bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The history of military cranioplasty
Authors: Bonfield Christopher M. , Kumar Anand R. , Gerszten Peter C.
Published: April 2014

There is evidence that the neurosurgical procedure of cranioplasty is as ancient as its better-known counterpart, trephination. With origins in pre-Incan Peru, cranioplasty remains an important reconstructive procedure for modern craniofacial surgery teams to master. Solutions to the often challenging problem of repairing skull defects continue to evolve to improve patient outcomes. Throughout recorded history, advances in cranioplasty have paralleled major military conflicts due to survivorship after trephination or decompressive craniectomy. Primitive skull coverings used in Peru were later replaced during the Middle Ages by grafts obtained in animals and humans. Improved survivorship secondary to advances in anesthesia and battlefield medicine during the Crimean War and the American Civil War allowed the use of tantalum and acrylic cranioplasty to evolve during World Wars I and II. In the modern era of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, greater survivorship after cranial injury due to improvements in protective armor, medical evacuation, and early “far-forward” neurosurgical treatment have occurred. Consequently, the last decade has seen great advancement in cranial defect reconstruction, including custom-fabricated alloplast implants and the emergence of regenerative cranial treatments such as distraction osteogenesis, protected bone regeneration, and free tissue transfers. Comprehensive rehabilitation after neurotrauma has emerged as the new standard of care.
The history of urea as a hyperosmolar agent to decrease brain swelling
Authors: Otvos Balint , Kshettry Varun R. , Benzel Edward C.
Published: April 2014

In 1919, it was observed that intravascular osmolar shifts could collapse the thecal sac and diminish the ability to withdraw CSF from the lumbar cistern. This led to the notion that hyperosmolar compounds could ameliorate brain swelling. Since then, various therapeutic interventions have been used for the reduction of intracranial pressure and brain volume.

Urea was first used as an osmotic agent for the reduction of brain volume in 1950. It was associated with greater efficacy and consistency than alternatives such as hyperosmolar glucose. Its use became the standard of clinical practice by 1957, in both the intensive care unit and operating room, to reduce intracranial pressure and brain bulk and was the first hyperosmolar compound to have widespread use. However, the prime of urea was rather short lived. Reports of side effects and complications associated with urea emerged. These included coagulopathy, hemoglobinuria, electrocardiography changes, tissue necrosis with extravasation, and a significant potential for rebound intracranial hypertension.

Mannitol was introduced in 1961 as a comparable and potentially superior alternative to urea. However, mannitol was initially purported to be less effective at rapidly reducing intracranial pressure. The debate over the two compounds continued for a decade until mannitol eventually replaced urea by the late 1960s and early 1970s as the hyperosmolar agent of choice due to the ease of preparation, chemical stability, and decreased side effect profile.

Although urea is not currently the standard of care today, its rise and eventual replacement by mannitol played a seminal role in both our understanding of cerebral edema and the establishment of strategies for its management.
Natural history “collectors”: exploring the ambiguities
Authors: Lucas A. M. , Lucas P. J.
Published: April 2014

There is more than one sense in which “collector” can refer to the roles of participants in describing the natural world. Examples of botanical and zoological collectors and collections demonstrate these senses, which have been confused in the literature. Considering the provenance of specimens in a supply chain may be a more productive approach than attempting to categorise actors in that chain.
Petrus Magni and the history of fresh-water aquaculture in the later Middle Ages
Authors: Svanberg Ingvar , Cios Stanisław
Published: April 2014

In 1520 the Bridgettine priest Petrus Magni (1460–1534), wrote a manual on agriculture. The manuscript, in Late Old Swedish, is to a large extent taken from Columella's De re rustica with many additions. At the end of the manual there is a brief chapter on making and keeping ponds for crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and tench (Tinca tinca). Aquaculture, with keeping and breeding fish in artificial ponds, was probably an innovation that became established in secular and monastic environments in Sweden in the fifteenth century. The text is to some extent based on Petrus's own experience and provides rare knowledge of pond-breeding of cyprinids in Scandinavia in late Medieval times. Petrus's account is the oldest known manual on fish-breeding in northern Europe. This brief manual is compared with manuals on fish culture by the Bohemian Bishop Janus Dubravius (1486–1553) and Polish nobleman Olbrycht Strumieński (d. 1609) published in 1547 and 1573 respectively.
Understanding Climate Change as an Existential Threat: Confronting Climate Denial as a Challenge to Climate Ethics
Authors: Myers Tim Christion
Published: April 2014

Climate change cannot be managed by experts and politicians alone. Consequently, climate ethics must take up the challenge of inviting public responsibility on this issue. New sociological research on climate denial by Kari Norgaard, however, suggests that most citizens of industrialized countries are ill-prepared to cope with the ethical significance of climate change. I draw upon Martin Heidegger to offer a new reading of climate denial that suggests viable responses to this problem. I argue that the implications of climate change are largely received as an ‘existential threat’ to the extent that they endanger the integrity of everyday existence. In other words, the implications of climate change for everyday life unsettle what phenomenologists call the ‘lifeworld’. Should basic lifeworld assumptions, which cultures rely on to makes sense of the world and their purposes in it, come under serious question, anxieties surface that most people are profoundly motivated to avoid. Hence, the ethical obligations entailed by climate change are ‘denied’ in the form of protecting lifeworld integrity for the sake of containing anxieties that would otherwise overwhelm people. Finally, I submit that existential approaches to climate denial can empower a confrontation with ‘climate anxiety’ in ways that open up ethical reflection.
Climate Change and Responsibility to Future Generations: Reflections on the Normative Questions
Authors: Heeger Robert
Published: April 2014

Climate change raises in an important way the problem of moral responsibility. It forces us to recognise that we have a responsibility to future generations, and to ask what this responsibility implies. Here I identify four key normative questions: (1) How should we respond to uncertainty? Should we apply cost-benefit analysis in order to cope with uncertainty? (2) How should we evaluate the emission of greenhouse gases? Given that the effects of emissions will be bad, should we judge that we as emitters harm the receivers and by that do them an injustice? (3) How should we compare present costs and future benefits? Should we give little or much weight to the benefits and well-being of people in the further future? (4) How should we take heed of human rights? Should we try to avoid the adverse outcomes of a cost-benefit approach by adopting a human rights approach that specifies minimum thresholds to which all human beings are entitled?
Topological Classification of Limit Cycles of Piecewise Smooth Dynamical Systems and Its Associated Non-Standard Bifurcations
Authors: Taborda John , Arango Ivan
Published: April 2014

In this paper, we propose a novel strategy for the synthesis and the classification of nonsmooth limit cycles and its bifurcations (named Non-Standard Bifurcations or Discontinuity Induced Bifurcations or DIBs) in n-dimensional piecewise-smooth dynamical systems, particularly Continuous PWS and Discontinuous PWS (or Filippov-type PWS) systems. The proposed qualitative approach explicitly includes two main aspects: multiple discontinuity boundaries (DBs) in the phase space and multiple intersections between DBs (or corner manifolds—CMs). Previous classifications of DIBs of limit cycles have been restricted to generic cases with a single DB or a single CM. We use the definition of piecewise topological equivalence in order to synthesize all possibilities of nonsmooth limit cycles. Families, groups and subgroups of cycles are defined depending on smoothness zones and discontinuity boundaries (DB) involved. The synthesized cycles are used to define bifurcation patterns when the system is perturbed with parametric changes. Four families of DIBs of limit cycles are defined depending on the properties of the cycles involved. Well-known and novel bifurcations can be classified using this approach.
Energy and Exergy Analysis of High Temperature Agent Gasification of Biomass
Authors: Wu Yueshi , Yang Weihong , Blasiak Wlodzimierz
Published: April 2014

A chemical equilibrium model was developed to predict the product composition of a biomass gasification system using highly preheated air and steam. The advantages and limitations of this system were discussed from a thermodynamic viewpoint. The first and second law analyses have been conducted for various preheating temperatures and steam/biomass mass (S/B) ratios. The results demonstrated that the chemical energy output of the produced syngas is highest when the S/B ratio is 1.83 under the conditions used in this study. However, higher S/B ratios have a negative effect on the energy and exergy efficiencies. Higher preheating temperatures increase the chemical energy of the produced syngas and the two efficiencies. The peak values for the energy and exergy efficiencies are 81.5% and 76.2%, respectively. Based on the calculated limitation values, where the highest chemical energy (exergy) of the produced syngas and maximum achievable efficiencies are determined, a thermodynamically possible operating region is suggested.
An Asymmetrical Fuzzy-Logic-Control-Based MPPT Algorithm for Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Liu Chun-Liang , Chen Jing-Hsiao , Liu Yi-Hua , Yang Zong-Zhen
Published: April 2014

In this paper, a fuzzy-logic-control (FLC) based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for photovoltaic (PV) systems is proposed. The power variation and output voltage variation are chosen as inputs of the proposed FLC, which simplifies the calculation. Compared with the conventional perturb and observe (P&O) method, the proposed FLC-based MPPT can simultaneously improve the dynamic and steady state performance of the PV system. To further improve the performance of the proposed method, an asymmetrical membership function (MF) concept is also proposed. Two design procedures are proposed to determine the universe of discourse (UOD) of the input MF. Comparing with the proposed symmetrical FLC-based MPPT method, the transient time and the MPPT tracking accuracy are further improved by 42.8% and 0.06%, respectively.
Mapping the Potential for Biofuel Production on Marginal Lands: Differences in Definitions, Data and Models across Scales
Authors: Lewis Sarah , Kelly Maggi
Published: April 2014

As energy policies mandate increases in bioenergy production, new research supports growing bioenergy feedstocks on marginal lands. Subsequently there has been an increase in published work that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map the availability of marginal land as a proxy for bioenergy crop potential. However, despite the similarity in stated intent among these works a number of inconsistencies remain across studies that make comparisons and standardization difficult. We reviewed a collection of recent literature that mapped bioenergy potential on marginal lands at varying scales, and found that there is no common working definition of marginal land across all of these works. Specifically, we found considerable differences in mapped results that are driven by dissimilarities in definitions, model framework, data inputs, scale and treatment of uncertainty. Most papers reviewed here employed relatively simple GIS overlays of input criteria, distinct thresholds identifying marginal land, and few details describing accuracy and uncertainty. These differences are likely to be major impediments to integration of studies mapping marginal lands for bioenergy production. We suggest that there is future need for spatial modeling of bioenergy, yet further scholarship is needed to compare across countries and scales to understand the global potential for bioenergy crops.
Small Reservoir Distribution, Rate of Construction, and Uses in the Upper and Middle Chattahoochee Basins of the Georgia Piedmont, USA, 1950–2010
Authors: Ignatius Amber , Jones John
Published: April 2014

Construction of small reservoirs affects ecosystem processes in numerous ways including fragmenting stream habitat, altering hydrology, and modifying water chemistry. While the upper and middle Chattahoochee River basins within the Southeastern United States Piedmont contain few natural lakes, they have a high density of small reservoirs (more than 7500 small reservoirs in the nearly 12,000 km2 basin). Policymakers and water managers in the region have little information about small reservoir distribution, uses, or the cumulative inundation of land cover caused by small reservoir construction. Examination of aerial photography reveals the spatiotemporal patterns and extent of small reservoir construction from 1950 to 2010. Over that 60 year timeframe, the area inundated by water increased nearly six fold (from 19 reservoirs covering 0.16% of the study area in 1950 to 329 reservoirs covering 0.95% of the study area in 2010). While agricultural practices were associated with reservoir creation from 1950 to 1970, the highest rates of reservoir construction occurred during subsequent suburban development between 1980 and 1990. Land cover adjacent to individual reservoirs transitioned over time through agricultural abandonment, land reforestation, and conversion to development during suburban expansion. The prolific rate of ongoing small reservoir creation, particularly in newly urbanizing regions and developing counties, necessitates additional attention from watershed managers and continued scientific research into cumulative environmental impacts at the watershed scale.
Web GIS-Based Public Health Surveillance Systems: A Systematic Review
Authors: Luan Hui , Law Jane
Published: April 2014

Web Geographic Information System (Web GIS) has been extensively and successfully exploited in various arenas. However, to date, the application of this technology in public health surveillance has yet to be systematically explored in the Web 2.0 era. We reviewed existing Web GIS-based Public Health Surveillance Systems (WGPHSSs) and assessed them based on 20 indicators adapted from previous studies. The indicators comprehensively cover various aspects of WGPHSS development, including metadata, data, cartography, data analysis, and technical aspects. Our literature search identified 58 relevant journal articles and 27 eligible WGPHSSs. Analyses of results revealed that WGPHSSs were frequently used for infectious-disease surveillance, and that geographical and performance inequalities existed in their development. The latest Web and Web GIS technologies have been used in developing WGPHSSs; however, significant deficiencies in data analysis, system compatibility, maintenance, and accessibility exist. A balance between public health surveillance and privacy concerns has yet to be struck. Use of news and social media as well as Web-user searching records as data sources, participatory public health surveillance, collaborations among health sectors at different spatial levels and among various disciplines, adaption or reuse of existing WGPHSSs, and adoption of geomashup and open-source development models were identified as the directions for advancing WGPHSSs.
Transcriptional Analysis of Apoptotic Cerebellar Granule Neurons Following Rescue by Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide
Authors: Maino Barbara , Ciotti Maria , Calissano Pietro , Cavallaro Sebastiano
Published: April 2014

Apoptosis triggered by exogenous or endogenous stimuli is a crucial phenomenon to determine the fate of neurons, both in physiological and in pathological conditions. Our previous study established that gastric inhibitory polypeptide (Gip) is a neurotrophic factor capable of preventing apoptosis of cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), during its pre-commitment phase. In the present study, we conducted whole-genome expression profiling to obtain a comprehensive view of the transcriptional program underlying the rescue effect of Gip in CGNs. By using DNA microarray technology, we identified 65 genes, we named survival related genes, whose expression is significantly de-regulated following Gip treatment. The expression levels of six transcripts were confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The proteins encoded by the survival related genes are functionally grouped in the following categories: signal transduction, transcription, cell cycle, chromatin remodeling, cell death, antioxidant activity, ubiquitination, metabolism and cytoskeletal organization. Our data outline that Gip supports CGNs rescue via a molecular framework, orchestrated by a wide spectrum of gene actors, which propagate survival signals and support neuronal viability.
Basin Testing of Wave Energy Converters in Trondheim: Investigation of Mooring Loads and Implications for Wider Research
Authors: Krivtsov Vladimir , Linfoot Brian
Published: April 2014

This paper describes the physical model testing of an array of wave energy devices undertaken in the NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) Trondheim basin between 8 and 20 October 2008 funded under the EU Hydralabs III initiative, and provides an analysis of the extreme mooring loads. Tests were completed at 1/20 scale on a single oscillating water column device and on close-packed arrays of three and five devices following calibration of instrumentation and the wave and current test environment. One wave energy converter (WEC) was fully instrumented with mooring line load cells, optical motion tracker and accelerometers and tested in regular waves, short- and long-crested irregular waves and current. The wave and current test regimes were measured by six wave probes and a current meter. Arrays of three and five similar WECs, with identical mooring systems, were tested under similar environmental loading with partial monitoring of mooring forces and motions. The majority of loads on the mooring lines appeared to be broadly consistent with both logistic and normal distribution; whilst the right tail appeared to conform to the extreme value distribution. Comparison of the loads at different configurations of WEC arrays suggests that the results are broadly consistent with the hypothesis that the mooring loads should differ. In particular; the results from the tests in short crested seas conditions give an indication that peak loads in a multi WEC array may be considerably higher than in 1-WEC configuration. The test campaign has contributed essential data to the development of Simulink™ and Orcaflex™ models of devices, which include mooring system interactions, and data have also been obtained for inter-tank comparisons, studies of scale effects and validation of mooring system numerical models. It is hoped that this paper will help to draw the attention of a wider scientific community to the dataset freely available from the Marintek website.
Theonellamide G, a Potent Antifungal and Cytotoxic Bicyclic Glycopeptide from the Red Sea Marine Sponge Theonella swinhoei
Authors: Youssef Diaa , Shaala Lamiaa , Mohamed Gamal , Badr Jihan , Bamanie Faida , Ibrahim Sabrin
Published: April 2014

In our search for bioactive metabolites from marine organisms, we have investigated the polar fraction of the organic extract of the Red Sea sponge Theonella swinhoei. Successive chromatographic separations and final HPLC purification of the potent antifungal fraction afforded a new bicyclic glycopeptide, theonellamide G (1). The structure of the peptide was determined using extensive 1D and 2D NMR and high-resolution mass spectral determinations. The absolute configuration of theonellamide G was determined by chemical degradation and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Theonellamide G showed potent antifungal activity towards wild and amphotericin B-resistant strains of Candida albicans with IC50 of 4.49 and 2.0 μM, respectively. Additionally, it displayed cytotoxic activity against the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (HCT-16) with IC50 of 6.0 μM. These findings provide further insight into the chemical diversity and biological activities of this class of compounds.
Spirocyclic Drimanes from the Marine Fungus Stachybotrys sp. Strain MF347
Authors: Wu Bin , Oesker Vanessa , Wiese Jutta , Malien Susann , Schmaljohann Rolf , Imhoff Johannes
Published: April 2014

A novel spirocyclic drimane coupled by two drimane fragment building blocks 2 and a new drimane 1 were identified in mycelia and culture broth of Stachybotrys sp. MF347. Their structures were established by spectroscopic means. This is the first example of spirocyclic drimane coupled by a spirodihydrobenzofuranlactam unit and a spirodihydroisobenzofuran unit; and the connecting position being N-C instead of an N and N connecting unit. Strain MF347 produced also the known spirocyclic drimanes stachybocin A (12) and stachybocin B (11) featured by two sesquiterpene-spirobenzofuran structural units connected by a lysine residue; the known spirocyclic drimanes chartarlactam O (5); chartarlactam K (6); F1839A (7); stachybotrylactam (8); stachybotramide (9); and 2α-acetoxystachybotrylactam acetate (10); as well as ilicicolin B (13), a known sesquiterpene. The relative configuration of two known spirobenzofuranlactams (3 and 4) was determined. All compounds were subjected to biological activity tests. The spirocyclic drimane 2, 11, and 12, as well as the sesquiterpene 13, exhibited antibacterial activity against the clinically relevant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Cinchona Alkaloid Derivative-Catalyzed Enantioselective Synthesis via a Mannich-Type Reaction and Antifungal Activity of β-Amino Esters Bearing Benzoheterocycle Moieties
Authors: Xiao Han , Wu Fang , Shi Li , Chen Zhiwei , Su Shihu , Tang Chenghao , Wang Hongtao , Li Zhining , Li Meichuan , Shi Qingcai
Published: April 2014

An efficient synthesis of highly functionalized chiral β-amino ester derivatives containing benzothiophene and benzothiazole moieties is developed by a Mannich-type reaction using a cinchona alkaloid-derived thiourea catalyst. The desired products were obtained in good yields and high enantioselectivities (~86% yield, >99% ee) using to the optimized reaction conditions. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, IR, and HREI-MS analyses. The bioassays identified that compound 5dr has excellent antifungal activity, with a 60.53% inhibition rate against F. oxysporum, higher than that of the commercial agricultural fungicide hymexazol, whose inhibition rate was 56.12%.
Effects of Polybenzoxazine on Shape Memory Properties of Polyurethanes with Amorphous and Crystalline Soft Segments
Authors: Gu Senlong , Jana Sadhan
Published: April 2014

This paper evaluates the role of minor component polybenzoxazine (PB) on shape-memory properties of polyurethanes (PU) with glassy and crystalline soft segments. The polymer compounds were prepared in two steps. In the first step, benzoxazine, polyurethane pre-polymer, and chain extender butanediol (BD) were mixed into a solution followed by chain-extension of the pre-polymer with BD. In the second step, benzoxazine was polymerized at 180 °C for 3 h to obtain shape memory polymer compounds. The atomic force microscopy images revealed that the PB-phase formed uniform dispersions in PU. The presence of PB-phase induced shape-memory behavior in non-shape memory PU with amorphous soft segment and significantly improved the values of shape fixity, recovery ratio, and recovery stress in shape memory polyurethane with crystalline soft segment.
Can Music “Mirror” God? A Theological-Hermeneutical Exploration of Music in the Light of Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel
Authors: Heaney Maeve
Published: April 2014

A theological exploration of the potential of non-liturgical instrumental music for the transmission of religious Christian faith experience, based on a hermeneutical tool drawn from Jean-Jacques Nattiez as applied to Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel. The article explores musical composition, reception, as well as the piece of music in itself, to discover common traits and keys to understanding its “meaning”, and relate it to current thought and development in theology; in particular to themes of creativity, theological aesthetics, the Ascension, the artistic vocation and meaning-making in contemporary culture, through music and films.
Effectively Tackling Reinsurance Problems by Using Evolutionary and Swarm Intelligence Algorithms
Authors: Salcedo-Sanz Sancho , Carro-Calvo Leo , Claramunt Mercè , Castañer Ana , Mármol Maite
Published: April 2014

This paper is focused on solving different hard optimization problems that arise in the field of insurance and, more specifically, in reinsurance problems. In this area, the complexity of the models and assumptions considered in the definition of the reinsurance rules and conditions produces hard black-box optimization problems (problems in which the objective function does not have an algebraic expression, but it is the output of a system (usually a computer program)), which must be solved in order to obtain the optimal output of the reinsurance. The application of traditional optimization approaches is not possible in this kind of mathematical problem, so new computational paradigms must be applied to solve these problems. In this paper, we show the performance of two evolutionary and swarm intelligence techniques (evolutionary programming and particle swarm optimization). We provide an analysis in three black-box optimization problems in reinsurance, where the proposed approaches exhibit an excellent behavior, finding the optimal solution within a fraction of the computational cost used by inspection or enumeration methods.
Probability Density Components Analysis: A New Approach to Treatment and Classification of SAR Images
Authors: De Carvalho Júnior Osmar , Maciel Luz , De Carvalho Ana , Guimarães Renato , Silva Cristiano , Gomes Roberto , Silva Nilton
Published: April 2014

Speckle noise (salt and pepper) is inherent to synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which causes a usual noise-like granular aspect and complicates the image classification. In SAR image analysis, the spatial information might be a particular benefit for denoising and mapping classes characterized by a statistical distribution of the pixel intensities from a complex and heterogeneous spectral response. This paper proposes the Probability Density Components Analysis (PDCA), a new alternative that combines filtering and frequency histogram to improve the classification procedure for the single-channel synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. This method was tested on L-band SAR data from the Advanced Land Observation System (ALOS) Phased-Array Synthetic-Aperture Radar (PALSAR) sensor. The study area is localized in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, northern Rondônia State (municipality of Candeias do Jamari), containing forest and land use patterns. The proposed algorithm uses a moving window over the image, estimating the probability density curve in different image components. Therefore, a single input image generates an output with multi-components. Initially the multi-components should be treated by noise-reduction methods, such as maximum noise fraction (MNF) or noise-adjusted principal components (NAPCs). Both methods enable reducing noise as well as the ordering of multi-component data in terms of the image quality. In this paper, the NAPC applied to multi-components provided large reductions in the noise levels, and the color composites considering the first NAPC enhance the classification of different surface features. In the spectral classification, the Spectral Correlation Mapper and Minimum Distance were used. The results obtained presented as similar to the visual interpretation of optical images from TM-Landsat and Google Maps.
Measurement of Entrance Surface Dose on an Anthropomorphic Thorax Phantom Using a Miniature Fiber-Optic Dosimeter
Authors: Yoo Wook , Shin Sang , Jeon Dayeong , Hong Seunghan , Sim Hyeok , Kim Seon , Jang Kyoung , Cho Seunghyun , Youn Won , Lee Bongsoo
Published: April 2014

A miniature fiber-optic dosimeter (FOD) system was fabricated using a plastic scintillating fiber, a plastic optical fiber, and a multi-pixel photon counter to measure real-time entrance surface dose (ESD) during radiation diagnosis. Under varying exposure parameters of a digital radiography (DR) system, we measured the scintillating light related to the ESD using the sensing probe of the FOD, which was placed at the center of the beam field on an anthropomorphic thorax phantom. Also, we obtained DR images using a flat panel detector of the DR system to evaluate the effects of the dosimeter on image artifacts during posteroanterior (PA) chest radiography. From the experimental results, the scintillation output signals of the FOD were similar to the ESDs including backscatter simultaneously obtained using a semiconductor dosimeter. We demonstrated that the proposed miniature FOD can be used to measure real-time ESDs with minimization of DR image artifacts in the X-ray energy range of diagnostic radiology.
A collection of suggested electronic course templates for use in higher education
Authors: Fresen Jill W. , Hill Robin K. , Geng Fawei
Published: April 2014

The collection of electronic course templates suggested in this article results from collaborative investigation between instructional support staff and academic staff users of the virtual learning environment (VLE) at two institutions, one in the United Kingdom and the other in the United States. The particular VLE in use at both institutions was Sakai, although the experience described here can be applied to the design process and workflow using any VLE that allows the selection and some configuration of standard tools.We applied the lattice model of Hill, Fresen and Geng (2012) to design and build a set of six course site templates, which are used as the basis on which site owners can easily build new sites in the VLE. As the ultimate goal of template provision is to underpin pedagogy, academics are free to use a template or build a site from scratch, based on their own teaching context, and they may adapt any template according to the pedagogical purpose and nature of the course. The underlying assumptions are that academic staff retain full control over the content, tools and permissions in their new site. The templates are not mutually exclusive – that is, aspects from any template may be incorporated, where applicable, into another one.We conclude that it is helpful for the VLE support team to take the lead in proposing a set of templates according to the predominant teaching and learning models in use at a particular institution, which may contribute to consistency across course sites and ultimately result in an improved student learning experience.Keywords: virtual learning environment; learning management system; course templates; pedagogical dimensions; course site properties; faculty support(Published: 01 April 2014)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2014, 22: 21669 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v22.21669
Key plants preserve elements of culture: A study over distance and time of fresh crops in Puerto Rican markets in Hartford, Connecticut, “A moveable feast”,
Authors: Taylor David W. , Anderson Gregory J.
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: People retain culinary customs when they migrate. We tested this commitment via the study of Puerto Rican fresh produce markets in the continental United States over time, 18 yr, and space, by comparisons with source markets in Puerto Rico (PR).

• Methods: A survey of Puerto Rican markets in Hartford (HT), Connecticut in 1993–1994 was repeated in 2009–2010. A comparative study was made at open‐air markets in PR in 2009. Surveys recorded fresh crops, and interviews with vendors and Hartford Puerto Rican residents provided context.

• Key results: We recorded 84 plant crops (64 species; 32 families) for seven categories. The largest category was viandas (fresh, starchy “root” crops and immature fruits), followed by saborizantes (flavorings). In the second HT survey, 80% of the crops were still present. And ∼90% of the HT 1993–1994 crops and ∼75% of the HT 2009–2010 crops were shared with markets in PR.

• Conclusions: On the basis of our results, we suggest two new concepts. The persistence of these largely tropical foods in a temperate market far removed from tropical PR shows the importance of basic foods as an element of cultural identification. We recognize this stability as an example of “culinary cultural conservation”. Second, analysis of these fresh produce markets leads to the conclusion that viandas are the most prominent in diversity, persistence over time and distance, volume, and in terms of consumers’ “willingness to pay”. Accordingly, we consider the viandas a good example of a “cultural keystone food group”, a food group that is emblematic of a community's culinary conservation.
Floral colleters in Pleurothallidinae (Epidendroideae: Orchidaceae)
Authors: Cardoso‐Gustavson Poliana , Campbell Lisa M. , Mazzoni‐Viveiros Solange C. , de Barros and Fábio
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: The term colleter is applied to trichomes or emergences positioned close to developing vegetative and floral meristems that secrete a sticky, mucilaginous, and/or lipophilic exudate. Several ecological functions are attributed to these glands, but none are exclusive to colleters. Patterns of morphology and distribution of colleters may be valuable for systematics and phylogeny, especially concerning problematic and large groups such as the subtribe Pleurothallidinae, and are also essential to understand the evolution of these glands in Orchidaceae as a whole.

• Methods: We used scanning electron and light microscopy to examine the structure and occurrence of trichomes on bracts and sepals and in the invaginations of the external ovary wall (IEOW) in flowers in several developmental stages from species in seven genera.

• Key results: The exudate was composed of polysaccharides, lipophilic, and phenolic compounds. Colleters were secretory only during the development of floral organs, except for the glands in the IEOW that were also active in flowers at anthesis. After the secretory phase, fungal hyphae were found penetrating senescent trichomes.

• Conclusions: Trichome‐like colleters seem to be a widespread character in Epidendroideae, and digitiform colleters are possibly the common type in this subfamily. Mucilage from IEOW colleters may aid in the establishment of symbiotic fungi necessary for seed germination. The presence of colleters in the IEOW may be a case of homeoheterotopy, in which extrafloral nectaries that produce simple sugar‐based secretions (as in other orchid species) have changed to glands that produce secretions with complex polysaccharides, as in Pleurothallidinae.
Development and characterization of microsatellite loci for the Moroccan endemic endangered species Argania spinosa (Sapotaceae)
Authors: El Bahloul Yasmina , Dauchot Nicolas , Machtoun Ikrame , Gaboun Fatima , Van Cutsem Pierre
Published: April 2014

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite loci were developed for the Moroccan endemic endangered species Argania spinosa with a combination of a typical library enrichment procedure and a 454 GS FLX Titanium–based high‐throughput sequencing approach.

• Methods and Results: A genomic DNA library was enriched and further screened using (GA)15, (GTA)8, and (TTC)8 biotin‐labeled probes coupled with chemi‐luminescence detection. To increase simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci number, an ultra‐high‐throughput sequencing‐based approach was used. Evaluation of all primer pairs was performed with labeled dUTP on an ABI 3130xl sequencer. Eleven polymorphic SSR loci were selected out of 79 SSR regions and extensively characterized on 150 individuals from eight populations. Total alleles ranged from six to 19 alleles per locus while expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.618 to 0.869.

• Conclusions: The SSRs developed here will be used to further characterize the genetic diversity of A. spinosa across its distribution range, mainly in the southern part of Morocco and southwestern Algeria. They may also be transferable to other Sapotaceae species.
Use of activated enol ethers in the synthesis of pyrazoles: reactions with hydrazine and a study of pyrazole tautomerism
Authors: Tarabová Denisa , Šoralová Stanislava , Breza Martin , Fronc Marek , Holzer Wolfgang , Milata Viktor
Published: April 2014

Activated enol ethers derived from esters or the dinitrile of malonic acid, or from pentane-2,4-dione were treated with hydrazine hydrate. The structures of the obtained products – pyrazoles 5 – were studied with a focus on tautomerism and supramolecular structure. A reverse addition of the reagents led to the isolation of two novel products, namely bis-enehydrazines 6 with an unsymmetrical arrangement of the formally equivalent subunits.
Safety and Efficacy of Tofacitinib, an Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Open-label, Longterm Extension Studies
Authors: Wollenhaupt Jürgen , Silverfield Joel , Lee Eun Bong , Curtis Jeffrey R. , Wood Susan P. , Soma Koshika , Nduaka Chudy I. , Benda Birgitta , Gruben David , Nakamura Hiroyuki , Komuro Yoshihiro , Zwillich Samuel H. , Wang Lisy , Riese Richard J.
Published: April 2014

Objective.

To describe the longterm safety and efficacy profile of tofacitinib in patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods.

Data were pooled from 2 open-label studies (NCT00413699, NCT00661661) involving patients who had participated in qualifying phase I, II, or III index studies of tofacitinib. Safety data included over 60 months of observation; efficacy data are reported up to Month 48. Treatment was initiated with tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily. Primary endpoints were adverse events (AE) and laboratory safety data. Secondary endpoints included American College of Rheumatology (ACR) response rates, and Disease Activity Score (28 joints) (DAS28)-4[erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)] and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) assessments.

Results.

Overall, 4102 patients were treated for 5963 patient-years; mean (maximum) treatment duration was 531 (1844) days; 20.8% of patients discontinued treatment over 60 months. The most common AE were nasopharyngitis (12.7%) and upper respiratory tract infection (10.5%). Serious AE were reported in 15.4% of patients with an exposure-estimated incidence rate of 11.1 events/100 patient-years. Serious infections were reported in 4.5% of patients with an exposure-estimated incidence rate of 3.1 events/100 patient-years (95% CI: 2.66–3.55). Mean values for laboratory variables were stable over time and consistent with phase II and III studies. Persistent efficacy was demonstrated through Month 48, as measured by ACR response rate (ACR20/50/70) DAS28-4-ESR, and HAQ-DI. Safety and efficacy were similar for patients receiving tofacitinib as monotherapy or with background nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Conclusion.

Tofacitinib demonstrated consistent safety and persistent efficacy over 48 months in patients with RA.
Effect of Urate-lowering Therapies on Renal Disease Progression in Patients with Hyperuricemia
Authors: Levy Gerald D. , Rashid Nazia , Niu Fang , Cheetham T. Craig
Published: April 2014

Objective.

To evaluate the association between hyperuricemia and renal disease progression in a real-world, large observational database study.

Methods.

We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study identifying 111,992 patients with hyperuricemia (> 7 mg/dl) from a large medical group. The final cohort were ≥ 18 years old, urate-lowering therapy (ULT)-naïve, and had the following laboratory results available: at least 1 glomerular filtration rate (GFR) level before the index date and at least 1 serum uric acid (sUA) level and GFR in the followup 36-month period. The cohort was categorized into 3 groups: never treated (NoTx), ULT time receiving therapy of < 80% (< 80%), and ULT time receiving therapy of ≥ 80% (≥ 80%). Outcomes were defined as a ≥ 30% reduction in GFR from baseline, dialysis, or GFR of ≤ 15 ml/min. A subanalysis of patients with sUA < 6 mg/dl at study conclusion was performed. Cox proportional hazards regression model determined factors associated with renal function decline.

Results.

A total of 16,186 patients met inclusion criteria. There were 11,192 NoTx patients, 3902 with < 80% time receiving ULT, and 1092 with ≥ 80% time receiving ULT. Factors associated with renal disease progression were age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, hospitalizations, rheumatoid arthritis, and higher sUA at baseline. Time receiving therapy was not associated with renal outcomes. Patients who achieved sUA < 6 mg/dl had a 37% reduction in outcome events (p < 0.0001; HR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.5–0.78).

Conclusion.

Hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for renal function decline. Patients treated with ULT who achieved sUA < 6 mg/dl on ULT showed a 37% reduction in outcome events.
Éradiquer le typhus : imaginaire médical et discours sanitaire nazi dans le gouvernement général de Pologne (1939-1944)
Authors: Chapoutot Johann
Published: April 2014

Lorsque les soldats et fonctionnaires allemands prennent possession de la Pologne en 1939, ils la voient au prisme de représentations déjà très anciennes : l’Est est arriéré, pauvre, insalubre. À partir de 1942, après que la décision de tuer tous les Juifs d’Europe a été prise, quelques films et textes édités par les services sanitaires de la Wehrmacht et de la SS enseignent aux forces d’occupation allemande comment « traiter » les pathologies propres à l’Est, notamment le typhus, attribué à l’idiosyncrasie juive. La conception biologique du « danger juif » présente la « solution finale » comme une nécessaire pratique bio-médicale d’éradication sanitaire.
Représailles et logique idéologico-répressive. Le tournant de l'été 1941 dans la politique répressive du Commandant militaire allemand en France
Authors: Eismann Gaël
Published: April 2014

Avec l’invasion de l’URSS par l’Allemagne en juin 1941, la politique répressive conduite par le MBF connaît un tournant brutal et s’oriente dès lors principalement contre les ennemis idéologiques du régime national-socialiste, présumés responsables des attentats. Le MBF rompt dès lors avec la pratique traditionnelle de la prise d’otages. Il décide en effet de ne pas prélever les otages destinés à être fusillés puis déportés en cas d’attentats parmi les notables, mais parmi le « cercle des coupables présumés », c’est-à-dire, en pratique, parmi les détenus communistes et bientôt juifs. Le choix opéré par le MBF répond à des motivations complexes qu’on ne saurait réduire, ni à de simples considérations objectives ou pragmatiques, ni à de simples considérations idéologiques. Si le MBF pratiqua en France occupée une terreur idéologiquement ciblée, c’est surtout parce qu’il la jugeait moins préjudiciable à la collaboration dans un pays où la lutte contre l’ennemi intérieur était définie selon des présupposés idéologiques qui rejoignaient largement les siens, et qui allaient être confortés, a posteriori, par les résultats des premières investigations policières. Qu’ils aient été simplement instrumentalisés ou qu’ils aient résulté de réelles inquiétudes devant la menace que représentaient les communistes et les Juifs pour la puissance occupante, le discours et les pratiques « sécuritaires » de l’appareil militaire d’occupation n’en expriment pas moins un anticommunisme et un antisémitisme virulents. La vision de la résistance qui sous-tend l’attitude souvent modératrice adoptée par le MBF face aux exécutions massives d’otages procède ainsi d’une logique idéologique et raciste.
Les groupes de choc du FLN. Particularités de la guerre d'indépendance algérienne en métropole
Authors: André Marc
Published: April 2014

La guerre d’Algérie eut lieu en métropole du fait notamment de l’action armée des groupes de choc du FLN. Or, toujours mentionnés dans les biographies ou récits historiques, mais n’ayant jamais fait l’objet d’une véritable enquête, ces groupes apparaissent aujourd’hui comme une catégorie sociale floue. Cet article propose de suivre huit groupes de choc (46 individus) reconstitués grâce à l’ouverture des Archives de la justice militaire, de celles des Renseignements généraux, et également grâce à l’examen exhaustif d’un quotidien régional ; ils sont alors mis en série avec les données extraites des actes de jugement rendus par le Tribunal permanent des forces armées de Lyon pour 118 autres groupes de choc. Le cadre spatial retenu est celui de la wilaya 3 métropolitaine, la plus vaste de France puisque regroupant les départements du centre et centre-est de la France. Deux axes sont suivis, comme deux temps dans la vie des groupes de choc : d’une part, on s’attache à suivre ces groupes dans leur lutte clandestine (arrivée en métropole, formation, encadrement par les chefs, action armée) ; d’autre part, on analyse les combats sur le terrain judiciaire et carcéral de ces mêmes groupes qui tentent d’obtenir la reconnaissance d’un statut de combattants. Cet article aboutit alors à une nouvelle définition plus conforme à la réalité que celles jusqu’alors en usage.
De la validité de l'exégèse croyante de la Bible. Deux réflexions ou deux analogies
Authors: Schenker Adrian
Published: April 2014

Dans une réflexion à caractère personnel l’auteur part de la position confessante catholique, qui est la sienne, en faisant observer l’importance que la prière y occupe sur un plan pratique. Celle-ci suppose la conviction croyante d’une proportion entre parole humaine et écoute divine. Cette proportion est également impliquée dans la notion de parole prophétique. Car les prophètes expriment des paroles divines en langage humain concret et historique, et la Bible est le document écrit de ces paroles. Cette proportion est analogue à la proportion entre des paroles humaines traduites d’une langue à une autre. Interpréter une traduction signifie l’entendement de la parole traduite et, inséparablement, de la parole originaire prononcée dans la langue originale. que l’on ignore puisqu’on a recours à la traduction. On a donc besoin d’une double herméneutique : celle de la parole traduite que l’on entend directement, et celle de la parole originaire impliquée dans la parole traduite mais que l’on n’entend qu’indirectement.
La lumière, image de Dieu et nom de l'homme chez Grégoire de Nazianze
Authors: Bady Guillaume
Published: April 2014

Dans la deuxième moitié du iv e siècle, Grégoire de Nazianze, plus tard surnommé « le Théologien », est l’un des Pères grecs chez qui le thème de la lumière est le plus présent. Terme privilégié dans l’expression de la divinité, la lumière permet de faire le lien entre une formulation positive de Dieu (« Dieu est lumière ») et une vision en « négatif » (Dieu éblouit) : les théologies dites apophatique et cataphatique sont une seule et même théologie. Du côté anthropologique, l’incarnation du Fils, « lumière née de la lumière », donne un sens nouveau à l’un des mots qui, en grec, désignent l’être humain : le mot phôs. Par une révélation pour ainsi dire « photographique », l’homme trouve dès lors sa propre identité en Dieu, ainsi que le chemin de sa divinisation.