bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LNMICC Promotes Nodal Metastasis of Cervical Cancer by Reprogramming Fatty Acid Metabolism
Authors: Shang Chunliang , Wang Wei , Liao Yuandong , Chen Yili , Liu Tianyu , Du Qiqiao , Huang Jiaming , Liang Yanchun , Liu Junxiu , Zhao Yunhe , Guo Luyan , Hu Zheng , Yao Shuzhong
Published: December 2017

Cancer spread to lymph nodes predicts poor survival but underlying mechanisms remain little understood. In this study, we show that overexpression of the long noncoding RNA LNMICC associates with lymph node metastasis of primary cervical cancer, where it serves as an independent high-risk factor in patient survival. Functional investigations demonstrated that LNMICC promoted lymph node metastasis by reprogramming fatty acid metabolism, by recruiting the nuclear factor NPM1 to the promoter of the fatty acid binding protein FABP5. We also found that the prometastatic effects of LNMICC were directly targeted and suppressed by miR-190. Our results establish a new mechanism of lymph node metastasis and highlight LNMICC as a candidate prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in cervical cancer.

Significance: These results establish the role of a novel long noncoding RNA in lymph node metastasis, with implications as a candidate prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in cervical cancer. Cancer Res; 78(4); 877–90. ©2017 AACR.
Osterix Decreases the Chemosensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells by Upregulating GALNT14
Authors: Wu Jiahui , Chen Xiang , Bao Qianyi , Duan Rui , Jin Yucui , Shui Yifang , Yao Bing , Lu Xiangdong , Wang Yue , Cui Hongyan , Li Lingyun , Yuan Hongyan , Ma Changyan
Published: December 2017

Background/Aims: Osterix (Osx), a key regulator of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, has been recently reported to be associated with the progression of breast cancer. However, the precise roles of Osx in breast cancer remain unclear. Methods: Drug sensitivity of the cancer cells was assessed using an 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Target genes were obtained by high-throughput Illumina sequencing and were confirmed in vitro and in vivo. Apoptosis was analysed by Hoechst staining and western blotting. A tissue microarray including 129 samples from breast cancer patients was used for immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. Results: Overexpression of Osx decreased the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells, while knockdown of Osx increased the chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells. In particular, we found that the decreased chemosensitivity effect was significantly associated with elevated expression of the polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 14 (GALNT14). Silencing of GALNT14 in Osx-overexpressed cells restored the decreased chemosensitivity. Conversely, overexpression of GALNT14 in Osx-knockdown cells abrogated the increased chemosensitivity in breast cancer cells. In addition, we revealed that Osx decreased GALNT14-dependent chemosensitivity by enhancing anti-apoptosis. GALNT14 expression exhibited a significant association with breast cancer stages as well as the disease-free survival (DFS) rate. Conclusion: Osx plays an important role in the chemosensitivity and inhibition of Osx expression may represent a therapeutic strategy to enhance the chemosensitivity of breast cancer.
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width is an Independent Predictor of AKI and Mortality in Patients in the Coronary Care Unit
Authors: Hu Yugang , Liu Huilan , Fu Shuai , Wan Jing , Li Xiaoning
Published: December 2017

Background/Aims: We investigated the hypothesis that RDW is an independent predictor of acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality in patients in the coronary care unit (CCU). Methods: In this prospective, observational study, we screened 412 adults admitted to the CCU at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1, 2014 to June 1, 2015. AKI was defined based on the KDIGO-AKI criteria. The survivors were followed up for up to 2 years after hospital discharge. The primary endpoint of the study was the incidence of AKI, while the secondary endpoints of the study were in-hospital mortality and 2-year mortality. Results: RDW was significantly correlated with the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHEII) score, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, inflammatory marker levels, nutrition and renal function at the time of CCU admission. The incidence of AKI was much higher in the high RDW group (RDW ≥14.0%) than in the low RDW group, a finding that was confirmed by multivariable logistic regression, which showed that RDW was independently associated with the incidence of AKI (odds ratio (OR), 1.059, 95% coincidence interval (95% CI), 1.024-1.095, P=0.001). A total of 61 patients died during their hospital stay, and baseline RDW was also an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio (HR), 1.129, 95% CI 1.005-1.268, P=0.041). Patients with a high RDW exhibited significantly higher 2-year mortality than patients with a low RDW during a median follow-up period of 19.8 months (P<0.001), and RDW independently predicted the risk of 2-year mortality (HR, 1.189, 95% CI 1.045 to 1.354, P=0.009) in the multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis after adjustments for other clinical and laboratory variables. Conclusion: RDW is an independent predictor of AKI and mortality in patients in the CCU.
Bourdieu e a sociologia do esporte: contribuições, abrangência e desdobramentos teóricos
Authors: Souza Juliano De , Marchi Júnior Wanderley
Published: December 2017

Neste texto, está em pauta aquele que entendemos ser o principal legado teórico de Bourdieu para o estudo sociológico do esporte, qual seja, a sistematização de um modus operandi que permite compreender a estruturação dessa prática como um campo regido por leis de oferta e demanda e, na esteira dessa linha investigativa, demonstrar como o esporte é apropriado a partir de uma economia simbólica peculiar que atualiza as divisões do mundo social e, muitas vezes, reforça mecanismos de dominação. Para dar conta dessa análise, o texto foi dividido em três eixos de discussão. Na primeira parte, pretendemos recuperar a estrutura teórica que animou o empreendimento sociológico de Bourdieu. Já no segundo bloco analítico, procuramos restituir o modo com que o esporte foi concebido por Bourdieu como um problema sociológico. Por fim, recuperamos algumas críticas direcionadas na literatura sociológica ao referencial de Bourdieu e sugerimos que uma “apropriação inventiva” de seu modelo teórico pode ser útil no intuito de interpretar alguns processos esportivos levados a efeito na sociedade moderna.
Stem Cell Therapy for Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Tsilimigras Diamantis I. , Oikonomou Evangelos K. , Moris Demetrios , Schizas Dimitrios , Economopoulos Konstantinos P. , Mylonas Konstantinos S.
Published: December 2017

Background:

Congenital heart disease (CHD) constitutes the most prevalent and heterogeneous group of congenital anomalies. Although surgery remains the gold standard treatment modality, stem cell therapy has been gaining ground as a complimentary or alternative treatment option in certain types of CHD. The aim of this study was to present the existing published evidence and ongoing research efforts on the implementation of stem cell-based therapeutic strategies in CHD.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted by searching Medline, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the Cochrane library, along with reference lists of the included studies through April 23, 2017.

Results:

Nineteen studies were included in this review (8 preclinical, 6 clinical, and 5 ongoing trials). Various routes of cardiac stem cell delivery have been reported, including intracoronary, intramyocardial, intravenous, and epicardial. Depending on their origin and level of differentiation at which they are harvested, stem cells may exhibit different properties. Preclinical studies have mostly focused on modeling right ventricle dysfunction or failure and pulmonary artery hypertension by using pressure or volume overload in vitro or in vivo. Only a limited number of clinical trials on patients with CHD exist, and these primarily focus on hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Cell-based tissue engineering has recently been introduced, and research currently is focusing on developing cell-seeded grafts and patches that could potentially grow in parallel with whole body growth once implanted in the heart.

Conclusions:

It seems that stem cell delivery to the diseased heart as an adjunct to surgical palliation may provide some benefits over surgery alone in terms of cardiac function, somatic growth, and quality of life. Despite encouraging preliminary results, stem cell therapies for patients with CHD should only be considered in the setting of well-designed clinical trials. More wet laboratory research experience is needed, and translation of promising findings to large clinical studies is warranted to clearly define the efficacy and safety profile of this alternative and potentially groundbreaking therapeutic approach.
Inhibition of NADPH Oxidase–Dependent Oxidative Stress in the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla Mediates the Antihypertensive Effects of Acupuncture in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Wang Xue-Rui , Yang Jing-Wen , Ji Cai-Shuo , Zeng Xiang-Hong , Shi Guang-Xia , Fisher Marc , Liu Cun-Zhi
Published: December 2017

Oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), where the sympathetic nervous control center is located, contributes to neural mechanisms of hypertension. Acupuncture was previously reported to favorably affect high blood pressure. However, little is known about the effect of acupuncture on oxidative stress–modulated mechanisms in hypertension. This study was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that acupuncture exerts an antihypertensive effect via ameliorating oxidative stress and the redox-sensitive pathway in the RVLM of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Two weeks of acupuncture reduced blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Oxidative stress in the RVLM was alleviated by acupuncture, accompanied by a decrease in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity and expression of its subunits. Acupuncture significantly altered the mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway as assessed by pathway enrichment analysis in a gene chip assay. The phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2, but not Jun N-terminal kinase, was downregulated by acupuncture. Microinjection bilaterally of the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase inhibitor apocynin, or diphenyleneiodonium chloride into the RVLM mimicked the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture. In contrast, the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase agonist tetrabromocinnamic acid abolished the beneficial effects of acupuncture. Furthermore, injection of capsaicin or surgical sectioning of the sciatic nerve abolished the antihypertensive effect of acupuncture. We conclude that acupuncture decreases high blood pressure and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase in the RVLM of spontaneously hypertensive rats. The mitogen-activated protein kinases and the sciatic nerve are involved in the mechanism of acupuncture’s amelioration of hypertension.
Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review to Assess the Role of Soluble FMS-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1 and Placenta Growth Factor Ratio in Prediction of Preeclampsia
Authors: Agrawal Swati , Cerdeira Ana Sofia , Redman Christopher , Vatish Manu
Published: December 2017

Preeclampsia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous candidate biomarkers have been proposed for diagnosis and prediction of preeclampsia. Measurement of maternal circulating angiogenesis biomarker as the ratio of sFlt-1 (soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1; an antiangiogenic factor)/PlGF (placental growth factor; an angiogenic factor) reflects the antiangiogenic balance that characterizes incipient or overt preeclampsia. The ratio increases before the onset of the disease and thus may help in predicting preeclampsia. We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the predictive accuracy of sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in preeclampsia. We included 15 studies with 534 cases with preeclampsia and 19 587 controls. The ratio has a pooled sensitivity of 80% (95% confidence interval, 0.68–0.88), specificity of 92% (95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.96), positive likelihood ratio of 10.5 (95% confidence interval, 6.2–18.0), and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.13–0.35) in predicting preeclampsia in both high- and low-risk patients. Most of the studies have not made a distinction between early- and late-onset disease, and therefore, the analysis for it could not be done. It can prove to be a valuable screening tool for preeclampsia and may also help in decision-making, treatment stratification, and better resource allocation.
Three Reportedly Unrelated Families With Liddle Syndrome Inherited From a Common Ancestor
Authors: Pagani Luca , Diekmann Yoan , Sazzini Marco , De Fanti Sara , Rondinelli Maurizio , Farnetti Enrico , Casali Bruno , Caretto Amelia , Novara Francesca , Zuffardi Orsetta , Garagnani Paolo , Mantero Franco , Thomas Mark G. , Luiselli Donata , Rossi Ermanno
Published: December 2017

Liddle syndrome is considered a rare Mendelian hypertension. We have previously described 3 reportedly unrelated families, native of an Italian area around the Strait of Messina, carrying the same mutation (βP617L) of the epithelial sodium channel. The aims of our study were (1) to evaluate whether a close genomic relationship exists between the 3 families through the analysis of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome; and (2) to quantify the genomic relatedness between the patients with Liddle syndrome belonging to the 3 families and assess the hypothesis of a mutation shared through identity by descent. HVRI (the hypervariable region I) of the mitochondrial DNA genome and the Y chromosome short tandem repeats profiles were analyzed in individuals of the 3 families. Genotyping 542 585 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms was performed in all the patients with Liddle syndrome of the 3 families and some of their relatives. A panel of 780 healthy Italian adult samples typed for the same set of markers was used as controls. espite different lineages between the 3 families based on the analysis of mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome, the 3 probands and their 6 affected relatives share the same ≈5 Mbp long haplotype which encompasses the mutant allele. Using an approach based on coalescent theory, we estimate that the 3 families inherited the mutant allele from a common ancestor ≈13 generations ago and that such an ancestor may have left ≈20 carriers alive today. The prevalence of Liddle syndrome in the region of origin of the 3 families may be much higher than that estimated worldwide.
Prognostic Significance of Blood Pressure Variability on Beat-to-Beat Monitoring After Transient Ischemic Attack and Stroke
Authors: Webb Alastair J.S. , Mazzucco Sara , Li Linxin , Rothwell Peter M.
Published: December 2017

Background and Purpose—

Visit-to-visit and day-to-day blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) predict an increased risk of cardiovascular events but only reflect 1 form of BPV. Beat-to-beat BPV can be rapidly assessed and might also be predictive.

Methods—

In consecutive patients within 6 weeks of transient ischemic attack or nondisabling stroke (Oxford Vascular Study), BPV (coefficient of variation) was measured beat-to-beat for 5 minutes (Finometer), day-to-day for 1 week on home monitoring (3 readings, 3× daily), and on awake ambulatory BP monitoring. BPV after 1-month standard treatment was related (Cox proportional hazards) to recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events for 2 to 5 years, adjusted for mean systolic BP.

Results—

Among 520 patients, 26 had inadequate beat-to-beat recordings, and 22 patients were in atrial fibrillation. Four hundred five patients had all forms of monitoring. Beat-to-beat BPV predicted recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events independently of mean systolic BP (hazard ratio per group SD, stroke: 1.47 [1.12–1.91];
P
=0.005; cardiovascular events: 1.41 [1.08–1.83];
P
=0.01), including after adjustment for age and sex (stroke: 1.47 [1.12–1.92];
P
=0.005) and all risk factors (1.40 [1.00–1.94];
P
=0.047). Day-to-day BPV was less strongly associated with stroke (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.29 [0.97–1.71];
P
=0.08) but similarly with cardiovascular events (1.41 [1.09–1.83];
P
=0.009). BPV on awake ambulatory BP monitoring was nonpredictive (stroke: 0.89 [0.59–1.35];
P
=0.59; cardiovascular events: 1.08 [0.77–1.52];
P
=0.65). Despite a weak correlation (
r
=0.119;
P
=0.02), beat-to-beat BPV was associated with risk of recurrent stroke independently of day-to-day BPV (1.41 [1.05–1.90];
P
=0.02).

Conclusions—

Beat-to-beat BPV predicted recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events, independently of mean systolic BP and risk factors but short-term BPV on ambulatory BP monitoring did not. Beat-to-beat BPV may be a useful additional marker of cardiovascular risk.
Ecological Theology as Public Theology: A Chinese Perspective
Authors: Lai Pan-chiu
Published: December 2017

The ecological discourses in China include the government’s political propaganda and the voices based on the traditional Chinese culture, especially Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism. Furthermore, there are also public discourses on ecological issues from the environmental scientists and/or activists, who may adhere to neither the political party line nor any traditional Chinese religious/philosophical perspectives. As such, when Chinese Christians attempt to address ecological issues, they have to respond to these divergent voices in the public sphere. This article reviews the Chinese Christian ecological discourses from the perspective of a public theology. It will examine whether, and how, they respond to the non-Christian voices, and analyze how they exhibit different approaches to public theology. It will further explore whether, and how, Chinese Christian ecological discourses could benefit from Christian discourses in other contexts, and may in return contribute to the global development of an ecological theology as a public discourse.
How Conditional Amnesties Can Assist Transitional Societies in Delivering on the Right to the Truth
Authors: Sarkin Jeremy Julian
Published: December 2017

This article explores how conditional amnesties can assist post-conflict societies to recover truth. It examines how such amnesties can be used optimally to achieve the best results as part of transitional justice mechanisms. Thus, a central question is to see how amnesties can be used for truth recovery purposes. For that reason, the status and role of amnesties, and whether such amnesties can be used to learn more about the past and assist in truth recovery is explored. The article explores what amnesties are, how prevalent they are and how amnesties can be used optimally to achieve the best results. An issue that is also explored is whether amnesties are needed for perpetrators to participate in transitional justice mechanisms. The argument that is made, in this regard, is that amnesty is absolutely necessary to persuade perpetrators to testify. If they do not have such legal protection, perpetrators fear the legal consequences that may result if they admit to crimes for which they have not been charged. Another question that is examined concerns whether amnesties, and specifically conditional amnesties, pass international law muster. This article therefore investigates the continual and extensive use of amnesty to determine whether a conditional amnesty violates international law. The article suggests how a conditional amnesty process could be structured and what difficulties such a process should avoid if perpetrators are to enter such a process.
A Wahhabi Ethic in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alrebh Abdullah F.
Published: December 2017

This paper incorporates Weberian insights about religion, power, and bureaucratic authority to discuss a Wahhabi ethic in Saudi Arabia. The discussion considers similarities and differences between Saudi Wahhabism and this-worldly Protestantism, focusing on how religious idea systems contributed to the transformation of social, political, and economic institutions in their respective societies. A parallel is drawn between Calvinist Protestantism in the West and Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. Just as Calvinist Protestantism encouraged its adherents to structure their lives in accord with their religious beliefs, Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia aimed to bring society back to God and God back to society through the enforcement of Divine law (Sharia). The paper presents a discussion of the rise of the Saud family and the propagation of religious teachings, which served to legitimate the power and authority of the Saud monarchy.
Salafism in Malaysia: Historical Account on Its Emergence and Motivations
Authors: Malik Maszlee
Published: December 2017

The term Salafism refers to an interpretation of Islam that seeks to restore Islamic faith and practice to the way they existed at the time of Prophet Muhammad and the early generations of his followers. Since this early period represented the golden age of Islam in its pure form, Salafis believe it should be the example followed by all Muslims today. Salafism as a trend and theological movement has been a point of interest to many researchers due to the current global political escalation. It has been a focal point of issues related to global terrorism, radicalism, post-Arab Spring politics, religious trends as well as theological debates. Salafism, more often known as Wahabism, has come to Malaysia at different times and with different motivations. The early brand of Salafism in pre-Malaysia Tanah Melayu, or Malaya, was the emergence of the early 20th century reformist Salafi movement, known as Kaum Muda, inspired by the Middle Eastern Abduh-Afghani Pan Islamism. Despite the differences between that and the current global Salafism they share the same roots. Additionally, according to numerous historical accounts, the current Salafi trend in Malaysia is closely related to the global Islamic revivalism of the 1970s and 1980s, and was also affected by the return of Malaysian students studying abroad during the 1990s and early 2000s. Evidence has shown that the emergence of Salafism in Malaysia has contributed directly and indirectly to the mainstream discourse of Islamic theology and Islamic worldview amongst Malaysian Muslims in general, and Islamic organizations in particular. This paper employs a historical approach in explaining the emergence of Salafism in Malaysia and offers a critical examination of certain historical events that led to the existence of the different trends and groupings of Salafism in Malaysia and its implications for Islamic discourse in the country.
Revised treatment of Mozambican Memecylon (Melastomataceae—Olisbeoideae), with descriptions of four new species in M. section Buxifolia
Authors: STONE ROBERT DOUGLAS , MONA IMERCIA GRACIOUS , RAMDHANI SYD
Published: December 2017

Memecylon sect. Buxifolia R.D. Stone (Melastomataceae, Olisbeoideae) is a group of forest shrubs and small understory trees distributed from tropical East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) to eastern South Africa and with a disjunct occurrence in Madagascar. Previous authors had recognized three species of this section as occurring in Mozambique, i.e., M. natalense Markgr., M. torrei A. Fern. & R. Fern. and M. insulare A. Fern. & R. Fern. Here we describe four new species of M. sect. Buxifolia from Mozambique and adjacent parts of Malawi and Tanzania: Memecylon incisilobum R.D. Stone & I.G. Mona, M. nubigenum R.D. Stone & I.G. Mona, M. rovumense R.D. Stone & I.G. Mona and M. aenigmaticum R.D. Stone. In accordance with previous molecular results, M. incisilobum and M. nubigenum are semi-cryptic species that had been confused with M. natalense (considered here to be a South African endemic). Memecylon rovumense and M. aenigmaticum had also been confused with M. natalense, but their conspicuously verrucose-wrinkled fruits indicate a closer affinity with M. torrei. We assess the conservation status of each new species according to the IUCN Categories and Criteria, and provide an identification key to the seven species of Memecylon currently recognized in the flora of Mozambique.
The rediscovery of Silene guicciardii (Caryophyllaceae) on Mt. Parnassos (Greece) after 160 years: taxonomic re-evaluation and conservation
Authors: TRIGAS PANAYIOTIS , KOKKORIS IOANNIS , KOUGIOUMOUTZIS KONSTANTINOS
Published: December 2017

Silene guicciardii (Caryophyllaceae) was rediscovered after field surveys carried out on Mt. Parnassos (Sterea Ellas, Greece), 160 years after the type collection made by J.B. Samaritani and J. Guicciardi in 1857. Since its first collection, it has been considered either as a distinct species, a variety or a mere synonym of the SW-Asiatic S. marschallii. We provide a revised description of the species and we re-evaluate its taxonomic position and that of the related species. We propose to treat the taxon guicciardii at the subspecific rank of S. marschallii. A color plate of S. marshallii subsp. guicciardii and a distribution map for all subspecies of S. marschallii are also provided. The name Silene guicciardii was lectotypified on a specimen preserved at G-BOIS, while isolectotypes are at G-BOIS, B, BR, C, GOET, JE, K and WU.
Limonium ilergabonum (Plumbaginaceae), a new species from northeastern Iberian Peninsula
Authors: LÓPEZ-ALVARADO JAVIER , COBACHO IRIS , ARÁN VICENTE J. , ROSATO MARCELA , ROSSELLÓ JOSEP A. , SÁEZ LLORENÇ
Published: December 2017

A new species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae), L. ilergabonum sp. nov., is described from the inland gypsum soils of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula (Flix, Tarragona province, Spain). The new species is closely related to the Iberian L. hibericum on morphological traits as assessed by multivariate ordination analysis (PCA), but it can be distinguished by the narrower leaves, inflorescence shape, and longer calyx. Limonium ilergabonum shows mixoploidy (2n = 18, 2n = 27), irregular pollen shapes, low levels of pollen stainability, and a single pollen-stigma combination morph (B type). All evidences suggest that L. ilergabonum is a polyploid relict species with an apomictic breeding system that has been originated from 2n = 18 ancestors, but to date any known extant diploid species may be suggested as a likely parental species.
New additions of Spigelia (Loganiaceae) in Mexico
Authors: ISLAS-HERNÁNDEZ C. SOFIA , GARCÍA RUBÍ BUSTAMANTE , ALVARADO-CÁRDENAS LEONARDO O.
Published: December 2017

Two new species of Spigelia (Loganiaceae) from the states of Guerrero and Estado de Mexico are described here. This species represents a case of convergence with a species native to South America, Spigelia nicotianiiflora. With this addition, Mexico reaches a total of 22 species of the genus, of which more than 50% are endemic or microendemic. This places the country as the second highest area of diversity after Brazil. A map of the distribution in Mexico and a dichotomous key for Spigelia species with white corollas are included.
Partitioning Ice Water Content from Retrievals and Its Application in Model Comparison
Authors: Deng Min , Mace Gerald G. , Wang Zhien , Li J.-L. F. , Luo Yali
Published: December 2017

Retrieved bulk microphysics from remote sensing observations is a composite of ice, snow, and graupel in the three-species ice-phase bulk microphysics parameterization. In this study, density thresholds are used to partition the retrieved ice particle size distribution (PSD) into small, median, and large particle size modes from millimeter cloud radar (MMCR) observations in the tropics and global CloudSat and CALIPSO ice cloud property product (2C-ICE) observations. It shows that the small mode can contribute to more than 60% of the total ice water content (IWC) above 12 km (colder than 220 K). Below that, dominant small mode transitions to dominant median mode. The large mode contributes to less than 10%–20% at all height levels. The PSD assumption in retrieval may cause about 10% error in the IWC partition ratio. The lidar-only region in 2C-ICE is dominated by the small mode, while the median mode dominates the radar-only region.

For the three-species ice-phase bulk microphysics parameterizations, the cloud ice mass mainly consists of the small mode. But snow and graupel in the models are not equivalent to the median and large modes in the observations, respectively. Therefore, they need to be repartitioned with rebuilt PSDs from the model assumptions using the same partition technique as the observations. The repartitioned IWCs in each mode from different ice species need to be added together and then compared with the corresponding mode from observations.
Predicting Intelligibility Deficit in Dysphonic Speech with Cepstral Peak Prominence
Authors: Ishikawa Keiko , de Alarcon Alessandro , Khosla Sid , Kelchner Lisa , Silbert Noah , Boyce Suzanne
Published: December 2017

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to examine the potential of cepstral peak prominence (CPP) for predicting the intelligibility deficit in dysphonic speech.

Methods:

Sentences from Hearing-in-Noise Test were recorded from 18 speakers with dysphonia and 18 speakers with normal voice. These samples were presented to 60 adults with normal hearing in quiet and noise at signal to noise ratio of +0 dB. Intelligibility was measured by orthographic transcription. Cepstral peak prominence was measured for all samples. Correlation between CPP and intelligibility score was examined.

Results:

Intelligibility was significantly lower in dysphonic speech than normal speech in the presence of background noise. The correlation between CPP and intelligibility score was moderate when the intelligibility scores were averaged per speaker.

Conclusions:

Cepstral peak prominence only moderately predicts intelligibility deficit in dysphonic speech. Accordingly, CPP alone is not sufficient for describing the deficit.
Utilising virtual reality in alcohol studies: A systematic review
Authors: Durl James , Dietrich Timo , Pang Bo , Potter Leigh-Ellen , Carter Lewis
Published: December 2017

Background:

The resurgence of interest in virtual reality (VR) in recent years has been exciting for health educators and researchers, yet little is known about VR’s effectiveness. This systematic literature review aims to provide an overview of the prevalence of VR in alcohol studies and assess its effectiveness.

Methods:

Peer-reviewed articles were systematically searched from online databases including PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Emerald, Ovid, Taylor & Francis and EBSCO. The grey literature and conference papers were excluded. Studies that passed the inclusion criteria were qualitatively assessed.

Findings:

Of the 1,739 studies retrieved, 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three main applications of VR were found: (1) cue-exposure therapy, (2) driving simulators for examining relationships between alcohol and neurological activity and (3) training of healthcare professionals. Only one study focussed on adolescents, and only one study reported longitudinal outcomes.

Conclusion:

VR remains underutilised in alcohol studies. VR has shown positive results across the three applications focused on in this review. However, longitudinal evidence of effects and effectiveness remains limited and therefore limits the relevance of findings. More long-term empirical research is warranted.
Impact of a Clinical Decision Support Tool on Cancer Pain Management in Opioid-Tolerant Inpatients
Authors: Christ Trevor N. , Villadolid Jeryl J. , Choksi Anish , Malec Monica , Knoebel Randall W.
Published: December 2017

Background: Pain is both common and undertreated in the hematology/oncology population despite national guidelines and a focus from The Joint Commission. Objective: Herein, we describe the features of a pain clinical decision support tool (PCDST) embedded into the electronic medical record (EMR) and report its impact on oncology inpatients at risk for uncontrolled pain. Methods: The PCDST was developed to identify patients with potentially uncontrolled pain, defined as a pain score ≥4. Clinical pharmacists were encouraged to use the tool to determine whether interventions were needed to better control pain. Pain and safety outcomes between 2 cohorts of opioid-tolerant adult inpatients presenting with severe pain were compared prior to and following the implementation of the PCDST. Results: The primary endpoint, attainment of analgesia at 24 hours from admission, was met in 10 of 30 (33.3%) patients in the preimplementation group and in 14 of 32 (43.8%) of patients in the postimplementation group ( P = .78). Secondary endpoints including time to analgesia, mean pain score, frequency of pharmacy intervention, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline–adherent pain regimens were not found to be statistically significantly different between the 2 groups. The number of mean nursing pain assessments in the first 24 hours from admission was found to be significantly higher in the postimplementation group compared with the preimplementation group (12 vs 7.4, P < .001). Safety events were rare and not statistically different between groups. Conclusion: Overall, a modest, but statistically nonsignificant, improvement in pain outcomes was associated with patients admitted after the implementation of a pharmacist-managed electronic pain scoring tool.
A nation of feminist arms dealers? Canada and military exports
Authors: Vucetic Srdjan
Published: December 2017

The Canada-Saudi light armoured vehicles deal is likely to be remembered as the Trudeau government’s first scandal. Situating this deal in a historical-comparative context and using the best available quantitative arms trade data, this analysis advances two main claims. First, Canada’s Liberal governments are just as likely as Conservative governments to encourage exports of Canadian military goods, including goods going to human rights-abusing customers. Second, Canada’s overall arms exporting behaviour is similar to the behaviour of its “international do-gooder” peers, Sweden and the Netherlands. How Canadian governments will respond to the ever-increasing international demands for accountability in this area remains to be seen.
From Ottawa to Riga: Three tensions in Canadian defence policy
Authors: Lanoszka Alexander
Published: December 2017

In June 2016, Canada joined the United States, Great Britain, and Germany in becoming a Framework Nation that leads a multinational battalion-sized battlegroup in Latvia. Canada thus appears to be reprising the role it played during the Cold War as a leading participant in North Atlantic Treaty Organization deterrence and reassurance initiatives in Europe. Yet the three tensions that made Canada reduce its military commitments to allies over the course of the Cold War might resurface in the Baltic region. These three tensions relate to conventional specialization amid alliance nuclearization, low defence spending despite that specialization, and the potential decoupling of Canadian security interests from those of its European partners. Canada might find itself lacking the willingness and ability to sustain the tasks attending the Latvia deployment if the threat environment intensifies.
President Donald J. Trump: An agent of norm death?
Authors: Panke Diana , Petersohn Ulrich
Published: December 2017

Since his inauguration, US President Donald Trump has made news by violating international and domestic norms, such as norms of diplomatic communication or the non-discrimination norm. This paper uses theoretical approaches to norm eradication in order to examine whether President Trump has turned into an effective agent of norm death leading to the abolition of domestic and international standards of appropriateness. It discusses how the precision of the respective norms, the stability of their contexts, and the actions of norm proponents have played out. This reveals that President Trump’s actions have so far lacked effectiveness, and have not led to norm death. The longevity of challenged norms cannot be taken for granted, however—especially if the challenger is a powerful actor. In order to avoid norm death under this circumstance, it is essential that norm proponents possess capacities and competencies to act, and employ them to defend challenged norms.
NAFTA 2..0: Whither the cultural exemption?
Authors: Goff Patricia M.
Published: December 2017

The North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation has created uncertainty around a number of provisions, including the cultural exemption. I argue that Canadian government advocacy of a cultural exemption will take place in a new context due to the approaches they have favoured in recent trade agreement negotiations, and to economic shifts driven by digital technologies.
Governing “dependents”: The Canadian military family and gender, a policy analysis
Authors: Spanner Leigh
Published: December 2017

Pioneering feminist International Relations scholarship suggests that in order to function, militaries rely on spouses, most often wives, to undertake the majority of domestic labour, suspend their own careers, and relocate willingly for new postings. However, the contemporary military family’s relationship to war making may be different because family forms are changing: norms around domestic responsibilities and primary earners suggest greater gender equality, and women are contributing to war making as soldiers. Thus, this paper asks whether the military’s reliance on the traditional family, and conventional gender relations, is being reinforced or destabilized by policies and programs that speak to Canadian military families. A critical feminist policy analysis of select policy and program documents, which address unique and characteristics of military life (mobility and separation) is undertaken. While there is discursive acknowledgment of the changing composition of military families, traditional familial and gendered assumptions persist in subtle ways.
Discursive battlefields: Support(ing) the troops in Canada
Authors: Wegner Nicole
Published: December 2017

Winning hearts and minds in counterinsurgency missions is not only a strategy to be used on foreign populations, but also one that is necessary on the “home front.” This article is focused on the home battlefield; it is an analysis of the efforts by Canadian political elites to justify the use of military resources during the 2001–2011 interventions in Afghanistan. To fully understand Canadian public opinion of the Afghanistan war requires assessing domestic discursive “battlefields.” This article examines domestic debates as a key “battleground” in the war to win public consent for Afghanistan. I argue that the absence of active resistance to military involvement in the Afghan mission can best be explained by examining discourse about Support(ing) the Troops, the effect of which was to censure anti-war voices. In short, despite public discontent about the war, Support the Troops discourse was manoeuvred in a way that stigmatized anti-war narratives. This article considers how the rhetoric of Support the Troops movements in Canada played a role in normalizing militarization, and how this discourse was manoeuvred to legitimize military activities in Afghanistan.
The security and financial implications of blockchain technologies: Regulating emerging technologies in Canada
Authors: Ducas Evangeline , Wilner Alex
Published: December 2017

Driven by advances in data analytics, machine learning, and smart devices, financial technology is changing the way Canadians interact with the financial sector. The evolving landscape is further influenced by cryptocurrencies: non-fiat, decentralized digital payment systems, like Bitcoin, that operate outside the formal financial sector. While Bitcoin has garnered attention for facilitating criminal activity, including money laundering, terrorism financing, digital ransomware, weapons trafficking, and tax evasion, it is Bitcoin's underlying protocol, the blockchain, that represents an innovation capable of transforming financial services and challenging existing security, financial, and public safety regulations and policies. Canada's challenge is to find the right balance between oversight and innovation. Our paper examines these competing interests: we provide an overview of blockchain technologies, illustrate their potential in Canada and abroad, and examine the government's role in fostering innovation while concurrently bolstering regulations, maintaining public safety, and securing the integrity of financial systems.
Special men: The gendered militarization of the Canadian Armed Forces
Authors: Lane Andrea
Published: December 2017

The militarization of Canadian society since 9/11 has attracted considerable academic attention. What has largely escaped notice is the simultaneous process of remilitarization undergone by the Canadian Armed Forces, in which a more aggressive “warrior” posture has encouraged the development of male-only special forces units, further exacerbating the existing gendered combat/noncombat binary. This article explores this process, arguing that the state of exception created by the Global War on Terror has allowed the de facto exclusion of women from the Canadian Armed Forces’ most highly valued roles, even as the military continues to assert its gender neutrality and progressive, integrated force structure.
Queering Judgment
Authors: Sharpe Alex
Published: December 2017

This article is a response to a series of recent successful sexual offence prosecutions brought against transgender and other gender non-conforming people for gender identity fraud, and specifically to Leveson LJ’s judgment in the Court of Appeal decision of R v McNally. The decision is now the leading authority on sexual fraud generally, and gender identity fraud specifically, under English law. The response will take the form of an academic judgment, in this instance a dissenting or counter-judgment. The article will (i) present the facts of the case, (ii) provide some detail regarding the developing jurisprudence of the courts regarding sexual fraud, (iii) preface the counter-judgment with an explanation of why an exercise in academic judgement-writing is valuable, (iv) consider a queer approach to law, and detail some queer principles around which the counter-judgment will be organised and (v) present the counter-judgment, highlighting not only that McNally could have been decided differently, but that it ought to have been decided differently.
There Is No Empirical Evidence for Critical Positivity Ratios: Comment on Fredrickson (2013)
Authors: Nickerson Carol A.
Published: December 2017

Fredrickson and Losada ( American Psychologist, 2005, 60, 678-686) theorized that a ratio of positive affect to negative affect (positivity ratio) of 2.9013 acts as a critical minimum for well-being. Recently, Brown, Sokal, and Friedman ( American Psychologist, 2013, 68, 801-813) convincingly demonstrated that the mathematical work underlying this critical minimum positivity ratio was both flawed and misapplied. This comment addresses Fredrickson’s ( American Psychologist, 2013, 68, 814-822) insistence that, regardless of the incorrect mathematical work, substantial empirical evidence exists both for critical minimum and maximum positivity ratios and, more generally, for a (unspecified) nonlinear relation between the positivity ratio and well-being, by first noting that there was a mismatch between Fredrickson and Losada’s (2005) theory and the data used to test it, then describing the methodological and statistical problems of Fredrickson and Losada’s empirical study (2005), and, finally, examining the other studies that Fredrickson (2013) cited as empirical evidence.
Developmental Steps in Metaphorical Language Abilities: The Influence of Age, Gender, Cognitive Flexibility, Information Processing Speed, and Analogical Reasoning
Authors: Willinger Ulrike , Deckert Matthias , Schmöger Michaela , Schaunig-Busch Ines , Formann Anton K , Auff Eduard
Published: December 2017

Purpose:

Metaphor is a specific type of figurative language that is used in various important fields such as in the work with children in clinical or teaching contexts. The aim of the study was to investigate the developmental course, developmental steps, and possible cognitive predictors regarding metaphor processing in childhood and early adolescence.

Method:

One hundred sixty-four typically developing children (7-year-olds, 9-year-olds) and early adolescents (11-year-olds) were tested for metaphor identification, comprehension, comprehension quality, and preference by the Metaphoric Triads Task as well as for analogical reasoning, information processing speed, cognitive flexibility under time pressure, and cognitive flexibility without time pressure.

Results:

Metaphor identification and comprehension consecutively increased with age. Eleven-year-olds showed significantly higher metaphor comprehension quality and preference scores than seven- and nine-year-olds, whilst these younger age groups did not differ. Age, cognitive flexibility under time pressure, information processing speed, analogical reasoning, and cognitive flexibility without time pressure significantly predicted metaphor comprehension.

Conclusions:

Metaphorical language ability shows an ongoing development and seemingly changes qualitatively at the beginning of early adolescence. These results can possibly be explained by a greater synaptic reorganization in early adolescents. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility under time pressure and information processing speed possibly facilitate the ability to adapt metaphor processing strategies in a flexible, quick, and appropriate way.
A new pattern based Petri net to model sintering production process
Authors: Wu Jinxia , Liu Chuang
Published: December 2017

In this paper, a new Petri net model based on pattern recognition method is presented for describing a certain stochastic hybrid systems. The application of this method concerns sintering production process. The main idea consists in describing the variation of patterns over time through the so-called ‘pattern class variable’ rather than state variable or output variable. A new petri net control model is constructed based on pattern class variable. The marks are defined as posterior probability of the cluster. By redefining the marks and transition on the basis of ordinary Petri nets, it can represent any combination of discrete-event and continuous element and has probability property. The simulation results are provided based on real plant data to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. This method might provide the satisfied results for the practical applications without having the exact mathematical models.
An analytical method on the stabilization of fractional-order plants with one fractional-order term and interval uncertainties using fractional-order PIλ Dμ controllers
Authors: Gao Zhe
Published: December 2017

In this study, we propose an analytical method to determine the stabilization of fractional-order plants with one fractional-order term and interval uncertainties using fractional-order [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] controllers. An auxiliary function related to the characteristic function of the closed-loop system is defined, and the real vertices and edges of the value set with respect to the auxiliary function are given by the Minkowski sum method. It can effectively reduce the computation burden caused by redundant vertices. The concept of switching frequencies is proposed, and the calculation method of switching frequencies is provided. In order to test the position relationship between the value set and the origin within a finite frequency interval, the upper and lower limits of the frequency interval are calculated and the mathematical expressions of the vertices in each frequency interval determined by the switching frequencies and limits are given. Based on the analysis of the position relationship, we propose the necessary and sufficient condition of the stabilization criterion. Finally, the stabilization problems of the numerical examples are analysed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed stabilization criterion.