bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interim Results of a Phase II Study of Hypofractionated Radiotherapy with Concurrent Temozolomide Followed by Adjuvant Temozolomide in Patients over 70 Years Old with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma
Authors: Yusuf Mehran , Ugiliweneza Beatrice , Amsbaugh Mark , Boakye Maxwell , Williams Brian , Nelson Megan , Hattab Eyas M. , Woo Shiao , Burton Eric
Published: April 2018

Objective: In this phase II study, we investigate clinical outcomes and tolerability of hypofractionated radiotherapy (HRT) combined with temozolomide (TMZ) to treat elderly patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Methods: Patients 70 years of age or older with newly diagnosed GBM received HRT to a dose of 34 Gy given in ten fractions over 2 weeks, delivered with concurrent and adjuvant TMZ. Results: In this interim analysis, ten patients were enrolled on trial from 12/1/2015 to 4/5/2017. With a median follow-up of 9 months (range 3–12 months), median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6 months. The median overall survival (OS) has not been reached. Estimated 1-year OS and PFS rates were 53.3 and 44.4%, respectively. All patients completed the full course of RT, with no patients developing grade 3 or higher adverse events from treatment. Conclusions: The preliminary results of our phase II trial suggest HRT delivered over 2 weeks with concurrent and adjuvant TMZ is well tolerated in elderly patients with GBM without compromising clinical outcomes.
Baseline High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Predicts Macrovascular and Microvascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Aryan Zahra , Ghajar Alireza , Faghihi-Kashani Sara , Afarideh Mohsen , Nakhjavani Manouchehr , Esteghamati Alireza
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims: This prospective study is aimed at examining the predictive value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) for coronary heart disease (CHD) events and microvascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A population-based study (NCT02958579) was conducted on 1,301 participants with T2DM (mean follow-up of 7.5 years). Risk assessment for vascular events was done at baseline, and serum hs-CRP was measured. End points of this study include CHD events, diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy, and diabetic kidney disease. Individuals with unavailable data or hs-CRP >20 mg/L were excluded. The discrimination and reclassification improvement of study end points were tested after addition of hs-CRP to traditional risk factors. Results: Median serum hs-CRP was 2.00 ranging from 0.1 to 17 mg/L. Hazards ratio of each SD increment in baseline hs-CRP was 1.028 (1.024–1.032) for CHD, 1.025 (1.021–1.029) for diabetic neuropathy, 1.037 (1.030–1.043) for diabetic retinopathy, and 1.035 (1.027–1.043) for diabetic kidney disease. The addition of hs-CRP to traditional risk factors of vascular complications of T2DM improved discrimination of all end points (p < 0.001). Net reclassification improvement ranged from 8% for diabetic neuropathy to 31% for diabetic kidney disease (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Baseline hs-CRP predicts both of CHD events and microvascular complications of patients with T2D.
Dysbiosis in Functional Bowel Disorders
Authors: Enck Paul , Mazurak Nazar
Published: April 2018

Functional bowel disorders (FBD) resemble a group of diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that are without a clear pathogenesis; the best known is probably the “irritable bowel syndrome” (IBS). Only recently we have been able to explore the role of the gut microbiota in FBD due to progress in microbiological analytic techniques. There are different ways to explore the role of the gut microbiota and its dysbiosis in FBD. Comparison of the microbial composition in a group of patients with FBD, for example, with IBS to a group of healthy volunteers is one way. Studies have shown that the microbiota in FBD is different from that of healthy controls, but the recorded differences are not necessarily specific for FBD, they may also occur in other diseases. Another approach to explore the role of the gut microbiota in FBD is to challenge the existing “flora” with novel bacteria (probiotics) or with nutritional substrates that stimulate bacterial growth (prebiotics). More than 60 such trials including several thousand patients have been performed in IBS. These studies have produced mixed outcome: some probiotics appear to be better than others, and some appear to work only for a part of the IBS symptoms and not for all. An extreme form of this approach is the transfer of an entire microbiota from 1 healthy person to another, called fecal microbiota transplantation. This has rarely been tested in FBD but is not without risk in benign disorders.
Caries and Periodontitis: Contesting the Conventional Wisdom on Their Aetiology
Authors: Manji Firoze  , Dahlen Gunnar , Fejerskov Ole
Published: April 2018

We review the literature on the oral microbiome and the role of the microbiota in the development of dental caries and periodontitis. While most research has been focused on identifying one or more specific determinants of these diseases, the results have provided limited predictive value and have not been able to explain the variation in the distribution of these diseases observed in epidemiological or clinical studies. Drawing on existing knowledge about the nature of the oral microbiota, we suggest that a stochastic model based on the Weiner process provides simple and parsimonious explanations for the pathogenesis of both caries and periodontitis, making few assumptions, and providing explanations for phenomena that have hitherto proved difficult, or have required complex arguments, to explain. These diseases occur as the result of the dental hard tissues and periodontal tissues integrating the random “noise” caused by normal metabolic activities of commensal microorganisms in the dental biofilm. The processes that result in the progression and regression of caries and periodontitis may be considered as “natural,” rather than pathological, even if, when left unchecked over long periods of time, they can result in the development of pathologies. The likelihood of progression or regression can be influenced by other determinants, but these processes will nevertheless occur in the absence of such influences. The distributional characteristics of the model approximate the findings of epidemiological studies indicating that, for both caries and periodontitis, there will be few sites affected in the early period after the eruption of the permanent dentition, but in those older there is an almost linear relationship with increasing age; furthermore, the longer a site survives without being affected, the less likely that it will be affected. We discuss the clinical and public health importance of these findings.
Overexpression of Annexin A2 Receptor Inhibits Neovascularization via the Promotion of Krüppel-Like Transcription Factor 2
Authors: Guo Ting , Song Hongyuan , Zhao Zichang , Qi Zhongtian , Zhao Shihong
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims: Annexin A2 receptor (AX2R) can mediate annexin A2 signalling and induce apoptosis in a variety of cells, but its role in neovascularization (NV) remains unclear. Krüppel-like transcription factor 2 (KLF2) is known to be expressed in a range of cell types and to participate in a number of processes during development and disease, such as endothelial homeostasis, vasoregulation and vascular growth/remodelling. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of AX2R in NV and the plausible molecular mechanism. Methods: We constructed a eukaryotic overexpression plasmid for AX2R (Lenti-AX2R) by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The full-length human AX2R gene was transfected into human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using lentivirus vectors to overexpress AX2R. All experiments were divided into three groups: control, negative control (Lenti-EGFP), and Lenti-AX2R.Cell proliferation, cell migration, tube formation, mouse aortic ring assays and mouse matrigel plug assay were applied to analyse the effect of AX2R in NV. Furthermore, we conducted flow cytometry to evaluate whether AX2R could influence the cell cycle. A series of cell cycle-related proteins including cyclin A1, cyclin B1, cyclin D1, cyclin E1, CDK1, and p-CDC2 were detected by WB. The mRNA and protein levels of KLF2, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) were further quantified by RT-PCR and WB to reveal the possible mechanism. Results: Overexpression of AX2R significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and tube formation in both types of endothelial cells (ECs), HRECs and HUVECs. It also suppressed vessel sprouting in the mouse aortic ring assay and NV in mouse matrigel plug assay. Furthermore, infection with Lenti-AX2R lentivirus arrested the cell cycle in S/G2 and influenced the expression of a series of cell cycle-related proteins. We also found that the overexpression of AX2R increased the expression of KLF2, mediating VEGF and VEGFR2. Conclusions: Overexpression of AX2R contributes to the inhibition of NV via suppressing KLF2 ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation, which might therefore be a therapeutic option for NV. It could be considered more broadly as an anti-angiogenic agent in the treatment of neovascular-related diseases in the future.
Camel Milk Ameliorates 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Renal Injury in Rats: Targeting MAPKs, NF-κB and PI3K/Akt/eNOS Pathways
Authors: Arab Hany H. , Salama Samir A. , Maghrabi Ibrahim A.
Published: April 2018

Background/Aims: The clinical utility of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is limited by its nephrotoxicity. Camel milk (CM) has previously displayed beneficial effects in toxicant-induced nephropathies. The current study aimed to investigate the potential of CM to attenuate 5-FU-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Methods: Renal tissues were studied in terms of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis. The levels of renal injury markers, inflammatory cytokines along with NOX-1, Nrf-2 and HO-1 were assessed by ELISA. The expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, NF-κBp65, p53, Bax and PCNA were detected by Immunohistochemistry. To gain an insight into the molecular signaling mechanisms, we determined the effect of CM on MAPKs, NF-κB and PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathways by Western blotting. Results: CM lowered 5-FU-triggered increase of creatinine, BUN, Kim-1 and NGAL renal injury biomarkers and attenuated the histopathological aberrations. It suppressed oxidative stress and augmented renal antioxidant armory (GSH, SOD, GPx, TAC) with restoration of NOX-1, Nrf-2 and HO-1 levels. CM also suppressed renal inflammation as indicated by inhibition of MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18 and MCP-1 proinflammatory mediators and downregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression with boosting of IL-10. Regarding MAPKs signaling, CM suppressed the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 and inhibited NF-κB activation. For apoptosis, CM downregulated p53, Bax, CytC and caspase-3 proapoptotic signals with enhancement of Bcl-2 and PCNA. It also enhanced PI3K p110α, phospho-Akt and phospho-eNOS levels with augmentation of renal NO, favoring cell survival. Equally important, CM preconditioning enhanced 5-FU cytotoxicity in MCF-7, HepG-2, HCT-116 and PC-3 cells, thus, justifying their concomitant use. Conclusion: The current findings pinpoint, for the first time, the marked renoprotective effects of CM that were mediated via ROS scavenging, suppression of MAPKs and NF-κB along with activation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway.
Current Mechanistic Concepts in Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury
Authors: Wu Meng-Yu , Yiang Giou-Teng , Liao Wan-Ting , Tsai Andy Po-Yi , Cheng Yeung-Leung , Cheng Pei-Wen , Li Chia-Ying , Li Chia-Jung
Published: April 2018

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is associated with serious clinical manifestations, including myocardial hibernation, acute heart failure, cerebral dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysfunction, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Ischemia-reperfusion injury is a critical medical condition that poses an important therapeutic challenge for physicians. In this review article, we present recent advances focusing on the basic pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion injury, especially the involvement of reactive oxygen species and cell death pathways. The involvement of the NADPH oxidase system, nitric oxide synthase system, and xanthine oxidase system are also described. When the blood supply is re-established after prolonged ischemia, local inflammation and ROS production increase, leading to secondary injury. Cell damage induced by prolonged ischemia-reperfusion injury may lead to apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis, and necroptosis. We highlight the latest mechanistic insights into reperfusion-injury-induced cell death via these different processes. The interlinked signaling pathways of cell death could offer new targets for therapeutic approaches. Treatment approaches for ischemia-reperfusion injury are also reviewed. We believe that understanding the pathophysiology ischemia-reperfusion injury will enable the development of novel treatment interventions.
ВИВЧЕННЯ РЕОЛОГІЧНИХ ВЛАСТИВОСТЕЙ ЛІКУВАЛЬНОГО ГЕЛЮ НА ГІДРОФІЛЬНІЙ ОСНОВІ
Authors: Shostak T. A. , Melnyk Yu. Ya. , Skorokhoda V. Y.
Published: April 2018

Мета роботи. Вивчити реологічні властивості гелю на основі гуарової камеді з комплексним густим екстрактом (КГЕ) трави звіробою та квіток нагідок і на цій підставі обґрунтовано внести корективи у оптимальний склад гелю.Матеріали і методи. Об’єктом дослідження був гель на основі гуарової камеді з КГЕ трави звіробою та квіток нагідок. Визначення реологічних параметрів проводили за температури 18, 35 та 50 °С на віскозиметрі Rheomat-30. Дослідження проводили в інтервалі швидкостей зсуву 8,35…97,3 с-1 із використанням системи коаксіальних циліндрів.Результати й обговорення. Визначено, що розроблений гель є неньютонівською рідиною, має пластичний тип текучості та незначні тиксотропні властивості. Зміна температур в інтервалі 18…50 °С майже не впливає на тип текучості. При підвищенні температури спостерігається незначне зниження в’язкості, що забезпечить необхідні параметри технологічного процесу та задовільні споживчі характеристики – гарну намазуваність та здатність до екструзії з туб. Утворення стабільної структури гелю вказує на перспективність використання гуарової камеді під час опрацювання лікарських засобів (ЛЗ), які можуть зберігатись за різних температурних умов.Висновок. Досліджено реологічні властивості гелю з гуаровою камеддю на гідрофільній основі з комплексним густим екстрактом трави звіробою та квіток нагідок, призначеного для лікування ранових процесів у другій та третій фазах та при захворюваннях слизової оболонки порожнини рота. За результатами досліджень визначено залежність структурно-механічних властивостей гелю від температури та побудовані реограми.
СТАН І ПРОБЛЕМИ НОРМАТИВНО-ПРАВОВОГО ПОЛЯ ФОРМУВАННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНОЇ ПОВЕДІНКИ ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧНИХ ФАХІВЦІВ (ОСВІТНІЙ ТА СПЕЦІАЛЬНИЙ РІВЕНЬ)
Authors: Tkachenko N. O. , Hromovyk B. P. , Aleksieiev O. N.
Published: April 2018

Мета роботи. Визначення повноти і змістовності чинної нормативно-правової бази (НПБ) освітнього і спеціального рівня моделі правового поля формування системи соціально-відповідальної поведінки (СВП) фармацевтичних фахівців (ФФ), а також опрацювання пропозицій щодо оптимізації зазначеної НПБ.Матеріали і методи. Матеріалом дослідження були нормативно-правові акти (НПА), які регламентують СВ, фармацевтичну освіту та діяльність фармацевтичних організацій (ФО). У роботі використано методи інформаційного пошуку, систематизації, контент-аналізу, порівняння та узагальнення.Результати й обговорення. Проаналізовано НПБ моделі правового поля формування системи СВП ФФ упродовж всього життєвого професійного циклу за двома критеріями: ієрархічним принципом (Закони України, Постанови КМ України, накази МОЗ України) та регулюванням відносин у системі СВП ФФ на освітньому і спеціальному рівнях. Окреслено проблемні питання зазначеної НПБ та визначено заходи з її вдосконалення.Висновки. На підставі аналізу НПА різної ієрархії визначені проблемні питання у правовому полі на освітньому та спеціальному рівнях формування СВП ФФ, що зумовлюють труднощі ефективної реалізації СВ ФО. Сформульовано заходи щодо вдосконалення НПБ щодо регулювання діяльності фармацевтичної галузі та формування СВП усіх її суб’єктів.
Perimesencephalic Hemorrhage
Authors: Mensing Liselore A. , Vergouwen Mervyn D.I. , Laban Kamil G. , Ruigrok Ynte M. , Velthuis Birgitta K. , Algra Ale , Rinkel Gabriel J.E.
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose—

We systematically reviewed the literature on epidemiology, risk factors, presumed cause, clinical course, and outcome of perimesencephalic hemorrhage.

Methods—

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched until March 2016. Quality assessment was done by 2 authors independently. Pooled prevalence ratios and pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for data extracted from case–control studies.

Results—

We included 208 papers. The incidence of perimesencephalic hemorrhage is ≈0.5 per 100.000 person-years, men are more often affected, and no risk factors were confirmed. Two decision analyses both found that a single, high-quality computed tomography angiography is the preferred diagnostic approach. Short-term complications, such as hydrocephalus or cranial nerve palsies, are rare, and usually transient, with the exception of acute symptomatic hydrocephalus necessitating treatment in 3% of patients. Lacunar infarcts in the brain stem were convincingly described in 4 patients only. Fatal rebleeding after installment of anticoagulation in the initial days after the hemorrhage was described in 1 patient. At long-term follow-up, death related to the hemorrhage has not been reported, disability is found in 0% to 6%, and neuropsychological sequelae are suggested.

Conclusions—

A single, high-quality computed tomography angiography is the preferred diagnostic strategy. Short-term complications are rare and often transient. Long-term outcome is excellent with respect to disability and death, but high-quality studies focused at neuropsychological sequelae are needed.
Population-Based Assessment of the Long-Term Risk of Seizures in Survivors of Stroke
Authors: Merkler Alexander E. , Gialdini Gino , Lerario Michael P. , Parikh Neal S. , Morris Nicholas A. , Kummer Benjamin , Dunn Lauren , Reznik Michael E. , Murthy Santosh B. , Navi Babak B. , Grinspan Zachary M. , Iadecola Costantino , Kamel Hooman
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose—

We sought to determine the long-term risk of seizures after stroke according to age, sex, race, and stroke subtype.

Methods—

We performed a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims from 2 complementary patient data sets. First, we analyzed data from all emergency department visits and hospitalizations in California, Florida, and New York from 2005 to 2013. Second, we evaluated inpatient and outpatient claims from a nationally representative 5% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Our cohort consisted of all adults at the time of acute stroke hospitalization without a prior history of seizures. Our outcome was seizure occurring after hospital discharge for stroke. Poisson regression and demographic data were used to calculate age-, sex-, and race-standardized incidence rate ratios (IRR).

Results—

Among 777 276 patients in the multistate cohort, the annual incidence of seizures was 1.68% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67%–1.70%) after stroke versus 0.15% (95% CI, 0.15%–0.15%) among the general population (IRR, 7.3; 95% CI, 7.3–7.4). By 8 years, the cumulative rate of any emergency department visit or hospitalization for seizure was 9.27% (95% CI, 9.16%–9.38%) after stroke versus 1.21% (95% CI, 1.21%–1.22%) in the general population. Stroke was more strongly associated with a subsequent seizure among patients <65 years of age (IRR, 12.0; 95% CI, 11.9–12.2) than in patients ≥65 years of age (IRR, 5.5; 95% CI, 5.4–5.5) and in the multistate analysis, the association between stroke and seizure was stronger among nonwhite patients (IRR, 11.0; 95% CI, 10.8–11.2) than among white patients (IRR, 7.3; 95% CI, 7.2–7.4). Risks were especially elevated after intracerebral hemorrhage (IRR, 13.3; 95% CI, 13.0–13.6) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (IRR, 13.2; 95% CI, 12.8–13.7). Our study of Medicare beneficiaries confirmed these findings.

Conclusions—

Almost 10% of patients with stroke will develop seizures within a decade. Hemorrhagic stroke, nonwhite race, and younger age seem to confer the greatest risk of developing seizures.
Contralateral Delay Activity Indexes Working Memory Storage, Not the Current Focus of Spatial Attention
Authors: Feldmann-Wüstefeld Tobias , Vogel Edward K. , Awh Edward
Published: April 2018

Contralateral delay activity (CDA) has long been argued to track the number of items stored in visual working memory (WM). Recently, however, Berggren and Eimer [Berggren, N., & Eimer, M. Does contralateral delay activity reflect working memory storage or the current focus of spatial attention within visual working memory? Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 28, 2003–2020, 2016] proposed the alternative hypothesis that the CDA tracks the current focus of spatial attention instead of WM storage. This hypothesis was based on the finding that, when two successive arrays of memoranda were placed in opposite hemifields, CDA amplitude was primarily determined by the position and number of items in the second display, not the total memory load across both displays. Here, we considered the alternative interpretation that participants dropped the first array from WM when they encoded the second array because the format of the probe display was spatially incompatible with the initial sample display. In this case, even if the CDA indexes active storage rather than spatial attention, CDA activity would be determined by the second array. We tested this idea by directly manipulating the spatial compatibility of sample and probe displays. With spatially incompatible displays, we replicated Berggren and Eimer's findings. However, with spatially compatible displays, we found clear evidence that CDA activity tracked the full storage load across both arrays, in line with a WM storage account of CDA activity. We propose that expectations of display compatibility influenced whether participants viewed the arrays as parts of a single extended event or two independent episodes. Thus, these findings raise interesting new questions about how event boundaries may shape the interplay between passive and active representations of task-relevant information.
On the Margins of Ghana and Kawkaw: Four Seasons of Excavation at Tongo Maaré Diabal (AD 500-1150), Mali
Authors: Gestrich Nikolas , MacDonald Kevin C.
Published: April 2018

This article summarises the results of four seasons of excavation at Tongo Maaré Diabal (AD500-1150), near Douentza, Mali. Deep stratigraphic excavations were directed by MacDonald and Togola in 1993, 1995 and by MacDonald in 1996. Complementary, large exposure excavations of the abandonment layer were undertaken by Gestrich in 2010. The combined excavation results speak to topics of craft specialisation, trade, and social organisation. They provide evidence of a specialised blacksmithing community situated at the margins of early Middle Niger and Niger Bend statehood and urbanisation.
Synoptic-Scale Zonal Available Potential Energy Increases in the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Bowley Kevin A. , Atallah Eyad H. , Gyakum John R.
Published: April 2018

Available potential energy (APE), a measure of the energy available for conversion to kinetic energy, has been previously applied to examine changes in baroclinic instability and seasonal changes in the general circulation. Here, pathways in which the troposphere can build the reservoir of zonal available potential energy AZ on synoptic (3–10 day) time scales are explored. A climatology of AZ and its generation GZ and conversion terms are calculated from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–Department of Energy Reanalysis 2 dataset from 1979 to 2011 for 20°–85°N. A standardized anomaly-based identification technique identifies 183 AZ buildup events, which are grouped into two event types based upon their final AZ standardized anomaly (σ) value: 1) buildup anomalous (BA) events, which exceed 1.5σ, and 2) buildup neutral (BN) events, which do not exceed 1.5σ. Increases in GZ and reductions in baroclinic conversion CA, source and sink terms for AZ, are shown to equally contribute toward increasing AZ in most seasons. A synoptic analysis of composited mass fields for winter BA events (n = 18 events) and winter BN events (n = 28 events) is performed to identify contributions to anomalously low CA and high GZ. A process of high-latitude cooling near 160°E–120°W is found for both composite event types. The cooling processes are characterized by a period of poleward moisture flux and ascent followed by an isolation of the Arctic from the midlatitude flow, resulting in enhanced GZ. Negative anomalies in CA are also diagnosed, which generally occur in regions with northerly dynamic tropopause wind anomalies and neutral to positive thickness anomalies.
Multidecadal Fluctuation of the Wintertime Arctic Oscillation Pattern and Its Implication
Authors: Gong Hainan , Wang Lin , Chen Wen , Nath Debashis
Published: April 2018

The multidecadal fluctuations in the patterns and teleconnections of the winter mean Arctic Oscillation (AO) are investigated based on observational and reanalysis datasets. Results show that the Atlantic center of the AO pattern remains unchanged throughout the period 1920–2010, whereas the Pacific center of the AO is strong during 1920–59 and 1986–2010 and weak during 1960–85. Consequently, the link between the AO and the surface air temperature over western North America is strong during 1920–59 and 1986–2010 and weak during 1960–85. The time-varying Pacific center of the AO motivates a revisit to the nature of the AO from the perspective of decadal change. It reveals that the North Pacific mode (NPM) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) are the inherent regional atmospheric modes over the North Pacific and North Atlantic, respectively. Their patterns over the North Pacific and North Atlantic remain stable and change little with time during 1920–2010. The Atlantic center of the AO always resembles the NAO over the North Atlantic, but the Pacific center of the AO only resembles the NPM over the North Pacific when the NPM–NAO coupling is strong. These results suggest that the AO seems to be fundamentally rooted in the variability over the North Atlantic and that the annular structure of the AO very likely arises from the coupling of the atmospheric modes between the North Pacific and North Atlantic.
Dependence of Simulation Biases at AHI Surface-Sensitive Channels on Land Surface Emissivity over China
Authors: Zhuge X. , Zou X. , Weng F. , Sun M.
Published: April 2018

This study compares the simulation biases of Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) brightness temperature to observations made at night over China through the use of three land surface emissivity (LSE) datasets. The University of Wisconsin–Madison High Spectral Resolution Emissivity dataset, the Combined Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Emissivity database over Land High Spectral Resolution Emissivity dataset, and the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme (IGBP) infrared LSE module, as well as land skin temperature observations from the National Basic Meteorological Observing stations in China are used as inputs to the Community Radiative Transfer Model. The results suggest that the standard deviations of AHI observations minus background simulations (OMBs) are largely consistent for the three LSE datasets. Also, negative biases of the OMBs of brightness temperature uniformly occur for each of the three datasets. There are no significant differences in OMB biases estimated with the three LSE datasets over cropland and forest surface types for all five AHI surface-sensitive channels. Over the grassland surface type, significant differences (~0.8 K) are found at the 10.4-, 11.2-, and 12.4-μm channels if using the IGBP dataset. Over nonvegetated surface types (e.g., sandy land, gobi, and bare rock), the lack of a monthly variation in IGBP LSE introduces large negative biases for the 3.9- and 8.6-μm channels, which are greater than those from the two other LSE datasets. Thus, improvements in simulating AHI infrared surface-sensitive channels can be made when using spatially and temporally varying LSE estimates.
Impact of Adaptively Thinned AIRS Cloud-Cleared Radiances on Tropical Cyclone Representation in a Global Data Assimilation and Forecast System
Authors: Reale Oreste , McGrath-Spangler Erica L. , McCarty Will , Holdaway Daniel , Gelaro Ronald
Published: April 2018

A simple adaptive thinning methodology for Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiances is evaluated through a combination of observing system experiments (OSEs) and adjoint methodologies. The OSEs are performed with the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS, version 5) data assimilation and forecast model. In addition, the adjoint-based forecast sensitivity observation impact technique is applied to assess fractional contributions of sensors in different thinning configurations. The adaptive strategy uses a denser AIRS coverage in a moving domain centered around tropical cyclones (TCs) but sparser everywhere else. The OSEs consist of two sets of data assimilation runs that cover the period from 1 September to 10 November 2014, with the first 20 days discarded for spinup. Both sets assimilate all conventional and satellite observations used operationally. In addition, one ingests clear-sky AIRS radiances, the other cloud-cleared radiances, each comprising multiple thinning strategies. Daily 7-day forecasts are initialized from all these analyses and evaluated with a focus on TCs over the Atlantic and Pacific. Evidence is provided on the effectiveness of this simple TC-centered adaptive radiance thinning strategy, in full agreement with previous theoretical studies. Specifically, global skill increases, and tropical cyclone representation is substantially improved. The improvement is particularly strong when cloud-cleared radiances are assimilated. Finally, the article suggests that cloud-cleared radiances, if thinned more aggressively than the currently used clear-sky radiances, could successfully replace them with large improvements in TC forecasting and no loss of global skill.
The Census Race Classification: Is It Doing Its Job?
Authors: Prewitt Kenneth
Published: April 2018

Aligning census ethnoracial categories with America’s changing demography is a never-ending task and becomes more difficult when identity claims are rationales for altering categories. We examine four current problems: (1) the Census Bureau projects a population more nonwhite than white by midcentury—social demographers document trends pointing to a different racial future; (2) the census inadequately measures second- and third-generation Americans, limiting the nation’s understanding of why some immigrant groups are “racialized” while others are “whitened”; (3) on health, education, and employment, there is more intrarace than between-race variability, which is better measured for Asians and Hispanics than it is for whites and blacks; and (4) consistency in racial self-identification is stronger for whites, blacks, and Asians than for Hispanics, Native Americans, and biracial groups, lowering the reliability of race data. These measurement problems weaken policy choices relevant to economic growth, social justice, immigrant assimilation, government reforms, and an enlightened public.
Establishing the Denominator: The Challenges of Measuring Multiracial, Hispanic, and Native American Populations
Authors: Roth Wendy D.
Published: April 2018

For multiracial, Hispanic, and Native Americans, norms for racial and ethnic self-identification are less well established than they are for other population groups. There is considerable variation and fluidity in how multiracial, Hispanic, and Native Americans self-identify, as well as how they are classified by others. This presents challenges to researchers and analysts in terms of consistently and accurately estimating the size and population dynamics of these groups. I argue that for analytic purposes, racial/ethnic self-identification should continue to be treated as a statistical numerator, but that the challenge is for researchers to establish the correct denominator—the population that could identify as members of the group based on their ancestry. Examining how many people who could identify with these groups choose to do so sheds light on assimilation and emerging racial classification processes. Analyses of the larger potential populations further avoid bias stemming from nonrandom patterns of self-identification with the groups.
The Rise of Mixed Parentage: A Sociological and Demographic Phenomenon to Be Reckoned With
Authors: Alba Richard , Beck Brenden , Basaran Sahin Duygu
Published: April 2018

Ethno-racially mixed parentage is rising in frequency, creating a strong challenge to both census classification schemes and, indeed, to common conceptions of ethnicity and race. Majority (white) and minority (nonwhite or Hispanic) parentage predominates among individuals with mixed-family backgrounds. Yet in public presentations of census data and population projections, individuals with mixed backgrounds are generally classified as nonwhite. We analyze 2013 American Community Survey data and summarize the results of important studies to argue that individuals from mixed majority-minority backgrounds resemble whites more than they do minorities in terms of some key social characteristics and experiences, such as where they grow up and their social affiliations as adults. Those with a black parent are an important exception. An implication of this analysis is that census classification practices for mixed individuals risk distorting conceptions of the current population, especially its youthful portion, and promoting misunderstandings of ethno-racial change.
Social Mobility across Immigrant Generations: Recent Evidence and Future Data Requirements
Authors: Tran Van C.
Published: April 2018

This article assesses second-generation socioeconomic mobility using the most recent data available for eighteen ethnic groups from the Current Population Survey. In contrast to prior predictions of second-generation declines in mobility, this analysis finds significant progress in the second generation, both when that generation is compared to first-generation proxy parents and when compared to native peers of the same age cohort descended from what I identify as “proximal host groups.” The analysis also underscores the significant data limitations that continue to plague assessments of intergenerational mobility in immigrant-origin populations, pointing to the urgent need to collect new and better data against which researchers can benchmark socioeconomic attainment for the post-1965 third generation, which will enter young adulthood in the next decade.
Identifying the Later-Generation Descendants of U.S. Immigrants: Issues Arising from Selective Ethnic Attrition
Authors: Duncan Brian , Trejo Stephen J.
Published: April 2018

Evaluating the long-term socioeconomic integration of immigrants in the United States requires analyses of differences between foreign-born and U.S.-born residents, as well as analyses across generations of the U.S.-born. Regrettably, though, standard data sources used to study these populations provide very limited information pertaining to generation. As a result, research on the U.S.-born descendants of immigrants often relies on the use of subjective measures of racial/ethnic identification. Because ethnic attachments tend to fade across generations, these subjective measures might miss a significant portion of the later-generation descendants of immigrants. Moreover, if such “ethnic attrition” is selective on socioeconomic attainment, it can distort assessments of integration and generational progress. We discuss evidence that suggests that ethnic attrition is sizable and selective for the second- and third-generation populations of key Hispanic and Asian national-origin groups, and that correcting for the resulting biases is likely to raise the socioeconomic standing of the U.S.-born descendants of most Hispanic immigrants relative to their Asian counterparts.
Tracking a Changing America across the Generations after Immigration
Authors: Jiménez Tomás R.
Published: April 2018

The post-1960s immigration boom and contemporary demographics have elevated generation-since-immigration as a category that is central to analysts and, more generally, to Americans as they make sense of their place in the world around them. This makes the collection of data on immigrant generations imperative if surveys are to keep up with how the nation’s people think about themselves and each other. A clear portrait of contemporary assimilation, and indeed American progress, depends on possessing the right tools to paint such a portrait. That means that surveys must enable researchers to identify respondents’ generation, particularly the third generation of the post-1965 immigration wave.
Accurately Counting Asian Americans Is a Civil Rights Issue
Authors: Lee Jennifer , Ramakrishnan Karthick , Wong Janelle
Published: April 2018

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group in the United States, increasing from 0.7 percent in 1970 to nearly 6 percent in 2016. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2065, Asian Americans will constitute 14 percent of the U.S. population. Immigration is fueling this growth: China and India have passed Mexico as the top countries sending immigrants to the United States since 2013. Today, two of three Asian Americans are foreign born—a figure that increases to nearly four of five among Asian American adults. The rise in numbers is accompanied by a rise in diversity: Asian Americans are the most diverse U.S. racial group, comprising twenty-four detailed origins with vastly different migration histories and socioeconomic profiles. In this article, we explain how the unique characteristics of Asian Americans affect their patterns of ethnic and racial self-identification, which, in turn, present challenges for accurately counting this population. We conclude by discussing policy ramifications of our findings, and explain why data disaggregation is a civil rights issue.
Counting America’s First Peoples
Authors: Liebler Carolyn A.
Published: April 2018

The descendants of the First Peoples of the Americas (labeled “American Indians and Alaska Natives” in the federal definition) are a particularly challenging group to count in censuses. In this article, I describe some enumeration issues and then outline what we have learned about American Indians and Alaska Natives from efforts that rely on individuals’ answers to census questions on race, ancestry, ethnicity, and tribe. Those who do not report a tribe and those who change their race response from one census to another complicate these efforts. Tribal self-enumeration and indigenous data sovereignty may improve data about some portions of the population. Census and survey enumeration efforts should continue to separate the concepts of race, ancestry, and tribe lest the various subpopulations become indistinguishable in the data, making the data much less useful and possibly misleading.
Estimating the Characteristics of Unauthorized Immigrants Using U.S. Census Data: Combined Sample Multiple Imputation
Authors: Capps Randy , Bachmeier James D. , Van Hook Jennifer
Published: April 2018

Contemporary U.S. immigration policy debates would be better informed by more accurate data about how many unauthorized immigrants reside in the country, where they reside, and the conditions in which they live. Researchers use demographic methods to generate aggregated information about the number and demographic composition of the unauthorized immigrant population. But understanding their social and economic characteristics (e.g., educational attainment, occupations) often requires identifying likely unauthorized immigrants at the individual level. We describe a new method that pools data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which identifies unauthorized immigrants, with data from the American Community Survey (ACS), which does not. This method treats unauthorized status as missing data to be imputed by multiple imputation techniques. Likely unauthorized immigrants in the ACS are identified based on similarities to self-reported unauthorized immigrants in the SIPP. This process allows state and local disaggregation of unauthorized immigrant populations and analysis of subpopulations such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants.
Potential Sources of Value from Mergers and Their Indicators
Authors: Schilling Melissa A.
Published: April 2018

Firms engage in mergers for many reasons, some of which create value for both the firm’s shareholders and society, some that create value only for the firm’s shareholders, and some that fail even to do that. A considerable body of research concludes that most mergers do not create value for anyone, except perhaps the investment bankers who negotiated the deal. For a merger to create value, it will usually be necessary that one or both parties is below minimum efficient scale or has valuable underutilized assets. Furthermore, unless heavy coordination and long-term commitment are required, many sources of value from mergers can be achieved through collaboration agreements or other contracts, with less risk to the firms and to economic efficiency. This article outlines the major sources of potential value in mergers, and indicators that can give us insight into a merger’s true motives and its likelihood of creating value.
Nonprice Effects of Mergers
Authors: Kwoka John , Kilpatrick Shawn
Published: April 2018

Antitrust analysis of mergers focuses heavily—some would say, almost exclusively—on price effects. That focus does not reflect the lesser importance of quality, variety, cost, and technological progressiveness in mergers, but rather reflects better analytical tools and predictions for price effects. This article first provides an overview of the distinctive, often problematic, issues raised in evaluating nonprice effects. It then surveys the available empirical evidence on these from merger retrospectives. The evidence suggests that mergers on average may not cause either significant improvements or significant harms in terms of nonprice outcomes. While that might seem to suggest that policy need not be unduly concerned with nonprice effects, sufficient data do not exist for statistical testing. Moreover, variation in the average effects appears large, so that in particular cases nonprice concerns may dominate.
1970s Uganda: Past, Present, Future
Authors: Hundle Anneeth Kaur
Published: April 2018

This paper explores the ongoing presence of the 1972 expulsion of the racialized Asian population by former president Idi Amin in contemporary Uganda. The expulsion was a “critical event” and thus the paper uses an “anthropology of the event” approach to focus on the architecture of silence and historical consciousness of the event in urban Kampala. The four arenas of focus are: (1) official state narratives; (2) community mobilization and public forums on urban African-Asian relations; (3) memories, adventure tales, and narratives expressed by Ugandan Asian men; and (4) the infrastructure and material culture of 1970s Asian property expropriation.
Preparation of open microcellular polylactic acid foams with a microfibrillar additive using coreback foam injection molding processes
Authors: Ishihara Shota , Hikima Yuta , Ohshima Masahiro
Published: April 2018

Open microcellular polylactic acid foams with a fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene additive were prepared by a coreback foam injection molding technique. The effects of this fibrous additive on the foam cell structure were investigated. Fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene forms a network structure in polylactic acid in metering and mixing processes. The fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene network increased the viscoelasticity of polylactic acid and provided polylactic acid with a strain-hardening property. The network also provided heterogeneous bubble nucleation sites for physical foaming. However, because of the slow crystallization rate of polylactic acid, the fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene additive did not promote the nucleation of polylactic acid crystals under fast cooling conditions. During fast cooling, such as injection molding cooling conditions, the crystals induced by the fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene network could not behave as bubble nucleation sites. Thus, changes in rheological properties and the increased number of heterogeneous sites contributed to the decrease in cell size, the increase in the number density of cells and the increase in the open cell content. As the number density of cells increased, the cell walls with the fibrous polytetrafluoroethylene fibrous additive became so thin that they could be easily fibrillated by a stretching operation during the coreback operation, while their strain-hardening property prevented the walls from complete breakage. Synergistically conducting cell reduction and stretching (coreback) operations, high expansion ratio foams with high open cell content were prepared. When we adjusted the foaming temperature and holding time, five-fold expansion (i.e. 80% void ratio) foams with cell diameters less than 25 µm and open cell contents (OCC) higher than 80% were produced.
Influence of Contraception Use on the Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Fehring Richard J. , Bouchard Thomas , Meyers Maria
Published: April 2018

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are often prescribed to adolescents and young adults for the treatment of health problems and to avoid unwanted pregnancies. We hypothesized that the use of OCs, among adolescents and young adults, is associated with a greater likelihood of pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and sexual behaviors that will enhance those problems (i.e., earlier sexual debut and more sexual partners) than adolescents and young adults not using OCs. To test this hypothesis, data from 1,365 adolescents and young adults in the 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) were used to describe the influence of ever use of OCs on ever having sex, sexual debut, multiple sexual partners, STDs, PID, pregnancy, and abortion. A secondary purpose was to evaluate protective factors from unhealthy sexual practices like religiosity, church attendance, and intact families. We found that the “ever use” of OCs by US adolescents and young adults results in a greater likelihood of ever having sex, STDs, PID, pregnancy, and abortion compared with those adolescents and young adults who never used OCs. Furthermore, those adolescents who ever used OCs had significantly more male sexual partners than those who never used OCs, and they also had an earlier sexual debut by almost two years. Conversely, we found that frequent church attendance, identification of the importance of religion, and having an intact family among adolescents were associated with less likelihood of unsafe sexual practices. We concluded that the use of OCs by adolescents and young adults might be considered a health risk. Further research is recommended to confirm these associations.

Summary: The purpose of this article was to show the correlation between contraceptive use in adolescents and negative sexual outcomes. We used data from the 2011–2013 NSFG and demonstrated that never married adolescents who used oral hormonal contraception were three times more likely to have an STD, have PID, and to become pregnant, and, surprisingly, ten times more likely of having an abortion compared to noncontracepting adolescents. These are outcomes that contraception is intended to prevent. These data also showed that the contraceptors had significantly more male partners than their contraceptive counterparts. Protective factors such as church attendance and family cohesiveness were associated with a decreased likelihood of sexual activity.