bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choroidal Nevus in an Eye with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy
Authors: Asao Kazunobu , Hashida Noriyasu , Nishida Kohji
Published: December 2014

Purpose: To report an eye with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and a choroidal nevus. Methods: This is an observational case report. Results: A healthy 69-year-old woman was referred to the Osaka University Hospital with a diagnosis of a macular tumor. She complained of having distorted vision in her left eye. The medical history of the patient was unremarkable. At the initial examination, her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in both eyes, and the intraocular pressure was 18 mm Hg in both eyes. A slit-lamp examination showed no abnormalities in the anterior segment of both eyes and a fundus examination of the left eye showed a slightly elevated juxtafoveal chorioretinal lesion and polyp-like reddish-orange lesions. The juxtafoveal choroidal lesion was located beneath a choroidal neovascularization (CNV). An optical coherence tomography confirmed CNV with pigment epithelial detachment (PED). Fluorescein angiography showed juxtafoveal hyperfluorescence due to CNV. Indocyanine green angiography demonstrated a branching choroidal vascular network that resembled polypoidal lesions. A fundus autofluorescence showed a mosaic pattern and a slight hyperautofluorescence at the CNV. We diagnosed the patient as having PCV. Aflibercept was injected intravitreally because of her PED. After the injection, PED improved and her visual acuity remained stable during the 12-month follow-up period. Conclusions: In cases of PCV, FAF images are helpful in determining the status of the posterior pole. Intravitreal injections of aflibercept can improve PED associated with CNV, and the BCVA will remain stable for at least 12 months.
Neuroendocrine Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is Associated with Mutations in Key DNA Repair, Epigenetic and Apoptosis Pathways: A Case-Based Study Using Targeted Massively Parallel Sequencing
Authors: Graves Christian A. , Jones Ashley , Reynolds Justin , Stuart Jeremy , Pirisi Lucia , Botrous Peter , Wells James
Published: December 2014

Introduction: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine carcinoma with a poorly understood molecular etiology. We implemented a comprehensive deep sequencing approach to identify mutations in the tumor DNA from a cohort of patients treated at our institution over the past 15 years. Our results indicate mutations that may constitute therapeutic targets in MCC. Methods: Five patients were treated for MCC within the study interval. Patients with adequate tissue (n = 4), positive neuroendocrine differentiation (chromogranin, synaptophysin, and cytokeratin 20), and histopathological confirmation of MCC were included in the study. DNA was extracted from archival tumor tissue samples and analyzed by massively parallel sequencing using a targeted, multiplex PCR approach followed by semiconductor sequencing. Results: We demonstrate high-penetrance nonsense mutations in PDE4DIP (n = 4) as well as various missense mutations in the DNA damage response (PRKDC, AURKB, ERCC5, ATR, and ATRX) and epigenetic modulating enzymes (MLL3). Conclusion: We describe several mutations in potential disease-relevant genes and pathways. These targets should be evaluated in a larger cohort to determine their role in the molecular pathogenesis of MCC.
Communities, Culture and Commodification
Authors: Upton Caroline
Published: December 2014

Mongolia’s new resource politics, central to the country’s geopolitical considerations and ambitions in the twenty-first century, must be understood in relation to their complex, multi-scalar socio-cultural, historical and environmental dimensions. This paper draws on the author’s participatory research activities with key informants in Ulaanbaatar and amongst rural herding communities to illuminate key aspects, contexts and implications of the new resource politics. Specifically, the paper presents an empirically informed analysis of pertinent social and institutional forms, environmental and cultural values and aspects of resource governance, with particular reference to land issues, pastoralism, mining and resistance. Conceptually, it draws on recent work, especially in geography and political ecology, on activism, conservation and particularly on emerging discourses and framings of natural resources as ‘ecosystem services’. Through attention to these concepts, it highlights contested dimensions of environmental values and valuation, of critical contemporary importance in Mongolia’s new resource politics.
Nation-building, Ethnicity and Natural Resources
Authors: Bayar Nasan
Published: December 2014

The Mongolian economy has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to a mining sector based on abundant resources like coal, copper, and gold. The mining boom has been stimulated by Mongolia’s energy-hungry southern neighbour China, which plays a significant role, not only through importing natural resources but also through capital investment in the growing economy. In recent decades some inland port towns, such as Chehee/Shiveehüree and Ganchmod/Gashuunsukhait have grown up along the border between the two countries. Scenes of trucks lining up at customs posts to transport Mongolian coal to China are common. The trade in natural resources clearly has significance not only for the economy but also for nation-building and ethnicity construction. This paper examines the role of ethnic Mongols from China in the economic cooperation between the two countries. It will focus on the story of an ethnic Mongolian trucker, formerly a herder in western Inner Mongolia, discussing the ways in which he has experienced interactions with Chinese and Mongolian nationals, as he identifies himself as a Chinese citizen and an ethnic Mongol.
Ancestral Spirits Love Mining Sites
Authors: Shimamura Ippei
Published: December 2014

In recent years, Mongolia has been enjoying rapid economic growth thanks to the development of its enormous natural resource deposits of copper, coal, gold, petroleum, and so on. However, due to the consequent social instability, the number of shamans has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, especially in the capital city Ulaanbaatar and mining towns. In this paper, I will explore shamanic activities around the Oyu Tolgoi mining site in South Gobi, examining what kinds of people are actually becoming shamans and how they become shamans, as well as what activities they are involved in with relevance to the dramatic socio-economic and environmental changes.
Satellite Nomads
Authors: Chuluun S. , Byambaragchaa G.
Published: December 2014

The expanding mining process in Khanbogd sum [county], South Gobi aimag [province], has made noticeable impact on the native herders’ life and environment. Despite the negative impact on their nomadic livestock breeding, the local herders tend to coexist with the mine as a new economic source. For example, herders in Khanbogd request the mining company to designate their pasture land as a ‘mine impact zone’, and that they be employed at the mine to get a permanent salary. In this paper, we will show how local herders have adopted tactics for making their living by depending on the giant copper–gold mine. It seems to us that theirs is no longer a traditional way of nomadic livestock-breeding, but rather a brand-new form of mobile livestock-breeding orbiting the mine like satellites.
Ruprechtia in the Miocene El Cien Formation, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Authors: Cevallos-Ferriz Sergio R.S. , Martínez-Cabrera Hugo I. , Calvillo-Canadell Laura
Published: December 2014

Fossil woods from the El Cien Formation have yielded important information on the taxonomic composition and climate of a flora established in the west coast of Mexico during the Miocene. This report of a new genus and species, Ruprechtioxylon multiseptatus Cevallos-Ferriz, Martínez Cabrera et Calvillo-Canadell, is based on woods with the following combination of features: vessels solitary and in radial multiples of 2–3; vestured, alternate, oval to polygonal intervessel pits; vessel-ray and vessel-parenchyma pits similar in size to intervessel pits, but with slightly reduced to reduced borders; 2–5 septa per fibre; scanty paratracheal, unilateral and vasicentric axial parenchyma; uniseriate homocellular rays, occasionally locally biseriate; crystals in fibres. The presence of Ruprechtioxylon (Polygonaceae) in the El Cien Formation confirms that plants of lineages growing today under contrasting climates lived together in the past. This record adds a new species to the growing list of Neotropical taxa that were present in Mexico prior to the great Plio-Pleistocene exchange of biota in the Americas.
WOOD SELECTION OF ANCIENT TEMPLES IN THE SIKKIM HIMALAYAS
Authors: Mertz Mechtild , Gupta Sangeeta , Hirako Yutaka , Azevedo Pimpim de , Sugiyama Junji
Published: December 2014

Microscopic wood identifications were performed on five Buddhist temple structures and on one secular building located in Sikkim, an Indian state in the Eastern Himalayas. In all, twenty wood species were identified, two of which – Michelia (Magnolia) doltsopa and Picea cf. spinulosa – were considered in more detail. Building type, specific physical and mechanical properties of the wood species, local availability, and religious considerations were apparently the leading criteria for timber selection.
ANATOMY AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LIRIODENDRON TULIPIFERA STEMS INCLINED AT DIFFERENT ANGLES
Authors: Hiraiwa Tokiko , Aiso Haruna , Ishiguri Futoshi , Takashima Yuya , Iizuka Kazuya , Yokota Shinso
Published: December 2014

The anatomical and chemical characteristics of reaction wood (RW) were investigated in Liriodendron tulipifera Linn. Stems of seedlings were artificially inclined at angles of 30 (RW-30), 50 (RW-50) and 70° (RW-70) from the vertical, and compared with normal wood (NW) from a vertical seedling stem. The smallest values for the wood fibre length and vessel number were observed in RW-50. The pit aperture angle was less than 10° in RW-30 and RW-50, in which reduced lignin content was observed in the S2 layer of the wood fibres. An increase in the glucose content and a decrease in the lignin and xylose content was observed in RW-50. The stem inclination angle affected the degree of RW development with regard to anatomical and chemical characteristics: the severest RW was observed in RW-50, followed by RW-30. RW-70 was similar in anatomical and chemical characteristics to NW, apparently because the inclination was too strong to enable recovery of its original position. In this case a vertical sprouting stem was formed to replace the inclined stem.
The mitochondrial phylogeography and intraspecific taxonomy of the Steppe Racerunner, Eremias arguta (Pallas) (Lacertidae: Sauria, Reptilia), reflects biogeographic patterns in Middle Asia
Authors: Poyarkov Nikolay Jr. A. , Orlova Valentina F. , Chirikova Marina A.
Published: December 2014

Steppe racerunner, Eremias (Eremias) arguta, is one of the most widespread species of the Asian racerunners (genus Eremias). Several subspecies were traditionally recognized however, morphological variability is so high that delimitation of these subspecies was always problematic. Here we present a phylogenetic hypothesis for this species based on cytochrome b sequences (55 samples from 35 populations, 900 bp partial sequences), infer it biogeography and the revise its subspecific structure. Six major phylogenetic lineages were revealed. The southernmost populations (E. a. uzbekistanica) from Uzbekistan form a clade together with the Issyk-Kul Lake subspecies (E. a. darevskii) based on both molecular and morphological evidence. Within more northern populations, there is a split between populations from Northern Caucasus, Europe and Western Kazakhstan (E. a. deserti) and Central and Eastern Kazakhstan populations (E. a. arguta). Transcaucasian (E. a. transcaucasica) steppe racerunners are grouped with Middle Asian populations. Finally, the easternmost samples, assigned to “E. a. potanini” are nested within the E. a. arguta clade. Populations from the Ili River Valley form a separate lineage sister to the clade joining all other E. arguta lineages and might represent a yet undescribed taxon. Species distribution in relation to historical biogeography of Middle Asia is discussed.
Taxonomy, host-plant associations and phylogeny of African Crotalaria-feeding seed beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae): the Conicobruchus strangulatus (Fåhraeus) species group
Authors: LE RU BRUNO P. , DELOBEL ALEX , GYÖRGY ZOLTÁN , GENSON GWENAËLLE , KERGOAT GAEL J.
Published: December 2014

A small group of six morphologically related seed beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) belonging to the Conicobruchus genus is reviewed. Species in this group for which host-plants are known feed on various species of Crotalaria (Fabaceae, Crotalarieae). Here we provide diagnoses and a dichotomous key for all six species. The following synonymies are proposed: Conicobruchus cicatricosus (Fåhraeus, 1839) (= Bruchus cicatricosus pallidioripennis Pic, 1941) syn. nov.; Conicobruchus strangulatus (Fåhraeus, 1839) (= Bruchus hargreavesi Pic, 1933) syn. nov. The corresponding Conicobruchus strangulatus species group is hereby designated. New host-plant data are also included, which correspond to the results of recent collections of legume pods in East Africa. In addition we carried out molecular phylogenetic analyses on a representative sampling of Conicobruchus species (including the six species of interest). The latter allow us to assess the monophyly of the group of interest and to unravel their evolutionary relationships. Molecular phylogenetic analyses also indicate that at least two lineages of Conicobruchus successfully shifted toward Crotalarieae during the course of their diversification.
Three new species of Eurypon Gray, 1867 from Northeastern Brazil (Poecilosclerida; Demospongiae; Porifera)
Authors: SANTOS GEORGE GARCIA , FRANÇA FERNANDO , PINHEIRO ULISSES
Published: December 2014

Three new species of Eurypon from Northeastern Brazil are described: Eurypon clavilectuarium sp. nov.; Eurypon suassunai sp. nov. and Eurypon distyli sp. nov. Samples were collected from the continental shelf of Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia and Paraíba States. While the majority of Atlantic Eurypon species have been described from deep water, two of three new species described in this study were collected from shallow depths. The three new species from Brazil were compared with all other eighteen Eurypon species described from the Atlantic.
Review of Psorodonotus Specularis Group (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae): two new species from North-east Anatolia
Authors: KAYA SARP , CHOBANOV DRAGAN , ÇIPLAK BATTAL
Published: December 2014

The Anatolio-Caucasio-Balkan genus Psorodonotus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) presently includes 13 species belonging to three species groups. In the present study we review the Specularis group and describe two new species—P. rize Kaya & Ciplak sp. n. and P. giresun Kaya & Ciplak sp. n.. Data obtained of 21 different populations from the North-eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus are used for descriptive and analytical purposes. Morphology of this group has been studied both qualitatively and quantitatively using linear metric data of the hind femur and geometric data of male and female pronotum, male cerci and ovipositor. Male calling songs are described and statistically analysed. Qualitative and/or quantitative morphology and male calling song suggested seven taxonomic units: P. specularis specularis, P. specularis inermis, P. inflatus, P. davisi, P. soganli, P. rize sp. n., P. giresun sp. n.. Our results suggest closest relationships of P. rize sp. n. with P. davisi and of P. giresun sp. n. with P. soganli.
Two new quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata) parasitising the tapaculos (Passeriformes: Rhinocryptidae) in South America
Authors: SIKORA BOZENA , KASZEWSKA KATARZYNA , SKORACKI MACIEJ
Published: December 2014

Two new species of syringophilid mites (Acari: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) associated with passeriform birds of the family Rhinocryptidae in South America are described: Syringophiloidus teledromas sp. nov. from Teledromas fuscus (Sclater and Salvin) in Argentina and Aulonastus pteroptochos sp. nov. from Pteroptochos tarnii (King) in Chile. The genus Aulonastus Kethley, 1970 is recorded from the tapaculos for the first time, and the new species of Syringophiloidus Kethley, 1970 described here is the second record of this genus on rhinocryptid birds.
Nyctomyia biunguiculata, a new cavernicolous species of tribe Aedini (Diptera: Culicidae) from southern Thailand
Authors: HARBACH RALPH E. , TAAI KRITSANA
Published: December 2014

Nyctomyia biunguiculata, sp. n., is described from a unique male reared from a pupa (exuviae partially decomposed and over cleared) collected from a rimstone pool deep inside Wat Sumano cave located in Phatthalung Province of southern Thailand. The genitalia of the holotype are illustrated, and the species is compared with Nc. pholeocola, the type species of the genus described from a cave in another province of southern Thailand. The species has not been found outside the cave and appears to be a true troglobite.
Latent dynamics of movement formation: The Kurdish case in Turkey (1940s–1960s)
Authors: Özen Hayriye
Published: December 2014

The attention of social movement studies has so far tended to focus on visible phases of movements, neglecting latent ones. This study argues that invisible mobilizations may be critical in preparing the groundwork of public mobilizations, particularly in authoritarian contexts. Using a process-oriented constructivist account of mobilization which incorporates insights from resistance studies, this article analyzes the Kurdish case in Turkey in the authoritarian 1940s and semi-authoritarian 1950s. Based on in-depth interviews, memoirs, newspaper reports, and official documents, it is demonstrated that a latent Kurdish dissent emerged in this period through the constitution of a sense of shared grievance and common identity both in hidden ways within the submerged networks of Kurdish students and professionals, and in public and visible, yet disguised, ways. Incubating the movement out of the gaze of the authorities within the authoritarian context, this latent dissent formed the groundwork of public acts of defiance and mobilization which emerged towards the end of the 1950s as the political changes encouraged Kurdish dissenters to publicly declare their opposition, and expanded in the more liberal context of the 1960s.
Catastrophism toward ‘opening up’ or ‘closing down’? Going beyond the apocalyptic future and geoengineering
Authors: Asayama Shinichiro
Published: December 2014

Climate change is socially constructed by the way we imagine the future. Catastrophism and the fear of future climate risk dominate public discourse and constitute how we respond to climate change now. In the debate on climate change, there are two competing catastrophisms: one is emancipatory catastrophism, coined by Ulrich Beck; and the other is what the author of this article calls apocalyptic catastrophism – the dystopian imagination of the future climate and a discourse serving to feed the idea of a ‘techno-fix’, namely geoengineering the Earth’s climate. The two catastrophisms are different in their view on climate change and democracy. This article explores the discursive contours of these two catastrophisms.
Emancipatory catastrophism: What does it mean to climate change and risk society?
Authors: Beck Ulrich
Published: December 2014

The metamorphosis of the world is about the hidden emancipatory side effect of global risk. This article argues that the talk about bads produces ‘common goods’. As such, the argument goes beyond what has been at the heart of the world risk society theory so far: it is not about the negative side effects of goods but the positive side effects of bads. They are producing normative horizons of common goods. This is what the author defines as ‘emancipatory catastrophism’. Emancipatory catastrophism can be seen and analysed by using three conceptual lenses: first, the anticipation of global catastrophe violates sacred (unwritten) norms of human existence and civilization; second, thereby it causes an anthropological shock, and, third, a social catharsis.
Towards cosmopolitan middle-range theorizing: A metamorphosis in the practice of social theory?
Authors: Blok Anders
Published: December 2014

Over the years, Ulrich Beck has established himself as an important sociologist due in large part to the imaginative and skillful way in which he has continuously added new conceptual bricks to his theoretical edifice and cosmopolitan vision. His work at the present juncture is no exception, spurred as it is by the urgency of responding to the global risks of climate change via reworking key categories of social theory. More strongly than existing notions of world risk society and second modernity, his new concept of metamorphosis (‘ Verwandlung’) captures the way contemporary social upheavals imply a fundamental transformation in our very coordinates of social change, in the face of as-yet uncertain collective futures. Likewise, as Beck propounds in this issue of Current Sociology, the concept of emancipatory catastrophism starkly underlines the core moral ambiguity of global risks: (future) risk is not yet (present) catastrophe – and this very gap may lead to mobilizations and the emergence of new normative horizons of expectation. This text suggests the notion of cosmopolitan middle-range theorizing in order to capture the novel practice of social theory is contained, but so far insufficiently specified, in Beck’s project.
Facing an unequal world
Authors: Burawoy Michael
Published: December 2014

To face an unequal world requires us to interpret and explain it, to be sure, but also to engage it, that is, to recognize that we are part of it and that we are partly responsible for it. In other words, inequality is not just something external to us, but also invades our own world. I begin, therefore, by examining the global community of sociology through the lens of inequality. I then consider two recent perspectives on our unequal world from outside sociology: the moral radicalism of Pope Francis that emphasizes exclusion from market society, and the innovative research of the economist Thomas Piketty that emphasizes unequal inclusion in market society. These two faces of global inequality mirror the social movements reverberating from the economic crisis of 2008 but which have their roots in a reaction to a broader wave of marketization, the third to engulf modern capitalism. To explore the meaning of third-wave marketization, otherwise known as neoliberalism, and the social movements it provokes I draw on two concepts from Karl Polanyi – ‘fictitious commodities’ and ‘countermovement’ – as well as a theory of the dynamics of capitalism. I conclude with three challenges facing a global sociology that centers social movements: to develop a theory that speaks to the globally diverse experiences of commodification; to develop a methodology that recognizes that we are unavoidably participants in the world we study; and to develop a politics that defends a particular vision of that world, a vision that has defined the sociological tradition from its beginning, namely one that upholds the centrality of civil society against the over-extension of market and state.
The value of anthropology for missiological engagements with context: The case of witch accusations
Authors: Priest Robert J.
Published: December 2014

This article reviews an earlier history where anthropology came to be valued as playing a significant role within missiological education, and considers the more recent partial decline of professional anthropology within missiological institutions. It calls for a revaluing of anthropology for what it contributes to missiology and contextual theology. To illustrate the sorts of strength that anthropology brings to missiology, the article examines the old anthropological topic of witchcraft accusations, a topic that turns out to be remarkably contemporary because of its significant revitalized presence in churches in major regions of the world. The article considers contemporary dynamics where church leaders themselves participate in witch accusations, and attempts to showcase the sorts of considerations that an anthropological approach contributes to missiology.
Doing (critical) qualitative research in China in a global era
Authors: Hsiung Ping-Chun
Published: December 2014

Over the last decades, qualitative researchers from the global south have questioned the dominance of the Anglo-American core and the current divide between the core and periphery. Nevertheless, it is unclear how to disrupt the divide. This article advances this endeavour by demonstrating the interplay between Anglo-American domination and a local hegemonic discourse that has perpetuated the core–periphery divide and hindered the development of critical qualitative research (QR) in the periphery. The author conceptualizes the periphery as an incubator that nurtures locally grounded and globally informed qualitative researchers. This demands interrogating the interplay between core domination and local hegemony. Doing so lays the foundation for qualitative researchers in the periphery to explore, and eventually articulate, decentred methodologies and locally situated epistemologies on a globalized platform. Using two case studies of QR conducted in China, the article examines the practices and politics of doing (critical) QR in contemporary China. It discusses methodological and epistemological issues pertinent to decentring QR in a global era.
Does the class cleavage still matter? The social composition of participants in demonstrations addressing redistributive and cultural issues in three countries
Authors: Eggert Nina , Giugni Marco
Published: December 2014

This article examines the role of social class for individual participation in social movements, more specifically in street demonstrations. The authors use protest survey data in order to avoid the limitations of previous research by contextualizing the effect of social class on participation in protest. The analysis focuses on demonstrations addressing redistributive and cultural issues, reflecting a well-known distinction between old and new social movements. The authors show that participants in these two types of demonstrations, as well as in a third, mixed category, present a similar class structure, which casts some doubts on this distinction, although slight differences remain. Furthermore, a comparison of three countries that differ in terms of the strength of the class cleavage (Belgium, Sweden, and Switzerland) suggests that this cleavage acts as a moderator of the relationship between social class and participation in street demonstrations.
A Hospice and Palliative Care Bed Dedicated to Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department for End-of-Life Care
Authors: Lafond Pierre , Chalayer E. , Roussier M. , Weber E. , Lacoin-Reynaud Q. , Tardy B.
Published: December 2014

A hospice and palliative care (PC) bed was created in 2006, located within a quiet area of our intensive care unit, in order to admit terminally ill patients sent to the emergency department (ED) for end-of-life care. We retrospectively analyze the records of the 342 terminally ill patients sent to the ED from 2007 to 2011. Among them, 176 (51.5%) were admitted to our hospice and PC bed, where 114 died. Besides, 99 (28.9%) of them died on stretchers in the ED. Our intervention led to a significant decrease in the number of terminally ill patients dying on stretchers in the ED. It also allowed both patients and families to have access to a more suitable environment.
Random Serum Cortisol as a Predictor for Survival of Terminally Ill Patients With Cancer
Authors: Kim Hyo Min , Ha Kyung Sang , Hwang In Cheol , Ahn Hong Yup , Youn Chang Ho
Published: December 2014

Although previous research found that serum cortisol levels were associated with cancer prognosis, it is unclear whether this association remains robust even at the very end of life of patients with cancer. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 125 patients with terminal cancer to investigate the role of random serum cortisol levels in predicting the remaining life expectancy. The high random cortisol group had a significantly shorter survival time than the low random cortisol group (7.5 vs 26 days). After adjusting for potential confounders, key factors such as poor performance status, hypoalbuminemia, and high random cortisol level are associated with poor survival. Our results suggest that the random serum cortisol level is an independent predictor of survival time of patients with terminally ill cancer.
Unleashing the Powerful Few
Authors: Paetzold Falko , Busch Timo
Published: December 2014

Despite their apparent interest, private investors are surprisingly disengaged from sustainable investing, an observation that has received limited scholarly attention. This theory building study draws on the theory of planned behaviour to conceptualize the decision-making process of private investors towards sustainable investing. Findings from literature provide some insights but do not yield a comprehensive answer as to why private investors refrain from sustainable investing. Interviews with wealthy private investors led us to identify a generally high interest in sustainable investing and dominant barriers that prevent actual engagement. Barriers are the perception of high volatility within sustainable investments in combination with, first, a short investment time horizon and, second, recent financial losses. Third, we find that investment advisors withhold required information from their clients. We suggest a decision-making framework that facilitates a better understanding of the engagement of private investors in sustainable investing and outline avenues for future research and implications for practitioners.
Can Ecolabels Influence Firms’ Sustainability Strategy and Stakeholder Behavior?
Authors: Darnall Nicole , Aragón-Correa J. Alberto
Published: December 2014

Ecolabels are policies and programs that are designed to signal information to stakeholders about a product’s attributes and reduce stakeholder uncertainty about the validity of green product claims. However, for ecolabels to be successful at addressing information asymmetries external stakeholders must perceive them as being credible. We assess the prospects of different sorts of ecolabels to influence firms’ sustainability strategies and stakeholder behavior based on the credibility of their institutional construction. We then describe important areas for future ecolabel research, and analyze connections between these future research areas and the articles that form this issue. Finally, we emphasizethe importance of collaborative stakeholder initiatives in advancing sustainability strategy and how accurate information is vital to the success of these initiatives.
The Role of Siblings and Psychological Needs in Predicting Life Satisfaction During Emerging Adulthood
Authors: Hollifield Christina Rogers , Conger Katherine Jewsbury
Published: December 2014

Life satisfaction during emerging adulthood is important because it promotes positive psychological functioning and prevents risky behaviors that lead to poor health. Self-determination theory emphasizes the agentic nature of individuals to maintain well-being through the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and the social contexts which influence these processes. Because siblings serve as an emotional resource throughout the life span, sibling support may predict well-being through these psychological needs. With this framework as a guide, 337 individuals from the Family Transitions Project reported sibling support at 17 years old, sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness at 19 years old, and life satisfaction at 20 years old. Sibling support in adolescence was significantly associated with autonomy, competence, relatedness, and life satisfaction in emerging adulthood. Sense of competence mediated the association between sibling support and later life satisfaction. Results highlight the unique influence of siblings in contributing toward life satisfaction.
The Effect of Types of Postsecondary Education on Drinking
Authors: Thompson Kara , Stockwell Tim , Leadbeater Bonnie , Homel Jacqueline
Published: December 2014

Using longitudinal data from early adolescence through young adulthood, this study examined the association between different types of postsecondary education (PSE), age of enrollment in PSE, and the trajectory of alcohol use for Canadian young adults ( N = 521). Trajectories of alcohol use were compared across young adults at 2-year colleges, 4-year universities, transfer programs (started at a 2-year college and transferred to a 4-year university), and terminal high school graduates. While initial findings revealed significant differences in the drinking trajectories of 2-year college students and 4-year university students, all differences were accounted for by variability in the age of enrollment. Overall, there were few differences in heavy drinking across types of institutions, but younger students increased their alcohol use more than older students following enrollment. However, young adults who do not attend PSE may be at greatest risk for heavy drinking over time.
Effects of pulse length on low frequency plasma nitrided 316L steels
Authors: Díaz-Guillén J. C. , Vargas-Gutiérrez G. , Granda-Gutiérrez E. E. , González M. A. , Díaz-Guillén J. A. , Alvarez-Contreras L.
Published: December 2014

The influence of pulse time ( tp) variation on hardness, crystalline phases and electrochemical corrosion susceptibility of plasma nitriding 316L was investigated. Hardness test, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical polarisation tests let to identify the best processing conditions. Nitriding at tp = 5 ms in a 100 Hz discharge increased the 316L hardness around four times and decreased its corrosion susceptibility one order of magnitude. The X-ray diffraction analysis showed the shifted reflections for the expanded austenite and let to identify an anisotropic strain with expansion lattice around 7·5 and 9% for (111) and (200) orientations respectively. For the evaluated tp range, the increase in the pulse length has not beneficial influence on surface hardness; on the contrary, there is a decrease in its value when tp grew from 5 to 8 ms. Corrosion and hardness performance has been related to the strain level and to the nitrogen content.
Mammary cancer initiation and progression studied with magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Fan Xiaobing , Mustafi Devkumar , Markiewicz Erica , Zamora Marta , Vosicky James , Leinroth Abby , Mueller Jeffrey , Macleod Kay , Conzen Suzanne D , Karczmar Gregory S
Published: December 2014

Introduction

Previous work from this laboratory demonstrated that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detects early murine mammary cancers and reliably differentiates between in situ and invasive cancer. Based on this previous work, we used MRI to study initiation and progression of murine mammary cancer, and monitor the transition from the in situ to the invasive phase.

Methods

In total, seven female C3(1) SV40 Tag mice were imaged every two weeks between the ages of 8 to 23 weeks. Lesions were identified on T2-weighted images acquired at 9.4 Tesla based on their morphology and growth rates. Lesions were traced manually on MR images of each slice. Volume of each lesion was calculated by adding measurements from individual slices. Plots of lesion volume versus time were analyzed to obtain the specific growth rate (SGR). The time at which in situ cancers (referred to as ‘mammary intraepithelial neoplasia (MIN)’) and invasive cancers were first detected; and the time at which in situ cancers became invasive were recorded.

Results

A total of 121 cancers (14 to 25 per mouse) were identified in seven mice. On average the MIN lesions and invasive cancers were first detected when mice were 13 and 18 weeks old, respectively. The average SGR was 0.47 ± 0.18 week-1 and there were no differences (P >0.05) between mice. 74 lesions had significantly different tumor growth rates before and after ~17 weeks of age; with average doubling times (DT) of 1.88 and 1.27 weeks, respectively. The average DT was significantly shorter (P <0.0001) after 17 weeks of age. However, the DT for some cancers was longer after 17 weeks of age, and about 10% of the cancers detected did not progress to the invasive stage.

Conclusions

A wide range of growth rates were observed in SV40 mammary cancers. Most cancers transitioned to a more aggressive phenotype at approximately 17 weeks of age, but some cancers became less aggressive. The results suggest that the biology of mammary cancers is extremely heterogeneous. This work is a first step towards use of MRI to improve understanding of factors that control and/or signal the development of aggressive breast cancer.
A mechanophysical phase transition provides a dramatic example of colour polymorphism: the tribochromism of a substituted tri(methylene)tetrahydrofuran-2-one
Authors: Asiri Abdullah M , Heller Harry G , Hughes David S , Hursthouse Michael B , Kendrick John , Leusen Frank JJ , Montis Riccardo
Published: December 2014

Background

Derivatives of fulgides have been shown to have interesting photochromic properties. We have synthesised a number of such derivatives and have found, in some cases, that crystals can be made to change colour on crushing, a phenomenon we have termed “tribochromism”. We have studied a number of derivatives by X-ray crystallography, to see if the colour is linked to molecular structure or crystal packing, or both, and our structural results have been supported by calculation of molecular and lattice energies.

Results

A number of 5-dicyanomethylene-4-diphenylmethylene-3-disubstitutedmethylene-tetrahydrofuran-2-one compounds have been prepared and structurally characterised. The compounds are obtained as yellow or dark red crystals, or, in one case, both. In two cases where yellow crystals were obtained, we found that crushing the crystals gave a deep red powder. Structure determinations, including those of the one compound which gave both coloured forms, depending on crystallisation conditions, showed that the yellow crystals contained molecules in which the structure comprised a folded conformation at the diphenylmethylene site, whilst the red crystals contained molecules in a twisted conformation at this site. Lattice energy and molecular conformation energies were calculated for all molecules, and showed that the conformational energy of the molecule in structure IIIa (yellow) is marginally higher, and the conformation thus less stable, than that of the molecule in structure IIIb (red). However, the van der Waals energy for crystal structure IIIa, is slightly stronger than that of structure IIIb – which may be viewed as a hint of a metastable packing preference for IIIa, overcome by the contribution of a more stabilising Coulomb energy to the overall more favourable lattice energy of structure IIIb.

Conclusions

Our studies have shown that the crystal colour is correlated with one of two molecular conformations which are different in energy, but that the less stable conformation can be stabilised by its host crystal lattice.
Factors affecting the stability and repeatability of gamma camera calibration for quantitative imaging applications based on a retrospective review of clinical data
Authors: Anizan Nadège , Wang Hao , Zhou Xian C , Hobbs Robert F , Wahl Richard L , Frey Eric C
Published: December 2014

Background

Absolute quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has several important applications including monitoring tumor response after treatment and dose estimation for targeted radionuclide therapy treatment planning. Obtaining quantitative SPECT images in absolute activity units requires the use of a calibration factor, and the repeatability of this directly affects the repeatability of image quantification. This study focused on evaluating the factors affecting the repeatability of a calibration factor measured using a planar image of an in-air calibration source.

Methods

The calibration factors calculated as part of 131I-tositumomab patient dosimetry scans used in treatment planning performed over a 4-year period were retrospectively analyzed. Raw data included total counts in whole-body images of a radioactive calibration source, the activity of the source measured in a radionuclide activity meter (often referred to as a dose calibrator), and the background count rate obtained at three time points for each patient. The count rate from extrinsic flood source acquisitions and radionuclide activity meter constancy obtained on the same day as each image were also used. The data were analyzed statistically using a mixed-effects model to determine the factors affecting variations in the measured calibration factors.

Results

The global variability in the calibration factor was equal to 2.3% and was decreased by 20% to 1.8%, when the decay-corrected measurements of calibration source activity were averaged over the three time points for each patient. Camera sensitivity variation measured using a 57Co sheet source was small and had a weak relationship to calibration factor variations. When the averaged source activity was used, the main source of variance was related to preparation and measurement of the source (77%). Radionuclide activity meter constancy had a smaller but statistically significant impact on the calibration factor.

Conclusions

This study indicates that calibration factors based on planar measurements have good reproducibility. The findings of this study indicate (1) the importance of accurate and precise preparation and measurement of the calibration source activity, (2) the need to carefully control background activity during calibration factor assessment and patient data acquisition, and (3) that the calibration factor and camera sensitivity were stable over time, indicating that careful but less frequent calibration is needed.
The blue fluorescent protein from Vibrio vulnificus CKM-1 is a useful reporter for plant research
Authors: Tu Jin-Min , Chang Ming-Chung , Huang Lynn LH , Chang Ching-Dong , Huang Hao-Jen , Lee Ruey-Hua , Chang Ching-Chun
Published: December 2014

Background

The mBFP is an improved variant of NADPH-dependent blue fluorescent protein that was originally identified from the non-bioluminescent pathogenic bacteria Vibrio vulnificus CKM-1. To explore the application of mBFP in plants, the mBFP gene expression was driven by one of the three promoters, namely, leaf-specific (RbcS), hypoxia-inducible (Adh) or auxin-inducible (DR5) promoters, in different plant tissues such as leaves, roots and flowers under diverse treatments. In addition, the expressed mBFP protein was targeted to five subcellular compartments such as cytosol, endoplasmic reticulum, apoplast, chloroplast and mitochondria, respectively, in plant cells.

Results

When the mBFP was transiently expressed in the tobacco leaves and floral tissues of moth orchid, the cytosol and apoplast exhibited brighter blue fluorescence than other compartments. The recombinant mBFP-mS1C fusion protein exhibited enhanced fluorescence intensity that was correlated with more abundant RNA transcripts (1.8 fold) as compared with a control. In the root tips of horizontally grown transgenic Arabidopsis, mBFP could be induced as a reporter under hypoxia condition. Furthermore, the mBFP was localized to the expected subcellular compartments, except that dual targeting was found when the mBFP was fused with the mitochondria-targeting signal peptide. Additionally, the brightness of mBFP blue fluorescence was correlated with NADPH concentration.

Conclusion

The NADPH-dependent blue fluorescent protein could serve as a useful reporter in plants under aerobic or hypoxic condition. However, to avoid masking the mitochondrial targeting signal, fusing mBFP as a fusion tag in the C-terminal will be better when the mBFP is applied in mitochondria trafficking study. Furthermore, mBFP might have the potential to be further adopted as a NADPH biosensor in plant cells. Future codon optimization of mBFP for plants could significantly enhance its brightness and expand its potential applications.
Systemic and renal hemodynamic effects of intra-arterial radiocontrast
Authors: Calzavacca Paolo , Ishikawa Ken , Bailey Michael , May Clive N , Bellomo Rinaldo
Published: December 2014

Background

Decreased renal blood flow (RBF) and vasoconstriction are considered major mechanisms of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI). To understand the severity and duration of such putative effects, we measured systemic and renal hemodynamics after intra-arterial radiocontrast administration. The subjects were six Merino ewes. The setting was a university-affiliated research institute. This is a randomized cross-over experimental study.

Methods

Transit-time flow probes were implanted on the pulmonary and left renal arteries 2 weeks before experimentation. We simulated percutaneous coronary intervention by administering five intra-arterial boluses of 0.5 mL/kg saline (control) or radiocontrast (iodixanol) to a total of 2.5 mL/kg over 1 h. Cardiac output (CO), heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), RBF, renal vascular conductance (RVC), urine output (UO), creatinine clearance (CrCl), and fractional excretion of sodium (FENa) were measured.

Results

In the first 8 h after intra-arterial administration of radiocontrast, CO, total peripheral conductance (TPC), and heart rate (HR) increased compared with those after normal saline administration. Thereafter, CO and TPC were similar between the two groups, but HR remained higher with radiocontrast (p < 0.001). After a short (30 min) period of renal vasoconstriction with preserved RBF secondary to an associated increase in MAP, RBF and RVC showed an earlier and greater increase (vasodilatation) with radiocontrast (p < 0.001) and remained higher during the first 2 days. Radiocontrast initially increased urine output (p < 0.001) and FENa (p = 0.003). However, the overall daily urine output decreased in the radiocontrast-treated animals at 2 days (p < 0.001) and 3 days (p = 0.006). Creatinine clearance was not affected.

Conclusions

In healthy animals, intra-arterial radiocontrast increased RBF, induced renal vasodilatation, and caused a delayed period of oliguria. Our findings suggest that sustained reduction in RBF and renal vasoconstriction may not occur in normal large mammals after intra-arterial radiocontrast administration.
Introduction: Telling the Story of MIT Economics in the Postwar Period
Authors: Weintraub E. Roy
Published: December 2014

Over the past twenty-five years the Duke history of economics faculty, together with the collection development librarians in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, have been gathering the papers of notable (mostly) twentieth-century economists in what is now called the Economists’ Papers Project (EPP). Over time that archive has grown and become central to historical research on economics in the postwar period. The papers of Edwin Burmeister, Evsey Domar, Franklin Fisher, Duncan Foley, Lawrence Klein, Franco Modigliani, and Robert Solow, all MIT faculty or students, have attracted scholars from around the world. After Paul Samuelson’s death in December 2009, his papers were deposited in the EPP and quickly became a magnet for historians of economics. In response, I invited a select group of scholars to consider a variety of projects exploring MIT’s role in the transformation of American economics in the postwar period. A conference was held April 26-28, 2013, at Duke University, sponsored by Duke University Press and with generous financial support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In the end the conferees learned that telling the story of MIT’s role in the postwar period required attending to both the particular circumstances that shaped MIT and the various ways in which economics itself was changing.