bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract C66: Establishing clinically relevant in vitro models of prostate cancer
Authors: Abou-Kheir Wassim , Hynes Paul , Martin Philip , Yin JuanJuan , Liu Yen-Nien , Seng Victoria , Lake Ross , Spurrier Joshua , Kelly Kathleen
Published: May 2013

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. PTEN and/or TP53 deletions in prostate cancer are associated with aggressiveness, castration-resistance, and poor prognosis. One origin of progressive, treatment-resistant prostate cancer has been hypothesized to be androgen-independent, prostate cancer stem cells. In order to investigate molecular mechanisms linking specific gene mutations to tumorigenic properties, we have established and characterized two prostate luminal epithelial cell lines with Pten/TP53 deletions, derived from a prostate epithelial stem/progenitor-enriched cell population and maintained in a serum-free media.

Normal mouse prostate epithelium containing floxed Pten and TP53 alleles was subjected to CRE-mediated deletion in vitro followed by serial propagation as protospheres. A polyclonal cell line was established from dissociated protospheres and subsequently a clonal daughter line was derived. Both lines demonstrate a mature luminal phenotype in vitro. The established lines contain a stable minor population of progenitor cells with protosphere-forming ability and multi-lineage differentiation capacity. Both lines formed orthotopic adenocarcinoma tumors with metastatic potential to lung. Intracardiac inoculation resulted in brain and lung metastasis, while intra-tibial injection induced osteoblastic bone formation, recapitulating the bone metastatic phenotype of human prostate cancer. The cells showed androgen receptor dependent growth in vitro. Importantly, in vivo, the deprivation of androgens from established orthotopic tumors resulted in tumor regression and eventually castration-resistant growth. Cells derived from orthotopic tumors have been isolated to develop androgen-dependent versus androgen-independent model. These data suggest that transformed prostate progenitor cells preferentially differentiate toward luminal cells and recapitulate many characteristics of the human disease.

Citation Format: Wassim Abou-Kheir, Paul Hynes, Philip Martin, JuanJuan Yin, Yen-Nien Liu, Victoria Seng, Ross Lake, Joshua Spurrier, Kathleen Kelly. Establishing clinically relevant in vitro models of prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr C66.
Abstract IA14: Novel therapeutic targets in prostate cancer
Authors: Chinnaiyan Arul M.
Published: May 2013

Recurrent fusions of ETS genes are considered driving mutations in a diverse array of cancers, including Ewing's sarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and prostate cancer. We investigate the mechanisms by which ETS fusions mediate their effects, and find that the product of the predominant ETS gene fusion, TMPRSS2:ERG, interacts in a NA-independent manner with the enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) and the catalytic subunit of DNA protein kinase (DNAPKcs). ETS gene-mediated transcription and cell invasion require PARP1 and DNAPKcs expression and activity. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 inhibits ETS-positive, but not ETS-negative, prostate cancer xenograft growth. Finally, overexpression of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion induces DNA damage, which is potentiated by PARP1 inhibition in a manner similar to that of BRCA1/2 deficiency.

Citation Format: Arul M. Chinnaiyan. Novel therapeutic targets in prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA14.
Abstract IA15: Context-specific oncogenesis by ETS-family transcription factors
Authors: Chen Yu , Shukla Shipra , Chi Ping , Carver Brett , Sawyers Charles L.
Published: May 2013

Recurrent translocation involving ETS-family transcription factors including ERG and ETV1, ETV4, and ETV5 occur in over half of prostate cancers, implicating them as driver oncogenes in prostate tumorigenesis. Two observations pose important questions. 1) The same ETS factors aberrantly expressed in prostate cancer can be endogenously highly expressed in other tissues to modulate normal physiology (e.g., ERG expression in endothelial cells and ETV1 expression in neurons). 2) Forced overexpression in prostate model systems such as immortalized human primary prostate epithelial cells and mouse prostate yields minimal phenotype. These observations indicate that ETS mediated oncogenesis is highly dependent on the cellular context, which is mediated by the cell/tissue type and cooperating lesions. We asked how cellular context affects the DNA binding, transcriptional output, and phenotype of ETS proteins. We compared human ETS dependent tumor cell lines from two lineages, prostate cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumor and show that ETS binding is largely tissue specific. Further, we have generated genetically engineered mouse models that express ETS in different tissues, within different compartments of the prostate gland, and with different cooperating lesions. We show that ERG binding to genomic DNA is largely similar in PTEN intact and PTEN null mouse prostates. Yet, ERG can only mediate a transcriptional program that mediates an aggressive phenotype in PTEN null prostates. These data suggests that cellular context is critical for ETS transcription factor function.

Citation Format: Yu Chen, Shipra Shukla, Ping Chi, Brett Carver, Charles L. Sawyers. Context-specific oncogenesis by ETS-family transcription factors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.
Abstract IA20: A bad influence: ERG, AR, and prostate cell differentiation
Authors: Pagliarini Raymond A.
Published: May 2013

Aberrant expression of oncogenic ETS transcription factors such as ERG (via the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion) plays a key role in the development of a significant fraction of prostate cancers. However, the underlying biology of ERG's function in prostate cancer is incompletely understood, with a growing number of potential effector pathways implicated. To better understand the “ERG pathway”, we have worked towards elucidating the mechanism of ERG function in prostate cancer using a variety of in vitro and in vivo models. We observe that potent ERG inhibition (using inducible shRNA constructs) inhibits the proliferation of TMPRSS2:ERG positive VCaP prostate cancer cells. A number of phenotypic findings in this model suggest that ERG knockdown causes growth arrest by inducing aspects of prostate cell differentiation. In particular, the most significant transcriptional response to ERG inhibition was an upregulation of Androgen Receptor (AR)-dependent genes expressed in normal prostate lumenal epithelium. We validated these findings in additional in vitro models, and showed that recruitment of ERG to AR target genes attenuates recruitment of AR, even when ERG and AR are not bound to adjacent regions of the target gene. From these findings, we hypothesize that the main role of ERG in prostate cancer is to prevent AR-mediated cell differentiation signals, while still allowing AR-dependent proliferation. We are currently working to further elucidate the mechanism of how ERG controls AR recruitment to its target genes; in particular, whether any ERG-interacting proteins with enzymatic function (i.e., “druggable pockets”) mediate this effect. We are also working to build more robust in vitro models of AR-dependent prostate cell differentiation, in order to better assess how perturbing ERG function, as well as the function of other signaling pathways, affects this biology.

Citation Format: Raymond A. Pagliarini. A bad influence: ERG, AR, and prostate cell differentiation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA20.
Abstract IA21: Transcriptional programs directed by the androgen receptor splice variants
Authors: Hu Rong , Lu Changxue , Mostaghel Elahe A. , Yegnasubramanian Srinivasan , Gurel Meltem , Tannahill Clare , Edwards Joanne , Isaacs William , Nelson Peter S. , Bluemn Eric , Plymate Stephen R. , Luo Jun
Published: May 2013

Continued androgen receptor (AR) signaling is an established mechanism underlying castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and suppression of AR signaling remains a therapeutic goal of CRPC therapy. Constitutively active androgen receptor splice variants (AR-Vs) lack the AR ligand-binding domain (AR-LBD), the intended target of androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) including new CRPC therapies such as abiraterone and MDV3100. Transcriptional programs directed by the canonical full-length AR (AR-FL) are well characterized, but those directed the AR-Vs are not well understood. In addition, AR-FL and AR-Vs are both increased in CRPC, underscoring the critical importance of dissecting the complex interplay between AR-FL and AR-Vs. In this study, we employed a set of detection and targeting tools that differentiate the AR-FL and AR-Vs to investigate the functional distinctions between AR-FL and AR-V. We show that suppression of endogenous AR-FL signaling by targeting AR-LBD leads to increased AR-V expression in two cell line models of CRPC. Importantly, treatment-induced AR-Vs activate a distinct expression signature enriched for cell cycle genes without requiring the presence of AR-FL. Conversely, activation of AR-FL signaling suppresses the AR-V-mediated transcriptional programs but activates genes mainly associated with macromolecular synthesis, metabolism, and differentiation. In prostate cancer cells and CRPC xenografts treated with MDV3100 and abiraterone, increased expression of two constitutively active AR-Vs, AR-V7 and ARV567ES, but not AR-FL, parallels increased expression of the AR-driven cell cycle gene UBE2C. In addition, protein expression of AR-V7, but not AR-FL, is positively correlated with UBE2C in clinical CRPC specimens. The cumulative in vitro and in vivo evidence support an adaptive shift toward AR-V-mediated signaling in at least a subset of CRPC tumors as the AR-LBD is rendered inactive, suggesting a functional dichotomy between AR-FL and AR-Vs in a therapeutic setting. The dynamic interplay between AR signaling mediated by AR-FL and AR-V should be further explored in rational development of novel CRPC therapies and multipurpose biomarkers for CRPC.

Citation Format: Rong Hu, Changxue Lu, Elahe A. Mostaghel, Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian, Meltem Gurel, Clare Tannahill, Joanne Edwards, William Isaacs, Peter S. Nelson, Eric Bluemn, Stephen R. Plymate, Jun Luo. Transcriptional programs directed by the androgen receptor splice variants [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA21.
Abstract IA4: Outcome prediction from the pattern of aberrations in prostate cancer genomes
Authors: Taylor Barry S. , Hieronymus Haley , Schultz Nikolaus , Sawyers Charles L. ,   on behalf of the MSKCC Prostate Cancer Oncogenome Group
Published: May 2013

One of the greatest challenges in prostate cancer care is distinguishing men with high-risk disease requiring aggressive therapy from those who can be managed with active surveillance. Therefore, we are pursuing an ongoing integrative genomic analysis of human primary and metastatic prostate cancers. We explore the clinical importance and pathogenicity of genomic lesions and their association with canonical features of prostate cancer biology. Previously, we found that global patterns of DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) in primary tumors were associated with disease recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Here, we will discuss our efforts to extend this discovery by validating the clinical importance of CNAs and structural rearrangements in independent cohorts, at multiple scales, and with orthogonal methods. Our principal goal is to deliver a clinical diagnosis informed by genomic abnormalities that impacts definitive treatment decisions in men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Citation Format: Barry S. Taylor, Haley Hieronymus, Nikolaus Schultz, Charles L Sawyers, on behalf of the MSKCC Prostate Cancer Oncogenome Group. Outcome prediction from the pattern of aberrations in prostate cancer genomes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA4.
Abstract IA6: Cell cycle progression genes differentiate indolent from aggressive prostate cancer
Authors: Stone Steven ,   On behalf of the Transatlantic Prostate Group, Cuzick Jack , Berney Dan , Reid Julia , Fisher Gabrielle , Lanchbury Jerry , Gutin Alexander , Swanson Greg
Published: May 2013

Background: In cancers with variable natural history, prognostic biomarkers are needed for selecting patients for therapeutic intervention. This is particularly true for prostate cancer, where many screen-detected cases are indolent and predicting adverse outcomes is difficult. Therefore, we developed an expression signature composed of genes involved in cell cycle progression (CCP) and tested its utility in prostate cancer.

Methods: We developed a 46-gene prognostic RNA signature that is based on measuring the expression of CCP genes. The expression score (CCP score) is derived as the normalized mean expression all CCP genes in the signature.

Results: The prognostic utility of the CCP score has been tested in both multiple clinical settings and patient populations. First, it was tested in a post-prostatectomy cohort from the U.S. where the CCP score predicted biochemical recurrence in univariate (χ2 = 34.0, 1df, p = 5·6 × 10-9) and multivariate analysis (χ2 = 21.65, 1df, p = 3.3 × 10-6). CCP score and PSA were the dominant variables in the best predictive model and were much more significant than any other clinical measure. Second, it was tested in a conservatively managed TURP cohort from the UK where the CCP score was the dominant variable for predicting death from prostate cancer in both univariate (χ2 = 92.7, 1df, p = 6.1 × 10-22) and multivariate analyses (χ2 = 42.2, p = 8.2 × 10-11). Third, it was tested in a conservatively managed needle biopsy cohort from the UK where the CCP score was a better univariate predictor of prostate cancer death than any other variable (χ2 = 37·6, 1df, p = 8.6 × 10-10). The best multivariate model from this study included Gleason and PSA, but CCP dominated (HR for one unit increase = 1.65, 95% CI (1.31, 2.09) χ2 = 17.7, P = 3 × 10-5) with Gleason score (χ2 = 12.1, P = 5 × 10-4) and baseline PSA (χ2 = 5.7, P = 0.017) providing significant, but smaller additional contributions.

Conclusions: A CCP expression signature is prognostic in prostate cancer patients at diagnosis and after prostatectomy. It consistently provides information beyond clinical and pathological variables to help differentiate aggressive from indolent disease. Studies aimed at expanding the clinical utility of this signature are warranted and ongoing.

Citation Format: Steven Stone, On behalf of the Transatlantic Prostate Group, Jack Cuzick, Dan Berney, Julia Reid, Gabrielle Fisher, Jerry Lanchbury, Alexander Gutin, Greg Swanson. Cell cycle progression genes differentiate indolent from aggressive prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA6.
Abstract IA7: Development of integrated diagnostic methods for tissue testing
Authors: Pestano Gary A.
Published: May 2013

Identification of patients who will benefit from targeted therapies, or who have highly aggressive disease courses are among the more difficult questions in disease management. We continue to address these questions in ongoing studies that include the development of integrated diagnostic test methods as IVD assays. These tests may better account for tissue heterogeneity, assess multiple gene re-arrangements, protein over-expression, and nuclei change parameters in individual transformed nuclei.

Specific results from studies will be discussed for the prostate. The ETS rearranged genes are the most common in prostate cancer, but it is expected men with diagnosed prostate cancer will have harbor additional genetic rearrangements that may be also reflected by alterations in nuclear morphology. In addition, prostate cancers with productive gene fusions results in the over-expression of oncogenic transcription factors, including in ERG. Alterations in nuclear morphology, gene fusion status, and the downstream factors they impact may serve as potential therapeutic targets, or may be linked to poor disease prognoses.

We describe an integrated testing strategy that can be applied to various stages of disease progression from an initial diagnosis on biopsy for PIN and low-risk disease, to advanced disease involving extra-capsular penetration and recurrence.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference because the presenter was unable to attend.

Citation Format: Gary A. Pestano. Development of integrated diagnostic methods for tissue testing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA7.
Raw Garlic Consumption as a Protective Factor for Lung Cancer, a Population-Based Case–Control Study in a Chinese Population
Authors: Jin Zi-Yi , Wu Ming , Han Ren-Qiang , Zhang Xiao-Feng , Wang Xu-Shan , Liu Ai-Ming , Zhou Jin-Yi , Lu Qing-Yi , Zhang Zuo-Feng , Zhao Jin-Kou
Published: May 2013

Protective effect of garlic on the development of cancer has been reported in the in vitro and in vivo experimental studies; however, few human epidemiologic studies have evaluated the relationship. A population-based case–control study has been conducted in a Chinese population from 2003 to 2010, with the aim to explore the association between raw garlic consumption and lung cancer. Epidemiologic data were collected by face-to-face interviews using a standard questionnaire among 1,424 lung cancer cases and 4,543 healthy controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted ORs and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), and to evaluate ratio of ORs (ROR) for multiplicative interactions between raw garlic consumption and other risk factors. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, raw garlic consumption of 2 times or more per week is inversely associated with lung cancer (OR = 0.56; 95% CI, 0.44–0.72) with a monotonic dose–response relationship (Ptrend < 0.001). Furthermore, strong interactions at either additive and/or multiplicative scales were observed between raw garlic consumption and tobacco smoking [synergy index (SI) = 0.70; 95% CI, 0.57–0.85; and ROR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67–0.90], as well as high-temperature cooking oil fume (ROR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59–1.00). In conclusion, protective association between intake of raw garlic and lung cancer has been observed with a dose–response pattern, suggesting that garlic may potentially serve as a chemopreventive agent for lung cancer. Effective components in garlic in lung cancer chemoprevention warrant further in-depth investigation. Cancer Prev Res; 6(7); 711–8. ©2013 AACR.
Advances in Blood Pressure Genomics
Authors: Munroe Patricia B. , Barnes Michael R. , Caulfield Mark J.
Published: May 2013

The elucidation of genes implicated in Mendelian forms of hypertension demonstrates rare variants with substantial effects are responsible, and often these genes lie within pathways managing sodium homeostasis. More recently with advances in affordable high-throughput genotyping strategies, multiple common genetic variants with modest effects on blood pressure (<1 mmHg systolic) have been discovered in the population. In aggregate, these common variants explain <3% of the variance of blood pressure. Although these findings may offer new mechanistic insights into the biology of blood pressure, a key question is can these findings translate into patient benefit? It is timely to reflect on recent advances in genomics, and the use of new resources, such as the 1000 Genomes Project and the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, to annotate likely causal variants, and their relevance to cardiovascular disease. In this review, we discuss the advances in relation to our knowledge of the genetic architecture of blood pressure, and whether gene discoveries might influence cardiovascular risk assessment, help to stratify patient response to medicine, or identify new biological pathways for novel therapeutic targets.
Intracoronary Infusion of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Precursor Cells Directly After Experimental Acute Myocardial Infarction Reduces Infarct Size, Abrogates Adverse Remodeling, and Improves Cardiac Function
Authors: Houtgraaf Jaco H. , de Jong Renate , Kazemi Kushan , de Groot Daphne , van der Spoel Tycho I.G. , Arslan Fatih , Hoefer Imo , Pasterkamp Gerard , Itescu Silviu , Zijlstra Felix , Geleijnse Marcel L. , Serruys Patrick W. , Duckers Henricus J.
Published: May 2013

Rationale:

Mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) are a specific Stro-3+ subpopulation of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow. MPCs exert extensive cardioprotective effects, and are considered to be immune privileged.

Objective:

This study assessed the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of intracoronary delivery of allogeneic MPCs directly after acute myocardial infarction in sheep.

Methods and Results:

Initially, intracoronary delivery conditions were optimized in 20 sheep. These conditions were applied in a randomized study of 68 sheep with an anterior acute myocardial infarction. Coronary flow was monitored during MPC infusion, and cardiac function was assessed using invasive hemodynamics and echocardiography at baseline and during 8 weeks follow-up. Coronary flow remained within thrombolysis in myocardial infarction III definitions in all sheep during MPC infusion. Global left ventricular ejection fraction as measured by pressure–volume loop analysis deteriorated in controls to 40.7±2.6% after 8 weeks. In contrast, MPC treatment improved cardiac function to 52.8±0.7%. Echocardiography revealed significant improvement of both global and regional cardiac functions. Infarct size decreased by 40% in treated sheep, whereas infarct and border zone thickness were enhanced. Left ventricular adverse remodeling was abrogated by MPC therapy, resulting in a marked reduction of left ventricular volumes. Blood vessel density increased by >50% in the infarct and border areas. Compensatory cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was reduced in border and remote segments, accompanied by reduced collagen deposition and apoptosis. No microinfarctions in remote myocardial segments or histological abnormalities in unrelated organs were found.

Conclusions:

Intracoronary infusion of allogeneic MPCs is safe, feasible, and markedly effective in a large animal model of acute myocardial infarction.
Transcriptional Regulation of Endothelial Cell and Vascular Development
Authors: Park Changwon , Kim Tae Min , Malik Asrar B.
Published: May 2013

The establishment and maintenance of the vascular system is critical for embryonic development and postnatal life. Defects in endothelial cell development and vessel formation and function lead to embryonic lethality and are important in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. Here, we review the underlying molecular mechanisms of endothelial cell differentiation, plasticity, and the development of the vasculature. This review focuses on the interplay among transcription factors and signaling molecules that specify the differentiation of vascular endothelial cells. We also discuss recent progress on reprogramming of somatic cells toward distinct endothelial cell lineages and its promise in regenerative vascular medicine.
Should Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting Be Used in Elderly Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting?
Authors: Medalion Benjamin , Mohr Rephael , Frid Osnat , Uretzky Gideon , Nesher Nachum , Paz Yosef , Kramer Amir , Pevni Dmitry
Published: May 2013

Background—

Although bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting is associated with improved survival, the use of this technique in the elderly is controversial because of their increased surgical risk and shorter life expectancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on outcome of patients undergoing bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting.

Methods and Results—

Between 1996 and 2001, 1714 consecutive patients underwent skeletonized bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting, of whom 748 were ≤65 years of age, 688 were between 65 and 75 years of age, and 278 were ≥75 years of age. Operative mortality of the 3 age groups (1.2%, 4.1%, and 5.8%, respectively) was lower than the logistic EuroSCORE predicted mortality (3.9%, 6.5%, and 9.3%, respectively;
P
<0.001). There were no significant differences among the groups in occurrence of sternal infection (1.3%, 2.6%, and 1.4%, respectively;
P
=0.171). Mean follow-up was 11.5 years. Kaplan–Meier 10-year survival for patients ≤65, 65 to 75, and >75 years of age was 85%, 65%, and 40%, respectively (
P
<0.001). These rates were better than the corresponding predicted Charlson Comorbidity Index survival rates (68%, 37%, and 20%, respectively;
P
<0.001 for all age groups), approaching survival of the sex- and age-matched general population (90%, 70%, and 41%, respectively). Age ≤65 years (hazard ratio, 0.232; 95% confidence interval, 0.188–0.288) and age 65 to 75 years (hazard ratio, 0.499; 95% confidence interval, 0.414–0.602) were independent predictors of improved survival (Cox model).

Conclusions—

Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting should be considered in patients >65 years of age because of the significant survival benefit obtained with this surgical technique with no additional risk of sternal wound infection related to age.
High Proficiency in a Second Language is Characterized by Greater Involvement of the First Language Network: Evidence from Chinese Learners of English
Authors: Cao Fan , Tao Ran , Liu Li , Perfetti Charles A. , Booth James R.
Published: May 2013

The assimilation hypothesis argues that second language learning recruits the brain network for processing the native language, whereas the accommodation hypothesis argues that learning a second language recruits brain structures not involved in native language processing. This study tested these hypotheses by examining brain activation of a group of native Chinese speakers, who were late bilinguals with varying levels of proficiency in English, when they performed a rhyming judgment to visually presented English word pairs (CE group) during fMRI. Assimilation was examined by comparing the CE group to native Chinese speakers performing the rhyming task in Chinese (CC group), and accommodation was examined by comparing the CE group to native English speakers performing the rhyming task in English (EE group). The CE group was very similar in activation to the CC group, supporting the assimilation hypothesis. Additional support for the assimilation hypothesis was the finding that higher proficiency in the CE group was related to increased activation in the Chinese network (as defined by the CC > EE), including the left middle frontal gyrus, the right inferior parietal lobule, and the right precuneus, and decreased activation in the English network (as defined by the EE > CC), including the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left inferior temporal gyrus. Although most of the results support assimilation, there was some evidence for accommodation as the CE group showed less activation in the Chinese network including the right middle occipital gyrus, which has been argued to be involved in holistic visuospatial processing of Chinese characters.
The Challenge of the Holocaust
Authors: Cohn-Sherbok Dan
Published: May 2013

Abstract

Throughout their history, the Jewish people have endured persecution, massacre and murder. They have been driven from their ancient homeland, buffeted from country to country and plagued by persecutions and pogroms. Jews have been despised and led as lambs to the slaughter. In modern times the Holocaust continued this saga of Jewish suffering, destroying six million innocent victims in the most terrible circumstances. This tragedy has posed the most searing questions for contemporary Jewry: where was God at Auschwitz, and where was humankind? This article seeks to respond to these two deeply troubling questions in the light of contemporary Jewish Holocaust theology.
Colonial Citizens of a Modern Empire: War, Illiteracy, and Physical Education in Puerto Rico, 1917-1930
Authors: del Moral Solsiree
Published: May 2013

Abstract

The year 1917 marked a critical moment in the relationship between the United States and its Puerto Rican colony. It was the year the U.S. Congress approved the Jones Act, which further consolidated the island’s colonial relationship to the empire. Through the Jones Act, U.S. Congressmen granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. In turn, Puerto Rican men were asked to fulfill the obligations of their new colonial citizenship and join the U.S. military. The Porto Rican Regiment provided 18,000 colonial military recruits to guard the Panama Canal during the war. How did historical actors make sense of this new colonial citizenship? How did they interpret, debate, and adapt to the newly consolidated colonial status? This essay examines how local teachers and educators defined colonial citizenship. Puerto Rican teachers struggled to promote a citizenship-building project that cultivated student commitment to the patria (the island), while acknowledging the colonial relationship to the United States. In the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s, teachers debated military participation in World War I and the rights and obligations of U.S. citizenship. At the core, these debates were informed by anxieties over broader changes in constructions of gender. In the 1920s, Puerto Rico women aggressively and persistently challenged traditional gender norms. Working-class women joined the labor force in ever larger numbers and led labor strikes. Bourgeois women became teachers, nurses, and social workers. Both groups were committed suffragists. The historiography on citizenship and gender in the 1920s has focused on women’s emerging role in public spaces and their demands for just labor rights and the franchise. In this article, I propose we look at teachers, as intermediate actors in the colonial hierarchy, and examine their anxieties over changing gender norms. They debated men’s capacity to serve in the U.S. military and promoted modern physical education for the regeneration of boys and girls in the service of their patria. Debates among teachers in the 1920s sought to define the new category of colonial citizenship. As they did so, they helped liberalize some gender norms, while ultimately reinforcing patriarchy.
Revision of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from the Melinau Limestone in Gunung Mulu National Park and Gunung Buda National Park, Sarawak, Borneo, including thirteen new species
Authors: SANG JULIA , KIEW RUTH , GERI CONNIE
Published: May 2013

Besides Begonia conipila, 13 new species (Begonia apiensis, B. benaratensis, B. conniegeriae, B. divergens, B. lucychongiana, B. magentifolia, B. melinauensis, B. ramosissima, B. rhodoneura, B. umbratica, B. vulgare, B. yiii and B. xiphophylloides) and a putative natural hybrid between B. conipila and B. lucychongiana are described from the Melinau limestone. All these species are endemic in the Melinau limestone and 10 species are restricted to limestone habitats. The Melinau limestone includes the highest limestone hills in Malaysia with Gunung Api (1710 m) and Gunung Benarat (1615 m), which above 800 m are covered by montane forest. The vegetation types and habitats of each species are described. Conservation-wise, all are of Least Concern following IUCN criteria and categories, except for B. apiensis that is extremely local and threatened by tourist activities and is designated Rare following Malaysian criteria and categories.
Stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) of the Indian subcontinent: Diversity, taxonomy and current status of knowledge
Authors: RASMUSSEN CLAUS
Published: May 2013

Eight named species of stingless bees are known from the Indian subcontinent: Lepidotrigona arcifera (Cockerell), Lisotrigona cacciae (Nurse), Lisotrigona mohandasi Jobiraj & Narendran, Tetragonula aff. laeviceps (Smith), Tetragonu-la bengalensis (Cameron), Tetragonula gressitti (Sakagami), Tetragonula iridipennis (Smith), Tetragonula praeterita (Walker), and Tetragonula ruficornis (Smith). Lectotypes are newly designated for T. bengalensis and T. ruficornis. Keys, comparative notes, and illustrations for species identification are provided. The distribution of stingless bees throughout the Indian subcontinent are summarized and concluding that they are found in most parts of the Indian subcontinent, ex-cept at higher elevation or the drier interior regions. Additional collections and studies are urgently needed to clearly de-fine the species limits of the complex “iridipennis” species group.
The Tibetan Plateau Summer Monsoon in the CMIP5 Simulations
Authors: Duan Anmin , Hu Jun , Xiao Zhixiang
Published: May 2013

Temporal variability within the Tibetan Plateau summer monsoon (TPSM) is closely linked to both the East and South Asian summer monsoons over several time scales but has received much less attention than these other systems. In this study, extensive integrations under phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) historical scenarios from 15 coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) and Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) runs from eight atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) are used to evaluate the performance of these GCMs. Results indicate that all GCMs are able to simulate the climate mean TPSM circulation system. However, the large bias associated with precipitation intensity and patterns remains, despite the higher resolution and inclusion of the indirect effects of sulfate aerosol that have helped to improve the skill of the models to simulate the annual cycle of precipitation in both AGCMs and CGCMs. The interannual variability of the surface heat low and the Tibetan high in most of the AGCMs resembles the observation reasonably because of the prescribed forcing fields. However, only a few models were able to reproduce the observed seesaw pattern associated with the interannual variability of the TPSM and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Regarding long-term trends, most models overestimated the amplitude of the tropospheric warming and the declining trend in the surface heat low between 1979 and 2005. In addition, the observed cooling trend in the upper troposphere and the decline of the Tibetan high were not reproduced by most models. Therefore, there is still significant scope for improving GCM simulations of regional climate change, especially in regions near extensive mountain ranges.
Racism and Health I
Authors: Williams David R. , Mohammed Selina A.
Published: May 2013

This article reviews the scientific research that indicates that despite marked declines in public support for negative racial attitudes in the United States, racism, in its multiple forms, remains embedded in American society. The focus of the article is on the review of empirical research that suggests that racism adversely affects the health of nondominant racial populations in multiple ways. First, institutional racism developed policies and procedures that have reduced access to housing, neighborhood and educational quality, employment opportunities, and other desirable resources in society. Second, cultural racism, at the societal and individual level, negatively affects economic status and health by creating a policy environment hostile to egalitarian policies, triggering negative stereotypes and discrimination that are pathogenic and fostering health-damaging psychological responses, such as stereotype threat and internalized racism. Finally, a large and growing body of evidence indicates that experiences of racial discrimination are an important type of psychosocial stressor that can lead to adverse changes in health status and altered behavioral patterns that increase health risks.
Educational Attainment in the Context of Social Inequality
Authors: Walsemann Katrina M. , Gee Gilbert C. , Ro Annie
Published: May 2013

A large literature documents a strong and consistent educational gradient in health: more-educated persons enjoy lower rates of morbidity and mortality. This literature has generally focused on the amount of schooling one completes but has yet to comprehensively examine other facets of education, such as educational quality or school segregation. More importantly, the literature has generally conceptualized education at the level of individual persons and has yet to fully study the structural dimensions of education and the production of educational inequities. The goal of this article is to identify several areas of educational inequity beyond personal educational attainment. These include (a) population differences in the strength of the educational gradient in health, (b) educational quality, (c) school segregation, and (d) the role of place of education among immigrants. We also discuss some emerging issues, such as student debt and pathways to education. Accordingly, there is much work to be done to further our knowledge regarding the relationship between education and health.
Imitative Learning of Nso and German Infants at 6 and 9 Months of Age
Authors: Graf Frauke , Borchert Sonja , Lamm Bettina , Goertz Claudia , Kolling Thorsten , Fassbender Ina , Teubert Manuel , Vierhaus Marc , Freitag Claudia , Spangler Sibylle , Keller Heidi , Lohaus Arnold , Schwarzer Gudrun , Knopf Monika
Published: May 2013

The present study focused on the assessment of imitation performance in a large sample of 6- and 9-month-old infants from two different cultural contexts: German middle-class infants from urban areas and Nso infants from a rural area in northwestern Cameroon were tested by using age-adapted deferred imitation tasks that were varied regarding their cultural familiarity (two types of instruments each being highly familiar for one of the two cultural contexts). Within both cultural groups and without being influenced by the cultural familiarity of the instruments, infants performed more target actions in the test compared with the baseline phase, even though this difference did not yield significance in the group of 6-month-old Cameroonian Nso infants. Moreover, a higher mean number of imitated actions has been observed for 9-month-olds compared with 6-month-olds demonstrating an age-related improvement of infants’ learning ability. Furthermore, at 9 months of age, German infants showed a higher level of baseline activity compared with the infants in the Cameroonian sample, which is assumed to be based on differences regarding the degree of object experiences. Results provide evidence that early in infancy, imitation is a universal learning tool in different cultural environments.
The Risk of a Halo Bias as a Reason to Keep Students Anonymous During Grading
Authors: Malouff John M. , Emmerton Ashley J. , Schutte Nicola S.
Published: May 2013

Experts have advocated anonymous grading as a means of eliminating actual or perceived evaluator bias in subjective student assessment. The utility of anonymity in assessment rests on whether information derived from student identity can unduly influence evaluation. The halo effect provides a conceptual background for why a bias might occur. In the present study examining the halo effect, psychology faculty members and teaching assistants were randomly assigned to grade a student giving a poor oral presentation or the same student giving a good oral presentation. All graders then assessed an unrelated piece of written work by the student. As hypothesized, the graders assigned significantly higher scores to written work following the better oral presentation. The results provide strong evidence of a halo effect in that prior experience with a student biased the grading of written work completed by the student. The findings suggest the need to keep students anonymous when feasible in order to minimize the risk of unfair grading.
Short- and Long-Term Effects of Cumulative Finals on Student Learning
Authors: Khanna Maya M. , Brack Amy S. Badura , Finken Laura L.
Published: May 2013

In two experiments, we examined the benefits of cumulative and noncumulative finals on students’ short- and long-term course material retention. In Experiment 1, we examined results from course content exams administered immediately after course finals. Course sections including cumulative finals had higher content exam scores than sections with noncumulative finals. In Experiment 2, current and former students completed online versions of content exams up to 18 months after course completion. Students completing courses with cumulative finals retained more than students who took noncumulative finals. Introductory psychology students benefited more from cumulative finals than did upper-division course students. Based on our results, we suggest that instructors use cumulative finals to increase short- and long-term retention of course material.
Symptoms, stigma, or secondary social disruption: Three mechanisms of network dynamics in severe mental illness
Authors: Perry Brea L.
Published: May 2013

Research has documented social network instability among people with serious mental illness focusing on (1) psychiatric symptoms that interfere with social skills and interaction and (2) stigma, discrimination, and social rejection. However, the social network consequences of disruptive events that often accompany onset of serious mental illness (e.g., divorce, job loss, and residential instability) are seldom considered. In this study, the relative impact of symptoms, stigma, and secondary disruptive events on membership turnover was examined using data from 100 people experiencing first contact with the mental health treatment system. Findings indicated that disruptive events and, to a lesser degree, psychiatric symptoms predicted membership turnover. A theory of relationship and network dynamics in mental illness integrating insights from the psychiatric, labeling, and social network perspectives is proposed.
Katakarajavamshavali and Its Historical Authenticity
Authors: Dash Kailash Chandra
Published: May 2013

The Katakarajavamshavali is a Sanskrit text, which has been edited by Hermann Kulke and Gaya Charan Tripathy. It is a comprehensive study on the history of Orissa from the early phase to the end of the Khurda Bhoi rule. It was compiled in the early part of the nineteenth century from older records available in the archives of the Jagannath temple, and/or with the functionaries like Tadhau Karana and Deula Karana who are responsible for keeping records of various nature connected with the Jagannath temple. Its contents are similar with that of Odradesha Rajavamshavali—another important text on the history of Orissa. The main emphasis of this article will be to review the opinion of the two learned editors on this traditional text and to evaluate the historical side of this account. The genealogical and the chronological aspects of this text need to be carefully studied to utilise it as an important source for the history of Orissa. In this article, I have taken into account the nature of Kala (Time Concept) as studied by Romila Thapar in her important papers on genealogy. Apart from an analysis of the Vamshavali pattern, here I would like to focus on the authenticity of this text as a genre of historical literature. My study would concentrate on the nature of construction of the past of Orissa on the basis of certain hard facts. This demands a look at the invention of traditional accounts in medieval Orissa for the compilation of the history of early and medieval Orissa.
Symbolism and the State Authority: Reflections from the Art on Indo-Islamic Coins
Authors: Hussain Syed Ejaz
Published: May 2013

Symbols and rituals with regard to the legitimacy and manifestations of state authority have been the subject of debate in historical writings in recent decades. But most of the works on the subject discuss the legitimacy and authority in the context of visible symbols of power and rituals. So far as symbolism is concerned, it is both visible and invisible. Awrang, chatr, durbash, ‘alam, etc., were the visible symbols of power. But there were some invisible symbols of power hidden in sophisticated Islamic art. Islamic art in various forms and features in the early modern world told something that was sometimes not easily recognised in visible symbols of power.

It is argued that one of the chief purposes the coinage served during the medieval period was its use as a medium of communication to the subjects by the ruling authority. Coins spoke to the people in two ways—through the language of inscription as well as through the language of art. The rulers used both these languages to legitimise and glorify their authority and power in order to create a sensory image in the mind of their subjects to win their faith and make them obey. The ruler also liked to perpetuate his achievements and munificence in the memory of his subjects. Inscriptions on coins carried political overtones and messages while a variety of symbols, decorative motifs and designs engraved on the body of the coins not only tell of the aesthetic tastes of the ruler and the contemporary society but they radiated certain calculated move and political expression.1 The present article makes an attempt to unravel the political rhetoric reflected through the invisible language of art and decorative designs found on the Indo-Islamic coins, particularly of the sultanate period.

The author has consulted both published and unpublished coins preserved in public repositories and private collections in India and abroad. Both contemporary and modern works have been extensively used to analyse the numismatic evidence and reach a conclusion. However, the suggestions expressed herewith are purely hypothetical, even speculation. The arguments put forward are for provoking a discussion and sharing with those working with similar themes.
Enclosing Land, Enclosing Adivasis: Colonial Agriculture and Adivasis in Central India, 1853–1948
Authors: Bhukya Bhangya
Published: May 2013

British colonial rule in India sought to bring the relatively autonomous forest and hill people under its governance through various policies. Land revenue policies combined with modern agricultural technology played a crucial role in expanding colonial state-making in forest and hill areas. This policy lured many land-hungry peasants from plains to migrate into these areas and bring vast areas of uncultivable land into cultivation. This process evicted adivasis (aboriginals) and reduced them to landless agricultural labourers. Others tried to retain their independence by migrating into the remaining forest tracts, which the British and princely rulers now classed as reserved for the sole use of the state. They were banned from utilising reserved forests in the old ways. Although the intention was to make the adivasis into productive subjects of a modern state, the reality was that they ended up as marginalised and excluded from this process. The colonial project of enclosing land thus enclosed the adivasis and stigmatised them as primitive or isolated communities. The isolation of the adivasis was a result of their marginalisation under the colonial rule. In this way, a boundary was created between the plains and hill regions of India, with different standards applying in each.