bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forward kinematics solutions of a special six-degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator with three limbs
Authors: Fu Jianxun , Gao Feng , Pan Yang , Du Hui
Published: May 2015

This article presents a special 6-degree-of freedom parallel manipulator, and the mechanical structure of this robot has been introduced; with this structure, the kinematic constrain equations are decoupled. Based on this character, the polynomial solutions of the forward kinematics problem are also presented. In this method, the closed-loop kinematic chain of the manipulator is divided into two parts, the solution forward position kinematics is obtained by a first-degree polynomial equation first, and then an eighth-degree polynomial equation in a single variable for the forward orientation kinematics is obtained. Based on those solutions, the configurations of the robot, including position and orientation of the end-effector, are graphically displayed. A numerical simulation is given to verify the algorithm, and the result implies that for a given set of input values, the manipulator can be assembled in eight different configurations at most. And a set of experiments illustrate the motion ability for forward kinematics of the prototype of this manipulator.
Consideration on punching shear strength of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete slabs
Authors: Ju Hyunjin , Cheon Na-Rae , Lee Deuck Hang , Oh Jae-Yuel , Hwang Jin-Ha , Kim Kang Su
Published: May 2015

The flat plate slab system is widely used in construction fields due to its excellent constructability and savings in story height compared to the conventional beam-column moment-resisting system. Many researchers are, however, concerned about the punching shear failure that can happen in a two-way flat plate slab system, for which many shear-strength-enhancement techniques have been suggested. One of the effective alternatives is the application of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete. However, most previous studies on the punching shear strength of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slabs had presented empirical formulas based on experimental results. On the other hand, theoretical models proposed in previous studies are difficult to be applied to practical situations. Therefore, in this study, a punching shear strength model of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete two-way flat slab is proposed. In this model, the total shear resistance of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slab is expressed by sum of the shear contribution of steel fibers in the cracked tension region and that of intact concrete in the compression zone. A total of 91 shear test data on steel-fiber-reinforced concrete slab–column connection were compared to the analysis results, and the proposed model provided a good accuracy on estimating the punching shear strength of the steel-fiber-reinforced concrete flat slabs.
Application of the multi-kernel non-negative matrix factorization on the mechanical fault diagnosis
Authors: Yang Yongsheng , Zhang Youyun , Zhu Yongsheng
Published: May 2015

Although the computation amount involved in the image processing is very large, image information which is very intuitive and easy to be understood has attracted great many attentions in the fault diagnosis of machines. In order to extract useful features from the images accurately and perfectly, a novel mechanical fault diagnosis method was proposed by the combination of the multi-kernel non-negative matrix factorization and multi-kernel support vector machine. The genetic algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of both multi-kernel non-negative matrix factorization and multi-kernel support vector machine. Experiments were used to validate the efficacy of the proposed method. It is shown that the multi-kernel function combined with the polynomial kernel function and radial-based kernel function can describe the fault feature more perfectly in the kernel space than a single kernel function. Sound accuracy can be obtained in the application of the bearing fault diagnosis. Compared with the fault diagnosis method based on the sparse non-negative matrix factorization, the proposed method is more accurate in the condition identification of rotor.
“Zebra world”: The promotion of imperial stereotypes in a children’s book
Authors: Layne Heidi , Alemanji Amikeng A
Published: May 2015

Learning materials have become significant determinants of quality learning environments for young children. This study presents an example of such learning material in the Finnish context – a children’s book entitled: Bibi muuttaa Suomeen (translated: Bibi Moves to Finland) by Katja Kallio and Maggie Lindholm (2005 ). The main concern of this article is how the ‘us’ and ‘them’ (Finland vs. Africa) meet or co-exist together in the book, which describes a young girl, Bibi, her life in a ‘traditional’ African village and subsequent move to Finland. The positive intention of the book is to familiarize Finnish children with different cultures and the life of immigrant children. In this study concepts such as ‘Whiteness’, normality and belonging are discussed within a critical approach to intercultural education. The data consist of a focus group interview conducted for student teachers and our own analysis as two experts in the book. The material was analysed with the help of critical discourse analysis and a critical incident approach. The results show that despite good intentions to educate children about immigration and other people in a more positive light, the book serves to maintain the social structure of Finnish society as White, modern and superior to ‘others’ in Africa. It is important that teachers and teacher educators are able to challenge this type of representation of the world and of immigration in children’s books and learning materials.
Development and Validation of a Rapid 13C6-Glucose Isotope Dilution UPLC-MRM Mass Spectrometry Method for Use in Determining System Accuracy and Performance of Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices
Authors: Matsunami Risë K. , Angelides Kimon , Engler David A.
Published: May 2015

Background:

There is currently considerable discussion about the accuracy of blood glucose concentrations determined by personal blood glucose monitoring systems (BGMS). To date, the FDA has allowed new BGMS to demonstrate accuracy in reference to other glucose measurement systems that use the same or similar enzymatic-based methods to determine glucose concentration. These types of reference measurement procedures are only comparative in nature and are subject to the same potential sources of error in measurement and system perturbations as the device under evaluation. It would be ideal to have a completely orthogonal primary method that could serve as a true standard reference measurement procedure for establishing the accuracy of new BGMS.

Methods:

An isotope-dilution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (ID-UPLC-MRM) assay was developed using 13C6-glucose as a stable isotope analogue to specifically measure glucose concentration in human plasma, and validated for use against NIST standard reference materials, and against fresh isolates of whole blood and plasma into which exogenous glucose had been spiked. Assay performance was quantified to NIST-traceable dry weight measures for both glucose and 13C6-glucose.

Results:

The newly developed assay method was shown to be rapid, highly specific, sensitive, accurate, and precise for measuring plasma glucose levels. The assay displayed sufficient dynamic range and linearity to measure across the range of both normal and diabetic blood glucose levels. Assay performance was measured to within the same uncertainty levels (<1%) as the NIST definitive method for glucose measurement in human serum.

Conclusions:

The newly developed ID UPLC-MRM assay can serve as a validated reference measurement procedure to which new BGMS can be assessed for glucose measurement performance.
Current Concepts in Hip Preservation Surgery
Authors: Adler Kelly L. , Cook P. Christopher , Yen Yi-Meng , Giordano Brian D.
Published: May 2015

Context:

An evolution in conceptual understanding, coupled with technical innovations, has enabled hip preservation surgeons to address complex pathomorphologies about the hip joint to reduce pain, optimize function, and potentially increase the longevity of the native hip joint. Technical aspects of hip preservation surgeries are diverse and range from isolated arthroscopic or open procedures to hybrid procedures that combine the advantages of arthroscopy with open surgical dislocation, pelvic and/or proximal femoral osteotomy, and biologic treatments for cartilage restoration.

Evidence Acquisition:

PubMed and CINAHL databases were searched to identify relevant scientific and review articles from January 1920 to January 2015 using the search terms hip preservation, labrum, surgical dislocation, femoroacetabular impingement, peri-acetabular osteotomy, and rotational osteotomy. Reference lists of included articles were reviewed to locate additional references of interest.

Study Design:

Clinical review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Results:

Thoughtful individualized surgical procedures are available to optimize the femoroacetabular joint in the presence of hip dysfunction.

Conclusion:

A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between femoral and pelvic orientation, morphology, and the development of intra-articular abnormalities is necessary to formulate a patient-specific approach to treatment with potential for a successful long-term result.
Neuro-Ophthalmological Emergencies
Authors: Lemos João , Eggenberger Eric
Published: May 2015

Neuro-ophthalmological emergencies constitute vision or life-threatening conditions if diagnosis and treatment are not promptly undertaken. Even with immediate therapy, these clinical entities carry a high rate of morbidity. They may present with diplopia, visual loss, and/or anisocoria. Arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is an ominous condition, which can cause permanent and severe vision loss, stroke, or aortic dissection, requiring immediate steroid therapy. Pituitary apoplexy may go unnoticed if only computed axial tomography is performed. Diseases affecting the cavernous sinus and orbital apex region, such as cavernous sinus thrombosis or mucormycosis, can give rise to simultaneous vision loss and diplopia and, if not treated, may extend to the brain parenchyma causing permanent neurological sequela. An isolated third nerve palsy may be the harbinger of a cerebral aneurysm, carrying a significant risk of mortality. Horner syndrome can be the initial presentation of a carotid dissection, an important cause of stroke in the young adult. The neurohospitalist should be familiar with the workup and management of neuro-ophthalmological emergencies.
P2Y12 antagonists in non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes: latest evidence and optimal use
Authors: Norgard Nicholas B. , DiNicolantonio James J.
Published: May 2015

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), which includes the combination of aspirin and a P2Y12 platelet receptor inhibitor, is a well-established antiplatelet regimen in the treatment of patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Three P2Y12 inhibitor options (clopidogrel, prasugrel and ticagrelor) are currently available, all having different efficacy and safety profiles along with contrasting contraindications, special warnings and precautions for use. This review compares and contrasts the unique P2Y12 antagonists in the NSTE-ACS setting, covering the latest evidence and their optimal use.
Introducing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to a physiotherapy-led pain rehabilitation programme: an Action Research study
Authors: Barker Karen L , Heelas Leila , Toye Francine
Published: May 2015

Background:

Recent developments in pain rehabilitation emphasise the importance of promoting psychological flexibility. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one approach that has been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, studies have shown that introducing innovative approaches such as ACT into established health care can cause some anxiety for professional groups. We used Action Research to evaluate the implementation of ACT to a physiotherapy-led pain rehabilitation programme.

Methods:

All staff in the pain service were invited to participate. Participants took part in focus groups, engaged in reflective sessions/meetings and completed reflective diaries. The analysis was undertaken by an experienced qualitative researcher using constant comparison. Participants reviewed emerging themes and validated the findings.

Results:

Four key themes emerged from the study: (a) the need to see pain as an embodied, rather than dualistic, experience; (b) the need for a more therapeutic construction of ‘acceptance’; (c) value-based goals as profound motivation for positive change; and (d) it’s quite a long way from physiotherapy. Integral to a therapeutic definition of acceptance was the challenge of moving away from ‘fixing’ towards ‘sitting with’. Participants described this as uncomfortable because it did not fit their biomedical training.

Conclusion:

This article describes how Action Research methodology was used in the introduction of ACT to a physiotherapy-led pain rehabilitation programme. The innovation of this study is that it helps us to understand the potential barriers and facilitators to embedding an ACT philosophy within a physiotherapy setting.
The social identity voting model: Ideology and community structures
Authors: Pauls Scott D , Leibon Greg , Rockmore Daniel
Published: May 2015

Social identity voting (SIV) is a new model of voting behavior based on the principles of social identity theory. We introduce and use this model to analyze roll call votes for the 35th through 112th US Congresses. Comparing out-of-sample accuracy of SIV and Poole and Rosenthal’s Weighted NOMINAL Three-step Estimation (W-NOMINATE), we find that SIV performs better than the one- or two-dimensional W-NOMINATE model and that generally, W-NOMINATE needs up to 10 dimensions to produce accuracy comparable to that of SIV. The differences between SIV and W-NOMINATE are further clarified in three case studies: first, a longitudinal examination of all Congresses; second, an analysis of the 112th House of Representatives; and third, a study of the Tea Party caucus in the 112th House of Representatives. Each study sheds new light on the potential motivations driving voting behavior, supporting our assertion that the SIV and W-NOMINATE models provide two distinct approaches to understanding voting records. SIV, with its emphasis on political identity derived from group membership, expresses combinations of individual and group preferences which contribute to legislators’ ideological classifications.
Non-contrast-enhanced MR portography and hepatic venography with time-spatial labeling inversion pulses: comparison at 1.5 Tesla and 3 Tesla
Authors: Ohno Tsuyoshi , Isoda Hiroyoshi , Furuta Akihiro , Togashi Kaori
Published: May 2015

Background

A 3 Tesla (3 T) magnetic resonance (MR) scanner is a promising tool for upper abdominal MR angiography. However, there is no report focused on the image quality of non-contrast-enhanced MR portography and hepatic venography at 3 T.

Purpose

To compare and evaluate images of non-contrast-enhanced MR portography and hepatic venography with time-spatial labeling inversion pulses (Time-SLIP) at 1.5 Tesla (1.5 T) and 3 T.

Material and Methods

Twenty-five healthy volunteers were examined using respiratory-triggered three-dimensional balanced steady-state free-precession (bSSFP) with Time-SLIP. For portography, we used one tagging pulse (selective inversion recovery) and one non-selective inversion recovery pulse; for venography, two tagging pulses were used. The relative signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were quantified, and the quality of visualization was evaluated.

Results

The CNRs of the main portal vein, right portal vein, and left portal vein at 3 T were better than at 1.5 T. The image quality scores for the portal branches of segment 4, 5, and 8 were significantly higher at 3 T than at 1.5 T. The CNR of the right hepatic vein (RHV) at 3 T was significantly lower than at 1.5 T. The image quality scores of RHV and the middle hepatic vein were higher at 1.5 T than at 3 T. For RHV visualization, the difference was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Non-contrast-enhanced MR portography with Time-SLIP at 3 T significantly improved visualization of the peripheral branch in healthy volunteers compared with1.5 T. Non-contrast-enhanced MR hepatic venography at 1.5 T was better than at 3 T.
Criminal Justice Involvement, Drug Use, and Depression Among African American Children of Incarcerated Parents
Authors: Kopak Albert M. , Smith-Ruiz Dorothy
Published: May 2015

The incarcerated population in the United States is disproportionately African American and many inmates are parents of children under the age of 18. Recent reports show that African American children were significantly more likely than White children to have a parent in prison. Emerging research has also begun to investigate some of the effects that parental incarceration can have on children, but little has focused exclusively on the population of African American youth. This study draws on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to examine how having a father, a mother, or both parents incarcerated may be associated with an array of adverse life circumstances (i.e., criminal justice contact, drug use, and depression) for African American children. Differences were examined among children who had (a) an imprisoned mother, (b) an imprisoned father, (c) both parents imprisoned, and (d) neither parent imprisoned. Results indicated that having different parents imprisoned early in life was differentially associated with negative outcomes during emerging adulthood. These findings have important implications for the development of prevention and intervention programs for African American children of incarcerated parents.
Comparison of fatigue crack propagation in nickel base superalloys RR1000 and Udimet 720Li
Authors: Pang H. T. , Hardy M. C. , Hide N. , Wilcock I. M. , Henderson M. B. , Reed P. A. S.
Published: May 2015

The effects of temperature, dwell and environment on the fatigue crack growth behaviour of two nickel base turbine disc superalloys RR1000 and Udimet 720Li are presented in the present paper. Fatigue tests were carried out at room temperature in air using a 20 Hz sinusoidal loading waveform and at elevated temperatures of 650 and 725°C in both air and vacuum environments using a trapezoidal loading waveform with dwell times at a maximum load of 1 or 20 s. The fatigue crack propagation resistance of both materials is rationalised in terms of the influence of microstructure as well as the effects of alloy chemistry.
Development of stretch flangeable ferrite–bainite grades through thin slab casting and rolling
Authors: Mukherjee M. , Chintha A.R. , Kundu S. , Misra S. , Singh J. , Bhanu C. , Venugopalan T.
Published: May 2015

The focus towards the design of light environment friendly fuel efficient vehicles has led to an increase in the demand for high strength steels. As it is true for any developing country, the extra challenge for Indian steel industries is to produce such high strength steels at minimum cost. The aim of the present work was to develop two high strength steel grades with minimum tensile strengths of 540 and 590 MPa, in combination with good ductility and stretch flangeability, through the thin slab casting and rolling route. The present paper describes the alloy and process design methodology used for achieving the target properties. Several mill trials were taken to test the proposed design, wherein the target microstructure and mechanical properties were successfully achieved.
Plasma biomarkers of acute GVHD and nonrelapse mortality: predictive value of measurements before GVHD onset and treatment
Authors: McDonald George B. , Tabellini Laura , Storer Barry E. , Lawler Richard L. , Martin Paul J. , Hansen John A.
Published: May 2015

Key Points

Before GVHD treatment, informative plasma biomarkers included TIM3, IL6, sTNFR1 (for grade 3-4 GVHD), and ST2 and sTNFR1 (for NRM at 1 year). In a day 14 landmark analysis, plasma TIM3 was predictive of grade 3-4 GVHD.
An integrative analysis of post-translational histone modifications in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Veluchamy Alaguraj , Rastogi Achal , Lin Xin , Lombard Bérangère , Murik Omer , Thomas Yann , Dingli Florent , Rivarola Maximo , Ott Sandra , Liu Xinyue , Sun Yezhou , Rabinowicz Pablo D. , McCarthy James , Allen Andrew E. , Loew Damarys , Bowler Chris , Tirichine Leïla
Published: May 2015

Background

Nucleosomes are the building blocks of chromatin where gene regulation takes place. Chromatin landscapes have been profiled for several species, providing insights into the fundamental mechanisms of chromatin-mediated transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, knowledge is missing for several major and deep-branching eukaryotic groups, such as the Stramenopiles, which include the diatoms. Diatoms are highly diverse and ubiquitous species of phytoplankton that play a key role in global biogeochemical cycles. Dissecting chromatin-mediated regulation of genes in diatoms will help understand the ecological success of these organisms in contemporary oceans.

Results

Here, we use high resolution mass spectrometry to identify a full repertoire of post-translational modifications on histones of the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, including eight novel modifications. We map five histone marks coupled with expression data and show that P. tricornutum displays both unique and broadly conserved chromatin features, reflecting the chimeric nature of its genome. Combinatorial analysis of histone marks and DNA methylation demonstrates the presence of an epigenetic code defining activating or repressive chromatin states. We further profile three specific histone marks under conditions of nitrate depletion and show that the histone code is dynamic and targets specific sets of genes.

Conclusions

This study is the first genome-wide characterization of the histone code from a stramenopile and a marine phytoplankton. The work represents an important initial step for understanding the evolutionary history of chromatin and how epigenetic modifications affect gene expression in response to environmental cues in marine environments.
A facile, stereoselective, one-pot synthesis of resveratrol derivatives
Authors: Birar Vishal C , Sheerin Angela N , Milkovicova Jana , Faragher Richard G A , Ostler Elizabeth L
Published: May 2015

Background

Compounds based on trans-1,2-diphenylethene are the subject of intense interest both for their optical properties and as potential leads for drug discovery, as a consequence of their anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Perhaps the best known of these is trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene (resveratrol), that has been identified as a promising lead in the search for anti-ageing therapeutics.

Results

We report here a new, convenient, one-pot stereo-selective synthesis of resveratrol and other trans-stilbene derivatives. A wide range of known and novel “Resveralogues” were synthesised by using this simple protocol, including examples with electron donating and electron withdrawing substituents, in uniformly high yield. The structures of all compounds were confirmed by standard methods including 1H and 13C NMR, IR and High Resolution Mass spectroscopy.

Conclusions

We have established a simple and convenient protocol for resveralogue synthesis. It is readily scalable, and sufficiently robust and simple for ready use in automated synthesis or for library development of resveralogues. This supersedes previously reported synthetic methods that required inert conditions, extensive purification and/or costly reagents.
Ergodic approximations via matrix regularization approach
Authors: Marino Giuseppe , Cianciaruso Filomena , Hussain Nawab
Published: May 2015

In this paper we use a matrix approach to approximate solutions of variational inequalities in Hilbert spaces. The methods studied combine new or well-known iterative methods (as the original Mann method) with regularized processes that involve regular matrices in the sense of Toeplitz. We obtain ergodic type results and convergence.
Beneficial effect of phosphatidylcholine supplementation in alleviation of hypomania and insomnia in a Chinese bipolar hypomanic boy and a possible explanation to the effect at the genetic level
Authors: Rao Shitao , Lam Marco H B , Wing Yun Kwok , Yim Larina C L , Chu Winnie C W , Yeung Venus S Y , Waye Mary M Y
Published: May 2015

Introduction

Recent studies indicated that supplementation of phosphatidylcholine has been found to be beneficial for psychiatric diseases and Diacylglycerol Kinase, Eta (DGKH) protein was involved in regulating the metabolism of phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol. This study reported a case of a 16-year-old Chinese boy with bipolar hypomania symptoms receiving supplementation of phosphatidylcholine, and a genetic study of a risk variant of DGKH gene was performed in an attempt to provide an explanation for the potential beneficial effect of phosphatidylcholine supplementation.

Case description

We described a case of a 16-year-old boy with bipolar disorder, who suffered from monthly episodes of insomnia accompanied by hypomania for 5 months despite adherence to medication. After supplementation of phosphatidylcholine, he returned to a normal sleeping pattern and recovered from hypomania symptoms for approximately 14 months. Furthermore, genotyping results showed that this boy carries the risk genotype (G/C) in DGKH variant rs77072822 (adjusted p-value = 0.025 after 2000 permutation tests).

Discussion and evaluation

The 16-year-old boy appears to have benefited from the supplementation with phosphatidylcholine and recovered from hypomania symptoms. He carries a risk genotype in rs77072822 which lies in the first intron of DGKH gene that was mostly reported to be associated with bipolar disorder. Thus, this finding is consistent with the hypothesis that alleviating the phosphatidylcholine deficiencies might accompany with the risk variants of DGKH gene, which might improve the efficacies of such supplementation and design new treatment strategies for bipolar disorder.

Conclusions

This study illustrated that a 16-year-old boy with hypomania symptoms responded well to supplementation of phosphatidylcholine and the boy carries a risk genotype in DGKH gene for bipolar disorder, which provides a possible explanation for the boy’s beneficial effect at the genetic level.
Poverty alleviation by Zakah in a transitional economy: a small business entrepreneurial framework
Authors: Hoque Nazamul , Khan Mohammad Aktaruzzaman , Mohammad Kazi Deen
Published: May 2015

Around 3 billion people are living in poverty of which 35 % are from Muslim World (World Bank 2010). In this case, global Muslim community has prime role to address the injustice of global poverty through zakah as an Islamic faith-based institution and having potential annual fund of $139.32 billion in Muslim world. This study designed an explanatory sequential mixed method. For qualitative data, 17 managers were interviewed and 85 zakah recipients were purposively surveyed (disproportionate sampling) for quantitative purpose between August 1 and December 30, 2013. The results indicate that zakah has significant bearing on the conditions of zakah recipients and lie the foundation of developing small business entrepreneurship by mobilizing zakah as seed money (investment) and not as spent money (consumption). A five-phased process model underpinned by two well-grounded theories: Becker’s human capital theory and Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation taxonomy has been proposed for developing entrepreneurship having universal application. The model’s implications for alleviating poverty by governments, zakah management institutions, and policy makers also discussed in the paper.
JMSS-1: a new Martian soil simulant
Authors: Zeng Xiaojia , Li Xiongyao , Wang Shijie , Li Shijie , Spring Nicole , Tang Hong , Li Yang , Feng Junming
Published: May 2015

It is important to develop Martian soil simulants that can be used in Mars exploration programs and Mars research. A new Martian soil simulant, called Jining Martian Soil Simulant (JMSS-1), was developed at the Lunar and Planetary Science Research Center at the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The raw materials of JMSS-1 are Jining basalt and Fe oxides (magnetite and hematite). JMSS-1 was produced by mechanically crushing Jining basalt with the addition of small amounts of magnetite and hematite. The properties of this simulant, including chemical composition, mineralogy, particle size, mechanical properties, reflectance spectra, dielectric properties, volatile content, and hygroscopicity, have been analyzed. On the basis of these test results, it was demonstrated that JMSS-1 is an ideal Martian soil simulant in terms of chemical composition, mineralogy, and physical properties. JMSS-1 would be an appropriate choice as a Martian soil simulant in scientific and engineering experiments in China’s Mars exploration in the future.
NK cells inhibit humoral immunity by reducing the abundance of CD4+ T follicular helper cells during a chronic virus infection
Authors: Cook Kevin D , Kline Hannah C , Whitmire Jason K
Published: May 2015

There is a need to understand better how to improve B cell responses and immunity to persisting virus infections, which often cause debilitating illness or death. People with chronic virus infection show evidence of improved virus control when there is a strong neutralizing antibody response, and conversely, B cell dysfunction is associated with higher viral loads. We showed previously that NK cells inhibit CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to disseminating LCMV infection and that depletion of NK cells attenuates chronic infection. Here, we examined the effect of NK cell depletion on B cell responses to LCMV infection in mice. Whereas mice infected acutely generated a peak level of antibody soon after the infection was resolved, mice infected chronically showed a continued increase in antibody levels that exceeded those after acute infection. We found that early NK cell depletion rapidly increased virus-specific antibody levels to chronic infection, and this effect depended on CD4+ T cells and was associated with elevated numbers of CXCR5+CD4+ TFH cells. However, the NK cell-depleted mice controlled the infection and by 1 mo pi, had lower TFH cell numbers and antibody levels compared with mice with sustained infection. Finally, we show that NK cell depletion improved antiviral CD8+ T cell responses only when B cells and virus-specific antibody were present. Our data indicate that NK cells diminish immunity to chronic infection, in part, by suppressing TFH cell and antibody responses.
Validation and Development of a Modified Breast Graded Prognostic Assessment As a Tool for Survival in Patients With Breast Cancer and Brain Metastases
Authors: Subbiah Ishwaria M. , Lei Xiudong , Weinberg Jeffrey S. , Sulman Erik P. , Chavez-MacGregor Mariana , Tripathy Debu , Gupta Rohan , Varma Ankur , Chouhan Jay , Guevarra Richard P. , Valero Vicente , Gilbert Mark R. , Gonzalez-Angulo Ana M.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

Several indices have been developed to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with breast cancer with brain metastases, including the breast graded prognostic assessment (breast-GPA), comprising age, tumor subtype, and Karnofsky performance score. However, number of brain metastases—a highly relevant clinical variable—is less often incorporated into the final model. We sought to validate the existing breast-GPA in an independent larger cohort and refine it integrating number of brain metastases.

Patients and Methods

Data were retrospectively gathered from a prospectively maintained institutional database. Patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases from 1996 to 2013 were identified. After validating the breast-GPA, multivariable Cox regression and recursive partitioning analysis led to the development of the modified breast-GPA. The performances of the breast-GPA and modified breast-GPA were compared using the concordance index.

Results

In our cohort of 1,552 patients, the breast-GPA was validated as a prognostic tool for OS (P < .001). In multivariable analysis of the breast-GPA and number of brain metastases (> three v ≤ three), both were independent predictors of OS. We therefore developed the modified breast-GPA integrating a fourth clinical parameter. Recursive partitioning analysis reinforced the prognostic significance of these four factors. Concordance indices were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.80) and 0.84 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.85) for the breast-GPA and modified breast-GPA, respectively (P < .001).

Conclusion

The modified breast-GPA incorporates four simple clinical parameters of high prognostic significance. This index has an immediate role in the clinic as a formative part of the clinician's discussion of prognosis and direction of care and as a potential patient selection tool for clinical trials.
Polymorphisms in Genes Related to Oxidative Stress Are Associated With Inferior Cognitive Function After Therapy for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Cole Peter D. , Finkelstein Yaron , Stevenson Kristen E. , Blonquist Traci M. , Vijayanathan Veena , Silverman Lewis B. , Neuberg Donna S. , Sallan Stephen E. , Robaey Philippe , Waber Deborah P.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

Survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exhibit increased rates of neurocognitive deficits. This study was conducted to test whether interpatient variability in neurocognitive outcomes can be explained by polymorphisms in candidate genes conferring susceptibility to neurocognitive decline.

Methods

Neurocognitive testing was conducted in 350 pediatric leukemia survivors, treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium Protocols 95-01 or 00-01. Genomic DNA was isolated from bone marrow collected at remission. Candidate polymorphisms were selected on the basis of prior literature, targeting genes related to drug metabolism, oxidative damage, altered neurotransmission, neuroinflammation, and folate physiology. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected using either a customized multiplexed Sequenom MassARRAY assay or polymerase chain reaction–based allelic discrimination assays. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the effects of genotype on neurocognitive outcomes, adjusted for the effects of demographic and treatment variables. False-discovery rate correction was made for multiple hypothesis testing, indicated as a Q value.

Results

Inferior cognitive or behavioral outcomes were associated with polymorphisms in three genes related to oxidative stress and/or neuroinflammation: NOS3 (IQ, Q = 0.008; Vocabulary Q = 0.011; Matrix Reasoning Q = 0.008), SLCO2A1 (IQ Q = 0.043; Digit Span Q = 0.006; Block Design Q = 0.076), and COMT (Behavioral Assessment System for Children-2 Attention Q = 0.080; and Hyperactivity Q = 0.084). Survivors homozygous for NOS3 894T, with at least one SLCO2A1 variant G allele or with at least one GSTP1 variant allele, had lower mean estimated IQ scores than those without these genotypes.

Conclusion

These data are consistent with the hypothesis that oxidative damage contributes to chemotherapy-associated neurocognitive decline among children with leukemia.
What Are Human Rights?
Authors: Azoulay Ariella
Published: May 2015

Azoulay argues that human rights discourse is based on a separation between a closed past, in which what was robbed is no longer contested because the violent dispossession has been legalized and naturalized, and an indefinite future in which the rights of “everyman,” as it were—the typical protagonist of a common declarations of rights—would not be violated. This separation is at the basis of the common discourse of human rights and justifies us calling such a discourse a sovereign discourse of rights. For this sovereign discourse, the state of historical inequality as well as people’s coming together in public to perform their rights are neither points of departure nor concrete bids for reparation and compensation. When people perform their rights in concrete situations of harm and deprivation their performance is usually interpreted as a protest, and they are often blamed with the disturbance of public order and are responded to in kind. Based on Azoulay’s work on revolutionary moments, the essay works to reconstruct a civil discourse of human rights from these sites where people perform together.
Making Space for the Nation
Authors: Siddiqi Asif
Published: May 2015

Through newly accessible archival materials, this essay recovers a particular moment in the birth of the Indian space program when its principal architects sought to leverage US commitment to Indian development to create the technical know-how for an Indian television broadcasting satellite. This commitment was manifested in modernization theorists’ belief in the role of modern media as an enabler of development in India. Simultaneously, the US State Department orchestrated a program of assistance to India on space-related matters as a foil against India’s nuclear ambitions in the wake of the Chinese possession of the bomb. Both strategies were instruments of US ideological posturing in the developing world, a convergence of interventions that provided the perfect opportunity for Indian actors to seize the initiative and establish a foothold for a space program through an experiment that linked space activities with an egalitarian ethos. Thus, we see here the production of knowledge contained in a space whose meaning could be freely altered to contain a variety of incongruences (global, local, civilian, military, etc.) that were deeply emblematic of the encounter in the late twentieth century between elite Indian scientific and technological actors and the forces of modernization.
Populist Publics
Authors: Cody Francis
Published: May 2015

Some concept of mass publicity is foundational for a number of theories of democratic self-determination, but the subject of publicity is radically dependent on technologies of representation for its own self-identity. Research on newspapers and the public sphere is valuable because it has focused on this paradox of mediation at the center of modern political life. Whereas liberal theories of the public sphere sought to distinguish a rational reading public forged through a dialectic self-abstraction from what Habermas once termed “pressure from the street,” recent work on the politics of the crowd and that of the reading public reveals a closer relationship. Drawing on research about the history of print capitalism in southern India, Cody’s essay seeks to come to theoretical terms with a democratic public sphere where physical force is deeply intertwined with the printed word.
Empires and Equines
Authors: Lally Jagjeet
Published: May 2015

Around the turn of the sixteenth century, in Mughal India, artists in the imperial atelier innovated the Mughal equestrian portrait, unique in Asian art although a fusion of Asian and European influences, and quickly ubiquitous as a compositional topos that was identifiably “Mughal” to the extent that it proliferated in the successor states of the Mughal empire over the eighteenth century. Lally’s article analyzes the transformation of the equestrian portrait, using this topos as a set of sources through which to examine changes in kingship and imperial politics from the seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries. Both equines and equestrianism were enmeshed in the fabric of the Mughal empire and its successor states: in foreign trade, in its military practices, in the organization of the hierarchy of the nobility, and in the ritual practices, language, and visual culture of the court. Turning toward the horse as a subject of analysis draws attention toward the entanglement of the human and the non human, of rituals and ritual objects, of gift horses and equestrian portrait gifts, and between pictorial practices, texts, traditions, and trade in shaping the cultural dimensions of imperial politics in South Asia.
From Colonial Animal to Imperial Edible
Authors: Woods Rebecca J. H.
Published: May 2015

During the nineteenth century, efforts to feed Britain’s growing industrial and urban population enrolled vast swaths of the Southern Hemisphere in producing meat for British tables. This system relied on refrigerated shipping and was concurrent with efforts to improve and regulate the conditions of slaughter within Great Britain, in which the act of killing receded from public view. Drawing on the satirical fiction of Samuel Butler and the work of anthropologist Noelie Vialles, Woods’s article argues that the relocation of part of the work of raising and rendering sheep for consumption in Britain extended a general distancing of live animal and dead meat on an imperial scale. The outcome of this was not only economic and ecological change throughout much of the Southern Hemisphere, but also the reformulation of colonial flocks to suit the new trade in frozen meat.
Imperial Transgressions
Authors: Sivasundaram Sujit
Published: May 2015

By reconsidering how race operates at the intersection of the human-animal divide, this essay looks back on the paths that have been opened by the special section “Nonhuman Empires.” Rather than interrogating the literary entanglement of animality and race, the argument considers the disciplinary and conceptual genealogies that stretch over these two alternative modes of differentiation. Starting with phrenology and comparative anatomy and moving toward anthropology and psychology, Sivasundaram argues that after ca. 1800, race and animality have had overlapping lives. This overlap was productive for Western empires, who were concerned with arbitrating the human in programs of war as much as settlement. The second part of the essay focuses on notions of descent from animals in South Asia with respect to how colonists studied alleged feral children, as much as the placement of accounts of animal descent in nationalist vocabularies. Transgressing and policing the human-nonhuman divide, Sivasundaram contends, was central to the project of empire; exposing empire’s power requires a widening of critical attention so that nonhumans are worthy of serious postcolonial critique.
Feminism, Feminism Everywhere?
Authors: John Mary E.
Published: May 2015

This essay engages with the text The Birth of Chinese Feminism, which centers primarily on the writings of He-Yin Zhen, one of the earliest Chinese feminists, produced at the turn of the twentieth century and translated into English for the first time. He-Yin offered China and the world a unique and forceful theory of women’s enslavement through critiques of conditions in China (past and present), Japan, and contemporary Europe. John’s essay offers a reading of these writings and He-Yin’s arguments in contrast to other Chinese thinkers, as well as the theoretical claims made by the editors of the book. It does so in relation to comparable questions from colonial and contemporary Indian feminism. While endorsing the dangers posed by the current dominance of US academe in terms of its capacity to crowd out alternate concepts and thinking about feminism, especially from colonial spaces, this essay calls for a postnational engagement with the specificities of feminist concepts and vocabularies, whether in the early twentieth century or the present.
Muscle contractile properties as an explanation of the higher mean power output in marmosets than humans during jumping
Authors: Plas Rogier L.C. , Degens Hans , Meijer J.P. (Peter) , de Wit G.M.J. , Philippens Ingrid H.C.H.M. , Bobbert Maarten F. , Jaspers Richard T.
Published: May 2015

The muscle mass specific mean power output (PMMS,mean) during push-off in jumping is in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) more than twice that in humans. In the present study it was tested whether this is attributable to differences in muscle contractile properties.

In biopsies of marmoset m. vastus lateralis (VL) and m. gastrocnemius medialis (GM) (n=4) fiber type distribution was assessed using fluorescent immunohistochemistry. In single fibers from four marmoset and nine human VL biopsies the force-velocity characteristics were determined.

Marmoset VL contained almost exclusively fast muscle fibers (>99.0%), of which 63% were type IIB and 37% hybrid fibers, fibers containing multiple myosin heavy chains. GM contained 9% type I fibers, 44% type IIB and 47% hybrid muscle fibers. The proportions of fast muscle fibers in marmoset VL and GM were substantially larger than those reported in the corresponding human muscles. The curvature of the force-velocity relationships of marmoset type IIB and hybrid fibers was substantially flatter than that of human type I, IIA, IIX and hybrid fibers resulting in substantially higher muscle fiber mass specific peak powers (PFMS,peak). Muscle mass specific peak power output (PMMS,peak) of marmoset whole VL and GM, estimated from their fiber type distributions and force-velocity characteristics were more than twice the estimates for the corresponding human muscles.

Since the relative difference in estimated PMMS,peak between marmoset and human is similar to that PMMS,mean during push-off in jumping, it is likely that the difference in in vivo mechanical output between humans and marmosets is attributable to differences in muscle contractile properties.
One antenna, two antennae, big antennae, small: total antennae length, not bilateral symmetry, predicts odor tracking performance in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana L
Authors: Lockey J. K. , Willis M. A.
Published: May 2015

Determining the location of a particular stimulus is often crucial to an animal's survival. One way to determine the local distribution of odor is to make simultaneous comparisons across multiple sensors. If the sensors detect differences in the distribution of odor in space, the animal can then steer toward the source. American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, have 4 cm long antennae and are thought to track odor plumes using a spatial sampling strategy, comparing the amount of odor detected between these bilateral sensors. However, it is not uncommon for cockroaches to lose parts of their antennae and still track a wind-borne odor to its source. We examined whether bilateral odor input is necessary to locate an odor source in a wind-driven environment and how the loss of increasing lengths of the antennae affects odor tracking. The tracking performances of individuals with two bilaterally-symmetrical antennae of decreasing length were compared to antennal length-matched individuals with one antenna. Cockroaches with one antenna were generally able to track an odor plume to its source. In fact, the performances of unilaterally antennectomized individuals were statistically identical to their bilaterally symmetrical counterparts when the total length of both antennae equaled the length of the single antenna of the antennectomized individuals. This suggests that the total length of available antennae influences odor tracking performance more than any specific piece of antenna, and that they may be doing something more complex than a simple bilateral comparison between their antennae. The possibility of an antenna-topic map is discussed.