bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What is the most suitable blood collection tube for glucose estimation?
Authors: Dimeski Goce , Yow Kong S , Brown Nigel N
Published: July 2014

Objectives

Glucose is one of the most frequently measured analytes in laboratories. Most recent studies on glucose stabilities confirm that the sodium fluoride/potassium oxalate (NaF/KOx) tube is far from the gold standard. Citrate tubes have been suggested as the preferred tube type by many institutions. Greiner has introduced a glucose-specific tube (Glucomedics) containing NaF/KOx, citrate, and EDTA to minimise glycolysis. The aim was to determine which tube would be the most suitable for accurate glucose estimation in a routine laboratory setting.

Design and methods

The study process involved three experiments: (a) participant comparison using lithium heparin plasma as the comparative sample; (b) stability study (0, 1, 2 and 4 h); and (c) minimal fill volume for the citrate and the Glucomedics tubes.

Results

The patient comparison study of lithium heparin plasma showed that EDTA, NaF/KOx, and both citrate and Glucomedics if corrected for dilutional factors produced acceptable results. The stability study up to 4 h showed that the Glucomedics tube was most effective in preventing clinically significant change in glucose concentration at a room temperature. Both citrate and Glucomedics need to be filled within 0.5 mL of the recommended fill volume for acceptable results.

Conclusion

The Glucomedics tube is the most suitable for minimising glycolysis. Further improvements to it (use of correct dilutional factor and the addition of gel separator) would make this tube the benchmark for the most accurate estimation, best diagnosis and patient care decisions.
System-level intersectoral linkages between the mental health and non-clinical support sectors: a qualitative systematic review
Authors: Whiteford Harvey , McKeon Gemma , Harris Meredith , Diminic Sandra , Siskind Dan , Scheurer Roman
Published: July 2014

Objectives:

Concerns about fragmented mental health service delivery persist, particularly for people with severe and persistent mental illness. The objective was to review evidence regarding outcomes attributed to system-level intersectoral linkages involving mental health services and non-clinical support services, and to identify barriers and facilitators to the intersectoral linkage process.

Methods:

A systematic, qualitative review of studies describing attempts to coordinate the activities of multiple service agencies at the policy, program or organisational level was conducted. Electronic databases Medline, PsycINFO and EMBASE were searched via OVID from inception to July 2012.

Results:

Of 1593 studies identified, 40 were included in the review – 26 in adult and 14 in vulnerable youth populations. Identified mechanisms to promote positive system-level outcomes included: interagency coordinating committees or intersectoral/interface workers engaged in joint service planning; formalised interagency collaborative agreements; a single care plan in which the responsibilities of all agencies are described; cross-training of staff to ensure staff culture, attitudes, knowledge and skills are complementary; service co-location; and blended funding initiatives to ensure funding aligns with program integration. Identified barriers included: adequacy of funding and technology; ensuring realistic workloads; overcoming ‘turf issues’ between service providers and disagreements regarding areas of responsibility; ensuring integration strategies are implemented as planned; and maintaining stakeholder enthusiasm.

Conclusions:

System-level intersectoral linkages can be achieved in various ways and are associated with positive clinical and non-clinical outcomes for services and clients. Some linkage mechanisms present greater implementation challenges than others (e.g. major technology upgrades or co-location in geographically remote areas). In some instances (e.g. co-location) alternative options may achieve equivalent benefits. Publication bias could not be discounted, and studies using high-quality research designs are scarce. The limited information base applicable to system-level integration argues strongly for the evaluation of the models that evolve in the rollout of the national Partners in Recovery initiative.
Reporting performance information in the public sector: the moral behind the (non)application of program budgeting in Greece
Authors: Cohen Sandra , Karatzimas Sotiris
Published: July 2014

The article examines the timetable of the introduction and the sudden abandoning of program budgeting in Greece. The analysis is conducted through the lens of neo-institutional theory, organizational change theory and the resource dependency model. The framework developed is informed by archival data and the views of executives involved with the program as well as politicians. The findings suggest that subsequent institutional pressures deriving from the country’s resource dependency resulted in a re-prioritization of actions and therefore to the abandoning of the program budgeting project. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the cultivated culture inside a bureaucratic central government which gives rise to resistance to change and the poor diffusion of the new accounting philosophy would have hampered the success of the new system even if the plan had not been abandoned.

Points for practitioners

The application of program budgeting is expected to significantly assist public managers and politicians in better assessing the usefulness, the effectiveness and the efficiency of several central government functions. The present article provides insights into the first attempt to introduce program budgeting in Greece and highlights the difficulties faced during the process. The knowledge gained from the unsuccessful attempt to introduce program budgeting in Greece has important implications for understanding the factors that contribute to the failure of accounting change at central government level.
Aporias of belonging: Jean Améry on ‘being a Jew without Judaism’ and the tradition of conscious pariah
Authors: Zolkos Magdalena
Published: July 2014

The figure of the Jewish pariah has permeated Western cultural imagination, as demonstrated, for example, by the re-emergence of the medieval myth of Ahasverus, the Wandering Jew, in modern anti-Semitism. In Western European states the figure (and fantasy) of the Jewish pariah helped to consolidate national identity in the modern period at the cost of exclusion and violence against Europe’s others. This article focuses, first, on the cultural and political genealogy of the tradition of the ‘conscious pariah’, which emerged in Jewish thought in the nineteenth century, as a formation of the subject who asserts, rather than rejects or evades, her/his status as an outcast. Second, the article situates the Jewish tradition of conscious pariahdom vis-à-vis the work of Holocaust philosopher Jean Améry in order to critically analyse his alleged advocacy of the victim-oriented politics of memory and historical redress. The argument is that in contrast to the dominant interpretations of Améry’s thought as invested in the subject’s own suffering, his negative constructions of Jewishness engender a philosophical gesture beyond the lachrymose readings of Jewish history and pariahdom. Améry’s conception of the conscious pariah is an attempt to inscribe ‘hyperbolic’ ethical content into the experience of deracination and estrangement.
Early mother–child attachment
Authors: Seibert Ashley , Kerns Kathryn
Published: July 2014

Although it is hypothesized that children with different insecure attachment patterns may experience a variety of peer difficulties, the question has been investigated almost exclusively for externalizing and internalizing behaviors with peers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how each of the insecure attachment patterns is related to other features of peer relationships using data from the NICHD SECC ( N = 1,140 families). Secure children were rated by mothers and teachers as less excluded by peers than avoidant and disorganized children, although the latter was only significant for boys. No behaviors were uniquely associated with ambivalent children. Avoidant children were rated high by mothers and teachers on asocial behavior, and lowest by teachers on relational aggression. Disorganized children were rated low by mothers on prosocial behavior and high on peer victimization as reported by mothers and teachers. Teachers rated disorganized children as showing higher levels of relational aggression than securely- and ambivalently-attached children. The pattern of findings revealed mixed evidence for the specificity hypothesis.
Political news journalism: Mediatization across three news reporting contexts
Authors: Falasca Kajsa
Published: July 2014

Election coverage has a tendency to frame politics as a strategic game, to increase the role of journalists as interpreters of issues and events and to include a conflict frame, and thus indicating increased mediatization. However, political news research outside of the election indicates that news media are less independent from political actors. Drawing on literature on mediatization, media interventionism, political news journalism, news framing and source use, the purpose of this article is to empirically investigate whether election coverage is representative of other political journalism in terms of degree of mediatization. The study is based on a systematic comparison of three content analyses using the same coding schedule and procedure from coverage of the Financial Crisis 2008, the Election Campaign 2010 and routine political news coverage 2012 in Sweden. The main conclusion from this study is that mediatization of media coverage is substantially influenced by the specific context of the news.
Biogeography of the Anthropocene
Authors: Young Kenneth R.
Published: July 2014

Humans have altered the land cover and biogeochemical cycles of Earth, with many implications for how the study of the distributions of organisms should change. A new biogeography of the Anthropocene could help to develop additional criteria to evaluate the degree and timing of human impacts, and innovative ways to proactively manage biological diversity. Many recent studies have used paleoecological methods to evaluate no-analog conditions in the past, or modeling to evaluate possible futures. Additional approaches are needed for assessment and prediction of how new groupings of species will function ecologically under future climatic and landscape conditions, including methods for studying the effects of biotic homogenization, species extinctions, introduced species, and altered ecosystem processes.
Contrasts and classtalk: A critical discourse analysis of welfare-to-work program managers
Authors: Turgeon Brianna , Taylor Tiffany , Niehaus Laura M
Published: July 2014

Historically, discourse about welfare in the United States has changed from a language of ‘need’ to a culture of ‘dependency’. Adopting ‘dependency’ as a frame to construct the public opinion of welfare, workers help maintain the current punitive welfare state. In this study, we use critical discourse analysis to examine how county program managers in Ohio, USA ( N = 69) use several discursive techniques to legitimate their identities as good workers while neutralizing negative connotations associated with administering welfare policy. Further, we find managers use discursive techniques of contrast to heighten boundaries between three pairings: (1) ‘generational’ and ‘situational’ clients, (2) clients and non-clients, and (3) welfare workers and clients. Managers engage in ‘classtalk’ in their contrasts in a way that blames the poor through contrasts with others with ‘middle-class values’.
Omnivorousness in sport: The importance of social capital and networks
Authors: Widdop Paul , Cutts David , Jarvie Grant
Published: July 2014

There has been for some time a significant and growing body of research around the relationship between sport and social capital. Similarly, within sociology there has been a corpus of work that has acknowledged the emergence of the omnivore–univore relationship. Surprisingly, relatively few studies examining sport and social capital have taken the omnivore–univore framework as a basis for understanding the relationship between sport and social capital. This gap in the sociology of sport literature and knowledge is rectified by this study that takes not Putnam, Coleman or Bourdieu, but Lin’s social network approach to social capital. The implications of this article are that researchers investigating sport and social capital need to understand more about how social networks and places for sport work to create social capital and, in particular, influence participating in sporting activities. The results indicate that social networks both facilitate and constrain sports participation; whilst family and friendship networks are central in active lifestyles, those who are less active have limited networks.
Experimental characterization and modelling validation of shape memory alloy Negator springs
Authors: Spaggiari Andrea , Dragoni Eugenio , Tuissi Ausonio
Published: July 2014

This article is aimed at the experimental characterization and modelling validation of shape memory alloy Negator springs. A Negator spring is a spiral spring made of strip of metal wound on the flat with an inherent curvature such that, in repose, each coil wraps tightly on its inner neighbour. The main feature of a Negator springs is the nearly constant force–displacement behaviour in the unwinding of the strip, mounted on a rotating drum. Moreover, the stroke is very long, theoretically infinite as it depends only on the length of the initial strip. A Negator spring made of shape memory alloy is built and experimentally tested to demonstrate the feasibility of this actuator. The shape memory Negator spring behaviour is predicted both with an analytical model and with a finite element software. In both cases, the material is modelled as elastic in austenitic range while an exponential continuum law is used to describe the martensitic behaviour. The experimental results confirm the applicability of this kind of geometry to the shape memory alloy actuators, and the analytical model is confirmed to be a powerful design tool to dimension and predict the spring behaviour both in martensitic and austenitic ranges, as well as the finite element model developed.
Attitudes of Medical Students Toward the Care of the Dying in Relation to Personality Traits
Authors: Leombruni Paolo , Miniotti Marco , Zizzi Francesca , Sica Chiara , Bovero Andrea , Castelli Lorys , Torta Riccardo
Published: July 2014

Caring for dying patients requires specific attitudes. Medical students often feel unprepared to cope with issues related to end-of-life care. Little is known about the relationships between personality and attitudes toward the dying; consequently, it is difficult for medical educators to devise training that is best suited to prepare students for practicing palliative medicine. The study aimed to investigate the role of personality in predicting students’ attitudes toward the care of the dying. The study findings suggest a significant link between more self-directed and less harm-avoidant personality profiles and more developed attitudes toward the dying. Personality assessment in medical curricula is important, not merely to help teachers plan tailored training but also to foster in future doctors the propensity to develop a patient-centered practice.
Different Risk Factors Between Disruptive Behavior Disorders and ADHD in Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986
Authors: Nordström Tanja , Hurtig Tuula , Rodriguez Alina , Savolainen Jukka , Rautio Arja , Moilanen Irma , Taanila Anja , Ebeling Hanna
Published: July 2014

Objective: To examine different risk factors between disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) and ADHD or combined DBD and ADHD. Method: The study population was derived from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Psychiatric diagnoses were defined from the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children–Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) interview. The study sample was divided into four groups—people with DBD ( n = 44), with ADHD ( n = 91), with both ( n = 72), and without either ( n = 250)—to evaluate the different risk factors behind these disorders. Results: After adjusting with possible confounding factors, female gender and paternal admittance to inpatient psychiatric care increased the odds that an adolescent was having DBD. Childhood hyperactivity symptoms increased the odds of having ADHD and childhood hyperactivity symptoms and scholastic impairment increased the odds of having both disorders. Conclusion: Our study indicates DBD and ADHD have clearly different risk factors, and the impact of the paternal factors on DBD should be noted more than has been before.
Caudal mucogingival lesions secondary to traumatic dental occlusion in 27 cats: macroscopic and microscopic description, treatment and follow-up
Authors: Gracis Margherita , Molinari Elena , Ferro Silvia
Published: July 2014

The main aim of this retrospective study was to describe clinical and histopathological findings in cats with mucogingival lesions developed at the contact point of the premolar and molar teeth of the opposite quadrant. Cases were retrieved following manual review of the medical records, dental records and photographic documentation of all feline dental patients visited in the period between February 2001 and August 2011. Cats showing different lesions at different times were calculated as multiple cases. A total of 27 cats (31 cases) with 44 lesions (26 proliferations [59%], 11 clefts [25%] and seven foveae [16%]) were included. Mean age at the time of the first visit was 6.6 years. The lesion object of the study was the main reason for presentation in only five cases (16%). Proliferations showed two different histopathological patterns and had characteristics in common with human oral pyogenic granuloma. Successful treatment was achieved in all cases by removing the occlusal contact by dental extraction or coronal reduction, possibly associated with lesion excision. This study underlines the need for a thorough oral examination and evaluation of dental occlusion in all patients. Causes for the development of traumatic occlusion may include an acquired overbite (possibly secondary to selective dental extraction), congenital or post-traumatic malocclusion, abnormal latero-lateral mobility of the mandible, occlusal drift of the premolar and molar teeth, and/or alveolar bone expansion.
Evaluating megaprojects: From the ‘iron triangle’ to network mapping
Authors: Lehtonen Markku
Published: July 2014

Evaluation literature has paid relatively little attention to the specific needs of evaluating large, complex industrial and infrastructure projects, often called ‘megaprojects’. The abundant megaproject governance literature, in turn, has largely focused on the so-called ‘megaproject pathologies’, i.e. the chronic budget overruns, and failure of such projects to keep to timetables and deliver the expected social and economic benefits. This article draws on these two strands of literature, identifies shortcomings, and suggests potential pathways towards an improved evaluation of megaprojects. To counterbalance the current overemphasis on relatively narrowly defined accountability as the main function of megaproject evaluation, and the narrow definition of project success in megaproject evaluation, the article argues that conceptualizing megaprojects as dynamic and evolving networks would provide a useful basis for the design of an evaluation approach better able to promote learning and to address the socio-economic aspects of megaprojects. A modified version of ‘network mapping’ is suggested as a possible framework for megaproject evaluation, with the exploration of the multiple accountability relationships as a central evaluation task, designed to reconcile learning and accountability as the central evaluation functions. The article highlights the role of evaluation as an ‘emergent’ property of spontaneous megaproject ‘governing’, and explores the challenges that this poses to the role of the evaluator.
Why organizations (do not) evaluate? Explaining evaluation activity through the lens of configurational comparative methods
Authors: Pattyn Valérie
Published: July 2014

This article aims at explaining why some Flemish (Belgian) organizations evaluate policy, while others do not. The study relies on a unique combination of two configurational comparative methods: the Most Similar Different Outcome/Most Different Similar Outcome method and crisp set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. This combination of methods helps us unravel the combinations of conditions that promote or impede policy evaluation activity in a public administration that recently underwent major changes in line with New Public Management (NPM). The analysis reveals that the impact of NPM reforms on evaluation activity should not be overestimated. The results suggest that the important conditions that explain policy evaluation activity or inactivity are the anchorage of the evaluation function, the availability of skilled personnel to undertake evaluations, evaluation demand from organizational management, and the measurability of the outputs and outcomes of the organization’s activities.
Falling crime rates: What happened last time
Authors: Knepper Paul
Published: July 2014

Although the falling crime rates in the 1990s surprised criminologists, it was not the first time crime had declined. There was a ‘crime drop’ in England in the 1920s. When crime did not rise as expected following the Great War, the government closed half the prisons, and Edwin Sutherland came to investigate ‘England’s empty prisons’. To conduct his analysis, Sutherland relied on work by SK Ruck, and between them, they came up with most of the leading explanations now used by criminologists. They considered the police and prisons, the economy and household security. They also discussed the psychological conditions of low-crime societies, the ‘sense of security’. Drawing on their unpublished material from archives in New York and London, the discussion here examines what can be learned about contemporary analyses of the crime drop of the 1990s. Overall, this article argues for the importance of theory in analysing the statistics of falling crime and how historical studies of crime trends can be useful in developing this theory.
Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and binge-watching
Authors: Jenner Mareike
Published: July 2014

This article explores the relationship between television and video on demand (VOD), focusing specifically on Netflix and its recent move to produce and distribute original serialised drama. Drawing on a number of conceptualisations of contemporary media, this article positions Netflix within a contemporary media landscape, paying particular attention to how it relates to branding strategies of multi-platform serialised content and subscription cable channels in the United States. It considers Netflix-produced season 4 of Arrested Development (Fox, 2003–2013, Netflix, 2013) as a case study to explore how Netflix positions itself in relation to contemporary ‘quality’ and ‘cult’ TV and associated viewing practices and draws on theories of post-postmodern capitalism to understand its function within a broader socio-political context. As such, it places Netflix within discourses of VOD, TVIII, branding, contemporary viewing practices and consumer practices in post-postmodern capitalism.
Departing glances: A sociotechnical account of ‘leaving’ Grindr
Authors: Brubaker Jed R , Ananny Mike , Crawford Kate
Published: July 2014

Grindr is a popular location-based social networking application for smartphones, predominantly used by gay men. This study investigates why users leave Grindr. Drawing on interviews with 16 men who stopped using Grindr, this article reports on the varied definitions of leaving, focusing on what people report leaving, how they leave and what they say leaving means to them. We argue that leaving is not a singular moment, but a process involving layered social and technical acts – that understandings of and departures from location-based media are bound up with an individual’s location. Accounts of leaving Grindr destabilize normative definitions of both ‘Grindr’ and ‘leaving’, exposing a set of relational possibilities and spatial arrangements within and around which people move. We conclude with implications for the study of non-use and technological departure.
Book review: Cannon, B. and Kirby, P., editors. 2012: Civil Society and the State in Left-led Latin America: Challenges and limitations to democratization
Authors: Greatorex Harry
Published: July 2014

Cannon, B. and Kirby, P., editors. 2012: Civil Society and the State in Left-led Latin America: Challenges and limitations to democratization. London: Zed Books. 256 pp. £70.00 cloth. £21.99 paper. ISBN: 9 78178 0322056 cloth. ISBN: 9 78178 0322049 paper.
Book review: Datta, Ayona. 2012: The Illegal City: Space, Law and Gender in a Delhi Squatter Settlement
Authors: Nowicki Mel
Published: July 2014

Datta, Ayona. 2012: The Illegal City: Space, Law and Gender in a Delhi Squatter Settlement. Farnham, UK: Ashgate. xii + 210 pp. £54.00 hardback. ISBN: 978-1-4094-4554-8 hardback. ISBN: 978-1-4094-4554-8 paper. ISBN: 978-1-4094-4555-5 e-book.
Consumers at work, or curiosity at play? Revisiting the prosumption/value cocreation debate with smartphones and two-dimensional bar codes
Authors: Cochoy Franck
Published: July 2014

As Cova and colleagues recently noted (Cova and Dalli, 2009; Cova et al., 2011), there is a growing body of literature showing that consumers are solicited not only as partners but also as active workers or “partial employees,” enrolled for their intellectual but also physical competencies, so that the vague and symmetrical scheme of “coproduction” ends up into a clear and asymmetrical model of “working consumer” (Dujarier, 2014). This article stresses the paradoxical character of this literature; on one hand, it presents coproduction as a consequence of the emergence of the gifted, competent, skilled active consumers. But, on the other hand, the same literature tends to show that consumers’ inputs are called for without them being fully aware of it, as if they were acting naively and passively. This article proposes to reflect on this paradox from the empirical case of the use of bidimensional bar codes. Based on a series of experiments in focus groups, the article shows that consumers’ work must be put “in its right place”; one should acknowledge its existence but also reassess its meaning, role, and place.
Childcare regulations: Regulatory enforcement in Ireland. What happens when the inspector calls?
Authors: Moloney Mary
Published: July 2014

Childcare regulations ensure children’s rights to Early Childhood Care and Education settings that protect them from harm and promote their healthy development. To ensure that settings comply, power is vested with regulatory bodies that are tasked with enforcing regulations. Using a qualitative methodology, 43 interviews were undertaken with Early Childhood Care and Education managers, early childhood educators, support agencies and members of the pre-school inspectorate to explore their perspectives of the regulatory environment in Ireland. In a context where reform of the pre-school inspectorate is currently underway, this article provides insight into how Early Childhood Care and Education managers and educators experience the current inspection system. Findings suggest that managers and educators experience a sense of frustration and helplessness in terms of regulatory enforcement. There is evidence of inconsistency across inspections that may be linked to inadequate inspectorate qualifications. In common with other researchers, that is, Early Childhood Ireland, Start Strong and Moloney participants in this study call for an expansion of the inspectorate to include somebody with early childhood education specifically.
What's in a name?—The identification of biologic products
Authors: Neas Ralph G , Gaugh David R
Published: July 2014

The FDA has authority to license manufacture of biosimilar and interchangeable biologics that are expected to compete at lower prices with the most successful and important modern pharmaceuticals, and make those life-saving medicines more accessible. Based on scientific evidence, FDA can only license such biosimilars if it finds that they are “highly similar” to licensed reference products and that they are safe, pure, and potent treatments. FDA has received at least 22 investigational new drugs for biosimilar development programs, and it has held scores of meetings with biosimilar sponsors, relating to more than a dozen reference products. Patent and statutory exclusivities protecting those reference products from competition have begun to expire. Reference product manufacturers have adopted new strategies to eliminate or delay competition for their valuable product franchises. They have asked FDA to require biosimilars to bear non-proprietary (identical non-proprietary name) names different from those assigned to a reference product. These requests are unwarranted and will impede the legislative purpose to make biologic medicines more affordable and accessible. This article addresses the background of these new naming strategies and the several arguments made by reference product manufacturers. It contends that use of different identical non-proprietary names will create undesirable barriers to acceptance of biosimilar products, effectively deterring investment in safe, effective, and affordable biosimilar and interchangeable medicines. The article contends that no scientific reasons exist for use of different identical non-proprietary names to label the “highly similar” active drug substance in reference products and their corresponding biosimilars; that is, there is no evidence that medical and pharmaceutical professionals, in light of all of the available data, are likely to be confused; and that all of the needs of robust pharmacovigilance are already met, without use of differential identical non-proprietary names. It offers a naming solution that meets all these needs.
I have a dream
Authors: Yemini Miri , Addi-Raccah Audrey , Katarivas Keren
Published: July 2014

Most policymakers and academics agree that entrepreneurship is indispensable to society’s development and well-being. Fostering entrepreneurship has become a matter of highest priority in public policy worldwide. Given the growing pressures of decentralization and competitiveness that schools have faced over the last 20 years, the role of school principals as entrepreneurs is receiving growing interest in academic and practical contexts. Our study examines school principals from the perspective of their schools’ entrepreneurship. Accordingly, we seek to reveal the meaning of entrepreneurship in school settings and to examine the conditions that are related with school principals' entrepreneurial activities. This study examines 10 school principals of different educational streams in Israel, who have been identified as entrepreneurs by their peers and supervision authorities. We characterize these agents of change as institutional entrepreneurs and present their motives and resources that facilitate their entrepreneurship in school settings. We include several novel parameters that may be applied to characterize school entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on institutional lens. This study contributes to the broader educational literature that addresses school principals' roles within a decentralized system demanding high accountability.
Low-complexity sparse reconstruction for high-resolution multi-static passive SAR imaging*
Authors: Mao Xinhua , Zhang Yimin D , Amin Moeness G
Published: July 2014

Bi-static passive synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems using ground broadcast and wireless network signals suffer from a low spatial resolution due to the narrow bandwidths and low carrier frequencies. By exploiting multiple distributed illuminators, multi-static passive radar has the possibility of producing high-resolution SAR images. In this paper, a two-stage image formation approach, which combines the Fourier transform and sparse reconstruction strategies, is proposed to process multi-static SAR data. This method exploits the group sparsity of the sparse scene, i.e., the observations associated with different bi-static pairs share the same support of the sparse scene but correspond to aspect-dependent scattering coefficients. Such observations are described as a number of generally disjoint sub-bands in the two-dimensional spatial frequency domain. In each sub-band, the sampling satisfies the Nyquist criterion, whereas different sub-bands are sparsely distributed. In the proposed approach, Fourier-based reconstruction is applied to the sub-band data to produce the coarse-resolution images, which are then combined to produce a high-resolution image through the exploitation of sparse reconstruction techniques. The proposed approach greatly improves the imaging quality as compared to Fourier-based reconstruction, whereas it exhibits significant reduction of the computational complexity when compared to direct application of sparse reconstruction techniques. The exploitation of block sparsity-based techniques also permits practical treatment of the angle-dependent target scattering characteristics in SAR image reconstruction. The advantages of the proposed approach are delineated using analysis and simulations.
Safety and Efficacy of Aerobic Training in Patients With Cancer Who Have Heart Failure: An Analysis of the HF-ACTION Randomized Trial
Authors: Jones Lee W. , Douglas Pamela S. , Khouri Michel G. , Mackey John R. , Wojdyla Daniel , Kraus William E. , Whellan David J. , O'Connor Christopher M.
Published: July 2014

Purpose

To investigate the efficacy and safety of aerobic training (AT) in patients with cancer with medically stable heart failure (HF).

Patients and Methods

A retrospective analysis of 90 patients with cancer who have HF and who were randomly assigned to AT (n = 47) or guideline-based usual care (UC; n = 43) was performed. AT consisted of three supervised sessions per week at 20 to 45 minutes per session at 60% to 70% of heart rate reserve for 12 weeks followed by home-based sessions for 4 to 12 months. The primary end point was all-cause mortality and hospitalization. Secondary end points were other clinical events, safety, and change in exercise capacity (VO2peak) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Results

Median follow-up was 35 months. In intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses, all-cause mortality or hospitalization at 2 years was 74% in the AT group compared with 67% in the UC group (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.11; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.77; P = .676). The incidence of cardiovascular mortality or cardiovascular hospitalization was significantly higher in the AT group compared with the UC group (41% v 67%; adjusted HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.16; P = .017). There were no differences in any VO2peak or HRQOL end points. In post hoc analyses based on adherence to AT, all-cause mortality and hospitalization was 66% in adherent patients (≥ 90 minutes per week) compared with 84% in nonadherent patients (< 90 minutes per week).

Conclusion

In ITT analyses, AT did not improve clinical outcomes in patients with cancer who had HF. Post hoc analyses suggested that patients not capable of adhering to the planned AT prescription may be at increased risk of clinical events.
Efficacy of Methylprednisolone on Pain, Fatigue, and Appetite Loss in Patients With Advanced Cancer Using Opioids: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial
Authors: Paulsen Ørnulf , Klepstad Pål , Rosland Jan Henrik , Aass Nina , Albert Eva , Fayers Peter , Kaasa Stein
Published: July 2014

Purpose

Corticosteroids are frequently used in cancer pain management despite limited evidence. This study compares the analgesic efficacy of corticosteroid therapy with placebo.

Patients and Methods

Adult patients with cancer receiving opioids with average pain intensity ≥ 4 (numeric rating scale [NRS], 0 to 10) in the last 24 hours were eligible. Patients were randomly assigned to methylprednisolone (MP) 16 mg twice daily or placebo (PL) for 7 days. Primary outcome was average pain intensity measured at day 7 (NRS, 0 to 10); secondary outcomes were analgesic consumption (oral morphine equivalents), fatigue and appetite loss (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer–Quality of Life Questionnaire C30, 0 to 100), and patient satisfaction (NRS, 0 to 10).

Results

A total of 592 patients were screened; 50 were randomly assigned, and 47 were analyzed. Baseline opioid level was 269.9 mg in the MP arm and 160.4 mg in the PL arm. At day-7 evaluation, there was no difference between the groups in pain intensity (MP, 3.60 v PL, 3.68; P = .88) or relative analgesic consumption (MP, 1.19 v PL, 1.20; P = .95). Clinically and statistically significant improvements were found in fatigue (−17 v 3 points; P .003), appetite loss (−24 v 2 points; P = .003), and patient satisfaction (5.4 v 2.0 points; P = .001) in favor of the MP compared with the PL group, respectively. There were no differences in adverse effects between the groups.

Conclusion

MP 32 mg daily did not provide additional analgesia in patients with cancer receiving opioids, but it improved fatigue, appetite loss, and patient satisfaction. Clinical benefit beyond a short-term effect must be examined in a future study.
Probing the biomechanical contribution of the endothelium to lymphocyte migration: diapedesis by the path of least resistance
Authors: Martinelli Roberta , Zeiger Adam S. , Whitfield Matthew , Scuito Tracey E. , Dvorak Ann , Van Vliet Krystyn J. , Greenwood John , Carman Christopher V.
Published: July 2014

Immune cell trafficking requires the frequent breaching of the endothelial barrier either directly through individual cells (a ‘transcellular’ route) or through the inter-endothelial junctions (a ‘paracellular’ route). What determines the loci/route of breaching events is an open question with important implications for overall barrier regulation. We hypothesized that basic biomechanical properties of the endothelium might serve as critical determinants of this process. By altering junctional integrity, cytoskeletal morphology and, as a consequence, local endothelial cell stiffness of different vascular beds, we could modify diapedesis route preference. In particular, high barrier function was coupled with predominant transcellular migration, whilst negative modulation of junctional integrity resulted in switch to paracellular diapedesis. Furthermore, we showed that lymphocytes dynamically probe the underlying endothelium by extending invadosome-like protrusions (ILP) into its surface that deform the nuclear lamina, distort actin filaments and ultimately breach the barrier. Fluorescence imaging and pharmacologic depletion of F-actin demonstrated that lymphocyte barrier breaching efficiency was inversely correlated to local endothelial F-actin density/stiffness. Together, these data support the hypothesis that lymphocytes are guided by the mechanical ‘path-of-least-resistance’ as they transverse the endothelium, a process we term ‘tenertaxis’ (Latin, tener, soft).
Functional interplay between MyoD and CTCF in regulating long-range chromatin interactions during differentiation
Authors: Battistelli Cecilia , Busanello Anna , Maione Rossella
Published: July 2014

Higher-order chromatin structures appear to be dynamically arranged during development and differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying their maintenance or disruption and their functional relevance in gene regulation are poorly understood. We recently described a dynamic long-range chromatin interaction between the gene-promoter of the cdk inhibitor p57kip2 and the imprinting control region KvDMR1 in muscle cells. Here we show that CTCF, the best characterized organizer of long-range chromatin interactions, binds to both p57kip2 promoter and KvDMR1 and is necessary for the maintenance of their physical contact. Moreover, we show that CTCF-mediated looping is required for preventing p57kip2 expression before differentiation. Finally, we provide evidence that the induction of p57kip2 during myogenesis involves the physical interaction of the muscle regulatory-factor MyoD with CTCF at KvDMR1, the displacement of the cohesin complex subunit Rad21 and the destabilization of the chromatin loop. The finding that MyoD affects chromatin looping at CTCF-binding sites represents the first evidence that a differentiation factor regulates chromatin loop dynamics and provides a useful paradigm for gaining insights into the developmental regulation of long-range chromatin contacts.
Palmitoylation of plakophilin is required for desmosome assembly
Authors: Roberts Brett J. , Johnson Kristen E. , McGuinn Kathleen P. , Saowapa Jintana , Svoboda Robert A , Mahoney My G. , Johnson Keith R. , Wahl James K.
Published: July 2014

Desmosomes are prominent adhesive junctions found in various epithelial tissues. The cytoplasmic domains of desmosomal cadherins interact with a host of desmosomal plaque proteins, including plakophilins, plakoglobin and desmoplakin, that in turn recruit the intermediate filament cytoskeleton to sites of cell-cell contact. While the individual components of the desmosome are known, mechanisms regulating the assembly of this junction are poorly understood. Protein palmitoylation is a posttranslational lipid modification that plays an important role in protein trafficking and function. Here, we demonstrate that multiple desmosomal components are palmitoylated in vivo. Pharmacologic inhibition of palmitoylation disrupts desmosome assembly at cell-cell borders. We mapped the site of plakophilin palmitoylation to a conserved cysteine residue present in the armadillo repeat domain. Mutation of this single cysteine residue prevents palmitoylation, disrupts plakophilin incorporation into the desmosomal plaque and prevents plakophilin-dependent desmosome assembly. Finally, plakophilin mutants unable to become palmitoylated act in a dominant-negative manner to disrupt proper localization of endogenous desmosome components and decrease desmosomal adhesion. Taken together, these data demonstrate that palmitoylation of desmosomal components is important for desmosome assembly and adhesion.
Επιδημιολογικά και κλινικά χαρακτηριστικά, φυσική πορεία και θεραπευτικές παρεμβάσεις σε ενηλίκους ασθενείς με ομόζυγο β- μεσογειακή αναιμία και χρόνια HCV λοίμωξη
Authors: Κουντουράς Δημήτριος
Published: July 2014

ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑΗ παράταση της επιβίωσης των ασθενών με θαλασσαιμία, απαιτεί την εκ νέουμελέτη της ηπατικής νόσου, όπως αυτή εξελίσσεται πλέον σε ένα μοναδικόπληθυσμό ενηλίκων και όχι παιδιών. Με μέσο την αποτελεσματική αποσιδήρωσηκαι χωρίς τη βαρειά εναπόθεση σιδήρου του παρελθόντος, ο ρυθμός εξέλιξης είναιάγνωστος, παρά τα εμφανή αποτελέσματα της μακροχρόνιας νόσησης παράλληλαμε τη φυσική εξέλιξη της ενηλικίωσης.Τόσο η εναπόθεση σιδήρου, όσο και η παρουσία της λοίμωξης από τον ιό τηςηπατίτιδας C, εξακολουθούν να διαδραματίζουν πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο, χωρίς νααποκλείεται, κυρίως στο παρελθόν, η συνεργική δράση της συμφορητικήςκαρδιακής ανεπάρκειας.Η συμβολή ενός εκάστου αυτών των παραγόντων στο τελικό αποτέλεσμα τηςηπατικής νόσου προσδιορίζει και τις θεραπευτικές προτεραιότητες.Είναι ενδιαφέρον επίσης ότι, παρά τα αναμενόμενα, η παράταση της επιβίωσηςσυνοδεύεται από σταθεροποίηση της ηπατικής νόσου, η οποία σε μερικές μόνοπεριπτώσεις επιδεινώνεται στην πορεία του χρόνου προς ηπατική νόσο τελικούσταδίου.Συμπερασματικά λοιπόν, με βάση τα αποτελέσματα της συγκεκριμένης ερευνητικήςκλινικής μελέτης, η ηπατική ίνωση στους ασθενείς με ΟΒΜ, είναι το αποτέλεσμα τηςεπίδρασης πολλαπλών παραγόντων.Μεμονωμένα η ηπατίτιδα C δεν διαδραματίζει τον πρωτεύοντα ρόλο, χωρίς όμωςκαι να είναι σαφής η συμπεριφορά της λοίμωξης σε θαλασσαιμικούς ασθενείς μεφυσιολογικό φορτίο σιδήρου.Η υπερφόρτωση με σίδηρο αποτελεί τον κρίσιμο παράγοντα, καθώς η ίνωση είναιπαρούσα σε όλους τους βαθμούς αιμοσιδήρωσης, ακόμη και στον ελάχιστο.Επίσης, η ίνωση παραμένει σχετικά σταθερή στο βάθος του χρόνου, ανεξάρτητααπό την αυξανόμενη ηπατική αιμοσιδήρωση ή την παρουσία HCV λοίμωξης, ενώ ηεξέλιξή της είναι άμεσα συναρτώμενη με το βαθμό της ηπατικής βλάβης (το μοτίβοτης ALT).
Πέντε αιώνες θεραπευτικού αγώνα κατά της σύφιλης
Authors: Καραμάνου Μαριάννα
Published: July 2014

Η σύφιλη εμφανίστηκε στην Ευρώπη στα τέλη του 15ου αιώνα και γρήγοραέλαβε διαστάσεις επιδημίας. Οι ιατροί και οι χρονικογράφοι της εποχής,αδυνατώντας να την ερμηνεύσουν, κατέφυγαν στις δεισιδαιμονίες,αποδίδοντας την εμφάνισή της στα άστρα ή στη θεία τιμωρία για τοαμάρτημα της ακολασίας. Άλλωστε και στη θεραπευτική της νόσουδίδεται μια τιμωρητική διάσταση. Το πρώτο φάρμακο που χορηγήθηκεήταν το φυτό γουαϊάκη που εισήχθη στην Ευρώπη από τον Άγιο Δομίνικοτο 1508 και στο οποίο αποδόθηκαν μαγικές, θεραπευτικές και τονωτικέςιδιότητες. Λίγο αργότερα, χορηγήθηκε ο υδράργυρος, και παρά την τοξικήτου δραση κυριάρχησε στη θεραπεία για περισσότερο από 450 χρόνια. Στιςαρχές του 20ου αιώνα δυο νέες ουσίες προστίθενται στη θεραπευτική τηςσύφιλης, η αρσενοβενζόλη που ανακαλύφθηκε από τον Paul Ehrlich(1854-1915), και το βισμούθιο από τους Constantin Levaditi (1874-1953)και Robert Sazérac. Το 1943, ο John Mahoney (1889-1957) και οισυνάδελφοί του χρησιμοποίησαν για πρώτη φορά την πενικιλίνη στηθεραπεία της σύφιλης. Αρχικά η εισαγωγή της πενικιλίνης προκάλεσεσύγχυση και τα βαρέα μέταλλα δεν εξαλείφθηκαν άμεσα από τιςθεραπευτικές συνήθειες. Αγνοώντας τη φυσική πορεία της νόσου, οισυφιλιδολόγοι προτίμησαν τις κλασσικές μεθόδους θεραπείας. Ωστόσο, ταέτη 1945-1950, σηματοδότησαν την περίοδο της ταχείας μετάβασης και ηπενικίλίνη καθιερώθηκε ως το μόνο αποτελεσματικό μέσο θεραπείας.
Η θεραπευτική αξία της ανθρώπινης ανασυνδιασμένης ερυθροποιητίνης σε έγκυους φορείς της β-μεσογειακής αναιμίας με σοβαρή αναιμία στο τρίτο τρίμηνο της κύησης
Authors: Καραντζής Παναγιώτης
Published: July 2014

Οι έγκυες γυναίκες φορείς της β-μεσογειακής αναιμίας συχνά κατά την διάρκεια της κύησης παρουσιάζουν σοβαρή αναιμία με την αιμοσφαιρίνη να πέφτει συχνά κάτω από 8g/dl. Η αντιμετώπιση της αναιμίας αυτής με σύγχρονο και κυρίως ασφαλή τρόπο είναι το αντικείμενο της μελέτης μας. Αποφεύγοντας έτσι τους κινδύνους που ελλοχεύουν από τις μεταγγίσεις αίματος που σημαντικότερη είναι η μετάδοση ιών όπως της ηπατίτιδας Β , HIV I –II και άλλων. Επιλέξαμε 2 ομάδες των 20 εγκύων γυναικών στο τρίτο τρίμηνο κύησης με σοβαρή αναιμία. Στην ομάδα Α ανήκαν οι γυναίκες που αντιμετωπίστηκαν με την χρήση της ανασυνδυασμένης ανθρώπινης ερυθροποιητίνης. Συγκεκριμένα έλαβαν 10.000 IU ανασυνδυασμένης ερυθροποιητίνης, υποδόρια, ανά δόση 3 φορές την εβδομάδα. Στις γυναίκες αυτές χορηγήθηκαν και 300mg στοιχειακού σιδήρου από στόματος ημερησίως. Στην ομάδα Β ανήκαν οι γυναίκες που η αναιμία τους αντιμετωπίσθηκε με το κλασσικό τρόπο της μετάγγισης αίματος και αποτέλεσε την ομάδα ελέγχου. Μέσο χρονικό διάστημα της θεραπείας ήταν 4 εβδομάδες.Η έρευνα έδειξε στατιστικά σημαντική βελτίωση των αιματολογικών δεικτών (αιματοκρίτης, αιμοσφαιρίνη, δικτυοερυθροκύτταρα) της ομάδας που έλαβε ανασυνδιασμένη ερυθροποιητίνη, σε σύγκριση με την ομάδα ελέγχου που υποβλήθηκε σε μετάγγιση 2 μονάδων αίματος. ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ Η χρήση της ανασυνδυασμένης ερυθροποιητίνης αποτελεί μια αξιόπιστη εναλλακτική μέθοδο θεραπείας στην αντιμετώπιση της σοβαρής αναιμίας σε εγκύους φορείς της β-μεσογειακής αναιμίας στο τρίτο τρίμηνο. Ελαχιστοποιείται έτσι ο κίνδυνος μετάδοσης σοβαρών ιογενών λοιμώξεων στην μητέρα και κατ’επέκταση κάθετα στο κυοφορούμενο έμβρυο.