bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sensory Processing and the Rubber Hand Illusion—An Evoked Potentials Study
Authors: Zeller Daniel , Litvak Vladimir , Friston Karl J. , Classen Joseph
Published: August 2014

The rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm—in which illusory bodily ownership is induced by synchronous tactile stimulation of a participant's (hidden) hand and a (visible) surrogate—allows one to investigate how the brain resolves conflicting multisensory evidence during perceptual inference. To identify the functional anatomy of the RHI, we used multichannel EEG, acquired under three conditions of tactile stimulation. Evoked potentials were averaged from EEG signals registered to the timing of brushstrokes to the participant's hand. The participant's hand was stroked either in the absence of an artificial hand (REAL) or synchronously with an artificial hand, which either lay in an anatomically plausible (CONGRUENT) or impossible (INCONGRUENT) position. The illusion was reliably elicited in the CONGRUENT condition. For right-hand stimulation, significant differences between conditions emerged at the sensor level around 55 msec after the brushstroke at left frontal and right parietal electrodes. Response amplitudes were smaller for illusory (CONGRUENT) compared with nonillusory (INCONGRUENT and REAL) conditions in the contralateral perirolandic region (pre- and postcentral gyri), superior and inferior parietal lobule, whereas veridical perception of the artificial hand (INCONGRUENT) amplified responses at a scalp region overlying the contralateral postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule compared with the remaining two conditions. Left-hand stimulation produced similar contralateral patterns. These results are consistent with predictive coding models of multisensory integration and may reflect the attenuation of somatosensory precision that is required to resolve perceptual hypotheses about conflicting multisensory input.
The Role of Dopamine in Motor Flexibility
Authors: Bestmann Sven , Ruge Diane , Rothwell John , Galea Joseph M.
Published: August 2014

Humans carry out many daily tasks in a seemingly automatic fashion. However, when unexpected changes in the environment occur, we have the capacity to inhibit prepotent behavior and replace it with an alternative one. Such behavioral flexibility is a hallmark of executive functions. The neurotransmitter dopamine is known to be crucial for fast, efficient, and accurate cognitive flexibility. Despite the perceived similarities between cognitive and motor flexibility, less is known regarding the role of dopamine within the motor domain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the role of dopamine in motor flexibility. In a double-blind, five-session, within-subject pharmacological experiment, human participants performed an RT task within a probabilistic context that was either predictable or unpredictable. The probabilistic nature of the predictable context resulted in prediction errors. This required participants to replace the prepotent or prepared action with an unprepared action (motor flexibility). The task was overlearned, and changes in context were explicitly instructed, thus controlling for contributions from other dopamine-related processes such as probabilistic or reversal learning and interactions with other types of uncertainty. We found that dopamine receptor blockade by high-dose haloperidol (D1/D2 dopamine receptors) impaired participants' ability to react to unexpected events occurring in a predictable context, which elicit large prediction errors and necessitate motor flexibility. This effect was not observed with selective D2 receptor blockade (sulpiride), with a general increase in tonic dopamine levels (levodopa), or during an unpredictable context, which evoked minimal prediction error. We propose that dopamine is vital in responding to low-level prediction errors about stimulus outcome that requires motor flexibility.
Introduction: From Affect to Exegesis
Authors: Koosed Jennifer L. , Moore Stephen D.
Published: August 2014

This article introduces a thematic issue of Biblical Interpretation on the high-profile field of affect theory as it relates to biblical studies. Affect theory analyzes emotions and still more elemental forces that are rooted in bodies and pass between them. In addition to previewing the six articles in the issue – three of which grapple with Hebrew Bible texts and three with early Christian texts – this introduction provides a brief history of affect theory and maps its main variants. The article also reflects on the challenges of turning a body of theory largely uninterested in literary interpretation into a set of strategies for reading biblical texts.
A Reading of Ehud and Jael through the Lens  of Affect Theory
Authors: Cottrill Amy C.
Published: August 2014

This paper uses affect theory as a tool to interpret the violent images of two stories found in Judges 3–5, those of Ehud and Eglon and that of Jael and Sisera. Affect theory affords biblical exegetes a means to examine the role of the reader’s embodiment as a tool for textual interpretation. I use the work of affect theorists to discuss the way violent images work on readers and create the emotional, physical, and sensory context in which later violent images will be received and interpreted. The sensation created by exposure to violence is embodied in readers before the readers judge the images according to their moral, ideological, and ethical value. In fact, the embodied affect of exposure to violence is the context in which that judgment occurs. In Judges, the violated body anchors an experience of vulnerability and fear in the reader. The visceral affect of anxiety and the intensity of bodily violence position the reader to feel the need for security and relief in the figure of the king. This paper focuses on Ehud and Jael as two of the significant early exposures to the violated body in the book of Judges and explores their different contributions to the theme of physical violence. The physical experiences of modern readers may give us valuable insight into how the physical experiences of readers contribute to the persuasiveness of textual arguments. Affect theory brings into focus the body in the text and the body of the reader as part of meaning-making.
Violent Spectacles and Public Feelings
Authors: Waller Alexis G.
Published: August 2014

In both the Gospel of Mark and The Thunder: Perfect Mind, paradoxically powerful voices sound through broken bodies thrown into contact with other broken bodies and social outcasts. While Mark brings a (semi-)divine man into contact with the suffering, sick, and hungry multitudes as he journeys through Galilee and Judea on his way to eventual death at the hands of Roman authorities, Thunder’s (semi-)divine speaker contains these multitudes, inhabiting or being inhabited by them, speaking as many, Legion-like, with no particular narrative climax. Through gender dynamics that express and instigate feelings of vulnerability and humiliation, as well as claims to triumph and divine association, Mark’s Jesus and Thunder’s speaker exemplify and confound social, gendered inflections of vulnerability, virility, and divinity. As texts composed in the midst of cultural upheaval and anticolonial anguish, Mark and Thunder function as trauma narratives that present pained and creative responses to violence and oppression. Following Ann Cvetkovich’s work on public feelings and affective archives, I treat Mark and Thunder as archives of feeling that enable or mark the vital traces of new practices and publics and gesture toward counterpublic responses to trauma.
Theologizing the State: What Hauerwas Could Have Learned From Yoder
Authors: King James
Published: August 2014

This article compares John Howard Yoder’s understanding of the state with that of his putative heir, Stanley Hauerwas. Special attention is given to Yoder’s understanding of the state as a power, a perspective not taken up by Hauerwas. Eberhard Jüngel’s critique of theologies that demonize the state is brought to bear on Hauerwas’ phantasmal conception of the state. After a brief discussion of William Cavanaugh’s similar impressions of the modern state, the article proposes a rapprochement with non-Christian thinkers in line with Hauerwas’ recent moves toward ‘radical democracy’.
The Idea of jihād and Its Evolution: Ḥasan al-Bannā and the Society of the Muslim Brothers
Authors: Levy Ran A.
Published: August 2014

This article aims to present the evolution of jihād in Ḥasan al-Bannā’s thought and writings throughout the 1930s, the first decade of the Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt. While in the early years of the Society al-Bannā gave jihād a moderate interpretation, the idea assumed a different, more militant one during the latter half of the 1930s. This change corresponded with and reflected a transformation that the Society itself experienced; from a developing socio-religious Society to one that was intertwined with Egyptian politics and won the support of the masses. This analysis revolves around two rasāʾil written by al-Bannā during this formative period of his Society – Daʿwatunā and Risālat al-Jihād.
The Independent Path of Shaykh al-Azhar ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm Maḥmūd
Authors: Albo Moshe , Meital Yoram
Published: August 2014

The present article calls into question the widely-held notion that the Islamic establishment in contemporary Egypt is subservient to the ruling class. We eschew the simplistic binary approach to interactions between the political and religious leadership, and claim that under the stewardship of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm Maḥmūd, al-Azhar maintained an autonomous agenda that diverged from the regime’s views on a fair share of public and political issues. By dint of a careful analysis of several major disagreements between Shaykh Maḥmūd and the ruling elite, we hope to shed new light on the complex dynamics that limited the regime’s ability to compel the religious establishment to toe the ‘party line’. Although al-Azhar indeed strengthened the regime and legitimized its overall policy, the institution also challenged the latter on crucial topics, such as the Personal Status Law, the sale of alcohol, and the integration of Islamic values into the education system’s curricula.
ʿAlī Sharīʿatī and the Notion of tawḥīd: Re-exploring the Question of God’s Unity
Authors: Machlis Elisheva
Published: August 2014

This paper evaluates the intellectual roots of ʿAlī Sharīʿatī, the leading ideologist of the Islamic revolution in Iran. It focuses on his unique worldview of tawḥīd and places his writings within the broader context of both Western and Muslim thought. Sharīʿatī ­created a new merger between a holistic approach to Islam promoted by both Sunni and Shiʿi reformists, and an existentialist worldview, tied to a religious-philosophical basis. Through this exchange with existentialism, Sharīʿatī sought to transform Shiʿi Islam into an all-encompassing faith, anchored in human existence and reaching its full realization through political action. His aim was to mobilise the Iranian intelligentsia towards an Islamic revolution by relying on a dualist Muslim-existentialist vocabulary. The outcome was a new blend between ontology, ethics, society and politics, and a new inter-connectivity between God, man, this world and the hereafter, resulting from Sharīʿatī’s effort to promote religious renewal and social justice, through his innovative interpretation to tawḥīd.
Zur Konstruktion von sozialer Kohärenz: Kirvalıq-Verwandtschaft in Georgien
Authors: Dadunashvili Elguja , Korn Agnes
Published: August 2014

This article, which is based on fieldwork carried out 2007–2009 in various regions of Georgia, studies the Islamic circumcision ritual (Turkish sünnet, Azeri sünnǝt, Georgian ts‘inadatsveta) in the Caucasus and neighbouring regions. It specifically focusses on the tradition called Kirvalıq as practised by Azeri Turks in Georgia. This tradition establishes a relation between the boy and a kirva (“godfather”), who holds the boy during the ritual; the relation is understood as being a very close blood relation although the kirva and the boy are technically not related. In fact, the person chosen as kirva by the boy’s parents is often a member of another ethnic and/or religious group. This specific type of Kirvalıq is also found in Eastern Anatolia. We argue that the Kirvalıq serves the purpose of increasing the family’s network ties and thus contributes to the coherence of multiethnic and multireligious communities.
The Yasaviyya in the Nasāʾim al-maḥabba of ʿAlī Shīr Navāʾī: A Case Study in Central Asian Hagiography
Authors: Walmsley Nicholas
Published: August 2014

The Timurid statesman and poet ʿAlī Shīr Navāʾī (d. 906/1501) was the author of the first biographical dictionary (taẕkira) of Sufi saints to be written in the Central Asian dialect of Chaghatay Turkic. Although he started it as a translation of Nafaḥāt al-uns by Jāmī, he expanded upon that work by including many saints from Khurasan, India, and Turkestan. Of particular note are his entries for a clutch of Sufis associated with Aḥmad Yasavī, whom he described as the mashāʾīkh-i turk—the Turkish shaykhs. This was the first substantial overview of these saints in hagiographical literature, even though they had been active since the seventh/thirteenth century. The problem for historians is that Navāʾī supplies little by way of chronology for these saints, nor does he provide a clear indication of his sources. The problem for scholars of Sufism is that he provides little information on issues of doctrine or praxis. What is significant about this survey is its emphasis on the importance of hereditary descent among the shaykhs, suggesting that what was key to uniting them was not an institutional framework, but one of common genealogies from one of the immediate successors of Aḥmad Yasavī.
Botanical advances in Southwestern Amazonia: The flora of Acre (Brazil) five years after the first Catalogue
Authors: Medeiros Herison , Obermuller Flávio Amorim , Daly Douglas , Silveira Marcos , Castro Wendeson , Forzza Rafaela Campostrini
Published: August 2014

Even though it is well known that the flora of Amazonia is severely under-documented, botanical research in the region has been stagnant for the past two decades or more.  An exception to this trend has been the international collaboration in the state of Acre, Brazil.  The objective of this study was to assess botanical progress in Southwestern Amazonia, specifically the evolution of our knowledge of the flora of the state of Acre five years after production of the first catalogue of its flora.  Between 2006-2011, the Acre data-base recorded 2,110 determinations, and among these were 347 new records for Acre, representing an increase of 8.6% in the known flora, which as of 2011 comprised 4351 species.  Of the new records, 6.6% (23) were new records for Brazil and 14.4% (50) represented genera new to Acre.  The new records comprised 322 species of vascular plants and 22 of non-vascular plants.  The most significant finding was that one of every six identifications was a new record for Acre; the total flora of Acre is estimated to be at about 8,000 species.  Advances in documentation of the Acre flora have been achieved through institutional partnerships, attention to rescuing and “cleaning” data, mobilizing taxonomic specialists, distributing duplicates to  herbaria with significant Amazon collections, and undertaking expeditions to regions of the state that were poorly known or unknown.  Indeed, the botanical inventory of Amazonia overall and the management and conservation of the Amazon flora can be realized only through programs that are systematic, integrative and participatory.  Every effort must be made to guarantee that the inventory of Amazonia proceeds at least as rapidly as deforestation and development.  This necessarily means far greater investment in training, employing, and supporting the field work of productive taxonomists.
Amana wanzhensis (Liliaceae), a new species from Anhui, China
Authors: Han Bangxing , Zhang Ke , Huang Luqi
Published: August 2014

Amana wanzhensis, a new species from Ningguo County, Eastern China, is described and illustrated. A. wanzhensis is similar to A. erythronioides in sharing villous tunics and oblanceolate leaves, but differs from it by having shorter bracts (0.1–0.5 cm long), yellow anthers, and deciduous tepals.
Four new species of Ursinia (Asteraceae, Anthemideae) from South Africa, with an updated key to the genus in Namaqualand
Authors: Magee Anthony Richard , BOATWRIGHT JAMES S. , MUCINA LADISLAV
Published: August 2014

Recent field and herbarium studies of the southern African genus Ursinia (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) in Namaqualand, South Africa, have revealed greater morphological variability than currently accommodated and a high percentage of misidentified specimens. In an attempt to remedy this we herein describe four new species (Ursinia arida, U. glandulosa, U. kamiesbergensis and U. laciniata) and provide a key to the species in the region, together with illustrations of their involucral bracts and paleae. The species can be distinguished by a combination of their life history, vestiture, presence or absence of appendages on the paleae, and shape of the involucral bracts and their scarious apices.
New species and new records in Roccellaceae (Arthoniales) from the Andaman Islands, India
Authors: Jagadeesh Ram TAM
Published: August 2014

Four new species in Roccellaceae: Bactrospora littoralis, B. medians, Chiodecton andamanicum and Sagenidiopsis atroalba are described from the Andaman Islands, India. Bactrospora littoralis has acicular, 7-septate Patellarioides-type ascospores whereas B. medians has biclavate, 15–24-septate, Homalotropa-type ascospores. Chiodecton andamanicum has much small ascomata, thin, hyaline to pale brown hypothecium and 4–5-septate ascospores. Sagenidiopsis atroalba has a byssoid thallus with white prothallus, dark brown to blackish hypothallus and smaller ascomata, asci and ascospores. Bactrospora carolinensis (Ellis & Everh.) R.C. Harris, Opegrapha apomelana A. Massal., O. dekeselii Ertz, O. irosina Vain. and O. robusta Vain. are reported as new records for India.
Notes on the taxonomic positions of some Hymenochaetaceae (Basidiomycota) species with colored basidiospores
Authors: Zhou Li-Wei
Published: August 2014

Hymenochaetaceae, belonging to Hymenochaetales and accommodating around 500 species, is one of the largest families in Basidiomycota (Kirk et al. 2008). Traditionally, poroid species in Hymenochaetaceae are mainly placed in Inonotus P. Karst. sensu lato and Phellinus Quél. sensu lato. To make a more natural taxonomic system, some small genera were segregated from the two large genera, and support for most of them was confirmed by later phylogenetic evidence (Wagner & Fischer 2002). Of the currently accepted genera, Fomitiporella Murrill, Fulvifomes Murrill and Phylloporia Murrill have species bearing non-stipitate basidiomes, no setae and colored basidiospores (Zhou & Dai 2012, Zhou 2014a, b). Several species in Inonotus sensu stricto also have these features. Therefore, it is hard to decide in which genus certain species should belong, based solely on morphological features. For this work, I performed phylogenetic analyses from nLSU and ITS sequences to explore the phylogenetic relationships of some species as discussed above, including Inonotus tenuissimus H.Y. Yu, C.L. Zhao & Y.C. Dai, Fomitiporella caryophylli (Racib.) T. Wagner & M. Fisch., Fulvifomes chinensis (Pilát) Y.C. Dai, Fulvifomes inermis (Ellis & Everh.) Y.C. Dai and Phylloporia resupinata Douanla-Meli & Ryvarden. Their taxonomic positions at generic level were also discussed considering morphology.
Taxonomic remarks, phylogeny and evolutionary notes on the leaf beetle species belonging to the Cryptocephalus sericeus complex (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae)
Authors: Sassi Davide
Published: August 2014

A cladistic analysis was carried out for a complex of 33 species of the genus Cryptocephalus that has been recognized for some time as monophyletic. 55 morphological adult characters have been used, with 119 character states. Analyses were performed using parsimony procedures as well as Bayesian inference. Further information about phylogenetic scenarios were obtained by combining the morphological dataset with a sequence of 507 bp of the central portion of the 18S ribosomal RNA. Illustrations are provided for most morphological characters used in the analyses. Besides, the following taxonomic changes are proposed here: subg. Cerodens has to be considered a new synonym of subg. Cryptocephalus; C. zambanellus is raised again to species level; C. sericeus intrusus has to be considered a new synonym of C. zambanellus; C. telueticus has to be considered a new synonym of C. azurescens; all the populations of C. violaceus ranging from Iberian Peninsula to central Alps are attributed to the subspecies scaffaiolus Burlini, formerly described from the Northern Apennines. Biogeographic remarks are given and some evolutionary hypotheses about the radiation of the monophylum are proposed on the basis of the acquired knowledge. An identification key for the species is also provided.
Serum Endocan Level and the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Kose Murat , Emet Samim , Akpinar Timur Selcuk , Kocaaga Mehmet , Cakmak Ramazan , Akarsu Murat , Yuruyen Gulden , Arman Yucel , Tukek Tufan
Published: August 2014

Endothelial-specific molecule 1 (endocan) is expressed in endothelial cells. We investigated the relationship between acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and serum endocan levels. We included 30 individuals as a control group and 53 patients diagnosed with ACS. The severity of coronary artery disease was assessed by a modified Gensini stenosis and SYNTAX scoring system. There was a significant difference in serum endocan levels between the control group and the ACS group (0.75 ± 0.13 vs 0.86 ± 0.25 ng/mL, P = .014). There was also a significant difference in serum endocan levels between diabetic patients with ACS and nondiabetic patients with ACS (1.02 ± 0.33 vs 0.81 ± 0.21 ng/mL, P = .016). There was no significant correlation between serum endocan level, Gensini, and SYNTAX score ( r = .11, P = .53 and r = .16, P = .37). Endocan, a new biomarker of endothelial pathology, is significantly increased in patients with ACS.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children With Tinnitus
Authors: Levi Eric , Bekhit Elhamy K. , Berkowitz Robert G.
Published: August 2014

Objective:

Tinnitus in adults is generally investigated by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to rule out the diagnosis of acoustic neuroma. Acoustic neuroma is rare in children and, therefore, the role of MRI in children with tinnitus is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the value of MRI in the investigation of tinnitus in children.

Methods:

Retrospective study of children younger than 18 years who underwent MRI for the investigation of tinnitus over a 10-year period.

Results:

Sixty-five patients were identified, but there were only 34 who had also undergone audiologic assessment. Among the 25 patients with normal audiology, MRI abnormalities were present in 9, but these were all thought to be nonspecific. Nine patients had abnormal audiograms and the MRI was abnormal in 4 of these cases, which included 3 children who were found to have multiple sclerosis.

Conclusion:

Magnetic resonance imaging would appear to be mandatory in the investigation of tinnitus in children who are found to have sensorineural hearing loss, particularly to rule out the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Although our study does not support the routine use of MRI in children with normal audiology, the numbers in our series are too small for a conclusive recommendation.
The identification of elevated urinary kisspeptin-immunoreactivity during pregnancy
Authors: Jayasena Channa N , Comninos Alexander N , Narayanaswamy Shakunthala , Abbara Ali , Nijher Gurjinder MK , Cheema Mansimran , Malik Zainab , Ghatei Mohammad A , Bloom Stephen R , Dhillo Waljit S
Published: August 2014

Background

Kisspeptin is an arginine-phenylalanine amide peptide hormone critical for reproductive function. Kisspeptin is also abundantly expressed in the placenta, where it has an important physiological role in regulating placental invasion. Accordingly, plasma kisspeptin concentrations rise dramatically during normal pregnancy. However, lower plasma concentrations of kisspeptin are associated with obstetric complications such as pre-eclampsia. It is not currently known whether kisspeptin-immunoreactivity (IR) can be detected in bodily fluids not requiring invasive collection such as saliva or urine.

Aim

To determine the clinical utility of urinary and salivary kisspeptin measurement in healthy pregnant women.

Methods

Forty-nine healthy third trimester pregnant women (gestational age 34 ± 0.6 w) from a single maternity unit and 50 healthy non-pregnant women were recruited. Urine, saliva and blood were simultaneously collected from all volunteers. Kisspeptin concentrations were determined by in-house manual radioimmunoassay.

Results

Mean concentrations of plasma kisspeptin-IR were over 200-fold greater in third trimester pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women (13,783 ± 864 pmol/L, pregnant; 65 ± 13 pmol/L, non-pregnant; p < 0.0001). The urine kisspeptin:creatinine ratio was greater in pregnant women when compared with non-pregnant women (urine kisspeptin:creatinine: 37 ± 6 pmol/ µmol, pregnant; 7 ± 1 pmol/ µmol, non-pregnant; p < 0.0001). Mean concentrations of salivary kisspeptin-IR were not statistically different between pregnant and non-pregnant women (123 ± 34 pmol/L, pregnant; 83 ± 33 pmol/L, non-pregnant; p = 0.2).

Conclusion

We demonstrate for the first time that kisspeptin-IR is elevated in urine during pregnancy. Urinary measurement of kisspeptin-IR may, therefore, offer a non-invasive and simple method of screening for pregnancy and obstetric complications.
Mesenchymal Stem/Progenitor Cell Isolation from Tooth Extraction Sockets
Authors: Nakajima R. , Ono M. , Hara E.S. , Oida Y. , Shinkawa S. , Pham H.T. , Akiyama K. , Sonoyama W. , Maekawa K. , Kuboki T.
Published: August 2014

Bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (BMSCs) are commonly used in regeneration therapy. The current primary source of BMSCs is the iliac crest; however, the procedure is associated with various burdens on the patient, including the risk of pain and infection. Hence, the possibility to collect BMSCs from other, more accessible, sources would be an attractive approach. It is well known that stem cells migrate from surrounding tissues and play important roles in wound healing. We thus hypothesized that stem/progenitor cells could be isolated from granulation tissue in the dental socket, and we subsequently collected granulation tissue from dog dental socket 3 d after tooth extraction. After enzyme digestion of the collected tissue, the cells forming colonies constituted the dental socket–derived stem/progenitor cells (dDSCs). Next, dDSCs were compared with dog BMSCs (dBMSCs) for phenotype characterization. A flow cytometric analysis showed that dDSCs were positive for CD44, CD90, and CD271 but negative for CD34 and CD45, similar to dBMSCs. dDSCs also exhibited osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation ability, similar to dBMSCs, with a higher capacity for colony formation, proliferation, and motility than dBMSCs. In addition, an in vivo ectopic bone formation assay showed that dDSCs and dBMSCs both induced hard tissue formation, although only dDSCs formed a fibrous tissue-like structure connected to the newly formed bone. Finally, we tested the ability of dDSCs to regenerate periodontal tissue in a one-wall defect model. The defects in the dDSC-transplanted group (β-TCP/PGA/dDSCs) were regenerated with cementum-like and periodontal ligament-like tissues and alveolar bone, whereas only bony tissue was observed in the control group (β-TCP/PGA). In conclusion, we identified and characterized a population of stem/progenitor cells in granulation tissue obtained from the dental socket that exhibited several characteristics similar to those of BMSCs. Dental sockets could therefore be a novel source for isolating stem/progenitor cells from bone.
Safety of Enteral Feedings in Critically Ill Children Receiving Vasoactive Agents
Authors: Panchal Apurva K. , Manzi Jennifer , Connolly Susan , Christensen Melissa , Wakeham Martin , Goday Praveen S. , Mikhailov Theresa A.
Published: August 2014

Background: The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the safety of enteral feeding in children receiving vasoactive agents (VAs). Methods: Patients aged 1 month to 18 years with a pediatric intensive care unit stay for ≥96 hours during 2007 and 2008 who received any VA (epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, milrinone, dopamine, and dobutamine) were included and categorized into fed and nonfed groups. Their demographics, clinical characteristics, type and dose of VA, and presence of gastrointestinal (GI) outcomes were obtained. GI outcomes were compared between the groups by the χ2 test, Mann‐Whitney test, and logistic regression. Results: In total, 339 patients were included. Of these, 55% were in the fed group and 45% in the nonfed group. Patients in the fed group were younger (median age, 1.05 vs 2.75 years, respectively; P < .001) and tended to have a lower Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM2) risk of mortality (ROM) than those in the nonfed group (median, 3.33% vs 3.52%, respectively; P = .106). Mortality was lower in the fed group than the nonfed group (6.9% vs 15.9%, respectively; odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 0.18–0.84; P < .01, 95% CI), while GI outcomes did not differ between the groups. The vasoactive‐inotropic score (VIS) did not differ between the groups except on day 1 (P = .017). The ROM did not differ between the groups after adjusting for age, PIM2 ROM, and VIS on day 1 (OR, 0.58; 0.26–1.28; P = .18, 95% CI). Conclusions: Enteral feeding in patients receiving VAs is associated with no difference in GI outcomes and a tendency towards lower mortality. Prospective studies are required to confirm the safety of enteral feedings in patients receiving VAs.
Predicting Postsurgery Nasal Physiology with Computational Modeling: Current Challenges and Limitations
Authors: Frank‐Ito Dennis O. , Kimbell Julia S. , Laud Purushottam , Garcia Guilherme J. M. , Rhee John S.
Published: August 2014

Introduction

High failure rates for surgical treatment of nasal airway obstruction (NAO) indicate that better diagnostic tools are needed to improve surgical planning. This study evaluates whether computer models based on a surgeon's edits of presurgery scans can accurately predict results from computer models based on postoperative scans of the same patient using computational fluid dynamics.

Study Design

Prospective study.

Setting

Academic medical center.

Methods

Three‐dimensional nasal models were reconstructed from computed tomographic scans of 10 patients with NAO presurgery and 5 to 8 months postsurgery. To create transcribed‐surgery models, the surgeon digitally modified the preoperative reconstruction in each patient to represent physical changes expected from surgery and healing. Steady‐state, laminar, inspiratory airflow was simulated in each model under physiologic, pressure‐driven conditions.

Results

Transcribed‐surgery and postsurgery model variables were statistically different from presurgery variables at α = 0.05. Unilateral nasal resistance and airflow were not statistically different between transcribed‐surgery and postsurgery models, but bilateral resistance was significantly different. Cross‐sectional average pressures in transcribed surgery trended with postsurgery. Transcribed‐surgery prediction errors of postsurgery bilateral resistance were within 10% to 20% and 20% to 30% in 5 and 4 subjects, respectively. Prediction errors for unilateral resistance were <10%, 10% to 20%, and 20% to 30% in 1, 2, and 4 subjects, respectively.

Conclusions

Computational models with modifications mimicking actual surgery and healing have the potential to predict postoperative outcomes. However, software to effectively translate virtual surgery steps into computational models is lacking. The ability to account for healing factors and the current limited virtual surgery tools are challenges that need to be overcome for greater accuracy.
Integrating Quality Matters Into Hybrid Course Design
Authors: Young Mark R.
Published: August 2014

Previous research supports the idea that the success of hybrid or online delivery modes is more a function of course design than delivery media. This article describes a case study of a hybrid Principles of Marketing course that implemented a comprehensive redesign based on design principles espoused by the Quality Matters Program, a center for improving online and hybrid course design through a faculty-centered, peer review process. The resulting team-taught course was well received by students, more efficient for faculty to deliver, and showed equivalence in direct measures (no difference in exam scores) of student learning.
Candidate-gene association study searching for genetic factors involved in migraine chronification
Authors: Louter MA , Fernandez-Morales J , de Vries B , Winsvold B , Anttila V , Fernandez-Cadenas I , Vila-Pueyo M , Sintas C , van Duijn CM , Cormand B , Álvarez-Sabin J , Montaner J , Ferrari MD , van den Maagdenberg AMJM , Palotie A , Zwart JA , Macaya A , Terwindt GM , Pozo-Rosich P
Published: August 2014

Introduction

Chronic migraine (CM) is at the severe end of the clinical migraine spectrum, but its genetic background is unknown. Our study searched for evidence that genetic factors are involved in the chronification process.

Methods

We initially selected 144 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 48 candidate genes, which we tested for association in two stages: The first stage encompassed 262 CM patients, the second investigated 226 patients with high-frequency migraine (HFM). Subsequently, SNPs with p values < 0.05 were forwarded to the replication stage containing 531 patients with CM or HFM.

Results

Eight SNPs were significantly associated with CM and HFM in the two-stage phase. None survived replication in the third stage.

Discussion

We present the first comprehensive genetic association study for migraine chronification. There were no significant findings. Future studies may benefit from larger, genome-wide data sets or should use other genetic approaches to identify genetic factors involved in migraine chronification.
Negotiating Gendered Religious Space
Authors: Prickett Pamela J.
Published: August 2014

Much research on women’s religious participation centers on their abilities to act within constricted institutional spaces. Drawing on five years of ethnographic fieldwork, this study analyzes how African American Muslim women use the mosque as a physical space to enact public performances of religious identity. By occupying, protecting, and appropriating spaces in the mosque for meaningfully gender-specific ways of engaging Islam, the women further a project of religious self-making that bonds African American Muslim women together. In their maneuverings of different forms of physical space as a sisterhood, the women enable themselves to resist gender, economic, and racial oppression. This study reveals that even within men-dominated religious organizations with limited symbolic and material spaces for women, women participants successfully exert agency over their own religious experiences.
The State of Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies Doctoral Education
Authors: Jackson Stephen K. , Guerrero Santiago , Appe Susan
Published: August 2014

This article examines the state of nonprofit and philanthropic studies doctoral education using several data sources: PhD student surveys, faculty surveys, the number of nonprofit articles published in academic journals, and completed dissertations in nonprofit and philanthropic studies. This article contributes to the nonprofit literature by capturing overall trends in nonprofit and philanthropic studies doctoral education, while asking fundamental questions about doctoral education—particularly about coherence and knowledge production. It presents several implications for both our understanding of the current state of nonprofit doctoral education—where we are—and where the field may be headed.
Computer numerical control vertical machining centre feed drive modelling using the transmission line technique
Authors: Ford DG , Castaneda VYM , Longstaff AP , Pislaru C , Myers A
Published: August 2014

This study presents a novel application of the Transmission Line Matrix Method (TLM) for the modelling of the dynamic behaviour of non-linear hybrid systems for computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool drives. The application of the TLM technique implies the dividing of the ball-screw shaft into a number of identical elements in order to achieve the synchronisation of events in the simulation, and to provide an acceptable resolution according to the maximum frequency of interest. This entails the use of a high performance computing system with due consideration to the small time steps being applied in the simulation. Generally, the analysis of torsion and axial dynamic effects on a shaft implies the development of independent simulated models. This study presents a new procedure for the modelling of a ball-screw shaft by the synchronisation of the axial and torsion dynamics into the same model. The model parameters were obtained with equipments such as laser interferometer, ball bar, electronic levels, signal acquisition systems, etc. The MTLM models for single and two-axis configurations have been simulated and matches well with the measured responses of machines. The new modelling approach designated the Modified Transmission Line Method (MTLM) extends the TLM approach retaining all its inherent qualities but gives improved convergence and processing speeds. Further work since, not the subject of this paper, have identified its potential for real-time application.
Experimental investigation of fatigue and aging performance of automotive exhaust flexible couplings
Authors: Curà Francesca , Mura Andrea , Sesana Raffaella
Published: August 2014

In this work, the mechanical strength of automotive exhaust flexible couplings subjected to thermo-mechanical fatigue and corrosion has been investigated. Five different types of flexible coupling have been considered, which is realized by four different metallic materials: three stainless steels (AISI 309, AISI 321, and AISI 321 Ti) and a nickel alloy (Incoloy 825). These components have been tested by a specific procedure developed to reproduce the real working conditions of the flexible joints (mechanical stresses, thermal stresses, and chemical attacks). The aging procedure consisting of different cycles of fatigue, heating and corrosion was performed. The performance of components was compared in terms of variation of both mechanical strength and the effect of corrosion, by means of the critical to quality approaches. The fatigue aging process presented in this work reproduced properly the real damage conditions on automotive flexible coupling, and the analysis of the critical to quality results shows that the best components for this application are those made up of Incoloy 825.
Robust square-root cubature Kalman filter based on Huber’s M-estimation methodology
Authors: Li Kailong , Hu Baiqing , Chang Lubin , Li Yang
Published: August 2014

In practical engineering applications, the performance of the standard cubature Kalman filter (CKF) and its square-root version can be severely degraded due to outliers in measurement or contaminated distribution. In order to address the problem, a robust version of CKF is presented using Huber’s M-estimation methodology and square-root filtering framework. By making use of the Huber technique to reformulate the measurement update of CKF in square-root filtering framework, the proposed filter can exhibit robustness and numerical stability against deviation from Gaussian distribution assumption. In simulation tests, four versions of CKF—the standard, the square-root, Huber-based, and the proposed are evaluated in terms of estimation accuracy, numerical stability, and robustness under Gaussian and non-Gaussian distribution. The results are concluded that the square-root version outperforms the others under Gaussian distribution, whereas the proposed filter has improved performance in maintaining the robustness and numerical stability under non-Gaussian distribution. The investigated robust framework can be extended to other Gaussian filtering algorithms and the study is expected to facilitate applications of CKF in practical engineering as well.
Rethinking access to land and violence in post-war cities: reflections from Juba, Southern Sudan
Authors: McMichael Gabriella
Published: August 2014

It is often assumed that violence diminishes after civil war, but in fact urban areas can turn into highly violent places with the end of open hostilities. The new forms of violence that can emerge are widespread but poorly understood and have been attributed to a range of factors including rapid urbanization, lack of economic development, continuing ethnic tensions and poverty. This paper examines urban violence in Juba, the “new” capital of Southern Sudan, through the lens of informal urban land access. The city experienced rapid population growth and an increase in land-associated violence after open hostilities with the north of Sudan ended in 2005. While the literature tends to emphasize the role of such actors as (ex-)combatants and unemployed and disenchanted urban youth in urban violence after war, the analysis presented here aims to demonstrate the complexity of the underlying causes of land violence and the opportunism of a range of civilian and military actors seeking to benefit from the fluid post-war context.
Coupled cycle with Kalina cycle system and vapor absorption refrigeration
Authors: Shankar R , Srinivas T
Published: August 2014

A combined power and cooling cycle system known as cooling cogeneration cycle has been developed by coupling a Kalina cycle system (KCS) with a single effect vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) system using ammonia–water mixture as working fluid. In the proposed system, a flow control has been provided to choose the degree of power or cooling according to the demand. The total system is designed at equal parts of power and cooling (50% power and 50% cooling). The working fluid mass flow rate has been controlled from −20% to 20% from the equal outputs. The coupling of Kalina cycle system and vapor absorption refrigeration avoids the repetitive use of common equipment and, therefore, results in a compact size compared to conventional integration. The effects of power cycle mass split ratio, separator vapor fraction, turbine concentration, evaporator temperature, and circulating water inlet temperature have been studied on performance characteristics to maximize the energy utilization factor. An optimum separator vapor fraction has been found from 45% to 50%. A higher turbine concentration and evaporator exit temperature is recommended for favorable results. An equal working fluid share (50:50) to power and cooling results in a net power and cooling of respectively 22.5 kW and 200 kW. The cycle energy utilization factor and plant energy utilization factor are 0.23 and 0.10, respectively.
Wind turbine model validation: Fusion of simulation and measurement data
Authors: Stotsky Alexander
Published: August 2014

A new turbine model validation technique that is based on adaptation of look-up tables is described in this article. Simulation results from the VIDYN turbine simulation program and measurements from Big Glenn wind turbine, located outside Gothenburg, Sweden, are used as an input to this new model validation technique. The models of the flapwise bending moment and power coefficient are validated for Big Glenn turbine. Measurement data are acquired during normal turbine operation. Verification results show good agreement between model outputs and measured data. The method allows prediction in a wide range of turbine operating variables, using only few measured points.
Use of Rivaroxaban in a Patient With History of Nephrotic Syndrome and Hypercoagulability
Authors: Dupree Lori H. , Reddy Pramod
Published: August 2014

Objective: Hypercoagulability, resulting in thromboembolic events, can be a life-threatening complication of nephrotic syndrome (NS). Conventional anticoagulants, such as warfarin, have been the standard of care for more than 50 years; however, the availability of target-specific oral anticoagulants (TSOACs) have provided additional options for the treatment and prevention of thromboembolic events. Documented use of the TSOACs in patients with NS and hypercoagulability is currently limited. Case Summary: We present the case of an 18-year-old young woman with NS and renal vein thrombosis who was readmitted with bilateral pulmonary emboli on therapeutic doses of warfarin, with a goal international normalized ratio of 2.0 to 3.0. The decision was made to transition the patient from warfarin to rivaroxaban, an oral factor Xa inhibitor. Discussion: Rivaroxaban was the first of the emerging TSOACs to be FDA approved for both prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism. With favorable safety and efficacy data compared with warfarin in addition to a predictable pharmacokinetic profile and the lack of requirement of routine monitoring, rivaroxaban provides a useful alternative in this patient population. Summary: While on therapeutic anticoagulation, a patient previously diagnosed with NS and renal vein thrombosis experienced pulmonary emboli on a conventional anticoagulant and was switched to a target-specific oral anticoagulant with documented completion of 6 months of therapy without recurrent thromboembolism.
Neural Plasticity and Memory
Authors: Amtul Zareen , Rahman Atta-ur
Published: August 2014

Current models of memory storage recognize posttranslational modification vital for short-term and mRNA translation for long-lasting information storage. However, at the molecular level things are quite vague. A comprehensive review of the molecular basis of short and long-lasting synaptic plasticity literature leads us to propose that the hydrogen bonding pattern at the molecular level may be a permissive, vital step of memory storage. Therefore, we propose that the pattern of hydrogen bonding network of biomolecules (glycoproteins and/or DNA template, for instance) at the synapse is the critical edifying mechanism essential for short- and long-term memories. A novel aspect of this model is that nonrandom impulsive (or unplanned) synaptic activity functions as a synchronized positive-feedback rehearsal mechanism by revising the configurations of the hydrogen bonding network by tweaking the earlier tailored hydrogen bonds. This process may also maintain the elasticity of the related synapses involved in memory storage, a characteristic needed for such networks to alter intricacy and revise endlessly. The primary purpose of this review is to stimulate the efforts to elaborate the mechanism of neuronal connectivity both at molecular and chemical levels.
A closed-form study on the free vibration of a grid joined by a mass-spring system
Authors: Hozhabrossadati Seyed Mojtaba , Sani Ahmad Aftabi , Mofid Masood
Published: August 2014

This paper deals with the coupling flexural-torsional vibration analysis of a grid formed by two members. A mass-spring system is attached to the grid at the intersecting joint. The members of the grid are assumed to resist torsion as well as bending and shear. Moreover, the mechanical and geometrical properties of each member are different. In order to analyze the problem, a closed-form solution is obtained. In doing so, the governing differential equations of the system along with the pertinent boundary and compatibility conditions of the system are introduced. Then, the frequency parameters of the mechanical system under study are derived and given for the first five modes of vibration. Furthermore, some diagrams of the mode shapes of the grid are plotted. A finite element program is also written to verify the results. The results obtained from these two methods are in good agreement and the accuracy of our results is confirmed.