bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complete Genome Sequence of Myxococcus stipitatus Strain DSM 14675, a Fruiting Myxobacterium
Authors: Huntley Stuart , Kneip Susanne , Treuner-Lange Anke , Søgaard-Andersen Lotte
Published: March 2013

Hallmarks of the myxobacteria include the formation of spore-filled fruiting bodies in response to starvation and synthesis of secondary metabolites.
Myxococcus stipitatus
forms morphologically highly distinct fruiting bodies and produces secondary metabolites with antibiotic or cytotoxic activities. Here, we present the 10.35-Mb genome sequence of
M. stipitatus
strain DSM 14675.
A qualitative study of the barriers to prehospital management of acute pain in children
Authors: Murphy Adrian , Barrett Michael , Cronin John , McCoy Siobhan , Larkin Philip , Brenner Maria , Wakai Abel , O'Sullivan Ronan
Published: March 2013

Introduction

Effective pain management in the prehospital setting is gaining momentum as a potential key performance indicator by many emergency medical service systems, but historically has been shown to be inadequate, particularly in the paediatric population. This study aimed to identify the barriers, as perceived by a national cohort of advanced paramedics (APs), to achieving optimal prehospital management of acute pain in children.

Methods

A qualitative approach was employed to capture data through two focus group interviews. Sixteen APs were invited to participate in this study. Both focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using Attride–Stirling's framework for thematic network analysis.

Results

The global theme ‘Understanding Barriers to the Prehospital Management of Acute Pain in Children’ emerged from three organising themes as follows: AP education and training; current clinical practice guidelines for paediatric pain management; realities of prehospital practice. Limited exposure to children in the prehospital setting, difficulty assessing pain intensity in small children, and challenges in administering oral or inhaled analgesic agents to distressed and uncooperative children were highlighted by participants. Short transfer times to the emergency department, and a ‘medical’ cause of pain were also implicated as examples of when children are less likely to receive analgesia from practitioners.

Conclusions

The pathway to improving care must include an emphasis on improvements in practitioner education and training, offering alternatives to assessing pain in preverbal children, exploring the intranasal route of drug delivery in managing acute severe pain, and robustly developed evidence-based guidelines that are practitioner friendly and patient-focused.
Medical provision in forward locations in Afghanistan: the experiences of General Duties Medical Officers on Op HERRICK 15
Authors: Gumbley Anne E , Claydon M A , Blankenstein T N , Fell T H
Published: March 2013

Op HERRICK in Afghanistan remains the current focus of the British Armed Forces. General Duties Medical Officers (GDMOs) commonly deploy to Role 1 locations in Afghanistan, which remains a continuously evolving theatre of operations. This article is based on the experiences of four GDMOs who deployed to forward Company locations on Op HERRICK 15 (September 2011–April 2012) and aims to offer an insight into the challenges of this role and identify areas in which improvements could be made to the training and preparation for future tours.
Outcomes in UK patients with hospital-acquired bacteraemia and the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Authors: Melzer Mark , Welch Catherine
Published: March 2013

Purpose

There is lack of contemporary outcome data on patients with hospital-acquired infections that cause bacteraemia. We determined the risk factors for 7-day mortality and investigated the hypothesis that, compared with central venous catheter (CVC)-associated bacteraemic infections, catheter-associated bacteraemic urinary tract infections (UTIs) were significantly associated with 7-day mortality.

Methods

From October 2007 to September 2008, demographical, clinical and microbiological data were collected on patients with hospital-acquired bacteraemia. Patients were followed until death, hospital discharge or recovery from infection. Risk factors for 7-day mortality were determined and multivariate logistic regression was used to define the association between catheter-associated bacteraemic UTIs and likelihood of death.

Results

559 bacteraemic episodes occurred in 437 patients. Overall, there were 90 deaths (20.6%) at 7 days and 153 deaths (35.0%) at 30 days. Among patients with catheter-associated bacteraemic UTIs, 7-day and 30-day mortalities associated with each bacteraemic episode were 25/83 (30.1%) and 33/83 (39.8%), respectively. Within this subgroup, the commonest isolates were Escherichia coli, 36 (43.4%), Proteus mirabilis, 11 (13.3%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 9 (10.8%). There were 22 (26.5%) multiple drug-resistant isolates and, of the E coli infections, 6 (16.7%) were extended spectrum β-lactamase producers. In univariate analysis, the variables found to have the strongest association with 7-day mortality were age, Pitt score, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), medical speciality and site of infection. Compared with CVC-associated bacteraemic infections, there was a significant association between catheter-associated bacteraemic UTIs and 7-day mortality (OR 4.16, 95% CI 1.86 to 9.33). After adjustment for age and CCI, this association remained significant (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.19 to 7.07).

Conclusions

Compared with CVC-associated bacteraemic infections, catheter-associated bacteraemic UTIs were significantly associated with 7-day mortality. Efforts to reduce these infections should be prioritised.
Regulating the profession: ensuring modern best practice
Authors: Roberts Anthony
Published: March 2013

A Legislative Reform Order allowing the RCVS's disciplinary committees to be constituted separately from its Council comes into effect next month. Anthony Roberts, policy and public affairs officer for the RCVS, explains how the LRO came about and how it might influence the veterinary profession in the future
Evaluating the behaviour of instrumented prototype rockfill dams
Authors: Siddiqua S. , Blatz J.A. , Privat N.C.
Published: March 2013

This paper studies the behaviour of prototype rockfill dams under turbulent flow conditions to identify the flow-through characteristics of rockfill materials and examines conventional design principles. Two scales of prototype rockfill dams were studied. The first type of prototype tests included fifteen 0.5 m tall dams constructed with three different downstream slope angles. The dams were monitored for upstream and downstream water level, discharge rate, particle movement on the downstream face, and any noticeable failure (local or global) during the experiments. The second set of prototype tests included two 1.2 m tall dams constructed to study the internal hydraulic conditions and required a flow environment to initiate particle movements in rockfill structures. The results from the testing of small-dimension dams (mini-dams) provided understanding for developing the methodologies to optimize the design and construction of the scale-dam tests. The hydraulic performances of the scale-dams are presented using vibrating-wire piezometers measurements. Experimental data of the stage–discharge relationship are compared with predictive models, which show strong correlations.
MODELING THE EVOLUTION OF A TUMORAL MULTICELLULAR SPHEROID AS A TWO-FLUID BINGHAM-LIKE SYSTEM
Authors: BERTUZZI ALESSANDRO , FASANO ANTONIO , GANDOLFI ALBERTO , SINISGALLI CARMELA
Published: March 2013

In this paper we propose a model for the evolution of a tumor spheroid assuming a structure in which the central necrotic region contains an inner liquid core surrounded by dead cells that keep some mechanical integrity. This partition is a consequence of assuming that a finite delay is required for the degradation of dead cells into liquid. The phenomenological assumption of constant local volume fraction of cells is also made. The above structure is coupled with a mechanical two-phase model that views the cell component as a Bingham-like fluid and the extracellular liquid as an inviscid fluid. By imposing the continuity of the normal stress throughout the whole spheroid, we can describe the spheroid evolution and characterize the possible steady state. Depending on the values of mechanical parameters, the model predicts either an evolution toward the steady state or an unbounded growth. An existence and uniqueness result has been proved under suitable assumptions, along with some qualitative properties of the solution.
DISPERSIVE SCHEMES FOR THE CRITICAL KORTEWEG–DE VRIES EQUATION
Authors: AUDIARD CORENTIN
Published: March 2013

In this paper we study semi-discrete finite difference schemes for the critical Korteweg–de Vries equation (cKdV, which is gKdV for k = 4). We prove that the solutions of the discretized equation (using a two grid algorithm) satisfy dispersive estimates uniformly with respect to the discretization parameter. This implies convergence in a weak sense of the discrete solutions to the solution of the Cauchy problem even for rough L2(ℝ) initial data. We also prove a scattering result for the discrete equation, and show that the discrete scattering function converges to the continuous one. Finally rates of convergence are obtained for the approximation of a semi-linear equation with initial data in Hs, s > 0, yet a similar result remains open for the quasilinear cKdV equation. Our analysis relies essentially on the discrete Fourier transform and standard harmonic analysis on the real line.
The Dendritic Cell Lineage: Ontogeny and Function of Dendritic Cells and Their Subsets in the Steady State and the Inflamed Setting
Authors: Merad Miriam , Sathe Priyanka , Helft Julie , Miller Jennifer , Mortha Arthur
Published: March 2013

Dendritic cells (DCs) form a remarkable cellular network that shapes adaptive immune responses according to peripheral cues. After four decades of research, we now know that DCs arise from a hematopoietic lineage distinct from other leukocytes, establishing the DC system as a unique hematopoietic branch. Recent work has also established that tissue DCs consist of developmentally and functionally distinct subsets that differentially regulate T lymphocyte function. This review discusses major advances in our understanding of the regulation of DC lineage commitment, differentiation, diversification, and function in situ.
The Immunology of Fibrosis
Authors: Wick Georg , Grundtman Cecilia , Mayerl Christina , Wimpissinger Thomas-Florian , Feichtinger Johann , Zelger Bettina , Sgonc Roswitha , Wolfram Dolores
Published: March 2013

Fibrosis is the production of excessive amounts of connective tissue, i.e., scar formation, in the course of reactive and reparative processes. Fibrosis develops as a consequence of various underlying diseases and presents a major diagnostically and therapeutically unsolved problem. In this review, we postulate that fibrosis is always a sequela of inflammatory processes and that the many different causes of fibrosis all channel into the same final stereotypical pathways. During the inflammatory phase, both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms are operative. This concept is exemplified by fibrotic diseases that develop as a consequence of tissue damage, primary inflammatory diseases, fibrotic alterations induced by foreign body implants, “spontaneous” fibrosis, and tumor-associated fibrotic changes.
T Cell–Mediated Host Immune Defenses in the Lung
Authors: Chen Kong , Kolls Jay K.
Published: March 2013

Evidence has increasingly shown that the lungs are a major site of immune regulation. A robust and highly regulated immune response in the lung protects the host from pathogen infection, whereas an inefficient or deleterious response can lead to various pulmonary diseases. Many cell types, such as epithelial cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, and B and T lymphocytes, contribute to lung immunity. This review focuses on the recent advances in understanding how T lymphocytes mediate pulmonary host defenses against bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens.
Postnatal amniotic fluid intake reduces gut inflammatory responses and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates
Authors: Siggers Jayda , Østergaard Mette V. , Siggers Richard H. , Skovgaard Kerstin , Mølbak Lars , Thymann Thomas , Schmidt Mette , Møller Hanne K. , Purup Stig , Fink Lisbeth N. , Frøkiær Hanne , Boye Mette , Sangild Per T. , Bering Stine B.
Published: March 2013

Preterm neonates are susceptible to gastrointestinal disorders such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Maternal milk and colostrum protects against NEC via growth promoting, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial factors. The fetal enteral diet amniotic fluid (AF), contains similar components, and we hypothesized that postnatal AF administration reduces inflammatory responses and NEC in preterm neonates. Preterm pigs (92% gestation) were delivered by caesarean section and fed parental nutrition (2 days) followed by enteral (2 days) porcine colostrum (COLOS, n = 7), infant formula (FORM, n = 13), or AF supplied before and after introduction of formula (AF, n = 10) in experiment 1, and supplied only during the enteral feeding period in experiment 2 (FORM, n = 16; AF, n = 14). The NEC score was reduced in both AF and COLOS pigs, relative to FORM, when AF was provided prior to full enteral feeding (9.9 and 7.7 compared with 17.3, P < 0.05). There was no effect of AF when provided only during enteral feeding. AF pigs showed decreased bacterial abundance in colon and intestinal inflammation-related genes (e.g., TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-6, NOS) were downregulated, relative to FORM pigs with NEC. Anti-inflammatory properties of AF were supported by delayed maturation and decreased TNF-α production in murine dendritic cells, as well as increased proliferation and migration, and downregulation of IL-6 expression in intestinal cells (IEC-6, IPEC-J2). Like colostrum, AF may reduce NEC development in preterm neonates by suppressing the proinflammatory responses to enteral formula feeding and gut colonization when provided before the onset of NEC.
Mast cell expression of the serotonin1Areceptor in guinea pig and human intestine
Authors: Wang Guo-Du , Wang Xi-Yu , Zou Fei , Qu Meihua , Liu Sumei , Fei Guijun , Xia Yun , Needleman Bradley J. , Mikami Dean J. , Wood Jackie D.
Published: March 2013

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is released from enterochromaffin cells in the mucosa of the small intestine. We tested a hypothesis that elevation of 5-HT in the environment of enteric mast cells might degranulate the mast cells and release mediators that become paracrine signals to the enteric nervous system, spinal afferents, and secretory glands. Western blotting, immunofluorescence, ELISA, and pharmacological analysis were used to study expression of 5-HT receptors by mast cells in the small intestine and action of 5-HT to degranulate the mast cells and release histamine in guinea pig small intestine and segments of human jejunum discarded during Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgeries. Mast cells in human and guinea pig preparations expressed the 5-HT1Areceptor. ELISA detected spontaneous release of histamine in guinea pig and human preparations. The selective 5-HT1Areceptor agonist 8-hydroxy-PIPAT evoked release of histamine. A selective 5-HT1Areceptor antagonist, WAY-100135, suppressed stimulation of histamine release by 5-HT or 8-hydroxy-PIPAT. Mast cell-stabilizing drugs, doxantrazole and cromolyn sodium, suppressed the release of histamine evoked by 5-HT or 8-hydroxy-PIPAT in guinea pig and human preparations. Our results support the hypothesis that serotonergic degranulation of enteric mast cells and release of preformed mediators, including histamine, are mediated by the 5-HT1Aserotonergic receptor. Association of 5-HT with the pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome) underlies a question of whether selective 5-HT1Areceptor antagonists might have therapeutic application in disorders of this nature.
Secondary electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (SESI-MS) breathprinting of multiple bacterial lung pathogens, a mouse model study
Authors: Zhu Jiangjiang , Bean Heather D. , Jiménez-Díaz Jaime , Hill Jane E.
Published: March 2013

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the leading causes of disease-related morbidity and mortality in the world, in part because the diagnostic tools for pneumonia are slow and ineffective. To improve the diagnosis success rates and treatment outcomes for bacterial lung infections, we are exploring the use of secondary electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (SESI-MS) breath analysis as a rapid, noninvasive method for determining the etiology of lung infections in situ. Using a murine lung infection model, we demonstrate that SESI-MS breathprints can be used to distinguish mice that are infected with one of seven lung pathogens: Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, representing the primary causes of bacterial pneumonia worldwide. After applying principal components analysis, we observed that with the first three principal components (primarily comprised of data from 14 peaks), all infections were separable via SESI-MS breathprinting ( P < 0.0001). Therefore, we have shown the potential of this SESI-MS approach for rapidly detecting and identifying acute bacterial lung infections in situ via breath analysis.
High-intensity interval training speeds the adjustment of pulmonary O2uptake, but not muscle deoxygenation, during moderate-intensity exercise transitions initiated from low and elevated baseline metabolic rates
Authors: Williams Alexandra M. , Paterson Donald H. , Kowalchuk John M.
Published: March 2013

During step transitions in work rate (WR) within the moderate-intensity (MOD) exercise domain, pulmonary O2uptake (V̇o2p) kinetics are slowed, and V̇o2pgain (ΔV̇o2p/ΔWR) is greater when exercise is initiated from an elevated metabolic rate. High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been shown to speed V̇o2pkinetics when step transitions to MOD exercise are initiated from light-intensity baseline metabolic rates. The effects of HIT on step transitions initiated from elevated metabolic rates have not been established. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of HIT on V̇o2pkinetics during transitions from low and elevated metabolic rates, within the MOD domain. Eight young, untrained men completed 12 sessions of HIT (spanning 4 wk). HIT consisted of 8–12 1-min intervals, cycling at a WR corresponding to 110% of pretraining maximal WR (WRmax). Pre-, mid- and posttraining, subjects completed a ramp-incremental test to determine maximum O2uptake, WRmax, and estimated lactate threshold (θ̂L). Participants additionally completed double-step constant-load tests, consisting of step transitions from 20 W → Δ45% θ̂L[lower step (LS)] and Δ45 → 90% θ̂L[upper step (US)]. HIT led to increases in maximum O2uptake ( P < 0.05) and WRmax( P < 0.01), and τV̇o2pof both lower and upper MOD step transitions were reduced by ∼40% (LS: 24 s → 15 s; US: 45 s → 25 s) ( P < 0.01). However, the time course of adjustment of local muscle deoxygenation was unchanged in the LS and US. These results suggest that speeding of V̇o2pkinetics in both the LS and US may be due, in part, to an improved matching of muscle O2utilization to microvascular O2delivery within the working muscle following 12 sessions of HIT, although muscle metabolic adaptations cannot be discounted.
New Strategies for Carcinoma of Unknown Primary: The Role of Tissue-of-Origin Molecular Profiling
Authors: Varadhachary Gauri
Published: March 2013

The taxonomy and management of carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) has matured over the past decade with the use of sophisticated imaging and pathologic tools. In the era of tailored therapeutics, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Tissue-of-origin (ToO) molecular profiling has an important role in the diagnostic armamentarium of CUP cancers, and its niche continues to evolve with ongoing prospective studies. Despite the inability to conduct direct validation (i.e., primary tumor), the use of the indirect validation methods with immunohistochemistry (IHC), imaging, and treatment response has allowed us to evaluate the performance accuracy of ToO profiling assays in CUP cancers. Despite advances, we struggle with the undifferentiated neoplasms, which often remain unclassifiable after an exhaustive use of IHC and ToO profiling assays. Genomic characterization of these and other select CUP cancers using next-generation sequencing techniques may reveal actionable biomarkers outside the (tissue specific) cellular framework. Also, going forward, using data from comparative effectiveness research, one could envision using a streamlined, cost-effective algorithm that integrates IHC and ToO molecular profiling in patients with limited (or difficult-to-access) biopsies and difficult-to-diagnose cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 19(15); 4027–33. ©2013 AACR.
CT and Clinical Predictors of Fatigue at One Month after Stroke
Authors: Kutlubaev Mansur A. , Shenkin Susan D. , Farrall Andrew J. , Duncan Fiona H. , Lewis Susan J. , Greig Carolyn A. , Dennis Martin S. , Wardlaw Joanna M. , MacLullich Alasdair M.J. , Mead Gillian E.
Published: March 2013

Background: Fatigue is a common and distressing consequence of stroke, and the aetiology of post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is poorly understood. It is unclear whether chronic brain changes [cerebral atrophy and white matter lesions (WML)], stroke lesion location or certain clinical features are related to its development. The aim of this study was to identify, in patients with acute stroke, whether features in different brain regions on routine CT imaging or routinely collected clinical features predicted PSF at 1 month. Methods: In total, 107 patients (62% male) with acute ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke were assessed for fatigue (Fatigue Assessment Scale), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at 1 month. Admission brain CT was rated using a structured scoring system for (i) severity of atrophy and (ii) severity of WML in different regions of the brain, and (iii) site of acute and previous vascular lesions. Results: Cerebral atrophy of mild or greater severity was present in 84 patients (77.5%) and WML of mild or greater severity was present in 54 patients (50.5%) in at least one of the evaluated brain regions. There was no association between PSF and severity of atrophy or WML, or presence of acute or previous vascular lesions. We used the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (OCSP) classification to explore the possible influence of lesion location because a minority of the patients (37.4%) had visible acute lesions. Fatigue scores were higher in patients with clinically diagnosed posterior strokes (p = 0.046), in females (p = 0.05) and in those with higher depression and anxiety scores (ρ = 0.52; p < 0.001 and ρ = 0.49; p < 0.001, respectively). Structural CT variables were not significant predictors of fatigue (log FAS) in a linear regression which controlled for age, sex, pre-stroke fatigue, OCSP classification, depression and anxiety. The significant predictors of fatigue were depression (β = 0.30; p = 0.007) and anxiety (β = 0.28; p = 0.013; adjusted R2 = 0.254). Stroke subtype (according to the OCSP classification) was marginally predictive (β = 0.17; p = 0.05) and sex was not statistically significant (β = 0.15; p = 0.08). Conclusions: Features on routine post-stroke CT do not appear to associate with fatigue at 1 month. However, clinically diagnosed posterior strokes as well as female gender, anxiety and depression may be linked with fatigue. Therefore, clinical vigilance rather than CT features should be used to predict fatigue early after stroke. Further research is needed in this area to establish whether biological mechanisms underlie the development of PSF.
Conversion of Human Fibroblasts to Functional Endothelial Cells by Defined Factors
Authors: Li Jun , Huang Ngan F. , Zou Jun , Laurent Timothy J. , Lee Jerry C. , Okogbaa Janet , Cooke John P. , Ding Sheng
Published: March 2013

Objective—

Transdifferentiation of fibroblasts to endothelial cells (ECs) may provide a novel therapeutic avenue for diseases, including ischemia and fibrosis. Here, we demonstrate that human fibroblasts can be transdifferentiated into functional ECs by using only 2 factors, Oct4 and Klf4, under inductive signaling conditions.

Approach and Results—

To determine whether human fibroblasts could be converted into ECs by transient expression of pluripotency factors, human neonatal fibroblasts were transduced with lentiviruses encoding Oct4 and Klf4 in the presence of soluble factors that promote the induction of an endothelial program. After 28 days, clusters of induced endothelial (iEnd) cells seemed and were isolated for further propagation and subsequent characterization. The iEnd cells resembled primary human ECs in their transcriptional signature by expressing endothelial phenotypic markers, such as CD31, vascular endothelial-cadherin, and von Willebrand Factor. Furthermore, the iEnd cells could incorporate acetylated low–density lipoprotein and form vascular structures in vitro and in vivo. When injected into the ischemic limb of mice, the iEnd cells engrafted, increased capillary density, and enhanced tissue perfusion. During the transdifferentiation process, the endogenous pluripotency network was not activated, suggesting that this process bypassed a pluripotent intermediate step.

Conclusions—

Pluripotent factor–induced transdifferentiation can be successfully applied for generating functional autologous ECs for therapeutic applications.
Angiotensin II–Induced Vascular Dysfunction Depends on Interferon-γ–Driven Immune Cell Recruitment and Mutual Activation of Monocytes and NK-Cells
Authors: Kossmann Sabine , Schwenk Melanie , Hausding Michael , Karbach Susanne H. , Schmidgen Maria I. , Brandt Moritz , Knorr Maike , Hu Hanhan , Kröller-Schön Swenja , Schönfelder Tanja , Grabbe Stephan , Oelze Matthias , Daiber Andreas , Münzel Thomas , Becker Christian , Wenzel Philip
Published: March 2013

Objective—

Immune cells contribute to angiotensin II (ATII)–induced vascular dysfunction and inflammation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), an inflammatory cytokine exclusively produced by immune cells, seems to be involved in ATII-driven cardiovascular injury, but the actions and cellular source of IFN-γ remain incompletely understood.

Approach and Results—

IFN-γ
−/−
and Tbx21
−/−
mice were partially protected from ATII-induced (1 mg/kg per day of ATII, infused subcutaneously by miniosmotic pumps) vascular endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction, whereas mice overexpressing IFN-γ showed constitutive vascular dysfunction. Absence of T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet), the IFN-γ transcription factor encoded by Tbx21, reduced vascular superoxide and peroxynitrite formation and attenuated expression of nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase subunits as well as inducible NO synthase, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and interleukin-12 in aortas of ATII-infused mice. Compared with controls, IFN-γ
−/−
and Tbx21
−/−
mice were characterized by reduced ATII-mediated vascular recruitment of both natural killer (NK)1.1
+
NK-cells as the major producers of IFN-γ and CD11b
+
Gr-1
low
interleukin-12 secreting monocytes. Selective depletion and adoptive transfer experiments identified NK-cells as essential contributors to vascular dysfunction and showed that T-bet
+
lysozyme M
+
myelomonocytic cells were required for NK-cell recruitment into vascular tissue and local IFN-γ production.

Conclusions—

We provide first evidence that NK-cells play an essential role in ATII-induced vascular dysfunction. In addition, we disclose the T-bet-IFN-γ pathway and mutual monocyte–NK-cell activation as potential therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A New Approach to Decision-Making in Mental Health Law
Authors: Morrissey Fiona
Published: March 2013

Abstract

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) requires us to engage in new approaches to decision-making in mental health law. The reclassification of mental health rights to the realm of disability rights is an important step towards equal treatment for persons with psychosocial disabilities. Law reformers worldwide are beginning to consider the implications of the provisions. Legislators will be required to understand the underlying philosophy of the CRPD to realise the rights set out in it. The CRPD possesses a number of innovative provisions which can transform decision-making in the mental health context. Article 12 provides a new conceptualisation of persons with disabilities and their capacity to participate by requiring support to exercise legal capacity. While good practice exists, the provision has yet to be fully implemented by many State Parties. This article discusses the impact of the CRPD on mental health law, legal capacity law and describes examples of supported decision-making models for mental health care.
The Legal Position of Vulnerable People in the Future: Improving or Going Backwards?
Authors: Dörenberg Vivianne , Frederiks Brenda
Published: March 2013

Abstract

Two vulnerable groups in our society are children with psychiatric problems and people with intellectual disabilities. The demand for care is growing every year in both groups. The current (Dutch) legal status of people with intellectual disabilities and children with psychiatric problems is one in which too much attention is devoted to the right to self-determination. An important question is whether this central feature is enough to support clients in both groups in such a way that they can develop their abilities. The Dutch government is currently preparing new legislation to replace the Psychiatric Hospitals Act. We recommend that this legislation should also take account of the right to development and the right to good care in order to deal with the dilemmas that will arise in the near future.
On the Identification of the Large-Scale Properties of Tropical Convection Using Cloud Regimes
Authors: Tan Jackson , Jakob Christian , Lane Todd P.
Published: March 2013

The use of cloud regimes in identifying tropical convection and the associated large-scale atmospheric properties is investigated. The regimes are derived by applying cluster analysis to satellite retrievals of daytime-averaged frequency distributions of cloud-top pressure and optical thickness within grids of 280 km by 280 km resolution from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project between 1983 and 2008. An investigation of atmospheric state variables as a function of cloud regime reveals that the regimes are useful indicators of the archetypal states of the tropical atmosphere ranging from a strongly convecting regime with large stratiform cloudiness to strongly suppressed conditions showing a large coverage with stratocumulus clouds. The convectively active regimes are shown to be moist and unstable with large-scale ascending motion, while convectively suppressed regimes are dry and stable with large-scale descending winds. Importantly, the cloud regimes also represent several transitional states. In particular, the cloud regime approach allows for the identification of the “building blocks” of tropical convection, namely, the regimes dominated by stratiform, deep, and congestus convection. The availability of the daily distribution of these building blocks for more than 20 years opens new avenues for the diagnosis of convective behavior as well as the evaluation of the representation of convection in global and regional models.
Equally Unprepared: Assessing the Hurricane Vulnerability of Undergraduate Students
Authors: Simms Jason L. , Kusenbach Margarethe , Tobin Graham A.
Published: March 2013

Students have been described as being both particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and highly resilient in recovery. In addition, they often have been treated as a distinct, homogeneous group sharing similar characteristics. This research tests these ideas through an examination of hurricane-related perceptions and preparations of students in a hurricane-prone area. A survey of over 500 undergraduate students (15% on-campus residents, 85% off campus) was conducted at the University of South Florida, a large, metropolitan-based university located in Tampa Bay, Florida, near the Gulf Coast. Following Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests, results showed that students were ill prepared for hurricanes and lacked specific knowledge of the risk. There were small but statistically significant differences in mean responses with respect to gender, age, and ethnicity on specific questions, while ethnicity most strongly warrants future research. Whether the magnitude of statistical differences results in behavioral differences is unclear. Using discriminant function analysis, attempts to identify heterogeneous subgroups based on gender, ethnicity, and age likewise found weak to moderate significant differences, supporting the contention that students are largely homogeneous with regard to certain aspects of hurricane perceptions and preparedness, though again ethnicity demands closer attention in subsequent studies.
The politics of experience: A discursive psychology approach to understanding different accounts of sexism in the workplace
Authors: Dick Penny
Published: March 2013

Researching sexism is not only a controversial undertaking, but one that is rendered problematic due to the fact that many individuals are reluctant to name certain experiences or practices as ‘sexist’. In this article, I use a discursive psychology approach to transcend arguments as to whether certain experiences and practices should be understood as sexist, focusing instead on how, in the context of a research ‘conversation’, participants attempt to warrant their own interpretations of these processes. Using data from research conversations held with two policewomen, who present very different accounts of sexism, I argue that social facts, like sexism, possess an inherent interpretive duality: they can be understood, simultaneously, to be both objective and subjective experiences. The study illustrates that the resolution of competing reality claims (e.g. is sexism a ‘fact’ or is it ‘in the eye of the beholder’) depends upon the processes through which particular versions of reality acquire authority. This essentially political process is, I argue, critical for understanding the reproduction, resilience and endurance of social facts such as sexism.
Katunkumene and Ancient Egypt in Africa
Authors: Siame Chisanga N.
Published: March 2013

This article, given life to a great extent by the “King Tut” craze of the 1970s, addresses the controversy regarding the “race” of the ancient Egyptians. It does so, however, not by interrogating the concept of race, but by simply inquiring into whether nonarchaeological, nonphysical anthropological evidence exists suggesting origins of the ancestors of present-day Africans in Egypt. A critical contention of the article is that mainstream Egyptology has failed to make the connection between contemporary Black Africa and ancient Egypt because its methods, steeped in positivism, assume that historical artifacts in themselves can furnish answers to questions of provenance without prior assumptions revolving around a particular provenance. At the very least, the methods have unjustifiably excluded from consideration contemporary Black Africa as the home of the descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Consequently, Egyptologists have characterized ancient Egyptian as an Afro-Asiatic language and failed to recognize its substantial Kiswahili-Bantu substrate, a failure that has resulted in many improperly transcribed hieroglyphs. Convinced that ancient Egyptian was substantially a Bantu language, I have been able not only to trace some names of its kings back to the ancient Nile Valley but also to link two words in Egyptian religious practice to traditional African religious practice. These measures, added to the alternative names for Egypt unearthed by my analysis of the existing terms in the literature suggest strongly ancient Egyptian ancestry of many people in southern Africa a provenance in ancient Egypt of a substantial number of Zambians.
The Effects of Social Determinants on Black Women’s HIV Risk
Authors: Davis Sarita K. , Tucker-Brown Aisha
Published: March 2013

Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. To theorize additional approaches to HIV prevention targeting Black women, this study explores how social determinants related to sexual oppression, poverty, racial segregation, and mass incarceration of Blacks place Black women at increased risk of HIV exposure. The role of other risk factors such as sexual exploitation of the Black female body, poverty, residential racial segregation, and the mass incarceration of Black men are also explored. The study concludes with an examination of how these social determinants might be used to inform prevention approaches to help reduce HIV transmissions among Black women.
Surface roughness and wettability of polypropylene composites filled with fast-growing biomass: Paulownia elongata wood
Authors: Kaymakci Alperen , Ayrilmis Nadir
Published: March 2013

This study investigated the surface roughness and wettability of polypropylene composites filled with Paulownia elongata wood flour with and without maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene at different wood flour contents (30, 40, 50, and 60 wt%). The surface roughness values of the filled polypropylene composites decreased with increasing content of the polypropylene. The polypropylene composites without the maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene were found to have higher surface roughness but better wettability as compared with the ones with the maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene. The wettability of polypropylene composites increased with increasing content of the wood flour. The incorporation of the coupling agent in the polypropylene composites decreased the wettability of the specimens compared with untreated ones. The test result showed that P. elongata wood flour could be utilized in the production of the filled polypropylene composites because of their satisfying surface properties of the composites.
Democratic Values and Support for Militant Politics
Authors: Fair C. Christine , Malhotra Neil , Shapiro Jacob N.
Published: March 2013

A long-standing research tradition on political culture argues that greater support for core liberal values leads to a rejection of destructive political activities and reduced support for violent politics. In this vein, many contemporary analysts of security policy contend that a lack of democratic values in the Middle East promotes the development of violent political organizations. Unfortunately, there have been few direct tests of the hypothesis that an individual’s rejection of democratic values correlates with support for militant groups. We conduct such a test in Pakistan using an original 6,000-person provincially representative survey. We find that strong supporters of democratic values are actually more supportive of militant groups and that this relationship is strongest among those who believe that Muslim rights and sovereignty are being violated in Kashmir. This is consistent with the context of Pakistani politics, where many militant groups use the principle of azadi (i.e., freedom and self-determination) to justify their actions. These results challenge the conventional wisdom about the roots of militancy and underscore the importance of understanding how local context mediates the influence of civic culture on political stability and violence.
Use of Syntax in Perceptual Compensation for Phonological Reduction
Authors: Tuinman Annelie , Mitterer Holger , Cutler Anne
Published: March 2013

Listeners resolve ambiguity in speech by consulting context. Extensive research on this issue has largely relied on continua of sounds constructed to vary incrementally between two phonemic endpoints. In this study we presented listeners instead with phonetic ambiguity of a kind with which they have natural experience: varying degrees of word-final /t/-reduction. In two experiments, Dutch listeners decided whether or not the verb in a sentence such as Maar zij ren(t) soms ‘But she sometimes run(s)’ ended in /t/. In Dutch, presence versus absence of final /t/ distinguishes third- from first-person singular present-tense verbs. Acoustic evidence for /t/ varied from clear to absent, and immediately preceding phonetic context was consistent with more versus less likely deletion of /t/. In both experiments, listeners reported more /t/s in sentences in which /t/ would be syntactically correct. In Experiment 1, the disambiguating syntactic information preceded the target verb, as above, while in Experiment 2, it followed the verb. The syntactic bias was greater for fast than for slow responses in Experiment 1, but no such difference appeared in Experiment 2. We conclude that syntactic information does not directly influence pre-lexical processing, but is called upon in making phoneme decisions.
Why Hans Morgenthau Was Not a Critical Theorist (and Why Contemporary IR Realists Should Care)
Authors: Levine Daniel J.
Published: March 2013

A growing body of critical and reflexive international relations (IR) realism draws on the work of Hans Morgenthau. While not without merit, I argue that these appropriations rely on selective – perhaps even wishful – readings of Morgenthau’s work: the reflexivity that he calls for, I argue, is not matched by what his theory actually delivers. Raising that distinction, I then trace out its consequences for contemporary critical and reflexive IR realists, in two steps. First, I identify similar reflexive shortcomings in recent work by neoclassical realist Randall Schweller. These, I suggest, point to abiding challenges to which contemporary critical/reflexive realism must prove itself equal. I then survey the notions of reflexivity at work in the critical/reflexive realism of Michael C. Williams and Richard Ned Lebow. Do they go far enough? Do they answer those challenges? I conclude by arguing that Morgenthau’s legacy for critical and reflexive realism should be reconsidered: properly understood, his work signals an impasse that is general to IR as a discipline. Signaling the depth of that impasse constitutes a lasting legacy, with which critical/reflexive realists have not yet dealt adequately.
Energy Pipeline Networks and Trust: The European Union and Russia in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Ziegler Charles E
Published: March 2013

Energy pipeline networks tie nations together in webs of interdependence that are mutually beneficial but which also make countries vulnerable. This article explores the relationship between political trust and energy pipelines connecting Russia and the European Union (EU). It seeks to explain low levels of trust in the EU–Russia energy relationship, varying levels of energy cooperation and trust within the EU toward Russia, and whether the EU–Russia energy relationship is representative of vulnerabilities shared by producers and consumers in other contexts. Rationalist approaches that focus on interests and reciprocity are incomplete and should be supplemented by a concept of trust based on normative factors. This article finds that political disputes with transit and consumer states, competing norms, and the legacy of mistrust from the Cold War (especially among certain East European countries) combined to form a uniquely toxic relationship.
Multipolarity, Multilateralism and Beyond …? EU– China Understandings of the International System
Authors: Scott David A
Published: March 2013

The European Union (EU) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) both use the terms ‘multipolarity’ and ‘multilateralism’ in their ‘public diplomacy’ rhetoric and in their analyses of the international system. However, while the EU stresses multilateralism, the PRC remains explicit in its welcome of multipolarity. Yet shifts are apparent. In part, there may be some ‘international socialisation’ in play in which EU multilateralism usage, normative underpinnings, rub off on the PRC. In part, both terms are being supplemented by still wider overlapping terms of references for an untidy multilevel international system, such as ‘interpolarity’, ‘asymmetrical multipolarity’, ‘region-polarity’, ‘inter-regionalism’, ‘multilateralising multipolarity’ and ‘multi-multilateralism’. An untidy multilevel EU may find it easier to operate in such a shifting international system than a tidy sovereignty-sensitive PRC?
Military Privatization and the Remasculinization of the State: Making the Link Between the Outsourcing of Military Security and Gendered State Transformations
Authors: Stachowitsch Saskia
Published: March 2013

This article examines the gendered implications of military privatization and argues that the outsourcing of military functions to the private sector excludes women from newly developing private military labour markets, impedes gender equality policies and reconstructs masculinist gender ideologies. This process constitutes a remasculinization of the state, in the course of which the nexus between state-sanctioned violence and masculinity is being reaffirmed. Recent research has introduced the concept of masculinity to the study of the private security sector. Building upon these approaches, the article integrates feminist theories of the state into the research field and evaluates their potential contributions to the analysis of military privatization. In an exemplary case study of the US military sector, this privatization is embedded within debates on the neo-liberal restructuring of the state and addressed as a gendered process through which the boundaries between the public and the private are being redrawn. The implications of these transformations are investigated at the levels of gender-specific labour division, gender policy and gender ideologies.
Correcting for Scale Perception Bias in Tourist Satisfaction Surveys
Authors: Araña Jorge E. , León Carmelo J.
Published: March 2013

Tourist satisfaction analysis provides important information that contributes to design public and private policies in tourist services and destinations. However, the responses to tourist satisfaction scales can lead to biased results when comparing tourists from different nationalities and backgrounds, since they might use different internal scale interpretations to assess their satisfaction level in a survey. In this article, the anchoring vignette methodology is used to test and correct for scale response bias in tourist satisfaction surveys. The results of the empirical application find out that scale response is not homogeneous across tourists from different nationalities and that the correction for scale differences can lead to an evaluation of tourist satisfaction that more accurately informs and facilitates improvements in policy decisions at tourist destinations and operators.
Recovering Biology’s Potential as a Science of Social Progress
Authors: Fuller Steve
Published: March 2013

Chris Renwick’s recent research into the fate of William Beveridge’s attempt to establish social biology as the foundational social science at the London School of Economics is history at its best by uncovering a moment in the past when decisions were taken comparable to ones being taken today. In this case, the issues concern the political and scientific foundations of the welfare state. By connecting Beveridge’s original reasoning to recruit Lancelot Hogben for the Rockefeller-sponsored social biology chair with his later formative role in the design of the British welfare state, we are able to witness an alternative vision of the left, one associated with the Fabian movement, which proceeded independently of its Marxist cousin. The Fabian focus on taxing “inheritance” in the broadest sense remains relevant to how we think about the human condition in an era when capitalism has come to encompass the ownership of genetic material.