bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collaborative data analytics with DataHub
Authors: Bhardwaj Anant , Deshpande Amol , Elmore Aaron J. , Karger David , Madden Sam , Parameswaran Aditya , Subramanyam Harihar , Wu Eugene , Zhang Rebecca
Published: September 2015

While there have been many solutions proposed for storing and analyzing large volumes of data, all of these solutions have limited support for
collaborative data analytics
, especially given the many individuals and teams are simultaneously analyzing, modifying and exchanging datasets, employing a number of heterogeneous tools or languages for data analysis, and writing scripts to clean, preprocess, or query data. We demonstrate DataHub, a unified platform with the ability to load, store, query, collaboratively analyze, interactively visualize, interface with external applications, and share datasets. We will demonstrate the following aspects of the DataHub platform: (a)
flexible data storage, sharing, and native versioning capabilities:
multiple conference attendees can concurrently update the database and browse the different versions and inspect conflicts; (b)
an app ecosystem that hosts apps for various data-processing activities:
conference attendees will be able to effortlessly ingest, query, and visualize data using our existing apps; (c)
thrift-based data serialization permits data analysis in any combination of
20+
languages, with DataHub as the common data store:
conference attendees will be able to analyze datasets in R, Python, and Matlab, while the inputs and the results are still stored in DataHub. In particular, conference attendees will be able to use the
DataHub notebook
---an IPython-based notebook for analyzing data and storing the results of data analysis.
Perseus
Authors: Koutra Danai , Jin Di , Ning Yuanchi , Faloutsos Christos
Published: September 2015

Given a large graph with several millions or billions of nodes and edges, such as a social network, how can we
explore
it efficiently and find out
what
is in the data? In this demo we present P
erseus
, a large-scale system that enables the comprehensive analysis of large graphs by supporting the coupled summarization of graph properties and structures, guiding attention to outliers, and allowing the user to interactively explore normal and anomalous node behaviors.

Specifically, P
erseus
provides for the following operations: 1) It automatically extracts graph invariants (
e.g.
, degree, PageRank, real eigenvectors) by performing scalable, offline batch processing on H
adoop
; 2) It interactively visualizes univariate and bivariate distributions for those invariants; 3) It summarizes the properties of the nodes that the user selects; 4) It efficiently visualizes the induced subgraph of a selected node and its neighbors, by incrementally revealing its neighbors.

In our demonstration, we invite the audience to interact with P
erseus
to explore a variety of multi-million-edge social networks including a Wikipedia vote network, a friendship/foeship network in Slashdot, and a trust network based on the consumer review website Epinions.com.
AIDE
Authors: Diao Yanlei , Dimitriadou Kyriaki , Li Zhan , Liu Wenzhao , Papaemmanouil Olga , Peng Kemi , Peng Liping
Published: September 2015

Data analysts often engage in data exploration tasks to discover interesting data patterns, without knowing exactly what they are looking for. Such exploration tasks can be very labor-intensive because they often require the user to review many results of ad-hoc queries and adjust the predicates of subsequent queries to balance the tradeoff between collecting all interesting information and reducing the size of returned data. In this demonstration we introduce
AIDE
, a system that automates these exploration tasks. AIDE steers the user towards interesting data areas based on her relevance feedback on database samples, aiming to achieve the goal of identifying all database objects that match the user interest with high efficiency. In our demonstration, conference attendees will see AIDE in action for a variety of exploration tasks on real-world datasets.
A demonstration of AQWA
Authors: Aly Ahmed M. , Abdelhamid Ahmed S. , Mahmood Ahmed R. , Aref Walid G. , Hassan Mohamed S. , Elmeleegy Hazem , Ouzzani Mourad
Published: September 2015

The ubiquity of location-aware devices, e.g., smartphones and GPS devices, has led to a plethora of location-based services in which huge amounts of geotagged information need to be efficiently processed by large-scale computing clusters. This demo presents AQWA, an adaptive and query-workload-aware data partitioning mechanism for processing large-scale spatial data. Unlike existing cluster-based systems, e.g., SpatialHadoop, that apply static partitioning of spatial data, AQWA has the ability to react to changes in the query-workload and data distribution. A key feature of AQWA is that it does not assume prior knowledge of the query-workload or data distribution. Instead, AQWA reacts to changes in both the data and the query-workload by incrementally updating the partitioning of the data. We demonstrate two prototypes of AQWA deployed over Hadoop and Spark. In both prototypes, we process spatial range and
k
-nearest-neighbor (
k
NN, for short) queries over large-scale spatial datasets, and we exploit the performance of AQWA under different query-workloads.
Janiform intra-document analytics for reproducible research
Authors: Dittrich Jens , Bender Patrick
Published: September 2015

Peer-reviewed publication of research papers is a cornerstone of science. However, one of the many issues of our publication culture is that our publications only publish a summary of the final result of a long project. This means that we put well-polished graphs describing (some) of our experimental results into our publications. However, the algorithms, input datasets, benchmarks, raw result datasets, as well as scripts that were used to produce the graphs in the first place are rarely published and typically not available to other researchers. Often they are only available when personally asking the authors. In many cases, however, they are not available at all. This means from a long workflow that led to producing a graph for a research paper, we only publish the final result rather than the entire workflow. This is unfortunate and has been criticized in various scientific communities. In this demo we argue that one part of the problem is our dated view on what a "document" and hence "a publication"
is, should
, and
can be.
As a remedy, we introduce portable database files (PDbF). These files are janiform, i.e. they are at the same time a standard static pdf as well as a highly dynamic (offline) HTML-document. PDbFs allow you to access the raw data behind a graph, perform OLAP-style analysis, and reproduce your own graphs from the raw data --- all of this
within
a portable document. We demo a tool allowing you to create PDbFs smoothly from within L
A
T
E
X. This tool allows you to preserve the workflow of raw measurement data to its final graphical output through all processing steps. Notice that this pdf already showcases our technology: rename this file to ".html" and see what happens (currently we support the desktop versions of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari). But please: do
not
try to rename this file to ".ova" and mount it in VirtualBox.
Sharing and reproducing database applications
Authors: Pham Quan , Thaler Severin , Malik Tanu , Foster Ian , Glavic Boris
Published: September 2015

Sharing and repeating scientific applications is crucial for verifying claims, reproducing experimental results (e.g., to repeat a computational experiment described in a publication), and promoting reuse of complex applications. The predominant methods of sharing and making applications repeatable are building a companion web site and/or provisioning a virtual machine image (VMI). Recently,
application virtualization
(AV), has emerged as a light-weight alternative for sharing and efficient repeatability. AV approaches such as Linux Containers create a chroot-like environment [4], while approaches such as CDE [1] trace system calls during application execution to copy all binaries, data, and software dependencies into a self-contained package.
DataSpread
Authors: Bendre Mangesh , Sun Bofan , Zhang Ding , Zhou Xinyan , Chang Kevin Chen-Chuan , Parameswaran Aditya
Published: September 2015

Spreadsheet software is often the tool of choice for ad-hoc tabular data management, processing, and visualization, especially on tiny data sets. On the other hand, relational database systems offer significant power, expressivity, and efficiency over spreadsheet software for data management, while lacking in the ease of use and ad-hoc analysis capabilities. We demonstrate D
ata
S
pread
, a data exploration tool that holistically unifies databases and spreadsheets. It continues to offer a Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet front-end, while in parallel managing all the data in a back-end database, specifically, PostgreSQL. D
ata
S
pread
retains all the advantages of spreadsheets, including ease of use, ad-hoc analysis and visualization capabilities, and a schema-free nature, while also adding the advantages of traditional relational databases, such as scalability and the ability to use arbitrary SQL to import, filter, or join external or internal tables and have the results appear in the spreadsheet. D
ata
S
pread
needs to reason about and reconcile differences in the notions of schema, addressing of cells and tuples, and the current "pane" (which exists in spreadsheets but not in traditional databases), and support data modifications at both the front-end and the back-end. Our demonstration will center on our first and early prototype of the D
ata
S
pread
, and will give the attendees a sense for the enormous data exploration capabilities offered by unifying spreadsheets and databases.
Query-oriented summarization of RDF graphs
Authors: Čebirić Šejla , Goasdoué François , Manolescu Ioana
Published: September 2015

The Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a graph-based data model promoted by the W3C as the standard for Semantic Web applications. Its associated query language is SPARQL. RDF graphs are often
large
and
varied
, produced in a variety of contexts, e.g., scientific applications, social or online media, government data etc. They are
heterogeneous
, i.e., resources described in an RDF graph may have very different sets of properties. An RDF resource may have: no types, one or several types (which may or may not be related to each other).
RDF Schema
(RDFS) information may optionally be attached to an RDF graph, to enhance the description of its resources. Such statements also entail that in an RDF graph, some data is
implicit.
According to the W3C RDF and SPARQL specification,
the semantics of an RDF graph comprises both its explicit and implicit data
; in particular, SPARQL query answers must be computed
reflecting both the explicit and implicit data.
These features make RDF graphs complex, both structurally and conceptually. It is intrinsically hard to get familiar with a new RDF dataset, especially if an RDF schema is sparse or not available at all.
Universal-DB
Authors: Chodpathumwan Yodsawalai , Aleyasen Amirhossein , Termehchy Arash , Sun Yizhou
Published: September 2015

Graph analytics algorithms leverage quantifiable structural properties of the data to predict interesting concepts and relationships. The same information, however, can be represented using many different structures and the structural properties observed over particular representations do not necessarily hold for alternative structures. Because these algorithms tend to be highly effective over some choices of structure, such as that of the databases used to validate them, but not so effective with others, graph analytics has largely remained the province of experts who can find the desired forms for these algorithms. We argue that in order to make graph analytics usable, we should develop systems that are effective over a wide range of choices of structural organizations. We demonstrate
Universal-DB
an entity similarity and proximity search system that returns the same answers for a query over a wide range of choices to represent the input database.
Speech Recognition Technology in Language Testing: Does Taking the Test in an English-Speaking Environment Matter?
Authors: Dodigovic Marina
Published: September 2015

This study investigates a particular use of an application of speech recognition technology in the assessment of English proficiency. The use of the application, called Versant English Test, is examined in the context of a country where English is not the first language of communication, in order to determine whether or not English as the first language of the country in which the test is taken could have a bearing on the test result. As suggested by Chun (2006), this study compares the results achieved by test takers in a non-English speaking environment with those obtained by different test takers in an English speaking environment. To be able to decide whether the Versant is more prone to setting-related bias than other English proficiency tests, the Versant test scores are correlated with the TOEFL scores of the test-takers in a non-English speaking setting and the correlation coefficient is then compared with that achieved in an English-speaking environment. The results suggest that the correlation between the Versant and TOEFL in a non-English-speaking environment is not significantly different from that obtained in an English-speaking environment.
The Effects of Phonological Awareness Training on the Reading Performance by Child EFL Learners in China
Authors: Sun Bing , Zhu Bingxia , Chen Jinfen , Zhou Hui
Published: September 2015

The present study explores the effects of phonological awareness training of child EFL learners in China on their reading performances. Eighty grade one Chinese children from two intact primary school classes participated in the study. The treatment class received a 10-week English phonological awareness training, while the contrast class did not receive any training. Both pre-test and post-test were administered to all participants, including English assessment, phonological awareness measures and English reading measures. The results show that the treatment class outperformed the contrast class in the post-test in reading measures and phonological awareness measures; phonological awareness positively correlated with children’s early reading performance; phoneme tasks were strong predictors of Child EFL learners’ early reading performance.
The role of crack branching in stress corrosion cracking of aluminium alloys
Authors: Burnett Timothy L. , Holroyd N.J. Henry , Scamans Geoffrey M. , Zhou Xiaorong , Thompson George E. , Withers Philip J.
Published: September 2015

Stress corrosion cracks of all types are characterised by extensive crack branching, and this is frequently used as the key failure analysis characteristic to identify this type of cracking. For aluminium alloys, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is almost exclusively an intergranular failure mechanism. For plate and extruded components, this had led to the development of test procedures using double cantilever beam and compact tension precracked specimens that rely on the pancake grain shape to constrain cracking, so that fracture mechanics can be applied to the analysis of stress intensity and crack velocity and the evolution of a characteristic performance curve. We have used X-ray computed tomography to examine in detail SCC in aluminium alloys in three dimensions for the first time. We have found that crack branching limits the stress intensity at the crack tip as the applied stress is shared amongst a number of cracks that are held together by uncracked ligaments. We propose that the plateau region observed in the v-K curve is an artefact due to crack branching, and at the crack tips of the many crack branches, cracking essentially occurs at constant K almost irrespective of the crack length. We have amplified the crack branching effect by examining a sample where the long axis of the pancake grains was inclined to the applied stressing direction. Our results have profound implications for the future use of precracked specimens for SCC susceptibility testing and the interpretation of results from these tests.
Thirty-five years in environmentally assisted cracking in Italy: a point of view
Authors: Gabetta Giovanna
Published: September 2015

In this paper, I will attempt to summarize my experience of approximately 35 years on environmental fatigue damage, which I gained from industries outside Milan, Italy, and as a visiting scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. I will present a brief summary of my understanding of the topic of environmentally assisted fatigue of metals. About halfway in my career, I moved from the nuclear industry towards the oil and gas industry. This shift allowed me to understand that environmentally assisted cracking, which is an important topic for pipeline steels, is also similar to the nuclear pressure vessel steel community and that the problems are similar. At the same time, I became aware that the scientific communities are not working well to communicate the issues and challenges. People working in one industrial sector do not seem to appreciate the contribution from another industrial sector. This is understandable, as there are industrial rules and regulations. Because of such constraints, a knowledge gap is introduced into the technical community. This lack of cooperation slows down the progress of relevant research, especially nowadays, when we are facing increasingly complex service situations that may lead to failures. While trying to cope with such difficulties, I became interested in knowledge management. I learned that there is a need to build bridges between contemporary science, engineering, and business. We are facing big challenges in analyzing failures, and maybe it is time to do things differently and consolidate different disciplines of engineering with applications that can give us more reliable predictions. Organizations and companies worldwide are currently facing (a) increasing quantity of available information on material usage, (b) increasing number of people with high education in science and engineering, (c) increasing complexity of the failure problems to be solved, and (d) increasing lack of communication between institutions. It is estimated that the material loss in the US due to corrosion alone is approximately $300 billion per year. The necessity of knowing, understanding, and processing such complex data and problems is a very large task. Thus, there is a need for exploiting the technical information and using communication technology tools to help support teamwork, networking, using available experience and expertise, and, hopefully, international cooperation. Knowledge management involves a cultural change to stimulate a better use of all types of resources. Progress will be slow and difficult if we do not learn how to cope with this new situation.
Defect tolerance under environmentally assisted cracking conditions
Authors: de Castro Jaime Tupiassú Pinho , Landim Rodrigo Vieira , Meggiolaro Marco Antonio
Published: September 2015

Notch sensitivity effects under environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) conditions have been recently quantified considering the tolerance to short cracks that may start at their tips and become nonpropagating after growing for a while, a behavior that depends on the stress gradients ahead of the notch tips and on the basic material resistances to crack initiation and propagation inside an aggressive medium. This model can provide a powerful alternative design tool for the pass/nonpass criterion traditionally used to deal with such mechanical-chemical problems, since it properly considers and quantifies the stress analysis issues that affect them. The model uses the analogy between the notch sensitivity behavior under fatigue and under EAC conditions, so it quantifies how the stress gradient around the notch tips affects the tolerance to mechanically short cracks that depart from there, considering the characteristics of the loading and of the notch geometry, as well as the basic material properties inside the given environment, expressed by its EAC resistances to crack initiation from a smooth surface S
EAC and to crack propagation K
IEAC, without the need for any data fitting parameter. Moreover, since this model has been validated by proper tests, it can be used to propose a defect-tolerant design criterion under EAC conditions that includes the unavoidable notch effects always present in actual structural components.
Key agreement under tropical parallels
Authors: Chauvet Jean-Marie , Mahé Eric
Published: September 2015

A
Focus group evaluation of a service leadership subject in Hong Kong
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Law Moon Y.M. , Liu Ting T.
Published: September 2015

Two focus groups with six randomly selected students were conducted to understand the views and experiences of students taking a subject entitled “Service Leadership” at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Several observations were highlighted from the findings. First, students generally had positive views of the subject. Second, students felt that they had positive experience in the subject. Third, the instructors were seen in a positive light by the students. Fourth, the students perceived the subject to be beneficial to their development. Fifth, students had positive impression about the subject. Finally, recommendations regarding time allocation, teaching style, and classroom environment were expressed by the students.
Evaluation of an innovative leadership training program for Chinese students: subjective outcome evaluation
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Li Xiang
Published: September 2015

As a part of the Global Youth Leadership Program (GYLP), a 30-h “Service Leadership” subject was provided to 48 undergraduate students studying at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) or Peking University (PKU). This study evaluated the subjective outcomes of the “Service Leadership” subject, including students’ views on the course contents, lecturers, and perceived benefits from the course. A majority of students in the program showed very positive perceptions of the course content, lecturers, and course benefits, with more than 85% of the students indicating that they were very satisfied with this subject and would suggest their friends to take the subject. As expected, the three domains of program effectiveness were significantly correlated amongst themselves, and these domains had different impacts on student overall satisfaction with the course as well as on student willingness to recommend this course to others and participate in similar courses again in the future.
Evaluation of a general education program in Hong Kong: secondary data analyses based on student feedback questionnaires
Authors: Shek Daniel T.L. , Yu Lu , Ngai Joe
Published: September 2015

The General University Requirements (GUR) at The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (PolyU) has been developed and implemented since the 2012–13 academic year under the reform of education system in Hong Kong. To examine the effectiveness of GUR at PolyU, the present study investigated student’s subjective perception in the academic years of 2012–13 and 2013–14 using the Student Feedback Questionnaires. Results showed that the GUR subjects were generally well-received by the students. Besides, students held different perceptions of different GUR components, and there was improvement in students’ learning experience and staff teaching over time. While there was an increased satisfaction with Language and Communication Requirements subjects, there was a decline in satisfaction with Service Learning subjects.
Assessment of High-Stakes Testing, Hopeful Thinking, and Goal Orientation among Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Authors: March Alice L. , Robinson Cecil
Published: September 2015

Background and Objectives: High-stakes didactic testing assesses competency. Exams are stressful, and decreasing anxiety may enhance learning. Academic progression and graduation rates may result when higher levels of hopeful thinking (the belief in one’s ability to achieve desired goals), and certain achievement goal orientation (why one desires to succeed) are present.

Methods: This non-experimental study engaged undergraduate nursing students via surveys to examined relationships among hopeful thinking, goal orientation, and scores on standardized high-stakes examination of students.

Results: Regression analyses (N= 151) indicated that hopeful thinking was significantly related to higher exam scores, and that performance-avoidance goal scores were significantly related to lower scores.

Conclusion: The positive relationship between hopeful thinking and exam scores suggests the need to consider supporting hopeful thinking in nursing education. Additional research may explicate the relationship between performance-avoidance and scores on high-stakes exams.
Identification of biological models described by systems of nonlinear differential equations
Authors: Kabanikhin Sergey I. , Krivorotko Olga I.
Published: September 2015

Four simple mathematical models of pharmacokinetic, competition between immune and tumor cells, infectious disease and tuberculosis epidemic are considered. An optimization approach for identification those models based on gradient type methods is introduced. Inverse problems are formulated in the form of an operator equation and then reduced to the minimization of the corresponding misfit functionals. The adjoint problems are used for the calculation of gradients. A mathematical model of competition between immune and tumor cells is considered numerically. The results of a numerical experiment are demonstrated.
Kolonialkriege und Raum
Authors: Kuß Susanne
Published: September 2015

Any analysis of colonial wars involves not only an investigation of the causes of (usually extremely violent) actions from the perspective of the colonial Metropole, rather it requires us to relate military operations to the circumstances prevailing in each colonial theater of war. Undoubtedly there is a semantic link between the colonial theater of war and space. Nevertheless, studies of colonial wars tend to assume that colonial space had developed prior to the arrival of the colonial power, after which it remained unchanged. As a result, colonial military historians tend to restrict themselves to examining the events of these wars, whilst ignoring the influence of space on their conduct. Using the example of the German colonial wars, the article argues that space/environment represents more than just the backdrop for the military events playing out in it, but acts as an important factor conditioning the outcome of the conflict.
Mitochondrial Quality Control via the PGC1α-TFEB Signaling Pathway Is Compromised by Parkin Q311X Mutation But Independently Restored by Rapamycin
Authors: Siddiqui Almas , Bhaumik Dipa , Chinta Shankar J. , Rane Anand , Rajagopalan Subramanian , Lieu Christopher A. , Lithgow Gordon J. , Andersen Julie K.
Published: September 2015

Following its activation by PINK1, parkin is recruited to depolarized mitochondria where it ubiquitinates outer mitochondrial membrane proteins, initiating lysosomal-mediated degradation of these organelles. Mutations in the gene encoding parkin, PARK2, result in both familial and sporadic forms of Parkinson's disease (PD) in conjunction with reductions in removal of damaged mitochondria. In contrast to what has been reported for other PARK2 mutations, expression of the Q311X mutationin vivoin mice appears to involve a downstream step in the autophagic pathway at the level of lysosomal function. This coincides with increased PARIS expression and reduced expression of a reciprocal signaling pathway involving the master mitochondrial regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC1α) and the lysosomal regulator transcription factor EB (TFEB). Treatment with rapamycin was found to independently restore PGC1α-TFEB signaling in a manner not requiring parkin activity and to abrogate impairment of mitochondrial quality control and neurodegenerative features associated with thisin vivomodel. Losses in PGC1α-TFEB signaling in cultured rat DAergic cells expressing the Q311X mutation associated with reduced mitochondrial function and cell viability were found to be PARIS-dependent and to be independently restored by rapamycin in a manner requiring TFEB. Studies in human iPSC-derived neurons demonstrate that TFEB induction can restore mitochondrial function and cell viability in a mitochondrially compromised human cell model. Based on these data, we propose that the parkin Q311X mutation impacts on mitochondrial quality control via PARIS-mediated regulation of PGC1α-TFEB signaling and that this can be independently restored via upregulation of TFEB function.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTMutations in PARK2 are generally associated with loss in ability to interact with PINK1, impacting on autophagic initiation. Our data suggest that, in the case of at least one parkin mutation, Q311X, detrimental effects are due to inhibition at the level of downstream lysosomal function. Mechanistically, this involves elevations in PARIS protein levels and subsequent effects on PGC1α-TFEB signaling that normally regulates mitochondrial quality control. Treatment with rapamycin independently restores PGC1α-TFEB signaling in a manner not requiring parkin activity and abrogates subsequent mitochondrial impairment and neuronal cell loss. Taken in total, our data suggest that the parkin Q311X mutation impacts on mitochondrial quality control via PARIS-mediated regulation of PGC1α-TFEB signaling and that this can be independently restored via rapamycin.
A Neural Basis for Developmental Topographic Disorientation
Authors: Kim Jiye G. , Aminoff Elissa M. , Kastner Sabine , Behrmann Marlene
Published: September 2015

Developmental topographic disorientation (DTD) is a life-long condition in which affected individuals are severely impaired in navigating around their environment. Individuals with DTD have no apparent structural brain damage on conventional imaging and the neural mechanisms underlying DTD are currently unknown. Using functional and diffusion tensor imaging, we present a comprehensive neuroimaging study of an individual, J.N., with well defined DTD. J.N. has intact scene-selective responses in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), transverse occipital sulcus, and retrosplenial cortex (RSC), key regions associated with scene perception and navigation. However, detailed fMRI studies probing selective tuning properties of these regions, as well as functional connectivity, suggest that J.N.'s RSC has an atypical response profile and an atypical functional coupling to PPA compared with human controls. This deviant functional profile of RSC is not due to compromised structural connectivity. This comprehensive examination suggests that the RSC may play a key role in navigation-related processing and that an alteration of the RSC's functional properties may serve as the neural basis for DTD.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIndividuals with developmental topographic disorientation (DTD) have a life-long impairment in spatial navigation in the absence of brain damage, neurological conditions, or basic perceptual or memory deficits. Although progress has been made in identifying brain regions that subserve normal navigation, the neural basis of DTD is unknown. Using functional and structural neuroimaging and detailed statistical analyses, we investigated the brain regions typically involved in navigation and scene processing in a representative DTD individual, J.N. Although scene-selective regions were identified, closer scrutiny indicated that these areas, specifically the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), were functionally disrupted in J.N. This comprehensive examination of a representative DTD individual provides insight into the neural basis of DTD and the role of the RSC in navigation-related processing.
Speaking from the Walls
Authors: Marcello Flavia , Gwynne Paul
Published: September 2015

The Città Universitaria (or University City), built in Rome in the mid-1930s, used the reception of classical culture as a propaganda tool through its architecture, art, urban layout, and use of epigraphy. As Flavia Marcello and Paul Gwynne demonstrate, these elements communicated the broad sociopolitical construct of militarism and education characteristic of the Italian Fascist period. Building inscriptions using the immortal words of classical authors had both didactic and referential functions: they spoke peremptorily of accepted modes of behavior and highlighted the role of educated youth in the destiny of an (ideal) Fascist society within its teleological project of Romanità as past, current, and future glory. Speaking from the Walls: Militarism, Education, and Romanità in Rome’s Città Universitaria (1932–35) weaves together sociopolitical, cultural, and architectural frameworks through the study of epigraphy as a carefully constructed presence within orchestrated urban and interior space. Epigraphy completed the spatial experience of architecture in its urban context to construct the collective memory and identity of past, present, and future citizens of Italy.
“Well, we must be for ourselves in the long run”
Authors: Joudrey Thomas J.
Published: September 2015

Thomas J. Joudrey, “‘Well, we must be for ourselves in the long run’: Selfishness and Sociality in Wuthering Heights” (pp. 165–193)

This essay traces a problem that has long dogged criticism of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847): why is a novel concerned with passionate love for others populated by characters who are radically selfish? Brontë, drawing on the Byronic tradition and eschewing contemporary exhortations to self-renunciation, validates selfish desire even at the expense of communal responsibility. In so doing, she is forced to contend with the possibility that selfishness risks disabling sociality and marooning the self in shame, isolation, or solipsism. Brontë shows, however, that selfishness and sociality are symbiotically implicated, in that selfishness acts as a precondition of robust sociality. After a series of failures—represented in Lockwood’s shame-saturated retreat into childish sociality, Heathcliff and Catherine’s self-destroying soul fusion, and Linton Heathcliff’s masturbatory selfishness—Brontë ultimately locates a brokered compromise between selfishness and sociality in the relationship of Cathy and Hareton. By maintaining their respective boundaries of self and yet making them selectively permeable, the two demonstrate that susceptibility to interpersonal exchange proves vital to fostering their autonomy as discrete selves. Wuthering Heights wages battle on two fronts, excoriating the temptation to enclose the self behind impenetrable barriers, but simultaneously denouncing the other extreme that would eradicate all difference through metaphysical soul-fusion. Brontë posits instead that mature selfhood can only be yielded by a posture of openness to external influences, even as the coherence of the self must be fortified against appropriation by those influences.
Need for improved monitoring in patients with acromegaly
Authors: Silverstein Julie M
Published: September 2015

Acromegaly is a rare and insidious disease characterized by the overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and is most commonly due to a pituitary adenoma. Patients with acromegaly who experience prolonged exposure to elevated levels of GH and IGF1 have an increased mortality risk and progressive worsening of disease-related comorbidities. Multimodal treatment with surgery, medical therapy, and radiotherapy provides biochemical control, defined by recent acromegaly clinical guidelines from the Endocrine Society as a reduction of GH levels to <1.0 ng/ml and normalization of IGF1 levels, to a substantial proportion of patients and is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Patients with acromegaly, even those without clinical symptoms of disease, require long-term monitoring of GH and IGF1 levels if the benefits associated with biochemical control are to be maintained and the risk of developing recurrent disease is to be abated. However, suboptimal monitoring is common in patients with acromegaly, and this can have negative health effects due to delays in detection of recurrent disease and implementation of appropriate treatment. Because of the significant health consequences associated with prolonged exposure to elevated levels of GH and IGF1, optimal monitoring in patients with acromegaly is needed. This review article will discuss the biochemical assessments used for therapeutic monitoring in acromegaly, the importance of monitoring after surgery and medical therapy or radiotherapy, the consequences of suboptimal monitoring, and the need for improved monitoring algorithms for patients with acromegaly.
Obesity and cancer: mechanistic insights from transdisciplinary studies
Authors: Allott Emma H , Hursting Stephen D
Published: September 2015

Obesity is associated with a range of health outcomes that are of clinical and public health significance, including cancer. Herein, we summarize epidemiologic and preclinical evidence for an association between obesity and increased risk of breast and prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Moreover, we describe data from observational studies of weight change in humans and from calorie-restriction studies in mouse models that support a potential role for weight loss in counteracting tumor-promoting properties of obesity in breast and prostate cancers. Given that weight loss is challenging to achieve and maintain, we also consider evidence linking treatments for obesity-associated co-morbidities, including metformin, statins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with reduced breast and prostate cancer incidence and mortality. Finally, we highlight several challenges that should be considered when conducting epidemiologic and preclinical research in the area of obesity and cancer, including the measurement of obesity in population-based studies, the timing of obesity and weight change in relation to tumor latency and cancer diagnosis, and the heterogeneous nature of obesity and its associated co-morbidities. Given that obesity is a complex trait, comprised of behavioral, epidemiologic and molecular/metabolic factors, we argue that a transdisciplinary approach is the key to understanding the mechanisms linking obesity and cancer. As such, this review highlights the critical need to integrate evidence from both epidemiologic and preclinical studies to gain insight into both biologic and non-biologic mechanisms contributing to the obesity-cancer link.
Progranulin induces adipose insulin resistance and autophagic imbalance via TNFR1 in mice
Authors: Zhou Bo , Li Huixia , Liu Jiali , Xu Lin , Guo Qinyue , Sun Hongzhi , Wu Shufang
Published: September 2015

Progranulin (PGRN) has recently emerged as an important regulator for insulin resistance. However, the direct effect of PGRNin vivoand the underlying role of progranulin in adipose insulin resistance involving the autophagy mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, mice treated with PGRN for 21 days exhibited the impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, remarkable adipose autophagy as well as attenuated insulin signaling via inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Furthermore, blockade of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) by TNFR1BP-Fc injection resulted in the restoration of impaired insulin sensitivity and insulin signaling induced by PGRN. Consistent with these findingsin vivo, PGRN treatment induced defective insulin signaling, abnormal autophagic and mitochondrial activity in cultured adipocytes, while such effects were nullified by the blockade of TNFR1. In addition, PGRN-deficient adipocytes were more refractory to tunicamycin- or dexamethasone-induced insulin resistance, indicating the causative role of the TNFR1 pathway in the action of PGRN. Collectively, our findings support the notion that PGRN is a key regulator of insulin resistance and that PGRN may mediate its effects, at least in part, by inducing autophagy via the TNFR1-dependent mechanism.
Selection Against Maternal microRNA Target Sites in Maternal Transcripts
Authors: Marco Antonio
Published: September 2015

In animals, before the zygotic genome is expressed, the egg already contains gene products deposited by the mother. These maternal products are crucial during the initial steps of development. In Drosophila melanogaster, a large number of maternal products are found in the oocyte, some of which are indispensable. Many of these products are RNA molecules, such as gene transcripts and ribosomal RNAs. Recently, microRNAs (small RNA gene regulators) have been detected early during development and are important in these initial steps. The presence of some microRNAs in unfertilized eggs has been reported, but whether they have a functional impact in the egg or early embryo has not being explored. I have extracted and sequenced small RNAs from Drosophila unfertilized eggs. The unfertilized egg is rich in small RNAs and contains multiple microRNA products. Maternal microRNAs often are encoded within the intron of maternal genes, suggesting that many maternal microRNAs are the product of transcriptional hitchhiking. Comparative genomics analyses suggest that maternal transcripts tend to avoid target sites for maternal microRNAs. I also developed a microRNA target mutation model to study the functional impact of polymorphisms at microRNA target sites. The analysis of Drosophila populations suggests that there is selection against maternal microRNA target sites in maternal transcripts. A potential role of the maternal microRNA mir-9c in maternal-to-zygotic transition is also discussed. In conclusion, maternal microRNAs in Drosophila have a functional impact in maternal protein−coding transcripts.
The Genetic Architecture of Hearing Impairment in Mice: Evidence for Frequency-Specific Genetic Determinants
Authors: Crow Amanda L , Ohmen Jeffrey , Wang Juemei , Lavinsky Joel , Hartiala Jaana , Li Qingzhong , Li Xin , Salehide Pezhman , Eskin Eleazar , Pan Calvin , Lusis Aldons J , Allayee Hooman , Friedman Rick A
Published: September 2015

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successfully applied in humans for the study of many complex phenotypes. However, identification of the genetic determinants of hearing in adults has been hampered, in part, by the relative inability to control for environmental factors that might affect hearing throughout the lifetime, as well as a large degree of phenotypic heterogeneity. These and other factors have limited the number of large-scale studies performed in humans that have identified candidate genes that contribute to the etiology of this complex trait. To address these limitations, we performed a GWAS analysis using a set of inbred mouse strains from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel. Among 99 strains characterized, we observed approximately two-fold to five-fold variation in hearing at six different frequencies, which are differentiated biologically from each other by the location in the cochlea where each frequency is registered. Among all frequencies tested, we identified a total of nine significant loci, several of which contained promising candidate genes for follow-up study. Taken together, our results indicate the existence of both genes that affect global cochlear function, as well as anatomical- and frequency-specific genes, and further demonstrate the complex nature of mammalian hearing variation.
Persistent Activation of the Innate Immune Response in AdultDrosophilaFollowing Radiation Exposure During Larval Development
Authors: Sudmeier Lisa J , Samudrala Sai-Suma , Howard Steven P , Ganetzky Barry
Published: September 2015

Cranial radiation therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment for pediatric central nervous system malignancies, but survivors often suffer from neurological and neurocognitive side effects that occur many years after radiation exposure. Although the biological mechanisms underlying these deleterious side effects are incompletely understood, radiation exposure triggers an acute inflammatory response that may evolve into chronic inflammation, offering one avenue of investigation. Recently, we developed a Drosophila model of the neurotoxic side effects of radiation exposure. Here we use this model to investigate the role of the innate immune system in response to radiation exposure. We show that the innate immune response and NF-ĸB target gene expression is activated in the adult Drosophila brain following radiation exposure during larval development, and that this response is sustained in adult flies weeks after radiation exposure. We also present preliminary data suggesting that innate immunity is radioprotective during Drosophila development. Together our data suggest that activation of the innate immune response may be beneficial initially for survival following radiation exposure but result in long-term deleterious consequences, with chronic inflammation leading to impaired neuronal function and viability at later stages. This work lays the foundation for future studies of how the innate immune response is triggered by radiation exposure and its role in mediating the biological responses to radiation. These studies may facilitate the development of strategies to reduce the deleterious side effects of CRT.
'INIAP-Palmira 2014': a new drought-resistance barley variety
Authors: Falconí Esteban , Garófalo Javier , Ponce Luis , Coronel Jorge , Abad Segundo , Rivadeneira Miguel
Published: September 2015

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is produced in the Ecuadorian highlands ( > 3,000 m a.s.l.) primarily for self-consumption and small-scale commercialization. Not many crop species are adapted to this altitude; therefore, barley is one of a few crop species that can be grown at these locations. Severe environmental conditions can be found in the Ecuadorian highlands since the region is characterized by poor soils and water deficiency (< 300 mm yr-1). The Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) has developed 'INIAP-Palmira 2014', a hulled two-row barley variety adapted to Ecuadorian agricultural conditions in the highlands. 'INIAP-Palmira 2014' showed acceptable yield performance as compared with the most popular improved barley cultivars in different production areas located in Ecuador. However, this new barley variety showed superior performance under water stress conditions in the highlands highlands (>3,000 m a.s.l.). Additionally, 'INIAP-Palmira 2014' showed disease resistance, mainly to yellow rust, in all of the locations where the new variety was evaluated.
Saberes académicos: de la producción textual a la creación de conocimiento
Authors: Santos Herceg José
Published: September 2015

El presente texto busca poner en evidencia que en el último tiempo ha tenido lugar un desplazamiento en lo referente al modo de trabajo académico, en el sentido de que se ha instalado una concepción productiva del conocimiento que tiene consecuencias evidentes sobre el tipo de textos que se escriben y publican. Los académicos nos hemos ido convirtiendo —las instituciones nos han ido forzando a convertirnos— en productores, en el sentido de producir escritos de cierto tipo que deben publicarse en determinados medios. Los textos, por su parte, son concebidos como productos, con todo lo sorprendente que ello pueda parecer. Este artículo busca poner de manifiesto algunas consecuencias que ha tenido este cambio para la escritura académica y el trabajo intelectual en general.
GESTA HERÓICA, OCULTAMIENTO HISTÓRICO E IDENTIDAD DE CLASE. LA PRENSA COSTARRICENSE Y EL 1° DE MAYO (1858-1913)
Authors: Urbina Gaitán Chester
Published: September 2015

La celebración del 1° de Mayo en Costa Rica, durante el período 1858-1913, pasó por diferentes
momentos: primero, se vinculó a la restauración de la unión centroamericana; no
obstante, fue olvidado por la prensa nacional. Posteriormente, se liga a la exaltación de la
Campaña Nacional y a la deshonra nacional que se dio con el fusilamiento de Juan Rafael
Mora y del General José María Cañas. A partir de 1913, los intelectuales ligados al Centro
Germinal presentaron la celebración del 1° de Mayo como día internacional de los trabajadores,
dándole un carácter internacionalista y revolucionario.