bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determining a Fair Outcome: The Role of the Review Process in Ensuring the Accreditation Decision Accurately Reflects the Practices of the Childcare Centre
Authors: Banham Vicki
Published: February 2015

Standards of quality can influence the way childcare is both implemented and viewed by families. In Australia, childcare services are required to participate in a process of accreditation in order for their families to be eligible to receive Commonwealth government Childcare Benefit payments that assist them with the cost of childcare. The accreditation process determines if the practices the services implement are in line with agreed elements of quality care practices and such practices protect the rights of the child. Of equal interest however, are the strategies the nation has in place to protect the child care service itself from potential unfair/unjust assessment of its practices. The concepts of procedural fairness, if the service considers an unjust/unfair assessment of their practices has been made, are rightly addressed in the Australian Child Care Accreditation System (CCAS). This final step within CCAS is one which is quite unique in the international context. This paper addresses the framework, implementation, and issues that need to be faced in delivering a fair and just review of a service’s Accreditation Decision, along with the role the review process plays in the nation’s accreditation system for childcare. Data from review applications submitted by services over a nine year period was analysed to determine if childcare services who considered the assessment of their practices was unfair/unjust, was supported following an evidence based review of its practices by the review agency. Conclusions highlighted a range of issues such as assessment practices, subjectivity of assessment and relevance of assessment to context that require further research. Such findings can be utilized to inform policy development on the ongoing development of holistic accreditation systems internationally.
The Revision of Japan’s National Guidelines for Care and Education at Day Nursery and Its Problems
Authors: Shishido Takeo
Published: February 2015

This article is written to introduce the main contents of the revised National Guidelines for Care and Education at Day Nursery (henceforth New Guidelines), which were recently announced by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), and the challenges associated with these New Guidelines. The National Guidelines for Care and Education at Day Nursery is the national curriculum for Japan’s day nurseries, an official educational institution for preschools and kindergartens under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MECST). The New Guidelines are the fourth revised edition of such a curriculum. Unlike the previously issued guidelines, the New Guidelines, which were publicly announced by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, are legally binding as a minimum standard for child care and education. This article is focused on introducing (a) roles of day nurseries, (b) child care and education, (c) promotion of food education, (d) plans and evaluations of child care and education, and (e) transition from preschool to elementary school. Some additional points worthy of consideration, such as minimum standards for day nurseries, plans and self-evaluation of child care and education, problems of child care and education plans, and parental involvement are also included in this article. It is recommended the New Guidelines not be regarded as being faultless. Rather, positive efforts should be made based on the practices and studies of child care and education to improve the Guidelines in accordance with social trends.
Building a Strong and Equal Partnership between Childcare and Early Childhood Education in Canada
Authors: Friendly Martha
Published: February 2015

Split early childhood education and childcare systems (ECEC) have historically been a common phenomenon, but today many countries are moving towards more coherent approaches to ECEC. Canada, however, has continued to maintain a divided ECEC situation. Reviewing Canada’s ECEC in 2004, the OECD suggested that greater integration of kindergarten and childcare would bring real advantages. In 2007, Ontario, Canada’s largest province, began to develop integrated “full-day early learning” for all four and five year olds. In the initial phase, several key challenges have emerged: first, merging the public kindergarten system with market-driven childcare; second, financing the new program; third, maintaining stability in user-pay childcare as four and five year olds move to the new program; fourth, determining staffing models, bridging differences between kindergarten and childcare staff; and fifth, managing the phase-in. How Ontario meets these challenges will have major implications for the future of ECEC programs across Canada.
Developing Models to Integrate Early Childhood Education and Childcare in Korea
Authors: Rhee Ock , Kim Eunseol , Shin Nary , Moon Mugyeong
Published: February 2015

The aim of this study is to explore models for integrated policies and systems of early childhood education and childcare in Korea. We proposed five prospective models and offered a possible roadmap toward the integration of administrative systems. The roadmap was constructed after obtaining feedback from professionals in the fields and by evaluating the advantages and limitations of each of the prospective models that were developed. After identifying significant disagreements among stakeholders, we recommended a roadmap for integration which could minimize the conflicts among key groups. We presented specific tasks to explore before undertaking the administrative integration. The suggested tasks included integrating the two existing committees of early childhood education and childcare under the supervision of the Prime Minister, accommodating the functions of kindergartens and childcare facilities, integrating teacher training and qualification systems, and equalizing public financial support and regulatory systems between the two sectors.
Child Care in Malaysia: Then and Now
Authors: Chiam Heng Keng
Published: February 2015

Child care services in Malaysia are instituted so that women can partake in the labour force. The Child Care Centre Act 1984 sets minimal standards and regulations. Possibly due to this minimum requirement, child care is seen as custodian care by the Government and parents. Changes in attitude and quality of care seem to be taking place. The Social Welfare Department with the cooperation of the Skill Development Department, Ministry of Human Resources, has drawn up the Standard Practice and Standard Content for child care providers in accordance with the National Occupation Skill Standard. This programme provides career pathways for child care providers. The Early Child Care and Development Policy is being finalized and the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System is ready but has yet to be implemented. In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife has initiated an early childhood programme, known as Permata Negara, which promotes holistic development of the child.
Smarter Reform: Moving beyond Single-Program Solutions to an Early Care and Education System in the United States
Authors: Stoney Louise , Mitchell Anne , Warner Mildred
Published: February 2015

Proposals to improve early care and education (ECE) in the United States are often based on narrow conceptions of the value, benefits, and appropriate structure of services. The result is an increasing number of initiatives that focus only on a single aspect of the system (e.g., preschool for poor children) and assume this limited intervention can produce large results. This paper argues that to realize ECE’s potential to benefit children, families, and the US economy, the focus of reform proposals must broaden. The paper highlights the need for public investment that recognizes our children’s full worth and that reflects the value of family caregiving by supporting unpaid as well as market care. The paper presents an alternative proposal that takes into account the complexity and special nature of ECE markets and that calls for a range of investment strategies and a commitment to a level of institutional support commensurate with a high-quality ECE system.
From Ideology to Productivity: Reforming Early Childhood Education and Care in Australia
Authors: Cheeseman Sandra , Torr Jane
Published: February 2015

Early childhood education and care services in Australia are undergoing major reforms, following widespread community concern about the quality of provision in general and the viability of corporate childcare in particular. A National Quality Framework has been developed by the current Australian Government to improve the quality, access and equity of early childhood services. As with any major social, political and economic change, however, the implementation of the reform agenda is subject to complex and often competing forces. In the paper, we describe the early childhood landscape in Australia today, and the possibilities and potential barriers to carrying out the much needed reforms proposed by the Australian Government. Early childhood professionals and the wider community are embracing the opportunity to work together to achieve a transformation in the way we educate and care for young children.
Competing Forces: Government Policy, Teacher Education, and School Administration in Hong Kong Early Childhood Education
Authors: Chan Betty , Lee Maria , Choy Grace
Published: February 2015

The ecology and development of Hong Kong early childhood education is molded by the continuous and dynamic interactions between major stakeholders: government, school administrators and teacher educators. Hong Kong early childhood education is driven by three forces: policy, advocacy, and quality. These diverse forces compete with each other to become the dominant discourse in the field. Over the years, the voice of a particular force became more prominent than the other after an intricate interactions and negotiations between the different parties. This paper reviews the development of Hong Kong early childhood education policy from 1930s to present and examines its impact from the perspectives of teacher educators and school administrators.
Universal and Targeted Approaches to Preschool Education in the United States
Authors: Barnett W. Steven
Published: February 2015

In the United States, enrollments in preschool center-based programs have leveled off at about 75 percent of four-year-olds and 50 percent of three year olds. Nearly all government programs restrict eligibility to children in low-income families, and these families have substantially increased preschool participation rates as a result. However, in the last decade little progress was made toward increasing enrollments, despite increases in government spending, and less than half of children in poverty attend public programs even at age four. The average educational quality of private programs is quite low, and public programs are only modestly better. As a result, the educational effectiveness of preschool programs in the United States tends to be much weaker than that of the well-known programs research has shown be cost-effective. This paper considers whether publicly funded preschool education for all children would alleviate these problems. Universal public preschool education would reach many more children in poor and low-income families. For means-tested programs constantly changing incomes present a moving target, while the stigma associated with programs for the poor also limits participation. Program effectiveness would be at least as good in a universal program as in targeted program, and effectiveness might actually improve. One source of increased effectiveness is peer effects on learning. In addition, parents from higher-income families may be better advocates for quality, and political support for quality may be higher. Children from middle- and higher-income families also will benefit from high-quality publicly-subsidized preschool programs. A universal approach will cost more than current targeted programs, but moving from targeted to universal public preschool education is likely to produce benefits that far exceed the additional cost.
Early childhood Education and Public Care Policies in Chile: A Historical Perspective to Analyze the Present
Authors: Peralta Maria Victoria
Published: February 2015

Comparative studies in public policy is, in general, an important area, suitable for deep analysis, since it indicates how the State creates a hierarchy of different development sectors that have an impact nationwide, as well as telling us exactly what the end policy product is. With this in mind, the analysis of these policies in emerging countries becomes a particularly interesting field, since it implies that some prioritizations in economical and social contexts are not relatively complex. In this sense, as part of Latin America, Chile is an interesting case to analyze, since in its earliest years as a republic it was concerned about early childhood education. This means that since the first experiences in the 19th Century, an institutional legal basis has been created in the ECEC field. This has made it possible to establish increasingly challenging public policies as seen in the recently created social protection program, “Chile Crece contigo” (Chile Grows with You). This article aims at providing a historical account of the development of public policies in this field, by analyzing their origins and most particularly, their present status. This current situation allows Chile to assist 50% of the population of those aged 0 to 6 in various institutions and in different ways, mainly with public funding (83%).
Creating Conditions for Reflective Practice in Early Childhood Education
Authors: Venninen Tuulikki , Leinonen Jonna , Ojala Mikko , Lipponen Lasse
Published: February 2015

In this study, we describe the development of working practices in Finnish day care centers within the Helsinki metropolitan area, which has 500 day care centers. Every two years, 21 of them are selected for a study to be included in a development network. The Development Unit of Early Childhood Education (VKK-Metro), which includes the University of Helsinki and four municipalities in the metropolitan area, coordinates the development of working practices. The objective is to collaborate on the development of day care pedagogy. The objectives and operating structure of VKK-Metro and the principles of developing practices included within it are described and the operation itself is illustrated in the context of the research results. The leading idea is the development of working practices and pedagogy through a reflective and open dialogue. Research results will be utilized in the development of the day care network studied and in workshops arranged for educators in the region.
Getting Early Childhood onto the Reform Agenda: An Australian Case Study
Authors: Flottman Rachel , Page Jane
Published: February 2015

Many Governments around the world turned their attention to early childhood policy and service provision throughout the early 2000s, and the Victorian State Government within Australia was no different. Over the past six years, the Victorian Government has reformed the early childhood education and care system substantially. The factors leading to this emphasis on early childhood reform were not straight-forward. This article adapts Richmond’s and Kotelchuck’s (1983) model for examining the interacting forces shaping public policy to make sense of how early childhood so successfully found itself at the centre of the Victorian Government’s reform agenda. It concludes that far from being random, it was a combination of political will, a rich, expanding and interdisciplinary knowledge base and a well-developed social strategy for the application of the knowledge base that led to early childhood being at the centre of the reform agenda. It concludes that much of the evidence by which the reform agenda was informed came from studies conducte d internationally and that more Australian research is needed to investigate early childhood program effectiveness in our own local context if the momentum is to continue.
Family Day Care and the National Quality Framework: Issues in Improving Quality of Service
Authors: Ishimine Karin , Tayler Collette
Published: February 2015

Family child care, or family day care (FDC), as it is known in Australia, is an important early childhood education and care (ECEC) option, as it offers unique services compared with other ECEC services such as greater flexibility, wider children’s age range (0–12 years old) and differential operation procedures. In Australia, however, a new National Quality Framework (NQF) is in the process of being implemented in Australia. This will affect all ECEC services, including FDCs, through the application of National Quality Standards (NQS). How will FDCs respond to the major changes ensuing from introducing the NQF and NQS? We argue that there are several factors impacting on the quality of provision by FDCs over the longer term. These include workforce qualifications, carer-child interactions, systemic implementation processes and measures of quality. This paper will discuss the impact of NQF and NQS on FDC and will address issues where no specific quality improvement strategy is applied.
Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Education and Care Implementation
Authors: Jarvie Wendy K.
Published: February 2015

Governments around the world have boosted their early childhood education and care (ECEC) engagement and investment on the basis of evidence from neurological studies and quantitative social science research. The role of qualitative research is less understood and under-valued. At the same time the hard evidence is only of limited use in helping public servants and governments design policies that work on the ground. The paper argues that some of the key challenges in ECEC today require a focus on implementation. For this a range of qualitative research is required, including knowledge of organisational and parent behaviour, and strategies for generating support for change. This is particularly true of policies and programs aimed at ethnic minority children. It concludes that there is a need for a more systematic approach to analysing and reporting ECEC implementation, along the lines of “implementation science” developed in the health area.
Data on Early Child Education and Care Learning Environments in Germany
Authors: Linberg Tobias , Baeumer Thomas , Rossbach Hans-Guenther
Published: February 2015

Early child education and care (ECEC) learning environments play an important role in children’s developmental status and educational outcomes as international research has shown. However, the data basis for analyzing the effects of learning environments on children’s competencies and educational trajectories has been rather sparse in Germany. The National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) has been set up in order to contribute to filling this gap. The main task of the NEPS is to prepare Scientific Use Files that are disseminated to the scientific community. Because all NEPS data and documentation are translated and available to the international scientific community, the aim of this paper is threefold: After giving an introduction to the field of research and discussing the objectives and legislative characteristics of the German ECEC system, we present an overview on the sections of the NEPS that survey children 2 years before regular school enrollment and the ECEC characteristics they experience. On the basis of first-wave data, we deliver some first results on how children in Germany are cared for within the German ECEC system. The paper ends with a discussion on further possible contributions, especially when longitudinal data are being made available by the NEPS for quantitative educational research and evidence-based political decision making.
Trends in State Funded Preschool in the United States: Findings from 10 Years of Policy Surveys
Authors: Barnett Steven , Carolan Megan
Published: February 2015

An annual survey by the National Institute for Early Education Research has traced state pre-K policy change in the United States since 2001. Such programs are only one part of a system that also includes a large federal program (Head Start) and a large private sector. The last decade was one of large changes in enrollment, policies relating to access and quality, and expenditures. Not all of these chances were positive, and it appears that the Great Recession had substantial negative impacts. Major trends in state pre-K include large enrollment growth at age 4, while enrollment at age 3 changed little, universal adoption of comprehensive early learning standards and, modestly, in program quality standards. On the downside, state expenditure per child fell by more than $1,000 adjusting for inflation over 10 years. Some disadvantaged groups who might benefit most from high quality state pre-K have the least access, such as English language learners and Hispanic children. State policies show extreme variation, and the range increased over the decade. Some states moved to universal enrollment while others still have no program. State funding per child varies by almost $10,000 per pupil from highest to lowest. Surveys such as this are an important tool for understanding how policy varies over time and geopolitical boundaries as well as examining equity in access to quality.
Child Schooling and Child Work in India: Does Poverty Matter?
Authors: Malik Bijaya Kumar
Published: February 2015

This paper examines the differentials of school attendance patterns. i.e. never attended, entered into school, dropout rate, repeating, left school two or more years ago and child work by economic condition of household in India. The wealth index is used to understand the economic differentials in child schooling of households. The study findings suggest that children belonging to the poorest wealth quintile of households are significantly more likely never to have attended school, have higher dropout rates and be over-age compared to children belonging to wealthier and the wealthiest quintiles. The states’ differentials in child school attendance patterns showed that the state of Bihar has the highest proportion of children never having attended compared to lowest proportion for Kerala (39 percent vs. 2 percent). The working children among poor households are more deprived to attend school compared to children from wealthier households. This paper concludes that economic conditions of the household are the main determinant of child schooling in India.
Has a National Policy Focus on Early Childhood Made a Difference for Indigenous Children? An Analysis of LSAC Data
Authors: Sims Margaret , Phan Huy P.
Published: February 2015

The Australian policy environment has undergone significant changes with a move towards evidence-based policy development. It is in this climate that the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) began collecting data. The study began in 2003 with 2 cohorts of children (birth-1 year and 4–5 years) and the 5th wave of data collection occurred in 2011/12. In this analysis we use the data from the first wave of data (collected in the 6 months between August 2003 and March 2004) and the third wave, collected in the 9 months between July 2007 and April 2008. This latter was a time when a range of initiatives addressing Indigenous disadvantage through early childhood interventions had been in operation for some time: both early childhood and Indigenous policy was strongly focused on the quality of early childhood service provision, with a strong focus on evidence-based service development. In this paper we present a comparison of outcomes for Indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children who have grown up in these 2 different policy eras.
Understanding and Using Early Learning Standards for Young Children Globally
Authors: Kagan Sharon Lynn , Castillo Elise , Gomez Rebecca E. , Gowani Saima
Published: February 2015

Around the world, there is an increasing focus on the importance of the early years, with growing numbers of countries specifying early learning and development standards. The authors find that differences in country context and pre-primary service delivery influence the content and use of standards documents. Generally, within their documents, countries favor either specifying precise indicators of what children should know and be able to do, or including many elements that guide early education more broadly, such as broad learning goals for children and pedagogical guidance for teachers. Although the standards’ documents vary, countries generally use their documents for the purposes of curriculum development, professional development, parent engagement, and national monitoring and evaluation. By using the standards for multiple purposes, early education is better aligned and countries are advancing the integration of their services. Standards have made numerous positive contributions to the early childhood field, but, lacking rigorous outcome evaluations, it is too early to discern the effect of standards on children’s performance and learning. The authors recommend that countries devote greater attention to developing their early childhood infrastructure so that the standards documents are more effectively understood, utilized, and evaluated.
A Latent Transition Analysis Model for Latent-State-Dependent Nonignorable Missingness
Authors: Sterba Sonya K.
Published: February 2015

Psychologists often use latent transition analysis (LTA) to investigate state-to-state change in discrete latent constructs involving delinquent or risky behaviors. In this setting, latent-state-dependent nonignorable missingness is a potential concern. For some longitudinal models (e.g., growth models), a large literature has addressed extensions to accommodate nonignorable missingness. In contrast, little research has addressed how to extend the LTA to accommodate nonignorable missingness. Here we present a shared parameter LTA that can reduce bias due to latent-state-dependent nonignorable missingness: a parallel-process missing-not-at-random (MNAR-PP) LTA. The MNAR-PP LTA allows outcome process parameters to be interpreted as in the conventional LTA, which facilitates sensitivity analyses assessing changes in estimates between LTA and MNAR-PP LTA. In a sensitivity analysis for our empirical example, previous and current membership in high-delinquency states predicted adolescents’ membership in missingness states that had high nonresponse probabilities for some or all items. A conventional LTA overestimated the proportion of adolescents ending up in a low-delinquency state, compared to an MNAR-PP LTA.
Potential neuroprotective strategies for perinatal infection and inflammation
Authors: Ranchhod S.M. , Gunn K.C. , Fowke T.M. , Davidson J.O. , Lear C.A. , Bai J. , Bennet L. , Mallard C. , Gunn A.J. , Dean J.M.
Published: February 2015

Preterm born infants have high rates of brain injury, leading to motor and neurocognitive problems in later life. Infection and resulting inflammation of the fetus and newborn are highly associated with these disabilities. However, there are no established neuroprotective therapies. Microglial activation and expression of many cytokines play a key role in normal brain function and development, as well as being deleterious. Thus, treatment must achieve a delicate balance between possible beneficial and harmful effects. In this review, we discuss potential neuroprotective strategies targeting systemic infection or the resulting systemic and central inflammatory responses. We highlight the central importance of timing of treatment and the critical lack of studies of delayed treatment of infection/inflammation.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE EQUINE SLAUGHTER BAN ON HORSE PRICES?
Authors: VESTAL MALLORY K. , LUSK JAYSON L. , COOPER STEVEN R. , WARD CLEMENT E.
Published: February 2015

As a result of several judicial rulings, processing of horses for human consumption came to a halt in 2007. This article determines the change in horse prices resulting from elimination of horse-processing facilities. As expected, lower-valued horses were more affected by the ban than higher-valued horses. The analysis suggests the slaughter ban reduced horse prices, on average, by about 13% and resulted in a loss in producer surplus to sellers of approximately 14% at the sale we analyzed. We also show horse prices are affected by a myriad of factors including breed, gender, age, coat color, and sale catalog description.
THE IMPACT OF BIOFUELS POLICY AND DROUGHT ON THE U.S. GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK MARKETS
Authors: DHOUBHADEL SUNIL P. , AZZAM AZZEDDINE M. , STOCKTON MATTHEW C.
Published: February 2015

This article examines the impact of the 2012 drought and the biofuels mandate on the U.S. grain and livestock markets and estimates the mandate waiver required to offset the impact on the corn price. The framework used is a stochastic equilibrium displacement model that integrates the beef, pork, and poultry markets with the corn, distillers’ grain, soybean, soymeal, and ethanol markets. The corn and beef markets are found to be the most vulnerable. A mandate waiver of approximately 23% is required to fully negate the impact of the drought on corn prices. The waiver is equivalent to a 13.7% reduction in ethanol consumption.
Biomechanical strength of glass ionomer cement in incudostapedial rebridging
Authors: Server E A , Alkan Z , Yigit O , Acioglu E , Bekem A , Unal A , Akkin S M
Published: February 2015

Objective:

To study the biomechanical properties of glass ionomer cement used for incudostapedial rebridging.

Methods:

Two groups were established based on the size of the gap between the incus and stapes (1.0 mm in group 1 and 2.0 mm in group 2). Glass ionomer cement was applied to the gaps, and compression tests were performed. Maximum force was measured at the fracture point, and was divided by the cross-sectional area to obtain the maximum compressive strength.

Results:

No significant difference was found in the maximum force for the two groups (p = 0.312). The glass ionomer cement diameter was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p = 0.006). The maximum compressive strength was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (p = 0.042).

Conclusion:

The fragility of bone cement used in this study was 25.5 per cent higher for a 2 mm gap than for a 1 mm gap. We speculate that the use of bone cement may be safer for the repair of smaller incudostapedial defects.
The ‘nature’ of legacy under localism: fragmentation along the Greenway
Authors: Hoolachan Andrew
Published: February 2015

‘Where the pastoral meets the post-industrial’. London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) Chief of Design, Kathryn Firth's words to describe the area that the Corporation inherited as part of its remit following the Summer Olympic Games in 2012. Seeming to exemplify this, the former industrial warehouses of Hackney Wick, such as the Counter Café [2], allow shrubbery growth and sprawling ivy; their brick exerior walls emblazoned with art work reminiscent of William Morris. What we have here is recognition of the area's pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial episodes; a narrative that serves to provide some temporal coherence to what is a complex and fragmented landscape.
Designing legacy and the legacy of design: London 2012 and the Regeneration Games
Authors: Evans Graeme
Published: February 2015

The design of an urban area chosen to host a mega-event such as the Summer Olympics begs fundamental questions of scale, process and context. Not least since this is an international event whose physical impact is highly localised, where the tension between ‘permanent’ architecture, landscape and the temporal is being played out over an extended period of time. This paper covers the period from 2003 when the UK bid for the 2012 Games, followed by its award in 2005, from when the construction, compulsory land purchase and clean-up exercise began in earnest. Writing in the initial post-event legacy stage of this major placemaking project means that assessing any notions of sustainability and regeneration – and the role of design therein – is necessarliy provisional. Current visions and plans produced by the agencies responsible for transforming this event site into an established community project forward until 2030 so, in regeneration terms, a twenty-five year process is under way.
Amputated Architectures
Authors: Hendry Holly
Published: February 2015

Holly Hendry is a sculptor based in London. Graduating from the Slade School of Art, University College London in 2013, Hendry was the inaugural Woon Fellow at Northumbria University, a significant prize for young and emerging artists. Hendry held a twelve-month residency at Baltic 39 in Newcastleupon-Tyne, culminating in her first solo-show at Gallery North, Hollow Bodies. Her work is concerned with the spatial, material and structural qualities of architecture and how space is experienced in historical and contemporary contexts. Currently in the first year of a two-year sculpture MA programme at the Royal College of Art, London, Hendry sat down with reviews and insight editor Ed Wainwright to discuss the intersections of art and architecture, the architecture of hollowness and the cut, and how her sculpture interrogates architecture for its silent symbolism.
APP intracellular domain acts as a transcriptional regulator of miR-663 suppressing neuronal differentiation
Authors: Shu R , Wong W , Ma Q H , Yang Z Z , Zhu H , Liu F J , Wang P , Ma J , Yan S , Polo J M , Bernard C C A , Stanton L W , Dawe G S , Xiao Z C
Published: February 2015

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is best known for its involvement in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. We have previously demonstrated that APP intracellular domain (AICD) regulates neurogenesis; however, the mechanisms underlying AICD-mediated regulation of neuronal differentiation are not yet fully characterized. Using genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation approaches, we found that AICD is specifically recruited to the regulatory regions of several microRNA genes, and acts as a transcriptional regulator for miR-663, miR-3648 and miR-3687 in human neural stem cells. Functional assays show that AICD negatively modulates neuronal differentiation through miR-663, a primate-specific microRNA. Microarray data further demonstrate that miR-663 suppresses the expression of multiple genes implicated in neurogenesis, including FBXL18 and CDK6. Our results indicate that AICD has a novel role in suppression of neuronal differentiation via transcriptional regulation of miR-663 in human neural stem cells.
Selective inhibition of HDAC8 decreases neuroblastoma growth in vitro and in vivo and enhances retinoic acid-mediated differentiation
Authors: Rettig I , Koeneke E , Trippel F , Mueller W C , Burhenne J , Kopp-Schneider A , Fabian J , Schober A , Fernekorn U , von Deimling A , Deubzer H E , Milde T , Witt O , Oehme I
Published: February 2015

For differentiation-defective malignancies, compounds that modulate transcription, such as retinoic acid and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, are of particular interest. HDAC inhibitors are currently under investigation for the treatment of a broad spectrum of cancer diseases. However, one clinical drawback is class-specific toxicity of unselective inhibitors, limiting their full anticancer potential. Selective targeting of individual HDAC isozymes in defined tumor entities may therefore be an attractive alternative treatment approach. We have previously identified HDAC family member 8 (HDAC8) as a novel target in childhood neuroblastoma. Using small-molecule inhibitors, we now demonstrate that selective inhibition of HDAC8 exhibits antineuroblastoma activity without toxicity in two xenograft mouse models of MYCN oncogene-amplified neuroblastoma. In contrast, the unselective HDAC inhibitor vorinostat was more toxic in the same models. HDAC8-selective inhibition induced cell cycle arrest and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Upon combination with retinoic acid, differentiation was significantly enhanced, as demonstrated by elongated neurofilament-positive neurites and upregulation of NTRK1. Additionally, MYCN oncogene expression was downregulated in vitro and tumor cell growth was markedly reduced in vivo. Mechanistic studies suggest that cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) links HDAC8- and retinoic acid-mediated gene transcription. In conclusion, HDAC-selective targeting can be effective in tumors exhibiting HDAC isozyme-dependent tumor growth in vivo and can be combined with differentiation-inducing agents.
In a three-dimensional reconstructed human epidermis filaggrin-2 is essential for proper cornification
Authors: Pendaries V , Le Lamer M , Cau L , Hansmann B , Malaisse J , Kezic S , Serre G , Simon M
Published: February 2015

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with defects in the epidermal barrier. In a cohort of African-American children, a FLG2 nonsense mutation has been associated with the disease. In the epidermis of European patients, the expression of filaggrin-2, the filaggrin-related protein encoded by FLG2, is decreased. To describe the function of filaggrin-2 and evaluate the impact of its deficiency, its expression was downregulated using lentivirus-mediated shRNA interference in a three-dimensional reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) model. This resulted in parakeratosis and a compact stratum corneum, presence of abnormal vesicles inside the corneocytes, increased pH and reduced amounts of free amino acids at the RHE surface, leading to increased sensitivity to UVB radiations. The expression of differentiation markers was slightly modified. However, we observed reduced proteolytic processing of corneodesmosin, hornerin and filaggrin in parallel with reduced amounts of caspase-14 and bleomycin hydrolase. Our data demonstrated that filaggrin-2 is important for a proper cornification and a functional stratum corneum. Its downregulation in atopic patients may be involved in the disease-associated epidermis impairment.
Annexin-1 regulated by HAUSP is essential for UV-induced damage response
Authors: Park J-J , Lim K-H , Baek K-H
Published: February 2015

DNA damage can occur through diverse stimulations such as toxins, drugs, and environmental factors. To respond to DNA damage, mammalian cells induce DNA damage response (DDR). DDR signal activates a rapid signal transduction pathway, regulating the cell fate based on the damaged cell condition. Moreover, serious damaged cells have to be eliminated by the macrophage to maintain homeostasis. Because the DDR induces genomic instability followed by tumor formation, targeting the DDR signaling can be applied for the cancer therapy. Herpes virus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease (HAUSP/USP7) is one of the well-known deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) owing to its relevance with Mdm2-p53 complex. The involvement of HAUSP in DDR through p53 led us to investigate novel substrates for HAUSP, which is related to DDR or apoptosis. As a result, we identified annexin-1 (ANXA1) as one of the putative substrates for HAUSP. ANXA1 has numerous roles in cellular systems including anti-inflammation, damage response, and apoptosis. Several studies have demonstrated that ANXA1 can be modified in a post-translational manner by processes such as phosphorylation, SUMOylation, and ubiquitination. In addition, DNA damage gives various functions to ANXA1 such as stress response or cleavage-mediated apoptotic cell clearance. In the current study, our proteomic analysis using two-dimensional electrophoresis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and nano LC-MS/MS, and immunoprecipitation revealed that ANXA1 binds to HAUSP through its HAUSP-binding motif (P/AXXS), and the cleavage and damage-responsive functions of ANXA1 upon UV-induced DNA damage may be followed by HAUSP-mediated deubiquitination of ANXA1. Intriguingly, the UV-induced damage responses via HAUSP-ANXA1 interaction in HeLa cells were different from the responses shown in the Jurkat cells, suggesting that their change of roles may depend on the cell types.
Ets-1 as an early response gene against hypoxia-induced apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells
Authors: Qiao N , Xu C , Zhu Y-X , Cao Y , Liu D-C , Han X
Published: February 2015

Hypoxia complicates islet isolation for transplantation and may contribute to pancreatic β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes. Pancreatic β-cells are susceptible to hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Severe hypoxic conditions during the immediate post-transplantation period are a main non-immune factor leading to β-cell death and islet graft failure. In this study, we identified the transcription factor Ets-1 (v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog 1) as an early response gene against hypoxia-induced apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells. Hypoxia regulates Ets-1 at multiple levels according to the degree of β-cell oxygen deprivation. Moderate hypoxia promotes Ets-1 gene transcription, whereas severe hypoxia promotes its transactivation activity, as well as its ubiquitin-proteasome mediated degradation. This degradation causes a relative insufficiency of Ets-1 activity, and limits the transactivation effect of Ets-1 on downstream hypoxic-inducible genes and its anti-apoptotic function. Overexpression of ectopic Ets-1 in MIN6 and INS-1 cells protects them from severe hypoxia-induced apoptosis in a mitochondria-dependent manner, confirming that a sufficient amount of Ets-1 activity is critical for protection of pancreatic β-cells against hypoxic injury. Targeting Ets-1 expression may be a useful strategy for islet graft protection during the immediate post-transplantation period.
Capture Hi-C identifies the chromatin interactome of colorectal cancer risk loci
Authors: Jäger Roland , Migliorini Gabriele , Henrion Marc , Kandaswamy Radhika , Speedy Helen E. , Heindl Andreas , Whiffin Nicola , Carnicer Maria J. , Broome Laura , Dryden Nicola , Nagano Takashi , Schoenfelder Stefan , Enge Martin , Yuan Yinyin , Taipale Jussi , Fraser Peter , Fletcher Olivia , Houlston Richard S.
Published: February 2015

Multiple regulatory elements distant from their targets on the linear genome can influence the expression of a single gene through chromatin looping. Chromosome conformation capture implemented in Hi-C allows for genome-wide agnostic characterization of chromatin contacts. However, detection of functional enhancer–promoter interactions is precluded by its effective resolution that is determined by both restriction fragmentation and sensitivity of the experiment. Here we develop a capture Hi-C (cHi-C) approach to allow an agnostic characterization of these physical interactions on a genome-wide scale. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with complex diseases often reside within regulatory elements and exert effects through long-range regulation of gene expression. Applying this cHi-C approach to 14 colorectal cancer risk loci allows us to identify key long-range chromatin interactions in cis and trans involving these loci.
Model-based analysis of coupled equilibrium-kinetic processes: indirect kinetic studies of thermodynamic parameters using the dynamic data
Authors: Emami Fereshteh , Maeder Marcel , Abdollahi Hamid
Published: February 2015

Schematic of intertwined equilibrium-kinetic model at time = 0,1,2…T when both equilibrium and kinetic models are solved explicitly.
Desalting large protein complexes during native electrospray mass spectrometry by addition of amino acids to the working solution
Authors: Clarke David J. , Campopiano Dominic J.
Published: February 2015

A simple method for mitigating the adverse effects of salt adduction during native protein mass spectrometry by addition of amino-acids.
Rapid determination of emerging contaminants in water and herbal infusions by in situ derivatization and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Albero Beatriz , Sánchez-Brunete Consuelo , Miguel Esther , Tadeo José L.
Published: February 2015

A simple and rapid method is proposed for the determination of fourteen emerging contaminants in water and different herbal infusions (tea, chamomile, linden-blossom and pennyroyal).
A two-photon fluorescent turn-on probe for nitroxyl (HNO) and its bioimaging application in living tissues
Authors: Zheng Kaibo , Lin Weiying , Cheng Dan , Chen Hua , Liu Yong , Liu Keyin
Published: February 2015

The first two-photon fluorescent probe for specific detection of nitroxyl is designed and synthesized, and we have further demonstrated that the new two-photon fluorescent probe could be employed to image nitroxyl in living cells and tissues.
Dimeric packing of molecular clips induced by interactions between π-systems
Authors: Wang Jungang , Wang Miao , Xiang Jiachen , Cao Liping , Wu Anxin , Isaacs Lyle
Published: February 2015

We report the first observation synthesis and X-ray structures of seven glycoluril clips that feature extended aromatic sidewalls; compounds1and2are the first examples of the out–out dimeric motif.
Probing the nature of upconversion nanocrystals: instrumentation matters
Authors: Liu Xiaowang , Deng Renren , Zhang Yuhai , Wang Yu , Chang Hongjin , Huang Ling , Liu Xiaogang
Published: February 2015

Understanding upconversion nanocrystals: this review intends to summarize instrumental matters related to the characterization of upconversion nanocrystals from surface structures to intrinsic properties to ultimate challenges in nanocrystal analysis at single-particle levels.
Time course of adipose tissue dysfunction associated with antioxidant defense, inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in dyslipemic insulin resistant rats
Authors: D'Alessandro María Eugenia , Selenscig Dante , Illesca Paola , Chicco Adriana , Lombardo Yolanda B.
Published: February 2015

Time course of adipose tissue dysfunction in dyslipemic insulin resistant rats.
The role of p38 MAPK in the induction of intestinal inflammation by dietary oxysterols: modulation by wine phenolics
Authors: Guina Tina , Deiana Monica , Calfapietra Simone , Cabboi Barbara , Maina Marco , Tuberoso Carlo I. , Leonarduzzi Gabriella , Gamba Paola , Gargiulo Simona , Testa Gabriella , Poli Giuseppe , Biasi Fiorella
Published: February 2015

Dietary oxysterols promote intestinal inflammation mainly through NOX1/p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling axis. Specific wine phenolics target each branch of this axis.
The S-hindered synthesis of PbSe/PbS nanosheets with enhanced electrochemical activities
Authors: Yan Chunshuang , Chen Gang , Shi Xiaorui , Pei Jian , Sun Jingxue , Chen Dahong , Zhang Yongqiang
Published: February 2015

A one-step synthesis of PbSe/PbS nanosheets for a Li ion battery.
Detection and characterization of nanoparticles in suspension at low concentrations using the X-ray total scattering pair distribution function technique
Authors: Terban Maxwell W. , Johnson Matthew , Di Michiel Marco , Billinge Simon J. L.
Published: February 2015

Total scattering experiments are used with pair distribution function analysis to study nanoscale structure and morphology in highly disordered samples. We investigate sensitivity for the case of organic nanoparticles in dilute solution.
Dexamethasone sodium phosphate intercalated layered double hydroxides and their therapeutic efficacy in a murine asthma model
Authors: Wang Wen-Rui , Li Ang , Mei Wei , Zhu Rong-Rong , Li Kun , Sun Xiao-Yu , Qian Ye-Chang , Wang Shi-Long
Published: February 2015

Schematic diagram showing the intercalation of Dexa into the MgAl–LDH interlayers.
Cinnamomum osmophloeum extracts inhibit growth of Helicobacter pylori and postinfectious interleukin-8 expression in human gastric epithelial cells
Authors: Fang Shiuh-Bin , Ko Hsin-Yu , Huang Sheng-Tung , Huang Chih-Hung , Li Li-Ting , Chen Chia-Chun , Wang Ke-Chuan , Pai Cheng-Pin , Lee Hung-Chang , Fang Hsu-Wei
Published: February 2015

Extracts from dry leaves ofCinnamomum osmophloeumconcentration-dependently inhibitHelicobacter pylorigrowth and postinfectious interleukin-8 expression in human gastric epithelium.
The effect of light irradiation on the growth of C60–C70 nanofibers
Authors: Zhao Xin , Wang Bingzhe , Yu Wenwen , Gao Xin , Piao Guangzhe
Published: February 2015

Charge transfer reactions between C60, C70 and pyridine.