bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Helicobacter pylori Infection - Management from a European Perspective
Authors: Malfertheiner P.
Published: April 2014

Since the first European Consensus Report on Helicobacter pylori management in 1996 and the strong indication for therapy of peptic ulcer disease and other benign gastroduodenal pathologies, the list of indications for therapeutic interventions has been extended to selected extradigestive diseases. Test-and-treat and search-and-treat strategies have been implemented for patients with dyspeptic symptoms and prevention of H. pylori-related complications (gastric cancer included), respectively. Screen and treat strategies are in discussion but are still lacking any structured implementation. For diagnosis of H. pylori, accurate noninvasive and endoscopy-based tests are widely available across Europe, and individual tests are selected according to patient needs and clinical settings. Standard proton pump inhibitor-based triple therapy faces increasing failure rates mainly because of clarithromycin resistance, but alternative first-line options bismuth quadruple, or non-bismuth quadruples in various combinations have emerged as effective first-line alternatives. After treatment failure, defined rescue therapies including individual antibiotic-sensitive testing are recommended.
Deamidated Lipocalin‐2 Induces Endothelial Dysfunction and Hypertension in Dietary Obese Mice
Authors: Song Erfei , Fan Pengcheng , Huang Bosheng , Deng Han‐Bing , Cheung Bernard Man Yung , Félétou Michel , Vilaine Jean‐Paul , Villeneuve Nicole , Xu Aimin , Vanhoutte Paul M. , Wang Yu
Published: April 2014

Background

Lipocalin‐2 is a proinflammatory adipokine upregulated in obese humans and animals. A pathogenic role of lipocalin‐2 in hypertension has been suggested. Mice lacking lipocalin‐2 are protected from dietary obesity‐induced cardiovascular dysfunctions. Administration of lipocalin‐2 causes abnormal vasodilator responses in mice on a high‐fat diet (HFD).

Methods and Results

Wild‐type and lipocalin‐2 knockout mice were fed with standard chow or HFD. Immunoassays were performed for evaluating the circulating and tissue contents of lipocalin‐2. The relaxation and contraction of arteries were studied using a wire myograph. Blood pressure was monitored with implantable radio telemetry. Dietary obesity promoted the accumulation of lipocalin‐2 protein in blood and arteries. Deficiency of this adipokine protected mice from dietary obesity‐induced elevation of blood pressure. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that human and murine lipocalin‐2 were modified by polyamination. Polyaminated lipocalin‐2 was rapidly cleared from the circulation. Adipose tissue was a major site for lipocalin‐2 deamidation. The circulating levels and the arterial accumulation of deamidated lipocalin‐2 were significantly enhanced by treatment with linoleic acid (18:2n−6), which bound to lipocalin‐2 with high affinity and prevented its interactions with matrix metalloproteinase 9 (
MMP
9). Combined administration of linoleic acid with lipocalin‐2 caused vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction and raised the blood pressure of mice receiving standard chow. A human lipocalin‐2 mutant with cysteine 87 replaced by alanine (C87A) contained less polyamines and exhibited a reduced capacity to form heterodimeric complexes with
MMP
9. After treatment, C87A remained in the circulation for a prolonged period of time and evoked endothelial dysfunction in the absence of linoleic acid.

Conclusions

Polyamination facilitates the clearance of lipocalin‐2, whereas the accumulation of deamidated lipocalin‐2 in arteries causes vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and hypertension.
Spatial References and Audio-Tactile Interaction in Cross-Modal Dynamic Capture
Authors: Chen Lihan , Wang Qingcui , Bao Ming
Published: April 2014

In audiotactile dynamic capture, judgment of the direction of an apparent motion stream (such as auditory motion) was impeded (hence ‘captured’) by the presentation of a concurrent, but directionally opposite apparent motion stream (such as tactile motion) from a distractor modality, leading to a cross-modal dynamic capture (CDC) effect. That is to say, the percentage of correct reporting of the direction of the target motion was reduced. Previous studies have revealed the effect of stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) and the potential spatial remapping (by adopting a cross-hands posture) in CDC. However, further exploration of the dynamic capture process under different postures was not available due to the fact that only two levels of time asynchronies were employed (either synchronous or with an SOA of 500 ms). This study introduced a broad range of SOAs (−400 ms to 400 ms, tactile stream preceded auditory stream or vice versa) to explore the time course of audio-tactile interaction in CDC with two spatial references — arms-uncrossed or arms-crossed postures. Participants judged the direction of auditory apparent motion with tactile distractors. The results showed that in the arms-uncrossed condition, the CDC effect was prominent when the auditory–tactile events were in the temporal integration window (0–60 ms). However, with a preceding tactile cueing effect of SOA equal to and above 150 ms, the CDC effect was reduced, and no CDC effect was observed with the arms-crossed posture. These results suggest CDC effect is modulated by both cross-modal interaction and the spatial reference (especially for the distractors). The magnitude of the CDC effects in audiotactile interaction may be accounted for by reliability of tactile spatial-temporal information.
A taxonomic revision of the genus Canscora in South India, and the erection of the new genus Canscorinella (Canscorinae, Gentianaceae) with two new combinations
Authors: P.M. SHAHINA , NAMPY SANTHOSH
Published: April 2014

The genus Canscora in South India is revised based on field and herbarium studies and in consultation with types and protologues. C. pauciflora, which was previously treated as conspecific to C. diffusa is reinstated while C. sanjappae and C. devendrae are synonymised under C. diffusa and C. stricta (= Canscorinella stricta) respectively. The present study supports the exclusion of two species of Canscora i.e., C. stricta and C. bhatiana resulting in the establishment of the new genus Canscorinella and two new combinations: Canscorinella stricta and Canscorinella bhatiana. The new genus Canscorinella is characterized by the presence of actinomorphic corolla and isomorphic stamens. This brings the number of species currently recognized for the genus Canscora to eleven worldwide, six (55 %) of which occurring in South India. Descriptions, photo plates and keys to the South Indian species of Canscora and Canscorinella are provided here.
Hierobotana Briq., an intriguing monotypic genus of tribe Verbeneae (Verbenaceae)
Authors: O’LEARY NATALY , MORONI PABLO
Published: April 2014

Hierobotana is a monotypic genus that belongs to tribe Verbeneae and is endemic to Ecuador. It is morphologically distinct from the other genera of Verbeneae in having only two functional stamens instead of four, as occur in most Verbenaceae. In the present work the relationship between Hierobotana and the other genera of Verbeneae is examined for the first time. Its single species, Hierobotana inflata, is described and illustrated and a key to the genera of tribe Verbeneae is provided.
Bulbophyllum manabendrae (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae), a new species from Meghalaya, India
Authors: ROY DILIP KR. , BARBHUIYA HUSSAIN AHMED , TALUKDAR ANUPAM DAS , SINHA BIPIN KUMAR
Published: April 2014

Bulbophyllum sect. Trias (Lindley 1830: 60) Vermeulen (2014: 40) comprises about 15 species (WCSP, 2013), distributed from China to Indonesia (Seidenfaden 1976, 1986, Kumar 1989, Wood & Cribb 1994, Vermeulen & Lamb 1994, Averyanov & Averyanova 2006, Liu et al. 2007). In India, the genus is represented by five species (Hooker 1890, Prain 1903, Gammie 1906, Kumar 1989, Rao & Hegde 1988, Diwakar et al. 2006), of which two viz. B. bonaccordense (Kumar 1989: 105) Vermeulen, Schuiteman & de Vogel (in press) and B. stocksii (Bentham in Hooker 1890: 781) Vermeulen, Schuiteman & de Vogel (in press) are endemic.
A Climatology of 500-hPa Closed Lows in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, 1948–2011
Authors: Oakley Nina S. , Redmond Kelly T.
Published: April 2014

The northeastern Pacific Ocean is a preferential location for the formation of closed low pressure systems. These slow-moving, quasi-barotropic systems influence vertical stability and sustain a moist environment, giving them the potential to produce or affect sustained precipitation episodes along the west coast of the United States. They can remain motionless or change direction and speed more than once and thus often pose difficult forecast challenges. This study creates an objective climatological description of 500-hPa closed lows to assess their impacts on precipitation in the western United States and to explore interannual variability and preferred tracks. Geopotential height at 500 hPa from the NCEP–NCAR global reanalysis dataset was used at 6-h and 2.5° × 2.5° resolution for the period 1948–2011. Closed lows displayed seasonality and preferential durations. Time series for seasonal and annual event counts were found to exhibit strong interannual variability. Composites of the tracks of landfalling closed lows revealed preferential tracks as the features move inland over the western United States. Correlations of seasonal event totals for closed lows with ENSO indices, the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), and the Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern suggested an above-average number of events during the warm phase of ENSO and positive PDO and PNA phases. Precipitation at 30 U.S. Cooperative Observer stations was attributed to closed-low events, suggesting 20%–60% of annual precipitation along the West Coast may be associated with closed lows.
Spatiotemporal Variability and Predictability of Relative Humidity over West African Monsoon Region
Authors: Broman Daniel , Rajagopalan Balaji , Hopson Thomas
Published: April 2014

Spatial and temporal variability of relative humidity over the West African monsoon (WAM) region is investigated. In particular, the variability during the onset and retreat periods of the monsoon is considered. A K-means cluster analysis was performed to identify spatially coherent regions of relative humidity variability during the two periods. The cluster average of the relative humidity provides a robust representative index of the strength and timing of the transition periods between the dry and wet periods. Correlating the cluster indices with large-scale circulation and sea surface temperatures indicates that the land–ocean temperature gradient and the corresponding circulation, tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SSTs), and to a somewhat lesser extent tropical Pacific SSTs all play a role in modulating the timing of the monsoon season relative humidity onset and retreat. These connections to large-scale climate features were also found to be persistent over interseasonal time scales, and thus best linear predictive models were developed to enable skillful forecasts of relative humidity during the two periods at 15–75-day lead times. The public health risks due to meningitis epidemics are of grave concern to the population in this region, and these risks are strongly tied to regional humidity levels. Because of this linkage, the understanding and predictability of relative humidity variability is of use in meningitis epidemic risk mitigation, which motivated this research.
The Early Winter Sea Ice Variability under the Recent Arctic Climate Shift
Authors: Yang Xiao-Yi , Yuan Xiaojun
Published: April 2014

This study reveals that sea ice in the Barents and Kara Seas plays a crucial role in establishing a new Arctic coupled climate system. The early winter sea ice before 1998 shows double dipole patterns over the Arctic peripheral seas. This pattern, referred to as the early winter quadrupole pattern, exhibits the anticlockwise sequential sea ice anomalies propagation from the Greenland Sea to the Barents–Kara Seas and to the Bering Sea from October to December. This early winter in-phase ice variability contrasts to the out-of-phase relationship in late winter. The mean temperature advection and stationary wave heat flux divergence associated with the atmospheric zonal wave-2 pattern are responsible for the early winter in-phase pattern.

Since the end of the last century, the early winter quadrupole pattern has broken down because of the rapid decline of sea ice extent in the Barents–Kara Seas. This remarkable ice retreat modifies the local ocean–atmosphere heat exchange, forcing an anomalous low air pressure over the Barents–Kara Seas. The subsequent collapse of the atmospheric zonal wave-2 pattern is likely responsible for the breakdown of the early winter sea ice quadrupole pattern after 1998. Therefore, the sea ice anomalies in the Barents–Kara Seas play a key role in establishing new atmosphere–sea ice coupled relationships in the warming Arctic.
Climate and Vegetation: An ERA-Interim and GIMMS NDVI Analysis
Authors: Cai Danlu , Fraedrich Klaus , Sielmann Frank , Guan Yanning , Guo Shan , Zhang Ling , Zhu Xiuhua
Published: April 2014

To complement geographical presentation of remote sensing vegetation information, the authors apply Budyko’s physical state space diagram to analyze functional climate relations. As an example, the authors use Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) global weather data to provide the statistics (1982–2006) of climate states in a two-dimensional state space spanned by water demand (net radiation N) versus water/energy limitation (dryness ratio D of net radiation over precipitation). Embedding remote sensing–based Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) data [normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) > 0.1] shows the following results: (i) A bimodal frequency distribution of unit areas (pixels) is aligned near D ~ 1 but separated meridionally, associated with higher and lower net radiation. (ii) Vegetation states are represented as (N, D, NDVI) triplets that reveal temperate and tropical forests crossing the border (D ~ 1) separating energy- and water-limited climates but unexpectedly show that they also exist in marginal regions (few pixels) of large dryness. (iii) Interannual variability of dryness is lowest where the largest climate mean NDVI values of greenness (forests) occur. The authors conclude that the combined (N, D, NDVI) analysis based on climate means has shown that tropical and temperate forests (NDVI > 0.6) are (i) not restricted to the energy-limited domain D < 1 (extending into the water-limited surface climate regime) and (ii) associated with low interannual variability of dryness. Thus, measures of interannual variability may be included in Budyko’s classical framework of geobotanic analysis of surface climates.
A Note on the Phillips Spectral Framework for Ocean Whitecaps*
Authors: Banner Michael L. , Zappa Christopher J. , Gemmrich Johannes R.
Published: April 2014

There has been a recent upsurge in interest in quantifying kinematic, dynamic, and energetic properties of wave breaking in the open ocean, especially in severe sea states. The underpinning observational and modeling framework is provided by the seminal paper of O. M. Phillips. In this note, a fundamental issue contributing to the scatter in results between investigators is highlighted. This issue relates to the choice of the independent variable used in the expression for the spectral density of the mean breaking crest length per unit area. This note investigates the consequences of the different choices of independent variable presently used by various investigators for validating Phillips model predictions for the spectral density of the breaking crest length per unit area and the associated spectral breaking strength coefficient. These spectral measures have a central role in inferring the associated turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate and the momentum flux to the upper ocean from breaking wave observations.
An Eddy Kinetic Energy View of Physical and Dynamical Processes in Distinct Forecast Scenarios for the Extratropical Transition of Two Tropical Cyclones*
Authors: Keller Julia H. , Jones Sarah C. , Harr Patrick A.
Published: April 2014

The extratropical transition (ET) of Hurricane Hanna (2008) and Typhoon Choi-Wan (2009) caused a variety of forecast scenarios in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Ensemble Prediction System (EPS). The dominant development scenarios are extracted for two ensemble forecasts initialized prior to the ET of those tropical storms, using an EOF and fuzzy clustering analysis. The role of the transitioning tropical cyclone and its impact on the midlatitude flow in the distinct forecast scenarios is examined by conducting an analysis of the eddy kinetic energy budget in the framework of downstream baroclinic development. This budget highlights sources and sinks of eddy kinetic energy emanating from the transitioning tropical cyclone or adjacent upstream midlatitude flow features. By comparing the budget for several forecast scenarios for the ET of each of the two tropical cyclones, the role of the transitioning storms on the development in downstream regions is investigated. Distinct features during the interaction between the tropical cyclone and the midlatitude flow turned out to be important. In the case of Hurricane Hanna, the duration of baroclinic conversion from eddy available potential into eddy kinetic energy was important for the amplification of the midlatitude wave pattern and the subsequent reintensification of Hanna as an extratropical cyclone. In the case of Typhoon Choi-Wan, the phasing between the storm and the midlatitude flow was one of the most critical factors for the future development.
A Comparison of Ensemble Kalman Filters for Storm Surge Assimilation
Authors: Altaf M. U. , Butler T. , Mayo T. , Luo X. , Dawson C. , Heemink A. W. , Hoteit I.
Published: April 2014

This study evaluates and compares the performances of several variants of the popular ensemble Kalman filter for the assimilation of storm surge data with the advanced circulation (ADCIRC) model. Using meteorological data from Hurricane Ike to force the ADCIRC model on a domain including the Gulf of Mexico coastline, the authors implement and compare the standard stochastic ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and three deterministic square root EnKFs: the singular evolutive interpolated Kalman (SEIK) filter, the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF), and the ensemble adjustment Kalman filter (EAKF). Covariance inflation and localization are implemented in all of these filters. The results from twin experiments suggest that the square root ensemble filters could lead to very comparable performances with appropriate tuning of inflation and localization, suggesting that practical implementation details are at least as important as the choice of the square root ensemble filter itself. These filters also perform reasonably well with a relatively small ensemble size, whereas the stochastic EnKF requires larger ensemble sizes to provide similar accuracy for forecasts of storm surge.
Roberto Bracco e Salvatore Di Giacomo: Dalla camorra in scena alla scena della camorra
Authors: Sabbatino Pasquale
Published: April 2014

Don Pietro Caruso di Roberto Bracco e A San Francisco di Salvatore Di Giacomo mettono in scena la camorra. Il primo rappresenta la Napoli che i lettori e spettatori hanno sotto gli occhi negli anni Novanta dell'Ottocento e denuncia la connivenza tra politica e malavita organizzata, il secondo sceglie la Napoli borbonica del 1850, ricostruibile attraverso una bibliografia (da Marco Monnier ad Abele De Blasio) da cui preleva numerose tessere sapientemente utilizzate per disegnare usi e costumi dei camorristi. Bracco si tuffa nel presente con passione politica e Di Giacomo compie un salto nel passato con il distacco dello storico. Tuttavia nel 1900 si trovano insieme, Di Giacomo nel dramma 'O mese mariano tratto dalla novella Senza vederlo del 1884 e Bracco nella recensione allo spettacolo e nell’articolo “Psicologia di via Toledo”, a portare lo sguardo sulla scena reale della camorra, tra i ragazzi poveri e abbandonati da tutti (anche dallo Stato e dalle istituzioni umanitarie), i quali diventeranno le reclute della malavita organizzata.
Significant influence of carrier gas temperature during the cold spray process
Authors: Yin S. , Suo X. , Liao H. , Guo Z. , Wang X.
Published: April 2014

Carrier gas is known as the medium to inject the cold sprayed powders into the main driving flow inside the nozzle. Hence, the properties and conditions of carrier gas should be of great importance to the particle motion behaviour and then particle deposition process. In this study, the effect of carrier gas temperature on the particle acceleration and deposition in cold spray process was investigated by both numerical and experimental methods. It is found that the supersonic driving gas flow and the consequent particle acceleration behaviour are significantly influenced by the carrier gas temperature, more specifically, higher carrier gas temperature results in higher particle impact velocity. In addition, because the carrier gas has additional heating effect on the powder particles before injection, the final impact temperature also increases with the carrier gas temperature, which leads to the reduction in the critical velocity. The increase in particle impact velocity and reduction in critical velocity enable the deposition efficiency and coating bonding strength to significantly improve as the carrier gas temperature increases. The particle impact velocity is found to be more influential than critical velocity reduction.
Enhanced optical confinement and lasing characteristics of individual urchin-like ZnO microstructures prepared by oxidation of metallic Zn
Authors: Lu Chia-Hao , Chao Tzu-Yang , Chiu Ying-Feng , Tseng Shuo-Yen , Hsu Hsu-Cheng
Published: April 2014

We prepared urchin-like micron-sized ZnO cavities with high optical quality by oxidizing metallic Zn and proposed the mechanism that resulted in the growth of the urchin-like microstructures. The photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO microstructures had a predominant excitonic emission at room temperature. The lasing properties of the urchin-like ZnO microstructures were investigated systematically through excitation power- and size-dependent photoluminescence measurements. The results showed that a low lasing threshold with high quality factors could be achieved because of the high reflectivity of the optical reflectors formed by the tapered nanowires. The unique optical characteristics may facilitate the development of high-efficiency random lasers.
Analysis of the transcriptional networks underpinning the activation of murine macrophages by inflammatory mediators
Authors: Raza Sobia , Barnett Mark W , Barnett-Itzhaki Zohar , Amit Ido , Hume David A , Freeman Tom C
Published: April 2014

Macrophages respond to the TLR4 agonist LPS with a sequential transcriptional cascade controlled by a complex regulatory network of signaling pathways and transcription factors. At least two distinct pathways are currently known to be engaged by TLR4 and are distinguished by their dependence on the adaptor molecule MyD88. We have used gene expression microarrays to define the effects of each of three variables—LPS dose, LPS versus IFN-β and -γ, and genetic background—on the transcriptional response of mouse BMDMs. Analysis of correlation networks generated from the data has identified subnetworks or modules within the macrophage transcriptional network that are activated selectively by these variables. We have identified mouse strain-specific signatures, including a module enriched for SLE susceptibility candidates. In the modules of genes unique to different treatments, we found a module of genes induced by type-I IFN but not by LPS treatment, suggesting another layer of complexity in the LPS-TLR4 signaling feedback control. We also observe that the activation of the complement system, in common with the known activation of MHC class 2 genes, is reliant on IFN-γ signaling. Taken together, these data further highlight the exquisite nature of the regulatory systems that control macrophage activation, their likely relevance to disease resistance/susceptibility, and the appropriate response of these cells to proinflammatory stimuli.
Psychiatric resilience: longitudinal twin study
Authors: Amstadter Ananda B. , Myers John M. , Kendler Kenneth S.
Published: April 2014

Background

The source of variability in people's response to stressful life events is poorly understood.

Aims

We examine the genetic and environmental underpinning of resilience (i.e. the difference between the twins' internalising symptoms and their predicted symptoms based on cumulative stressful life events).

Method

Stressful life event exposure and internalising symptoms were assessed at two time points in 7500 adult twins. Using the residual between actual and predicted internalising symptom total score, twin modelling was conducted for each wave separately and longitudinally.

Results

Resilience was found to have a moderate genetic heritability at each wave (~31%). Qualitative gender effects were found. Incorporating error of measurement into the model increased the estimated heritability for the latent construct of resilience (~50%). When measurement error and occasion-specific effects were removed, environmental influences contributed roughly equally to level of resilience.

Conclusions

Both genes and environment influence level of psychiatric resilience, and are largely stable over time. Environmental influences can have an enduring effect on resilience.
Schumann’s Continuous Expositions and the Classical Tradition
Authors: Smith Peter H.
Published: April 2014

Commentators have traditionally judged Schumann’s sonata forms negatively, despite recent positive reassessments. In the response to Schumann’s expositions, even two of his most insightful advocates, Linda Correll Roesner and Anthony Newcomb, portray Schumann’s designs as “structurally insignificant shells of traditional forms.” Reevaluation of Schumann’s expositions reveals both the genuine connections he forges with eighteenth-century practice and the integral role this creative appropriation plays in his distinctive compositional voice. A positive reassessment emerges via comparison between Roesner’s interpretation of the outer movements of the String Quartet in A minor as examples of deficient two-part expositions and readings of them instead as instances of the continuous type. The first movement of the Second Symphony illustrates that the tonal pairing of the A-minor Quartet is hardly the only motivation for Schumann’s continuous expositions. Contra Newcomb, conventions of continuous exposition create a compelling musical narrative across the symphony’s three-key design. The presence of tonal polarity in this exposition highlights the need to interpret Schumann’s sonata forms on a case-by-case basis with the same urgency as with his classical precursors. Even in a two-part exposition like that of the finale of the Piano Trio in F major, Schumann finds effective means to merge classical conventions with dialectical tonal strategies.
In-Depth Analysis of Pricing Problem Relaxations for the Capacitated Arc-Routing Problem
Authors: Bode Claudia , Irnich Stefan
Published: April 2014

Recently, Bode and Irnich [Bode C, Irnich S (2012) Cut-first branch-and-price-second for the capacitated arc-routing problem. Oper. Res. 60(5):1167–1182] presented a cut-first branch-and-price-second algorithm for solving the capacitated arc-routing problem (CARP). The fundamental difference to other approaches for exactly solving the CARP is that the entire algorithm works directly on the typically sparse underlying graph representing the street network. This enables the use of highly efficient dynamic programming-based pricing algorithms to solve the column-generation subproblem also known as the pricing problem. The contribution of this paper is the in-depth analysis of the CARP pricing problem and its possible relaxations, including the construction of new labeling algorithms for their solution and comprehensive computational tests on standard benchmark problems. We show that a systematic variation of different relaxations provides a powerful approach to solve knowingly hard instances of the CARP to proven optimality.
Depoliticisation, governance and the state
Authors: Flinders Matthew , Wood Matt
Published: April 2014

Depoliticisation refers to the narrowing of the boundaries of democratic politics. It is therefore intertwined with concerns about ‘the end of politics’ and the emergence of technocratic postdemocratic forms of governance. This article provides a broad theoretical and conceptual canvas upon which the various contributions to this special edition can be located and their interrelationships exposed. It achieves this by exploring the relevance of Carl Schmitt’s concept of ‘the political’, and particularly his analysis of ‘the age of neutralisations and depoliticisations’, to contemporary debates concerning depoliticisation, (re)politicisation and even hyper-depoliticisation.
(De)politicisation and the Father’s Clause parliamentary debates
Authors: Bates Stephen , Jenkins Laura , Amery Fran
Published: April 2014

Studies making use of (de)politicisation have flourished as governments have embraced technocratic and delegated forms of governance. Yet this increase in use is not always matched by conceptual or analytical refinement. Nor has scholarship generally travelled into empirical terrain beyond economic and monetary policy, nor assessed whether politicising and depoliticising processes could occur simultaneously. It is within this intellectual context that we make a novel contribution by focusing on the (de)politicising discourses, processes and outcomes within policy surrounding assisted reproductive technologies. We reveal a pattern of partial repoliticisation that raises questions about the relationship between governance, technology, society and state.
Family Perspectives on a Successful Transition to Adulthood for Individuals With Disabilities
Authors: Henninger Natalie A. , Taylor Julie Lounds
Published: April 2014

When researchers evaluate adult outcomes for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), the perspective of families is not always considered. Parents of individuals with IDD (N  =  198) answered an online survey about their definition of a successful transition to adulthood. Content analysis was used to describe themes and ideas present in the responses. Rather than focusing only on developmental tasks of adulthood, such as living independently, being competitively employed, and maintaining friendships, responses reflected a more varied and dynamic view of success in adulthood, taking into account the fit between the person with IDD and his or her environment. As services are developed and implemented for adults with IDD, it is important to consider the full range of goals that families have for their son or daughter's successful transition to adulthood.
Digital children’s channels: A comparative analysis of three locally launched services
Authors: Lustyik Katalin , Zanker Ruth
Published: April 2014

There are over two billion children worldwide under the age of 18, who are targeted by an increasing number of television channels solely dedicated to them. As such globally circulated programmes and networks expand their reach using digital platforms, is there a need – and room
for – locally produced television content for young people? From the perspective of national media policy advocates, locally developed, produced and broadcast programmes can provide children with a sense of their own place in an increasingly complex globalized media landscape and ensure
that programmes are developed with the interest, perspective and views of local children in mind. This article explores the dichotomy between ‘local’ and ‘global’ television content targeting children in the context of debates on media globalization. Our three case
studies from radically different media policy environments, focus specifically on locally produced content offered on dedicated national children‘s digital television channels launched locally to promote the cultural heritage of a specific nation or region. They provide concrete examples
of how local content is conceptualized and what types of content children have to choose from. Our findings are paradoxical. Although each channel has been created to speak back to dominant audio-visual children’s flows from the periphery, our findings are that the better funded nationally
based dedicated children’s channels have grown into successful market players beyond original national boundaries. The first case study examines dedicated local children’s provision in New Zealand, focusing on TVNZ6, a digital children‘s channel that operated as part of the
public service broadcasting sector. The second case study focuses on children‘s television content in Hungary and uses the case of Minimax Hungary, an Eastern European regional commercial network targeting children growing up in a dynamically transforming post-communist media system.
The third case study looks at television content produced in the Middle East by focusing on Al Jazeera Children’s Channel (JCC), a pan-Arabic non-commercial edutainment channel established in Qatar and funded by the Qatar Foundation.
What enabled mother and twins to survive 18 minutes after maternal cardiopulmonary arrest?
Authors: Matsuoka Ayumi , Tanaka Masaaki , Dohi Satoshi , Sasaki Hiromasa , Taniguchi Takumi , Inoue Masaki
Published: April 2014

A woman carrying monochorionic twins underwent sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at 31 weeks of gestation due to spontaneous coronary artery dissection in the hospital. The resuscitation techniques, with her uterus manually displaced to her left, were initiated immediately and maternal spontaneous circulation was resumed 18 min later. A cesarean section was performed 2 h after the revival and the patient was kept hypothermic for 24 h. Finally, full recovery of both mother and twins was achieved. As in this case, the resuscitation techniques for pregnant women recommended by the American Heart Association, and therapeutic hypothermia, might be effective and contribute much to the survival and recovery of patients.
Path dependence and routines: a threat to capability development
Authors: Sjödahl Lars E.
Published: April 2014

This article introduces the concept path dependence based on case illustrations mainly from psychiatric health care. The concept path dependence is widely used in economic research, history, social sciences and law, but so far seldom in psychology and health care, although equally applicable here. Two variants of path dependence, one in a narrow sense and one in a broader sense are defined and exemplified by case illustrations from psychiatric health care and patient safety systems.
Home-built Apparatus for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Glass and Polymer Materials
Authors: Heffner William R. , Demchak Shera , Scruggs John , Pearson Ray
Published: April 2014

As a part of the IMI-NFG’s series of low-cost experiments in glass science [1,2] we have developed a simple home-built apparatus for measuring the thermal conductivity of glassy materials, from polymers to oxide glasses, in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 W/ °C. Our apparatus is inexpensive, relatively easy to construct and accurate enough for students to use for quantitative measurements of their own glass or polymer samples. Standard materials are used to demonstrate good correlation with literature values. We also measured the thermal conductivity of a silica filled epoxy and showed a linear increase with fill fraction to 20%. This simple, low-cost method can provide students and researchers with a much broader access to this important property.
Statistical properties of English text produced by Korean and Chinese authors
Authors: Nelson Robert
Published: April 2014

This article presents findings from a comparison of the Zipf’s law and Heaps’ law properties of English texts produced by second language writers of English to similar texts produced by native writers. Zipf’s law is a famous statistical law capturing the distribution of words in texts, while Heaps’ law describes the rate at which new words are encountered as one reads a text. The analysis of the Zipf properties of texts by writers whose first language (L1) is Korean shows that the distribution of words and multiword sequences (n-grams) is different from that observed in native speakers’ texts. These differences imply that Korean writers do not fully exploit English pronominals. Analyses also indicate that the Heaps’ law properties of texts produced by the L1 and L2 writers show different rates of lexical innovation. A number of studies have estimated the Zipf’s and Heaps’ properties of native language texts in various contexts (e.g., Li, 1992; Cancho, 2005), while others have considered the consequences of Zipf’s law for second language acquisition (Laufer and Nation, 1995; Meara, 2005; Ellis, 2012). This study is the first attempt to estimate the parameters of these laws for texts produced by different populations of the second language writers.
Natural Language Processing methodology for tracking diachronic changes in the 20th century English language
Authors: Stajner Sanja , Mitkov Ruslan , Leech Geoffrey
Published: April 2014

Since the 1990s, when its more recent additions were released and diachronic study became possible, the ‘Brown family’ of corpora has been widely used across the linguistic community for various synchronic and diachronic studies. However, the methodology used in these studies did not take advantage of modern, state-of-the art Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools, but rather relied on part-of-speech (POS) tagging, often with manual post-editing. Most previous work (e.g. Leech et al., 2009; Davies, 2013) has focused mainly on the linguistic interpretation of the results and on proposing hypotheses about the ways language changes, without giving much consideration to whether the results were statistically sound or not.1 This work aims to fill the aforementioned gaps by proposing a novel, NLP-motivated methodology, which employs a fully automatic feature extraction procedure and conducts a thorough statistical analysis, thus offering a promising basis for future large-scale studies, reducing the amount of human effort required. The choice of statistical tests in this study was evaluated and confirmed to be correct by several procedures which rely on leading machine learning algorithms.
Caring for One of Our Own
Authors: Schapira Lidia , Blaszkowsky Lawrence S. , Cashavelly Barbara J. , Kim Christina Y. , Riley John P. , Wold Mali C. , Ryan David P. , Penson Richard T.
Published: April 2014

Schwartz Center Rounds are monthly multidisciplinary meetings where caregivers reflect on important psychosocial issues that they, along with patients and their families, face and gain insight and support from fellow staff members, with the goal of advancing compassionate health care, supporting caregivers, and fostering the connection between a clinician and his or her patients. This Schwartz Round focused on boundaries and the particular privileges and pressures of caring for a member of the staff. The article explores the tension between professional courtesy and empathic engagement. Major transitions can include the intrinsic fear of abandonment. Being “connected” is an important aspect of the patient-caregiver relationship. Patient-centered care requires that we balance clinical acumen and medical technology with humanism throughout the different phases of a patient's experience with a life-threatening illness.
Are biological communities in naturally unproductive streams resistant to additional anthropogenic stressors?
Authors: Annala M. , Mykrä H. , Tolkkinen M. , Kauppila T. , Muotka T.
Published: April 2014

Studies on the interactive responses to multiple simultaneously acting stressors have focused on individual or population‐level responses in laboratory microcosms, while field‐based studies on community‐level responses are rare. We examined the influence of a natural (non‐anthropogenic acidity) vs. human‐induced stress (land drainage) and their interaction on species richness and spatial turnover (β diversity) of stream diatom, bryophyte, and benthic invertebrate communities. Our four stream categories were: circumneutral reference, circumneutral impacted, naturally acidic, and naturally acidic impacted streams. We expected the most sensitive species to be present only in the circumneutral reference streams. Therefore, species richness should be highest in these streams and lowest in the naturally acidic streams additionally stressed by forest drainage. Alternatively, communities in acidic streams may consist of the most tolerant taxa that are unaffected by further stressors, species richness in these streams remaining unaffected by drainage. We also expected spatial turnover to be highest in the circumneutral near‐pristine streams and lowest in the drainage‐impacted acidic streams. In all three taxonomic groups, α diversity was lower in the naturally acidic than in circumneutral streams. The additional impact of the anthropogenic stress on species richness varied between groups, having no effect on diatoms, antagonistic effect on bryophytes, and additive effect on invertebrates. We also found differences in how each stressor modified β diversity of each taxonomic group. For diatoms, β diversity showed an overall tendency to decrease with increasing stress level, while bryophyte β diversity responded mainly to forest drainage. Benthic invertebrate β diversity did not differ between treatments. Our results suggest that non‐additive effects among stressors need special attention to improve the understanding and management of multifactor responses in streams. Our results also argue for the primacy of a multi‐taxon approach to environmental impact detection, and for the inclusion of a wide array of ecological responses, particularly community turnover, in bioassessment programs to detect responses that may go unnoticed by conventional richness‐based measures.
What to Teach?
Authors: Budin Wendy C.
Published: April 2014

In this column, the editor of The Journal of Perinatal Education discusses why Lamaze International conducts a comprehensive job analysis of what childbirth educators are teaching and their beliefs of what is important for pregnant women and their partners to learn. The editor also describes the contents of this issue, which offer a broad range of resources, research, and inspiration for childbirth educators in their efforts to promote, support, and protect natural, safe, and healthy birth.
Jack Thomas, Our Third Baby, Enters the World!
Authors: Stebbins Anne
Published: April 2014

Without the confidence and support of the medical team, this mother’s first birth was difficult and unsatisfying. She was able to give birth naturally, in the care of a midwife, with her second baby. With confidence in her ability to give birth and the wisdom that comes with experience, she is able to give birth naturally with her third baby in spite of being induced.
KSRP Ablation Enhances Brown Fat Gene Program in White Adipose Tissue Through Reduced miR-150 Expression
Authors: Chou Chu-Fang , Lin Yi-Yu , Wang Hsu-Kun , Zhu Xiaolin , Giovarelli Matteo , Briata Paola , Gherzi Roberto , Garvey W. Timothy , Chen Ching-Yi
Published: April 2014

Brown adipose tissue oxidizes chemical energy for heat generation and energy expenditure. Promoting brown-like transformation in white adipose tissue (WAT) is a promising strategy for combating obesity. Here, we find that targeted deletion of KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP), an RNA-binding protein that regulates gene expression at multiple levels, causes a reduction in body adiposity. The expression of brown fat–selective genes is increased in subcutaneous/inguinal WAT (iWAT) of Ksrp−/− mice because of the elevated expression of PR domain containing 16 and peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α, which are key regulators promoting the brown fat gene program. The expression of microRNA (miR)-150 in iWAT is decreased due to impaired primary miR-150 processing in the absence of KSRP. We show that miR-150 directly targets and represses Prdm16 and Ppargc1a, and that forced expression of miR-150 attenuates the elevated expression of brown fat genes caused by KSRP deletion. This study reveals the in vivo function of KSRP in controlling brown-like transformation of iWAT through post-transcriptional regulation of miR-150 expression.
Angiopoietin 2 Induces Pericyte Apoptosis via α3β1 Integrin Signaling in Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Park Sung Wook , Yun Jang-Hyuk , Kim Jin Hyoung , Kim Kyu-Won , Cho Chung-Hyun , Kim Jeong Hun
Published: April 2014

Pericyte loss is an early characteristic change in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Despite accumulating evidence that hyperglycemia-induced angiopoietin 2 (Ang2) has a central role in pericyte loss, the precise molecular mechanism has not been elucidated. This study investigated the role of Ang2 in pericyte loss in DR. We demonstrated that pericyte loss occurred with Ang2 increase in the diabetic mouse retina and that the source of Ang2 could be the endothelial cell. Ang2 induced pericyte apoptosis via the p53 pathway under high glucose, whereas Ang2 alone did not induce apoptosis. Integrin, not Tie-2 receptor, was involved for Ang2-induced pericyte apoptosis under high glucose as an Ang2 receptor. High glucose changed the integrin expression pattern, which increased integrin α3 and β1 in the pericyte. Furthermore, Ang2-induced pericyte apoptosis in vitro was effectively attenuated via p53 suppression by blocking integrin α3 and β1. Although intravitreal injection of Ang2 induced pericyte loss in C57BL/6J mice retina in vivo, intravitreal injection of anti-integrin α3 and β1 antibodies attenuated Ang2-induced pericyte loss. Taken together, Ang2 induced pericyte apoptosis under high glucose via α3β1 integrin. Glycemic control or blocking Ang2/integrin signaling could be a potential therapeutic target to prevent pericyte loss in early DR.
The Efficacy and Safety of Imeglimin as Add-on Therapy in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Inadequately Controlled With Sitagliptin Monotherapy
Authors: Fouqueray Pascale , Pirags Valdis , Diamant Michaela , Schernthaner Guntram , Lebovitz Harold E. , Inzucchi Silvio E. , Bailey Clifford J.
Published: April 2014

OBJECTIVE

This 12-week study assessed the efficacy and tolerability of imeglimin as add-on therapy to the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with sitagliptin monotherapy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, imeglimin (1,500 mg b.i.d.) or placebo was added to sitagliptin (100 mg q.d.) over 12 weeks in 170 patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age 56.8 years; BMI 32.2 kg/m2) that was inadequately controlled with sitagliptin alone (A1C ≥7.5%) during a 12-week run-in period. The primary efficacy end point was the change in A1C from baseline versus placebo; secondary end points included corresponding changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels, stratification by baseline A1C, and percentage of A1C responders.

RESULTS

Imeglimin reduced A1C levels (least-squares mean difference) from baseline (8.5%) by 0.60% compared with an increase of 0.12% with placebo (between-group difference 0.72%, P < 0.001). The corresponding changes in FPG were −0.93 mmol/L with imeglimin vs. −0.11 mmol/L with placebo (P = 0.014). With imeglimin, the A1C level decreased by ≥0.5% in 54.3% of subjects vs. 21.6% with placebo (P < 0.001), and 19.8% of subjects receiving imeglimin achieved a decrease in A1C level of ≤7% compared with subjects receiving placebo (1.1%) (P = 0.004). Imeglimin was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile comparable to placebo and no related treatment-emergent adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Imeglimin demonstrated incremental efficacy benefits as add-on therapy to sitagliptin, with comparable tolerability to placebo, highlighting the potential for imeglimin to complement other oral antihyperglycemic therapies.