bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of load rejection transient process based on static efficiency factor for hydraulic unit security assessment
Authors: Wu Biying , Tong Shuiguang , Cong Feiyun , Tang Ning , Huang Qing
Published: August 2014

Hydraulic units often come across condition changes such as start-up, normal stop and load rejection. Load rejection transient process (LRTP) is one of the running conditions which make the unit and water diversion system in worst operation state. It has great influence on the safety and stability of hydraulic units. A new method called SE-ICNA which is based on Internal Characteristic Numerical Algorithm (ICNA) and static efficiency (SE) iteration is proposed. The analysis of rotating speed rising ratio (RS-RR) and pressure rising ratio (P-RR) in LRTP is mainly discussed for hydraulic unit security assessment. The correctness and rationality of SE-ICNA can be verified by means of Transient Process (TP) analysis on medium and small units within the scope of different water levels. Verification examples proved that this method has an excellent performance for hydraulic unit security assessment in low water level conditions. A conclusion is made that the proposed SE-ICNA method can well assess the security of small hydraulic units in low head conditions.
Remembering the Past
Authors: Shimamura Arthur P.
Published: August 2014

Our ability to remember past events requires efficient encoding and successful “re-collection” of event features, such as the time, place, people, thoughts, and feelings associated with a past experience. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that episodic memory depends on specific brain mechanisms within the prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobe, and ventral posterior parietal cortex that interact with the cortical sites that store event features. In this article, I present an analysis of the neural correlates of episodic memory, along with a theoretical framework, Cortical Binding of Relational Activity (CoBRA), that integrates the dynamic links between efficient encoding and successful retrieval of episodic memory.
The Stability of Intelligence From Childhood to Old Age
Authors: Deary Ian J.
Published: August 2014

Intelligence is an important human trait on which people differ. Few studies have examined the stability of intelligence differences from childhood or youth to older age using the same test. The longest such studies are those that have followed up on some of the participants of the Scottish Mental Surveys of 1932 and 1947. Their results suggest that around half of the individual differences in intelligence are stable across most of the human life course. This is valuable information because it can be used as a guide to how much of people’s cognitive-aging differences might be amenable to alleviation.
What Influences Banks Lending in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Authors: Amidu Mohammed
Published: August 2014

This article analyses the broad determinants of bank lending in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using both micro-bank and macro-country level data of 264 banks across 24 SSA countries. The core finding is that the structure of banking markets influences credit delivery in SSA in an environment where the financial sector is reformed and banks are allowed to operate freely. Also, there is an evidence to suggest a link between bank credit and the financial strength of the banks. The overall results suggest that regulatory initiative, which restricts banking activities, imposes severe entry requirements and requires high regulatory capital, influences banks’ decisions to supply loans.

JEL Classification: E52, G21, G28, N27
The Corporeality of Living Stressful Femininity
Authors: Strömbäck Maria , Formark Bodil , Wiklund Maria , Malmgren-Olsson Eva-Britt
Published: August 2014

This article analyzes young Swedish women’s experiences of living stressful femininity from an existentialist gender theoretical perspective. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 25 women, aged 17–25, who had registered for a stress management course at a youth health centre. Our analysis suggests that their experiences of stress can be related to the renegotiation of gender constructions that have occurred within the Swedish society. The young female subject can be viewed as living through a historic break between a historical position as a subordinated ‘Other’ while simultaneously having to navigate within contemporary discourses of successful femininity. The doing of normative femininity resulted in an exhausting and draining self-evaluating circle. The experiences of having a painful and collapsing body led to a sense of loss of access to and confidence in their bodies. This should be understood as a loss both of subjectivity and connectedness with the corporeality of existence.
Reforms, Ownership and Determinants of Efficiency: An Empirical Study of Commercial Banks in India
Authors: Arora Padmasai
Published: August 2014

Major steps were taken in Indian banking sector in the early 1990s to liberalise commercial bank functioning in order to improve their efficiency. The measurement of bank efficiency provides the foundation for consequent inquiry into reasons producing efficiency differences. This article measures technical efficiency of balanced panel of 54 commercial banks operating in India during 1991–92 to 2006–07 using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with an aim to study effects of reforms and ownership on bank efficiency. Since existing literature lacks uniformity in methodology used for identifying determinants of efficiency in banking, this study employs a blend of tests including profitability analysis (suggested by Spong et al., 1995 ) and found evidence that financial reform, ownership and listing of bank shares have influenced bank efficiency in India. However, no conclusive evidence was found regarding a relationship between size and efficiency. In addition, ‘most’ efficient banks were found to be characterised by higher Net Profit as percentage of Total Assets (NPTA) and higher Profits per Employee (PPE) while ‘least’ efficient banks reported higher levels of Non-Performing Assets (NPAs).

JEL Classification: G21, G32
Employment-Related Health Insurance and Service Delivery Needs of Persons With Disabilities
Authors: Gettens John , Henry Alexis D.
Published: August 2014

The health care reforms underway in the United States will benefit persons with disabilities; however, the reforms may not fully support the employment-related needs of persons with disabilities. Secondary health insurance to wrap around primary coverage may be a viable policy solution to meet the needs. This article identifies and examines the employment-related health insurance, health care, and service delivery needs of employed and potentially employed persons with disabilities. We conducted six focus groups with 54 working-age, insured, employed, and potentially employed persons with disabilities in Massachusetts. Participants reported unmet needs, high out-of-pocket costs, or a burden to manage their health care, disability, and employment. The needs included services currently limited by insurance plans, long-term services and supports, other disability services, care coordination, and cost protections. The data suggest that the combined needs are highest for persons working full-time or near full-time, and the unmet needs are lower for persons with Medicaid secondary coverage. The results suggest that full-time or near full-time workers are an important subgroup for wrap-around coverage; such coverage could potentially alleviate costs and increase work incentives among this subgroup. Additional research is needed to quantify the needs and to assess the design options for a wrap-around program.
Review of Practices That Promote Self-Advocacy for Students With Disabilities
Authors: Roberts Eric L. , Ju Song , Zhang Dalun
Published: August 2014

Self-advocacy skills for students with disabilities have been linked to elevated school retention rates and more successful adult outcomes. Test, Fowler, Brewer, and Wood examined evidence of self-advocacy practices published from 1972 to June 2004. As an update to their study, we reviewed empirical studies ( N = 18) published from June 2004 to June 2012 that promote self-advocacy for students with disabilities. Interpretations included a continued need to study program effects on students from diverse backgrounds and more rigorous research on self-advocacy predictors and outcomes. Compared with the previously reviewed studies, recent single-case studies improved participant selection reporting and procedural fidelity but declined in controlling for internal validity; group experimental studies improved from the previously reviewed studies in measuring dependent variables at appropriate times and using appropriate analysis and declined in reporting intervention agent details. Two studies (one single-case and one group experimental) met quality indicator standards for “high quality,” and no study met the “acceptable” standards.
A Loss of Power in Institutional Theory
Authors: Munir Kamal A.
Published: August 2014

Institutional theory has made tremendous gains in recent years. However, while it has borrowed concepts and insights from more critical perspectives, it has resisted the import of a more critical outlook. This has meant that institutional theory has shied away from identifying and examining more problematic uses of power. Consequently, institutional understandings of how power operates continue to fall short of the theory’s full potential.
Successful Oral Ciprofloxacin Therapy of Neisseria elongata Endocarditis
Authors: Herbert David A.
Published: August 2014

Objective: To report successful oral ciprofloxacin therapy for Neisseria elongata endocarditis. Case Summary: A patient with N elongata endocarditis refused parenteral therapy, but his infection completely resolved with 7 weeks of oral ciprofloxacin. Discussion: This patient’s refusal of parenteral therapy prompted the use of oral ciprofloxacin because it is well absorbed and was expected to be very active against his organism. His infection resolved and did not relapse. Although successful oral therapy has been reported for endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, primarily in injection drug users, completely oral therapy for other organisms has not been previously described. Conclusions: When parenteral therapy is not possible, oral administration of highly active, well-absorbed antibiotics may be effective for selected cases of endocarditis caused by susceptible organisms.
On the flexural vibrations of generalized thermo-elasto-diffusive thin cantilever beam
Authors: Sharma JN , Kaur R
Published: August 2014

The flexural vibrations in a homogenous isotropic, thermoelastic-diffusive thin cantilever beam have been analyzed in closed form based on the Euler–Bernoulli theory. The analytical expressions for deflection, thermal moment, mass moment, frequency shift and thermoelastic-diffusive damping (inverse quality factor) have been obtained for clamped-free (cantilever) beam. It is found that the thermoelastic-diffusive damping and frequency shift of beam vibrations significantly depend on diffusive properties. The analytical results have been analyzed numerically with the help of MATLAB software. The values of effective flexural rigidity have also been computed and presented in tabular form. The numerical computed results have been presented graphically. This study may be useful in the design and construction of sensors, gyrometers, charge detectors, radio frequency filters, communicators and energy harvesters etc due to mass concentration change in the materials.
Experimental investigations to establish correlation between Stribeck curve, specific film thickness and statistical parameters of vibration and sound signals in a spur gear system
Authors: Lee Sang-Kwon , Amarnath M
Published: August 2014

The use of a gear as a power transmitting machine element in engineering applications is quite extensive. Under service conditions gear teeth contacts have a tendency for deterioration due to contact fatigue, wear, material defects, lubrication failure etc. Gear teeth surface deterioration triggers several types of failures such as abrasive wear, scuffing, micro pitting and spalling. The abovementioned faults influence the changes in the vibration and sound signals in the gear system. This paper presents the novel results of experimental investigations carried out to assess the surface fatigue wear in a spur gear system. Estimation of specific film thickness, measurement of reduction in tooth thickness, visual examination of wear mechanisms on the gear teeth and their effects on the statistical parameters of vibration and sound signals are considered in this study. In order to confirm the hypothesis of dependency of surface fatigue wear, specific film thickness and sound and vibration signals the results of statistical parameters obtained from sound and vibration signals have been correlated with the Stribeck curve.
Predictors of Workplace Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Tijuana, Mexico
Authors: Katsulis Yasmina , Durfee Alesha , Lopez Vera , Robillard Alyssa
Published: August 2014

For sex workers, differences in rates of exposure to workplace violence are likely influenced by a variety of risk factors, including where one works and under what circumstances. Economic stressors, such as housing insecurity, may also increase the likelihood of exposure. Bivariate analyses demonstrate statistically significant associations between workplace violence and selected predictor variables, including age, drug use, exchanging sex for goods, soliciting clients outdoors, and experiencing housing insecurity. Multivariate regression analysis shows that after controlling for each of these variables in one model, only soliciting clients outdoors and housing insecurity emerge as statistically significant predictors for workplace violence.
Rediscovering GF Becker’s early axiomatic deduction of a multiaxial nonlinear stress–strain relation based on logarithmic strain
Authors: Neff Patrizio , Münch Ingo , Martin Robert
Published: August 2014

We discuss a completely forgotten work of the geologist GF Becker on the ideal isotropic nonlinear stress–strain function ( Am J Sci 1893; 46: 337–356). Due to the fact that the mathematical modelling of elastic deformations has evolved greatly since the original publication we give a modern reinterpretation of Becker’s work, combining his approach with the current framework of the theory of nonlinear elasticity.

Interestingly, Becker introduces a multiaxial constitutive law incorporating the logarithmic strain tensor, more than 35 years before the quadratic Hencky strain energy was introduced by Heinrich Hencky in 1929. Becker’s deduction is purely axiomatic in nature. He considers the finite strain response to applied shear stresses and spherical stresses, formulated in terms of the principal strains and stresses, and postulates a principle of superposition for principal forces which leads, in a straightforward way, to a unique invertible constitutive relation, which in today’s notation can be written as

[Formula: see text]

where TBiot is the Biot stress tensor, log( U) is the principal matrix logarithm of the right Biot stretch tensor [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] denotes the trace and dev3 X =  X − (1/3) tr ( X) · 11 denotes the deviatoric part of a matrix [Formula: see text].

Here, G is the shear modulus and K is the bulk modulus. For Poisson’s number ν = 0 the formulation is hyperelastic and the corresponding strain energy

[Formula: see text]

has the form of the maximum entropy function.
A mixture-compatible theory of chemothermal deposition and expansion in n-constituent finitely deforming composite materials with initially circularly cylindrical microstructures
Authors: Hall Richard B
Published: August 2014

A multiscale approach to growth and recession is adopted that is compatible with the theory of mixtures. The growth may result from chemical reactions or infiltrations, or combinations thereof. The emphasis of the work is on the construction of approximate constituent elastic deformation gradients, associated with an arbitrary overall deformation, that reflect an initially circularly cylindrical geometry relative to which growth occurs. A decomposition of the deformation into cylindrical and non-cylindrical parts is employed. A cylindrically symmetric reference configuration for a given constituent is adopted in which chemical growth, chemothermal (and/or equivalently moisture) expansion, and appearance or disappearance of the constituent may occur; the reference configuration of a constituent thus possesses evolving spatial dimensions but fixed geometric and material symmetries. The traditional composite micromechanics assumption of common radial stress is adopted, in combination with the assumptions of either common axial deformation rate or common axial deformation, for the cylindrical component of deformation. Elastic deformations of constituents are obtained through comparison, of the actual deformation, to the assumed stress-free deposition configurations and subsequent chemothermal stress-free expansions. The requirement that the local and homogenized cylindrical deformations (or rates) match in the axial and outermost radial directions is used to define a homogenized non-cylindrical component that is applied across the local constituents to couple the cylindrical deformation to the overall deformation. The general objective of the study may be stated as incorporating ordered microstructure-based stresses incorporating growth, chemothermal expansion, inhomogeneous natural states, and applied deformations into a mixture theory-compatible framework to provide an important refinement to the assessments of constituent states. The model is intended to enable a new efficiency of multiscale representation in the modeling of composite materials with evolving microstructures, considering both manufacturing processes and environmental influences.
Identities at Stake
Authors: Hammarén Nils
Published: August 2014

Gaining employment in society is a critical stage in the lives of most young people, but statistics show that young migrants face greater barriers than do young people from the majority population. In the present article, I highlight how young adults of migrant background who live in Sweden handle and resist labour exclusion by focusing on how they try to improve their chances of getting a future occupation. The results show that the informants use various strategies to try to prevent future labour exclusion. Some of them are related to the construction of a ‘Swedish’ identity and dissociation from a migrant position, others to the importance of choosing the right education, struggling to find a job or adapting in different ways to societal and racialized discourses.
‘Flat-capping it’: Memory, nostalgia and value in retroactive male working-class identification
Authors: Loveday Vik
Published: August 2014

The article contends that working-class identities in Britain today are increasingly positioned as ‘valueless’. Emerging from empirical research with students and staff from working-class backgrounds based in higher education institutions, the article explores how some of the male participants in the project continue to identify in class-based terms. Arguing that a tendency to dwell on the past has opened up the possibility of a ‘valuable’ identification for these participants in the present, the article focuses on the critical dimensions of nostalgia and collective memory by exploring two particular kinds of ‘mnemonic imagination’ (Keightley and Pickering, 2012; Pickering and Keightley, 2013): ‘flat-capping it’ and ‘family folklore’. Far from being regressive, it is concluded that a recourse to the past in this particular context can be seen as a retroactive strategy, which enables the negotiation of gendered working-class subjectivities in the present, as well as providing a critical perspective on the future for those whose classed identities are so often rendered as ‘valueless’.
The insider–outsider role of a Chinese researcher doing fieldwork in China: The implications of cultural context
Authors: Cui Ke
Published: August 2014

The discussion and debates regarding researcher’s insider–outsider role in qualitative methodologies is not new in Western academia. But it remains to be ascertained and subjected to sustained analysis within Chinese sociological studies. This article addresses the influence of the relation-oriented nature of Chinese culture on researcher’s identity in qualitative methodologies that require reflexivity. Confucianism considers proper human relationships as the basis of society and assumes that man exists in relationship to others. Considering such cultural characteristics, I analyzed the interactions between my interpersonal relationships with the research participants and my professional status in the fieldwork. I also uncovered how I moved from seeing myself as an insider to reconceptualizing the researcher-researched relationship as a dynamic one. This article maintains that a researcher’s identity in Chinese context is subject to constant negotiation and re-negotiation through interaction between researcher and research participants as the research process proceeds.
‘If you look, you have to leave’: Young children regulating research interviews about experiences of domestic violence
Authors: Evang Are , Øverlien Carolina
Published: August 2014

The aim of this article is to investigate the competence of young children staying with their mothers in refuges for abused women as participants in qualitative interviews. Discourse of the verbal and non-verbal actions of seven young children (4–7 years old) was analysed using a theory originally developed to describe infant–mother interaction as a model. The analysis shows that the young children were able not only to communicate important aspects of what it means for a child to live in a family with domestic violence but also to regulate, limit and take the lead in the interviews, similar to the ways infants regulate their internal states during interactions with their caretakers. The findings emphasize the importance of including children this young in research and challenge taken-for-granted notions of adult power and helpless children.
‘Time for Being’: Why the Australian Early Years Learning Framework opens up new possibilities
Authors: Knaus Marianne
Published: August 2014

Many Western countries around the world have been reviewing policy and practice aimed at enhancing the quality and professional practice of early childhood education. The response has been to establish government-sanctioned curriculum frameworks based on current research and the dominant discourses of educational provision. The successful implementation of a curriculum framework relies not simply on the policy or regulatory practice, but on educators; their interpretation, knowledge and understanding of the framework; and their ability to apply it to their pedagogical practices. Australia too has introduced a new national learning framework, the Early Years Learning Framework, titled Belonging, Being and Becoming. ‘Being’ is central to the framework but what does it really mean? Our Being is part of who we are and yet is difficult to describe. This article aims to provide insights into the meaning and importance of Being in the context of early childhood education and care settings. It draws on Heidegger’s ontological explanation of the concept of Being and offers clarification on what it means to Be and why it is significant for early childhood educators and children.
Development of tubular knitted fabric-reinforced composite pipes
Authors: Pamuk Gulsah
Published: August 2014

In literature, there exist many investigations about the application of knitted textiles as a reinforcement material in composites. Although majority of them are mainly centered on flat plates, tubular knitted fabric is used in current study to develop composite pipes. Produced composite pipes are subjected to axial compression before and after 5J impact test. Force–time and force–displacement curves are obtained, and compression stress is calculated according to wall thicknesses of the pipes. It is observed that the interlacing of yarns in knitted tubular fabric through the thickness direction increases the splitting toughness of composite pipes. Although the compression failure takes place as buckling in both nonimpacted and impacted composite pipes, damage propogation in the transverse direction is not observed. The results of the study are presented in detail.
My patient has got abdominal pain: identifying biliary problems
Authors: Woo Michael Y , Taylor Mark , Loubani Osama , Bowra Justin , Atkinson Paul
Published: August 2014

Right upper quadrant and epigastric abdominal pain are common presenting complaints in the emergency department. With increasing access to point-of-care ultrasound, emergency physicians now have an added tool to help identify biliary problems as a cause of a patient’s right upper quadrant pain. Point-of-care ultrasound has a sensitivity of 89.8% (95% CI 86.4–92.5%) and specificity of 88.0% (83.7–91.4%) for cholelithiasis, very similar to radiology-performed ultrasonography. In addition to assessment for cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, point-of-care ultrasound can help emergency physicians to determine whether the biliary system is the source of infection in patients with suspected sepsis. Use of point-of-care ultrasound for the assessment of the biliary system has resulted in more rapid diagnosis, decreasing costs, and shorter emergency department length of stay.
A Happy Face Advantage With Male Caucasian Faces
Authors: Lipp Ottmar V. , Craig Belinda M. , Dat Mylyn C.
Published: August 2014

Happy faces are categorized faster as “happy” than angry faces as “angry,” the happy face advantage. Here, we show across three experiments that the size of the happy face advantage for male Caucasian faces varies as a function of the other faces they are presented with. A happy face advantage was present if the male Caucasian faces were presented among male African American faces, but absent if the same faces were presented among female faces, Caucasian or African American. The modulation of the happy face advantage for male Caucasian faces was observed even if the female Caucasian/male African American faces had neutral expressions. This difference in the happy face advantage for a constant set of faces as a function of the other faces presented indicates that it does not reflect on a stimulus-dependent bottom-up process but on the evaluation of the expressive faces within a specific context.
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act and Rural Health Clinic Capacity in Iowa
Authors: Wright Brad , Damiano Peter C. , Bentler Suzanne E.
Published: August 2014

Objective: To evaluate the capacity of rural health clinics (RHCs) in Iowa as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is implemented. Methods: We developed and fielded an online survey among the 142 RHCs in Iowa. Results: The survey response rate was 19% and this exceeds the response rate of previously published RHC studies. Responding RHCs report struggling to provide dental care and mental health services, and indicate a high degree of recruiting difficulty for physicians (80%), physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (both 50%), with referrals to specialists being common. Nearly 60% of RHC respondents anticipate an increase in the size of their patient population because of the ACA, with 14.8% expecting a substantial increase. Respondents indicated a lack of preparedness for participating in a value-based health care delivery system. While nearly all RHC respondents (90.4%) report knowing what steps they need to take to respond to the challenges health reform may present, only 19% agree that they have the human, financial, and material resources necessary to respond to those challenges. Conclusion: RHCs have limited capacity to respond to the opportunities and challenges of the ACA, and need additional resources and incentives to thrive in a reformed health care delivery system.
Emotion-Network Density in Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Pe Madeline Lee , Kircanski Katharina , Thompson Renee J. , Bringmann Laura F. , Tuerlinckx Francis , Mestdagh Merijn , Mata Jutta , Jaeggi Susanne M. , Buschkuehl Martin , Jonides John , Kuppens Peter , Gotlib Ian H.
Published: August 2014

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent disorder involving disturbances in mood. There is still much to understand regarding precisely how emotions are disrupted in individuals with MDD. In this study, we used a network approach to examine the emotional disturbances underlying MDD. We hypothesized that compared with healthy control individuals, individuals diagnosed with MDD would be characterized by a denser emotion network, thereby indicating that their emotion system is more resistant to change. Indeed, results from a 7-day experience sampling study revealed that individuals with MDD had a denser overall emotion network than did healthy control individuals. Moreover, this difference was driven primarily by a denser negative, but not positive, network in MDD participants. These findings suggest that the disruption in emotions that characterizes depressed individuals stems from a negative emotion system that is resistant to change.
Histones to the cytosol: exportin 7 is essential for normal terminal erythroid nuclear maturation
Authors: Hattangadi Shilpa M. , Martinez-Morilla Sandra , Patterson Heide Christine , Shi Jiahai , Burke Karly , Avila-Figueroa Amalia , Venkatesan Srividhya , Wang Junxia , Paulsen Katharina , Görlich Dirk , Murata-Hori Maki , Lodish Harvey F.
Published: August 2014

Key Points

Histones migrate into the cytoplasm of normal erythroblasts during maturation, leading to extruded nuclei largely depleted of protein. Loss of nuclear exportin Xpo7 inhibits normal erythroid nuclear condensation and enucleation; histones remain in Xpo7-knockdown nuclei.
High-precision Fourier forward modeling of potential fields
Authors: Wu Leyuan , Tian Gang
Published: August 2014

We analyzed the numerical forward methods in the Fourier domain for potential fields. Existing Fourier-domain forward methods applied the standard fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm to inverse transform a conjugate symmetrical spectrum into a real field. It had significant speed advantages over space-domain forward methods but suffered from problems including aliasing, imposed periodicity, and edge effect. Usually, grid expansion was needed to reduce these errors, which was equivalent to the numerical evaluation of the oscillatory Fourier integral using the trapezoidal rule with smaller steps. We tested a high-precision Fourier-domain forward method based on a combined use of shift-sampling technique and Gaussian quadrature theory. The trapezoidal rule applied by the standard FFT algorithm to evaluate the continuous Fourier transform was modified by introducing a shift parameter [Formula: see text]. By choosing optimum values of [Formula: see text] as Gaussian quadrature nodes, we developed a Gauss-FFT method for Fourier forward modeling of potential fields. No grid expansion was needed, the sources can be set near the boundary of the fields or even go beyond the boundary. The Gauss-FFT method converged to the space-domain solution much faster than the standard FFT method with grid expansion. Forward modeling results almost identical to space-domain ones can be obtained in less time. Numerical examples, of both simple and complex 2D and 3D source forward modeling, revealed the reliability and adaptability of the method.
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Fasting Modulated Liver Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolism in Male Lipodystrophic Bscl2/Seipin-Deficient Mice
Authors: Chen Weiqin , Zhou Hongyi , Saha Pradip , Li Luge , Chan Lawrence
Published: August 2014

Bscl2 −/− mice recapitulate many of the major metabolic manifestations in Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy type 2 (BSCL2) individuals, including lipodystrophy, hepatomegly, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance. The mechanisms that underlie hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in Bscl2−/− mice are poorly understood. To address this issue, we performed hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp on Bscl2−/− and wild-type mice after an overnight (16-h) fast, and found that Bscl2−/− actually displayed increased hepatic insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, liver in Bscl2−/− mice after a short term (4-h) fast had impaired acute insulin signaling, a defect that disappeared after a 16-hour fast. Notably, fasting-dependent hepatic insulin signaling in Bscl2−/− mice was not associated with liver diacylglyceride and ceramide contents, but could be attributable in part to the expression of hepatic insulin signaling receptor and substrates. Meanwhile, increased de novo lipogenesis and decreased β-oxidation led to severe hepatic steatosis in fed or short-fasted Bscl2−/− mice whereas liver lipid accumulation and metabolism in Bscl2−/− mice was markedly affected by prolonged fasting. Furthermore, mice with liver-specific inactivation of Bscl2 manifested no hepatic steatosis even under high-fat diet, suggesting Bscl2 does not play a cell autonomous role in regulating liver lipid homeostasis. Overall, our results offered new insights into the metabolic adaptations of liver in response to fasting and uncovered a novel fasting-dependent regulation of hepatic insulin signaling in a mouse model of human BSCL2.
Actinic keratosis on the rise in Australia
Authors: Perera Eshini , McGuigan Sean , Sinclair Rodney
Published: August 2014

Objectives:To report the burden and cost of actinic keratosis (AK) treatment in Australia and to forecast the number of AK treatments and the associated costs to 2020.

Design and setting:A retrospective study of data obtained from medicare Australia for AK treated by cryotherapy between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2012, by year and by state or territory.

Results:The total number of AK cryotherapy treatments increased from 247,515 in 1994 to 643,622 in 2012, and we estimate that the number of treatments will increase to 831,952 (95% CI 676,919 to 986,987) by 202. The total Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) benefits paid out for AK in 2012 was $19.6 million and we forecast that this will increase to $24.7 million by 2020 (without inflation).

Conclusion:The number of AK cryotherapy treatments increased by 160% between 1994 and 2012. we forecast that the number of treatments will increase by 30% between 2012 and 2020. The rates of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and AK appear to be increasing at the same rate. During the period 2010 to 2015 AK is anticipated to increase by 17.8% which follows a similar trend to published data that forecasts an increase in NMSC treatments of 22.3%.
On the canonical real structure on wonderful varieties
Authors: Akhiezer Dmitri , Cupit-Foutou Stéphanie
Published: August 2014

We
study equivariant real structures on spherical varieties.
We call such a structure canonical if it is equivariant
with respect to the involution defining the split real form
of the acting reductive group G. We
prove the existence and uniqueness of a canonical structure
for homogeneous spherical varieties G/H with H self-normalizing
and for
their wonderful embeddings. For a strict wonderful variety
we give an estimate of the number of real form orbits on the
set of real points.
A survey of doctors reveals that few laboratory tests are of primary importance at the Emergency Department
Authors: van de Wijngaart Dennis J. , Scherrenburg Jolanda , van den Broek Lisette , van Dijk Nadine , Janssens Pim M.W.
Published: August 2014

Background: Laboratory tests in hospitals are among the most important diagnostic tools for medical decision making at the Emergency Department. They are often ordered as part of extended test panels, which, although helpful and convenient for doctors, may lead to overuse of tests and overdiagnosis. To improve the ordering process, we investigated which laboratory tests are essential for optimal decision making at the Emergency Department of our hospital.

Methods: Forty-nine doctors regularly involved with the Emergency Department filled in a questionnaire asking for their opinions on laboratory test ordering and use.

Results: A limited number of laboratory tests are considered indispensable for the Emergency Department: CRP and leukocytes, urea and creatinin, sodium and potassium, and haemoglobin. Glucose and troponin should probably also be included in this list, but were not mentioned as glucose is measured using portable point-of-care devices in our hospital, while cardiac patients are referred directly to the cardiac care unit.

Conclusions: Only a limited number of laboratory tests are essential for early medical decision making at the Emergency Department. Ordering facilities should be arranged such that these tests are permanently available, easy to order, and performed with short turnaround times. Test panels for the ED should incorporate these essential tests, with additional other tests so as to prevent essential tests from being forgotten, maintain convenience for doctors and promote sensible and effective use of diagnostic testing. The outcome of these conflicting aims is a compromise, as is discussed.
Fuzzy cognitive maps: a tool to improve diagnostic decisions
Authors: Lucchiari Claudio , Folgieri Raffaella , Pravettoni Gabriella
Published: August 2014

Anticipating that the problem of diagnostic errors will not easily be solved through education, debiasing techniques or incentives-based systems, experts have proposed the systematic use of decision support tools (or decision aids) in medical practice. These tools are active knowledge resources that use patient data to generate case-specific advice to support clinical decision making. We argue that designing these decision support tools incorporates both discrete, analytical information as well as intuitive elements that would optimize their impact on clinical everyday activities. The use of fuzzy cognitive maps should allow developers to achieve this aim, by incorporating published evidence, intuition and qualitative assessment in a low-cost software program that could be implemented in various clinical settings.
Uncovering the hidden villain within the human respiratory microbiome
Authors: Lee Chun Kiat , Bent Stephen James
Published: August 2014

Respiratory tract infection increases the risk of secondary bacterial infection and causes mortality. Despite advances in the field of targeted molecular diagnostics, there are still failed attempts in identifying a valid causative etiological agent in a large proportion of respiratory tract infections. To date, a comprehensive list of human respiratory infection-associated eukaryotic viruses has been identified. However, there has been little progress towards the characterisation of the viruses that infect bacteria (phages), which are capable of mediating the transfer of virulence genes into non-pathogenic bacterial species to cause respiratory tract infections. With the advent of next-generation-sequencing, the application of an unbiased comparative metagenomic survey on the viral communities within the human respiratory tract may reveal to us how the phage virome changes between healthy individuals and respiratory tract infection patients. With this useful information, it will be feasible to develop an alternative phage-based diagnostic panel for respiratory tract infections. The review herein presents the current status of human airway microbiome research and highlights potential gaps which can be translated into research possibilities for future work on respiratory tract infection diagnosis.
Complex structures in algebra, topology and differential equations
Authors: Balanov Zalman , Krasnov Yakov
Published: August 2014

In this paper, we present our recent results on the so-called complex structures in algebras in the context relevant to the following four problems which, at first glance, have
nothing in common: (i) solubility of polynomial equations in non-associative algebras, (ii) topological/geometric properties of quadratic maps, (iii) existence of bounded solutions
to quadratic differential systems, and (iv) ellipticity of the Dirac equation. The unsolved
problems related to (i)–(iv) are formulated as well.
Cyclopropyl aziridines: solvolytic reactions of the N-tosylaziridines of (+)-2-carene and (+)-3-carene
Authors: Silverberg Lee J. , Rabb Javon M. , Reno Joseph M. , He Gang
Published: August 2014

The N-tosylaziridine 4 of (+)-2-carene 1 was prepared and subjected to solvolytic reactions with weak protic acids. For comparison, the solvolytic reactions of cis-3-carene-N-tosylaziridine 8 were also studied. The solvolyses of 4 were more rapid than those of 8, and both rings were opened in 4, whereas only the aziridine was opened in 8. This leads to the conclusion that the aziridine and cyclopropane rings in 4 can achieve a conjugated transition state.
Property enhancement of kenaf fiber composites by means of vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM)
Authors: Xia Changlei , Shi Sheldon Q. , Cai Liping , Hua Jun
Published: August 2014

This work was aimed at applying vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique to reinforced polymer molding products made of vegetable fibers. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L. Malvaceae) bast fibers were preformed into mat by means of a cold press. The unsaturated polyester resin was infused into the preforms at a vacuum pressure of 1.3–1.6 kPa. The examination of the mechanical properties and microstructure of the prepared composites indicated that the modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rapture (MOR), and tensile strength (TS) of the VARTM composites were increased by 65.5%, 30.7%, and 41.7%, respectively, compared to the traditional hot-pressing composites. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that the VARTM composite moduli in the temperature range of -50°C–200°C were doubled. The observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and mercury porosimetry confirmed that the interfacial compatibility between the kenaf fibers and the polyester resin was substantially improved.
Urea-formaldehyde resin penetration into Pinus radiata tracheid walls assessed by TEM-EDXS
Authors: Singh Adya P. , Nuryawan Arif , Park Byung-Dae , Lee Kwang Ho
Published: August 2014

This paper reports a new method of detecting urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin penetration into the cell walls of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The quantifications of penetrated UF resin in the ultrathin cuts of cell walls were realized by detecting nitrogen (N) element by TEM-EDXS. Both line scan and area mapping revealed N in cell walls in contact with resin-filled lumens but not in those in contact with empty lumens. Thus, UF resin had penetrated the cell walls from the lumen side.
Associations between sleep disturbance and suicidal ideation in adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit
Authors: Kaplan Sebastian G. , Ali Shahzad K. , Simpson Brittany , Britt Victoria , McCall W. Vaughn
Published: August 2014

The goals of our study were to: 1) describe the incidence of disturbances in sleep quality, sleep hygiene, sleep-related cognitions and nightmares; and 2) investigate the association between these sleep-related disturbances and suicidal ideation (SI), in adolescents admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit. Our sample consisted of 50 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years (32 females and 18 males; 41 Caucasian and nine African American). Our cross-sectional design involved the administration of the Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale (ASWS), the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale (ASHS), the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep-Short version for use with children (DBAS-C10), the Disturbing Dreams and Nightmare Scale (DDNSI), and the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Jr (SIQ-JR). Analyses were conducted using Pearson correlations, as well as univariate and multivariate regression. Results indicated that our sample experienced sleep disturbances and SI to a greater degree than non-clinical samples. Sleep quality was correlated with nightmares, while sleep quality and nightmares were each correlated with SI. Sleep quality, dysfunctional beliefs, and nightmares each independently predicted SI. Our study was the first to use the four sleep measures with an adolescent psychiatric inpatient sample. It is important to develop sleep-related assessment tools in high-risk populations given the link between sleep disturbances and suicidality. Furthermore, a better understanding of the relationships between SI and sleep quality, sleep-related cognitions, and nightmares is needed to develop potential prevention and treatment options for suicidality in adolescents.
A benefit-cost framework for early intervention to prevent sex trading
Authors: Martin Lauren , Lotspeich Richard
Published: August 2014

Prevention of juvenile sex trading in the US has risen to prominence in public policy discourse. We develop a generalized benefit-cost model to shed light on this policy issue and illustrate the framework with a case study from Minnesota. The model treats government-funded intervention as an investment project and calculates its net present value. Benefits are derived from harms avoided by reducing the extent of sex trading. The impacts of youth involvement in the market for sexual services are highly complex, and clear data on them are lacking. To account for empirical ambiguity we develop the model around a representative individual, approximate the effect of intervention on the sex market, and conduct sensitivity analysis with key model parameters. The case study evaluates seventeen distinct harms caused by sex trading based on conservative best estimates from scholarly literature. We find a large positive Net Present Value, suggesting it is in the best interest of Minnesota taxpayers to support intervention.
Identifying the analytical implications of alternative regulatory philosophies
Authors: Fraas Art , Morgenstern Richard
Published: August 2014

The core analytical elements of Executive Order 12291 are widely seen as having been embraced by both Democratic and Republican administrations. Some critics argue, however, that this embrace is superficial and serves more as a cover for political decisions. To address this question, this paper examines the analytical priorities presented in the annual Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations over the period from 1997 to 2012. While there is general agreement across administrations on such broad issues as the importance of benefit-cost analysis in providing a shared framework and discipline to the analytic process, we identify important differences in five areas: monetization of benefits, scope of costs considered, behavioral economics, intergenerational benefits, and the general equilibrium impacts of regulation. All are active and exciting issues in the current scholarly work on regulation. These cross-administration differences appear to reflect a relatively modest shifting across political parties on issues where reasonable people might disagree, rather than major ideological swings in approach.