bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
GLOBAL IMBALANCES AND THE PRETENCE OF KNOWING FUNDAMENTAL EQUILIBRIUM EXCHANGE RATES
Authors: SCHNATZ BERND 
Published: December 2011

AbstractGlobal imbalances remain a key challenge for the world economy. In this regard, it has often been argued that insufficient exchange rate adjustment prevents their dissolution. Obviously, such a line of reasoning crucially depends on the methodologies used for assessing the ‘fair value’ of a currency. This paper looks specifically at estimates of fundamental equilibrium exchange rates (FEER) and shows that these are highly sensitive to the chosen assumptions. The present study cautions against using such models too mechanistically and giving too much confidence to the precision of obtained magnitudes of misalignment.
Maintenance of biodiversity in vineyard‐dominated landscapes: a case study on larval salamanders
Authors: Tanadini Matteo , Schmidt Benedikt R. , Meier Pierre , Pellet Jérôme , Perrin Nicolas 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAlteration of natural habitats as a result of agricultural intensification is detrimental for wildlife. There is, however, growing evidence that land use and management can be wildlife friendly. InEurope, agricultural areas cover two‐thirds of the land and therefore play a major role in maintaining biodiversity. Agricultural land use is very intense in vineyard‐dominated landscapes but there are no refuges for wildlife in the form of ecological compensation areas. In our study, we assessed spatial variation in abundance of salamander (Salamandra salamandra) larvae in relation to land use and stream characteristics in vineyard‐dominated landscapes. Abundance of larval salamanders depended positively on weirs, amount of riparian vegetation along the streams and environment‐friendly agricultural practice in the vineyards. Surprisingly, road density also had positive effects, presumably through indirect effects (stone walls along roads may serve as refugia). Thus, abundance is determined by characteristics of both the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Our results suggest that fire salamanders can persist in landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture like viticulture, indicate wildlife‐friendly management options and highlight that man‐made habitat can be valuable for wildlife.
Comparison of low‐intensity blood flow‐restricted training‐induced muscular hypertrophy in eumenorrheic women in the follicular phase and luteal phase and age‐matched men
Authors: Sakamaki Mikako , Yasuda Tomohiro , Abe Takashi 
Published: December 2011

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to compare the muscle hypertrophic response in women during both the follicular (FP) and the luteal phase (LP) of their menstrual cycles following short‐term, low‐intensity resistance training combined with blood flow restriction (BFR). Eight eumenorrheic women and five men, all previously untrained, performed unilateral low‐intensity (30% of 1 repetition maximum) dumbbell curl training with BFR once a day for 6 days. The opposite arm served as an untrained control. This 6‐day training programme was conducted during both menstrual cycle phases: the early FP and the mid LP. MRI‐measured biceps muscle volume (MV) and isometric elbow flexion strength were measured in both arms before and 2 days after the final training bout. Significantly (P<0.05) greater muscle hypertrophy was observed in the LP (5·7%) than in the FP (3·7%). The absolute and relative changes in serum hormone concentrations between the two phases did not correlate (P>0.05) with the percentage change in MV between the LP and FP. There was no change in MV in the control arm for both cycle phases. Following training, isometric strength increased (P<0.01) in the LP, but not in the FP (P = 0.17). Relative strength (strength per unit MV) was similar pre‐ and post‐training in both phases. The percentage changes in MV and strength were similar between the women (average of LP and FP) and men. Our results indicate that muscle hypertrophy and strength gain are higher in the LP than in the FP following 6 days of BFR training, although the sex difference in the training response is non‐existent.
Emotional stress–induced seizures: Another reflex epilepsy?
Authors: Gilboa Tal 
Published: December 2011

SummaryMultiple triggers have been shown to provoke seizures in reflex epilepsy. Among these are external stimuli (flickering light, hot water), actions (chewing, reading), and even mental tasks. We present a 9‐year‐old girl whose seizures were provoked mainly by emotional stress. In most cases of emotional stress–related seizures, especially when a specific confrontational incidence preceded the seizure, the suspicion for a nonepileptic event is high. In our patient we were able to show that the seizures were epileptic. Further investigation to clarify the pathophysiology of stress‐related seizures is needed.
Pure haploinsufficiency for Dravet syndrome NaV1.1 (SCN1A) sodium channel truncating mutations
Authors: Bechi Giulia , Scalmani Paolo , Schiavon Emanuele , Rusconi Raffaella , Franceschetti Silvana , Mantegazza Massimo 
Published: December 2011

SummaryPurpose:  Dravet syndrome (DS), a devastating epileptic encephalopathy, is mostly caused by mutations of the SCN1A gene, coding for the voltage‐gated Na+ channel NaV1.1 α subunit. About 50% of SCN1A DS mutations truncate NaV1.1, possibly causing complete loss of its function. However, it has not been investigated yet if NaV1.1 truncated mutants are dominant negative, if they impair expression or function of wild‐type channels, as it has been shown for truncated mutants of other proteins (e.g., CaV channels). We studied the effect of two DS truncated NaV1.1 mutants, R222* and R1234*, on coexpressed wild‐type Na+ channels.Methods:  We engineered R222* or R1234* in the human cDNA of NaV1.1 (hNaV1.1) and studied their effect on coexpressed wild‐type hNaV1.1, hNaV1.2 or hNaV1.3 cotransfecting tsA‐201 cells, and on hNaV1.6 transfecting an human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell line stably expressing this channel. We also studied hippocampal neurons dissociated from NaV1.1 knockout (KO) mice, an animal model of DS expressing a truncated NaV1.1 channel.Key Findings:  We found no modifications of current amplitude coexpressing the truncated mutants with hNaV1.1, hNaV1.2, or hNaV1.3, but a 30% reduction coexpressing them with hNaV1.6. However, we showed that also coexpression of functional full‐length hNaV1.1 caused a similar reduction. Therefore, this effect should not be involved in the pathomechanism of DS. Some gating properties of hNaV1.1, hNaV1.3, and hNaV1.6 were modified, but recordings of hippocampal neurons dissociated from NaV1.1 KO mice did not show any significant modifications of these properties. Therefore, NaV1.1 truncated mutants are not dominant negative, consistent with haploinsufficiency as the cause of DS.Significance:  We have better clarified the pathomechanism of DS, pointed out an important difference between pathogenic truncated CaV2.1 mutants and hNaV1.1 ones, and shown that hNaV1.6 expression can be reduced in physiologic conditions by coexpression of hNaV1.1. Moreover, our data may provide useful information for the development of therapeutic approaches.
Neuroanatomic correlates of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A cortical thickness and VBM study
Authors: Labate Angelo , Cerasa Antonio , Mula Marco , Mumoli Laura , Gioia Maria Cecilia , Aguglia Umberto , Quattrone Aldo , Gambardella Antonio 
Published: December 2011

SummaryPurpose:  Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are among the most common clinical manifestations of conversion disorder and consist of paroxysmal behavior that resembles epileptic seizures. Preliminary data from functional neuroimaging studies gave plausible evidence that limbic circuits and sensorimotor cortex might be engaged in conversion disorder. Nonetheless, no advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have focused on patients with PNES.Methods:  We enrolled 20 consecutive patients in whom the diagnosis of PNES was based on ictal video–electroencephalography (EEG) of the habitual episodes and 40 healthy subjects matched for age and sex All patients underwent a formal neuropsychological investigation and a neuropsychiatric assessment. All of the patients also underwent two distinct morphologic whole‐brain MR measurements, voxel‐based morphometry (VBM), and cortical thickness analysis, in a multimethod approach.Key Findings:  None of the patients had serious medical or neurologic illness, substance abuse, or psychotic disorder, or were taking antipsychotic drugs. VBM and cortical thickness analyses in the patients with PNES revealed abnormal cortical atrophy of the motor and premotor regions in the right hemisphere and the cerebellum bilaterally. We also observed a significant association between increasing depression scores and atrophy involving the premotor regions.Significance:  The results of this study illustrate that motor and premotor regions in the right hemisphere and the cerebellum bilaterally play an important role in the pathogenesis of PNES and that these structures are correlated with depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest a multistep model in the pathogenesis of PNES, in which the phenomenology is driven by psychological factors interacting with specific biologic abnormalities.
Clinical anticipation in Japanese families of benign adult familial myoclonus epilepsy
Authors: Hitomi Takefumi , Kondo Takayuki , Kobayashi Katsuya , Matsumoto Riki , Takahashi Ryosuke , Ikeda Akio 
Published: December 2011

SummaryThe clinical anticipation in Japanese benign adult familial myoclonus epilepsy (BAFME), defined as earlier onset age of either cortical tremor or generalized seizures or new appearance of those symptoms in the next generation, remains unknown. The onset age and the degree of both cortical tremor and generalized seizures were investigated in nine patients of four BAFME families (mean age: 46.6 ± 18.7 years). Clinical anticipation in the onset age of cortical tremor or generalized seizures was observed in three families, and generalized seizures newly appeared in the next generation in those two families and in another family. Clinical anticipation was observed in four families, which suggests the clinical progression over generation in Japanese BAFME families.
Learning from Barcelona: Discourse, Power and Praxis in the Sustainable City
Authors: McDONOGH GARY W. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractIn the 2004 Forum for World Cultures, Barcelona politicians and intellectuals situated sustainability as a key issue for global and local debate. This event also distilled historical experiences of place, contact and conflict that have shaped Barcelona as a global city, while subsequent discussions illuminate the complexities of the creation of an urban culture of sustainability as contemporary urban social practice. Reading sustainability as myth and practice in both spatial and temporal contexts reveals the extent to which ecological commitments combine changes in urban policy, rhetorical statements, positioning within more general competitions for urban branding and citizen responses. Drawing on archival and cultural analysis as well as longterm ethnography, this paper examines Barcelona's search for social ecological policy and the complications of multiple visions and practices of sustainable development.
Sustainable Food vs. Unsustainable Politics in the City of Palermo: The Case of an Organic Farmers' Market
Authors: ORLANDO GIOVANNI 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThe island of Sicily, Italy, and its main city, Palermo, appear an ideal scenario for sustainable food provisioning: the former being the first region in Italy for organically cultivated land, the latter Italy's fifth largest city. This article explores ideals and practices of sustainable urban food systems through an example of environmental consumer activism in Palermo. It does this by narrating the story of an organic farmers' market created by citizens and producers. The article reflects critically on understandings of food‐related ‘sustainability’ held by the actors involved, showing the difficulties of operationalizing the concept for qualitative, socio‐cultural research. It also highlights the potential of grass‐roots activism among consumers and farmers. With particular reference to the Palermitan context, this potential runs counter to an enduring image of the southern Italian region as a place where civil society initiatives are wanting. By analyzing the market's history from its inception to its demise due to difficulties with the center‐right‐wing municipality, the article shows that it is the political element, rather than the cultural one, that often constrains grass‐roots activism in Sicily. These problems of power and political representation raise a crucial question: can a consumer mobilization become a tool for social and environmental transformation in locales where institutions are not already favorably disposed, at least to a certain degree, to the values of such mobilization?
Wiped Out by the “Greenwave”: Environmental Gentrification and the Paradoxical Politics of Urban Sustainability
Authors: CHECKER MELISSA 
Published: December 2011

AbstractThis essay examines the intersection of environmental justice activism and state‐sponsored sustainable urban development—how is environmental justice activism enabled or disabled in the context of rapid urban development, consensual politics and the seemingly a‐political language of sustainability? Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, I define a process I refer to as “environmental gentrification,” which builds on the material and discursive successes of the environmental justice movement and appropriates them to serve high‐end development. While it appears as politically‐neutral, consensus‐based planning that is both ecologically and socially sensitive, in practice, environmental gentrification subordinates equity to profit‐minded development. I propose that this process offers a new way of exploring the paradoxes and conundrums facing contemporary urban residents as they fight to challenge the vast economic and ecological disparities that increasingly divide today's cities.
Damage Development in Confined Borosilicate and Soda‐Lime Glasses
Authors: Dannemann Kathryn A. , Anderson Charles E. , Chocron Sidney , Spencer James F. 
Published: December 2011

Post‐test microscopy evaluations were performed on borosilicate (Borofloat® 33) and soda‐lime (Starphire®) glass specimens following confined compression tests. These included optical and electron microscopy investigations of select specimens tested at low strain rates with confinement pressures up to 1 GPa. Specimens were evaluated following removal of the confinement sleeve or holder. The objective of this work was to investigate the flow and failure behavior of both glasses due to compressive loading with confinement. The observations provide an insight into the damage process that occurs during projectile impact/penetration into transparent armor. Highlights of the microscopy evaluations are compared and contrasted for the two glasses of interest. A damage mechanism is proposed based on comparison of the mechanical response data with the post‐test microscopy findings.
Gadolinium Aluminate Garnet (Gd3Al5O12): Crystal Structure Stabilization via Lutetium Doping and Properties of the (Gd1−xLux)3Al5O12 Solid Solutions (x = 0–0.5)
Authors: Li Jinkai , Li Ji‐Guang , Zhang Zhongjie , Wu Xiaoli , Liu Shaohong , Li Xiaodong , Sun Xudong , Sakka Yoshio 
Published: December 2011

To suppress the thermal decomposition and stabilize the crystal structure of Gd3Al5O12 (GdAG) garnet, GdAG was doped with significantly smaller Lu3+ to form (Gd,Lu)AG solid solutions. The precursors for (Gd1−xLux)3AG (x = 0–0.5), with a general formula of (NH4)xLn3Al5(OH)y(CO3)z·nH2O (Ln = Gd and Lu), were synthesized via carbonate co‐precipitation from the mixed solutions of aluminum, lutetium, and gadolinium nitrates using ammonium hydrogen carbonate as the precipitant. The results showed that 10 at.% of Lu3+ (x = 0.1) has been able to stabilize GdAG against its thermal decomposition to a mixture of GdAlO3 (GdAP) and Al2O3 phases at temperatures above 1300°C and that Lu3+ doping effectively lowers the temperature for garnet crystallization. The precursors of x ≥ 0.3 convert to pure LnAG at a low temperature of ~1000°C via the intermediates of Ln4Al2O9 (LnAM) and LnAP. The carbonate precursors are loosely agglomerated and the resultant LnAG powders show good dispersion and a fairly uniform particle morphology. The (Gd,Lu)AG solid solutions exhibit decreasing lattice parameters and increasing optical bandgaps along with more Lu3+ incorporation.
Determination of the Solubility of Tin in Indium Oxide Using In Situ and Ex Situ X‐Ray Diffraction
Authors: González G. B. , Mason T. O. , Okasinski J. S. , Buslaps T. , Honkimäki V. 
Published: December 2011

A novel approach to determine the thermodynamic solubility of tin in indium oxide via the exsolution from tin overdoped nano‐ITO powders is presented. High‐energy, in situ and ex situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction was utilized to study the solubility limit at temperatures ranging from 900°C to 1375°C. The tin exsolution from overdoped nanopowders and the formation of In4Sn3O12 were observed in situ during the first 4–48 h of high‐temperature treatment. Samples annealed between 900°C and 1175°C were also studied ex situ with heat treatments for up to 2060 h. Structural results obtained from Rietveld analysis include compositional phase analysis, atomic positions, and lattice parameters. The tin solubility in In2O3 was determined using the phase analysis compositions from X‐ray diffraction and the elemental compositions obtained from X‐ray fluorescence. Experimental complications that can lead to incorrect tin solubility values in the literature are discussed.
Esthetic evaluation of single‐tooth implants in the anterior maxilla following autologous bone augmentation
Authors: Hof M. , Pommer B. , Strbac G. D. , Sütö D. , Watzek G. , Zechner W. 
Published: December 2011

AbstractObjectivesAutologous bone augmentation to rebuild compromised alveolar ridge contour prior to implant placement allows for favorable three‐dimensional implant positioning to achieve optimum implant esthetics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate peri‐implant soft tissue conditions around single‐tooth implants following bone grafts in the esthetic zone of the maxilla.Materials and methodsSixty patients underwent autologous bone augmentation of deficient maxillary sites prior to placement of 85 implants in the esthetic zone. In case of multiple implants per patient, one implant was randomly selected. Objective evaluation of 60 single‐tooth implants was performed using the Pink‐Esthetic‐Score (PES) and Papilla Index (PI) and supplemented by subjective patient evaluation, as well as clinical and radiologic examination.ResultsObjective ratings of implant esthetics were satisfactory (median PES: 11, median PI: 2) and significantly correlated with high patient satisfaction (mean VAS score: 80%). Both esthetic indices demonstrated respectable levels of inter‐ as well as intra‐observer agreement. Poor implant esthetics (low PES and PI ratings) were significantly associated with increased anatomic crown height, while no influence of horizontal implant‐tooth distance could be found.ConclusionsThe present investigation indicates that favorable esthetic results may be achieved in the augmented anterior maxilla. However, bony reconstruction of compromised alveolar ridges does not guarantee optimum implant esthetics.
Changes in care and short‐term outcome for very preterm infants in Estonia
Authors: Toome Liis , Ringmets Inge , Andresson Pille , Ilmoja Mari‐Liis , Saik Pille , Varendi Heili 
Published: December 2011

AbstractAim:  To identify recent changes in short‐term outcome and care for very preterm infants in Estonia.Methods:  Comparison of two population‐based cohorts of very preterm infants born alive at 22–31 gestational weeks. In 2007–2008, data were recorded prospectively in a neonatal register. For the cohort born in 2002–2003, the same variables were extracted retrospectively from the hospital records. Infants were followed up to discharge or death.Results:  The cohort of 2007−2008 contained a higher proportion of infants born by caesarean section and of infants who received antenatal corticosteroids, maternal antibiotics, or surfactant therapy than the earlier cohort. A higher proportion of infants was admitted for care in 2007–2008 (98% vs. 94%; p = 0.013). During the study period, survival until discharge increased (85% vs. 78%; p = 0.041), although the length of hospital stay was unchanged. The use of mechanical ventilation, inotropes, and postnatal antibiotics decreased. Neonatal morbidity remained unchanged, except for a decrease in severe periventricular/intraventricular hemorrhage.Conclusion:  The outcome for very preterm infants in Estonia has improved since 2002. With proactive perinatal management and less invasive neonatal care, survival until discharge increased without concomitant increases in neonatal morbidity and the length of hospital stay.
Clinical and Microbiological Evaluation of Travel-Associated Respiratory Tract Infections in Travelers Returning From Countries Affected by Pandemic A(H1N1) 2009 Influenza
Authors: Jauréguiberry Stéphane , Boutolleau David , Grandsire Eric , Kofman Tomek , Deback Claire , AÏt-Arkoub ZaÏna , Bricaire François , Agut Henri , Caumes Eric 
Published: December 2011

Abstract

Background
Although acute respiratory tract infections (RTI) have been recognized as a significant cause of illness in returning travelers, few studies have specifically evaluated the etiologies of RTI in this population.

Methods
This prospective investigation evaluated travelers returning from countries with endemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009, and who were seen in our department at the onset of the outbreak (April–July 2009). Patients were included if they presented with signs of RTI that occurred during travel or less than 7 days after return from overseas travel. Patients were evaluated for microbial agents with RespiFinder plus assay, and throat culture according to clinical presentation.

Results
A total of 113 travelers (M/F ratio 1.2:1; mean age 39 y) were included. They were mainly tourists (n = 50; 44.2%) mostly returning from North America (n = 65; 58%) and Mexico (n = 21; 18.5%). The median duration of travel was 23 days (range 2–540 d). The median lag time between return and onset of illness was 0.2 days (range 10 d prior to 7 d after). The main clinical presentation of RTI was influenza-like illness (n = 76; 67.3%). Among the 99 microbiologically evaluated patients, a pathogen was found by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or throat culture in 65 patients (65.6%). The main etiological agents were influenza A(H1N1) 2009 (18%), influenza viruses (14%), and rhinovirus (20%). A univariate analysis was unable to show variables associated with influenza A(H1N1) 2009, whereas rhinorrhea was associated with viruses other than influenza (p = 0.04).

Conclusion
Despite the A(H1N1) 2009 influenza pandemic, rhinovirus and other influenza viruses were also frequent causes of RTI in overseas travelers. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR and nasopharyngeal swab cultures are useful diagnostic tools for evaluating travelers with RTI.