bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Delamination behavior of bidirectional S2 glass epoxy laminated composite due to combined moisture and temperature cyclic loading
Authors: Bhuyan Mohammod K , Bhuyan Mohammad S , Rodríguez-Dévora Jorge I , Yanez Maria
Published: December 2012

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of long-term exposure of plain woven 240-D S2 glass epoxy composite laminate to dry, moist and various temperature cycles. Interlaminar shear stress was evaluated to assess the delamination tolerance on both virgin (preexposed) and harsh environment-exposed composites specimens. Delamination tests were performed with the pattern of four-point bending and tensile and compression shear tests under different combinations of humidity and temperature exposure, ranging from zero to 32 weeks. During the tests, the stress at the onset of delamination was taken as the first deviation of the load-displacement curve. Experimental study revealed that the delamination load-carrying capability reduced to 40% with the exposure time. Throughout the aging process dimensional stability was almost unchanged; however, 1.29% moisture absorption was noticeable in laminated composites. Microstructures of the delaminated surface revealed that failure occurs suddenly in a macroscopically fragile mode by crack initiation and proliferation. The delamination mechanism involved interlaminar processing flaws that favored the initiation and propagation of the interlaminar cracks, which are responsible for the delamination of the composite. As load carrying capacity dwindles substantially, therefore the effect of temperature and moisture must be taken into account in the experimental characterization of the laminates when establishing a design limit for composite structure.
A synergistic damage mechanics approach to mechanical response of composite laminates with ply cracks
Authors: Singh Chandra Veer , Talreja Ramesh
Published: December 2012

We treat selected test cases in the third world wide failure exercise by the approach described as synergistic damage mechanics. This approach utilizes micromechanics and continuum damage mechanics to predict the overall mechanical response of composite laminates with ply cracking in multiple orientations. The material constants needed in the continuum damage mechanic formulation are calculated from stiffness property changes incurred in a reference laminate. For other laminate configurations, the stiffness changes are derived using a relative constraint parameter which is calculated from the constraint on the opening displacement of ply cracks within the given cracked laminate evaluated numerically by a finite element analysis of appropriately constructed representative unit cell. The number density of ply cracks (cracks per unit length normal to the crack planes) under quasi-static loading is calculated by an energy-based approach. Finally, the stress–strain response of a laminate is determined by combining stiffness property changes and evolution of crack number density.
Polypropylene-based composites reinforced by toluene diisocyanate modified wood
Authors: Spiridon Iuliana , Darie Raluca Nicoleta , Bodîrlău Ruxanda , Teacă Carmen-Alice , Doroftei Florica
Published: December 2012

Composites made of polypropylene, a mixture of polypropylene and poly(lactic acid) and spruce wood fibres both non-modified and modified with toluene 2,4-diisocyanate – were prepared by melt blending. The chemical modifications of wood fibres with toluene 2,4-diisocyanate were evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Wood fibre reinforced polypropylene/poly(lactic acid) composites prepared with addition of maleic anhydride polypropylene as coupling agent were further investigated for structural and morphology properties before and under controlled accelerated weathering conditions by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mechanical testing and scanning electron microscopy analysis. Some specific indexes (carbonyl and vinyl) were also calculated.
Effect of electron beam irradiation on thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy/clay nanocomposites
Authors: Khaksari Mahdi , Ahmadi Seyed Javad , Moosaviyan Seyed Mohammad Ali , Nazeri Maysam
Published: December 2012

In this study, epoxy/clay nanocomposites with different content of nanoclay were prepared by shear mixing followed by ultrasonication. In order to study electron beam irradiation effects, nanocomposites were exposed to electron beam irradiation in 100, 500 and 1000 KGy doses. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the morphology of nanocomposites. The mechanical and thermal behaviors of nanocomposites were studied by tensile test and thermo-gravimetric analysis. The results showed that the irradiation brought about improvement in mechanical properties in most specimens and the most improvement was achieved in 100 KGy irradiation doses.
Effect of carbon black on the thermoelectrical properties of poly(ethylene-oxide) composites
Authors: Elimat ZM , Al-Hussami SA , Zihlif AM
Published: December 2012

The AC electrical conduction and thermal conductivity of casted thin films of poly (ethylene oxide)/carbon black composites were investigated as a function of applied frequency in the range from 100 Hz to 5 MHz, temperature and carbon black concentrations 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% by weight. The average films thickness was about 90 µm. The AC conductivity and dielectric properties were determined from impedance measurements. The study showed that the thermoelectrical properties are affected by adding carbon black filler into the poly (ethylene oxide) polymer matrix. The study observed that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss decrease with frequency, and increase with temperature, and carbon content. The AC-conductivity increases with increasing frequency, temperature and carbon black content. The observed percolation threshold of the AC-conductivity occurs at about 2 wt% carbon black concentration. The thermal conductivity of the prepared films was studied as a function of temperature and CB concentration. It was found that the thermal conductivity is enhanced by addition of the carbon black content and increasing temperature. In case of raising the temperature, the phonons are activated and electrons hopping to higher energy states, thus enhancement in the thermal conductivity is produced.
Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Student Diversity and Proposed Instructional Practices
Authors: Kumar Revathy , Hamer Lynne
Published: December 2012

This study draws on insights from achievement goal theory and multicultural education to examine the interrelated nature of preservice teachers’ biases and beliefs regarding culturally diverse students and the kind of instructional practices they are likely to pursue. Cluster analysis of cross-sectional data ( n = 784) suggests that approximately 25% of preservice teachers explicitly endorsed some stereotypic beliefs about poor and minority students and expressed some discomfort with student diversity. Analyses of variance results provide evidence that preservice teachers were significantly less biased and prejudiced and more likely to endorse adaptive instructional practices by the time they were ready to graduate from the teacher education program than they were during their 1st year in the program. Paired t-test results based on longitudinal data ( n = 79) suggest that some gains preservice teachers accrued midway through the program were lost when they were close to graduation. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Visitors’ Perceptions of Tourism Impacts
Authors: Moyle Brent D. , Weiler Betty , Croy Glen
Published: December 2012

Tourism on islands, as elsewhere, can have positive and negative economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts. Previous research has focused on residents’ perceptions of these impacts with little emphasis on those of the visitor, resulting in a lack of theorizing and empirical investigation into how visitors perceive and evaluate their impacts. Based on the premise that a better understanding of the visitor perspective can underpin the proactive management of some tourism impacts, this study uses Social Exchange Theory to explore visitors’ perceptions of tourism impacts on two Australian islands. Overall, visitors recognized that tourism activity increases impacts and evaluated these as mostly positive for the island communities. While visitors were aware of a range of positive and negative impacts, they judged their own impact to be more positive than that of tourism collectively. The findings point to how research can be used to underpin visitor-focused management and mitigation strategies of island destinations.
Social Movements and Markets, Industries, and Firms
Authors: Soule Sarah A.
Published: December 2012

This essay reviews research at the nexus of organizational and social movement studies. It begins by surveying research drawing on social movement theories to explain some organizational process, then surveys research drawing on organizational theories to explain some social movement process. The essay concludes with several suggestions for future research.
The Theory and Practice of Utopia in a Total Institution: The Pineapple Panopticon
Authors: Clegg Stewart , e Cunha Miguel Pina , Rego Arménio
Published: December 2012

Genocide has been a constant presence in the history of humanity throughout the ages. Recently, calls to study the organization of genocide and genocidal organizations have been increasing. In this paper we study the functioning of the S-21 extermination camp, an instrument of Ângkar, ‘The Organization’, which imposed genocide on the Cambodian people in the 1970s. We analyse the conditions that enable the organization of genocide, showing that three pillars seem to play essential roles: a utopian vision; support of this vision by total institutional spaces, and the control commitments of the people caught in the utopian vortex. Genocide appears as a potential outcome of the particular type of organization combining these three processes.
One-Step Repair in Talar Osteochondral Lesions
Authors: Giannini Sandro , Buda Roberto , Battaglia Milva , Cavallo Marco , Ruffilli Alberto , Ramponi Laura , Pagliazzi Gherardo , Vannini Francesca
Published: December 2012

Background:

A recent one-step arthroscopic technique based on bone marrow–derived cell transplantation has achieved good results in repairing osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs), overcoming some of the drawbacks of older techniques.

Purpose:

To report the results after 4 years of a series of patients who underwent a one-step repair of osteochondral lesions of the talar dome, as well as the capability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a T2-mapping sequence to predict the clinical outcome.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Forty-nine patients (age [mean ± SD], 28.08 ± 9.51 y) underwent a one-step repair of OLTs. Patients were evaluated clinically by American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores and radiographs and underwent MRI preoperatively and during postoperative follow-ups at predetermined times. In all patients, the cells were harvested from the iliac crest, concentrated, and loaded on a scaffold that was implanted arthroscopically.

Results:

The overall AOFAS score (mean ± SD) improved from 63.73 ± 14.13 preoperatively to 82.19 ± 17.04 at 48 ± 6.1 months ( P < .0005), with best results at the 24-month follow-up. A significant decrease in the clinical score was observed between 24 and 36 months postoperatively ( P = .001) and between 24 and 48 months ( P < .005). The T2-mapping analysis showed regenerated tissue with T2 values of 35 to 45 milliseconds, similar to hyaline cartilage, in a mean of 78% ± 16% of the repaired lesion area. The time between the occurrence of trauma and surgery was found to negatively affect the clinical outcome at the latest follow-up; patient’s age and lesion size influenced the early clinical results but did not affect the outcome at final follow-up. The stability of clinical results over time and the percentage of tissue with values similar to hyaline cartilage evidenced by MRI T2 mapping showed a tendency to correlate at the last follow-up ( r = 0.497, P = .06).

Conclusion:

One-step repair of OLTs had good clinical results that were durable over time, even though there was a slight decrease in AOFAS score at the latest follow-up. The quality of the regenerated tissue detected by MRI T2 mapping directly correlated with the clinical results.
Contemporary Fertility Patterns and First-Birth Timing Among Mexican-Origin Women
Authors: Batson Christie D.
Published: December 2012

This article examines first-birth timing among Mexican women in the United States over two birth cohorts. Currently, Mexican women are one of a small group that maintains above-replacement fertility in the United States, contributing to both Mexican population growth and overall national population growth. Yet, the fertility timing of Mexican women has undergone a significant transformation over the past 40 years. Using the 1988, 1995, and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, this article employs first-birth probabilities and Cox proportional hazard models to show how Mexican fertility timing differs from that of other major racial and ethnic groups. The evidence suggests that the racial/ethnic, nativity, and educational diversity of the Mexican-origin population has led to the emergence of two distinct patterns of first-birth timing. The findings from this study point to the need to reconsider the role of Mexican fertility timing in important national discussions of women’s reproductive health and immigration/population polices.
The Disproportionate Erosion of Local Control
Authors: Trujillo Tina M.
Published: December 2012

This case study of an urban school board’s experiences under high-stakes accountability demonstrates how the district leaders eschewed democratic governance processes in favor of autocratic behaviors. They possessed narrowly defined goals for teaching and learning that emphasized competitive, individualized means of achievement. Their decision making was private; opportunities for local input were missing. They promoted centrally determined, standardized instructional and administrative practices, not locally driven ones. It concludes that accountability policies that are framed in terms of their potential to further democratic aims by granting greater liberty in exchange for results, and by holding all districts to the same high standards, may disproportionately reduce democratic control in urban settings.
The ‘Jasmine Revolt’ has made the ‘Arab Spring’: A critical discourse analysis of the last three political speeches of the ousted president of Tunisia
Authors: Maalej Zouheir A
Published: December 2012

The current article addresses person deixis in the last three speeches of the ousted president of Tunisia (OPT) from the perspectives of critical discourse analysis (CDA) and cognitive-pragmatics. It takes deixis to be individuated in the ‘indexical field’ by the deictic center, who fills them from within the social field at his/her discretion with ‘social roles’. The way the filling takes place is a function of social proximity to or distance from the deictic center, which manipulates the constructed categories either closer to the CENTER or to the PERIPHERY of the image schema. In particular, it is argued that the OPT as a deictic center has constructed in the first two speeches two deictic categories, which would be called ‘wandering WE’ after and a peripheral THEY, through which he tried to maintain the political status quo and blame responsibility for the events on others. However, in the last speech, the OPT constructed two indexical dyads, namely I-YOU and WE-THEY. This shift is explained as an effort on the part of OPT to reproduce social power abuse, dominance, and inequality by way of making political concessions. Despite this, the shift is not felt to have created communality and closeness with the addressees since the policy of exclusion, authority, and domination precluded these concessions from being persuasive enough for the ‘Jasmine Revolt’ in Tunisia not to resist this power and go for regime change.
‘It’s a long way to the Super League’: The experiences of Australasian professional rugby league migrants in the United Kingdom
Authors: Evans Adam B , Stead David E
Published: December 2012

This article investigates the embodied experiences of a group of professional sports labour migrants whose experiences have largely been ignored by sociological literature: southern hemisphere rugby players playing professional rugby league in the United Kingdom. The migrant pathway from Australasia to the UK is well established. Moreover, rugby league is a sport in which debate concerning the merits of employing labour migrants from Australasia is prevalent and ongoing. The study used interview and questionnaire data to investigate the embodied experiences facing this group of migrant professionals. Migrant experiences prior to migrating were contoured by access to resources and by the formal and informal relationships developed through professional and personal careers. The embodied and complex nature of contractual negotiations is highlighted. The centrality of embodied migrant identity and habitus is noted in relation to acculturation strategies adopted over time and space, both prior to and during a foreign sojourn, in terms of established and outsider groups. The paper also highlights how subgroups within a more general group of labour migrants can emerge. Furthermore, the complex influence of personal and professional relationships was found to be both enabling and constraining. These differences between subgroups are considered in light of previous work on acculturation strategies and the existential nature of migration. Future research requirements in the sports labour migration field are suggested.
Repeated Interviews With Children Who Are the Alleged Victims of Sexual Abuse
Authors: Katz Carmit , Hershkowitz Irit
Published: December 2012

Objective: The present study was designed to test the effects of repeated retrievals in the course of forensic investigations with children who are the alleged victims of sexual abuse. Method: Using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol, 56 children participated in a first free-recall interview that was followed by a second interview composed of a repeated free-recall phase that was then followed by closed questions. Results: In the second interview, children reported 58% new forensically relevant details. Increased production in the repeated retrieval was especially marked for younger children and for children who provided poor narratives in their first interview. Conclusion: This study provides practical guidelines for social work practitioners. The study stresses the importance of repeated retrieval when interviewing children on alleged abuse. The results of the current study emphasize that the first retrieval from memory in never enough. Rather, repeated open-ended questioning can produce richer narratives from children that contain forensically relevant information.
It’s Always Something
Authors: Groves Patricia S. , Finfgeld-Connett Deborah , Wakefield Bonnie J.
Published: December 2012

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the process by which hospital staff nurses keep patients safe within their hospital safety culture. Findings from this study culminated in a grounded theory of Managing Risk, the process by which nurses keep their patients safe from harm. Participants perceived that their patients were always at risk ( it’s always something), thus keeping patients safe was a continual, repetitive process of managing risk to prevent harm to patients. Stages of this process included risk assessment, risk recognition, prioritization, and protective interventions. Practicing nurses can use this theory to understand and articulate their critical role in keeping patients safe in hospitals. Further examination of this process is necessary for targeted assessment of a safety culture’s impact on bedside nursing practice, thus providing a basis for specific interventions to improve patient safety.
Early-Onset EBV-Positive Post-transplant Plasmablastic Lymphoma Arising in a Liver Allograft
Authors: Benítez Carlos E. , Rey Paula , Zoroquiaín Pablo , Martínez Jorge , Ramírez Pablo , Arrese Marco , Pérez-Ayuso Rosa María , Valbuena José R.
Published: December 2012

We report a case of a 51-year-old man who received a cadaveric liver allograft for autoimmune and hepatopulmonary syndrome. The patient was admitted with symptoms of progressive vomiting and diarrhea 16 months after transplantation. Laboratory studies showed abnormal liver functions, and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a 76-mm heterogeneous mass in the liver. Histological examination showed a malignant lymphoid neoplasm with plasmablastic features. Plasmablastic lymphoma (PL) is rare in the post-transplantation period. To the best of our knowledge, only 25 well-documented cases of posttransplant PL, including ours, have been described.
Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder Complicating Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient With Dyskeratosis Congenita
Authors: Bohn Olga L. , Whitten Joseph , Spitzer Barbara , Kobos Rachel , Prockop Susan , Boulad Farid , Arcila Maria , Wang Lu , Teruya-Feldstein Julie
Published: December 2012

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition. We present a case of a 28-year-old woman with DC who was admitted for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for aplastic anemia and who developed acute myeloid leukemia with complex genetic karyotype abnormalities including the MLL (11q23) gene, 1q25, and chromosome 8. After transplantation, a monomorphic Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) negative posttransplant-associated lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was discovered involving the liver, omental tissue, and peritoneal fluid samples showing additional MLL (11q23) gene abnormalities by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Despite treatment, the patient died of complications associated with transplantation and invasive fungal infection. This case represents the first bona fide documented case of EBV-negative monomorphic PTLD host derived, with MLL gene abnormalities in a patient with DC, and shows another possible mechanism for the development of a therapy-related lymphoid neoplasm after transplantation.
Back analysis technique for tensile force on hanger cables of a suspension bridge
Authors: Park Dong-Uk , Kim Nam-Sik
Published: December 2012

In general, the tensile forces on hanger cables of a suspension bridge play an important role in evaluating the bridge condition. Two tensile force estimation methods, which are based on a string or cable equation, have been widely applied to estimate the tensile forces by using the measured frequencies on hanger cables. However, both methods are not applicable to short hanger cables because the frequencies of short cables are severely sensitive to flexural rigidity. Thus, in this study the tensile forces of hanger cables, shorter than 10 meters, were estimated by back analysis of the cable frequencies measured from the Gwangan suspension bridge in Korea. To verify the feasibility of back analysis, the results from back analysis and existing methods are compared with the average measured tensile forces after completion. From the comparison, it can be inferred that back analysis results reasonably agree with the average measured tension of the short hanger cable after completion. Therefore, it is concluded that back analysis applied in this study can be an appropriate tool for estimating tensile forces of short hanger cables.
Development of a complete contact fretting test device
Authors: Juoksukangas Janne , Lehtovaara Arto , Mäntylä Antti
Published: December 2012

Fretting fatigue is a potential risk for serious and unexpected damage in modern machine components. A test device has been developed for evaluating fretting fatigue and wear in complete and almost complete contacts with asymptotic edge effects. The device developed also allows plain fatigue testing. The fretting loading can be fully reversing or may fluctuate and it can be adjusted continuously. Macroscopic crack nucleation and growth are followed using strain gauge measurements. A series of fretting fatigue tests and a reference series of plain fatigue tests were carried out with EN 10083-1-34CrNiMo6 + QT steel. The fatigue life in the fretting series with a sharp, flat-ended pad was notably lower compared to the plain fatigue life, resulting in a strength reduction factor of 3.
Taming the Adolescent Mind: Preliminary report of a mindfulness-based psychological intervention for adolescents with clinical heterogeneous mental health diagnoses
Authors: Tan Lucy , Martin Graham
Published: December 2012

Background:

Mindfulness-based interventions such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MCBT) have been used to treat adults with psychiatric disorders. This article describes initial modification and development of a mindfulness-based intervention group program for adolescents with psychiatric disorders. It was hypothesized that the intervention would improve mindfulness, mental health outcomes and decrease psychological distress and symptoms.

Method:

Adolescents from a mental health clinic attended a 5-week group pilot mindfulness-based intervention. Adolescents and parents completed questionnaires at pre- and post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. Baseline measures indicated moderate to severe range of mental health symptoms.

Results:

After the intervention, adolescents reported significant decreases in psychological distress and increases in mindfulness and self-esteem. Qualitative data revealed the intervention to be engaging and beneficial. Parents also reported significant overall improvements of adolescents’ functioning.

Conclusions:

These promising preliminary results suggest that the intervention was feasible, acceptable and offered positive impact on mental health problems, and the intervention warrants further research in a randomized controlled study.
Narrow imaginations: How imagining ideal employees can increase racial bias
Authors: Brown-Iannuzzi Jazmin L. , Payne B. Keith , Trawalter Sophie
Published: December 2012

When people make important decisions, such as selecting a job candidate or graduate school applicant based on how well they fit with that imagined ideal. In two experiments we provide evidence that imagining the ideal has unintended consequences. Imagining an ideal candidate for a professional job led participants to preferentially imagine a White candidate (Experiment 1) and to preferentially hire a White candidate over a Black candidate with matched qualifications (Experiment 2). These effects were independent of explicit prejudice, suggesting that even low-prejudice individuals may be affected by this bias. However, an alternative imagery strategy—imagining a variety of suitable applicants—was effective at remediating the bias. In some cases discrimination may result not from prejudiced attitudes but from failures of the imagination.
Personal predictors of educational attainment after compulsory school: Influence of measures of vulnerability, health, and school performance
Authors: Winding Trine N , Nohr Ellen A , Labriola Merete , Biering Karin , Andersen Johan H
Published: December 2012

Aims: Getting a secondary education is essential in preventing future inequalities in health and socioeconomic status. We investigated to what degree personal predictors like low school performance, high vulnerability, and poor health status are associated with not completing a secondary education in a Danish youth cohort. Methods: This prospective study used data from a questionnaire in 2004 and register data in 2010. The study population consisted of 3053 adolescents born in 1989. Information on educational attainment from Statistics Denmark was divided into four categories: completed, still studying, dropped out, or never attained a secondary education. Data was analysed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Low grades when completing compulsory school predicted not having completed a secondary education by age 20/21 (odds ratios (OR) between 1.7 and 2.5). Low sense of coherence in childhood was associated with dropping out from a vocational education (OR 2.0). Low general health status was associated with dropping out (OR 2.2) or never attaining a secondary education (OR 2.7) and overweight was associated with never attaining a secondary education (OR 3.5). Conclusions: The study confirms the social gradient in educational attainment. Furthermore, the results indicate that factors related to the individual in terms of low school performance, low health status, and high vulnerability predict future success in the educational system. It is recommended that these high-risk groups are recognised and targeted when designing guidance and supervision programmes for youth at secondary education.
Difference and Diversity in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Post-neoliberal constructions of the ideal ethnic citizen
Authors: Simon-Kumar Rachel
Published: December 2012

In the last decade, the political rhetoric around citizenship for ethnic minority groups, particularly recent migrants, in Aotearoa/New Zealand has been influenced by two dominant paradigms. In the wake of the post-neoliberalism advanced by the Fifth Labour Government (1999–2008) and the efforts to build an inclusive state, the idea of the ‘active citizen’ has evolved, encouraging ethnic migrants to contribute to their own communities and to a wider New Zealand identity. Equally, broader discourses on the recognition of group-based citizenship have helped ethnic communities in securing a multicultural framing of social rights. Based on qualitative analysis of interview and policy documents, this paper argues that the active citizen and the rights-bearing citizen emerge from discrete paradigms that reveal a fundamental tension between policy-centred celebration of diversity and the political recognition of difference.
Commercialism and Election Framing
Authors: McMenamin Iain , Flynn Roderick , O’Malley Eoin , Rafter Kevin
Published: December 2012

The framing of elections represents the most overt instance of the media’s power to influence politics. We content analyzed twelve newspapers’ coverage of the 2011 general election in Ireland. Ireland’s newspaper market has some special advantages for social scientists, as it allows us to separate the newspaper types/formats (tabloid vs. broadsheet) from their commercial basis (vulnerability or otherwise to short-term sales and profits). Therefore, we are able to make a particular contribution to the long-standing debate about the interaction of free market capitalism and the media. Our results do not find a homogeneous general election frame in Ireland. The variation in framing across Irish newspapers was much greater than that between the five countries for which we can find strictly comparable results. The different commercial statuses of the newspapers do seem to be related to different dominant frames of election coverage, but only after we develop a new measure that takes account of the relative overall prominence of election coverage in the newspapers examined.
1-year prospective real life monitoring of asthma control and quality of life in Italy
Authors: Terzano Claudio , Cremonesi Giovanni , Girbino Giuseppe , Ingrassia Eleonora , Marsico Serafino , Nicolini Gabriele , Allegra Luigi
Published: December 2012

Objectives

The study aimed at prospectively evaluating the evolution of asthma control in Italy, to evaluate the reasons for lack of asthma control, perceived quality of life (QoL) and association with level of asthma control, the impact of pharmacological treatment, the number of exacerbations and the healthcare resource consumption.

Methods

PRISMA (PRospectIve Study on asthMA control) was an observational study performed in asthmatic patients including a cross-sectional phase and a 12-month prospective phase. Asthma control was assessed with the Asthma Control Test™ (ACT) and QoL was evaluated with EuroQoL-5D questionnaire filled in and collected during 5 clinic visits together with all the other data.

Results

The prospective phase included 1017 patients with uncontrolled (55.7%) or partly controlled asthma (44.3%). Out of the 739 patients evaluable after 12 months, 22.2% achieved full asthma control (ACT score = 25) and 58.7% reached a good control (ACT score: 20–24). The improvement in asthma control was associated with improved QoL and reduced hospital visits. The main reasons for lack of asthma control were comorbidities, continued exposure to irritants/triggers and poor adherence to therapy. The frequency of exacerbations was lower in patients with controlled asthma.

A fixed combination therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting β2 agonist was reported by 77.0% of patients. A better asthma control and improved QoL were achieved with extrafine beclomethasone/formoterol compared to either budesonide/formoterol or fluticasone/salmeterol.

Conclusions

An improvement in asthma control and QoL can be achieved during a 1-year monitoring in a real life setting. Extrafine beclomethasone/formoterol was associated with significant benefit in terms of asthma control and QoL compared to large-particles combinations.

ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01110460.
The origins of the evolutionary signal used to predict protein-protein interactions
Authors: Swapna Lakshmipuram S , Srinivasan Narayanaswamy , Robertson David L , Lovell Simon C
Published: December 2012

Background

The correlation of genetic distances between pairs of protein sequence alignments has been used to infer protein-protein interactions. It has been suggested that these correlations are based on the signal of co-evolution between interacting proteins. However, although mutations in different proteins associated with maintaining an interaction clearly occur (particularly in binding interfaces and neighbourhoods), many other factors contribute to correlated rates of sequence evolution. Proteins in the same genome are usually linked by shared evolutionary history and so it would be expected that there would be topological similarities in their phylogenetic trees, whether they are interacting or not. For this reason the underlying species tree is often corrected for. Moreover processes such as expression level, are known to effect evolutionary rates. However, it has been argued that the correlated rates of evolution used to predict protein interaction explicitly includes shared evolutionary history; here we test this hypothesis.

Results

In order to identify the evolutionary mechanisms giving rise to the correlations between interaction proteins, we use phylogenetic methods to distinguish similarities in tree topologies from similarities in genetic distances. We use a range of datasets of interacting and non-interacting proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that the signal of correlated evolution between interacting proteins is predominantly a result of shared evolutionary rates, rather than similarities in tree topology, independent of evolutionary divergence.

Conclusions

Since interacting proteins do not have tree topologies that are more similar than the control group of non-interacting proteins, it is likely that coevolution does not contribute much to, if any, of the observed correlations.
Identification of candidate genes of QTLs for seed weight in Brassica napus through comparative mapping among Arabidopsis and Brassicaspecies
Authors: Cai Guangqin , Yang Qingyong , Yang Qian , Zhao Zhenxing , Chen Hao , Wu Jian , Fan Chuchuan , Zhou Yongming
Published: December 2012

Background

Map-based cloning of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in polyploidy crop species remains a challenge due to the complexity of their genome structures. QTLs for seed weight in B. napus have been identified, but information on candidate genes for identified QTLs of this important trait is still rare.

Results

In this study, a whole genome genetic linkage map for B. napus was constructed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that covered a genetic distance of 2,126.4 cM with an average distance of 5.36 cM between markers. A procedure was developed to establish colinearity of SSR loci on B. napus with its two progenitor diploid species B. rapa and B. oleracea through extensive bioinformatics analysis. With the aid of B. rapa and B. oleracea genome sequences, the 421 homologous colinear loci deduced from the SSR loci of B. napus were shown to correspond to 398 homologous loci in Arabidopsis thaliana. Through comparative mapping of Arabidopsis and the three Brassica species, 227 homologous genes for seed size/weight were mapped on the B. napus genetic map, establishing the genetic bases for the important agronomic trait in this amphidiploid species. Furthermore, 12 candidate genes underlying 8 QTLs for seed weight were identified, and a gene-specific marker for BnAP2 was developed through molecular cloning using the seed weight/size gene distribution map in B. napus.

Conclusions

Our study showed that it is feasible to identify candidate genes of QTLs using a SSR-based B. napus genetic map through comparative mapping among Arabidopsis and B. napus and its two progenitor species B. rapa and B. oleracea. Identification of candidate genes for seed weight in amphidiploid B. napus will accelerate the process of isolating the mapped QTLs for this important trait, and this approach may be useful for QTL identification of other traits of agronomic significance.
Inhibitory effects of crude extracts from some edible Thai plants against replication of hepatitis B virus and human liver cancer cells
Authors: Waiyaput Wanwisa , Payungporn Sunchai , Issara-Amphorn Jiraphorn , Panjaworayan Nattanan T-Thienprasert
Published: December 2012

Background

Edible plants such as Cratoxylum formosum (Jack) Dyer, Curcumin longa Lin, Momordica charantia Lin and Moringa oleifera Lam have long been believed in Thai culture to relieve ulcers and the symptoms of liver disease. However, little is known about their anti-liver cancer properties and antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-liver cancer and anti-HBV activities of crude extracts from these edible plants on human liver cancer cells.

Methods

Plant samples were prepared and extracted using buffer and hydro-alcoholic solvents. The MTT assay was performed to investigate the effects of the plant extracts on the cell viability of HepG2 cells. The inhibitory effect on replication of HBV was analysed by determining the level of HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in transiently transfected HepG2 cells with the DNA expression plasmid of the HBV genome using a quantitative real-time PCR.

Results

Buffer and hydroalcoholic extracts from C. formosum (leaf) reduced cell viability of HepG2 cells and they also inhibited HBV cccDNA. Crude extracts from C. longa (bulb) in both solvents did not have any cytotoxic effects on the HepG2 cells, but they significantly decreased the level of HBV cccDNA. Buffer extracts from the leaves of M. charantia and the fruits of M. oleifera showed to have anti-HBV activity and also a mild cytotoxicity effect on the HepG2 cells. In addition, leaves of M. Oleifera extracted by hydroalcoholic solvent drastically decreased the level of cccDNA in transiently transfected HepG2 cells.

Conclusion

Some crude extracts of edible plants contain compounds that demonstrate anti-liver cancer and anti-HBV activities.
A hunter virus that targets both infected cells and HIV free virions: Implications for therapy
Authors: Greer Cody , García-Ramos Gisela
Published: December 2012

The design of ‘hunter’ viruses aimed at destroying human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected cells is an active area of research that has produced promising results in vitro. Hunters are designed to target exposed viral envelope proteins in the membranes of infected cells, but there is evidence that the hunter may also target envelope proteins of free HIV, inducing virus-virus fusion. In order to predict the effects of this fusion on therapy outcomes and determine whether fusion ability is advantageous for hunter virus design, we have constructed a model to account for the possibility of hunter-HIV fusion. The study was based on a target cell-limited model of HIV infection and it examined the hunter therapeutic effect on recovering the HIV main target cells, the activated CD4+ T lymphocytes. These cells assist in setting up an immune response to opportunistic infections. The study analyzed the hunter dual mechanisms to control infection and because of diverse estimates for viral production and clearance of HIV, simulations were examined at rates spanning an order of magnitude. Results indicate that without hunter-HIV fusion ability, hunters that kill HIV-infected cells lead to a substantial recovery of healthy cell population at both low and high HIV turnover rates. When hunter-HIV fusion is included, cell recovery was particularly enhanced at lower HIV turnover rates. This study shows that the fusion ability, in addition to hunter infection ability, could be a favorable attribute for improving the efficacy of hunter-viral therapy. These results provide support for the potential use of engineered viruses to control HIV and other viral infections.
Adipose Co-expression networks across Finns and Mexicans identify novel triglyceride-associated genes
Authors: Haas Blake E , Horvath Steve , Pietiläinen Kirsi H , Cantor Rita M , Nikkola Elina , Weissglas-Volkov Daphna , Rissanen Aila , Civelek Mete , Cruz-Bautista Ivette , Riba Laura , Kuusisto Johanna , Kaprio Jaakko , Tusie-Luna Teresa , Laakso Markku , Aguilar-Salinas Carlos A , Pajukanta Päivi
Published: December 2012

Background

High serum triglyceride (TG) levels is an established risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Fat is stored in the form of TGs in human adipose tissue. We hypothesized that gene co-expression networks in human adipose tissue may be correlated with serum TG levels and help reveal novel genes involved in TG regulation.

Methods

Gene co-expression networks were constructed from two Finnish and one Mexican study sample using the blockwiseModules R function in Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Overlap between TG-associated networks from each of the three study samples were calculated using a Fisher’s Exact test. Gene ontology was used to determine known pathways enriched in each TG-associated network.

Results

We measured gene expression in adipose samples from two Finnish and one Mexican study sample. In each study sample, we observed a gene co-expression network that was significantly associated with serum TG levels. The TG modules observed in Finns and Mexicans significantly overlapped and shared 34 genes. Seven of the 34 genes (ARHGAP30, CCR1, CXCL16, FERMT3, HCST, RNASET2, SELPG) were identified as the key hub genes of all three TG modules. Furthermore, two of the 34 genes (ARHGAP9, LST1) reside in previous TG GWAS regions, suggesting them as the regional candidates underlying the GWAS signals.

Conclusions

This study presents a novel adipose gene co-expression network with 34 genes significantly correlated with serum TG across populations.
Mitochondrial proteomics of nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis
Authors: Liu Jianping , Zhan Xianquan , Li Maoyu , Li Guoqing , Zhang Pengfei , Xiao Zhefeng , Shao Meiying , Peng Fang , Hu Rong , Chen Zhuchu
Published: December 2012

Background

Mitochondrial proteomic alterations of nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis remain unknown. Our purpose is to screen mitochondrial proteins for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis and the discovery of metastasis-related biomarkers.

Methods

Mitochondria were isolated from nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastatic (5-8F) and nonmetastatic (6-10B) cell lines, respectively. After characterization of isolated mitochondria, mitochondrial differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were quantified by two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), and identified by peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). A functional enrichment analysis and a protein-protein interaction sub-network analysis for DEPs were carried out with bioinformatics. Furthermore, siRNAs transient transfections were used to suppress expressions of some up-regulated DEPs in metastatic cells (5-8F), followed by Transwell Migration assay.

Results

Sixteen mitochondrial DEPs including PRDX3 and SOD2 were identified. Those 5-8F cells with suppression of PRDX3 showed an increased mobility potential. The functional enrichment analyses of DEPs discovered five significant biological processes including cellular response to reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide metabolic process, regulation of mitochondrial membrane potential, cell redox homeostasis and oxidation reduction, and five significant molecular functions including oxidoreductase activity, caspase inhibitor activity, peroxiredoxin activity, porin activity and antioxidant activity. A protein-protein interaction sub-network of DEPs was generated with literature data. Ten mitochondrial DEPs including PRDX3, PRDX6, SOD2, ECH1, SERPINB5, COX5A, PDIA5, EIF5A, IDH3B, and PSMC4 were rationalized in the tumor-stroma co-evolution model that mitochondrial oxidative stress directly contributes to tumor metastasis.

Conclusions

Sixteen mitochondrial DEPs were identified with mass spectrometry and ten of them were rationalized in the tumor-stroma co-evolution model. Those 5-8F cells with suppression of PRDX3 showed an increased mobility potential. These data suggest that those mitochondrial DEPs are potential biomarkers for NPC metastasis, and their dysregulation would play important roles in mitochondria oxidative stress-mediated NPC metastatic process.
Juvenile granulosa cell tumor of the testis: prenatal diagnosis and prescrotal approach
Authors: Bulotta Anna Lavinia , Molinaro Francesco , Angotti Rossella , Ferrara Francesco , Di Maggio Giovanni , Bindi Edoardo , Messina Mario
Published: December 2012

Neonatal testicular tumors are rare and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of newborn scrotal masses. Juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) accounts for about 5% of all prepubertal testis tumors. As a benign neoplasm, radical orchiectomy is sufficient for treatment. We report a case of a newborn with a prenatal diagnosis of scrotal mass. After surgery, the histological diagnosis was juvenile granulosa cell tumor. To date the patient is healthy.