bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relative Status and Well-Being: Evidence from U.S. Suicide Deaths
Authors: Daly Mary C. , Wilson Daniel J. , Johnson Norman J.
Published: April 2013

We assess the importance of interpersonal income comparisons using data on suicide deaths. We examine whether suicide risk is related to others' income, holding own income and other individual and environmental factors fixed. We estimate models of the suicide hazard using two independent data sets: the National Longitudinal Mortality Study and the National Center for Health Statistics' Multiple Cause of Death Files combined with the 5% Public Use Micro Sample of the 1990 decennial census. Results from both data sources show that, controlling for own income and individual characteristics, individual suicide risk rises with others' income.
Sex Ratios and Crime: Evidence from China
Authors: Edlund Lena , Li Hongbin , Yi Junjian , Zhang Junsen
Published: April 2013

Since the introduction of the one-child policy in China in 1979, many more boys than girls have been born, foreshadowing a sizable bride shortage. What do young men unable to find wives do? This paper focuses on criminality, an asocial activity that has seen a marked rise since the mid-1990s. Exploiting province-year level variation, we find an elasticity of crime with respect to the sex ratio of 16- to 25-year-olds of 3.4, suggesting that male sex ratios can account for one-seventh of the rise in crime. We hypothesize that adverse marriage market conditions drive this association.
Knowledge Spillovers from Research Universities: Evidence from Endowment Value Shocks
Authors: Kantor Shawn , Whalley Alexander
Published: April 2013

We estimate the local spillovers from research university activity in a sample of urban counties. Our approach uses the interaction between university endowment values and stock market shocks over time for identification. We find statistically significant local spillover effects from university activity. The effects are significantly larger when local universities are more research intensive or local firms are technologically close to universities. Our results suggest that the longer-term effects that universities have on their local economies may grow over time as the composition of local industries adjusts to take advantage of the heterogeneous knowledge spillovers we identify.
Dynamic Hierarchical Factor Models
Authors: Moench Emanuel , Ng Serena , Potter Simon
Published: April 2013

This paper uses multilevel factor models to characterize within- and between-block variations as well as idiosyncratic noise in large dynamic panels. Block-level shocks are distinguished from genuinely common shocks, and the estimated block-level factors are easy to interpret. The framework achieves dimension reduction and yet explicitly allows for heterogeneity between blocks. The model is estimated using an MCMC algorithm that takes into account the hierarchical structure of the factors. The importance of block-level variations is illustrated in a four-level model estimated on a panel of 445 series related to different categories of real activity in the United States.
Printing and Protestants: An Empirical Test of the Role of Printing in the Reformation
Authors: Rubin Jared
Published: April 2013

The causes of the Protestant Reformation have long been debated. This paper seeks to revive and econometrically test the theory that the spread of the Reformation is linked to the spread of the printing press. I test this theory by analyzing data on the spread of the press and the Reformation at the city level. An econometric analysis that instruments for omitted variable bias with a city's distance from Mainz, the birthplace of printing, suggests that cities with at least one printing press by 1500 were at minimum 29 percentage points more likely to be Protestant by 1600.
Does Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Matter in China? Evidence from Financing and Investment Choices in the High-Tech Industry
Authors: Ang James S , Cheng Yingmei , Wu Chaopeng
Published: April 2013

Using a unique and rich database of high-technology firms in China, we show that effective enforcement of intellectual property rights at the provincial level is critical in encouraging financing and investing in R&D. Better enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights positively affects firms' ability to acquire new external debt and allows firms to invest in more R&D, generate more innovation patents, and produce more sales from new products. Our results suggest that facilitating financing and investing in R&D are the channels through which better IP rights enforcement can affect economic growth.
Comparing Treatments across Labor Markets: An Assessment of Nonexperimental Multiple-Treatment Strategies
Authors: Flores Carlos A. , Mitnik Oscar A.
Published: April 2013

We study the effectiveness of nonexperimental strategies in adjusting for comparison group differences when using data from several programs, each implemented at a different location, to compare their effect if implemented at alternative locations. First, we adjust for individual characteristics differences simultaneously across all groups using unconfoundedness-based and conditional difference-in-difference methods for multiple treatments. Second, we adjust for differences in local economic conditions and stress their role after program participation. Our results show that it is critical to have sufficient overlap across locations in both dimensions and illustrate the difficulty of adjusting for local economic conditions that differ greatly across locations.
Expectations and Economic Fluctuations: An Analysis Using Survey Data
Authors: Leduc Sylvain , Sill Keith
Published: April 2013

Using survey-based measures of future U.S. economic activity from the Livingston Survey and the Survey of Professional Forecasters, we study how changes in expectations and their interaction with monetary policy contribute to fluctuations in macroeconomic aggregates. We find that changes in expected future economic activity are a quantitatively important driver of economic fluctuations: a perception that good times are ahead typically leads to a significant rise in current measures of economic activity and inflation. We also find that the short-term interest rate rises in response to expectations of good times as monetary policy tightens.
Self-Selection and International Migration: New Evidence from Mexico
Authors: Kaestner Robert , Malamud Ofer
Published: April 2013

This paper examines the selection of Mexican migrants to the United States using novel data with rich premigration characteristics that include permanent migrants, return migrants, and migrating households. Results indicate that Mexican migrants are more likely to be young, male, and from rural areas compared to nonmigrants, but they are similar to nonmigrants in cognitive ability and health. Migrants are selected from the middle of the education distribution. Male Mexican migrants are negatively selected on earnings, and this result is largely explained by differential returns to labor market skill between the United States and Mexico rather than proxies for differential costs of migration.
The Effect of Health Insurance on Emergency Department Visits: Evidence from an Age-Based Eligibility Threshold
Authors: Anderson Michael L. , Dobkin Carlos , Gross Tal
Published: April 2013

Health insurance affects the rate at which individuals visit hospitals and emergency departments (EDs). We identify the causal effect of losing health insurance using a regression discontinuity design. We compare individuals just before and after their twenty third birthday, which insurers have used as a cutoff after which students are no longer eligible for their parents' health insurance: 1.5% of young adults lose their health insurance upon turning 23, and this transition leads to a 1.6% decrease in ED visits and a 0.8% decrease in hospital stays. We discuss why these estimates are larger than those observed among teenage populations.
A revision of the Palaearctic species of Reikosiella (Hirticauda) (Hymenoptera, Eupelmidae)
Authors: FUSU LUCIAN
Published: April 2013

The Palaearctic species of Reikosiella Yoshimoto, subgenus R. (Hirticauda Bouček), are revised. Illustrated keys are given to identify females of the ten recognized species and all known males. In addition to R. (Hirticauda) hungarica (Erdős), previously the only formally recognized Palaearctic species, two species are newly transferred to the genus and subgenus, R. (Hirticauda) bolivari (Kalina) comb. nov. and R. (Hirticauda) rostrata (Ruschka) comb. nov., both from Eupelmus Dalman. Seven species are described as new: R. (Hirticauda) andriescui sp. nov. from Canary Islands, R. (Hirticauda) gordoni sp. nov. and R. (Hirticauda) graeca sp. nov. from Greece, R. (Hirticauda) vanharteni sp. nov. from United Arab Emirates, and R. (Hirticauda) cornuta sp. nov., R. (Hirticauda) koreana sp. nov., and R. (Hirticauda) tripotinorum sp. nov. from Korea. A lectotype is designated for Eupelmus rostratus Ruschka. Host records are critically discussed for sev-eral species in the light of their new generic placement.
A new species of Diadema (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Diadematidae) from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and a neotype designation of Diadema antillarum (Philippi, 1845)
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ ADRIANA , HERNÁNDEZ JOSÉ CARLOS , CLEMENTE SABRINA , COPPARD SIMON EDWARD
Published: April 2013

Diadema africanum sp. nov. Rodríguez et al. 2013 occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean at depths of 1–80 meters off Ma-deira Islands, Salvage Islands, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Sâo Tome Islands and at the continental coast off Sen-egal and Ghana. This species was previously considered an eastern Atlantic population of D. antillarum. Genetic distances between the holotype of D. africanum and the neotype of D. antillarum herein designated, measured 3.34% in Cytochrome oxidase I, 3.80% in ATPase-8 and 2.31% in ATPase-6. Such divergence is similar to that already highlighted between other accepted species of Diadema. Morphometric analysis of test, spine and pedicellarial characters also separated D. africa-num from D. antillarum and reveals that this new species is morphologically similar to D. antillarum ascensionis from the mid Atlantic. The tridentate pedicellariae, which have been shown to have diagnostic characters which discriminate among species of Diadema, occur as both broad and narrow valved forms in D. antillarum from the western Atlantic. In D. africanum the tridentate pedicellariae occur only as a single form which is characterized by moderately broad and curved valves, with an expanded distal gripping region. This form of tridentate pedicellaria is very similar to that of D. antillarum ascensionis from the central Atlantic, with only slight variations in valve serration and valve curvature differ-entiating the two forms.
Sychentia hainanensis sp. n., the first record of the genus from China, with notes on the morphology and biogeography (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)
Authors: WEI CONG , ZHANG YALIN
Published: April 2013

Sychentia hainanensis sp. n. is described and illustrated from Hainan Island, representing the first record of the genus from China and the second known species of the genus. The morphology and biogeography of the genus Sychentia Wei & Webb and related genera are discussed.
Social Mobility, Middle Class, and Political Transitions
Authors: Leventoğlu Bahar
Published: April 2013

This article addresses the highly variable middle-class attitudes regarding political transitions and suggests that social mobility is a key factor conditioning its behavior. Social mobility creates a trade-off for the middle class between autocracy, which yields lower redistribution today, and democracy, which guarantees higher redistribution tomorrow. The way this trade-off is resolved impacts middle-class attitudes toward democratic transitions. Even when the middle class prefers lower redistribution levels under autocracy today, the middle class may prefer democracy today to guarantee higher levels of redistribution in the future, if it feels vulnerable about its future prospects.
Cultural Attachment
Authors: Hong Ying-yi , Fang Yang , Yang Ying , Phua Desiree Y.
Published: April 2013

Cultural attachment theory postulates that the adaptive solution of acculturation is analogous to infants’ attachment to their caretakers, whereby forming secure attachment to the native and/or host cultures can help sojourners to cope with anxiety and stress and to gain a sense of safe haven. To test this theory, we recruited 57 Indonesian students who were studying in Singapore and measured their quality of cultural attachment in two ways: (a) self-reported cultural attachment styles with the native and host culture and (b) positive affective transfer from Indonesian (native) and that from Singaporean (host) cultural icons. The participants’ self-reported cultural attachment styles and identifications with the two cultures were differentially correlated with their positive affective transfers from the two cultural icons. Importantly, the participants’ self-reported attachment styles of native and host cultures and their positive affective transfer from the Indonesian (native) cultural icons were linked to better adjustment in the host culture (as indicated by less perceived discrimination and acculturation stress, and greater subjective well-being). Implications of these findings on cross-cultural competence were discussed.
Adventure Racing
Authors: Simpson Duncan , Post Phillip Guy , Tashman Lauren Saenz
Published: April 2013

There has been little research devoted to understanding the sporting experience of Adventure Racing (AR) participants. Given the possible psychological benefits of AR participation, this investigation was undertaken to obtain additional insight into these competitors’ experience of participating in the Everglades Challenge. Existential phenomenological interviews were conducted with 10 participants ranging in age from 34 to 64 years who took part in the 2011 Everglades Challenge. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts revealed a total of 498 meaning units that were further grouped into subthemes, majors themes, and a primary ground. A final thematic structure revealed Adventure as the primary ground for the four major themes of Pushing Limits, Community, Preparation, and Natural Elements. The results suggest that AR can be transformational in many ways and that it provides an avenue for exploring personal meaning and promoting psychological benefits.
Job Acquisition by Urban Youth With Disabilities Transitioning From School to Work
Authors: Gold Paul B. , Fabian Ellen S. , Luecking Richard G.
Published: April 2013

Despite legislation promoting youth transition from school to employment, and despite growing knowledge of factors contributing to successful transitions, youth with disabilities continue to work at lower rates compared with their nondisabled peers. Over the past decade, efforts specifically directed toward reducing this intractable employment gap between these two groups of youth have met with relatively little success. Marriott Foundation’s Bridges from School-to-Work Program, a national multisite intervention offering paid competitive employment to high school youth enrolled in special education programs prior to school exit, addresses obstacles to labor market participation confronted by youth with disabilities, with an intensive, time-limited vocational intervention at seven inner-city urban sites across the United States. We found universally high job placement rates of a large sample of youth with disabilities enrolled in high school over several recent years of operation (2006 to 2011) across their sociodemographic and disability characteristics, and across diverse urban areas throughout the United States. Thus, we argue that educational, disability, and rehabilitation professionals should hold high expectations for employment success of these youth, regardless of their disabilities and the local economic conditions of the communities in which they live.
Heightened Maternal Separation Anxiety in the Postpartum
Authors: Cooklin Amanda R. , Lucas Nina , Strazdins Lyndall , Westrupp Elizabeth , Giallo Rebecca , Canterford Louise , Nicholson Jan M.
Published: April 2013

Maternal separation anxiety (MSA) refers to feelings of anxiety elicited in a mother during separation from her infant. The role of social and structural disadvantage in the etiology of high MSA has been overlooked. Secondary analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children ( N = 3,897) revealed that compared to socioeconomically advantaged women, women of low socioeconomic position had a fourfold increased odds of reporting high (>80th percentile) MSA (odds ratio = 4.37, 95% confidence interval = 3.24-5.89), even when maternal and infant characteristics were controlled for. Inadequate social support and residing in a poor quality neighborhood were also significantly associated with high MSA in adjusted analyses. These findings indicate that high MSA is more common in socioeconomically disadvantaged women and might be a response to adverse circumstances. Mothers’ experience of, and reasons for, MSA needs to be considered in policy formulation about parental leave and postpartum employment, particularly for disadvantaged mothers.
Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
Authors: White Andrew Edward , Li Yexin Jessica , Griskevicius Vladas , Neuberg Steven L. , Kenrick Douglas T.
Published: April 2013

Diversification of resources is a strategy found everywhere from the level of microorganisms to that of giant Wall Street investment firms. We examine the functional nature of diversification using life-history theory—a framework for understanding how organisms navigate resource-allocation trade-offs. This framework suggests that diversification may be adaptive or maladaptive depending on one’s life-history strategy and that these differences should be observed under conditions of threat. In three studies, we found that cues of mortality threat interact with one index of life-history strategy, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), to affect diversification. Among those from low-SES backgrounds, mortality threat increased preferences for diversification. However, among those from high-SES backgrounds, mortality threat had the opposite effect, inclining people to put all their eggs in one basket. The same interaction pattern emerged with a potential biomarker of life-history strategy, oxidative stress. These findings highlight when, and for whom, different diversification strategies can be advantageous.
Seeking Life Balance
Authors: Catolico Olivia
Published: April 2013

This grounded theory study in California, United States was an inquiry into the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement. The sequelae of significant life trauma on the health of women who escaped political conflict have received little attention in the nursing literature. Thirty-nine Cambodian women were recruited through a social service organization and verbal referrals. Open-ended questions and a conversational approach to dialogue and data gathering facilitated the interview process. Women were interviewed at home or the local temple. Seeking life balance emerged as the core perspective of this study. The relationships between thematic categories of seeking life balance, patterns of knowing, and caring for self were salient. Outcomes of these interrelationships further moved women’s health toward disharmony or harmony. The findings of this study are limited by sampling participants in a tightly networked community and may serve as a pilot for future research.
Resting Parietal Electroencephalogram Asymmetries and Self-Reported Attentional Control
Authors: Alfonso Morillas-Romero , Miquel Tortella-Feliu , Xavier Bornas , Blanca Aguayo-Siquier
Published: April 2013

Research on electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetries and anxiety proneness has recently spread to emotion regulation capabilities. We studied whether attentional control (AC), a temperamental construct related to emotional regulation, was associated with asymmetrical patterns of resting EEG activity at the frontal and parietal regions, reflected not only in the α frequency band (8-13 Hz) but also in higher bands β1 (13-20 Hz) and β2 (20-30 Hz). Self-reports of AC and trait anxiety, and resting EEG recordings, were obtained from 58 healthy participants. Correlational analysis showed that lower levels of self-reported AC were associated with less α, β1, and β2 powers in the left parietal cortex, while no significant relationships were found between the AC and EEG oscillations in the prefrontal cortex. The role of the left and right parietal lobes in the attentional processes is discussed.
Meta-Analytic Review of P3 Components in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Their Clinical Utility
Authors: Johnson J. D. , Allana T. N. , Medlin M. D. , Harris E. W. , Karl A.
Published: April 2013

Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibiting disturbances in information processing, including trouble with attention, were studied. Event-related potentials (ERPs)—specifically, the P3 components (P3a, P3b, and P3 working memory {P3wm})—provide an objective, non-invasive, and cost-effective method for evaluating such disturbances. We evaluated the potential clinical utility of P3 components by examining the differences between PTSD and several control groups: normal participants, non-PTSD patients with trauma, and medicated patients with PTSD. We performed a meta-analysis of the ERP literature between 1990 and 2010 using a random effects model. P3a amplitude was larger in patients with PTSD compared to non-PTSD patients having trauma in the context of trauma-related distracters. P3b amplitude was also larger in patients with PTSD than in patients having trauma without PTSD, but in the context of trauma-related stimuli. P3b amplitude was smaller in patients with PTSD compared to normal controls in the context of neutral stimuli. P3wm signals were smaller with shorter latencies in patients with PTSD compared to normal controls or medicated patients with PTSD. The receiver–operator characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that each P3 component had some potential to accurately classify patients, typically using amplitude for at least one lead. In conclusion, differences in P3 amplitude and latency between patients with PTSD and control patients confirm the results of Karl et al and extend our understanding of P3 as a neural correlate of working memory. These results further provide guidance on the potential design of future clinical trials supporting the development of P3 components as a PTSD diagnostic aid.
A Case of Schizencephaly Has a Normal Surface EEG but Abnormal Intracranial EEG
Authors: Lv Yudan , Ma Dihui , Meng Hongmei , Zan Wang , Li Cui
Published: April 2013

Schizencephaly is a congenital malformation of the cerebral hemispheres, with communication between the lateral ventricle and the subarachnoid space. Marinelli reported that schizencephaly may be associated with continuous involuntary hand movements, such as dystonia or epilepsia partialis continua (EPC). We describe a young Chinese patient with continuous involuntary movements of the contralateral hand affected by schizencephaly. He has a normal scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) but abnormal intracranial EEG, with synchronized periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges. The results obtained from these EEG investigations and the clinical features of the involuntary movements are in favor of a diagnosis of secondary EPC.
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Relative Convergence of EEGs Reveals Differences Between Brain Dynamics of Depressive Women and Men
Authors: Ahmadlou Mehran , Adeli Hojjat , Adeli Amir
Published: April 2013

A new nonlinear technique for analysis of brain dynamics called spatiotemporal analysis of relative convergence (STARC) of electroencephalograms (EEGs) is introduced, based on the relative convergence of EEGs of different loci. This technique shows how many times EEGs of each loci pair converge together, which in turn is used as an indicator to determine the different neuronal regions involved in performing the same task. A higher STARC value indicates that more regions are recruited to perform the same task. The STARC methodology was used to reveal sex difference pathophysiology and brain dynamics, using EEG data from 11 male and 11 female adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). The results show significant differences in relative convergences of EEGs of intraleft temporal and frontoleft temporal lobes at δ band, between male and female patients.
AIDS and the transition to adulthood of young seropositive women in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
Authors: Ouedraogo Ramatou
Published: April 2013

Since the early 1990s, the means of attaining adult status have undergone a transformation due to a variety of socioeconomic changes. Exploring the status of ‘youth’, in this context, through the prism of AIDS sheds light on how a pathology can reveal social change in the ‘youth’ category undergoing the process of transition to adulthood. The data for this article are drawn from an anthropological study carried out between 2006 and 2008 in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) based on 21 single young women (16 to 28 years old) infected with HIV. The data analysis highlighted issues of relationship to self (biographical disruption and jeopardized female identity) and to others (weakening of social ties in situations of dependency and of pursuit of social advancement) that arise after they discover their seropositive status. The different forms of vulnerability (identity-related, relational and situational) engendered by their status as seropositive women in a context of socioeconomic change, where there are a variety of issues at stake, raise the question of how these young women manage the risk of HIV transmission, and lead to a re-examination of the problem of the vulnerability of youth dealing with HIV.
Vulnerabilities in mHealth implementation: a Ugandan HIV/AIDS SMS campaign
Authors: Chib Arul , Wilkin Holley , Hoefman Bas
Published: April 2013

HIV prevalence in Uganda has leveled off, however trends indicate that incidence is on the rise and disproportionately affects certain vulnerable groups, such as women. There is growing support for using mobile health (mHealth) programs to reach vulnerable populations. Using the Extended Technology–Community–Management model for mHealth, we examined a text message campaign in Arua, Uganda, that disseminated and measured HIV/AIDS knowledge and promoted HIV/AIDS testing at clinics. Empirical data from this campaign illustrated that mHealth campaigns need to address socio-cultural, informational, economic and individual vulnerabilities. We found, for example, that the interactive SMS quiz design motivated recipients with the correct HIV/AIDS knowledge to respond (and thus become eligible for free HIV screening). In doing so, however, the more vulnerable sections of the population, such as those with incorrect knowledge, were further put at risk. We discuss the programmatic implications and provide strategic recommendations for campaign focus, particularly to reach young women.
Too poor to live? A case study of vulnerability and maternal mortality in Burkina Faso
Authors: Storeng Katerini T. , Drabo Seydou , Filippi Véronique
Published: April 2013

This paper examines the concept of vulnerability in the context of maternal morbidity and mortality in Burkina Faso, an impoverished country in West Africa. Drawing on a longitudinal cohort study into the consequences of life-threatening or ‘near miss’ obstetric complications, we provide an in-depth case study of one woman’s experience of such morbidity and its aftermath. We follow Kalizeta’s trajectory from her near miss and the stillbirth of her child to her death from pregnancy-related hypertension after a subsequent delivery less than two years later, in order to examine the impact of severe and persistent illness and catastrophic health expenditure on her health and on her family’s everyday life. Kalizeta’s case illustrates how vulnerability in health emerges and is maintained or exacerbated over time. Even where social arrangements are supportive, structural impediments, including unaffordable and inadequate healthcare, can severely limit individual resilience to mitigate the negative social and economic consequences of ill health.
When a prevention policy leads to economic vulnerability: the case of PMTCT in Senegal
Authors: Desclaux Alice
Published: April 2013

When, in 2010, a new PMTCT (Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission) strategy replaced the provision of infant formula to mothers living with HIV by a prophylaxis based on antiretrovirals, some Senegalese couples decided to purchase infant formula on their own, thereby risking ‘medically induced poverty’. This case study analyzes the emergence of a situation of economic vulnerability generated by a public health policy that is nevertheless globally appropriate in terms of accessibility and epidemiological effectiveness. Because of the gap between the rationales of institutions at the international and national levels and those of people ‘on the ground’, a strategy that has been defined as progress in terms of equity is interpreted as a regression creating inequality. This situation stems from several determinants analyzed in this article: rapid and poorly managed transition from one strategy to another, different perceptions of acceptable risk levels, and inadequate communication of information by care providers.
What contribution have human rights approaches made to reducing AIDS-related vulnerability in sub-Saharan Africa? Exploring the case study of access to antiretrovirals
Authors: Forman Lisa
Published: April 2013

Human rights approaches may offer powerful tools to deal with HIV and AIDS-related vulnerabilities experienced throughout the subcontinent’s endemic regions. This paper examines how such approaches have contributed to remediating health and dignity violations posed by the inaccessibility of antiretrovirals in the region. Increases in regional access and key changes in the causal chain of drug access are explored. Rights-based social campaigns that produced domestic as well as global shifts in related law and policy are described in the key low- and middle-income countries of South Africa, Brazil and Thailand. Finally, I consider the implications of these shifts in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of rights-based approaches to reducing AIDS-related vulnerability in the region, arguing that these experiences indicate the need for structural fixes that codify the right to health at domestic and international levels, so as to entrench the right to medicines and enable social actors and policy-makers alike to better meet essential health needs.
Au-delà des « groupes vulnérables »: contextes et dynamique de la vulnérabilité
Authors: Zarowsky Christina , Haddad Slim , Nguyen Vinh-Kim
Published: April 2013

Résumé

Cet article examine des approches de la vulnérabilité en santé publique et introduit une série de 10 articles qui abordent la vulnérabilité en santé en Afrique. Nous comprenons la vulnérabilité comme étant simultanément un état et un processus. Les inégalités sociales sont évidentes dans la vulnérabilité et en accentuent trois dimensions essentielles : le niveau initial de bien-être, le degré d’exposition au risque et la capacité à gérer le risque de façon efficace. Nous mettons un accent particulier sur les interactions dynamiques qui relient le manque matériel et social, la pauvreté, l’impuissance et la mauvaise santé : les risques, ou les chocs, et leurs impacts sur la santé sont intimement connectés entre eux et se renforcent l’un l’autre dans un cycle qui, en l’absence d’interventions efficaces, accroît la vulnérabilité. Un processus inductif qui ne commence pas par une définition ou une mesure a priori de la « vulnérabilité » et qui ne présume pas de l’existence de « groupes vulnérables » définis nous a permis à la fois de réaffirmer les aspects essentiels des cadres de référence conceptuels existants, et de nous engager dans de nouvelles voies avec une littérature abordant spécifiquement la vulnérabilité et la résilience au niveau de la population, de même qu’avec une littérature – par exemple en écologie, ainsi que sur le concept de fragilité dans la recherche sur le vieillissement – à laquelle les chercheurs du domaine de la santé et de la pauvreté en Afrique ne sont peut-être pas habitués. Nous encourageons le travail conceptuel et empirique sur la vulnérabilité dans des cadres systémiques complexes. Ces perspectives privilégient les contextes et la causalité non linéaire, soutenant ainsi les analyses sur la vulnérabilité et la résilience comme étant toutes deux des marqueurs et des propriétés émergentes d’interactions dynamiques. Nous acceptons une définition fonctionnelle de la vulnérabilité et nous reconnaissons que certains groupes définissables de personnes sont plus susceptibles que d’autres de subir des dommages du fait de leur exposition à des risques en matière de santé. Mais nous suggérons que le vrai travail – tant au niveau intellectuel qu’au niveau politique – réside dans la compréhension et la réponse apportée à la dynamique, à la signification et aux relations de pouvoir qui sous-tendent les cas et les processus réels de vulnérabilité et de dommages.
Agreement in Arthroscopic and Arthrotomy Assessment of Full-Thickness Articular Cartilage Lesions of the Knee in a Clinical Setting in 33 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Årøen Asbjørn , Røtterud Jan Harald , Sivertsen Einar Andreas
Published: April 2013

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy of arthroscopic measurement of full-thickness (International Cartilage Repair Society grades 3-4) cartilage lesions of the knee.

Design

In 33 consecutive arthroscopically evaluated cartilage lesion knees the lesion size was routinely estimated. At the final treatment, a knee arthrotomy was performed, and the lesion was reestimated. The 2 estimates were then compared by paired t test and the area estimated by knee arthrotomy was used as the gold standard. Results. The mean area of the cartilage lesion estimated by arthroscopic surgery was 3.5 cm2 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.7) whereas in the open surgery the mean area was 3.2 cm2 (SD = 1.5). The mean difference was 0.3 cm2, indicating a tendency toward overestimation by the arthroscopic evaluation, but the difference was not significant ( P = 0.09). Additional MRI assessment of the area demonstrated a mean area of 2.3 cm2 (SD = 1.6). This underestimated the size of the lesion by 1.2 cm2 (SD = 0.8; P = 0.015).

Conclusion

Knee arthroscopic examination estimated a cartilage full-thickness lesion with an error of less than 25 % in the majority of the patients.
The shortest isoform of C/EBPβ, liver inhibitory protein (LIP), collaborates with Evi1 to induce AML in a mouse BMT model
Authors: Watanabe-Okochi Naoko , Yoshimi Akihide , Sato Tomohiko , Ikeda Toshiyuki , Kumano Keiki , Taoka Kazuki , Satoh Yumiko , Shinohara Akihito , Tsuruta Takako , Masuda Akiko , Yokota Hiromitsu , Yatomi Yutaka , Takahashi Koki , Kitaura Jiro , Kitamura Toshio , Kurokawa Mineo
Published: April 2013

Key Points

The shortest isoform of C/EBPβ, liver inhibitory protein (LIP), collaborates with Evi1 in leukemogenesis.
C/EBPα is required for development of dendritic cell progenitors
Authors: Welner Robert S. , Bararia Deepak , Amabile Giovanni , Czibere Akos , Benoukraf Touati , Bach Christian , Wansa K. Disnika Senali Abayratna , Ye Min , Zhang Hong , Iino Tadafumi , Hetherington Christopher J. , Akashi Koichi , Tenen Daniel G.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

C/EBPα is needed for transition from stem/progenitor cells to common dendritic cell progenitors. C/EBPα is dispensable in later stages of dendritic cell maturation.
CD44 regulates the apoptotic response and promotes disease development in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Fedorchenko Oleg , Stiefelhagen Marius , Peer-Zada Abdul A. , Barthel Romy , Mayer Petra , Eckei Laura , Breuer Alexandra , Crispatzu Giuliano , Rosen Natascha , Landwehr Thomas , Lilienthal Nils , Möllmann Michael , Montesinos-Rongen Manuel , Heukamp Lukas , Dürig Jan , Hallek Michael , Fingerle-Rowson Günter , Herling Marco
Published: April 2013

Key Points

CD44 expression in CLL is micromilieu instructed and promotes leukemic cell survival, which can be antagonized by CD44 antibodies. As a surface coreceptor, CD44 supports leukemogenesis by modulating stimuli of MCL1 expression (eg, B-cell receptor signals).
Species and condition specific adaptation of the transcriptional landscapes in Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis
Authors: Grumaz Christian , Lorenz Stefan , Stevens Philip , Lindemann Elena , Schöck Ulrike , Retey Julia , Rupp Steffen , Sohn Kai
Published: April 2013

Background

Although Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis are most closely related, both species behave significantly different with respect to morphogenesis and virulence. In order to gain further insight into the divergent routes for morphogenetic adaptation in both species, we investigated qualitative along with quantitative differences in the transcriptomes of both organisms by cDNA deep sequencing.

Results

Following genome-associated assembly of sequence reads we were able to generate experimentally verified databases containing 6016 and 5972 genes for C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, respectively. About 95% of the transcriptionally active regions (TARs) contain open reading frames while the remaining TARs most likely represent non-coding RNAs. Comparison of our annotations with publically available gene models for C. albicans and C. dubliniensis confirmed approximately 95% of already predicted genes, but also revealed so far unknown novel TARs in both species. Qualitative cross-species analysis of these databases revealed in addition to 5802 orthologs also 399 and 49 species-specific protein coding genes for C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, respectively. Furthermore, quantitative transcriptional profiling using RNA-Seq revealed significant differences in the expression of orthologs across both species. We defined a core subset of 84 hyphal-specific genes required for both species, as well as a set of 42 genes that seem to be specifically induced during hyphal morphogenesis in C. albicans.

Conclusions

Species-specific adaptation in C. albicans and C. dubliniensis is governed by individual genetic repertoires but also by altered regulation of conserved orthologs on the transcriptional level.
Identification of molecular processes needed for vascular formation through transcriptome analysis of different vascular systems
Authors: Xu Peng , Kong Yimeng , Li Xuan , Li Laigeng
Published: April 2013

Background

Vascular system formation has been studied through molecular and genetic approaches in Arabidopsis, a herbaceous dicot that is used as a model system. Different vascular systems have developed in other plants such as crops and trees. Uncovering shared mechanisms underlying vascular development by transcriptome analysis of different vascular systems may help to transfer knowledge acquired from Arabidopsis to other economically important species.

Results

Conserved vascular genes and biological processes fundamental to vascular development were explored across various plants. Through comparative transcriptome analysis, 226 genes from Arabidopsis, 217 genes from poplar and 281 genes from rice were identified as constituting 107 conserved vascular gene groups. These gene groups are expressed mainly in vascular tissues and form a complex coexpression network with multiple functional connections. To date, only half of the groups have been experimentally investigated. The conserved vascular gene groups were classified into 9 essential processes for vascular development. 18 groups (17%) lack of annotations were classified as having unknown functions.

Conclusion

The study provides a map of fundamental biological processes conserved across different vascular systems. It identifies gaps in the experimental investigation of pathways active in vascular formation, which if explored, could lead to a more complete understanding of vascular development.
Energy status of ripening and postharvest senescent fruit of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.)
Authors: Wang Hui , Qian Zhengjiang , Ma Sanmei , Zhou Yuchuan , Patrick John W , Duan Xuewu , Jiang Yueming , Qu Hongxia
Published: April 2013

Background

Recent studies have demonstrated that cellular energy is a key factor switching on ripening and senescence of fruit. However, the factors that influence fruit energy status remain largely unknown.

Results

HPLC profiling showed that ATP abundance increased significantly in developing preharvest litchi fruit and was strongly correlated with fruit fresh weight. In contrast, ATP levels declined significantly during postharvest fruit senescence and were correlated with the decrease in the proportion of edible fruit. The five gene transcripts isolated from the litchi fruit pericarp were highly expressed in vegetative tissues and peaked at 70 days after flowering (DAF) consistent with fruit ADP concentrations, except for uncoupling mitochondrial protein 1 (UCP1), which was predominantly expressed in the root, and ATP synthase beta subunit (AtpB), which was up-regulated significantly before harvest and peaked 2 days after storage. These results indicated that the color-breaker stage at 70 DAF and 2 days after storage may be key turning points in fruit energy metabolism. Transcript abundance of alternative oxidase 1 (AOX1) increased after 2 days of storage to significantly higher levels than those of LcAtpB, and was down-regulated significantly by exogenous ATP. ATP supplementation had no significant effect on transcript abundance of ADP/ATP carrier 1 (AAC1) and slowed the changes in sucrose non-fermenting-1-related kinase 2 (SnRK2) expression, but maintained ATP and energy charge levels, which were correlated with delayed senescence.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that senescence of litchi fruit is closely related with energy. A surge of LcAtpB expression marked the beginning of fruit senescence. The findings may provide a new strategy to extend fruit shelf life by regulating its energy level.
Hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration differently modulate left ventricular diastolic function
Authors: Czifra Árpád , Páll Alida , Kulcsár Julianna , Barta Kitti , Kertész Attila , Paragh György , Lőrincz István , Jenei Zoltán , Agarwal Anupam , Zarjou Abolfazl , Balla József , Szabó Zoltán
Published: April 2013

Background

Renal replacement therapy may have a favorable effect on diastolic left ventricular function, but it is not clear whether hemodiafiltration is superior to hemodialysis in this field. Nitric oxide (NO) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) may play a role in the changes of intracardiac hemodynamics, but it is not clear whether the different renal replacement methods have disparate influence on the metabolism of these materials.

Methods

Thirty patients on renal replacement therapy were investigated. First, data was analyzed while patients received hemodiafiltration over a period of three months. Then, the same patients were evaluated during treatment with hemodialysis for at least another three months. Echocardiography was performed before and after renal replacement therapy.

Results

No significant difference was found in the volume removals between hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration. The left atrial diameter and transmitral flow velocities (E/A) decreased significantly only during hemodiafiltration. A positive correlation was observed between the left atrial diameter and E/Ea representing the left ventricular pressure load during hemodiafiltration. Significant correlations between NO and A and E/A were observed only in the case of hemodiafiltration.

Conclusion

Hemodiafiltration has a beneficial effect on echocardiographic markers representing left ventricular diastolic function. This could be attributed to the differences between the dynamics of volume removal and its distribution among liquid compartments.
The Wnt signalling pathway is upregulated in an in vitro model of acquired tamoxifen resistant breast cancer
Authors: Loh Yan Ni , Hedditch Ellen L , Baker Laura A , Jary Eve , Ward Robyn L , Ford Caroline E
Published: April 2013

Background

Acquired resistance to Tamoxifen remains a critical problem in breast cancer patient treatment, yet the underlying causes of resistance have not been fully elucidated. Abberations in the Wnt signalling pathway have been linked to many human cancers, including breast cancer, and appear to be associated with more metastatic and aggressive types of cancer. Here, our aim was to investigate if this key pathway was involved in acquired Tamoxifen resistance, and could be targeted therapeutically.

Methods

An in vitro model of acquired Tamoxifen resistance (named TamR) was generated by growing the estrogen receptor alpha (ER) positive MCF7 breast cancer cell line in increasing concentrations of Tamoxifen (up to 5 uM). Alterations in the Wnt signalling pathway and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in response to Tamoxifen and treatment with the Wnt inhibitor, IWP-2 were measured via quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR) and TOP/FOP Wnt reporter assays. Resistance to Tamoxifen, and effects of IWP-2 treatment were determined by MTT proliferation assays.

Results

TamR cells exhibited increased Wnt signalling as measured via the TOP/FOP Wnt luciferase reporter assays. Genes associated with both the β-catenin dependent (AXIN2, MYC, CSNK1A1) and independent arms (ROR2, JUN), as well as general Wnt secretion (PORCN) of the Wnt signalling pathway were upregulated in the TamR cells compared to the parental MCF7 cell line. Treatment of the TamR cell line with human recombinant Wnt3a (rWnt3a) further increased the resistance of both MCF7 and TamR cells to the anti-proliferative effects of Tamoxifen treatment. TamR cells demonstrated increased expression of EMT markers (VIM, TWIST1, SNAI2) and decreased CDH1, which may contribute to their resistance to Tamoxifen. Treatment with the Wnt inhibitor, IWP-2 inhibited cell proliferation and markers of EMT.

Conclusions

These data support the role of the Wnt signalling pathway in acquired resistance to Tamoxifen. Further research into the mechanism by which activated Wnt signalling inhibits the effects of Tamoxifen should be undertaken. As a number of small molecules targeting the Wnt pathway are currently in pre-clinical development, combinatorial treatment with endocrine agents and Wnt pathway inhibitors may be a useful therapeutic option in the future for a subset of breast cancer patients.