bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Positive lifestyle changes following urological cancer diagnoses – an Australian interview based study
Authors: Cerimagic Sabina , Ahmadi Nariman , Gurney Howard , Hossack Tania , Patel Manish I.
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnic Australian urological cancer patients and the positive life changes that those patients report after cancer diagnosis.

Design/methodology/approach

– A sample of 50 Australian urological cancer patients of ethnic origin were chosen to participate in this study. One-on-one semi structured interviews were conducted with the patients.

Findings

– Cancer diagnosis often serves as an impetus for making positive lifestyle changes. Most (98 per cent) of this study’s participants reported that they made positive lifestyle changes following a diagnosis of cancer. Those positive lifestyle changes include: greater appreciation of health and life (100 per cent); improved diet (94 per cent); closer relationships with family and friends (90 per cent); more frequent visits to the doctor for check-ups (74 per cent); increased physical activity (48 per cent); starting a new hobby (36 per cent); greater knowledge about their health in general (32 per cent) and increased spirituality (22 per cent).

Research limitations/implications

– The limitation of this study is the small sample of patients with ethnic diversity specific to western Sydney. Larger multicentre studies across Australia are required to confirm the findings. Additionally, this study focused on positive life changes, because 98 per cent of the participants reported positive lifestyle changes after diagnosis. However, there are related negative health behaviour changes, which this study has not addressed in depth. Furthermore, a comparison between positive life changes of ethnic Australian patients’ against the experience of post cancer diagnosis of non-ethnic Australian patients could investigate this issue further and possibly provide further insight.

Originality/value

– The majority (98 per cent) of the participants report positive lifestyle changes following urological cancer diagnoses. The patient population of predominantly elderly (84 per cent), males (90 per cent) differs from the current literate which states that positive lifestyle changes (posttraumatic growth) are mainly found to be significantly correlated to being female, younger and non-white and greater event severity.
Sex trafficking and the role of state police within Australia
Authors: Elfes Angeleke , Birch Philip
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine operational policing practice with reference to reducing sex trafficking.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is a qualitative study in which in-depth structured interviews were conducted with state police officers in one state of Australia.

Findings

– The paper reveals that state police officers have a good understanding of sex trafficking and are involved in reactive policing methods in order to reduce this crime type. The data set yields a limitation in proactive policing methods for reducing sex trafficking, primarily due to human and financial resources and the composition of state and federal laws and policing practices in Australia. Those interviewed also noted how sex trafficking can disguise itself as legitimate sex work.

Research limitations/implications

– The effectiveness in operational practice at the local, national and international level in reducing sex trafficking can be enhanced through a more co-ordinated response to the problem. Recognition of better communication strategies and partnership working can support a reduction in sex trafficking as well as allowing those who are trafficked the status of “victim”.

Practical implications

– To ensure those who are trafficked for sexual servitude are viewed and treated as victims within the law. To review how state police forces in Australia are resourced in order to proactively address sex trafficking. To ensure state police forces can engage in more proactive policing initiatives in order to prevent sex trafficking. Reflect on examples of good practice between federal and state police forces in Australia to implement a co-ordinated approach for combatting sex trafficking.

Originality/value

– This is one of just a few studies examining organised crime from the perspective of law enforcement personnel within Australia.
Evaluating the mental health of recently arrived refugee adults in Western Australia
Authors: Lillee Alyssa , Thambiran Aesen , Laugharne Jonathan
Published: June 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to measure the levels of psychological distress in adults entering Western Australia (WA) as refugees through the Australian Humanitarian Programme. To determine if the introduction of mental health screening instruments impacts on the level of referrals for further psychological/psychiatric assessment and treatment.

Design/methodology/approach

– Participants were 300 consecutive consenting refugee adults attending the Humanitarian Entrant Health Service in Perth, WA. This service is government funded for the general health screening of refugees. The Kessler-10 (K10) and the World Health Organisation’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screener were the principal outcome measures used.

Findings

– Refugees had a high rate of current probable PTSD (17.2 per cent) as measured with the PTSD screener and mean K10 scores were significantly higher than general population norms. The K10 showed high accuracy for discriminating those with or without probable PTSD. Being married and having more children increased the risk of probable PTSD. In regard to region of origin, refugees from Western and Southern Asia had significantly higher scores on both screeners followed by those from Africa with those from South-Eastern Asia having the lowest scores. Referral rate for psychiatric/psychological treatment was 18 per cent compared to 4.2 per cent in the year prior to the study.

Practical implications

– This study demonstrates increased psychological distress including a high rate of probable PTSD in a recently arrived multi-ethnic refugee population and also demonstrates significant variations based on region of origin. In addition, it supports the feasibility of using brief screening instruments to improve identification and referral of refugees with significant psychological distress in the context of a comprehensive general medical review.

Originality/value

– This was an Australian study conducted in a non-psychiatric setting. The outcomes of this study pertain to refugee mental health assessed in a general health setting. The implications of the study findings are of far reaching relevance, inclusive of primary care doctors and general physicians as well as mental health clinicians. In particular the authors note that the findings of this study are to the authors’ knowledge unique in the refugee mental health literature as the participants are recently arrived refugees from diverse ethnic groups.
Neurometabolic Effect of Altaian Fungus Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi Mushroom) in Rats Under Moderate Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Shevelev Oleg B. , Akulov Andrey E. , Dotsenko Anna S. , Kontsevaya Galina V. , Zolotykh Mariya A. , Gerlinskaya Lyudmila A. , Veprev Sergey G. , Goryachkovskaya Tat'yana N. , Zhukova Natal'ya A. , Kolchanov Nikolay A. , Pel'tek Sergey E. , Moshkin Mikhail P.
Published: June 2015

Background

The medications produced from natural products are widely used as prophylactics for sickness induced by alcohol consumption. One such prophylactic is produced from the Reishi mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum. Because of the antioxidant properties of these preparations, we expect neuroprotective prophylactic effects of Reishi‐based medications in alcohol‐treated animals.

Methods

The Reishi (R) suspension was produced as water extract from Altaian mushrooms. Sprague–Dawley male rats were separated into the following 3 experimental groups: Group A + R received R (6 days per week) starting 1 week before alcohol exposure, and during the next 3 weeks, they received both R and alcohol; group A received alcohol; and group C received water. At the end of experiment, we determined the metabolic profile using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) of the brain cortex and phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the liver. Additionally, the blood cells were collected, and the serum biochemistry and liver histology were performed after euthanasia.

Results

Partial least squares discriminant analysis processing of the brain 1H MRS gave 2 axes, the Y1 axis positively correlated with the level of taurine and negatively correlated with the level of lactate, and the Y2 axis positively correlated with the content of GABA and glycine and negatively correlated with the sum of the excitatory neurotransmitters, glutamate and glutamine. The Y1 values reflecting the brain energetics for the A + R group exceeded the corresponding values for groups C and A. The maximal level of Y2 reflecting the prevalence of inhibitory metabolites in the brain was observed in the rats exposed to alcohol. Moderate alcohol consumption did not cause significant pathological changes in the livers of the experimental animals. However, 20 days of alcohol consumption significantly increased the number of binuclear hepatocytes compared to the control. This effect was mitigated in the rats that received the Reishi extract.

Conclusions

Regular administration of the Reishi suspension improved the energy supply to the brain cortex and decreased the prevalence of inhibitory neurotransmitters that are characteristic of alcohol consumption. The alcohol‐induced increase in liver proliferation was significantly suppressed by regular administration of the G. lucidum water suspension.
Activation of the interleukin‐6/Janus kinase/STAT3 pathway in pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland
Authors: Andreasen Simon , Therkildsen Marianne Hamilton , Grauslund Morten , Friis‐Hansen Lennart , Wessel Irene , Homøe Preben
Published: June 2015

The interleukin‐6 (IL‐6)/Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway is of crucial importance in promoting tumorigenesis in several malignant tumors but may also be active in benign tumors, e.g., of pleomorphic adenoma (PA). In this study we characterize the expression of the pathway components with immunohistochemistry and selected mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) regulated by this pathway in isolated duct‐ and myoepithelial cells in PA. 46 PAs were immunostained and 10 of these were used for in situ hybridization (ISH). Six frozen specimens were analyzed using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). Using immunohistochemistry, IL‐6, JAK1, JAK2 and STAT3 were detected significantly more frequently in PA cells than in cells from normal salivary gland tissue. Using RT‐PCR cyclin D1, fibroblast growth factor 2, and p21 were found to be overexpressed while matrix metallopeptidase 9 was detected at low levels in PA compared to normal salivary gland. ISH showed significant overexpression of miR‐181b in PA, while miR‐21 was undetectable in PA and normal tissue. Overexpression of the pathway components and its mRNA and miRNA products provide important clues regarding the growth of PAs. Our findings brings us one step closer to targeted treatment of this tumor entity, although in vitro studies are warranted to confirm this.
Relations of Care: The Contexts for Immigrant Care Workers in Northern Italy
Authors: Meyer Patti
Published: June 2015

This article provides insight into the experiences of South American low‐wage, immigrant care workers who provide care to elders in private homes in Genoa, Italy. An analysis of data collected during fieldwork in 2009–2010 focuses on the larger context of labor unions in Italy, the very intimate context of the home as worksite, and care worker strategies in this work sector. Using Aihwa Ong's concept of “self‐engineering” by workers in a neoliberal economy to examine how workers in this context negotiate their work lives demonstrates both the usefulness and limitations of this important concept in home‐based labor.
Longing for “Normal” Post‐Fordism: Cape Verdean Labor‐Power on a Lisbon Periphery in Crisis
Authors: Weeks Samuel
Published: June 2015

Starting in the late 1970s, Cape Verdean labor‐power became indispensable in a number of sectors of the Portuguese economy, no longer merely filling gaps but serving as a vital part of the workforce in key industries such as civil construction and cleaning services. Assuming a central role in the productive process, these largely “low‐skilled” immigrants came to form a reserve army of labor in the fragmented service‐sector economy of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Although they come from diverse backgrounds and belong to different migratory phases, Cape Verdeans continue to be concentrated in the most precarious and poorly paid strata of the Portuguese labor market. The tenuous situation of most Cape Verdean immigrants has made them especially vulnerable to the post‐2010 economic downturn and the accompanying IMF‐mandated structural changes and liberalization measures. In this paper, I examine the trajectory of four Cape Verdean workers in the Portuguese labor market prior to 2010 and during the current “crisis economy.” While these accounts differ in the details, they are alike in how my interviewees have seen their daily lives become more difficult and insecure. In addition to exploring this sequence of events, I contextualize these case studies within the extant literature on precarity. In this regard, I identify a temporal gap in concept of precarity as it has been theorized to date. Whereas most scholars juxtapose the stability of the Fordist period with the precariousness of our post‐Fordist times, I wish to highlight how my interviewees simply long for a return to pre‐crisis post‐Fordism, not Fordism per se.
Detection of peri‐implant bone defects with different radiographic techniques – a human cadaver study
Authors: Kühl Sebastian , Zürcher Silvia , Zitzmann Nicola U. , Filippi Andreas , Payer Michael , Dagassan‐Berndt Dorothea
Published: June 2015

Objectives

Two‐ and three‐dimensional radiographic techniques are available to determine peri‐implantitis‐related bone loss around dental implants.

Purpose

To compare the performance of detecting different peri‐implant bone defects in intraoral radiography (IR), panoramic radiography (PR), Cone Beam Computer Tomography (CBCT) and Computer Tomography (CT).

Material and methods

Six implants were inserted under ideal conditions into the lower jaw of an edentulous human cadaver. IR, PR, CBCT and CT were performed. Two‐wall, three‐wall and four‐wall defects with 1 mm depth were artificially created around two of the implants (one anterior and one posterior), and radiographies were repeated. The identical set‐up was used for 3‐mm‐deep bone defects. All images were presented to seven observers. Sensitivity (SN) and specificity (SP) were determined for each modality, defect type and depths, and likelihood ratios were calculated.

Results

The highest sensitivity was found with IR and CBCT for 1 mm (0.67; 0.68) and 3‐mm defects (0.81; 0.79). The highest specificity was found with IR for both defect depths (0.51). The best classification of defect type revealed PR for both 1‐mm and 3‐mm‐deep defects. Both likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR−) were best for IR with 1‐mm (1.37 and 0.65) and with 3‐mm defects (1.65 and 0.37).

Conclusions

IR should still be recommended as favourable method evaluating bone loss around dental implants, while CT demonstrated the lowest performance in detecting peri‐implant bone defects.
Linking sedimentary sulfur and iron biogeochemistry to growth patterns of a cold‐water coral mound in the Porcupine Basin, S.W. Ireland (IODP Expedition 307)
Authors: Wehrmann L. M. , Titschack J. , Böttcher M. E. , Ferdelman T. G.
Published: June 2015

Challenger Mound, a 150‐m‐high cold‐water coral mound on the eastern flank of the Porcupine Seabight off SW Ireland, was drilled during Expedition 307 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). Retrieved cores offer unique insight into an archive of Quaternary paleo‐environmental change, long‐term coral mound development, and the diagenetic alteration of these carbonate fabrics over time. To characterize biogeochemical carbon–iron–sulfur transformations in the mound sediments, the contents of dithionite‐ and HCl‐extractable iron phases, iron monosulfide and pyrite, and acid‐extractable calcium, magnesium, manganese, and strontium were determined. Additionally, the stable isotopic compositions of pore‐water sulfate and solid‐phase reduced sulfur compounds were analyzed. Sulfate penetrated through the mound sequence and into the underlying Miocene sediments, where a sulfate–methane transition zone was identified. Small sulfate concentration decreases (<7 mm) within the top 40 m of the mound suggested slow net rates of present‐day organoclastic sulfate reduction. Increasing δ34S‐sulfate values due to microbial sulfate reduction mirrored the decrease in sulfate concentrations. This process was accompanied by oxygen isotope exchange with water that was indicated by increasing δ18O‐sulfate values, reaching equilibrium with pore‐water at depth. Below 50 mbsf, sediment intervals with strong 34S‐enriched imprints on chromium‐reducible sulfur (pyrite S), high degree‐of‐pyritization values, and semi‐lithified diagenetic carbonate‐rich layers characterized by poor coral preservation, were observed. These layers provided evidence for the occurrence of enhanced microbial sulfate‐reducing activity in the mound in the past during periods of rapid mound aggradation and subsequent intervals of non‐deposition or erosion when geochemical fronts remained stationary. During these periods, especially during the Early Pleistocene, elevated sulfate reduction rates facilitated the consumption of reducible iron oxide phases, coral dissolution, and the subsequent formation of carbonate cements.
Diverse associations among coral host haplotypes and algal endosymbionts may drive adaptation at geographically peripheral and ecologically marginal locations
Authors: Noreen Annika M. E. , Schmidt‐Roach Sebastian , Harrison Peter L. , van Oppen Madeleine J. H.
Published: June 2015

Aim

To understand the evolutionary history and local adaptation of marginal, subtropical populations of a common reef‐building coral (genusPocillopora) and theirSymbiodiniumendosymbionts.

Location

Subtropical coastal (Solitary Islands, Flinders Reef) and offshore (Lord Howe Island, Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef) eastern Australia and the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Methods

Coral genetic diversity and identity were assessed by sequence analysis of a mitochondrial (mtDNA) region (ORF), aPCR‐based mtDNAscreening assay, and microsatellite loci. The identity of theSymbiodiniumwas determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of nuclearrDNA ITS2.

Results

The mitochondrial haplotypePocillopora damicornisType α was present at all locations: 100% on theGBRand Flinders Reef, 85% and 87% respectively at Middleton Reef and Elizabeth Reef, 25% at Lord Howe Island and 5% at the Solitary Islands. An additional haplotype was observed at the Solitary Islands (corresponding to the recently describedPocillopora aliciae), and a third haplotype at the offshore high‐latitude reefs (termed the Lord Howe Island haplotype). Congruent with the mtDNAresults, microsatellite markers showed the same three population clusters. OneSymbiodiniumprofile occurred in 100% of the samples at two of the threeGBRreefs and Flinders Reef, and a different profile occurred in all colonies analysed from Lord Howe Island. These two profiles were observed at Middleton and Elizabeth reefs in association with bothP. damicornisType α and the Lord Howe Island coral haplotype. Two uniqueSymbiodiniumprofiles were detected at the Solitary Islands.

Main conclusions

We detected evidence for local adaptation of subtropical coral andSymbiodinium, flexible coral–Symbiodiniumassociations, and the presence of transition zones that may contain evolutionarily significant novelty.
Commentary: A glass half full or half empty? Cognitive bias modification for mental health problems in children and adolescents – reflections on the meta‐analysis by Cristea et al. (2015)
Authors: Lau Jennifer Y. F.
Published: June 2015

The last decade has cognitive bias modification (CBM) training paradigms, emerging first as an experimental test of the causal role of information‐processing biases on mood and anxiety symptoms, and then, as the clinical implications of these findings were realised, as a potential clinical ‘vaccine’ that could be used to modify biases and reduce symptoms. CBM is an umbrella term for methods designed to modify cognitive factors that maintain psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression through simple repetitive learning. Two biases that have most often been targeted by these training programs are the tendency to orient attention towards threat and distortions in the interpretation of ambiguous situations. This commentary reflects on an accompanying meta‐analysis by Crsitea et al., which pooled effect sizes from over 20 statistical comparisons between a CBM group and a control group on post‐training measures of mental health (mostly anxiety and depression). Cristea et al. reported that any CBM training‐associated difference on measures of anxiety and depression were weak and non‐significant (although training effects were generally evident on measures of cognitive biases). Heterogeneity across studies was high, but with exception to the setting in which CBM was delivered (home, school, laboratory or mental health facility), there was no persuasive evidence for significant moderation of training effects by other key variables. In their conclusions the authors suggested that CBM had little clinical utility and that it was unclear whether positive results in any individual study arose from experimenter or participant bias. So if the glass is half empty, what should the next stage of CBM research usefully focus on?
The Importance of Context in the Genetic Transmission of U.S. Party Identification
Authors: Fazekas Zoltán , Littvay Levente
Published: June 2015

In this study, we discuss one example where behavior genetic findings vary greatly across political contexts. We present original findings on how party identification is heritable around the 2008 election on a sample of twins from Minnesota. As this is in contrast with findings from the late 1980s and with how a mid‐2000 study interpreted their results, we explain how the increasing partisan ideological polarization could be responsible for these seemingly contradictory findings. In the Minnesota sample, we show a genetic correlation between party identification and ideology, a finding consistent in the political science literature. We highlight how heritability of political characteristics, like all others, is population specific and highly context dependent stressing its nondeterministic nature.
Emotion regulation of the affect‐modulated startle reflex during different picture categories
Authors: Conzelmann Annette , McGregor Victoria , Pauli Paul
Published: June 2015

Previous studies on emotion regulation of the startle reflex found an increase in startle amplitude from down‐, to non‐, to up‐regulation for pleasant and unpleasant stimuli. We wanted to clarify whether this regulation effect remains stable for different picture categories within pleasant and unpleasant picture sets. We assessed startle amplitude of 31 participants during down‐, non‐, or up‐regulation of feelings elicited by pleasant erotic and adventure and unpleasant victim and threat pictures. Startle amplitude was smaller during adventure and erotic compared to victim and threat pictures and increased from down‐, to non‐, to up‐regulation independently of the picture category. Results indicate that the motivational priming effect on startle modulation elicited by different picture categories is independent of emotion regulation instructions. In addition, the emotion regulation effect is independent of motivational priming effects.
Representative Bureaucracy and the Willingness to Coproduce: An Experimental Study
Authors: Riccucci Norma M. , Van Ryzin Gregg G. , Li Huafang
Published: June 2015

Relying on the theory of representative bureaucracy—specifically, the notion of symbolic representation—this article examines whether varying the number of female public officials overseeing a local recycling program influences citizens’ (especially women's) willingness to cooperate with the government by recycling, thus coproducing important policy outcomes. Using a survey experiment in which the first names of public officials are manipulated, the authors find a clear pattern of increasing willingness on the part of women to coproduce when female names are more represented in the agency responsible for recycling, particularly with respect to the more difficult task of composting food waste. Overall, men in the experiment were less willing to coproduce across all measures and less responsive to the gender balance of names. These findings have important implications for the theory of representative bureaucracy and for efforts to promote the coproduction of public services.
The European Single Currency Project and the Concept of Convergence for European Welfare States – The Ideal and the Reality
Authors: Haynes Philip
Published: June 2015

Using a country comparative case based methodology that combines the methods of Cluster Analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis, this article examines whether there is any quantitative evidence that countries which are members of the euro currency have experienced a convergence of the outputs and outcome of the European welfare state for euro member countries. The analysis concludes there is little evidence of a holistic euro based convergence of either welfare outputs or outcome. It is argued that outputs such as full employment, equity of health care provision, poverty reduction and educational attainment might reasonably be expected to converge in the longer term, but only if the euro crisis results in a much more planned and coordinated interventionist policy approach to the macro political economy. An outcome, however, such as subjective well‐being, is potentially influenced by other historical and cultural factors and is only partially determined by macro political economic policy.
Comparisons of Rotordynamic Characteristics Predictions for Annular Gas Seals Using the Transient Computational Fluid Dynamic Method Based on Different Single-Frequency and Multifrequency Rotor Whirling Models
Authors: Li Zhigang , Li Jun , Feng Zhenping
Published: June 2015

The three-dimensional (3D) transient computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method was proposed to predict rotordynamic coefficients for annular gas seals. This transient CFD method uses unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solution technique and mesh deformation theory, which requires a rotor whirling model as the rotor excitation signal to solve the transient leakage flow field in seal and obtain the transient fluid response forces on the rotor surface. A fully partitioned pocket damper seal (FPDS) was taken as the test object to validate the present numerical method. Comparisons were made between experimental data and rotordynamic coefficient predictions using the three variations of the single-frequency and multiple-frequency rotor whirling models: (1) one-dimensional whirling model, (2) circular orbit whirling model, and (3) elliptical orbit whirling model. The numerical results show that the rotordynamic coefficients predicted by the present CFD method and six different rotor whirling models all agree well with the experiment data, and nearly coincide for all rotor whirling models. The proposed transient CFD method can be used to perform a reasonably accurate prediction of the frequency-dependent rotordynamic coefficients for annular gas seals based on any one of the present six rotor whirling models, as long as ensuring the combination of these whirling model parameters captures the small perturbation theory. The rotor whirling parameters such as whirling orbit, amplitude, and frequency number are important in predicting rotor whirling motion and fluid response forces, but have almost no effect on the computed rotordynamic coefficients. The benefit of the multiple-frequency rotor whirling models is the ability to calculate accurate rotordynamic coefficients of annular gas seals in a wide frequency range with a simulation time on the order of one-tenth the cost of the single-frequency whirling models.
Modeling the Effect of Stability Bleed on Back-Pressure in Mixed-Compression Supersonic Inlets
Authors: Yongzhao Lv , Qiushi Li , Shaobin Li
Published: June 2015

To stabilize the terminal normal shock on high-static pressure at outlet, called back-pressure pout, stability bleed slots are used in the throat of mixed-compression supersonic inlets. In this paper, a model for the functional relation between the bleed flow rate mbl and back-pressure pout is established based on a bleed flow rate model (BFRM) in order to study the effect of stability bleed on the back-pressure in mixed-compression supersonic inlets. Given the inlet flow parameters Min, pin*, and Tin*, the plenum pressure ppl at slots' outlet, the terminal normal shock position xs in this model, the bleed flow rate mbl, Mach number M¯out, and back-pressure pout were derived one by one from the basic laws of conservation. To study the effect of plenum pressure ppl on subsonic flow of the divergent section behind the terminal normal shock, a correction coefficient κ is introduced to modify the Mach number M¯out. Furthermore, numerical simulations based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations were performed to analyze the functional relation between the bleed flow rate mbl and back-pressure pout. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results show that the present model agrees with the data.
Effects of Humidity Condensation on the Trend of Gas Turbine Performance Deterioration
Authors: Hanachi Houman , Liu Jie , Banerjee Avisekh , Chen Ying
Published: June 2015

Performance deterioration in gas turbine engines (GTEs) depends on various factors in the ambient and the operating conditions. For example, humidity condensation at the inlet duct of a GTE creates water mist, which affects the fouling phenomena in the compressor and varies the performance. In this paper, the effective factors on the short-term performance deterioration of a GTE are identified and studied. GTE performance level is quantified with two physics-based performance indicators, calculated from the recorded operating data from the control system of a GTE over a full time between overhaul (TBO) period. A regularized particle filtering (RPF) framework is developed for filtering the indicator signals, and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is then trained with the filtered signals and the effective ambient and the operating conditions, i.e., the power, the air mass flow, and the humidity condensation rate. The trained ANFIS model is then run to simulate the GTE performance deterioration in different conditions for system identification. The extracted behavior of the system clearly shows the dependency of the trend of performance deterioration on the operating conditions, especially the humidity condensation rate. The developed technique and the results can be utilized for GTE performance prediction, as well as for suggesting the optimum humidity supply at the GTE intake to control the performance deterioration rate.
Effects of H2 plasma treatment on the electrical properties of titanium-doped indium oxide films prepared by polymer-assisted deposition
Authors: Hwang Joo-Sang , Lee Ji-Myon , Vishwanath Sujaya Kumar , Kim Jihoon
Published: June 2015

The effects of hydrogen (H2) plasma on the optical and electrical properties of titanium-doped InO (TIO) grown on glass substrates using polymer-assisted deposition are reported. Samples were exposed to H2 plasma formed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP). After plasma treatment at a power of 100 W, the sheet resistance of the TIO films decreased from 11 000 to 285 Ω/sq. Additionally, the Hall mobility and sheet carrier concentration of the films increased as the ICP source power was increased to 100 W, without affecting the optical transmittance of the films, due to the removal of the polymer residues and the formation of oxygen vacancies.
Growth of microscopic cones on titanium cathodes of sputter-ion pumps driven by sorption of large argon quantities
Authors: Porcelli Tommaso , Siviero Fabrizio , Bongiorno Gero A. , Michelato Paolo , Pagani Carlo
Published: June 2015

Microscopic cones have been observed on titanium cathodes of sputter-ion pumps (SIPs) after pump operation. The cones were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Size and morphology of these cones are clearly correlated with the nature and the relative amount of each gas species pumped by each SIP during its working life. In particular, their growth was found to be fed by sputtering mechanisms, mostly during Ar pumping, and to be driven by the electromagnetic field applied to the Penning cells of each SIP. Experimental findings suggest that the formation and extent of such conic structures on cathode surfaces might play a leading role in the onset of phenomena typically related to the functioning of SIPs, e.g., the so-called argon instability.
Technical Note: Relation between dual‐energy subtraction of CT images for electron density calibration and virtual monochromatic imaging
Authors: Saito Masatoshi
Published: June 2015

Purpose:

For accurate tissue inhomogeneity correction in radiotherapy treatment planning, the author previously proposed a simple conversion of the energy‐subtracted computed tomography (CT) number to an electron density (ΔHU–ρe conversion), which provides a single linear relationship between ΔHU and ρe over a wide ρe range. The purpose of the present study was to reveal the relation between the ΔHU image for ρe calibration and a virtually monochromatic CT image by performing numerical analyses based on the basis material decomposition in dual‐energy CT.

Methods:

The author determined the weighting factor, α0, of the ΔHU–ρe conversion through numerical analyses of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements Report‐46 human body tissues using their attenuation coefficients and given ρe values. Another weighting factor, α(E), for synthesizing a virtual monochromatic CT image from high‐ and low‐kV CT images, was also calculated in the energy range of 0.03 < E < 5 MeV, assuming that cortical bone and water were the basis materials. The mass attenuation coefficients for these materials were obtained using the xcom photon cross sections database. The effective x‐ray energies used to calculate the attenuation were chosen to imitate a dual‐source CT scanner operated at 80–140 and 100–140 kV/Sn.

Results:

The determined α0 values were 0.455 for 80–140 kV/Sn and 0.743 for 100–140 kV/Sn. These values coincided almost perfectly with the respective maximal points of the calculated α(E) curves located at approximately 1 MeV, in which the photon‐matter interaction in human body tissues is exclusively the incoherent (Compton) scattering.

Conclusions:

The ΔHU image could be regarded substantially as a CT image acquired with monoenergetic 1‐MeV photons, which provides a linear relationship between CT numbers and electron densities.
Technical Note: Convergence analysis of a polyenergetic SART algorithm
Authors: Humphries T.
Published: June 2015

Purpose:

The authors analyze a recently proposed polyenergetic version of the simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART). This algorithm, denoted polyenergetic SART (pSART), replaces the monoenergetic forward projection operation used by SART with a postlog, polyenergetic forward projection, while leaving the rest of the algorithm unchanged. While the proposed algorithm provides good results empirically, convergence of the algorithm was not established mathematically in the original paper.

Methods:

The authors analyze pSART as a nonlinear fixed point iteration by explicitly computing the Jacobian of the iteration. A necessary condition for convergence is that the spectral radius of the Jacobian, evaluated at the fixed point, is less than one. A short proof of convergence for SART is also provided as a basis for comparison.

Results:

The authors show that the pSART algorithm is not guaranteed to converge, in general. The Jacobian of the iteration depends on several factors, including the system matrix and how one models the energy dependence of the linear attenuation coefficient. The authors provide a simple numerical example that shows that the spectral radius of the Jacobian matrix is not guaranteed to be less than one. A second set of numerical experiments using realistic CT system matrices, however, indicates that conditions for convergence are likely to be satisfied in practice.

Conclusions:

Although pSART is not mathematically guaranteed to converge, their numerical experiments indicate that it will tend to converge at roughly the same rate as SART for system matrices of the type encountered in CT imaging. Thus, the authors conclude that the algorithm is still a useful method for reconstruction of polyenergetic CT data.
Brain implant trials raise ethical concerns
Authors: Underwood Emily
Published: June 2015

NIH workshop delves into challenges of testing invasive neuromodulation technology.
Got a startup? Rent a bench
Authors: Gura Trisha
Published: June 2015

Biotech incubators such as LabCentral are lowering barriers to entrepreneurship.
Small animal imaging: Data that's more than skin deep
Authors: Perkel Jeffrey M.
Published: June 2015

To minimize complexity, researchers often study cellular proteins or nucleic acids in isolation. But sometimes—when testing a drug's efficacy and safety, for instance, or monitoring tumor progression—ex vivo just won't do. The only way to know how a compound or cells will behave in the body is to put them into an animal and watch what happens live. The results are easily recognizable in the pages of your favorite journal: the ghostly outline of a mouse, with a telltale multicolored heat bloom indicating where the action is.

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Response to Comment on “Principles of ER cotranslational translocation revealed by proximity-specific ribosome profiling”
Authors: Jan Calvin H. , Williams Christopher C. , Weissman Jonathan S.
Published: June 2015

Reid and Nicchitta propose that most cellular translation is carried out by a noncycling pool of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–associated ribosomes. However, proximity-specific ribosome profiling data place an upper bound of about 7 to 16% on the fraction of cytosolic protein translation carried out by ribosomes accessible to ER-tethered biotin ligases. Moreover, yeast pulse-labeling experiments argue against there being a static population of ER-associated ribosomes.
Economical routes to colloidal nanocrystals
Authors: Hens Zeger
Published: June 2015

A new precursor library yields high-quality quantum dots for device applications

[Also see Report by

Hendricks
et al.

]
Bringing PGE
2
in from the cold
Authors: FitzGerald Garret A.
Published: June 2015

A small molecule that prevents the breakdown of a prostaglandin promotes tissue regeneration

[Also see Research Article by

Zhang
et al.

]
The entrepreneurial gardeners
Authors: Quadir Iqbal
Published: June 2015

In 2008, a Ghanaian entrepreneur established a drug company in her country. This motivated a young Ghanaian woman to study biotechnology, and a Ghanaian man, employed at a U.S. pharmaceutical company, to return to Ghana. In the past decade, enterprising young Nigerians with few resources went to China and found ways to bring cheap computers and other equipment home, allowing Nigerian students to access the Internet and learn. Profit-driven entrepreneurs like these, big and small, are promoting learning in low-income countries in different fields, including science and engineering. How can this process be furthered and accelerated in such countries?
Cerebral Toxocariasis: Silent Progression to Neurodegenerative Disorders?
Authors: Fan Chia-Kwung , Holland Celia V. , Loxton Karen , Barghouth Ursula
Published: June 2015

Toxocara canisandT. catiare highly prevalent nematode infections of the intestines of dogs and cats. In paratenic hosts, larvae do not mature in the intestine but instead migrate through the somatic tissues and organs of the body. The presence of these migrating larvae can contribute to pathology.Toxocaralarvae can invade the brains of humans, and while case descriptions of cerebral toxocariasis are historically rare, improved diagnosis and greater awareness have contributed to increased detection. Despite this, cerebral or neurological toxocariasis (NT) remains a poorly understood phenomenon. Furthermore, our understanding of cognitive deficits due to toxocariasis in human populations remains particularly deficient. Recent data describe an enhanced expression of biomarkers associated with brain injury, such as GFAP, AβPP, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), NF-L, S100B, tTG, and p-tau, in mice receiving even low doses ofToxocaraova. Finally, this review outlines a hypothesis to explore the relationship between the presence ofT. canislarvae in the brain and the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to enhanced AD-associated neurodegenerative biomarker expression.
Accuracy of Lipoarabinomannan and Xpert MTB/RIF Testing in Cerebrospinal Fluid To Diagnose Tuberculous Meningitis in an Autopsy Cohort of HIV-Infected Adults
Authors: Cox Janneke A. , Lukande Robert L. , Kalungi Sam , Van Marck Eric , Lammens Martin , Van de Vijver Koen , Kambugu Andrew , Nelson Ann M. , Colebunders Robert , Manabe Yukari C.
Published: June 2015

Point-of-care tests for tuberculous meningitis (TBM) are needed. We studied the diagnostic accuracy of the lipoarabinomannan (LAM) lateral flow assay (LFA), LAM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Xpert MTB/RIF in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in an autopsy cohort of Ugandan HIV-infected adults. We obtained written informed consent postmortem from the next of kin. A complete autopsy was done and CSF obtained. We performed LAM LFA (on unprepared and supernatant CSF after heating and spinning), LAM ELISA, and Xpert MTB/RIF on the CSF samples. Accuracy parameters were calculated for histopathological TBM and also for the composite standard, including Xpert MTB/RIF-positive cases. We tested CSF of 91 patients. LAM LFA had a sensitivity of 75% for definite histopathological TBM, ELISA a sensitivity of 43%, and Xpert MTB/RIF a sensitivity of 100% and specificities of 87%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. LAM LFA had a sensitivity of 50% for definite and probable histopathological TBM, ELISA a sensitivity of 38%, and Xpert MTB/RIF a sensitivity of 86% and specificities of 70%, 91%, and 87%, respectively. LAM LFA had a sensitivity of 68% for the composite standard and ELISA a sensitivity of 48% and specificities of 78% and 98%, respectively. The rapid diagnostic tests detected TBM in 22% to 78% of patients not on anti-TB treatment. Point-of-care tests have high accuracy in diagnosis of TBM in deceased HIV-infected adults. LAM LFA in CSF is a useful additional diagnostic tool.
Identification of Owl Monkey CD4 Receptors Broadly Compatible with Early-Stage HIV-1 Isolates
Authors: Meyerson Nicholas R. , Sharma Amit , Wilkerson Gregory K. , Overbaugh Julie , Sawyer Sara L.
Published: June 2015

Most HIV-1 variants isolated from early-stage human infections do not use nonhuman primate versions of the CD4 receptor for cellular entry, or they do so poorly. We and others have previously shown that
CD4
has experienced strong natural selection over the course of primate speciation, but it is unclear whether this selection has influenced the functional characteristics of CD4 as an HIV-1 receptor. Surprisingly, we find that selection on
CD4
has been most intense in the New World monkeys, animals that have never been found to harbor lentiviruses related to HIV-1. Based on this, we sampled
CD4
genetic diversity within populations of individuals from seven different species, including five species of New World monkeys. We found that some, but not all,
CD4
alleles found in Spix's owl monkeys (
Aotus vociferans
) encode functional receptors for early-stage human HIV-1 isolates representing all of the major group M clades (A, B, C, and D). However, only some isolates of HIV-1 subtype C can use the CD4 receptor encoded by permissive Spix's owl monkey alleles. We characterized the prevalence of functional
CD4
alleles in a colony of captive Spix's owl monkeys and found that 88% of surveyed individuals are homozygous for permissive
CD4
alleles, which encode an asparagine at position 39 of the receptor. We found that the CD4 receptors encoded by two other species of owl monkeys (
Aotus azara
e and
Aotus nancymaae
) also serve as functional entry receptors for early-stage isolates of HIV-1.

IMPORTANCE
Nonhuman primates, particularly macaques, are used for preclinical evaluation of HIV-1 vaccine candidates. However, a significant limitation of the macaque model is the fact that most circulating HIV-1 variants cannot use the macaque CD4 receptor to enter cells and have to be adapted to these species. This is particularly true for viral variants from early stages of infection, which represent the most relevant vaccine targets. In this study, we found that some individuals from captive owl monkey populations harbor
CD4
alleles that are compatible with a broad collection of HIV-1 isolates, including those isolated from early in infection in highly affected populations and representing diverse subtypes.
Leg ulcer as a manifestation of eosinophilic vasculitis in a patient with hepatitis C virus infection, medicated with pegylated interferon/ribavirin
Authors: Resende Cristina , Pereira Teresa , Ventura Filipa , Brito Celeste
Published: June 2015

Cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis is a complication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, responding to treatment with pegylated interferon (peg-IFN)/ribavirin (RIB), but vasculitis may first appear after treatment with peg-IFN/RIB. A 35-year-old man with HCV infection presented to our department with a 2-month history of a 3.3×3 cm ulcer localised on the right shin, with a regular border, on a violaceous base. Histopathological examination revealed a leucocytoclastic vasculitis, rich in eosinophils. The patient had been treated with peg-IFN/RIB 10 months prior and treatment was discontinued after 2 months because of the appearance of arthralgias and neuropathy. Laboratory investigations revealed positive cryoglobulins, elevation of rheumatoid factor and reduction of C4 after treatment with peg-IFN/RIB. Dressings with a hydrocellular foam were placed and after 2 months the ulcer resolved. We presented this case because of the rarity of development of a cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis in a patient with HCV infection, previously treated with peg-IFN/RIB.
A rare injury to a rear seat passenger: bilateral fracture dislocation of the shoulders
Authors: Madi Sandesh , Pandey Vivek , Acharya Kiran , Peruvaje Ramakrishna Krishna Prasad
Published: June 2015

Injury prevention measures in automobiles are mainly focused on the front seat passengers and driver. In the event of a head-on collision, rear seat passengers usually escape with minimal injuries. Most commonly observed injuries to rear passengers are to the head, chest wall or lower extremities. We report a case of bilateral anterior dislocation of the shoulders with asymmetrical fractures of the greater tuberosities in a 42-year-old man who was apparently injured in a head-on collision while travelling in a car as an unstrapped rear seat passenger. This kind of injury pattern in an unrestrained rear seat passenger is very unusual and has not been previously described.