bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Young women’s strong preference for children and subsequent occupational gender segregation
Authors: Kanji Shireen , Hupka-Brunner Sandra
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse how and whether young women’s strong and early preference for having children relates to the degree of occupational segregation of the careers they envisage for themselves and the careers they actually enter by the time they reach age 23.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on theories predicting that young women act to replicate gendered social stereotypes in their career choice and to anticipate careers they perceive to be reconcilable with future motherhood, the authors conduct quantitative analyses using panel data from the Transitions from Education to Employment Survey, a longitudinal survey of young people in Switzerland. OLS regression analyses how expressing a strong desire to have children at age 16 impacts: the proportion of women in the career engaged in at age 23 and the career anticipated age 16, relative to women not expressing this strong preference. Logistic regression examines whether selection into wanting children could be held responsible for the results. Finally the authors explore how initial expectations and later outcomes relate to each other.

Findings

– Women who express a strong interest in having children (Kinderwunsch) at age 16 anticipate and enter occupations with a substantially higher proportion of women. Differences in objective labour-market characteristics, such as academic attainment, ability and psychosocial factors, namely self-efficacy, are not related to having a strong desire for children at an early age. Family factors have multifaceted effects.

Research limitations/implications

– This research uses data from a cohort who were age 16 in 2000. The rapidly changing social context of Switzerland necessitates updating this analysis at regular intervals across cohorts.

Practical implications

– Discussion is required to expand young women’s understandings of the implications of different career choices and to broaden the range of options that they consider and to which employers provide access.

Social implications

– Wanting to have children is one of the factors that fuels occupational gender segregation. Although women might envisage that more gender-segregated occupations would allow them to combine work and family life, this may not be the case in reality.

Originality/value

– This paper explores the important but previously under-explored relationship between early fertility preferences and occupational entry for women.
Trapped in the gender stereotype? The image of science among secondary school students and teachers
Authors: Makarova Elena , Herzog Walter
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender stereotype of science by analysing the semantic attributes of gender in relation to three science subjects – chemistry, mathematics, and physics – among students and their science teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

– This cross-sectional study applied a survey of 3,045 students and 123 teachers in secondary schools. The gendered image of science was assessed using a semantic differential consisting of 25 pairs of adjectives with semantically opposite meanings.

Findings

– In summary, the results of the study demonstrate that from the female students’ perspective mathematics and physics are negatively related to female gender, whereas chemistry is neither significantly related to the male nor to the female profile. From the male students’ point of view mathematics is negatively related to the female gender, whereas chemistry and physics are positively related to the male gender. In the science teachers’ perception chemistry and physics combine feminine and masculine attributes, whereas the teachers’ perception of mathematics matches only with the male, but not with the female gender.

Originality/value

– In contrast to previous research, the study is the first to analyse the gender stereotype of chemistry as well as to assess the gender image of three science subjects from students’ and teachers’ perspectives.
Effects of perfume on mechanical and color properties of cotton fabrics
Authors: Kayar Mahmut
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of perfume on cotton fabrics and satisfy the perfume user’s curiosity on this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, the selected perfume was applied on woven and knitted cotton fabric samples in order to investigate the effects of perfume on mechanical and colour properties of the fabrics. For this purpose the chosen perfume was applied in two different amounts (four spraying and eight spraying) from the same distance to the fabric surface. Then the fabric samples were left for 24 hours in order to fulfill the daily usage conditions. Samples were evaluated in terms of tensile strength, pilling and abrasion tests, respectively. Colour measurement test was performed for investigating the fading effect of the perfume and FTIR analysis was carried out for examining the chemical changes.

Findings

– Result of the study revealed that perfume did not have any effects on tensile strength properties of cotton knitted and woven fabrics and caused serious decrease in pilling and abrasion values and negatively affected colour characteristics of fabrics.

Originality/value

– In literature there was no study investigating the effect of perfume on mechanical and colour properties of garment. Thus this study will be the first concerning this issue.
Nano-modification of plasma treated inkjet printing fabrics
Authors: Zhang Chunming , Zhang Xiaoping
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– Inkjet printing is becoming increasingly important and popular for the printing of textiles. As one of the environmentally friendly processes, the plasma has been widely used to modify the surface properties of inkjet printing substrates. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nano-modification of plasma on polyester fabric for pigment inkjet printing. The actual printing performance and the related mechanical behavior of samples were also evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

– Polyester fabrics were surface modified by atmospheric pressure air plasma with the aim to improve its inkjet printing performance. The effects of plasma treatment on surface properties of fabrics were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The wettability of the samples is evaluated by measurement of contact angles of different polar liquids and surface energy. Breaking strength and elongation, bending rigidity are tested to evaluate the mechanical behavior of treated and control fabrics.

Findings

– It was found that the nano-modification of plasma markedly improved the anti-bleeding property of inkjet printing fabrics. SEM and XPS analyses indicated that this improved color performance was mainly contributed by not only the etching effect and oxygen containing polar groups induced onto fiber surfaces. In addition, the results of mechanical behavior test indicate no evident reduction of breaking strength and breaking elongation both in warp and weft direction after plasma modification.

Originality/value

– The surface modification method used here offers an economic and dependable way for pretreatment of inkjet printing fabrics with the advantages of environmental friendly over traditional pretreatment methods.
The establishment of human body three vital measurements regression relationship based on SVR method
Authors: Li Xiaojiu , Jing Xiaoning
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to obtain circumference sizes from 2D feature sizes in the parts of three vital measurements of young female, the dimensions of chest width, chest depth, waist width, waist depth, hip width, hip depth, chest girth, waist girth and hip girth of 400 young female samples are collected.

Design/methodology/approach

– Inside which, 300 samples are used as learning samples, and the remaining 100 samples are used as training samples, the sample data are entered to the network constructed by support vector machine regression (SVR) and the predictive value of circumference sizes are gained.

Findings

– Finally, the regression model is established between 2D feature size and the corresponding circumference size. Through the trained prediction model based on SVR, the circumference sizes in three vital measurement parts of a new sample are predicted for convenient mass measurement.

Originality/value

– The research of measurement regression relationship in parts of three vital measurements of young female is the basis for conveniently obtaining dimensions in garment mass measurement. It can provide the accurate data to feminine dress industry, and has high precision.
The socio spatial substructure of the Australian city: how well does it explain house price?
Authors: Rossini Peter , Kupke Valerie
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to show how social and economic differentiation that has become a feature of Australian cities and the urban housing literature emphasises the value in understanding such differentiation as an explanation of housing demand.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a consistent set of variables from the 2011 ABS Census of Housing and Population, this paper uses factor analysis to identify the socio spatial substructure of housing markets at suburb level for five mainland Australian cities.

Findings

– The relative importance of this socio substructure in explaining median house price is determined for each city. The paper also identifies where the socio spatial structure is mismatched against expected house price and an explanation is offered for these anomalies.

Originality/value

– The study is innovative in that it reveals, at suburb level, districts in each city where there is a marked divergence between the prices being paid for property and the socioeconomic makeup of the local community.
Priority of structural housing attribute preferences: identifying customer perception
Authors: Moghimi Vahid , Jusan Mahmud Bin Mohd
Published: February 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to unveil how Johor Bahru resident’s conceptions are affected by various structural housing attributes. The determination of an appropriate combination of housing preferences requires a great deal of involvement to balance a complex interplay of factors. This is attributable to this fact that housing preferences involve multiple-criteria decision-making, as each element has its own perceived relative importance. Accordingly, this study examines the resident housing preferences of Johor Bahru located in southern Malaysia with specific emphasis on the priority of structural attributes of housing preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data collected through the theoretical and conceptual framework of non-structural fuzzy decision support system (NSFDSS) applied to facilitate the priority setting process.

Findings

– Priority lists of preferences for structural housing attributes showing the contribution of each factor within their respective level and not the contribution of that factor toward the overall housing preferences were established.

Practical implications

– By providing primary information about how potential buyers of a new house prioritize the different elements of a house design, the obtained results can make a useful contribution to the knowledge of individuals engaged in the housing development industry.

Originality/value

– While in examining consumers’ housing choice and preferences, most studies use the hedonic price framework studying the issue from several aspects, this is first study dedicated to establish a priority of housing attribute using NSFDSS.
Evidence for synergistic control of glutamate biosynthesis by glutamate dehydrogenases and glutamate in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Stannek Lorena , Thiele Martin J. , Ischebeck Till , Gunka Katrin , Hammer Elke , Völker Uwe , Commichau Fabian M.
Published: February 2015

In the Gram‐positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis glutamate is synthesized by the glutamine synthetase and the glutamate synthase (GOGAT). During growth with carbon sources that exert carbon catabolite repression, the rocG glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) gene is repressed and the transcription factor GltC activates the expression of the GOGAT encoding gltAB genes. In the presence of amino acids of the glutamate family, the GDH RocG is synthesized and the enzyme prevents GltC from binding to DNA. The dual control of glutamate biosynthesis allows the efficient utilization of the available nutrients. Here we provide genetic and biochemical evidence that, like RocG, also the paralogous GDH GudB can inhibit the transcription factor GltC, thereby controlling glutamate biosynthesis. Contradictory previous observations show that high level of GDH activity does not result in permanent inhibition of GltC. By controlling the intracellular levels of glutamate through feeding with exogenous arginine, we observed that the GDH‐dependent control of GltC and thus expression of the gltAB genes inversely correlates with the glutamate pool. These results suggest that the B. subtilis GDHs RocG and GudB in fact act as glutamate sensors. In conclusion, the GDH‐mediated control of glutamate biosynthesis seems to depend on the intracellular glutamate concentration.
Rheological Properties, Molecular Distribution, and Microstructure of Fortunella margarita (Lour.) Swingle Polysaccharides
Authors: Zeng Hongliang , Zhang Yi , Jian Yeye , Tian Yuting , Miao Song , Zheng Baodong
Published: February 2015

Fortunella margarita polysaccharides (FMPS) are one of the main bioactive components of F. margarita. The activity is related to their rheological properties and structure. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between rheological properties, molecular distribution, and microstructure of crude FMPS (C‐FMPS) and purified FMPS (P‐FMPS). The results showed that both of solutions were shear‐thinning pseudoplastic fluids with flow properties in line with the Power Law model. The pseudoplasticity of P‐FMPS was stronger compared to C‐FMPS. Additionally, the molecular weight and polydispersity of P‐FMPS were greater, whereas the molecular radius was less compared to C‐FMPS. The surface of C‐FMPS was rough and dense whereas P‐FMPS displayed a smooth network structure by environment scanning electron microscopy. According to confocal laser scanning microscopy, C‐FMPS dispersed in the medium without connected network, whereas the network of P‐FMPS was unevenly distributed in the medium and the shape was compact and smooth. The molecular distribution and microstructure of P‐FMPS were attributed to the purification process while rearrangement and aggregation of polysaccharide molecules took place, which resulted in the significant difference of rheological properties between C‐FMPS and P‐FMPS.
The Quantification of Representative Sequences pipeline for amplicon sequencing: case study on within‐population ITS1 sequence variation in a microparasite infecting Daphnia
Authors: González‐Tortuero E. , Rusek J. , Petrusek A. , Gießler S. , Lyras D. , Grath S. , Castro‐Monzón F. , Wolinska J.
Published: February 2015

Next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms are replacing traditional molecular biology protocols like cloning and Sanger sequencing. However, accuracy of NGS platforms has rarely been measured when quantifying relative frequencies of genotypes or taxa within populations. Here we developed a new bioinformatic pipeline (QRS) that pools similar sequence variants and estimates their frequencies in NGS data sets from populations or communities. We tested whether the estimated frequency of representative sequences, generated by 454 amplicon sequencing, differs significantly from that obtained by Sanger sequencing of cloned PCR products. This was performed by analysing sequence variation of the highly variable first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) of the ichthyosporean Caullerya mesnili, a microparasite of cladocerans of the genus Daphnia. This analysis also serves as a case example of the usage of this pipeline to study within‐population variation. Additionally, a public Illumina data set was used to validate the pipeline on community‐level data. Overall, there was a good correspondence in absolute frequencies of C. mesnili ITS1 sequences obtained from Sanger and 454 platforms. Furthermore, analyses of molecular variance (amova) revealed that population structure of C. mesnili differs across lakes and years independently of the sequencing platform. Our results support not only the usefulness of amplicon sequencing data for studies of within‐population structure but also the successful application of the QRS pipeline on Illumina‐generated data. The QRS pipeline is freely available together with its documentation under GNU Public Licence version 3 at http://code.google.com/p/quantification-representative-sequences.
A new method for resolving uncertainty of energy requirements in large water breathers: the ‘mega‐flume’ seagoing swim‐tunnel respirometer
Authors: Payne Nicholas L. , Snelling Edward P. , Fitzpatrick Richard , Seymour Jamie , Courtney Robert , Barnett Adam , Watanabe Yuuki Y. , Sims David W. , Squire Lyle , Semmens Jayson M.
Published: February 2015

Body size is a key determinant of metabolic rate, but logistical constraints have led to a paucity of energetics measurements from large water‐breathing animals. As a result, estimating energy requirements of large fish generally relies on extrapolation of metabolic rate from individuals of lower body mass using allometric relationships that are notoriously variable. Swim‐tunnel respirometry is the ‘gold standard’ for measuring active metabolic rates in water‐breathing animals, yet previous data are entirely derived from body masses <10 kg – at least one order of magnitude lower than the body masses of many top‐order marine predators.

Here, we describe the design and testing of a new method for measuring metabolic rates of large water‐breathing animals: a c. 26 000 L seagoing ‘mega‐flume’ swim‐tunnel respirometer. We measured the swimming metabolic rate of a 2·1‐m, 36‐kg zebra shark Stegostoma fasciatum within this new mega‐flume and compared the results to data we collected from other S. fasciatum (3·8–47·7 kg body mass) swimming in static respirometers and previously published measurements of active metabolic rate measurements from other shark species.

The mega‐flume performed well during initial tests, with intra‐ and interspecific comparisons suggesting accurate metabolic rate measurements can be obtained with this new tool. Inclusion of our data showed that the scaling exponent of active metabolic rate with mass for sharks ranging from 0·13 to 47·7 kg was 0·79; a similar value to previous estimates for resting metabolic rates in smaller fishes.

We describe the operation and usefulness of this new method in the context of our current uncertainties surrounding energy requirements of large water‐breathing animals. We also highlight the sensitivity of mass‐extrapolated energetic estimates in large aquatic animals and discuss the consequences for predicting ecosystem impacts such as trophic cascades.
Accounting for multiple climate components when estimating climate change exposure and velocity
Authors: Nadeau Christopher P. , Fuller Angela K.
Published: February 2015

The effect of anthropogenic climate change on organisms will likely be related to climate change exposure and velocity at local and regional scales. However, common methods to estimate climate change exposure and velocity ignore important components of climate that are known to affect the ecology and evolution of organisms.

We develop a novel index of climate change (climate overlap) that simultaneously estimates changes in the means, variation and correlation between multiple weather variables. Specifically, we estimate the overlap between multivariate normal probability distributions representing historical and current or projected future climates. We provide methods for estimating the statistical significance of climate overlap values and methods to estimate velocity using climate overlap.

We show that climates have changed significantly across 80% of the continental United States in the last 32 years and that much of this change is due to changes in the variation and correlation between weather variables (two statistics that are rarely incorporated into climate change studies). We also show that projected future temperatures are predicted to be locally novel (<1·5% overlap) across most of the global land surface and that exposure is likely to be highest in areas with low historical climate variation. Last, we show that accounting for changes in the variation and correlation between multiple weather variables can dramatically affect velocity estimates; mean velocity estimates in the continental United States were between 3·1 and 19·0 km yr−1 when estimated using climate overlap compared to 1·4 km yr−1 when estimated using traditional methods.

Our results suggest that accounting for changes in the means, variation and correlation between multiple weather variables can dramatically affect estimates of climate change exposure and velocity. These climate components are known to affect the ecology and evolution of organisms, but are ignored by most measures of climate change. We conclude with a set of future directions and recommend future work to determine which measures of climate change exposure and velocity are most related to biological responses to climate change.
A georeferenced implementation of weighted endemism
Authors: Guerin Greg R. , Ruokolainen Lasse , Lowe Andrew J.
Published: February 2015

Areas of endemism are conservation priorities and indicators of biogeographical processes, representing concentrations of range‐restricted biodiversity. While the term endemism describes geographical range restriction, the technical definition has often been re‐worked. Categorical definitions are increasingly replaced by weighting of species according to range sizes. In various contexts, range sizes have been estimated by the number of occupied map grid cells, the latitudinal or longitudinal range of point locations, or the area of a polygon surrounding point locations. Existing implementations of weighted endemism use the number of occupied grid cells to estimate range. However, this represents area of occupancy (AOO), not extent of occurrence (EOO).

We developed endemism calculations that include strictly geographical (georeferenced) interpretations of range (‘span’ and ‘area’), and compared them to cell frequency‐based measures. We compared species weights and endemism scores for 330 004 records of 3083 vascular plant species in 14 328 plots (Biological Survey of South Australia). We provide a self‐contained R function that calculates endemism using alternative range weights and integrates point data with automatically generated rasters. A parallel function tests for deviance from the expected (null) distribution, given observed species richness (nonparametric significance test; outlier metrics).

Species range weights based on grid cell frequency (AOO) versus georeferenced ‘span’ and ‘area’ (EOO) are conceptually different and were poorly correlated for the same data set, resulting in differences in the classification of grid cells as outliers from expected endemism. For example, the correlation (Kendall's τ) between endemism based on geographical ‘span’ and cell frequency was just 0·57, when partialling out the influence of species richness, potentially leading to contrasting conservation priorities over 8% or 46 000 km2 of the state of South Australia.

Weighting endemism by georeferenced range estimates provides an alternative approach that more explicitly highlights restriction in EOO, generates differences in endemism metrics and requires only georeferenced species records. This approach need not replace existing implementations, but provides an alternative measure of range‐restricted biodiversity. The functions provide efficient calculation of species ranges (with or without geographical outlier exclusion) and weighted endemism with novel implementation of significance tests and outlier detection, in the R environment.
Rural‐to‐Urban Migration, Family Resilience, and Policy Framework for Social Support in China
Authors: Wen Ya , Hanley Jill
Published: February 2015

China's internal rural‐to‐urban migration has impacted the country in economic, social, and cultural terms. Despite the increasing number of families involved in migration, little is known about how migrant families as a unit adapt to new environments from rural to urban settings. Policy making needs to be informed to address migrant families' needs. This article investigates how Chinese families experience transitions resulting from migration, exploring their use of formal and informal support to achieve adaptation and the process of making evolving choices for their children. We begin with a brief introduction to the literature on family resilience and its relation to Chinese migrant families. Then we provided an analysis of Chinese social policies most central to the experiences of rural‐to‐urban migrant families. After a brief description of methodology, we present our findings starting with a migrant family story to provide an anchor for the following discussion on how current policies can impede or facilitate migrant families' resilience. Our conclusion is that lack of social support leaves migrant Chinese families vulnerable when coping with enormous social, cultural, and economic transformations. Family constitutes the basis of Chinese society; therefore, a policy framework on social support is important to support these families and foster family resilience.
Canadian Sociological Association Outstanding Contribution Lecture: The Fading of Redistributive Politics in Canada
Authors: Myles John
Published: February 2015

Are redistributive politics in Canada fading or merely in abeyance? In this essay, I examine the empirical evidence for the “fading” metaphor, examine new, neoliberal lenses that have shaped recent policy developments, and identify changes in the role of political actors and policy‐making institutions that have facilitated the redistributive weakening. Ever the optimist, however, I conclude on an upbeat note on future democratic possibilities for a fairer and more just Canada.

La politique de la redistribution au Canada, est‐elle en train de s’étioler ou est‐elle tout simplement en suspens? Dans un premier temps, je pose le contexte empirique à la fois pour et contre la métaphore d’ “étiolement”, tendances concernant la disparité des revenus, la pauvreté, et la répartition du revenu. Dans un deuxième, je me concentre sur le rôle des nouvelles politiques ainsi que sur le soi‐disant virage néolibéral dans l'idéologie politique qui ont façonné nos réponses à ces développements. Finalement, je discute le caractère changeant à la fois des acteurs politiques et des institutions politiques qui ont restructuré d'une façon cumulative la politique de la redistribution des revenus au Canada.
Enhanced antitumor effect of anti‐tissue factor antibody‐conjugated epirubicin‐incorporating micelles in xenograft models
Authors: Yamamoto Yoshiyuki , Hyodo Ichinosuke , Koga Yoshikatsu , Tsumura Ryo , Sato Ryuta , Obonai Toshihumi , Fuchigami Hirobumi , Furuya Fumiaki , Yasunaga Masahiro , Harada Mitsunori , Kato Yasuki , Ohtsu Atsushi , Matsumura Yasuhiro
Published: February 2015

For the creation of a successful antibody–drug conjugate (ADC), both scientific and clinical evidence has indicated that highly toxic anticancer agents (ACA) should be conjugated to a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to administer a reasonable amount of ADC to patients without compromising the affinity of the mAb. For ordinary ACA, the conjugation of a mAb to ACA‐loaded micellar nanoparticles is clinically applicable. Tissue factor (TF) is often overexpressed in various cancer cells and tumor vascular endothelium. Accordingly, anti‐TF‐NC‐6300, consisting of epirubicin‐incorporating micelles (NC‐6300) conjugated with the F(ab')2 of anti‐TF mAb was developed. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy and pharmacokinetics of anti‐TF‐NC‐6300 were compared to NC‐6300 using two human pancreatic cancer cell lines, BxPC3 (high TF expression) and SUIT2 (low TF expression), and a gastric cancer cell line, 44As3 (high TF expression). The intracellular uptake of epirubicin was faster and greater in BxPC3 cells treated with anti‐TF‐NC‐6300, compared with NC‐6300. Anti‐TF‐NC‐6300 showed a superior antitumor activity in BxPC3 and 44As3 xenografts, compared with NC‐6300, while the activities of both micelles were similar in the SUIT2 xenograft. A higher tumor accumulation of anti‐TF‐NC‐6300 compared to NC‐6300 was seen, regardless of the TF expression levels. However, anti‐TF‐NC‐6300 appeared to be localized to the tumor cells with high TF expression. These results indicated that the enhanced antitumor effect of anti‐TF‐NC6300 may be independent of the tumor accumulation but may depend on the selective intratumor localization and the preferential internalization of anti‐TF‐NC‐6300 into high TF tumor cells.
Prognosis of Japanese patients with previously untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of molecular‐targeted therapy
Authors: Shinohara Nobuo , Obara Wataru , Tatsugami Katsunori , Naito Sei , Kamba Tomomi , Takahashi Masayuki , Murai Sachiyo , Abe Takashige , Oba Koji , Naito Seiji
Published: February 2015

A multicenter cooperative study was conducted to clarify the prognosis of Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of molecular‐targeted therapy and the clinical usefulness of the Japanese metastatic renal cancer (JMRC) prognostic classification. Of 389 consecutive patients for whom treatment was started between 2008 and 2010 at 23 hospitals in Japan, 357 patients who received vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGFR‐TKI) or cytokine as initial systemic therapy were the subject of the present study. Patients were classified into three prognostic groups according to the JMRC prognostic classification. The endpoints were progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after the start of the initial treatment. The median PFS and OS for the entire cohort of 357 patients were 9.1 and 27.2 months, respectively. VEGFR‐TKI were selected for patients with multiple organ metastases, those with liver metastasis, and those with bone metastasis. The median PFS and OS were 11.0 and 23.2 months and 5.4 and 38.2 months in the VEGFR‐TKI group and the cytokines group, respectively. The JMRC prognostic classification was useful as a prognostic model for PFS and OS (c‐indexes: 0.613 and 0.630 in patients who initially received VEGFR‐TKI and 0.647 and 0.642 in patients who received cytokines, respectively). The present study showed for the first time the prognosis of Japanese patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of molecular‐targeted therapy. The JMRC prognostic classification may be clinically useful as a prognostic model.
Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase, a new target for pancreatic cancer therapy
Authors: Wu Wenming , Wu Qiao , Hong Xiafei , Zhou Li , Zhang Jie , You Lei , Wang Wenze , Wu Huanwen , Dai Hongmei , Zhao Yupei
Published: February 2015

Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) is an important molecule in different types of cancers. Its biological effect and therapeutic significance, however, rarely been investigated fully in pancreatic cancer. Immunohistologically, high COMT expression was significantly correlated with the longer overall survival of patients (P < 0.05), indicating its protective nature. The effects of COMT on cell growth, apoptosis, and invasion were evaluated using overexpression and silencing methods. In detail, we carried out experiments using one stably transduced and two transiently transfected pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro, and one stably transduced cell line in vivo mice xenograft models. In vitro experiments showed that COMT inhibited cell proliferation, enhanced gemcitabine‐induced apoptosis, and inhibited cell invasion in stably transduced and transiently transfected cell lines by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway, p53, and E‐cadherin. The COMT overexpressed and silenced cell lines showed significantly inhibited and enhanced growth capacities in in vivo xenograft models, respectively. In conclusion, COMT suppressed pancreatic cancer and its high expression predicted longer survival time. The interaction of COMT with the PI3K/Akt pathway makes it a potential target for therapy.
BSACI guideline for the management of chronic urticaria and angioedema
Authors: Powell R. J. , Leech S. C. , Till S. , Huber P. A. J. , Nasser S. M. , Clark A. T.
Published: February 2015

This guidance for the management of patients with chronic urticaria and angioedema has been prepared by the Standards of Care Committee of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI). The guideline is based on evidence as well as on expert opinion and is aimed at both adult physicians and paediatricians practising in allergy. The recommendations are evidence graded. During the development of these guidelines, all BSACI members were included in the consultation process using a Web‐based system. Their comments and suggestions were carefully considered by the Standards of Care Committee. Where evidence was lacking, a consensus was reached by the experts on the committee. Included in this management guideline are clinical classification, aetiology, diagnosis, investigations, treatment guidance with special sections on children with urticaria and the use of antihistamines in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Finally, we have made recommendations for potential areas of future research.
Anaphylaxis and cardiovascular disease: therapeutic dilemmas
Authors: Lieberman P. , Simons F. E. R.
Published: February 2015

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases the risk of severe or fatal anaphylaxis, and some medications for CVD treatment can exacerbate anaphylaxis. The aim of this article is to review the effect of anaphylaxis on the heart, the potential impact of medications for CVD on anaphylaxis and anaphylaxis treatment, and the cardiovascular effects of epinephrine. The therapeutic dilemmas arising from these issues are also discussed and management strategies proposed. PubMed searches were performed for the years 1990–2014 inclusive, using terms such as angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, adrenaline, allergic myocardial infarction, anaphylaxis, angiotensin‐receptor blockers (ARBs), beta‐adrenergic blockers, epinephrine, and Kounis syndrome. Literature analysis indicated that: cardiac mast cells are key constituents of atherosclerotic plaques; mast cell mediators play an important role in acute coronary syndrome (ACS); patients with CVD are at increased risk of developing severe or fatal anaphylaxis; and medications for CVD treatment, including beta‐adrenergic blockers and ACE inhibitors, potentially exacerbate anaphylaxis or make it more difficult to treat. Epinephrine increases myocardial contractility, decreases the duration of systole relative to diastole, and enhances coronary blood flow. Its transient adverse effects include pallor, tremor, anxiety, and palpitations. Serious adverse effects (including ventricular arrhythmias and hypertension) are rare, and are significantly more likely after intravenous injection than after intramuscular injection. Epinephrine is life‐saving in anaphylaxis; second‐line medications (including antihistamines and glucocorticoids) are not. In CVD patients (especially those with ACS), the decision to administer epinephrine for anaphylaxis can be difficult, and its benefits and potential harms need to be carefully considered. Concerns about potential adverse effects need to be weighed against concerns about possible death from untreated anaphylaxis, but there is no absolute contraindication to epinephrine injection in anaphylaxis.
The Effectiveness of a Customized Titanium Mesh for Ridge Preservation with Immediate Implantation in Dogs
Authors: Lim Hyun‐Chang , Kim Min‐Soo , Yang Cheryl , Lee Jung‐Seok , Hong Ji‐Youn , Choi Seong‐Ho , Jung Ui‐Won
Published: February 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a newly designed titanium mesh (TM) for preserving the buccal bone around an immediately placed implant following tooth extraction in dogs.

Materials and Methods

Immediate implant placements were performed bilaterally in the mesial socket of the fourth premolar in five dogs. In one site, the TM was affixed to the fixture using its own stabilization components (TM group), and the contralateral site was left untreated (control group). All surgical sites were intended to be submerged with primary flap closure. Histologic and histomorphometric analyses were performed 16 weeks postoperatively.

Results

All implants were histologically osseointegrated, and buccal bone resorption was evident in both groups with the high rate of TM exposure (4/5). The most coronal level of bone‐implant contact and the bone crest were not statistically different between the TM and the control group. A dense connective tissue layer consistently predominated under the TM, where mineralized tissue was not observed, and the vascularity and cellularity were minimal.

Conclusions

It can be conjectured that preservation of buccal plate by using the TM in immediate implantation was not predictable due to vulnerability to wound dehiscence and substantial pseudoperiosteum formation beneath the TM.
Sinus floor elevation outcomes following perforation of the Schneiderian membrane. An experimental study in sheep
Authors: Favero Vittorio , Lang Niklaus P. , Canullo Luigi , Urbizo Velez Joaquin , Bengazi Franco , Botticelli Daniele
Published: February 2015

Objective

To assess the influence of a collagen membrane covering a perforation of the sinus (Schneiderian) membrane on the outcome (bone fill) of a sinus floor elevation.

Materials and Methods

Eighteen Pelibuey sheep were used. The animals underwent sinus floor elevation on both sides of the upper jaw. A perforation of 5 × 4 mm in dimension of the sinus mucosa was performed on both sides and, at a randomly selected test site, a collagen membrane was placed to cover the perforation. A graft of biphasic calcium phosphate (60% HA/40% beta‐TCP) was subsequently placed bilaterally, and the access window was closed with a membrane made of polylactic acid and a citric acid ester acetyl. The sacrifices were performed after 2, 4, and 12 weeks of healing.

Results

After 2 weeks of healing, the augmented volume was filled with biomaterial surrounded by connective tissue and minimal new bone was detected. After 4 weeks of healing, new bone was found mainly in connection with the sinus bony walls with percentages of 18.0 ± 12.9% at the test and 12.3 ± 7.9% at the control sites. After 12 weeks of healing, similar amounts of newly formed bone were found compared to the previous healing period, namely 16.7 ± 8.0% and 13.7 ± 10.1% at the test and control sites, respectively, with the highest amount detected in the bottom of the sinus cavity. The newly formed bone was distributed more evenly within the sinus cavity also including the central areas. The differences between test and control sites did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion

Even though there were trends for more bone formation when applying a collagen membrane on a sinus mucosal perforation of relatively small dimensions, this study failed to establish the absolute necessity of such a procedure to achieve bone fill in the sinus cavity.
Comparison of alemtuzumab vs. antithymocyte globulin induction therapy in primary non‐sensitized renal transplant patients treated with rapid steroid withdrawal
Authors: Saull Harrison E. , Enderby Cher Y. , Gonwa Thomas A. , Wadei Hani M.
Published: February 2015

Alemtuzumab and rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) are commonly used for induction therapy in renal transplantation. This retrospective, single‐center, cohort study evaluated cumulative incidence of one‐yr biopsy‐proven acute rejection (BPAR) among 200 consecutive primary non‐sensitized kidney transplant recipients who received either alemtuzumab (n = 100) or rATG (n = 100) induction followed by rapid steroid taper, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil. Protocol biopsies, plasma and urine BK virus PCR, serum creatinine and iothalamate glomerular filtration rate (iGFR), were obtained at 1, 4, and 12 months from transplantation. The one‐yr BPAR rates were similar between the alemtuzumab and rATG groups; however, rejection Banff IA and higher was more common in the alemtuzumab arm (18% vs. 5%, p = 0.047). After adjusting for confounding variables, alemtuzumab was still associated with Banff IA and higher rejection (adjusted OR: 3.7, CI: 1.2–10.5, p = 0.02). Despite similar rates of BK viremia, more patients in the alemtuzumab arm developed BK nephropathy (16% vs. 3%, p = 0.046). One‐year iGFR (53.4 ± 20.2 vs. 71.9 ± 27.2 mL/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.002) and three‐yr graft survival (89.5% vs. 95%, p = 0.05) were lower in the alemtuzumab group. In low immunological risk kidney transplant recipients on steroid‐free immunosuppression, alemtuzumab was associated with more severe rejection and BK nephropathy compared to rATG.
AIDS Activism in Pakistan: Diminishing Funds, Evasive State
Authors: Qureshi Ayaz
Published: February 2015

This article draws on a year of ethnographic fieldwork in the HIV/AIDS sector of Pakistan at the moment of rolling back a World Bank‐financed programme. Classified by UN agencies as at ‘high risk’ of a generalized HIV epidemic, Pakistan has an epidemiology driven by injecting drug use, and a Penal Code and Islamist legislation which criminalize non‐therapeutic drug use and extra‐marital sex. In recent years, a sharp increase in the numbers of registered HIV‐positive people has necessitated a shift from HIV prevention among ‘high risk groups’ to the provision of care to those living with HIV/AIDS. The rolling back of external funding, which was further compounded by the effects of devolution on the Ministry of Health, created challenges for AIDS activism in Pakistan, as reflected in the everyday lives — and deaths — of the patient‐activists and their community‐based organizations. This article recounts the story of one such aspiring AIDS activist caught in multiple dilemmas emanating from these macro‐processes. This story throws light on the limitations of the complex agency of actors in development, and shows how the shifting loci of power from the state to non‐state entities in the global neoliberal order impacts the provision of vital services like HIV prevention and AIDS control.
Emerging Markets for Nature and Challenges for the Ecosystem Service Approach
Authors: Pröpper Michael
Published: February 2015

Ecosystem services (ESS) are a burdened concept. They are supposed to function as a protective mechanism to make nature economically visible, while simultaneously contributing to economic development. At the core of the concept is the ideal of concisely valued and well‐accounted‐for goods traded in markets by rational and moral actors. This virtual idea is being challenged by real local processes of short‐term commodification and market‐based incentives for profit making in ‘messy’, unequal and illegitimate ESS markets. This article presents a local case‐study perspective focusing on the thatch grass ESS in the Kavango Regions of Namibia, where harvesters have become involved in an emerging capitalist value chain. It shows how, against the background of a post‐colonial political‐institutional setting that leaves plenty of leeway for exploitation, the real‐life conflation of market incentives and cash desires transforms local subsistence, causes a revaluation of ESS, and poses a real challenge to the virtual ESS conservation approach. Instead of viewing ESS as countable items involved in beneficial market interactions, we need to come to a more precise understanding of the consequences, local vulnerabilities and externalities of ESS marketizations.
Firing properties of Renshaw cells defined by Chrna2 are modulated by hyperpolarizing and small conductance ion currents Ih and ISK
Authors: Perry Sharn , Gezelius Henrik , Larhammar Martin , Hilscher Markus M. , Lamotte d'Incamps Boris , Leao Katarina E. , Kullander Klas
Published: February 2015

Renshaw cells in the spinal cord ventral horn regulate motoneuron output through recurrent inhibition. Renshaw cells can be identified in vitro using anatomical and cellular criteria; however, their functional role in locomotion remains poorly defined because of the difficulty of functionally isolating Renshaw cells from surrounding motor circuits. Here we aimed to investigate whether the cholinergic nicotinic receptor alpha2 (Chrna2) can be used to identify Renshaw cells (RCsα2) in the mouse spinal cord. Immunohistochemistry and electrophysiological characterization of passive and active RCsα2 properties confirmed that neurons genetically marked by the Chrna2‐Cre mouse line together with a fluorescent reporter mouse line are Renshaw cells. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings revealed that RCsα2 constitute an electrophysiologically stereotyped population with a resting membrane potential of −50.5 ± 0.4 mV and an input resistance of 233.1 ± 11 MΩ. We identified a ZD7288‐sensitive hyperpolarization‐activated cation current (Ih) in all RCsα2, contributing to membrane repolarization but not to the resting membrane potential in neonatal mice. Additionally, we found RCsα2 to express small calcium‐activated potassium currents (ISK) that, when blocked by apamin, resulted in a complete attenuation of the afterhyperpolarisation potential, increasing cellular firing frequency. We conclude that RCsα2 can be genetically targeted through their selective Chrna2 expression and that they display currents known to modulate rebound excitation and firing frequency. The genetic identification of Renshaw cells and their electrophysiological profile is required for genetic and pharmacological manipulation as well as computational simulations with the aim to understand their functional role.
Downregulation of natriuretic peptide clearance receptor mRNA in vascular smooth muscle cells by angiotensin II
Authors: Jiao Yuhang , Yang Qing
Published: February 2015

Angiotensin II can downregulate atrial natriuretic peptide binding to rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), but the mechanism is not known. Because protein kinase C (PKC) mimetic phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) can destabilize natriuretic peptide clearance receptor (NPR‐C) mRNA and angiotensin II activates several PKC isoforms in VSMCs, we hypothesized that angiotensin II treatment decreases NPR‐C mRNA stability and exerts this effect through PKC. This study demonstrated that angiotensin II induced time‐ and concentration‐dependent downregulation of NPR‐C, which was completely inhibited by an angiotensin II type I receptor blocker losartan. NPR‐C mRNA disappearance rate over 6 h was nearly doubled by exposure of VSMCs to 100 nm angiotensin II, compared with that observed after inhibition of RNA synthesis alone. However, this response to angiotensin II was undiminished by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine, or by depletion of PKC by prior exposure of cells to PMA for 48 h. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, phospholipase C, or mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase also failed to reverse the angiotensin II effect. We conclude that at least two distinct proximal signaling pathways, one involved and one independent of phorbol ester‐sensitive protein kinase C, lead to downregulation of NPR‐C gene expression by destabilizing its mRNA.