bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RAS and sex differences in diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Clotet Sergi , Riera Marta , Pascual Julio , Soler María José
Published: March 2016

The incidence and progression of kidney diseases are influenced by sex. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important regulator of cardiovascular and renal function. Sex differences in the renal response to RAS blockade have been demonstrated. Circulating and renal RAS has been shown to be altered in type 1 and type 2 diabetes; this enzymatic cascade plays a critical role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and ACE2 are differentially regulated depending on its localization within the diabetic kidney. Furthermore, clinical and experimental studies have shown that circulating levels of sex hormones are clearly modulated in the context of diabetes, suggesting that sex-dependent RAS regulation may also be affected in these individuals. The effect of sex hormones on circulating and renal RAS may be involved in the sex differences observed in DN progression. In this paper we will review the influence of sex hormones on RAS expression and its relation to diabetic kidney disease. A better understanding of the sex dimorphism on RAS might provide a new approach for diabetic kidney disease treatment.
The anti-inflammatory peptide Ac-SDKP is released from thymosin-β4 by renal meprin-α and prolyl oligopeptidase
Authors: Kumar Nitin , Nakagawa Pablo , Janic Branislava , Romero Cesar A. , Worou Morel E. , Monu Sumit R. , Peterson Edward L. , Shaw Jiajiu , Valeriote Frederick , Ongeri Elimelda M. , Niyitegeka Jean-Marie V. , Rhaleb Nour-Eddine , Carretero Oscar A.
Published: March 2016

N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) is a natural tetrapeptide with anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties. Previously, we have shown that prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) is involved in the Ac-SDKP release from thymosin-β4 (Tβ4). However, POP can only hydrolyze peptides shorter than 30 amino acids, and Tβ4 is 43 amino acids long. This indicates that before POP hydrolysis takes place, Tβ4 is hydrolyzed by another peptidase that releases NH2-terminal intermediate peptide(s) with fewer than 30 amino acids. Our peptidase database search pointed out meprin-α metalloprotease as a potential candidate. Therefore, we hypothesized that, prior to POP hydrolysis, Tβ4 is hydrolyzed by meprin-α. In vitro, we found that the incubation of Tβ4 with both meprin-α and POP released Ac-SDKP, whereas no Ac-SDKP was released when Tβ4 was incubated with either meprin-α or POP alone. Incubation of Tβ4 with rat kidney homogenates significantly released Ac-SDKP, which was blocked by the meprin-α inhibitor actinonin. In addition, kidneys from meprin-α knockout (KO) mice showed significantly lower basal Ac-SDKP amount, compared with wild-type mice. Kidney homogenates from meprin-α KO mice failed to release Ac-SDKP from Tβ4. In vivo, we observed that rats treated with the ACE inhibitor captopril increased plasma concentrations of Ac-SDKP, which was inhibited by the coadministration of actinonin (vehicle, 3.1 ± 0.2 nmol/l; captopril, 15.1 ± 0.7 nmol/l; captopril + actinonin, 6.1 ± 0.3 nmol/l; P < 0.005). Similar results were obtained with urinary Ac-SDKP after actinonin treatment. We conclude that release of Ac-SDKP from Tβ4 is mediated by successive hydrolysis involving meprin-α and POP.
SalmonellaTyphi Vertebral Osteomyelitis and Epidural Abscess
Authors: Khoo Hau Wei , Chua Ying Ying , Chen John L. T.
Published: March 2016

Salmonellavertebral osteomyelitis is an uncommon complication ofSalmonellainfection. We report a case of a 57-year-old transgender male who presented with lower back pain for a period of one month following a fall. Physical examination only revealed tenderness over the lower back with no neurological deficits. MRI of the thoracic and lumbar spine revealed a spondylodiscitis at T10-T11 and T12-L1 and right posterior epidural collection at the T9-T10 level. He underwent decompression laminectomy with segmental instrumentation and fusion of T8 to L3 vertebrae. Intraoperatively, he was found to have acute-on-chronic osteomyelitis in T10 and T11, epidural abscess, and discitis in T12-L1. Tissue and wound culture grewSalmonellaTyphi and with antibiotics susceptibility guidance he was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone for a period of six weeks. He recovered well with no neurological deficits.
Mutant Calreticulin Requires Both Its Mutant C-terminus and the Thrombopoietin Receptor for Oncogenic Transformation
Authors: Elf Shannon , Abdelfattah Nouran S. , Chen Edwin , Perales-Patón Javier , Rosen Emily A. , Ko Amy , Peisker Fabian , Florescu Natalie , Giannini Silvia , Wolach Ofir , Morgan Elizabeth A. , Tothova Zuzana , Losman Julie-Aurore , Schneider Rebekka K. , Al-Shahrour Fatima , Mullally Ann
Published: March 2016

Somatic mutations in calreticulin (CALR) are present in approximately 40% of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), but the mechanism by which mutant CALR is oncogenic remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that expression of mutant CALR alone is sufficient to engender MPN in mice and recapitulates the disease phenotype of patients with CALR-mutant MPN. We further show that the thrombopoietin receptor MPL is required for mutant CALR-driven transformation through JAK–STAT pathway activation, thus rendering mutant CALR-transformed hematopoietic cells sensitive to JAK2 inhibition. Finally, we demonstrate that the oncogenicity of mutant CALR is dependent on the positive electrostatic charge of the C-terminus of the mutant protein, which is necessary for physical interaction between mutant CALR and MPL. Together, our findings elucidate a novel paradigm of cancer pathogenesis and reveal how CALR mutations induce MPN.

Significance: The mechanism by which CALR mutations induce MPN remains unknown. In this report, we show that the positive charge of the CALR mutant C-terminus is necessary to transform hematopoietic cells by enabling binding between mutant CALR and the thrombopoietin receptor MPL. Cancer Discov; 6(4); 368–81. ©2016 AACR.

See related commentary by Stanley and Steidl, p. 344.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 331
Food Sensitization in Medically Resistant Chronic Rhinosinusitis with or without Nasal Polyposis
Authors: Al-Qudah Mohannad
Published: March 2016

Background: Nasal polyposis is a common nasal mass with unknown etiology. It has been assumed that allergy predisposes to polyp formation. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of food sensitization in medically resistant chronic rhinosinusitis patients with or without nasal polyposis. Methods: One hundred and fifty-five patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were incorporated into this study. The results of their total serum IgE and food-specific IgE levels were examined. Results: The average age was 33 years (± 13) with 96 males and 59 females. The percentage of patients in each group that had a positive result for at least one tested allergen was 84% (88 patients in the sinusitis without polyposis group and 42 patients in nasal polyposis group). Patients without nasal polyposis reacted to an average of 4.6 foodstuffs, whereas patients with nasal polyposis reacted to 4.1. Egg white, sheefish and cherry were the most common type of sensitized food. There were no significant differences in the prevalence, type, number of positive food allergens and class level between the two groups. Conclusions: Food sensitization is common in medically resistant chronic rhinosinusitis. Since food sensitization prevalence, type and severity do not significantly differ between the two groups studied, food atopy is unlikely to be a major factor in nasal polyposis pathogenesis.
Proven Non-β-Lactam Antibiotic Allergy in Children
Authors: Guvenir Hakan , Dibek Misirlioglu Emine , Capanoglu Murat , Vezir Emine , Toyran Muge , Kocabas Can Naci
Published: March 2016

Background: Parallel to the increasing use of non-β-lactam (NBL) antibiotics, allergic reactions to this drug group seem to increase. Data about NBL antibiotic hypersensitivity in children are limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate characteristic reactions to NBL antibiotics in children. Method: Patients with suspected NBL allergy were assessed between 2011 and 2015. Characteristics of the reactions and results of skin and drug provocation tests (DPTs) were recorded. Results: In total, 96 patients aged 75.15 ± 56.77 months (range: 3-208) were assessed. Clarithromycin (63.6%) was the most common cause of reactions reported. After ingestion of NBL antibiotics, maculopapular rash, urticaria/angioedema and anaphylaxis presented in 48.9, 40.7 and 10.4% of the patients, respectively. Tests were performed in 85 patients. Intradermal tests were positive in 3 patients (clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin and cotrimoxazole) and DPT was positive in 1 patient (clarithromycin). Eleven patients could not be tested. Seven patients had severe anaphylaxis, and 4 patients with urticaria/angioedema had to take their medications at the time of the reaction so desensitization was performed. When only patients confirmed by tests were evaluated, NBL allergy was 4.7% (4/85) in our study group. However, when patients who could not be tested, but were regarded as suffering from drug hypersensitivity according to clinical findings, were included, the frequency of NBL allergy was 15.6% (15/96). Conclusion: Most of the children with suspected NBL do not have true hypersensitivity. The frequency of confirmed hypersensitivity is low, and thus a detailed history should be taken from patients with suspected NBL hypersensitivity and DPTs should be performed in patients without contraindications.
Associations between Milk and Egg Allergens and the HLA-DRB1/DQ Polymorphism: A Bioinformatics Approach
Authors: Dimitrov Ivan , Doytchinova Irini
Published: March 2016

Background: Little is known about the associations between human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and food allergies. Our aim was to analyze the associations between the HLA class II polymorphism and food allergy using bioinformatics. Methods: A two-step algorithm was developed which mimics the food allergen processing in the human body. In the first step, the allergen is digested by pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin. In the second step, the digested fragments bind to the most frequent 12 HLA-DRB1 and 5 HLA-DQ alleles, and the binding affinities are predicted. Results: The algorithm was applied to 13 well-known milk and egg allergens. The predicted HLA binders were compared to known T-cell and IgE epitopes originating from the same allergens, and 77% of them were found to overlap. We found that the peptides generated from milk allergens bind to DRB1*01:01, DQ7 and DQ8 but not to DRB1*03:01, DRB1*04:04, DRB1*12:01 and DRB1*15:01. The peptides generated from egg allergens bind to DRB1*01:01, DQ4, DQ7 and DQ8 but not to DRB1*03:01, DRB1*04:04 and DRB1*12:01. They bind to all the DQs studied. The alleles that bind to allergen peptides could be considered as susceptible to the particular allergy and the nonbinding alleles as protective. Conclusions: The alleles DRB1*01:01, DQ7 and DQ8 are considered as susceptible to cow's milk allergy and DRB1*03:01, DRB1*04:04, DRB1*12:01 and DRB1*15:01 as protective. The alleles DRB1*01:01, DQ4, DQ7 and DQ8 are considered as susceptible to egg allergy and DRB1*03:01, DRB1*04:04 and DRB1*12:01 as protective. Protective DQs against egg allergy were not revealed in this study.
Correlation between Methylation of Human Papillomavirus-16 L1 Gene and Cervical Carcinoma in Uyghur Women
Authors: Niyazi Mayineur , Sui Shuang , Zhu Kaichun , Wang Lin , Jiao Zhen , Lu Ping
Published: March 2016

Background: This study aims at determining the correlation between CpG methylation in human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 L1 and the persistent infections and development of cervical carcinoma in Uyghur women. Methods: Among the 4,364 Uyghur women, specimens were collected from 145 (3.3%) HPV-16 single infected cases, which were divided into 5 groups: transient infection (n = 32), persistent infection (n = 21, 12 months), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 (CIN1, n = 21), CIN2-3 (n = 33) and invasive cervical cancer (n = 38) groups. Methylation level in HPV-16 L1 was quantified by pyrosequencing, and values in the prediction and diagnosis of CIN2+ lesions were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: With the progression of the disease, increased methylation was detected at 13 CpG sites, and a high methylation level was associated with the risk of CIN2+. The strongest related site was 6650 (OR 9.89, 95% CI 3.57-27.44). The area under ROC curve (AUC) of methylation at each CpG site to differentiate between CIN2+ and <CIN2 ranged from 0.756 to 0.862, and the greatest AUC was at position 6650 (AUC 0.862, 95% CI 0.803-0.920). A high methylation level at CpG site 6389, 6457, 6581, 6650, 6796 and 7034 was connected with increased risk of HPV-persistent infection, and the strongest associated CpG site was 6389 (OR 13.33, 95% CI 3.95-28.08). The AUC in the prediction of HPV persistent infection was in the range of 0.656-0.943 and the site with the highest diagnostic value was 6389 (AUC 0.943, 95% CI 0.884-1.000). Conclusions: These results indicate that the methylation of CpG sites in HPV-16 L1 has a great value in contributing to the prediction of HPV-persistent infection and cervical precancerous progression.
O Domínio do Homem pelo Homem na Novela A Senhoria, de Dostoiévski
Authors: Bianchi Fátima
Published: March 2016

Este trabalho trata do tema da alienação, no sentido da subjugação de um ser humano por outro, que na novela A Senhoria se revela no domínio moral da mulher pelo marido. Na busca de uma representação verossímil dessa questão, extraída com grande capacidade de clarividência da realidade da época, Dostoiévski encontra uma perspectiva inédita, capaz de refletir toda a dificuldade, ou mesmo incapacidade, tanto do narrador como das personagens, de apreender a existência em sua totalidade.
Multifuncionalidade da palavra eto: implicações para o ensino de russo para estrangeiros
Authors: Oliveira Diego Leite de
Published: March 2016

Este artigo visa a apresentar uma análise dos diferentes usos e caracterizações da palavra eto em língua russa, dada a complexidade e multifuncionalidade de utilização desse elemento, que pode ser caracterizado ora como um pronome demonstrativo, funcionando como determinante de um sintagma nominal, ora como partícula discursiva, apresentando funções diversificadas, sem perder, contudo, seu caráter dêitico.
Dois poemas infantis de Daniil Kharms
Authors: Kharms Daniil , Bernardini Aurora F.
Published: March 2016

Tradução de: Aurora F. Bernardini
A carta perdida Um causo narrado pelo diácono da igreja de ***
Authors: Gógol Nikolai Vassílievitch , Petrova Maria , Moura Giselle Mussi de
Published: March 2016

Tradução do russo por Maria Petrova, Giselle Mussi de Moura.
Поэзия в России в ХХI веке
Authors: Куприянов Вячеслав
Published: March 2016

nulo
História de um sino
Authors: Aviértchenko Arkadi , Kondratiuk Marcia Chagas , Américo Ekaterina Vólkova
Published: March 2016

Tradução: Marcia Chagas Kondratiuk e Ekaterina Vólkova Américo.
Fiódor Dostoiévski pelo viés lotmaniano
Authors: Américo Ekaterina Vólkova
Published: March 2016

O objetivo do artigo é abordar a presença de Fiódor Dostoiévski na obra do semioticista e teórico literário Iúri Lotman. A análise das duas coletâneas de seus textos, Sobre a literatura russa e Semiosfera revela as menções constantes de Dostoiévski tanto nos textos dedicados às questões literárias, quanto semióticas. Lotman divide os principais escritores russos do século XIX em os que seguem, em sua obra, o modelo binário (como Gógol, Liérmontov e Dostoiévski) ou ternário (como Púchkin, Tolstói, Tchékhov). No caso de Dostoiévski, as características binárias podem ser percebidas tanto no nível de enredo, quanto no que diz respeito aos personagens. Ambos os modelos, tanto o binário quanto o ternário, são partes inseparáveis da cultura russa, responsáveis, inclusive, pela sua dinamicidade. Dostoiévski ainda é apontado como um escritor profundamente simbólico, o que torna a sua obra um terreno extremamente fecundo para os estudos semióticos. O par Dostoiévski-Tolstói marcou o período mais importante da cultura russa, em que ela deixou de ser receptora de textos estrangeiros e passou a emitir os seus próprios textos para o exterior.
Embolic Protection Devices in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Steinvil Arie , Benson Richard T. , Waksman Ron
Published: March 2016

The initially reported periprocedural neurological events rates associated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement raised concerns that ultimately led to the development and to the clinical research of novel embolic protection devices. Although the reduction of clinical stroke is a desired goal, the current research design of embolic protection devices focuses on surrogate markers of the clinical disease, primarily on silent central nervous system lesions observed in postprocedural diffuse-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive function testing. As the mere presence of particulate debris in brain matter may not correlate with the extent of brain injury, cognitive function, or quality of life, the clinical significance of embolic protection devices has yet to be determined, and interpretation of study results with regard to real-life clinical use should be viewed accordingly. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the updated ongoing clinical research on embolic protection devices and present its major caveats.
Leptin Induces Hypertension and Endothelial Dysfunction via Aldosterone-Dependent Mechanisms in Obese Female Mice
Authors: Huby Anne-Cécile , Otvos Laszlo , Belin de Chantemèle Eric J.
Published: March 2016

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in males and females. Whether obesity triggers cardiovascular disease via similar mechanisms in both the sexes is, however, unknown. In males, the adipokine leptin highly contributes to obesity-related cardiovascular disease by increasing sympathetic activity. Females secrete 3× to 4× more leptin than males, but do not exhibit high sympathetic tone with obesity. Nevertheless, females show inappropriately high aldosterone levels that positively correlate with adiposity and blood pressure (BP). We hypothesized that leptin induces hypertension and endothelial dysfunction via aldosterone-dependent mechanisms in females. Leptin control of the cardiovascular function was analyzed in female mice sensitized to leptin via the deletion of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b (knockout) and in agouti yellow obese hyperleptinemic mice (Ay). Hypersensitivity to leptin (wild-type, 115±2; protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b knockout, 124±2 mm Hg;
P
<0.05) and obesity elevated BP (a/a, 113±1; Ay, 128±7 mm Hg;
P
<0.05) and impaired endothelial function. Chronic leptin receptor antagonism restored BP and endothelial function in protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b knockout and Ay mice. Hypersensitivity to leptin and obesity reduced BP response to ganglionic blockade in both strains and plasma catecholamine levels in protein tyrosine phosphatase 1b knockout mice. Hypersensitivity to leptin and obesity significantly increased plasma aldosterone levels and adrenal CYP11B2 expression. Chronic leptin receptor antagonism reduced aldosterone levels. Furthermore, chronic leptin and mineralocorticoid receptor blockade reduced BP and improved endothelial function in both leptin-sensitized and obese hyperleptinemic female mice. Together, these data demonstrate that leptin induces hypertension and endothelial dysfunction via aldosterone-dependent mechanisms in female mice and suggest that obesity leads to cardiovascular disease via sex-specific mechanisms.
Agents of Change: Soviet Advisers and High Stalinist Management in China, 1949–1960
Authors: Kaple Deborah
Published: March 2016

This article chronicles the interactions between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China (PRC) during the years of the Sino-Soviet alliance (1949–1960) as experienced by the Soviet advisers in China. Based on interviews, archival sources, and other materials, the article shows that the Soviet advisers who came to the PRC during that time brought with them the management techniques of the late Stalin period, known as High Stalinism (meaning strict Communist Party control over all aspects of political, cultural, and economic life and severe management methods including a heavy reliance on mass methods, education and reeducation techniques, coercion, and the threat of imprisonment). High Stalinism was a useful management tool that fit into Mao Zedong's own plan for the “economic Stalinization” of China and helped to pave the way for Mao's later radicalization. After differences emerged between the two countries in 1956 about the merits of de-Stalinization, Mao and the Chinese Communist Party began promoting radical policies such as the Great Leap Forward, which dramatically deviated from the Soviet experience and led to the removal of Soviet advisers in 1960.
Ship of Shame: Gender and Nation in Narratives of the 1981 Soviet Submarine Crisis in Sweden
Authors: Åse Cecilia
Published: March 2016

This article demonstrates that the concepts of gender and nation illuminate the Swedish-Soviet submarine crisis in February 1981, when a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine was stranded for ten days in the Swedish archipelago. The crisis challenged both the Swedish armed forces’ status as protectors of the national territory and the government's foreign policy doctrine of neutrality. The article analyzes Swedish media from 1981 to identify the interpretive frames, with a particular emphasis on emotions and body imagery. Gendered notions of protection permeated the crisis narratives. Male bodies embodied national and military agency, whereas women's bodies symbolically merged with the Swedish nation's territory. The Soviet intruders were disparaged and Swedish military prestige redeemed through gendered and corporeal representations. The article improves our understanding of the way the Swedish ideal of the neutral soldier and the foreign policy doctrine of neutrality incorporated gender.
Exile Island: Xinjiang Refugees and the “One China” Policy in Nationalist Taiwan, 1949–1971
Authors: Jacobs Justin M.
Published: March 2016

The extraordinary lengths to which the Chinese Nationalist government on Taiwan went after 1949 to pursue a “One China” policy during the Cold War are well known. Recently declassified archives reveal, however, that Chiang Kai-shek's determination to maintain the geopolitical integrity of China went far beyond the suppression of a Taiwanese independence movement and lukewarm support for the 1959 Tibetan uprising. The exodus of several thousand Uighur and Kazakh refugees from Xinjiang, a mostly Muslim province only loosely integrated into the modern Chinese state, provided a rare opportunity for the Nationalist government in exile to make overtures to a vulnerable non-Han population whose Cold War loyalties were up for grabs. This study of the historically unique and nearly unknown Office for the Chairman of the Xinjiang Provincial Government in Taiwan demonstrates the Nationalist commitment to preserving the non-Han borderlands of China while in exile, even if the immediate beneficiary of such efforts was the Communist government on the mainland.
“Where the Plain Meaning Is Obscure or Unacceptable . . .:” The Treatment of Implicit Anthropomorphisms in the Medieval Karaite Tradition of Arabic Bible Translation
Authors: Zawanowska Marzena
Published: March 2016

The article scrutinizes the treatment of implicit biblical anthropomorphisms in the Arabic translations of medieval Karaites and puts forward a detailed taxonomy of the ways in which they responded to this theological challenge. It demonstrates that in view of such important extra-textual concerns, the Karaites did not feel more committed to a literal representation of the source text than their rabbinic predecessors and contemporaries. Moreover, they did not invent new ways of dealing with these “problematic” expressions, but further developed, consolidated, refined, and systematized older Jewish techniques found in canonical Aramaic Targums and Saʿadyah’s Tafsīr. In addition, they gave these techniques a new, scientific justification enlisting the linguistic convention of ellipsis (ikhtiṣār) to account for some verbal constructs that use the name of God. Finally, they cited the rabbinic dictum, “the Torah speaks in the language of man,” to explain why the Bible depicts the incorporeal God in corporeal terms.
Past Is Future: Gadi Pollack’s Haredi Comics
Authors: Riemer Nathanael
Published: March 2016

The 2000s have seen numerous comics conquer the devout Haredi book market in the usa as well as in Israel, sparking a boom which still remains largely unnoticed. The work of Gadi Pollack stands out due to its graphic quality and richness in technique and ideas. “His comics can be classified as a modern form of Musar literature, which is not only for ‘children’.” His comics will thus serve as a case study for the medium; a medium that is also the subject of Judaistic cultural studies and examined here for the very first time.
Do Social Crises Cause Religious Revivals? What British Church Adherence Rates Show
Authors: Bruce Steve , Voas David
Published: March 2016

A 2014 sociology of religion conference invitation asserted that it is ‘A long-standing assumption in the sociology of religion … that there is a correlation between religious resurgence and intense moments of political, economic and socio-cultural crisis.’ We test this proposition against various post-1900 British or uk church adherence data and find no evidence to support the claim. On the contrary, the trajectories of decline are remarkably smooth. We suggest that such smoothness better supports the sociological view of secularization as a long-run process with amorphous and deep causes than it supports the claim that religious change is a response to specific events.
Afrohybanthus indicus (Violaceae): a new species from Maharashtra, India
Authors: KAMBLE SUHAS KUNDLIK , FORSTER PAUL I , PATIL BHIMRAO JANARDAN
Published: March 2016

A new species Afrohybanthus indicus is described and illustrated. It differs from A. stellarioides and A. enneaspermus in the characters of stipule, leaf margin and pedicel.
A new species of Garcinia (Clusiaceae) from Assam, North East India
Authors: SARMA JATINDRA , SHAMEER PEERUMUHAMMED SUBAIDA , MOHANAN NARAYANAN NAIR
Published: March 2016

Garcinia assamica, a new species of Garcinia from the North East India, is described, and illustrated. The new species is allied to Garcinia nigrolineata.
What Is the Polar Vortex and How Does It Influence Weather?
Authors: Waugh Darryn W. , Sobel Adam H. , Polvani Lorenzo M.
Published: March 2016

The term polar vortex has become part of the everyday vocabulary, but there is some confusion in the media, general public, and science community regarding what polar vortices are and how they are related to various weather events. Here, we clarify what is meant by polar vortices in the atmospheric science literature. It is important to recognize the existence of two separate planetary-scale circumpolar vortices: one in the stratosphere and the other in the troposphere. These vortices have different structures, seasonality, dynamics, and impacts on extreme weather. The tropospheric vortex is much larger than its stratospheric counterpart and exists year-round, whereas the stratospheric polar vortex forms in fall but disappears in the spring of each year. Both vortices can, in some circumstances, play a role in extreme weather events at the surface, such as cold-air outbreaks, but these events are not the consequence of either the existence or gross properties of these two vortices. Rather, cold-air outbreaks are most directly related to transient, localized displacements of the edge of the tropospheric polar vortex that may, in some circumstances, be related to the stratospheric polar vortex, but there is no known one-to-one connection between these phenomena.
The Sensitivity of the Hydrological Cycle to Internal Climate Variability versus Anthropogenic Climate Change
Authors: Kramer Ryan J. , Soden Brian J.
Published: March 2016

In response to rising CO2 concentrations, climate models predict that globally averaged precipitation will increase at a much slower rate than water vapor. However, some observational studies suggest that global-mean precipitation and water vapor have increased at similar rates. While the modeling results emphasize changes at multidecadal time scales where the anthropogenic signal dominates, the shorter observational record is more heavily influenced by internal variability. Whether the physical constraints on the hydrological cycle fundamentally differ between these time scales is investigated. The results of this study show that while global-mean precipitation is constrained by radiative cooling on both time scales, the effects of CO2 dominate on multidecadal time scales, acting to suppress the increase in radiative cooling with warming. This results in a smaller precipitation change compared to interannual time scales where the effects of CO2 forcing are small. It is also shown that intermodel spread in the response of atmospheric radiative cooling (and thus global-mean precipitation) to anthropogenically forced surface warming is dominated by clear-sky radiative processes and not clouds, while clouds dominate under internal variability. The findings indicate that the sensitivity of the global hydrological cycle to surface warming differs fundamentally between internal variability and anthropogenically forced changes and this has important implications for interpreting observations of the hydrological sensitivity.
Future Changes in Floods and Water Availability across China: Linkage with Changing Climate and Uncertainties
Authors: Li Jianfeng , Chen Yongqin David , Zhang Lu , Zhang Qiang , Chiew Francis H. S.
Published: March 2016

Future changes in floods and water availability across China under representative concentration pathway 2.6 (RCP2.6) and RCP8.5 are studied by analyzing discharge simulations from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) with the consideration of uncertainties among global climate models (GCMs) and hydrologic models. Floods and water availability derived from ISI-MIP simulations are compared against observations. The uncertainties among models are quantified by model agreement. Only model agreement >50% is considered to generate reliable projections of floods and water availability and their relationships with climate change. The results show five major points. First, ISI-MIP simulations have acceptable ability in modeling floods and water availability. The spatial patterns of changes in floods and water availability highly depend on the outputs of GCMs. Uncertainties from GCMs/hydrologic models predominate the uncertainties in the wet/dry areas in eastern/northwestern China. Second, the magnitudes of floods throughout China increase during 2070–99 under RCP8.5 relative to those with the same return periods during 1971–2000. The increase rates of larger floods are higher than those of the smaller ones. Third, water availability decreases/increases in southern/northern China under RCP8.5, but changes negligibly under RCP2.6. Fourth, more severe floods in the future are driven by more intense precipitation extremes over China. The negligible change in mean precipitation and the increase in actual evapotranspiration reduce the water availability in southern China. Fifth, model agreements are higher in simulated floods than water availability because increasing precipitation extremes are more consistent among different GCM outputs compared to mean precipitation.
Antianginal Efficacy of Ivabradine in Patients With History of Coronary Revascularization
Authors: Zarifis J. , Grammatikou V. , Kallistratos M. , Katsivas A.
Published: March 2016

Although coronary revascularization procedures are widely performed in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), angina is often reported, even after such procedures. This study evaluated the antianginal efficacy and effect of ivabradine treatment on quality of life (QOL) in patients with CAD and history of coronary revascularization. This is a post hoc analysis (926 post-revascularization patients) of a prospective, noninterventional study, which included 2403 patients with CAD and stable angina. The data were recorded at baseline, at 1 month and 4 months after inclusion. After ivabradine administration, mean number of anginal events decreased from 2.2 ± 2.3 (median: 2.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 21.0, range: 21.0) to 0.3 ± 0.6 (median: 0.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 7.0, range: 7.0) times/week ( P < .001), while nitroglycerin consumption decreased from 1.5 ± 2.2 (median: 1.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 20.0, range: 20.0) to 0.1 ± 0.4 times/week (median: 0.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 5.0, range: 5.0; P < .001). Quality of life improved at study completion compared to baseline ( P < .001). Ivabradine addition on top of optimal individualized dose of β-blockers is associated with decreased anginal events and improvement in QOL in patients with stable angina and history of coronary revascularization.
Post-9/11 re-orientalism: Confrontation and conciliation in Mohsin Hamid’s and Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Authors: Lau Lisa , Mendes Ana Cristina
Published: March 2016

This article offers a comparative reading of the novel and film adaptation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, looking at the ways these texts represent changing Western public perceptions towards Pakistan and vice-versa along the temporal axis 2001–2007–2012. Both novel and film are informed by the post-9/11 distrust of the Muslim other. Mohsin Hamid’s novel was begun before 9/11 and published seven years later, in 2007; Mira Nair’s film adaptation followed in 2012, with a premiere at the Venice Film Festival (as the opening film) and the Toronto Film Festival. Ostensibly more conciliatory than Hamid’s novel, Nair’s film adaptation attempts to build bridges, stressing the tragedy of cultural suspicion and mistrust that besets the relationships between Pakistan and the US, endeavouring to open and facilitate dialogue. Despite utilizing spaces of ambiguity to expose the dangers of binary thinking, both novel and film ultimately demonstrate that representations are still unable to escape the loop of orientalism and re-orientalism, highlighting the tension of how East and West continue as locked into this circular mode of relational identity.
Work Disability among Women
Authors: Tamborini Christopher R. , Reznik Gayle L. , Couch Kenneth A.
Published: March 2016

We assess how divorce through midlife affects the subsequent probability of work-limiting health among U.S. women. Using retrospective marital and work disability histories from the Survey of Income and Program Participation matched to Social Security earnings records, we identify women whose first marriage dissolved between 1975 and 1984 ( n = 1,214) and women who remain continuously married ( n = 3,394). Probit and propensity score matching models examine the cumulative probability of a work disability over a 20-year follow-up period. We find that divorce is associated with a significantly higher cumulative probability of a work disability, controlling for a range of factors. This association is strongest among divorced women who do not remarry. No consistent relationships are observed among divorced women who remarry and remained married. We find that economic hardship, work history, and selection into divorce influence, but do not substantially alter, the lasting impact of divorce on work-limiting health.
Self-Identity and Its Discontents: Sociology in the 1990s
Authors: Skinner David , May Vanessa , Rollock Nicola
Published: March 2016

This article introduces one of four e-special issues designed to celebrate 50 years of Sociology by showcasing the depth of material in the journal’s archive. ‘Identity’ was chosen as the focus for an e-special issue about the 1990s as this was an important period in the development of public and academic discussions around this slippery concept. A review of the journal’s content from that era reveals a surprising dearth of work on the politics of group identity. In contrast, British sociology’s growing interest in questions of self, subjectivity, lifestyle and life course is well represented. Much of this work was developed in critical dialogue with the ‘individualization thesis’ that argued that people increasingly acted as choice-making individuals in control of their own lives. Through sophisticated use of theory, research and case studies many of the articles included in the e-special challenge the simplifications of this thesis. The selected articles are grouped in four sections: the first looks at attempts to theorize self-identity in late modernity; this is followed by three articles on consumerism and lifestyle; the next section contains articles on biography and the life course. The selection finishes with two articles that reflect on how sociology teaching and research might be reconfigured to acknowledge explicitly the experiences and identities of those involved.
Rediscovering Japanese Urban Space in a World Context
Authors: Oshima Ken Tadashi
Published: March 2016

Counter to the rise of the modern metropolis in Japan in “the era of high-speed growth” following World War II, a movement to embrace elements of traditional townscapes that had been lost as rational urban planning took hold from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. During this period, the realities of large-scale urban development and increasing urban problems would eventually expose the limitations of functional planning and the need to preserve traditional structures and townscapes. While architects like Bruno Taut had praised the virtues of the farmhouse villages at Shirakawago in the 1930s and Yoshida Tetsurō presented traditional Japanese architecture to an international audience as contemporary design before World War II, among others, the discourse subsequently shifted from Japanese objects and structures to urban space in the postwar period. This discourse on Japanese urban space would lead to the publication of “Nihon no toshi kūkan” (Japanese Urban Space) in 1963 (1968 as a book) that presented the work of the Toshi dezain kenkyūtai (Urban Design Research Group) including Isozaki Arata (1931-) and architectural historian Itō Teiji (1922-2010). This article analyzes the origins and implications of this work through a plethora of subsequent “design surveys” throughout Japan and other trajectories of research and design of Japanese urban space from the 1960s to the present.
Comparison of CIBSE thermal comfort assessments with SAP overheating assessments and implications for designers
Authors: Bateson Ashley
Published: March 2016

A comparison of the overheating risk assessment of a number of residential developments shows that designs can more easily pass the Part L overheating assessment using the SAP methodology compared to the CIBSE thermal comfort assessment using dynamic modelling. There is a risk, therefore, that residences are being designed and built without an appropriate evaluation of overheating risk, if only the standard building regulation assessment procedure is used. The Part L overheating assessment is relatively simplistic, thus potentially leading to inappropriate design decisions regarding building form, materials and ventilation strategies. Dynamic modelling, on the other hand, provides a more detailed assessment and prediction of overheating risk and should be more widely used to evaluate residential designs. This work shows that, without appropriate evaluation, overheating risk in residences could increasingly become a problem.

Practical application: Residential overheating risk assessments using CIBSE comfort criteria show that risk of overheating can occur in a sample of proposed residential properties, despite passing heat gain compliance checks for building regulations. Therefore, overheating assessments using dynamic thermal modelling, implemented at the planning and design stages, can provide a more appropriate assessment of thermal discomfort than Building Regulation Part L1A (criterion 3) compliance checks alone.
Adult Children’s Education and Parents’ Functional Limitations in Mexico
Authors: Yahirun Jenjira J. , Sheehan Connor M. , Hayward Mark D.
Published: March 2016

This article asks how adult children’s education influences older parents’ physical health in Mexico, a context where older adults often lack access to institutional resources and rely on kin, primarily children, as a main source of support. Using logistic and negative binomial regression models and data from the first wave of the Mexican Health and Aging Study ( N = 9,661), we find that parents whose children all completed high school are less likely to report any functional limitations as well as fewer limitations compared to parents with no children who completed high school. This association remains significant even after accounting for parent and offspring-level characteristics, including parents’ income that accounts for children’s financial transfers to parents. Future research should aim to understand the mechanisms that explain the association between adult children’s education and changes to parents’ health over time.
Will the Latino Mortality Advantage Endure?
Authors: Goldman Noreen
Published: March 2016

Persons of Mexican origin and some other Latino groups in the United States have experienced a survival advantage compared with their non-Latino White counterparts, a pattern known as the Latino, Hispanic, or epidemiological paradox. However, high rates of obesity and diabetes among Latinos relative to Whites and continued increases in the prevalence of these conditions suggest that this advantage may soon disappear. Other phenomena, including high rates of disability in the older Latino population compared with Whites, new evidence of health declines shortly after migration to the United States, increasing environmental stressors for immigrants, and high-risk values of inflammatory markers among Latinos compared with Whites support this prediction. One powerful counterargument, however, is substantially lower smoking-attributable mortality among Latinos. Still, it is questionable as to whether smoking behavior can counteract the many forces at play that may impede Latinos from experiencing future improvements in longevity on a par with Whites.
Work Role Residuals Among Fully Retired Individuals: Results of a 10-Year Panel Study
Authors: Damman Marleen , Henkens Kène
Published: March 2016

From a role theoretical perspective, it can be expected that individuals differ in the extent to which they experience aspects of the work role after they have fully retired from it. This study presents a measure of these “postretirement work role residuals” and examines them in relation to structural preretirement factors, psychological preretirement factors, and the nature of the retirement transition. Heckman selection models were estimated based on three-wave panel data collected among 848 older Dutch individuals who were employed at Wave 1 and fully retired thereafter. Although for the majority of retirees prior work plays only a minor role in their current lives, also for a considerable share prior work is still important. Higher levels of postretirement work role residuals were observed among those who expected to miss work-related social status in retirement, who were less disengaged from work in preretirement years, and among those who retired involuntarily.
Beyond REF 2014: The impact of impact assessment on the future of information research
Authors: Marcella Rita , Lockerbie Hayley , Bloice Lyndsay
Published: March 2016

The importance of demonstrating value for money in terms of academic research beyond the walls of institutions grows stronger as demonstrated by the inclusion of impact assessment in the 2014 REF (Research Excellence Framework) exercise for UK higher education institutions (HEIs). To understand if such focus is influencing the library and information science (LIS) discipline, this paper reports a critical examination of impact case studies submitted to REF 2014 under the Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management Unit of Assessment. Content analysis was conducted on 25 case studies submitted by 14 institutions, establishing the methodologies, impacts, beneficiaries, published outputs and corroborative evidence reported. The implications of impact assessment on future LIS researcher behaviour, in terms of research conceptualisation and design, were explored through nine qualitative telephone interviews. While individual researchers did not anticipate their behaviour to change due to the introduction of impact assessments, there are anticipated changes across the discipline including a greater focus on engaging with stakeholders and research beneficiaries at early stages of research design and an emphasis on mixed methodologies to maximise the power and consequences of research results.
The crisis of the republican model (the state-nation) and its religious outcomes
Authors: Haddad Mohamed
Published: March 2016

There is a necessity to build a new republican regime in the Great Middle East, based on a broad sense of citizenship, on a respect for pluralism, and on re-evaluating difference as a positive element rather than as a threat. However, this re-building will succeed only when it is accompanied by a restoration of the religious space. The reformist national model is the best and most appropriate model for real situations within the current historical period. It is a model that is able to develop according to each society’s developmental and political experience.
Histology Atlas of the Developing Mouse Hepatobiliary Hemolymphatic Vascular System with Emphasis on Embryonic Days 11.5–18.5 and Early Postnatal Development
Authors: Swartley Olivia M. , Foley Julie F. , Livingston David P. , Cullen John M. , Elmore Susan A.
Published: March 2016

A critical event in embryo development is the proper formation of the vascular system, of which the hepatobiliary system plays a pivotal role. This has led researchers to use transgenic mice to identify the critical steps involved in developmental disorders associated with the hepatobiliary vascular system. Vascular development is dependent upon normal vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and the transformation of vessels into their adult counterparts. Any alteration in vascular development has the potential to cause deformities or embryonic death. Numerous publications describe specific stages of vascular development relating to various organs, but a single resource detailing the stage-by-stage development of the vasculature pertaining to the hepatobiliary system has not been available. This comprehensive histology atlas provides hematoxylin & eosin and immunohistochemical-stained sections of the developing mouse blood and lymphatic vasculature with emphasis on the hepatobiliary system between embryonic days (E) 11.5–18.5 and the early postnatal period. Additionally, this atlas includes a 3-dimensional video representation of the E18.5 mouse venous vasculature. One of the most noteworthy findings of this atlas is the identification of the portal sinus within the mouse, which has been erroneously misinterpreted as the ductus venosus in previous publications. Although the primary purpose of this atlas is to identify normal hepatobiliary vascular development, potential embryonic abnormalities are also described.