bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Asthmatics with exacerbation during acute respiratory illness exhibit unique transcriptional signatures within the nasal mucosa
Authors: McErlean Peter , Berdnikovs Sergejs , Favoreto Silvio , Shen Junqing , Biyasheva Assel , Barbeau Rebecca , Eisley Chris , Barczak Andrea , Ward Theresa , Schleimer Robert P , Erle David J , Boushey Homer A , Avila Pedro C
Published: January 2014

Background

Acute respiratory illness is the leading cause of asthma exacerbations yet the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. To address the deficiencies in our understanding of the molecular events characterizing acute respiratory illness-induced asthma exacerbations, we undertook a transcriptional profiling study of the nasal mucosa over the course of acute respiratory illness amongst individuals with a history of asthma, allergic rhinitis and no underlying respiratory disease.

Methods

Transcriptional profiling experiments were performed using the Agilent Whole Human Genome 4X44K array platform. Time point-based microarray and principal component analyses were conducted to identify and distinguish acute respiratory illness-associated transcriptional profiles over the course of our study. Gene enrichment analysis was conducted to identify biological processes over-represented within each acute respiratory illness-associated profile, and gene expression was subsequently confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results

We found that acute respiratory illness is characterized by dynamic, time-specific transcriptional profiles whose magnitudes of expression are influenced by underlying respiratory disease and the mucosal repair signature evoked during acute respiratory illness. Most strikingly, we report that people with asthma who experience acute respiratory illness-induced exacerbations are characterized by a reduced but prolonged inflammatory immune response, inadequate activation of mucosal repair, and the expression of a newly described exacerbation-specific transcriptional signature.

Conclusion

Findings from our study represent a significant contribution towards clarifying the complex molecular interactions that typify acute respiratory illness-induced asthma exacerbations.
Regional variability of carbon dioxide storage potential of the Queenston Formation in New York
Authors: Tamulonis Kathryn L. , Jordan Teresa E. , Jacobi Robert D.
Published: January 2014

Initial assessments of the potential for geologic carbon sequestration rely on existing subsurface data, most of it collected for oil and gas exploration. We document the challenges of assessing the [Formula: see text] storage potential based on archived data, for the case of the Upper Ordovician Queenston Formation in New York. In central New York, the entirely subsurface Queenston Formation consists primarily of sandstones. In contrast, in western New York where the Queenston Formation crops out, it is composed of shale, siltstone, and sandstone. A foremost interpretation challenge is to obtain porosity data from the borehole logs. Intercomparisons of various measures of porosity and of the availability of those data led to the decision to use neutron porosity data for the hematite- and clay-rich sandstone. To map porosity regionally, a second challenge is to establish the physical correlation between four regionally extensive stacked petrophysical zones in central New York, each recording base-level fall trends in fluvial sandstones, and four petrophysical zones in western New York, each characterized by base-level rise deposits of marginal marine and shallow marine deposits. Two alternative correlations can be justified with differing implications for pore volumes in a transition region. This analysis estimates that the Queenston Formation of central New York can sequester up to approximately [Formula: see text] metric tons of [Formula: see text] at depths greater than 3000 ft (914 m) in sandstones with porosity exceeding 10%. The Queenston Formation is not suitable for [Formula: see text] storage in western New York.
Working memory networks and activation patterns in schizophrenia
and bipolar disorder: comparison with healthy controls
Authors: Brandt Christine Lycke , Eichele Tom , Melle Ingrid , Sundet Kjetil , Server Andrés , Agartz Ingrid , Hugdahl Kenneth , Jensen Jimmy , Andreassen Ole A.
Published: January 2014

Background

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are severe mental disorders with
overlapping genetic and clinical characteristics, including cognitive
impairments. An important question is whether these disorders also have
overlapping neuronal deficits.

Aims

To determine whether large-scale brain networks associated with working
memory, as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI),
are the same in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and how they
differ from those in healthy individuals.

Method

Patients with schizophrenia (n = 100) and bipolar
disorder (n = 100) and a healthy control group
(n = 100) performed a 2-back working memory task
while fMRI data were acquired. The imaging data were analysed using
independent component analysis to extract large-scale networks of
task-related activations.

Results

Similar working memory networks were activated in all groups. However, in
three out of nine networks related to the experimental task there was a
graded response difference in fMRI signal amplitudes, where patients with
schizophrenia showed greater activation than those with bipolar disorder,
who in turn showed more activation than healthy controls. Secondary
analysis of the patient groups showed that these activation patterns were
associated with history of psychosis and current elevated mood in bipolar
disorder.

Conclusions

The same brain networks were related to working memory in schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder and controls. However, some key networks showed a graded
hyperactivation in the two patient groups, in line with a continuum of
neuronal abnormalities across psychotic disorders.
Epidemic of charcoal burning suicide in Japan
Authors: Yoshioka Eiji , Hanley Sharon J. B. , Kawanishi Yasuyuki , Saijo Yasuaki
Published: January 2014

Background

The charcoal burning suicide epidemics in both Hong Kong and Taiwan have been well documented. However, little is known about the situation in Japan.

Aims

To examine the impact of charcoal burning suicide on the overall and other method-specific suicide rates between 1998 and 2007 in Japan.

Method

Using data obtained from the Vital Statistics of Japan, negative binomial regression analyses were performed to investigate the impact of the charcoal burning method.

Results

In males and females aged 15–24 and 25–44 years, the charcoal burning epidemic led to a substantial increase in overall suicides, without a decrease in other methods. In all other age groups, no such trend was observed.

Conclusions

In young Japanese, the charcoal burning method may have appealed to individuals who might not have chosen other highly or relatively lethal methods, and consequently led to an increase in overall suicides.
Seismic Vulnerability of Reinforced Concrete Frame with Unreinforced Masonry Infill Due to Main Shock–Aftershock Earthquake Sequences
Authors: Tesfamariam Solomon , Goda Katsuichiro , Mondal Goutam
Published: January 2014

This paper presents a parametric study on the inelastic response of six-story reinforced concrete (RC) frames subjected to main shock–aftershock (MS-AS) ground motions. For this purpose, one bare frame (BF) and four masonry RC frames with two infill thicknesses (75 mm or 125 mm) and two infill patterns (open ground story or fully infilled) are considered. They are situated at site class C in Vancouver, Canada, and are designed for office occupancy according to the 2005 National Building Code of Canada. The five frames are subjected to 100 ensembles of MS-AS ground motions scaled to seismic hazard level corresponding to the return period of 2,500 years. For each sequence of earthquakes, change in the fundamental period ( T1) and inter-story drift (ISD) for both MS-AS sequences are quantified. The analysis results show that the period change and ISD were significant for BF, whereas the infilled frames sustained small damage with negligible change in T1.
Opening the Black Box: The Impact of an Oncology Management Program Consisting of Level I Pathways and an Outbound Nurse Call System
Authors: Hoverman J. Russell , Klein Ira , Harrison Debra W. , Hayes Jad E. , Garey Jody S. , Harrell Robyn , Sipala Maria , Houldin Scott , Jameson Melissa D. , Abdullahpour Mitra , McQueen Jessica , Nelson Greg , Verrilli Diana K. , Neubauer Marcus
Published: January 2014

Implementation of Innovent positively affected patient care by decreasing ER visits and admissions, in-patient days, and cancer-related use costs and increasing on-pathway adherence.
The Long Battle Over Payment for Oncology Services in the Office Setting
Authors: Bailes Joseph S. , Coleman Terry S.
Published: January 2014

The authors recount the history of changes to reimbursement policy to explain how the system arrived at its present state and to suggest how the system might have otherwise evolved.
Projected Supply of and Demand for Oncologists and Radiation Oncologists Through 2025: An Aging, Better-Insured Population Will Result in Shortage
Authors: Yang Wenya , Williams James H. , Hogan Paul F. , Bruinooge Suanna S. , Rodriguez Gladys I. , Kosty Michael P. , Bajorin Dean F. , Hanley Amy , Muchow Ashley , McMillan Naya , Goldstein Michael
Published: January 2014

Anticipated oncologist shortages are largely consistent with the ASCO 2007 workforce study but somewhat more delayed. The ACA may exacerbate the shortage.
Liver mTOR Controls IGF-I Bioavailability by Regulation of Protein Kinase CK2 and IGFBP-1 Phosphorylation in Fetal Growth Restriction
Authors: Abu Shehab Majida , Damerill Ian , Shen Tong , Rosario Fredrick J. , Nijland Mark , Nathanielsz Peter W. , Kamat Amrita , Jansson Thomas , Gupta Madhulika B.
Published: January 2014

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) increases the risk for perinatal complications and predisposes the infant to diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life. No treatment for FGR is available, and the underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Increased IGFBP-1 phosphorylation has been implicated as an important mechanism by which fetal growth is reduced. However, to what extent circulating IGFBP-1 is phosphorylated in FGR is unknown, and the molecular mechanisms linking FGR to IGFBP-1 phosphorylation have not been established. We used umbilical cord plasma of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and growth–restricted human fetuses and determined IGFBP-1 and IGF-I concentrations (ELISA) and site-specific IGFBP-1 phosphorylation (Western blotting using IGFBP-1 phospho-site specific antibodies). In addition, we used a baboon model of FGR produced by 30% maternal nutrient restriction and determined mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)C1 activity, CK2 expression/activity, IGFBP-1 expression and phosphorylation, and IGF-I levels in baboon fetal liver by Western blot, enzymatic assay, and ELISA. HepG2 cells and primary fetal baboon hepatocytes were used to explore mechanistic links between mTORC1 signaling and IGFBP-1 phosphorylation. IGFBP-1 was hyperphosphorylated at Ser101, Ser119, and Ser169 in umbilical plasma of human FGR fetuses. IGFBP-1 was also hyperphosphorylated at Ser101, Ser119, and Ser169 in the liver of growth–restricted baboon fetus. mTOR signaling was markedly inhibited, whereas expression and activity of CK2 was increased in growth–restricted baboon fetal liver in vivo. Using HepG2 cells and primary fetal baboon hepatocytes, we established a mechanistic link between mTOR inhibition, CK2 activation, IGFBP-1 hyperphosphorylation, and decreased IGF-I–induced IGF-I receptor autophosphorylation. We provide clear evidence for IGFBP-1 hyperphosphorylation in FGR and identified an mTOR and CK2-mediated mechanism for regulation of IGF-I bioavailability. Our findings are consistent with the model that inhibition of mTOR in the fetal liver, resulting in increased CK2 activity and IGFBP-1 hyperphosphorylation, constitutes a novel mechanistic link between nutrient deprivation and restricted fetal growth.
Transdifferentiation of Differentiated Ovary into Functional Testis by Long-Term Treatment of Aromatase Inhibitor in Nile Tilapia
Authors: Sun Li-Na , Jiang Xiao-Long , Xie Qing-Ping , Yuan Jing , Huang Bao-Feng , Tao Wen-Jing , Zhou Lin-Yan , Nagahama Yoshitaka , Wang De-Shou
Published: January 2014

Females with differentiated ovary of a gonochoristic fish, Nile tilapia, were masculinized by long-term treatment with an aromatase inhibitor (Fadrozole) in the present study. The reversed gonads developed into functional testes with fertile sperm. The longer the fish experienced sex differentiation, the longer treatment time was needed for successful sex reversal. Furthermore, Fadrozole-induced sex reversal, designated as secondary sex reversal (SSR), was successfully rescued by supplement of exogenous 17β-estradiol. Gonadal histology, immunohistochemistry, transcriptome, and serum steroid level were analyzed during SSR. The results indicated that spermatogonia were transformed from oogonia or germline stem cell-like cells distributed in germinal epithelium, whereas Leydig and Sertoli cells probably came from the interstitial cells and granulosa cells of the ovarian tissue, respectively. The transdifferentiation of somatic cells, as indicated by the appearance of doublesex- and Mab-3-related transcription factor 1 (pre-Sertoli cells) and cytochrome P450, family 11, subfamily B, polypeptide 2 (pre-Leydig cells)-positive cells in the ovary, provided microniche for the transdifferentiation of germ cells. Decrease of serum 17β-estradiol was detected earlier than increase of serum 11-ketotestosterone, indicating that decrease of estrogen was the cause, whereas increase of androgen was the consequence of SSR. The sex-reversed gonad displayed more similarity in morphology and histology with a testis, whereas the global gene expression profiles remained closer to the female control. Detailed analysis indicated that transdifferentiation was driven by suppression of female pathway genes and activation of male pathway genes. In short, SSR provides a good model for study of sex reversal in teleosts and for understanding of sex determination and differentiation in nonmammalian vertebrates.
Central Precocious Puberty in a Girl and Early Puberty in Her Brother Caused by a Novel Mutation in the MKRN3 Gene
Authors: Settas Nikolaos , Dacou-Voutetakis Catherine , Karantza Maria , Kanaka-Gantenbein Christina , Chrousos George P. , Voutetakis Antonis
Published: January 2014

Context:

Central precocious puberty (CPP), defined as the development of secondary sex characteristics prior to age 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys, results from the premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Mutations in the imprinted gene MKRN3 have been recently implicated in familial cases of CPP.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to uncover the genetic cause of CPP in a family with two affected siblings.

Design and participants:

The entire coding region of the paternally expressed MKRN3 gene was sequenced in two siblings, a girl with CPP and her brother with early puberty, their parents, and their grandparents.

Results:

A novel heterozygous missense variant in the MKRN3 gene (p.C340G) was detected in the two affected siblings, their unaffected father, and the paternal grandmother. As expected, the mutated allele followed an imprinted mode of inheritance within the affected family. In silico analysis predicts the mutation as possibly damaging in all five software packages used. Furthermore, structural alignment of the ab initio native and mutant MKRN3 models predicts that the p.C340G mutation leads to significant structural perturbations in the 3-dimensional structure of the C3HC4 really interesting new gene motif of the protein, further emphasizing the functional implications of the novel MKRN3 alteration.

Conclusions:

We report a novel MKRN3 mutation (p.C340G) in a girl with CPP and her brother with early puberty. MKRN3 alterations should be suspected in all cases with familial CPP or early puberty, especially if male patients are also involved or the precocious puberty trend does not follow the usually observed mother-to-daughter inheritance.
Finance and Foreclosure in the Colonial Present
Authors: Goldstein Alyosha
Published: January 2014

The Claims Resolution Act (CRA) of 2010, which brought together and financed a series of historic US civil rights and Native American class-action lawsuit settlements, serves as the lens through which this essay examines debates over accountability, debt, and reconciliation and provides a means to consider how present-day efforts to foreclose the genealogies of historical injustice have been shaped in response to the contemporary crisis of global capitalism and financialization. Focusing on the salience of racialization and settler colonialism, this essay studies how and why the CRA's juridical assemblage brings into proximity discrepant histories of dispossession and racism so as to situate these within an overarching teleology of progress and improvement in the face of contemporary economic volatility and social instability.
Getting by in the Foreverscape
Authors: Matthes Colin
Published: January 2014

Getting by in the Foreverscape is a survey of Colin Matthes's artwork from 2010 to 2013. His work revolves around economic and environmental calamity. He finds a beauty in individuals and small groups with limited means creating their own solutions to larger problems. He engineers the absurd, opening the door to addressing economic and environmental crisis from a funny, critical, fatalistic, and industrious point of view.
At Home in Crisis
Authors: Nystrom Derek
Published: January 2014

The article discusses Jason Reitman's 2009 film Up in the Air as a meditation on “emotional labor” in a moment of economic crisis. Through its depiction of protagonist Ryan Bingham's profession — he is a corporate downsizer hired by companies to fire their employees for them — Up in the Air highlights the conditions of alienated emotional labor even as it suggests that Bingham is profoundly unalienated by this labor. In the latter half of the film, Up in the Air attempts to counter Bingham's gleeful avoidance of authentic emotional connection by posing an alternative set of values oriented around the family. Yet Reitman's use of actual unemployed people to articulate these family values partakes in a filming practice that forces these workers to perform a kind of emotional labor that the film itself identifies as exploitative and alienating.
Integrin α3β1 controls mRNA splicing that determines cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) mRNA stability in breast cancer cells
Authors: Subbaram Sita , Lyons Scott P. , Svenson Kimberly B. , Hammond Sean L. , McCabe Lorena G. , Chittur Sridar V. , DiPersio C. Michael
Published: January 2014

Recent studies have shown that alterations in mRNA content, achieved through post-transcriptional mechanisms such as alternative splicing or polyadenylation, are critical for regulation of cancer-promoting genes by determining transcript susceptibility to mRNA degradation pathways. However, it remains unclear how cues from the tumor microenvironment trigger this regulation to control genes that drive malignant growth. Expression of integrin α3β1 in breast cancer cells promotes tumor growth and invasion, in part through induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). In the current study, we used RNAi to suppress α3β1 in human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, then utilized exon microarrays to compare global gene expression between control and α3β1-deficient cells. This analysis identified numerous mRNAs, including Cox-2, that show altered expression and/or alternate exon usage (AEU) in α3β1-deficient cells. AEU included patterns predicted to render a mRNA susceptible to degradation, such as 3′-UTR variations or retention of elements that target it for nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). PCR-based analysis of α3β1-deficient cells confirmed changes in Cox-2 mRNA that may target it for NMD, including retention of an intron that harbors premature termination codons and changes within the 3′-UTR. Consistently, Cox-2 mRNA stability was reduced in α3β1-deficient cells, and siRNA-mediated knockdown of UPF1 (an essential NMD factor) in these cells led to Cox-2 mRNA accumulation. Our study identifies α3β1-mediated AEU as a novel paradigm of integrin-dependent gene regulation that may be exploitable as a therapeutic target to inhibit breast cancer.
Size control of lipid droplets in budding yeast requires a collaboration of Fld1 and Ldb16
Authors: Wang Chao-Wen , Miao Yu-Hsuan , Chang Yi-Shun
Published: January 2014

The human congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 2 (CGL2) protein seipin/yeast Fld1 controls lipid droplet (LD) size through an unknown mechanism. Herein, we report that deletion of yeast LDB16/YCL005W, similar to FLD1, causes supersized and small clustered LDs, altered phospholipid metabolism, and impaired distribution of a subset of LD proteins. Ldb16 is a transmembrane protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that assembles together with Fld1 at ER/LD contact site, a region that likely links neutral lipid synthesis with LD assembly. The formation of the Fld1-Ldb16 complex involves their putative transmembrane segments, which directly contributes to the maintenance of LD morphology. The stability of Ldb16 requires Fld1, as Ldb16 is subjected to ER-associated degradation (ERAD) without Fld1 but stabilized when Fld1 is present. Strikingly, human seipin but not yeast Fld1 complements the LD defects in ldb16Δ, implying that seipin covers the function of the Fld1-Ldb16 complex. Together, we propose that human seipin may adopt the architecture of the yeast Fld1-Ldb16 complex for proper size maintenance of LDs.
Measuring individual locomotor rhythms in honey bees, paper wasps and similar sized insects
Authors: Giannoni-Guzmán Manuel A. , Avalos Arian , Marrero Jaime , Otero-Loperena Eduardo J. , Kayım Mehmet , Medina Jose A. , Massey Steve E. , Kence Meral , Kence Aykut , Giray Tugrul , Agosto-Rivera Jose L.
Published: January 2014

Circadian rhythms in social insects are highly plastic and are modulated by multiple factors. In addition, complex behaviors such as sun-compass orientation and time learning are clearly regulated by the circadian system in these organisms. Despite these unique features of social insect clocks, the mechanisms as well as the functional and evolutionary relevance of these traits remain largely unknown. Here we show a modification of the Drosophila activity monitoring (DAM) system that allowed us to measure locomotor rhythms of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (three variants; gAHB, carnica and caucasica) and two paper wasp genera (Polistes crinitus and Mischocyttarus phthisicus). A side-by side comparison of the endogenous period under constant darkness (free-running period) led us to the realization that these social insects exhibit significant deviations from the 24 hour Earth's rotational period as well as a large degree of inter-individual variation compared to Drosophila. Experiments at different temperatures, using honey bees as a model, revealed that testing the endogenous rhythm at 35˚C, which is the hive's core temperature, results in average periods closer to 24h compared to 25˚C (23.8h at 35˚C vs. 22.7h at 25˚C). This finding suggests that the degree of tuning of circadian temperature compensation varies among different organisms. We expect, that the commercial availability, cost-effectiveness, and integrated nature of this monitoring system will facilitate the growth of the circadian field in these social insects and catalyze our understanding of the mechanisms as well as the functional and evolutionary relevance of circadian rhythms.
Cross generation plasticity in cold hardiness is associated with diapause, but not the non-diapause developmental pathway, in the blowfly, Calliphora vicina
Authors: Coleman Paul C. , Bale Jeffrey S. , Hayward Scott A. L.
Published: January 2014

Predicting insect responses to global climate change involves understanding cross generation effects of temperature. The majority of temperate insects overwinter in a state of diapause, a pre-emptive response to winter conditions associated with increased cold hardiness. Diapause is often induced following maternal adult detection of an environmental cue signifying the onset of winter, whilst diapause is initiated in a subsequent life-stage/generation. Continued global warming will expose adults to higher late-autumn temperatures, whilst diapause life-stages will still experience prolonged winter-cold. The cross generation effect of temperature was investigated by acclimating adult Calliphora vicina, to present day (15°C) and future (20°C) late-autumn conditions and assessing cold-hardiness in diapause (D15 and D20) and non-diapause (ND15 and ND 20) progeny. A cross generation plasticity in cold hardiness was associated with D but not ND larvae. D15 larvae exhibited an enhanced ability to suppress the internal freezing (SCP = -18.9±0.9°C) compared to D20 (-15.3±0.8°C), and displayed a greater tolerance of prolonged exposure to -4°C (LT50 26.0± 1.0 days and 11.4±1.1 days, respectively) and -8°C (5.1±1.1 days and 3.0 ±1.1 days, respectively). These changes were associated with a reduced glucose content in D15 (2.4±0.3 g mg-1) compared to D20 (3.0±0.3 g mg-1) larvae. In conclusion, C. vicina adults exposed to warmer autumn conditions during diapause induction will produce larvae with a reduced cold hardiness capacity, which could negatively impact winter survival. Given that maternal regulation of diapause is common among temperate insects this could be a widespread phenomenon.
Heart rate as a predictor of metabolic rate in heterothermic bats
Authors: Currie Shannon E. , Körtner Gerhard , Geiser Fritz
Published: January 2014

While heart rate (fH) has been used as an indicator of energy expenditure, quantitative data showing the relationship between these variables are only available for normothermic animals. To determine whether fH also predicts oxygen consumption (VO2) during torpor we simultaneously measured VO2, fH and subcutaneous body temperature (Tsub) of a hibernator, Gould's long-eared bats (Nyctophilus gouldi, 9 g, n=18), at ambient temperatures (Ta) between 0 and 25°C. At rest, fH of normothermic resting bats was negatively correlated with Ta, with maximum fH of 803 bpm (Ta=5°C). During torpor the relationship between fH and Ta was curvilinear, and at low Tsub (~6°C) fH fell to a minimum average of 8 bpm. The minimum average values for both VO2 and fH in torpor reported here were among the lowest recorded for bats. The relationship between fH and VO2 was significant for both resting (r2=0.64, p<0.001) and torpid bats (r2=0.84, p<0.001), with no overlap between the two states. These variables were also significantly correlated (r2=0.44, p<0.001) for entire torpor bouts. Moreover, estimates of VO2 from fH did not differ significantly from measured values during the different physiological states. Our study is the first to investigate the accuracy of fH as a predictor of VO2 during torpor and indicates the reliability of this method as a potential measure of energy expenditure in the field. Nevertheless, fH should only be used to predict VO2 within the range of activities for which robust correlations have been established.
Ways to Individualize Education by means of Electronic Textbooks
Authors: Артемова  , Artemova L.
Published: January 2014

The author presents didactic basics

for developing electronic textbook on Physics for

the 9th grade students, given that the textbook

contents should take into account cognitive traits

of students, educating on different profiles. The

role of such textbook in personalizing education

in the realm of educational practice is highlighted.
Stimulating Students to the Text-Perception Activity in the Course of Reading Foreign-Language Popular-Scientific Texts at the Stage of Pre-Profile Training
Authors: Добромыслова  , Dobromyslova Tatiana
Published: January 2014

One of the aspects of the textual activity

– text perception - is considered, as related to

with capturing the sense and gaining information

while reading foreign popular scientific texts. The

core of the text-perception activity is explored from

the standpoint of forging certain readiness and

developing certain skills. The author reveals obstacles,

hindering perception of foreign-language

texts of this kind, presents results of teaching

materials evaluation in terms of students’ readiness

for text perception activity and outlines ways

to overcome such obstacles.
The Service Revolution and the Transformation of Marketing Science
Authors: Rust Roland T. , Huang Ming-Hui
Published: January 2014

The nature of marketing science is changing in a systematic, predictable, and irrevocable way. As information technology enables ubiquitous customer communication and big customer data, the fundamental nature of the firm's connection to the customer changes: better, more personalized service can be offered, from which service relationships are deepened, and consequently, more profitable customers grow the influence of service within the goods sector and expand the service sector in the economy. Marketing is becoming more personalized, and marketing science techniques that exploit customer heterogeneity are becoming more important. Information technology improvements also guarantee the increasing importance and usage of computationally intensive data processing and “big data.” Most importantly, these trends have already lasted for more than a century, and they will become even more pronounced in the coming years as a result of the monotonic nature of technology improvement. These changes imply a transformation of marketing science in both the topics to be emphasized and the methods to be employed. Increasingly, and inevitably, all of marketing will come to resemble to a greater degree the formerly specialized area of service marketing, only with an increased emphasis on marketing analytics.
Partnership Formation: The Role of Social Status
Authors: Bhattacharya Haimanti , Dugar Subhasish
Published: January 2014

We experimentally test for the effect of social status on the likelihood of partnership formation. We consider a two-player game where the opportunity to perform a hidden action by one player may render partnership formation difficult. In this context, we study how the assignment of partners' status to the top, middle, or bottom position of a preexisting status hierarchy affects collaboration. We find that partnership formation is remarkably sensitive to the partners' status affiliations. Collaboration is easiest when both partners share the same social status, and the probability of partnership formation decreases significantly as the status gap between the partners increases, entailing massive inefficiency.

This paper was accepted by Uri Gneezy, behavioral economics.
Dynamic Pricing of Perishable Assets Under Competition
Authors: Gallego Guillermo , Hu Ming
Published: January 2014

We study dynamic price competition in an oligopolistic market with a mix of substitutable and complementary perishable assets. Each firm has a fixed initial stock of items and competes in setting prices to sell them over a finite sales horizon. Customers sequentially arrive at the market, make a purchase choice, and then leave immediately with some likelihood of no purchase. The purchase likelihood depends on the time of purchase, product attributes, and current prices. The demand structure includes time-variant linear and multinomial logit demand models as special cases. Assuming deterministic customer arrival rates, we show that any equilibrium strategy has a simple structure, involving a finite set of shadow prices measuring capacity externalities that firms exert on each other: equilibrium prices can be solved from a one-shot price competition game under the current-time demand structure, taking into account capacity externalities through the time-invariant shadow prices. The former reflects the transient demand side at every moment, and the latter captures the aggregate supply constraints over the sales horizon. This simple structure sheds light on dynamic revenue management problems under competition, which helps capture the essence of the problems under demand uncertainty. We show that the equilibrium solutions from the deterministic game provide precommitted and contingent heuristic policies that are asymptotic equilibria for its stochastic counterpart, when demand and supply are sufficiently large.

This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.
A Branch-and-Cut Method for Dynamic Decision Making Under Joint Chance Constraints
Authors: Zhang Minjiao , Küçükyavuz Simge , Goel Saumya
Published: January 2014

In this paper, we consider a finite-horizon stochastic mixed-integer program involving dynamic decisions under a constraint on the overall performance or reliability of the system. We formulate this problem as a multistage (dynamic) chance-constrained program, whose deterministic equivalent is a large-scale mixed-integer program. We study the structure of the formulation and develop a branch-and-cut method for its solution. We illustrate the efficacy of the proposed model and method on a dynamic inventory control problem with stochastic demand in which a specific service level must be met over the entire planning horizon. We compare our dynamic model with a static chance-constrained model, a dynamic risk-averse optimization model, a robust optimization model, and a pseudo-dynamic approach and show that significant cost savings can be achieved at high service levels using our model.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2013.1822 .

This paper was accepted by Dimitris Bertsimas, optimization.
Managing the Repertoire: Stories, Metaphors, Prototypes, and Concept Coherence in Product Innovation
Authors: Seidel Victor P. , O’Mahony Siobhán
Published: January 2014

Arecognized challenge in innovation scholarship is how to coordinate the efforts of many minds contributing to the design of a single artifact. Much research shows that product concept representations can help coordinate design tasks, but we know little about the practices that make representations more or less effective. We used an inductive approach to examine how six teams in three industries used concept representations when creating novel products. All six teams crafted three types of representations: stories, metaphors, and prototypes. However, merely using representations did not ensure a shared repertoire and concept coherence—a common understanding of desired product attributes. Teams that failed to consistently engage in three practices—(1) collective scrutiny of representations, (2) linking representations to design constraints, and (3) active editing of representations—produced concept disunity, with disparate understandings of desired product attributes. Teams that maintained concept coherence were better able to coordinate design tasks than teams that experienced concept disunity. Our research explains how the ultimate effect of concept representations on the coordination of innovation is contingent on the practices used to manage a repertoire of representations in use.
The possibilities of happiness: Australian mothers’ aspirations for their children in neoliberal times
Authors: Hartung Catherine , Halse Christine
Published: January 2014

Within the context of neoliberal times, mothers are said to be increasingly monitoring their children’s lives. Yet, the extent to which neoliberalism can explain mothers’ aspirations for their children remains unclear. This article explores how 26 Australian mothers, half of whom had a child with an eating disorder, spoke about happiness in regards to their aspirations for their children. We argue that the mothers resist materialistic aspirations for their children by privileging their child’s happiness, defined as a selection of inner qualities that their children can possess. While all the mothers were aspirational about their children’s future happiness, happiness to mothers with a child with an eating disorder was more moderate and viewed as a way of protecting their children. Further, privileging these inner qualities of happiness brings its own limitations. We highlight the contextual nature of happiness, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of family circumstances in neoliberal times.
Low Nonfasting Triglycerides and Reduced All-Cause Mortality: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Thomsen Mette , Varbo Anette , Tybjærg-Hansen Anne , Nordestgaard Børge G
Published: January 2014

BACKGROUND

Increased nonfasting plasma triglycerides marking increased amounts of cholesterol in remnant lipoproteins are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but whether lifelong reduced concentrations of triglycerides on a genetic basis ultimately lead to reduced all-cause mortality is unknown. We tested this hypothesis.

METHODS

Using individuals from the Copenhagen City Heart Study in a mendelian randomization design, we first tested whether low concentrations of nonfasting triglycerides were associated with reduced all-cause mortality in observational analyses (n = 13 957); second, whether genetic variants in the triglyceride-degrading enzyme lipoprotein lipase, resulting in reduced nonfasting triglycerides and remnant cholesterol, were associated with reduced all-cause mortality (n = 10 208).

RESULTS

During a median 24 and 17 years of 100% complete follow-up, 9991 and 4005 individuals died in observational and genetic analyses, respectively. In observational analyses compared to individuals with nonfasting plasma triglycerides of 266–442 mg/dL (3.00–4.99 mmol/L), multivariably adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 0.89 (95% CI 0.78–1.02) for 177–265 mg/dL (2.00–2.99 mmol/L), 0.74 (0.65–0.84) for 89–176 mg/dL (1.00–1.99 mmol/L), and 0.59 (0.51–0.68) for individuals with nonfasting triglycerides <89 mg/dL (<1.00 mmol/L). The odds ratio for a genetically derived 89-mg/dL (1-mmol/L) lower concentration in nonfasting triglycerides was 0.50 (0.30–0.82), with a corresponding observational hazard ratio of 0.87 (0.85–0.89). Also, the odds ratio for a genetically derived 50% lower concentration in nonfasting triglycerides was 0.43 (0.23–0.80), with a corresponding observational hazard ratio of 0.73 (0.70–0.77).

CONCLUSIONS

Genetically reduced concentrations of nonfasting plasma triglycerides are associated with reduced all-cause mortality, likely through reduced amounts of cholesterol in remnant lipoproteins.
Comparing the Effect of Store Remodeling on New and Existing Customers
Authors: Dagger Tracey S. , Danaher Peter J.
Published: January 2014

Although retailers invest millions of dollars in redesigning, refreshing, and remodeling their stores, it is unclear that such large investments are worthwhile. Prior research has indicated that remodeling has only a short-term effect. However, a previously unexplored area is its effect on those who visit the store for the first time after it is remodeled (new customers) versus those who had visited before the remodeling (existing customers). This study contrasts the effect of store remodeling on new and existing customers in two field experiments with stores that underwent a major remodeling. Treatment and control stores are used in both experiments. The authors measure sales before and after the remodeling for new and existing customers; in one store, they also measure customers’ psychological responses. In both cases, sales increased after the remodeling effort. However, sales for new customers are significantly higher than sales for existing customers after the remodel, and this difference persists for a year. Higher sales to new customers are primarily due to more new customers being drawn to the remodeled store, their higher spend per visit, and their subsequent increased visit frequency.
The Nature of Epiphany
Authors: Kien Grant
Published: January 2014

This autoethnographic reflection explores the nature of Denzin's notion of epiphany, an identifiable moment of lived experience that one can identify as a turning point in one's understanding of oneself and one's relationship to the world. The recurring, longitudinal but unpredictable characteristic of remembering the epiphanic moment as it erupts throughout one's life leads to the description of epiphany as if it has a life of its own. Thus the epiphany compels the researcher to return to and explore that life-altering moment. The emotional urgency induced by the epiphany thus turns the methodological instruction—that one must constantly return to that moment—into an imperative, meaning one must constantly reexamine the epiphany because the epiphany of its own accord demands reexamination.
Adémar de Chabannes (989–1034) and Musical Literacy
Authors: Grier James
Published: January 2014

In the second half of 1027, Adémar de Chabannes contributed the musical notation to the production of an elaborate liturgical manuscript (currently Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS latin 1121) at the scriptorium of Saint Martial in Limoges. While doing so, he introduced the innovative technique of placing the neumes in strict alignment along the vertical axis of writing in accordance with their relative pitch. The accurate heighting of the neumes revolutionized the teaching of music at Saint Martial, and eventually throughout Aquitaine. Instead of relying on the rote communication of melodies from more experienced singers, younger musicians could turn to the visual transmission of chant through the medium of notation, now made more transparent by the use of accurate heighting. This article investigates the musical and intellectual context in which Adémar introduced the innovation of accurate heighting to the scriptorium at Saint Martial, the role of tonaries (now equipped with precise intervallic information) in musical pedagogy, and the impact of these devices on musical practices at Saint Martial through the eleventh century.
Notation After “The Reality Effect”
Authors: Buurma Rachel Sagner , Heffernan Laura
Published: January 2014

In “The Reality Effect,” Roland Barthes reveals notation’s ideological function within the realist novel; a decade later in Preparation of the Novel, Barthes reconsiders notation as the practice by which the writer provisionally makes literary meaning. Barthes’s revision of his claims for the reality effect helps us see how an emerging genre—the novel of commission—pulls referential, preparatory materials into the novel in order to reimagine the sociality and institutionality of the writing process.
LAMP3 is involved in tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells through the modulation of autophagy
Authors: Nagelkerke Anika , Sieuwerts Anieta M , Bussink Johan , Sweep Fred C G J , Look Maxime P , Foekens John A , Martens John W M , Span Paul N
Published: January 2014

Lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3) is a member of the LAMP-family of proteins, which are involved in the process of autophagy. Autophagy is induced by tamoxifen in breast cancer cells and may contribute to tamoxifen resistance. In this study, the significance of LAMP3 for tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer was examined. The methods employed included use of clonogenic assays to assess the survival of MCF7 breast cancer cells with LAMP3 knockdown after tamoxifen treatment and of quantitative real-time PCR of LAMP3 to evaluate its predictive value for first-line tamoxifen treatment in patients with advanced breast cancer. Results show that tamoxifen treatment of MCF7 cells induced LAMP3 mRNA expression. LAMP3 knockdown in these cells increased tamoxifen sensitivity. Evaluation of expression of the autophagy markers, LC3B and p62, after LAMP3 knockdown showed increased expression levels, indicating that cells with LAMP3 knockdown have a suppressed ability to complete the autophagic process. In addition, knockdown of autophagy-associated genes resulted in sensitization to tamoxifen. Next, tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 cells were cultured. These cells had a sevenfold higher LAMP3 mRNA expression, showed elevated basal autophagy levels, and could be significantly resensitized to tamoxifen by LAMP3 knockdown. In patients treated with first-line tamoxifen for advanced disease (n=304), high LAMP3 mRNA expression was associated with shorter progression-free survival (P=0.003) and shorter post-relapse overall survival (P=0.040), also in multivariate analysis. Together, these results indicate that LAMP3 contributes to tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. Tamoxifen-resistant cells are resensitized to tamoxifen by the knockdown of LAMP3. Therefore, LAMP3 may be clinically relevant to countering tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer patients.
Aromatase inhibitors in the breast cancer clinic: focus on exemestane
Authors: Van Asten Kathleen , Neven Patrick , Lintermans Anneleen , Wildiers Hans , Paridaens Robert
Published: January 2014

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women and responsible for significant female cancer-related mortality worldwide. In the Western world, over 80% of breast cancers are hormone-receptor positive for which endocrine therapy is administered. The main anti-estrogen treatments in use consist of selective estrogen-receptor modulators, such as tamoxifen, and third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs), such as exemestane, letrozole, and anastrozole. In this review, the focus will lie on exemestane, its clinical use, and its side-effect profile. Exemestane is the only third-generation steroidal AI. Its efficacy as a first-line treatment in metastatic breast cancer has been demonstrated. Therefore, exemestane could be considered a valid first-line therapeutic option, but it also can be used in second-line or further situations. Exemestane is mostly used as part of sequential adjuvant treatment following tamoxifen, but in this setting it is also active in monotherapy. Furthermore, this AI has been studied in the neoadjuvant setting as presurgical treatment, and even as chemoprevention in high-risk healthy postmenopausal women. It may reverse side effects of tamoxifen, such as endometrial changes and thromboembolic disease but may also cause some inconvenient side effects itself. Additionally, there is a lack of total cross-resistance between exemestane and nonsteroidal AIs as far as their anti-tumoral efficacy is concerned; moreover the two classes of AIs display a nontotal overlapping toxicity profile. Taking together, exemestane can be considered as a useful treatment option at all stages of breast cancer.
Mind the gap: can we explain declining male reproductive health with known antiandrogens?
Authors: Kortenkamp Andreas , Scholze Martin , Ermler Sibylle
Published: January 2014

Several countries have experienced rises in cryptorchidisms, hypospadias and testicular germ cell cancer. The reasons for these trends are largely unknown, but Skakkebaek has proposed that these disorders form a testicular dysgenesis syndrome and can be traced to androgen insufficiency in foetal life. This suggests that antiandrogenic chemicals might contribute to risks, but few chemicals have been linked to these diseases in epidemiological studies. In animal studies with p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, effects typical of disruptions of male sexual differentiation became apparent when the foetal levels of this androgen receptor (AR) antagonist approached values associated with responses in in vitro assays. This prompted us to analyse whether the 22 chemicals with AR antagonistic properties would produce mixture effects in an in vitro AR antagonism assay when combined at concentrations found in human serum. Other antiandrogenic modalities could not be considered. Two scenarios were investigated, one representative of average serum levels reported in European countries, the other in line with levels towards the high exposures. In both situations, the in vitro potency of the 22 selected AR antagonists was too low to produce combined AR antagonistic effects at the concentrations found in human serum, although the high exposure scenario came quite close to measurable effects. Nevertheless, our analysis exposes an explanation gap which can only be bridged by conjuring up as yet undiscovered high potency AR antagonists or, alternatively, high exposures to unknown agents of average potency.