bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNA-34a Plays a Key Role in Cardiac Repair and Regeneration Following Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Yang Yanfei , Cheng Hui-Wen , Qiu Yiling , Dupee David , Noonan Madyson , Lin Yi-Dong , Fisch Sudeshna , Unno Kazumasa , Sereti Konstantina-Ioanna , Liao Ronglih
Published: June 2015

Rationale:

In response to injury, the rodent heart is capable of virtually full regeneration via cardiomyocyte proliferation early in life. This regenerative capacity, however, is diminished as early as 1 week postnatal and remains lost in adulthood. The mechanisms that dictate postinjury cardiomyocyte proliferation early in life remain unclear.

Objective:

To delineate the role of miR-34a, a regulator of age-associated physiology, in regulating cardiac regeneration secondary to myocardial infarction (MI) in neonatal and adult mouse hearts.

Methods and Results:

Cardiac injury was induced in neonatal and adult hearts through experimental MI via coronary ligation. Adult hearts demonstrated overt cardiac structural and functional remodeling, whereas neonatal hearts maintained full regenerative capacity and cardiomyocyte proliferation and recovered to normal levels within 1-week time. As early as 1 week postnatal, miR-34a expression was found to have increased and was maintained at high levels throughout the lifespan. Intriguingly, 7 days after MI, miR-34a levels further increased in the adult but not neonatal hearts. Delivery of a miR-34a mimic to neonatal hearts prohibited both cardiomyocyte proliferation and subsequent cardiac recovery post MI. Conversely, locked nucleic acid–based anti–miR-34a treatment diminished post-MI miR-34a upregulation in adult hearts and significantly improved post-MI remodeling. In isolated cardiomyocytes, we found that miR-34a directly regulated cell cycle activity and death via modulation of its targets, including Bcl2, Cyclin D1, and Sirt1.

Conclusions:

miR-34a is a critical regulator of cardiac repair and regeneration post MI in neonatal hearts. Modulation of miR-34a may be harnessed for cardiac repair in adult myocardium.
Personal recovery in personality disorder: Systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative methods studies
Authors: Shepherd Andrew , Sanders Caroline , Doyle Michael , Shaw Jenny
Published: June 2015

Background and aims:

Support of personal recovery represents the aim for many modern mental health services. There is a lack of conceptual clarity around the application of the term however and this is particularly problematic with regard to the personality disorder diagnoses. This study sought to review the existing qualitative methods literature in relation to the experience of personal recovery in personality disorder.

Methods:

A systematic literature search was conducted. Identified studies were incorporated through meta-synthesis in order to develop higher order descriptive themes representative of the individual experience described within included studies.

Results:

Three studies were identified and incorporated into the meta-synthesis. Three novel higher order themes were developed: Safety and containment as a prerequisite to recovery, social networks and autonomy in the recovery process and identity construction as a process of change.

Conclusion:

Personal recovery in personality disorder is revealed as a complex process reflecting both personal and social experiences or desires. These findings have important implications for clinical practice – emphasising the need to work closely with individuals and to develop an understanding of both their social experience and networks. Further research, taking greater account of social context in the recovery process, is necessary.
Strength and fracture toughness of earth-based natural fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Mustapha Kabiru , Annan Ebenezer , Azeko Salifu T , Zebaze Kana Martiale G , Soboyejo Winston O
Published: June 2015

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and theoretical study of the strength, fracture toughness, and resistance-curve behavior of natural fiber-reinforced earth-based composite materials. The composites, which consist of mixtures of laterite, clay, and straw, are stabilized with controlled levels of Ordinary Portland cement. The compositional dependence of compressive, flexural/bend strength, and fracture toughness are explored for different proportions of the constituent materials using composites and crack-tip shielding models. The underlying crack-microstructure interactions associated with resistance-curve behavior were also studied using in situ/ex situ optical microscopy. This revealed evidence of crack bridging by the straw fibers. The measured resistance-curve behavior is also shown to be consistent with predictions from small- and large-scale bridging models. The implications of the results are then discussed for potential applications in the design of robust earth-based building materials for sustainable eco-friendly homes.
Dynamic simulation of discrete fiber motion in fiber-reinforced composite materials processing
Authors: Zhang Dongdong , Smith Douglas E
Published: June 2015

The prediction of fiber orientation is critical in short-fiber-reinforced composite systems. Fiber orientation during the manufacturing process largely determines the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the final product. For example, a product with aligned fibers, i.e. fibers mostly oriented in the same direction, has much better mechanical properties than that with random fiber orientation. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element simulation tool is developed to study fiber suspensions in various viscous flows, including homogeneous flows and inhomogeneous flows (such as Poiseuille flows). Instead of using commercial finite element solver, we propose a finite element-based simulation package coupled with the analytical Jacobian matrix in the Newton–Raphson iteration in solving fiber’s velocities. The proposed method is extended to investigate the hydrodynamic interaction between fibers, and the change of fiber motion and fluid rheological properties.
Effect of inter-segmental air exchanges on local and overall clothing ventilation
Authors: Ismail Nagham , Ghaddar Nesreen , Ghali Kamel
Published: June 2015

The aim of this work is to study the effect of the connection between arm and trunk segments in changing the flow characteristics and local ventilation. A model is developed that solves coupled momentum, mass and heat balances, including buoyancy for the connected clothed upper human body. The model was validated by performing computational fluid dynamics simulations to compare the microclimate air flow characteristics and flow direction at the connections. In addition, the model was also validated by comparing predicted overall ventilation with published data.

The interconnection air exchanges affected significantly local ventilation in the trunk segment and the direction of the flow in the open-aperture-clothed arm segment. It was found that at relatively high wind speed ( Vw ≥ 0.9 m/s) and with a permeable jacket, the inter-segmental ventilation became important and exceeded 5 l/min. Meanwhile, this inter-segmental ventilation caused an increase of 15% of trunk ventilation and a reduction of 4% of arm ventilation. The inter-segmental ventilation vanished and the air exchange between the trunk and the arm was no longer important at low permeability ( α = 0.05 m/s) and at low wind speed ( Vw = 0.1 m/s). Finally, the inter-segmental ventilation was more important for the open clothed arm aperture compared to when it was closed.
Sources of job stress and cognitive receptivity to change: the moderating role of job embeddedness
Authors: Chetty Pamela JJ , Coetzee Melinde , Ferreira Nadia
Published: June 2015

Scholars interested in investigating individual-level concerns relevant to organisational change programmes have reported the importance of employees’ psychological processes and characteristics in understanding their reactions and attitudes towards change. The study explored the moderating role of job embeddedness in the association between experiences of sources of job stress and cognitive receptivity to change. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample ( N = 350) of employees undergoing change in the South African fast-moving consumer goods sector (Black African: 67%; males: 69%; 26–40 years: 67%). Correlations and hierarchical moderated regression analysis showed that the participants’ experiences of job-related sources of stress and their cognitive receptivity to change were stronger when their job embeddedness was low. The findings may potentially inform the planning of change initiatives within organisations. The results of the study emphasise the importance of considering job-related sources of stress and employees’ job embeddedness in order to gain employee support for organisational change initiatives.
Unmasking the surgeons: the evidence base behind the use of facemasks in surgery
Authors: Da Zhou Charlie , Sivathondan Pamela , Handa Ashok
Published: June 2015

The use of surgical facemasks is ubiquitous in surgical practice. Facemasks have long been thought to confer protection to the patient from wound infection and contamination from the operating surgeon and other members of the surgical staff. More recently, protection of the theatre staff from patient-derived blood/bodily fluid splashes has also been offered as a reason for their continued use. In light of current NHS budget constraints and cost-cutting strategies, we examined the evidence base behind the use of surgical facemasks.

Examination of the literature revealed much of the published work on the matter to be quite dated and often studies had poorly elucidated methodologies. As a result, we recommend caution in extrapolating their findings to contemporary surgical practice. However, overall there is a lack of substantial evidence to support claims that facemasks protect either patient or surgeon from infectious contamination. More rigorous contemporary research is needed to make a definitive comment on the effectiveness of surgical facemasks.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence: NICE works
Authors: Rawlins Michael D
Published: June 2015

Summary

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence was established in 1999. Its original remit was to undertake technology appraisals of (mainly) new interventions and to develop clinical guidelines. In providing both forms of guidance, it was required to take into account both clinical and cost effectiveness. After a difficult first few months, it gained the confidence and trust of the professions. It subsequently gained additional responsibilities with a commensurate increase in its staffing and budget. It is, moreover, the only one of the National Health Service organisations established in the late 1990s and early 2000s to have not only survived but grown. This paper describes not only the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s early years but also, in the author’s view, the features of its guidance programmes that led to its success and (in retrospect) some things it could have done differently.
Geosemantic information retrieval and its performance evaluation
Authors: Gu Mi Sug , Hwang Jaehong
Published: June 2015

Information-retrieval services can provide users with personalized services about various information that they want on their current location using a variety of mobile devices. The screens of mobile devices are smaller than those of desktop computers. To provide accurate search results that are appropriate for the small screens of mobile devices, we propose a geosemantic information-retrieval method for the mobile environment to provide specific information appropriate for a given user’s requirements by combining context and ontology. To evaluate the performance of the system, we performed experiments to analyse the run time, memory usage, frequency of items and accuracy of the ontology database, and compared it with an existing relational database. The ontology database provided better retrieval than the relational database in terms of accuracy of the data and computational expense.
Governing (through) religion
Authors: Ali Nasir Muhammad
Published: June 2015

This inquiry examines the question how the category of ‘religion’ generates a complex form of power oriented to the government of subjects. It does this through a critical reading of the right to freedom of religion, offered from the perspective of governmentality. It is argued that the right to freedom of religion enables the rational goals of government to relate to religiosity in such a manner that those subject to them (religious qua juridical) are made at once freer and more governable ‘in this world’.
Electoral authoritarianism and political unrest
Authors: Shirah Ryan
Published: June 2015

Over the last several decades, elections and parties have become common features of most authoritarian regimes. While recent research on hybrid regimes has often focused on how dictators use these nominally democratic institutions to maintain their non-democratic rule, there is reason to suspect that electoral authoritarianism may pose particular threats to a regime’s stability. Theories of collective behaviour suggest that electoral authoritarian regimes might face higher levels of anti-regime mobilization since parties and elections can help regime opponents overcome collective action problems and coordinate their efforts to challenge incumbents. An analysis of 136 authoritarian regimes over the last several decades indicates that regimes that hold nominally competitive elections are characterized by higher levels of political unrest than those with no elections. Furthermore, election years serve as a focal point for mobilizing anti-regime activity. These ﬁndings imply that authoritarian rulers face a trade-oﬀ when instituting a system of regular elections; while legislatures, parties and elections provide numerous beneﬁts to incumbents, they also increase the frequency of anti-regime protests and other disruptive, mass political action.
An empirical analysis of factors influencing continuance intention of mobile instant messaging in China
Authors: Gan Chunmei
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this research is to investigate factors affecting users’ continuance intention in the context of mobile instant messaging (IM). Drawing upon the social cognitive perspective, the study builds a theoretical model to illustrate the relationships between perceived user base, habit, resistance to change and continuance intention. An empirical study is conducted to test the research model by surveying Chinese mobile IM users. The results show that habit and resistance to change both play important roles in intention to continue use of mobile IM. More specifically, resistance to change is found to have the largest effect on continuance intention. The results also show that habit directly and indirectly affects continuance intention through resistance to change. In addition, perceived user base has a significant effect on continuance intention. Extant information system (IS) continuance research has mainly focused on contexts other than mobile IM. Furthermore, prior IM-related studies have tended to focus more on investigation of factors affecting IM usage behavior and have paid less attention to user continuance of mobile IM services. This current study attempts to address this research gap. Specifically, the study proposes a model that integrates factors such as resistance to change, habit, perceived user base, and continuance intention in the context of mobile IM services. In addition, the study empirically demonstrates the effects of resistance to change and habit on continuance intention, as well as the influence of habit on resistance to change.
Duration of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation prior to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation and survival among adult cardiac arrest patients.
Authors: Mosca Matthew S. , Narotsky David L. , Mochari-Greenberger Heidi , Liao Ming , Mongero Linda , Beck James , Bacchetta Matthew
Published: June 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between survival and the duration of conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR) prior to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) and possible confounding factors. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 31 adults who received ECPR at an academic medical center between 2004 and 2013. Odds of 30-day survival and Kaplan Meier survival curves were compared among patients who received CCPR ⩾45 min (n=8, 26%) vs. <45 min (n=23, 74%). Results: There was a trend for greater survival up to 14 days in patients who received CCPR <45 vs. ⩾45 minutes (57% vs. 50%) with no significant difference at 30 days (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.22-5.45) and survival did not differ by demographic factors. Conclusion: More than half of all patients who received ECPR survived to 30 days. Longer duration CCPR was associated with reduced survival within 2 weeks, but not at 30 days.
The German dual vocational education and training system as ‘good practice’?
Authors: Deissinger Thomas
Published: June 2015

The German Dual System has attracted some considerable attention in recent years, with a number of countries, above all in Southern Europe, trying to introduce similar concepts of structured apprenticeships leading to initial vocational qualifications. Quite manifestly, there is expectation among politicians in particular that such a system might help cope with integration problems of school leavers into the vocational education and training sector and support combating youth unemployment. Focusing on the two ‘learning venues’, however, seems short-sighted as the German vocational education and training system has more working principles than just the dual learning setting. In contrast to the British approach, the German system trusts in a clear orientation of workplace learning along the lines of an ‘occupation’ (Beruf). Besides, the German vocational education and training system as a whole is more complex than it seems, with a still weighty ‘transition system’ and full-time courses in vocational education and training alongside apprenticeships. My argument is that the aspect of ‘good practice’ has to be relativised both against the background of these structural issues and in the face of recent academic drift in the German education system.
Ki-67 as a Prognostic Factor in Feline Mammary Carcinoma
Authors: Soares M. , Ribeiro R. , Carvalho S. , Peleteiro M. , Correia J. , Ferreira F.
Published: June 2015

Ki-67 is a nuclear protein and a proliferation marker frequently used in establishing the prognosis for breast cancer patients. To investigate the prognostic value of the Ki-67 proliferation index in female cats with mammary carcinoma, a prospective study was conducted with 96 animals. The Ki-67 index of primary tumors ( n = 96) was initially determined, and whenever possible, the Ki-67 index of regional lymph node metastasis ( n = 38) and distant metastasis ( n = 16) was also estimated. The optimal cutoff value for the Ki-67 index was determined by univariate and multivariate analysis. Ki-67 indices ≥14% were detected in 72.9% (70 of 96) of the tumors. Tumors with a Ki-67 index ≥14% were significantly associated with large size ( P = .022), poor differentiation ( P = .009), presence of necrotic areas ( P = .008), estrogen receptor-negative status ( P < .0001), fHER2-negative status ( P = .003), and shorter overall survival ( P = .012). Moreover, Ki-67 expression in the primary tumor was strongly and positively correlated with both regional metastasis ( P < .0001; r = 0.83) and distant metastasis ( P < .0001; r = 0.83), and was significantly higher in distant metastases when compared with the primary tumor ( P = .0009). A similar correlation was also observed between regional and distant metastasis ( P < .0001; r = 0.75). On the basis of the above results, the authors propose the adoption of the 14% value as the optimal cutoff for Ki-67 to identify tumors with high risk of disease progression.
Colonial Legacies and Contemporary Destitution
Authors: Krishna Sankaran
Published: June 2015

A powerful new wave of alienating land from those who live on it is sweeping the global commons, and discourses such as “Emerging Economies” and “Brazil, Russia, India, China” are the ideological mediators of this wave. In India, the “slow violence” of the Nehruvian decades has been replaced by the accelerated pace of such processes under a neoliberal dispensation. In both periods, the overwhelming costs of “development” have been preponderantly visited upon Dalits, tribals, and landless laborers. Colonial laws regarding land acquisition and Eminent Domain have been an important legacy for the postcolonial state in its efforts to acquire land for private capital. They have intersected with notions of race and caste within the habitus of the Indian middle class, whose efforts to make the nation are simultaneously the unmaking of various subaltern groups and classes. Yet, as the struggle between the multinational Vedanta Corporation and a tribal group called the Dongaria Kondh in the Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha in southeastern India demonstrates, the outcomes are by no means a foregone conclusion.
Medieval Archaeology and Historical Reconstruction
Authors: Subodh Sanjay
Published: June 2015

History as a discipline studies the actions of the past and tries to understand the formation of future courses of actions in society. Historians study actions as developments in the context of society. In his endeavour for search of truth he is also guided by the growth of knowledge in different relevant areas of science. Archaeology is one of the disciplines whose findings help the historian in establishing the co-relation of truth with past society. It seeks to promote ‘a better understanding of past human behaviour through the study of the physical remains associated with any such behaviour’. An attempt has been made in the article to understand the level of technology prevalent in medieval India and its incorporation into the building construction and garden culture followed during that period of time. For this purpose the study of the Qut̤b Shāhī tomb complex has been undertaken and understood through principles of medieval archaeology. It also shows the involvement of nature in meeting the requirements of the time. Rain-water harvesting techniques, which are in much demand today, were followed to fulfil one’s necessity. Hence, these monuments, which are evidence of the past, act as a live connection between the past and the present. Not only to students of history but to the public in general, they arouse curiosity in the minds and need to be conserved and preserved for the coming generations.
Agricultural Trade and Markets in British India
Authors: Sheel Alok
Published: June 2015

The study draws upon both unpublished as well as published sources to describe the structure of, and changes in, agricultural trade and markets at the regional and local level in the British India districts of Shahabad and Gaya, spanning parts of the current state of Bihar, in northern India during 1800–1920.

 Agricultural trade and markets during the period under study were largely shaped by the logic of subsistence agriculture, available infrastructure, the land rent payment system and patterns of demand. There were six striking developments. First, the construction of all-weather roads and the railway, part of the modern public infrastructure put in place soon after the administration of the two districts came directly under the British Crown in 1858, gave a great fillip to trading activity. Old trade routes lost their pre-eminence, as new channels took root. The modern infrastructure also tended to integrate the markets in the two districts on the one hand, while increasing the pulls of external markets on the other. This was reflected in greater price equalisation between markets. Second, notwithstanding greater market integration and increased stability in annual farm yields on account of the construction of modern irrigation canals that reduced the reliance on monsoonal precipitation, sharp seasonal fluctuations in the market price of food grains continued. Third, there was a sustained secular upswing in agricultural prices practically throughout the period, with the terms of trade moving in favour of agriculture, as the entry of mass produced wage goods into local markets had a deflationary impact on industrial goods. This, along with the growing depth of trade and markets, and changes in the land rent payment system, facilitated the rise of a new social group that became a new source of demand and was to subsequently play a major role in the emerging political economy. Fourth, there were three inter-dependent tiers of trading activity—long-distance trade conducted by arhatiyas, trade between major trade centres conducted by ladu beparis and trade within the village dominated by the grihasta bepari, the chief source of agricultural credit and frequently an agriculturist himself. Modern infrastructure transformed the conduct of long-distance trade, even as the pattern of short-distance trade and credit remained remarkably resilient. The fifth feature was the sharp and sudden expansion of the range of products traded in the market, as the latter was drawn into the emerging global system with the first industrial nation at the epicentre. While locally produced handicraft products like indigenous cotton cloth and paper lost their former importance, trade in agricultural commodities and imported industrial goods grew. Sixth, and last, was the increase in the monetisation of the rural economy at the cutting edge as the traditional system of paying rent in kind was commuted to cash.
Response of GLARE fiber–metal laminates under radial in-plane preloading and lateral indentation
Authors: Bikakis George SE
Published: June 2015

This article deals with the static response of thin circular clamped GLAss REinforced (GLARE) fiber–metal laminates subjected to radial in-plane tensile preloading and lateral indentation by a hemispherical indentor simultaneously. The response is initially predicted using ANSYS software and nonlinear analysis. From this analysis, the load-indentation and strain energy-indentation curves are calculated. Regression of the obtained Finite Element Method (FEM) results, using specific load-indentation relation, reveals that the response of the GLARE plates can be predicted with this relation. It also reveals how preloading alters the load-indentation relation of the GLARE plates. Then, analytical formulas are derived to predict the GLARE plate indentation load and strain energy as a function of central plate deflection and the magnitude of preloading. The derived analytical formulas are applied successfully for preloaded GLARE 2-2/1-0.3, GLARE 3-3/2-0.4 and GLARE 3-3/2-0.3 circular plates with various diameters. The analytically predicted load-indentation and strain energy-indentation curves are compared with corresponding FEM results and a very good agreement is found.
Usages de la lexicométrie et interprétation sociologique
Authors: Glady Marc , Leimdorfer François
Published: June 2015

Uses of Lexicometry and Sociological Interpretation – Days of Study 12-13 June 2013 - Printemps Laboratory (Université Versailles/Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and CNRS) and Groupe de Travail 16 “Sociology of Language” of the AISLF (International Association of French Language Sociologists) - Summary of Communications. The authors focus on taking stock and showing perspectives on the use of text analysis software, on relating their experiences and thoughts: first on building their corpuses for a sociological analysis (practices, tools, methods, analysis, strategies), and then on their interpretive paths (practices, categorization, relations between automated procedures and interpretations, heuristic role of software, crossing interpretative methods). Abstracts of papers by the authors and bibliographies are available on the Web Blog https://karlvanmeter.wordpress.com /.
Cyber-Defense: A Taxonomy of Tactics for Managing Cyberstalking
Authors: Tokunaga Robert S. , Aune Krystyna S.
Published: June 2015

Cyberstalking research has revealed information about who is perpetrating what offense to whom. This study adds to research on cyberstalking by exploring how victims respond to the unwanted pursuit. The reflections of cyberstalking victims were content analyzed to answer research questions about different risk management behaviors, their effectiveness, and their relationship with specific cyberstalking behaviors. Findings indicated that victims used seven general management tactics of which ignore/avoidance, active technological disassociation, and help seeking were the most common. Using technology to move away from pursuers was reported as the most effective tactic for managing the unwanted relational pursuit. The results also suggested that victims’ management responses were associated with the type of behaviors experienced.
The Use of Academic Social Networks Among Arab Researchers
Authors: Elsayed Amany M.
Published: June 2015

This study investigates Arab researchers’ attitudes and perceptions toward the use of academic social networks (ASNs), with a sharp topical focus on the ResearchGate (RG) network. From six Arab universities, a sample of 2,991 Arab researchers was invited to participate in the survey. The research instrument was a web-based questionnaire. In total, 315 participants filled out the questionnaire. The study reveals that three quarters of the respondents use ASNs to share publications, and most researchers subscribed to more than one ASN, but RG was the most frequently used one. Academic discipline appears to play a role in defining Arab researchers within RG, as the majority of them were from the pure and applied sciences.
Association of Alcohol Use and Loneliness Frequency Among Middle-Aged and Older Adult Drinkers
Authors: Canham Sarah L. , Mauro Pia M. , Kaufmann Christopher N. , Sixsmith Andrew
Published: June 2015

Objectives: We examined the association between alcohol use, at-risk drinking, and binge drinking, and loneliness in a sample of middle-aged and older adults. Method: We studied participants aged 50+ years from the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement Study who reported alcohol use. We ran separate multinomial logistic regressions to assess the association of three alcohol use outcomes (i.e., weekly alcohol consumption, at-risk drinking, and binge drinking) and loneliness. Results: After adjusting for covariates, being lonely was associated with reduced odds of weekly alcohol consumption 4 to 7 days per week, but not 1 to 3 days per week, compared with average alcohol consumption 0 days per week in the last 3 months. No association was found between at-risk drinking or binge drinking and loneliness. Discussion: Results suggest that among a sample of community-based adults aged 50+, loneliness was associated with reduced alcohol use frequency, but not with at-risk or binge drinking.
Emotional Confidants in Ethnic Communities
Authors: Jang Yuri , Kim Kyungmin , Park Nan Sook , Chiriboga David A.
Published: June 2015

Objective: Ethnic communities often serve as the primary source of emotional support for older immigrants. This study aims to identify individuals who are more likely to be nominated as emotional confidants by age peers in the ethnic community and to examine factors contributing to the likelihood of being a more frequently endorsed confidant. Method: Data were drawn from a survey with 675 older Korean Americans. Using the name-generator approach in Social Network Analysis (SNA), participants were asked to list the names of three emotional confidants among age peers in the community. Results: A higher level of popularity (i.e., in-degree centrality) was predicted by male gender, advanced education, lower functional disability, fewer symptoms of depression, and higher levels of participation in social activities. Discussion: Our findings suggest the value of SNA as a means of identifying the key emotional confidants in the community and utilizing them in community-based interventions.
Time in education: Intertwined dimensions and theoretical possibilities
Authors: Compton-Lilly Catherine
Published: June 2015

In this article, Compton-Lilly proposes that time acts as a constitutive dimension of people’s experiences that significantly affects the ways people make sense of their worlds. After briefly examining the ways time has been conceptualized in educational practice, she explores the temporal affordances of three highly influential theories described by Bakhtin, Bourdieu, and Lemke. To illustrate the temporal potential of these theories, Compton-Lilly draws upon data from a 10-year case study of one student and his family. Temporality is revealed as a multifaceted contextual dimension. Attending to the various ways people operate within time provides important insights into the construction of longitudinal processes including identity construction, literacy learning, and becoming a student. These insights are important not only to researchers who attempt to make sense of the experiences of children and teachers, but also to educators who must seek ways to acknowledge and effect the longitudinal trajectories of children.
National Breast Cancer Screening Programme, Singapore: Evaluation of participation and performance indicators
Authors: Loy En Yun , Molinar Darko , Chow Khuan Yew , Fock Christine
Published: June 2015

Objective

To evaluate participation rates and performance indicators in the National Breast Cancer Screening Programme, BreastScreen Singapore (BSS).

Methods

Data on women aged 40-69 screened in the period 2002-2009 was obtained from BSS and from the Singapore Cancer Registry. Participation rates and performance indicators (including screen detection rates, small tumour detection rates, recall rates, accuracy and interval cancer rates) were examined.

Results

BSS participation rate has remained above 10% since 2005. Based on health surveys, national mammography rates have increased from 29.7% before BSS to 39.6% in 2010 after BSS. Performance indicators, with the exception of recall rates, specificity, and interval cancer rate (for first screen), generally improved from 2002-2006 to 2007-2009 and are comparable with organized breast screening programmes in other developed countries.

Conclusion

BSS breast cancer screening coverage and rescreen rates in Singapore could be improved. Mechanisms to monitor recall rates are in place, and training opportunities are provided to aid the professional development of radiologists.
Comparative performance of fetal goat tongue cell line ZZ-R 127 and fetal porcine kidney cell line LFBK-αvβ6 for Foot-and-mouth disease virus isolation
Authors: Fukai Katsuhiko , Morioka Kazuki , Yamada Manabu , Nishi Tatsuya , Yoshida Kazuo , Kitano Rie , Yamazoe Reiko , Kanno Toru
Published: June 2015

The fetal goat tongue cell line ZZ-R 127 and the fetal porcine kidney cell line LFBK-αvβ6 have been reported to have high sensitivity to various Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strains. The suitability of ZZ-R 127 cells for FMDV isolation not only from epithelial suspensions but also from other clinical samples has already been confirmed in a previous study. However, to our knowledge, the suitability of LFBK-αvβ6 cells has not been evaluated using clinical samples other than epithelial materials. In addition, both cell lines have never been compared, in terms of use for FMDV isolation, under the same conditions. Therefore, in the current study, the virus isolation rates of both cell lines were compared using clinical samples collected from animals infected experimentally with FMDV. Viruses were successfully isolated from clinical samples other than epithelial suspensions for both cell lines. The virus isolation rates for the 2 cell lines were not significantly different. The Cohen kappa coefficients between the virus isolation results for both cell lines were significantly high. Taken together, these results confirmed the suitability of LFBK-αvβ6 cells for FMDV isolation from clinical samples other than epithelial suspensions. The levels of susceptibility of both cell lines to FMDV isolation were also confirmed to be almost the same.
Experimental verification of selected methods sensitivity to damage size and location
Authors: Iwaniec Joanna , Kurowski Piotr
Published: June 2015

The main emphasis of the paper is put on the experimental verification and comparison of classical modal analysis techniques and recurrence plots sensitivity to damage size. Identification experiments were carried out for the laboratory object subjected to random and chirp excitations, respectively. In the course of carried out experiments, the process of damage propagation was simulated by the successive drilling into one of the object elements. Measured time histories of system responses were analyzed with the application of the classical modal analysis, recurrence plots (RP), cross recurrence plots (CRP) and joint recurrence plots (JRP) methods. Obtained results proved that the RP, CRP and JRP methods are much more sensitive to changes in dynamical system properties resulting from damage initialization and propagation than classical modal analysis methods and can be successfully applied to damage detection and tracking changes in the system natural frequencies.
Nonclinical Safety Assessment of PER977
Authors: Sullivan Dexter W. , Gad Shayne C. , Laulicht Bryan , Bakhru Sasha , Steiner Solomon
Published: June 2015

A new molecular entity, PER977 (di-arginine piperazine), is in clinical development as an anticoagulant reversal agent for new oral anticoagulants and heparins. The good laboratory practices (GLP)-compliant studies were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of PER977 and its primary metabolite, 1,4-bis(3-aminopropyl)piperazine (BAP). PER977 and BAP were negative for systemic toxicity in dogs and rats. PER977 was rapidly eliminated from the blood with little to no accumulation. PER977 was negative for genotoxicity and did not alter neurological, respiratory, or cardiovascular function. Maximum tolerated doses for PER977 were 40 (rat) and 35 mg/kg (dog), and greater than 80 mg/kg (rat) for BAP. The no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) for 14-day intravenous exposure to both rats and dogs was 20 mg/kg/d. For BAP, the NOAELs for 14-day intravenous exposure to rats and dogs were 5 and 20 mg/kg, respectively. Based on these results, a safe and conservative dose level of 19.4 mg/d was used for the PER977 first in human study.
Preferred travel experiences of foodies
Authors: Andersson Tommy D , Getz Donald , Vujicic Sanja , Robinson Richard NS , Cavicchi Alessio
Published: June 2015

A large-scale sample of food lovers accessed by an online survey, which followed a qualitative focus group study, employed the photo elicitation technique to investigate their preferences for travel experiences. This technique identified top choices both for food-related and other types of urban, nature-oriented and active recreational pursuits. Overall, the most popular experience sought was described as ‘enjoy regional cuisine in a local restaurant’ and depicted a couple dining informally with a waterfront backdrop. The photo conveyed the romantic, authentic and informal messages all at once. More detailed analysis revealed significant differences according to respondent country of residence and previous food-related travel. Specifically, the most experienced food tourists were the most likely to select food festivals and meeting/learning from chefs. Those who had travelled less for food experiences had more general, leisure-oriented preferences that included nature and heritage. Results have implications for precise targeting at food tourists; the packaging of experiences; and destination development, branding and promotion. A number of methodological and theoretical issues are discussed, including the issue of how photos communicate messages and their use in marketing.
Platform specificity and the politics of location data extraction
Authors: Barreneche Carlos , Wilken Rowan
Published: June 2015

The rise of smart phone use, and its convergence with mapping infrastructures and large search and social media corporations, has led to a commensurate rise in the importance of location. While locations are still defined by fixed longitude/latitude coordinates, they now increasingly ‘acquire dynamic meaning as a consequence of the constantly changing location-based information that is attached to them’ becoming ‘a near universal search string for the world’s data’. As the richness of this geocoded information increases, so the commercial value of this location information also increases. This article examines the growing commercial significance of location data. Informed by recent calls for ‘medium-specific analysis’, we build on earlier work to argue that social media companies actively extract location data for commercial advantage in quite specific ways. By not paying due and careful attention to the specifics of data extraction strategies, political and cultural economic analyses of new media services risk eliding key differences between new media platforms, and their respective software systems, patterns of consumer use, and individual revenue models. In response, we develop a comparative analysis of two platforms – Foursquare and Google – and examine how each extracts and uses geocoded user data. From this comparative exploration of platform specificity, we aim to draw conclusions concerning marketing (economic) surveillance, and how Foursquare’s and Google’s operations work in the service of fostering the securitization of mobility - the process by which the capacity to track and predict mobility and associated patterns of consumption is directly productive of value.
Curation by code: Infomediaries and the data mining of taste
Authors: Morris Jeremy Wade
Published: June 2015

Automated recommendation systems now occupy a central position in the circulation of media and cultural products. Using music as a test case, this article examines the use of algorithms and data mining techniques for the presentation and representation of culture, and how these tools reconfigure the process of cultural intermediation. Expanding Bourdieu’s notion of cultural intermediaries to include technologies like algorithms, I argue that an emerging layer of companies – call them infomediaries – are increasingly responsible for shaping how audiences encounter and experience cultural content. Through a critical analysis of The Echo Nest, a music infomediary whose databases underpin many digital music services, I trace the shift from intermediation to infomediation and explore what is at stake at the intersection of data mining, taste making and audience manufacture. The new infomediary logics at work are computational forms of power that shape popular culture and highlight the social implications of curation by code.
Algorithmic states of exception
Authors: McQuillan Dan
Published: June 2015

In this article, I argue that pervasive tracking and data-mining are leading to shifts in governmentality that can be characterised as algorithmic states of exception. I also argue that the apparatus that performs this change owes as much to everyday business models as it does to mass surveillance. I look at technical changes at the level of data structures, such as the move to NoSQL databases, and how this combines with data-mining and machine learning to accelerate the use of prediction as a form of governance. The consequent confusion between correlation and causation leads, I assert, to the creation of states of exception. I set out what I mean by states of exception using the ideas of Giorgio Agamben, focusing on the aspects most relevant to algorithmic regulation: force-of and topology. I argue that the effects of these states of exception escape legal constraints such as concepts of privacy. Having characterised this as a potentially totalising change and an erosion of civil liberties, I ask in what ways the states of exception might be opposed. I follow Agamben by drawing on Walter Benjamin’s concept of pure means as a tactic that is itself outside the frame of law-producing or law-preserving activity. However, the urgent need to respond requires more than a philosophical stance, and I examine two examples of historical resistance that satisfy Benjamin’s criteria. For each, in turn, I draw connections to contemporary cases of digital dissent that exhibit some of the same characteristics. I conclude that it is possible both theoretically and practically to resist the coming states of exception, and I end by warning what is at stake if we do not.
Algorithmic culture
Authors: Striphas Ted
Published: June 2015

Over the last 30 years or so, human beings have been delegating the work of culture – the sorting, classifying and hierarchizing of people, places, objects and ideas – increasingly to computational processes. Such a shift significantly alters how the category culture has long been practiced, experienced and understood, giving rise to what, following Alexander Galloway, I am calling ‘algorithmic culture’. The purpose of this essay is to trace some of the conceptual conditions out of which algorithmic culture has emerged and, in doing so, to offer a preliminary treatment on what it is. In the vein of Raymond Williams’ Keywords, I single out three terms whose bearing on the meaning of the word culture seems to have been unusually strong during the period in question: information, crowd and algorithm. My claim is that the offloading of cultural work onto computers, databases and other types of digital technologies has prompted a reshuffling of some of the words most closely associated with culture, giving rise to new senses of the term that may be experientially available but have yet to be well named, documented or recorded. This essay, though largely historical, concludes by connecting the dots critically to the present day. What is at stake in algorithmic culture is the gradual abandonment of culture’s publicness and the emergence of a strange new breed of elite culture purporting to be its opposite.
Travel agencies and priests as spiritual leaders: The merits of collaboration
Authors: Kawashima Tinka Delakorda
Published: June 2015

Journeys, labeled pilgrimages, appear to be flourishing in many parts of the world, not least owing to advances in transportation and communication technologies and growing tourism industries. However, surprisingly little research covers the role played by travel agencies and their professional tour leaders in organizing, carrying out, and even transforming the pilgrimage as a religious practice. In this article, I examine the role of travel agencies and tour leaders as mediators between people and priests. In Slovenia, travel agencies are launching pilgrimages led by so-called “spiritual leaders”—priests who have been gaining in popularity as leaders of pilgrim groups seemingly because they are able to joke, sing, and talk to people outside confessional boxes in a “human way.” The Catholic Church and travel agencies are together able to provide pilgrimage with spiritual care in combination with leisure, thus contributing to the revitalization of religious practice in Slovenia.
Study on Wangzaozin-A-Inducing Cancer Apoptosis and Its Theoretical Protein Targets
Authors: Chen Jing , Wang Shixia , Lu Xiaoquan
Published: June 2015

Wangzaozin A is the most representative cytotoxic C-20-nonoxide compound of Isodon plants of Labiatae. The protein targets of the 2 isomers (X and X′) of Wangzaozin A are, respectively, extracted from target fishing dock Web site. Each isomer has 23 targets with good energy scores. The binding modes of each isomer and its targets are, respectively, analyzed by Dock. The energy score of the binding mode between the isomer X and the inositol-1(or 4)-monophosphatase is the smallest. The apoptosis, antiproliferative, and lethal effects of human gastric cancer cells induced by Wangzaozin A are assessed by trypan blue exclusion, hoechst33258 stain in SGC-7901, and flow cytometric measurement. The mechanism of Wangzaozin-A-inducing cancer apoptosis is analyzed. Wangzaozin A inhibits the growth of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell lines at the lower concentration (<4.0 µmol/L) and results in the lethal effect at the relative higher concentration (>8.0 µmol/L).