bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genotypes of NK Cell KIR Receptors, Their Ligands, and Fcγ Receptors in the Response of Neuroblastoma Patients to Hu14.18-IL2 Immunotherapy
Authors: Delgado David C. , Hank Jacquelyn A. , Kolesar Jill , Lorentzen David , Gan Jacek , Seo Songwon , Kim KyungMann , Shusterman Suzanne , Gillies Stephen D. , Reisfeld Ralph A. , Yang Richard , Gadbaw Brian , DeSantes Kenneth B. , London Wendy B. , Seeger Robert C. , Maris John M. , Sondel Paul M.
Published: October 2010

Response to immunocytokine (IC) therapy is dependent on natural killer cells in murine neuroblastoma (NBL) models. Furthermore, killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)/KIR-ligand mismatch is associated with improved outcome to autologous stem cell transplant for NBL. Additionally, clinical antitumor response to monoclonal antibodies has been associated with specific polymorphic-FcγR alleles. Relapsed/refractory NBL patients received the hu14.18-IL2 IC (humanized anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody linked to human IL2) in a Children's Oncology Group phase II trial. In this report, these patients were genotyped for KIR, HLA, and FcR alleles to determine whether KIR receptor–ligand mismatch or specific FcγR alleles were associated with antitumor response. DNA samples were available for 38 of 39 patients enrolled: 24 were found to have autologous KIR/KIR-ligand mismatch; 14 were matched. Of the 24 mismatched patients, 7 experienced either complete response or improvement of their disease after IC therapy. There was no response or comparable improvement of disease in patients who were matched. Thus KIR/KIR-ligand mismatch was associated with response/improvement to IC (P = 0.03). There was a trend toward patients with the FcγR2A 131-H/H genotype showing a higher response rate than other FcγR2A genotypes (P = 0.06). These analyses indicate that response or improvement of relapsed/refractory NBL patients after IC treatment is associated with autologous KIR/KIR-ligand mismatch, consistent with a role for natural killer cells in this clinical response. Cancer Res; 70(23); 9554–61. ©2010 AACR.
Repeat Dose Study of the Cancer Chemopreventive Agent Resveratrol in Healthy Volunteers: Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Effect on the Insulin-like Growth Factor Axis
Authors: Brown Victoria A. , Patel Ketan R. , Viskaduraki Maria , Crowell James A. , Perloff Marjorie , Booth Tristan D. , Vasilinin Grygoriy , Sen Ananda , Schinas Anna Maria , Piccirilli Gianfranca , Brown Karen , Steward William P. , Gescher Andreas J. , Brenner Dean E.
Published: October 2010

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, has cancer chemopreventive properties in preclinical models. It has been shown to downregulate the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) in rodents. The purpose of the study was to assess its safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects on circulating levels of IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) after repeated dosing. Forty healthy volunteers ingested resveratrol at 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0 g daily for 29 days. Levels of resveratrol and its metabolites were measured by high performance liquid chromatography-UV in plasma obtained before and up to 24 hours after a dose between days 21 and 28. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were measured by ELISA in plasma taken predosing and on day 29. Resveratrol was safe, but the 2.5 and 5 g doses caused mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms. Resveratrol-3-O-sulfate, resveratrol-4′-O-glucuronide, and resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide were major plasma metabolites. Maximal plasma levels and areas under the concentration versus time curve for the metabolites dramatically exceeded those for resveratrol, in the case of areas under the concentration versus time curve, by up to 20.3-fold. Compared with predosing values, the ingestion of resveratrol caused a decrease in circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (P < 0.04 for both), respectively, in all volunteers. The decrease was most marked at the 2.5 g dose level. The results suggest that repeated administration of high doses of resveratrol generates micromolar concentrations of parent and much higher levels of glucuronide and sulfate conjugates in the plasma. The observed decrease in circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 might contribute to cancer chemopreventive activity. Cancer Res; 70(22); 9003–11. ©2010 AACR.
Preclinical Evaluation of AMG 900, a Novel Potent and Highly Selective Pan-Aurora Kinase Inhibitor with Activity in Taxane-Resistant Tumor Cell Lines
Authors: Payton Marc , Bush Tammy L. , Chung Grace , Ziegler Beth , Eden Patrick , McElroy Patricia , Ross Sandra , Cee Victor J. , Deak Holly L. , Hodous Brian L. , Nguyen Hanh Nho , Olivieri Philip R. , Romero Karina , Schenkel Laurie B. , Bak Annette , Stanton Mary , Dussault Isabelle , Patel Vinod F. , Geuns-Meyer Stephanie , Radinsky Robert , Kendall Richard L.
Published: October 2010

In mammalian cells, the aurora kinases (aurora-A, -B, and -C) play essential roles in regulating cell division. The expression of aurora-A and -B is elevated in a variety of human cancers and is associated with high proliferation rates and poor prognosis, making them attractive targets for anticancer therapy. AMG 900 is an orally bioavailable, potent, and highly selective pan-aurora kinase inhibitor that is active in taxane-resistant tumor cell lines. In tumor cells, AMG 900 inhibited autophosphorylation of aurora-A and -B as well as phosphorylation of histone H3 on Ser10, a proximal substrate of aurora-B. The predominant cellular response of tumor cells to AMG 900 treatment was aborted cell division without a prolonged mitotic arrest, which ultimately resulted in cell death. AMG 900 inhibited the proliferation of 26 tumor cell lines, including cell lines resistant to the antimitotic drug paclitaxel and to other aurora kinase inhibitors (AZD1152, MK-0457, and PHA-739358), at low nanomolar concentrations. Furthermore, AMG 900 was active in an AZD1152-resistant HCT116 variant cell line that harbors an aurora-B mutation (W221L). Oral administration of AMG 900 blocked the phosphorylation of histone H3 in a dose-dependent manner and significantly inhibited the growth of HCT116 tumor xenografts. Importantly, AMG 900 was broadly active in multiple xenograft models, including 3 multidrug-resistant xenograft models, representing 5 tumor types. AMG 900 has entered clinical evaluation in adult patients with advanced cancers and has the potential to treat tumors refractory to anticancer drugs such as the taxanes. Cancer Res; 70(23); 9846–54. ©2010 AACR.
Differential Gene Expression in Benign Prostate Epithelium of Men with and without Prostate Cancer: Evidence for a Prostate Cancer Field Effect
Authors: Risk Michael C. , Knudsen Beatrice S. , Coleman Ilsa , Dumpit Ruth F. , Kristal Alan R. , LeMeur Nolwenn , Gentleman Robert C. , True Lawrence D. , Nelson Peter S. , Lin Daniel W.
Published: October 2010

Background: Several malignancies are known to exhibit a “field effect,” whereby regions beyond tumor boundaries harbor histologic or molecular changes that are associated with cancer. We sought to determine if histologically benign prostate epithelium collected from men with prostate cancer exhibits features indicative of premalignancy or field effect.

Experimental Design: Prostate needle biopsies from 15 men with high-grade (Gleason 8-10) prostate cancer and 15 age- and body mass index–matched controls were identified from a biospecimen repository. Benign epithelia from each patient were isolated by laser capture microdissection. RNA was isolated, amplified, and used for microarray hybridization. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the expression of specific genes of interest. Alterations in protein expression were analyzed through immunohistochemistry.

Results: Overall patterns of gene expression in microdissected benign prostate-associated benign epithelium (BABE) and cancer-associated benign epithelium (CABE) were similar. Two genes previously associated with prostate cancer, PSMA and SSTR1, were significantly upregulated in the CABE group (false discovery rate <1%). Expression of other prostate cancer–associated genes, including ERG, HOXC4, HOXC5, and MME, were also increased in CABE by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, although other genes commonly altered in prostate cancer were not different between the BABE and CABE samples. The expression of MME and PSMA proteins on immunohistochemistry coincided with their mRNA alterations.

Conclusion: Gene expression profiles between benign epithelia of patients with and without prostate cancer are very similar. However, these tissues exhibit differences in the expression levels of several genes previously associated with prostate cancer development or progression. These differences may comprise a field effect and represent early events in carcinogenesis. Clin Cancer Res; 16(22); 5414–23. ©2010 AACR.
Germline Polymorphisms in Genes Involved in the IGF1 Pathway Predict Efficacy of Cetuximab in Wild-typeKRASmCRC Patients
Authors: Winder Thomas , Zhang Wu , Yang Dongyun , Ning Yan , Bohanes Pierre , Gerger Armin , Wilson Peter M. , Pohl Alexandra , Mauro David J. , Langer Christiane , Rowinsky Eric K. , Lenz Heinz-Josef
Published: October 2010

Purpose: The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) signaling pathway is an important growth-regulatory pathway, which plays a crucial role in colorectal cancer (CRC) proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Previous studies showed that hyperactivation of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) may result in resistance to anti–epidermal growth factor receptor–targeted treatment. We tested whether germline variations within the IGF1 pathway are associated with clinical outcome in wild-type (wt) KRAS drug-refractory metastatic CRC (mCRC) patients who were treated with cetuximab monotherapy (IMC-0144).

Experimental Design: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of 130 drug-refractory mCRC patients enrolled in IMC-0144, a phase II clinical trial of cetuximab monotherapy, were analyzed. gDNA was extracted from dissected FFPE tumor tissue, and KRAS mutation status and six potentially functional IGF1 and IGF1R polymorphisms were analyzed using direct DNA sequencing or PCR-RFLP. Tumor response analysis was based on recursive partitioning, and survival analyses were based on univariate and multivariate hazard regression models.

Results: In univariate and multivariate analyses, five IGF pathway single-nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with progression-free survival (PFS) and/or overall survival (OS). In multivariate combined risk allele analysis, the additive model for PFS and OS was significantly associated with the number of risk alleles in wt KRAS patients (P = 0.001 and P = 0.02, respectively). In addition, wt KRAS patients harboring IGF1 rs2946834 A/A genotype had a 50% objective response rate compared with 0% for A/G genotype.

Conclusions: These results indicate that IGF1 pathway polymorphisms are potential predictive/prognostic molecular markers for cetuximab efficacy in wt KRAS mCRC patients. Prospective biomarker-embedded clinical trials are warranted to validate our findings. Clin Cancer Res; 16(22); 5591–602. ©2010 AACR.
Proanthocyanidins Inhibit Photocarcinogenesis through Enhancement of DNA Repair and Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A–Dependent Mechanism
Authors: Vaid Mudit , Sharma Som D. , Katiyar Santosh K.
Published: October 2010

Dietary grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSP) inhibit photocarcinogenesis in mice; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect have not been fully elucidated. As ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced DNA damage in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) has been implicated in skin cancer risk, we studied whether dietary GSPs enhance repair of UVB-induced DNA damage and, if so, what is the potential mechanism? Supplementation of GSPs (0.5%, w/w) with AIN76A control diet significantly reduced the levels of CPD+ cells in UVB-exposed mouse skin; however, GSPs did not significantly reduce UVB-induced CPD+ cells in the skin of interleukin-12p40 (IL-12) knockout (KO) mice, suggesting that IL-12 is required for the repair of CPDs by GSPs. Using IL-12 KO mice and their wild-type counterparts and standard photocarcinogenesis protocol, we found that supplementation of control diet with GSPs (0.5%, w/w) significantly reduced UVB-induced skin tumor development in wild-type mice, which was associated with the elevated mRNA levels of nucleotide excision repair genes, such as XPA, XPC, DDB2, and RPA1; however, this effect of GSPs was less pronounced in IL-12 KO mice. Cytostaining analysis revealed that GSPs repaired UV-induced CPD+ cells in xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group A (XPA)-proficient fibroblasts from a healthy individual but did not repair in XPA-deficient fibroblasts from XPA patients. Furthermore, GSPs enhance nuclear translocation of XPA and enhanced its interactions with other DNA repair protein ERCC1. Together, our findings reveal that prevention of photocarcinogenesis by GSPs is mediated through enhanced DNA repair in epidermal cells by IL-12- and XPA-dependent mechanisms.Cancer Prev Res; 3(12); 1621–9. ©2010 AACR.
High Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Greek Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Authors: Diamantidis Michael D. , Ioannidou-Papagiannaki Elizabeth , Kountouras Jannis , Mandala Eudokia , Tsapournas Georgios , Frida-Michailidou Ifigenia , Klonizakis Philippos , Zavos Christos , Haralambidou-Vranitsa Styliani , Vlachaki Efthymia , Parapanisiou Efthymia , Klonizakis Ioannis
Published: October 2010

Background/Aims/Methods: To determine the frequency of Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp-I) in 73 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and 40 controls, serologic analyses of Hp and 13C-urease breath tests (INFAI) were performed. Gastric mucosal biopsy specimens were obtained to determine the presence of Hp-I using a rapid urease test, i.e. the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test, and cresyl violet staining. Peripheral blood (PB) flow cytometry for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD19 and CD34 was conducted in 35 patients and in controls. Results:Hp-I was detected by: (a) serology in 75.34% of patients (p = 0.000), (b) INFAI in 57.69% of patients, (c) CLO in 60.71% of patients and (d) histological confirmation in 80.36% of patients (p = 0.001). No correlation between Hp-I and CD3, CD4, CD8, CD14, CD19 expression, leukemic transformation or death was observed. However, in 20 cases, significant variation in the PB lymphocytic proportion possibly attributable to Hp-I was ascertained, in contrast to the expected MDS ratio. Conclusion: Although there is no evidence for a causal relationship between Hp-I and MDS, the increased prevalence of Hp-I among the MDS patients is an interesting finding that deserves further investigation as it may indicate a common factor causing susceptibilities to both MDS and Hp-I or that Hp might influence the pathophysiology of MDS.
Mild Clinical Phenotype of Kindler Syndrome Associated with Late Diagnosis and Skin Cancer
Authors: Has C. , Burger B. , Volz A. , Kohlhase J. , Bruckner-Tuderman L. , Itin P.
Published: October 2010

Kindler syndrome (KS) is a heritable skin disorder with a complex phenotype consisting of congenital skin blistering, photosensitivity, progressive generalized poikiloderma and extensive skin atrophy. Here we describe 2 siblings with KS, who are, to the best of our knowledge, the oldest patients reported so far in the literature. The diagnosis was established in their seventh and eighth decades of life, and confirmed by mutation analysis. Both patients were homozygous for the recurrent FERMT1 mutation, c.328C→T, p.R110X. Because of a relatively mild course of the disease, mucosal membranes in the eyes and oesophagus being predominantly affected in recent years, they had been treated under other diagnoses, such as scleroderma. Cutaneous precancerous lesions and epithelial skin cancer arose in both siblings after the age of 50 years and were treated in an early stage. Taken together, we describe the natural course of KS, the morphological abnormalities occurring in the skin of older KS patients, we discuss the differential diagnosis and the association between KS and squamous cell carcinoma.
Wang Guowei and the Establishment of Chinese Drama in the Modern Canon of Classical Literature
Authors: Llamas Regina
Published: October 2010

This essay examines the process by which Wang Guowei placed Chinese dramatic history into the modern Chinese literary canon. It explores how Wang formed his ideas on literature, drawing on Western aesthetics to explain, through the notions of leisure and play, the impetus for art creation, and on the Chinese notions of the genesis of literature to explain the psychology of literary creation. In order to establish the literary value of Chinese drama, Wang applied these ideas to the first playwrights of the Yuan dynasty, arguing that theirs was a literature created under the right aesthetic and creative circumstances, and that it embodied the value of "naturalness" which he considered a universal standard for good literature. By producing a scholarly critical history of the origins and nature of Chinese drama, Wang placed drama on a par with other literary genres of past dynasties, thus giving it a renewed status and creating at the same time a new discipline of research. Drama had now become an established literary genre.
Trying Again and Again: Multiple Repetitions in Early Modern Reports of Experiments on Snake Bites
Authors: Schickore Jutta
Published: October 2010

This essay deals with a conspicuous feature of early modern experimental reports: references to multiple repetitions. I examine an episode from the history of research on venomous snakes, the dispute between Francesco Redi and Moyse Charas about the cause of death from viper bites. I identify different kinds of repetitions that are described and specify the various different roles that are attributed to repetitions in experimental reports. I argue that repetition (the successive reproduction of one's own experimental trials) should be distinguished from replication (reproducing other investigators' experiments). At first, replications played hardly any role in the exchange, but references to repetitions were crucial to show that contingencies had been obviated, to support inductive generalizations, and to specify the exact cause of an experimental effect. Notably, it appears that the replication of effects by different experimental means was not part of the repository of methodological notions that Redi and Charas brought to bear on their experiments. Reruns and repetitions with variations (including complementary trials) bore the epistemic weight.
Magnetism and Bradwardine's Rule of Motion in Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Treatises
Authors: Rommevaux Sabine
Published: October 2010

In his Tractatus de proportionibus, Thomas Bradwardine describes some devices consisting of a magnet and pieces of iron, in order to put his rule of motion to the test. These devices, or similar ones, are also found in the Questiones super libros Physicorum of Nicole Oresme, and in three works by Blasius of Parma, namely the Questiones de ponderibus, the Questiones super libros Physicorum and the Questiones circa Tractatum proportionum. In this paper, I describe these devices, while examining the theory of magnetism that is in use and I analyse how the arguments on magnets demarcate the field of application of the rule of motion.
A Science of Signs. Aristotelian Meteorology in Reformation Germany
Authors: Vermij Rienk
Published: October 2010

Luther, directly opposing the naturalism of Aristotelian natural philosophy, held that unusual events were often worked directly by either God or the devil, not by natural forces. His ideas were taken up and defended in a more philosophical way by authors like Joachim Camerarius and Caspar Peucer. At the university of Wittenberg, they deeply influenced the teaching of natural philosophy. The field most affected was meteorology (traditionally the explanation of Aristotle's Meteorologia), which obtained a prominent place. Meteorological text-books emphasised the final causes of the phenomena they described; not just their place in the general economy of nature, but also their function in warning and punishing sinners. Moreover, they emphasised that many phenomena people had observed were overstepping their natural limits and as such could not be explained naturally. The text-books, however, did not fully break away from the tradition of commentaries to Aristotle's Meteorologia, which emphasised naturalism. Only topics not discussed in this tradition were unambiguously explained as miraculous.
A Review of Terence E. Fretheim's God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation
Authors: Stallman Robert
Published: October 2010

Terence Fretheim's God and World in the Old Testament is a significant contribution to an emerging conversation about the role of creation in biblical theology. This review essay summarizes the nature and scope of Fretheim's work on this topic within the Old Testament. It then offers a positive assessment of Fretheim's care to relate creational and redemptive strands of theological reflection as well as his sensitivity to exegetical and literary features of the texts he has chosen to consider. The essay concludes with three issues I regard as essential for continuing reflection and exploration.
'A Relational Theology that Isn't Relational Enough': A Response to God and World in the Old Testament
Authors: Ellington Scott
Published: October 2010

Fretheim explores the biblical theme of creation through the lenses of the divine-human relationship. God leaves space for human co-creation, though sometimes at the expense of God's own participation. In considering how best to balance human and divine participation in creation, I consider three areas; the role of the spirit of God in creation, the role of Torah as an expression of relationship with both God and neighbor, and the problem of God in the book of Job.
God—Creation's Hope, Creation—God's Home: A Pentecostal Theological Response to Terence E. Fretheim's God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation
Authors: Archer Kenneth
Published: October 2010

This essay is a theological response to Terence E. Fretheim's God and World in the Old Testament. I will look first at Fretheim's theological method and hermeneutics. Then, I will examine the theme of God's relationality as it relates to God's openness and human ongoing participation with continuous creation. In this section I will also address praise, judgment, and salvation. Finally, I will offer a brief theological reflection on Pentecostal glossolalic speech as indicated by Rom. 8.26-27. I argue that glossolalic speech as an act of prayerful praise causes one to enter into the deep symbiotic relationship with the sociality of God and nonhuman creation. This is one significant way for the charismatic community to participate with God in continuous creation.
Pentecost Communal Economics and the Household of God
Authors: Augustine Daniela
Published: October 2010

Modern economic history has been dominated by the neo-classical economic model which has produced contemporary 'market society' with its all permeating commodifying logic. Contrary to the traditional capitalist priority of economic self-interest, Christian spirituality of social transformation upholds the necessity of covenantal civil society that prioritizes the wellbeing of the other as an indispensable part of a just global future.In view of that, the present work offers an exploration of the theological foundations of the Pentecost model of communal ecological economics and its underlying spirituality as following the pattern of God's generous redemptive self-sharing with humanity and the rest of creation. It further examines the relationship between Pentecost, sanctification and moral economic responsibility, and explores the function of the Eucharist in the faith community as a pedagogy of disciplining desires and teaching reverent consumption.
Between This and That: Reality and Sacramentality in the Pentecostal Worldview
Authors: Vondey Wolfgang , Green Chris
Published: October 2010

The Pentecostal worldview is often seen in conflict with a sacramental worldview. In contrast, the authors of this article argue that sacramentality and reality are helpful terms that together illuminate the Pentecostal understanding of being-in-the-world. The essay delineates the challenges and opportunities in bringing both notions into dialogue and suggests that sacramentality is not an optional but a necessary component for a fuller understanding of Pentecostalism. The narrative underlying this proposal follows the tension between a 'this-is-that' and a 'this-is-not-that' hermeneutic characteristic of early modern-day Pentecostals. Central to such an endeavor is an understanding of how the dialogue between Pentecostal and sacramental theology informs and challenges both sides.
The Missions Theology Of Early Pentecost: Call, Challenge, and Opportunity
Authors: Kowalski Rosemarie Daher
Published: October 2010

This article explores three historical components of Pentecostal theology that influenced Pentecostal missionary women by examining missions after the Pentecostal revival of the early twentieth century. This article presents four case studies of such Pentecostals and their responses to Pentecostal experiences and missionary careers for ongoing theological consideration about what it means to 'Go into all the world' as a Pentecostal. According to this study, the Pentecostal experience and reliance on the Holy Spirit was a significant part of Pentecostal women's call to and empowerment for missions, in facing the challenges of missionary service with Pentecostal eschatology, and in following the biblical mandate and narrative to serve in the power of the Spirit with gospel proclamation and accompanying 'signs and wonders'.
J. H. King and 'the Essential Christ': An Historical Investigation
Authors: Moon Tony
Published: October 2010

J.H. King's From Passover to Pentecost 'essential Christ'/'historic Christ' terminological distinction was probably derived from literature produced and conversation generated by the late nineteenth-century American Congregationalist 'future probation' controversy. An examination of the use of this language in that debate confirms that King's From Passover to Pentecost 'essential Christ'/'historic Christ' paragraph is simply an expression of hope for the salvific status and afterlife fate of at least some of the unevangelized, and in continuity with the rest of his writings, is not a positive, optimistic assessment of the value of non-Christian religions.
Recovering the Priority of Spiritual Experience: A Review of Elizabeth Dreyer's Holy Presence, Holy Power
Authors: Coulter Dale
Published: October 2010

Elizabeth Dreyer has made an important contribution to the issue surrounding the so-called neglect of the Spirit in western medieval Christianity. Her primary aim is to debunk the idea of an anemic western pneumatological tradition by recovering the image-laden language about the Holy Spirit in this tradition. To achieve this goal, she proposes a 'close reading' of the texts of ancient and medieval thinkers grounded in a particular method that she sketches in the opening chapter. The following review provides a survey of Dreyer's book and engages her on the question of methodology. In her attempt to hold together spirituality and theology, Dreyer raises the issue of how the past might be re-appropriated in a way that allows the Christian tradition to remain a living and vibrant force in contemporary Christianity.
Stratification by Skin Color in Contemporary Mexico
Authors: Villarreal Andrés
Published: October 2010

Latin America is often used as a backdrop against which U.S. race relations are compared. Yet research on race in Latin America focuses almost exclusively on countries in the region with a large recognized presence of individuals of African descent such as Brazil. Racial categories in these countries are based on skin color distinctions along a black-white continuum. By contrast, the main socially recognized ethnic distinction in Indo-Latin American countries such as Mexico, between indigenous and non-indigenous residents, is not based primarily on phenotypical differences, but rather on cultural practices and language use. Many Mexicans today nevertheless express a preference for whiter skin and European features, even though no clear system of skin color categorization appears to exist. In this study, I use data from a nationally-representative panel survey of Mexican adults to examine the extent of skin-color-based social stratification in contemporary Mexico. Despite extreme ambiguity in skin color classification, I find considerable agreement among survey interviewers about who belongs to three skin color categories. The results also provide evidence of profound social stratification by skin color. Individuals with darker skin tone have significantly lower levels of educational attainment and occupational status, and they are more likely to live in poverty and less likely to be affluent, even after controlling for other individual characteristics.
Personal Characteristics, Sexual Behaviors, and Male Sex Work
Authors: Logan Trevon D.
Published: October 2010

Male sex workers serve multiple groups (i.e., gay-identified men, heterosexually-identified men, and their own sexual partners), making them a unique source to test theories of gender, masculinity, and sexuality. To date, most scholarship on this topic has been qualitative. I assembled a dataset from the largest online male sex worker website to conduct the first quantitative analysis of male escorts in the United States. I find the geographic distribution of male sex workers is more strongly correlated with the general population than with the gay male population. In addition, I estimate the value of sexual behaviors and personal characteristics in this market to test sociological theories of gender and masculinity. Consistent with hegemonic masculinity, I find that male escorts who advertise masculine behavior charge higher prices for their services, whereas escorts who advertise less masculine behavior charge significantly less, a differential on the order of 17 percent. Results show that race and sexual behavior interactions exert a strong influence on prices charged by male sex workers, confirming aspects of intersectionality theory.
Calling for Participation
Authors: Maynard Douglas W. , Freese Jeremy , Schaeffer Nora Cate
Published: October 2010

We draw on conversation analytic methods and research to explicate the interactional phenomenon of requesting in general and the specific case of requesting participation in survey interviews. Recent work on survey participation gives much attention to leverage-saliency theory but does not explore how the key concepts of this theory are exhibited in the actual unfolding interaction of interviewers and potential respondents. We examine interaction using digitally recorded and transcribed calls to recruit participation in the 2004 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. We describe how potential respondents present interactional environments that are relatively discouraging or encouraging, and how, in response, interviewers may be relatively cautious or presumptive in their requesting actions. We consider how interviewers’ ability to tailor their behavior to their interactional environments can affect whether an introduction reaches the point at which a request to participate is made, the form that this request takes, and the sample person’s response. This article contributes to understanding the social action of requesting and specifically how we might use insights from analyses of interaction to increase cooperation with requests to participate in surveys.
Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis
Authors: Rugh Jacob S. , Massey Douglas S.
Published: October 2010

The rise in subprime lending and the ensuing wave of foreclosures was partly a result of market forces that have been well-identified in the literature, but it was also a highly racialized process. We argue that residential segregation created a unique niche of minority clients who were differentially marketed risky subprime loans that were in great demand for use in mortgage-backed securities that could be sold on secondary markets. We test this argument by regressing foreclosure actions in the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas on measures of black, Hispanic, and Asian segregation while controlling for a variety of housing market conditions, including average creditworthiness, the extent of coverage under the Community Reinvestment Act, the degree of zoning regulation, and the overall rate of subprime lending. We find that black residential dissimilarity and spatial isolation are powerful predictors of foreclosures across U.S. metropolitan areas. To isolate subprime lending as the causal mechanism through which segregation influences foreclosures, we estimate a two-stage least squares model that confirms the causal effect of black segregation on the number and rate of foreclosures across metropolitan areas. We thus conclude that segregation was an important contributing cause of the foreclosure crisis, along with overbuilding, risky lending practices, lax regulation, and the bursting of the housing price bubble.
Differences in Disadvantage
Authors: Budig Michelle J. , Hodges Melissa J.
Published: October 2010

Earnings inequality has grown in recent decades in the United States, yet research investigating the motherhood wage penalty has not fully considered how the penalty itself, and the mechanisms producing it, may vary among low-wage, middle-wage, and high-wage workers. Pooling data from the 1979 to 2004 waves of the NLSY and using simultaneous quantile regression methods with fixed effects, we test whether the size of the motherhood penalty differs across the distribution of white women’s earnings, and whether the mechanisms explaining this penalty vary by earnings level. Results show that having children inflicts the largest penalty on low-wage women, proportionately, although a significant motherhood penalty persists at all earnings levels. We also find that the mechanisms creating the motherhood penalty vary by earnings level. Family resources, work effort, and compensating differentials account for a greater portion of the penalty among low earners. Among highly paid women, by contrast, the motherhood penalty is significantly smaller and largely explained by lost human capital due to childbearing. Our findings show that estimates of average motherhood penalties obscure the compounded disadvantage mothers face at the bottom of the earnings distribution, as well as differences in the type and strength of mechanisms that produce the penalty.
The Rise of the Nation-State across the World, 1816 to 2001
Authors: Wimmer Andreas , Feinstein Yuval
Published: October 2010

Why did the nation-state proliferate across the world over the past 200 years, replacing empires, kingdoms, city-states, and the like? Using a new dataset with information on 145 of today’s states from 1816 to the year they achieved nation-statehood, we test key aspects of modernization, world polity, and historical institutionalist theories. Event history analysis shows that a nation-state is more likely to emerge when a power shift allows nationalists to overthrow or absorb the established regime. Diffusion of the nation-state within an empire or among neighbors also tilts the balance of power in favor of nationalists. We find no evidence for the effects of industrialization, the advent of mass literacy, or increasingly direct rule, which are associated with the modernization theories of Gellner, Anderson, Tilly, and Hechter. Nor is the growing global hegemony of the nation-state model a good predictor of individual instances of nation-state formation, as Meyer’s world polity theory would suggest. We conclude that the global rise of the nation-state is driven by proximate and contextual political factors situated at the local and regional levels, in line with historical institutionalist arguments, rather than by domestic or global structural forces that operate over the long durée.
Good Times, Bad Times
Authors: Kristal Tali
Published: October 2010

This article returns to a classic question of political economy: the zero-sum conflict between capital and labor over the division of the national income pie. A detailed description of labor’s share of national income in 16 industrialized democracies from 1960 to 2005 uncovers two long-term trends: an increase in labor’s share in the aftermath of World War II, followed by a decrease since the early 1980s. I argue that the working class’s relative bargaining power explains the dynamics of labor’s share, and I model inter- and intra-class bargaining power in the economic, political, and global spheres. Time-series cross-section equations predicting the short- and long-term determinants of labor’s share support most of my theoretical arguments and the main findings are robust to alternative specifications. Results suggest that the common trend in the dynamics of labor’s share of national income is largely explained by indicators for working-class organizational power in the economic (i.e., unionization and strike activity) and political (i.e., government civilian spending) spheres, working-class structural power in the global sphere (i.e., southern imports and foreign direct investments), and indirectly by an indicator for working-class integration in the intra-class sphere (i.e., bargaining centralization).
Explaining the labour performance of immigrant women in Spain: The interplay between family, migration and legal trajectories
Authors: González-Ferrer Amparo
Published: October 2010

The labour performance of migrants has been largely assumed to vary with individuals’ reasons to migrate. Accordingly, migrants who migrate to join their relatives at destination are commonly expected to be negatively selected in terms of their labour characteristics. However, family and economic reasons for migration are not mutually exclusive but often complementary, especially among women. In addition, there exists a large variation in the post-migration employment rates of the so-called ‘family migrants’. In this article, I argue that the temporal sequence of migration and key family life-cycle events may help us in explaining the post-migration employment patterns of migrants, especially that of females. To test this hypothesis I first construct a comprehensive typology that classifies all immigrants according to the timing of marriage and migration for each spouse, and their immigrant or native origin. Next, I examine the explanatory power of this typology by estimating the employment probability of migrants in multivariate logit regressions that include the resulting types of ‘family migrants’ as independent. The obtained results confirm the theoretical and empirical utility of studying marriage and migration jointly in order to explain differences in the labour performance of immigrant women. Moreover, the main conclusions concerning cross-type differences in female labour behaviour remain valid ever after controlling for current legal status and legal status at entry, and running separate analyses for the main origin groups in Spain.
Usual suspects? Public views about immigrants’ impact on crime in European countries
Authors: Ceobanu Alin M
Published: October 2010

Using data from the 2002/3 module of the European Social Survey project, this study examines the relationship between public views about immigrants’ impact on crime and measures of criminal behavior in 21 countries of Europe. The results from hierarchical regression models show that perceptions about immigrants’ impact are unaffected by personal experience with crime and by contextual measures such as the homicide rate, prison population rate, and ratio of foreign inmate to non-European foreign population. The analysis further reveals that perceived immigrants’ impact on crime is sensitive to having friends among immigrants, residing in an ethnic neighborhood, having affinity with right-wing ideologies, as well as several socio-demographic characteristics. At the country level, perceptions that immigrants worsen crime problems are more evident in societies harboring larger stocks of non-European immigrants, but such views are not affected by economic circumstances. These findings imply that Europeans’ expressions of concern regarding immigrants’ impact on crime may be a guised form of prejudice against foreigners, as they seem to be nurtured less by fear of crime and more by fear of immigrants. The reported results are discussed with respect to the restrictiveness of immigration regimes and the practice of criminalizing foreigners.
Immigration and the vote for the left: Measuring the effect of ethnic diversity on electoral outcomes at the district level
Authors: Cebolla-Boado Héctor , Jiménez-Buedo María
Published: October 2010

In recent years, much has been written on the impact of immigration on Western political party systems and electoral landscapes. The vast majority of these works have sought to unravel the links between changes in a country’s ethnic composition and the rise and differential success of extreme and populist right-wing parties. Considerably less attention has been devoted to examining the effect of large migration rates on the fate of traditional parties, and in particular, on the vote of moderate left parties. Our article uses data from Madrid, Spain, where extreme right-wing or right-wing populist parties have not emerged as a significant electoral force and where immigration rates have grown considerably in the last decade. This provides an interesting context in which to understand how immigration may affect the distribution of the vote amongst traditional parties. The article analyzes whether the transfer of votes from the main moderate left to the main moderate right party during the period 1999—2008 is affected by neighborhood immigrant composition. Our results show that the increases in the votes to the main conservative party (or the decrease in the vote to the socialist party) can be partly explained by the changes in the ethnic composition of neighborhood.
Explaining time trends in public opinion: Attitudes towards immigration and immigrants
Authors: Wilkes Rima , Corrigall-Brown Catherine
Published: October 2010

Why does public opinion change over time? Much debate on this question centers on whether it is caused by the replacement of people or by individuals changing how they think. Theoretical approaches to this question have emphasized the importance of birth cohort succession, generational differences, and changing macro-economic conditions. In this article, we consider the extent to which these processes can account for changing attitudes towards immigration and immigrants. We use a new approach to the study of time trends in public opinion to analyze over 20 years of data on attitudes in Canada. This approach uses multi-level analysis to split attitudinal change into its cohort and period components. We find that most attitude change is the result of changing macro-economic conditions. In contrast, birth cohort succession has little effect. While there is modest evidence of generational differences in attitudes, these differences do not comprise a major part of the overall trend.
Laser Modulation of Heat and Capsaicin Receptor TRPV1 Leads to Thermal Antinociception
Authors: Ryu J.-J. , Yoo S. , Kim K.Y. , Park J.-S. , Bang S. , Lee S.H. , Yang T.-J. , Cho H. , Hwang S.W.
Published: October 2010

Er,Cr:YSGG lasers are used clinically in dentistry. The advantages of laser therapy include minimal thermal damage and the alleviation of pain. This study examined whether the Er,Cr:YSGG laser has in vivo and in vitro antinociceptive effects in itself. In capsaicin-evoked acute licking/shaking tests and Hargreaves tests, laser irradiation with an aerated water spray suppressed nociceptive behavior in mice. Laser irradiation attenuated TRPV1 activation by capsaicin in Ca2+ imaging experiments with TRPV1-overexpressing cells and cultured trigeminal neurons. Therefore, the laser-induced behavioral changes are probably due to the loss of TRPV1 activity. TRPV4 activity was also attenuated, but limited mechanical antinociception by the laser was observed. The laser failed to alter the other receptor functions, which indicates that the antinociceptive effect of the laser is dependent on TRPV1. These results suggest that the Er,Cr:YSGG laser has analgesic effects via TRPV1 inhibition. Such mechanistic approaches may help define the laser-sensitive pain modality and increase its beneficial uses.
Antibacterial evaluation of cotton textile treated by trialkoxysilane compounds with antimicrobial moiety
Authors: Le Song  , Baney Ronald H
Published: October 2010

Compounds based upon aldehyde functionalities or long chain quaternary ammonium functionalities constitute two major classes of antimicrobial materials. The antibacterial activities of these two classes of compounds were evaluated in the unbound (free compound) aqueous suspension and in the bound surface-treated cotton textile against E. coli. After a one hour incubation, the minimum lethal concentration of AEM 5700, a commercially available quaternary ammonium functional silane from Aegis Environments, was found to be 84 μg/g in the deionized water. The salinity of the test media significantly affected the antibacterial activity of AEM 5700 free compound. The minimum lethal concentration was increased to 8000 μg/g in the artificial seawater. Inactivation against E. coli of either free butyraldehyde or undecanylaldehyde functional triethoxysilylane in the deionized water was not observed. Cotton textile treated with various concentrations of AEM 5700 showed a two-stage antibacterial behavior when immersed in the deionized water. The higher activity in the first stage was due to the combined action of the leachate and the surface-bound AEM 5700, whereas the activity in the second-stage was caused by the contact between the surface-bound AEM 5700 and E. coli. This analysis was confirmed when the AEM 5700 treated cotton textile was tested in the artificial seawater. The leachate in the artificial seawater had no activity. The first-stage antibacterial behavior was not observed. Only the contact between the surface-bound AEM 5700 and E. coli contributed to about a one log reduction plateau with time. For cotton textile treated by either of the examined trialkoxysilylaldehyde compounds, inactivation against E. coli was not found.
A study of wicking properties of cotton-acrylic yarns and knitted fabrics
Authors: Öztürk Merve Küçükali , Nergis Banu , Candan Cevza
Published: October 2010

This paper investigated wicking properties of cotton-acrylic rotor yarns and knitted fabrics. The effect of yarn wicking on wicking of fabric in both wale and course directions was also discussed. One way ANOVA results of the experimental study suggested that wicking abilities of yarns and fabrics increased with the increase in acrylic content in the blends and with the use of coarse yarns. Besides, yarn wicking had a significant effect on fabric wicking.
Assessing Differences Between Short-Term, High-Rate Offenders and Long-Term, Low-Rate Offenders
Authors: Piquero Alex R. , Sullivan Christopher J. , Farrington David P.
Published: October 2010

In empirically assessing offending trajectory groups, some researchers have identified unexpected classes of offenders. Two such groups are (a) short-term, high-rate offenders and (b) long-term, low-rate offenders. On some aggregate benchmarks, such as lifetime volume of crime, these two groups of offenders may be comparable. Yet a more detailed examination of their careers may reveal important distinctions regarding the correlates of offending, the extent of involvement in crime, and associated costs to society. Furthermore, unpacking the history, profile, and trajectory of these two groups of offenders may suggest unique policy options. The authors examined the question of equivalency in these groups and the factors that contribute to their offending using longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development through age 40. Theoretical and policy implications associated with criminal justice response are discussed.