bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CROWDSOURCING A WORD–EMOTION ASSOCIATION LEXICON
Authors: Mohammad Saif M. , Turney Peter D.
Published: September 2012

Even though considerable attention has been given to the polarity of words (positive and negative) and the creation of large polarity lexicons, research in emotion analysis has had to rely on limited and small emotion lexicons. In this paper, we show how the combined strength and wisdom of the crowds can be used to generate a large, high‐quality, word–emotion and word–polarity association lexicon quickly and inexpensively. We enumerate the challenges in emotion annotation in a crowdsourcing scenario and propose solutions to address them. Most notably, in addition to questions about emotions associated with terms, we show how the inclusion of a word choice question can discourage malicious data entry, help to identify instances where the annotator may not be familiar with the target term (allowing us to reject such annotations), and help to obtain annotations at sense level (rather than at word level). We conducted experiments on how to formulate the emotion‐annotation questions, and show that asking if a term is associated with an emotion leads to markedly higher interannotator agreement than that obtained by asking if a term evokes an emotion.
AN APPROACH TO SCALABLE MULTI‐ISSUE NEGOTIATION: DECOMPOSING THE CONTRACT SPACE
Authors: Fujita Katsuhide , Ito Takayuki , Klein Mark
Published: September 2012

Most real‐world negotiation involves multiple interdependent issues, which makes an agent’s utility functions nonlinear. Traditional negotiation mechanisms, which were designed for linear utilities, do not fare well in nonlinear contexts. One of the main challenges in developing effective nonlinear negotiation protocols is scalability; they cannot find a high‐quality solution when there are many issues, due to computational intractability. One reasonable approach to reducing computational cost, while maintaining good quality outcomes, is to decompose the utility space into several largely independent subspaces. In this paper, we propose a method for decomposing a utility space based on every agent’s utility space. In addition, the mediator finds the contracts in each group based on the votes from all agents, and combines the contract in each issue‐group. This method allows good outcomes with greater scalability than the method without issue‐grouping. We demonstrate that our protocol, based on issue‐groups, has a higher optimality rate than previous efforts, and discuss the impact on the optimality of the negotiation outcomes.
GENIUS: AN INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENT FOR SUPPORTING THE DESIGN OF GENERIC AUTOMATED NEGOTIATORS
Authors: Lin Raz , Kraus Sarit , Baarslag Tim , Tykhonov Dmytro , Hindriks Koen , Jonker Catholijn M.
Published: September 2012

The design of automated negotiators has been the focus of abundant research in recent years. However, due to difficulties involved in creating generalized agents that can negotiate in several domains and against human counterparts, many automated negotiators are domain specific and their behavior cannot be generalized for other domains. Some of these difficulties arise from the differences inherent within the domains, the need to understand and learn negotiators’ diverse preferences concerning issues of the domain, and the different strategies negotiators can undertake. In this paper we present a system that enables alleviation of the difficulties in the design process of general automated negotiators termed Genius, a General Environment for Negotiation with Intelligent multi‐purpose Usage Simulation. With the constant introduction of new domains, e‐commerce and other applications, which require automated negotiations, generic automated negotiators encompass many benefits and advantages over agents that are designed for a specific domain. Based on experiments conducted with automated agents designed by human subjects using Genius we provide both quantitative and qualitative results to illustrate its efficacy. Finally, we also analyze a recent automated bilateral negotiators competition that was based on Genius. Our results show the advantages and underlying benefits of using Genius and how it can facilitate the design of general automated negotiators.
INVESTIGATION OF COMBINATIONAL CLUSTERING INDICES IN ARTIFICIAL IMMUNE MULTI‐OBJECTIVE CLUSTERING
Authors: Yang Dongdong , Jiao Licheng , Niu Ruican , Gong Maoguo
Published: September 2012

Clustering validity indices play a core role in the unsupervised pattern classification. To date, some indices have been proposed and their individual performances were compared on different artificial clustering test instances and real image segmentation tasks. However, little focus has been placed on the issue that how about their combinational performances are, although multi‐objective optimization has attracted much interest from current researchers in unsupervised classification. Here, we firstly evaluate the performance of five state‐of‐the‐art clustering indices with different characteristics in a single‐objective optimization algorithm designed in artificial immune system (AIS). Then, a multi‐objective optimization algorithm in AIS with fair ability of adaptability and diversity maintaining is introduced in this study. After that, the clustering performances of combinational clustering indices are investigated in the multi‐objective optimization framework. To test the effectiveness of the combinational clustering validity indices, 27 benchmark functions with different geometric structures and three complicated remote sensing images are employed in this study. Based on the computer simulations, some meaningful empirical guidelines are obtained for selecting the suitable combinational clustering indices for formulating an effective and robust multi‐objective clustering algorithm in different clustering tasks.
Temporal Coherence Methods in Real‐Time Rendering
Authors: Scherzer Daniel , Yang Lei , Mattausch Oliver , Nehab Diego , Sander Pedro V. , Wimmer Michael , Eisemann Elmar
Published: September 2012

Nowadays, there is a strong trend towards rendering to higher‐resolution displays and at high frame rates. This development aims at delivering more detail and better accuracy, but it also comes at a significant cost. Although graphics cards continue to evolve with an ever‐increasing amount of computational power, the speed gain is easily counteracted by increasingly complex and sophisticated shading computations. For real‐time applications, the direct consequence is that image resolution and temporal resolution are often the first candidates to bow to the performance constraints (e.g. although full HD is possible, PS3 and XBox often render at lower resolutions).

In order to achieve high‐quality rendering at a lower cost, one can exploit temporal coherence (TC). The underlying observation is that a higher resolution and frame rate do not necessarily imply a much higher workload, but a larger amount of redundancy and a higher potential for amortizing rendering over several frames. In this survey, we investigate methods that make use of this principle and provide practical and theoretical advice on how to exploit TC for performance optimization. These methods not only allow incorporating more computationally intensive shading effects into many existing applications, but also offer exciting opportunities for extending high‐end graphics applications to lower‐spec consumer‐level hardware. To this end, we first introduce the notion and main concepts of TC, including an overview of historical methods. We then describe a general approach, image‐space reprojection, with several implementation algorithms that facilitate reusing shading information across adjacent frames. We also discuss data‐reuse quality and performance related to reprojection techniques. Finally, in the second half of this survey, we demonstrate various applications that exploit TC in real‐time rendering.
Generation of Near‐Field Artificial Ground Motions Compatible with Median‐Predicted Spectra Using PSO‐Based Neural Network and Wavelet Analysis
Authors: Amiri G. Ghodrati , Abdolahi Rad A. , Aghajari S. , Khanmohamadi Hazaveh N.
Published: September 2012

Abstract:  The principal purpose of this article is to present a novel method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and wavelet packet transform (WPT) techniques and multilayer feed‐forward (MLFF) neural networks, in order to generate spectrum‐compatible near‐field artificial earthquake accelerograms. PSO is employed to optimize the weight values of the networks. Moreover, to improve the training efficiency principal component analysis (PCA) is used, as a reduction technique. The proposed PSO‐based MLFF (PSOBMLFF) neural network develops an inverse mapping from compacted and reduced spectrum coefficients into metamorphosed accelerogram wavelet packet coefficients. In this research, to produce compatible synthetic long‐period near‐field ground motions with median predicted spectra, the attenuation of peak ground velocity (PGV) with the close horizontal distance (R), moment magnitude (M), and time‐average shear‐wave velocity from the surface to 30 m (Vs30) has been developed using nonlinear regression analysis.
Non‐parametric Regression for Circular Responses
Authors: DI MARZIO MARCO , PANZERA AGNESE , TAYLOR CHARLES C.
Published: September 2012

Regression with a circular response is a topic of current interest. We introduce non‐parametric smoothing for this problem. Simple adaptations of a weight function enable a unified formulation for both real‐line and circular predictors, whereas these cases have been tackled by quite distinct parametric methods. Additionally, we discuss various methodological extensions, obtaining a number of promising techniques – totally new in circular statistics – such as confidence intervals for the value of a circular regression and non‐parametric autoregression in circular time series. The findings are also illustrated through real data examples.
Community Re-Studies: Lessons and Prospects
Authors: Crow Graham
Published: September 2012

Community re-studies have played an important role in the development of knowledge about social relationships and social change although they have had a chequered history. Assessments of their value vary according to whether they are approached as replications of earlier studies or as a different type of project. Re-studies have the potential to undermine the credibility of earlier studies but they can also fill in gaps and provide the basis for assessment of social change at a local level. They are generally characterized by methodological and theoretical innovation, learning from and building on what has gone before and contributing to an accumulating body of knowledge about community relations and how to study them.
A Narrative from the Inside, Studying St Anns in Nottingham: Belonging, Continuity and Change
Authors: McKenzie Lisa
Published: September 2012

This paper focuses upon the St Anns neighbourhood in Nottingham, a community first studied by Ken Coates and Bill Silburn in the 1960s which noted the great upheavals of the physical and social changes generated by the slum clearance programme of 10, 000 back-to-back terraced houses, and the consequent building of the concrete council estate that is now St Anns. This paper draws upon both the physical and the social changes within the neighbourhood, and highlights what has remained constant despite the massive upheavals to working-class life over the last 40 years. This paper looks at the concept of belonging to a neighbourhood which has been stigmatized, finding value and an identity within the estate, and residents describing themselves as simultaneously and interchangeably as being from and simply being St Anns.
Revisiting Norbert Elias's Sociology of Community: Learning from the Leicester Re-Studies
Authors: O'Connor Henrietta , Goodwin John
Published: September 2012

Since 2001 we have been engaged in a re-study of three linked Leicester projects: The Employment of Married Women in a Leicester Factory (1959–1962), The Adjustment of Young Workers to Work Situations and Adult Roles (1962–1964) and The Established and the Outsiders (1965). The three projects contain a number of striking overlaps, not least Elias's formulation of communities as figurations through which communal behavioural standards are established, learned and maintained. Whether in the different Zones of Winston Parva, or in the large hosiery factories of Leicester, people learned the self-control of drives and affects ‘according to the pattern and extent of socially given drive and affect regulation’ of that time and that community. In this paper we outline the background to the three re-studies and link them to Elias's work on community and the broader canon of community studies. We then consider methodological lessons learnt from our re-studies – in particular, the practical process of re-studies, the definitional problems of what constitutes a re-study, and the value of visual images and walking the field. We conclude by reflecting upon the analytical promise of community re-studies.
The Challenges and Opportunities of Re-Studying Community on Sheppey: Young People's Imagined Futures
Authors: Lyon Dawn , Crow Graham
Published: September 2012

The ‘Living and Working on Sheppey: Past, Present and Future’ project took its starting point from the research undertaken by Ray Pahl and his team three decades ago on the Isle of Sheppey. In 2009–11, we revisited some of Pahl's archived material, collected new (including some replicated) data and produced new materials, working collaboratively with community members of the Blue Town Heritage Centre on Sheppey. In this article, we examine the methodological challenges and opportunities of re-studying communities in this way, discuss the implications of community involvement in carrying out a re-study, and present some findings from one aspect of the re-study: young people's imagined futures in 1978 and 2009–10.
Community Studies and Re-Studies in the 21st Century: Methodological Challenges and Strategies for the Future
Authors: Phillipson Chris
Published: September 2012

This article looks at the background to community studies and the case for community re-studies. It examines the contribution of such research to understanding different dimensions of social change. The discussion highlights a number of challenges for such research, given changes in the meaning of community and the social contexts in which people experience everyday life. The article uses a particular research study to highlight some of the strengths and limitations associated with re-studies. It develops a number of strategies for developing community-based research, building on issues arising from industrial change and globalization and concludes with an assessment of possible futures for work in the community studies tradition.
Clinical characteristics, risk factors and pre‐surgical evaluation of post‐infectious epilepsy
Authors: Sellner J. , Trinka E.
Published: September 2012

Background and purpose

Epilepsy is a frequent complication of central nervous system (CNS) infections. Post‐infectious epilepsy is commonly refractory to medical treatment and plays a pivotal role for the poor long‐term outcome ofCNSinfections.

Objectives

To provide an overview of clinical characteristics and risk factors of seizures associated withCNSinfections. In addition, to summarize the state of the art of anticonvulsive treatment and the pre‐surgical evaluation process in refractory cases.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search for articles published betweenJanuary 1970 andDecember 2011 was carried out.

Results

The occurrence of seizures during the acute course of meningitis, encephalitis and brain abscess is the main risk factor for the development of post‐infectious epilepsy. There is a shortage of trials evaluating the efficacy of prophylactic and symptomatic treatment during the course of acute infection. Moreover, there are no randomized‐controlled trials studying anticonvulsive drugs and their combinations for the management of post‐infectious epilepsy. In a selected group of patients, however, medically refractory focal epilepsy is potentially curable by surgery.

Conclusions

Further studies are required to improve the pathogenetic understanding of post‐infectious epilepsy in order to develop preventive measures as well as to evaluate additional medical and surgical treatment strategies for the patients currently not considered for surgery.
Transient and sustained cognitive control modulates task‐irrelevant process
Authors: HASEGAWA KUNIHIRO , TAKAHASHI SHIN'YA
Published: September 2012

In the cognitive conflict task, transient and sustained contexts modulate the congruency effect. Transient modulation is the effect of preceding trial types, while sustained modulation is the effect of context in an experimental block. The present study was conducted with two aims: The first was to reveal which processes, a task‐relevant one and a task‐irrelevant one, are changed by these contexts, and the second was to reveal the difference between the transient and the sustained modulations. The results of two experiments suggested that, although both transient and sustained modulations occurred during the task‐irrelevant process, these modulations may be different in nature. Transient modulation was caused by just an inhibition in using task‐irrelevant information, while sustained modulation showed a newly started use of task‐irrelevant information as a result of the participants' re‐adaptation to the context.
Sense of fairness in the division of labor in close relationships: Procedure and gender role ideology
Authors: NAMEDA AKINOBU
Published: September 2012

The present study examined whether the procedures used in establishing a couple's division of labor and each partner's gender role ideology have a significant impact on the perception of fairness in the division of labor. The data collection involved conducting a questionnaire survey of 181 Japanese participants who shared basic household work and paid work. The results from a multiple regression analysis presented a clear pattern of sex differences in the way and degree to which fairness was perceived. In the model for women, the variables of the procedure and gender role ideology had significant predictive power. In particular, the interactive communication procedure was a powerful predictor of women's sense of fairness. In contrast, among men the perception of fairness in the division of labor did not have a significant relation to the variables of the procedure and gender role ideology.
Social Customs and Demographic Change: The Case of Godparenthood in Catholic Europe
Authors: Alfani Guido , Gourdon Vincent , Vitali Agnese
Published: September 2012

This article analyzes social norms regulating the selection of godparents in Italy and France. Based on Vatican statistics and European Values Study responses, the vast majority of children in Catholic Europe are baptized and birth rituals are considered important even by nonbelievers. Moreover, the dominant custom of selecting godparents from among kinsmen is a recent development, based on historical data. A new survey about the selection of godparents in Italy and France, conducted for this study, shows that godparents are chosen not for religious, but for social‐relational reasons. Selection of kinsmen is the norm, with uncles and aunts being the majority choice. For Italy, choice determinants are explored by means of multinomial regressions. The results are contrasted with demographic change to show that in lowest‐low fertility countries current godparenthood models are bound to disappear.
Mapping Chinese Folk Religion in Mainland China and Taiwan
Authors: Yang Fenggang , Hu Anning
Published: September 2012

The revival of folk (popular) religion in China in the last three decades has been noted in many publications and documented in ethnographic studies. However, until now there has been no quantitative study that provides an overall picture of Chinese folk‐religion practices. This article is a first attempt to draw the contours of Chinese folk religion based on three recent surveys conducted in mainland China and Taiwan. Three types of folk religion are conceptualized: communal, sectarian, and individual. Different types of folk religion may have different social functions and divergent trajectories of change in the modernization process. At present, in spite of the dramatic social, political, and cultural changes in modern times, the adherents of folk religion still substantially outnumber the believers of institutional religions in Chinese societies.
Theory as a Tool in the Social Scientific Study of Religion and Martin Riesebrodt's The Promise of Salvation
Authors: Konieczny Mary Ellen , Lybarger Loren D. , Chong Kelly H.
Published: September 2012

No single paradigm or debate currently orients the social scientific study of religion. Because of this, those engaged in the multidisciplinary study of religion find that a public conversation is often difficult. In this article and the Forum it introduces, we explore Martin Riesebrodt's recently published book, The Promise of Salvation: A Theory of Religion. Responding to the inadequacies of secularization paradigms, rational choice models, and postmodern criticism, Riesebrodt proposes an approach that ideal‐typically reconstructs the subjective meanings of institutionalized religious practices (liturgies). These subjective meanings center on the prevention and management of crises—social, natural, and bodily—through appeal and access to superhuman powers. This pragmatic emphasis on the superhuman defines religion as a distinct sphere of social action transhistorically and transculturally. Riesebrodt's theory creates new analytical possibilities, especially for understanding the modern resurgence of religion under conditions of secularization.
Of Prophets and Propaganda: An Exploration of Modern Christian Dispensationalism Using the Work of Martin Riesebrodt
Authors: Reed Randall
Published: September 2012

Modern dispensationalism in the United States has been a thorny sociological problem. The sociodiscursive mechanism(s) by which dispensationalist preachers are able to propagate their message has yet to be determined. The theoretical work of Martin Riesebrodt, specifically his discussion of salvific demand, legitimation, and discursive and behavior‐regulating practices, sheds light on Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins's best‐selling Left Behind series and the equally popular dispensationalist writings of John Hagee. Dispensationalists create a demand for their message through the interpretation of current events using the apocalyptic lens of the dispensational scenario, which points to the imminence of the rapture and the global doom that will follow. As part of the propagandizing discourse (discursive practices) that promises escape from this cataclysm, dispensationalists preach a set of behavior‐regulating practices that seek to constrain and control the actions of their adherents.
Annual Research Review: Mental health and resilience in HIV/AIDS‐affected children – a review of the literature and recommendations for future research
Authors: Betancourt Theresa S. , Meyers‐Ohki Sarah E. , Charrow Alexandra , Hansen Nathan
Published: September 2012

Background: To date, research on mental health in HIV‐ affected children (children who have an HIV‐positive caregiver or live with the virus themselves) has focused on risk factors associated with the disease. However, simultaneous identification of factors that contribute to resilience in the face of risks is also needed. A greater understanding of modifiable protective processes that contribute to resilience in the mental health of children affected by HIV can inform the design of interventions that bolster naturally occurring supports and contribute to early prevention or better management of risks.

Methods: We reviewed the recent literature on mental health and resilience in children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. Literature searches of PsycInfo and PubMed were conducted during July–December 2011 consistent with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) standards. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included for review if primary research questions pertained to mental health and coping or protective processes in children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. All studies subject to full review were evaluated for quality using a modified Systematic Assessment of Quality in Observational Research (SAQOR) rating system.

Results: One hundred and seventy one unique studies were returned from online searches of the literature and bibliography mining. Of these, 29 were evaluated as pertaining directly to mental health and resilience in families and children living with HIV/AIDS. Eight studies presented qualitative analyses. Ten quantitative studies examined individual resources contributing to child resilience and four quantitative studies looked at family‐level resources. Ten studies also investigated community level interactions. Four presented findings from resilience‐focused interventions.

Conclusions: There is a clear need for rigorous research on mental health and resilience in HIV‐affected children and adolescents. The evidence base would greatly benefit from more standardized and robust approaches to thinking about resilience from an ecological perspective inclusive of resources at multiple levels and their interactions.
Metabolic and evolutionary costs of herbivory defense: systems biology of glucosinolate synthesis
Authors: Bekaert Michaël , Edger Patrick P. , Hudson Corey M. , Pires J.Chris , Conant Gavin C.
Published: September 2012

Here, we describe our updated mathematical model of Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia metabolism, which adds the glucosinolates, an important group of secondary metabolites, to the reactions of primary metabolism. In so doing, we also describe the evolutionary origins of the enzymes involved in glucosinolate synthesis. We use this model to address a long‐standing question in plant evolutionary biology: whether or not apparently defensive compounds such as glucosinolates are metabolically costly to produce.

We use flux balance analysis to estimate the flux through every metabolic reaction in the model both when glucosinolates are synthesized and when they are absent. As a result, we can compare the metabolic costs of cell synthesis with and without these compounds, as well as inferring which reactions have their flux altered by glucosinolate synthesis.

We find that glucosinolate production can increase photosynthetic requirements by at least 15% and that this cost is specific to the suite of glucosinolates found in A. thaliana, with other combinations of glucosinolates being even more costly.

These observations suggest that glucosinolates have evolved, and indeed likely continue to evolve, for herbivory defense, since only this interpretation explains the maintenance of such costly traits.
What Is, Is Not: Dante in Tomás Eloy Martínez's Purgatorio
Authors: KRISTAL EFRAÍN
Published: September 2012

Tomás Eloy Martínez's last novel, Purgatorio, is a meditation on the effects of violence and repression under 1970s Argentine dictatorial regimes. Like its antecedent, El Infierno (1981) by Carlos Martínez Moreno, Tomás Eloy Martínez's work draws on the Divine Comedy through creative distortion, an approach to Dante as old as Esteban Echeverría's foundational Argentine poem La cautiva (1832). El Infierno and Purgatorio complement each other, yet Tomás Eloy Martínez draws on Dante's Purgatorio in specific ways to craft a notion of ‘purgatory’ better suited than Dante's to address the loss and longing of a fractured generation.
‘Ya nunca más seríamos lo que éramos': Tomás Eloy Martínez and Primera Plana in the 1960s
Authors: KING JOHN
Published: September 2012

As part of this special section dedicated to the Argentine writer Tomás Eloy Martínez (1934–2010), this article explores his journalism in the 1960s in the newsweekly magazine Primera Plana. The most influential magazine of the decade, Primera Plana formed Argentine political opinion and cultural tastes. Martínez was the premier cultural journalist of the magazine, developing a distinctive style of ‘new journalism’. The article analyses his key role in developing film and literary criticism in Argentina and Latin America, as well as his coverage of a range of contemporary issues, from the anniversary of Hiroshima to the Russian space race.
Hip fracture and urinary incontinence – use of indwelling catheter postsurgery
Authors: Sørbye Liv W. , Grue Else V.
Published: September 2012

Background:  Norway has a higher incidence of hip fractures than any other country. For older individuals, a hip fracture may cause dramatic changes in health status like incontinence and daily activities. Patients with hip fractures are at high risk of urinary incontinence (UI) after surgical repair. A urinary indwelling catheter (UIC) is inserted preoperatively, but should be removed within 24 hours. Our aims were to identify indicators that might predict clinical challenges related to urinary incontinence 1 year after hip fractures.

Methods:  Inclusion criteria were patients with hip fracture age 65 years or older. They were admitted form their own home to two acute‐care hospitals during 2004–2006. We used the Resident Assessment Instrument for Acute Care.

Results:  A total of 331 patients were included. Thirty‐five (11%) had UIC 72 hours after surgery. These patients had more frequently experienced delirium, urinary tract infection, cognitive impairment and discouragement than their counterparts. After 12 months, patients with previous UI had lower functioning levels than those with no previous UI. They had moved four times more frequently to a nursing home and had over twice the mortality.

Conclusions:  Patient with UI should be followed up with a multidisciplinary team after discharged from hospital.
Effects of grazing strategy on limiting nitrate leaching in grazed grass‐clover pastures on coarse sandy soil
Authors: Hansen E. M. , Eriksen J. , Søegaard K. , Kristensen K.
Published: September 2012

Urinations of ruminants on grazed pastures increase the risk of nitrate leaching. The study investigated the effect of reducing the length of the grazing season on nitrate leaching from a coarse sandy, irrigated soil during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. In both years, precipitation was above the long‐term mean. The experiment was initiated in a 4‐yr‐old grass‐clover sward in south Denmark. Three treatments were as follows grazing only (G), spring cut followed by grazing (CG) and both spring and autumn cuts with summer grazing (CGC). Nitrate leaching was calculated by extracting water isolates from 80 cm depth using ceramic suction cups. Because of considerable variation in measured nitrate concentrations, the 32 installed suction cups per treatment were insufficient to reveal differences between treatments. However, weighted nitrate leaching estimations for G, CG and CGC showed estimated mean nitrate N concentrations of 23, 19 and 13 mg/L for an estimated proportion area occupied by urine patches of 0.33, 0.26 and 0.16, respectively. Thus, N concentrations in G and CG exceeded the EU limit of 11.3 mg N/L. Under the prevailing conditions, the time of urination did not appear important. The estimated background leaching calculated from suction cups presumably not situated under urine patches resulted in mean nitrate N concentrations of 2.6 mg/L.
Radical politics and the Apocalypse: activist readings of Revelation
Authors: Megoran Nick
Published: September 2012

The growth of the study of the geopolitics of religion is welcome after decades of neglect. However, the narrow focus upon right‐wing American interpretations of end‐times theology writes evangelical Christians as geography's ‘repugnant cultural other’ who constitute us as the modern, progressive, rational subject. Drawing on parallel debates in the anthropology of religion, this article stresses the importance of attending to other readings of the Apocalypse in other places. Using the examples of Dan Berrigan, William Stringfellow and Allan Boesak, it shows how justice and peace activists have read the Book of Revelation as a radical anti‐imperial text and found in it a source of resilience for non‐violent resistance in the face of apparently overwhelming odds.
The Effect of State Regulatory Stringency on Nursing Home Quality
Authors: Mukamel Dana B. , Weimer David L. , Harrington Charlene , Spector William D. , Ladd Heather , Li Yue
Published: September 2012

Objective

To test the hypothesis that more stringent quality regulations contribute to better quality nursing home care and to assess their cost‐effectiveness.

Data Sources/Setting

Primary and secondary data from all states and U.S. nursing homes between 2005 and 2006.

Study Design

We estimated seven models, regressing quality measures on the Harrington Regulation Stringency Index and control variables. To account for endogeneity between regulation and quality, we used instrumental variables techniques. Quality was measured by staffing hours by type per case‐mix adjusted day, hotel expenditures, and risk‐adjusted decline in activities of daily living, high‐risk pressure sores, and urinary incontinence.

Data Collection

All states' licensing and certification offices were surveyed to obtain data about deficiencies. Secondary data included the Minimum Data Set, Medicare Cost Reports, and the Economic Freedom Index.

Principal Findings

Regulatory stringency was significantly associated with better quality for four of the seven measures studied. The cost‐effectiveness for the activities‐of‐daily‐living measure was estimated at about 72,000 in 2011/ Quality Adjusted Life Year.

Conclusions

Quality regulations lead to better quality in nursing homes along some dimensions, but not all. Our estimates of cost‐effectiveness suggest that increased regulatory stringency is in the ballpark of other acceptable cost‐effective practices.
Inhibition of MDMA‐induced increase in cortisol does not prevent acute impairment of verbal memory
Authors: Kuypers KPC , de la Torre R , Farre M , Pujadas M , Ramaekers JG
Published: September 2012

Background

Ecstasy use is commonly linked with memory deficits in abstinent ecstasy users. Similar impairments are being found during ecstasy intoxication after single doses of ± 3,4 metylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The concordance of memory impairments during intoxication and abstinence suggests a similar neuropharmacological mechanism underlying acute and chronic memory impairments. The mechanism underlying this impairment is to date not known. We hypothesized that cortisol might play an important role in this mechanism as cortisol, implicated in the regulation of memory performance, can be brought out of balance by stressors like MDMA.

Methods

In the present study, we aimed to block the MDMA‐induced acute memory defect by giving participants a cortisol synthesis inhibitor (metyrapone) together with a single dose of MDMA. Seventeen polydrug MDMA users entered this placebo‐controlled within subject study with four treatment conditions. The treatments consisted of MDMA (75 mg) and metyrapone (750 mg), alone and in combination, and double placebo. Pre‐treatment with metyrapone or Placebo occurred 1 h prior to MDMA or Placebo administration. Memory performance was tested at peak drug concentrations by means of several memory tests. Cortisol levels were determined in blood and oral fluid; this served as a control measure to see whether manipulations were effective.

Results

Main findings indicated that whereas treatment with metyrapone blocked the expected MDMA‐induced increase in cortisol levels in blood, it did not prevent the MDMA‐induced memory deficit from happening.

Conclusion

We therefore conclude that MDMA‐induced increments in cortisol concentrations are not related to MDMA‐induced memory impairments.
The Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Cost of Dyspepsia and Helicobater pylori Gastritis: A Case–Control Analysis in the Southwestern United States
Authors: Mapel Douglas , Roberts Melissa , Overhiser Andrew , Mason Andrew
Published: September 2012

Background

Dyspepsia is among the most common complaints evaluated by gastroenterologists, but there are few studies examining its current epidemiology, evaluation, and costs. We examined these issues in a large managed care system in the Southwestern United States.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case–control analysis of adults with incident dyspepsia or a Helicobacter pylori‐related condition in years 2006 through 2010 using utilization data. Medical record abstraction of 400 cases was conducted to obtain additional clinical information.

Results

A total of 6989 cases met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Women had a substantially higher risk of dyspepsia than men (14 per 1000 per year vs 10 per 1000; p < .001), and the incidence of dyspepsia increased with age such that persons in their seventh decade had almost twice the risk of those aged 18–29. Hispanic persons had a significantly higher risk of dyspepsia and positive H. pylori testing. Dyspepsia cases had a higher prevalence of other chronic comorbidities than their matched controls. Dyspepsia patients had healthcare costs 54% higher than controls even before the diagnosis was made, and costs in the initial diagnostic period were $483 greater per person, but subsequent costs were not greatly affected. Among those aged 55 and younger, the “test and treat” approach was used in 53% and another 18% had an initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy, as compared to 47 and 27%, respectively, among those over the age of 55.

Conclusions

Women and older adults have a higher incidence of dyspepsia than previously appreciated, and Hispanics in this region also have a higher risk. Current guidelines for dyspepsia evaluation are only loosely followed.
Fever and fever‐related epilepsies
Authors: Cross J. Helen
Published: September 2012

Febrile seizures are a common emergency faced by general pediatricians. They are mostly self‐limiting, isolated events with no sequelae in later life. A minority are more complex. In the acute stage, there are a small number of underlying etiologies that are important to recognize in order to determine the prognosis accurately and to optimize management. There has been a long‐standing debate about the relationship of early febrile seizures to the later development of epilepsy. It is now clear that this risk differs for simple and complex febrile seizures: complex febrile seizures may herald the presentation of a number of epilepsy syndromes of which febrile and illness‐related seizures are part of the phenotype. This review examines the existing knowledge on febrile seizures and the various clinical phenotypes to which they are linked.
Hippocampal sclerosis—Origins and imaging
Authors: Malmgren Kristina , Thom Maria
Published: September 2012

The association between hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and epilepsy has been known for almost two centuries. For many years, HS was studied in postmortem series; however, since the mid‐20th century, surgical specimens from temporal lobe resections have provided important new knowledge. HS is the most common pathology underlying drug‐resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), a syndrome with a characteristic history and seizure semiology. In the early 1990s, it was recognized that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could detect HS. The standard MRI protocol for temporal lobe abnormalities uses coronal slices perpendicular to the long axis of the hippocampus. The MRI features of HS include reduced hippocampal volume, increased signal intensity on T2‐weighted imaging, and disturbed internal architecture. The histopathologic diagnosis of HS is usually straightforward, with neuronal loss and chronic fibrillary gliosis centered on the pyramidal cell layer. There are several patterns or subtypes of HS recognized from surgical series based on qualitative or quantified assessments of regional neuronal loss. The pathologic changes of HS include granule cell dispersion, mossy fiber sprouting, and alterations to interneurons. There may also be more extensive sclerosis of adjacent structures in the medial temporal lobe, including the amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus. Subtle cortical neuropathologies may accompany HS. The revised classification of dysplasias in epilepsy denotes these as focal cortical dysplasias type IIIa. Sometimes, HS occurs with a second lesion, either in the temporal lobe or extratemporal, most often ipsilateral to the HS. HS on preoperative MRI strongly predicts good seizure outcome following temporal lobe resection (TLR). If adequate MRI shows no structural correlate in patients with MTLE, functional imaging studies are valuable, especially if they are in agreement with ictal electroencephalography (EEG) findings. Focal hypometabolism on 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (FDG‐PET) ipsilateral to the symptomatic temporal lobe predicts a good surgical outcome; the added value of11C‐Flumazenil‐PET (FMZ‐PET) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is less clear. Surgical methods have evolved, particularly resecting less tissue, aiming to preserve function without compromising seizure outcome. Around two thirds of patients operated for MTLE with HS obtain seizure freedom. However, the best surgical approach to optimize seizure outcome remains controversial.
The outlook for adults with epileptic seizure(s) associated with cerebral cavernous malformations or arteriovenous malformations
Authors: Al‐Shahi Salman Rustam
Published: September 2012

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are common: their asymptomatic prevalence on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is 1 in 625 and 1 in 2,000, respectively. The risk of epileptic seizure(s) for people with AVMs and CCMs affects their domestic, social, and professional lives, and may influence their decisions about treatment. This article summarizes the seizure risks for people with AVMs and CCMs, gleaned from published original articles indexed in OVID Medline and Embase before 1 January 2012. In the absence of prior intracranial hemorrhage and nonhemorrhagic focal neurologic deficit, a population‐based study in Scotland, United Kingdom, found that the 5‐year risks of first seizure were 8% for AVM and 4% for CCM; presentation with intracranial hemorrhage or focal neurologic deficit raised this risk for AVM (23%) but not for CCM (6%). Features associated with the occurrence of epileptic seizures for CCM are lesion multiplicity and cortical CCM location, whereas for AVM the most consistently reported associations are younger age, temporal location, cortical involvement, and nidus diameter >3 cm. In the absence of prior intracranial hemorrhage and nonhemorrhagic focal neurologic deficit, the 5‐year risk of developing epilepsy following a first seizure is 58% for AVM and 94% for CCM, though there is no difference in the chance of achieving 2‐year seizure freedom in this time frame (45% AVM vs. 47% CCM). Observational case series describe encouraging differences in seizure frequency before and after AVM and CCM treatment, but the shortage of studies demonstrating dramatic effects in comparison to concurrent control groups justifies the need for more controlled studies, ideally with randomized treatment allocation when the benefits of AVM or CCM treatment are uncertain.
Alcohol and drugs in epilepsy: Pathophysiology, presentation, possibilities, and prevention
Authors: Leach John Paul , Mohanraj Rajiv , Borland William
Published: September 2012

The potentially serious outcomes from ingestion of and dependence on toxins make this an important topic for epileptologists. We must be aware of the potential for harm from compounds that may be freely available, yet patients may try to conceal their use. Problematic compounds may cause seizures either acutely or on withdrawal: Their use may reduce effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs, or may simply promote and enhance chaotic lifestyles. Any or all of these factors may worsen seizure control or even directly cause seizures. This article highlights the pathophysiology behind provoked seizures, provides clues to diagnosis, and then outlines the steps that clinicians should take to reduce the deleterious effects of toxic compounds.
How should we be searching for genes for common epilepsy? A critique and a prescription
Authors: Greenberg David A. , Stewart William C. L.
Published: September 2012

Despite enormous data collection and analysis efforts, the genetic influences on common epilepsies remain mostly unknown. We propose that reasons for the lack of progress can be traced to three factors: (1) A reluctance to consider fine‐grained phenotype definitions based on extensive and carefully collected clinical data; (2) the pursuit of genetic analysis methods that are popular but poorly conceived and are inadequate to the task of resolving the problems inherent in common disease studies; (3) preconceived ideas about the genetic mechanisms that cause epilepsy (which we have discussed elsewhere). We propose a paradigm for finding epilepsy‐related loci and alleles that has proven successful in other common diseases.
Complex single gene disorders and epilepsy
Authors: Merwick Aine , O’Brien Margaret , Delanty Norman
Published: September 2012

Epilepsy is a heterogenous group of disorders, often associated with significant comorbidity, such as intellectual disability and skin disorder. The genetic underpinnings of many epilepsies are still being elucidated, and we expect further advances over the coming 5 years, as genetic technology improves and prices fall for whole exome and whole genome sequencing. At present, there are several well‐characterized complex epilepsies associated with single gene disorders; we review some of these here. They include well‐recognized syndromes such as tuberous sclerosis complex, epilepsy associated with Rett syndrome, some of the progressive myoclonic epilepsies, and novel disorders such as epilepsy associated with mutations in the PCDH 19 gene. These disorders are important in informing genetic testing to confirm a diagnosis and to permit better understanding of the variability in phenotype–genotype correlation.
Mitochondrial diseases and epilepsy
Authors: Bindoff Laurence A. , Engelsen Bernt A.
Published: September 2012

The mitochondrial respiratory chain is the final common pathway for energy production. Defects affecting this pathway can give rise to disease that presents at any age and affects any tissue. However, irrespective of genetic defect, epilepsy is common and there is a significant risk of status epilepticus. This review summarizes our current understanding of the epilepsy that occurs in mitochondrial disease, focusing on three of the most common disorders: mitochondrial myopathy encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke‐like episodes (MELAS), myoclonus epilepsy and ragged‐red fibers (MERRF), and polymerase gamma (POLG) related disease. In addition, we review the pathogenesis and possible treatment of these disorders.