bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microstructures and thermal conductivities of reaction sintered SiC ceramics
Authors: Kwon W. T. , Shin D. G. , Kim Y. , Kim S. R. , Kim J. I. , Won J. Y. , Oh S. C.
Published: May 2014

Reaction sintered SiC ceramics were prepared by the silicon melt infiltration method over temperatures of 1450−1550°C. The effects of the carbon and silicon contents of the starting materials as well as the sintering temperature and time on the thermal conductivities and microstructures of the ceramic materials were studied. The thermal conductivities and microstructures of the samples were characterised using thermal conductivity measurements, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and mercury injection porosimetry. The results showed that sintering temperature and time as well as the carbon and silicon contents of the green specimens are the main factors affecting the microstructure and porosity of reaction bonded SiC ceramics. Increasing the reaction temperature and time decreased the porosity of the ceramics. This was due to the infiltration of the silicon melt into the ceramic specimens. The thermal conductivity and porosity of the sample sintered at 1550°C for 3 h in an argon atmosphere were 102·5 W m K−1 and 0·3% respectively.
CBFβ and RUNX1 are required at 2 different steps during the development of hematopoietic stem cells in zebrafish
Authors: Bresciani Erica , Carrington Blake , Wincovitch Stephen , Jones MaryPat , Gore Aniket V. , Weinstein Brant M. , Sood Raman , Liu P. Paul
Published: May 2014

Key Points

CBFβ is not required for the emergence of nascent HSCs but is essential for a subsequent step before their release from the AGM. RUNX1 is able to drive the emergence of nascent HSCs in the AGM in the absence of its cofactor CBFβ.
miR-217 is an oncogene that enhances the germinal center reaction
Authors: de Yébenes Virginia G. , Bartolomé-Izquierdo Nahikari , Nogales-Cadenas Rubén , Pérez-Durán Pablo , Mur Sonia M. , Martínez Nerea , Di Lisio Lorena , Robbiani Davide F. , Pascual-Montano Alberto , Cañamero Marta , Piris Miguel A. , Ramiro Almudena R.
Published: May 2014

Key Points

miR-217 enhances the GC reaction by dampening genotoxic-induced Bcl-6 degradation in GC B cells. miR-217 is an oncogene and its overexpression provides a model of miRNA-induced mature B-cell lymphomagenesis.
Fuzzy fixed point theorems in Hausdorff fuzzy metric spaces
Authors: Phiangsungnoen Supak , Sintunavarat Wutiphol , Kumam Poom
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we introduce the concept of fuzzy mappings in Hausdorff fuzzymetric spaces (in the sense of George and Veeramani (Fuzzy Sets Syst.64:395-399, 1994)). We establish the existence of α-fuzzyfixed point theorems for fuzzy mappings in Hausdorff fuzzy metric spaces, whichcan be utilized to derive fixed point theorems for multivalued mappings. We alsogive an illustrative example to support our main result.
A prospective, blinded evaluation of a video-assisted ‘4-stage approach’ during undergraduate student practical skills training
Authors: Schwerdtfeger Katrin , Wand Saskia , Schmid Oliver , Roessler Markus , Quintel Michael , Leissner Kay B , Russo Sebastian G
Published: May 2014

Background

The 4-stage approach (4-SA) is used as a didactic method for teaching practical skills in international courses on resuscitation and the structured care of trauma patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate objective and subjective learning success of a video-assisted 4-SA in teaching undergraduate medical students.

Methods

The participants were medical students learning the principles of the acute treatment of trauma patients in their multidiscipline course on emergency and intensive care medicine. The participants were quasi- randomly divided into two groups. The 4-SA was used in both groups. In the control group, all four steps were presented by an instructor. In the study group, the first two steps were presented as a video. At the end of the course a 5-minute objective, structured clinical examination (OSCE) of a simulated trauma patient was conducted. The test results were divided into objective results obtained through a checklist with 9 dichotomous items and the assessment of the global performance rated subjectively by the examiner on a Likert scale from 1 to 6.

Results

313 students were recruited; the results of 256 were suitable for analysis. The OSCE results were excellent in both groups and did not differ significantly (control group: median 9, interquantil range (IQR) 8–9, study group: median 9, IQR 8–9; p = 0.29). The global performance was rated significantly better for the study group (median 1, IQR 1–2 vs. median 2, IQR 1–3; p < 0.01). The relative knowledge increase, stated by the students in their evaluation after the course, was greater in the study group (85% vs. 80%).

Conclusion

It is possible to employ video assistance in the classical 4-SA with comparable objective test results in an OSCE. The global performance was significantly improved with use of video assistance.
The role of interpersonal communication in the process of knowledge mobilization within a community-based organization: a network analysis
Authors: Gainforth Heather L , Latimer-Cheung Amy E , Athanasopoulos Peter , Moore Spencer , Ginis Kathleen A Martin
Published: May 2014

Background

Diffusion of innovations theory has been widely used to explain knowledge mobilization of research findings. This theory posits that individuals who are more interpersonally connected within an organization may be more likely to adopt an innovation (e.g., research evidence) than individuals who are less interconnected. Research examining this tenet of diffusion of innovations theory in the knowledge mobilization literature is limited. The purpose of the present study was to use network analysis to examine the role of interpersonal communication in the adoption and mobilization of the physical activity guidelines for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) among staff in a community-based organization (CBO).

Methods

The study used a cross-sectional, whole-network design. In total, 56 staff completed the network survey. Adoption of the guidelines was assessed using Rogers’ innovation-decision process and interpersonal communication was assessed using an online network instrument.

Results

The patterns of densities observed within the network were indicative of a core-periphery structure revealing that interpersonal communication was greater within the core than between the core and periphery and within the periphery. Membership in the core, as opposed to membership in the periphery, was associated with greater knowledge of the evidence-based physical activity resources available and engagement in physical activity promotion behaviours (ps < 0.05). Greater in-degree centrality was associated with adoption of evidence-based behaviours (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Findings suggest that interpersonal communication is associated with knowledge mobilization and highlight how the network structure could be improved for further dissemination efforts. Keywords: diffusion of innovations; network analysis; community-based organization; knowledge mobilization; knowledge translation, interpersonal communication.
Low prevalence of IgA anti-transglutaminase 1, 2, and 3 autoantibodies in children with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Ress Krista , Teesalu Kaupo , Annus Triine , Putnik Urve , Lepik Kristi , Luts Katrin , Uibo Oivi , Uibo Raivo
Published: May 2014

Background

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory skin disease presenting with a relapsing clinical pattern similar to chronic autoimmune disease. Several human transglutaminases have been defined and keratinocyte transglutaminase (TG1) and epidermal transglutaminase (TG3) expressed in the epidermis are associated with epidermal barrier dysfunction. Since impairments to the epidermal barrier represent an important factor in AD, we hypothesized that IgA autoantibodies specific for TG1 (IgA-anti-TG1) and TG3 (IgA-anti-TG3) may affect AD development during childhood.

Methods

Active AD patients (n = 304), 28 patients with biopsy-confirmed coeliac disease (CD), 5 patients with active AD and CD, and 55 control patients without CD and skin diseases were enrolled into the study. IgA-anti-TG1 and IgA-anti-TG3 reactivity was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. IgA-anti-TG2 were defined using a fluoroenzyme immunoassay.

Results

IgA-anti-TG1 antibodies were found in 2% and IgA-anti-TG3 antibodies in 3% of patients with active AD. Two out of the 5 patients with AD and concomitant CD had IgA-anti-TG1 and IgA-anti-TG2 antibodies. In CD patients, 36% of individuals presented with elevated IgA-anti-TG1 antibodies and 18% presented with elevated IgA-anti-TG3 antibodies and all CD patients presented with IgA-anti-TG2 antibodies (significantly different from AD patients and controls, p < 0.05). In CD patients, IgA-anti-TG1 and/or IgA-anti-TG3 seropositivity tended to appear concurrently, whereas only one patient with AD had both types of autoantibodies.

Conclusions

IgA-anti-TG1 and IgA-anti-TG3 seropositivity was rare in active AD but frequent in CD patients. The level of circulating antibodies related to skin lesions could be studied by determining the levels of IgA-anti-TG1 and IgA-anti-TG3 in skin biopsies of AD patients.
Expanding the fragrance chemical space for virtual screening
Authors: Ruddigkeit Lars , Awale Mahendra , Reymond Jean-Louis
Published: May 2014

The properties of fragrance molecules in the public databases SuperScent and Flavornet were analyzed to define a “fragrance-like” (FL) property range (Heavy Atom Count ≤ 21, only C, H, O, S, (O + S) ≤ 3, Hydrogen Bond Donor ≤ 1) and the corresponding chemical space including FL molecules from PubChem (NIH repository of molecules), ChEMBL (bioactive molecules), ZINC (drug-like molecules), and GDB-13 (all possible organic molecules up to 13 atoms of C, N, O, S, Cl). The FL subsets of these databases were classified by MQN (Molecular Quantum Numbers, a set of 42 integer value descriptors of molecular structure) and formatted for fast MQN-similarity searching and interactive exploration of color-coded principal component maps in form of the FL-mapplet and FL-browser applications freely available athttp://www.gdb.unibe.ch. MQN-similarity is shown to efficiently recover 15 different fragrance molecule families from the different FL subsets, demonstrating the relevance of the MQN-based tool to explore the fragrance chemical space.
Colloid stability of iron compounds in groundwater of Western Siberia
Authors: Shiyan Ludmila N , Tropina Elena А , Machekhina Ksenia I , Gryaznova Elena N , An Vladimir V
Published: May 2014

The paper reports on experimental modeling of the colloid system composition in natural groundwater. Iron hydroxide is found to be the main component of natural colloid systems. It is shown that silicon compounds and dissolved organic substances (DOS) stabilize iron hydroxide (III), forming a stable colloid system, and preclude coagulation. The presented results suggest that CaCl2 and AlCl3 electrolytes affect the coagulation stability of synthesized model colloid solutions.
The mechanistic target for rapamycin pathway is related to the phosphorylation score for estrogen receptor-α in human breast tumors in vivo
Authors: Shrivastav Anuraag , Bruce Mary Christine , Jaksic Danira , Bader Tarek , Seekallu Srinivas , Penner Carla , Nugent Zoann , Watson Peter , Murphy Leigh
Published: May 2014

Introduction

A phosphorylation score for estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα), called P7 score, was shown previously to be an independent prognostic factor in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen. Since mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation is implicated in resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer we determined whether mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activation, measured by phosphorylation on S2448 (p-mTOR), was associated with the P7-score and/or clinical outcome in the same cohort.

Methods

mTOR phosphorylation status was determined at S2448 residue in vivo by immunohistochemistry in a cohort of more than 400 well-characterized ERα positive breast tumors. MCF7 cells were treated with estrogen and activation of mTOR pathway was determined by Western blotting.

Results

Contrary to earlier reports, p-mTOR expression, measured by immunohistochemistry, was negatively associated with size and nodal status. Additionally, p-S2448 mTOR expression was positively correlated with p-S118- ERα, p-S167-ERα and p-S282-ERα but negatively correlated with p-T311- ERα. Consistent with these, p-S2448 mTOR was negatively associated with P7-score and was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.61, P = 0.028, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.95, n = 337) and relapse-free survival (HR = 0.58, P = 0.0032, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.83, n = 337) following univariate but not multivariate analysis. Furthermore, we show that estrogen can regulate phosphorylation of mTOR and its down stream target p70S6 kinase. Additionally, recombinant mTOR can phosphorylate ERα in vitro.

Conclusions

These data suggest that in breast tumors where there is intact estrogen regulated signaling, mTOR is regulated by estrogen and therefore associated with an increased likelihood of responsiveness to endocrine therapy.
Reverse-time demigration using the extended-imaging condition
Authors: Weibull Wiktor Waldemar , Arntsen Børge
Published: May 2014

The forward and inverse process of seismic migration and demigration or remodeling has many useful applications in seismic data processing. We evaluated a method to reobtain the seismic reflection data after migration, by inverting the common image point gathers produced by reverse-time migration (RTM) with an extended-imaging condition. This provided a transformation of the results of seismic data processing in the image domain back to the data domain. To be able to reconstruct the data with high fidelity, we set up demigration as a least-squares inverse problem and we solved it iteratively using a steepest-descent method. Because we used an extended-imaging condition, the method is not dependent on an accurate estimate of the migration-velocity field, and it is able to accurately reconstruct both primaries and multiples. At the same time, because the method is based on RTM, it can accurately handle seismic reflection data acquired over complex geologic media. Numerical results showed the feasibility of the method and highlighted some of its applications on 2D synthetic and field data sets.
A crucial role for the ubiquitously expressed transcription factor Sp1 at early stages of hematopoietic specification
Authors: Gilmour Jane , Assi Salam A. , Jaegle Ulrike , Kulu Divine , van de Werken Harmen , Clarke Deborah , Westhead David R. , Philipsen Sjaak , Bonifer Constanze
Published: May 2014

Mammalian development is regulated by the interplay of tissue-specific and ubiquitously expressed transcription factors, such as Sp1. Sp1 knockout mice die in utero with multiple phenotypic aberrations, but the underlying molecular mechanism of this differentiation failure has been elusive. Here, we have used conditional knockout mice as well as the differentiation of mouse ES cells as a model with which to address this issue. To this end, we examined differentiation potential, global gene expression patterns and Sp1 target regions in Sp1 wild-type and Sp1-deficient cells representing different stages of hematopoiesis. Sp1−/− cells progress through most embryonic stages of blood cell development but cannot complete terminal differentiation. This failure to fully differentiate is not seen when Sp1 is knocked out at later developmental stages. For most Sp1 target and non-target genes, gene expression is unaffected by Sp1 inactivation. However, Cdx genes and multiple Hox genes are stage-specific targets of Sp1 and are downregulated at an early stage. As a consequence, expression of genes involved in hematopoietic specification is progressively deregulated. Our work demonstrates that the early absence of active Sp1 sets a cascade in motion that culminates in a failure of terminal hematopoietic differentiation and emphasizes the role of ubiquitously expressed transcription factors for tissue-specific gene regulation. In addition, our global side-by-side analysis of the response of the transcriptional network to perturbation sheds a new light on the regulatory hierarchy of hematopoietic specification.
Automated pipeline for anatomical phenotyping of mouse embryos using micro-CT
Authors: Wong Michael D. , Maezawa Yoshiro , Lerch Jason P. , Henkelman R. Mark
Published: May 2014

The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) plans to phenotype 20,000 single-gene knockout mice to gain an insight into gene function. Approximately 30% of these knockout mouse lines will be embryonic or perinatal lethal. The IMPC has selected three-dimensional (3D) imaging to phenotype these mouse lines at relevant stages of embryonic development in an attempt to discover the cause of lethality using detailed anatomical information. Rate of throughput is paramount as IMPC production centers have been given the ambitious task of completing this phenotyping project by 2021. Sifting through the wealth of data within high-resolution 3D mouse embryo data sets by trained human experts is infeasible at this scale. Here, we present a phenotyping pipeline that identifies statistically significant anatomical differences in the knockout, in comparison with the wild type, through a computer-automated image registration algorithm. This phenotyping pipeline consists of three analyses (intensity, deformation, and atlas based) that can detect missing anatomical structures and differences in volume of whole organs as well as on the voxel level. This phenotyping pipeline was applied to micro-CT images of two perinatal lethal mouse lines: a hypomorphic mutation of the Tcf21 gene (Tcf21-hypo) and a knockout of the Satb2 gene. With the proposed pipeline we were able to identify the majority of morphological phenotypes previously published for both the Tcf21-hypo and Satb2 mutant mouse embryos in addition to novel phenotypes. This phenotyping pipeline is an unbiased, automated method that highlights only those structural abnormalities that survive statistical scrutiny and illustrates them in a straightforward fashion.
Endoreduplication-mediated initiation of symbiotic organ development in Lotus japonicus
Authors: Suzaki Takuya , Ito Momoyo , Yoro Emiko , Sato Shusei , Hirakawa Hideki , Takeda Naoya , Kawaguchi Masayoshi
Published: May 2014

Many leguminous plants have a unique ability to reset and alter the fate of differentiated root cortical cells to form new organs of nitrogen-fixing root nodules during legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. Recent genetic studies on the role of cytokinin signaling reveal that activation of cytokinin signaling is crucial to the nodule organogenesis process. However, the genetic mechanism underlying the initiation of nodule organogenesis is poorly understood due to the low number of genes that have been identified. Here, we have identified a novel nodulation-deficient mutant named vagrant infection thread 1 (vag1) after suppressor mutant screening of spontaneous nodule formation 2, a cytokinin receptor gain-of-function mutant in Lotus japonicus. The VAG1 gene encodes a protein that is putatively orthologous to Arabidopsis ROOT HAIRLESS 1/HYPOCOTYL 7, a component of the plant DNA topoisomerase VI that is involved in the control of endoreduplication. Nodule phenotype of the vag1 mutant shows that VAG1 is required for the ploidy-dependent cell growth of rhizobial-infected cells. Furthermore, VAG1 mediates the onset of endoreduplication in cortical cells during early nodule development, which may be essential for the initiation of cortical cell proliferation that leads to nodule primordium formation. In addition, cortical infection is severely impaired in the vag1 mutants, whereas the epidermal infection threads formation is normal. This suggests that the VAG1-mediated endoreduplication of cortical cells may be required for the guidance of symbiotic bacteria to host meristematic cells.
Deficits in receptor-mediated endocytosis and recycling in cells from mice bearing a disruption of the Gpr107 locus
Authors: Zhou Guo Ling , Na Soon-Young , Niedra Rasma , Seed Brian
Published: May 2014

Gpr107 is a type III integral membrane protein initially predicted to be a member of the family of G protein coupled receptors. This report shows that deletion of Gpr107 leads to an embryonic lethal phenotype characterized by reduced cubilin transcript abundance and a decrease in representation of multiple genes implicated in the cubilin-megalin endocytic receptor complex. Gpr107-null fibroblast cells exhibit reduced transferrin internalization, decreased uptake of LRP1 cargo and resistance to toxins. Colocalization studies and proteomic analyses suggest that Gpr107 associates with clathrin and the retromer protein Vps35, and may be responsible for the return of receptors to the plasma membrane from endocytic compartments. The highly selective deficits observed in Gpr107-null cells indicate that Gpr107 interacts directly or indirectly with a limited subset of surface receptors.
A cytosolic degradation pathway, prERAD, monitors pre-inserted secretory pathway proteins
Authors: Ast Tslil , Aviram Naama , Chuartzman Silvia Gabriela , Schuldiner Maya
Published: May 2014

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) identifies and disposes of misfolded secretory pathway proteins through the actions of ER associated degradation (ERAD) pathways. It is becoming evident that a substantial fraction of the secretome transiently resides in the cytosol before translocating into the ER, both in yeast and in higher eukaryotes. To uncover factors that monitor this transient cytosolic protein pool, we carried out a genetic screen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our findings highlighted a preinsertional degradation mechanism at the cytosolic leaflet of the ER, which we termed prERAD. prERAD relies on the concurrent action of ER localized ubiquitination and deubiquitination machineries, Doa10 and Ubp1. By recognizing C-terminal hydrophobic motifs, prERAD tags for degradation pre-inserted proteins that have remained on the cytosolic leaflet of the ER for too long. Our discoveries delineate a novel cellular safeguard, which ensures that every stage of secretory pathway protein biogenesis is scrutinized and regulated.
Tyrosine phosphatase TC-PTP directly interacts with connexin43 to regulate gap junction intercellular communication
Authors: Li Hanjun , Spagnol Gaelle , Naslavsky Naava , Caplan Steve , Sorgen Paul L.
Published: May 2014

Protein kinases have long been reported to regulate connexins, however little is known about the involvement of phosphatases in the modulation of gap junction intercellular communication and subsequent down-stream effects on cellular processes. Here we identified an interaction between the T-Cell Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (TC-PTP) and the carboxyl terminus of Cx43. NRK cells endogenously expressing Cx43 and a version containing v-Src with temperature sensitive activity were used to demonstrate that EGF and v-Src stimulation, respectively, induced TC-PTP to co-localize with Cx43 at the plasma membrane. Cell biology experiments using phospho-specific antibodies and biophysical assays demonstrated that the interaction is direct and that TC-PTP dephosphorylates Cx43 residues Y247 and Y265, but not v-Src. TC-PTP also indirectly led to dephosphorylation of Cx43 S368 by inactivating PKCα and PKCδ, with no effect on S279 and S282 phosphorylation levels (MAPK target). Dephosphorylation maintained Cx43 gap junctions at the plaque as well as partially reversed channel closure caused by v-Src phosphorylation. Understanding dephosphorylation, along with the well-documented roles of Cx43 phosphorylation, will help build a better foundation to modulate the regulation of gap junction channels to benefit human health.
Fabrication of Copper(II) Oxide Hollow Nanosphere Using ABC Block Copolymer Templates and Its Application as Anode Materials in Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Alam Mohammad Mydul , Zhao Wenwen , Zhai Shuo , Yusa Shin-ichi , Noguchi Hideyuki , Nakashima Kenichi
Published: May 2014

Copper oxide (CuO) hollow nanospheres have been fabricated by using a micelle of poly(styrene-block-acrylic acid-block-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PAA-b-PEG) as a template. The TEM image reveals that the diameter of the synthesized nanosphere is 40 ± 1 nm with a shell thickness 10 ± 1 nm. The CuO nanosphere electrode delivers high capacity at 350 mA h g−1 after 30 cycles, which is associated to the hollow void space coupled with the nanosized shell domain that facilitates fast lithium diffusion.
Spatial response of the globally-endangered Sokoke Pipit (Anthus sokokensis van Someren, 1921) to habitat degradation in an Eastern Arc Coastal forest
Authors: Otieno Nickson Erick , Ngala David , Mwalimu Alex
Published: May 2014

The Arabuko-Sokoke forest is the largest relic of a formerly larger contiguous East African coastal forest. It forms part of the Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal forest ecoregion which is a global biodiversity hotspot with considerable species endemism. Despite such conservation significance, the forest is undergoing rapid modification and habitat loss mainly from anthropogenic pressures, with negative impacts on sensitive species such as the Sokoke Pipit (Anthus sokokensis), one of the globally-endangered birds. The study examined impacts of habitat degradation on the species’ population and spatial occurrence within three blocks of Brachystegia woodland in this forest. Over a three week period, six 1km transects were used to estimate the species’ population in relation to major habitat quality variables. Sokoke Pipits occurred at an overall mean density of 0.72±0.15 birds/ha with an estimated population of 5,544 in the Brachystegia woodland. Tree logging intensity was the key cause of the degradation of the Sokoke Pipit’s critical habitat, which affected its density (R2 = 0.663, ß = -0.814, p = 0.048). The species also preferred sites covered with deep floor litter (R2 = 0.769, ß = 0.877, p = 0.021) even in areas with low tree canopy height, but showed no clumped distribution (χ2(2, 0.05) = 2.061). The species generally occurred at very low densities in sites with intensive elephant activity that accelerated habitat modification by felling trees and opening the understorey. We conclude that although human-driven tree removal is a major driver of overall degradation of the Sokoke Pipit’s critical habitat, elephant activity may be an important additional catalytic factor in this process. Long term conservation strategies for the species will require stricter control of logging. Management of the population and dispersal of the elephants across the forest, especially in the Brachystegia woodland, may also be helpful.
Anaphylaxis in General Dental Practice
Authors: Griffin T
Published: May 2014

“The prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide is rising dramatically in both developed and developing countries. These diseases include: asthma, rhinitis, anaphylaxis, eczema, urticaria (hives), angioedema, and drug/food/insect allergy.”1
Immunohistological Insight into the Correlation between Neuropilin-1 and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Markers in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Adham Sirin A. I. , Al Harrasi Ibtisam , Al Haddabi Ibrahim , Al Rashdi Afrah , Al Sinawi Shadia , Al Maniri Abdullah , Ba-Omar Taher , Coomber Brenda L.
Published: May 2014

The mechanism by which neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) induces malignancy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is still unknown. This study is the first to demonstrate the relationship between NRP-1 expression and EMT markers vimentin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and Slug. We used tissue microarrays containing the three main subtypes of EOC tumors: serous, mucinous cystadenocarcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma and representative cases retrieved from our pathology archives. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression levels and location of NRP-1 and the aforementioned EMT proteins. NRP-1 was mainly expressed on cancer cells but not in normal ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). The Immunoreactive Scoring (IRS) values revealed that the expression of NRP-1, Slug and E-cadherin in the malignant subtypes of ovarian tissues was significantly higher (5.18 ± 0.64, 4.84 ± 0.7, 4.98 ± 0.68, respectively) than their expression in the normal and benign tissues (1.04 ± 0.29, 0.84 ± 0.68, 1.71 ± 0.66, respectively), with no significant differences among the studied subtypes. Vimentin was expressed in the cancer cell component of 43% of tumors and it was exclusively localized in the stroma of all mucinous tumors. The Spearman’s rho value indicated that NRP-1 is positively related to the EMT markers E-cadherin and Slug. This notion might indicate that NRP-1 is a partner in the EMT process in EOC tumors.
Shooting street style in Indonesia: A photo essay
Authors: Luvaas Brent
Published: May 2014

Street-style blogs have become a major Internet phenomenon in the last few years, luring millions of readers and documenting everyday fashion in diverse cities around the globe. But the Southeast Asian island nation of Indonesia, despite an abundance of other varieties of fashion blogs and a population with some of the highest percentages of social media use in the world, remains decidedly off the street style map. This photo essay seeks both to understand why and to begin filling in that gap. Through full-colour and black and white photographs taken by the author on a recent trip to Indonesia, along with reflections and thoughts inspired by the photographs, it investigates the vibrant and idiosyncratic expressions of style happening in Indonesia today. But it also questions the very qualification of these images as ‘street style photographs.’ Does street style have to happen on ‘the streets’, this essay asks, to be street style? For if so, Indonesia’s urban model seems to preclude participation. And does ‘cool,’ that occult quality ascribed to the subjects of street style photographs, translate to an Indonesian context? This essay both adheres to, and calls into question, the conventions of street style photography to document the myriad meanings of ‘style’ and ‘street’ in contemporary Indonesia.
CloTHING(s) as conversation
Authors: Fraser Hélène Day
Published: May 2014

CloTHING(s) as conversation is a research initiative that seeks to revising textile product assumptions. Clothing and specific combinations of articles worn on the body are often understood and referred to as a statement. The notion of clothing as statement is prevalent in catwalk culture (the fashion statement). It is equally evident in the clothing choices of individuals who do not participate in the fashion schema, be it through regulated attire (uniforms, professional garb, etc.) or as part of counter culture (punk, hippie, hactivists, etc.). This project posits that new possibilities may be envisaged by reframing the understanding of clothing from a unidirectional entity to one of multidirectional interchanges and dialogue. An interdisciplinary team made up of designers, an engineer and a weaver are exploring possibilities inherent in the act of conversation. Material- and form-based studies, generative and cultural probe techniques, and in situ explorations are being used to explore and propose: alternate means of thinking about the role of clothing (from statement to conversation); alternate means of communication, and alternate means of production and use. Nascent developments are provoking discussions about persistent habits of making, distribution and exchange connected to the garments we wear.
Rebranding American men’s heritage fashions through the use of visual merchandising, symbolic props and masculine iconic memes historically found in popular culture
Authors: Matthews Kevin , Hancock, II Joseph H. , Gu Zhaohui
Published: May 2014

This article takes a critical examination of how merchandising inspired by popular culture communicates various notions of history, and in this case, to display and sell heritage fashion lines. In specific retail locations popular and historically cultural-influenced visual displays and aesthetic merchandising strategies are studied to ascertain and interpret the importance of visual display as one vehicle of fashion branding. A careful interpretive analysis, determines that retailers associate cultural-influenced thematic props and icons reflective of America culture to sell men’s mass-fashion garments and give them an aura of authenticity and American heritage. These displays and the branding stories convey conceptual (pop) cultural masculine icons or noted historical memes of US historical masculine imagery that include such male icons as the rebel, the cowboy, the Ivy Leaguer, jocks and blue-collar workers, revealing how these worn styles have infused into American culture and men’s mass fashion as contemporary street style.
Revealing myself: A phenomenological approach to my underwear choices through the years
Authors: Blanco F. José
Published: May 2014

In this article I apply a phenomenological approach to discuss my personal lived experience and creative authorship in selecting my underwear, thus, explaining the meanings created by my interaction with my underwear and how this clothing object has been shaped by my cultural context, socio-economic factors and my relation to my own body and sexuality. Underwear can be directly linked to questions of identity and a person’s location within a social context. Since identity can be read as imbedded in social relations and situations, it can be assumed that underwear is a dynamic tool in the construction of multiple identities. Underwear advertising openly showcases men’s bodies indicating that there is a strong connection between the role underwear plays in the private and public self. Whether underwear is revealed or not to others at some point of the day, the undergarment choices we make help create identity as performance both in private and public. The article discusses how underwear is essential in the performance of our self and social image and related to aspects of masculinity, sexuality and other scripts of cultural conventions.
What lies beneath? Thoughts on men’s underpants
Authors: Black Prudence , Carter Michael , de Perthuis Karen , Gill Alison
Published: May 2014

This article consists of a number of thoughts about and meditations on men’s underpants. Beginning with a ‘day in the life’ of a standard pair of underpants, it moves on to explore some of the specific characteristics that accompany the wearing of this particular garment. There follows a consideration of the role played by underpants in the creation of male characters for screen and television. A brief look at Homer Simpson’s Y-fronts is followed by the examination of a crucial moment in the history of Australian undergarments, namely the move from wool to cotton as the chief material of their manufacture. After an exploration of the humour that is often associated with men’s underpants the article finishes with a series of recollections that show how undergarments can be folded into the most intimate of memories.
Freedom to move, freedom to stop: A somatic approach to empowerment in community dance
Authors: Deasy Helga
Published: May 2014

This article examines the notion of empowerment through participation in dance in a community dance context. It presents the findings of an investigation that set out to search for a dance practice that has the potential to empower and transform people’s lives. A conceptual framework of empowerment is provided as a theoretical basis, which identifies ‘freedom’ and ‘self-discovery, authenticity and individuality’ as key features of an empowering dance practice. As a means to apply the conceptual framework to a practical context, an approach to dance is introduced based on the somatic principles of breath, touch and connectivity within the body and into the ground. Interview data from a participatory research project involving four participants over the course of eight dance sessions gives an insight into how participants experienced the proposed dance practice, and whether it has the potential to evoke feelings of empowerment.
Book Reviews
Authors: Frizell Caroline , Thibdeau John C. , Njaradi Dunja
Published: May 2014

Soul and Spirit in Dance Movement Psychotherapy: A transpersonal approach, Jill Hayes (2013) London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN 978-1-84905-308-2, p/bk, £17.99

Dancing Culture Religion, Sam Gill (2012) USA: Lexington Books, 250 pp., ISBN 9780739174739, p/bk, $30

Nietzsche’s Dancers: Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and the Revaluation of Christian Values, Kimerer LaMothe (2006) New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 269 pp., ISBN 978-0-230-33844-9, h/bk, $95.00
Transformation: An ecokinetic approach to the study of ritual dance
Authors: Lamothe Kimerer
Published: May 2014

People move their bodily selves. Something happens. Those present, whether dancing or watching, are different than they were before. They perceive that difference in terms given by their religious tradition as healing or reconciliation; as communion with spirits or a revelation from ‘God’. Yet despite the frequency with which such transformations occur in human culture, they are notoriously difficult for scholars in either dance studies or religious studies to explain. This article introduces an ‘ecokinetic’ approach to studying transformation that reveals how and why bodily movement is effective in catalysing the kinds of experiences that participants claim occur. This approach to the study of religion and dance guides scholars to pay attention to patterns of bodily movement made by participants; imaginatively recreate the kinetic experience of making those movements; and discern the trajectories of thinking, feeling, and acting that these movement patterns open in those who perform them.
Emanating awareness: Tracing the impact of Bharatanatyam and Iyengar yoga on my contemporary dance and choreographic practice
Authors: Vaughan Mairéad
Published: May 2014

This article examines and reflects on the interdisciplinary dialogue between Bharatanatyam, Iyengar yoga and contemporary dance within the field of choreographic practice and performance. I detail the principles appropriated from Bharatanatyam and Iyengar yoga that have, in a layered and intrinsic manner, directly and indirectly contributed to a heightened kinaesthetic awareness within my dance and choreographic practice.

This practice reflects a strong somatic and philosophical ideology, out of which multiple body-mind perspectives emerge. Moving away from the Cartesian fragmented and objective view of the body, this article presents a holistic body-mind stance originating from a non-dualistic experiential approach. The principles appropriated from Bharatanatyam and Iyengar yoga are highlighted through a mixed-mode framework that includes experiential writing and images in an attempt to evoke the immediacy of the moving body and its sensory experience, as well as the ineffable nature of the creative and choreographic process. These experiences are contextualized with reference to specific choreographic work I have created for my company, Shakram Music and Dance.
Schiaparelli’s dark circus
Authors: Pass Victoria R.
Published: May 2014

Elsa Schiaparelli is usually remembered for her whimsical and outlandish designs, shocking pink, butterfly-shaped buttons, the high heel hat and trompe l’oeil sweaters. What is less remembered are Schiaparelli’s darker designs. In the late 1930s, on the eve of World War II, Schiaparelli’s designs took a distinct sinister turn. This article explores two designs from her 1938 Circus Collection that were collaborations with the Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí: the Tear-Illusion Dress and the Skeleton Dress. Comparison of these designs with the work of contemporary designers Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen and Olivier Theyskens shows the darker undertones of Schiaparelli’s Circus Collection and its significant impact on designers at the turn of the twenty-first century. These designs reassert the corporality and mortality of the clothed body and emphasize its vulnerability. Drawing on Caroline Evan’s readings of deathliness and trauma in postmodern fashion, I will examine these impulses in the work of Schiaparelli. This article will seek to show the dark side of Schiaparelli’s work and the ways in which she responded to the impending threat of totalitarianism in the late 1930s.
Rural representations in fashion and television: Co-optation and cancellation
Authors: Kaiser Susan B. , Bernstein Sara Tatyana
Published: May 2014

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Colombia Broadcasting System (CBS), a major US television network, cancelled all of its popular rural programming (e.g. The Beverly Hillbillies [Paul Henning, CBS, 1962–71], Green Acres [Jay Sommers, CBS, 1965–71]). Known as the ‘rural purge’, the cancellations made way for more urbanthemed shows and strove to cater to higher ‘quality’ (presumably urban) viewers. At the same time, US Vogue Magazine featured the peasant look: a decidedly rural style, but one co-opted from ‘other’ places and times. In this article, we analyse contradictory and ambivalent representations of ‘rurality’, which we describe as the construction and appropriation of non-urban life as a kind of cultural authenticity that is alternately disparaged and celebrated. Using Fred Davis’s (1992) concept of identity ambivalences and Henri Lefebvre’s (1991 [1974]) theories on the production of space, we explore cultural discourse in the late 1960s and early 1970s to interpret the complex rural-urban dynamics in fashion and television.
Exhibition Review
Authors: Hancock II Joseph H.
Published: May 2014

‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Film Review
Authors: Amyett Jr. Larry
Published: May 2014

The Great Gatsby, Directed by Baz Luhrmann (2013) Australia and USA: Warner Brothers
Review
Authors: Mulherron Jamie
Published: May 2014

Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity, The Art Institute of Chicago, 26 June–29 September 2013
Re-presenting the body in fashion exhibitions
Authors: Horsley Jeffrey
Published: May 2014

One of the greatest challenges faced when staging fashion exhibitions in a museum is how to address the perceived disjuncture between garment and body and the resultant loss of those narratives that derive from this interaction. In practice, the location of this problematic decontextualization often focuses on the substitute body, the mount that supports the exhibited garment, and which is predominantly realized through certain commonly employed presentation techniques. Within the context of those presentation techniques conventionally adopted for the display of dress I will examine examples that indicate innovative strategies for the representation of the body, illustrating my argument with evidence from recent fashion exhibitions, and discuss the factors that enable their development and realization. Finally, I will briefly examine digital media techniques recently employed in commercial presentations that might impact on museum fashion exhibitions.
‘Drinking the Kool-Aid’ of cult TV: Fans, followers, and fringe religions in Strangers with Candy and Veronica Mars
Authors: Diffrient David Scott
Published: May 2014

This article explores episodes of the contemporary American television programmes Strangers with Candy (Comedy Central, 1999–2000) and Veronica Mars (UPN/CW, 2004–07) so as to ascertain and discursively frame the complex relationship between cults (or neo-religious organizations) and cult TV. Although different from one another in many respects, these two TV series share an interest in the cliquish formations of high-school life that divide students into warring camps of insiders and outsiders. Moreover, both programmes contain pivotal episodes in which the ritualistic practices of fictional cults are presented ambivalently – as a source of humour yet also as a gateway through which the unconventional female protagonists pass on their way to self-discovery. That journey has extraordinary resonance for fans or ‘followers’ of these programmes. As argued by Jonathan Gray in his recently published work on ‘affect, fantasy, and meaning’, fans and followers are viewers who are ‘most involved in their consumption’. As such, Strangers with Candy and Veronica Mars deserve scrutiny as steadfastly worshipped texts conducive to the kinds of meta-consumptive discourses and practices that might shed light on culturally entrenched attitudes related to neo-religious activities.
Continuing The West Wing in 140 characters or less: Improvised simulation on Twitter
Authors: Bore Inger-Lise Kalviknes , Hickman Jonathan
Published: May 2014

Sharing some of the findings from a study of fans tweeting as characters from US TV drama The West Wing (NBC, 2000–2006), this article uses data from Twitter observation and fan interviews to examine how participants negotiated the structures of Twitter through this activity. In particular, we consider what implications that negotiation has for the resulting fan text; for how participants perform fandom through this medium; and for how they perceive the value of their fan practice. Through this investigation, the article demonstrates some of the ways in which Twitter facilitates and constrains articulations of audience engagement.
‘I’m a Lawyer, Not an Ethnographer, Jim’: Textual Poachers and fair use
Authors: Tushnet Rebecca
Published: May 2014

Henry Jenkins’ Textual Poachers (1992) remains an important text for many reasons. I will focus on its importance as a text that, while not in any way lacking in complexity, clearly and accessibly brings forth the positive aspects of fandom cultures and creativity. This is vital for very practical reasons: there are many institutions and copyright owners who believe that fandom should be owned – by them, and not by fans. In this context, Jenkins’ arguments form a key part of the case for continued, robust fair use doctrines that allow fans to make the things that they love to make.
Fan studies: Grappling with an ‘Undisciplined’ discipline
Authors: Ford Sam
Published: May 2014

As part of the Journal of Fandom Studies exploration of the field more than 20 years after the publication of Henry Jenkins’ Textual Poachers (which has been widely cited as one of the first major works paving the way for this area of study), this piece looks back at Textual Poachers’ approach to studying fandom, examines the dialogue that has taken place within fan studies over the past six years, and raises areas of consideration for fan studies to consider in the years ahead. In particular, the piece advocates for the need to continue to evolve the types of fandoms explored by fan studies scholars; to challenge ourselves to examine the field’s tendency to prioritize some forms of active audience engagement over others based on the media format or level of technical mastery the audience uses or the type of media text on which the engagement is focused; and to further explore what more widespread interest in, acceptance of, and adoption of the model of engagement from fandom means for our field.