanisms that may increase susceptibility to stereotype threat are applicable to immigrants. We use survey data to examine whether and how negative-ability stereotypes affect the grades of 1,865 first-, second-, and third-generation or higher (domestic) minority students at 28 selective American colleges. Structural equation model results indicate that first-generation immigrants are highly resistant to both dispositional identity threat mechanisms we consider. Second-generation immigrants experience only certain dispositional elements of identity threat. Drawing on research in social psychology, we suggest immigrants tend to resist stereotype threat in part due to the primacy of their immigrant identities and their connectedness to the opportunity structure of mainstream society.
Community-Based Alternatives for Justice-Involved Individuals with Severe Mental Illness
Authors: Heilbrun Kirk , DeMatteo David , Yasuhara Kento , Brooks-Holliday Stephanie , Shah Sanjay , King Christopher , Dicarlo Anne Bingham , Hamilton Danielle , Laduke Casey
Published: March 2012

Community-based alternatives to conviction and imprisonment for adult offenders with severe mental illness are receiving increasing attention from researchers and policy makers. After discussing the justifications that have been offered in support of community-based alternatives, this article reviews the current empirical evidence relevant to such alternatives. The authors use the sequential intercept model as a guide and summarize the existing research at several points along the criminal justice continuum. They conclude by highlighting the gaps in existing research and discussing the need for further research in several key areas.
Effectiveness of Pretrial Community-Based Diversion in Reducing Reoffending by Adult Intrafamilial Child Sex Offenders
Authors: Butler Louise , Goodman-Delahunty Jane , Lulham Rohan
Published: March 2012

To investigate whether diversion to a pretrial community-based diversion program reduced sexual recidivism in adult intrafamilial child sex offenders, 208 offenders assessed for treatment between 1989 and 2003 were monitored for periods ranging from 2.8 to 18 years. Participants accepted for treatment ( n = 88) were compared to those who declined ( n = 120). After applying propensity score analysis to control for selection bias, Probit regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate rates of desistance between the groups. Although differences were not statistically significant, estimated rates of sexual reoffending were lower and time taken to sexually reoffend was longer in the diverted than the undiverted group. An overall effect size for treatment was large (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.18, 1.5), and examination of the recidivists in the treatment group supported inferences of positive treatment effects. Limitations of this study are examined, and future directions for intrafamilial sex offender treatment are discussed.
Testing the Limits
Authors: Latta Alex , Aguayo Beatriz E. Cid
Published: March 2012

Chile’s impressive record of economic growth over the past 20 years has come with significant impacts on the environment. Though Chile’s postdictatorship governments have embraced a discourse of sustainable development and created new institutions to address environmental issues, ecological degradation has largely continued unchecked. The government of Michelle Bachelet promised a series of institutional and regulatory changes that would substantially renew and advance the state’s commitment to greening Chile’s development model. As did her predecessors, however, Bachelet governed in a milieu in which the ideology of neoliberal modernization and elite power resisted interference in the cycle of capital investment and accumulation. Two case studies, one concerning the salmon farming industry and the other hydroelectricity, reveal the ways in which apparently “green” intentions were transformed into institutional support for the continued unsustainable exploitation of Chile’s social and ecological capital.

Los impresionantes logros chilenos en materia de crecimiento en los últimos 20 años han tenido un impacto sustancial en el medio ambiente. Aunque los gobiernos posteriores a la dictadura han adoptado un discurso de desarrollo sustentable y creado nuevas instituciones para atender asuntos ambientales, la degradación ecológica ha continuado sin control alguno. El gobierno de Michelle Bachelet prometió una serie de cambios institucionales y de regulación que habrían de renovar y avanzar sustancialmente el compromiso gubernamental con un modelo de desarrollo más sustentable. Pero, al igual que sus predecesores, Bachelet ha gobernado en un medio dentro del cual la ideología neoliberal de la modernización y las élites en el poder han resistido cualquier interferencia en el ciclo de acumulación e inversión del capital. Dos estudios de caso, uno relacionado con la industria de granjas de salmón y otro con la producción hidroeléctrica, revelan las formas en las que las supuestas intenciones “ambientalistas” se transformaron en formas de apoyo institucional para la continuada e insustentable explotación del capital social y ecológico chileno.
The Politics of Cosmopolitan Beirut
Authors: Seidman Steven
Published: March 2012

This essay addresses the intersection of ‘urban topography’ and history in shaping the contours of the self and encounters with ‘the other’. It is based on field research in primarily one neighborhood of Beirut – Hamra. Whereas almost all neighborhoods in Beirut are dominated by one sect, Hamra is considered to be the most secular, diverse, and cosmopolitan area in this city. It is the home of several international universities and has nourished a robust public culture. Based on countless hours of observation and conversations as well as formal interviews with dozens of residents, shop owners, and intellectuals, I explore the dynamics of belonging and exclusion in a neighborhood that is imagined as the exemplar of a cosmopolitan culture. In the first section of the essay, I sketch a typology of street cultures, suggesting connections to forms of selfhood. I argue that Hamra’s urban topography, in conjunction with Beirut’s post-civil war history, has formed a self that is not disposed toward open engagement with the other. In the second part of the essay, I analyze patterns of social difference in Hamra, exploring the shape of gender, sexual, and ethnic differences. I consider which differences ‘coalesce’ and what form this takes as well as patterns of incorporation and exclusion. In the third part of the essay, the meaning of cosmopolitanism in an urban context is examined. I explore the notion of cosmopolitanism as a rhetoric of nationalism against both sectarian and Arab nationalism. Finally, in the last section I argue that the confessional basis of power in Lebanon helps explain patterns of social exclusion. This confessional polity encourages a politics of paranoia.
Henri Lefebvre and the ‘Sociology of Boredom’
Authors: Gardiner Michael E.
Published: March 2012

The French sociologist and philosopher Henri Lefebvre developed an account of modernity that combined rigorous critique, a rejection of nostalgia, left pessimism or transcendental appeals, and the search for utopian potentialities in the hidden recesses of the everyday. This article will focus on a topic that is arguably central to his ‘critique of everyday life’ but has been entirely overlooked in the literature thus far: that of boredom. Although often dismissed as trivial, boredom can be understood as a touchstone through which we can grasp much wider anxieties, socio-cultural changes and subjective crises that are intrinsic to our experience of modernity. Curiously, although Lefebvre was very interested in boredom, he did not analyse it systematically, and he used terms like ‘boring’ or ‘boredom’ in loose, elliptical and seemingly contradictory ways. Such a lack of clarity reveals his ambivalence about this phenomenon, but also highlights a subtle pattern of differentiation he makes between particular modalities of boredom that can be highly illuminating. Through a careful reading of the full range of Lefebvre’s writings, we can begin to understand how he discriminates between different experiences and expressions of boredom, some of which are unambiguously negative, whereas others are judged more positively. With respect to the latter, as he says in Introduction to Modernity, under certain conditions boredom can be full of desires, frustrations and possibilities. Through such an investigation, we start to glimpse latent connections between boredom and utopian propensities that caught the attention not only of Lefebvre but also such thinkers as Ernst Bloch, Siegfried Kracauer and Walter Benjamin.
Governing the City
Authors: Kornberger Martin
Published: March 2012

Strategy frames the contemporary epistemological space of urbanism: major cities across the globe such as New York, London and Sydney invest time, energy and resources to craft urban strategies. Extensive empirical research projects have proposed a shift towards a strategic framework to manage cities. This theoretical curiosity is reflected in the rising interest in urban strategy from practice. For instance, the World Bank regularly organizes an Urban Strategy Speaker Series, while the powerful network CEOs for Cities lobbies for a strategic approach to urban development. Critical scholars such as Zukin diagnose not a shift in but a shift to strategic thinking in the contemporary city. This article poses the question: what makes strategy such an attractive ‘thought style’ in relation to imagining and managing cities? How can we understand the practice of urban strategy? And what are its intended and unintended consequences? The objective of this article is to analyse strategy as a socio-political practice that shapes cities, and by extension, society at large.
Global Elites, Privilege and Mobilities in Post-organized Capitalism
Authors: Caletrío Javier
Published: March 2012

The four books under review form part of a resurgent social science interest in elites as obligatory entry points in understanding changing relations of power and growing inequalities in a post-organized capitalism. All four books demonstrate, in differing but often complementary ways, that in an age of formal meritocracy, rising powers, government outsourcing, weightless information economies, financial deregulation, and increasingly dense digitized networked information and communication systems, elites have changed. Their mobile lives, their ability to feel at ease in almost any situation, and their role as intermediaries connecting different spheres of cultural, economic and political life are defining features of the new, truly global elites. The four books demonstrate the enduring influence of Bourdieu as a theorist of elites and showcase methodological and conceptual innovations to further develop comparative research.
When Historians and Anthropologists Talk
Authors: DiMoia John P.
Published: March 2012

Aiwha Ong and Nancy Chen’s anthology Asian Biotech (Duke, 2010) wonderfully and incisively captures the initial results of a period of intense investment throughout much of Northeast, South and Southeast Asia in the most recent two to three decades in the emerging biosciences, grouping its collection of papers according to broad thematic clusters. Documenting a series of diverse, changing practices with respect to the use of bodies and human tissues in clinical trials, the related establishment of blood and tissue storage facilities, and even cutting-edge efforts to work with HESC technologies, the volume offers a comprehensive view of a rapidly emerging field in a part of the world that has only recently begun to appear as a major contributor to global techno-scientific activity, with state actors frequently leading the mobilization efforts. Juxtaposed against this thematic content, this review seeks to place the volume in conversation with a longer history, especially existing work in the history of the life sciences, which has until now been dominated by accounts of laboratories primarily based in the West. Rich with implications for a changing ethical practice driven by material changes in medical and scientific practice, Asian Biotech initiates any number of debates to open up a new field of inquiry.
“Let Momma Take ‘em”
Authors: Scheyett Anna M. , Pettus-Davis Carrie
Published: March 2012

Women provide support for many vulnerable groups, work that is frequently discounted with gendered stereotypes. One growing vulnerable group is former prisoners who often return to women family members. We completed a qualitative study with 25 former prisoners and criminal justice staff to examine their conceptualizations of the demands placed on women supporters of former prisoners. Results indicate a significant burden of support experienced by women, discounted by prisoners and criminal justice staff through a dynamic of gendered idealization and stigmatization. Implications include the importance of exposing this dynamic and providing supports to decrease the burden of care that women experience.
G. Leslie Adkin (1888–1964) and glaciation of the Tararua Range, North Island, New Zealand
Authors: Brook Martin
Published: March 2012

Research initiated in 1909 by G. Leslie Adkin (1888–1964) suggested that the central Tararua Range on the North Island, New Zealand, was subjected to only limited alpine-style glaciation during the Late Pleistocene. This was based on the ‘U-shaped’ cross-profiles in the uppermost parts of several valleys, and cirque basins. Findings were published in Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, but were not met with universal acceptance by luminaries such as Charles Cotton. Adkin’s work remained the only published glacial research undertaken on the North Island’s axial ranges until the latter part of the 20th century. Adkin holds a special position in New Zealand science, because although he worked full-time as a farmer he published nearly 40 articles in scientific journals on topics as varied as Māori archaeology and geoscience.
Conceptualizing the current clashes between modernist republicans and Islamic conservatives in Turkey
Authors: Kaya Ibrahim
Published: March 2012

Resume

This article aims to foster a deeper understanding of the current clashes between modernist republicans and Islamic conservatives in Turkey. Through an examination of the relation of conservatism to modernity, I argue that there exists a conservative goal of ‘overcoming modernity’, though in a paradoxical form, which is crucial for our comprehension of this conflict. Central here is the Islamic conservative resistance to the ‘cultural program of modernity’. Indubitably, it would be fallacious to impute to (neo-)conservatism an orientation that challenges modernity in toto. Indeed, one need only consider the economy and technology to see how far the modern has captured the conservative imagination. However, the culture of modernity is a different matter and this is the aspect I concentrate on here. After first examining the (old) conservative reaction against the great transformations of modernity, I consider the contention that Turkish society has recently become conservative, and end with an analysis of republican opposition to recent government acts.
Propolis alleviates 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced histological changes, oxidative stress and DNA damage in rat liver
Authors: Türkez Hasan , Geyikoğlu Fatime , Yousef Mokhtar I , Toğar Basak , Vançelik Serhat
Published: March 2012

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin (TCDD) induces hepatic damage. Propolis exhibits antioxidant properties and several studies suggest that supplementations with antioxidants can influence hepatotoxicity. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to explore the effectiveness of propolis in alleviating the toxicity of TCDD in the liver of rats. Animals were divided into six groups, namely, TCDD (0.75 and 8 µg/kg body weight (bw)), propolis (50 mg/kg bw), TCDD (0.75 and 8 µg) plus propolis (50 mg/kg bw), and control, respectively. Rats were intraperitoneally administered with their respective doses daily for 21 days. In rats that received a high dose of TCDD, the antioxidant enzymes were significantly decreased and the serious pathological findings were established. Also, the rate of hepatocyte micronucleus (HMN) was increased after treating with TCDD. The reactions of enzymes in control and low-dose group were weak. The frequencies of HMN and liver histology were similar to both the groups. The presence of propolis with TCDD alleviated its pathological effects in hepatic tissue. Propolis also prevented the suppression of antioxidant enzymes in the livers of animals exposed to TCDD and displayed a strong protective effect against HMN. It can be concluded that propolis has beneficial influences and was able to antagonize TCDD toxicity in the liver.
Physicomechanical study of random polypropylene filled with treated and untreated nano-calcium carbonate
Authors: Upadhyaya Pradeep , Nema Ajay K , Sharma Chandrashekhar , Kumar Vijai , Agrawal DD , Kumar Manish
Published: March 2012

Random polypropylene copolymer is blended with 2–10% nano-calcium carbonate (nCaCO3) with and without maleic anhydride-grafted ethylene–propylene rubber ([EPR] MA- g-EPR) using two different titanate- and silane-coupling agents. The nanocomposites were prepared with fatty acid (oleic and stearic acid) surface-treated and -untreated nCaCO3 and random polypropylene. Surface-treated nCaCO3 and EPR (MA- g-EPR) were used as a modifier in nanocomposites and characterized with the help of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The physicochemical properties like density, melt flow index and heat distortion temperature were evaluated beside their mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strength). It was found that the favorable surface development is taking place at the interface of coupling agent and surface-treated nCaCO3, and this linkage is responsible for tensile properties. The untreated nCaCO3 shows more reinforcement with matrix for the reason that there is no long alkyl group present at the interface. Beyond a certain limit, increased trends of nCaCO3 in composite do not show more reinforcing effect due to agglomeration of nCaCO3.
Comparison of regenerative braking technologies for heavy goods vehicles in urban environments
Authors: Midgley William JB , Cebon David
Published: March 2012

One way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of heavy vehicles is to install regenerative braking systems. These capture the kinetic energy of the vehicle during braking and store it, in order to feed it back into the drivetrain during acceleration. It is not clear, however, which of the many available technologies should be used to implement this regenerative braking.

This report explores the different possible energy capture and storage technologies for regenerative braking, including electrical, kinetic, hydraulic and compressed air. The basic systems are plotted on a selection chart, and an optimal selection methodology is used to aid in the selection of the lightest and smallest system for regenerative braking.

The results of this comparison and selection show that hydraulic energy storage is likely to be 33% smaller and 20% lighter than the closest electrical counterparts and is therefore a logical selection for regenerative braking on the trailers of heavy goods vehicles.
Can an Agentic Black Woman Get Ahead? The Impact of Race and Interpersonal Dominance on Perceptions of Female Leaders
Authors: Livingston Robert W. , Rosette Ashleigh Shelby , Washington Ella F.
Published: March 2012

Prior research has demonstrated that the display of agentic behaviors, such as dominance, can produce backlash against female leaders because of the incongruence between these behaviors and prescribed gender roles. The current study was designed to fill a gap in existing research by investigating whether these well-established findings are moderated by race. Results revealed that dominant Black female leaders did not create the same backlash that dominant White female leaders did. Experimental evidence confirmed that White female (and Black male) leaders were conferred lower status when they expressed dominance rather than communality, whereas Black female (and White male) leaders were not. These findings highlight the importance, and complexity, of considering the intersection of gender and race when examining penalties for and proscriptions against dominant behavior of female leaders.
Life cycle assessment of the European pressurized reactor and the influence of different fuel cycle strategies
Authors: Simons A , Bauer C
Published: March 2012

This article presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of electricity generated by the European pressurized reactor (EPR), a Generation III (Gen III) nuclear reactor concept. The focus of the LCA is on the potential locations in Switzerland and France in the year 2030. Environmental burdens from the EPR are also compared to those from current pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology in Switzerland. The entire fuel cycle is analysed and includes improved modelling of natural uranium mining. The indicators employed in the impact assessment characterize a broad range of burdens to the environment and human health at both the global and the regional/local level and includes an analysis on the basis of external costs. The LCA shows a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by around just 7 per cent for the EPR in Switzerland in 2030 compared to the current PWR cycle emitting just above 5 g CO2-eq/kWh. Due to differences in cooling strategies, which cause slightly different output capacities, the French EPR is expected to achieve marginally better reductions of almost 16 per cent. The processing of natural uranium to yellowcake was shown to be the stage in the nuclear fuel cycle having the highest burdens and potential impacts across a majority of indicators, accounting for between 25 per cent and 60 per cent of burdens and potential impacts. External costs of normal operation are shown to be around just 2 per cent of estimated internal (production) costs and similar to those of hydro and offshore wind. The potential impacts due to nuclear-related accidents were not considered.
Mid- to late-Holocene fluvial activity behind pre-Columbian social complexity in the southwestern Amazon basin
Authors: Lombardo Umberto , May Jan-Hendrik , Veit Heinz
Published: March 2012

The scale, spatial variability and implications of pre-Columbian human-induced changes in the Amazon basin are controversial. While some scholars believe that large settlements and complex societies were limited to areas with favourable environmental conditions and human disturbance was localized, others propose that social complexity developed regardless of environmental constraints and opportunities and that human disturbance was widespread. In order to understand the extent to which environmental preconditions influenced the development of pre-Columbian societies, research is needed that integrates both environmental reconstructions and archaeological data. The present study explores past human–environment interactions in the Llanos de Moxos (LM) in the Bolivian Amazon. Combining extensive fieldwork and remote sensing image analysis, we reconstruct mid- to late-Holocene fluvial activity in the southeastern LM and the formation of a sedimentary lobe left by the Grande River. The lobe deposition created the conditions for the development of fertile, drained soils. We also show how pre-Columbian inhabitants adapted to the sedimentary lobe and managed to maximize the area of land suitable for agriculture by building a drainage/irrigation infrastructure. Our results provide an interpretative framework for the diversity of archaeological remains in the LM and suggest that people reached high levels of social complexity as a result of two necessary factors: favourable environmental conditions and human ingenuity.
A Concurrent Examination of Self-versus-Others Perceptual Bias and the Willingness to Self-Censor
Authors: Filak Vincent F.
Published: March 2012

This study examines the concepts of perceptual bias and willingness to self-censor (WTSC) to ascertain which factors would influence college newspaper editors’ comfort levels with controversial material. Data from 189 matched pairs of college newspaper editors revealed that editors underestimated advisers’ comfort levels and that those erroneous estimations were predictive of the editors’ comfort levels. In addition, while adviser WTSC was not predictive of editors’ comfort levels on several controversial topics, editors’ WTSC did predict the editors’ comfort with the material.
The Direct Effects of Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity on Peer Problems and Mediating Roles of Prosocial and Conduct Problem Behaviors in a Community Sample of Children
Authors: Andrade Brendan F. , Tannock Rosemary
Published: March 2012

Objective: This study tested whether children’s symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were associated with peer problems and whether these associations were mediated by conduct problems and prosocial behaviors. Method: A community sample of 500 children, including 245 boys and 255 girls, who ranged in age from 6 to 9 years ( M = 7.6, SD = 0.91) were recruited. Teachers’ report of children’s inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problems, prosocial behaviors, and peer problems was collected. Results: Symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity were significantly positively associated with peer problems. Conduct problems were associated with more peer problems and prosocial behaviors with less peer problems. Conduct problems and prosocial behaviors partially mediated the association between hyperactivity/impulsivity and peer problems and fully mediated the inattention–peer problems association. Conclusion: Findings show that prosocial behaviors and conduct problems are important variables that account for some of the negative impact of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity on peer functioning.
On the paradoxical balancing of panaceaism and particularism within the field of management learning
Authors: Örtenblad Anders , Snell Robin , Perrotta Manuela , Akella Devi
Published: March 2012

Besides commenting on the papers selected for this special issue, we include a brief reflexive account of our journey in compiling this special issue, and report how we were struck by the de-coupling between our own local practices, on the one hand, and the global concepts that are familiar in management learning, on the other. We pose some general questions about the representability and transportability of knowledge for management learning that has been developed in one context to other contexts around the world. We ask whether the so-called universalist theories are generally applicable, or whether they need to be applied differently by managers and educators, tailored to their local situations. We inquire whether management educators should embrace cultural relativism and deliberately craft theories that are intended only for local applicability. We consider whether a kind of ‘glocalization’, or absorption of global ideas into local contexts while honouring core features of the host culture, might be achieved. We call for further research into the conditions for user-centred translation in management education.
Shared genetic factors may not explain the raised risk of comorbid inflammatory diseases in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Roshanisefat H , Bahmanyar S , Hillert J , Olsson T , Montgomery S
Published: March 2012

Background: Comorbid inflammatory conditions in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients suggest shared risks with MS.

Objective: To estimate if the risk of immune-mediated disease in MS patients and their parents is increased.

Methods: Swedish register data were analysed using Cox regression to estimate immune-mediated disease risk among 11284 fathers and 12006 mothers of MS patients, compared with 123158 fathers and 129409 mothers of index subjects without MS. Similar analyses were conducted among 20276 index subjects with MS and 203951 without.

Results: Parents of patients with MS did not have a significantly altered immune-mediated disease risk. Patients with MS had a consistently raised risk for several immune-mediated diseases: ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis, polyarthritis nodosa and pemphigoid. The risk was more pronounced for diseases diagnosed subsequent to MS onset.

Conclusion: The increased occurrence of other immune-mediated diseases in MS patients may not be due to shared genetic factors and surveillance bias is likely to be the main or possibly the entire explanation. If not entirely explained by surveillance bias, a modestly raised occurrence of comorbid diseases may be due to shared environmental risks or factors related to MS disease characteristics.
Cognitive impairment is associated with reduced bone mass in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Batista Sonia , Teter Barbara , Sequeira Karen , Josyula Sowmya , Hoogs Marietta , Ramanathan Murali , Benedict Ralph HB , Weinstock-Guttman Bianca
Published: March 2012

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD), yet the underlying causes are not fully known. The recent discovery that bone homeostasis is directly regulated by the brain led us to hypothesize that it may be impaired by MS pathology. As cognitive impairment (CI) is a well-documented correlate of MS-related brain pathology, we tested the hypothesis that it is associated with reduced BMD.

Objective: We aimed to determine if CI is associated with reduced BMD in patients with MS.

Methods: We retrospectively studied the medical records of 56 patients with MS, ≤50 years old, with Expanded Disability Status Scale score ≤4.5 and with dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) BMD measurement within 1 year of neuropsychological testing with a standard battery (MACFIMS).

Results: In total, 23 (41.1%) MS patients had osteopenia or osteoporosis. Mean femur BMD was significantly lower in patients with MS with CI (0.89±0.12 g/cm2) compared with intact patients (0.99±0.17 g/cm2, p=0.009). In the cognitively impaired group, 59.3% had either osteopenia or osteoporosis, compared with 24.1% in the non-cognitively impaired group (odds ratio=4.57, p=0.008).

Conclusion: CI is associated with reduced BMD in patients with MS, suggesting that central mechanisms involved in bone homeostasis may be directly impaired by MS-related inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes.
Influence of diabetes on efficacy of aliskiren, losartan or both on left ventricular mass regression
Authors: Vardeny Orly , Pouleur Anne-Catherine , Takeuchi Madoka , Appelbaum Evan , Verma Anil , Prescott Margaret , Smith Beverly , Dahlof Bjorn , Solomon Scott D ,   (for the ALLAY Investigators)
Published: March 2012

Hypothesis/Introduction: We investigated whether diabetes modified the effectiveness of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) regression in hypertensive patients in the Aliskiren in Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (ALLAY) trial.

Materials and methods: Participants ( n=465) with LVH and a BMI > 25 kg/m2 were randomized to aliskiren 300mg, losartan 100mg or both daily for 36 weeks, and LVH regression was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Renin concentration, plasma renin activity and aldosterone were assessed in a subset of patients.

Results: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) ( n=111, 24%) were older (61±9 vs. 58±11 years, p=0.03), had higher BMI (32.2±4.2 vs. 30.7 ± 4 kg/m2, p=0.004), higher systolic blood pressure (148±14 vs. 145±14mmHg, p=0.03) and lower eGFR (79±16 vs. 84±16ml/min, p=0.03) at baseline. Combination therapy with aliskiren plus losartan was associated with greater LVH reduction than losartan alone in patients with DM ( p=0.01), but not in patients without DM ( p=0.91; unadjusted interaction p=0.06; adjusted p = 0.038). In a subset of 138 participants, plasma aldosterone was reduced to a greater extent in patients with DM ( p-interaction = 0.004).

Conclusions: Patients with DM and LVH may derive differential benefit with dual RAAS inhibition with a combination of aliskiren and losartan compared with losartan alone with respect to LVH reduction. Whether these findings will result in improved outcomes will be further explored in larger studies.
Does body mass index influence the outcomes of a Waking-based pulmonary rehabilitation programme in COPD?
Authors: Greening Neil J , Evans Rachael A , Williams Johanna EA , Green Ruth H , Singh Sally J , Steiner Michael C
Published: March 2012

Body mass index (BMI) is an important prognostic measure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its effects on pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a walking-based PR programme across the BMI range and the impact of BMI on exercise performance and health status. A total of 601 patients with COPD completed a PR programme. The effects of BMI on exercise capacity (incremental and endurance shuttle walk tests (ISWT and ESWT)) and health status (chronic respiratory questionnaire (CRQ)) before and after PR were evaluated. 16% of patients were underweight, with 53% overweight or obese. At baseline, the obese had worse ISWT (−54 m ± 14 m; p = 0.001) despite a higher predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (7.4m ± 1.6%; p < 0.001). Patients in all BMI categories made clinically important improvements in ISWT distance: BMI <21, 62 m; 21–25, 59 m; 25–30, 59 m; >30, 65 m ( p = < 0.001). All four domains of the CRQ increased above the level of clinical significance for all BMI categories (all p < 0.001). The majority of patients with COPD were overweight associated with a lower walking capacity. A walking-based PR programme was comparably effective across the BMI spectrum. Patients with COPD should be referred for standard PR, independent of BMI.
Analysis of the influence of independent variables used for reconstruction of a traumatic brain injury incident
Authors: Post Andrew , Hoshizaki T Blaine , Gilchrist Michael , Brien Susan
Published: March 2012

Traumatic brain injuries contribute to a high degree of morbidity and mortality in society. To study traumatic brain injuries researchers reconstruct the event using both physical and FE models. The purpose of these reconstructions is to correlate the brain deformation metric to the type of injury as a measure for prediction. These reconstructions are guided by a series of independent variables which all have influence upon the outcome variables. This research uses a combination of physical and FE modelling to quantify how independent variables such as velocity and impact vector (angle) contribute to the resulting variance in brain deformation metrics. The results indicated that using a Hybrid III neck controls the rotational acceleration response from an impact. Also, it was found that strain rate and product of strain and strain rate were more sensitive to changes in impact angle. Linear acceleration decreased with increasing impact angle, while brain deformations did not follow this trend, which suggests that peak linear acceleration may not be the only factor in the production of larger brain deformations.
HOUDINI: make that urinary catheter disappear – nurse-led protocol
Authors: Adams Debra , Bucior Helen , Day Gina , Rimmer Jo-Anne
Published: March 2012

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common healthcare associated infection in acute hospitals. The risk of developing a catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) increases the longer a urinary catheter remains in situ. Although criteria for insertion and continuation are known, there are few tools to aid with removal decision making. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of a nurse-led HOUDINI urinary catheter removal protocol in reducing the number of days of urinary catheter usage, thus potentially reducing the associated risk of a CAUTI.
Concomitant inactivation of Rb and E2f8 in hematopoietic stem cells synergizes to induce severe anemia
Authors: Hu Tinghui , Ghazaryan Seda , Sy Chandler , Wiedmeyer Charles , Chang Victor , Wu Lizhao
Published: March 2012

The retinoblastoma (Rb) tumor suppressor plays important roles in regulating hematopoiesis, particularly erythropoiesis. In an effort to understand whether Rb function can be mediated by E2F transcription factors in a BM-derived hematopoietic system in mice, we uncovered a functional synergy between Rb and E2F8 to promote erythropoiesis and to prevent anemia. Specifically, whereas Mx1-Cre–mediated inactivation of Rb or E2f8 in hematopoietic stem cells only led to mild erythropoietic defects, concomitant inactivation of both genes resulted in marked ineffective erythropoiesis and mild hemolysis, leading to severe anemia despite the presence of enhanced extramedullary erythropoiesis. Interestingly, although ineffective erythropoiesis was already present in the RbΔ/Δ mice and exacerbated in the RbΔ/Δ;E2f8Δ/Δ mice, hemolysis was exclusively manifested in the double-knockout mice. Using an adoptive transfer system and an erythroid-specific knockout system, we have shown that the synergy of Rb and E2f8 deficiency in triggering severe anemia is intrinsic to the erythroid lineage. Surprisingly, concomitant inactivation of Rb and E2f7, a close family member of E2f8, did not substantially worsen the erythropoietic defect resulted from Rb deficiency. The results of the present study reveal the specificity of E2F8 in mediating Rb function in erythropoiesis and suggest critical and overlapping roles of Rb and E2f8 in maintaining normal erythropoiesis and in preventing hemolysis.
Factors associated with delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis in hospitalized patients in a high TB and HIV burden setting: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Rossato Silva Denise , Müller Alice Mânica , de Tarso Roth Dalcin Paulo
Published: March 2012

Background

The most essential components of TB control are early diagnosis and adequate treatment. Delay in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis may result in more extensive disease and more complications, increase severity of the disease and is associated with higher risk of mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with delayed diagnosis of TB in hospitalized patients.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study in a general, tertiary care, university-affiliated hospital. Adult patients with TB that were hospitalized were identified retrospectively, and risk factors for delayed diagnosis were collected.

Results

The median delay until diagnosis was 6 days (IQR: 2-12 days). One hundred and sixty six (54.4%) patients were diagnosed ≤ 6 days, and 139 (45.6%) > 6 days after admission. The main factors associated with diagnostic delay (> 6 days) were extra-pulmonary TB and negative sputum smear.

Conclusions

Although hospitalization permits a rapid management of the patient and favors a faster diagnosis, we found an unacceptable time delay before the diagnosis of pulmonary TB was made. Future studies should focus on attempt to explain the reasons of diagnostic retard in the patients with the characteristics related to delay in this study.
HIV-1 Nef interaction influences the ATP-binding site of the Src-family kinase, Hck
Authors: Pene-Dumitrescu Teodora , Shu Sherry T , Wales Thomas E , Alvarado John J , Shi Haibin , Narute Purushottam , Moroco Jamie A , Yeh Joanne I , Engen John R , Smithgall Thomas E
Published: March 2012

Background

Nef is an HIV-1 accessory protein essential for viral replication and AIDS progression. Nef interacts with a multitude of host cell signaling partners, including members of the Src kinase family. Nef preferentially activates Hck, a Src-family kinase (SFK) strongly expressed in macrophages and other HIV target cells, by binding to its regulatory SH3 domain. Recently, we identified a series of kinase inhibitors that preferentially inhibit Hck in the presence of Nef. These compounds also block Nef-dependent HIV replication, validating the Nef-SFK signaling pathway as an antiretroviral drug target. Our findings also suggested that by binding to the Hck SH3 domain, Nef indirectly affects the conformation of the kinase active site to favor inhibitor association.

Results

To test this hypothesis, we engineered a "gatekeeper" mutant of Hck with enhanced sensitivity to the pyrazolopyrimidine tyrosine kinase inhibitor, NaPP1. We also modified the RT loop of the Hck SH3 domain to enhance interaction of the kinase with Nef. This modification stabilized Nef:Hck interaction in solution-based kinase assays, as a way to mimic the more stable association that likely occurs at cellular membranes. Introduction of the modified RT loop rendered Hck remarkably more sensitive to activation by Nef, and led to a significant decrease in the Km for ATP as well as enhanced inhibitor potency.

Conclusions

These observations suggest that stable interaction with Nef may induce Src-family kinase active site conformations amenable to selective inhibitor targeting.