bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Allergic Lung Inflammation Aggravates Angiotensin II–Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Mice
Authors: Liu Cong-Lin , Wang Yi , Liao Mengyang , Wemmelund Holger , Ren Jingyuan , Fernandes Cleverson , Zhou Yi , Sukhova Galina K. , Lindholt Jes S. , Johnsen Søren P. , Zhang Jin-Ying , Cheng Xiang , Huang Xiaozhu , Daugherty Alan , Levy Bruce D. , Libby Peter , Shi Guo-Ping
Published: November 2015

Objective—

Asthma and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) both involve inflammation. Patients with asthma have an increased risk of developing AAA or experiencing aortic rupture. This study tests the development of one disease on the progression of the other.

Approach and Results—

Ovalbumin sensitization and challenge in mice led to the development of allergic lung inflammation (ALI). Subcutaneous infusion of angiotensin II into mice produced AAA. Simultaneous production of ALI in AAA mice doubled abdominal aortic diameter and increased macrophage and mast cell content, arterial media smooth muscle cell loss, cell proliferation, and angiogenesis in AAA lesions. ALI also increased plasma IgE, reduced plasma interleukin-5, and increased bronchioalveolar total inflammatory cell and eosinophil accumulation. Intraperitoneal administration of an anti-IgE antibody suppressed AAA lesion formation and reduced lesion inflammation, plasma IgE, and bronchioalveolar inflammation. Pre-establishment of ALI also increased AAA lesion size, lesion accumulation of macrophages and mast cells, media smooth muscle cell loss, and plasma IgE, reduced plasma interleukin-5, interleukin-13, and transforming growth factor-β, and increased bronchioalveolar inflammation. Consequent production of ALI also doubled lesion size of pre-established AAA and increased lesion mast cell and T-cell accumulation, media smooth muscle cell loss, lesion cell proliferation and apoptosis, plasma IgE, and bronchioalveolar inflammation. In periaortic CaCl
2
injury–induced AAA in mice, production of ALI also increased AAA formation, lesion inflammation, plasma IgE, and bronchioalveolar inflammatory cell accumulation.

Conclusions—

This study suggests a pathological link between airway allergic disease and AAA. Production of one disease aggravates the progression of the other.
Disruption of Physiological Balance Between Nitric Oxide and Endothelium-Dependent Hyperpolarization Impairs Cardiovascular Homeostasis in Mice
Authors: Godo Shigeo , Sawada Ayuko , Saito Hiroki , Ikeda Shohei , Enkhjargal Budbazar , Suzuki Kota , Tanaka Shuhei , Shimokawa Hiroaki
Published: November 2015

Objective—

Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization (EDH) play important roles in modulating vascular tone in a distinct vessel size–dependent manner; NO plays a dominant role in conduit arteries and EDH in resistance vessels. We have recently demonstrated that endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is functionally suppressed in resistance vessels through caveolin-1 (Cav-1)-dependent mechanism, switching its function from NO to EDH/hydrogen peroxide generation in mice. Here, we examined the possible importance of the physiological balance between NO and EDH in cardiovascular homeostasis.

Approach and Results—

We used 2 genotypes of mice in which eNOS activity is genetically upregulated; Cav-1-knockout (Cav-1-KO) and endothelium-specific eNOS transgenic (eNOS-Tg) mice. Isometric tension recordings and Langendorff experiments with isolated perfused hearts showed that NO-mediated relaxations were significantly enhanced, whereas EDH-mediated relaxations were markedly reduced in microcirculations. Importantly, impaired EDH-mediated relaxations of small mesenteric arteries from Cav-1-KO mice were completely rescued by crossing the mice with those with endothelium-specific overexpression of Cav-1. Furthermore, both genotypes showed altered cardiovascular phenotypes, including cardiac hypertrophy in Cav-1-KO mice and hypotension in eNOS-Tg mice. Finally, we examined cardiac responses to chronic pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction in vivo. When compared with wild-type mice, both Cav-1-KO and eNOS-Tg mice exhibited reduced survival after transverse aortic constriction associated with accelerated left ventricular systolic dysfunction, reduced coronary flow reserve, and enhanced myocardial hypoxia.

Conclusions—

These results indicate that excessive endothelium-derived NO with reduced EDH impairs cardiovascular homeostasis in mice in vivo.
Evaluating the consistency and taxonomic importance of cheliped and other morphological characters that potentially allow identification of species of the genus Perisesarma De Man, 1895 (Brachyura, Sesarmidae)
Authors: Shahdadi Adnan , Schubart Christoph D.
Published: November 2015

Recent studies suggest that the family Sesarmidae represents a monophyletic taxon, but within-family taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships need to be resolved. One of the most speciose and taxonomically complex genera of this family isPerisesarma. Only a few characters allow to discriminate between species of this genus. Among them, the number and shape of male dactylar tubercles and number of teeth of the pectinated crests are the main diagnostic features. A review of these key characters indicates some intraspecific variability which sometimes renders identification difficult. The present study shows that male dactylar tubercles and pectinated crests are in principle good diagnostic characters at species level in the genusPerisesarma, but in several cases show some overlap among species, due to intraspecific variability. New morphological characters should be considered, but in this study we show that the morphology of gonopods and the gastric mill are not informative enough for identification.
Feeding ecology of Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Brachyura, Portunidae) in the southern Gulf of Thailand: influences of habitat, season, size class, shell stage and ovigerous condition
Authors: Hajisamae Sukree , Fazrul Hisam , Pradit Siriporn
Published: November 2015

The aim of this study is to simultaneously evaluate the impact of ecological and biological conditions on feeding habits of Portunus pelagicus (Linnaeus, 1758). Samples were collected from May 2013 to September 2014 using gill nets. Four moulting stages, three berried stages and four size classes were distinguished in the material collected. It was found that P. pelagicus is omnivorous, feeding on a wide range of benthic invertebrates, scavenging on dead pelagic animal remains, and ingesting significant amounts of plant material. Seasonally, no difference in the stomach fullness index was observed (), but there was a difference in the average number of items (). Both stomach fullness and average number of food items differed between habitats (). Results from multivariate analyses indicated that the diets of P. pelagicus did not change with season but did vary with habitat. Crabs with different biological conditions ingested different food packages. This finding helps in understanding how P. pelagicus copes with different ecological and biological conditions in ingesting its preferred food (under the circumstances).
Predictability of Major Stratospheric Sudden Warmings: Analysis Results from JMA Operational 1-Month Ensemble Predictions from 2001/02 to 2012/13
Authors: Taguchi Masakazu
Published: November 2015

This study investigates the predictability of major stratospheric sudden warmings (MSSWs) with a chief question: how far in advance can MSSWs be forecasted? An average picture and case-to-case variations of the MSSW predictability are revealed by analyzing operational 1-month ensemble prediction data of the Japan Meteorological Agency from 2001/02 to 2012/13 in comparison with the Japanese 55-year Reanalysis Project (JRA-55) data. The variations are further related to planetary wave forcing (PWF) from the troposphere to the stratosphere. A contingency table analysis for nine MSSWs occurring in the period shows that the average percentage of ensemble members that successfully forecast the MSSWs is about 70%, 30%, and 20% for lead times of 5, 10, and 15 days, respectively, when a 3-day time difference between actual and forecasted vortex collapses, or zonal wind reversals, is allowed. Using other measures such as the root-mean-square error and anomaly correlation of 10-hPa geopotential height, forecasts of lead times less than about two weeks are judged to be useful. Results also show large case-to-case predictability variations for lead times of about 10 days. The variations for most MSSWs are explained by the degree to which the strength of PWF, or wave activity flux in the lower stratosphere, is forecasted in comparison to the JRA-55 data. Forecasted PWF in the lower stratosphere is largely determined by that in the upper troposphere for several MSSWs, whereas it is also affected by the planetary wave propagation between the two regions for a few others.
Severe Hail Climatology of Turkey
Authors: Kahraman Abdullah , Tilev-Tanriover Şeyda , Kadioglu Mikdat , Schultz David M. , Markowski Paul M.
Published: November 2015

A climatology of severe hail (diameter equal to or exceeding approximately 1.5 cm) for Turkey is constructed from official severe weather reports from meteorological stations, newspaper archives, and Internet sources. The dataset consists of 1489 severe hail cases on 1107 severe hail days (days with at least one severe hail case) during 1925–2014. Severe hail was reported most often in the 1960s, followed by a decrease until the 2000s, and an ensuing increase in the past decade. Severe hail is most likely to occur in the afternoon and evening, and in spring and summer, particularly May and June. The geographical distribution implies that almost all of Turkey is prone to severe hailstorms. In 8.3% of the severe hail cases, very large hailstones (diameter equal to or exceeding approximately 4.5 cm) were observed.
Prayers, Protest, and Police
Authors: Beyerlein Kraig , Soule Sarah A. , Martin Nancy
Published: November 2015

Do police treat religious-based protest events differently than secular ones? Drawing on data from more than 15,000 protest events in the United States (1960 to 1995) and using quantitative methods, we find that law enforcement agents were less likely to show up at protests when general religious actors, actions, or organizations were present. Rather than reflecting privileged legitimacy, we find that this protective effect is explained by religious protesters’ use of less threatening tactics at events. When religion is disaggregated into different traditions, only mainline and black Protestant groups have lower rates of policing than secular groups. As with the general religion finding, the buffering effect these traditions have on policing is mediated by protester tactics. Moreover, we find that fundamentalist Christians are more likely to be policed than are secular activists when threatening tactics are included. Finally, when actors associated with non-Christian religions engage in extremely confrontational tactics, they are more likely to provoke a police response than are similarly behaving secular groups.
Altared States
Authors: Bernstein Mary , Naples Nancy A.
Published: November 2015

In this article, we use comparative historical analysis to explain agenda-setting and the timing of policy outcomes on same-sex marriage in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Unlike the United States and Canada, Australia does not have a bill of rights, making litigation to obtain rights not enumerated in existing legislation unavailable to activists. Extending the literatures on the development of public policy and on political and historical institutionalism, we argue that in the absence of domestic opportunities for legal change, international law becomes more important to activists in wealthy democracies, but it is contingent on states’ specific institutional and cultural features. Even when international law is “domesticated” into national political structures, it is still secondary to internal conditions in countries with extensive rights-based polities. International law may set a political agenda, but once introduced, policies move according to internal conditions related to party discipline, the centralization of courts, and policy legacies within those countries.
The effect of oil fouling on the mechanical and tribological properties of nomex fabric/phenolic composite
Authors: Ren Guina , Zhu Xiaotao , Men Xuehu , Zhang Zhaozhu , Guo Fang , Yang Mingming , Liu Weimin
Published: November 2015

Research related to the effect of oil fouling on the mechanical and tribological properties of the fabric composite are rare. Herein, Nomex fabric/phenolic composites were soaked in aviation hydraulic fluid or jet fuel oil for 24 h, and their corresponding mechanical and tribological properties were investigated. It was found that the mechanical property of the oil-fouled Nomex fabric/phenolic composites decreased compared to that of untreated fabric composite. Moreover, sliding wear tests indicated that the lubricating effect of aviation hydraulic fluid and jet fuel oil improved the tribological property of the oil-fouled fabric composites obviously, allowing them to exhibit lower friction coefficients and wear rates, compared to the original fabric composite. We also found that the aviation hydraulic fluid-fouled fabric composite and the jet fuel oil-fouled fabric composite displayed varied tribological behaviors and wear mechanisms under the same sliding condition.
Handwriting-based model for identification of developmental disorders among North Indian children
Authors: Dhall Jasmine Kaur
Published: November 2015

Handwriting execution is based on the cognitive, kinesthetic, motor skills, and manual co-ordination skills of an individual. The deterioration in handwriting quality is a common implication of neurological disorders. Difficulty and degradation in handwriting has been attributed to the sensory motor deficits prevalent in developmental disorders. In spite of the association between developmental disorders and handwriting ability, the diagnostic potential of handwriting characteristics remains untapped. The present case control study was conducted among 300 subjects aged 6- to 11-years-old of North Indian origin to measure the potentials of handwriting characteristics to identify the selected developmental disorders namely ADHD, AD/HD, CD and DCD. A significant difference was obtained in the kinematics, relative size, number of handwriting defects, spatial orientation, line quality, and the mirror image presence between children with developmental disorders and typically developing (TD) children. A logistic model based on selected handwriting characteristics showed a cross validated 94.9% accuracy rate for diagnosis of developmental disorders. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to assess the diagnostic potential of the model as presented by the area under curve was found to be 98.5%. The method is non-invasive, operationally easy and useful for an early identification of developmental disorders by parents and educators.
Cardiac perforation caused by cement after percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty
Authors: Ishikawa Kazunori , Hayashi Hiroki , Mori Hideaki
Published: November 2015

Percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty is a relatively simple, convenient, and minimally invasive procedure in which polymethylmethacrylate bone cement is used to manage back pain and spinal instability associated with osteoporotic compression fractures and other osteolytic spinal lesions. However, cement leakage into the venous system is a serious complication following percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty. A 74-year-old woman presented with cardiac perforation and pulmonary embolism caused by cement leakage into her venous system. She subsequently underwent surgery to effectively remove a needle-shaped cement piece from the right ventricular wall, without cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac arrest.
The relationship between dynamic capabilities, the firm’s resource base and performance in a post-disaster environment
Authors: Battisti Martina , Deakins David
Published: November 2015

This article draws on quantitative survey evidence to explore the role of dynamic capabilities in a post-disaster environment, that of Christchurch in New Zealand after the 2010 and 2011 series of major earthquakes. We develop a model to examine the relationship between dynamic capabilities, disaster-related changes to the firm’s resource base and its performance. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 545 small firms that have been affected by the earthquakes. Results highlight the importance of a firm’s proactive posture and capability to integrate resources in recognising new opportunities in an environment characterised by high volatility and increased uncertainty. These findings offer important theoretical and practical implications.
Using historical documentary methods to explore the history of occupational therapy
Authors: Dunne Bríd , Pettigrew Judith , Robinson Katie
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Historical research can benefit health professions by providing a basis for understanding how current beliefs and practices developed over time. From an occupational therapy perspective, a need for deeper critical understandings of the profession has been identified; historical research can facilitate this process. Documentary research is a significant methodology in historical inquiry, but there is a dearth of guidance for occupational therapists wishing to employ this method.

Method

A conceptual literature review was conducted to describe how to use documentary sources to understand the development of the profession, drawing on literature from the disciplines of history and occupational therapy.

Results

The stages of historical documentary research are described: choosing a topic, sourcing and selecting evidence, and managing sources. How to consider the authenticity, credibility and representativeness of historical material is discussed. Various means to determine the meaning of historical evidence are considered, with chronological, thematic and theoretical approaches proposed.

Conclusion

Methodological transparency is central to the process of historical documentary research. To enhance understanding of the quality of historical source material, adoption of the guidelines outlined is recommended. Adopting a clearly defined questioning perspective promotes more substantial conclusions and professional understandings.
A study of waste liquid crystal display generation in mainland China
Authors: Liu Zhifeng , Xu Zeying , Huang Haihong , Li Bingbing
Published: November 2015

The generation of liquid crystal display waste is becoming a serious social problem. Predicting liquid crystal display waste status is the foundation for establishing a recycling network; however, the difficulty in predicting liquid crystal display waste quantity lies in data mining. In order to determine the quantity and the distribution of liquid crystal display waste in China, the four top-selling liquid crystal display products (liquid crystal display TVs, desktop PCs, notebook PCs, and mobile phones) were selected as study objects. Then, the extended logistic model and market supply A method was used to predict the quantity of liquid crystal display waste products. Moreover, the distribution of liquid crystal display waste products in different regions was evaluated by examining the consumption levels of household equipment. The results revealed that the quantity of waste liquid crystal displays would increase rapidly in the next decade. In particular, the predicted quantity of waste liquid crystal displays would rise to approximately 4.262 × 109 pieces in 2020, and the total display area (i.e. the surface area of liquid crystal display panels) of waste liquid crystal displays would reach 5.539 × 107 m2. The prediction on the display area of waste liquid crystal display TVs showed that it would account for 71.5% of the total display area by 2020. Meanwhile, the quantity of waste mobile phones would significantly grow, increasing 5.8 times from 2012 to 2020. In terms of distribution, Guangdong is the top waste liquid crystal display-generating province in China, followed by Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang, and Sichuan. Considering its regional characteristics, Guangdong has been proposed to be the most important location of the recycling network.
Strange Accounts
Authors: Rambo Carol
Published: November 2015

This autoethnographic layered account makes use of Georg Simmel and Jacques Derrida’s theoretical frameworks to simultaneously examine my experience of applying for the chair position in my department and to make the case for the use of strange accounts. Strange accounting is proposed as a method of writing about situations where there are secrets, risks, or threats. Strange accounts work with secrets through distance by leaving key information about the situations and identities of those represented in the story, unsettled, ambiguous, under erasure and “in play.” While applying for the chair position, I found the process to be destabilizing for both myself and my department. It was fraught with issues regarding strangeness and secrecy. The strange account (re)presents the role of the secret, while leaving the secret itself “in play.”
Effect of Obesity on Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes Following Reconstruction of Stage II Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity
Authors: Soukup Dylan S. , MacMahon Aoife , Burket Jayme C. , Yu Jeanne M. , Ellis Scott J. , Deland Jonathan T.
Published: November 2015

Background:

Obesity is a known risk factor for the development of adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD), but obesity’s effects on outcomes following AAFD reconstruction are unknown. We hypothesized that obesity would negatively impact outcomes following joint-preserving stage II AAFD reconstruction.

Methods:

This retrospective study compared the outcomes of normal-weight (18.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (25 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2), and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) patients after AAFD reconstruction. Clinical outcome measures included the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), Short-Form 12 (SF-12), and Numeric Rating Scale of Pain (NRS Pain) administered preoperatively and at least 1 year postoperatively. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs were taken preoperatively and at least 6 months postoperatively. Pre- to postoperative changes in outcome measures were assessed within BMI classes. Preoperative, postoperative, and pre- to postoperative changes in outcomes were compared among BMI classes. There were 41 normal-weight patients, 39 overweight patients, and 44 obese patients with a mean age of 56 years, FAOS follow-up of 2.9 years, and radiographic follow-up of 2.1 years. Demographics and reconstructive procedures were comparable among the 3 BMI classes.

Results:

All outcomes significantly increased pre- to postoperatively in the 3 groups with the exception of the FAOS Symptoms subscale for normal-weight patients ( P = .340) and SF-12 Mental Component score for all 3 BMI classes ( P > .999). Preoperatively, obese patients had more symptoms than normal-weight patients, scoring 12 points lower on the FAOS Symptoms subscore ( P = .008). Obese patients also scored 11 points lower preoperatively on the SF-12 Overall score ( P = .028) and had 31% greater pain than normal-weight patients ( P = .003). There were no differences among the 3 BMI classes in any postoperative outcomes assessed.

Conclusion:

Although obese patients had significantly worse symptoms, overall health, and NRS pain scores preoperatively, the short-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of stage II AAFD reconstruction were similar for normal-weight, overweight, and obese patients. We suggest that joint-preserving reconstruction remains a viable alternative to fusion of the triple joint complex for the treatment of overweight and obese stage II AAFD patients.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Distributed Courts and Legitimacy: What do we Lose When we Lose the Courthouse?
Authors: Rowden Emma
Published: November 2015

While courthouses often reveal a profound gap between the professed ideals of justice and their delivery, their designs supposedly symbolize the authority of the community over the individual and lend legitimacy to the discipline occurring within. This article considers what happens to the experience and legitimacy of justice when legal participants no longer enter the courthouse, but appear remotely by videolink. Drawing on empirical evidence regarding the use of videolinks in Australian courts, this article reveals current iterations of distributed courts ignore the important symbolic function of the courthouse as the home of justice and the presence of law.
Surface reflectance degradation by microbial communities
Authors: Cheng Meng-Dawn , Allman Steve L , Graham David E , Cheng Karen R , Pfiffner Susan M , Vishnivetskaya Tatiana A , Desjarlais Andre O
Published: November 2015

Building envelope, such as a roof, is the interface between a building structure and the environment. Understanding of the physics of microbial interactions with the building envelope is limited. In addition to the natural weathering, microorganisms and airborne particulate matter that attach to a cool roof tend to reduce the roof reflectance over time, compromising the energy efficiency advantages of the reflective coating designs. We applied microbial ecology analysis to identify the natural communities present on the exposed coatings and investigated the reduction kinetics of the surface reflectance upon the introduction of a defined mixture of both photoautotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms representing the natural communities. The findings are (1) reflectance degradation by microbial communities follows a first-order kinetic relationship and (2) more than 50% of degradation from the initial reflectance value can be caused by microbial species alone in much less time than 3 years required by the current standard ENERGY STAR® test methods.
Effects of olanzapine on LPS-induced inflammation in rat primary glia cells
Authors: Faour-Nmarne Caroline , Azab Abed N
Published: November 2015

Olanzapine (OLZ) is an atypical antipsychotic drug that also has mood-stabilizing effects. The mechanism of action of OLZ is not fully understood. Accumulating data suggest that inflammation plays a role in the pathophysiology of mental disorders and that psychotropic drugs exhibit some anti-inflammatory properties. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of OLZ on LPS-induced inflammation in rat primary glia cells. Glia cells were extracted from newborn rat brains. OLZ (1 or 50 µM) was added to culture medium at 6 or 72 h before addition of LPS for another 18 h, and levels of IL-10, prostaglandin (PG) E2, NO and TNF-α, and expression of cyclo-oxygensase (COX)-2 and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) were determined. Treatment with 50 µM OLZ (but not 1 µM) significantly decreased LPS-induced secretion of IL-10, PGE2 and TNF-α. In contrast, 50 µM OLZ significantly increased NO levels. OLZ did not alter the expression of COX-2 or iNOS in LPS-treated cells. These results suggest that OLZ differently affects the secretion of inflammatory mediators. Most of the significant effects of OLZ were obtained when 50 µM was used, which is a high and probably therapeutically irrelevant concentration. Therefore, under the conditions used in the present study OLZ seemed to lack a potent anti-inflammatory effect.
Teenage perceptions of electronic cigarettes in Scottish tobacco-education school interventions: co-production and innovative engagement through a pop-up radio project
Authors: de Andrade Marisa , Angus Kathryn , Hastings Gerard
Published: November 2015

Aims:

This article thematically analyses spontaneous responses of teenagers and explores their perceptions of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) with a focus on smoking cessation from data collected for research exploring Scottish secondary school students’ recall of key messages from tobacco-education interventions and any influence on perceptions and behaviours.

Methods:

E-cigarettes were not included in the research design as they did not feature in interventions. However, in discussions in all participating schools, e-cigarettes were raised by students unprompted by researchers. Seven of 19 publicly funded schools in the region opted to participate. Groups of 13- to 16-year-olds were purposely selected to include a range of aptitudes, non-smokers, smokers, males and females. A total of 182 pupils took part. Data were generated through three co-produced classroom radio tasks with pupils (radio quiz, sitcom, factual interviewing), delivered by a researcher and professional broadcast team. All pupils were briefly interviewed by a researcher. Activities were recorded and transcribed verbatim and the researcher discussed emerging findings with the broadcast team. Data were analysed using NVivo and transcripts making reference to e-cigarettes examined further using inductive thematic analysis.

Results:

Key themes of their impressions of e-cigarettes were easy availability and price; advertising; the products being safer or healthier, addiction and nicotine; acceptability and experiences of use; and variety of flavours.

Conclusions:

This was a qualitative study in one region, and perception of e-cigarettes was not an a priori topic. However, it provides insights into youth perceptions of e-cigarettes. How they discerned e-cigarettes reflects their marketing environment. The relative harmlessness of nicotine, affordability of e-cigarettes, coolness of vaping, absence of second-hand harms and availability of innovative products are all key marketing features. Conflicting messages on safety, efficacy, potential ‘gateway’ to smoking and nicotine may be contributing to teenagers’ confusion. The allure of ‘youthful cool’ to vaping offers no public health gain, so children should be protected from misleading promotion. Consistent tobacco-education initiatives need to account for this popular trend.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cholesterol Have a Main Role in Antidepression Diet of Iranian Traditional Medicine
Authors: Ahmadian-Attari Mohammad Mahdi , Noorbala Ahmad Ali , Khoshdel Alireza , Kamalinejad Mohammad , Taghva Arsia
Published: November 2015

Depression is one of the major health problems of our world. Recent studies have revealed the relationship between diet and depression. In Iranian traditional medicine, there is a therapeutic diet that is recommended in melancholic diseases like depression. One of the main components of this diet is meat. Meats are divided into 2 groups: recommended and abstinent. The aim of this study was to clarify the logic of this diet through comparing nutritional elements of the 2 groups with each other. For this purpose, prominent books on Iranian traditional medicine were searched for abstinent and recommended meats traditionally prescribed for depressed patients. The results of each group were compared with the other by using Mann-Whitney Test (SPSS version 16). The results showed that recommended meats contain higher amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids ( P = .01) especially omega-3 ( P = .03). Both groups contain high amounts of cholesterol. Iranian traditional medicine recommends consumption of meats that contains cholesterol with omega-3 fatty acids in depression.
Obese Adults’ Perceptions of News Reporting on Obesity
Authors: Couch Danielle , Thomas Samantha L. , Lewis Sophie , Blood R. Warwick , Komesaroff Paul
Published: November 2015

News reporting, in channels such as broadcast and print media, on obesity as an issue has increased dramatically in the last decade. A qualitative study, in which we used in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, was undertaken to explore 142 obese individuals’ perceptions of, and responses to, news reporting about obesity. Participants believed that news reporting on obesity focused on personal responsibility and blame, and portrayed obese people as “freaks.” They described being portrayed as “enemies” of society who were rarely given a voice or identity in such news coverage unless they were seen to be succeeding at weight loss. They were also critical of the simplistic coverage of obesity, which was in contrast with their personal experiences of obesity as complex and difficult to address. Participants believed that obesity news reporting added to the discrimination they experienced. We consider how this news reporting may act as a form of “synoptical” social control, working in tandem with wider public health panoptical surveillance of obesity.
Cardio-Vascular Disease and Cancer
Authors: Mitchell-Fearon K. , Willie-Tyndale D. , Waldron N. , Holder-Nevins D. , James K. , Laws H. , Eldemire-Shearer D.
Published: November 2015

Objective: To report the level of utilization of clinical preventive services by older adults in Jamaica and to identify independent factors associated with utilization. Method: A nationally representative, community-based survey of 2,943 older adults was undertaken. Utilization frequency for six preventive, cardiovascular or cancer-related services was calculated. Logistic regression models were used to determine the independent factors associated with each service. Results: A dichotomy in annual utilization rates exists with cardiovascular services having much higher uptake than those for cancer (83.1% for blood pressure, 76.7% blood glucose, 68.1% cholesterol, 35.1% prostate, 11.3% mammograms, and 9.6% papanicolaou smears). Age, source of routine care, and having a chronic disease were most frequently associated with uptake. Discussion: Education of providers and patients on the need for utilizing preventive services in older adults is important. Improved access to services in the public sector may also help increase uptake of services.
Genome-wide studies identify a novel interplay between AML1 and AML1/ETO in t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Li Yizhen , Wang Huanwei , Wang Xiaoling , Jin Wen , Tan Yun , Fang Hai , Chen Saijuan , Chen Zhu , Wang Kankan
Published: November 2015

Key Points

Wild-type AML1 and AML1/ETO form a complex on chromatin via binding to adjacent different motifs and interacting through the runt homology domain. The relative binding signals of AML1/ETO and AML1 and AP-1 recruitment determine whether AML1/ETO activates or represses its targets.
Commuting mode and pulmonary function in Shanghai, China
Authors: Gaffney Adam W. , Hang Jing-qing , Lee Mi-Sun , Su Li , Zhang Feng-ying , Christiani David C.
Published: November 2015

Exposure to air pollution can be particularly high during commuting and may depend on the mode of transportation. We investigated the impact of commuting mode on pulmonary function in Shanghai, China.

The Shanghai Putuo Study is a cross-sectional, population-based study. Our primary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted, and the secondary outcome was spirometric airflow obstruction. We tested the association between mode of transportation and these outcomes after adjusting for confounders.

The study population consisted of 20 102 subjects. After adjusting for confounders, the change (95% CI) in FEV1was −2.15% pred (−2.88– −1.42% pred) among pedestrians, −1.32% pred (−2.05– −0.59% pred) among those taking buses without air conditioning, −1.33% pred (−2.05– −0.61% pred) among those taking buses with air conditioning and −2.83% pred (−5.56– −0.10% pred) among those using underground railways, as compared to cyclists (the reference group). The effects of mode on FVC % predicted were in the same direction. Private car use had a significant protective effect on FVC % predicted and the risk of airflow obstruction (defined by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease but not by lower limit of normal criteria).

Mode of transportation is associated with differences in lung function, which may reflect pollution levels in different transportation microenvironments.
“Clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of differentiated thyroid cancer in Saudi children and adults”
Authors: Al-Qahtani Khalid Hussain , Tunio Mutahir A. , Al Asiri Mushabbab , Aljohani Naji J. , Bayoumi Yasser , Riaz Khalid , AlShakweer Wafa
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Age is an important prognostic factor in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Our aim was to evaluate differences in clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes among children and adult patients with DTC.

Materials and methods

We studied 27 children (below 18 years) with DTC treated during the period 2000–2012 and were compared with (a) 78 adults aged 19–25 years and (b) 52 adults aged 26–30 years treated during the same period in terms of their clinicopathological features and long term treatment outcomes. Locoregional recurrence (LRR), locoregional control (LRC), distant metastasis (DM), distant metastasis control (DMC), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were evaluated.

Results

Mean age of children was 13.5 years (range: 5–18), while mean age of adults was 24.6 years (range: 19–30). In children, female: male ratio was 2.85:1, and in adults female: male ratio was 7.1:1 ( P = 0.041). No significant difference in tumor size was seen between the two groups ( P = 0.653). According to American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk stratification classification, the children (85.2 %) were found to have at high risk as compared to adults P = 0.001. Post-thyroidectomy complications and RAI induced toxicities were observed more in children than adults ( P = 0.043 and P = 0.041 respectively). LRR occurred in 6 (22.2 %), 9 (11.5 %) and 3 (5.8 %) in age groups of <18 years, 19–25 years and 26–30 years respectively ( P = 0.032); while DM was seen in 10 (37.0 %), 9 (10.3 %) and 5 (9.6 %) in age groups of <18 years, 19–25 years and 26–30 years respectively ( P = 0.002). Ten year DFS rates were 67.3 % in age group below 18 years, 82.4 % in age group of 19–25 years and 90.1 % in age group of 26–30 years ( P = 0.021).

Conclusion

At the time of diagnosis, children with DTC were found to have more aggressive clinicopathological characteristics. Comparatively lower LRC, DMC and DFS rates in children warrants further multi-institutional studies.
The effect of velocity uncertainty on migrated reflectors: Improvements from relative-depth imaging
Authors: Poliannikov Oleg V. , Malcolm Alison E.
Published: November 2015

We have studied the problem of uncertainty quantification for migrated images. A traditional migrated image contains deterministic reconstructions of subsurface structures. However, input parameters used in migration, such as reflection data and a velocity model, are inherently uncertain. This uncertainty is carried through to the migrated images. We have used Bayesian analysis to quantify the uncertainty of the migrated structures by constructing a joint statistical distribution of the location of these structures. From this distribution, we could deduce the uncertainty in any quantity derived from these structures. We have developed the proposed framework using a simple model with velocity uncertainty in the overburden, and we estimated the absolute positions of the horizons and the relative depth of one horizon with respect to another. By quantifying the difference in the corresponding uncertainties, we found that, in this case, the relative depths of the structures could be estimated much better than their absolute depths. This analysis justifies redatuming below an uncertain overburden for the purposes of the uncertainty reduction.
How Economics Faculty Can Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) in a Brave New Online World
Authors: Navarro Peter
Published: November 2015

The academy in which we toil is moving rapidly towards a greater role for online delivery of higher education, and both fans and skeptics offer strong reasons to believe this technological shock will have substantial disruptive effects on faculty. How can we as economic educators continue to provide sufficient value-added to justify our role in a world where much of what we now do is effectively being automated and commoditized? In this brave new online world, many successful and resilient faculty will add value (and differentiate their product) not by producing costly and elaborate multimedia lectures in which they become a superstar professor-celebrity, but rather through careful, clever, and innovative choices regarding both the adoption of the online content of other providers and the forms of online interactions they integrate into their course designs. Possible forms of faculty-to-student and student-to-student interactions run the digital gamut from discussion boards and electronic testing to peer assessments, games and simulations, and virtual office hours. This article explores basic descriptive and prescriptive questions economic educators and their administrators are likely to face as the online education tide rises. For example, how much does it cost to develop online content and how much time does it take? What are the key “ingredients” for a pedagogically sound online course? Throughout, I will draw on both the extant literature as well as my own experience at the University of California, Irvine, where the online evolution is advancing rapidly.
Rewriting Monetary Policy 101: What’s the Fed’s Preferred Post-Crisis Approach to Raising Interest Rates?
Authors: Ihrig Jane E. , Meade Ellen E. , Weinbach Gretchen C.
Published: November 2015

For many years prior to the global financial crisis, the Federal Open Market Committee set a target for the federal funds rate and achieved that target through small purchases and sales of securities in the open market. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, with a superabundant level of reserve balances in the banking system having been created as a result of the Federal Reserve's large-scale asset purchase programs, this approach to implementing monetary policy will no longer work. This paper provides a primer on the Fed's implementation of monetary policy. We use the standard textbook model to illustrate why the approach used by the Federal Reserve before the financial crisis to keep the federal funds rate near the Federal Open Market Committee's target will not work in current circumstances, and explain the approach that the Committee intends to use instead when it decides to begin raising short-term interest rates.
Seven Centuries of European Economic Growth and Decline
Authors: Fouquet Roger , Broadberry Stephen
Published: November 2015

This paper investigates very long-run preindustrial economic development. New annual GDP per capita data for six European countries over the last seven hundred years paint a clearer picture of the history of European economic development. We confirm that sustained growth has been a recent phenomenon, but reject the argument that there was no long-run growth in living standards before the Industrial Revolution. Instead, the evidence demonstrates the existence of numerous periods of economic growth before the nineteenth century—periods of unsustained, but raising GDP per capita. We also show that many of the economies experienced substantial economic decline. Thus, rather than being stagnant, pre-nineteenth century European economies experienced a great deal of change. Finally, we offer some evidence that, from the nineteenth century, these economies increased the likelihood of being in a phase of economic growth and reduced the risk of being in a phase of economic decline.
The Ongoing Evolution of US Retail: A Format Tug-of-War
Authors: Hortaçsu Ali , Syverson Chad
Published: November 2015

The past 15–20 years have seen substantial and visible changes in the way US retail business is conducted. Explanations about what is happening in the retail sector have been dominated by two powerful and not fully consistent narratives: a prediction that retail sales will migrate online and physical retail will be virtually extinguished, and a prediction that future shoppers will almost all be heading to giant physical stores like warehouse clubs and supercenters. Although online retail will surely continue to be a force shaping the sector going forward and may yet emerge as the dominant mode of commerce in the retail sector in the United States, its time for supremacy has not yet arrived. We discuss evidence indicating that the warehouse clubs/supercenter format has had a greater effect on the shape of retail over the past 15–20 years We begin with an overview of the retail sector as a whole, which over the long term has been shrinking as a share of total US economic activity and in terms of relative employment share. The retail sector has experienced stronger-than average productivity growth, but this has not been accompanied by commensurate wage growth. After discussing the important e-commerce and warehouse clubs/supercenters segments, we look more broadly at changes across the structure of the retail sector, including scale, concentration, dynamism, and degree of urbanization. Finally, we consider the likely future course of the retail sector.
Watson–Crick-like pairs in CCUG repeats: evidence for tautomeric shifts or protonation
Authors: Rypniewski Wojciech , Banaszak Katarzyna , Kuliński Tadeusz , Kiliszek Agnieszka
Published: November 2015

RNA transcripts that include expanded CCUG repeats are associated with myotonic dystrophy type 2. Crystal structures of two CCUG-containing oligomers show that the RNA strands associate into slipped duplexes that contain noncanonical C–U pairs that have apparently undergone tautomeric transition or protonation resulting in an unusual Watson–Crick-like pairing. The overhanging ends of the duplexes interact forming U–U pairs, which also show tautomerism. Duplexes consisting of CCUG repeats are thermodynamically less stable than the trinucleotide repeats involved in the TRED genetic disorders, but introducing LNA residues increases their stability and raises the melting temperature of the studied oligomers by ∼10°C, allowing detailed crystallographic studies. Quantum mechanical calculations were performed to test the possibility of the tautomeric transitions or protonation within the noncanonical pairs. The results indicate that tautomeric or ionic shifts of nucleobases can manifest themselves in biological systems, supplementing the canonical “rules of engagement.”
YeATS - a tool suite for analyzing RNA-seq derived transcriptome identifies a highly transcribed putative extensin in heartwood/sapwood transition zone in black walnut
Authors: Chakraborty Sandeep , Britton Monica , Wegrzyn Jill , Butterfield Timothy , Martínez-García Pedro José , Reagan Russell L. , Rao Basuthkar J. , Leslie Charles A. , Aradhaya Mallikarjuna , Neale David , Woeste Keith , Dandekar Abhaya M.
Published: November 2015

The transcriptome provides a functional footprint of the genome by enumerating the molecular components of cells and tissues. The field of transcript discovery has been revolutionized through high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Here, we present a methodology that replicates and improves existing methodologies, and implements a workflow for error estimation and correction followed by genome annotation and transcript abundance estimation for RNA-seq derived transcriptome sequences (YeATS - Yet Another Tool Suite for analyzing RNA-seq derived transcriptome). A unique feature of YeATS is the upfront determination of the errors in the sequencing or transcript assembly process by analyzing open reading frames of transcripts. YeATS identifies transcripts that have not been merged, result in broken open reading frames or contain long repeats as erroneous transcripts. We present the YeATS workflow using a representative sample of the transcriptome from the tissue at the heartwood/sapwood transition zone in black walnut. A novel feature of the transcriptome that emerged from our analysis was the identification of a highly abundant transcript that had no known homologous genes (GenBank accession: KT023102). The amino acid composition of the longest open reading frame of this gene classifies this as a putative extensin. Also, we corroborated the transcriptional abundance of proline-rich proteins, dehydrins, senescence-associated proteins, and the DNAJ family of chaperone proteins. Thus, YeATS presents a workflow for analyzing RNA-seq data with several innovative features that differentiate it from existing software.