bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hepatobiliary IgG4 Cholangiopathy
Authors: Rastogi Archana , Bihari Chhagan , Grover Shrruti , Rajbongshi Apurba , Arora Asit , Nikhil N. , Pamecha Viniyendra , Sarin Shiv Kumar
Published: July 2015

IgG4 cholangiopathy is a recently described distinctive type of hepatobiliary manifestation of IgG4-related disease. This is often misdiagnosed as a malignancy of the hepatobiliary system on clinical presentation and imaging. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for appropriate management. Histopathology provides crucial information and is characterized by IgG4-positive lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with storiform fibrosis and obliterative phlebitis. We present the clinicopathological spectrum of a retrospective series of 6 cases of IgG4 cholangiopathy that clinically masqueraded as hepatobiliary malignancies.
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Authors: Vanoli Alessandro , Lucioni Marco , Biletta Elena , Chiaravalli Anna Maria , Alvisi Costanza , Luinetti Ombretta
Published: July 2015

We describe a solitary peduncolated polypoid lesion with a bilobated head in the transverse colon mucosa of a 51-year-old Caucasian man. Histologically, the lesion was consistent with juvenile polyp (JP), but showing a few dysplastic glands and a focus of intramucosal adenocarcinoma. This finding suggests that, at least in adults, even the sporadic JPs might carry an inherent potential for malignancy, which has so far only been pointed out for syndromic lesions. Additionally, we observed p53 overexpression in both the dysplastic lesions and in the invasive cells but not in the remaining epithelium. We can argue that p53 immunohistochemistry may be helpful in differentiating hyperplastic regenerative atypia of the epithelium, frequently found in JPs, from true dysplasia, a much more rare change in the sporadic JPs.
Ectopic Pancreas Presenting as a Solid Mediastinal Mass
Authors: Koh Hyun Min , Chang Jee Won , Jeong Sun Young , Hyun Chang Lim , Kim Young Sill , Jang Bo Geun , Maeng Young Hee
Published: July 2015

Ectopic pancreas is a well-known developmental anomaly found in approximately 2% of all autopsies, frequently in the gastrointestinal tract. Mediastinal pancreatic ectopia is very rare; only a few cases have been described in the English-language literature. According to previous reports, the pancreatic tissue is detected in the cyst wall or appears as small solid components of cystic masses within the anterior mediastinum. In this report, we present a case of ectopic pancreas appearing as a large solid mass in the anterior mediastinum of a 17-year-old male patient.
Contribution of Lateral Column Lengthening to Correction of Forefoot Abduction in Stage IIb Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity Reconstruction
Authors: Chan Jeremy Y. , Greenfield Stephen T. , Soukup Dylan S. , Do Huong T. , Deland Jonathan T. , Ellis Scott J.
Published: July 2015

Background:

Correction of forefoot abduction in stage IIb adult acquired flatfoot likely depends on the amount of lateral column lengthening (LCL) performed, although this represents only one aspect of a successful reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between common reconstructive variables and the observed change in forefoot abduction.

Methods:

Forty-one patients who underwent flatfoot reconstruction involving an Evans-type LCL were assessed retrospectively. Preoperative and postoperative anteroposterior (AP) radiographs of the foot at a minimum of 40 weeks (mean, 2 years) after surgery were reviewed to determine correction in forefoot abduction as measured by talonavicular coverage (TNC) angle, talonavicular uncoverage percent, talus–first metatarsal (T-1MT) angle, and lateral incongruency angle. Fourteen demographic and intraoperative variables were evaluated for association with change in forefoot abduction including age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, as well as the amount of LCL and medializing calcaneal osteotomy performed, LCL graft type, Cotton osteotomy, first tarsometatarsal fusion, flexor digitorum longus transfer, spring ligament repair, gastrocnemius recession and any one of the modified McBride/Akin/Silver procedures.

Results:

Two variables significantly affected the change in lateral incongruency angle. These were weight ( P = .04) and the amount of LCL performed ( P < .001). No variables were associated with the change in TNC angle, talonavicular uncoverage percent, or T-1MT angle. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that LCL was the only significant predictor of the change in lateral incongruency angle. The final regression model for LCL showed a good fit ( R2 = 0.70, P < .001). Each millimeter of LCL corresponded to a 6.8-degree change in lateral incongruency angle.

Conclusion:

Correction of forefoot abduction in flatfoot reconstruction was primarily determined by the LCL procedure and could be modeled linearly. We believe that the lateral incongruency angle can serve as a valuable preoperative measurement to help surgeons titrate the proper amount of correction performed intraoperatively.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative study.
“It Wasn’t About Being Slim”
Authors: Moulding Nicole
Published: July 2015

This article explores how women understand and experience the relationship between physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and the emergence of an eating disorder in their lives. The past three decades have seen increased attention to the links between abuse and eating disorders; however, the social contexts of abuse, the specific emotions involved, and how these might link to an eating disorder have not been explored. Through an in-depth interview study with 14 women, narrative-discursive analysis reveals how socially situated, abuse-related emotions, such as shame and self-contempt, can play out in an eating disorder and are located within social power relations framed primarily by gender but also by race and class.
An Ontology for Strongly Sustainable Business Models
Authors: Upward Antony , Jones Peter
Published: July 2015

Business is increasingly employing sustainability practices, aiming to improve environmental and social responsibility while maintaining and improving profitability. For many organizations, profit-oriented business models are a major constraint impeding progress in sustainability. A formally defined ontology, a model definition, for profit-oriented business models has been employed globally for several years. However, no equivalent ontology is available in research or practice that enables the description of strongly sustainable business models, as validated by ecological economics and derived from natural, social, and system sciences. We present a framework of strongly sustainable business model propositions and principles as findings from a transdisciplinary review of the literature. A comparative analysis was performed between the framework and the Osterwalder profit-oriented ontology for business models. We introduce an ontology that enables the description of successful strongly sustainable business models that resolves weaknesses and includes functionally necessary relationships.
Personal health technologies, micropolitics and resistance: A new materialist analysis
Authors: Fox Nick J
Published: July 2015

Personal health technologies are near-body devices or applications designed for use by a single individual, principally outside healthcare facilities. They enable users to monitor physiological processes or body activity, are frequently communication-enabled and sometimes also intervene therapeutically. This article explores a range of personal health technologies, from blood pressure or blood glucose monitors purchased in pharmacies and fitness monitors such as Fitbit and Nike+ Fuelband to drug pumps and implantable medical devices. It applies a new materialist analysis, first reverse engineering a range of personal health technologies to explore their micropolitics and then forward engineering personal health technologies to meet, variously, public health, corporate, patient and resisting-citizen agendas. This article concludes with a critical discussion of personal health technologies and the possibilities of designing devices and apps that might foster subversive micropolitics and encourage collective and resisting ‘citizen health’.
Re-negotiating national belonging in contemporary Italian migrant literature
Authors: Mari Lorenzo , Shvanyukova Polina
Published: July 2015

This article focuses on the concept of national belonging by drawing on the theoretical framework of affective citizenship. Our aim is to show how, on the one hand, the national remains at the forefront of the political and cultural debates in the age of super-diversity and, on the other, how affective ties can be considered as a means of triggering the process of re-definition of national belonging. Relying on a critical reading of selected works of contemporary Italian migrant literature, the article explores the plurality of meanings associated with the national, thus challenging mainstream interpretations which sees it as a cultural, ethnic and religious homogenous register.
Characterization of the renal renin-angiotensin system in transgenic mice that express rat tonin
Authors: Ribeiro Amanda A , Palomino Zaira , Lima Mércia P , Souza Leandro E , Ferreira Daniele S , Pesquero João B , Irigoyen Maria C , Pesquero Jorge L , Casarini Dulce E
Published: July 2015

Introduction:

Tonin is an enzyme that is able to generate angiotensin II (Ang II) from angiotensin I (Ang I) or directly from angiotensinogen. Our goal was to characterize the renal renin-angiotensin system in transgenic mice that express rat tonin (TGM`(rTon)).

Materials and methods:

Mice were euthanized and the kidneys removed for analysis. Tonin activity was evaluated by radioimmunoassay and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity by HPLC. Tonin, ACE and angiotensin II-converting enzyme (ACE2) expression was analyzed by Western blotting.

Results:

Tonin activity was significantly increased in TGM`(rTon) compared to their respective wild-type (WT) littermates (1.7 ± 0.21 vs 0.11 ± 0.02 nmol of Ang II/min/mg of protein). Tonin activity had a strong positive correlation with tonin expression in both TGM`(rTon) and their respective wild-type littermates. The ACE activity and expression levels of 65-kDa N-domain angiotensin I-converting enzyme isoform were significantly increased in the TGM`(rTon) when compared with WT. ACE2 expression levels were statistically significantly higher in the TGM`(rTon) when compared with WT. Angiotensin 1–7 (Ang(1–7)) and Ang I levels were significantly lower in the TGM`(rTon).

Conclusions:

We suggest that the environment of tonin abundance may increase N-domain ACE activity liberated by a secretase able to cleave somatic ACE.
What Is the Clinical Utility of the Ankle-Brachial Index in Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Radiographic Arterial Calcification?
Authors: Álvaro-Afonso Francisco Javier , Lázaro-Martínez José Luis , Aragón-Sánchez Javier , García-Morales Esther , García-Álvarez Yolanda , Molines-Barroso Raúl Juan
Published: July 2015

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of radiographic arterial calcification (RAC) on the clinical interpretation of ankle-brachial index (ABI) values in patients with diabetic foot ulcers. We analyzed a retrospective clinical database of 60 patients with diabetic foot ulcers from the Diabetic Foot Unit (Complutense University, Madrid, Spain) between January 2012 and March 2014. For each patient, anteroposterior XR-plains were evaluated, and the ABI and toe-brachial index (TBI) were assessed by an experienced clinician. To analyze the correlation among quantitative variables, we applied the Pearson correlation coefficient. Fifty percent (n = 9/18) of our patients with a normal ABI and RAC had a TBI < 0.7 associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). In patients with RAC, the prevalence of a normal ABI (72%, 18/25) was higher than in patients without RAC (52%, 11/21). The Pearson correlation coefficient among the ABI and TBI in patients with an ABI < 1.4 (n = 46) was lesser ( r = .484, P = .001) than in patients with an ABI < 1.4 but without RAC (n = 21; r = .686, P = .001). ABI values between 0.9 and 1.4 would be falsely considered as normal and could underestimate the prevalence of PAD, especially in patients with neuropathy, diabetic foot ulcers, or RAC.
Understanding international practices from the internal point of view
Authors: Frost Mervyn , Lechner Silviya
Published: July 2015

The article is written in response to a recent flurry of studies on international practices. In investigating this theme, International Relations scholars have drawn on diverse traditions in sociology, philosophy and organisational theory such as Bourdieu’s theory of practice, Dewey’s and James’ pragmatism, communities of practice approach and actor-network theory. One preliminary question presupposed by these investigations however is, what standpoint (if any) enables us to make sense of international practices? Our central thesis is that the proper understanding of practices – including international ones – requires the internal point of view (practice internalism). To make our case, we develop an analytic distinction between two basic standpoints: practice externalism, represented by Adler and Pouliot’s approach to international practices, and practice internalism, represented by Wittgensteinian philosopher Peter Winch. Following Winch, we argue that the practice of social science is externalist, and point to the limitations of an analysis of international practices predicated on externalist, social scientific premises.
Repenser ensemble le concept d’autonomie alimentaire
Authors: Bélisle Micheline , Labarthe Jenni , Moreau Cynthia , Landry Elise , Adam Gracia , Bourque Bouliane Mijanou , Dupéré Sophie
Published: July 2015

C’est au cœur du projet de recherche-action participative « Vers une autonomie alimentaire pour tou-te-s : agir et vivre ensemble le changement » (VAATAVEC) que s’est élaborée une définition nouvelle et évolutive de l’autonomie alimentaire. De ce projet regroupant des personnes en situation de pauvreté, chercheurs et intervenants, a émergé une conceptualisation résultant à la fois d’une méthode de réflexion collective et d’un processus d’analyse collective, inspiré de la théorisation ancrée et de l’analyse conceptualisante de Paillé et Mucchielli (2003). Le recours à l’expertise des personnes en situation de pauvreté, expertes du vécu de l’insécurité alimentaire, a contribué à ancrer cette définition dans les causes structurelles de l’insécurité alimentaire dans une perspective de développement d’un pouvoir d’agir collectif, de toutes les personnes concernées. Il en résulte une définition de l’autonomie alimentaire d’où ressort une contribution surtout méthodologique et théorique.
Creating the Nurses’ Environmental Awareness Tool (NEAT)
Authors: Schenk Elizabeth , Butterfield Patricia , Postma Julie , Barbosa-Leiker Celestina , Corbett Cindy
Published: July 2015

Acute care delivery creates secondary health risks to patients, health care workers, and the environment through a complex waste stream, intensive energy use, and frequent use of harmful chemicals. Nurses are among the most affected by these risks and are also pivotal change agents in reducing the negative impacts of health care delivery. Assessing nurses’ understanding of health care–associated environmental health risks is essential if care is to be delivered in an environmentally safe and healthy manner, as indicated by published professional standards of nursing practice. However, psychometrically sound instruments that measure nurses’ awareness of the environmental impacts of nursing practice are not available. To address this gap, a prototype of the Nurse’s Environmental Awareness Tool (NEAT) was developed. Seven content experts in environmental health nursing and/or psychometrics were asked to review draft items. Comments were analyzed and applied to the scale items. Several revisions from the original item pool were made. The resulting draft NEAT includes six subscales, in three paired subsets. This article provides a summary of the process of item development and scale design. These findings, although preliminary, provide a foundation for subsequent psychometric testing. The result of this study is the creation of an instrument to measure nurses’ awareness of and behaviors associated with the environmental impact of their practices.
Walkability Audit Tool
Authors: Smith Letha
Published: July 2015

Walking is one of the simplest lifestyle changes workers can make to improve their health. Research shows a wealth of health benefits. Often, occupational and environmental health nurses are in charge of implementing walking programs. A tool is needed to continuously improve a company’s walking program whether in the beginning stages or to an already established program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Walkability Audit Tool for a healthier worksite is an easy seven-step audit tool that occupational and environmental health nurses can easily implement.
Association of Autism Spectrum Disorders With Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia
Authors: Lozada Luis E. , Nylund Cade M. , Gorman Gregory H. , Hisle-Gorman Elizabeth , Erdie-Lalena Christine R. , Kuehn Devon
Published: July 2015

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a common neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown etiology. Studies suggest a link between autism and neonatal jaundice. A 1:3 matched case–control study was conducted with children enrolled in the Military Health System born between October 2002 and September 2009. Diagnostic and procedure codes were used for identifying ASD and hyperbilirubinemia. Two definitions for hyperbilirubinemia were evaluated: an inpatient admission with a diagnosis of jaundice and treatment with phototherapy. A total of 2917 children with ASD and 8751 matched controls were included in the study. After adjustment, there remained an association between ASD in children and an admission with a diagnosis of jaundice (odds ratio = 1.18; 95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.31; P = .001) and phototherapy treatment (odds ratio = 1.33; 95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.69; P = .008). Children who develop ASD are more likely to have an admission with a diagnosis of jaundice in the neonatal period and more likely to require treatment for this jaundice.
Heterogeneous cytogenetic subgroups and outcomes in childhood acute megakaryoblastic leukemia: a retrospective international study
Authors: Inaba Hiroto , Zhou Yinmei , Abla Oussama , Adachi Souichi , Auvrignon Anne , Beverloo H. Berna , de Bont Eveline , Chang Tai-Tsung , Creutzig Ursula , Dworzak Michael , Elitzur Sarah , Fynn Alcira , Forestier Erik , Hasle Henrik , Liang Der-Cherng , Lee Vincent , Locatelli Franco , Masetti Riccardo , De Moerloose Barbara , Reinhardt Dirk , Rodriguez Laura , Van Roy Nadine , Shen Shuhong , Taga Takashi , Tomizawa Daisuke , Yeoh Allen E. J. , Zimmermann Martin , Raimondi Susana C.
Published: July 2015

Key Points

AMKL patients in 2000 to 2009 had better survival than those in 1989 to 1999, but outcomes for patients in 2000 to 2004 and 2005 to 2009 were comparable. Heterogeneous cytogenetic groups can be classified into good, intermediate, and poor risk on the basis of prognosis.
von Willebrand factor propeptide: biology and clinical utility
Authors: Haberichter Sandra L.
Published: July 2015

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a large multimeric glycoprotein that mediates the attachment of platelets to damaged endothelium and also serves as the carrier protein for coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), protecting it from proteolytic degradation. Quantitative or qualitative defects in VWF result in von Willebrand disease (VWD), a common inherited bleeding disorder. VWF is synthesized with a very large propeptide (VWFpp) that is critical for intracellular processing of VWF. VWFpp actively participates in the process of VWF multimerization and is essential for trafficking of VWF to the regulated storage pathway. Mutations identified within VWFpp in VWD patients are associated with altered VWF structure and function. The assay of plasma VWFpp has clinical utility in assessing acute and chronic vascular perturbation associated with diseases such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, sepsis, and diabetes among others. VWFpp assay also has clear utility in the diagnosis of VWD subtypes, particularly in discriminating true type 3 subjects from type 1C (reduced plasma survival of VWF), which is clinically important and has implications for therapeutic treatment.
Effect of Anatase Synthesis on the Performance of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Sánchez-García Mario Alberto , Bokhimi Xim , Maldonado-Álvarez Arturo , Jiménez-González Antonio Esteban
Published: July 2015

Anatase nanoparticles were synthesized from a titanium isopropoxide solution using a hydrothermal process at different pressures in an autoclave system while keeping the volume of the solution constant. As the autoclave pressure was increased from 1 to 71 atm (23 to 210 °C), the crystal size in the nanoparticles increased from 9 to 13.8 nm. The anatase nanoparticles were used to build dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). Mesoporous films of this oxide were deposited over conducting SnO2:F substrates using the screen-printing technique and then annealed at 530 °C at 1 atm of air pressure. The morphology of the mesoporous film surface of anatase, studied using scanning electron microscopy, revealed that the crystal size and pore distribution were functions of the pressure conditions. The energy band gap of the films as a function of the crystal size exhibited quantum effects below 11.8 nm. The effects of the anatase synthesis conditions and properties of the mesoporous film on the DSSC-type solar cell parameters, η%,VOC,JSC, and FF, were also investigated: the mesoporous anatase films prepared at 200 °C (54 atm of pressure in the autoclave) and annealed at 530 °C in air generated the best solar cell, having the highest conversion efficiency.
Gathering and processing energy consumption data from public educational buildings over IPv6
Authors: Koumoutsos Kostas , Kretsis Aristotelis , Kokkinos Panagiotis , Varvarigos Emmanouel A , Nikolopoulos Vassilis , Gkioxi Eirini , Zafeiropoulos Anastatios
Published: July 2015

Background

Reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in order to address climate change requires behavioral changes by the citizens, who will have to adopt more environmentally friendly and energy-saving practices.

Methods

We present a system and corresponding practices for gathering energy consumption data from public school buildings over the Internet, processing them to identify hidden correlations and produce actionable advice and presenting the results in real-time to its occupants over the Web. We describe the metering infrastructure installed at schools for energy consumption monitoring and the related actions carried out in order to motivate local school communities towards an environmentally friendly behavior. The introduction of IPv6 was found to be a key enabling technology for setting up such a system in a simple, secure, and efficient way.

Results

The proposed system and processes are put under test in a pilot installation composed of about 50 IPv6-enabled schools of the Greek School Network (GSN). These are also combined with appropriate educational and social engagement tools. In this way, energy consumption, operating costs, and greenhouse effects can be reduced in the area of educational and public administration buildings in general. Thus, people become almost instantly aware of the energy and environmental implications of their actions, which motivates them towards behavioral changes and the adoption of environmentally friendly practices.

Conclusions

The pilot provides a good example of collaboration between the ICT sector, the smart building and automation vendors, and the public authorities.
Inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its role in cardiovascular disease and lung cancer
Authors: King Paul T
Published: July 2015

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by lung inflammation that persists after smoking cessation. This inflammation is heterogeneous but the key inflammatory cell types involved are macrophages, neutrophils and T cells. Other lung cells may also produce inflammatory mediators, particularly the epithelial cells. The main inflammatory mediators include tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin‐1, interleukin‐6, reactive oxygen species and proteases. COPD is also associated with systemic inflammation and there is a markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (particularly coronary artery disease) and lung cancer in patients with COPD. There is strong associative evidence that the inflammatory cells/mediators in COPD are also relevant to the development of cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. There are a large number of potential inhibitors of inflammation in COPD that may well have beneficial effects for these comorbidities. This is a not well‐understood area and there is a requirement for more definitive clinical and mechanistic studies to define the relationship between the inflammatory process of COPD and cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
Impact of image-based motion correction on dopamine D3/D2 receptor occupancy—comparison of groupwise and frame-by-frame registration approaches
Authors: Jiao Jieqing , Searle Graham E. , Schnabel Julia A. , Gunn Roger N.
Published: July 2015

Background

Image registration algorithms are frequently used to align the reconstructed brain PET frames to remove subject head motion. However, in occupancy studies, this is a challenging task where competitive binding of a drug can further reduce the available signal for registration. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two kinds of algorithms—a conventional frame-by-frame (FBF) registration and a recently introduced groupwise image registration (GIR), for motion correction of a dopamine D3/D2 receptor occupancy study.

Methods

The FBF method co-registers all the PET frames to a common reference based on normalised mutual information as the spatial similarity. The GIR method incorporates a pharmacokinetic model and conducts motion correction by maximising a likelihood function iteratively on tracer kinetics and subject motion. Data from eight healthy volunteers scanned with [11C]-(+)-PHNO pre- and post-administration of a range of doses of the D3 antagonist GSK618334 were used to compare the motion correction performance.

Results

The groupwise registration achieved improved motion correction results, both by visual inspection of the dynamic PET data and by the reduction of the variability in the outcome measures, and required no additional steps to exclude unsuccessfully realigned PET data for occupancy modelling as compared to frame-by-frame registration. Furthermore, for the groupwise method, the resultant binding potential estimates had reduced variation and bias for individual scans and improved half maximal effective concentration (EC50) estimates were obtained for the study as a whole.

Conclusions

These results indicate that the groupwise registration approach can provide improved motion correction of dynamic brain PET data as compared to frame-by-frame registration approaches for receptor occupancy studies.
Phospholipid scramblase 1 is required for β2-glycoprotein I binding in hypoxia and reoxygenation-induced endothelial inflammation
Authors: Slone Emily Archer , Pope Michael R , Fleming Sherry D
Published: July 2015

Multiple pathologic conditions, including hemorrhage, tumor angiogenesis, and ischemia-reperfusion events, will result in hypoxia and subsequent reperfusion. Previous studies have analyzed the lipid changes within whole tissues and indicated that ischemia-reperfusion altered tissue and cellular phospholipids. Using an in vitro cell culture model of hypoxia and reoxygenation, we examined the endothelial lipid changes. We hypothesized that phospholipid scramblase 1, a protein that regulates bilayer asymmetry, is involved in altering the phospholipids of endothelial cells during hypoxia, a component of ischemia, leading to β2-glycoprotein I and IgM binding and subsequent lipid-mediated, inflammatory responses. We have completed the first comprehensive study of steady-state phospholipid scramblase 1 mRNA levels, protein expression, and activity under conditions of hypoxia and reoxygenation. Phospholipid scramblase 1 regulates phosphatidylserine exposure in response to oxygen stress, leading to β2-glycoprotein I and IgM binding and lipid-mediated, inflammatory responses.
Unwrapped phase inversion with an exponential damping
Authors: Choi Yunseok , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: July 2015

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) suffers from the phase wrapping (cycle skipping) problem when the frequency of data is not low enough. Unless we obtain a good initial velocity model, the phase wrapping problem in FWI causes a result corresponding to a local minimum, usually far away from the true solution, especially at depth. Thus, we have developed an inversion algorithm based on a space-domain unwrapped phase, and we also used exponential damping to mitigate the nonlinearity associated with the reflections. We construct the 2D phase residual map, which usually contains the wrapping discontinuities, especially if the model is complex and the frequency is high. We then unwrap the phase map and remove these cycle-based jumps. However, if the phase map has several residues, the unwrapping process becomes very complicated. We apply a strong exponential damping to the wavefield to eliminate much of the residues in the phase map, thus making the unwrapping process simple. We finally invert the unwrapped phases using the back-propagation algorithm to calculate the gradient. We progressively reduce the damping factor to obtain a high-resolution image. Numerical examples determined that the unwrapped phase inversion with a strong exponential damping generated convergent long-wavelength updates without low-frequency information. This model can be used as a good starting model for a subsequent inversion with a reduced damping, eventually leading to conventional waveform inversion.
Relative Effectiveness of Letrozole Compared With Tamoxifen for Patients With Lobular Carcinoma in the BIG 1-98 Trial
Authors: Metzger Filho Otto , Giobbie-Hurder Anita , Mallon Elizabeth , Gusterson Barry , Viale Giuseppe , Winer Eric P. , Thürlimann Beat , Gelber Richard D. , Colleoni Marco , Ejlertsen Bent , Debled Marc , Price Karen N. , Regan Meredith M. , Coates Alan S. , Goldhirsch Aron
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To evaluate the relative effectiveness of letrozole compared with tamoxifen for patients with invasive ductal or lobular carcinoma.

Patients and Methods

Patients diagnosed with early-stage invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) or classic invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) who were randomly assigned onto the Breast International Group (BIG) 1-98 trial and who had centrally reviewed pathology data were included (N = 2,923). HER2-negative IDC and ILC were additionally classified as hormone receptor–positive with high (luminal B [LB] –like) or low (luminal A [LA] –like) proliferative activity by Ki-67 labeling index. Survival analyses were performed with weighted Cox models that used inverse probability of censoring weighted modeling.

Results

The median follow-up time was 8.1 years. In multivariable models for disease-free survival (DFS), significant interactions between treatment and histology (ILC or IDC; P = .006) and treatment and subgroup (LB like or LA like; P = .01) were observed. In the ILC subset, there was a 66% reduction in the hazard of a DFS event with letrozole for LB (hazard ratio [HR], 0.34; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.55) and a 50% reduction for LA subtypes (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.32 to 0.78). In the IDC subset, there was a significant 35% reduction in the hazard of a DFS event with letrozole for the LB subtype (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.79), but no difference between treatments was noted for IDC and the LA subtype (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.20).

Conclusion

The magnitude of benefit of adjuvant letrozole is greater for patients diagnosed with lobular carcinoma versus ductal carcinoma.
Next-Generation Sequencing of Pulmonary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma Reveals High Frequency of Actionable MET Gene Mutations
Authors: Liu Xuewen , Jia Yuxia , Stoopler Mark B. , Shen Yufeng , Cheng Haiying , Chen Jinli , Mansukhani Mahesh , Koul Sanjay , Halmos Balazs , Borczuk Alain C.
Published: July 2015

Purpose

To further understand the molecular pathogenesis of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) and develop new therapeutic strategies in this treatment-refractory disease.

Materials and Methods

Whole-exome sequencing in a discovery set (n = 10) as well as targeted MET mutation screening in an independent validation set (n = 26) of PSC were performed. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to validate MET exon 14 skipping. Functional studies for validation of the oncogenic roles of MET exon 14 skipping were conducted in lung adenosquamous cell line H596 (MET exon 14 skipped and PIK3CA mutated) and gastric adenocarcinoma cell line Hs746T (MET exon 14 skipped). Response to MET inhibitor therapy with crizotinib in a patient with advanced PSC and MET exon 14 skipping was evaluated to assess clinical translatability.

Results

In addition to confirming mutations in known cancer-associated genes (TP53, KRAS, PIK3CA, MET, NOTCH, STK11, and RB1), several novel mutations in additional genes, including RASA1, CDH4, CDH7, LAMB4, SCAF1, and LMTK2, were identified and validated. MET mutations leading to exon 14 skipping were identified in eight (22%) of 36 patient cases; one of these tumors also harbored a concurrent PIK3CA mutation. Short interfering RNA silencing of MET and MET inhibition with crizotinib showed marked effects on cell viability and decrease in downstream AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in Hs746T and H596 cells. Concurrent PIK3CA mutation required addition of a second agent for successful pathway suppression and cell viability effect. Dramatic response to crizotinib was noted in a patient with advanced chemotherapy-refractory PSC carrying a MET exon 14 skipping mutation.

Conclusion

Mutational events of MET leading to exon 14 skipping are frequent and potentially targetable events in PSC.
Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism in Male Mice and Their Effects on Bone Mass, Bone Turnover, and the Wnt Inhibitors Sclerostin and Dickkopf-1
Authors: Tsourdi Elena , Rijntjes Eddy , Köhrle Josef , Hofbauer Lorenz C. , Rauner Martina
Published: July 2015

Thyroid hormones are key regulators of bone homeostasis, and Wnt signaling has been implicated in thyroid hormone-associated bone loss. Here we tested whether hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism interfere with dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and sclerostin, two inhibitors of Wnt signaling. Twelve-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were rendered either hyperthyroid or hypothyroid. Hyperthyroid mice displayed decreased trabecular (−54%, P < .001) and cortical bone density (−5%, P < .05) and reduced cortical thickness (−15%, P < .001), whereas hypothyroid mice showed a higher trabecular bone density (+26%, P < .001) with unchanged cortical bone parameters. Histomorphometry and biochemical markers of bone remodeling indicated high bone turnover in hyperthyroid mice and low bone turnover in hypothyroid mice. In vivo, serum DKK1 concentrations were decreased in hyperthyroid mice (−24%, P < .001) and increased in hypothyroid mice (+18%, P < .01). The increase of the number of DKK1-positive cells in hypothyroid mice was confirmed at the tissue level. Interestingly, sclerostin was increased in both disease models, although to a higher extent in hyperthyroid mice (+50%, P < .001, and +24%, P < .05). Serum sclerostin concentrations adjusted for bone mass were increased by 3.3-fold in hyperthyroid (P < .001) but not in hypothyroid mice. Consistently, sclerostin mRNA expression and the number of sclerostin-positive cells were increased in hyperthyroid but not in hypothyroid mice. Our data show that thyroid hormone-induced changes in bone remodeling are associated with a divergent regulation of DKK1 and sclerostin. Thus, the modulation of Wnt signaling by thyroid hormones may contribute to thyroid hormone-associated bone disease and altered expression of Wnt inhibitors may emerge as potential therapeutic targets.
What Makes Them Click: Empirical Analysis of Consumer Demand for Search Advertising
Authors: Jeziorski Przemyslaw , Segal Ilya
Published: July 2015

We study users' responses to sponsored-search advertising using consumer-level data from Microsoft Live. We document that users click ads in a nonsequential order and that the clickthrough rates depend on the identity of competing ads. We estimate a dynamic model of utility-maximizing users that rationalizes these two facts and find that 51 percent more clicks would occur if ads faced no competition. We demonstrate that optimal matching of advertisements to positions raises welfare by 27 percent, and that individual-level targeting raises welfare by 69 percent. Revealing the quality of the advertiser prior to clicking on a sponsored link raises welfare by 1.6 percent. (JEL D12, L86, M37)
Cyber-Shilling in Automobile Auctions: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Authors: Grether David , Porter David , Shum Matthew
Published: July 2015

We run a large field experiment with an online company specializing in selling used automobiles via ascending auctions. We manipulate experimentally the “price grid,” or the possible amounts that bidders can bid above the current standing price. Using two diverse auction sites, one in New York and one in Texas, we find that buyer and seller behavior differs strikingly across the two sites. Specifically, in Texas we find peculiar patterns of bidding among a small but prominent group of buyers suggesting that they are “cyber-shills” working on behalf of sellers. These patterns do not appear in the New York auctions. (JEL C93, D12, D44, L62, L81)
Formal Contracts, Relational Contracts, and the Threat-Point Effect
Authors: Itoh Hideshi , Morita Hodaka
Published: July 2015

We investigate whether formal contracts can help in resolving the holdup problem by studying repeated transactions between a seller and a buyer. Contrary to previous findings, we demonstrate that a simple fixed-price contract based on product delivery is of value even when relation-specific investment is purely cooperative. Furthermore, we show that focusing our attention on fixed-price contracts as a form of formal contracts is without loss of generality. The key driving force is a possibility that the relation-specific investment decreases the surplus under no trade. This possibility, although very plausible, has been largely ignored in previous analyses of the holdup problem. (JEL C78, D23, D86)
Pricing and Efficiency in the Market for IP Addresses
Authors: Edelman Benjamin , Schwarz Michael
Published: July 2015

We consider market rules for transferring IP addresses, numeric identifiers required by all computers connected to the Internet. Transfers usefully move resources from lowest- to highest-valuation networks, but transfers tend to cause socially costly growth in the Internet's routing table. We propose a market rule that avoids excessive trading and comes close to achieving social efficiency. We argue that this rule is feasible despite the limited powers of central authorities. We also offer a framework for reasoning about future prices of IP addresses, then explore the role of rentals in sharing information about the value of IP address and assuring allocative efficiency. (JEL D47, D82, D85, L86)
Antitrust Leniency with Multiproduct Colluders
Authors: Marx Leslie M. , Mezzetti Claudio , Marshall Robert C.
Published: July 2015

We use a global games approach to model alternative implementations of an antitrust leniency program as applied to multiproduct colluders. We derive several policy design lessons; e.g., we show that it is possible that linking leniency across products increases the likelihood of conviction in the first product investigated but reduces it in subsequent products. Thus, firms may have an incentive to form sacrificial cartels and apply for leniency in less valuable products to reduce convictions in more valuable products. Cartel profiling can mitigate this undesirable effect, but also reduces the probability of conviction in the first product investigated. (JEL D43, D86, K21, L12, L41)
Recovery through rights and relationships
Authors: Bradstreet Simon
Published: July 2015

Simon Bradstreet, Network Director of the Scottish Recovery Network, looks at the impact of the review of mental health nursing in Scotland
A culture of borrowing: Iconography, ideology and idiom in Kari-gurashi no Arietti/The Secret World of Arrietty
Authors: Hyland Robert
Published: July 2015

Japanese director and producer of animated film, Miyazaki Hayao had long wanted to make an adaptation of the Mary Norton novel, The Borrowers (1952). The film Kari-gurashi no Arietti/The Secret World of Arrietty (Yonebayashi, 2010) at first look strikes one as a suitable fit for Studio Ghibli both culturally and ideologically, with its history of setting stories in imagined European landscapes and its established style of blending fantastic and realist narrative with imagistic elements, and indeed, Japan is itself not without legends of miniature people or Chibi Kobito. The film, however, manifests myriad ambivalences, many of which are derived from the limitations and contradictions inherent in adapting a geographically, historically and culturally ‘foreign’ text. Using Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (2000) and their writings on globalization in their work Empire, this paper uses their concept of post-Fordian globalization: an era characterized by global awareness and cultural sensitivity, as a framework from which to analyse the film’s many ambivalences. This article examines cultural, aesthetic and ideological liminality inherent in the Studio Ghibli animated film adaptation of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, a film which reflects its twenty-first-century production and at the same time, inevitably is pervaded by the cultural context of its nineteenth and twentieth-century antecedents.
Negotiating the meaning of filial piety in The Guasha Treatment
Authors: Han Qijun
Published: July 2015

In the field of contemporary Chinese cinema, the theme of filial piety has served as a key concept for a large number of Chinese-language films, covering various genres from melodrama to martial arts. Through a detailed narrative analysis of the cultural practices and identity politics in the filmic text, this article examines the way in which the traditional value of filial piety finds its powerful and subtle expression in Xiaolong Zheng’s lesser-known film The Guasha Treatment (2001), centring on Chinese family life in the United States. The theme of filial piety is particularly important for this film because it is situated at the centre of cross-cultural encounters and conflict. The film thus can be seen as an attempt to present how Chinese cultural beliefs, practices and products can generate problems when transplanted into an American setting. As such, it not only foregrounds the family and filial piety, but also addresses the issue of the western reception of Chinese culture and the experience of the Chinese diaspora.
Reviews
Authors: Wang Pei-Ti , Ku Robert Ji-Song
Published: July 2015

變形、象徵與符號化的系譜: 漫畫的文化研究 / The Genealogy of Transformation, Symbolism and Symbolization: A Cultural Study of Comics, I-Yun Lee (2012 first edition) Taipei: Daw Shiang Publishing, 274 pp., ISBN: 9789866078200, Paperback, NTD $280.

K-Pop: Popular Music, Cultural Amnesia, and Economic Innovation in South Korea, John Lie (2014) Oakland: University of California Press, Paperback, 248 pp., ISBN: 9780520283121 (paperback), £24.95.
Sex, politics and Swedish silent film: Mauritz Stiller's feminism comedies of the 1910s
Authors: Horak Laura
Published: July 2015

In the 1910s, the Finnish-Swedish film-maker Mauritz Stiller directed a series of comedies that took up suffrage, women in the workplace, eugenics, dress reform and womanliness as masquerade. I argue that these films, and Thomas Graal�s Best Child in particular, used comedy to contest the melodramatic tenor of these debates by modelling a light-hearted, cosmopolitan attitude towards social change.
Two Nordic existential comedies: Smiles of a Summer Night and The Kingdom
Authors: Grodal Torben
Published: July 2015

The article analyses Ingmar Bergman�s Smiles of a Summer Night and Lars von Trier�s The Kingdom. By means of evolution-and neurology-based humour theory it shows how the two directors � who ordinarily make dark and tragic films � use humour mechanisms from mainstream entertainment to transform tragic and painful situations into a social ritual of mirth.
Political comedy and comical politics: Jón Gnarr and the Icelandic television series The Night Shift
Authors: Glanz Berit
Published: July 2015

This article examines the role of political comedy in Jón Gnarr's work for Icelandic television and his use of comic elements during his time as the mayor of Reykjavík 2010 to 2014. In applying Kenneth Burkes theory of the comic frame on the first episode of the series The Night Shift and Jón Gnarr's political career, the article analyses the parallels in his work as a politician and a comedian.
Empowering images or preserved stereotypes: Representations of disability in contemporary film comedies1
Authors: Ljuslinder Karin
Published: July 2015

Historically, disability in comedy has taken the form of joking at the expense of disabled persons. In modern times, it is first and foremost through media that the public is exposed to representations of disability, and media is considered societys most far-reaching (re)producer of cultural values. This degrading ridicule in combination with the pervasiveness of media has made disability and humour a controversial combination. Through discourse analysis this article analyses three contemporary mainstream cinema comedies about disability with the overall aim to contribute to enhanced knowledge of how different articulations promote or challenge hegemonic presumptions about disability. The analysis shows that empowering images and stereotypes of disability exist simultaneously as competing discourses in media representations. The conclusion is that aware decisions about how to represent disability are indispensable for film-makers due to the major role of media in forming public perceptions.
Family porn - the zodiac film: Popular comedy with hard-core sex
Authors: Thorsen Isak
Published: July 2015

This article addresses the highly popular Danish Zodiac films, a series of six films made between 1973 and 1978. What was extraordinary about the films was their combination of traditional popular comedy and hard-core porn. Analysing the films� combination of comedy and pornography from a historical perspective, the article demonstrates how the series evolved through the six instalments. Two developments are identified: first, the disappearance of the anti-authoritarian, open-minded view of sex that characterized the earlier films; and second, the degeneration of narrative coherence, which was weak even initially. The Zodiac films are seen in the context of the historical period, when pornography became fashionable, and also with regard to the overall development of Danish comedy.