bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Donatello's decapitations and the rhetoric of beheading in Medicean Florence*
Authors: Terry Allie 
Published: June 2009

AbstractWhile Donatello's bronze sculptures of Judith and David are stylistically discrete, and may have been originally created in and for different contexts, they are firmly connected to one another through their content: both figures clearly are characterized as active agents of decapitation. As this article argues, the Medici fostered a familial association with the iconographic, symbolic and practical language of decapitation in Florence since the Albizzi coup of 1433–4, when the family came to be associated with the feast of St John the Baptist's martyrdom, through the placement of the Donatello sculptures in the family palace in the 1460s. Although rarely mentioned in the vast art‐historical literature on the Medici, visual allusions to beheadings in paint, performance and sculpture served a rhetorical function in Florence to describe the shifting political status of Cosimo de'Medici and his family. By outlining a cultural map by which this visual rhetoric of decapitation may be charted in relation to the Medici family, this article contributes yet a further layer of meaning to the Donatello sculptures within the larger context of early Medici patronage and politics and offers a new methodological approach for the investigation of early modern Florentine visual culture.
Travel Writing and Encounters with National ‘Others’ in the Napoleonic Wars
Authors: James Leighton 
Published: June 2009

AbstractStudies of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars have generally focused upon the military dimension or the political consequences of the conflict. Although recent scholarship has broadened to consider the cultural aspects of the wars, the travel experiences of those that fought have been neglected. Histories concerned with state‐building or languages of patriotism and nationality generally focus on elite groups, while the concentration of military history upon the battlefield has occluded other aspects of the soldierly experience. On the other hand, historians of travel writing have ignored the extent to which many war narratives were also travelogues. But Napoleonic soldiers’ letters, diaries and memoirs are full of ethnographic observations on the foreign peoples and cultures they encountered while campaigning. The role of eighteenth‐ and nineteenth‐century travel literature in shaping images of the foreign ‘other’ and hierarchies of civilisations has been recognised. However, much of this existing work concentrates on famous travel writers. It is only relatively recently that soldiers’ accounts from the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars have been approached as a form of travel writing and one that did much to shape understanding of Europe. Indeed, soldiers appropriated the travelogue style to construct their own accounts.
Alcohol Pretreatment of Small‐diameter Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Grafts: Quantitative Analysis of Graft Healing Characteristics in the Rat Abdominal Aorta Interposition Model
Authors: Pektok Erman , Cikirikcioglu Mustafa , Tille Jean‐Christophe , Kalangos Afksendiyos , Walpoth Beat H. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractLong‐term patency rates of small‐diameter expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) vascular prostheses are unsatisfactory. Treatment of ePTFE grafts by alcohol before implantation was reported to increase hydrophilic properties, yielding better endothelialization and cellular in‐growth, thus improving graft healing. The effect of alcohol pretreatment on ePTFE grafts and postoperative healing characteristics of wet ePTFE grafts were evaluated in this study. Ten sterile ePTFE grafts (2 mm ID, 30 µ thru‐pore, 12 mm long) were implanted in the infrarenal aorta of male Sprague‐Dawley rats (324–380 g). Five grafts were treated with ethanol 70% and soaked with saline solution before implantation (wet); five nontreated grafts served as control. All rats were sacrificed after digital subtraction angiography and sampling of the graft for histological investigation after 3 weeks. Histomorphometric analysis was performed for endothelial coverage, cellular in‐growth, and intimal hyperplasia. All grafts were patent at the end of 3 weeks in both groups. Histological evaluation revealed significantly better endothelial coverage and prominent infiltration by fibroblasts and lymphocytes in the wet group. Endothelial coverage (31.03 ± 10.61% vs. 13.03 ± 9.46%, P = 0.03) and cellular infiltration of grafts (50.91 ± 8.55% vs. 39.29 ± 10.70%, P = 0.11) were higher in the wet group. Area of intimal hyperplasia per graft length was also higher in the wet group (5.32 ±  4.75 µm2/µm vs. 2.69 ± 3.41 µm2/µm, P = 0.36). Wetting of ePTFE grafts with ethanol 70% pretreatment before implantation might have a beneficial effect on long‐term patency of small‐diameter vascular grafts due to facilitated graft healing.
Analysis of Baroreflex Sensitivity During Undulation Pump Ventricular Assist Device Support
Authors: Liu Hongjian , Shiraishi Yasuyuki , Zhang Xiumin , Song Hojin , Saijo Yoshifumi , Baba Atsushi , Yambe Tomoyuki , Abe Yusuke , Imachi Kou 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe aim of this study was to examine the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), which involves the autonomic nervous system, in a goat with a chronically implanted undulation pump ventricular assist device (UPVAD). The UPVAD involved transforming the rotation of a brushless DC motor into an undulating motion by a disc attached via a special linking mechanism, and a jellyfish valve in the outflow cannula to prevent diastolic backflow. The pump was implanted into the thoracic cavity of a goat by a left thoracotomy, and the inflow and outflow cannulae were sutured to the apex of the left ventricle and to the descending aorta, respectively. The driving cable was wired percutaneously to an external controller. Electrocardiogram and hemodynamic waveforms were recorded at a sampling frequency of 1 kHz. BRS was determined when awake by the slope of the linear regression of R‐R interval against mean arterial pressure changes, which were induced by the administration of methoxamine hydrochloride, both with continuous driving of the UPVAD as well as without assistance. BRS values during the UPVAD support and without assistance were 1.60 ± 0.30 msec/mm Hg and 0.98 ± 0.22 msec/mm Hg (n = 5, P < 0.05), respectively. BRS was significantly improved during left ventricular assistance. Therefore, UPVAD support might decrease sympathetic nerve activity and increase parasympathetic nerve activity to improve both microcirculation and organ function.
Pain Responder Analysis: Use of Area Under the Curve to Enhance Interpretation of Clinical Trial Results
Authors: Cappelleri Joseph C. , Bushmakin Andrew G. , Zlateva Gergana , Sadosky Alesia 
Published: June 2009

AbstractInterpretation of results on patient‐reported pain outcomes from clinical trials should be meaningful to patients and healthcare providers. This study applied an area‐under‐the‐curve (AUC) analysis to responder profiles in a clinical trial of pregabalin for the treatment of fibromyalgia (FM). Data were from a 14‐week, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial of pregabalin (300, 450, or 600 mg/day) for the treatment of FM in patients meeting American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM and with a baseline pain score of at least 40 mm on the 100‐mm pain visual analogue scale. Pain was evaluated in a daily diary by patients using an 11‐point numeric rating scale (0 = no pain, 10 = worst possible pain). Response profiles on pain improvement scores and their differences between pregabalin and placebo were assessed using the AUC (derived using the trapezoidal rule) from the responder curve (vertical axis, proportion of subjects; horizontal axis, minimum percent improvement in pain). The AUC can be interpreted as if all responders were improved by the same percentage equal to the AUC divided by 100. The AUCs (2,100 for placebo, and 2,944, 3,170, and 3,349 for pregabalin 300, 450, and 600 mg, respectively) can be considered as if every responder improved by 21, 29, 31, and 33.5% in the responder's respective treatment group. Pain improvement was significantly better with pregabalin (P < 0.05), with pregabalin responders improving by 8.4% (300 mg/day), 10.7% (450 mg/day), and 12.5% (600 mg/day) more than placebo responders. This novel approach demonstrates that responder profiles can provide an enhanced interpretation of pain outcomes for patient care and symptom management.
The Danish Barriers Questionnaire‐II: Preliminary Validation in Cancer Pain Patients
Authors: Jacobsen Ramune , Møldrup Claus , Christrup Lona , Sjøgren Per , Hansen Ole Bo 
Published: June 2009

AbstractObjective:  The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Danish version of the Barriers Questionnaire‐II (DBQ‐II).Methods:  The validated Norwegian version of the DBQ‐II was translated into Danish. Cancer patients for the study were recruited from specialized pain management facilities. Thirty‐three patients responded to the DBQ‐II, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Brief Pain Inventory pain severity scale.Results:  A factor analysis of the DBQ‐II resulted in six scales. Scale one, Fatalism, consisted of three items addressing fatalistic beliefs regarding cancer pain management. Scale two, Immune System, consisted of three items addressing the belief that pain medications harm the immune system. Scale three, Monitor, consisted of three items addressing the fear that pain medicine masks changes in one's body. Scale four, Communication, consisted of five items addressing the concern that reports of pain distract the physician from treating the cancer, and the belief that “good” patients do not complain. Scale five, Addiction, consisted of two items addressing the fear of becoming addicted to pain medication. Finally, scale six, Tolerance, consisted of three items addressing the fear of getting tolerant to analgesic effect of pain medicine. Items related to medication side effects were analyzed as separate units. The DBQ‐II total had an internal consistency of 0.87. The DBQ‐II total score was related to measures of pain relief and anxiety.Conclusions:  The DBQ‐II seems to be a reliable and valid measure of the barriers to pain management among Danish cancer patients.
Trans‐System Social Ruptures: Exploring Issues of Vulnerability and Resiliency1
Authors: Wachtendorf Tricia 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThis essay takes up a recently introduced term, trans‐system social ruptures (TSSRs), and demonstrates its applicability to understanding ruptures to transnational systems. Using the relationship between Canada and the United States as a focus point, the article differentiates national from transnational system social ruptures. The article goes on to explore national and transnational system vulnerability to and resiliency from TSSRs. The distinction between the two types of TSSRs poses empirical, operational, and policy implications. The objective and subjective emergence of TSSRs as a social problem has much to offer to our understanding of disaster events and future crises. The article closes with several recommendations for theoretical development.
Disasters, Catastrophes, and Policy Failure in the Homeland Security Era1
Authors: Birkland Thomas A. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractThe September 11 attacks triggered federal policy changes designed to influence emergency management in the United States, even though these attacks did not suggest a need for a wholesale restructuring of federal policy in emergency management. Instead, for several reasons, federal policy's emphasis on terrorism and emergency management significantly degraded the nation's ability to address natural disasters. The federal government sought to create a top‐down, command and control model of emergency management that never fully accounted for, positively or normatively, the way local emergency management works in practice. The Obama administration will have to address the questions raised by the reorganization of federal emergency management responsibilities. While the context in which these changes have occurred is unique to the U.S. federal system, there are interesting implications for emergency management in nonfederal systems.
A New Cosmology of Risks and Crises: Time for a Radical Shift in Paradigm and Practice
Authors: Lagadec Patrick 
Published: June 2009

Our current system for homeland security does not provide the necessary framework to manage the challenges posed by 21st‐Century catastrophic threats. The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina–Lessons Learned
The White House (2006, 52)
AbstractCrises in the twenty‐first century differ—structurally—from those we had to deal with in the last century. Crises of the twentieth century were traditionally defined and handled as a combination of “threat, urgency, and uncertainty.” Today, crises are better described in terms of a destruction of vital references and a dynamic of systemic implosions. If crises were once a type of severe, dynamic accident, they are now the essential mode of life in our hypercomplex systems. These transboundary crises mark a watershed between mind‐sets and tools of the past, and the new strategic landscape that we are now in. The intellectual and governance challenges are extreme. But looking back is not an option. It is vital to forge new routes into Terrae Incognitae. The goal of this article is to help build (1) a renewed understanding of the emerging challenges we face; and (2) a better strategic response to these systemic dislocations.
Primary hyperoxaluria causing ESRD and gangrene of extremities leading to amputation
Authors: MUNSHI Nidhi M. , CONCEPCION Luis , NARAYANAN Mohanram 
Published: June 2009

AbstractPrimary hyperoxaluria is an uncommon, inherited metabolic disorder due to hepatic enzyme deficiencies with consequent hepatic oxalate overproduction and attendant systemic complications. The diagnosis is established on a combination of clinical parameters, elevated urinary excretion of oxalate and glycolate and determination of alanine glyoxylate aminotransferase in the liver tissue. We describe a 45‐year‐old female with end‐stage renal disease secondary to nephrolithiasis, who presented with a fulminating vascular syndrome before confirming the diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria. This case illustrates that in this infrequent clinical entity, the diagnosis is often delayed with incorrect initial management.
The Association Between Emergency Department Crowding and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Chest Pain
Authors: Pines Jesse M. , Pollack Charles V. , Diercks Deborah B. , Chang Anna Marie , Shofer Frances S. , Hollander Judd E. 
Published: June 2009

AbstractObjectives:  While emergency department (ED) crowding is a worldwide problem, few studies have demonstrated associations between crowding and outcomes. The authors examined whether ED crowding was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chest pain syndromes (chest pain or related complaints of possible cardiac origin).Methods:  A retrospective analysis was performed for patients ≥30 years of age with chest pain syndrome admitted to a tertiary care academic hospital from 1999 through 2006. The authors compared rates of inpatient adverse outcomes from ED triage to hospital discharge, defined as delayed acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, hypotension, dysrhythmias, and cardiac arrest, which occurred after ED arrival using five separate crowding measures.Results:  Among 4,574 patients, 251 (4%) patients developed adverse outcomes after ED arrival; 803 (18%) had documented acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and of those, 273 (34%) had AMI. Compared to less crowded times, ACS patients experienced more adverse outcomes at the highest waiting room census (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3 to 11.0) and patient‐hours (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.0 to 13.6) and trended toward more adverse outcomes during time of high ED occupancy (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.0 to 9.3). Adverse outcomes were not significantly more frequent during times with the highest number of admitted patients (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.6 to 4.1) or the highest trailing mean length of stay (LOS) for admitted patients transferred to inpatient beds within 6 hours (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 0.5 to 4.0). Patients with non‐ACS chest pain experienced more adverse outcomes during the highest waiting room census (OR = 3.5, 95% CI = 1.4 to 8.4) and patient‐hours (OR = 4.3, 95% CI = 2.6 to 7.3), but not occupancy (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 0.9 to 3.3), number of admitted patients (OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.1), or trailing LOS for admitted patients (OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.6 to 2.0).Conclusions:  There was an association between some measures of ED crowding and a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with both ACS‐related and non–ACS‐related chest pain syndrome.
Balancing productivity and trade objectives in a competing environment: should India commercialize GM rice with or without China?
Authors: Gruère Guillaume P. , Mevel Simon , Bouët Antoine 
Published: June 2009

AbstractIndia is considering approving genetically modified (GM) rice, but it fears losing rice exports to sensitive countries with import regulations on GM food, and may wait for China to lead the way. Using a multiregion, computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, we simulate the economic effects of introducing GM rice in India with or without China in the presence of labeling and import approval regulations of GM food in GM sensitive importing countries. We find that the welfare gains with GM rice in India would largely exceed any potential export loss, and that the segregation of non‐GM rice could help reduce these minor losses. We also find no significant first mover advantage for India or China on GM rice. The opportunity cost of segregation of non‐GM rice is much larger for sensitive importers than for India, which suggests that these importers would have the incentive to pay for the cost of segregation.
Fibroblast growth factor receptor‐1 phosphorylation requirement for cardiomyocyte differentiation in murine embryonic stem cells
Authors: Ronca Roberto , Gualandi Laura , Crescini Elisabetta , Calza Stefano , Presta Marco , Dell’Era Patrizia 
Published: June 2009

AbstractFibroblast growth factor receptor‐1 (Fgfr1) gene knockout impairs cardiac and haematopoietic development in murine embryonic stem cells (mESC). In FGFR1, tyrosine residues Y653 and Y654 are responsible for its tyrosine kinase (TK) activity whereas phosphorylated Y463 and Y766 represent docking sites for intracellular substrates. Aim of this study was the characterization of FGFR1 signalling requirements necessary for cardiomyocyte differentiation in mESC. To this purpose,fgfr1−/−mESC were infected with lentiviral vectors harbouring human wild‐type hFGFR1 or the Y653/654F, Y463F and Y766F hFGFR1 mutants. The resulting embryonic stem (ES) cell lines were differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs) and beating foci formation was evaluated. In order to appraise the presence of cells belonging to cardiovascular and haematopoietic lineages, specific markers were analysed by quantitative PCR, whole mount in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence. Transduction with TK+hFGFR1 or the TK+Y766F‐hFGFR1 mutant rescued cardiomyocyte beating foci formation infgfr1−/−EBs whereas the TK−Y653/654F‐hFGFR1 mutant and the TK+Y463F‐hFGFR1 mutant were both ineffective. Analysis of the expression of early and late cardiac markers in differentiating EBs confirmed these observations. At variance with cardiomyocyte differentiation, all the transduced TK+FGFR1 forms were able to rescue haematopoietic differentiation in EBs originated by infectedfgfr1−/−mESC, only the TK−Y653/654F‐hFGFR1 mutant being ineffective. In keeping with these observations, treatment with different signalling pathway inhibitors indicates that protein kinase C and ERK activation are essential for cardiomyocyte but not for haematopoietic differentiation in EBs generated by fgfr1+/−∼ mESC. In conclusion, our results suggest that, although FGFR1 kinase activity is necessary for both cardiac and haematopoietic lineage maturation in mESC, phosphorylation of Y463 in the intracellular domain of the receptor is a specific requirement for cardiomyocyte differentiation.
Platelet counts and haemorrhagic diathesis in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Neukirchen Judith , Blum Sabine , Kuendgen Andrea , Strupp Corinna , Aivado Manuel , Haas Rainer , Aul Carlo , Gattermann Norbert , Germing Ulrich 
Published: June 2009

AbstractObjectives:  Most patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) present with single or multiple lineage cytopenias in peripheral blood despite a hypercellular bone marrow. Thrombocytopenia, attributable to ineffective platelet production by dysfunctional megakaryocytes, has been estimated to occur in 40–65% of patients. However, there are hardly any studies on the clinical relevance of low platelet counts in MDS.Methods:  We retrospectively analysed data from 2900 patients in the Duesseldorf MDS Registry who were diagnosed at our laboratory between 1982 and 2007. Results: At the time of diagnosis, 43% of the patients had a platelet count lower than 100 000/μL. Platelets were lower than 20 000/μL in 7% of the patients, especially in those with advanced stages of MDS, who showed a higher frequency of thrombocytopenia and platelet transfusion dependency. On multivariate analysis, platelet anisometry, hypocellularity of megakaryopoiesis, maturational defects of megakaryocytes and platelets <20 000/μL were independent variables showing a statistically significant correlation (P < 0.05) with clinical signs of bleeding. Platelets lower than 100 000/μL were associated with significantly shortened survival (P < 0.00005), because of an increased risk of progression to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (30% vs. 21%) (P < 0.02) and bleeding (16% vs. 8%) (P = 0.0005).Conclusions:  Thrombocytopenia is a strong predictor of short survival, with or without haemorrhagic complications.
Right coronary fistula and aneurysm draining to the right atrium
Authors: Pesonen Erkki , Hochbergs Peter 
Published: June 2009

AbstractIn a 3‐year‐old boy, a continuous heart murmur was heard. The echocardiogram showed a dilated right coronary artery suggesting the existence of a coronary fistula. A more detailed echocardiogram when the patient was sedated revealed a fistula leading to a large aneurysm and further to the right atrium. The accidental dissection and thrombosis during the interventional heart catheterization resulted in a closure of the fistula. A continuous heart murmur and a dilated coronary artery are the hallmarks of coronary fistula.Conclusion:  Anatomic details of coronary fistula might be possible to see in an echocardiogram. Interventional heart catheterization is usually an adequate treatment option.