bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modified use of team-based learning in an ophthalmology course for fifth-year medical students
Authors: Altintas Levent , Altintas Ozgul , Caglar Yusuf
Published: March 2014

Team-based learning (TBL) is an interactive and analytic teaching strategy. TBL is a learner-centered strategy that uses a very structured individual and group accountability process and requires small groups to work together to solve problems. This study served to investigate whether the TBL concept could be modified and adopted to the fifth-year cornea module of an ophthalmology course. Questionnaires (using a Likert scale of 1–5) were distributed to 169 fifth-year medical students attending the cornea module applied as TBL in an ophthalmology course. The questionnaire consisted of two categories: the TBL format (7 items) and an open-ended question about the class (1 item). Feedback was then evaluated. The majority of students felt that modified TBL sessions were better at fulfilling learning objectives (121 students, 71.59%), enabled better understanding (134 students, 79.28%), were more interesting (146 students, 86.39%), ensured greater student participation (123 students, 72.78%), and involved greater effort on the part of students (148 students, 87.57%) compared with traditional teaching methods. Most of the students (129 students, 76.33%) agreed that more such sessions should be organized in the future. In conclusion, after adjustments to improve weaknesses, such as the short time allocation and students' lack of prior background, the outcomes of this modified TBL approach on the cornea module of an ophthalmology course provide a good basis for its continuation.
Are all hands-on activities equally effective? Effect of using plastic models, organ dissections, and virtual dissections on student learning and perceptions
Authors: Lombardi Sara A. , Hicks Reimi E. , Thompson Katerina V. , Marbach-Ad Gili
Published: March 2014

This study investigated the impact of three commonly used cardiovascular model-assisted activities on student learning and student attitudes and perspectives about science. College students enrolled in a Human Anatomy and Physiology course were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups (organ dissections, virtual dissections, or plastic models). Each group received a 15-min lecture followed by a 45-min activity with one of the treatments. Immediately after the lesson and then 2 mo later, students were tested on anatomy and physiology knowledge and completed an attitude survey. Students who used plastic models achieved significantly higher overall scores on both the initial and followup exams than students who performed organ or virtual dissections. On the initial exam, students in the plastic model and organ dissection treatments scored higher on anatomy questions than students who performed virtual dissections. Students in the plastic model group scored higher than students who performed organ dissections on physiology questions. On the followup exam, when asked anatomy questions, students in the plastic model group scored higher than dissection students and virtual dissection students. On attitude surveys, organ dissections had higher perceived value and were requested for inclusion in curricula twice as often as any other activity. Students who performed organ dissections were more likely than the other treatment groups to agree with the statement that “science is fun,” suggesting that organ dissections may promote positive attitudes toward science. The findings of this study provide evidence for the importance of multiple types of hands-on activities in anatomy laboratory courses.
Exploratory study of factors related to educational scores of first preclinical year medical students
Authors: Sitticharoon Chantacha , Srisuma Sorachai , Kanavitoon Sawita , Summachiwakij Sarawut
Published: March 2014

The relationships among the scores of major subjects taught in the first preclinical year of a Thai medical school, previous academic achievements, and daily life activities are rarely explored. We therefore performed an exploratory study identifying various factors possibly related to the educational scores of these medical students. Questionnaires were sent out to all first preclinical year medical students, with 79.8% being returned (245/307 questionnaires). Positive correlations were revealed between the premedical year grade point average (pre-MD GPA) and anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry scores ( R = 0.664, 0.521, and 0.653, respectively, P < 0.001 for all) by Pearson's method. Using multiple linear regression analysis, anatomy scores could be predicted by pre-MD GPA, student satisfaction with anatomy, the percentage of expected reading, monthly earnings, reading after class and near exam time, and duration of sleeping periods near exam time ( R = 0.773, R2 = 0.598, P < 0.001). Physiology scores could be estimated by pre-MD GPA, the percentage of expected reading, monthly earnings, and percentage of those who fell asleep during class and near exam time ( R = 0.722, R2 = 0.521, P < 0.001). Biochemistry scores could be calculated by pre-MD GPA, the percentage of expected reading, motivation to study medicine, student satisfaction with biochemistry, and exam performance expectations ( R = 0.794, R2 = 0.630, P < 0.001). In conclusion, pre-MD GPA and the percentage of expected reading are factors involved in producing good academic results in the first preclinical year. Anatomy and biochemistry, but not physiology, scores are influenced by satisfaction.
Hyperhomocysteinemia attenuates angiogenesis through reduction of HIF-1α and PGC-1α levels in muscle fibers during hindlimb ischemia
Authors: Veeranki Sudhakar , Givvimani Srikanth , Pushpakumar Sathnur , Tyagi Suresh C.
Published: March 2014

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is associated with elderly frailty, skeletal muscle injury and malfunction, reduced vascular integrity and function, and mortality. Although HHcy has been implicated in the impairment of angiogenesis after hindlimb ischemia in murine models, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We hypothesized that HHcy compromises skeletal muscle perfusion, collateral formation, and arteriogenesis by diminishing postischemic vasculogenic responses in muscle fibers. To test this hypothesis, we created femoral artery ligation in wild-type and heterozygous cystathionine β-synthase (CBS+/−) mice (a model for HHcy) and assessed tissue perfusion, collateral vessel formation, and skeletal muscle function using laser-Doppler perfusion imaging, barium angiography, and fatigue tests. In addition, we assessed postischemic levels of VEGF and levels of its muscle-specific regulators: hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α. The observations indicated dysregulation of VEGF, HIF-1α, and PGC-1α levels in ischemic skeletal muscles of CBS+/− mice. Concomitant with the reduced ischemic angiogenic responses, we also observed diminished leptin expression and attenuated Akt signaling in ischemic muscle fibers of CBS+/− mice. Moreover, there was enhanced atrogene, ubiquitin ligases that conjugate proteins for degradation during muscle atrophy, transcription, and reduced muscle function after ischemia in CBS+/− mice. These results suggest that HHcy adversely affects muscle-specific ischemic responses and contributes to muscle frailty.
Length-dependent activation is modulated by cardiac troponin I bisphosphorylation at Ser23 and Ser24 but not by Thr143 phosphorylation
Authors: Wijnker Paul J. M. , Sequeira Vasco , Foster D. Brian , Li Yuejin , dos Remedios Cristobal G. , Murphy Anne M. , Stienen Ger J. M. , van der Velden Jolanda
Published: March 2014

Frank-Starling's law reflects the ability of the heart to adjust the force of its contraction to changes in ventricular filling, a property based on length-dependent myofilament activation (LDA). The threonine at amino acid 143 of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is prerequisite for the length-dependent increase in Ca2+sensitivity. Thr143 is a known target of protein kinase C (PKC) whose activity is increased in cardiac disease. Thr143 phosphorylation may modulate length-dependent myofilament activation in failing hearts. Therefore, we investigated if pseudo-phosphorylation at Thr143 modulates length dependence of force using troponin exchange experiments in human cardiomyocytes. In addition, we studied effects of protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated cTnI phosphorylation at Ser23/24, which has been reported to modulate LDA. Isometric force was measured at various Ca2+concentrations in membrane-permeabilized cardiomyocytes exchanged with recombinant wild-type (WT) troponin or troponin mutated at the PKC site Thr143 or Ser23/24 into aspartic acid (D) or alanine (A) to mimic phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, respectively. In troponin-exchanged donor cardiomyocytes experiments were repeated after incubation with exogenous PKA. Pseudo-phosphorylation of Thr143 increased myofilament Ca2+sensitivity compared with WT without affecting LDA in failing and donor cardiomyocytes. Subsequent PKA treatment enhanced the length-dependent shift in Ca2+sensitivity after WT and 143D exchange. Exchange with Ser23/24 variants demonstrated that pseudo-phosphorylation of both Ser23 and Ser24 is needed to enhance the length-dependent increase in Ca2+sensitivity. cTnI pseudo-phosphorylation did not alter length-dependent changes in maximal force. Thus phosphorylation at Thr143 enhances myofilament Ca2+sensitivity without affecting LDA, while Ser23/24 bisphosphorylation is needed to enhance the length-dependent increase in myofilament Ca2+sensitivity.
Electroacupuncture improves cardiac function and remodeling by inhibition of sympathoexcitation in chronic heart failure rats
Authors: Ma Luyao , Cui Baiping , Shao Yongfeng , Ni Buqing , Zhang Weiran , Luo Yonggang , Zhang Shijiang
Published: March 2014

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, mainly as a result of neurohumoral activation. Acupuncture has been used to treat a wide range of diseases and conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on the sympathetic nerve activity, heart function, and remodeling in CHF rats after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. CHF rats were randomly selected to EA and control groups for acute and chronic experiments. In the acute experiment, both the renal sympathetic nerve activity and cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex elicited by epicardial application of capsaicin were recorded. In the chronic experiment, we performed EA for 30 min once a day for 1 wk to test the long-term EA effects on heart function, remodeling, as well as infarct size in CHF rats. The results show EA significantly decreased the renal sympathetic nerve activity effectively, inhibited cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex, and lowered the blood pressure of CHF rats. Treating CHF rats with EA for 1 wk dramatically increased left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular fraction shortening, reversed the enlargement of left ventricular end-systolic dimension and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and shrunk the infarct size. In this experiment, we demonstrated EA attenuates sympathetic overactivity. Additionally, long-term EA improves cardiac function and remodeling and reduces infarct size in CHF rats. EA is a novel and potentially useful therapy for treating CHF.
Neural Mechanisms of Cardioprotection
Authors: Gourine Andrey , Gourine Alexander V.
Published: March 2014

This review highlights the importance of neural mechanisms capable of protecting the heart against lethal ischemia/reperfusion injury. Increased parasympathetic (vagal) activity limits myocardial infarction, and recent data suggest that activation of autonomic reflex pathways contributes to powerful innate mechanisms of cardioprotection underlying the remote ischemic conditioning phenomena.
If Body Fatness is Under Physiological Regulation, Then How Come We Have an Obesity Epidemic?
Authors: Speakman John R.
Published: March 2014

Life involves a continuous use of energy, but food intake, which supplies that energy, is episodic. Feeding is switched on and off by a complex array of predominantly gut-derived peptides (and potentially nutrients) that initiate and terminate feeding bouts. Energy is stored as glucose and glycogen to overcome the problem of the episodic nature of intake compared with the continuous demand. Intake is also adjusted to meet immediate changes in demands. Most animals also store energy as fat. In some cases, this serves the purpose of storing energy in anticipation of a known future shortfall (e.g., hibernation, migration, or reproduction). Other animals, however, store fat in the absence of such anticipated needs, and in this case the fat appears to be stored in preparation for unpredictable catastrophic shortfalls in supply. Fat storage, however, brings disadvantages as well as advantages, in particular an increased risk of predation. Hence, many animals seem to have evolved a dual intervention point system preventing them from storing too little or too much fat. The physiological basis of the lower intervention point is well established, but the upper intervention point is much less studied. Human obesity can potentially be understood in an evolutionary context as due to drift in the upper intervention point following release from predation 2 million years ago (the drifty gene hypothesis) combined with a stimulus in modern society to overconsume calories, possibly attempting to satisfy intake of a limiting micro- or macro-nutrient like protein (the protein leverage hypothesis).
Molecular Pathways: Molecular Basis for Sensitivity and Resistance to JAK Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Meyer Sara C. , Levine Ross L.
Published: March 2014

Janus-activated kinases (JAK) are the mediators of a variety of cytokine signals via their cognate receptors that result in activation of intracellular signaling pathways. Alterations in JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2 signaling contribute to different disease states, and dysregulated JAK–STAT signaling is associated with hematologic malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and immune-deficient conditions. Genetic alterations of JAK2 occur in the majority of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and occur in a subset of patients with acute leukemias. JAK-mediated signaling critically relies on STAT transcription factors, and on activation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling axes. Hyperactive JAK at the apex of these potent oncogenic signaling pathways therefore represents an important target for small-molecule kinase inhibitors in different disease states. The JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib and the JAK3 inhibitor tofacitinib were recently approved for the treatment of myelofibrosis and rheumatoid arthritis, respectively, and additional ATP-competitive JAK inhibitors are in clinical development. Although these agents show clinical activity, the ability of these JAK inhibitors to induce clinical/molecular remissions in hematologic malignancies seems limited and resistance upon chronic drug exposure is seen. Alternative modes of targeting JAK2 such as allosteric kinase inhibition or HSP90 inhibition are under evaluation, as is the use of histone deacetylase inhibitors. Combination therapy approaches integrating inhibition of STAT, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK pathways with JAK kinase inhibitors might be critical to overcome malignancies characterized by dysregulated JAK signaling. Clin Cancer Res; 20(8); 2051–9. ©2014 AACR.
Dabrafenib and Trametinib, Alone and in Combination for BRAF-Mutant Metastatic Melanoma
Authors: Menzies Alexander M. , Long Georgina V.
Published: March 2014

Dabrafenib and trametinib were approved for use as monotherapies in BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013, and most recently, their use in combination has received accelerated FDA approval. Both drugs target the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway: dabrafenib selectively inhibits mutant BRAF that constitutively activates the pathway, and trametinib selectively inhibits MEK1 and MEK2 proteins activated by RAF kinases. The phase III study of dabrafenib in BRAFV600E metastatic melanoma reported rapid tumor regression in most patients and a 59% objective RECIST response rate. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were improved compared with dacarbazine. Toxicities were well tolerated and different from those reported for vemurafenib, the first FDA-approved BRAF inhibitor. Efficacy has been demonstrated in other BRAF-mutant genotypes. The phase III study of trametinib in BRAF inhibitor–naïve patients with BRAFV600E or BRAFV600K also showed benefit with a prolonged median PFS and OS compared with chemotherapy. Trametinib is ineffective in patients who have progressed on BRAF inhibitors. A phase II trial of combined dabrafenib and trametinib demonstrated higher response rates and longer median PFS than dabrafenib monotherapy, with less cutaneous toxicity. Here, we review the clinical development of both drugs as monotherapies and in combination, and discuss their role in the management of BRAF-mutant melanoma. Clin Cancer Res; 20(8); 2035–43. ©2014 AACR.
CTLA4 Blockade Broadens the Peripheral T-Cell Receptor Repertoire
Authors: Robert Lidia , Tsoi Jennifer , Wang Xiaoyan , Emerson Ryan , Homet Blanca , Chodon Thinle , Mok Stephen , Huang Rong Rong , Cochran Alistair J. , Comin-Anduix Begoña , Koya Richard C. , Graeber Thomas G. , Robins Harlan , Ribas Antoni
Published: March 2014

Purpose: To evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of cytotoxic T–lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) blockade with tremelimumab in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Experimental Design: We used next-generation sequencing to study the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) from the rearranged T-cell receptor (TCR) variable beta (V-beta) in PBMCs of 21 patients, at baseline and 30 to 60 days after receiving tremelimumab.

Results: After receiving tremelimumab, there was a median of 30% increase in unique productive sequences of TCR V-beta CDR3 in 19 out of 21 patients, and a median decrease of 30% in only 2 out of 21 patients. These changes were significant for richness (P = 0.01) and for Shannon index diversity (P = 0.04). In comparison, serially collected PBMCs from four healthy donors did not show a significant change in TCR V-beta CDR3 diversity over 1 year. There was a significant difference in the total unique productive TCR V-beta CDR3 sequences between patients experiencing toxicity with tremelimumab compared with patients without toxicity (P = 0.05). No relevant differences were noted between clinical responders and nonresponders.

Conclusions: CTLA4 blockade with tremelimumab diversifies the peripheral T-cell pool, representing a pharmacodynamic effect of how this class of antibodies modulates the human immune system. Clin Cancer Res; 20(9); 2424–32. ©2014 AACR.
Transgenic Mice for Real-Time Visualization of cGMP in Intact Adult Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Götz Konrad R. , Sprenger Julia U. , Perera Ruwan K. , Steinbrecher Julia H. , Lehnart Stephan E. , Kuhn Michaela , Gorelik Julia , Balligand Jean-Luc , Nikolaev Viacheslav O.
Published: March 2014

Rationale:

3′,5′-Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is an important second messenger that regulates cardiac contractility and protects the heart from hypertrophy. However, because of the lack of real-time imaging techniques, specific subcellular mechanisms and spatiotemporal dynamics of cGMP in adult cardiomyocytes are not well understood.

Objective:

Our aim was to generate and characterize a novel cGMP sensor model to measure cGMP with nanomolar sensitivity in adult cardiomyocytes.

Methods and Results:

We generated transgenic mice with cardiomyocyte-specific expression of the highly sensitive cytosolic Förster resonance energy transfer–based cGMP biosensor red cGES-DE5 and performed the first Förster resonance energy transfer measurements of cGMP in intact adult mouse ventricular myocytes. We found very low (≈10 nmol/L) basal cytosolic cGMP levels, which can be markedly increased by natriuretic peptides (C-type natriuretic peptide >> atrial natriuretic peptide) and, to a much smaller extent, by the direct stimulation of soluble guanylyl cyclase. Constitutive activity of this cyclase contributes to basal cGMP production, which is balanced by the activity of clinically established phosphodiesterase (PDE) families. The PDE3 inhibitor, cilostamide, showed especially strong cGMP responses. In a mild model of cardiac hypertrophy after transverse aortic constriction, PDE3 effects were not affected, whereas the contribution of PDE5 was increased. In addition, after natriuretic peptide stimulation, PDE3 was also involved in cGMP/cAMP crosstalk.

Conclusions:

The new sensor model allows visualization of real-time cGMP dynamics and pharmacology in intact adult cardiomyocytes. Förster resonance energy transfer imaging suggests the importance of well-established and potentially novel PDE-dependent mechanisms that regulate cGMP under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
c-Cbl Inhibition Improves Cardiac Function and Survival in Response to Myocardial Ischemia
Authors: Rafiq Khadija , Kolpakov Mikhail A. , Seqqat Rachid , Guo Jianfen , Guo Xinji , Qi Zhao , Yu Daohai , Mohapatra Bhopal , Zutshi Neha , An Wei , Band Hamid , Sanjay Archana , Houser Steven R. , Sabri Abdelkarim
Published: March 2014

Background—

The proto-oncogene Casitas b-lineage lymphoma (c-Cbl) is an adaptor protein with an intrinsic E3 ubiquitin ligase activity that targets receptor and nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, resulting in their ubiquitination and downregulation. However, the function of c-Cbl in the control of cardiac function is currently unknown. In this study, we examined the role of c-Cbl in myocyte death and cardiac function after myocardial ischemia.

Methods and Results—

We show increased c-Cbl expression in human ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathy hearts and in response to pathological stress stimuli in mice. c-Cbl–deficient mice demonstrated a more robust functional recovery after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and significantly reduced myocyte apoptosis and improved cardiac function. Ubiquitination and downregulation of key survival c-Cbl targets, epidermal growth factor receptors and focal adhesion kinase, were significantly reduced in c-Cbl knockout mice. Inhibition of c-Cbl expression or its ubiquitin ligase activity in cardiac myocytes offered protection against H
2
O
2
stress. Interestingly, c-Cbl deletion reduced the risk of death and increased cardiac functional recovery after chronic myocardial ischemia. This beneficial effect of c-Cbl deletion was associated with enhanced neoangiogenesis and increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-a and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2 in the infarcted region.

Conclusions—

c-Cbl activation promotes myocyte apoptosis, inhibits angiogenesis, and causes adverse cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction. These findings point to c-Cbl as a potential therapeutic target for the maintenance of cardiac function and remodeling after myocardial ischemia.
Acute Hypertriglyceridemia Induces Platelet Hyperactivity That is Not Attenuated by Insulin in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Aye Myint Myint , Kilpatrick Eric S. , Aburima Ahmed , Wraith Katie S. , Magwenzi Simbarashe , Spurgeon B. , Rigby Alan S. , Sandeman Derek , Naseem Khalid M. , Atkin Stephen L.
Published: March 2014

Background

Atherothrombosis is associated with platelet hyperactivity. Hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance (
IR
) are features of polycystic ovary syndrome (
PCOS
). The effect of induced hypertriglyceridemia on
IR
and platelet function was examined in young women with
PCOS
.

Methods and Results

Following overnight fasting, 13
PCOS
and 12 healthy women were infused with saline or 20% intralipid for 5 hours on separate days. Insulin sensitivity was measured using a hyperinsulinemic euglycaemic clamp in the final 2 hours of each infusion. Platelet responses to adenosine diphosphate (
ADP
) and prostacyclin (
PGI
2
) were measured by flow cytometric analysis of platelet fibrinogen binding and P‐selectin expression using whole blood taken during each infusion (at 2 hours) and at the end of each clamp. Lipid infusion increased triglycerides and reduced insulin sensitivity in both controls (median, interquartile range ) (5.25 [3.3, 6.48] versus 2.60 [0.88, 3.88] mg kg
−1
 min
−1
,
P
<0.001) and
PCOS
(3.15 [2.94, 3.85] versus 1.06 [0.72, 1.43] mg kg
−1
 min
−1
,
P
<0.001). Platelet activation by
ADP
was enhanced and ability to suppress platelet activation by
PGI
2
diminished during lipid infusion in both groups when compared to saline. Importantly, insulin infusion decreased lipid‐induced platelet hyperactivity by decreasing their response to 1 μmol/L
ADP
(78.7% [67.9, 82.3] versus 62.8% [51.8, 73.3],
P
=0.02) and increasing sensitivity to 0.01 μmol/L
PGI
2
(67.6% [39.5, 83.8] versus 40.9% [23.8, 60.9],
P
=0.01) in controls, but not in
PCOS
.

Conclusion

Acute hypertriglyceridemia induced IR, and increased platelet activation in both groups that was not reversed by insulin in
PCOS
subjects compared to controls. This suggests that platelet hyperactivity induced by acute hypertriglyceridemia and
IR
could contribute athero‐thrombotic risk.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL: www.isrctn.org. Unique Identifier: ISRCTN42448814.
Elites in Hard Times: The Hungarian Case in Comparative Conceptual Framework
Authors: Lengyel György
Published: March 2014

Abstract

Hungary was seriously hit by the financial crisis of 2008. This article investigates how the Hungarian governing elites exploit the space of maneuvering in crisis management. One way to mitigate anti-government mass sentiments is the rhetoric of national self-defense. Besides these ideological tools, fundamental changes in the institutional setting and elite composition are on the agenda in Hungary. How these government responses can be analyzed by tools of the new elite paradigm and by concepts of comparative political institutionalism like majoritarian vs. consensual democracy, or simulated democracy and competitive authoritarianism are the major questions touched upon in the paper. We test the applicability of these concepts on the Hungarian political scene and investigate the efficiency of elites’ efforts concerning uncertainty reduction.
Wood Anatomy of the Hippocrateoideae (Celastraceae)
Authors: Mennega Alberta M.W.
Published: March 2014

In this paper the wood anatomy of the subfarnily Hippocrateoideae of the Celastraceae is treated. Halle's division (1986, 1990) of the subfarnily into four tribes, chiefly based on material of tropical Africa: viz. Salacieae, Campylostemoneae, Helictonemeae and Hippocrateae is followed. In a recent issue of the Flora of the Guianas the Hippocrateaceae - there treated as aseparate farnily - were divided into Hippocrateoideae and Salacioideae. This bipartition was reflected in the wood structure of the genera studied (Mennega 1994). Here the wood structure of all genera worldwide (24), except the Asian genus Arnicratea, is described. It appeared that again a subdivision into two distinct anatomical groups could be made, with the three last tribes mentioned above showing the same characteristic structure as found before in New World Hippocrateae/Hippocrateoideae. The most important features of this group are the presence of very wide and very high rays, in a number of genera with unlignified ray cells at the growth ring border, the absence of included phloem tissue, and in many species an intruding bark resulting in an indented wood pattern in stern cross sections or even an intricate pattern of deep furrows. The Salacieae/Salacioideae on the other hand are characterized by narrow, not exceptionally high rays, absence of unlignified ray cells, the occurrence of septate fibres in a parenchyma-like distribution, and often by the presence of included phloem tissue, either as isolated strands or more often as conspicuous concentric bands, or as irregular bands with radial connections. Features present in all genera are: vessels with simple perforation plates, preponderance of solitary vessels, wide and narrow vessels distributed at random, alternate pitting; fibretracheids, and libriform nonseptate and septate fibres present; axial parenchyma scanty paratracheal or as rare isolated strands; rays heterogeneous, the cell types irregularly distributed, rhombic crystals numerous, often in characteristic radial distribution. Campylostemon, considered in the past by some taxonornists as belonging in Celastraceae or as intermediate between Hippocrateaceae and Celastraceae, closely resembles Hippocrateae in its wood anatomy. And it is especially this group that by its characteristic features -like the wide rays - is more different from Celastraceae in general than Salacieae, which have several features in common with genera of Celastraceae.
Wood Anatomy of Jacaranda (Bignoniaceae): Systematic Relationships in Sections Monolobos and Dilobos as Suggested by Twig and Stem Wood Rays
Authors: Dos Santos Gracielza , Miller Regis B.
Published: March 2014

This report provides a generic description of the stern wood anatomy of 15 species of Jacaranda from seetions Monolobos and Dilobos. In Monolobos (excluding J. copaia), the rays are homocellular and exclusively uniseriate, occasionally with a small biseriate portion. In Dilobos, the rays are heterocellular and 2-3(-4) cells wide. To verify the differences in ray structure, 27 species of twig specimens were examined and compared with stern specimens of the same seetion. The wood anatomy corroborates morphological evidence that suggests partitioning of Jacaranda into two distinct seetions and supports the hypothesis that section Dilobos is primitive. The wood anatomy of Jacaranda copaia is distinct from that of other species in the genus. The vessels are larger in diameter and fewer per square millimetre, the vessel elements and fibres are longer, and the number of cells per parenchyma strand is higher. In addition, the rays are fewer per millimetre, taller, and homocellular to slightly heterocellular, with one irregular row of square cells, 2-3(-4) cells wide. Jacaranda copaia seems to be intermediate between seetions Monolobos and Dilobos.
Bark Anatomy of Arborescent Leguminosae of Cerrado and Gallery Forest of Central Brazil
Authors: Costa Cecilia G. , Rauber Coradin Vera T. , Czarneski Cláudia M. , Pereira Benedito A. da S.
Published: March 2014

The bark anatomy of28 species of arborescent Leguminosae of 'cerrado' and gallery forest in the Brazilian Federal District was examined. The most significant characteristics for taxonomic purposes were determined to be: delimitation between collapsed and non-collapsed phloem; phloem stratification; type and position of sieve plates; dilatation patterns; arrangement and contents of sc1ereids; and presence of secretory cells. The bark data support the idea that Papilionoideae is the most advanced group of the Leguminosae.
Tem Study of Wound-Induced Vessel Occlusions in European Ash (Fraxinus Excelsior L.)
Authors: Schmitt Uwe , Georg Richter Hans , Muche Claudia
Published: March 2014

Vessel occlusions in branches of Fraxinus excelsior L. were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. The vessel occlusions are formed by exudates released from adjacent ray and axial parenchyma cells through the intact pit membranes. Initial stages mostly display balloon- like structures protruding from the pit aperture into the vessellumen. These inclusions possess a very electron dense outer membrane and dispersed exudates in their interior. Therefore, the vessel occlusions in F. excelsior do not represent true tyloses.
Variability in Wood Properties of Six-Year-Old Planted Meranti Trees
Authors: Bosman Monique T. M.
Published: March 2014

Radial and longitudinal variation in fibre wall percentage, area percentage of vessels and resin canals and specific gravity was studied in five superior six-year-old plantation grown trees of red meranti (Shorea leprosula, S. parvifolia and S. pauciflora). In another 23 trees of these species specific gravity was measured at breast height.
Insiders, Outsiders, and the Struggle for Consecration in Cultural Fields
Authors: Cattani Gino , Ferriani Simone , Allison Paul D.
Published: March 2014

Building on recent research emphasizing how legitimacy depends on consensus among audiences about candidates’ characteristics and activities, we examine the relationship between cultural producers’ (candidates) position in the social structure and the consecration of their creative work by relevant audiences. We argue that the outcome of this process of evaluation in any cultural field, whether in art or science, is a function of (1) candidates’ embeddedness within the field, and (2) the type of audience—that is, peers versus critics—evaluating candidates’ work. Specifically, we hypothesize that peers are more likely to favor candidates who are highly embedded in the field, whereas critics will not show such favoritism. We find support for these hypotheses in the context of the Hollywood motion picture industry.
La felicità e la musica nella Storia di Elsa Morante
Authors: Garrido Elisa María Martínez
Published: March 2014

Questo saggio rileva come nella Storia di Elsa Morante la lettura più nichilistica coabiti con un’“altra” più gioiosa. Grazie a quest’ultima, la scrittrice cerca “le tracce del paradiso”, un’esile felicità svelata nella poesia, nella musica e nell’amorevole vitalità innocente dei suoi personaggi più solari.
False Negotiations
Authors: Glozman Edy , Barak-Corren Netta , Yaniv Ilan
Published: March 2014

The usual purpose of negotiations is to explore options and reach an agreement, if possible. We investigated a notable exception to this generalization, where a party negotiates without any intention of reaching an agreement. False negotiation occurs when a party gains more by stalling the negotiations until an external change takes place that improves its position considerably. While false negotiators aim to avoid agreement within the current frame of the negotiations, they also aim to keep the negotiation process alive, since walking away from the negotiation table could endanger their position. We report the results of a study that compared the actions of false and sincere negotiators. The false negotiators used competitive tactics that encumbered the negotiations, yet they concealed their intentions by maintaining a facade of cooperation. Our theoretical discussion is focused on the balancing act involved in false negotiations and the challenges it poses for actors in social, managerial, and political settings. We conclude our analysis with an example from the realm of international negotiations.
When International Organizations Bargain
Authors: Bayer Patrick , Marcoux Christopher , Urpelainen Johannes
Published: March 2014

Who gets what in bargaining between states and international organizations (IOs)? Although distributional conflict is unavoidable in international cooperation, previous research provides few empirical insights into the determinants of bargaining outcomes. We test a simple bargaining model of cooperation between states and IOs. We expect that nonegalitarian international organizations, such as the World Bank, secure more gains from bargaining with economically weak than with economically powerful states. For egalitarian international organizations, such as most United Nations (UN) agencies, the state’s economic power should be less important. We test these hypotheses against a novel data set on funding shares for 2,255 projects implemented under the auspices of the Global Environment Facility, from1991 to 2011. The data allow us to directly measure bargaining outcomes. The results highlight the importance of accounting for the interactive effects of international organization and state characteristics.
Pastoral Care in an Interim Setting
Authors: McGehee Fred D.
Published: March 2014

Pastoral care—caregiving—is probably the most important of all the ministries of a pastor. Every pastor knows the vital importance of care provided in times of crisis, serious illness or injury, and death. Such care, according to McGehee, is even more crucial in the interim situation. In addition to crisis ministry, the interim pastor is the primary care giver in the ordinary situations of ministry. He or she is to be the encourager, the enabler, the empowerer for the congregation.
Remember the Margins: Constructive Postmodernism and Baptist Discipleship
Authors: Tooley Michelle
Published: March 2014

With its emphasis on the individual and her personal obligation to serve God, Biblical literacy, and with the call for church-as-community, Baptist tradition offers contemporary Baptists grounding for a response to a world with staggering poverty and injustice. With correctives, Baptist tradition can be understood in ways that turn it into a positive resource for relating to the postmodern world. Without the limitations of modernity, Christians may take a new look at scriptures, theology, and the mission of the church in the world. Constructive postmodernism opens the way for a critique of modernism, with marginal communities given space to describe their situation and participate in working toward new, just structures.
Insights for Preaching and Teaching Hebrews
Authors: Canoy Robert W.
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this article is to provide a practical aid to preachers and teachers in their tasks of proclaiming Hebrews. After suggesting how proclaimers may prepare themselves to read the book, the article summarily explores the major theological themes found throughout Hebrews from the vantage point of how the themes potentially may be related through preaching and teaching. Included in the article is an exploration of some of Hebrews' challenging passages with suggestions of how to address them constructively. Proceeding from the presupposition that the document is sermonic, eschatological, and thoroughly theological, each of these is addressed throughout. The article urges that preaching and teaching done from Hebrews should be intentionally theo-logical and suggests that proclaimers should allow the text to guide the preaching and teaching that they do from it, following the interactive design pattern of exposition-exhortation. Five thematic sections are examined for homiletical insights. Although a verse-by-verse exposition is neither encouraged nor discouraged, preachers and teachers are reminded to make the very point(s) made by the writer of Hebrews and never to allow any personal agenda to take priority over authorial intention. To aid in the task of relevant preaching and teaching, sermon and lesson ideas, as well as supporting contemporary resources, are suggested.
And the Moon Spoke Up: Genesis 1 and Feminist Theology
Authors: Claassens L. Juliana M.
Published: March 2014

In this essay, Genesis 1 is read in terms of the twofold task of a feminist biblical interpreter, i.e., to deconstruct harmful interpretations that uphold hierarchies with regard to race, class, and gender, and to reconstruct interpretations that offer a vision of God's relationship to the world that is committed to end oppression and injustice in a deeply wounded society. Employing insights from deconstruction and feminism, this article utilizes an intriguing rabbinic interpretation from the Talmud with regard to one of the binary oppositions in Genesis 1, i.e., the great light and the small light, or one could say, the sun and moon ( Hullin 60). This midrash is used to challenge the hierarchical interpretations of the binary oppositions in this text, thereby opening up the space for alternative interpretations to emerge. Consequently, this interpretative strategy also helps us to rethink the hierarchical nature of the other binary oppositions in Genesis 1 and its interpretations.
Holy Ground: Muslim-Christian Relations in a Context of Civil War
Authors: duCharme Lee McKenna
Published: March 2014

In the Summer of 2006, Sudanese Christian and Muslim volunteers gathered on the outskirts of Khartoum to explore opportunities for non-violence and reconciliation in the midst of a civil war that has often pitted their communities against one another. They focused their common work of liberation on those elements of who they are that facilitate peace or drive violence, beginning with their respective faiths. In this often awkward process of play, argument, and exchange, participants saw themselves, their traditions, and each other, in transforming ways, and met on “holy ground” in a land racked by war. The work of peacemaking proceeds from this experience.
Moving beyond Boundaries: Restorative Justice and Reconciliation as Complementary Paths in Peacemaking
Authors: Hollon Ryan
Published: March 2014

Drawing on the social gospel's implications for how we make peace and pursue justice in America today, this article examines the relationship between reconciliation and grassroots approaches to restorative justice. With a focus on Chicago's emerging restorative justice movement, it looks at practices and programs that offer alternative futures to those young people most impacted by a punitive justice system gone wild. The article concludes that peacemaking calls on us to operationalize our awareness of human interconnectedness. Restorative justice and reconciliation are posited as distinct peacemaking approaches with a shared commitment to ending cycles of violence and wrongdoing. Emphasizing love and forgiveness, reconciliation is revealed as a powerful project of reclaiming our unions and bonds.
Theology Proper and the Proper Way to Pray: An Exposition of Psalm 139
Authors: Harmon Steven R.
Published: March 2014

Prayer is central to Christian life and worship. Unfortunately, prayer is also one of the most difficult things we do, often because we misunderstand what prayer is and who God is. Psalm 139 offers an understanding of the nature both of God and of prayer. Psalm 139:1–18 has to do with “theology proper,” the nature of God as omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, but the psalmist describes these attributes not in abstract philosophical categories but rather in terms of intimate personal relationship. Psalm 139:19–22 provides an example of the proper way to pray: since God knows us intimately, we can and must be utterly honest in our prayers. Psalm 139:23–24 shows what happens when we pray honestly: God transforms us, changing our attitudes toward the problems we face.
Achieving Racial Reconciliation in the Twenty-First Century: The Real Test for the Christian Church
Authors: Thomas Gerald L.
Published: March 2014

The issue of racial reconciliation has been a major concern for me since the days of my youth in Youngstown, Ohio. I was blessed to see the growth and development of African American people during the civil rights era. There were, however, racial tensions of a major magnitude during my days in junior high and high school. It was the first time we (students from Thorn Hill) had ever experienced racism because our elementary school was 99.8 percent black. I had to live in a whole new world when six primary grade schools were condensed into one junior high school. In high school, it became increasingly evident to me that there was a white world and a black world. Attending Howard University definitely heightened my anger and resentment towards white people. Howard was the Mecca of black power and intellectual thinking. By God's grace, after eight years in corporate America, I accepted my call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and realized that hatred had no place in the heart and mind of a servant of the Son of God. The seminary experience at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was equally frustrating at times even though I had the blessings of the seminary's leadership, thus becoming the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow. Through twenty-five years of pastoring and thirty years of spreading the Gospel, I have gained additional insights into how we must eradicate racism in our society. Through my position in the Progressive National Baptist Convention as National Chairperson for “Social Action on Public Policy,” I realize how difficult is the task at hand. Research and writings on “Racial Reconciliation” are my own convictions and struggles to support the Church of God in becoming all that Jesus Christ had intended for it to be.
Learning to Preach in the Hebraic Voice
Authors: Williams Mark Fulton
Published: March 2014

Jesus' words, actions, and teaching methods were in keeping with the customs, tradition, and religion of the Semitic culture into which Jesus was born. One area of Christian study where the Jewish roots of Jesus get routinely passed over is the area of homiletics. What happens when the study of rabbinics enters into conversation with the study of homiletics? Is there an effective Hebraic style or approach to preaching? This article contends that, in fact, that seven characteristics or “marks” subtly differentiate the preacher with a Hebraic style.
Transition beyond postmodernism: Pluralistic culture, incommensurable rationalities, and future objectivity
Authors: Watson P.J.
Published: March 2014

Modernist confidence in objective reason has given way to postmodern assumptions that rationality always reflects community-specific standards that can find no indisputable foundation in objectivity. Within postmodern cultural conditions, the church will need to transition beyond the potential relativism of incommensurable communal rationalities and toward a Christian post-postmodernism. Christian post-postmodernism will assume that relativism can be overcome through truthful narration rather than through truthful reason. Christian narratives will include scripts that guide church relationships across the private, communal, and public spaces that define the pluralism of contemporary social life. Reflective development of church rationality will be a centrally important task in meeting the challenges of postmodernism. A transition beyond postmodernism is filled with possibilities for enhancing the rationality and evangelical potential of the church.
Rabat retrospective: Colonial heritage in a Moroccan urban laboratory
Authors: Wagner Lauren , Minca Claudio
Published: March 2014

Louis H-G Lyautey’s legacy as colonial regent of Morocco and as an innovator in French urban planning resonates through his transformation of Rabat according to entirely new spatial logics of modernity. While his plans produced conditions for structural difficulty in indigenous housing, they also enabled the preservation of historic monuments as spaces for tourist consumption – that are now, post-Independence, considered part of Moroccan national history. The grand colonial vision of Lyautey is in many ways perpetuated in contemporary developments of the region, in particular through the current Bouregreg Valley project that will dramatically redesign the landscape of the capital in the next few years. While the project involves massive neoliberal flows of global capital, its goals reflect much of Lyautey’s lasting influence on mapping heritage and Moroccan modernity, and the path of the European tourist through the Moroccan landscape.