bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preliminary study of improving the speed and cost of diffusion bonding of metal sheets
Authors: Spence Peter J , Hall Frank R , Emekwuru Nwabueze
Published: September 2013

Diffusion bonding may be used, with superplastic forming, to create a great range of cellular structured materials, with great potential for material efficiency, multi-functionality and lightweighting. However, this potential is generally considered to be constrained by the slowness (hours) of and the overall cost of achieving such solid-state bonds. The work described is part of the basis for the development of a process that can produce good diffusion bonds, in the commonly used titanium alloy Ti64 (Ti6Al4V), in less than 60 s. And so it has the capability of increasing the productivity for diffusion bonding. Localised direct heating can induce high levels of stress, and these thermal stresses can accelerate the diffusion bonding process. The equipment used involved induction heating and required no large (and expensive) hot presses or pressure vessels. Hence, machinery capital cost may be reduced. A sequence of numerical models was found useful to understand the effects of the process parameters on diffusion bonding. Finite element modelling looked at accelerating the collapse of the voids, determined by the relative flatness and roughness of the metallic sheets at different spatial wavelengths. It appears that the localised heating drives the diffusion bonding process in inducing significant stress levels, into the material to be bonded, and thus accelerates the collapse of voids and the achievement of intimate contact. Raising the temperature as much as possible assists the actual diffusion processes required for bonding to occur and is an important aspect of accelerating the process. Therefore, the increase in the rate of bonding and the lower cost of the equipment open up the possibility of much more affordable diffusion bonding and the production of material efficient and functionally useful cellular materials.
Usefulness in clinical practice of a point-of-care rapid test for simultaneous detection of nontreponemal and Treponema pallidum-specific antibodies in patients suffering from documented syphilis
Authors: Guinard Jérôme , Prazuck Thierry , Péré Hélène , Poirier Claire , LeGoff Jérôme , Boedec Erwan , Guigon Aurélie , Day Nesrine , Bélec Laurent
Published: September 2013

The usefulness of a point-of-care immunochromatographic dual test for the simultaneous detection of both nontreponemal and Treponema pallidum-specific antibodies (Chembio Diagnostics Systems Inc., Medford, NY, USA) was assessed in various situations related to syphilis, by reference to conventional syphilis serology. Thawed sera were obtained from 100 adults including 36 primary syphilis, 6 secondary syphilis, 6 re-infection, 9 recently-treated syphilis, and 43 old syphilis. Doubtful reactivities for the treponemal line were considered positive; doubtful reactivities for the nontreponemal line were considered positive only when the treponemal line was present. The sensitivity, the specificity, and its concordance to gold standard serology of treponemal line were high, around 90%. The sensitivity of nontreponemal line was 96.3%, its specificity 76.7%, and its concordance 83.4%. In conclusion, the dual rapid test from Chembio Diagnostics Systems Inc. is useful for rapid point-of-care diagnosis in the various situations encountered with patients suffering from syphilis.
Using short message service text reminders to reduce ‘did not attend’ rates in sexual health and HIV appointment clinics
Authors: Farmer Thomas , Brook Gary , McSorley John , Murphy Siobhan , Mohamed Azmina
Published: September 2013

‘Did not attend’ and cancellation rates were compared for two 12-month periods before (2009) and after (2012/2013) the introduction of routine short message service text reminders being sent to patients who have pre-booked appointments. After the introduction of short message service text appointment reminders, the overall ‘did not attend’ rates fell by 4% from 28% to 24% ( p < 0.005) and by 10% from 28% to 18% ( p < 0.05) for male sexual health appointments. There was no significant change in the HIV clinic ‘did not attend’ rates. In the same periods, the cancellation rates increased 4% overall (from 62% to 66%) and by 17% (from 55% to 72%) for female sexual health clinics ( p < 0.005). These results suggest that routine text reminders increase clinic attendance rates by reminding patients to attend and prompting them to cancel if they cannot come.
Robust control of near-space vehicles with input backlash-like hysteresis
Authors: Chen Mou , Jiang Bin , Wu Qingxian , Jiang Changsheng
Published: September 2013

In this article, robust attitude control schemes are proposed for the near-space vehicle with the backlash-like hysteresis and the time-varying unknown disturbance using backstepping technique. In the robust attitude control design, the backlash-like hysteresis is described by a dynamic equation which is decomposed as a linear term and a nonlinear term. To handle the nonlinear term in the dynamic equation of the backlash-like hysteresis and the time-varying unknown disturbance, they are treated as a compounded disturbance and the nonlinear disturbance observer is designed to estimate them. Based on the developed nonlinear disturbance observer, the robust backstepping attitude control is firstly developed for the near-space vehicle. Then, the robust sliding mode attitude control scheme is presented for the near-space vehicle to further enhance the robust attitude control performance. The convergence of all closed-loop signals is rigorously proved via Lyapunov analysis method under the developed robust attitude control schemes. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed attitude control approaches.
Patients’ experiences in the aftermath of suicidal crises
Authors: Vatne May , Nåden Dagfinn
Published: September 2013

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of being suicidal and the encounter with healthcare personnel. The research question was, ‘How did the suicidal patient experience the encounter with healthcare personnel?’ Data were collected, analysed and interpreted using a hermeneutic approach. Qualitative research interviews were used to collect data. Participants included 10 people: 4 women and 6 men aged 21–52 years. With the exception of one person, they had all experienced one or more suicide attempts. The study requires ethical considerations in planning and interviews as well as in the analysis process. Through a thematic analysis, three key themes emerged: (a) experiencing and not experiencing openness and trust, (b) being met and not met by someone who addresses the matter and (c) being met on equal terms versus being humiliated. Results in this study may indicate a lack of willingness and courage to listen to what the suicidal person says and to trust him or her.
The Characteristics of Chinese Women’s Victimization in Sex Offenses
Authors: Zhang Lening , Messner Steven F.
Published: September 2013

The purpose of the present study is to conduct a preliminary assessment of the characteristics of Chinese women’s victimization in sex offenses using data collected from two surveys of criminal victimization in the cities of Beijing and Tianjin in 1992 and 2004, respectively. The assessment analyzes the demographic characteristics of female victims in such offenses and the characteristics of their victimization. The data from the Beijing and Tianjin surveys are compared in the analysis. The results show a shift in the demographic pattern between the two surveys, which may be related to the dramatic change in China’s transformation to a state-directed market economy during the time period. However, the data from both surveys indicate some similar characteristics of sex offenses against women in contemporary urban China. Some of these characteristics significantly differ from those discovered in the United States.
Tissue Adequacy for Ancillary Studies Beyond Frozen Section
Authors: Hartman Douglas J. , Kelly Susan M. , Wiehagen Luke , Yousem Samuel A.
Published: September 2013

The evolving nature of medicine has created new challenges in numerous aspects of the practice of pathology. The development of less invasive procedures, the generation of better diagnostic tools, and the recognition of prognostic markers have contributed to these challenges. Between 42.7% and 65.0% of intraoperative consultations are performed to identify or type a neoplastic process. We instituted a reporting requirement on our intraoperative consultations to provide an assessment of adequacy. The assessment of adequacy was subjective by its very nature and was based on the possible uses for the submitted tissue. A total of 3086 intraoperative consultations were performed over a 13-month period. Sixty-two cases were determined to be insufficient for ancillary studies; 52 of these cases were remedied by the surgeon during the original diagnostic procedure. We have instituted a new assessment for intraoperative consultations to optimize the tissue obtained and reduce the need for additional procedures.
Development of Perspective Taking in Relation to Age, Education, and the Presence of Community Features Associated With Industrialization
Authors: Gauvain Mary , Munroe Robert L.
Published: September 2013

This study examined responses to questions oriented toward revealing the development of perspective taking. The sample comprised 180 three- to nine-year-old children in four traditional communities (in Belize, Kenya, Nepal, and American Samoa). Ten scenarios that asked the children about knowledge of handedness and also what was visible from their own and from another person’s perspective were used. In all groups, the proportion of correct answers improved with age. Degree of industrialization—which had predicted better cognitive performance in other testing with these same children—was also a predictor of perspective taking on some of the items. Discussion includes possible interpretation of the results.
Single-channel bearing vibration signal blind source separation method based on morphological filter and optimal matching pursuit (MP) algorithm
Authors: Chen Xiaoan , Liu Xing , Dong Shaojiang , Liu Junfeng
Published: September 2013

A novel method to solve the single-channel source separation problem is proposed, which is based on a morphological filter to remove noise and the optimal matching pursuit (MP) algorithm to create pseudo sources. The signal is first purified by the morphological filter. Then, the purified signal is decomposed by the MP method, the Gabor atoms of the MP are selected by genetic algorithm in order to be less time-consuming. The selected atoms and the purified signal are combined into multi-dimensional signals, and the underdetermined problem of single-channel source separation is solved. The singular value decomposition method is used to estimate the number of new constructed signals. Then, the fast independent component analysis algorithm is used to achieve the separation of the signals. The proposed method is applied to the separation of the simulated signals and the mixed faults of bearing, the results indicate that the method can well solve the single-channel signal separation problem.
A prediction-error-based method for data transmission and damage detection in wireless sensor networks for structural health monitoring
Authors: Yildirim Umut , Oguz Onur , Bogdanovic Nikola
Published: September 2013

In this work, a prediction-error-based method that aims to reduce the amount of data transmission and storage in structural health monitoring wireless sensor networks (WSN) while keeping the damage detection capabilities intact is presented. WSNs offer tremendous promise for accurate and continuous structural monitoring using a dense array of inexpensive sensors and possess many advantages over conventional wired systems, particularly for large civil infrastructures. This paper validates the studied approach with the data collected during a test on a three-story steel frame mounted at the ELSA laboratory of the EU Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy. The frame is tested with and without steel bracing, which results in non-sway behavior and sway frame responses. The excitation is provided by a shaker mounted on top of the frame. Accelerometer signals are collected by a multi-channel data acquisition system. The proposed method has been tested extensively via recorded experimental data and it offers considerable saving in transmitted energy while at the same time keeping the ability to detect changes or damage in the structure.
Complexity, Public Reporting, and Choice of Doctors
Authors: Schlesinger Mark , Kanouse David E. , Martino Steven C. , Shaller Dale , Rybowski Lise
Published: September 2013

Health care consumers often make choices that are imperfectly informed and inconsistent with their expressed preferences. Past research suggests that these shortcomings become more pronounced as choices become more complex, through either additional options or more performance metrics. But it is unclear why this is true: Consumer choice remains a “black box” that research has scarcely illuminated. In this article, we identify four pathways through which complexity may impair consumer choice. We examine these pathways using data from an experiment in which consumers (hypothetically) selected a primary care physician. Some of the loss of decision quality accompanying more complex choice sets can be explained by consumers’ skills and decision-making style, but even after accounting for these factors, complexity undermines the quality of decision making in ways that cannot be fully explained. We conclude by discussing implications for report designers, sponsors, and policy makers aspiring to promote consumer empowerment and health care quality.
A case of DRESS (drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms) with acute interstitial nephritis secondary to lenalidomide
Authors: Shaaban Hamid , Layne Trevor , Guron Gunwant
Published: September 2013

Acute kidney injury is commonly observed in patients with multiple myeloma and other plasma cell dyscrasias. The pathophysiologic causes, however, are varied. We report a case of a severe ‘drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms’ syndrome associated with acute interstitial nephritis in a patient with multiple myeloma likely related to the administration of lenalidomide. This disease entity requires prompt recognition and cessation of the offending drug and often treatment with high-dose corticosteroids.
Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is negatively associated with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Sundqvist E , Bergström T , Daialhosein H , Nyström M , Sundström P , Hillert J , Alfredsson L , Kockum I , Olsson T
Published: September 2013

Background:

Epidemiological data suggest a role for common viruses in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), and recent data showed a negative association of past cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on pediatric MS risk.

Objective:

Our aim was to analyze the association of CMV infection with MS risk in an adult case-control material. A meta-analysis was performed to validate our findings.

Methods:

Epidemiological Investigation in MS (EIMS) is a case-control study with incident cases and population-based controls. Anti-CMV antibody titers were measured with ELISA, and HLA-A and DRB1 genotyping was performed with SSP-PCR, in 658 MS cases, who all fulfilled the McDonald criteria for MS, and 786 controls.

Results:

CMV seropositivity was associated with a decreased MS risk, OR = 0.73 (0.58–0.92 95% CI), p = 0.005, adjusted for index age, gender, smoking, sun exposure, EBNA1 IgG titer and HLA-A*02 and DRB1*15. When we removed all cases and controls younger than 18 years at index, the protective effect was still apparent.

Conclusions:

CMV is negatively associated with adult-onset MS pathology, consistent with results from a study on pediatric MS cases. It remains to be shown whether this negative association is due to a true protective effect of CMV infection on MS risk.
Interferon beta failure predicted by EMA criteria or isolated MRI activity in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Prosperini Luca , Mancinelli Chiara Rosa , De Giglio Laura , De Angelis Floriana , Barletta Valeria , Pozzilli Carlo
Published: September 2013

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to investigate four-year outcomes of interferon beta (IFNB)-treated patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) according to their clinical or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity status at first year of treatment.

Methods:

A total of 370 patients with MS duration ≤5 years before IFNB start were followed-up for four years. The optimal threshold for one-year MRI activity that more accurately predicted subsequent relapses or disability worsening was identified. The risk of relapses and disability worsening after the first year was then estimated by propensity score (PS)-adjusted analyses in patients fulfilling European Medicines Agency (EMA) criteria for second-line escalation and in those with isolated MRI activity.

Results:

A total of 192 (51.9%) patients relapsed, and 66 (17.8%) worsened in disability from year 1 to 4 of follow-up. The more accurate threshold for one-year MRI activity was the occurrence of ≥1 enhancing or ≥2 new T2-lesions. An increased risk of relapses and disability worsening was found in either patients fulfilling EMA criteria (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.69, and HR = 6.02) and in those experiencing isolated MRI activity (HR = 3.15, and HR = 5.31) at first year of treatment, when compared with stable patients (all p values <0.001).

Conclusion:

The four-year outcomes of patients with isolated MRI activity did not differ from those fulfilling EMA criteria at first year of IFNB treatment.
The status of telerehabilitation in neurological applications
Authors: Hailey David , Roine Risto , Ohinmaa Arto , Dennett Liz
Published: September 2013

We systematically reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of tele-neurorehabilitation (TNR) applications. The review included recent reports on rehabilitation for any disability associated with a neurological deficit or condition. Study quality was assessed using an approach that considered both study performance and study design. Judgements were made on whether each application had been successful, and whether further data were needed to establish the application as suitable for routine use. Nineteen credible studies that reported patient outcomes or administrative changes were identified. These studies related to 13 conditions. The focus of rehabilitation included Internet-supported treatments for management of fatigue, pain and depression; promotion of physical activity; and speech therapy. Sixteen studies were of high or good quality and three were fair to good, with some limitations. In 13 of the 19 studies the TNR application was successful in providing at least equivalent outcomes to conventional approaches. Additional work would be needed on eight applications to establish suitability for routine use, and would be desirable in five. Thus the recent literature provides further support for TNR applications, showing the promise of this field in a number of areas. However, the database of credible studies remains small.
Effects of a telehealth programme using mobile data transmission on primary healthcare utilisation among children in Bamako, Mali
Authors: Simonyan David , Gagnon Marie-Pierre , Duchesne Thierry , Roos-Weil Anne
Published: September 2013

Pesinet is a non-profit organisation which operates a microinsurance programme combined with a monitoring service in low-income countries to increase primary healthcare utilisation for children. We studied the association between enrolment in the Pesinet programme and changes in utilisation of health services. We conducted a prospective controlled study in Bamako (Mali) in children under five years old. Participants in the Pesinet service were recruited from a neighbourhood of Bamako (n = 91) and participants in the control group (usual care) came from two other neighbouring districts (n = 89). Eight questionnaires were completed at 2-week intervals for each child in the study. We performed logistic regression modelling to assess the effect of the Pesinet programme on health service utilisation, adjusting for confounding variables (age and socio-economic status). During the study, families reported 206 episodes of disease in the intervention group and 168 in the control group. Children from the intervention group had 85 medical consultations and those in the control group had 28. Based on the logistic regression model, there was increased utilisation of health care services among children enrolled in the Pesinet programme, with an adjusted Odds Ratio for medical consultations of 2.2. Membership of the Pesinet telehealth programme increased primary healthcare utilisation among children under five years old in Mali.
The first 2 years of rheumatoid arthritis: The influence of acceptance on pain, physical limitation and depression
Authors: Pinto-Gouveia José , Costa Joana , Marôco João
Published: September 2013

The influence of acceptance in the progression of pain, physical limitation and depression was explored in the first 2 years of rheumatoid arthritis. Latent growth curve models showed significant increases in pain, physical limitation and depression. Besides that, the levels of pain and physical limitation at the baseline were associated with acceptance but not its progression across time. Therefore, patients with higher scores of acceptance reported less pain and physical limitation. The progression of depression was associated with acceptance; higher acceptance patients had slower growth rates of depression across time, even when pain and physical limitations increased. The inclusion of pain acceptance in clinical practice is discussed.
Reimagining community health psychology: Maps, journeys and new terrains
Authors: Campbell Catherine , Cornish Flora
Published: September 2013

This special issue celebrates and maps out the ‘coming of age’ of community health psychology, demonstrating its confident and productive expansion beyond its roots in the theory and practice of small-scale collective action in local settings. Articles demonstrate the field’s engagement with the growing complexity of local and global inequalities, contemporary forms of collective social protest and developments in critical social science. These open up novel problem spaces for the application and extension of its theories and methods, deepening our understandings of power, identity, community, knowledge and social change – in the context of evolving understandings of the spatial, embodied, relational, collaborative and historical dimensions of health.
Trust the process: Community health psychology after Occupy
Authors: Cornish Flora , Montenegro Cristian , van Reisen Kirsten , Zaka Flavia , Sevitt James
Published: September 2013

This article argues that community health psychology’s core strategy of ‘community mobilisation’ is in need of renewal and proposes a new way of conceptualising community health action. Taking the Occupy movement as an example, we critique modernist understandings of community mobilisation, which are based on instrumental action in the service of a predetermined goal. Aiming to re-invigorate the ‘process’ tradition of community health psychology, we explore possibilities of an open-ended, anti-hierarchical and inclusive mode of community action, which we label ‘trusting the process’. The gains to be made are unpredictable, but we suggest that the risk is worth taking.
Collective trauma processing: Dissociation as a way of processing postwar traumatic stress in Guinea Bissau
Authors: Jong Joop de , Reis Ria
Published: September 2013

Guidelines on psychosocial interventions in postconflict areas commonly mention that interventions should be based on local needs and be built on culture-specific expertise. This paper is based on a dissociative cult, the Kiyang-yang (KYY), in Guinea Bissau. In a previous article, we used a refined definition of the concept of idiom of distress to analyze the dissociative behavior displayed in KYY as a symbolic language addressing politically dangerous truths. This paper uses the concept of “collective trauma processing” to analyze how the idiom offered the local population a pathway to mitigate the consequences of protracted and widespread political violence. The paper first argues that the field of psychotraumatology lacks a comprehensive ecological theory on trauma. Moreover, within clinical psychology and psychiatry, little attention is paid to local cultural healing mechanisms addressing traumatic stress. This paper is an effort to study such mechanisms in their own right. To compare trauma processing mechanisms across the globe, we propose to analyze trauma processing mechanisms with the help of a comprehensive model discerning five ontological dimensions that are considered to be involved in suffering and are addressed in healing approaches. Our paper describes similarities and differences between psychological healing traditions and collective trauma processing within the West African context of Guinea Bissau. We will illustrate how the KYY movement uses the idiom of dissociation as both a collective expression of distress and as a vehicle to process social suffering and traumatic stress as a circular phenomenon.
Imbalance wall functions with density and material property variation effects applied to engine heat transfer computational fluid dynamics simulations
Authors: Nuutinen Mika A , Kaario Ossi T , Vuorinen Ville A , Nwosu Paul N , Larmi Martti J
Published: September 2013

Heat transfer is a significant factor affecting internal combustion engine efficiency, emissions and performance. This study concentrates on model development for convective heat transfer and near-wall turbulent flow. The solution of complete fluid dynamics equations within the very thin-wall boundary layers is, and will be in the near future, very impractical in engineering scale flows with any present day method. An advanced numerical near-wall treatment method within the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes framework has been developed. The method solves simplified boundary layer equations for enthalpy, momentum, turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation in wall adjacent cells on cellwise high-resolution subgrids, adaptive to local conditions. The boundary layer equations include temperature gradient–induced density/multicomponent material property variations and complete imbalance contributions, for example, convection, transients, pressure gradient and external sources, in compact forms. The resulting numerical wall functions are valid with near-wall grid resolution ranging from the viscous sublayer to the fully turbulent region, thus avoiding the conflicting near wall resolution requirements of common low–Reynolds and high–Reynolds number turbulence models. The advanced near wall treatment method, comprising the numerical imbalance wall functions and accordingly modified low–Reynolds number turbulence model, is implemented in STAR-CD 4.12, extensively utilized in engine simulations. The near wall treatment method is validated against available measurements and direct numerical simulation data of strongly heated pipe flow. Performance of the near-wall treatment method in engine conjugate heat transfer simulations is also demonstrated. Local and average effects of variable properties and imbalance contributions on piston surface heat transfer, friction and turbulent sources are elaborated and contrasted to the standard high–Reynolds number near-wall treatment.
Collaborative planning in the network: Consensus seeking in urban planning issues on the Internet—the case of China
Authors: Cheng Yao
Published: September 2013

For the last few years in China, several urban planning issues have become public concerns with debates arising on the Internet. As the power of the Internet media continues to rise, the grassroots in China are beginning to have a channel for their voice in the urban planning realm, an area which has been dominated by professionals and governments. In this article, the “PX project event” in Xiamen City and the “nail household event” in Chongqing City are examined from the perspectives of collaborative planning theory. It can be concluded that in today’s China, although the Internet-based participation may encourage urban planning to become more transparent, open, and extensively participated, it is hardly more than a consensus-seeking and social learning process, with insufficient management from planning professionals and is far away from consensus building. Such controversies often end in criticism, bias, and a crash in public trust, and governments, elites, and those who are closer to the power center are still the major decision makers. Nevertheless, it is noticeable that, with the pressure of public opinion, grassroots voices on the Internet have tried successfully to change the context of the decision-making process, as well as the balance of the power-oriented political relationships.
Anti-inflammatory and antiobesity effects of mulberry leaf and fruit extract on high fat diet-induced obesity
Authors: Lim Hyun Hwa , Lee Sung Ok , Kim Sun Yeou , Yang Soo Jin , Lim Yunsook
Published: September 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antiobesity effect of combinational mulberry leaf extract (MLE) and mulberry fruit extract (MFE) in a high-fat (HF) diet-induced obese mice. Mice were fed a control diet or a HF diet for nine weeks. After obesity was induced, the mice were administered with single MLE at low dose (133 mg/kg/day, LMLE) and high dose (333 mg/kg/day, HMLE) or combinational MLE and MFE (MLFE) at low dose (133 mg MLE and 67 mg MFE/kg/day, LMLFE) and high dose (333 mg MLE and 167 mg MFE/kg/day, HMLFE) by stomach gavage for 12 weeks. The mulberry leaf and fruit extract treatment for 12 weeks did not show liver toxicity. The single MLE and combinational MLFE treatments significantly decreased plasma triglyceride, liver lipid peroxidation levels and adipocyte size and improved hepatic steatosis as compared with the HF group. The combinational MLFE treatment significantly decreased body weight gain, fasting plasma glucose and insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. HMLFE treatment significantly improved glucose control during intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test compared with the HF group. Moreover, HMLFE treatment reduced protein levels of oxidative stress markers (manganese superoxide dismutase) and inflammatory markers (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase, C-reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1) in liver and adipose tissue. Taken together, combinational MLFE treatment has potential antiobesity and antidiabetic effects through modulation of obesity-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in HF diet-induced obesity.
Thromboangiitis obliterans successfully treated with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors
Authors: Abeles Aryeh M , Nicolescu Mirela , Pinchover Zachary , Abeles Micha
Published: September 2013

Thromboangiitis obliterans, or Buerger’s disease, is a non-atherosclerotic, segmental, inflammatory disease affecting the small- and medium-sized vessels of the distal extremities. Other than discontinuation of tobacco, there is no standard-of-care treatment. Although two randomized trials have demonstrated a role for intravenous iloprost, no oral drug has yet been demonstrated to be effective in treating thromboangiitis obliterans. We present the first three reported cases of thromboangiitis obliterans successfully treated with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, followed by a discussion of the rationale for the use of these agents in thromboangiitis obliterans.
How good does the science have to be in proposals submitted to Institutional Review Boards? An Interview Study of Institutional Review Board personnel
Authors: Klitzman Robert
Published: September 2013

Background

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have been increasingly criticized for how they review protocols, but how IRBs perceive, and make decisions about, the quality of the science of protocols has not been examined.

Purpose

To explore how and when IRBs view and make decisions about the quality of the science of studies they review.

Methods

I contacted the leadership of 60 IRBs (every fourth one in the list of the top 240 institutions by National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding) and interviewed IRB chairs, co-chairs, administrators, and a director from 34 IRBs (response rate = 55%), and an additional 7 members.

Results

Interviewees faced several ambiguities and questions concerning the quality of the science of protocols. IRBs are often not sure how and to what extent to evaluate the science of protocols, whether the science should be ‘good enough’ (and if so, what that means) versus as good as possible. Federal regulations state that IRBs should ensure that risks are minimized, and commensurate with benefits. Thus, at times IRBs feel that changing the science is ethically necessary. But IRBs also then struggle with whether to adopt a higher threshold (1) that social and thus scientific benefits be maximized and (2) that scientific efforts and resources should not be wasted. Committees face dilemmas – for example, if a ‘perfect’ study is not feasible. For protocols already approved elsewhere (e.g., by the NIH), IRBs vary in how much they feel they can request alterations, and sometimes make changes nonetheless. Larger institutional contexts and biases can shape these issues, and IRBs differ in how much they are ‘pro-research’, and have sufficient expertise. IRBs at times also approve studies despite reservations about the science.

Limitations

This study includes interviews with IRBs, but not observations of IRB meetings.

Conclusions

IRBs often face ambiguities and conflicting goals in assessing scientific quality. Many IRBs try to improve the science beyond what the regulations mandate. These data have important implications for improving practice, education, research, and policy.
Local Solutions for National Challenges? Exploring Local Solutions Through the Case of a National Succession Planning Strategy
Authors: Collins Mike
Published: September 2013

The notion of localism and decentralization in national policy has come increasingly to the fore in recent years. The national succession planning strategy for headteachers in England introduced by the National College for School Leadership promoted ‘local solutions for a national challenge’. This article deals with some aspects of the tensions inherent in seeking to achieve large-scale policy goals by taking a localizing approach. The concepts of complex adaptive systems are used as a framework within which to analyse and interpret the design and impact of the strategy. An insight offered is that responses to any strategy or initiative are always local. Some propositions are made about the circumstances in which desired results might be expected to emerge, the distinctive behaviours that may be required of leaders and some reflections on the nature of the succession planning challenge.
Professors as Academic Leaders
Authors: Evans Linda , Homer Matthew , Rayner Stephen
Published: September 2013

Most research and scholarship in the field of educational leadership and management seems focused on leaders and managers and their perspectives, while the perspective of an entire constituency – ‘the led’ – is generally overlooked and neglected. This article contributes towards redressing this imbalance. Located within the context of the higher education sector, it presents findings from one phase of a funded study whose purpose was to examine what non-professorial academics, researchers and teachers employed in British universities think of the academic leadership provided by their professorial colleagues. From data generated by over 1200 questionnaire responses, a wide range of views emerged on what professors should be doing in order to fulfil their leadership roles, and how effectively they are doing it. A key finding was that, whilst most respondents agreed that professors should be providing academic leadership to junior colleagues – typically, as mentors or advisors – more than half of the sample reported that they were not receiving the help and advice that they wanted or needed.
Distributed Leadership
Authors: Harris Alma
Published: September 2013

Distributed leadership is now widely known and variously enacted in schools and school systems. Distributed leadership implies a fundamental re-conceptualisation of leadership as practice and challenges conventional wisdom about the relationship between formal leadership and organisational performance. There has been much debate, speculation and discussion about its positive and negative aspects. This article considers the evidence. It examines the facts concerning distributed leadership. It does not claim to be a systematic review of the literature but rather draws upon the available empirical evidence to highlight what we know. The article considers the implications, arising from the evidence for those in formal leadership positions. It concludes by reflecting upon the role of the formal leader within distributed leadership and outlines some of the challenges and tensions associated with distributed leadership practice.
Telephone administration of the aberrant behavior checklist
Authors: Siegel Matthew , Milligan Briana , Stein Hannah , Teer Olivia , Smith Kahsi A.
Published: September 2013

To advance clinical care and research in children with intellectual disability and autism there is a growing need for efficient means to measure behavioral severity and response to treatment. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of telephone administration of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist–Irritability Subscale (ABC-I). The ABC-I was administered by telephone to the primary caregivers of 39 subjects with intellectual disability and/or autism. The same primary caregiver of each subject was also mailed a written copy of the ABC-I with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Scores obtained by telephone and written administration were highly correlated ( r = 0.827, p < 0.001). Telephone administration of the ABC-I may be a feasible and efficient means of determining response to treatment in children with intellectual disability and/or autism, though these pilot findings need to be replicated in a larger sample.
Psychological Construction in the OCC Model of Emotion
Authors: Clore Gerald L. , Ortony Andrew
Published: September 2013

This article presents six ideas about the construction of emotion: (a) Emotions are more readily distinguished by the situations they signify than by patterns of bodily responses; (b) emotions emerge from, rather than cause, emotional thoughts, feelings, and expressions; (c) the impact of emotions is constrained by the nature of the situations they represent; (d) in the OCC account (the model proposed by Ortony, Clore, and Collins in 1988), appraisals are psychological aspects of situations that distinguish one emotion from another, rather than triggers that elicit emotions; (e) analyses of the affective lexicon indicate that emotion words refer to internal mental states focused on affect; (f) the modularity of emotion, long sought in biology and behavior, exists as mental schemas for interpreting human experience in story, song, drama, and conversation.
Comment: Holding Psychopaths Morally and Criminally Culpable
Authors: Vitacco Michael J. , Erickson Steven K. , Lishner David A.
Published: September 2013

Theoretical arguments that psychopathy eliminates individual responsibility for illegal behavior and can therefore serve as a basis for an insanity defense are largely premised on emotional characteristics of psychopathy that impede the individual’s capacity to appreciate right from wrong. We offer arguments and countervailing evidence indicating psychopaths do have the capacity to appreciate right from wrong and therefore should not be absolved of criminal responsibility.
Author Reply: Vitacco, Erickson, and Lishner: Holding Psychopaths Morally and Criminally Culpable
Authors: Glenn Andrea L. , Laufer William S. , Raine Adrian
Published: September 2013

Psychopathy is characterized by pronounced emotional deficits, yet individuals with psychopathic traits generally understand the law and the likely punishments for violating it. Vitacco, Erickson, and Lishner (2013) suggest that because of this appreciation, there is no question that psychopaths are criminally responsible. We make the modest argument that increasing psychological and neurological evidence calls into question whether conventional assumptions about an offender’s culpable states of mind hold true for psychopaths. It is likely, we suggest, that a wide range of deficits found in psychopaths impair their ability to calculate risks of harm and utilize information about the consequences of their behavior.
Current Emotion Research in Anthropology: Reporting the Field
Authors: Beatty Andrew
Published: September 2013

An internal critique of anthropology in recent decades has shifted the focus and scope of anthropological work on emotion. In this article I review the changes, explore the pros and cons of leading anthropological approaches and theories, and argue that—so far as anthropology is concerned—only detailed narrative accounts can do full justice to the complexity of emotions. A narrative approach captures both the particularity and the temporal dimension of emotion with greater fidelity than semantic, synchronic, and discourse-based approaches.
Government or Opposition? The Determinants of Legislative Support for Governors in Brazil
Authors: Inácio Magna , Amaral Ernesto Friedrich de Lima
Published: September 2013

This article analyzes the microfoundations of support for governors in Brazil based on a decision model in which deputies attempt to reduce their electoral risks. This model considers the effects of the individual backgrounds of legislators, party strength, and the dynamics of political competition in states. We used ordinary least square regression models to estimate the chances of a legislator to adopt an oppositional stance. The results confirm the multidimensional nature of the government-building process in Brazil. Adhesion is not only coordinated on a partisan basis, but it is also shaped by perceptions of electoral risks, as well as by expected rewards that different political careers and partisan linkages shape.
The Demise of Education or the Eclipse of Compassion? Exploring the Causes of Academic Underachievement
Authors: Alexander James
Published: September 2013

Many stakeholders are concerned with the apparent failure of schools to facilitate children achieving at high levels. One explanation of the failure of schools takes a more narrowly focused educational view. In this perspective, the problem is one of inadequate standards and poor teachers. In a second, broadly societal view, the problem of student achievement seems to be a complex societal problem, not easily amendable to strictly educational solutions. The two positions are compared and contrasted. Examples of societal factors affecting student achievement are explored. It is suggested that the broadly societal view provides a better explanation of why students fail to succeed.
Selflessness is sexy: reported helping behaviour increases desirability of men and women as long-term sexual partners
Authors: Moore David , Wigby Stuart , English Sinead , Wong Sonny , Székely Tamás , Harrison Freya
Published: September 2013

Background

Despite its short-term costs, behaviour that appears altruistic can increase an individual’s inclusive fitness by earning direct (selfish) and/or indirect (kin-selected) benefits. An evolved preference for other-regarding or helping behaviour in potential mates has been proposed as an additional mechanism by which these behaviours can yield direct fitness benefits in humans.

Results

We asked 32 heterosexual women and 35 heterosexual men to rate the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex in the presence and the absence of information about helping behaviours. Reports of helping behaviour were associated with a significant increase in the attractiveness of both men and women as potential long-term sexual partners. Altruism also increased the attractiveness of men as potential partners for short-term flings, but to a lesser extent than when the same men were being considered for long-term relationships. Altruism did not affect the attractiveness of women as partners for short-term flings.

Conclusions

Our results unite two important areas of evolutionary theory – social evolution and sexual selection – and extend the list of means by which helping behaviours, which appear at first glance to be costly to the actor, can in fact earn direct fitness benefits. Helping behaviours may be attractive because they signal ‘good genes’ and/or because they are perceived as a signal of likely provision of non-genetic benefits (e.g. parental care). Exactly why helping behaviours in a non-mating context might be attractive to potential mates, and whether they are honest signals of mate quality, remains to be elucidated.
Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondrial swelling and membrane potential collapse as primary evidence of the mode of action of naphthoquinone analogues
Authors: Salomão Kelly , De Santana Natalia A , Molina Maria Teresa , De Castro Solange L , Menna-Barreto Rubem F S
Published: September 2013

Background

Naphthoquinones (NQs) are privileged structures in medicinal chemistry due to the biological effects associated with the induction of oxidative stress. The present study evaluated the activities of sixteen NQs derivatives onTrypanosoma cruzi.

Results

Fourteen NQs displayed higher activity against bloodstream trypomastigotes ofT. cruzithan benznidazole. Further assays with NQ1, NQ8, NQ9 and NQ12 showed inhibition of the proliferation of axenic epimastigotes and intracelulluar amastigotes interiorized in macrophages and in heart muscle cells. NQ8 was the most active NQ against both proliferative forms ofT. cruzi. In epimastigotes the four NQs induced mitochondrial swelling, vacuolization, and flagellar blebbing. The treatment with NQs also induced the appearance of large endoplasmic reticulum profiles surrounding different cellular structures and of myelin-like membranous contours, morphological characteristics of an autophagic process. At IC50concentration, NQ8 totally disrupted the ΔΨm of about 20% of the parasites, suggesting the induction of a sub-population with metabolically inactive mitochondria. On the other hand, NQ1, NQ9 or NQ12 led only to a discrete decrease of TMRE + labeling at IC50values. NQ8 led also to an increase in the percentage of parasites labeled with DHE, indicative of ROS production, possibly the cause of the observed mitochondrial swelling. The other three NQs behaved similarly to untreated controls.

Conclusions

NQ1, NQ8, NQ9 and NQ12 induce an autophagic phenotype inT. cruziepimastigoted, as already observed with others NQs. The absence of oxidative stress in NQ1-, NQ9- and NQ12-treated parasites could be due to the existence of more than one mechanism of action involved in their trypanocidal activity, leaving ROS generation suppressed by the detoxification system of the parasite. The strong redox effect of NQ8 could be associated to the presence of the acetyl group in its structure facilitating quinone reduction, as previously demonstrated by electrochemical analysis. Further experiments using biochemical and molecular approaches are needed to better characterize ROS participation in the mechanism of action of these NQs.