bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the wood anatomical and dendroecological potential of arctic dwarf shrub communities
Authors: Schweingruber Fritz Hans , Hellmann Lena , Tegel Willy , Braun Sarah , Nievergelt Daniel , Büntgen Ulf
Published: February 2014

Supplementing broader-scale dendroecological approaches with high-resolution wood anatomical analyses constitutes a useful technique to assess spatiotemporal patterns of climate-induced growth responses in circumpolar tundra vegetation. A systematic evaluation of dendrochronological and wood anatomical features in arctic dwarf shrubs is, however, still missing. Here, we report on nearly thousand samples from ten major dwarf shrub species that were collected at 30 plot-sites around 70°N and 22°W in coastal East Greenland. Morphological root and stem characteristics, together with intra-annual anatomical variations are outlined and the potential and limitation of ring counting is stressed. This study further demonstrates the possibility to gain annually resolved insight on past dry matter production and carbon allocation in arctic (and alpine) environments well beyond northern (and upper) treelines, where vegetation growth is particularly sensitive to environmental change.
Does growth rhythm of a widespread species change in distinct growth sites?
Authors: Costa Monique S. , de Vasconcellos Thaís J. , Barros Claudia F. , Callado Cátia H.
Published: February 2014

This study is aimed to understand responses in growth rhythm to different climatic conditions of the widespread deciduous species Cedrela odorata. Our own research was conducted in Nova Iguaçu. Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) and compared with literature data from Aripuanã. Mato Grosso State, Brazil), Manaus. Amazonas State, Brazil) and Barinas. Barinas State, Venezuela). Growth periodicity was evaluated through leaf phenological behavior and radial growth. In Nova Iguaçu, leaf phenology was monitored monthly and radial growth was evaluated by cambial histological analysis of samples collected in wet and dry seasons. In the other sites, the authors evaluated the growth rhythm by dendrometer bands. Growth always occurs in the wet season, even when there is no water deficit during the dry season. Thus, the species is considered conservative concerning the maintenance of growth seasonality. Nevertheless, C. odorata was able to change its growth period, following local seasonality of its different growth sites. Therefore we suggest caution when performing climate analysis from a chronology using trees that grow in different periods of the year.
Four new species of Rasbora of the Sumatrana group (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from northern Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: LUMBANTOBING DANIEL N.
Published: February 2014

Four new species of the minnow genus Rasbora of the Sumatrana group, R. arundinata, R. haru, R. maninjau, and R. bindumatoga, are described from northern Sumatra. Rasbora arundinata is distinguished from all congeners in the Sumatrana group by the black midlateral stripe overall forming a reed-leaf-like profile. Rasbora haru differs from its congeners in the Sumatrana group in having the black midlateral stripe overall forming a stamen-like profile. The new species endemic to Lake Maninjau in central west Sumatra, Rasbora maninjau, is unique among all the congeners in the Sumatrana group in having a combination of the black midlateral stripe extending from the midhumeral region of uniform width, the prominent acutely triangular basicaudal blotch, and the oval supra-anal pigmentation. Rasbora bindumatoga is distinguished from all congeners in the Sumatrana group by a combination of the black rectangular subdorsal blotch, the absence of supra-anal pigmentation, and the somewhat oval basicaudal blotch. Rasbora arundinata, R. maninjau, and R. bindumatoga occur allopatrically in the northwestern coastal region of Sumatra, while R. haru is known from northeastern coastal area of Sumatra. A new diagnostic character for the Sumatrana group is described: partial exposure of the upper lip due to a submedial contact between the maxilla and the lower lip, which is marked posteriorly by a lachrymal groove.
Remote Effects of El Niño and Modoki Events on the Austral Summer Precipitation of Southern Africa
Authors: Ratnam J. V. , Behera S. K. , Masumoto Y. , Yamagata T.
Published: February 2014

Remote effects modulating the austral summer precipitation over southern Africa during El Niño/El Niño Modoki events are investigated by analyzing the observed events during December–February of the years from 1982/83 to 2010/11. Based on the composite analyses, it is found that southern Africa experiences significantly below normal precipitation during El Niño events compared to El Niño Modoki events. During these latter events, precipitation anomalies are not so significant although southern Africa as a whole receives below normal precipitations. The differences in the spatial distribution of precipitation over southern Africa are seen to be related to the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies of the equatorial Pacific through atmospheric teleconnections.

The low-level (850 hPa) Matsuno–Gill response to anomalously high precipitation over the Pacific during El Niño events results in an anomalous anticyclone extending from the equatorial to the subtropical South Indian Ocean. These anomalous anticyclonic winds weaken the tropical moisture flow into the southern Africa landmass. Rossby wave activity flux analysis of the upper-level (300 hPa) circulation shows an anomalous tropospheric stationary wave from the Pacific propagating toward southern Africa and maintaining an anomalous anticyclone over southern Africa. The anomalous Matsuno–Gill response and the anomalous tropospheric stationary wave response are intense during El Niño events, causing drought over southern Africa. During El Niño Modoki events, these processes are weaker compared to El Niño events.
Homogenization and Assessment of Observed Near-Surface Wind Speed Trends over Spain and Portugal, 1961–2011*
Authors: Azorin-Molina Cesar , Vicente-Serrano Sergio M. , McVicar Tim R. , Jerez Sonia , Sanchez-Lorenzo Arturo , López-Moreno Juan-I. , Revuelto Jesus , Trigo Ricardo M. , Lopez-Bustins Joan A. , Espírito-Santo Fátima
Published: February 2014

Near-surface wind speed trends recorded at 67 land-based stations across Spain and Portugal for 1961–2011, also focusing on the 1979–2008 subperiod, were analyzed. Wind speed series were subjected to quality control, reconstruction, and homogenization using a novel procedure that incorporated the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5)-simulated series as reference. The resultant series show a slight downward trend for both 1961–2011 (−0.016 m s−1 decade−1) and 1979–2008 (−0.010 m s−1 decade−1). However, differences between seasons with declining values in winter and spring, and increasing trends in summer and autumn, were observed. Even though wind stilling affected 77.8% of the stations in winter and 66.7% in spring, only roughly 40% of the declining trends were statistically significant at the p < 0.10 level. On the contrary, increasing trends appeared in 51.9% of the stations in summer and 57.4% in autumn, with also around 40% of the positive trends statistically significant at the p < 0.10 level. In this article, the authors also investigated (i) the possible impact of three atmospheric indices on the observed trends and (ii) the role played by the urbanization growth in the observed decline. An accurate homogenization and assessment of the long-term trends of wind speed is crucial for many fields such as wind energy (e.g., power generation) and agriculture–hydrology (e.g., evaporative demand).
Can an Ageing Scotland Afford Independence?
Authors: Lisenkova Katerina , Mérette Marcel
Published: February 2014

The aim and scope of this paper is to isolate the effects of population ageing in the context of potential Scottish independence. A dynamic multiregional Overlapping Generations Computable General Equilibrium (OLG-CGE) model is used to evaluate the two scenarios. The status quo scenario assumes that Scotland stays part of the UK and all government expenditures associated with its ageing population are funded on a UK-wide basis. In the independence scenario, Scotland and the rest of the UK pay for the growing demands of their ageing populations independently. The comparison suggests that Scotland is worse off in the case of independence. The effective labour income tax rate in the independence scenario has to increase further compared with the status quo scenario. The additional increase reaches its maximum in 2035 at 1.4 percentage points. The additional rise in the tax rate is non-negligible, but is much smaller than the population ageing effect (status quo scenario) which generates an increase of about 8.5 percentage points by 2060. The difference for government finances between the status quo and independence scenarios is thus relatively small.
The Political Economy of Small European States: And Lessons for Scotland
Authors: Keating Michael , Harvey Malcolm
Published: February 2014

An independent Scotland would be a small European state. Small states may be at a disadvantage in world markets but can also adapt successfully. There are different modes of adaptation, notably the market-liberal mode and the social investment state. Either mode is dependent on internal institutions, social relationships and modes of policymaking. It is not possible to pick and choose items of different models since they have an internal coherence. The Scottish White Paper on independence supports the social investment state. Scotland has some, but not all, of the prerequisites for this so that independence would require internal adaptation.
The Children of God: Natural Slavery in the Thought of Aquinas and Vitoria
Authors: Capizzi Joseph E.
Published: February 2014

[The author seeks to show the consonance of Thomas Aquinas's and Francisco de Vitoria's views of natural slavery in the context of developments in natural rights theories. Against two views, one of which indicts Aquinas, and the other, Vitoria, for an unchristian perspective on slavery, the article shows that neither Aquinas nor Vitoria had the theological resources to condemn slavery as we should.]
Christ's Salvific Message and the Nandi Ritual of Female Circumcision
Authors: Nyangweso Mary
Published: February 2014

[Female initiation rite is one of the many traditional practices found in some African communities. The many rituals during this time of initiation include female circumcision/female genital mutilation, a socially justified mark of maturation, dramatizing the break with childhood and incorporation into adulthood. This practice has received much criticism because of sexist, health, and human implications for woman's integrity. Christian missionaries to Africa condemned it as a barbaric practice, unnecessary for its believers. In spite of condemnations and various efforts to stop the practice, female circumcision persists among a number of Africans including Christians. The author here examines the gospel message, especially what Christ's salvific message means to the Nandi culture, and especially how the practice of female circumcision can be reinterpreted in the light of this message.]
The Broken Wings of Eros: Christian Ethics and the Denial of Desire
Authors: Black Peter
Published: February 2014

[In this segment of the Notes on Moral Theology, the author argues that overcoming one's suspicion of eros in Christian ethics would lead to a more integrated vision of the human person, moving beyond the dichotomies between rational knowledge and emotional cognition, spirituality and sexuality, agape and self-love. At the same time, positive recognition of eros would help oust the eroticization of power.]
Piet Fransen's Research on Fides Et Mores
Authors: Stagaman David
Published: February 2014

[At Vatican I fides et mores were key terms, ordinarily translated as “faith and morals” and understood as separable terms. Were they always so distinguished? Did mores traditionally mean “morals”? Piet Fransen traced their origin to a letter of St. Augustine and followed their use through the Middle Ages to the Council of Trent. Afterwards, the meaning of mores changed from ecclesiastical customs to morals; fides became a concept rather than the lived faith of the Church.]
Jacques Dupuis's Contributions to Interreligious Dialogue
Authors: O'Collins Gerald
Published: February 2014

[The author summarizes the content of Jacques Dupuis's latest work, Christianity and the Religions: From Confrontation to Dialogue (Orbis, 2002) and indicates some of the points where it differs from his earlier, longer book, Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (Orbis, 1997). He then reflects on the terminological and substantial issues that Dupuis has taken up in his two works. Both books offer outstanding contributions to interreligious dialogue.]
Rethinking Morality's Relationship to Salvation: Josef Fuchs, S.J., on Moral Goodness
Authors: Graham Mark E.
Published: February 2014

[The author explains Fuchs's two distinct notions of moral goodness and their relationship to salvation. By linking moral goodness with the performance of right actions, the early Fuchs unwittingly made it more difficult for some people to become morally good, and thus to accept God's gift of salvation. The later Fuchs overcame many of these problems by appropriating Karl Rahner's theological anthropology, especially his understanding of the fundamental option, although Fuchs's conception of moral goodness is still not entirely satisfactory. Building on Fuchs's insights, the author then proposes an account of moral goodness which he judges to be more adequate.]
The Whole Rahner on the Supernatural Existential
Authors: Coffey David
Published: February 2014

[The author notes that serious discrepancies apparently exist between Rahner's initial and later formulations of his theology regarding the supernatural existential. Such a conclusion, if correct, would present a problem because Rahner's first formulation has commonly been deemed to be a corrective to a serious weakness in de Lubac's theology which underpinned the nouvelle théologie movement. In order to solve this apparent anomaly, the author proposes a more comprehensive theology of the existential by elaborating Rahner's theology of grace for its intrinsic and ecumenical value.]
For What Shall we Repent? Reflections on the American Bishops, Their Teaching, and Slavery in the United States, 1839–1861
Authors: Capizzi Joseph E.
Published: February 2014

[The author explores the intersection of history and theology, focusing on a theological analysis of the American Catholic response to slavery. The article places 19th-century episcopal Catholic teaching and practice on slavery in the context of memory and repentance. Using current papal documents calling for repentance of the Church's past failings, the article reflects on American Catholic responses to slavery and draws out the religious and moral implications of American episcopal teachings on slavery, with an emphasis on the relationship between inadequate or false teaching and church practice. The topic has implications for studies on the development of moral doctrine.]
Foundations Once Destroyed: The Catholic Church and Criminal Justice
Authors: Skotnicki Andrew
Published: February 2014

[On several occasions in recent years, the Catholic bishops of the United States have sought to present the Catholic position in matters pertaining to crime and punishment. While in many ways laudable, these statements pay insufficient attention to important historical and conceptual foundations of criminal justice in the Catholic tradition and reflect an inadequate understanding of current trends in present-day correctional policy.]
Validity of Baptism and Ordination in the African Response to the “Rebaptism” Crisis: Cyprian of Carthage's Synod of Spring 256
Authors: Dunn Geoffrey D.
Published: February 2014

While Cyprian's Epistula 72, sent to Stephen of Rome after the spring 256 synod of African bishops, is well known for its part in what is known as the rebaptism controversy, it is less well known for what it says about the question of clerics who wished to leave a breakaway Christian sect and rejoin (or join) the mainstream ecclesial community. After considering the question of how frequently Cyprian wrote to Rome after African synods, this article explores Cyprian's understanding of the character of ordination. His concerns are relevant to the question of the validity of Anglican orders and the status of clergy recently ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Intuition and Moral Theology
Authors: Hoose Bernard
Published: February 2014

Moral theologians grant that intuitions cannot supply all that is needed for their craft. It may be, however, that intuitions can and do play a bigger role than theologians have hitherto conceded. A glance at the history of slavery, torture, and the execution of alleged heretics, together with a consideration of the role of the Holy Spirit in the moral sphere, may help to cast some light on the subject.
Crises and Other Developments
Authors: Keenan James F.
Published: February 2014

A bibliographical review of themes in fundamental moral theology over the past four years evidences an astonishingly frequent reference to crises—in identity and in the Church. Reviewing the literature also yields other more promising developments wherein ethicists are becoming more theological and historical in their work.
An African Moral Theology of Inculturation: Methodological Considerations
Authors: Odozor Paulinus Ikechukwu
Published: February 2014

Following a brief discussion of inculturation in moral theology, the article appeals to the work of Bénézet Bujo, a pioneer in fundamental African Catholic moral theology, and Richard McCormick to shed light on the theology of inculturation today. The article closes with proposals for a fundamental moral theology that is both truly Christian and truly African.
Do parental perceptions of the neighbourhood environment influence children’s independent mobility? Evidence from Toronto, Canada
Authors: Mitra Raktim , Faulkner Guy EJ , Buliung Ron N , Stone Michelle R
Published: February 2014

Children’s independent mobility (CIM), or a child’s freedom to explore their neighbourhood unsupervised, is important for their psychological development and potentially enables daily physical activity. However, the correlates of CIM remain under-studied particularly in terms of the influence of the neighbourhood environment. Within this context, children’s independent mobility in Toronto, Canada, was examined using linear regression and ordered logit models. Findings demonstrate that a higher level of CIM was correlated with more physical activity. Parental perceptions related to neighbourhood safety, stranger danger and sociability were associated with CIM. A child’s independent mobility was also correlated with age, sex, language spoken at home and parental travel attitudes. Interventions to increase CIM should focus on enhancing the neighbourhood social environment. Increasing the independent mobility of girls and of children with diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds are also worthy of particular research and policy attention.
Love Is a Battlefield
Authors: Lopez Vera
Published: February 2014

This qualitative study examines how Latina girls’ understanding of infidelity influences how they approach and interact with romantic partners. In-depth interviews with 24 Mexican American girls, ages 14 to 18, growing up in inner-city neighborhoods, formed the basis of this study. Although cheating was a major concern, most of the girls were more concerned with the emotional ramifications of being cheated on than any physical consequences. Fueled by a belief that most boys are “players,” they became adept at identifying “red flags” that might indicate infidelity. The most frequently mentioned red flags were “Putting in the Time,” “Adopting a Public Versus Private Persona,” “Partner Seems Less Interested,” “Being Secretive,” and “Flirting with Other Girls.” They also relied on electronic surveillance and peer warnings. Although the girls attempted to protect themselves, their reactions and behaviors were often constrained by a larger patriarchal structure outside their immediate control. Implications for gender-specific programs are discussed.
Loss of appetite and strength in the geriatric population: diagnostic symptoms for dengue
Authors: Hotchandani Ajay
Published: February 2014

In dengue endemic regions, a chief complaint of nocturnal fever often is a pathognomic phrase that triggers an investigation for dengue. This article looks at cases of patients who were tested for dengue based on their symptoms of weakness and loss of appetite, without fever as fever was absent in most cases. The article also examines the changes in weight that occur after diagnosis of dengue and compares it to weight loss (if any) that occurred prior to the diagnosis. Dealing with the anorexia and weight loss is challenging for physicians, patients and family members.
Status migrainosus and migraine aura status in a French tertiary-care center: An 11-year retrospective analysis
Authors: Beltramone Marion , Donnet Anne
Published: February 2014

Background

Status migrainosus (SM) and migraine aura status (MAS) are two migraine complications. Few data exist in literature.

Methods

This 11-year retrospective study in one French center describes patients’ characteristics, modifications of the migraine before complication, evolution after the episode and management in patients who had SM or MAS according to International Classification of Headache Disorders, second edition (ICHD-II) criteria.

Results

Among 8821 patients, 24 had SM, three had MAS and one had both forms. Mean duration of SM was 4.8 weeks and four weeks for MAS. Stress and menstruation were the main precipitating factors for SM (68.8% and 31.3%, respectively). No precipitating factor was found for MAS. For a majority of patients, the frequency of migraine attack was the same before and after SM or MAS. SM and MAS occurred more frequently in patients with initial low-frequency migraine attacks. Eight patients had a relapse of SM and three of MAS. Fifteen were hospitalized for amitriptyline intravenous treatment.

Conclusions

SM and MAS are rare. Our results highlight a high rate of relapse and a similar frequency of migraine attacks before and after SM.
Obesity and Organ Transplantation
Authors: DiCecco Sara R. , Francisco‐Ziller Nickie
Published: February 2014

The increasing rate of societal obesity is also affecting the transplant world through obesity in candidates and donors as well as its posttransplant repercussions. Being overweight and obese has been shown to have significant effects on both short‐ and long‐term complications as well as patient and graft survival. However, much of the comorbidity can be controlled or prevented with careful patient selection and aggressive management. A team approach to managing obesity and its comorbidities both pre‐ and posttransplant is essential for successful transplant outcomes. Complicating understanding the results of obesity research is the inclusion different weight categories, use of listing vs transplant weights, patient populations large enough for statistical power, and changes in transplant management, especially immunosuppression protocols, anti‐infection protocols, and operative techniques. Much more research is needed regarding many elements, including safe weight loss before transplantation, prevention of weight gain after transplant, genomic influences, and the role of bariatric surgery in the transplant process.
Principles, dialectic and the common world of friendship
Authors: Bonner Kieran
Published: February 2014

In the Crito, a dialogue that is highly influential for the traditions both of philosophy and of political thinking, Socrates resists the pleading of his friend Crito to escape the city that has condemned him. For Arendt, the dialogue instantiates the separation between humans as thinking beings and humans as acting beings, and so between political theory and philosophy. For others, the dialogue shows Socrates’ reasoning to be self-contradictory. Socrates’ introduction of the Athenian Laws as a world of greater moral force than the empirical Athens of Crito’s appeal aims to ground principled action. Yet, there are many competing principles (authoritarianism, obedience, patriotism, friendship, integrity) that, interpretively speaking, have been understood as validated by this dialogue. Is there any necessary or analytic principle that can be articulated and, if so, what are the grounds of such? Drawing on the theory and methods of Blum and McHugh’s analysis and Gadamer’s hermeneutics, this article seeks to demonstrate that practical (political) action needs to be understood in an analytic context to grasp fully its ethical and political implications. Along the way, reference will be made to Garfinkel’s articulation of members’ methods for discovering agreements and Arendt’s articulation of the common world that the conversation among friends sustains.
Language Switching Makes Pronunciation Less Nativelike
Authors: Goldrick Matthew , Runnqvist Elin , Costa Albert
Published: February 2014

It is well known that multilingual speakers’ nonnative productions are accented. Do these deviations from monolingual productions simply reflect the mislearning of nonnative sound categories, or can difficulties in processing speech sounds also contribute to a speaker’s accent? Such difficulties are predicted by interactive theories of production, which propose that nontarget representations, partially activated during lexical access, influence phonetic processing. We examined this possibility using language switching, a task that is well known to disrupt multilingual speech production. We found that these disruptions extend to the articulation of individual speech sounds. When native Spanish speakers are required to unexpectedly switch the language of production between Spanish and English, their speech becomes more accented than when they do not switch languages (particularly for cognate targets). These findings suggest that accents reflect not only difficulty in acquiring second-language speech sounds but also the influence of representations partially activated during on-line speech processing.
Evolutionary psychology, design reification, and the denial of personhood: A reply to Klasios
Authors: Peters Brad M.
Published: February 2014

Klasios, who asserts that my recent critique of evolutionary psychology contains egregious misunderstandings and a straw-man presentation of its theoretical assumptions, claims to outline the real position of evolutionary psychology while proffering a more accurate treatment of the neurobiological issues involved. On the contrary, I attempt to show that Klasios frequently misstates my position and that his arguments repeatedly prove my own. His evidentiary neurobiological examples meant to criticize my position are nearly identical to those provided by myself in pointing toward an alternative to evolutionary psychology—which suggests an unwillingness to seriously conceptualize a non-“blank-slate” null hypothesis. Klasios’ call to avoid the term “innate” and accept a revised terminology of modularity is also criticized, while his reductionist appeal to thermodynamics is argued to reveal what is most at stake in the debate between evolutionary psychologists and its critics: whether the future of psychology will leave adequate room for personhood in its conceptualization of the human mind.
Holocene environmental history at the treeline in the Northern Apennines, Italy: A micromorphological approach
Authors: Compostella Chiara , Mariani Guido Stefano , Trombino Luca
Published: February 2014

The aim of this work is to investigate paleoenvironment at treeline quotas through the help of soil micromorphology. It also assesses how the micromorphological approach can provide information in paleoenvironmental studies where paleosols are available as proxy archives. Nine soil profiles are described across the treeline, between 1723 and 1860 m, on Mt Cusna slope (2121 m a.s.l., Northern Apennines, Italy). Undisturbed samples from selected soil horizons are collected in Kubiëna boxes. From field observations, all the profiles appear to be composed of two main pedogenetic units: the upper one, composed of a recent soil of colluvial origin, and the deeper one, consisting of an underlying more developed buried paleosol. Thin sections give detailed information about the nature and the origin of both pedological units. Four principal phases of paleosol development are detected. A first period of temperate climate with forest cover and contrasted seasons is followed by a phase of change and then by a successive decrease of forest cover. In a last phase, the soil experiences frost action under the effect of a colder climate. The final deposition of colluvium seems to be very recent (historical time). Moreover, multiple colluvial layers are identified. Colluvial material of different origins could be identified as part of dismantled soils similar to the preexisting paleosol. In conclusion, with the help of soil micromorphology, it is possible to assess the existence of past stable forest at least 100 m above the present treeline. The micromorphological approach represents a powerful tool in multidisciplinary paleoenvironmental studies due to its high level of resolution in outlining the individual and successive phases of soil evolution.
Puerarin protects against lead-induced cytotoxicity in cultured primary rat proximal tubular cells
Authors: Liu Gang , Li Zifa , Wang Jinqiu , Wang Hong , Wang Zhenyong , Wang Lin
Published: February 2014

Puerarin, a potent free radicals scavenger, has been demonstrated to have protective efficacy in oxidative damage induced by nephrotoxins. In the present study, the attenuating effect of puerarin (PU) on lead (Pb)-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress was investigated in cultured primary rat proximal tubular (rPT) cells. Results showed that exposure to 0.5 µM Pb induced a decrease in cell viability accompanied with obvious cellular morphological alterations and caused an increase in apoptotic rate and apoptotic morphological changes. Simultaneously, depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δ Ψ) and intracellular glutathione (GSH); elevation of caspase-3 activity, intracellular reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde levels; and inhibition of GSH peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity were revealed in the cells exposed to Pb alone. However, simultaneous supplementation with PU (50 and 100 µM) protected rPT cells from Pb-induced cytotoxicity through inhibiting apoptosis, attenuating lipid peroxidation, renewing mitochondrial function, and elevating the intracellular antioxidants (nonenzymatic and enzymic) levels. In conclusion, these findings suggested that PU, as a widely distributed dietary antioxidant, contributes potentially to inhibition of Pb-induced cytotoxicity in rPT cells.
Comparison of flexoelectric and piezoelectric dynamic signal responses on flexible rings
Authors: Hu Shundi , Li Hua , Tzou Hornsen
Published: February 2014

Piezoelectric materials have been widely used for structural sensing due to the linear electromechanical coupling effect. Flexoelectricity, generally existing in all dielectrics, describes the linear inhomogeneous electromechanical coupling phenomena. Previous studies have shown that the direct flexoelectric effect is sensitive to the bending deformation. This study focuses on comparison and differences between two sensing mechanisms, that is, the flexoelectric and the piezoelectric effects, and explores their distinctive characteristics and potential applications. Based on the direct flexoelectric/piezoelectric effects, flexoelectric/piezoelectric materials treated as flexoelectric/piezoelectric sensors are applied to two ring models with identical dimensions. The mathematical models of thin elastic rings laminated with flexoelectric/piezoelectric sensors are established. Open-circuit sensing signals are derived for further evaluation and comparison. Sensing capabilities of these two materials and mechanisms are compared with respect to ring thickness, sensor thickness, and ring radius in case studies. Results show that the piezoelectric sensing signal appears to be sensitive for both bending-dominant and membrane-dominant vibrations, while the flexoelectric signal is much more prominent than the piezoelectric one for sensing of bending-dominant vibrations. For a flexible structure performing transverse vibration, the bending behavior is usually dominant. Thus, the flexoelectric effect could provide an effective alternative for structural sensing.
Professional ideals and daily practice in journalism
Authors: Pihl-Thingvad Signe
Published: February 2014

Professional ideals are crucial in terms of guiding and committing journalists in modern media organizations. But what happens if there are discrepancies between the journalists’ professional ideals and their daily working practice? Research suggests negative consequences, such as withdrawal of commitment, but until now these assumptions have never been empirically examined. This article provides new knowledge of the relationship between professional ideals and daily practice in journalism by describing the contours of the existing discrepancies in the generation of news in Denmark. In addition it examines the journalists’ reactions to discrepancies in relation to their organizational commitment. The results suggest that discrepancies do have a negative impact on journalists’ commitment. Further implications for research and practice of the findings are discussed.
Paul’s Personal Relation with Earliest Christianity: A Critical Survey
Authors: Ong Hughson T.
Published: February 2014

This essay surveys some of the key figures and their contributions to the historical development of three areas in Paul’s personal relation with earliest Christianity: Stephen and the Hellenists, his opponents, and James. The objectives are to emphasize their importance in working with Pauline theology amid the proliferation of works that follow the New (and Newer) Perspectives and Continental Philosophy trends, to highlight new methodological approaches in these surveyed areas, and to suggest how future research should go.
Ethnicity, Religion and the Meaning of Ioudaios in Ancient ‘Judaism’
Authors: Miller David M.
Published: February 2014

This article, the third in a three-part series, examines the use of the modern categories of ethnicity and religion in scholarship on the meaning of Ioudaios, and evaluates the debate about its translation into English as ‘Jew’ or ‘Judaean’. Recent contributions by S. Cohen, P. Esler, D. Buell, S. Mason and S. Schwartz are described in detail, with particular attention devoted to their definitions of ‘ethnicity’ and ‘religion’, their methodology and their use of primary evidence. The article defends a polythetic concept of ethnicity as the basic category within which Ioudaios should be understood, but argues that a religious meaning was emerging in ancient ‘Judaism’; it also contends that contemporary concerns favour the translation ‘Jew’ over ‘Judaean’. Parts one and two in the series, which appeared in CBR 9.1 and 10.2, examined the relationship between Ioudaios and related group labels, and explored changing terminology in twentieth-century scholarship on Ioudaios.
Patient Perceived Cultural Sensitivity of Clinic Environment and Its Association With Patient Satisfaction With Care and Treatment Adherence
Authors: Roncoroni Julia , Tucker Carolyn M. , Wall Whitney , Nghiem Khanh , Wheatley Rachel Sierra , Wu Wenyan
Published: February 2014

Research suggests that patient-centered culturally sensitive health care may be an important precursor to patient satisfaction and treatment adherence. Data from this study are a subset from the data collected for the Patient-Centered Culturally Sensitive Health Care and Health Promotion Research Project. The present study was designed to (a) explore the relationship between patients’ perceived patient-centered cultural sensitivity of their health care sites (ie, the physical and social environment and clinic policies) and their self-reported adherence to treatment and (b) investigate whether this relationship is mediated by satisfaction with health care experienced. Participants consisted of a low-income, culturally diverse sample of 1581 patients from 67 health care sites across the United States. A significant positive relationship between patients’ perceived patient-centered cultural sensitivity of their health care sites and their self-reported treatment adherence to a prescribed regimen was observed. Patient satisfaction with care partially mediated the relationship between these 2 variables. Assessing the level of patient-centered cultural sensitivity patients perceive in their health care sites might provide guidance to health care administrators as to how to make their sites more culturally sensitive from the perspective of patients. This, in turn, might increase patients’ treatment adherence, leading to improved health outcomes.
Students’ understandings of religious identities and relations: Issues of social cohesion and citizenship
Authors: Keddie Amanda
Published: February 2014

The focus in this article is on issues of social cohesion and citizenship as they relate to students’ understandings of religion and religious identity. The article draws on data gathered from a study conducted at a highly diverse English comprehensive school and is set amid broader anxieties about religion, community disharmony and national identity in the United Kingdom. The high levels of religious diversity at the school were seen as supporting social cohesion – enabled in this context through students’ understandings of religion and religious identities as socially contingent and supportive of a sense of agency. These understandings are aligned with a sophisticated and inclusive citizenship – one that is productive of democratic alliances and political agency and necessary in disrupting the narrow and problematic understandings of religion that can lead to social disharmony and conflict.
The Criminological Cultivation of African American Municipal Police Officers
Authors: Wilson Franklin T. , Henderson Howard
Published: February 2014

African American municipal police officers have been historically underrepresented and often face a double marginalization, arguably due to fellow officer and public perceptions. This study represents a first-step criminological cultivation analysis of the quantity and quality of African American municipal police officer depictions in the core cop film genre (1971–2011). Utilizing the unified film population identification methodology, 112 films were identified and examined to determine the overarching messages conveyed through the genre. Findings revealed that White officers were depicted in the lead or joint leading role in 89% ( n = 100) and African Americans in 19% ( n = 21) of films. However, White officers were predominantly depicted in a serious light unless sharing the lead with a minority, while African American officers were predominantly depicted in a comedic light. Further, the issue of double marginalization was rarely depicted. The potential implications of these portrayals on officer recruitment, retention, and perceived law enforcement legitimacy are discussed and second-step criminological cultivation studies to determine if a cultivation effect exists are proposed.
Do high risk patients alter their lifestyle to reduce risk of colorectal cancer?
Authors: Tarr Gregory P , Crowley Andrew , John Rhys , Kok Jonathan B , Lee Ho-Nam L , Mustafa Hasif , Sii Kia M , Smith Rebecca , Son Sung-Eun Q , Weaver Lauren J , Cameron Claire , Dockerty John D , Schultz Michael , Murray Iain A
Published: February 2014

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) may be reduced by healthy lifestyle behaviours. We determined the extent of self-reported lifestyle changes in people at increased risk of CRC, and the association of these reports with anxiety, risk and knowledge-based variables.

Methods

We randomly selected 250 participants who had undergone surveillance colonoscopy for family history of CRC. A telephone interview was conducted, recording demographics and family history. Self-reported lifestyle change due to thoughts about CRC across a range of dietary and lifestyle variables was assessed on a four-point scale. Participants’ perceptions of the following were recorded: risk factor knowledge, personal risk, and worry due to family history. General anxiety was assessed using the GAD-7 scale. Ordinal logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted results.

Results

There were 148 participants (69% response). 79.7% reported at least one healthy change. Change in diet and physical activity were most frequently reported (fiber, 63%; fruit and vegetables, 54%; red meat, 47%; physical activity, 45%), with consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and body weight less likely (tobacco, 25%; alcohol, 26%; weight 31%). People were more likely to report healthy change with lower levels of generalized anxiety, higher worry due to family history, or greater perceived knowledge of CRC risk factors. Risk perception and risk due to family history were not associated with healthy changes.

Conclusions

Self-reported lifestyle changes due to thoughts about CRC were common. Lower general anxiety levels, worries due to family history, and perceived knowledge of risk factors may stimulate healthy changes.
Wiman’s formula for a second order dynamic equation
Authors: Erbe Lynn , Hovhannisyan Gro , Peterson Alan
Published: February 2014

We derive Wiman’s asymptotic formula for the number of generalized zeros of (nontrivial) solutions of a second order dynamic equation on a time scale. The proof is based on the asymptotic representation of solutions via exponential functions on a time scale. By using the Jeffreys et al. approximation we prove Wiman’s formula for a dynamic equation on a time scale. Further we show that using the Hartman-Wintner approximation one can derive another version of Wiman’s formula. We also prove some new oscillation theorems and discuss the results by means of several examples.

MSC:34E20, 34N05.
Engrailed2 modulates cerebellar granule neuron precursor proliferation, differentiation and insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling during postnatal development
Authors: Rossman Ian T , Lin Lulu , Morgan Katherine M , DiGiovine Marissa , Van Buskirk Elise K , Kamdar Silky , Millonig James H , DiCicco-Bloom Emanuel
Published: February 2014

Background

The homeobox transcription factor Engrailed2 (En2) has been studied extensively in neurodevelopment, particularly in the midbrain/hindbrain region and cerebellum, where it exhibits dynamic patterns of expression and regulates cell patterning and morphogenesis. Because of its roles in regulating cerebellar development and evidence of cerebellar pathology in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we previously examined an ENGRAILED2 association and found evidence to support EN2 as a susceptibility gene, a finding replicated by several other investigators. However, its functions at the cell biological level remain undefined. In the mouse, En2 gene is expressed in granule neuron precursors (GNPs) just as they exit the cell cycle and begin to differentiate, raising the possibility that En2 may modulate these developmental processes.

Methods

To define En2 functions, we examined proliferation, differentiation and signaling pathway activation in En2 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) GNPs in response to a variety of extracellular growth factors and following En2 cDNA overexpression in cell culture. In vivo analyses of cerebellar GNP proliferation as well as responses to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) treatment were also conducted.

Results

Proliferation markers were increased in KO GNPs in vivo and in 24-h cultures, suggesting En2 normally serves to promote cell cycle exit. Significantly, IGF1 stimulated greater DNA synthesis in KO than WT cells in culture, a finding associated with markedly increased phospho-S6 kinase activation. Similarly, there was three-fold greater DNA synthesis in the KO cerebellum in response to IGF1 in vivo. On the other hand, KO GNPs exhibited reduced neurite outgrowth and differentiation. Conversely, En2 overexpression increased cell cycle exit and promoted neuronal differentiation.

Conclusions

In aggregate, our observations suggest that the ASD-associated gene En2 promotes GNP cell cycle exit and differentiation, and modulates IGF1 activity during postnatal cerebellar development. Thus, genetic/epigenetic alterations of EN2 expression may impact proliferation, differentiation and IGF1 signaling as possible mechanisms that may contribute to ASD pathogenesis.
Institutional barriers and job creation in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Cuaresma Jesús Crespo , Oberhofer Harald , Vincelette Gallina A
Published: February 2014

Using information from the Amadeus dataset and the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey, we provide an empirical investigation of the industry and firm-specific determinants of the intensive margin (i.e., within existing firms) job creation process in eleven Central and Eastern European economies during the period 2002–2009. Our results indicate that during the years prior to the global financial crisis, traditional industries were crucial for the net intensive margin creation of jobs in the region but, by contrast, services firms were less vulnerable to the economic downturn. At the firm level, small and young already existing firms and subsidiaries of multinational corporate groups tended to register the highest employment growth rates. The empirical results also indicate that more productive surviving firms tended to be less vulnerable to the economic downturns in terms of employment change. The perceived quality of the business climate by enterprises of the region is robustly correlated with intensive margin employment growth both before and during the recent global financial crisis. Interestingly, the best performing surviving firms are estimated to be most negatively affected by a poor business environment. Institutional barriers thus appear as an important factor hampering firm growth in Central and Eastern Europe. These findings hold for the group of high-growth surviving firms (gazelles) that disproportionately accounted for the creation of new jobs in these economies.

JEL classification

L16; L21; L25; L51; L53
The role of thoracic epidural anesthesia in severe acute pancreatitis
Authors: Harper Daniel , McNaught Clare E
Published: February 2014

In animal studies of severe acute pancreatitis, thoracic epidural anesthesia appears to enhance the splanchnic circulation, improve end-organ perfusion, and favorably influence mortality. The application of thoracic epidurals in the critically ill human patient is less clear. Methodological difficulties in reliably assessing mesenteric flow have hampered progress, and clinical concerns surrounding this potentially attractive therapeutic modality remain unanswered. Future research needs to focus on the impact of epidural anesthesia on basic human physiological pmeters to help direct further randomized studies in human disease.
Local skewness attribute as a seismic phase detector
Authors: Fomel Sergey , van der Baan Mirko
Published: February 2014

We propose a novel seismic attribute, local skewness, as an indicator of localized phase of seismic signals. The proposed attribute appears to have a higher dynamical range and a better stability than the previously used local kurtosis. Synthetic and real data examples demonstrate the effectiveness of local skewness in detecting and correcting time-varying, locally observed phase of seismic signals.