bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The People in Your Neighborhood: Social Interactions and Mutual Fund Portfolios
Authors: POOL VERONIKA K. , STOFFMAN NOAH , YONKER SCOTT E.
Published: September 2014

We find that socially connected fund managers have more similar holdings and trades. The overlap of funds whose managers reside in the same neighborhood is considerably higher than that of funds whose managers live in the same city but in different neighborhoods. These effects are larger when managers share a similar ethnic background, and are not explained by preferences. Valuable information is transmitted through these peer networks: a long‐short strategy composed of stocks purchased minus sold by neighboring managers delivers positive risk‐adjusted returns. Unlike prior empirical work, our tests disentangle the effects of social interactions from community effects.
Rectally administrated misoprostol as an alternative to intravenous oxytocin infusion for preventing post‐partum hemorrhage after cesarean delivery
Authors: Chaudhuri Picklu , Mandi Subhra , Mazumdar Arindam
Published: September 2014

Aim

With the increasing rate of cesarean delivery (CD) worldwide, there is a need for a revision of practices to prevent post‐partum hemorrhage (PPH) after CD. In search of a safe, cheap and effective alternative to oxytocin for prevention of PPH during the postoperative period of CD, the present study aimed to compare rectally administrated misoprostol with i.v. oxytocin infusion.

Methods

A randomized, placebo‐controlled, double‐blind prospective trial was undertaken on 192 women who did not have risk factors for PPH and who had an uneventful emergency CD under spinal anesthesia. They were randomly allocated to receive either 800 mg of rectal misoprostol or an i.v. infusion of oxytocin at the end of operation. Primary outcome measures were the amount of postoperative (24 h) blood loss and incidence of PPH during the postoperative period. The secondary outcome measures were the postoperative drop in hemoglobin concentration after 24 h, need for additional uterotonic and blood transfusion, and side‐effects/complications during the 24‐h observation period.

Results

There was a significant reduction of blood loss in the misoprostol group compared with the oxytocin group (144.5 ± 100.1 vs 191.7 ± 117.1, P < 0.0001). The two groups were similar in terms of the secondary outcome parameters.

Conclusion

Rectally administrated 800‐mg misoprostol may be an effective alternative to oxytocin infusion to prevent PPH after CD.
Prenatal prediction of neonatal survival in cases diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia using abdomen‐to‐thorax ratio determined by ultrasonography
Authors: Lee Ji Yeon , Jun Jong Kwan , Lee JoonHo
Published: September 2014

Abstracts

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of abdomen‐to‐thorax ratio (ATR) measured by antenatal ultrasonography for predicting neonatal survival of fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH).

Material and Methods

We identified 75 fetuses who were prenatally diagnosed with CDH and delivered in Seoul National University Hospital from 1998 to 2012, retrospectively. Of these, 40 cases who met the following criteria were included: (i) singleton pregnancy; (ii) a case that had available ultrasonographic images; and (iii) a neonate in whom follow‐up until discharge from the hospital was available. ATR was measured as follows: each anteroposterior distance (APD) in the abdominal and thoracic cavity was measured in the same midsagittal plane with the fetal neutral position. A thoracic APD was measured from the back to the distal end of the sternum and an abdominal APD from the back to the most protruding abdominal surface. ATR is the ratio of the abdominal APD versus the thoracic APD.

Results

Survival rates were 57.5%. There were significant differences in ATR, lung–head ratio (LHR), observed/expected‐LHR, quantitative lung index and intrathoracic liver between survivors and non‐survivors. Regression analysis demonstrated that only ATR and intrathoracic position of the liver were independent predictors of survival. ATR by multivariate analysis had the most influence on survival rate (P = 0.002). The area under the receiver–operator curve for prediction of survival from ATR was 0.770 (P = 0.004). The diagnostic cut‐off value for ATR was 0.96.

Conclusions

Because ATR is effective to predict neonatal survival in CDH fetuses and is easy to measure, it can be used as another powerful parameter for managing CDH fetuses.
Variation and prognostic value of serum plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 before and after chemotherapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Chen Shutong , Tai Haifeng , Tong Xiaowen , Wang Jianjun , Yang Fang , Yang Yang , Yiqin Ouyang
Published: September 2014

Aim

The purpose of the present study was to explore variation and prognostic significance of serum plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) before the first cycle of chemotherapy and after the sixth cycle of chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients who had undergone cytoreductive surgery.

Material and Methods

We retrospectively evaluated the serum PAI‐1 level of EOC patients and healthy controls and investigated the correlation between both serum PAI‐1 levels of EOC patients we detected and clinicopathological characteristics. Survival rates were analyzed by using the Kaplan–Meier technique and Cox regression model.

Results

Serum PAI‐1 levels of EOC patients before the first cycle of chemotherapy and after the sixth cycle of chemotherapy were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (both P < 0.05). The results of Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that both serum PAI‐1 levels of EOC patients were associated with progression‐free survival and overall survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed the PAI‐1 level before the first cycle of chemotherapy was an independent prognostic marker of progression‐free survival (28.4 vs 49.6 months; P = 0.013) and overall survival (41.8 vs 53.8 months; P = 0.043).

Conclusions

Both serum PAI‐1 levels of EOC patients we detected were associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, residual tumor size and lymph node metastasis. The serum PAI‐1 level before the first cycle of chemotherapy is an independent predictor for EOC patients.
Reinstitutionalizing Families: Life Course Policy and Marriage in the Military
Authors: Lundquist Jennifer , Xu Zhun
Published: September 2014

The transition to adulthood has become an increasingly telescoped process for Americans, with marital formation occurring increasingly later in the life course. It is therefore striking to find a context like the U.S. military, in which marriage rates bear an anachronistic resemblance to those of the 1950s era. Using narrative data from life history interviews with military affiliates, the authors show that the military has reinstitutionalized military families at the same time that civilian families are becoming deinstitutionalized. Structural conditions of modern military service, such as war deployment and frequent geographical relocation, have created policies that rely on families to make these conditions more bearable for military personnel. These policies are part of an overarching institutional culture that directly and indirectly promotes marriage. The authors bring together life course literatures on turning points, the welfare state, and linked lives to show how the military has reinstitutionalized families in these ways.
Happy Marriage, Happy Life? Marital Quality and Subjective Well‐being in Later Life
Authors: Carr Deborah , Freedman Vicki A. , Cornman Jennifer C. , Schwarz Norbert
Published: September 2014

The authors examined associations between marital quality and both general life satisfaction and experienced (momentary) well‐being among older husbands and wives, the relative importance of own versus spouse's marital appraisals for well‐being, and the extent to which the association between own marital appraisals and well‐being is moderated by spouse's appraisals. Data are from the 2009 Disability and Use of Time daily diary supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 722). One's own marital satisfaction is a sizable and significant correlate of life satisfaction and momentary happiness; associations do not differ significantly by gender. The authors did not find a significant association between spouse's marital appraisals and own well‐being. However, the association between husband's marital quality and life satisfaction is buoyed when his wife also reports a happy marriage, yet flattened when his wife reports low marital quality. Implications for understanding marital dynamics and well‐being in later life are discussed.
Diet and Exercise in Parenthood: A Social Control Perspective
Authors: Reczek Corinne , Beth Thomeer Mieke , Lodge Amy C. , Umberson Debra , Underhill Megan
Published: September 2014

Previous work on social control—the direct and indirect regulation of an individual's health behaviors by others—suggests that parent–child relationships promote healthy diet and exercise. Yet parenthood is associated with less healthy diet and exercise patterns. The authors investigated this paradox by examining social control processes in 40 in‐depth interviews with mothers and fathers. They found that parenthood involves social control processes that both promote and compromise healthy behavior, contributing to contradictory perceived effects of parenthood on health behavior. Moreover, the dynamics of social control appear to unfold in different ways for mothers and fathers and depend on the child's gender and life stage, suggesting that gender and age dyads are central to understanding the seemingly contradictory consequences of parenthood at the population level. These articulations of gendered social control processes provide new insight into the consequences of the gendered organization of parenthood for diet and exercise.
Is the Cohabitation–Marriage Gap in Money Pooling Universal?
Authors: Hamplová Dana , Le Bourdais Céline , Lapierre‐Adamcyk Évelyne
Published: September 2014

Numerous studies have shown that cohabitors are less likely to pool their money than married couples. The authors raise the question of whether the marriage–cohabitation gap in money pooling varies according to the level of institutionalization of cohabitation in the society. They compared 2 Canadian regions with very different demographic regimes. The francophone province Québec has the highest proportion of cohabiting couples in the world, whereas the levels of cohabitation are moderate in other Canadian provinces. Moreover, the 2 regions differ in their legal systems (civil code vs. common law) and legal regulation of cohabitation. Using data from the Canadian 2011 General Social Survey (N = 9,852), the authors found that cohabitors in both regions are less likely to pool their money together. Nevertheless, they did not confirm the hypothesis that the marriage–cohabitation gap is smaller in Québec despite the higher levels of institutionalization of cohabitation in this region.
Antecedents, Consequences, and Mechanisms: On the Longitudinal Interplay Between Academic Self‐Enhancement and Psychological Adjustment
Authors: Dufner Michael , Reitz Anne K. , Zander Lysann
Published: September 2014

We investigated the reciprocal associations between academic self‐enhancement and key indicators of intra‐ and interpersonal adjustment as well as the role of self‐esteem as a mediator. This longitudinal study involved three assessments in a sample of 709 German children and adolescents (Mage = 11.83; 54% female) over the course of one academic year. We assessed self‐reported subjective well‐being as an indicator of intrapersonal adjustment and peer‐reported popularity as an indicator of interpersonal adjustment. We computed cross‐lagged and longitudinal mediational analyses. Academic self‐enhancement prospectively predicted high subsequent well‐being and popularity. Vice versa, well‐being and popularity prospectively predicted high subsequent levels of self‐enhancement. High self‐esteem mediated the longitudinal associations between self‐enhancement and well‐being in both directions, but not the links between self‐enhancement and popularity. Self‐enhancement and adjustment are bidirectionally linked: Self‐enhancement entails intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits; at the same time, adjustment in both domains fosters self‐enhancement. In terms of intrapersonal, but not interpersonal adjustment, self‐esteem seems to serve as a linchpin, accounting for all longitudinal associations. Furthermore, we present evidence indicating that self‐enhancement indicators that are based on difference scores (instead of residuals) are problematic and might have led to negatively biased results in the literature.
Do Formal Management Practices Impact the Emergence of Bootlegging Behavior?
Authors: Globocnik Dietfried , Salomo Søren
Published: September 2014

Innovation in an organization often relies on initiatives by employees who take action to develop their ideas and obtain buy‐in by organizational decision‐makers. To achieve this, employees sometimes apply unorthodox approaches, ignoring formal structures to further elaborate their ideas' potential and promote their implementation. They work without formal legitimacy and gather their own resources until sufficient clarity allows for informed decisions. Finally, they bypass formal communication channels to convince top management of the merits of their ideas. Despite the significance of such bootlegging behavior, research has barely addressed the antecedents of this deviance.

Drawing on strain theory and social cognitive theory, we study whether the emergence of bootlegging behavior is influenced by formal management practices, in particular, strategic autonomy, front‐end formality, rewards, and sanctions. Additionally, we investigate the role of employees' self‐efficacy related to innovation tasks at the entrepreneurial stage to explain the emergence of bootlegging. We tested the proposed relationships with empirical field survey data using structural equation modeling. In summary, this paper concludes that intrapreneurial self‐efficacy, strategic autonomy, and rewards for innovation accomplishments foster bootlegging. Front‐end formality has a positive effect on bootlegging by increasing intrapreneurial self‐efficacy, but it reduces the likelihood that employees will ignore formal structures when promoting their ideas and gathering their own resources to support their bootlegging efforts.
A Controlled Community‐Based Trial to Promote Smoke‐Free Policy in Rural Communities
Authors: Hahn Ellen J. , Rayens Mary Kay , Adkins Sarah , Begley Kathy , York Nancy
Published: September 2014

Purpose

Rural, tobacco‐growing areas are disproportionately affected by tobacco use, secondhand smoke, and weak tobacco control policies. The purpose was to test the effects of a stage‐specific, tailored policy‐focused intervention on readiness for smoke‐free policy, and policy outcomes in rural underserved communities.

Methods

A controlled community‐based trial including 37 rural counties. Data were collected annually with community advocates (n = 330) and elected officials (n = 158) in 19 intervention counties and 18 comparison counties over 5 years (average response rate = 68%). Intervention communities received policy development strategies from community advisors tailored to their stage of readiness and designed to build capacity, build demand, and translate and disseminate science. Policy outcomes were tracked over 5 years.

Findings

Communities receiving the stage‐specific, tailored intervention had higher overall community readiness scores and better policy outcomes than the comparison counties, controlling for county‐level smoking rate, population size, and education. Nearly one‐third of the intervention counties adopted smoke‐free laws covering restaurants, bars, and all workplaces compared to none of the comparison counties.

Conclusions

The stage‐specific, tailored policy‐focused intervention acted as a value‐added resource to local smoke‐free campaigns by promoting readiness for policy, as well as actual policy change in rural communities. Although actual policy change and percent covered by the policies were modest, these areas need additional resources and efforts to build capacity, build demand, and translate and disseminate science in order to accelerate smoke‐free policy change and reduce the enormous toll from tobacco in these high‐risk communities.
Is legal reasoning like medical reasoning?
Authors: Samuel Geoffrey
Published: September 2014

In this paper, stimulated by the publication some years ago in France of a small book on medical reasoning, legal and medical reasoning are compared. The question that is asked is whether the differences between the two types of reasoning will permit one to have a better understanding of some of the methodological and epistemological issues associated with legal reasoning. It will be argued that although medical and legal reasoners do share things in common, legal reasoning, perhaps unlike medical reasoning, is actually concerned less with the explanation or even comprehension of texts or the facts of a dispute (explicatio causæ) and more with what will be termed the ‘manipulation’ of facts (accommodatio factorum). Lawyers purify and (or) construct ‘virtual’ factual situations out of perceived ‘actual’ factual situations in order to make them conform or not conform in an isomorphic way with factual situations implied by a legal text or precedent. Medical reasoning is equally complex but facts are read in a different way.
Serum metabolic signatures of primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Bell Lauren N , Wulff Jacob , Comerford Megan , Vuppalanchi Raj , Chalasani Naga
Published: September 2014

Background & Aims

A greater understanding of cholestatic disease is necessary to advance diagnostic tools and therapeutic options for conditions such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the serum metabolomes of patients with PBC (n = 18) or PSC (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 10) and to identify metabolites that may differentiate these two cholestatic diseases.

Methods and Results

Using a mass spectrometry‐based, non‐targeted biochemical profiling approach, we identified 420 serum metabolites, 101 that differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) between PBC and control groups, 115 that differed significantly between PSC and control groups, and 56 that differed significantly between PSC and PBC groups. Random forest classification analysis was able to distinguish patients with PBC or PSC with 95% accuracy with selected biochemicals reflective of protein and amino acid metabolism identified as the major contributors. Metabolites related to bile acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress/lipid peroxidation were also identified as differing significantly when comparing the disease groups and controls, with some of these pathways differentially affected in the PBC and PSC groups.

Conclusion

In this study, we identified novel metabolic changes associated with cholestatic disease that were both consistent and different between PBC and PSC. Validation studies in larger patient cohorts are required to determine the utility of these biochemical markers for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of patients with PBC and PSC.
The Top 10 oomycete pathogens in molecular plant pathology
Authors: Kamoun Sophien , Furzer Oliver , Jones Jonathan D. G. , Judelson Howard S. , Ali Gul Shad , Dalio Ronaldo J. D. , Roy Sanjoy Guha , Schena Leonardo , Zambounis Antonios , Panabières Franck , Cahill David , Ruocco Michelina , Figueiredo Andreia , Chen Xiao‐Ren , Hulvey Jon , Stam Remco , Lamour Kurt , Gijzen Mark , Tyler Brett M. , Grünwald Niklaus J. , Mukhtar M. Shahid , Tomé Daniel F. A. , Tör Mahmut , Van Den Ackerveken Guido , McDowell John , Daayf Fouad , Fry William E. , Lindqvist‐Kreuze Hannele , Meijer Harold J. G. , Petre Benjamin , Ristaino Jean , Yoshida Kentaro , Birch Paul R. J. , Govers Francine
Published: September 2014

Oomycetes form a deep lineage of eukaryotic organisms that includes a large number of plant pathogens which threaten natural and managed ecosystems. We undertook a survey to query the community for their ranking of plant‐pathogenic oomycete species based on scientific and economic importance. In total, we received 263 votes from 62 scientists in 15 countries for a total of 33 species. The Top 10 species and their ranking are: (1) Phytophthora infestans; (2, tied) Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis; (2, tied) Phytophthora ramorum; (4) Phytophthora sojae; (5) Phytophthora capsici; (6) Plasmopara viticola; (7) Phytophthora cinnamomi; (8, tied) Phytophthora parasitica; (8, tied) Pythium ultimum; and (10) Albugo candida. This article provides an introduction to these 10 taxa and a snapshot of current research. We hope that the list will serve as a benchmark for future trends in oomycete research.
Visceral larva migrans syndrome: analysis of serum cytokine levels in children with hepatic lesions confirmed in radiological findings
Authors: Mazur‐Melewska K. , Jończyk K. , Modlińska‐Cwalińska A. , Figlerowicz M. , Służewski W.
Published: September 2014

Human toxocariasis is a helminth zoonosis resulting from accidental infection of humans by the roundworms Toxocara canis (T. canis) and cati (T. cati). The infection occurs in five forms: systemic (VLM), ocular, neurological, covert and asymptomatic. The aim of this study was to characterize the radiological and immunological findings in hepatic inflammation during the course of systemic infection by Toxocara sp. in children. Fifteen children, 2 to 17 years of age, with serological diagnosis of T. canis infection underwent abdominal ultrasonography and computer tomography (CT). Eosinophil counts, immunoglobulin E titres, interleukins IL‐1α, IL‐4, Il‐6, IL‐10 and interferon gamma were measured for all patients. Abdominal ultrasound revealed multiple hypoechoic areas in the livers of all patients. On the CT images, the hepatic lesions were seen as multiple, ill‐defined, oval low‐attenuating nodules that measured 6 to 9 millimetres in diameter. The nodules were usually best seen in the portal venous phase and were not seen on arterial‐phase images. Significant intergroup differences were observed in the concentrations of IL‐1α, IL‐4, IL‐6 and IL‐10. The level of IFN‐γ was not significantly elevated in patient sera relative to controls. The analysis shows that the production of anti‐inflammatory cytokines is insufficient for granuloma formation in children presenting liver lesions in the course of VLM.
Effects of Quadratic Singular Curves in Integrable Equations
Authors: Chen Aiyong , Wen Shuangquan , Tang Shengqiang , Huang Wentao , Qiao Zhijun
Published: September 2014

In this paper, the effects of quadratic singular curves in integrable wave equations are studied by using the bifurcation theory of dynamical system. Some new singular solitary waves (pseudo‐cuspons) and periodic waves are found more weak than regular singular traveling waves such as peaked soliton (peakon), cusp soliton (cuspon), cusp periodic wave, etc. We show that while the first‐order derivatives of the new singular solitary wave and periodic waves exist, their second‐order derivatives are discontinuous at finite number of points for the solitary waves or at infinitely countable points for the periodic wave. Moreover, an intrinsic connection is constructed between the singular traveling waves and quadratic singular curves in the phase plane of traveling wave system. The new singular periodic waves, pseudo‐cuspons, and compactons emerge if corresponding periodic orbits or homoclinic orbits are tangent to a hyperbola, ellipse, and parabola. In particular, pseudo‐cuspon is proposed for the first time. Finally, we study the qualitative behavior of the new singular solitary wave and periodic wave solutions through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.
“God … has sent me to Germany”: Salomon Maimon, Friedrich Jacobi, and the Spinoza Quarrel
Authors: Rosenstock Bruce
Published: September 2014

Salomon Maimon's Versuch über die Transzendentalphilosophie [Essay in Transcendental Philosophy] (1790) challenges and reworks Kant's arguments in the Kritik der reinen Vernunft [Critique of Pure Reason] (1785, 2nd ed. 1787) about the foundations of natural science and of Newtonian physics in particular. Kant himself was impressed both with Maimon's grasp of his critical project and also with the force of his challenge to it. While Maimon's significance on the later development of German Idealism is now widely acknowledged, another aspect of Maimon's Versuch has not been fully appreciated, namely, its engagement with the central questions of the Spinozastreit [Spinoza Quarrel] that erupted in 1785 with the publication of Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi's Über die Lehre des Spinoza in Briefen an den Herrn Moses Mendelssohn [Concerning the Doctrine of Spinoza in Letters to Moses Mendelssohn]. The Spinoza Quarrel centered on whether and to what extent philosophy's rational understanding of God needs to be grounded in an unmediated and suprarational revelatory experience. This paper is the first extended effort at placing Maimon's Versuch into the context of the Spinoza Quarrel. I argue that the Spinoza Quarrel and Maimon's self‐proclaimed philosophical mission in response to it—the replacement of revealed faith by reason—deeply inform the goals he pursues in his Versuch. I show how Maimon's Versuch can be read as not only a response to Kant, but also to Jacobi's defense of the revelatory nature of sense experience in David Hume über den Glauben (1787), the book in which Jacobi offers his own skeptical challenge to Kant's Kritik. Situating Maimon's Versuch as a response to Friedrich Jacobi's David Hume allows us to understand how one of Maimon's objectives in his Versuch is to keep Jacobian Glaube [faith] at bay by demonstrating, using a revised Kantian framework, the conditions of the impossibility of experiencing miracles.
Some Features of Promises and their Obligations
Authors: Pratt Michael G.
Published: September 2014

Promises raise two main philosophical problems, one moral and the other conceptual. The moral problem concerns the normative significance of promising: what is the nature and basis of the obligations and rights to which promises typically give rise? The conceptual problem is to say what a promise is: what is involved in making a promise? In this paper I defend three controversial claims about promising. One is about the moral problem of promising, one is about the conceptual problem, and the last one is about the relationship between my conceptual claim and my moral claim. My conceptual claim is that a speaker makes a promise only if he communicates an intention to undertake an obligation to the hearer. (I refer to this as the “Obligation Conception Thesis.”) My moral claim is that the obligations typically attached to promises are such that they can be acquired only by those who communicate an intention to undertake an obligation. (I refer to this as the “Voluntary Obligation Thesis.”) My third claim is that if the Obligation Conception Thesis is true, the Voluntary Obligation Thesis is true.
“Katrina Bloggers Activate!”: The Long‐Term Effects of Digital Media on Civic Participation
Authors: Ostertag Stephen F. , Ortiz David G.
Published: September 2014

There is a lively debate on the relationship between digital media and civic participation. Some scholars argue that digital media adversely affect civic participation, others that the effect of digital media on civic participation is negligible, and still others claim that digital media strengthens civic participation. Yet, most of this research is based on cross‐sectional methodologies, treats digital media as a uniform entity, and overlooks new civic formations that better resonate with current social and technological environments. We address these criticisms with a retrospective case study of blogging in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Through in‐depth interviews, supplemental survey data, analysis of blog posts, and field notes, we show how a number of New Orleans’ residents used blogs to organize and take part in a variety of civic actions in the months and years after hurricane Katrina. We discuss the implications of these findings for current debates on the relationship between digital media and civic participation.
XTH20 and XTH19 regulated by ANAC071 under auxin flow are involved in cell proliferation in incised Arabidopsis inflorescence stems
Authors: Pitaksaringkarn Weerasak , Matsuoka Keita , Asahina Masashi , Miura Kenji , Sage‐Ono Kimiyo , Ono Michiyuki , Yokoyama Ryusuke , Nishitani Kazuhiko , Ishii Tadashi , Iwai Hiroaki , Satoh Shinobu
Published: September 2014

One week after partial incision of Arabidopsis inflorescence stems, the repair process in damaged tissue includes pith cell proliferation. Auxin is a key factor driving this process, and ANAC071, a transcription factor gene, is upregulated in the distal region of the incised stem. Here we show that XTH20 and the closely related XTH19, members of xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases family catalyzing molecular grafting and/or hydrolysis of cell wall xyloglucans, were also upregulated in the distal part of the incised stem, similar to ANAC071. XTH19 was expressed in the proximal incision region after 3 days or after auxin application to the decapitated stem. Horizontal positioning of the plant with the incised side up resulted in decreased ProDR5:GUS, ANAC071, XTH20, and XTH19 expression and reduced pith cell proliferation. In incised stems of Pro35S:ANAC071‐SRDX plants, expression of XTH20 and XTH19 was substantially and moderately decreased, respectively. XTH20 and XTH19 expression and pith cell proliferation were suppressed in anac071 plants and were increased in Pro35S:ANAC071 plants. Pith cell proliferation was also inhibited in the xth20xth19 double mutant. Furthermore, ANAC071 bound to the XTH20 and XTH19 promoters to induce their expression. This study revealed XTH20 and XTH19 induction by auxin via ANAC071 in the distal part of an incised stem and their involvement in cell proliferation in the tissue reunion process.
Development of a bifunctional filter for prion protein and leukoreduction of red blood cell components
Authors: Yokomizo Tomo , Kai Takako , Miura Morikazu , Ohto Hitoshi
Published: September 2014

Background

Leukofiltration of blood components is currently implemented worldwide as a precautionary measure against white blood cell–associated adverse effects and the potential transmission of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD). A newly developed bifunctional filter (Sepacell Prima, Asahi Kasei Medical) was assessed for prion removal, leukoreduction (LR), and whether the filter significantly affected red blood cells (RBCs).

Study Design and Methods

Sepacell Prima's postfiltration effects on RBCs, including hemolysis, complement activation, and RBC chemistry, were compared with those of a conventional LR filter (Sepacell Pure RC). Prion removal was measured by Western blot after spiking RBCs with microsomal fractions derived from scrapie‐infected hamster brain homogenate. Serially diluted exogenous prion solutions (0.05 mL), with or without filtration, were injected intracerebrally into Golden Syrian hamsters.

Results

LR efficiency of 4.44 log with the Sepacell Prima was comparable to 4.11 log with the conventional LR filter. There were no significant differences between the two filters in hemoglobin loss, hemolysis, complement activation, and RBC biomarkers. In vitro reduction of exogenously spiked prions by the filter exceeded 3 log. The titer, 6.63 (log ID50/mL), of prefiltration infectivity of healthy hamsters was reduced to 2.52 (log ID50/mL) after filtration. The reduction factor was calculated as 4.20 (log ID50).

Conclusion

With confirmed removal efficacy for exogenous prion protein, this new bifunctional prion and LR filter should reduce the residual risk of vCJD transmission through blood transfusion without adding complexity to component processing.
A New Perspective on the Walking Margin of Stability
Authors: Terry Kevin , Stanley Christopher , Damiano Diane
Published: September 2014

There remains a pressing need for a stability metric that can reliably identify fall susceptibility during walking, enabling more effective gait rehabilitation for reduced fall incidence. One available metric is the maximum margin of stability (MOSmax), which is calculated using the body’s center of mass (COM) position and velocity along with the location of the maximum center of pressure (COPmax). However, MOSmax has several limitations that may limit stability assessment. Specifically, the assumptions of a fixed COP and constant ground reaction force (GRF) are not applicable to gait. To address these limitations, a modified MOS equation that allows for a variable COP and is not dependent on a constant GRF is presented here. The modified MOS was significantly lower than MOSmax throughout a significant portion of single limb support for normal walking gait. This finding indicates the MOSmax metric may lack sensitivity to instability as it may still be positive when the actual MOS indicates existing or impending instability. This comparison also showed that the MOS might offer additional information about walking stability relevant to gait assessment for fall prevention and rehabilitation. However, like other stability metrics, this capability must be established with further investigations of perturbed and pathological gait.
An Examination of the Reliability and Factor Structure of the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals With Physical Disabilities (PASIPD) Among Individuals Living With Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Jimenez-Pardo J. , Holmes J.D. , Jenkins M.E. , Johnson A.M.
Published: September 2014

Physical activity is generally thought to be beneficial to individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). There is, however, limited information regarding current rates of physical activity among individuals with PD, possibly due to a lack of well-validated measurement tools. In the current study we sampled 63 individuals (31 women) living with PD between the ages of 52 and 87 (M = 70.97 years, SD = 7.53), and evaluated the amount of physical activity in which they engaged over a 7-day period using a modified form of the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD). The PASIPD was demonstrated to be a reliable measure within this population, with three theoretically defensible factors: (1) housework and home-based outdoor activities; (2) recreational and fitness activities; and (3) occupational activities. These results suggest that the PASIPD may be useful for monitoring physical activity involvement among individuals with PD, particularly within large-scale questionnaire-based studies.
Achieving Against the Odds: Gender, Chance and Contradiction in the Horseracing Industry
Authors: Butler Deborah Ann
Published: September 2014

In this paper I ask how it is that women, despite being a significant part of the workforce in horseracing, are still only a minority of professional jockeys. I explore the relationship between social practices and the gender based inequalities and use Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital and habitus to analyze its classed and gendered nature. I draw on an ethnographic study of a racing yard, focusing particularly on the experiences of Anne Dudley, one of my female interviewees, who, unusually, had ridden as a jockey. She typifies the ways in which women’s career trajectories within the racing field are shaped by access to physical and social capital. I argue that habitus can be used to illustrate how redirection(s) in practices or ideas are brought about within a patriarchal, masculine field of power.
Animal Blood Sport: A Ritual Display of Masculinity and Sexual Virility
Authors: Kalof Linda
Published: September 2014

Blood sport—the practice of pitting animals against each other (or against humans) in bloody combat to the death—is a tragic form of human entertainment that has been resilient since antiquity. While animal blood sport is a form of human driven sport related violence that involves the abuse and suffering of other animals (Young 2012), it also provides an “identity prop” (Dunning 1999): all male competitive sports and games provide men with a way to demonstrate masculinity by feminizing opponents (Dundes 1997). This theoretical argument has not been systematically analyzed in the sociology of sport, and my essay is an attempt to fill that gap. I examine animal blood sport with a focus on its connection to the validation of masculinity and heterosexuality.
The Terrier [Men]
Authors: Atkinson Michael
Published: September 2014

‘Terrier work’ is an historical and deeply significant rural practice in the United Kingdom, in which small or medium size terriers are employed to track, capture and kill foxes in the larger context of an organized foxhunt. Between 2007-2009, I spent time following a small group of ‘terrier men’ and their dogs around the East Midlands countryside as part of an ethnographic project on the use of dogs in rural (mainly fox) hunting cultures. A small faction of these terrier men living in England and Wales participate in a quasi-legal hunting subculture. In this paper, and drawing heavily upon animal standpoint theory (Best, 2013), I shift analytic focus in human-nonhuman animal studies away from human constructions/ uses/ meanings of animals in animal ‘blood sports’ (Gillett & Gilbert, 2013), and consider a fox hunting case study from the positions and subjectivities of the animals involved. This reading calls sociologists of sport and physical culture to reconsider how human-animal sports, analyzed from marginalized or silenced standpoints, direct attention to the interplay between power, instincts, and desires involved when species interactively meet.
More Than Murder: Ethics and Hunting in New Zealand
Authors: Gibson Kass
Published: September 2014

In this article I examine the practice of hunting in New Zealand with particular reference to the ways in which hunters make sense of hunting, the embodied experience of hunting, and the moral status of animals. Drawing on ethnographic and interview data I reflect on how the practice and understanding of hunting is guided by a form of relational ethics. As such, the social and historical development of hunting in New Zealand and meaningful connections made with the environment and animals developed through the practice of hunting work to guide hunter’s ethical perspectives rather than any universalized philosophical principles or rules. I argue that by hunting, hunters recognize and consciously engage with multiple standpoints and interests in the backcountry environment in a manner that presents particular challenges to critical studies of human-animal interactions that are frequently unable to look past hunting as killing. As such, this article works to explicate the “experiential and cultural complexities” (Marvin, 2011 p.123) of hunting with particular emphasis on the development of an ethical perspective that guides hunters in New Zealand without seeking to judge, or defend, hunting and hunters.
Oxidative DNA damage induces the ATM-mediated transcriptional suppression of the Wnt inhibitor WIF-1 in systemic sclerosis and fibrosis
Authors: Svegliati Silvia , Marrone Giusi , Pezone Antonio , Spadoni Tatiana , Grieco Antonella , Moroncini Gianluca , Grieco Domenico , Vinciguerra Maria , Agnese Savina , Jüngel Astrid , Distler Oliver , Musti Anna Maria , Gabrielli Armando , Avvedimento Enrico V.
Published: September 2014

DNA damage not only promotes a mitotic checkpoint response but also activates a pathway that can produce fibrotic disease.
Phosphorylation of the TATA-binding protein activates the spliced leader silencing pathway in
Trypanosoma brucei
Authors: Hope Ronen , Ben-Mayor Efrat , Friedman Nehemya , Voloshin Konstantin , Biswas Dipul , Matas Devorah , Drori Yaron , Günzl Arthur , Michaeli Shulamit
Published: September 2014

Kinase signaling links endoplasmic reticulum stress to mRNA trans-splicing in
Trypanosoma brucei
.
Activating a Receptor to Excite a Neuron
Authors: Vinson Valda K.
Published: September 2014

X-ray structures provide insight into how an ion channel involved in activation of neurons is gated.
Push Me, Pull You, That’s the Way to Move
Authors: Hurtley Stella M.
Published: September 2014

Human fibroblast migration in a physiological extracellular matrix relies on a polarized intracellular pressure gradient.
DOG1 Controls Seed Germination
Authors: Berndt Jason D.
Published: September 2014

DOG1 controls temperature-dependent seed dormancy through effects on gibberellic acid metabolism.
Tubing with VIP
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: September 2014

The neuropeptide VIP is released by parasympathetic nerves and promotes the development of the salivary gland in mice.
Picornavirus Morphogenesis
Authors: Jiang Ping , Liu Ying , Ma Hsin-Chieh , Paul Aniko V. , Wimmer Eckard
Published: September 2014

The
Picornaviridae
represent a large family of small plus-strand RNA viruses that cause a bewildering array of important human and animal diseases. Morphogenesis is the least-understood step in the life cycle of these viruses, and this process is difficult to study because encapsidation is tightly coupled to genome translation and RNA replication. Although the basic steps of assembly have been known for some time, very few details are available about the mechanism and factors that regulate this process. Most of the information available has been derived from studies of enteroviruses, in particular poliovirus, where recent evidence has shown that, surprisingly, the specificity of encapsidation is governed by a viral protein-protein interaction that does not involve an RNA packaging signal. In this review, we make an attempt to summarize what is currently known about the following topics: (i) encapsidation intermediates, (ii) the specificity of encapsidation (iii), viral and cellular factors that are required for encapsidation, (iv) inhibitors of encapsidation, and (v) a model of enterovirus encapsidation. Finally, we compare some features of picornavirus morphogenesis with those of other plus-strand RNA viruses.
Microbial Peptidyl-Prolyl
cis
/
trans
Isomerases (PPIases): Virulence Factors and Potential Alternative Drug Targets
Authors: Ünal Can M. , Steinert Michael
Published: September 2014

Initially discovered in the context of immunomodulation, peptidyl-prolyl
cis/trans
isomerases (PPIases) were soon identified as enzymes catalyzing the rate-limiting protein folding step at peptidyl bonds preceding proline residues. Intense searches revealed that PPIases are a superfamily of proteins consisting of three structurally distinguishable families with representatives in every described species of prokaryote and eukaryote and, recently, even in some giant viruses. Despite the clear-cut enzymatic activity and ubiquitous distribution of PPIases, reports on solely PPIase-dependent biological roles remain scarce. Nevertheless, they have been found to be involved in a plethora of biological processes, such as gene expression, signal transduction, protein secretion, development, and tissue regeneration, underscoring their general importance. Hence, it is not surprising that PPIases have also been identified as virulence-associated proteins. The extent of contribution to virulence is highly variable and dependent on the pleiotropic roles of a single PPIase in the respective pathogen. The main objective of this review is to discuss this variety in virulence-related bacterial and protozoan PPIases as well as the involvement of host PPIases in infectious processes. Moreover, a special focus is given to
Legionella pneumophila
macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) and Mip-like PPIases of other pathogens, as the best-characterized virulence-related representatives of this family. Finally, the potential of PPIases as alternative drug targets and first tangible results are highlighted.
DNA Repair Mechanisms and Their Biological Roles in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Lee Andrew H. , Symington Lorraine S. , Fidock David A.
Published: September 2014

Research into the complex genetic underpinnings of the malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
is entering a new era with the arrival of site-specific genome engineering. Previously restricted only to model systems but now expanded to most laboratory organisms, and even to humans for experimental gene therapy studies, this technology allows researchers to rapidly generate previously unattainable genetic modifications. This technological advance is dependent on DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR), specifically homologous recombination in the case of
Plasmodium
. Our understanding of DSBR in malaria parasites, however, is based largely on assumptions and knowledge taken from other model systems, which do not always hold true in
Plasmodium
. Here we describe the causes of double-strand breaks, the mechanisms of DSBR, and the differences between model systems and
P. falciparum
. These mechanisms drive basic parasite functions, such as meiosis, antigen diversification, and copy number variation, and allow the parasite to continually evolve in the contexts of host immune pressure and drug selection. Finally, we discuss the new technologies that leverage DSBR mechanisms to accelerate genetic investigations into this global infectious pathogen.
An unlikely cause of severe malnutrition in a 3-year-old girl with previous gastroschisis
Authors: Ashton J J , Blackburn S , Burge D , Beattie R M
Published: September 2014

A 3-year-old girl with previous gastroschisis associated with jejunal and colonic atresia presented with severe oedema, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Clinically she was malnourished. Serum albumin and concentrations of micronutrients were low. A barium meal examination showed jejunal dilation. A stricture was suspected and the patient was taken to theatre where an 8 cm length of bowel was resected including a jejunal stricture at the point of previous atresia repair. Inside the proximal dilated jejunum was a large trichobezoar (hairball), thought to be acting as a ball valve inside the bowel. This girl made a rapid recovery after surgery. Her nutritional state improved, symptoms resolved and serum biochemistry normalised. She remains well at follow-up with normal blood results, normal albumin and no diarrhoea.
Stigma and mental health challenges in medical students
Authors: Hankir Ahmed Khaldoon , Northall Amy , Zaman Rashid
Published: September 2014

Despite the perception that medical students and doctors should be ‘invincible’, mental health challenges are common in this population. Medical students and doctors have low levels of help seeking for their own psychiatric problems often only presenting to mental health services once a crisis arises. Fear of exposure to stigmatisation is a crucial factor contributing to symptom concealment and is a barrier to accessing mental health services. Autobiographical narratives of the ‘Wounded Healer’ are gaining popularity among medical students and doctors with mental health challenges both as an effective form of adjunctive therapy and as a means to campaign against stigma. Indeed, the results of a randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of Coming Out Proud with mental illness revealed immediate positive effects on stigma stress-related variables. We provide an autobiographical narrative from a medical student who has first-hand experience with mental health challenges.