bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tumor-Infiltrating and Peripheral Blood T-cell Immunophenotypes Predict Early Relapse in Localized Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Giraldo Nicolas A. , Becht Etienne , Vano Yann , Petitprez Florent , Lacroix Laetitia , Validire Pierre , Sanchez-Salas Rafael , Ingels Alexandre , Oudard Stephane , Moatti Audrey , Buttard Benedicte , Bourass Sarah , Germain Claire , Cathelineau Xavier , Fridman Wolf H. , Sautès-Fridman Catherine
Published: February 2017

Purpose: The efficacy of PD-1 checkpoint blockade as adjuvant therapy in localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is currently unknown. The identification of tumor microenvironment (TME) prognostic biomarkers in this setting may help define which patients could benefit from checkpoint blockade and uncover new therapeutic targets.

Experimental Design: We performed multiparametric flow cytometric immunophenotypic analysis of T cells isolated from tumor tissue [tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL)], adjacent non-malignant renal tissue [renal-infiltrating lymphocytes (RIL)], and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), in a cohort of patients (n = 40) with localized ccRCC. Immunophenotypic data were integrated with prognostic and histopathologic variables, T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis of sorted CD8+PD-1+ TILs, tumor mRNA expression, and digital quantitative immunohistochemistry.

Results: On the basis of TIL phenotypic characterization, we identified three dominant immune profiles in localized ccRCC: (i) immune-regulated, characterized by polyclonal/poorly cytotoxic CD8+PD-1+Tim-3+Lag-3+ TILs and CD4+ICOS+ cells with a Treg phenotype (CD25+CD127−Foxp3+/Helios+GITR+), that developed in inflamed tumors with prominent infiltrations by dysfunctional dendritic cells and high PD-L1 expression; (ii) immune-activated, enriched in oligoclonal/cytotoxic CD8+PD-1+Tim-3+ TILs, that represented 22% of the tumors; and (iii) immune-silent, enriched in TILs exhibiting RIL-like phenotype, that represented 56% of patients in the cohort. Only immune-regulated tumors displayed aggressive histologic features, high risk of disease progression in the year following nephrectomy, and a CD8+PD-1+Tim-3+ and CD4+ICOS+ PBL phenotypic signature.

Conclusions: In localized ccRCC, the infiltration with CD8+PD-1+Tim-3+Lag-3+ exhausted TILs and ICOS+ Treg identifies the patients with deleterious prognosis who could benefit from adjuvant therapy with TME-modulating agents and checkpoint blockade. This work also provides PBL phenotypic markers that could allow their identification. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4416–28. ©2017 AACR.
Altered Expression of Genes Encoding Cornulin and Repetin in Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Trzeciak Magdalena , Sakowicz-Burkiewicz Monika , Wesserling Martyna , Gleń Jolanta , Dobaczewska Daria , Bandurski Tomasz , Nowicki Roman , Pawelczyk Tadeusz
Published: February 2017

Background: It is assumed that beside alterations in the filaggrin gene (FLG), disturbances within genes encoding other cornified envelope proteins are also involved in atopic dermatitis (AD). To identify new potential markers of AD, we studied the polymorphisms of genes encoding repetin (RPTN), cornulin (CRNN), and their expression in the skin of AD patients. Methods: Polymorphisms in CRNN (rs941934), RPTN (rs284544, rs28441202, rs3001978, and rs12117644), and FLG mutations (R2447X, S3247X) were analyzed by TaqMan genotyping assay and by PCR-RFLP in the blood samples of 159 AD patients and 108 healthy subjects. The expression levels of CRNN and RPTN were determined by qRT-PCR in 34 AD skin samples (17 lesional and 17 nonlesional) and in 27 skin biopsies from healthy volunteers. The AD patients were recruited from the clinic of the university hospital between 2012 and 2014. Results:CRNN rs941934 (A allele) was associated with AD (OR 2.095, p = 0.008), a severe course of disease (p = 0.041), elevated IgE levels (p = 0.047), eosinophilia (p = 0.018), and concomitant asthma (p = 0.004). The mRNA level of CRNN was decreased in the AD skin (p = 0.041). In the AD patients without FLG mutations, the CC genotype of RPTN rs3001978 was associated with AD (OR 0.39, p = 0.037), early age at onset (p = 0.033), pruritus (p = 0.021), severity of AD (p = 0.045), and concomitant asthma (p = 0.041). The elevated mRNA levels of RPTN in lesional (p < 0.001) and nonlesional (p = 0.017) AD skin were observed. Conclusions: The single-nucleotide polymorphisms of CRNN (rs941934) and RPTN (rs3001978, rs28441202) may contribute to AD development, but further studies on a larger group of AD patients are needed to verify this assumption.
Eccentric Macular Hole after Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Idiopathic Macular Hole: A Case Report
Authors: Chatziralli Irini , Theodossiadis George , Douvali Maria , Rouvas Alexandros A. , Theodossiadis Panagiotis
Published: February 2017

Introduction: Postoperative eccentric macular hole (MH) formation is an uncommon complication after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for epiretinal membrane or MH treatment. Herein, we present a case of eccentric MH formation after PPV with ILM peeling for MH. Case Description: A 72-year-old female patient underwent 23-gauge PPV with ILM peeling for idiopathic MH in her right eye. The visual acuity was 6/24 in the right eye. One week postoperatively the retina was attached and the MH seemed to be closed, while visual acuity was 6/12. One month after PPV, there was a single eccentric retinal hole below the macula, which was detected at the fundoscopy and was confirmed by OCT. The visual acuity was 6/9 and the patient referred no symptoms. No further intervention was attempted, and at the 6-month follow-up the visual acuity and the size of the eccentric MH remained stable. Conclusions: Eccentric MHs can develop after PPV and are usually managed conservatively by observation.
Intraoperative Identification of Colonic Tumor Sites Using a Near-Infrared Fluorescence Endoscopic Imaging System and Indocyanine Green
Authors: Watanabe Makoto , Murakami Masahiko , Ozawa Yoshiaki , Yoshizawa Sota , Matsui Nobuaki , Aoki Takeshi
Published: February 2017

Background: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the PINPOINT® Endoscopic Fluorescence Imaging System (PINPOINT) for intraoperative identification of colonic tumor sites during laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Methods: Eighty consecutive patients with colorectal cancer were prospectively enrolled. Preoperatively, 0.5 mL of indocyanine green (ICG; 2.5 mg/mL) was injected into the submucosal space only at the distal side of the tumor under colonoscopy. Intraoperatively, we identified the tumor site on a PINPOINT image in which near-infrared fluorescence was superimposed in pseudocolor on a white light image. We estimated the intraoperative visibility rate of the tumor site and safety of ICG injection and assessed the interobserver variability of visibility grade between 2 surgeons. Results: The intraoperative visibility rate of the tumor site was 93.8% (75/80). The visibility rate at an interval between injection and surgery of <7 days was significantly better than that at an interval of ≥10 days (p < 0.001). The kappa value between 2 observers was 0.827 (95% CI 0.635-1.019) with an agreement rate of 92.5%. There were no preoperative adverse reactions to ICG or intraoperative complications. Conclusions: Using ICG with the PINPOINT for identifying colonic tumor sites was feasible without any adverse effects during laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
De Eric para Mário: sobre autoria, autobiografia e representações do presente em um documentário de busca
Authors: Andrade Márcio
Published: February 2017

A partir de conceitos conectados à autobiografia e à autoria no cinema documental, este artigo parte de uma análise fílmica do documentário Uma Passagem para Mário (2014) e de uma entrevista com seu diretor, Eric Laurence, para tecer algumas reflexões a respeito das particularidades das nuances autobiográficas do longa-metragem e da diversidade de formas de representação de si na contemporaneidade.
Música, memória e história na obra de Eduardo Coutinho
Authors: Levi Renato
Published: February 2017

A música é um dos elementos fundamentais na construção e resgate das memórias pessoais e históricas. Eduardo Coutinho, notável cineasta que desenvolveu grande parte de sua filmografia se dedicando à escuta de seus interlocutores, foi muito além de um “cinema da palavra”. Para ele, o “ato verbal”, por vezes, incluía a música como elemento expressivo essencial para acessar e reconstruir a história de cada um.
E se Aristóteles usasse o Facebook? Uma genealogia da amizade
Authors: Primo Alex
Published: February 2017

O debate sobre o impacto das tecnologias digitais nos processos amistosos está em todos os lugares: desde a imprensa às mesas de bar. No entanto, muitas dessas reflexões adotam um tom excessivamente apaixonado, culminando em defesas deslumbradas ou em temores neoluditas. Para que se possa empreender um estudo sério sobre a amizade na era digital, não se pode limitar a discussão ao domínio da técnica, tampouco a conferir se todos os quesitos de um ideal de amizade estão presentes. É preciso, isso sim, observar a complexidade de nosso tempo, no seio do qual as práticas amistosas acontecem.
Smart: uma pesquisa sobre as internets
Authors: Martel Frédéric
Published: February 2017

A pesquisa apresentada se baseia em três diferentes pesquisas. A primeira delas está publicada em português, numa obra intitulada Mainstream, e trata da cultura na era da mundialização. A segunda pesquisa destaca as questões da identidade, do gênero e da causa gay. Nela, é observado como esse processo de identificação se transforma a partir da mundialização. A terceira pesquisa, publicada em português em novembro de 2015, chama-se Smart: o que você não sabe sobre a internet e refere-se à internet e ao processo de mundialização acelerado. Smart é uma pesquisa realizada em 50 diferentes países e apresenta o conceito de curadoria smart.
Revealing the Concealed Nature of Long-QT Type 3 Syndrome
Authors: Greer-Short Amara , George Sharon A. , Poelzing Steven , Weinberg Seth H.
Published: February 2017

Background—

Gain-of-function mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav1.5) are associated with the long-QT-3 (LQT3) syndrome. Nav1.5 is densely expressed at the intercalated disk, and narrow intercellular separation can modulate cell-to-cell coupling via extracellular electric fields and depletion of local sodium ion nanodomains. Models predict that significantly decreasing intercellular cleft widths slows conduction because of reduced sodium current driving force, termed “self-attenuation.” We tested the novel hypothesis that self-attenuation can “mask” the LQT3 phenotype by reducing the driving force and late sodium current that produces early afterdepolarizations (EADs).

Methods and Results—

Acute interstitial edema was used to increase intercellular cleft width in isolated guinea pig heart experiments. In a drug-induced LQT3 model, acute interstitial edema exacerbated action potential duration prolongation and produced EADs, in particular, at slow pacing rates. In a computational cardiac tissue model incorporating extracellular electric field coupling, intercellular cleft sodium nanodomains, and LQT3-associated mutant channels, myocytes produced EADs for wide intercellular clefts, whereas for narrow clefts, EADs were suppressed. For both wide and narrow clefts, mutant channels were incompletely inactivated. However, for narrow clefts, late sodium current was reduced via self-attenuation, a protective negative feedback mechanism, masking EADs.

Conclusions—

We demonstrated a novel mechanism leading to the concealing and revealing of EADs in LQT3 models. Simulations predict that this mechanism may operate independent of the specific mutation, suggesting that future therapies could target intercellular cleft separation as a compliment or alternative to sodium channels.
Common Genetic Variant Risk Score Is Associated With Drug-Induced QT Prolongation and Torsade de Pointes Risk
Authors: Strauss David G. , Vicente Jose , Johannesen Lars , Blinova Ksenia , Mason Jay W. , Weeke Peter , Behr Elijah R. , M. Roden Dan , Woosley Ray , Kosova Gulum , Rosenberg Michael A. , Newton-Cheh Christopher
Published: February 2017

Background:

Drug-induced QT interval prolongation, a risk factor for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, is a potential side effect of many marketed and withdrawn medications. The contribution of common genetic variants previously associated with baseline QT interval to drug-induced QT prolongation and arrhythmias is not known.

Methods:

We tested the hypothesis that a weighted combination of common genetic variants contributing to QT interval at baseline, identified through genome-wide association studies, can predict individual response to multiple QT-prolonging drugs. Genetic analysis of 22 subjects was performed in a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 3 QT-prolonging drugs with 15 time-matched QT and plasma drug concentration measurements. Subjects received single doses of dofetilide, quinidine, ranolazine, and placebo. The outcome was the correlation between a genetic QT score comprising 61 common genetic variants and the slope of an individual subject’s drug-induced increase in heart rate–corrected QT (QTc) versus drug concentration.

Results:

The genetic QT score was correlated with drug-induced QTc prolongation. Among white subjects, genetic QT score explained 30% of the variability in response to dofetilide (
r
=0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.09–0.81;
P
=0.02), 23% in response to quinidine (
r
=0.48; 95% confidence interval, −0.03 to 0.79;
P
=0.06), and 27% in response to ranolazine (
r
=0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.05–0.80;
P
=0.03). Furthermore, the genetic QT score was a significant predictor of drug-induced torsade de pointes in an independent sample of 216 cases compared with 771 controls (
r
2
=12%,
P
=1×10
−7
).

Conclusions:

We demonstrate that a genetic QT score comprising 61 common genetic variants explains a significant proportion of the variability in drug-induced QT prolongation and is a significant predictor of drug-induced torsade de pointes. These findings highlight an opportunity for recent genetic discoveries to improve individualized risk-benefit assessment for pharmacological therapies. Replication of these findings in larger samples is needed to more precisely estimate variance explained and to establish the individual variants that drive these effects.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01873950.
To Live as a Lotus among the Flames …
Authors: Curtin Deane
Published: February 2017

Śāntideva’s (fl. 8th c) most celebrated work, the Bodhi-caryāvatāra (A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) provides practical, contemporary insight into the climate crisis. His spiritual practice—the practice of the bodhisattva as nurse for the human condition—encourages reframing delusion into understanding. It thus reveals the antidotes to the causes of the climate crisis, such as greed and anger. Above all, the “wicked” nature of the climate crisis is an opportunity for a new world to emerge. If we look honestly at the changing planet it will reflect back to us the truth of who we are.
On the Multiple Languages of the Commons
Authors: Nagarajan Vijaya
Published: February 2017

The commons are social, cultural, semi-legal contracts a people make with their local natural systems that have embedded within them codes of moral and ethical orientations. This paper argues that there exists a lacuna in the current theoretical understandings of the commons in terms of languages, cultures and religions. This lacuna, the author argues, may radically affect the potentiality for negotiations around climate change. Through a set of three propositions, it calls for expanding the conceptual theoretical frameworks on the commons, a call for investigating a “multiple languages of the commons,” that are far more inclusive of a diversity of cultures, religions and languages.
The Wicked Problem of Climate Change
Authors: Riley Matthew T.
Published: February 2017

Although best known for his perceived critiques of Christianity in his 1967 “Historical Roots” article, I draw upon Lynn Townsend White, jr.’s lesser-known texts and unpublished archival materials to argue that White made a significant, constructive contribution to environmental ethics. Through his rejection of anthropocentric and prudential forms of ethics, White proposed an ethic of compassion for nature rooted in his notion of a “spiritual democracy of all God’s creatures.” This ethical model, referred to here as Christian ecocentrism, is offered as a framework for Christian reflection and as a means for changing attitudes and behaviors on the “wicked problem” of climate change.
Jewish Paideia: Greek Education in the Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees
Authors: Stewart Tyler A.
Published: February 2017

The substantial corpus of Jewish literature surviving in Greek shows that some Jews appropriated Greek literature and philosophy in highly sophisticated ways. This article argues that Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees are examples of a Jewish paideia, a Jewish cultural literacy in Greek. This Jewish paideia was indebted to the language, literary forms, and philosophy of Hellas, but was set apart by endorsing the Torah as its foundation text. The difference between Letter of Aristeas and 2 Maccabees is not in their appropriation of Greek paideia but rather in how they endorse the Greek Torah in relation to the ideals of Greek paideia. The Letter of Aristeas invokes the ideals of Greek paideia to substantiate a Jewish paideia while 2 Maccabees places Jewish ideals in competition with those of Athens. Both works, however, articulate a Jewish paideia.
DNA profiles to identify Dillenia species (Dilleniaceae) in Thailand
Authors: THOOPTIANRAT TIKUMPORN , CHAVEERACH ARUNRAT , SUDMOON RUNGLAWAN , TANEE TAWATCHAI
Published: February 2017

Surveying of the species throughout Thailand revealed 13 identified and one unidentified species including D. aurea, D. excelsa, D. grandifolia, D. hookeri, D. indica, D. obovata, D. ovata, D. parviflora, D. pentagyna, D. philippinensis, D. pulchella, D. reticulata, D. suffruticosa and Dillenia sp. They were phylogenetically examined based on RAPD profiles of 2,290 discrete characters including a monomorphic and 226 polymorphic characteristics. The phylogenetic relationships calculated from theses banding data show that the intraspecific genetic similarity (S) values ranged from 0.990 to 1.000, and the interspecific S values ranged from 0.520 to 0.790. The RAPD method can be effectively used in Dillenia study. However, its quality of unreproducible method, it cannot be reasonable used in any study on specific genes or areas. In additions, sequences from two molecular regions, rbcL gene and psbA-trnH spacer, were analyzed and determined for genetic distances. The rbcL gene sequences were rather ineffective, as all of the paired species displayed no or low genetic distance values. The psbA-trnH spacer sequences were rather effective, with only one pair (D. reticulata and D. parviflora) showing low genetic distance values. The other species pairs indicated rather far genetic distances, ranging from 0.006 (D. parviflora and D. grandifolia) to 0.376 (Dillenia specie and D. indica). Intraspecific genetic distance values ranged from 0–0.003 and 0–0.013 for rbcL and psbA-trnH spacer regions, respectively. Based on the results from both nucleotide variations and DNA fingerprinting, D. grandifolia and D. ovata were distinct Dillenia species.
A new remarkable and Critically Endangered species of Astyanax Baird & Girard (Characiformes: Characidae) from Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil, with a discussion on durophagy in the Characiformes
Authors: ZANATA ANGELA M. , LIMA FLÁVIO C.T. , DARIO FABIO DI , GERHARD PEDRO
Published: February 2017

Astyanax brucutu is described from the rio Pratinha, rio Paraguaçu basin, Bahia, Brazil. The new species is promptly distinguished from other characids by having four, rarely three, robust, rounded, and usualy tricuspid teeth on inner premaxillary series and similar teeth on dentary. The species is furthermore characterized by a series of unusual character states in the Characidae, including head blunt in lateral and dorsal views, longitudinal foreshortening of lower jaw, ventral margin of third infraorbital distinctly separated from horizontal limb of preopercle, leaving a broad area without superficial bones, mesethmoid anteroventrally expanded, and adductor mandibulae and primordial ligament remarkably developed. Analysis of gut contents of adults revealed the almost exclusive presence of crushed shells of tiny gastropods of the family Hydrobiidae. The robust anatomy of jaws, teeth, muscles and associated ligaments are likely adaptations to durophagy, a feeding strategy unusual among characids. Astyanax brucutu is known only from its type locality, an approximately 670 m long, transparent and isolated perennial epigean watercourse surrounded by subterranean or intermittent rivers. The distinctive combination of environmental features characterizing the area of occurrence of the new species is not observed elsewhere in the basin or adjacent basins. A series of severe anthropogenic impacts, associated with the restricted geographic range of the species, implies that A. brucutu should be regarded as Critically Endangered (CR) according to IUCN Red List Criteria.
Systematic position of two Athamanthia Zhdanko, 1983 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) taxa from the Iranian Plateau
Authors: KRUPITSKY ANATOLY V. , PLJUSHTCH IGOR G. , SKRYLNIK YURIY YE.
Published: February 2017

In the present paper we refine the systematic position of an unclear lycaenine taxon povolnyi Howarth & Povolny, 1976 previously known only from the holotype male. Based on the appearance and morphology of the male genitalia we recognize it as a subspecies of Athamanthia balucha (Howarth & Povolny 1976)—A. b. povolnyi (Howarth & Povolny, 1976), comb. nov. Morphology of the subspecies is redescribed, female is described and illustrated for the first time, and distribution data are added taking into consideration recent findings in Bamyan province of Afghanistan. Taxon athamantides Eckweiler & ten Hagen, 2001 from Central and Southeast Iran is also treated as a subspecies of A. balucha—A. b. athamantides (Eckweiler & ten Hagen, 2001), comb. nov.—based on the similarity of the male genitalia and the wing pattern with A. balucha.
Numerical Simulations of Two Trapped Mountain Lee Waves Downstream of Oahu
Authors: Li Liye , Chen Yi-Leng
Published: February 2017

Two trapped lee-wave events dominated by the transverse mode downstream of the island of Oahu in Hawaii—27 January 2010 and 24 January 2003—are simulated using the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) Model with a horizontal grid size of 1 km in conjunction with the analyses of soundings, weather maps, and satellite images. The common factors for the occurrences of these transverse trapped mountain-wave events are 1) Froude number [Fr = U/(Nh)] > 1, where U is the upstream speed of the cross-barrier flow, N is stability, and h is the mountain height; 2) insufficient convective available potential energy for the air parcel to become positively buoyant after being lifted to the top of the stable trade wind inversion layer; and 3) increasing cross-barrier wind speed with respect to height through the stable inversion layer, satisfying Scorer’s criteria between the inversion layer and the layer aloft. Within the inversion layer, where the Scorer parameter has a maximum, the wave amplitudes are the greatest. The two trapped mountain waves in winter occurred under strong prefrontal stably stratified southwesterly flow. On the other islands in Hawaii, where the mountaintops are below the base of the inversion, transverse trapped lee waves can occur under similar large-scale settings if the mountain height is lower than U/N. The high-spatial-and-temporal-resolution WRF Model successfully simulates the onset, development, and dissipation of these two events. Sensitivity tests for the 27 January 2010 case are performed with reduced relative humidity (RH). With a lower RH and less-significant latent heating, trapped lee waves have smaller amplitudes and shorter wavelengths.
Exploring Relationships Between Delinquent Peer Groups, Participation in Delinquency, Substance Abuse, and Injecting Drug Use Among the Incarcerated: Findings From a National Sample of State and Federal Inmates in the United States
Authors: Marotta Phillip
Published: February 2017

The following study assesses the relationship between affiliating with delinquent peer groups, participation in delinquency, and several substance misuse and injecting drug use outcomes in a nationally representative sample of inmates in state and federal facilities in the United States. After controlling for potential confounders, affiliating with peers who engaged in deviant behaviors and participation in delinquency was associated with onset of alcohol and illicit drug use, substance dependence, alcohol dependence, types of substances used, and injecting drug use outcomes. Inmates who began engaging in delinquency at older ages reported initiating drug and alcohol use at older ages, and were less likely to meet the criteria for drug abuse or dependence, less likely to use substances daily or near daily, and less likely to report having ever injected or shared syringes. The implications of these findings for substance abuse, HIV, and crime prevention interventions are discussed.
Travel Diaries Analysis by Sequential Rule Mining
Authors: Vu Huy Quan , Li Gang , Law Rob , Zhang Yanchun
Published: February 2017

Because of the inefficiency in analyzing the comprehensive travel data, tourism managers are facing the challenge of gaining insights into travelers’ behavior and preferences. In most cases, existing techniques are incapable of capturing the sequential patterns hidden in travel data. To address these issues, this article proposes to analyze the travelers’ behavior through geotagged photos and sequential rule mining. Travel diaries, constructed from the photo sequences, can capture comprehensive travel information, and then sequential patterns can be discovered to infer the potential destinations. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrated in a case study of Australian outbound tourism, using a data set of more than 890,000 photos from 3,623 travelers. The introduced framework has the potential to benefit tourism researchers and practitioners from capturing and understanding the behaviors and preferences of travelers. The findings can support destination-marketing organizations (DMOs) in promoting appropriate destinations to prospective travelers.
Toward a Comprehensive Understanding of Intergroup Contact
Authors: Hayward Lydia E. , Tropp Linda R. , Hornsey Matthew J. , Barlow Fiona Kate
Published: February 2017

Positive contact predicts reduced prejudice, but negative contact may increase prejudice at a stronger rate. The current project builds on this work in four ways: establishing an understanding of contact that is grounded in subjective experience, examining the affective mediators involved in the negative contact–prejudice relationship, extending research on the effects of positive and negative contact to minority groups, and examining the contact asymmetry experimentally. Study 1 introduced anger as a mediator of the relationships between positive and negative contact and prejudice among White Americans ( N = 371), using a contact measure that reflected the frequency and intensity of a wide range of experiences. Study 2 found a contact asymmetry among Black and Hispanic Americans ( N = 365). Study 3 found initial experimental evidence of a contact asymmetry ( N = 309). We conclude by calling for a more nuanced understanding of intergroup contact that recognizes its multifaceted and subjective nature.
How Moral Perceptions Influence Intergroup Tolerance
Authors: Obeid Nadine , Argo Nichole , Ginges Jeremy
Published: February 2017

Intergroup boundaries are often associated with differences in moral codes. How does the perception of similarity and dissimilarity in moral worldviews influence tolerant relationships between members of different groups? We theorized that the relationship between perceived moral similarity and intergroup tolerance is domain specific. Specifically, because people treat autonomy values (e.g., caring for others, being fair) as denoting universal rights and obligations, but binding values (e.g., purity) as denoting rights and obligations that apply preferentially for their own group, perceived similarity on autonomy values should be more relevant than perceived similarity on binding values to intergroup tolerance. Here, we describe correlational and experimental evidence to support these predictions from studies carried out in Lebanon (with sectarian groups), in Morocco (with ethnic groups), and in the United States (with ideological groups). Implications for understanding intergroup relations and theories of morality are discussed.
The Values of Strategy: Valuation Practices, Rivalry and Strategic Agency
Authors: Kornberger Martin
Published: February 2017

The concept of value is held dear by strategy theorists and practitioners alike as they share a concern about value creation, value propositions, value add, value chains, shareholder value and a plethora of other value constructs. Yet, despite its centrality, the concept of value has attracted limited attention in strategy scholarship. Most commonly, notions of value as profit or utility, inherited from economic theory, are assumed rather than analyzed. This paper advances the discussion of value in the strategy discourse by conceptualizing value as a correlate of valuation practices. Following this view, value is neither understood as the property of an object nor as a subjective preference; rather, values are constituted through valuation practices including rankings, ratings, awards, reviews and other valuation mechanisms that bestow values upon things in the first place. The paper explores this idea through analyzing valuation practices and their constitutive mechanisms; and it exploits this idea for the conceptualization of rivalry and strategic agency. The learnings are two-fold: because goods are ordered, hierarchized and “appreciated” by consumers, critics, competitors and others through mediating valuation practices, it follows that (1) rivalry takes place at the level of valuation practices as they constitute the spaces in which accounts of worth are constructed and contested; and that (2) strategic agency may be understood in relation to an actor’s capacity to cope with and influence these valuation practices.
Social and political roles of the Armenian clergy from the late Ottoman era to the Turkish republic
Authors: Kılıçdağı Ohannes
Published: February 2017

This article examines the treatment of Armenians by the late Ottoman and Turkish republican state with a special focus on the social and political roles of the Armenian clergy, especially the patriarch. After giving a brief account of the historical evolution of the millet system – the principles and practices applied by the Ottoman state in its treatments of non-Muslims – the article tries to understand whether the new regime kept it or adopted a modern approach during the transition from empire to nation-state. It concludes that the republican state has created a deliberate inconsistency in its treatment of the Armenian community and patriarch. Although it has avoided recognizing them as a group and their group’s rights it continuously discriminated against them because of their group identity. The republican state has tried to downgrade the patriarch to a mere religious figure without any social or political role which is defined de jure. However, it has continued to accept him as de facto leader of the Armenian community on some occasions.
Regulatory Forum Review*: Utility of in Vitro Secondary Pharmacology Data to Assess Risk of Drug-induced Valvular Heart Disease in Humans: Regulatory Considerations
Authors: Papoian Thomas , Jagadeesh Gowraganahalli , Saulnier Muriel , Simpson Natalie , Ravindran Arippa , Yang Baichun , Laniyonu Adebayo A. , Khan Imran , Szarfman Ana
Published: February 2017

Drug-induced valvular heart disease (VHD) is a serious side effect linked to long-term treatment with 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptor 2B (5-HT2B) agonists. Safety assessment for off-target pharmacodynamic activity is a common approach used to screen drugs for this undesired property. Such studies include in vitro assays to determine whether the drug is a 5-HT2B agonist, a necessary pharmacological property for development of VHD. Measures of in vitro binding affinity (IC50, Ki) or cellular functional activity (EC50) are often compared to maximum therapeutic free plasma drug levels ( fCmax) from which safety margins (SMs) can be derived. However, there is no clear consensus on what constitutes an appropriate SM under various therapeutic conditions of use. The strengths and limitations of SM determinations and current risk assessment methodology are reviewed and evaluated. It is concluded that the use of SMs based on Ki values, or those relative to serotonin (5-HT), appears to be a better predictor than the use of EC50 or EC50/human fCmax values for determining whether known 5-HT2B agonists have resulted in VHD. It is hoped that such a discussion will improve efforts to reduce this preventable serious drug-induced toxicity from occurring and lead to more informed risk assessment strategies.
Stressors and stressor response levels of Hong Kong primary school music teachers
Authors: Wong Marina Wai-yee , Chik Maria Pik-yuk , Chan Edmund Sze Shing
Published: February 2017

Responses from 309 randomly sampled Hong Kong primary school music teachers to the shortened version of the Chinese Teacher Stress Questionnaire were subjected to a descriptive percentage analysis, one-way ANOVA and independent t test. Obtained results identify five key stressors: “changing education policy of the government”; “being observed by colleague, student teachers, college tutors, inspectors or parents”; “too much subject matter to teach”; “inclusive education”; and “additional administrative work”. An explanation is offered identifying stressor responses being underpinned by either global or contextual issues, while others by a combination of both. Unlike other studies that found relations between stressors and respondents’ individual characteristics, the results of this study uniquely display no significant statistical evidence to link music teachers’ stressor response levels with age, teaching experience, education, specialization or teaching-related workload. The evidence here supports the view that stressors are neutral and reported stressor response levels reflect global or contextual factors which can be intensified by a combination of both.
Do Restrictions Beget Responsibility? The Case of U.S. Abortion Legislation
Authors: Felkey Amanda J. , Lybecker Kristina M.
Published: February 2017

Over the past decade, more than 25 U.S. states enacted legislation surrounding abortions. By analyzing state abortion legislation and proxying how the cost of obtaining an abortion varies across states, this study assesses the implications of legislative changes on women’s contraceptive choices. Examining women by race/ethnicity, income, age, and religious affiliation, the results show that women respond to increased restrictions on abortion availability and cost but that the effects are very small. This study demonstrates that legislation restricting women’s access to abortions fails to promote greater use of more effective contraceptive methods, increasing the likelihood of unwanted births and illegal abortion procedures.

JEL Classifications: D1, D81, I18, J13
Olfactory Development, Part 1: Function, From Fetal Perception to Adult Wine-Tasting
Authors: Sarnat Harvey B. , Flores-Sarnat Laura , Wei Xing-Chang
Published: February 2017

Discrimination of odorous molecules in amniotic fluid occur after 30 weeks’ gestation; fetuses exhibit differential responses to maternal diet. Olfactory reflexes enable reliable neonatal testing. Olfactory bulbs can be demonstrated reliably by MRI after 30 weeks’ gestation, and their hypoplasia or aplasia also documented by late prenatal and postnatal MRI. Olfactory axons project from nasal epithelium to telencephalon before olfactory bulbs form. Fetal olfactory maturation remains incomplete at term for neuronal differentiation, synaptogenesis, myelination, and persistence of the transitory fetal ventricular recess. Immaturity does not signify nonfunction. Olfaction is the only sensory system without thalamic projection because of its own intrinsic thalamic equivalent. Diverse malformations of the olfactory bulb can be diagnosed by clinical examination, imaging, and neuropathology. Some epileptic auras might be primarily generated in the olfactory bulb. Cranial nerve 1 should be tested in all neonates and especially in patients with brain malformations, endocrinopathies, chromosomopathies, and genetic/metabolic diseases.
Posthemorrhagic Hydrocephalus
Authors: Holt Philip J.
Published: February 2017

Post hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) can be defined as progressive dilation of the ventricular system that develops as a complication of neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Grading systems exist to quantify IVH but not this secondary ventricular dilation. Cranial ultrasound techniques and measuring methods that allow a uniform, objective grading convention for ventricular enlargement are presented. A biventricular to biparietal ratio (BV:BD) can be measured in the coronal images. A ventricular diameter (VD) can be measured in the sagittal images. Cortical mantle thickness and ventricular size can be measured in the axial images. These measurements allow more precise identification of changes in ventricular size which may have treatment implications. The clinical features of PHH and treatment options are also reviewed. No one treatment modality has proven superior, and neurologic outcome does not correlate with development or resolution of PHH. Better description of parenchymal damage is needed during routine ultrasound studies and development of other modalities to assess parenchymal function need to be developed before the significance of IVH and PHH can be fully understood. (J Child Neurol 1989;4:S23-S31).
Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Active Lions: A Campaign to Promote Active Travel to a University Campus
Authors: Bopp Melissa , Sims Dangaia , Matthews Stephen A. , Rovniak Liza S. , Poole Erika , Colgan Joanna
Published: February 2017

Purpose:

To outline the development, implementation, and evaluation of a multistrategy intervention to promote active transportation, on a large university campus.

Design:

Single group pilot study.

Setting:

A large university in the Northeastern United States.

Participants:

University students (n = 563), faculty and staff (employees, n = 999) were included in the study.

Intervention:

The Active Lions campaign aimed to increase active transportation to campus for all students and employees. The campaign targeted active transport participation through the development of a smartphone application and the implementation of supporting social marketing and social media components.

Measures:

Component-specific measures included app user statistics, social media engagement, and reach of social marketing strategies. Overall evaluation included cross-sectional online surveys preintervention and postintervention of student and employee travel patterns and campaign awareness.

Analysis:

Number of active trips to campus were summed, and the percentage of trips as active was calculated. T tests compared the differences in outcomes from preintervention to postintervention.

Results:

Students had a higher percentage of active trips postintervention (64.2%) than preintervention (49.2%; t = 3.32, P = .001), although there were no differences for employees (7.9% and 8.91%). Greater awareness of Active Lions was associated with greater active travel.

Conclusion:

This multistrategy approach to increase active transportation on a college campus provided insight on the process of developing and implementing a campaign with the potential for impacting health behaviors among campus members.
Optimal switch timing for piezoelectric-based semi-active vibration reduction techniques
Authors: Kelley Christopher R , Kauffman Jeffrey L
Published: February 2017

Piezoelectric-based semi-active vibration reduction techniques typically rely on rapid changes in the electrical boundary conditions or corresponding stiffness state. Approaches such as state switching and synchronized switch damping on a resistor or an inductor require four switching events per vibration cycle, with switch timing associated with displacement extrema. Any deviation from this switch timing affects the performance of these techniques. Typical harmonic forcing analyses focus on the energy dissipation and only evaluate the performance at resonance. This study evaluates displacement reduction for harmonic excitation, both at resonance and for frequencies near resonance. Furthermore, it examines the effect of sub-optimal switch timings. Numerical simulations of a non-dimensional model are performed, and an analytical solution is derived for any switch time. This analysis shows that the optimal switch timing depends on the forcing frequency relative to the natural frequency of the structure. Thus, the classical switch time at peak displacement is only optimal when the excitation is exactly at resonance. Even when the optimal switch timing is known, uncertainties in vibration sensing cannot guarantee that switches will occur at the desired moment. Therefore, this work characterizes the degradation in vibration reduction performance when switching away from the optimal switch time based on global, non-dimensional parameters.
Closed-loop photovoltage control of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic for photovoltaic-electrostatic-driven servo system
Authors: Wang Xinjie , Lu Fei , Huang Jiahan
Published: February 2017

A photovoltage closed-loop servo control model of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic is proposed for a photovoltaic-electrostatic-driven system in this article. The control equations of the proposed servo control model are derived based on the mathematical model of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate with coupled multi-physics fields. The parameters of photovoltage of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic during the illumination phase and light-off phase are identified through the static experiment. Then, photovoltage response of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic with simple on–off control strategy is numerically simulated based on the control equations presented in this article. After that, the closed-loop photovoltage control experiment based on single lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic is carried out. The simulation and experimental results show that the photovoltage can be successfully controlled by switching the ultraviolet light with an optical shutter. The control strategy can be applied in the photovoltaic-electrostatic-driven servo system to achieve the target degree of angular or displacement deflection. In addition, closed-loop photovoltage control experiment of lead lanthanum zirconate titanate bimorph irradiated by double ultraviolet light is carried out to equip the system with the capacity of reverse voltage output.
Safety Outcomes of Apixaban Compared With Warfarin in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Sarratt Stefanie C. , Nesbit Ross , Moye Robert
Published: February 2017

Background: Current guidelines make no specific recommendations on the selection of direct oral anticoagulants for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving hemodialysis. Based on these guidelines, warfarin remains the anticoagulant of choice in these patients. Objective: To compare bleeding rates in patients receiving apixaban or warfarin with ESRD undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, institutional review board–approved cohort analysis. Patients with ESRD undergoing chronic hemodialysis and receiving anticoagulation therapy with either apixaban or warfarin were included in this study. All data were collected from paper charts and electronic medical records and included documentation of bleeding events and related interventions. The primary outcome of this study was clinically relevant major bleeding events. Secondary outcomes included clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding events and minor bleeding events. Results: A total of 160 patients were included in this study (warfarin group, n = 120; apixaban group, n = 40). There were 7 major bleeding events in the warfarin group compared with zero in the apixaban group ( P = 0.34). There were similar rates of clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding events (12.5% vs 5.8%, P = 0.17) and minor bleeding (2.5% vs 2.5%, P = 0.74) events in patients receiving apixaban and warfarin. Conclusions: There were no observed differences in bleeding rates in patients receiving apixaban compared with those receiving warfarin. Apixaban may be a cautious consideration in hemodialysis patients until there is further insight into the effect of subsequent, multiple doses on drug accumulation and clinical outcomes.
Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in People With Traumatic Brain, Spinal Cord, or Burn Injury: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Model System Study
Authors: Amtmann Dagmar , Bocell Fraser D. , Bamer Alyssa , Heinemann Allen W. , Hoffman Jeanne M. , Juengst Shannon B. , Rosenberg Marta , Schneider Jeffery C. , Wiechman Shelley , McMullen Kara
Published: February 2017

This study evaluated the measurement properties of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) in a sample of 17,897 people with spinal cord injury (48%, n = 8,566), traumatic brain injury (44%, n = 7,941), and burn injury (8%, n = 1,390), 1 year following injury. We examined measurement invariance across the groups, unidimensionality, local independence, reliability from a classical test and item response theory (IRT) framework, and fit to a unidimensional IRT model. The results support unidimensionality and local independence of the SWLS. Reliability was adequate from a classical test and IRT perspective. IRT analysis found that the SWLS could be improved by using only five response categories rather than seven and by removing the fifth item, “If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.” This item functions poorly and reduces instrument reliability. With these revisions, the SWLS is a useful instrument to monitor an important outcome of trauma rehabilitation.