bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The research on hybrid drive and control technique of high-speed motorized spindle based on adaptive fuzzy neural network control
Authors: Chen Xiao-an , Shan Wen-tao , He Ye , Lu Yong-ya , Liu Jun-feng
Published: October 2013

A hybrid drive and control technique is proposed for high-speed motorized spindle system. The proposed control technique enjoys the advantages of vector control and direct torque control and avoids the implementation difficulties of the two control methods. In particular, the control system includes an optimized switching table based on adaptive fuzzy neural network control which can prevent the system from the high level of torque ripple and nonsinusoidal current waveforms. A simulation model of the spindle’s hybrid drive and control system is constructed in MATLAB/Simulink, and then the related experiments are carried out on a high-speed motorized spindle whose rated speed is 15,000 r/min. The simulation and experimental results reveal that the proposed model and technique are correct and the model has excellent dynamic and static performance.
Nursing organizational climates in public and private hospitals
Authors: García I García , Castillo RF , Santa-Bárbara ES
Published: October 2013

Background:

Researchers study climate to gain an understanding of the psychological environment of organizations, especially in healthcare institutions. Climate is considered to be the set of recurring patterns of individual and group behaviour in an organization. There is evidence confirming a relationship between ethical climate within organizations and job satisfaction.

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to describe organizational climate for nursing personnel in public and private hospitals and to confirm the relationships among the climate variables of such hospitals.

Materials and methods:

A correlational study was carried out to measure the organizational climate of one public hospital and two private hospitals in Granada. The Work Environment Scale was used for data collection. The Work Environment Scale includes 10 scales, ranging from 0 to 9, which were used to evaluate social, demographic and organizational climate variables. In this study, 386 subjects were surveyed in three hospitals.

Results:

A total of 87% of the participants were female and 16% were male. Most participants were nurses (65.6%), followed by nursing aides (20%), and technicians (14.4%). The results obtained reflected different patterns of organizational climate formation, based on hospital type (i.e. public or private) within the Spanish context. Most of the dimensions were below the midpoint of the scale.

Discussion and conclusions:

In conclusion, in public hospitals, there is a greater specialization and the organizational climate is more salient than in the private hospitals. In addition, in the public hospitals, the characteristics of the human resources and their management can have a significant impact on the perception of the climate, which gives greater importance to the organizational climate as decisive of the ethical climate.
After the quake: The complex dance of local government, national government and accounting
Authors: Miley Frances , Read Andrew
Published: October 2013

This research considers accounting for post-earthquake recovery in New Zealand. New Zealand’s most devastating earthquakes are considered to be the Murchison earthquake of 1929, the Napier/Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931 and the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010–11. At the time of the Murchison and Napier earthquakes, government accounting information was an ex post record of expenditure. Contemporary government accounting in New Zealand is accrual based and comprehensive, and so accounting information has played a more prominent role in the management of Christchurch’s earthquake recovery. Apart from evidencing the significant change to government accounting, an historical comparison of accounting in the context of the Murchison and Napier earthquakes vis-à-vis the Christchurch earthquakes indicates the extent of change in the interplay between national and local government in New Zealand. The relationship between national and local government, though legally unchanged, has become more complex, but the financial reports do not reveal this complexity. Through historical analysis the extent of this change is made visible.
A Picture Is Worth . . . ? Photo Elicitation Interviewing With Formerly Homeless Adults
Authors: Padgett Deborah K. , Smith Bikki Tran , Derejko Katie-Sue , Henwood Benjamin F. , Tiderington Emmy
Published: October 2013

We report on the use of photo elicitation interviewing (PEI) with 13 participants in a qualitative study of formerly homeless men and women with serious mental illness. Following a respondent-controlled approach, participants were asked to take up to 18 photographs visually portraying positive and negative aspects of their lives and to subsequently narrate the meaning of the photos in a one-on-one interview. Thematic analysis of the photos ( N = 205) revealed two approaches to PEI: (a) a “slice of life” and (b) “then vs. now.” Examples show how PEIs yielded deeper, more elaborate accounts of participants’ lives compared to earlier verbal-only interviews. Participants spoke of the benefits of PEI and preferred taking positive as opposed to negative photographs depicting their lives. Implications of PEI as a means of complementing verbal-only data are discussed. By moving away from predetermined content and meaning, respondent-controlled PEIs enhance empowerment and enable creativity.
Purposing and Repurposing Harms
Authors: Miller Karen-Lee
Published: October 2013

The purpose of the victim impact statement (VIS) is to inform judges of victims’ crime-related physical, psychological, and financial harms. Findings from interviews with Canadian sexual assault victims, advocates, victim services workers, and prosecutors ( N = 37) demonstrated that harm descriptions were manipulated by victims and others in keeping with, and contrary to, VIS design. Victims and prosecutors purposed the VIS to inform court outcomes through harms claims and struggles over those claims. The repurposing of harms claims occurred through practices of strategic disclosure, intended to effect changes in others’ behaviors, and harm peddling, the circulation of the VIS in nonsentencing arenas. Victims, adversaries, and criminal justice professionals engaged in harm peddling to obtain compensation, child custody, and parole delay. Implications of purposing and repurposing harms claims include novel opportunities and legal pitfalls for victims, varied responses by judges, and an expansion of social control over victims and offenders.
Of Baby Ducklings and Clay Pots
Authors: Fletcher Gillian
Published: October 2013

In this article, I report on my decision to undertake a process of elicitation, development, and examination of metaphors for experiences of HIV prevention work in Burma/Myanmar. I cover the theoretical basis to that decision, my rationale for using metaphor elicitation as method when researching the rhetoric and practice of HIV prevention in Burma/Myanmar, the process I used, and some of the resultant metaphors. I also demonstrate that this process resulted in the opening up of a space for talking about HIV prevention that avoided recourse to standard prevention rhetoric, thereby enabling a new and deeper understanding of the gap between this rhetoric and people’s actual practice or experience.
Using Joint Interviews in a Narrative-Based Study on Illness Experiences
Authors: Sakellariou Dikaios , Boniface Gail , Brown Paul
Published: October 2013

Researchers are increasingly recognizing the usefulness of using joint interviews in research on illness experiences. However, there is limited discussion of joint interviews as a data collection method and of the factors that influence the choice to conduct individual or joint interviews. Although there are several advantages and disadvantages of both methods, the reasons that underpin the choice to use joint interviews are often not discussed in detail in the literature. Drawing from a narrative-based study on the experiences of living with motor neuron disease, we present joint interviews as a method sensitive both to the shared experience of illness and to the multiple perspectives around illness. Using interview excerpts, we discuss how through the use of joint interviews researchers can explore the intersubjective and heteroglossic nature of illness experiences. We argue that using joint interviews can offer valuable information about how couples coconstruct meaning and share experiences.
Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Delirium Rounds in a Clinical Trial Across Three Diverse Hospital Settings
Authors: Yevchak Andrea M. , Fick Donna M. , McDowell Jane , Monroe Todd , May Kanah , Grove Lori , Kolanowski Ann M. , Waller Jennifer L. , Inouye Sharon K.
Published: October 2013

Delirium occurs in more than half of hospitalized older adults with dementia, substantially worsening outcomes. The use of multiple strategies and a local opinion leader, unit champion, has cumulative and lasting effects compared with single-strategy interventions. The purpose of this article is to describe the early barriers and facilitators to rounding with unit champions in a cluster randomized clinical trial in Year 2 of a 5-year trial (5R01NR011042-02). This is a mixed-method study nested within an ongoing multisite cluster-randomized, controlled clinical trial. Descriptive and comparative statistics were collected on N = 192 nursing rounds. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. On average, rounds lasted 25.54 min ( SD = 13.18) and were conducted with the unit champion 64% of the time. This is one of the first studies to systematically address quantitative and qualitative barriers and facilitators to nurse-led delirium rounds, demonstrating the gradual adoption of an intervention in diverse clinical settings.
Molecular Architecture of Myelinated Nerve Fibers
Authors: Rosenbluth Jack , Mierzwa Amanda , Shroff Seema
Published: October 2013

Myelinated nerve fibers have evolved to optimize signal propagation. Each myelin segment is attached to the axon by the unique paranodal axoglial junction (PNJ), a highly complex structure that serves to define axonal ion channel domains and to direct nodal action currents through adjacent nodes. Surprisingly, this junction does not entirely seal the paranodal myelin sheath to the axon and thus does not entirely isolate the perinodal space from the internodal periaxonal space. Rather the paranode is penetrated by extracellular pathways between the myelin sheath and the axolemma for movement of molecules and the flow of current to and from the internodal axon. This review summarizes past and current studies demonstrating these pathways and considers what functional roles they subserve. In addition, modern genetic engineering methods permit modification of individual PNJ constituents, which provides an opportunity to define their specific functions. One component in particular, the transverse bands, plays a key role in maintaining the structure and function of the PNJ. Loss of transverse bands results not in frank demyelination but rather in subtle dysmyelination, which causes significant functional impairment. The consequences of such subtle defects in the PNJ are considered along with the relevance of these studies to human diseases of myelin.
Being the Parent of a Ventilator-Assisted Child
Authors: Lindahl Berit , Lindblad Britt-Marie
Published: October 2013

The number of medically fragile children cared for at home is increasing; however, there are few studies about the professional support these families receive in their homes. The aim of the study was to understand the meanings that parents had about the support they received from health care professionals who offered care for their ventilator-assisted child in the family home. A phenomenological-hermeneutic method was used. Data included the narratives of five mother–father couples living in Sweden who were receiving professional support for their ventilator-assisted child. The findings indicate that receiving professional support meant being at risk of and/or exposed to the exercise of control over family privacy. The professional support system in the families’ homes worked more by chance than by competent and sensible planning. In good cases, caring encounters were characterized by a mutual relationship where various occupational groups were embraced as a part of family life. The findings are discussed in light of compassionate care, exercise of power, and the importance of holistic educational programs.
Examining the Evidence
Authors: King Bryn , Lawson Jennifer , Putnam-Hornstein Emily
Published: October 2013

Using linked administrative data from child protection and birth records in California, this study examined whether the mandated status and type of reporter are independent predictors of substantiation among infants and young children across maltreatment types and after adjusting for characteristics of the child and family. Of the 59,413 children born in 2002 who were reported and investigated for maltreatment before the age of 5 years, 26% were substantiated. Reports originating from mandated sources were 2.5 times as likely (95% confidence interval, CI [2.40, 2.60]) to be substantiated as those from nonmandated reporters. Findings demonstrated that children whose allegations were reported by law enforcement, medical professionals, and workers in public agencies were consistently substantiated at higher rates than allegations from other mandated reporters. Results also indicated that the relationship between reporter type and the likelihood of substantiation varied by maltreatment type. Children reported by law enforcement for physical abuse were 6.3 times as likely (95% CI [4.86, 8.04]) to be substantiated as those reported by nonmandated sources.
A Research Metasynthesis on Digital Video Composing in Classrooms
Authors: Miller Suzanne M.
Published: October 2013

Calls for research documenting outcomes of new literacy practices in school (e.g., Moje, 2009) focus on the need for understanding adolescents’ experiences, what they learn about content, about literacy practices, and about their identities and positions in the world. This metasynthesis of findings from 27 qualitative studies of digital video (DV) composing in secondary schools involved 97 teachers and 135 students as focal participants in ethnographic, case, and grounded theory studies. The focus was on the body of research completed in a mature DV composing project based in sociocultural learning theories, including New Literacies and social semiotics. Following teachers out of professional development on using DV composing as a curricular learning tool into their classrooms and then analyzing across the studies provided trends in contexts for student learning. Following the analytic processes of extracting, categorizing, and translating outlined by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007), six themes were revealed, the components of DV composing pedagogy that led to student engagement in embodied learning: (a) Teacher change toward a New Literacies stance led to development of (b) classroom social spaces for mediating multimodal composing in which participants (c) co-constructed authentic communicative purpose for representing meaning, in part by (d) opening meaning-making to student lifeworlds and cultural resources, and (e) explicitly attending to multimodal design for representing meaning, leading to students’ (f) transmediating or translating in symbolic modes. These components working synergistically in classrooms provide an evidence base for a pedagogical framework for students’ embodied learning through multimodal composing.
Narrative responses as an aid to understanding the presentation of maltreated children who meet criteria for autistic spectrum disorder and reactive attachment disorder: A case series study
Authors: McCullough Elaine , Stedmon Jacqui , Dallos Rudi
Published: October 2013

This paper offers research case studies of four severely maltreated children who had received a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. A range of measures were employed to explore the children’s psychological and emotional functioning, including Theory of Mind assessment (Sally–Anne Test), attachment measures (Story Stems Assessment Profile and Relationship Problems Questionnaire), along with measures to assess general psychological and emotional well-being. Contrary to the diagnosis, the children did not reveal a theory of mind deficit. However, they did indicate a profile of difficulties in mentalisation on the Story Stems. The findings are discussed in terms of the extent to which mentalisation and theory of mind are influenced by situational factors, especially the anxiety evoked by the Story Stem attachment scenarios. Clinical implications regarding mentalisation as a state vs. trait phenomenon are discussed.
Gauging the effects of exercises on verb–noun collocations
Authors: Boers Frank , Demecheleer Murielle , Coxhead Averil , Webb Stuart
Published: October 2013

Many contemporary textbooks for English as a foreign language (EFL) and books for vocabulary study contain exercises with a focus on collocations, with verb–noun collocations (e.g. make a mistake) being particularly popular as targets for collocation learning. Common exercise formats used in textbooks and other pedagogic materials require learners to establish appropriate matches between sets of verbs and nouns. However, matching exercises almost inevitably carry a risk of erroneous connections, and despite corrective feedback these might leave undesirable traces in the learner’s memory. We report four small-scale trials (total n = 135) in which the learning gains obtained from verb–noun matching exercises are compared with the learning gains obtained from a format in which the target collocations are presented to the learners as intact wholes. Pre-test to post-test gains turned out small in all of the conditions, owing in part to the learners’ substitution of initially correct choices by distracters from the exercises. The latter, negative side-effect was attested more often in the matching exercises than in the exercises where the learners worked with collocations as intact wholes.
Does facial expressivity count? How typically developing children respond initially to children with autism
Authors: Stagg Steven D , Slavny Rachel , Hand Charlotte , Cardoso Alice , Smith Pamela
Published: October 2013

Research investigating expressivity in children with autism spectrum disorder has reported flat affect or bizarre facial expressivity within this population; however, the impact expressivity may have on first impression formation has received little research input. We examined how videos of children with autism spectrum disorder were rated for expressivity by adults blind to the condition. We further investigated the friendship ratings given by 44 typically developing children to the same videos. These ratings were compared to friendship ratings given to video clips of typically developing children. Results demonstrated that adult raters, blind to the diagnosis of the children in the videos, rated children with autism spectrum disorder as being less expressive than typically developing children. These autism spectrum disorder children were also rated lower than typically developing children on all aspects of our friendship measures by the 44 child raters. Results suggest that impression formation is less positive towards children with autism spectrum disorder than towards typically developing children even when exposure time is brief.
Longitudinal follow-up of factors associated with food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Suarez Michelle A , Nelson Nickola W , Curtis Amy B
Published: October 2013

The objective of this study was to examine food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders longitudinally. Additionally explored were the stability of the relationship between food selectivity and sensory over-responsivity from time 1 to time 2 and the association between food selectivity and restricted and repetitive behavior at time 2. A total of 52 parents of children with autism were surveyed approximately 20 months after completing an initial questionnaire. First and second surveys each contained identical parent-response item to categorize food selectivity level and a scale to measure sensory over-responsivity. A new scale to measure restricted and repetitive behaviors was added at time 2. Results comparing time 1 to time 2 indicated no change in food selectivity level and a stable, significant relationship between food selectivity and sensory over-responsivity. The measure of restrictive and repetitive behavior (time 2) was found to significantly predict membership in the severe food selectivity group. However, when sensory over-responsivity and both restricted and repetitive behaviors were included in the regression model, only sensory over-responsivity significantly predicted severe food selectivity. These results support conclusions about the chronicity of food selectivity in young children with autism and the consistent relationship between food selectivity and sensory over-responsivity.
Not all groups are equal: Differential vulnerability of social groups to the prejudice-releasing effects of disparagement humor
Authors: Ford Thomas E. , Woodzicka Julie A. , Triplett Shane R. , Kochersberger Annie O. , Holden Christopher J.
Published: October 2013

Three experiments tested hypotheses about why humor that disparages some groups fosters discrimination whereas humor that disparages others does not. Experiment 1 showed that disparagement humor fosters discrimination against groups for whom society’s attitudes are ambivalent. Participants higher in anti-Muslim prejudice tolerated discrimination against a Muslim person more after reading anti-Muslim jokes than after reading anti-Muslim statements or neutral jokes. Experiments 2 and 3 tested the hypothesis that disparagement humor promotes discrimination against groups for whom society’s attitudes are ambivalent but not groups for whom prejudice is justified. In Experiment 2 participants higher in anti-Muslim prejudice discriminated against Muslims more after reading anti-Muslim jokes than neutral jokes, while antiterrorist jokes did not promote discrimination against terrorists. In Experiment 3 participants higher in antigay prejudice discriminated against a gay student organization more after reading antigay jokes than after reading neutral or antiracist jokes; antiracist jokes did not promote discrimination against a racist student organization.
Kitesports: A new source of major trauma? Report of four cases and literature review
Authors: Durnford AJ , Harrisson SE , Eynon CA
Published: October 2013

Background

Kitesurfing and kiteboarding are so-called extreme sports, whereby participants are attached to powerful kites, which propel the user over water or land. The sports have grown rapidly over the last decade. The impact, burden and mechanism of major neurological injuries resulting from these sports in the United Kingdom are unknown.

Methods

We reviewed patients requiring admission following kitesurfing or kiteboarding injuries to a regional Neurological Trauma Centre over a five-year period.

Results

Four cases were identified – two polytrauma and two spinal injuries, representing ∼0.5% of trauma admissions. All occurred due to impact onto land or objects after being lifted by the kite.

Conclusions

Participants in kitesurfing and kiteboarding must be aware of the possibility of serious injury. Despite the sports’ rapid, recent expansion, the number of injuries requiring admission to our unit over a five-year period was small but included one fatality. All of the injuries resulted from high-energy impact with land rather than in the water. Future safety guidance should include emphasis on care and measures to prevent injuries occurring at the water’s edge. We recommend that personal injury as well as liability insurance is obtained before participation in such sport.
Evolving desire to experience the social ‘other’: Insights from the high-society bazaar
Authors: Vicdan Handan , Fırat A Fuat
Published: October 2013

We explore key changes in orientations toward encountering and experiencing the ‘other’ in new consumption venues as a result of the transformations in globalization and modern culture. Our research aims to provide insights into how ‘experiencing the other’ is increasingly sought in high-society bazaars by both upper and lower social classes, respectively representing the westernized and traditional social elements in Turkey, where the West meets the East. Findings unravel the means that enable people to construct new constellations of identities and experience the other in these consumption spaces. As a result, we revisit and extend different theoretical insights on identity construction and otherness by recognizing more recent cultural trends and sensibilities that guide and motivate people to seek multiplicity and to experience difference.
Falling into the depths of his mind: Action research as a way of maintaining a relationship with a loved one with dementia
Authors: Arieli Daniella
Published: October 2013

Maintaining a meaningful relationship with a loved one who is diagnosed with dementia and hospitalized is significant, both for the person with dementia and for his/her relatives and friends. Nevertheless, the process of dementia poses great challenges and obstacles for communication. This article’s aim is to discuss the potential contributions of action research (AR) as an effective way for managing these challenges. Based on the researcher’s personal experience of using AR cycles of action–reflection–action in interactions with a loved one with dementia, the study identifies and discusses four such cycles: 1) negotiating the diagnosis; 2) sliding between reality and delusion; 3) reflecting on the mental experiences of dementia; 4) positioning myself in relation to the loved one and the institutional setting. The article contributes to the development of AR theory in two major ways: first, it explores the possibility and challenges of conducting AR when the participants’ ability to conduct a dialogue cannot be taken-for-granted and is itself the topic of inquiry. Second, it explores the potential contributions of AR for coping with situations that are usually described and approached in medical terms.
Good versus bad? Victims, offenders and victim-offenders in Swedish crime policy
Authors: Heber Anita
Published: October 2013

In the crime policy field, the crime victim is usually described as the direct opposite of the offender in terms of characteristics and needs. This article analyses crime policy descriptions of crime victims and offenders, with a special focus on how politicians address the issue of the victim–offender overlap. The material comprises a sample of legislative crime policy bills submitted by members of the Swedish parliament during 2005–10. In the bills, crime victims are described as good, innocent and in need of help, whereas the offender is seen as a bad, ruthless scoundrel. In between stands a group of victim-offenders; pitiable poor things. However, when responses to offenders are discussed, both poor things and scoundrels are to be punished severely.
Case Study in Designing a Research Fundamentals Curriculum for Community Health Workers
Authors: Dumbauld Jill , Kalichman Michael , Bell Yvonne , Dagnino Cynthia , Taras Howard L.
Published: October 2013

Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly incorporated into research teams. Training them in research methodology and ethics, while relating these themes to a community’s characteristics, may help to better integrate these health promotion personnel into research teams. An interactive training course on research fundamentals for CHWs was designed and implemented jointly by a community agency serving a primarily Latino, rural population and an academic health center. A focus group of community members and input from community leaders comprised a community-based participatory research model to create three 3-hour interactive training sessions. The resulting curriculum was interactive and successfully stimulated dialogue between trainees and academic researchers. By choosing course activities that elicited community-specific responses into each session’s discussion, researchers learned about the community as much as the training course educated CHWs about research. The approach is readily adaptable, making it useful to other communities where CHWs are part of the health system.
TNFR2 maintains adequate IL-12 production by dendritic cells in inflammatory responses by regulating endogenous TNF levels
Authors: Martin Elisabeth M , Remke Annika , Pfeifer Eva , Polz Johannes , Pietryga-Krieger Anne , Steffens-Weber Dorothea , Freudenberg Marina A , Mostböck Sven , Männel Daniela N
Published: October 2013

Sepsis-induced immune reactions are reduced in TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2)-deficient mice as previously shown. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, the functional integrity of myeloid cells of TNFR2-deficient mice was analyzed and compared to wild type (WT) mice. The capacity of dendritic cells to produce IL-12 was strongly impaired in TNF-deficient mice, mirroring impaired production of IL-12 by WT dendritic cells in sepsis or after LPS or TNF pre-treatment. In addition, TNFR2-deficient mice were refractory to LPS pre-treatment and also to hyper-sensitization by inactivated Propionibacterium acnes, indicating habituation to inflammatory stimuli by the immune response when TNFR2 is lacking. Constitutive expression of TNF mRNA in kidney, liver, spleen, colon and lung tissue, and the presence of soluble TNFR2 in urine of healthy WT mice supported the conclusion that TNF is continuously present in naïve mice and controlled by soluble TNFR2. In TNFR2-deficient mice endogenous TNF levels cannot be balanced and the continuous exposure to enhanced TNF levels impairs dendritic cell function. In conclusion, TNF pre-exposure suppresses secondary inflammatory reactions of myeloid cells; therefore, continuous control of endogenous TNF by soluble TNFR2 seems to be essential for the maintenance of adequate sensitivity to inflammatory stimuli.
Capsule endoscopy: High negative predictive value in the long term despite a low diagnostic yield in patients with suspected Crohn's disease
Authors: Hall Barry , Holleran Grainne , Costigan Danielle , McNamara Deirdre
Published: October 2013

Introduction

The role of small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) in Crohn's disease (CD) has expanded with greater understanding of the technology. The ability of SBCE to differentiate CD from other causes of inflammation has been questioned. Longitudinal studies are required to assess the long‐term impact and significance of SBCE findings in suspected CD. This study aimed to determine the long‐term clinical accuracy of SBCE in patients referred with suspected CD.

Methods

A retrospective review was carried out on SBCE procedures performed for suspected CD since 2010. Only patients with at least 6 months of documented follow up were included. A chart review was undertaken to record SBCE findings/correlate with subsequent diagnosis and outcome.

Results

In all, 95 patients with sufficient follow up were identified. The mean follow up was 13 months (range 8–24). In total, 72 (76%) SBCEs were negative and 23 (24%) positive for CD. Of the 72 negative tests, two patients (3%) were later diagnosed with CD. The negative predictive value is 96%. There was a strong positive correlation between results of WCE and subsequent clinical diagnosis.

Conclusions

SBCE appears capable of safely out‐ruling CD, with only 3% of negative SBCE investigations being diagnosed with CD after 15 months.
Spouse’s Work-to-family Conflict, Family Stressors, and Mental Health among Dual-earner Mothers and Fathers
Authors: Young Marisa , Schieman Scott , Milkie Melissa A.
Published: October 2013

We examine the association between perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict, family stressors, and mental health outcomes using data from a sample of 1,348 dual-earning parents from a 2011 national survey of Canadian workers. Based on crossover stress theory and the stress process model, we hypothesize that perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict are associated with family stressors, which mediate the association between perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict and respondent’s mental health. Using ordinary least square regression techniques, we find that perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict are associated with mental health outcomes as well as secondary family stressors. Furthermore, the family stressors resulting from perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict facilitate family-to-work conflict among respondents, which further explains the association between perceptions of spouse’s work-to-family conflict and mental health outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of crossover stress and the stress process model.
Social Predictors of Female Academics’ Career Growth and Leadership Position in South-West Nigerian Universities
Authors: Oti (Née Aderogba) Adepeju Olaide
Published: October 2013

This study examined the efficacy of social predictors of female academics’ career growth and leadership position in Nigerian universities. Results show that the composite effect of the social predictors are significant ( F = 37.888; p < .05). Parental influence (β = .197; p < .05) and spousal support (β = .183; p < .05) made significant contributions to career growth, while academic men attitude toward women (β = .428; p > .05), academic men collegial support (β = .419; p < .05), parental influence (β = .368; p < .05), and spousal support (β = .250; p < .05) contributed to leadership position. Parental influence ( B = −.12; t = −4.89; p < .05) and spousal support ( B = .13; t = 4.26; p < .05) predicted career growth, while academic men attitude toward women ( B = .947; t = 3.755; p < .05), academic men collegial support ( B = −1.080; t = −3.648; p < .05), parental influence ( B = −.220; t = −9.050; p < .05), and spousal support ( B = .191; t = 6.343; p < .05) predicted leadership position. The implications are that parental influence and spousal supports are essential for career growth, while all four factors are crucial for female academics’ leadership attainment.
Global Content in Global Coursebooks
Authors: Melliti Mimoun
Published: October 2013

This study aims at exploring the issue of “globality” in global coursebooks as manifested in investing features of connectedness, avoiding inappropriacy, and preserving inclusivity. To do this exploration, two research methods, content analysis and the questionnaire, were adopted. The content of an example of global coursebooks, Headway Intermediate (H/I), in addition to the perception of 251 of its users at Institute Bourguiba for Living Languages (IBLV) were investigated. The results obtained revealed that “globality,” in terms of connectedness, inappropriacy, and inclusivity is partial in H/I as learners’ perceptions of it do not map with the content in the coursebook. This study raises questions about the suitability of global coursebooks to globally diverse learners and reveals the necessity of taking measures in the direction of localizing the content of English as a foreign language (EFL) coursebooks.
The Importance of Literacy in the Home Language
Authors: Eisenchlas Susana A. , Schalley Andrea C. , Guillemin Diana
Published: October 2013

While advantages of literacy in the home language have been widely documented, the Australian education system has not been proactive in providing institutional support for its development. This paper investigates the impact of (il)literacy in the home language on the academic, affective, and social development of bilingual/multilingual children and proposes principles that home-language-literacy programs should meet to be effective. It discusses programs that, although designed to develop literacy or second-language proficiency mainly in classroom contexts, could be easily adapted to address the needs of the linguistically and culturally diverse Australian context. We argue that the cost of not investing in successful home-language-literacy programs will be higher in the long run than their implementation costs and recommend that Australia should consider supporting grassroots home-language-literacy programs in a push to improve overall literacy outcomes for Australian home-language speakers.
Nation States, Cities, and People
Authors: Caselli Marco
Published: October 2013

In the first decade of the 21st century, attempts to measure globalization have multiplied, and they have led to the devising of diverse instruments, most notably the A. T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Globalization Index, the CSGR Globalisation Index, the KOF Index of Globalization, and the Maastricht Globalisation Index. Besides important similarities as regards structure, the dimensions considered, and the indicators used, the main feature shared by these instruments is the fact that they all use the same unit of analysis: the nation-state. This is a somewhat paradoxical situation, if one considers that one of the most distinctive characteristics of globalization is precisely that its dynamics extend beyond the state and the country. Gives this premise, the aim of the article is, on the one hand, to justify in any case the use of instruments that seek to measure globalization on the basis of states, and, on the other, to propose alternative approaches to such measurement. The article’s underlying assumption is that different approaches to the measurement of globalization are not mutually exclusive. Rather, such a plurality of perspectives is opportune and desirable given the complexity and multidimensionality of the concept of globalization.
Pivotal role of Pten in the balance between proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells in zebrafish
Authors: Choorapoikayil Suma , Kers Rianne , Herbomel Philippe , Kissa Karima , den Hertog Jeroen
Published: October 2013

Key Points

Loss of the tumor suppressor, PTEN, results in enhanced blood stem cell proliferation and arrested differentiation, hallmarks of leukemia. Pten mutant zebrafish embryos display defective hematopoiesis and constitute an excellent tool to assess drug treatment.
Hematopoietic specification from human pluripotent stem cells: current advances and challenges toward de novo generation of hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Slukvin Igor I.
Published: October 2013

Significant advances in cellular reprogramming technologies and hematopoietic differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have already enabled the routine production of multiple lineages of blood cells in vitro and opened novel opportunities to study hematopoietic development, model genetic blood diseases, and manufacture immunologically matched cells for transfusion and cancer immunotherapy. However, the generation of hematopoietic cells with robust and sustained multilineage engraftment has not been achieved. Here, we highlight the recent advances in understanding the molecular and cellular pathways leading to blood development from hPSCs and discuss potential approaches that can be taken to facilitate the development of technologies for de novo production of hematopoietic stem cells.
Transcriptional profile of Paracoccidioides induced by oenothein B, a potential antifungal agent from the Brazilian Cerrado plant Eugenia uniflora
Authors: Zambuzzi-Carvalho Patrícia Fernanda , Tomazett Patrícia Kott , Santos Suzana Costa , Ferri Pedro Henrique , Borges Clayton Luiz , Martins Wellington Santos , de Almeida Soares Célia Maria , Pereira Maristela
Published: October 2013

Background

The compound oenothein B (OenB), which is isolated from the leaves ofEugenia uniflora, a Brazilian Cerrado plant, interferes withParacoccidioidesyeast cell morphology and inhibits 1,3-β-D-glucan synthase (PbFKS1) transcript accumulation, which is involved in cell wall synthesis. In this work we examined the gene expression changes inParacoccidioidesyeast cells following OenB treatment in order to investigate the adaptive cellular responses to drug stress.

Results

We constructed differential gene expression libraries using Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) ofParacoccidioidesyeast cells treated with OenB for 90 and 180 min. Treatment for 90 min resulted in the identification of 463 up-regulated expressed sequences tags (ESTs) and 104 down-regulated ESTs. For the 180 min treatment 301 up-regulated ESTs and 143 down-regulated were identified. Genes involved in the cell wall biosynthesis, such as GLN1, KRE6 and FKS1, were found to be regulated by OenB. Infection experiments in macrophages corroborated thein vitroresults. Fluorescence microscopy showed increased levels of chitin in cells treated with OenB. The carbohydrate polymer content of the cell wall of the fungus was also evaluated, and the results corroborated with the transcriptional data. Several other genes, such as those involved in a variety of important cellular processes (i.e., membrane maintenance, stress and virulence) were found to be up-regulated in response to OenB treatment.

Conclusions

The exposure ofParacoccidioidesto OenB resulted in a complex altered gene expression profile. Some of the changes may represent specific adaptive responses to this compound in this important pathogenic fungus.
The RootScope: a simple high-throughput screening system for quantitating gene expression dynamics in plant roots
Authors: Kast Erin J , Nguyen Minh-Duyen T , Lawrence Rosalie E , Rabeler Christina , Kaplinsky Nicholas J
Published: October 2013

Background

High temperature stress responses are vital for plant survival. The mechanisms that plants use to sense high temperatures are only partially understood and involve multiple sensing and signaling pathways. Here we describe the development of the RootScope, an automated microscopy system for quantitating heat shock responses in plant roots.

Results

The promoter of Hsp17.6 was used to build a Hsp17.6
p:GFP transcriptional reporter that is induced by heat shock in Arabidopsis. An automated fluorescence microscopy system which enables multiple roots to be imaged in rapid succession was used to quantitate Hsp17.6
p:GFP response dynamics. Hsp17.6
p:GFP signal increased with temperature increases from 28°C to 37°C. At 40°C the kinetics and localization of the response are markedly different from those at 37°C. This suggests that different mechanisms mediate heat shock responses above and below 37°C. Finally, we demonstrate that Hsp17.6
p:GFP expression exhibits wave like dynamics in growing roots.

Conclusions

The RootScope system is a simple and powerful platform for investigating the heat shock response in plants.
SOD2gene Val16Ala polymorphism is associated with macroalbuminuria in Mexican Type 2 Diabetes patients: a comparative study and meta-analysis
Authors: Ascencio-Montiel Iván de Jesús , Parra Esteban J , Valladares-Salgado Adán , Gómez-Zamudio Jaime H , Kumate-Rodriguez Jesús , Escobedo-de-la-Peña Jorge , Cruz Miguel
Published: October 2013

Background

Several studies in type 2 diabetes patients have shown significant associations between the SOD2 gene Val16Ala polymorphism and albuminuria, but this association has not been explored in the Mexican population.

Methods

We evaluated the association between the SOD2 gene Val16Ala polymorphism (rs4880) and macroalbuminuria in a sample of 994 unrelated Mexican type 2 diabetes patients. The study included 119 subjects with urinary albumin >300 mg/dL and 875 subjects with urinary albumin ≤ 30 mg/dL. Genotyping of the SOD2 gene Val16Ala SNP was carried out with Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).

Results

The frequency of the TT genotype was 6.7% higher in participants with macroalbuminuria than in the normoalbuminuria group (16.8% vs. 10.1%). Using a logistic regression analysis, we observed that individuals with the CC genotype had significantly lower risks of macroalbuminuria than those with the TT genotype (OR=0.42, p=0.034). We carried out a meta-analysis combining our data with data from four previous studies and estimated an odds ratio (95% CI) for the C allele (with respect to the reference T allele) of 0.65 (0.52-0.80, p<0.001).

Conclusions

A significant association was found between the SOD2 Val16Ala polymorphism and macroalbuminuria in a sample of Mexican type 2 diabetes patients.
Porous media properties of reticulated shape memory polymer foams and mock embolic coils for aneurysm treatment
Authors: Muschenborn Andrea D , Ortega Jason M , Szafron Jason M , Szafron David J , Maitland Duncan J
Published: October 2013

Background

Shape memory polymer (SMP) foams are being investigated as an alternative aneurysm treatment method to embolic coils. The goal of both techniques is the reduction of blood flow into the aneurysm and the subsequent formation of a stable thrombus, which prevents future aneurysm rupture. The purpose of this study is to experimentally determine the parameters, permeability and form factor, which are related to the flow resistance imposed by both media when subjected to a pressure gradient.

Methods

The porous media properties—permeability and form factor—of SMP foams and mock embolic coils (MECs) were measured with a pressure gradient method by means of an in vitro closed flow loop. We implemented the Forchheimer-Hazen-Dupuit-Darcy equation to calculate these properties. Mechanically-reticulated SMP foams were fabricated with average cell sizes of 0.7E-3 and 1.1E-3 m, while the MECs were arranged with volumetric packing densities of 11-28%.

Results

The permeability of the SMP foams was an order of magnitude lower than that of the MECs. The form factor differed by up to two orders of magnitude and was higher for the SMP foams in all cases. The maximum flow rate of all samples tested was within the inertial laminar flow regime, with Reynolds numbers ranging between 1 and 35.

Conclusions

The SMP foams impose a greater resistance to fluid flow compared to MECs, which is a result of increased viscous and inertial losses. These results suggest that aneurysms treated with SMP foam will have flow conditions more favorable for blood stasis than those treated with embolic coils having packing densities ≤ 28%.