bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Class IA Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Isoform p110α Mediates Vascular Remodeling
Authors: Vantler Marius , Jesus Joana , Leppänen Olli , Scherner Maximilian , Berghausen Eva Maria , Mustafov Lenard , Chen Xin , Kramer Tilmann , Zierden Mario , Gerhardt Maximilian , ten Freyhaus Henrik , Blaschke Florian , Sterner-Kock Anja , Baldus Stephan , Zhao Jean J. , Rosenkranz Stephan
Published: April 2015

Objective—

Neointima formation after vascular injury remains a significant problem in clinical cardiology, and current preventive strategies are suboptimal. Phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase is a central downstream mediator of growth factor signaling, but the role of phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase isoforms in vascular remodeling remains elusive. We sought to systematically characterize the precise role of catalytic class IA phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase isoforms (p110α, p110β, p110δ), which signal downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases, for vascular remodeling in vivo.

Approach and Results—

Western blot analyses revealed that all 3 isoforms are abundantly expressed in smooth muscle cells. To analyze their significance for receptor tyrosine kinases–dependent cellular responses, we used targeted gene knockdown and isoform-specific small molecule inhibitors of p110α (PIK-75), p110β (TGX-221), and p110δ (IC-87114), respectively. We identified p110α to be crucial for receptor tyrosine kinases signaling, thus affecting proliferation, migration, and survival of rat, murine, and human smooth muscle cells, whereas p110β and p110δ activities were dispensable. Surprisingly, p110δ exerted noncatalytic functions in smooth muscle cell proliferation, but had no effect on migration. Based on these results, we generated a mouse model of smooth muscle cell–specific p110α deficiency (sm-p110α
−/−
). Targeted deletion of p110α in sm-p110α
−/−
mice blunted growth factor–induced cellular responses and abolished neointima formation after balloon injury of the carotid artery in mice. In contrast, p110δ deficiency did not affect vascular remodeling in vivo.

Conclusions—

Receptor tyrosine kinases–induced phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase signaling via the p110α isoform plays a central role for vascular remodeling in vivo. Thus, p110α represents a selective target for the prevention of neointima formation after vascular injury, whereas p110β and p110δ expression and activity do not play a significant role.
Involvement of Interleukin-1 Receptor–Associated Kinase-1 in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Neointimal Formation After Rat Carotid Injury
Authors: Jain Manish , Singh Ankita , Singh Vishal , Barthwal Manoj Kumar
Published: April 2015

Objective—

Reduced frequency of atherosclerotic plaques is observed in interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinase-1 (IRAK1)–deficient mice; however, the underlying mechanism is not clear. Therefore, this study investigate the role of IRAK1 in vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia.

Approach and Results—

Stimulation of rat primary vascular smooth muscle cells with fetal bovine serum (10%) or platelet-derived growth factor-BB (20 ng/mL) for 15 minutes to 24 hours induced a time-dependent increase in IRAK1 and extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) activation, proliferating cell nuclear antigen upregulation and p27Kip1 downregulation as assessed by Western blotting. Inhibitors of ERK pathway (U0126, 10 μmol/L), IRAK (IRAK1/4, 3 μmol/L), protein kinase C (PKC; Ro-31-8220, 1 μmol/L), siRNA of toll-like receptor-4 (200 nmol/L), and PKC-ε (200 nmol/L) significantly attenuated these changes. Platelet-derived growth factor induced endogenous IRAK–ERK–PKC-ε association in a toll-like receptor-4 and PKC-ε–dependent manner. A time-dependent increase in IRAK1 and ERK activation was observed after 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours of carotid balloon injury in rats. Balloon injury induced endogenous IRAK–ERK–PKC-ε interaction. Perivascular application of IRAK1/4 inhibitor (100 μmol/L), U0126 (100 μmol/L), and IRAK1 siRNA (220 and 360 nmol/L) in pluronic gel abrogated balloon injury–induced ERK phosphorylation, activation, and p27Kip1 downregulation. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and smooth muscle actin demonstrated that balloon injury–induced intimal thickening and neointimal vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation were significantly abrogated in the presence of IRAK1/4 inhibitor, IRAK1 siRNA, and U0126.

Conclusions—

IRAK1 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia by regulating PKC-ε–IRAK1–ERK axis.
Novel Protein Glycan Side-Chain Biomarker and Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Akinkuolie Akintunde O. , Pradhan Aruna D. , Buring Julie E. , Ridker Paul M , Mora Samia
Published: April 2015

Objectives—

Enzymatically glycosylated proteins partake in multiple biological processes, including glucose transport and inflammation. We hypothesized that a novel biomarker (GlycA) of
N
-acetyl methyl groups originating mainly from
N
-acetylglucosamine moieties of acute-phase glycoproteins is related to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus and compared it with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Approach and Results—

In 26 508 initially healthy women free of diabetes mellitus, baseline GlycA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were quantified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and immunoturbidimetry, respectively. During median follow-up of 17.2 years, 2087 type 2 diabetes mellitus cases occurred. In Cox models with adjustment for age, race, smoking, alcohol, activity, menopausal status, hormone use, family history, and body mass index, quartile 4 versus 1 hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were 2.67 (2.26–3.14) for GlycA and 3.93 (3.24–4.77) for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; both
P
trend <0.0001. Associations for GlycA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were attenuated after additionally adjusting for lipids: 1.65 (1.39–1.95) and 2.83 (2.32–3.44), respectively, both
P
trend <0.0001, and after mutual adjustment: 1.11 (0.93–1.33;
P
trend=0.10) and 2.57 (2.09–3.16;
P
trend<0.0001), respectively.

Conclusions—

Our finding of an association between a consensus glycan sequence common to a host of acute-phase reactants and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus provides further support for inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Additional studies exploring the role of enzymatic glycosylation in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus are warranted.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00000479.
Downregulation of Dynamin-Related Protein 1 Contributes to Impaired Autophagic Flux and Angiogenic Function in Senescent Endothelial Cells
Authors: Lin Jing-Rong , Shen Wei-Li , Yan Chen , Gao Ping-Jin
Published: April 2015

Objective—

Recent studies have shown that altered mitochondrial dynamics impairs the function in senescent endothelial cells (ECs). However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) in vascular aging.

Approach and Results—

We found that DRP1 expression is decreased in senescent ECs, accompanied with long interconnected mitochondria and impaired angiogenic function. In addition, there was marked increase of autophagosomes but not of autolysosomes (assessed as punctate dual fluorescent mCherry-GFP (green fluorescent protein) tandem-tagged light chain 3 expression) in senescent ECs, indicating impaired autophagic flux. DRP1 knockdown or pharmacological inhibition in young ECs resulted in elongated mitochondria, suppressed autophagic flux, premature senescence, and impaired angiogenic function. In contrast, adenoviral-mediated overexpression of DRP1 in senescent ECs restored autophagic flux and improved angiogenic function. EC senescence was associated with the increase of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine restored autophagosome clearance and improved angiogenic function. Consistently, en face staining of old rat thoracic aorta revealed a decrease of DRP1 expression and increase of autophagosomes accumulation. Furthermore, in vivo knockdown of Drp1 in common carotid arteries significantly impaired the autophagosome clearance. Importantly, downregulation of Drp1 directly abrogated microvessels outgrowth from ex vivo aortic rings.

Conclusions—

These results suggest that loss of DRP1 during senescence exacerbates ECs dysfunction by increasing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and subsequently inhibiting autophagic flux.
Focal Atrial Tachycardia Surrounding the Anterior Septum
Authors: Wang Zulu , Ouyang Jinge , Liang Yanchun , Jin Zhiqing , Yang Guitang , Liang Ming , Li Shibei , Yu Haibo , Han Yaling
Published: April 2015

Background—

Focal atrial tachycardias (ATs) surrounding the anterior atrial septum (AAS) have been successfully ablated from the right atrial septum (RAS), the aortic cusps, and the aortic mitral junction. However, the strategy for mapping and ablation of AAS-ATs has not been well defined.

Methods and Results—

Of 227 consecutive patients with AT, 47 (20.7%; mean age, 56.3±11.6 years) with AAS-ATs were studied; among them, initial ablation was successful at RAS in only 5 of 14 patients and at noncoronary cusp (NCC) in 28 of 33 patients. In 45 of the 47 patients, the 46 of 48 AAS-ATs were eliminated at RAS in 8 patients, NCC in 35 patients (earliest activation time at NCC was later than that at RAS by 5–10 ms in 6 patients), and aortic mitral junction in 3 patients (all with negative P wave in lead aVL and positive P wave in the inferior leads), including 1 patient whose 2 ATs were eliminated separately from the NCC and the aortic mitral junction.

Conclusions—

Most of the ATs surrounding the AAS can be eliminated from within the NCC, which is usually the preferential ablation site. Ablation at the RAS and aortic mitral junction should be considered when supported by P-wave morphologies on surface ECG and results of activation mapping and ablation.
Efficacy of Long-Term β-Blocker Therapy for Secondary Prevention of Long-Term Outcomes After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery
Authors: Zhang Heng , Yuan Xin , Zhang Haibo , Chen Sipeng , Zhao Yan , Hua Kun , Rao Chenfei , Wang Wei , Sun Hansong , Hu Shengshou , Zheng Zhe
Published: April 2015

Background—

Conflicting results from recent observational studies have raised questions concerning the benefit of β-blockers for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Furthermore, the efficacy of long-term β-blocker therapy in CABG patients after hospital discharge is uncertain.

Methods and Results—

The study included 5926 consecutive patients who underwent CABG and were discharged alive. The prevalence and consistency of β-blocker use were determined in patients with and without a history of myocardial infarction (MI). β-Blockers were always used in 1280 patients (50.9%) with and 1642 patients (48.1%) without previous MI after CABG. Compared with always users (n=2922, 49.3%), the risk of all-cause death was significantly higher among inconsistent β-blocker users (hazard ratio [HR], 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–2.57), and never using β-blockers was associated with increased risk of both all-cause death (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.01–2.00) and the composite of adverse cardiovascular events (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.10–1.50). In the cohort without MI, the HR for all-cause death was 1.70 (95% CI, 1.17–2.48) in inconsistent users and 1.23 (95% CI, 0.76–1.99) in never users. In the MI cohort, mortality was higher for inconsistent users (HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.43–3.20) and for never users (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.07–2.63). Consistent results were obtained in equivalent sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions—

In patients with or without previous MI undergoing CABG, the consistent use of β-blockers was associated with a lower risk of long-term mortality and adverse cardiovascular events. Strategies should be developed to understand and improve discharge prescription of β-blockers and long-term patient adherence.
Left Atrial Enlargement and Stroke Recurrence
Authors: Yaghi Shadi , Moon Yeseon P. , Mora-McLaughlin Consuelo , Willey Joshua Z. , Cheung Ken , Di Tullio Marco R. , Homma Shunichi , Kamel Hooman , Sacco Ralph L. , Elkind Mitchell S.V.
Published: April 2015

Background and Purpose—

Although left atrial enlargement (LAE) increases incident stroke risk, the association with recurrent stroke is less clear. Our aim was to determine the association of LAE with recurrent stroke most likely related to embolism (cryptogenic and cardioembolic) and all ischemic stroke recurrences.

Methods—

We followed 655 first ischemic stroke patients in the Northern Manhattan Stroke Study for ≤5 years. LA size from 2D echocardiography was categorized as normal LAE (52.7%), mild LAE (31.6%), and moderate–severe LAE (15.7%). We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association of LA size and LAE with recurrent cryptogenic/cardioembolic and total recurrent ischemic stroke.

Results—

LA size was available in 529 (81%) patients. Mean age at enrollment was 69±13 years; 45.8% were male, 54.0% Hispanic, and 18.5% had atrial fibrillation. Over a median of 4 years, there were 65 recurrent ischemic strokes (29 were cardioembolic or cryptogenic). In multivariable models adjusted for confounders, including atrial fibrillation and heart failure, moderate–severe LAE compared with normal LA size was associated with greater risk of recurrent cardioembolic/cryptogenic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 2.83, 95% confidence interval 1.03–7.81), but not total ischemic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval, 0.48–2.30). Mild LAE was not associated with recurrent stroke.

Conclusion—

Moderate to severe LAE was an independent marker of recurrent cardioembolic or cryptogenic stroke in a multiethnic cohort of ischemic stroke patients. Further research is needed to determine whether anticoagulant use may reduce risk of recurrence in ischemic stroke patients with moderate to severe LAE.
Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability in Acute Stroke
Authors: Manning Lisa S. , Mistri Amit K. , Potter John , Rothwell Peter M. , Robinson Thompson G.
Published: April 2015

Background and Purpose—

Short-term blood pressure variability (BPV) may predict outcome in acute stroke. We undertook a post hoc analysis of data from 2 randomized controlled trials to determine the effect of short-term BPV on 2-week outcome.

Methods—

Controlling Hypertension and Hypotension Immediately Post Stroke (CHHIPS) was a trial of BP-lowering, enrolling 179 acute stroke patients (onset <36 hours). Continue or Stop Post-Stroke Antihypertensives Collaborative Study (COSSACS) compared a strategy of continuation versus temporarily stopping prestroke antihypertensive therapy in 763 acute stroke patients (onset <48 hours). BPV at baseline (defined as SD, coefficient of variation, variation independent of the mean, and average real variability) was derived from standardized casual cuff BP measures (6 readings <30 minutes). Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess the relation between BPV and death and disability (modified Rankin scale>3) at 2 weeks.

Results—

Seven hundred six (92.5%) and 171 (95.5%) participants were included in the analysis for the COSSACS and CHHIPS data sets, respectively. Adjusted logistic regression analyses revealed no statistically significant associations between any of the included BPV parameters with 2-week death or disability in either study data set: COSSACS, odds ratio SD systolic BP 0.98 (0.78–1.23); CHHIPS, odds ratio SD systolic BP 0.97 (0.90–1.11).

Conclusions—

When derived from casual cuff BP measures, short-term BPV is not a useful predictor of early (2 weeks) outcome after acute stroke. Differing methodology may account for the discordance with previous studies indicating long-term (casual BPV) and short-term (beat-to-beat BPV) prognostic value.

Clinical Trial Registration—

COSSACS was registered on the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Register; URL:
http://www.isrctn.com
. Unique identifier: ISRCTN89712435. CHHIPS was registered on the National Research Register; URL:
http://public.ukcrn.org.uk
. Unique identifier: N0484128008.
Reduction of phytate by down-regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana MIPS and IPK1 genes alters susceptibility to beet cyst nematodes
Authors: Jain Ritushree , Lilley Catherine J. , Urwin Peter E.
Published: April 2015

Phytates are mixed cationic salts of phytic acid formed by sequential phosphorylation of myo-inositol. Phytate is a phosphorus storage molecule essential for cellular and hormonal signalling in plants but exhibits anti-nutrient properties in animals. Low phytate plants have reduced basal resistance towards microbial pathogens and reduced tolerance to environmental stresses resulting in compromised yields. We report that three mutant lines of Arabidopsis thaliana, each with altered expression of myo-inositol-3-phosphate synthase (MIPS) isoforms, show altered susceptibility towards infection by the beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii. Disruption of MIPS2 accompanied by increased MIPS1 expression results in reduced cyst nematode infection. Lack of MIPS3 resulted in a higher proportion of second-stage juveniles in the early phase of infection, suggesting delayed nematode development on mips3 mutants. Reduction in total phytate by down-regulation of the inositol polyphosphate kinase gene (IPK1) resulted in higher susceptibility to cyst nematode infection but a reduced average size of adult females. However, specific down-regulation of MIPS gene expression reduces susceptibility as myo-inositol is required to feed into the myo-inositol oxygenase pathway, which has an important role in development of the cyst nematode feeding site.
Acrobeloides buetschlii as a potential vector for enteric pathogens
Authors: Kroupitski Yulia , Pinto Riky , Bucki Patricia , Belausov Edward , Ruess Liliane , Spiegel Yitzhak , Sela (Saldinger) Shlomo
Published: April 2015

The objective of the present study was to assess ifAcrobeloides buetschlii, an opportunistic species common across many soils, can be employed as a suitable model for interactions between free-living soil nematodes and enteric human pathogens.Acrobeloides buetschliiwas exposed to mCherry-taggedSalmonella entericaandEscherichia coliO157:H7 and its vector potential was assessed.Salmonellacells were more readily ingested by the nematodes compared toE. coliO157:H7. Adult nematodes ingested more bacteria compared to juveniles.Salmonellasurvived internally for at least 7 days without affecting the viability of nematodes. Bacterial ingestion byA. buetschliidid not vary for three testedSalmonellaserovars but was significantly lower forE. coliO157:H7. Considering the ubiquitous nature of pathogen and vector, these findings suggest thatA. buetschliican serve as a relevant model for studying nematode-Salmonellainteractions in an agricultural setting and as potential transport for food-borne pathogens from soil to crops.
Mediating Boundaries: Mediterranean Go-Betweens and Cross-Confessional Diplomacy in Constantinople, 1560-1600
Authors: Gürkan Emrah Safa
Published: April 2015

By drawing on documents from European archives, this article addresses everyday aspects of diplomacy in sixteenth-century Constantinople. It focuses on how various go-betweens mediated political, cultural, religious, and linguistic boundaries in the encounters between Ottoman grandees and European diplomats. By doing so, it shifts the focus from the office of the ambassador to a large number of informal diplomatic actors (Jewish brokers, dragomans, renegades, go-betweens, etc.) with different areas of competence, functioning in diverse networks of contact and exchange. Moreover, it accentuates the importance of Constantinople as a space of encounter between diverse ethnic and religious communities as well as a Mediterranean-wide center of diplomacy and espionage. The essay calls for a reevaluation of Eurocentric views that associate the birth and development of modern diplomacy only with Christian Europe and revises the historiography on Ottoman diplomacy by concentrating on vernacular diplomacy rather than the rigid theoretical framework drawn by the Islamic Law.
The Elusive Intermediaries: Moriscos in Ottoman and Western European Diplomatic Sources from Constantinople, 1560s-1630s
Authors: Krstić Tijana
Published: April 2015

Although the role of Moriscos in the diplomacy of North African Muslim polities has long been recognized, next to nothing is known of their contribution to Ottoman diplomacy. Yet, during the sixteenth century, and especially after their expulsion from Spain in 1609, Constantinople became an important node in the Moriscos’ Mediterranean-wide network. Unlike other intermediaries active on the diplomatic scene of Constantinople, Moriscos had a special role in sultanic image-making during the age of increased confessional polarization in both Europe and parts of the Middle East, between the mid-sixteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries. The essay examines how European and Ottoman sources represented Moriscos as both subjects and objects of Ottoman diplomacy, explores the significance of their religious affiliation in the diplomatic process, and argues that the Moriscos’ mediation provided the Ottomans with valuable opportunities to exploit confessional tensions and articulate their claims to sovereignty to their European interlocutors.
Two new species of Orthophytum (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Leme Elton M. C.
Published: April 2015

The author describes and illustrates two new outlier species in Bromeliaceae, Orthophytum roseolilacinum and O. vasconcelosianum, from Minas Gerais state, Brazil, which are members of the “Cryptanthoid complex”. The morphological affinities and discordant features in relation to the conceptual boundaries of the genus are also discussed.
Neotypification and identity of the name Clematis jinzhaiensis (Ranunculaceae)
Authors: LI JIN-YU , LIAO SHUAI , LI LIANG-QIAN , XIE LEI
Published: April 2015

Clematis jinzhaiensis Xue & Wang (1986: 406) was described on the basis of a single collection from Jinzhai of Anhui Province in China. According to the protologue, the type specimen was collected by Z. W. Xue (No. 21) on 20 September 1982, which was deposited at the herbarium of the Institute of Biology (AIB) in Hefei, Anhui. After C. jinzhaiensis was published, however, researchers have failed to access this specimen at AIB. During the taxonomic revision of Clematis Linnaeus (1753: 543) sect. Campanella Tamura (1987: 38), we made it clear that the type was kept and finally lost by the authors (Xie 2005; Fig. 1b), so the type material was never deposited at AIB.
Animals and Medicine
Authors: Botting Jack
Published: April 2015

'Animals and Medicine: The Contribution of Animal Experiments to the Control of Disease' offers a detailed, scholarly historical review of the critical role animal experiments have played in advancing medical knowledge. Laboratory animals have been essential to this progress, and the knowledge gained has saved countless lives—both human and animal. Unfortunately, those opposed to using animals in research have often employed doctored evidence to suggest that the practice has impeded medical progress. This volume presents the articles Jack Botting wrote for the Research Defence Society News from 1991 to 1996, papers which provided scientists with the information needed to rebut such claims. Collected, they can now reach a wider readership interested in understanding the part of animal experiments in the history of medicine—from the discovery of key vaccines to the advancement of research on a range of diseases, among them hypertension, kidney failure and cancer. This book is essential reading for anyone curious about the role of animal experimentation in the history of science from the nineteenth century to the present.
The Linkage between the Eastern Pacific Teleconnection Pattern and Convective Heating over the Tropical Western Pacific
Authors: Tan Benkui , Yuan Jiacan , Dai Ying , Feldstein Steven B. , Lee Sukyoung
Published: April 2015

The eastern Pacific (EP) pattern is a recently detected atmospheric teleconnection pattern that frequently occurs during late winter. Through analysis of daily ERA-Interim data and outgoing longwave radiation data for the period of 1979–2011, it is shown here that the formation of the EP is preceded by an anomalous tropical convection dipole, with one extremum located over the eastern Indian Ocean–Maritime Continent and the other over the central Pacific. This is followed by the excitation of two quasi-stationary Rossby wave trains. Departing from the subtropics, north of the region of anomalous convection, one Rossby wave train propagates eastward along the East Asian jet from southern China toward the eastern Pacific. The second wave train propagates northward from east of Japan toward eastern Siberia and then turns southeastward to the Gulf of Alaska. Both wave trains are associated with wave activity flux convergence where the EP pattern develops. The results from an examination of the E vector suggest that the EP undergoes further growth with the aid of positive feedback from high-frequency transient eddies. The frequency of occurrence of the dipole convection anomaly increases significantly from early to late winter, a finding that suggests that it is the seasonal change in the convection anomaly that accounts for the EP being more dominant in late winter.
Tropical Cyclone–Induced Ocean Response: A Comparative Study of the South China Sea and Tropical Northwest Pacific*,+
Authors: Mei Wei , Lien Chun-Chi , Lin I.-I. , Xie Shang-Ping
Published: April 2015

The thermocline shoals in the South China Sea (SCS) relative to the tropical northwest Pacific Ocean (NWP), as required by geostrophic balance with the Kuroshio. The present study examines the effect of this difference in ocean state on the response of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll concentration to tropical cyclones (TCs), using both satellite-derived measurements and three-dimensional numerical simulations. In both regions, TC-produced SST cooling strongly depends on TC characteristics (including intensity as measured by the maximum surface wind speed, translation speed, and size). When subject to identical TC forcing, the SST cooling in the SCS is more than 1.5 times that in the NWP, which may partially explain weaker TC intensity on average observed in the SCS. Both a shallower mixed layer and stronger subsurface thermal stratification in the SCS contribute to this regional difference in SST cooling. The mixed layer effect dominates when TCs are weak, fast-moving, and/or small; and for strong and slow-moving TCs or strong and large TCs, both factors are equally important.

In both regions, TCs tend to elevate surface chlorophyll concentration. For identical TC forcing, the surface chlorophyll increase in the SCS is around 10 times that in the NWP, a difference much stronger than that in SST cooling. This large regional difference in the surface chlorophyll response is at least partially due to a shallower nutricline and stronger vertical nutrient gradient in the SCS. The effect of regional difference in upper-ocean density stratification on the surface nutrient response is negligible. The total annual primary production increase associated with the TC passage estimated using the vertically generalized production model in the SCS is nearly 3 times that in the NWP (i.e., 6.4 ± 0.4 × 1012 versus 2.2 ± 0.2 × 1012 g C), despite the weaker TC activity in the SCS.
Decadal Change in Tropical Cyclone Activity over the South China Sea around 2002/03
Authors: Ha Yao , Zhong Zhong
Published: April 2015

This study investigates the decadal change in tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the South China Sea (SCS) in the boreal summer (June–August) since the early 1990s and explores possible causes behind it. Results show that the SCS TC activity experienced an abrupt decadal decrease at around 2003/03. Compared to the TC activities from the early 1990s to 2002, the number of TCs formed in the SCS markedly decreased from 2003 through the early 2010s. Moreover, most of the TCs were primarily confined within the SCS basin during this period. The TCs that formed during the period of 2003–11 usually moved west-northwestward and rapidly weakened after making landfall. It is found that a significant decadal-scale sea surface temperature (SST) warming occurred in the northern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean after 2002 while convection intensified over the tropical regions between 60° and 80°E and around 150°E, respectively. The warm SST anomalies induced an anomalous subsiding flow over the SCS basin via the Walker-like (zonal) circulation. Meanwhile, anomalously dry, sinking air around 5°–20°N derived from local Hadley (meridional) circulation reinforced the subsiding flow of the zonal circulation. The above circulation patterns suppressed TC genesis over the northern SCS, leading to the decadal decrease in TC activity that occurred around 2002/03. In addition, in conjunction with the local anomalous easterly flow, the intraseasonal atmospheric variability over the SCS has decreased since the early 2000s. This is unfavorable for the development of synoptic-scale disturbances and may also contribute to the decadal decrease in TC activity.
A Timeline of the East–West Relationship
Authors: Raffin Nicholas , Wiebe Eric
Published: April 2015

Using datasets that range from 1979 to 2014, this article outlines the overseas acquisitions of natural resource, infrastructure, and technology equity in the United States and Canada by Chinese firms. In particular, it examines the liberalization of Chinese Communist Party attitudes toward capital outflows and considers alterations of antitrust policies in the United States and Canada that have been developed as a result of Chinese sovereign wealth fund activity. Although a brief clarification of what constitutes a state-owned versus a private enterprise is provided, the article focuses on reviewing the specific regulations that govern foreign direct investments made in the United States and Canada by Chinese entities.
The Economic Link between China and North America
Authors: Liu Jinjing , Zheng Zhixiao
Published: April 2015

China’s prosperity may upset others. Will a rising China reduce the growth rate of other countries? We address the question with statistics by comparing the securities market indices of China with those of the United States and Canada. We ask whether the financial markets—East and West—are positively correlated or negatively correlated. We find a moderate positive correlation. This correlation decreases during extreme market circumstances, particularly during market crashes. The correlation becomes closer—we think better for cooperation—during times of improved international cooperation. The correlation diminishes—we think worse for cooperation—when abrupt negative contingencies arise in the global market. The data show that the correlation increased after China joined the World Trade Organization and dramatically decreased after the financial crisis in 2008. Moreover, our lead and lag analysis shows that North America’s markets forecast later developments in China’s market. In general, there is a trend in the positive correlation between the two economies.
Biological variation of cardiac troponin in stable haemodialysis patients
Authors: Mbagaya Wycliffe , Luvai Ahai , Lopez Berenice
Published: April 2015

Background

Patients with end-stage renal failure exhibit a chronic elevation of serum cardiac troponin (cTn) concentration. In order to facilitate the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in these patients, it is necessary to distinguish an increased cTn concentration due to an acute event, from that being a manifestation of chronic elevation. The aim of this study was to gather biological variation data relating to two serum cTn assays, one, a hs-cTnT assay, the other a contemporary sensitive cTnI assay, among stable haemodialysis patients. It was hoped that this might inform as to the best way to use cTn assays to assist in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in patients with end-stage renal failure.

Methods

Eighteen stable haemodialysis patients were recruited, of whom 16 completed the study. Predialysis blood samples were collected weekly for 10 weeks during the second dialysis session of the week. Analytical CV (CVA), within-subject biological variation (CVI), between-subject biological variation (CVG), reference change value (RCV) and index of individuality (II) were determined for both assays.

Results

All samples had a serum hs-cTnT concentration above the 99th percentile for a healthy population compared to 29.4% for cTnI. For hs-cTnT, the long-term CVA was 2.1%, CVI 10.5%, CVG 64.2%, RCV 28.1% and log-normal RCV (rise/fall) 34.4%/–25.6%. The corresponding values for cTnI were 7.1, 20.2, 100.5 and 79.8%/–44.4%. The II was 0.17 and 0.2 for hs-cTnT and cTnI, respectively.

Conclusion

Long-term biological variation of cTn in stable haemodialysis patients is similar to that in healthy individuals and in patients with stable coronary arterial disease. The low II for cTnI and hs-cTnT in stable haemodialysis patients indicates that population-based decision points are of limited value. Serial measurements are required to detect significant changes in cTn concentrations and support diagnosis of myocardial infarction in these patients.
Strategic Hedging and China’s Economic Policy in the Middle East
Authors: Salman Mohammad , Geeraerts Gustaaf
Published: April 2015

This study presents the strategic hedging framework as a way to trace the determinants of the foreign policies of hedging states. We use the case of Chinese energy security strategy in the Middle East as an illustrative case study. It first uses four criteria to establish that China’s energy security strategy in the Middle East is a strong example of strategic hedging behaviour. Then it examines the impact of oil production in the Middle East countries on the growth of Chinese economic relationships with these countries. The results of this study show clearly that oil production plays an important role in the Sino-Middle East relations. We find a positive relationship between oil production in Middle East countries, on the one hand, and the distribution and growth of China’s trade and investment with these countries, on the other hand. These results confirm that strategic hedging behaviour leads to developing China’s economic relations with the oil-producing countries in order to cover its growing needs for energy to support its economic growth. This article represents the first attempt to trace the impact of strategic hedging behaviour on the foreign policies of hedging states. Thus, it contributes to the support of the strategic hedging framework as a new theory in international relations.
Perceiving Sacred Space
Authors: Meagher Benjamin R.
Published: April 2015

Although particular physical settings play a crucial role in the religious lives of many people, adherents’ preferences have received little empirical attention. The current study tests whether judgments of religious environments are influenced by perceptual variables, perceivers’ religious orientations (intrinsic, extrinsic, and quest), and the fit between these two types of factors. Participants rated images of interior church settings in terms of their preferences, as well as the settings’ coherence/legibility (understanding) and complexity/mystery (exploration). Results revealed statistically significant interactions between religious motivation and perceptual properties. Specifically, high intrinsic orientation predicted a stronger association between understanding and preference, whereas high quest orientation predicted a weaker association between understanding and preference. In addition, high extrinsic orientation predicted greater preference for all religious settings, unless the environment required high exploration. These results indicate that personal religious beliefs are reflected in how individuals evaluate the settings in which they worship.
Causal factors of low stakeholder engagement: a survey of expert opinions in the context of healthcare simulation projects
Authors: Jahangirian Mohsen , Borsci Simone , Shah Syed Ghulam Sarwar , Taylor Simon J E
Published: April 2015

While simulation methods have proved to be very effective in identifying efficiency gains, low stakeholder engagement creates a significant limitation on the achievement of simulation modeling projects in practice. This study reports causal factors—at two hierarchical levels (i.e., primary and secondary)—that could significantly affect low stakeholder engagement in healthcare simulation projects. A self-completed questionnaire was administered online to 91 experts in the field from whom 37 responded. The results were reinforced using a bootstrapped sample ( n = 1000). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kendal’s tau-b correlations, and non-linear multiple regression. Based on our research, while such factors as “communication gap”, “stakeholders’ high workload”, and “too much complexity involved” represent the most significant primary causal factors, some others such as “reluctance to change” proved interestingly insignificant. The research suggests that high-impact public health projects can exemplify the areas that will potentially generate engagement in the healthcare simulation domain.
Is the ‘Central German Metropolitan Region’ spatially integrated? An empirical assessment of commuting relations
Authors: Kauffmann Albrecht
Published: April 2015

The ‘Central German Metropolitan Region’ is a network of cities and their surroundings, located in the three East-German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. It was founded to bring the bundled strengths of these cities into an inter-municipal cooperation, for making use of the possible advantages of a polycentric region. As theory claims, a precondition for gains from polycentricity is spatial integration of the region. In particular, markets for high skilled labour should be integrated. To assess how this precondition is fulfilled in Central Germany, in the framework of a doubly constrained gravity model the commuting relations between the functional regions of the (until 2013) 11 core cities of the network are analysed. In particular for higher educated employees, the results display that commuting relations are determined not only by distance, but also by the state borders that cross the area.
State Behavior and the Intensification of Intellectual Criticism in China
Authors: Steinhardt H. Christoph
Published: April 2015

This article suggests that despite the state’s extensive efforts to curtail Chinese intellectuals’ expression, other state behaviors also stimulate and enable boundary-pushers to expand the limits of the permissible. It argues that intensifying intellectual criticism in the domain of social stability and protest during the Hu Jintao era was an unintended consequence of the political leadership’s accommodating responses to rising societal pressures. First, leaders became considerably more outspoken on proliferating protests and articulated stricter prescriptions for local official behavior. Second, adapting to a more assertive Internet and news media, censorship was relaxed and major protests became much more visible. The resulting discursive opportunities enabled trailblazing academics to question the prevailing logic of stability and open the sensitive topic to a broad circle of commentators. Subsequently, the central government has initiated a round of ongoing policy and institutional adjustments. Criticism thus has both stabilizing and destabilizing implications. It contributes to the rectification of policy and institutional failure, but it weakens the Communist Party’s legitimatory narrative and has pushed regime-defining questions, in particular the lack of protest institutionalization, onto the public agenda.
Performance of new alternative providers of primary care services in England: an observational study
Authors: Greaves Felix , Laverty Anthony A , Pape Utz , Ratneswaren Anenta , Majeed Azeem , Millett Christopher
Published: April 2015

Summary

Objectives

Health system reforms in England are opening broad areas of clinical practice to new providers of care. As part of these reforms, new entrants – including private companies – have been allowed into the primary care market under ‘alternative provider of medical services’ contracting mechanisms since 2004. The characteristics and performance of general practices working under new alternative provider contracts are not well described. We sought to compare the quality of care provided by new entrant providers to that provided by the traditional model of general practice.

Design

Open cohort study of English general practices. We used linear regression in cross-sectional and time series analyses, adjusting for practice and population characteristics, to compare quality in practices using alternative provider contracts to traditional practices. We created regression models using practice fixed effects to estimate the impact of practices changing to the new contract type.

Setting

The English National Health Service.

Participants

All general practices open from 2008/2009 to 2012/2013.

Main outcome measures

Seventeen established quality indicators – covering clinical effectiveness, efficiency, access and patient experience.

Results

In total, 4.1% (347 of 8300) of general practices in England were run by alternative contract providers. These practices tended to be smaller, and serve younger, more diverse and more deprived populations than traditional providers. Practices run by alternative providers performed worse than traditional providers on 15 of 17 indicators after adjusting for practice and population characteristics ( p < 0.01 for all). Switching to a new alternative provider contract did not result in improved performance.

Conclusions

The introduction of new alternative providers to deliver primary care services in England has not led to improvements in quality and may have resulted in worse care. Regulators should ensure that new entrants to clinical provider markets are performing to adequate standards and at least as well as traditional providers.
Daily cortisol activity, loneliness, and coping efficacy in late adolescence
Authors: Drake Emily C. , Sladek Michael R. , Doane Leah D.
Published: April 2015

Many late adolescents who transition to the college environment perceive changes in psychosocial stress. One such stressor, loneliness, has been associated with numerous health problems among adolescents and adults. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is one mechanism through which loneliness may affect health. Guided by a risk and resilience framework, the present study investigated the association between longitudinal changes in loneliness from high school to college and diurnal cortisol activity (waking levels, cortisol awakening response, diurnal slope) by sampling saliva intensively 5 times a day for 3 weekdays in a US sample of late adolescents in their first semester of college ( N = 70; Mage = 18.49, SD = 0.38). The present study also explored how the link between loneliness and cortisol might depend on coping efficacy—one’s belief in successfully coping with future stressors or novel situations. Results from hierarchical linear growth curve models demonstrated that an increase in loneliness across this contextual transition was associated with steeper cortisol slopes in college. Coping efficacy at baseline (in high school) significantly moderated the relation between changes in loneliness and diurnal slopes, such that late adolescents with low levels of coping efficacy who reported increased loneliness across the transition exhibited significantly flatter diurnal slopes in college. Higher levels of coping efficacy at baseline also significantly predicted lower waking cortisol levels during the first semester of college. These results suggest that coping efficacy may serve as a protective factor by contributing to regulation of daily physiological stress activity for late adolescents as they struggle with loneliness across the transition to college.
Wronged beyond words
Authors: Congdon Matthew
Published: April 2015

In this article, I discuss cases in which moral grievances, particularly assertions that a moral injury has taken place, are systematically obstructed by received linguistic and epistemic practices. I suggest a social epistemological model for theorizing such cases of moral epistemic injustice. Towards this end, I offer a reconstruction of Lyotard’s concept of the differend, comparing it with Miranda Fricker’s concept of epistemic injustice, and considering it in light of some criticisms posed by Axel Honneth. Through this reconstruction and a series of examples, I demonstrate that a basic formal structure recurs in cases of discursively repressed moral injury, namely, a particular kind of dilemma. I argue that appreciating this dilemma pushes us in the direction of a form of non-ideal ethical theory and I conclude by elaborating a conception of moral reflective judgement that begins from particular experiences of moral injury and moves towards the creation of new moral universals.
Leading by Following
Authors: Sauers Nicholas J. , Richardson Jayson W.
Published: April 2015

This study analyzed how active Twitter users who are also school leaders used the tool. The researchers collaboratively identified K-12 school leaders who were active on Twitter and then collected tweets from those school leaders. The final sample for this study included 115 Twitter users and over 180,000 tweets from those individuals. The results of this study indicated that school leaders overwhelmingly used Twitter for educational purposes and as a way to create communities of practice focused on educational issues.
Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Asaria Miqdad , Griffin Susan , Cookson Richard
Published: April 2015

Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis (DCEA) is a framework for incorporating health inequality concerns into the economic evaluation of health sector interventions. In this tutorial, we describe the technical details of how to conduct DCEA, using an illustrative example comparing alternative ways of implementing the National Health Service (NHS) Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP). The 2 key stages in DCEA are 1) modeling social distributions of health associated with different interventions, and 2) evaluating social distributions of health with respect to the dual objectives of improving total population health and reducing unfair health inequality. As well as describing the technical methods used, we also identify the data requirements and the social value judgments that have to be made. Finally, we demonstrate the use of sensitivity analyses to explore the impacts of alternative modeling assumptions and social value judgments.