bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perivascular Macrophages Limit Permeability
Authors: He Huanhuan , Mack Julia J. , Güç Esra , Warren Carmen M. , Squadrito Mario Leonardo , Kilarski Witold W. , Baer Caroline , Freshman Ryan D. , McDonald Austin I. , Ziyad Safiyyah , Swartz Melody A. , De Palma Michele , Iruela-Arispe M. Luisa
Published: September 2016

Objective—

Perivascular cells, including pericytes, macrophages, smooth muscle cells, and other specialized cell types, like podocytes, participate in various aspects of vascular function. However, aside from the well-established roles of smooth muscle cells and pericytes, the contributions of other vascular-associated cells are poorly understood. Our goal was to ascertain the function of perivascular macrophages in adult tissues under nonpathological conditions.

Approach and Results—

We combined confocal microscopy, in vivo cell depletion, and in vitro assays to investigate the contribution of perivascular macrophages to vascular function. We found that resident perivascular macrophages are associated with capillaries at a frequency similar to that of pericytes. Macrophage depletion using either clodronate liposomes or antibodies unexpectedly resulted in hyperpermeability. This effect could be rescued when M2-like macrophages, but not M1-like macrophages or dendritic cells, were reconstituted in vivo, suggesting subtype-specific roles for macrophages in the regulation of vascular permeability. Furthermore, we found that permeability-promoting agents elicit motility and eventual dissociation of macrophages from the vasculature. Finally, in vitro assays showed that M2-like macrophages attenuate the phosphorylation of VE-cadherin upon exposure to permeability-promoting agents.

Conclusions—

This study points to a direct contribution of macrophages to vessel barrier integrity and provides evidence that heterotypic cell interactions with the endothelium, in addition to those of pericytes, control vascular permeability.
Prevalence and Predictors of Multiple Coronary Plaque Ruptures
Authors: Vergallo Rocco , Uemura Shiro , Soeda Tsunenari , Minami Yoshiyasu , Cho Jin-Man , Ong Daniel S. , Aguirre Aaron D. , Gao Lei , Biasucci Luigi M. , Crea Filippo , Yu Bo , Lee Hang , Kim Chong-Jin , Jang Ik-Kyung
Published: September 2016

Objective—

Plaque rupture may be the local expression of a widespread coronary instability. This study aimed to investigate: (1) the prevalence and characteristics of nonculprit plaque rupture; (2) the pancoronary atherosclerotic phenotype in patients with and without nonculprit plaque rupture; and (3) the prevalence and predictors of multiple plaque ruptures.

Approach and Results—

Six hundred and seventy-five nonculprit plaques from 261 patients (34 acute myocardial infarction, 73 unstable angina pectoris, and 154 stable angina pectoris) were analyzed by 3-vessel optical coherence tomography. Nonculprit plaque ruptures were identified in 51 patients (20%). Patients with nonculprit plaque ruptures had higher prevalence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (51% versus 13%;
P
<0.001) in the 3 major epicardial coronary vessels. Multiple plaque ruptures were observed in 20% of patients (38% acute myocardial infarction versus 10% unstable angina pectoris versus 19% stable angina pectoris;
P
=0.042). Thin-cap fibroatheroma, intimal vasculature, and macrophages were independent morphological predictors of multiple plaque ruptures, whereas acute myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease were independent clinical predictors. Patients with nonculprit plaque ruptures showed higher 1-year rates of nontarget lesion revascularization (11.8% versus 4.4%;
P
=0.039).

Conclusions—

Nonculprit plaque ruptures were observed in 20% of patients with coronary artery disease and were associated with pancoronary vulnerability and higher 1-year revascularization rate.
Atherosclerosis-Driven Treg Plasticity Results in Formation of a Dysfunctional Subset of Plastic IFNγ
+
Th1/Tregs
Authors: Butcher Matthew J. , Filipowicz Adam R. , Waseem Tayab C. , McGary Christopher M. , Crow Kevin J. , Magilnick Nathaniel , Boldin Mark , Lundberg Patric S. , Galkina Elena V.
Published: September 2016

Rationale:

Forkhead box P3

+

T regulatory cells (Tregs) are key players in maintaining immune homeostasis. Evidence suggests that Tregs respond to environmental cues to permit or suppress inflammation. In atherosclerosis, Th1-driven inflammation affects Treg homeostasis, but the mechanisms governing this phenomenon are unclear.

Objective:

Here, we address whether atherosclerosis impacts Treg plasticity and functionality in
Apoe
−
/−
mice, and what effect Treg plasticity might have on the pathology of atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results:

We demonstrate that atherosclerosis promotes Treg plasticity, resulting in the reduction of CXCR3

+

Tregs and the accumulation of an intermediate Th1-like interferon (IFN)-γ

+

CCR5

+

Treg subset (Th1/Tregs) within the aorta. Importantly, Th1/Tregs arise in atherosclerosis from bona fide Tregs, rather than from T-effector cells. We show that Th1/Tregs recovered from atherosclerotic mice are dysfunctional in suppression assays. Using an adoptive transfer system and plasticity-prone
Mir146a
−/−
Tregs, we demonstrate that elevated IFNγ
+
Mir146a
−/−
Th1/Tregs are unable to adequately reduce atherosclerosis, arterial Th1, or macrophage content within
Apoe
−/−
mice, in comparison to
Mir146a

+/+

Tregs. Finally, via single-cell RNA-sequencing and real-time -polymerase chain reaction, we show that Th1/Tregs possess a unique transcriptional phenotype characterized by coexpression of Treg and Th1 lineage genes and a downregulation of Treg-related genes, including
Ikzf2
,
Ikzf4, Tigit, Lilrb4
, and
Il10
. In addition, an ingenuity pathway analysis further implicates IFNγ, IFNα, interleukin-2, interleukin-7, CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein 4), T-cell receptor, and Csnk2b-related pathways in regulating Treg plasticity.

Conclusions:

Atherosclerosis drives Treg plasticity, resulting in the accumulation of dysfunctional IFNγ

+

Th1/Tregs that may permit further arterial inflammation and atherogenesis.
Inter-Rater Reliability of the CASCADE Criteria
Authors: Bernard Timothy J. , Beslow Lauren A. , Manco-Johnson Marilyn J. , Armstrong-Wells Jennifer , Boada Richard , Weitzenkamp David , Hollatz Amanda , Poisson Sharon , Amlie-Lefond Catherine , Lo Warren , deVeber Gabrielle , Goldenberg Neil A. , Dowling Michael M. , Roach E. Steve , Fullerton Heather J. , Benseler Susanne M. , Jordan Lori C. , Kirton Adam , Ichord Rebecca N.
Published: September 2016

Background and Purpose—

There are limited data about the reliability of subtype classification in childhood arterial ischemic stroke, an issue that prompted the IPSS (International Pediatric Stroke Study) to develop the CASCADE criteria (Childhood AIS Standardized Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation). Our purpose was to determine the CASCADE criteria’s reliability in a population of children with stroke.

Methods—

Eight raters from the IPSS reviewed neuroimaging and clinical records of 64 cases (16 cases each) randomly selected from a prospectively collected cohort of 113 children with arterial ischemic stroke and classified them using the CASCADE criteria. Clinical data abstracted included history of present illness, risk factors, and acute imaging. Agreement among raters was measured by unweighted κ statistic.

Results—

The CASCADE criteria demonstrated a moderate inter-rater reliability, with an overall κ statistic of 0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.39–0.67). Cardioembolic and bilateral cerebral arteriopathy subtypes had much higher agreement (κ=0.84; 95% CI=0.70–0.99; and κ=0.90; 95% CI=0.71–1.00, respectively) than cases of aortic/cervical arteriopathy (κ=0.36; 95% CI=0.01–0.71), unilateral focal cerebral arteriopathy of childhood (FCA; κ=0.49; 95% CI=0.23–0.76), and small vessel arteriopathy of childhood (κ=−0.012; 95% CI=−0.04 to 0.01).

Conclusions—

The CASCADE criteria have moderate reliability when used by trained and experienced raters, which suggests that it can be used for classification in multicenter pediatric stroke studies. However, the moderate reliability of the arteriopathic subtypes suggests that further refinement is needed for defining subtypes. Such revisions may reduce the variability in the literature describing risk factors, recurrence, and outcomes associated with childhood arteriopathy.
Effects of Exercise Therapy on Balance Capacity in Chronic Stroke
Authors: van Duijnhoven Hanneke J.R. , Heeren Anita , Peters Marlijn A.M. , Veerbeek Janne M. , Kwakkel Gert , Geurts Alexander C.H. , Weerdesteyn Vivian
Published: September 2016

Background and Purpose—

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of exercise training on balance capacity in people in the chronic phase after stroke. Furthermore, we aimed to identify which training regimen was most effective.

Methods—

Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of exercise therapy on balance capacity in the chronic phase after stroke. Studies were included if they were of moderate or high methodological quality (PEDro score ≥4). Data were pooled if a specific outcome measure was reported in at least 3 randomized controlled trials. A sensitivity analysis and consequent subgroup analyses were performed for the different types of experimental training (balance and/or weight-shifting training, gait training, multisensory training, high-intensity aerobic exercise training, and other training programs).

Results—

Forty-three randomized controlled trials out of 369 unique hits were included. A meta-analysis could be conducted for the Berg Balance Scale (28 studies, n=985), Functional Reach Test (5 studies, n=153), Sensory Organization Test (4 studies, n=173), and mean postural sway velocity (3 studies, n=89). A significant overall difference in favor of the intervention group was found for the Berg Balance Scale (mean difference 2.22 points (+3.9%); 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26–3.17;
P
<0.01;
I
2
=52%), Functional Reach Test (mean difference=3.12 cm; 95% CI, 0.90–5.35;
P
<0.01;
I
2
=74%), and Sensory Organization Test (mean difference=6.77 (+7%) points; 95% CI, 0.83–12.7;
P
=0.03;
I
2
=0%). Subgroup analyses of the studies that included Berg Balance Scale outcomes demonstrated a significant improvement after balance and/or weight-shifting training of 3.75 points (+6.7%; 95% CI, 1.71–5.78;
P
<0.01;
I
2
=52%) and after gait training of 2.26 points (+4.0%; 95% CI, 0.94–3.58;
P
<0.01;
I
2
=21, whereas no significant effects were found for other training regimens.

Conclusions—

This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that balance capacities can be improved by well-targeted exercise therapy programs in the chronic phase after stroke. Specifically, balance and/or weight-shifting and gait training were identified as successful training regimens.
White Matter Hyperintensity–Adjusted Critical Infarct Thresholds to Predict a Favorable 90-Day Outcome
Authors: Patti Jatinder , Helenius Johanna , Puri Ajit S. , Henninger Nils
Published: September 2016

Background and Purpose—

There is increasing interest in defining stroke lesion volume thresholds to predict poststroke outcome. However, there is a paucity of data on factors that impact the association between critical infarct thresholds volume and outcome. We sought to determine whether lesion thresholds best predicting outcome depend on the degree of preexisting white matter hyperintensity (WMH) lesion burden.

Methods—

Magnetic resonance imaging infarct volumes were quantified in 414 consecutive patients with anterior circulation ischemic strokes evaluated between January 2014 and December 2014. The WMH lesion volume was graded according to the Fazekas scale and dichotomized to absent to mild versus moderate to severe. Receiver operator characteristics curves were calculated to determine the infarct volume threshold best predicting the 90-day outcome. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine whether the critical lesion thresholds independently predicted a favorable 90-day outcome after adjusting for pertinent confounders.

Results—

The infarct volumes thresholds predicting the 90-day outcome for the entire cohort (standard thresholds) were ≤29.5 mL (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 0–1), ≤29.9 mL (mRS 0–2), and ≤34.1 mL (mRS 0–3). For patients with absent-to-mild WMH lesion burden, WMH-adjusted critical infarct thresholds were significantly greater than the standard infarct thresholds. In the fully adjusted multivariable regression models, the WMH-adjusted infarct thresholds correctly predicted the outcome to a similar degree as the standard thresholds.

Conclusions—

In this proof-of-concept study, the WMH lesion burden impacted the critical outcome-predicting infarct thresholds. If confirmed, using a WMH-adjusted infarct threshold could allow defining patients that have a favorable outcome despite having relatively large infarct volumes.
Women, Piety and Political Representation
Authors: Mohamud Maimuna
Published: September 2016

The aftermath of violent conflict provides opportunities for fresh debates about gender politics. In sub-Saharan Africa, several post-conflict states have introduced constitutional reforms and quotas to promote women’s participation in government. Yet, women’s political representation in Somalia is a matter that goes beyond the hotly-debated gender quotas which are often championed by international donors and other peacebuilding actors. In post-war Somalia, women believe that the question of political representation is closely linked to the recognition of women’s ongoing contributions to society. For many women, the contemporary post-war Islamic discourses in Somalia have eroded some rights previously guaranteed—if imperfectly—by the pre-war state. Such discourses today have also constructed a new ideal version of Somali women in an Islamic society which largely dispossesses them from public life. In this article, I highlight Somali women’s forms of activism which are centered on engaging Islamic discourses in an attempt to change current perceptions about women’s roles in politics and public life. I examine women’s narratives for insights into the root causes of women’s exclusion and the strategies used to resist, counter, and challenge oppositional Islamic discourses. I conclude by considering how women’s ‘unorganized’ movements across Somalia—premised on working within a framework of Islam, are suggestive of multifaceted expressions of women’s agency in patriarchal and non-liberal contexts.
Sara Akbar
Authors: Ali Souad T.
Published: September 2016

The history and modernization of women’s rights and leadership in Kuwait is explored through an introspective from Engineer Sara Akbar, ceo of Kuwait Energy. Akbar gives detailed accounts of her brief history of work and life as a woman in leadership. Through a lengthy ethnographic research, I traveled to Kuwait City as a Fulbright Scholar at the American University of Kuwait (auk 2009–2010) and had my first interview with her at the Engineers Society building. In 2013, on our first study abroad program at auk, I invited Sara Akbar to give a lecture to my asu students as part of a Lecture Series I organized; then I had another interview with her in her office in the new premises of her company, Kuwait Energy in Salmiya. Akbar’s dialogue highlights her theoretical feminist framework for life in Kuwait. In addition to her recounts of oppression and struggle as a woman in her workforce, Sara Akbar gives a call to action for people in all social and occupational hierarchies, men, and women, in Kuwait to broaden their horizons for women in leadership.
Nomenclatural notes and morphological observations on Malva subovata s.l. (Malvaceae)
Authors: IAMONICO DUILIO
Published: September 2016

Nomenclatural notes and morphological observations on Malva subovata sensu lato (Malvaceae) are discussed. The names Axolpha wigandii, L. africana by Cavanilles, L. africana by Miller, L. maritima, L. maritima var. purpurea, L. maritima var. trilobata, L. rupestris, and Lavatera subovata are lectotypified upon specimens preserved in the Herbaria BM, COI, G-DC, LY, MPU, and upon illustrations by Cavanilles and Gouan, while L. gallica, L. rotundifolia, and Olbia canescens are illegitimate names. Cavanilles’ L. africana, L. maritima, and A. wigandii are confirmed to be synonyms of L. subovata. Miller’s L. africana, a prevoiusly published homonym of Cavanilles’ L. africana, refers to another species. L. gallica, L. maritima var. purpurea, L. maritima var. trilobata, L. rotundifolia, and Olbia canescens are to be considered synonyms of L. subovata s.s. On the basis of morphological features and distribution areas, the current infraspecific classification of M. subovata s.l. (three subspecies) cannot be retained, and the better choice is the recognition of only two infraspecific taxa (subsp. subovata and subsp. bicolor), while the subsp. rupestris is to be treated as a synonym of the autonymic subspecies.
Additions to Karst Fungi 1: Botryosphaeria minutispermatia sp. nov., from Guizhou Province, China
Authors: ARIYAWANSA HIRAN A. , HYDE KEVIN D. , LIU JIAN KUI , WU SHI-PING , LIU ZUO YI
Published: September 2016

Botryosphaeria is a species rich genus of plant saprobes, pathogens and endophytes, with a global distribution, on a wide variety of mainly woody hosts. Recent studies have discovered a wide-ranging diversity of species in Botryosphaeria. This work adds to this increasing body of knowledge on the genus, by introducing a new species of Botryosphaeria occurring on dead wood in a terrestrial habitat in Guizhou Province, of the south China Karst region. Analysis of a combined ITS and EF1-α sequence data matrix was applied to infer the phylogenetic position of the new species in Botryosphaeria and B. minutispermatia is described and illustrated based on morphology and phylogeny. The new species is characterized by erumpent, botryose, clustered, ostiolate ascomata, bitunicate, clavate asci, filiform, rarely branched pseudoparaphyses, fusiform, hyaline ascospores and a fusicoccum-like asexual morph produced in culture and formed a distinct clade within the genus Botryosphaeria.
Typification of algae described by Simón de Rojas Clemente y Rubio deposited at the Herbarium of the University of Granada (Spain)
Authors: VIZOSO M. TERESA , CREMADES JAVIER
Published: September 2016

A typification is presented for two names of algae described by Clemente. The types of Fucus digitatus var. pellucidus Clemente ex Colmeiro (1867: 213) and Fucus tomentosus var. fastigiatus Clemente ex Bellón (1942: 11) were designated by Cremades (1990) after the review conducted on the algal herbarium of Simón de Rojas Clemente y Rubio (1777–1827). Although both names remained unpublished, they now are preserved in the collection of nomenclatural types at the Herbarium of the University of Granada (GDA), Spain. In addition, the discovery of other old material supports the proposal of Cremades (1993) on applying the name Fucus confervoides var. macrocarpus Clemente (1807: 314) to the species now known as Chondracanthus acicularis (Roth 1806: 114) Fredericq in Hommersand et al. (1993: 117).
Nomenclature changes in Phalaenopsis subgen. Hygrochilus (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Vandeae) based on DNA evidence
Authors: LI MING-HE , GRUSS OLAF , LIU ZHONG-JIAN
Published: September 2016

The taxonomy of Phalaenopsis subgen. Hygrochilus is poorly understood, resulting in great difficulties in distinguishing and identifying infrageneric taxa. It has long been known that the plant called H. parishii has two strikingly different flowers forms, ‘parishii’ and ‘marriottiana’. An analysis of ITS nrDNA and five plastid regions (atpI-atpH, trnK-matK, trnH-psbA, trnL-F and trnS-trnM) obtains clear evidence that the ‘parishii’ and ‘marriottiana’ forms are two distinct species. Here, five species of subgenus Hygrochilus are recognized: Phalaenopsis japonica, P. marriottiana, P. subparishii, P. tigrina (the new name of H. parishii in Phalaenopsis), and P. tsii. A plate of flowers to aid in identification of the species of this group is also provided.
A new river loach from the main channel of the upper Mekong in Yunnan (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae)
Authors: ENDRUWEIT MARCO , YANG JUNXING , LIU SHUWEI
Published: September 2016

Nemacheilid loaches are a common element of fish assemblages of Southeast Asian streams. In particular, streams in tropical and subtropical regions with a gravelly to rocky substrate and a swift current are typically inhabited by several species of nemacheilid loaches. Up to six different species are reported to occur syntopically (Kottelat 1990). The vast majority of these loaches are allocated within the diverse genus Schistura, which accommodates about 200 valid species (Kottelat 2012). River loaches of the genus Schistura are defined as having the mouth moderately arched; the lower lip medially notched, not forming lateral labial pads; air bladder without a secondary chamber, and a maximum size between 25 mm and 120 mm SL (Kottelat 1990).
Cladorhiza corallophila sp. nov., a new carnivorous sponge (Cladorhizidae, Demospongiae) living in close association with Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata (Scleractinia)
Authors: GÖCKE CHRISTIAN , HESTETUN JON T. , UHLIR CAROLIN , FREIWALD ANDRÉ , BEUCK LYDIA , JANUSSEN DORTE
Published: September 2016

In this study, we describe a new species of cladorhizid sponge, which shows a very peculiar mode of life: It always occurs in association with the scleractinian cold-water corals Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. Although the sponge lives in nutrient-rich areas, we document its carnivorous feeding behavior. The identity of the new species was verified using molecular markers: the species is very closely related to the North-Atlantic Cladorhiza abyssicola, but it differs distinctly, and forms a monophyletic clade. The two species might be considered very close relatives, probably sister species deriving from a common ancestor.
Morphological similarities between Amphisbaena mitchelli Procter, 1923 and A. miringoera Vanzolini, 1971 (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae): phylogenetic relatedness or morphological convergence?
Authors: ALMEIDA JOÃO PAULO FELIX AUGUSTO DE , VECHIO FRANCISCO DAL , TEIXEIRA MAURO JR. , RODRIGUES MIGUEL TREFAUT , MOTT TAMÍ
Published: September 2016

To date, 22 species of amphisbaenids have been recorded at Brazilian Amazon (Ribeiro et al. 2008), six of them are small and have two pre-cloacal pores (Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires 1991; Teixeira Jr. et al. 2014). Most of these species have narrow distributions, and its biology and phylogenetic relationships are poorly understood (Hoogmoed & Ávila-Pires 1991). Amphisbaena mitchelli Procter, 1923 and A. miringoera Vanzolini, 1971 share several morphological similarities that could reflect phylogenetic relatedness (Vanzolini 1971). Both have two pre-cloacal pores and a similar pattern of head scutelation, but whereas the first has 193–220 and 26–29 body and tail annuli, respectively, the latter has 250–264 and 22–24 (Vanzolini 1971).
Frontogenesis and Turbulence: A Numerical Simulation
Authors: Samelson R. M. , Skyllingstad E. D.
Published: September 2016

A numerical simulation is analyzed that resolves the full range of motions from rotationally dominated, growing baroclinic waves to quasi-isotropic, three-dimensional shear instabilities. The results confirm a 40-yr-old prediction, made by B. Hoskins and F. Bretherton, that frontogenetic collapse of cross-frontal spatial scales, driven by baroclinic-wave deformation fields, will continue to the Kelvin–Helmholtz (K–H) turbulent transition. This process of frontal collapse followed by K–H transition provides a mechanism for spontaneous loss of balance in an initially geostrophic flow, and a direct, spectrally nonlocal pathway for downscale energy transfer that is phenomenologically distinct from traditional concepts of turbulent cascades and can contribute substantially to total kinetic energy dissipation. These results, which neglect surface drag and several other potentially relevant atmospheric processes, would suggest that the turbulence associated with collapsing fronts in the atmosphere can extend upward from the surface through roughly one-third of the troposphere.
Dynamic effects of single fiber break in unidirectional glass fiber-reinforced composites
Authors: Ganesh Raja , Sockalingam Subramani , (Gama) Haque Bazle Z , Gillespie John W
Published: September 2016

In a unidirectional composite under static tensile loading, breaking of a fiber is shown to be a locally dynamic process that leads to stress concentrations in the interface, matrix and neighboring fibers that can propagate at high speed over long distances. To gain better understanding of this event, a fiber-level finite element model of a two-dimensional array of S2-glass fibers embedded in an elastic epoxy matrix with interfacial cohesive traction law is developed. The brittle fiber fracture results in release of stored strain energy as a compressive stress wave that propagates along the length of the broken fiber at speeds approaching the axial wave-speed in the fiber (6 km/s). This wave induces an axial tensile wave with a dynamic tensile stress concentration in adjacent fibers that diminishes with distance. Moreover, dynamic interfacial failure is predicted where debonding initiates, propagates and arrests at longer distances than predicted by models that assume quasi-static fiber breakage. In the case of higher strength fibers breaks, unstable debond growth is predicted. A stability criterion to define the threshold fiber break strength is derived based on an energy balance between the release of fiber elastic energy and energy absorption associated with interfacial debonding. A contour map of peak dynamic stress concentrations is generated at various break stresses to quantify the zone-of-influence of dynamic failure. The dynamic results are shown to envelop a much larger volume of the microstructure than the quasi-static results. The implications of dynamic fiber fracture on damage evolution in the composite are discussed.
“Audacious authenticity”
Authors: Cole Mandy England
Published: September 2016

“Audacious authenticity” was preached during the Festival of Young Women Preachers held April 7, 2016 in conjunction with the Alliance of Baptists’ annual meeting. The two events shared the theme: Bearing in courage, rooted in hope. The Festival is an opportunity for young preachers to receive encouragement and support as each explores her own unique calling. Through this sermon, Reverend England Cole shares her own experience and encourages young preachers to serve in audaciously authentic ways.
Legitimacy and Disaster
Authors: Wright Tim
Published: September 2016

The very existence of the new state of Manchukuo was contested throughout the 1930s. Despite its colonial reality, its form as a nation-state necessitated an attempt to generate legitimacy, and its best hope lay in performance legitimacy as a modernizing and developmental state delivering public goods and offering honest and efficient government. Less than a year after its establishment, the new state faced a crisis caused by large-scale floods in the north of the region. This article examines how it attempted to build performance legitimacy even in a quasi-colonial situation by establishing institutions and raising funds to mount a relief effort, providing food, shelter, and medical care, and in the longer term restoring state capacity by maintaining order, reopening communications, and instituting flood prevention measures. At the same time, it generated a narrative that linked that effort to its broader ideological claims to legitimacy.
Incidence of late atrial fibrillation in bilateral lung versus heart transplants
Authors: Magruder J Trent , Plum William , Crawford Todd C , Grimm Joshua C , Borja Marvin C , Berger Ronald D , Tandri Harikrishna , Calkins Hugh , Cameron Duke E , Mandal Kaushik
Published: September 2016

Background

We compared the incidence of late-onset atrial fibrillation in orthotopic heart transplant recipients and bilateral orthotopic lung transplant recipients.

Methods

We reviewed the records of all heart and lung transplant operations carried out in our institution between 1995 and 2015. We performed 1:1 propensity-matching based on patient age, sex, body mass index, and hypertension. Our primary outcome, late-onset atrial fibrillation, was defined as atrial fibrillation occurring after discharge following hospitalization for transplantation.

Results

Over the study period, 397 orthotopic heart transplants and 240 bilateral orthotopic lung transplants were performed. Propensity matching resulted in 173 pairs who were matched with respect to age, sex, body mass index, and preoperative hypertension. The median follow-up was 5.3 years for heart transplant patients and 3.1 years for lung transplant patients. Late-onset atrial fibrillation occurred in 11 heart transplant patients (5 of whom had biopsy-proven evidence of rejection) and 19 lung transplant patients (2 of whom had biopsy-proven evidence of rejection). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the probability of late-onset atrial fibrillation at 5 years was 4.3% for heart transplant patients vs. 13.9% for lung transplant patients (log-rank p = 0.01).

Conclusions

We documented an increased probability of late-onset atrial fibrillation among bilateral orthotopic lung transplant patients compared to orthotopic heart transplant patients. This was a hypothesis-generating study that suggests a potential role for cardiac autonomic innervation in the genesis of atrial fibrillation.
Aortopulmonary ectopic parathyroid gland and concurrent thymolipoma
Authors: Abu Abeeleh Mahmoud , Bani Hani Amjad , Ghaith Ata , Alodwan Tareq , Bani Ismail Zuhair , Alshehabat Musa
Published: September 2016

Ectopic parathyroid adenomas are considered the main cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. However, concurrent parathyroid and thymic pathologies are rarely diagnosed in the same patient. A 47-year-old man with history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and myasthenia gravis presented with persistent hypercalcemia. Laboratory investigations, computed tomography, and technetium-99 m sestamibi scintigraphy revealed ectopic parathyroid glands, a mediastinal mass, and an enlarged thymus. The patient underwent thymectomy and mass excision via a median sternotomy. Histopathology was consistent with ectopic parathyroid adenoma and thymolipoma. The serum calcium and parathormone concentrations normalized within 48 hours after surgery.
Endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm followed by type B dissection
Authors: Shingaki Masami , Kato Masaaki , Motoki Manabu , Kubo Yoji , Isaji Toshihiko , Okubo Nobukazu
Published: September 2016

An 86-year-old man with an abdominal aortic aneurysm was diagnosed with type B aortic dissection accompanied by a patent false lumen that started at the distal arch of the thoracic aorta and terminated at the left common iliac artery. Meticulous preoperative assessment detected 3 large intimal tears in the descending aorta, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and left common iliac artery. We performed single-stage thoracic and abdominal endovascular aneurysm repair and concomitant axillary-axillary bypass. The abdominal aortic aneurysm with type B aortic dissection was successfully treated using a single-stage endovascular stent graft, without any complications due to the careful preoperative examinations.
Illusory-figure microgenesis: A reply to Dresp and Spillmann
Authors: Parks Theodore E.
Published: September 2016

A proposed “bottom-up” explanation for the time-course of certain illusory figures is found wanting.
The influence of physical dimension on apparent stress–strain behaviour of in vitro passive skeletal muscle samples
Authors: Simms Ciaran , Kilroy Hannah , Blackburn Gary , Takaza Michael
Published: September 2016

The stress–strain behaviour of skeletal muscle is affected by many factors, leading to varied results reported in the literature. This article examines how the physical dimension of samples in in vitro compression tests affects the muscle stress for a given stretch ratio, in both quasi-static and dynamic loading. It is proposed that physically larger samples display a higher stress response due to the greater inclusion of complete muscle fascicles and also a reduction in percentage fluid exudation during compression. In the case of quasi-static loading, this was evaluated by testing nominally cubic samples of fresh and aged porcine tissue of characteristic lengths between 10 and 40 mm in compression at 0.05%/s strain in the fibre and cross-fibre directions using a Zwick Z005 universal testing rig. For the dynamic tests, a custom instrumented drop tower test rig was used to achieve average strain rates of 12,500%/s, and the stress responses at stretch ratios of [Formula: see text] 0.8 and [Formula: see text] 0.5 of nominally cubic samples of aged porcine tissue of characteristic lengths between 10 and 30 mm compressively loaded in the cross-fibre direction were evaluated. Both static and dynamic results clearly indicate that the muscle stress for a given stretch ratio of aged skeletal muscle tissue increases as the characteristic sample dimension increases from 10 to 30 mm. The effect was somewhat stronger for the dynamic tests. In the case of quasi-static testing, the strain rate of 0.05%/s limited the influence of the viscoelastic properties of the muscle, and sample dimension effects in the static tests are mostly attributable to the greater proportion of complete fascicles in the physically larger samples. In dynamic testing, in addition to the proportion of complete fascicle inclusion, the smaller percentage of fluid exudation for the larger samples compared to the smaller samples may also influence the size effect.
The Civic Elite of Mid-Nineteenth-Century Belfast
Authors: Johnson Alice
Published: September 2016

This article provides a general survey of the mid-nineteenth-century Belfast civic elite. The elite – those men who dominated town affairs – is defined in terms of civic activism, with findings based on a database created from membership lists of local authorities and voluntary bodies. The article examines the origins, education, occupations, levels of wealth and religion of the elite and a sustained comparison with other UK elites is offered. The majority of Belfast elite members were born in the Ulster hinterland, working as textile manufacturers or merchants, while their primary source of wealth was linen. Presbyterians were the most numerous among the elite, but Anglicans were prominent both in the textile business and in official positions and were, in fact, the wealthiest religious group.
Improved tensile properties of laminates by hot-press tackifying using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding and autoclave
Authors: Wang Changchun , Bai Guanghui , Yue Guangquan , Li Hongfu , Zhang Boming
Published: September 2016

A hot-press tackifying process was used to improve the mechanical properties of cured laminates in vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding by placing a thermoplastic film into the preforms at various pressures and temperatures. Three modified preforms were prepared at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.6 MPa using an autoclave, and the laminates were then produced via vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. The mechanical properties of the modified laminates were tested and compared to those of the unmodified ones. The fiber volume fractions of the modified laminates decreased with increasing pressure. The tensile strength of the modified laminates at the three pressures improved by 16.78%, 41.21%, and 29.47%, respectively, compared to the unmodified samples. Modified laminates at 0.3 MPa showed better results than those at 0.1 and 0.6 MPa, which were all better than the unmodified samples. The modulus of the modified laminates from vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding was improved by 2.48%, 19.01%, and 13.22%, respectively. The effect of the hot-press tackifying in improving the tensile strength and modulus of a laminate on a pre-impregnated laminate (prepreg) using the autoclave was studied and compared to that of the unmodified case. Here, the tensile strength increased by 32.5% and 12.3%, respectively.
Conscious Access to Suppressed Threatening Information Is Modulated by Working Memory
Authors: Liu Dong , Wang Li , Wang Ying , Jiang Yi
Published: September 2016

Previous research has demonstrated that emotional information processing can be modulated by what is being held in working memory (WM). Here, we showed that such content-based WM effects can occur even when the emotional information is suppressed from conscious awareness. Using the delayed-match-to-sample paradigm in conjunction with continuous flash suppression, we found that suppressed threatening (fearful and angry) faces emerged from suppression faster when they matched the emotional valence of WM contents than when they did not. This effect cannot be explained by perceptual priming, as it disappeared when the faces were only passively viewed and not held in WM. Crucially, such an effect is highly specific to threatening faces but not to happy or neutral faces. Our findings together suggest that WM can modulate nonconscious emotion processing, which highlights the functional association between nonconsciously triggered emotional processes and conscious emotion representation.
Young Children See a Single Action and Infer a Social Norm
Authors: Schmidt Marco F. H. , Butler Lucas P. , Heinz Julia , Tomasello Michael
Published: September 2016

Human social life depends heavily on social norms that prescribe and proscribe specific actions. Typically, young children learn social norms from adult instruction. In the work reported here, we showed that this is not the whole story: Three-year-old children are promiscuous normativists. In other words, they spontaneously inferred the presence of social norms even when an adult had done nothing to indicate such a norm in either language or behavior. And children of this age even went so far as to enforce these self-inferred norms when third parties “broke” them. These results suggest that children do not just passively acquire social norms from adult behavior and instruction; rather, they have a natural and proactive tendency to go from “is” to “ought.” That is, children go from observed actions to prescribed actions and do not perceive them simply as guidelines for their own behavior but rather as objective normative rules applying to everyone equally.
The Role of MicroRNA and LncRNA–MicroRNA Interactions in Regulating Ischemic Heart Disease
Authors: Li Na , Ponnusamy Murugavel , Li Meng-peng , Wang Kun , Li Pei-Feng
Published: September 2016

Approximately 2% of the human genome consists of protein-coding regions. Therefore, the majority of transcripts are noncoding RNAs, such as microRNA (miRNA) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In ischemic heart disease, the majority of miRNAs are repressors or destabilizers of target messenger RNAs. The lncRNAs are a second class of noncoding RNAs that have recently gained attention for their roles in heart disease and in regulating the functions of miRNA. In this review, we summarize the role of miRNA in pathological cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial infarction. In addition, we discuss the functional interactions of miRNA and lncRNA and its impact on these ischemic heart diseases.
Differences in the Association of Physical Activity and Children’s Overweight and Obesity Status Among the Major Racial and Ethnic Groups of U.S. Children
Authors: Guerrero Alma D. , Flores Martiniano , Vangala Sitaram , Chung Paul J.
Published: September 2016

Objective. To examine the relationship of exercise with overweight and obesity among an ethnically diverse sample of U.S. children. Method. Data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health were analyzed to examine the relationship of daily exercise with children’s weight status. Propensity score covariate adjustment and multivariate logistic regression with survey weights were used to control for child, home, and community characteristics. Results. Approximately 22% of all children ages 10 to 17 years engaged in daily exercise for at least 20 minutes. In the adjusted model for the entire sample, daily exercise was associated with children having a lower likelihood of being overweight or obese (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval = 0.68-0.91). In a stratified analysis of the major racial and ethnic groups, however, while White children who exercised daily were found to have a lower odds of being overweight or obese (odds ratio = 0.70; 95% confidence interval = 0.60-0.82), this relationship was not found for most minority children. Conclusions. Racial and ethnic minority children were not found to have the same weight status relationship with exercising daily. These findings suggest that some population-average exercise recommendations may not be as applicable to minority children.
Alterations in gait parameters with peripheral artery disease: The importance of pre-frailty as a confounding variable
Authors: Toosizadeh Nima , Stocker Hannah , Thiede Rebecca , Mohler Jane , Mills Joseph L , Najafi Bijan
Published: September 2016

Although poor walking is the most common symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD), reported results are inconsistent when comparing gait parameters between PAD patients and healthy controls. This inconsistency may be due to frailty, which is highly prevalent among PAD patients. To address this hypothesis, 41 participants, 17 PAD (74±8 years) and 24 aged-matched controls (76±7 years), were recruited. Gait was objectively assessed using validated wearable sensors. Analysis of covariate (ANCOVA) tests were used to compare gait parameters between PAD and non-PAD groups, considering age, gender, and body mass index as covariates, while stratified based on frailty status. According to the Fried frailty index, 47% of PAD and 50% of control participants were non-frail and the rest were classified as pre-frail. Within non-frail participants, gait speed, body sway during walking, stride length, gait cycle time, double-support, knee range of motion, speed variability, mid-swing speed, and gait initiation were significantly different between PAD and control groups (effect size d = 0.75±0.43). In the pre-frail group, however, most of the gait differences were diminished except for gait initiation and gait variability. Results suggest that gait initiation is the most sensitive parameter for detecting gait impairment in PAD participants when compared to controls, regardless of frailty status ( d = 1.30–1.41; p<0.050). The observed interaction effect between frailty and PAD on gait parameters confirms the importance of assessing functionality in addition to age to provide more consistency in detecting motor performance impairments due to PAD.
Urban Interfaces: The Cartographies of Screen-Based Installations
Authors: Verhoeff Nanna
Published: September 2016

This article analyzes the way media technologies provide interfaces for the complexity of cities as historically layered, continuously changing, and intricately connected spaces. Following Branden Hookway and Alexander Galloway, I understand media interfaces as processes rather than objects. An interface is not something; it does something. I propose to focus on the way in which often temporary, mobile, and connected interfaces produce urban cartographies in the very act and process of navigation. This navigation constitutes a performative cartography of ambulant presence, fluid connectivity, and an inherent multiplicity of connections between locations and other subjects. In what follows, I examine a small collection of urban art projects that speak to this description and suggest that the interface’s pursuits of connectivity, and the stakes and claims inseparable from these pursuits, produce and structure urban cartographies. The article then questions in what ways interfaces can create, not a threshold between two dimensions, but spatial transformations of a third kind.
The Neoliberal Academy of the Anthropocene and the Retaliation of the Lazy Academic
Authors: Gildersleeve Ryan Evely
Published: September 2016

Focusing on production and dissemination of academic knowledge, this article discusses the role of higher education as it serves the neoliberal imperative. Emphasis is given to two fundamental realities that are influencing higher education today: neoliberalism and the Anthropocene. These two realities shape the crisis of the Professoriate: differentiating faculty into the romantic individual while simultaneously forcing the production of human capital in the name of neoliberalism. The production and performance of the neoliberal knowledge imperative is illustrated through the faculty performance review system. To reclaim the knowledge imperative the article argues that the refusal of work must occur. The refusal of work generates a posthuman subject, the “lazy academic” that is able to reconceptualize how the faculty can confront the neoliberal university.
Investigating the Use of Two Low Cost Eye Tracking Systems for Detecting Pupillary Response to Changes in Mental Workload
Authors: Coyne Joseph , Sibley Ciara
Published: September 2016

Eye tracking technologies are being utilized at increasing rates within industry and research due to the very recent availability of low cost systems. This paper presents results from a study assessing two eye tracking systems, Gazepoint GP3 and Eye Tribe, both of which are available for under $500 and provide streaming gaze and pupil size data. The emphasis of this research was in evaluating the ability of these eye trackers to identify changes in pupil size which occur as a function of variations in lighting conditions as well as those associated with workload. Ten volunteers participated in an experiment in which a digit span task was employed to manipulate workload as user’s fixated on a monitor which varied in background luminance (black, gray and white). Results revealed that both systems were able to significantly differentiate pupil size differences in high and low workload trials and changes due to the monitor’s luminance. These findings are exceedingly promising for human factors researchers, as they open up the opportunity to augment studies with non-obtrusive, streaming measures of mental workload with technologies available for as little as $100.
Field of View Issues on the Flight Deck
Authors: Wickens Christopher , Sebok Angelia , McCormick Patricia , Walters Brett
Published: September 2016

Twenty-eight empirical studies provided data for four meta-analyses on visual detection and discrimination inflight-decktypical tasks, at varying degrees of eccentricity relative to a central point of interest. The data revealed a general trend for poorer performance at increasing eccentricity, and greater degradation when eye movements were prevented. The data failed to reveal a systematic discontinuity of performance degradation beyond 15°, which defines the typical “primary field of view” in the cockpit, but they reveal a 14% miss rate and 21% discrimination error rate at that location. The results also point to the profound influence of moderator variables of expectancy and salience on eccentric visual performance.
Data Visualization of Complex Eye Movements Using Directed Weighted Networks
Authors: Mandal Saptarshi , Kang Ziho , Millan Angel
Published: September 2016

Visualization approaches for eye movement analysis suffers from two limitations: (1) inability to handle the stochasticity of both number and position of moving areas of interests (AOIs), and (2) absence of quantitative metrics to analyze eye movement data. We adapted the directed weighted network (DWN) and associated “centrality” metrics to support the visualization of the complex eye movement data. A case study was performed using a realistic air traffic control task environment. Promising results were found as we were able identify important targets (aircraft) interrogated by an air traffic controller based on different time frames. This case study serves as a foundation to develop effective data visualization methods and quantitative metrics for analyzing complex eye movements for a multi-element tracking task.