bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sci—Thur PM: Planning & Delivery ‐ 01: Software for plan quality control
Authors: La Russa D , Taylor R , Henderson E , Lekx K , Mason D
Published: September 2014

The evaluation of treatment plans for compliance with prescribed treatment objectives is often a manual process that is susceptible to errors or omissions arising from non‐standardized procedures, time constraints or human factors. In an effort to improve the consistency and accuracy of this process we have developed software that automates the comparison between patient dose‐volume histograms (DVH) and pre‐defined dosimetric constraints. Treatment objectives and constraints (i.e. careplans) are stored in a database, categorized by disease site. Constraints have optional soft and hard limits which can be either modified or overridden on a per‐patient basis at the discretion of the clinician. Configurable plugins automate the import of patient DVH data from the treatment planning system (currently supporting Monaco, XiO, and TomoTherapy). An optional report summarizing the results of a comparison can be generated for inclusion in the patient treatment record. Results from each comparison are stored in a database enabling the analysis of program wide care plan compliance, average or mean doses to critical organs, or other values of interest. The software is run on a centralized server and accessed by users through any modern web browser. It will be released as free, open source software in the near future.
Sci—Thur PM: Planning & Delivery — 03: Automated delivery and quality assurance of a modulated electron radiation therapy plan
Authors: Connell T , Alexander A , Papaconstadopoulos P , Serban M , Devic S , Seuntjens J
Published: September 2014

Modulated electron radiation therapy (MERT) offers the potential to improve healthy tissue sparing through increased dose conformity. Challenges remain, however, in accurate beamlet dose calculation, plan optimization, collimation method and delivery accuracy. In this work, we investigate the accuracy and efficiency of an end‐to‐end MERT plan and automated‐delivery workflow for the electron boost portion of a previously treated whole breast irradiation case. Dose calculations were performed using Monte Carlo methods and beam weights were determined using a research‐based treatment planning system capable of inverse optimization. The plan was delivered to radiochromic film placed in a water equivalent phantom for verification, using an automated motorized tertiary collimator. The automated delivery, which covered 4 electron energies, 196 subfields and 6183 total MU was completed in 25.8 minutes, including 6.2 minutes of beam‐on time with the remainder of the delivery time spent on collimator leaf motion and the automated interfacing with the accelerator in service mode. The delivery time could be reduced by 5.3 minutes with minor electron collimator modifications and the beam‐on time could be reduced by and estimated factor of 2–3 through redesign of the scattering foils. Comparison of the planned and delivered film dose gave 3%/3 mm gamma pass rates of 62.1, 99.8, 97.8, 98.3, and 98.7 percent for the 9, 12, 16, 20 MeV, and combined energy deliveries respectively. Good results were also seen in the delivery verification performed with a MapCHECK 2 device. The results showed that accurate and efficient MERT delivery is possible with current technologies.
Sci—Thur PM: Planning & Delivery — 04: Respiratory margin derivation and verification in partial breast irradiation
Authors: Quirk S , Conroy L , Smith WL
Published: September 2014

Partial breast irradiation (PBI) following breast‐conserving surgery is emerging as an effective means to achieve local control and reduce irradiated breast volume. Patients are planned on a static CT image; however, treatment is delivered while the patient is free‐breathing. Respiratory motion can degrade plan quality by reducing target coverage and/or dose homogeneity. A variety of methods can be used to determine the required margin for respiratory motion in PBI. We derive geometric and dosimetric respiratory 1D margin. We also verify the adequacy of the typical 5 mm respiratory margin in 3D by evaluating plan quality for increasing respiratory amplitudes (2–20 mm). Ten PBI plans were used for dosimetric evaluation. A database of volunteer respiratory data, with similar characteristics to breast cancer patients, was used for this study. We derived a geometric 95%‐margin of 3 mm from the population respiratory data. We derived a dosimetric 95%‐margin of 2 mm by convolving 1D dose profiles with respiratory probability density functions. The 5 mm respiratory margin is possibly too large when 1D coverage is assessed and could lead to unnecessary normal tissue irradiation. Assessing margins only for coverage may be insufficient; 3D dosimetric assessment revealed degradation in dose homogeneity is the limiting factor, not target coverage. Hotspots increased even for the smallest respiratory amplitudes, while target coverage only degraded at amplitudes greater than 10 mm. The 5 mm respiratory margin is adequate for coverage, but due to plan quality degradation, respiratory management is recommended for patients with respiratory amplitudes greater than 10 mm.
Sci—Thur PM: Planning & Delivery — 06: Real‐Time Interactive Treatment Planning
Authors: Matthews Q , Mestrovic A , Otto K
Published: September 2014

Purpose:

To describe and evaluate a novel system for generalized Real‐Time Interactive Planning (RTIP) applied to head & neck (H&N) VMAT. Methods: The clinician interactively manipulates dose distributions using DVHs, isodoses, or rate of dose fall‐off, which may be subjected to user‐defined constraints. Dose is calculated using a fast Achievable Dose Estimate (ADE) algorithm, which simulates the limits of what can be achieved during treatment. After each manipulation contributing fluence elements are modified and the dose distribution updates in effectively real‐time. For H&N VMAT planning, structure sets for 11 patients were imported into RTIP. Each dose distribution was interactively modified to minimize OAR dose while constraining target DVHs. The resulting RTIP DVHs were transferred to the Eclipse™ VMAT optimizer, and conventional VMAT optimization was performed.

Results:

Dose calculation and update times for the ADE algorithm ranged from 2.4 to 22.6 milliseconds, thus facilitating effectively real‐time manipulation of dose distributions. For each of the 11 H&N VMAT cases, the RTIP process took ∼2–10 minutes. All RTIP plans exhibited acceptable PTV coverage, mean dose, and max dose. 10 of 11 RTIP plans achieved substantially improved sparing of one or more OARs without compromising dose to targets or other OARs. Importantly, 10 of the 11 RTIP plans required only one or two post‐RTIP optimizations.

Conclusions:

RTIP is a novel system for manipulating and updating achievable dose distributions in real‐time. H&N VMAT plans generated using RTIP demonstrate improved OAR sparing and planning efficiency.

Disclosures:

One author has a commercial interest in the presented materials.
Poster — Thur Eve — 02: Measurement of CT radiation profile width using Fuji CR imaging plate raw data
Authors: Bjarnason T A , Yang C J
Published: September 2014

Measuring the CT collimation width and assessing the shape of the overall profile is a relatively straightforward quality control (QC) measure that impacts both image quality and patient dose, and is often required at acceptance and routine testing. Most CT facilities have access to computed radiography (CR) systems, so performing CT collimation profile assessments using CR plates requires no additional equipment. Previous studies have shown how to effectively use CR plates to measure the radiation profile width. However, a major limitation of the previous work is that the full dynamic range of CR detector plates are not used, since the CR processing technology reduces the dynamic range of the DICOM output to 210, requiring the sensitivity and latitude settings of CR reader to be adjusted to prevent clipping of the CT profile data. Such adjustments to CR readers unnecessarily complicate the QC procedure. These clipping artefacts hinder the ability to accurately assess CT collimation width because the full‐width at half maximum value of the penumbras are not properly determined if the maximum dose of the profile is not available. Furthermore, any inconsistencies in the radiation profile shape are lost if the profile plateau is clipped off. In this work we developed an opensource Matlab script for straightforward CT profile width measurements using raw CR data that also allows assessment of the profile shape without clipping, and applied this approach during CT QC.
Poster — Thur Eve — 03: Application of the non‐negative matrix factorization technique to [11C]‐DTBZ dynamic PET data for the early detection of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Lee Dong‐Chang , Jans Hans , Martin Wayne , Wieler Marguerite , McEwan Sandy , Riauka Terence
Published: September 2014

In this work, a class of non‐negative matrix factorization (NMF) technique known as alternating non‐negative least squares, combined with the projected gradient method, is used to analyze twenty‐five [11C]‐DTBZ dynamic PET/CT brain data. For each subject, a two‐factor model is assumed and two factors representing the striatum (factor 1) and the non‐striatum (factor 2) tissues are extracted using the proposed NMF technique and commercially available factor analysis software “Pixies”. The extracted factor 1 and 2 curves represent the binding site of the radiotracer and describe the uptake and clearance of the radiotracer by soft tissues in the brain, respectively. The proposed NMF technique uses prior information about the dynamic data to obtain sample time‐activity curves representing the striatum and the non‐striatum tissues. These curves are then used for “warm” starting the optimization. Factor solutions from the two methods are compared graphically and quantitatively. In healthy subjects, radiotracer uptake by factors 1 and 2 are approximately 35–40% and 60–65%, respectively. The solutions are also used to develop a factor‐based metric for the detection of early, untreated Parkinson's disease. The metric stratifies healthy subjects from suspected Parkinson's patients (based on the graphical method). The analysis shows that both techniques produce comparable results with similar computational time. The “semi‐automatic” approach used by the NMF technique allows clinicians to manually set a starting condition for “warm” starting the optimization in order to facilitate control and efficient interaction with the data.
Poster — Thur Eve — 08: Rotational errors with on‐board cone beam computed tomography
Authors: M. Ali E. S. , Webb R. , Nyiri B.
Published: September 2014

The focus of this study is on the Elekta XVI on‐board cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) system. A rotational mismatch as large as 0.5° is observed between clockwise (CW) and counter‐clockwise (CCW) CBCT scans. The error could affect non‐isocentric treatments (e.g., lung SBRT and acoustic neuroma), as well as off‐axis organs‐at‐risk. The error is caused by mislabeling of the projections with a lagging gantry angle, which is caused by the finite image acquisition time and delays in the imaging system. A 30 cm diameter cylindrical phantom with 5 mm diameter holes is used for the scanning. CW and CCW scans are acquired for five gantry speeds (360 to 120 deg./min.) on six linacs from three generations (MLCi, MLCi2, and Agility). Additional scans are acquired with different x‐ray pulse widths for the same mAs. In the automated CBCT analysis (using ImageJ), the CW/CCW mismatch in a series of line profiles is identified and used to calculate the rotational error. Results are consistent among all linacs and indicate that the error varies linearly with gantry speed. The finite width of the x‐ray pulses is a major but predictable contributor to the delay causing the error. For 40 ms pulses, the delay is 34 ± 1 ms. A simple solution applied in our clinic is adjusting the gantry angle offset to make the CCW one‐minute scans correct. A more involved approach we are currently investigating includes adjustments of pulse width and mA, resulting in focal spot changes, with potential impact on image quality.
Poster — Thur Eve — 12: Implementation of a Clinical Lung Tumour High Dose Containment Verification Procedure using Respiratory Cone‐Beam CT (4DCBCT) on a Varian TrueBeam Linac
Authors: Beaudry J. , Bergman A.
Published: September 2014

Lung tumours move due to respiratory motion. This is managed during planning by acquiring a 4DCT and capturing the excursion of the GTV (gross tumour volume) throughout the breathing cycle within an IGTV (Internal Gross Tumour Volume) contour. Patients undergo a verification cone‐beam CT (CBCT) scan immediately prior to treatment. 3D reconstructed images do not consider tumour motion, resulting in image artefacts, such as blurring. This may lead to difficulty in identifying the tumour on reconstructed images. It would be valuable to create a 4DCBCT reconstruction of the tumour motion to confirm that does indeed remain within the planned IGTV. CBCT projections of a Quasar Respiratory Motion Phantom are acquired in Treatment mode (half‐fan scan) on a Varian TrueBeam accelerator. This phantom contains a mobile, low‐density lung insert with an embedded 3cm diameter tumour object. It is programmed to create a 15s periodic, 2cm (sup/inf) displacement. A Varian Real‐time Position Management (RPM) tracking‐box is placed on the phantom breathing platform. Breathing phase information is automatically integrated into the projection image files. Using in‐house Matlab programs and RTK (Reconstruction Tool Kit) open‐source toolboxes, the projections are re‐binned into 10 phases and a 4DCBCT scan reconstructed. The planning IGTV is registered to the 4DCBCT and the tumour excursion is verified to remain within the planned contour. This technique successfully reconstructs 4DCBCT images using clinical modes for a breathing phantom. UBC‐BCCA ethics approval has been obtained to perform 4DCBCT reconstructions on lung patients (REB#H12‐00192). Clinical images will be accrued starting April 2014.
Could Acupuncture Have a Role in the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder via Modulation of Bdnf Expression and Activation?
Authors: Li Li-Ya , Jiang Nan , Zhao Yue
Published: September 2014

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by early-onset difficulties in social communication and unusually restricted repetitive behaviour and interests. Multiple lines of evidence directly or indirectly suggest an involvement in autism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which plays a pivotal role in the development and plasticity of the brain. Recent studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture-induced activation of BDNF in many neurological disorders. In view of these findings, we hypothesise the potential therapeutic effect of acupuncture-induced activation of BDNF in the treatment of ASD.
Acquired malposition of the gallbladder
Authors: Hossack Martin , Date Ravindra
Published: September 2014

A 59-year-old woman with a history of cirrhosis and portal hypertension underwent a planned laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for long-standing cholelithiasis. Laparoscopy revealed the gallbladder extending to the left of the falciform ligament, an acquired malposition secondary to cirrhosis. Modification of the surgical approach allowed safe and successful completion of the procedure laparoscopically.
Hepatic portal venous gas in Crohn's disease
Authors: Cunningham Georgina , Cameron Georgina , De Cruz Peter
Published: September 2014

Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is a rare finding that has only been reported previously among 25 patients with Crohn's disease in the English literature. We present a case of a 27-year-old woman with Crohn's disease who presented with fever, abdominal pain and per rectal bleeding and was found to have HPVG at the time of presentation most likely due to an enterovenous fistula. She was managed with intravenous antibiotics, corticosteroids and infliximab and subsequently made a full recovery. HPVG is most likely a manifestation of penetrating Crohn's disease, is overall associated with a low mortality rate and can be managed conservatively in the majority of cases associated with Crohn's disease. Although surgery has been suggested for cases of enterovenous fistulae in the past, this is the first case to suggest that use of antitumour necrosis factor therapy may arrest associated gastrointestinal bleeding and avoid the need for surgery.
The prognostic value of cardiac dysfunction assessed by bedside echocardiography in critically ill patients with COPD requiring mechanical ventilation: a study protocol
Authors: Zhang Zhongheng , Chen Lin , Chen Kun , Ni Hongying
Published: September 2014

Introduction

Chronic obstructive lung disease is not only a major cause of morbidity and mortality, but is also the major reason for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Cardiac function is often impaired in this disease, but its association with clinical outcome has not been fully established.

Methods and analysis

This is a prospective observational study conducted in a 47-bed mixed ICU of a tertiary academic teaching hospital. The study will be performed from January 2014 to December 2015. All patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and admitted to the ICU are potentially eligible for the present study. The relevant demographics and laboratory measurements have been obtained. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed immediately after ICU admission by experienced intensivists. The Cox proportional hazard regression model has been fitted by using a stepwise forward selection and backward elimination technique. If linear assumption is not satisfied, the linear spline function will be used.

Ethics and dissemination

The study protocol was approved by the ethics committee of Jinhua municipal central hospital. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and shared with the worldwide medical community.

Trial registration number

The study protocol is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02099279).
Chapter 8 The NW Iberian continental shelf
Authors: Rey D. , Álvarez-Iglesias P. , Araújo M. F. , Bernabeu A. M. , Comas M. , DeCastro M. , Druet M. , Ferreira da Silva E. , Ferrín A. , Gesteira M. , Martins V. , Mohamed K. J. , Rubio B. , Vilas F.
Published: September 2014

The continental shelf of NW Iberia is of particular interest due to the complex North Atlantic rifting tectonics and modern oceanographic processes that led to its current geomorphological configuration and sediment dynamics. The shelf forms a narrow slow-dipping north-bearing geomorphological structure with a well-defined shelf break located at water depths of 160–180 m. It is a continental margin with sedimentation rates of about 1.5±2.0 mm a
−1
(the highest values in recent bottom sediments of the ría) subjected to a highly energetic seasonal regime of waves and tides, seasonal upwelling and coast-parallel currents, significantly modulated by the North Atlantic Oscillation. Sediment provenance is dominated by inputs of continental sediments via runoff and riverine discharges and, to a lesser extent, by an upwelling-enhanced bioclastic input. Present-day sedimentation in the area occurs closely associated with two geomorphologically distinct sedimentary environments: the rías inner shelf sedimentary systems and the open continental shelf, and their subsequent evolution since the last glacial.
Glucose and insulin administration while maintaining normoglycemia inhibits whole body protein breakdown and synthesis after cardiac surgery
Authors: Hatzakorzian Roupen , Shum-Tim Dominique , Wykes Linda , Hülshoff Ansgar , Bui Helen , Nitschmann Evan , Lattermann Ralph , Schricker Thomas
Published: September 2014

We investigated the effect of insulin administered as part of a hyperinsulinemic-normoglycemic clamp on protein metabolism after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Eighteen patients were studied, with nine patients in the control group receiving standard metabolic care and nine patients receiving insulin (5 mU·kg−1·min−1). Whole body glucose production, protein breakdown, synthesis, and oxidation were determined using stable isotope tracer kinetics (l-[1-13C]leucine, [6,6-2H2]glucose) before and 6 h after the procedure. Plasma amino acids, cortisol, and lactate were also measured. Endogenous glucose production (preoperatively 10.0 ± 1.6, postoperatively 3.7 ± 2.5 μmol·kg−1·min−1; P = 0.0001), protein breakdown (preoperatively 105.3 ± 9.8, postoperatively 85.2 ± 9.2 mmol·kg−1·h−1; P = 0.0005) and synthesis (preoperatively 88.7 ± 8.7, postoperatively 72.4 ± 8.4 mmol·kg−1·h−1; P = 0.0005) decreased in the presence of hyperinsulinemia, whereas both parameters remained unchanged in the control group. A positive correlation between endogenous glucose production and protein breakdown was observed in the insulin group ( r2 = 0.385). Whole body protein oxidation and balance decreased after surgery in patients receiving insulin without reaching statistical significance. In the insulin group the plasma concentrations of 13 of 20 essential and nonessential amino acids decreased to a significantly greater extent than in the control group. In summary, supraphysiological hyperinsulinemia, while maintaining normoglycemia, decreased whole body protein breakdown and synthesis in patients undergoing CABG surgery. However, net protein balance remained negative.
Anticyclic Citrullinated Protein Antibodies Are Implicated in the Development of Cardiovascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Barbarroja Nuria , Pérez-Sanchez Carlos , Ruiz-Limon Patricia , Castro-Villegas Carmen , Aguirre Maria Angeles , Carretero Rosario , Segui Pedro , Jimenez-Gomez Yolanda , Sanna Manuela , Rodriguez-Ariza Antonio , Collantes-Estevez Eduardo , Escudero Alejandro , López-Pedrera Chary
Published: September 2014

Objective—

Previous studies have suggested a relationship between anticyclic citrullinated protein (CCP) levels and development of cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a limited number of studies have demonstrated an involvement of anti-CCPs in those processes. This study was aimed to define the specific role of these auto-antibodies in the pro-oxidative, inflammatory, and proatherogenic profile observed in leukocytes from RA patients.

Approach and Results—

Seventy-five RA patients and 31 healthy donors were enrolled. Carotid intima media thickness was evaluated as atherosclerosis marker. Several procoagulant and inflammatory factors, leukocyte activation, and oxidative stress markers were analyzed in plasma and leukocyte subsets. Anti-CCPs were purified from plasma of RA patients, and in vitro treatment of healthy leukocytes was conducted. High titers of anti-CCPs were associated to altered expression of prothrombotic and inflammatory markers, high oxidative stress, and pathological carotid intima media thickness in RA patients. Notably, gene expression analysis showed that lymphocytes were major players in altered inflammatory profile, monocytes were responsible for the protrombotic and atherogenic status, and neutrophils mainly displayed a pro-oxidative feature. In vitro treatment with purified anti-CCPs fully recapitulated that pathogenic profile, promoting the activation of leukocytes.

Conclusions—

Anti-CCPs are key players in the inflammatory and proatherogenic status of RA patients. The effects are specific of the immune cell targeted, promoting overexpression of thrombotic, inflammatory, and pro-oxidative markers in monocytes; pro-oxidative status in neutrophils; and proinflammatory profile in lymphocytes. Targeting these autoantibodies would be an excellent strategy to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease in RA.
“Saved through Childbearing”
Authors: Hutson Christopher R.
Published: September 2014

In order to follow the argument of 1 Tim, one must be familiar not only with Greco-Roman culture but also with traditional Jewish interpretations of Torah. This study (a) discusses Jewish overtones in the context, (b) argues that 2:15 appropriates early rabbinic traditions about why women die in childbirth to underscore the importance of feminine virtues, and (c) responds to possible objections.1
The “Gospel” in Gal 1:6-7 Revisited
Authors: Tichy Ladislav
Published: September 2014

Gal 1:6-7 are understood by most commentaries and translations as a clear statement of the apostle Paul in favour of the existence of only one true Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, some alternative solutions (as e.g. by A. Vanhoye and J. Schröter) would like to understand these verses, especially the relative clause in v. 7a, as not denying the possible existence of different gospels. The article tries to show that this is not possible, both for linguistic and contextual reasons. Gal 2:7 is to be interpreted in the light of Gal 1:6-9, and not the other way round.
International humanitarian law, non-state armed groups and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Colombia
Authors: Bradley Miriam
Published: September 2014

This article analyses the experiences of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Colombia, and has two main purposes: first, to elaborate on the relationship between international humanitarian law (IHL) and the practical work of the ICRC in internal armed conflict; and second, to use our enhanced understanding of that relationship to shed light on important questions regarding the nature and effectiveness of IHL with respect to non-State armed groups. It proceeds in three main parts. First, it provides background on the work of the ICRC to contextualise the subsequent analysis, establishing the importance of IHL in the work of the ICRC in general. Second, it shows that for the ICRC, IHL is a means to an end (namely protection) rather than an end in itself, and that it is not the only (or even necessarily the primary) means to that end. Third, it argues that the ICRC often finds that reference to IHL is counter-productive to achieving desired protection outcomes, and that this calls into question the adequacy and effectiveness of the IHL framework itself. Finally, it concludes by suggesting why the existing framework may be less than optimal for achieving its aims, and how future research could contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of the appropriateness and adequacy of existing IHL.
‘Humanitarian Rights’: Bridging the Doctrinal Gap between the Protection of Civilians and the Responsibility to Protect
Authors: Kuwali Dan
Published: September 2014

The right to intervene under Article 4(h) of the African Union (AU) Constitutive Act and the third pillar of responsibility to protect (R2P) provides for the possibility of using military force to protect civilians from mass atrocities. However, both Article 4(h) and R2P do not specify how the military can or should use force to protect civilians. The omission to define how the military should use force to protect populations at risk was brought to the fore by the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, through which NATO has been criticized to have overstepped the Security Council mandate. The doctrinal deficit on protecting civilians is worsened by legalistic thinking on the normative separation of human rights and humanitarian law, a division driven by their historical roots. Nonetheless, human rights violations occur during warfare and humanitarian law violations may also be human rights violations. Both spheres of law are complimentary and mutually reinforcing and victims do not distinguish whether they have suffered human rights or humanitarian law violations. What they need is protection. This paper presents a ‘humanitarian rights’ approach as the symbiotic methodology for civilian protection that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of every human being.
The Second Known Species of the Recently Described Genus Keraunea (Convolvulaceae)
Authors: Lombardi Julio Antonio
Published: September 2014

This paper describes Keraunea  capixaba, the second known species of Keraunea (Convolvulaceae), native to the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest. It is easily distinguished from the only other known species of the genus by its almost complete hairlessness, bigger calyx and corolla lobes, longer corolla tube, and inflorescence type.
Sensitivity of the Amundsen Sea Low to Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
Authors: Fogt Ryan L. , Zbacnik Elizabeth A.
Published: September 2014

Dramatic sea ice loss in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas and regional warming in West Antarctica and the Antarctica Peninsula have been observed over the last few decades. Both of these changes are strongly influenced by the presence of the Amundsen Sea low (ASL), a climatological region of low pressure in the Amundsen Sea. Studies have demonstrated a deepening of the ASL, particularly in austral spring and to a lesser extent autumn, the former related to decreases in the underlying cyclone central pressures and the latter previously suggested to be due to stratospheric ozone depletion.

This study further investigates the sensitivity of the ASL to stratospheric ozone depletion using geopotential height from a suite of chemistry–climate models (CCMs) as well as historical simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Overall, both model types capture the mean characteristics of the ASL, although they have notable positive height biases at 850 hPa and a subdued seasonal cycle in its longitudinal position. Comparing across model simulations, it is observed that there is a pronounced influence of stratospheric ozone depletion in the vicinity of the ASL in the stratosphere through the lower troposphere during austral summer, consistent with the positive phase of the southern annular mode. In the autumn, the authors note a weaker, secondary influence of stratospheric ozone depletion on the ASL only in the CMIP5 simulations.
A General Numerical Method for Analyzing the Linear Stability of Stratified Parallel Shear Flows
Authors: Rees Tim , Monahan Adam
Published: September 2014

The stability analysis of stratified parallel shear flows is fundamental to investigations of the onset of turbulence in atmospheric and oceanic datasets. The stability analysis is performed by considering the behavior of small-amplitude waves, which is governed by the Taylor–Goldstein (TG) equation. The TG equation is a singular second-order eigenvalue problem, whose solutions, for all but the simplest background stratification and shear profiles, must be computed numerically. Accurate numerical solutions require that particular care be taken in the vicinity of critical layers resulting from the singular nature of the equation. Here a numerical method is presented for finding unstable modes of the TG equation, which calculates eigenvalues by combining numerical solutions with analytical approximations across critical layers. The accuracy of this method is assessed by comparison to the small number of stratification and shear profiles for which analytical solutions exist. New stability results from perturbations to some of these profiles are also obtained.
Control Balance Behind Bars
Authors: Fox Kathleen A. , Nobles Matt R. , Lane Jodi
Published: September 2014

The current study contributes to the small, but growing, body of literature testing Tittle’s control balance theory by offering a unique test of the theory’s ability to explain a wide variety of offending among a large sample of recently incarcerated jail inmates. Among the full sample of inmates, both control deficits and surpluses significantly increase the risk of offending. When men and women are examined separately, control deficits are non-significant while control surpluses continue to increase offending, and this effect does not significantly vary among men and women. Evidence from the interactive effects of control imbalance and self-control indicate that control surpluses and low self-control are also related to committing a wider variety of crimes.
Theorizing and Measuring Emotions in Conflict
Authors: Baele Stephane J. , Sterck Olivier C. , Meur Elisabeth
Published: September 2014

While recent research has demonstrated the key role played by emotion in conflicts, the interplay between the individual and collective dimensions of this variable has not yet been fully conceptualized and satisfyingly measured. Focusing on the 2011 Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, this article highlights the circular character of group-based emotional dynamics and stresses the importance of “emotional worldviews” and “emotional configurations.” We subsequently provide an innovative, robust, and repeatable quantitative method for the direct measuring of these two components. This threefold contribution—theoretical, methodological, empirical—completes recent models (chiefly the appraisal-based framework) and unfolds new research avenues for the study of the role of individual and collective emotions in conflicts.
From Reliving to Relieving
Authors: White Judith L.
Published: September 2014

Embodied Imagination (EI) is a psychotherapeutic technique in which a dream or memory environment is reexperienced in a hypnagogic state as a composite of its many perspectives simultaneously. While this method has been employed by mental health professionals to treat trauma survivors, there is scant documentation of its use with combat veterans. This case study focuses on the role of EI in helping a high-ranking Marine work through the stressful memories of war and the indecisiveness that marked his civilian life. Only in the last 6 months of his 2-year treatment could he reveal the recurring intrusive memory and nightmare of a high-risk mission he had authorized as a commanding officer in Afghanistan. The memory of certain decisions he had made on this mission left him with lingering guilt, shame, and doubt. Key to this process was the embodiment of a safe place that contained the patient, allowing him to integrate the more difficult parts of the memory without retraumatization. While EI is similar to other methods for working with nightmares, its emphasis on the non-self-perspective through the exploration of ego-alien images—while hewing closely to the original images—may be unique. EI appears to be a method that encourages posttraumatic growth.
Misalignment in Supervision
Authors: Viglione Jill , Rudes Danielle S. , Taxman Faye S.
Published: September 2014

Risk and needs assessment (RNA) tools are well regarded as a critical component of a community corrections organization implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs), given the potential impact of using such tools on offender-level and system outcomes. The current study examines how probation officers (POs) use a validated RNA tool in two adult probation settings. Using interview and observational data, this study explores how POs use an assessment tool during all facets of their work from preplanning, routine administrative tasks, and face-to-face case management interactions with probation clients. Findings suggest POs overwhelmingly administer the RNA tool, but rarely link the RNA scores to key case management or supervision decisions. These findings highlight some of the challenges and complexities associated with the application of RNA tools in everyday practice. Study implications emphasize the need to modify current probation practices to create a synergy between the RNA and related supervision practices. Findings from this study contribute to a better appreciation for how the new penology integrates risk management with client-centered case models to improve outcomes.
Lifelines
Authors: Weaver Beth , McNeill Fergus
Published: September 2014

This article draws on the life stories of a friendship group of men in their 40s who offended together in their youth and early adulthood. By exploring these interrelated narratives, we reveal individual, relational, and structural contributions to the desistance process, drawing on Donati’s relational sociology. In examining these men’s social relations, this article demonstrates the central role of friendship groups, intimate relationships, families of formation, employment, and religious communities in change over the life course. It shows how, for different individuals, these relations triggered reflexive evaluation of their priorities, behaviors, and lifestyles, but with differing results. However, despite these differences, the common theme of these distinct stories is that desistance from crime was a means of realizing and maintaining the men’s individual and relational concerns, with which continued offending became (sometimes incrementally) incompatible. In the concluding discussion, we explore some of the ethical implications of these findings, suggesting that work to support desistance should extend far beyond the typically individualized concerns of correctional practice and into a deeper and inescapably moral engagement with the reconnection of the individual to social networks that are restorative and allow people to fulfill the reciprocal obligations on which networks and communities depend.
Prehabilitation Interventions for Older Adults
Authors: Halloway Shannon , Buchholz Susan Weber , Wilbur JoEllen , Schoeny Michael E.
Published: September 2014

Prehabilitation aims to increase physical activity and improve physical fitness prior to elective surgery to improve postoperative outcomes. This integrative review examined the effect of prehabilitation randomized clinical trial (RCT) interventions on physical activity behavior and physical fitness in older adults. Seven studies met the search criteria. In two studies, effect sizes from baseline to the preoperative period exceeded d = .2, specifically in physical activity and in the physical-fitness dimensions of strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility. For the effect sizes between baseline and the postoperative period, five studies had positive effects greater than d = .2 in strength, flexibility, balance, and speed. This review demonstrated that prehabilitation continues to be important to physical activity and physical-fitness research because it may improve physical-fitness measures and have implications for multiple dimensions of health in older adults.
Osteogenesis and Ototoxicity of a Novel Preparation of Autogenous Bone Cement: Implications for Mastoid Obliteration
Authors: Zou Wenting , Chen Xihui
Published: September 2014

Objective

To study the osteogenesis and ototoxicity of autogenous bone cement.

Study Design

A randomized, prospective, controlled animal study.

Setting

University laboratory.

Subjects and Methods

We created a critical defect on the bulla wall of guinea pigs. Fifty‐three guinea pigs were divided into 3 groups. The defects were filled with autogenous bone cement (ABC) or autogenous bone dust (ABD) on the left side while the contralateral sides were kept intact as the blank control (BC) group or a defect was induced without obliteration as the operation control (OC) group (groups 1 and 2, n = 25 each). The animals were sacrificed at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. Group 3 (n = 3) was the ototoxicity positive control (OPC) group. The critical defects were evaluated for bone repair by histologic observation and computed tomography (CT), and the ototoxicity of the material was assessed by measuring shifts in the hearing threshold and changes in cochlear morphology. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the material was also performed.

Results

Histologic observation and CT scans revealed complete bone repair in the ABC group at 12 weeks postoperatively, but progress was slower in the ABD group. The hearing threshold and cochlear morphology did not differ significantly between the preoperative and 12‐week postoperative measurement. Autogenous bone dust inhibited some of the bacterial species commonly associated with chronic suppurative otitis media.

Conclusions

Animals treated with ABC exhibited osteogenesis, with no ototoxicity and bacteriostasis compared with the use of ABD.
Performing ontology
Authors: Aspers Patrik
Published: September 2014

Ontology, and in particular, the so-called ontological turn, is the topic of a recent themed issue of Social Studies of Science (Volume 43, Issue 3, 2013). Ontology, or metaphysics, is in philosophy concerned with what there is, how it is, and forms of being. But to what is the science and technology studies researcher turning when he or she talks of ontology? It is argued that it is unclear what is gained by arguing that ontology also refers to constructed elements. The ‘ontological turn’ comes with the risk of creating a pseudo-debate or pseudo-activity, in which energy is used for no end, at the expense of empirical studies. This text rebuts the idea of an ontological turn as foreshadowed in the texts of the themed issue. It argues that there is no fundamental qualitative difference between the ontological turn and what we know as constructivism.
Attachment representations in late-adopted children: the use of narrative in the assessment of disorganisation, mentalising and coherence of mind
Authors: Pace Cecilia Serena , Cavanna Donatella , Velotti Patrizia , Cesare Zavattini Giulio
Published: September 2014

Late-adopted children have often suffered a wide range of deprivations in their pre-adoption lives. These early adverse experiences can have a negative effect on children’s attachment representations even after they have been adopted. This study assesses the attachment representations of 61 late-adopted children over the first year of placement, exploring the risk and protective factors of age at placement, length of adoption and gender. The attachment representations were captured using the Manchester Completion Attachment Story Task (MCAST), a doll-play narrative that provides four different attachment classifications – secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganised – and three global scorings for disorganisation, mentalising and coherence of mind.

The age of adoption was negatively associated with disorganisation, while length of placement was positively correlated with mentalising. Males seemed to be more vulnerable to insecurity and disorganisation than females. The data also suggested that for children placed after the attachment-sensitive phase, the longer the time spent in the adoptive families and being female were protective factors. Moreover, attachment narratives seemed to be a useful tool to explore the inner world of late-adopted children from the first year of placement.
What Is a Bilingual School Psychologist? A National Survey of the Credentialing Bodies of School Psychologists
Authors: Sotelo-Dynega Marlene
Published: September 2014

The present study explored the credentialing practices for bilingual school psychologists in the United States. Credentialing agencies of school psychologists, mostly State Departments of Education, across the 50 states and the District of Columbia were contacted via telephone by trained graduate student research assistants. Only two of the credentialing agencies that were contacted reported that their states (New York and Illinois) provided a specific credential for bilingual school psychologists. A careful review of the requirements for each state revealed a lack of agreement regarding how these practitioners should be trained. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research in this area are discussed.
Influence of machining parameters on part geometrical error in abrasive waterjet offset-mode turning
Authors: Zohoor Mehdi , Zohourkari Iman , Cacciatore Francesco , Annoni Massimiliano
Published: September 2014

Geometrical error in abrasive waterjet turned parts is an important challenge toward the commercialization of abrasive waterjet turning process. A systematic study has not been done yet to investigate the effects of process parameters on geometrical error in abrasive waterjet offset-mode turning. In this article, a comprehensive study has been performed to investigate the influence of several machining parameters on the geometrical error (part diameter percent error) in turning AA2011-T4 aluminum alloy round bars. Water pressure, cutting head traverse speed, workpiece rotational speed, abrasive mass flow rate and depth of cut were considered as the main machining parameters in a five-level statistical experimental design. Based on central composite rotatable design, a total of 52 experiments were carried out. The main effects of the parameters and interactions among them were analyzed based on the analysis of variance technique, and the response contours for the part geometrical error were obtained using a quadratic regression model (i.e. response surface methodology). The model predictions were found to be in good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, among the significant parameters, water pressure, depth of cut and traverse speed are the most influential parameters, with percent contribution of almost 25% each. Abrasive mass flow rate is the least influential parameter with a percent contribution of 4%.
Successful treatment of genital Bowen’s disease with imiquimod 5% cream
Authors: Kishi Chikako , Shimizu Akira , Kato Madoka , Amano Hiroo , Ishikawa Osamu
Published: September 2014

A 64-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed as having Bowen’s disease on the vulva. The histopathological findings revealed papillomatosis, koilocytosis and clumping cells with atypical nuclei. Human papillomavirus DNA was not detected on polymerase chain reaction using consensus primers. The lesion was successfully treated with topical imiquimod 5% cream after two months. Histopathologically, no atypical cells were observed after treatment. Imiquimod can be a potential treatment modality for lesions that are difficult to treat with surgical excision.
Reenvisioning Success for Programs Supporting Pregnant Women With Problematic Substance Use
Authors: Marcellus Lenora , MacKinnon Karen , Benoit Cecilia , Phillips Rachel , Stengel Camille
Published: September 2014

Community-based, integrated, primary care maternity programs for pregnant women affected by problematic substance use are emerging as effective models for engaging women affected by multiple health and social issues. Although addictions services have historically been evaluated by individual achievement of abstinence, new definitions of program success are required as addiction comes to be viewed as a chronic illness. We conducted a mixed-methods study to follow the formative development stages of a community-based program, identifying key evaluation indicators and processes related to this program, program team members, and women and families served. As this program model develops, it is critical that providers, community partners, and health system leaders collaborate to frame definitions of success in ways helpful for guiding program development.