bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sexuality: ancient Egypt
Authors: Graves‐Brown Carolyn A.
Published: April 2015

The ancient Egyptians saw sexuality as a reconciliation of dualities, male and female, the male being the primary and active progenitor and the female the nurturer and the vessel. Male sexuality was active and homosexuality was recognized, though frowned upon. Female sexuality was passive and considered dangerous if not controlled. Sexuality permeated all aspects of Egyptian life, including ideas of rebirth and the afterlife.
Sexuality: ancient Near East (except Egypt)
Authors: Budin Stephanie Lynn
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis entry considers the sexual lives of residents of the ancient Near East (third through first millennia Mesopotamia, Levant, and Turkey). It focuses on the range of their sexual practices (e.g., genital and anal sex), notions of gender and fertility, problems with sexuality (infertility and impotence), and sexual misconduct (e.g., rape).
Sexuality: ancient Andean South America
Authors: Hill Erica
Published: April 2015

The Andean region is known for its representational ceramic traditions and explicit sexual iconography. In prehistoric Ecuador, ideas about gender and the body were expressed in Valdivia, Machalilla, and Chorerra figurine traditions. The succeeding Tolita and Jama‐Coaque traditions shifted emphasis to gender and status or occupation. In Peru, the Chavín Horizon style and vagina dentata motif influenced the development of regional traditions, promoting ideologies of dualism and male–female complementarity. Paracas and Nasca ceramics focused on the mouth and the vulva as generative spaces. The Moche tradition emphasized penetrative oral and anal intercourse involving humans, animals, supernatural beings, and the dead. Under the Inca, male–female complementarity was embodied in the incestuous union of the Inca ruler and his sister‐wife. Imperial control of (re)production was expressed through sacrifice of nubile girls, management of the virginal
acllas
, and deployment of women in political alliances.
Sexuopharmaceuticals
Authors: Cacchioni Thea
Published: April 2015

Sexuopharmaceutical drugs and the industry that surrounds them emerged following the blockbuster success of Viagra in the late 1990s. This was an opportune social and economic period for such drugs to flourish. Since then, more drugs for sexual enhancement have been developed for men; and the race to find an equivalent drug for women continues. Almost a decade and a half later, no drug of this kind has proven to be safe and effective in addressing a large margin of women's sexual difficulties. While key opinion leaders in the sexuopharmaceutical industry frame these drugs as playing a significant role in maintaining health and wellness or as potentially leveling the sexual playing field between men and women, feminist critics argue that the drugs offer band‐aid solutions to issues that are interpersonal, social, economic, and political in nature. They argue that the sexuopharmaceutical industry is motivated primarily by profit, not by pleasure for others.
Shamanism, archaeological representations of
Authors: Price Neil
Published: April 2015

Sexuality is one of the key arenas of social expression through which shamanic belief systems are articulated, in both spiritual ideas and physical practice. Elements of cross‐dressing and other sexually transgressive behaviors are found in almost all shamanic societies, building special gender identities unique to shamans. These are further manifested in an explicit sexual focus in the purpose and practice of ritual, the latter frequently involving a wide range of carnal performances, both symbolic and literal. This shamanic complex has reflections in material culture and is potentially detectable archaeologically either through particular combinations of artifacts and gender signals or by the presence of objects with clearly sexual uses or references.
Shaving
Authors: Boroughs Michael S.
Published: April 2015

Body depilation involves the reduction or removal of body hair from the neck down and is most often accomplished by women and men by shaving. The behavior is thought to be carried out to improve appearance and sexual attractiveness. Men are increasingly depilating at rates similar to those of women in North American, European, Australasian, and Asian cultures. Shaving is a body modification practice rooted in cultural norms, socialization, and individual preferences.
Sissies and tomboys
Authors: Compton D'Lane , Knox Emily
Published: April 2015

The termssissyandtomboyare connected on account of their association with acting outside of one's traditional gender role, although there are fundamental differences between the two. Applied to an individual, these terms become a form of social control, enforcing normative gender roles and often drawing on the unfounded link of gender nonconformity with homosexuality. The terms are asymmetrical in their power to stigmatize: “sissy” is almost always pejorative and conveys greater severity. “Tomboys” rarely cause as much concern, but they elicit the same level of pressure to conform to normative gender roles as their “sissy” counterparts. Both terms, especially when used about children, broadly lack an overt association with sexuality, but do seem to imply a potential concern related to perceived gender deviant behaviors and, perhaps more critically, to homosexuality. Academically, most of what is known is based on cultural representations rather than on self‐identification.
Social complexity, gender and
Authors: Nelson Sarah Milledge
Published: April 2015

Gender was an overlooked element in archaeological interpretations of ancient complex societies. Women leaders, ritual specialists, warriors, manufacturers and traders—all have been reevaluated as a result of an emphasis on gender.
Steroids
Authors: Fawkner Helen J.
Published: April 2015

Anabolic–androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic hormones that mimic the effect of androgens and effect bodily change by increasing power, strength, speed, and muscle mass. For men, AAS use may serve as a bodily expressed form of gender, allowing them to achieve the muscular ideal for men. AAS use in men is also linked to sexual orientation; it is higher among gay men than among heterosexual men. For women, AAS use is linked to placing less importance on, or rejecting, traditional notions about female appearance. There is, however, no evidence of AAS use being linked to sexual orientation in women.
Taormino, Tristan (1971–)
Authors: Paget Lou
Published: April 2015

Tristan Taormino: feminist pornographer of 24 films, author of eight books, editor, sex educator, speaker, columnist, and radio talk show host. Taormino started in pornography as the creator, producer, and director of
The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women
. She opened up two new niches in the field of erotica and pornography. Born of her own realization there was no ethical, accurate anal sex information for women, she created it. Her
Chemistry
gonzo reality series showed how real adult stars are left to their own devices to create real sexual chemistry and scenes, in response to audience requests. Taormino focuses on pleasure and sex‐positive messages in anal pleasure and health, kink and BDSM, relationships (especially alternative ones), feminist pornography, LGBT community issues, and sex‐positive events.
Tomboi (Indonesia)
Authors: Lai Francisca Yuenki
Published: April 2015

Some masculine‐identified women in Indonesia, who desire feminine women, use the termtomboito refer themselves.Butchie,calalai, andhunterare the other terms used in Indonesia to refer to masculine‐identified lesbians. Tombois’ simultaneous identification with the termslesbiandtomboishows how gender and sexual desire construct each other. The gender difference between tombois and their girlfriends is clearly marked. Although tombois’ masculinities, not including same‐sex relationships, are tolerated by their families, they are expected to get married because women's primary roles are seen as wife and mother in Indonesia.
Tom‐dee (Thailand)
Authors: Sinnott Megan
Published: April 2015

AbstractTom
and
dee
are gendered categories that describe and define women involved in same‐sex relationships.
Toms
, or masculine‐identified female bodied individuals, and normatively partnered with
dees
, or women who are considered (or consider themselves) to be gender normative women. The categories
tom
and
dee
are terms of self‐reference as well as dominant social categories.
Tongzhi
Authors: Wong Andrew D.
Published: April 2015

In the last two decades,
tongzhi
(often glossed as “comrade”) has emerged as the most well‐known Chinese label for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) people. A general address term in Communist China, it was appropriated by LGBT activists in Hong Kong in the late 1980s to refer to members of sexual minorities. For many Chinese LGBT activists, it has the advantage of highlighting the cultural distinctiveness of Chinese same‐sex relationships. Nevertheless, the label has not been universally accepted by LGBT Chinese or those in the wider community. Though its future remains to be seen,
tongzhi
has no doubt helped Chinese LGBT activists raise awareness about issues concerning sexual minorities, and offered linguists a rare opportunity for examining the social embedding of semantic variation and change.
Trafficking, sex
Authors: Salamanca Claudia
Published: April 2015

Sex trafficking is one of the exploitations given within the transnational crime of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a movement of persons across nation‐state borders or regions by means of fraud or force for the purpose of slavery, sexual exploitation, servitude, or forced labor. Sex trafficking remains a sensitive topic, and the scale of the problem is still debated since victims of sex trafficking are hidden within different forms of sexual services: prostitution, pornography, and/or domestic service. The dispersion of the victims across different sectors of sexual services makes it difficult to gather accurate statistics regarding this crime. Therefore, some activists condemn unequivocally prostitution and pornography, arguing that the sex industry stimulates human trafficking and therefore it should be eliminated in its entirety. The conflation of sex trafficking and prostitution has simplified a complex phenomenon that demands an analysis of sociopolitical conditions that prompt immigration, and how the victims become vulnerable to this crime.
Transgender
Authors: Winter Sam
Published: April 2015

Transgender people (also sometimes called trans people) are individuals who are in some way gender variant; their way of expressing their gender (their gender expression), and/or their sense of gender belonging (their gender identity as male or female, or indeed both, neither, or another gender) depart from the norms current in their culture for persons assigned at birth to their sex as male or female. Issues in transition, transphobia, health care, and health are discussed further.
Transgender surgery
Authors: Erickson‐Schroth Laura , Bowers Marci L. , Carmel Tamar C.
Published: April 2015

Transgender surgeries include procedures to alter the face, body, or genitalia. Many transgender people do not undergo surgery for various reasons, including cost. Surgical options for transgender men include top surgery, metoidioplasty, scrotoplasty, phalloplasty, and hysterectomy. Surgical options for transgender women include breast augmentation, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, and facial feminization. Serious morbidity and mortality can result from self‐surgery, silicone injection, and other techniques provided by nonmedical personnel and in nonsterile conditions.
Transvestic fetishism
Authors: Carroll Richard A.
Published: April 2015

Transvestic fetishism is cross‐dressing for the purpose of sexual arousal. It may be an atypical, though healthy, form of sexual expression or it may be a problematic sexual behavior. Transvestic fetishism becomes defined as a disorder when it causes significant distress or leads to impairment in functioning.
Travestis (Brazil)
Authors: Mitchell Gregory C.
Published: April 2015

This entry presents an overview of
travestis,
a gender/sexual subjectivity found in Brazil and some Latin American contexts. It considers the differences between and tensions with
transgéneros
(transgendered people) as a distinct category, and describes some of the particular challenges faced by
travestis
.
Vaginal lubrication
Authors: Whipple Beverly
Published: April 2015

Vaginal lubrication is a fluid that is naturally produced in a woman's vagina. Vaginal lubrication differs from woman to woman, and within the same woman at different times. Vaginal lubrication is affected by infection, certain drugs, genetic factors, diet, and menopause. Vaginal dryness can affect women of all ages. Medical and self‐care treatments are discussed for vaginal dryness.
Vasectomy
Authors: Terry Gareth
Published: April 2015

Vasectomy has become a popular form of reproductive control in the last few decades. As a form of body modification it is a product of social, historical, and cultural norms that have given the procedure a number of meanings. The most commonly identified contemporary meanings are associated with masculine identity and individual choice.
Voyeurism
Authors: Calvert Clay
Published: April 2015

This entry examines multiple conceptions of voyeurism, including the term's use to describe: (1) a type of sexual behavior; (2) a category of criminal offense; and (3) a variety of television viewing. It covers the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
’ current conception of voyeurism, provides an overview of Peeping Tom laws and statutes targeting video voyeurism, and briefly introduces the concept of mediated voyeurism as it applies to reality television content.
Vulvodynia, medical‐biological perspective
Authors: Goldstein Irwin
Published: April 2015

Vulvodynia is a “symptom” literally meaning pain (dynia) in the vulvar region (vulvo). Patients and health‐care providers should not consider the symptom vulvodynia as a diagnosis with universal treatments. Similar to the symptoms of chest pain or abdominal pain, there are no unique treatments for vulvodynia that apply to all vulvodynia patients. Therapies should be based on the cause or reason for vulvodynia. Patients with vulvodynia should thus undergo thorough multidisciplinary biopsychosocial assessments: sex therapy, physical therapy, and medical evaluations engaging hormonal, neurologic, and vulvoscopy assessments. Such a broad and engaging management strategy will determine specific biopsychosocial causes of the vulvodynia in a given patient. This should allow personalized psychologic, physical therapy, and medical management plans to maximize treatment efficacy.
Vulvodynia: socio‐cultural perspectives
Authors: Hartzell Rose
Published: April 2015

Vulvodynia/vulvar pain can lead to significant negative impacts on sexual functioning, relationship adjustment, psychological well‐being, and overall quality of life. Current research suggests that the reaction of a man to his partner's symptoms of vulvodynia may impact the severity of pain she subjectively experiences. Current psychosocial interventions for vulvodynia include cognitive‐behavioral sex therapy/pain management, physical therapy, hypnosis, and acupuncture. Overall, results indicate that these psychosocial interventions may lead to significant improvements in pain and sexual functioning in these women.
Waxing
Authors: Fahs Breanne
Published: April 2015

Waxing is a method of hair removal that typically involves removing hair from the root so that there is more time between periods of hair removal. Considered a longer‐term and more effective method of hair removal than shaving, waxing has been criticized for being painful, expensive, and for promoting traditional gendered stereotypes of women as hairless and powerless.
Wilde, Oscar (1854–1900)
Authors: Varty Anne
Published: April 2015

This provides an overview of Wilde's marriage and later clandestine homosexual relationships, his trial, and his conviction of “indecency” under the Criminal Law Amendment Act (1885). It indicates the pervading attention to sexuality in his works and suggests how his plots are shaped by the context of his own transgressive experience of sexuality.
Alcohol Intoxication Impairs Memory and Increases Suggestibility for a Mock Crime: A Field Study
Authors: Van Oorsouw K. , Merckelbach H. , Smeets T.
Published: April 2015

Defendants and witnesses are often intoxicated by alcohol. We investigated whether memory and resistance to suggestive cues are undermined at blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) that were (close to) zero (MBAC = 0.01%), moderate (MBAC = 0.06%), or high (MBAC = 0.16%). Participants (N = 67) were approached in bars and instructed to commit a mock crime. Immediately after this, their memory and susceptibility to suggestive questions were tested, and these were re‐tested during a sober follow‐up 3–5 days later. Compared with sober participants, moderate and severe intoxication was associated with lower levels of correctly recalled crime details during both test sessions (i.e. intoxicated and sober). Also, during both sessions, severely intoxicated participants displayed a greater tendency to go along with suggestive cues compared with sober participants. Thus, intoxication impaired memory and increased suggestibility during an immediate interview, and both effects persisted when sober again. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cytosolic 5′‐Nucleotidase 1A As a Target of Circulating Autoantibodies in Autoimmune Diseases
Authors: Lloyd Thomas E. , Christopher‐Stine Lisa , Pinal‐Fernandez Iago , Tiniakou Eleni , Petri Michelle , Baer Alan , Danoff Sonye K. , Pak Katherine , Casciola‐Rosen Livia A. , Mammen Andrew L.
Published: April 2015

Objective

Prior investigations demonstrated that autoantibodies recognizing cytosolic 5′‐nucleotidase 1A (NT5C1A) are found in 33–76% of patients with inclusion body myositis (IBM) but are observed only rarely in patients with polymyositis (PM). Thus, anti‐NT5C1A may help distinguish IBM from PM. Although 4–21% of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) were shown to be anti‐NT5C1A antibody positive, the clinical features of anti‐NT5C1A–positive patients with DM have not been described. Furthermore, the prevalence of anti‐NT5C1A antibodies in other rheumatic conditions has not been reported. This study was undertaken to define the prevalence and clinical features of anti‐NT5C1A–positive patients with DM, PM, IBM, or other systemic autoimmune diseases.

Methods

We screened for anti‐NT5C1A autoantibodies in patients with IBM, DM, PM, Sjögren's syndrome (SS), or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in healthy volunteers. Clinical characteristics were compared between patients who were anti‐NT5C1A positive and those who were anti‐NT5C1A negative.

Results

Anti‐NT5C1A autoantibodies were detected in 71 (61%) of 117 patients with IBM, 2 (5%) of 42 patients with PM, 2 (5%) of 42 healthy volunteers, 24 (15%) of 159 patients with DM, 10 (23%) of 44 patients with SS, and 13 (14%) of 96 patients with SLE. No anti‐NT5C1A antibody–positive patients with SS or SLE had muscle involvement. Anti‐NT5C1A–positive patients with IBM had a lower prevalence of rimmed vacuoles (62% versus 83% of antibody‐negative patients; P = 0.02). No differences in the clinical characteristics of antibody‐positive and antibody‐negative patients with DM, SS, or SLE were observed.

Conclusion

Anti‐NT5C1A is a common target of circulating autoantibodies, especially in IBM but also in several different autoimmune diseases. In SLE and SS, anti‐NT5C1A autoreactivity is not associated with muscle disease.
Asymmetric One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,4‐Dihydroquinolines via an Organocatalytic Aza‐Michael/Michael Cascade Strategy
Authors: Lee Yona , Heo Seungpyeong , Kim Sung‐Gon
Published: April 2015

A synthetic method for the construction of fully substituted enantioenriched 1,4‐dihydroquinolines using an organocatalytic aza‐Michael/Michael cascade reaction has been developed. The asymmetric reaction of 2‐(tosylamino)phenyl α,β‐unsaturated ketones with alkynyl aldehydes, promoted by diphenylprolinol O‐TMS ether as an organocatalyst, generated chiral 1,4‐dihydroquinolines in good to high yields with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee).

magnified image
Tunable Bifunctional Phosphine–Squaramide Promoted Morita–Baylis–Hillman Reaction of N‐Alkyl Isatins with Acrylates
Authors: Dong Ze , Yan Chao , Gao Yongzhi , Dong Chune , Qiu Guofu , Zhou Hai‐Bing
Published: April 2015

A series of highly tunable bifunctional phosphine‐squaramide H‐bond donor organocatalysts 6 has been synthesized from inexpensive and commercially available β‐amino alcohols in moderate yields. Catalyst 6 f can efficiently promote the asymmetric Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction of N‐alkyl isatins with acrylate esters providing the chiral 3‐substituted 3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles in good yields and enantioselectivities (up to 93 % yield and 95 % ee), in which the challenging substrate tert‐butyl acrylate 9 d, provided the best ee value to date. Moreover, this methodology was applied successfully in the synthesis of chiral cyclic spiropyrrolizidineoxindole and γ‐butyrolactone derivatives without enantioselectivity deterioration. The possible mechanism of this MBH reaction was also investigated by 31P NMR, ESI‐MS and KIE studies. The KIE experiments show that the electrophilic addition of N‐methyl isatin to the complex of acrylate ester and phophine‐squaramide is the rate‐determing step of the asymmetric MBH reaction.

magnified image
Numerical study of pipeline restart of weakly compressible irreversibly thixotropic waxy crude oils
Authors: Kumar Lalit , Zhao Yansong , Paso Kristofer , Grimes Brian , Sjöblom Johan , Lawrence Chris
Published: April 2015

A 3‐D axisymmetric model is developed to predict pressure wave propagation processes during gelled waxy oil pipeline restart operations. A finite volume method is implemented on a staggered grid. An iterative predictor‐corrector algorithm provides solutions to the combined parabolic‐hyperbolic set of governing equations. A new shear‐history‐dependent thixotropic rheology model is proposed for pressure wave propagation computations. Moderate Reynolds number flows within the laminar regime are computed, demonstrating the impact of inertial effects. The results clearly illustrate the important mechanisms of pipeline restart. The nature of pressure wave propagation is governed by gel strength as well as overall fluid compressibility. Three sequential pressure wave propagation regimes are dominated by inertial, viscous, and gel degradation phenomena, respectively. The viscous and gel degradation regimes are effectively coupled by imposed deformation conditions. For initially homogenous thixotropic gels, strain tends to localize near the pipeline wall, playing a central role in assuring the pipeline restart. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2657–2671, 2015
Mitochondrial diversity of Iñupiat people from the Alaskan North Slope provides evidence for the origins of the Paleo‐ and Neo‐Eskimo peoples
Authors: Raff Jennifer A. , Rzhetskaya Margarita , Tackney Justin , Hayes M. Geoffrey
Published: April 2015

Objectives:

All modern Iñupiaq speakers share a common origin, the result of a recent (∼800 YBP) and rapid trans‐Arctic migration by the Neo‐Eskimo Thule, who replaced the previous Paleo‐Eskimo inhabitants of the region. Reduced mitochondrial haplogroup diversity in the eastern Arctic supports the archaeological hypothesis that the migration occurred in an eastward direction. We tested the hypothesis that the Alaskan North Slope served as the origin of the Neo‐ and Paleo‐Eskimo populations further east.

Materials and Methods:

We sequenced HVR I and HVR II of the mitochondrial D‐loop from 151 individuals in eight Alaska North Slope communities, and compared genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships between the North Slope Inupiat and other Arctic populations from Siberia, the Aleutian Islands, Canada, and Greenland.

Results:

Mitochondrial lineages from the North Slope villages had a low frequency (2%) of non‐Arctic maternal admixture, and all haplogroups (A2, A2a, A2b, D2a, and D4b1a–formerly known as D3) found in previously sequenced Neo‐ and Paleo‐Eskimos and living Inuit and Eskimo peoples from across the North American Arctic. Lineages basal for each haplogroup were present in the North Slope. We also found the first occurrence of two haplogroups in contemporary North American Arctic populations: D2a, previously identified only in Aleuts and Paleo‐Eskimos, and the pan‐American C4.

Discussion:

Our results yield insight into the maternal population history of the Alaskan North Slope and support the hypothesis that this region served as an ancestral pool for eastward movements to Canada and Greenland, for both the Paleo‐Eskimo and Neo‐Eskimo populations. Am J Phys Anthropol 157:603–614, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Dendrimeric siRNA for Efficient Gene Silencing
Authors: Hong Cheol Am , Eltoukhy Ahmed A. , Lee Hyukjin , Langer Robert , Anderson Daniel G. , Nam Yoon Sung
Published: April 2015

Programmable molecular self‐assembly of siRNA molecules provides precisely controlled generation of dendrimeric siRNA nanostructures. The second‐generation dendrimers of siRNA can be effectively complexed with a low‐molecular‐weight, cationic polymer (poly(β‐amino ester), PBAE) to generate stable nanostructures about 160 nm in diameter via strong electrostatic interactions. Condensation and gene silencing efficiencies increase with the increased generation of siRNA dendrimers due to a high charge density and structural flexibility.
High‐Fidelity Noncovalent Synthesis of Hydrogen‐Bonded Macrocyclic Assemblies
Authors: Montoro‐García Carlos , Camacho‐García Jorge , López‐Pérez Ana M. , Bilbao Nerea , Romero‐Pérez Sonia , Mayoral María J. , González‐Rodríguez David
Published: April 2015

A hydrogen‐bonded cyclic tetramer is assembled with remarkably high effective molarities from a properly designed dinucleoside monomer. This self‐assembled species exhibits an impressive thermodynamic and kinetic stability and is formed with high fidelities within a broad concentration range.
Low‐Temperature Isolation of the Bicyclic Phosphinophosphonium Salt [Mes*2P4Cl][GaCl4]
Authors: Bresien Jonas , Faust Kirill , Schulz Axel , Villinger Alexander
Published: April 2015

The reaction of [ClP(μ‐PMes*)]2 (1) with the Lewis acid GaCl3 yielded a hitherto unknown tetraphosphabicyclo[1.1.0]butan‐2‐ium salt, [Mes*P4(Cl)Mes*][GaCl4] (3[GaCl4]), which incorporates a positively charged phosphonium center within its bicyclic P4 scaffold. The formation of the title compound was studied by means of low‐temperature NMR experiments. This led to the identification of an intermediate cyclotetraphosphenium cation, which was trapped by reaction with dimethylbutadiene (dmb). All of the compounds were fully characterized by experimental and computational methods.
Balance and Strength—Estimating the Maximum Prey‐Lifting Potential of the Large Predatory Dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus saharicus
Authors: Henderson Donald M. , Nicholls Robert
Published: April 2015

Motivated by the work of palaeo‐art “Double Death (2011),” a biomechanical analysis using three‐dimensional digital models was conducted to assess the potential of a pair of the large, Late Cretaceous theropod dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus saharicus to successfully lift a medium‐sized sauropod and not lose balance. Limaysaurus tessonei from the Late Cretaceous of South America was chosen as the sauropod as it is more completely known, but closely related to the rebbachisaurid sauropods found in the same deposits with C. saharicus. The body models incorporate the details of the low‐density regions associated with lungs, systems of air sacs, and pneumatized axial skeletal regions. These details, along with the surface meshes of the models, were used to estimate the body masses and centers of mass of the two animals. It was found that a 6 t C. saharicus could successfully lift a mass of 2.5 t and not lose balance as the combined center of mass of the body and the load in the jaws would still be over the feet. However, the neck muscles were found to only be capable of producing enough force to hold up the head with an added mass of 424 kg held at the midpoint of the maxillary tooth row. The jaw adductor muscles were more powerful, and could have held a load of 512 kg. The more limiting neck constraint leads to the conclusion that two, adult C. saharicus could successfully lift a L. tessonei with a maximum body mass of 850 kg and a body length of 8.3 m. Anat Rec, 298:1367–1375, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toward Labeled Argininamide‐Type NPY Y1 Receptor Antagonists: Identification of a Favorable Propionylation Site in BIBO3304
Authors: Keller Max , Schindler Lisa , Bernhardt Günther , Buschauer Armin
Published: April 2015

Aiming at molecular tools for the neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor (Y1R), three types of derivatives of the argininamide‐type Y1R antagonist BIBO3304 were prepared by (i) propionylation at the guanidine group (3), (ii) substitution at the urea moiety with a propionamidobutyl residue (4), and (iii) replacement of ureidomethyl by a propionylaminomethyl group (5). With Ki and Kb values in the range of 1.5–4.3 nM, determined in binding and functional assays, and high selectivity for the Y1R over the Y2R, Y4R, and Y5R, compounds 4 and 5 were identified as promising candidates for radiolabeling by [3H]propionylation according to established protocols.
Brief Report: Endothelial Progenitor Cell Phenotype and Function Are Impaired in Childhood‐Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Mohan Smriti , Barsalou Julie , Bradley Timothy J. , Slorach Cameron , Reynolds John A. , Hasni Sarfaraz , Thompson Becky , Ng Lawrence , Levy Deborah , Silverman Earl , Kaplan Mariana J.
Published: April 2015

Objective

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by increased cardiovascular risk in adult‐onset and childhood‐onset SLE. Type I interferons (IFNs) appear to play a prominent role in premature vascular damage in adult‐onset SLE, at least in part, by inducing impairments in the phenotype and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), thereby hampering vascular repair. It is not clear whether EPC dysfunction is present in childhood‐onset SLE in association with a type I IFN signature.

Methods

The phenotype and numbers of EPCs were quantified in patients with childhood‐onset SLE, patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and matched healthy control subjects. In a separate cohort of patients with childhood‐onset SLE, markers of subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction were quantified using standardized protocols and analyzed for associations with serum type I IFN activity.

Results

EPC numbers and function were significantly decreased in patients with childhood‐onset SLE compared with patients with JIA and healthy control subjects. Serum from patients with childhood‐onset SLE impaired differentiation of EPCs into mature endothelial cells in healthy controls, and this effect was blocked by inhibition of the type I IFN pathway. Type I IFN activity in serum was not significantly associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and endothelial function in patients with childhood‐onset SLE.

Conclusion

As in adult‐onset SLE, childhood‐onset SLE is characterized by phenotypic and functional EPC abnormalities, which are likely triggered by type I IFNs. Although cross‐sectional analysis revealed no global association between type I IFN signatures and vascular measures of subclinical atherosclerosis, longitudinal assessments are needed to evaluate whether progression of vascular damage in patients with childhood‐onset SLE is associated with type I IFNs, as observed in patients with adult‐onset SLE.
CD147/Basigin Limits Lupus Nephritis and Th17 Cell Differentiation in Mice by Inhibiting the Interleukin‐6/STAT‐3 Pathway
Authors: Maeda Kayaho , Kosugi Tomoki , Sato Waichi , Kojima Hiroshi , Sato Yuka , Kamimura Daisuke , Kato Noritoshi , Tsuboi Naotake , Yuzawa Yukio , Matsuo Seiichi , Murakami Masaaki , Maruyama Shoichi , Kadomatsu Kenji
Published: April 2015

Objective

Interleukin‐17 (IL‐17)–producing T cells (Th17 cells) play critical roles in the pathogenesis of immune‐related diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus. However, the fundamental mechanism regulating Th17 cell differentiation is not fully understood. Recently, we demonstrated that plasma levels of CD147/basigin (Bsg) in patients with lupus nephritis (LN) were closely associated with disease activity. but the molecular mechanism involving Bsg has been elusive. Here, we addressed the role of Bsg in the pathogenesis of LN.

Methods

Injections of pristane (2,6,10,14‐tetramethylpentadecane [TMPD]) were administered to Bsg−/− or Bsg+/+ mice to induce LN. The mice were killed 6 months after being injected, for histologic and biochemical analyses of the kidneys and spleens.

Results

Pristane induced LN more strikingly in Bsg−/− mice than in Bsg+/+ mice, even though humoral autoimmunity was similarly increased in both genotypes. The increased number of Th17, but not Th1, Treg cells, was augmented in Bsg−/− mice. The expression of IL‐17 was also increased in the kidneys of Bsg−/− mice, in proportion to LN disease activity. Furthermore, treatment with anti–IL‐17 antibody reduced LN disease activity in Bsg−/− mice. Complementary to these phenotypes of Bsg−/− mice, Bsg expression was enhanced in activated CD4+ T cells in vivo and in vitro. Bsg deficiency selectively augmented in vitro differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells to Th17 cells and STAT‐3 phosphorylation during this differentiation. Moreover, STAT‐3 phosphorylation was suppressed by crosslinking of Bsg with its antibody.

Conclusion

Bsg plays an indispensable role in Th17 cell differentiation as a negative regulator by suppressing the IL‐6/STAT‐3 pathway.
Shared Epitope–Antagonistic Ligands: A New Therapeutic Strategy in Mice With Erosive Arthritis
Authors: Ling Song , Liu Ying , Fu Jiaqi , Colletta Alessandro , Gilon Chaim , Holoshitz Joseph
Published: April 2015

Objective

The mechanisms underlying bone damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are incompletely understood. We recently identified the shared epitope (SE), an HLA–DRB1–coded 5–amino acid sequence motif carried by the majority of RA patients as a signal transduction ligand that interacts with cell surface calreticulin and accelerates osteoclast (OC)–mediated bone damage in collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA). Given the role of the SE/calreticulin pathway in arthritis‐associated bone damage, we sought to determine the therapeutic targetability of calreticulin.

Methods

A library of backbone‐cyclized peptidomimetic compounds, all carrying an identical core DKCLA sequence, was synthesized. The ability of these compounds to inhibit SE‐activated signaling and OC differentiation was tested in vitro. The effect on disease severity and OC‐mediated bone damage was studied by weekly intraperitoneal administration of the compounds to DBA/1 mice with CIA.

Results

Two members of the peptidomimetics library were found to have SE‐antagonistic effects and antiosteoclast differentiation effects at picomolar concentrations in vitro. The lead mimetic compound, designated HS(4‐4)c Trp, potently ameliorated arthritis and bone damage in vivo when administered in picogram doses to mice with CIA. Another mimetic analog, designated HS(3‐4)c Trp, was found to lack activity, both in vitro and in vivo. The differential activity of the 2 analogs depended on minor differences in their respective ring sizes and correlated with distinctive geometry when computationally docked to the SE binding site on calreticulin.

Conclusion

These findings identify calreticulin as a novel therapeutic target in erosive arthritis and provide sound rationale and early structure/activity relationships for future drug design.
The Anergy Induction of M3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor–Reactive CD4+ T Cells Suppresses Experimental Sialadenitis‐like Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Asashima Hiromitsu , Tsuboi Hiroto , Takahashi Hiroyuki , Hirota Tomoya , Iizuka Mana , Kondo Yuya , Matsui Minoru , Matsumoto Isao , Sumida Takayuki
Published: April 2015

Objective

Autoreactive CD4+ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). The aim of the present study was to clarify the dominant T cell epitopes of M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3R) and to establish a new antigen‐specific therapy for SS using an experimental mouse model.

Methods

Production of cytokines from M3R‐reactive CD4+ T cells, after culture with various M3R peptides, was analyzed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Adoptive cell transfer was performed using splenocytes from M3R−/− mice that were immunized with M3R peptides or phosphate buffered saline plus H37Ra as a control. Rag1−/− mice were inoculated with the splenocytes and examined for the development of sialadenitis. Altered peptide ligands (APLs) of the T cell epitopes, with substitutions in amino acid residues at T cell receptor contact sites, were synthesized, and the ability of the APLs to suppress sialadenitis was evaluated. The mechanisms underlying such effects were assessed.

Results

CD4+ M3R‐reactive T cells produced interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) and interferon‐γ (IFNγ) in response to the N‐terminal 1 (N1) and 1st extracellular loop peptides of M3R, and Rag1−/− mice that received N1‐ and/or 1st peptide–immunized splenocytes developed sialadenitis. Among the designed APLs, N1‐APL7 (N→S at amino acid 15) significantly suppressed IFNγ production in vitro, and also suppressed sialadenitis in vivo. Levels of early growth response 2 in CD4+ T cells from the cervical lymph nodes of N1‐APL7–treated mice were significantly higher than those of control mice, and cell proliferation was reversed by administration of exogenous IL‐2. Levels of the anergy‐related molecules itchy homolog E3 ubiquitin‐protein ligase, Casitas B‐lineage lymphoma b, gene related to anergy in lymphocytes, and Deltex‐1 were significantly higher in CD4+ T cells cultured with N1‐APL7.

Conclusion

The major T cell epitopes were from the N1 and 1st peptide regions. Moreover, N1‐APL7, selected as the antagonistic APL in vitro, also suppressed sialadenitis through the induction of anergy. This is a potentially useful strategy for regulating pathogenic T cell infiltration in SS.
Verbalization of Decision Strategies in Multiple‐Cue Probabilistic Inference
Authors: Walsh Matthew M. , Gluck Kevin A.
Published: April 2015

In multiple‐cue probabilistic inference, people choose between alternatives based on several cues, each of which is differentially associated with an alternative's overall value. Various strategies have been proposed for probabilistic inference (e.g., weighted additive, tally, and take‐the‐best). These strategies differ in how many cue values they require to enact and in how they weight each cue. Do decision makers actually use any of these strategies? Ways to investigate this question include analyzing people's choices and the cues that they reveal. However, different strategies often predict the same decisions, and search behavior says nothing about whether or how people use the information that they acquire. In this research, we attempt to elucidate which strategies participants use in a multiple‐cue probabilistic inference task by examining verbal protocols, a high‐density source of process data. The promise of verbal data is in their utility for testing detailed information processing models. To that end, we apply protocol analysis in conjunction with computational simulations. We find converging evidence across outcome measures, search measures, and verbal reports that most participants use simplifying heuristics, namely take‐the‐best. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pulsed magnetic stimulation modifies amplitude of action potentials in vitro via ionic channels‐dependent mechanism
Authors: Ahmed Zaghloul , Wieraszko Andrzej
Published: April 2015

This paper investigates the influence of pulsed magnetic fields (PMFs) on amplitude of evoked, compound action potential (CAP) recorded from the segments of sciatic nerve in vitro. PMFs were applied for 30 min at frequency of 0.16 Hz and intensity of 15 mT. In confirmation of our previous reports, PMF exposure enhanced amplitude of CAPs. The effect persisted beyond PMF activation period. As expected, CAP amplitude was attenuated by antagonists of sodium channel, lidocaine, and tetrodotoxin. Depression of the potential by sodium channels antagonists was reversed by subsequent exposure to PMFs. The effect of elevated potassium concentration and veratridine on the action potential was modified by exposure to PMFs as well. Neither inhibitors of protein kinase C and protein kinase A, nor known free radicals scavengers had any effects on PMF action. Possible mechanisms of PMF action are discussed. Bioelectromagnetics. 36:386–397, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Understanding and managing taxonomies as economic goods and services
Authors: Bedford Denise A. D.
Published: April 2015

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

As pervasive as taxonomies have become in knowledge management, their economic value is not often scrutinized, documented or fulfilled. Taxonomies range in cost and sophistication from flat lists through thesauri, semantic nets and faceted systems. Each can be an asset or liability to varying degrees relative to the resources expended to design, manage and implement it. A well‐designed taxonomy produces value by enabling consistent information management, facilitating records management and compliance, building domain understanding and saving time through efficient access to information. Yet numerous potential liabilities can rise from a taxonomy generating poor search results or being incomplete, out of date, confusing to users or simply not used. Taxonomies must be viewed from a perspective informed by economics, considering assets and liabilities, actual and indirect costs, external effects on third parties, their value as a public good and the opportunity costs of resources invested. As advocates for taxonomies, we should present the case as knowledge and information economists, fully aware of the range of economic decisions and effects involved.
Government knowledge organization systems: Valuing a public good
Authors: Hodge Gail
Published: April 2015

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Knowledge organization systems (KOS) for government information facilitate access, management and dissemination of information produced with government funding. Supported by taxpayers, the information product is a public good with potential impact on the economy, and ready access to it extends its value. Determining the economic value of KOS in the government setting is complicated by the idea of return on investment, given the drive for free and open public access and difficulty identifying a presumed economic benefit and beneficiaries. Intellectual property use and technology transfer based on government information fuel industries and economic markets, demonstrating the value of the information, while the systems for organizing that information promote easy access and rapid dissemination. KOS are critical tools that expand paths to government information, opening a broader range of topics for wider audiences, providing semantic resources to enrich information and promote discovery and machine readable metadata to support automated processes and interoperability.
The importance of knowledge organization
Authors: Szostak Rick
Published: April 2015

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Knowledge organization systems (KOS) are ubiquitous and helpful, but from an economist's perspective their value and contribution to economic productivity are hard to quantify. Though estimating the aggregate impact of KOS is a challenge, it is possible to enhance that impact through the use of a shared or interoperable controlled vocabulary with rules for interpreting text. Like RDF triplets underlying the Semantic Web, elements can be identified to represent phenomena, relationships and properties, and then combined using a synthetic approach to generate complex concepts. Such a vocabulary would be enhanced with related concept information, expanding a user's discovery through a web of hierarchical and associative relationships. The vocabulary would be interdisciplinary and applicable to any database, geared to building upon simple expressions for generic phenomena. The KOS could serve as a universal thesaurus complementing the combinable elements used to classify content with the potential to be a landmark classification system.
Developing a data curation service: Step #1: Work with what you've got
Authors: Johnston Lisa R.
Published: April 2015

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

The mandate by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to improve access to federally funded research makes responsible data curation by academic libraries more important than ever. Libraries should provide curation services covering not only deposit and access but also appraisal, description, metadata creation, format transformation, archiving and preservation. A data curation pilot project by the University of Minnesota Libraries demonstrated an effective workflow model to curate research data and facilitate its reuse. Five research datasets were selected for the pilot, each analyzed by a separate team of library, information and technology professionals. The pilot provided groundwork for more robust data curation services and identified necessary support infrastructure.
Prepare to respond to increase in transcript fraud involving international students
Authors: McCarthy Claudine
Published: April 2015

The 3.2 percent growth in international student enrollment in the last academic year at U.S. colleges and universities has brought with it an unwelcome and often unseen partner — an increasing number of fraudulent international applications.
LSAC settlement offers tips for evaluating testing accommodation requests
Authors: Masinter Michael R.
Published: April 2015

The U.S. Department of Justice and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing settled a lawsuit against the Law School Admission Council challenging documentation requirements for accommodations on its Law School Admission Test. The settlement consent decree (see www.ada.gov/lsac_consentdecree.htm) offers valuable insights into how the DOJ interprets documentation requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act.
Mechanical properties study of SW480 cells based on AFM
Authors: Liu Xiaogang , Song Zhengxun , Qu Yingmin , Wang Guoliang , Wang Zuobin
Published: April 2015

Since the invention of the atomic force microscope (AFM), it has been widely applied in biomedicine. One of the most important applications is used as an indenter tool to do the indentation experiment in order to get the mechanical properties of cells. In this paper, SW480 cells were used as the test subjects. Through the analysis of the contact and indentation, Young's modulus (E), which is an important parameter of cancer cells, has been estimated. Experimental results show that different mechanical models should be chosen to calculate the E in different indentation depths. Here, the E of SW480 cells was (2.5 ± 0.8) KPa at the indentation depth of 99 nm.
Imaginary friends
Authors: Fritz Gregory K.
Published: April 2015

For a year or two when he was a preschooler, our son Peter had two imaginary friends that my wife and I found delightful. Named Jamie and Tommy, they were an inseparable pair of boys older than Peter whose exploits were invariably interesting and sometimes astonishing. Always the most imaginative of our three children (neither his older nor younger sister ever had imaginary friends), Peter seemed to enjoy regaling us with stories of Jamie's and Tommy's adventures. They were well beyond the reach of a 4–5‐year‐old boy but fell short of being the stuff of superheroes. Peter was aware that no one else could see his imaginary friends, but we never pressed him about the details of where they fell on the real‐unreal spectrum. They departed suddenly, to his apparent regret and likely ours, falling together from the nearby Golden Gate Bridge.