bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Incidence of Tumor Cell Contamination of Peripheral Blood Stem Cells: A Meta-Analysis to Evaluate the Impact of Mobilization Regimens and the Influence on Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Choi Sora , Rajan Suja S. , Trivedi Meghana V.
Published: October 2013

Tumor cell contamination (TCC) of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) is a major risk in the autologous PBSC transplant setting. However, the effect of different mobilization regimens (cytokines only versus cytokines + chemotherapy) on TCC of PBSCs and its impact on treatment outcomes have not been systematically reviewed. In the present meta-analysis, we aimed to investigate this effect in breast cancer patients since multiple studies have been conducted in this setting. We systematically searched MEDLINE and Cochrane Library up to May 2012. Seventeen studies (1,819 patients) were assessed. There was no significant difference in the incidence of TCC of PBSCs between the two mobilization regimens. When the analysis was restricted to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as a cytokine, this difference was again not significant. We also found that TCC of PBSCs was associated with a higher annual recurrence rate in these patients. This suggests that there may be a significant risk for reinfusion of tumor cell-positive PBSCs, and whether it can increase the risk of disease recurrence needs to be determined. This study also raises important questions regarding the causes of TCC of PBSCs. These issues should be investigated systematically in PBSC transplant patients.
The GNAS Complex Locus and Human Diseases Associated with Loss-of-Function Mutations or Epimutations within This Imprinted Gene
Authors: Turan Serap , Bastepe Murat
Published: October 2013

GNAS is a complex imprinted locus leading to several different gene products that show exclusive monoallelic expression. GNAS also encodes the α-subunit of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα), a ubiquitously expressed signaling protein that is essential for the actions of many hormones and other endogenous molecules. Gsα is expressed biallelically in most tissues but its expression is silenced from the paternal allele in a small number of tissues. The tissue-specific paternal silencing of Gsα results in different parent-of-origin-specific phenotypes in patients who carry inactivating GNAS mutations. In this paper, we review the GNAS complex locus and discuss how disruption of Gsα expression and the expression of other GNAS products shape the phenotypes of human disorders caused by mutations in this gene.
Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Neointima Formation
Authors: Xiao Qingzhong , Zhang Feng , Grassia Gianluca , Hu Yanhua , Zhang Zhongyi , Xing Qiuru , Yin Xiaoke , Maddaluno Marcella , Drung Binia , Schmidt Boris , Maffia Pasquale , Ialenti Armando , Mayr Manuel , Xu Qingbo , Ye Shu
Published: October 2013

Objective—

We investigated the role of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP8) in neointima formation and in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation.

Approach and Results—

After carotid artery wire injuring, MMP8
–/–
/apoE
–/–
mice had fewer proliferating cells in neointimal lesions and smaller lesion sizes. Ex vivo assays comparing VSMCs isolated from MMP8 knockout and wild-type mice showed that MMP8 knockout decreased proliferation and migration. Proteomics analysis revealed that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain–containing protein 10 (ADAM10) had lower concentrations in MMP8 knockout VSMC culture media than in MMP8 wild-type VSMC culture media. Western blot, flow cytometric, and immunocytochemical analyses showed that MMP8 knockout VSMCs contained more pro-ADAM10 but less mature ADAM10, more N-cadherin, and β-catenin in the plasma membrane but less β-catenin in the nucleus and less cyclin D1. Treatment of MMP8 wild-type VSMCs with an ADAM10 inhibitor, GI254023X, or siRNA knockdown of ADAM10 in MMP8 wild-type VSMCs inhibited proliferation and migration, increased N-cadherin and β-catenin in the plasma membrane, reduced β-catenin in the nucleus, and decreased cyclin D1 expression. Incubation of MMP8 knockout VSMCs with a recombinant ADAM10 rescued the proliferative and migratory ability of MMP8 knockout VSMCs and increased cyclin D1 expression. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analyses showed colocalization of ADAM10 with VSMCs and N-cadherin, and nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in the neointima in apoE
–/–
/MMP8
+/+
mice.

Conclusions—

MMP8 enhances VSMC proliferation via an ADAM10, N-cadherin, and β-catenin–mediated pathway and plays an important role in neointima formation.
Essential Role of CD11a in CD8
+
T-Cell Accumulation and Activation in Adipose Tissue
Authors: Jiang Erlie , Perrard Xiaoyuan Dai , Yang Donglin , Khan Ilvira M. , Perrard Jerry L. , Smith C. Wayne , Ballantyne Christie M. , Wu Huaizhu
Published: October 2013

Objective—

T cells, particularly CD8
+
T cells, are major participants in obesity-linked adipose tissue (AT) inflammation. We examined the mechanisms of CD8
+
T-cell accumulation and activation in AT and the role of CD11a, a β2 integrin.

Approach and Results—

CD8
+
T cells in AT of obese mice showed activated phenotypes with increased proliferation and interferon-γ expression. In vitro, CD8
+
T cells from mouse AT displayed increased interferon-γ expression and proliferation to stimulation with interleukin-12 and interleukin-18, which were increased in obese AT. CD11a was upregulated in CD8
+
T cells in obese mice. Ablation of CD11a in obese mice dramatically reduced T-cell accumulation, activation, and proliferation in AT. Adoptive transfer showed that CD8
+
T cells from wild-type mice, but not from CD11a-deficient mice, infiltrated into AT of recipient obese wild-type mice. CD11a deficiency also reduced tumor necrosis factor-α–producing and interleukin-12–producing macrophages in AT and improved insulin resistance.

Conclusions—

Combined action of cytokines in obese AT induces proliferative response of CD8
+
T cells locally, which, along with increased infiltration, contributes to CD8
+
T-cell accumulation and activation in AT. CD11a plays a crucial role in AT inflammation by participating in T-cell infiltration and activation.
EHR‐Based Medication Support and Nurse‐Led Medication Therapy Management: Rationale and Design for a Three‐Arm Clinic Randomized Trial
Authors: Persell Stephen D. , Eder Milton , Friesema Elisha , Connor Corinne , Rademaker Alfred , French Dustin D. , King Jennifer , Wolf Michael S.
Published: October 2013

Background

Patients with chronic conditions often use complex medical regimens. A nurse‐led strategy to support medication therapy management incorporated into primary care teams may lead to improved use of medications for disease control. Electronic health record (
EHR
) tools may offer a lower‐cost, less intensive approach to improving medication management.

Methods and Results

The Northwestern and Access Community Health Network Medication Education Study is a health center–level cluster‐randomized trial being conducted within a network of federally qualified community health centers. Health centers have been enrolled in groups of 3 and randomized to (1) usual care, (2)
EHR
‐based medication management tools alone, or (3)
EHR
tools plus nurse‐led medication therapy management. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension who are prescribed ≥3 medications of any kind are recruited from the centers.
EHR
tools include a printed medication list to prompt review at each visit and automated plain‐language medication information within the after‐visit summary to encourage proper medication use. In the nurse‐led intervention, patients receive one‐on‐one counseling about their medication regimens to clarify medication discrepancies and identify drug‐related concerns, safety issues, and nonadherence. Nurses also provide follow‐up telephone calls following new prescriptions and periodically to perform medication review. The primary study outcome is systolic blood pressure after 1 year. Secondary outcomes include measures of understanding of dosing instructions, discrepancies between patient‐reported medications and the medical record, adherence, and intervention costs.

Conclusions

The Northwestern and Access Community Health Network Medication Education Study will assess the effects of 2 approaches to support outpatient medication management among patients with uncontrolled hypertension in federally qualified health center settings.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
: clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier:
NCT
01578577.
Cardiovascular Disease Hospitalizations in Relation to Exposure to the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Disaster and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Jordan Hannah T. , Stellman Steven D. , Morabia Alfredo , Miller‐Archie Sara A. , Alper Howard , Laskaris Zoey , Brackbill Robert M. , Cone James E.
Published: October 2013

Background

A cohort study found that 9/11‐related environmental exposures and posttraumatic stress disorder increased self‐reported cardiovascular disease risk. We attempted to replicate these findings using objectively defined cardiovascular disease hospitalizations in the same cohort.

Methods and Results

Data for adult World Trade Center Health Registry enrollees residing in New York State on enrollment and no cardiovascular disease history (n=46 346) were linked to a New York State hospital discharge–reporting system. Follow‐up began at Registry enrollment (2003–2004) and ended at the first cerebrovascular or heart disease (
HD
) hospitalization, death, or December 31, 2010, whichever was earliest. We used proportional hazards models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (
AHR
s) for
HD
(n=1151) and cerebrovascular disease (n=284) hospitalization during 302 742 person‐years of observation (mean follow‐up, 6.5 years per person), accounting for other factors including age, race/ethnicity, smoking, and diabetes. An elevated risk of
HD
hospitalization was observed among women (
AHR
1.32, 95%
CI
1.01 to 1.71) but not men (
AHR
1.16, 95%
CI
0.97 to 1.40) with posttraumatic stress disorder at enrollment. A high overall level of World Trade Center rescue and recovery–related exposure was associated with an elevated
HD
hospitalization risk in men (
AHR
1.82, 95%
CI
1.06 to 3.13;
P
for trend=0.05), but findings in women were inconclusive (
AHR
3.29, 95%
CI
0.85 to 12.69;
P
for trend=0.09). Similar associations were observed specifically with coronary artery disease hospitalization. Posttraumatic stress disorder increased the cerebrovascular disease hospitalization risk in men but not in women.

Conclusions

9/11‐related exposures and posttraumatic stress disorder appeared to increase the risk of subsequent hospitalization for
HD
and cerebrovascular disease. This is consistent with findings based on self‐reported outcomes.
Negation, Polarity, and Deontic Modals
Authors: Iatridou Sabine , Zeijlstra Hedde
Published: October 2013

Universal deontic modals may vary with respect to whether they scope over or under negation. For instance, English modals like must and should take wide scope with respect to negation; modals like have to and need to take narrow scope. Similar patterns have been attested in other languages. In this article, we argue that the scopal properties of modals with respect to negation can be understood if (a) modals that outscope negation are positive polarity items ( PPIs); (b) all modals originate in a position lower than I0; and (c) modals undergo reconstruction unless reconstruction leads to a PPI-licensing violation.
HG Has No Computational Advantages over OT: Toward a New Toolkit for Computational OT
Authors: Magri Giorgio
Published: October 2013

Various authors have recently endorsed Harmonic Grammar (HG) as a replacement for Optimality Theory (OT). One argument for this move is that OT seems not to have close correspondents within machine learning while HG allows methods and results from machine learning to be imported into computational phonology. Here, I prove that this argument in favor of HG and against OT is wrong. In fact, I show that any algorithm for HG can be turned into an algorithm for OT. Hence, HG has no computational advantages over OT. This result allows tools from machine learning to be systematically adapted to OT. As an illustration of this new toolkit for computational OT, I prove convergence for a slight variant of Boersma’s (1998) (nonstochastic) Gradual Learning Algorithm.
Agrostis griffithiana (Poaceae: Agrostidinae)—typification, a new synonym and an update of the distribution in India
Authors: PASZKO BEATA , PENDRY COLIN A.
Published: October 2013

Agrostis griffithiana (Poaceae: Agrostidinae) is typified, fully described and illustrated, and its distribution in northeast India is elucidated. A new synonym is identified, its circumscription and taxonomy is clarified and discussed, especially in relation to the similar species A. pilosula and A. munroana.
Unrealized Potential: A Review of Perceptions and Use of Weather and Climate Information in Agricultural Decision Making
Authors: Mase Amber Saylor , Prokopy Linda Stalker
Published: October 2013

This article reviews research on agricultural decision makers’ use and perceptions of weather and climate information and decision support tools (DSTs) conducted in the United States, Australia, and Canada over the past 30 years. Forty–seven relevant articles, with locations as diverse as Australian rangelands and the southeastern United States, ranging in focus from corn to cattle, were identified. NVivo 9 software was used to code research methods, type of climate information explored, barriers to broader use of weather information, common themes, and conclusions from each article. Themes in this literature include the role of trusted agricultural advisors in the use of weather information, farmers’ management of weather risks, and potential agricultural adaptations that could increase resilience to weather and climate variability. While use of weather and climate information and DSTs for agriculture has increased in developed countries, these resources are still underutilized. Reasons for low use and reduced usefulness highlighted in this literature are perceptions of low forecast accuracy; forecasts presented out of context, reducing farmers’ ability to apply them; short forecast lead times; inflexible management and operations that limit the adaptability of a farm; and greater concern with nonweather risks (such as regulation or market fluctuation). The authors’ main recommendation from reviewing this literature is that interdisciplinary and participatory processes involving farmers and advisors have the potential to improve use of weather and climate DSTs. The authors highlight important gaps revealed by this review, and suggest ways to improve future research on these topics.
European feelings of deprivation amidst the financial crisis
Authors: Reeskens Tim , van Oorschot Wim
Published: October 2013

As European governments have embraced the credo of austerity, the perennial discussion whether welfare states erode the quality of social networks has taken on a more prominent position on political and social science research agendas. While non-believers of this so-called ‘crowding out’ thesis argue that social networks flourish well in welfare states, believers argue that welfare provisions render social networks irrelevant in mobilizing resources. Using the 2010 wave of the European Social Survey, we analyse the extent to which both the welfare state and social networks have prevented deprivation, as well as the extent to which the functional quality of social networks in inhibiting impoverishment differs as a function of welfare state generosity. Both the ‘crowding out’ and the ‘crowding in’ theses are supported: resources are less mobilized through networks in more generous welfare states precisely because encompassing welfare provisions reduce deprivation significantly, lowering the functional quality of social networks.
Investigating the effect of definitions and best practice guidelines on errors in Dublin Core metadata records
Authors: Chuttur Mohammad Yasser
Published: October 2013

Researchers argue that the utility of metadata records depends on the kinds of information used (i.e. definitions and best practice guidelines) when creating metadata. To verify this claim, a mixed factorial design experiment was conducted in which 120 participants were assigned to four groups on the basis of their training level and the kinds of information (definitions only or best practice guidelines) accessible to create metadata records. Participants used Dublin Core to create records for the same resources and errors were analysed and compared across groups. Although participants who used best practice guidelines made significantly fewer errors than those participants who used only definitions, the high error rates observed across all treatment groups suggest the need for additional measures to control errors in metadata records.
Effects of Inflammation on the Innervation of the Colon
Authors: Moynes Derek M. , Lucas Graydon H. , Beyak Michael J. , Lomax Alan E.
Published: October 2013

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease lead to altered gastrointestinal (GI) function as a consequence of the effects of inflammation on the tissues that comprise the GI tract. Among these tissues are several types of neurons that detect the state of the GI tract, transmit pain, and regulate functions such as motility, secretion, and blood flow. This review article describes the structure and function of the enteric nervous system, which is embedded within the gut wall, the sympathetic motor innervation of the colon and the extrinsic afferent innervation of the colon, and considers the evidence that colitis alters these important sensory and motor systems. These alterations may contribute to the pain and altered bowel habits that accompany IBD.
Modern but not secular: Religion, identity and the ordre public in the Arab Middle East
Authors: Krämer Gudrun
Published: October 2013

Irrespective of long-ongoing processes of secularization in all fields of public and private life, the principle of secularity continues to be highly contested in the Arab Middle East. The reasons are both cultural and political. In the age of colonialism followed by authoritarianism and accelerated globalization, Islamists were able to project themselves as defenders of popular rights against foreign domination and despotic rule, and to mobilize broad sections of the populace in the name of religion (i.e. Islam). In the Arab Middle East as in other parts of the Muslim world, it is not so much the relation between ‘state’ and ‘church’ that shapes the configuration of secularity, but rather the relation between the ordre public and Sharia, or ‘Islamic references’ more generally. By putting the debate into a broader historical framework this article also contributes to the debates on multiple modernities and multiple secularities.
Questioning the secular/religious divide in a post-Westphalian world
Authors: Beyer Peter
Published: October 2013

Current debates in sociology are questioning not only the secularization thesis, that religion is inevitably declining under conditions of modernity, but also the notion of the secular and its relation to religion. Beginning with a brief look at six representative scholars who have been prominent in this debate, this interpretative essay seeks to contribute to it on the basis of a distinction between a ‘Westphalian’ and a ‘post-Westphalian’ way of understanding and structuring religion and the secular, above all in the form of the state. The argument is illustrated with three examples, India, Turkey and Canada.
Femoral Suspension Devices for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Barrow Aaron E. , Pilia Marcello , Guda Teja , Kadrmas Warren R. , Burns Travis C.
Published: October 2013

Background:

Cortical suspension devices are commonly used for femoral graft fixation during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery. Adjustable-length fixation devices provide technical advantages over fixed-length loops but may be more susceptible to lengthening during cyclic loading.

Hypothesis:

Both fixed-length and adjustable-length femoral cortical suspension devices would withstand ultimate loads greater than those normally experienced by the native ACL and would prevent clinically significant lengthening during prolonged cyclic loading.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Mechanical testing was performed on 3 ACL graft cortical suspensory devices by use of an extended cyclic loading (4500 cycles at 10-250 N) and pull-to-failure protocol. Two adjustable-length devices were additionally tested with the free suture ends tied.

Results:

Total displacement after 4500 cycles of tensioning at variable loads (expressed as mean ± SD) was 42.45 mm (±7.01 mm) for the Arthrex TightRope RT, 5.76 mm (±0.35 mm) for the Biomet ToggleLoc, and 1.34 mm (±0.03 mm) for the Smith & Nephew EndoButton CL Ultra ( P < .001). The Arthrex TightRope reached clinical failure of 3 mm lengthening after fewer cycles (1349 ± 316) than the Biomet ToggleLoc (2576 ± 73) ( P < .001). The Smith & Nephew EndoButton did not reach clinical failure during cyclic testing. With the free suture ends tied, after 4500 cycles, the Arthrex TightRope had a significant decrease in lengthening to 13.36 ± 1.86 mm ( P < .037) There was also a significant difference in ultimate load between the TightRope (809.11 ± 52.94 N) and the other 2 constructs ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

The ultimate load of all graft-fixation devices exceeded the forces likely to be experienced in a patient’s knee during the early postoperative rehabilitation period. However, the adjustable-length fixation devices experienced a clinically significant increase in loop lengthening during cyclic testing. This lengthening is partially caused by suture slippage into the adjustable-length loop.

Clinical Relevance:

Adjustable-length ACL graft cortical suspension devices lengthen under cyclic loads because free suture ends are pulled into the adjustable loop. This may allow for graft-fixation device lengthening during the acute postoperative period.
Hold That Line
Authors: Wigginton Michael Peter , Jensen Carl Julius , Vinson Jessica Michele
Published: October 2013

In February 1979, the New Orleans Police Department was engaged in two work stoppages that were orchestrated by the Police Association of New Orleans (PANO). During this period, PANO was affiliated with the International Teamsters Union, which allegedly had ties to organized crime. This study addresses the causes of the police strikes, the right of public safety personnel to strike, and how the “gangster” image of the Teamsters adversely affected the labor negotiations. The authors conducted personal, semistructured interviews of individuals who participated in the labor talks, as well as an extensive review of the literature. According to respondents, the primary causes of the strike were low wages and the refusal of city officials to recognize the police union and enter into meaningful collective bargaining negotiations.
Postretirement Career Planning
Authors: Wöhrmann Anne M. , Deller Jürgen , Wang Mo
Published: October 2013

Many countries are exposed to challenges due to demographic change. Keeping employees in the workforce beyond retirement age could help counter these challenges. Thus, extending the knowledge on the process of postretirement career planning is important. Therefore, drawing on social cognitive career theory, we develop and test a model for postretirement career planning in this study. An online survey including measures of occupational self-efficacy, interest in occupation-related activities as well as postretirement career outcome expectations, intention, and planning activity was completed by 124 individuals working in different occupations in Germany. Participants were aged 49–65 years and 54% were male. Findings suggest that self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and interest are important factors in postretirement career planning. Altogether the predictors accounted for 37% of variance in postretirement career intention and 9% of variance in planning activity. Based on our findings, we discuss options to foster postretirement career planning.
Improvement in the performance of a high-pressure-ratio turbocharger centrifugal compressor by blade bowing and self-recirculation casing treatment
Authors: Zheng Xinqian , Lan Chuanjie
Published: October 2013

Blade bowing together with a self-recirculation casing treatment was introduced into a high-pressure-ratio turbocharger centrifugal compressor in order to improve the performance. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of blade bowing and the self-recirculation casing treatment on the compressor performance. The results showed that, in comparison with the baseline (with radial blades), negative blade blowing increased the choke mass flow rate and the peak efficiency by 3.41% (relative value) and by 4.31% (absolute value) respectively at the designed speed. Furthermore, negative blade bowing together with the self-recirculation casing treatment improved the stable flow range of the compressor by 5.85% at the designed speed. Numerical simulation was conducted to analyse the flow mechanism. The result showed that, in the choke condition, bowing affects the actual throat area and thus changes the choke mass flow rate. Negative bowing enlarges the throat area. In the design condition, bowing affects the migrating process of the secondary flow at the suction surface and redistributes the low-energy fluids along the span. Negative bowing tends to advance the separation of the boundary layer flow at the suction surface and to alleviate accumulation of the low-momentum fluid near the blade tip; these lead to improvement in the compressor efficiency. The self-recirculation casing treatment decreases the effective flow area of the impeller passage and introduces a jet into the flow field near the blade tip, thereby increasing the axial velocity of the fluid near the shroud. This reduces accumulation of the low-energy fluid in the blade tip, thus delaying impeller stall.
Recasting the heroic resistance ideal: Robert Bresson’s Un condamné à mort s’est échappé
Authors: Drapac Vesna
Published: October 2013

This article argues that a re-reading of Un condamné à mort s’est échappé (1956), directed by Robert Bresson, is timely because of its sophisticated insight into the nature of resistance, how it came about, and how it was sustained in daily life. Much Bresson criticism focuses almost exclusively on the visual quality of his films and the timelessness of his themes. Many have suggested this film’s wartime setting is a mere backdrop for the playing out of a drama that transcends its historical location. Others simplistically describe it as the near perfect articulation of the ‘Gaullist myth of resistance’. Un condamné à mort s’est échappé is relevant to the ongoing debates about resistance in France because it redefines the heroic resistance ideal and because of its emphasis on process rather than outcomes. It speaks to a new generation of historians aiming to supplant the unsustainable and misplaced epic representation of resistance with one that is more in keeping with the lived experience of resisters and the everyday decisions that rooted them in their local communities. More than solidarity, the film depicts the complementarity of the roles of the protagonists and calls into question the false dichotomy between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ resistance.
Figuring art in Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe’s Écrits sur l’art
Authors: Poiana Peter
Published: October 2013

In his posthumous Écrits sur l’art, French philosopher Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe considers his numerous experiences with artists and their works as different ways of putting himself to the ‘test of art’. This consists in pitting the main tenets of his philosophical works ( Typographies, vol. I: Le Sujet de la philosophie, and Typographies, vol. II: L’Imitation des modernes) against his lived encounters with works and artists, while taking account of the particular complex of problems that confront art in the twentieth century following its two crises of authority, that of God and of Man. The central question that drives his Écrits sur l’art is ‘How can art identify itself?’ Lacoue-Labarthe asks us to take particular note of its reflexive formulation: when art becomes a self-constituting force, how can it be anything other than a form of survival? To support his position, Lacoue-Labarthe revisits several concepts he developed in his philosophical works: art as the site of a retreat, the hyperbological nature of art, the disaster of the subject and the concept of the figure.
Comparative reflections upon the Assisted Dying Bill 2013
Authors: Halliday Samantha
Published: October 2013

Whilst assisted dying remains topical, a number of courts and committees have considered the potential legalisation of active voluntary euthanasia, and/or physician-assisted suicide, but concluded that legalisation should not occur. Significantly this conclusion is attributed not simply to concern to uphold the sanctity of life, but more commonly the reasons given stress that it would simply not be possible to legalise assisted dying whilst incorporating sufficient safeguards within the legislation to protect the vulnerable. This article considers the way in which the principle of dignity has been asserted to demand both that a person has a right to die with dignity (where dignity is constructed as entailing a choice to die with medical assistance) and that the prohibition of assisted dying be maintained in order to ensure the dignity of the person, regardless of whether that person is disabled or terminally ill. It assesses the validity of that argument by evaluating the safeguards incorporated into the Assisted Dying Bill 2013 and reflecting upon the experience of the statutory regulation of assisted dying in other jurisdictions: the Netherlands, Belgium and Oregon. It is concluded that it is possible to construct legislation authorising assisted dying in strictly controlled circumstances and that far from exposing the vulnerable to the risk of abuse, such regulation would provide much greater protection of all lives than the current system based upon an absolute prohibition of killing.
Sanitoriums and the Canadian Colonial Legacy
Authors: Moffatt Jessica , Mayan Maria , Long Richard
Published: October 2013

Sanitoriums served a much-needed purpose in the age prior to antituberculosis drugs: They removed the infected patient from wider society and created an environment that promoted recovery. We aimed to (a) describe sanitoriums from the perspective of a First Nations reserve community in northern Canada and (b) understand the impact of the sanitorium experience at a community level. Semistructured interviews ( n = 15) were conducted in a First Nations reserve community with a high incidence of tuberculosis. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to obtain the sample. Data collection and analysis were iterative, using qualitative content analysis. Participants described the exclusion resulting within and because of sanitoriums. Exclusion within sanitoriums was categorized into (a) the exclusion of Aboriginal culture and practices of healing from the treatment of tuberculosis and (b) the internal exclusion, in which members of the community internally labeled the healed individual postsanitorium as an outsider.
Updating Best Practices
Authors: Diaz Charlsye Smith
Published: October 2013

The best practices presented in textbooks and professional publications provide separate guidelines for paper-based and electronic or “scannable” résumés. This article recommends changing these practices so that writers can prepare one résumé for both paper and electronic delivery. These recommendations focus on three areas. Résumés should be formatted based on eye-tracking research about on-screen reading. Specific guidelines should help writers decide when to include an objective or summary. Keywords should be prioritized over active verbs. Last, résumés still must be formatted for paper but designing for on-screen reading is now equally or more important, and best practices need to reflect this change.
Preschoolers’ cooperative problem solving: Integrating play and problem solving
Authors: Ramani Geetha B , Brownell Celia A
Published: October 2013

Cooperative problem solving with peers plays a central role in promoting children’s cognitive and social development. This article reviews research on cooperative problem solving among preschool-age children in experimental settings and social play contexts. Studies suggest that cooperative interactions with peers in experimental settings are not as consistently beneficial to young children’s cognitive growth as they are for school-age children. In contrast, both theory and empirical research suggest that social play like that seen in early childhood classrooms is a context in which young children gain critical knowledge from peer cooperation. However, these contexts differ in how much they allow children to create and sustain their own joint goals, which likely influences their learning from cooperative interactions in experimental settings. Features of cooperative social play that allow preschool children to create joint goals are considered, and suggestions for future research are proposed to integrate these features into experimental settings in order to provide a fuller understanding of the development of cooperative problem solving in young children and its benefits.
Toxicological profile of small airway epithelial cells exposed to gold nanoparticles
Authors: Ng Cheng-Teng , Li Jasmine Jia’En , Gurung Resham Lal , Hande Manoor Prakash , Ong Choon-Nam , Bay Boon-Huat , Yung Lin-Yue Lanry
Published: October 2013

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have diverse applications in the biomedical industry such as in diagnosis, labeling, delivering and sensing. Despite their prevalent medical use, nanotoxicity induced by AuNPs is still largely unknown. We have previously shown that AuNPs could exert cytotoxic effects on lung fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated the in vitro toxicological effects of AuNPs in small airway epithelial cells (SAECs) which are the first cells of contact for inhaled NPs and compared expression of metallothionein (MT), a reactive oxygen species scavenger, in SAECs and lung fibroblasts in vitro. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy study revealed cellular uptake of aggregates of AuNPs into the cytoplasm at the ultrastructural level. A significant increase in lipid peroxide as well as substantial DNA damage and cytotoxicity was observed in AuNP-treated cells. For MT expression, AuNPs induced down-regulation of the MT-1X isoform in SAECs, but up-regulation of the MT-1X and MT-2 A isoforms in MRC5 lung fibroblasts. The present study suggests that AuNPs could induce oxidative stress-related cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in SAECs.
The effects of caloric restriction against ethanol-induced oxidative and nitrosative cardiotoxicity and plasma lipids in rats
Authors: Vučević Danijela , Mladenović Dušan , Ninković Milica , Aleksić Vuk , Stanković Milena N , Stanković Marija , Jorgačević Bojan , Vukićević Rada Ješić , Radosavljević Tatjana
Published: October 2013

Caloric restriction (CR) prevents or delays a wide range of aging-related diseases possibly through alleviation of oxidative stress. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of CR on oxidative and nitrosative cardiac damage in rats, induced by acute ethanol intoxication. Male Wistar rats were divided into following groups: control; calorie-restricted groups with intake of 60–70% (CR60–70) and 40–50% of daily energy needs (CR40–50); ethanol-treated group (E); calorie-restricted, ethanol-treated groups (CR60–70 + E, CR40–50 + E). Ethanol was administered in five doses of 2 g/kg every 12 h, while the duration of CR was five weeks before ethanol treatment. Malondialdehyde level was significantly lower in CR60–70 + E and significantly higher in CR40–50 + E vs. control. Nitrite and nitrate level was significantly higher in CR40–50 + E compared to control group. Activity of total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and its isoenzyme, copper/zinc-SOD (Cu/ZnSOD), was significantly higher in CR60–70 + E and lower in CR40–50 + E vs. control. Activity of manganese-SOD (MnSOD), that is also SOD isoenzyme, was significantly lower in  CR40–50 + E compared to control group. Plasma content of sulfhydryl (SH) groups was significantly higher in CR60–70 group vs. control. Plasma concentration of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins was significantly lower in CR60–70 group compared to control values. Food restriction to 60–70% of daily energy needs has a protective effect on acute ethanol-induced oxidative and nitrosative cardiac damage, at least partly due to alleviation of ethanol-induced decrease in SOD activity, while restriction to 40–50% of energy needs aggravates lipid peroxidation and nitrosative stress.
From commissar to auctioneer? The changing role of directors in managing children’s services in a period of austerity
Authors: Hulme Rob , McKay Jane , Cracknell David
Published: October 2013

This article explores the impact of changing policy priorities on the role of director of children’s services, before and after the economic crisis of 2008 and the election of the coalition government. The role of director of children’s services from 2003 to 2010 was driven by the New Labour imperative to deliver regionally based integrated services, as called for in Every Child Matters (Department for Education and Skills, 2003). Changing political and economic priorities since the election of 2010 have recast the notion of ‘integrated services’. The Conservative-led coalition has instead emphasised the importance of localised decision-making at institutional level in education and social services. This article reflects on the perceptions of directors, drawing on empirical data gathered from two sets of interviews conducted with directors of children’s services in North-West England between 2007 and 2012. Concerns are expressed about this changing political and economic landscape which has left the role of director of children’s services open to question. Recent reforms in education and health have devolved responsibility for coordinating public services to institutions, potentially marginalising broader agendas about welfare, rights, and so on for children and young people.
The problematic implementation of teacher evaluation policy
Authors: Tuytens Melissa , Devos Geert
Published: October 2013

Teacher evaluation policy is implemented in many countries to improve the teaching quality in schools. This paper explores the implementation of teacher evaluation policy in secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). The case study method is used to explore the implementation process in six schools, which are selected based upon teachers’ perception of practicality of new teacher evaluation policy. We contrast three schools in which teachers perceive this policy positively with three schools in which teachers perceive this policy negatively. Due to the generic policy, responsibility for the implementation is shifted to the school. Our study focuses on school leadership actions and on teacher evaluation development characteristics during the implementation process. The results identify a difference in leadership actions and teacher evaluation development characteristics in positive perceiving schools compared to negative perceiving schools. In positive perceiving schools, school leaders formulate high expectations towards teachers, emphasize the importance of appreciation and trust and provide clear communication to teachers about teacher evaluation. Also, two teacher evaluation development characteristics, namely the meso-level support and the goals of teacher evaluation differ in the two subsets of schools. This leaves us wondering whether governments should take greater responsibility in supporting schools and local networks in order to implement policy successfully.
Can Political Authority be Founded on a Ruse? Derrida and Lefort on Machiavelli’s Use of Political Deception
Authors: Birmingham Peg
Published: October 2013

The institution of Hobbes’ Leviathan is marked by the transformation of cunning, equally shared by all in the state of nature, into a rational, sovereign politics. The question I take up here by way of Machiavelli and two of his contemporary readers, Derrida and Lefort, what if cunning was politicized rather than replaced by sovereign reason? In other words, what if cunning, a complex political deception, was not abandoned or given over to the sovereign? I argue that Lefort’s reading of Machiavelli, embracing as it does the central role of a shared cunning or ruse between the people and the prince, offers valuable resources for thinking the foundation of political authority for a secular democratic politics, while in contrast, Derrida’s critique of Machiavelli’s cunning illuminates why he is not able to escape a sovereign, theological foundation for political authority and the law.
Reflections on Seriously Ill and Dying Children and Adolescents
Authors: Fosarelli Pat
Published: October 2013

Public discourse on end-of-life issues involving children and adolescents is often non-existent because of the perception that dying in childhood and adolescence is a rare event, except, perhaps, for premature infants. Yet, every day, families face the death of their children and adolescents, from both chronic and acute conditions. Increased awareness of the developmental and ethical issues facing young patients and their families would assist those caring for them medically and pastorally.
The scale and evolutionary significance of horizontal gene transfer in the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis
Authors: Yue Jipei , Sun Guiling , Hu Xiangyang , Huang Jinling
Published: October 2013

Background

It is generally agreed that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common in phagotrophic protists. However, the overall scale of HGT and the cumulative impact of acquired genes on the evolution of these organisms remain largely unknown.

Results

Choanoflagellates are phagotrophs and the closest living relatives of animals. In this study, we performed phylogenomic analyses to investigate the scale of HGT and the evolutionary importance of horizontally acquired genes in the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis. Our analyses identified 405 genes that are likely derived from algae and prokaryotes, accounting for approximately 4.4% of the Monosiga nuclear genome. Many of the horizontally acquired genes identified in Monosiga were probably acquired from food sources, rather than by endosymbiotic gene transfer (EGT) from obsolete endosymbionts or plastids. Of 193 genes identified in our analyses with functional information, 84 (43.5%) are involved in carbohydrate or amino acid metabolism, and 45 (23.3%) are transporters and/or involved in response to oxidative, osmotic, antibiotic, or heavy metal stresses. Some identified genes may also participate in biosynthesis of important metabolites such as vitamins C and K12, porphyrins and phospholipids.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that HGT is frequent in Monosiga brevicollis and might have contributed substantially to its adaptation and evolution. This finding also highlights the importance of HGT in the genome and organismal evolution of phagotrophic eukaryotes.
Upregulation of Wnt5a promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Bo Haiji , Zhang Shuhui , Gao Li , Chen Ying , Zhang Jing , Chang Xuejiao , Zhu Minghua
Published: October 2013

Background

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the expression pattern, clinical significance, and biological functions of Wnt5a in pancreatic cancer.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine Wnt5a expression in 134 surgically resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal pancreatic tissues. Associations of Wnt5a expression with clinicopathological factors and cancer-specific survival were analyzed. The effects of Wnt5a overexpression or silencing on the invasiveness and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of pancreatic cancer cells were studied. Silencing of β-catenin by small interfering RNA was done to determine its role in the Wnt5a-mediated tumor phenotype.

Results

The percentage of Wnt5a positive expression showed a bell-shaped pattern in pancreatic cancer tissues, peaking in well-differentiated carcinomas. The median cancer-specific survival was comparable between patients with positive versus negative expression of Wnt5a. Overexpression of Wnt5a promoted the migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas Wnt5a depletion had an inhibitory effect. In an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model, Wnt5a overexpression resulted in increased invasiveness and metastasis, coupled with induction of EMT in tumor cells. Treatment with recombinant Wnt5a elevated the nuclear β-catenin level in pancreatic cancer cells, without altering the Ror2 expression. Targeted reduction of β-catenin antagonized exogenous Wnt5a-induced EMT and invasiveness in pancreatic cancer cells.

Conclusion

Upregulation of Wnt5a promotes EMT and metastasis in pancreatic cancer models, which involves activation of β-catenin-dependent canonical Wnt signaling. These findings warrant further investigation of the clinical relevance of Wnt5 upregulation in pancreatic cancer.
Identifying accelerometer nonwear and wear time in older adults
Authors: Hutto Brent , Howard Virginia J , Blair Steven N , Colabianchi Natalie , Vena John E , Rhodes David , Hooker Steven P
Published: October 2013

Background

Five accelerometer-derived methods of identifying nonwear and wear time were compared with a self-report criterion in adults ≥ 56 years of age.

Methods

Two hundred participants who reported wearing an Actical™ activity monitor for four to seven consecutive days and provided complete daily log sheet data (i.e., the criterion) were included. Four variables were obtained from log sheets: 1) dates the device was worn; 2) time(s) the participant put the device on each day; 3) time(s) the participant removed the device each day; and 4) duration of self-reported nonwear each day. Estimates of wear and nonwear time using 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes of consecutive zeroes were compared to estimates derived from log sheets.

Results

Compared with the log sheet, mean daily wear time varied from -84, -43, -24, -14 and -8 min/day for the 60-min, 90-min, 120-min, 150-min and 180-min algorithms, respectively. Daily log sheets indicated 8.5 nonwear bouts per week with 120-min, 150-min and 180-min algorithms estimating 8.2-8.9 nonwear bouts per week. The 60-min and 90-min methods substantially overestimated number of nonwear bouts per week and underestimated time spent in sedentary behavior. Sensitivity (number of compliant days correctly identified as compliant) improved with increasing minutes of consecutive zero counts and stabilized at the 120-min algorithm. The proportion of wear time being sedentary and absolute and proportion of time spent in physical activity of varying intensities were nearly identical for each method.

Conclusions

Utilization of at least 120 minutes of consecutive zero counts will provide dependable population-based estimates of wear and nonwear time, and time spent being sedentary and active in older adults wearing the Actical™ activity monitor.