bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SABRE 1 (Surgery Against Brachytherapy – a Randomised Evaluation): feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of brachytherapy vs radical prostatectomy in low–intermediate risk clinically localised prostate cancer
Authors: Eccles Bryony K. , Cross William , Rosario Derek J. , Doble Andrew , Parker Chris , Logue John , Little Louisa , Stanton Louise , Bottomley David
Published: July 2013

Objective

To determine the feasibility of a phase III randomised controlled trial of brachytherapy vs radical prostatectomy (RP) in men with low–intermediate risk localised prostate cancer.

Patients and Methods

This parallel, two‐group, multicentre, randomised controlled feasibility trial enrolled men with histologically confirmed localised, low‐risk prostate cancer and good performance status from five UK hospitals.

Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) by remote computer allocation to receive a decision aid (DA) DVD or standard information (control group), followed by a second randomisation (1:1) to brachytherapy or RP.

There was no ‘blinding’ of staff or patients.

Primary outcome was feasibility: a recruitment rate of six patients per centre over the last 6 months of recruitment would deem a phase III trial feasible.

Results

Between May 2009 and May 2011, 30 patients were randomised (15 in the DA group and 15 in the control group), and four continued to the second treatment randomisation (one from the DA group and three from the control group).

One patient was allocated and received brachytherapy and three RP.

SABRE 1 closed early due to poor recruitment. All patients were analysed.

Screening logbook analysis showed that the main reasons for declining trial entry were a wish to choose treatment or opting for active monitoring.

Results from the DA questionnaire (completed by 10 men) showed that four of the men ‘felt surgery and radiotherapy had been proven in a high quality trial’ and seven felt ‘they should make their treatment decision while knowing their doctors opinion’.

Conclusion

Recruitment to a RP vs brachytherapy trial in localised prostate cancer was not feasible by the use of this two‐step randomisation using a DA and previous trials in early prostate cancer have had similar difficulties in recruitment, with only a few achieving their accrual target.

The best treatment method for treating low‐risk prostate cancer is still unproven in a head‐to‐head trial and the increasing number of options will make choices correspondingly more difficulty without good quality comparative research.

More sophisticated techniques for recruitment may be more successful in future trials in this patient population.
Salvage focal and salvage total cryoablation for locally recurrent prostate cancer after primary radiation therapy
Authors: de Castro Abreu Andre Luis , Bahn Duke , Leslie Scott , Shoji Sunao , Silverman Paul , Desai Mihir M. , Gill Inderbir S. , Ukimura Osamu
Published: July 2013

Objectives

To present the oncological and functional outcomes of salvage focal (SFC) and salvage total (STC) cryoablation for recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) after failed primary radiotherapy.

Patients and Methods

From March 2003 to August 2010, 50 men with biopsy‐proven unilateral (n = 25) or bilateral (n = 25) radio‐recurrent PCa underwent SFC or STC, respectively.

Patients were assessed after treatment by prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) testing, transrectal ultrasonography, biopsy and questionnaires. Biochemical failure (BF) was defined using the Phoenix criteria (PSA nadir + 2 mg/mL).

Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively analysed.

Results

The median pre‐cryoablation PSA level and Gleason score were, respectively, 2.8 ng/mL and 7 for SFC, and 3.9 ng/mL and 7 for STC. The median follow‐up was 31 and 53 months (P = 0.004) for SFC and STC, respectively.

Oncological outcomes were as follows: no patient died; one patient who underwent STC developed bone metastases; eight patients who underwent SFC and three who underwent STC had BF and the 5‐year BF‐free survival rates were 54 and 86%, respectively. In those patients without BF, the mean PSA decreased by 86% for SFC and 90% for STC within the first year and remained stable.

Functional outcomes were as follows: new onset urinary incontinence occurred in three (13%) patients in the STC group, whereas no patient in the SFC group developed incontinence (P = 0.10); Two of seven patients in the SFC group retained postoperative potency, but none of the four potent patients in the STC group recovered potency postoperatively (P = 0.48); one (4%) patient in the STC group developed a recto‐urethral fistula, but none occurred in the SFC group (P = 0.48).

Conclusions

SFC and STC are feasible and safe with acceptable mid‐term oncological outcomes. For carefully selected patients, SFC is an option that could be associated with lower treatment‐related morbidity compared with STC.

Although longer follow‐up and more patient numbers are needed, our initial oncological and functional outcomes of SFC and STC are encouraging.
Micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy (microperc) vs retrograde intrarenal surgery for the management of small renal calculi: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sabnis Ravindra B. , Ganesamoni Raguram , Doshi Amit , Ganpule Arvind P. , Jagtap Jitendra , Desai Mahesh R.
Published: July 2013

Objective

To compare micropercutaneous nephrolithotomy (microperc) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for the management of renal calculi <1.5 cm with regard to stone clearance rates and surgical characteristics, complications and postoperative recovery.

Patients and Methods

Seventy patients presenting with renal calculi <1.5 cm were equally randomized to a microperc or a RIRS group between February 2011 and August 2012 in this randomized controlled trial. Randomization was based on centralized computer‐generated numbers. Patients and authors assessing the outcomes were not blinded to the procedure.

Microperc was performed using a 4.85‐F (16‐gauge) needle with a 272‐μm laser fibre. RIRS was performed using a uretero‐renoscope.

Variables studied were stone clearance rates, operating time, need for JJ stenting, intra‐operative and postoperative complications (according to the Clavien–Dindo classification system), surgeon discomfort score, postoperative pain score, analgesic requirement and hospital stay.

Stone clearance was assessed using ultrasonography and X‐ray plain abdominal film of kidney, ureter and bladder at 3 months.

Results

There were 35 patients in each group. All the patients were included in the final analysis.

The stone clearance rates in the microperc and RIRS groups were similar (97.1 vs 94.1%, P = 1.0).

The mean [sd] operating time was similar between the groups (51.6 [18.5] vs 47.1 [17.5], P = 0.295). JJ stenting was required in a lower proportion of patients in the microperc group (20 vs 62.8%, P < 0.001). Intra‐operative complications were a minor pelvic perforation in one patient and transient haematuria in two patients, all in the microperc group. One patient in each group required conversion to miniperc.

One patient in the microperc group needed RIRS for small residual calculi 1 day after surgery. The decrease in haemoglobin was greater in the microperc group (0.96 vs 0.56 g/dL, P < 0.001). The incidence of postoperative fever (Clavien I) was similar in the two groups (8.6 vs 11.4%, P = 1.0). None of the patients in the study required blood transfusion.

The mean [sd] postoperative pain score at 24 h was slightly higher in the microperc group (1.9 [1.2] vs 1.6 [0.8], P = 0.045). The mean [sd] analgesic requirement was higher in the microperc group (90 [72] vs 40 [41] mg tramadol, P < 0.001). The mean [sd] hospital stay was similar in the two groups (57 [22] vs 48 [18] h, P = 0.08).

Conclusions

Microperc is a safe and effective alternative to RIRS for the management of small renal calculi and has similar stone clearance and complication rates when compared to RIRS.

Microperc is associated with higher haemoglobin loss, increased pain and higher analgesic requirements, while RIRS is associated with a higher requirement for JJ stenting.
Effect of Tree‐Fall Gaps on Fruit‐Feeding Nymphalid Butterfly Assemblages in a Peruvian Rain Forest
Authors: Pardonnet Sylvia , Beck Harald , Milberg Per , Bergman Karl‐Olof
Published: July 2013

One of the main natural disturbances that affects the structure of rain forests is treefalls, frequently resulting in gaps. Tree‐fall gaps can bring drastic changes in environmental conditions compared with the undisturbed understory. We investigated the effect of tree‐fall gaps on fruit‐feeding butterfly (Nymphalidae) species assemblages in an undisturbed lowland rain forest in southeastern Peru. We used fruit‐baited traps suspended 2 m above ground in 15 tree‐fall gaps ranging in area from 100 to 1000 m2 and in adjacent undisturbed understory. Our data support the hypothesis that tree‐fall gap and understory habitats are utilized by different butterfly species assemblages. There were morphological differences between gap and understory species, where the understory species had a larger wing area to thoracic volume. Vegetation structure and composition were important factors affecting the butterfly assemblages. Most of the butterfly species showed an avoidance of vines and a strong association with the presence of trees and shrubs in gaps. There were also differences among gap assemblages that increased with gap size. Some of the species that were associated with gaps have been considered as canopy species. Other gap species in the present study, however, are known to feed on fruits and/or use host plants mainly, or only, occurring in gaps, implicating that the gap assemblage is a mix of canopy species and those unique to gaps. This indicates that, in an undisturbed Amazon forest, tree‐fall gaps may contribute to maintain species diversity by creating a mosaic of specific habitats and resources that favors different butterfly assemblages.
Thyroglobulin as early prognostic marker to predict remission at 18–24 months in differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Authors: González Cintia , Aulinas Anna , Colom Cristina , Tundidor Diana , Mendoza Lilian , Corcoy Rosa , Mato Eugenia , Alcántara Valeria , Urgell Rull Eulalia , de Leiva Alberto
Published: July 2013

Introduction

Thyroglobulin (Tg), the most common marker to determine remission of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), can take 18 months or longer to be undetectable. We hypothesized that Tg stimulated after surgery and immediately before radioiodine treatment (baseline‐stimulated Tg) could be a good predictor of remission at 18–24 months. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of baseline‐stimulated Tg as early prognostic marker of DTC.

Patients and methods

Retrospective study of 133 patients with DTC from 1998 to 2010 (age at diagnosis 47·4 ± 16·8, follow‐up 5·09 ± 3·2 years). Initial subset analysis was performed after excluding patients with positive TgAb, who were later included in the second. Baseline‐stimulated Tg was divided into tertiles. Multivariate logistic regression analysis included baseline Tg and other known prognostic markers and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to identify the best cut‐off level of baseline Tg were performed.

Results

Baseline‐stimulated Tg in the highest tertile was the only predictive variable of persistence of disease at 18–24 months in the initial analysis (OR 45·3, P < 0·01). In the second analysis, the predictive variables were baseline‐stimulated Tg (OR 39·6, P < 0·001), presence of TgAb (OR 23·4, P < 0·005) and uptake outside of the thyroid bed post‐treatment whole body scan (WBS; OR 5·3, P < 0·05) were predictive of persistence of disease. The ROC curve showed that baseline‐stimulated Tg below 8·55 μg/l identified 95% of disease‐free patients at 18–24 months after initial treatment.

Conclusions

Baseline‐stimulated Tg is a good predictor of remission of disease at 18–24 months after initial treatment and could be a useful marker to stratify risk immediately after surgery.
Shame and guilt in child protection social work: new interpretations and opportunities for practice
Authors: Gibson Matthew
Published: July 2013

Shame is an underexplored and misunderstood emotion. It can be described as an acute awareness of one's flawed and unworthy self. It is the primary social emotion and one of our most intimate feelings developed within the context of our family of origin, which can have a devastating effect on an individual and their relationships. Social workers are routinely faced with issues of shame as an intrinsic consequence of the matters with which social work deals and also as a result of how both families and workers experience the child protection process. This paper outlines the research on shame and guilt to argue for a re‐evaluation of the key challenges faced by child protection social workers. It is argued that shame experienced by parents and carers potentially plays a significant role in these challenges, while it may be argued that ‘guilt’ has had a bad press and may potentially play an important role in the successes. An argument is made for a shame‐reducing child protection social work practice with some key themes for practitioners to consider in their attempt to improve the accuracy of assessments and intervention.
Long‐term follow‐up of simultaneous guided bone regeneration using native and cross‐linked collagen membranes over 6 years
Authors: Schwarz Frank , Hegewald Andrea , Sahm Narja , Becker Jürgen
Published: July 2013

Objectives

To investigate the impact of a cross‐linked‐ (VN) collagen membrane on the long‐term stability of peri‐implant health over 6 years.

Material and methods

Vestibular dehiscence‐type defects at titanium implants (19 patients, 19 implants) were augmented using a natural bone mineral and randomly allocated to either VN or a native collagen membrane (CM) and left to heal in a submerged position for 4 months. Clinical parameters (i.e. Bleeding on Probing‐BOP, probing pocket depth‐PD, mucosal recession‐MR) were recorded at 4 and 6 years after prosthesis installation.

Results

At 4 and 6 years, both VN and CM revealed comparable mean BOP, PD and MR values at both vestibular and oral aspects. Changes in these parameters from 4 to 6 years were minimal (vestibular aspect‐VN: −3.3 ± 48.2%, −0.1 ± 0.5 mm, −0.1 ± 0.3 mm; CM: −1.8 ± 33.7%, 0.0 ± 0.4 mm, −0.1 ± 0.7 mm) and not significantly different between groups. At 6 years, the incidence of mucositis and peri‐implantitis was comparable in both groups (VN: 60.0% and 20.0%; CM: 33.3% and 33.3%).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the present follow‐up observation failed to identify any beneficial impact of VN over CM on peri‐implant health at 4 and 6 years.
Substantial Neuroprotection Against K+ Deprivation‐Induced Apoptosis in Primary Cerebellar Granule Neurons by Novel Dimer Bis(propyl)‐Cognitin Via the Activation of VEGFR‐2 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Hu Sheng‐Quan , Cui Wei , Xu Da‐Ping , Mak Shing‐Hung , Tang Jing , Choi Chung‐Lit , Pang Yuan‐Ping , Han Yi‐Fan
Published: July 2013

Background

Neuronal loss via apoptosis in CNS is the fundamental mechanism underlying various neurodegenerative diseases. Compounds with antiapoptotic property might have therapeutic effects for these diseases. In this study, bis(propyl)‐cognitin (B3C), a novel dimer that possesses anti‐AChE and anti‐N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor activities, was investigated for its neuroprotective effect on K+ deprivation‐induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs).

Methods

Cerebellar granule neurons were switched to K+ deprived medium with or without B3C. 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium assay, fluorescein diacetate (FDA)/propidium iodide (PI) staining, Hoechst staining, and DNA laddering assays were applied to detect cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Additionally, the expression of p‐VEGFR‐2, p‐Akt, p‐glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and p‐extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) was examined in CGNs.

Results

Switching CGNs to K+ deprived medium resulted in remarkable apoptosis, which could be substantially blocked by B3C treatment (IC50, 0.37 μM). Moreover, a rapid decrease in p‐Tyr1054‐VEGFR‐2 was observed after the switch. B3C significantly reversed the inhibition of p‐Tyr1054‐VEGFR‐2 as well as Akt and ERK pathways. VEGFR‐2 inhibitor PTK787/ZK222584, as well as PI3‐K inhibitor LY294002 and MEK inhibitor PD98059, each abolished the neuroprotective effect of B3C.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that B3C blocks K+ deprivation‐induced apoptosis in CGNs through regulating VEGFR‐2/Akt/GSK3β and VEGFR‐2/ERK signaling pathways, providing a molecular insight into the therapeutic potential of B3C for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Echocardiographic Estimation of Pulmonary Vascular Resistance in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: Utility of Right Heart Doppler Measurements
Authors: Xie Yu , Burke Benita M. , Kopelnik Alex , Auger William , Daniels Lori B. , Madani Michael M. , Poch David S. , Kim Nick H. , Blanchard Daniel G.
Published: July 2013

The ratio of tricuspid regurgitation velocity divided by the velocity‐time integral of right ventricular outflow tract pulsed‐wave Doppler tracing (TRV/VTIRVOT) has been used to estimate pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). However, this method has not been validated in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). We assessed the utility of TRV/VTIRVOT in patients with CTEPH and PVR from 2 to 20 WU. All had right heart catheterization (RHC) within 2 days of echocardiography. TRV/VTIRVOT was calculated and RHC‐derived pressures, PVR, and cardiac outputs were recorded. Mean pulmonary artery pressure was 47 ± 12 mmHg, cardiac output: 4.2 ± 1.1 L/min, PVR: 9 ± 4 WU, right atrial pressure: 12 ± 6 mmHg. Mean VTIRVOT was 13 ± 5 cm; mean TRV was 4.2 ± 0.8 m/s, mean tricuspid regurgitation severity was 2.5 ± 0.8 (1 = trace, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = severe). Regression analysis demonstrated a correlation between RHC PVR and TRV/VTIRVOT: PVR = 19.4 × (TRV/VTIRVOT) + 2.4 (r = 0.74, P < 0.001). However, Bland–Altman analysis found a poor degree of agreement between echo‐derived PVR and RHC PVR. We also studied 28 patients with non‐CTEPH pulmonary hypertension. Similar analysis revealed a regression equation of PVR = 20.1 × (TRV/VTIRVOT) + 0.3 (r = 0.57, P < 0.01). Conclusion: TRV/VTIRVOT is only marginally useful for estimating PVR in CTEPH (r = 0.74). Moreover, the regression equation in CTEPH differs significantly from previous studies in pulmonary hypertension. Reasons for this may include the markedly elevated PVR levels in this population and specific effects on VTIRVOT from CTEPH.
Keeping mitochondria in shape: a matter of life and death
Authors: Scorrano Luca
Published: July 2013

Background

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that participate in energy conversion, metabolism, signaling and apoptosis. To fulfill their multiple tasks, mitochondria come in varied morphologies and ultrastructures resulting from the equilibrium between fusion and fission, Furthermore, they are in close contact with the endoplasmic reticulum generating an essential interface in cell physiology and death.

Materials and Methods

In this review we will discuss the impact of our findings on the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial morphology and tethering to the endoplasmic reticulum on cell death.

Results and Conclusions

The work reviewed here supports a key role for mitochondrial dynamics in cell life and death and in disease.
Cocaine exposure enhances excitatory synaptic drive to cholinergic neurons in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus
Authors: Kurosawa Ryo , Taoka Naofumi , Shinohara Fumiya , Minami Masabumi , Kaneda Katsuyuki
Published: July 2013

Accumulating evidence indicates that the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) is associated with reward processing and addiction. The cholinergic projection from the LDT to the ventral tegmental area is essential for a large dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, which is critically involved in the reinforcing effects of addictive drugs, including cocaine. In contrast to the large number of studies on plasticity induced after cocaine exposure in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system, it remains unknown whether LDT cholinergic neurons exhibit plastic changes following cocaine administration. To address this issue, we performed ex vivo whole‐cell recordings in LDT cholinergic neurons obtained from rats following cocaine administration. Neurons obtained from 1 day after 5‐day cocaine‐treated rats showed significantly smaller paired‐pulse ratios of evoked EPSCs and higher miniature EPSC frequencies than those from saline‐treated rats, indicating an induction of presynaptic plasticity of increased glutamate release. This plasticity seemed to recover after a 5‐day withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure, and required NMDA receptor stimulation and nitric oxide production. Additionally, pharmacological suppression of activity of the medial prefrontal cortex inhibited the presynaptic plasticity in the LDT. On the other hand, AMPA/NMDA ratios were not different between saline‐ and cocaine‐treated groups, revealing an absence of postsynaptic plasticity. These findings provide the first direct evidence of cocaine‐induced synaptic plasticity in LDT cholinergic neurons and suggest that the presynaptic plasticity enhances the activity of LDT cholinergic neurons, contributing to the expression of cocaine‐induced addictive behaviors through the dysregulation of the mesocorticolimbic system.
Targeted lipidomics – advances in profiling lysophosphocholine and platelet‐activating factor second messengers
Authors: Xu Hongbin , Valenzuela Nicolas , Fai Stephen , Figeys Daniel , Bennett Steffany A. L.
Published: July 2013

Glycerophosphocholines are the major building blocks of biological membranes. They are also precursors of low‐molecular‐weight second messengers with mass to charge ratios of 450–600. These messengers include lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) and lyso‐platelet activating factors (PAFs) that may be further processed into PAFs. Often considered as a single species, LPCs, PAFs and lyso‐PAFs are, in fact, families of glycerophosphocholine‐derived lipids distinguished by the linkage of their sn‐1 carbon chains to the phosphoglyceride backbone (ester or ether), their sn‐1 carbon chain length and degree of unsaturation, and the identity of their sn‐2 constituents (a hydroxyl or acetyl group). Each LPC and PAF species exhibits a different affinity for its cognate G‐protein‐coupled receptors, and each species elicits receptor‐independent actions that play critical signalling roles. Targeted mass spectrometry‐based lipidomic approaches are enabling the molecular identification and quantification of these low‐abundance second messengers. Variations between datasets map the temporal landscape of second messengers available for signalling, and provide snapshots of the state of structural membrane compositional remodelling at the time of extraction. Here, we review a number of advances in lipidomic methodologies used to identify LPCs, lyso‐PAFs and PAFs, and highlight how these targeted approaches are providing valuable insight into the roles played by the cellular lipidome in cell function and disease susceptibility.
Structure of a bacterial glycoside hydrolase family 63 enzyme in complex with its glycosynthase product, and insights into the substrate specificity
Authors: Miyazaki Takatsugu , Ichikawa Megumi , Yokoi Gaku , Kitaoka Motomitsu , Mori Haruhide , Kitano Yoshikazu , Nishikawa Atsushi , Tonozuka Takashi
Published: July 2013

Proteins belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 63 (GH63) are found in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. Although the eukaryotic GH63 proteins have been identified as processing α‐glucosidase I, the substrate specificities of the bacterial and archaeal GH63 proteins are not clear. Here, we converted a bacterial GH63 enzyme, Escherichia coli YgjK, to a glycosynthase to probe its substrate specificity. Two mutants of YgjK (E727A and D324N) were constructed, and both mutants showed glycosynthase activity. The reactions of E727A with β‐d‐glucosyl fluoride and monosaccharides showed that the largest amount of glycosynthase product accumulated when galactose was employed as an acceptor molecule. The crystal structure of E727A complexed with the reaction product indicated that the disaccharide bound at the active site was 2‐O‐α‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐α‐d‐galactopyranose (Glc12Gal). A comparison of the structures of E727A–Glc12Gal and D324N–melibiose showed that there were two main types of conformation: the open and closed forms. The structure of YgjK adopted the closed form when subsite −1 was occupied by glucose. These results suggest that sugars containing the Glc12Gal structure are the most likely candidates for natural substrates of YgjK.

Database

The coordinates and structure factors for E727A–Glc12Gal and D324N–melibiose have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank under accession numbers 3W7W and 3W7X, respectively
Negative ageing stereotypes in students and faculty members from three health science schools
Authors: León Soraya , Correa‐Beltrán Gloria , Giacaman Rodrigo A.
Published: July 2013

Objective

To explore the ageing stereotypes held by health students and faculty members in three health science schools in Chile.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study surveyed 284 students and faculty members from the dental, physical therapy and speech therapy schools of the University of Talca, Chile. A validated 15‐question questionnaire about negative stereotypes was used (CENVE). The questions were divided into three categories: (i) health, (ii) social factors and motivation and (iii) character and personality. The scores for each category were grouped into the following categories: (i) positive, (ii) neutral and (iii) negative. Negative stereotypes were compared across genders, socio‐economic status levels, classes, positions (student or faculty member) and schools.

Results

The majority of the participants held neutral stereotypes towards ageing, followed by positive perceptions. No differences were detected between the genders, schools or classes. While most of the students had neutral perceptions about ageing, the faculty's perceptions were rather positive (p = 0.0182). In addition, people of lower–middle socio‐economic status held more positive stereotypes about ageing than the participants of high and middle status (p = 0.0496).

Conclusion

Stereotypes about ageing held by health‐related students and faculty members appear to be rather neutral. The stereotypes seem to be better among students with some clinical experience, students of lower socio‐economic status and faculty members.
Response to the Forum
Authors: Kale Madhavi
Published: July 2013

Maritime complex, infinite horizon, interregional arena, floating cosmopolis, Afrasian sea, poet's muse, linguistic caravan, coastal zone, superpower battleground, bookseller's highway, aquatic maelstrom, girmit passageway, civilizational basin, trade circuit, piecework carrier, pilgrim path, monsoon corridor, seafarer's route, mobile marketplace, province of pirates, burial ground – the Indian Ocean is all of these things and much more besides. Though historians have long imagined it as a world both unto itself and integral to histories of global capital, nation‐building, imperial rivalry and sustainability in many dimensions, the Indian Ocean and environs have become a preoccupation for scholars from a wide variety of locations, disciplinary and institutional, in the last two decades.
Maritime Worlds and Global History: Comparing the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean through Barcelona and Bombay
Authors: Green Nile
Published: July 2013

While Indian Ocean and Mediterranean cities are usually examined separately, this essay presents a comparison of the port cities of Bombay and Barcelona between around 1850 and 1920 to assess the usefulness of the maritime worlds model of oceanic historians and the world‐system model of global historians. By tracing the many similarities in the urban, economic, and infrastructural development of two largely unconnected ports, the comparative exercise highlights areas of variability and distinctiveness that become clearer when viewed against a world‐system common background. A case is then made that it is in the cultural arena that historians will find answers to the variability of outcomes that have emerged from what otherwise appears to be the uniform character of modern global history.
South Africa's Indian Ocean – Notes from Johannesburg
Authors: Hofmeyr Isabel
Published: July 2013

This article reviews the emerging intersections between southern African studies and Indian Ocean studies and the broader contexts enabling this dialogue. South Africa's political transition in 1994 encouraged an interest in South African histories that moved beyond an anti‐apartheid historiography of Black and White, while post‐Cold War imperatives and the rise of transnationalism have directed attention towards post‐area studies and oceanic modes of analysis that can speak to the histories of the global south. The article surveys new work emerging at these intersections. This includes research, which inserts Indian Ocean migrant communities into older historiographies dominated by narratives of African and European; literary scholarship, which rethinks southern African literary traditions by introducing the ocean more prominently; work on transnational Muslim traditions in southern Africa; ideas of transoceanic citizenship and scholarship on southern Africans who travel into the Indian Ocean world.
Basements and Intersections
Authors: Carastathis Anna
Published: July 2013

In this paper, I revisit Kimberlé Crenshaw's argument in “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex” (1989) to recover a companion metaphor that has been largely forgotten in the “mainstreaming” of intersectionality in (white‐dominated) feminist theory. In addition to the now‐famous intersection metaphor, Crenshaw offers the basement metaphor to show how—by privileging monistic, mutually exclusive, and analogically constituted categories of “race” and “sex” tethered, respectively, to masculinity and whiteness—antidiscrimination law functions to reproduce social hierarchy, rather than to remedy it, denying Black women plaintiffs legal redress. I argue that in leaving the basement behind, deployments of “intersectionality” that deracinate the concept from its origins in Black feminist thought also occlude Crenshaw's account of the socio‐legal reproduction of hierarchical power.
Enhancement of the phytochemical and fibre content of beef patties with Himanthalia elongata seaweed
Authors: Cox Sabrina , Abu‐Ghannam Nissreen
Published: July 2013

The effect of adding Himanthalia elongata seaweed (10–40% w/w) as a source of antioxidants and dietary fibre on physical, chemical, microbial and sensory traits of cooked beef patties was studied throughout chilled storage. Patties with seaweed showed reduced cooking losses and were nearly 50% more tender as compared to patties without seaweed. Microbiological counts and lipid oxidation were significantly lower in patties containing seaweed (P < 0.05), and by day 30 of storage, there was no bacterial growth in samples with ≥20% seaweed and lipid oxidation levels were low (0.61 mg malondialdehyde kg−1 of sample). Seaweed incorporation significantly increased the dietary fibre (1.64 g per 100 g fw in 40% seaweed patties), total phenolic content (up to 28.11 mg GAE per 100 g fw) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (up to 52.32%) of patties compared to the control. Sensory analysis indicated that the seaweed patties were accepted by consumers in terms of aroma, appearance, texture and taste. Patties containing 40% seaweed were rated highest in terms of overall acceptability, most likely due to improvement in texture and mouthfeel. Addition of seaweed in the formulation of beef patties leads to the enhancement of the nutritional and technological quality together with an acceptable sensory quality.
Characterization of regulatory dendritic cells differentiated from the bone marrow of UV‐irradiated mice
Authors: Ng Royce L. X. , Scott Naomi M. , Bisley Jackie L. , Lambert Misty J. , Gorman Shelley , Norval Mary , Hart Prue H.
Published: July 2013

When antigen‐loaded dendritic cells (DCs) differentiated from the bone marrow (BM) of UV‐irradiated mice (UV‐BMDCs) were adoptively transferred into naive mice or mice pre‐sensitized with that antigen, the recipients exhibited a reduced immune response following antigen challenge. Hence, UV‐BMDCs are poorly immunogenic and can suppress pre‐existing immunity. The UV‐induced effect on BM‐derived DCs was rapid (observed 1 day after UV radiation), long‐lasting (observed 10 days after UV radiation) and UV dose‐dependent. The mechanism by which UV‐BMDCs could regulate immunity was investigated. The CD11c+ cells, differentiated using granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor + interleukin‐4, were confirmed to be DCs because they did not express the myeloid‐derived suppressor cell marker, Gr1. UV‐BMDCs did not display altered antigen uptake, processing or ability to activate T cells in vitro. When gene expression in UV‐BMDCs and DCs differentiated from the BM of non‐irradiated mice (control‐BMDCs) was examined, Ccl7, Ccl8 and CSF1R (CD115) mRNA transcripts were up‐regulated in UV‐BMDCs compared with control‐BMDCs. However, neutralizing antibodies for Ccl7 and Ccl8 did not abrogate the reduced immunogenicity of UV‐BMDCs in vivo. Moreover, the up‐regulation of CSF1R transcript did not correspond with increased receptor expression on UV‐BMDCs. The phenotypes of UV‐BMDCs and control‐BMDCs were similar, with no difference in the expression of CD4, CD8α, CD103, B220 or F4/80, or the regulatory molecules CCR7 (CD197), FasL (CD95L), B7H3 (CD276) and B7H4. However, PDL1 (CD274) expression was reduced in UV‐BMDCs compared with control‐BMDCs following lipopolysaccharide stimulation. In summary, UV‐BMDCs do not express the classical phenotypic or gene expression properties of DCs reported by others as ‘regulatory’ or ‘tolerogenic’.
A Toll‐like receptor 2 ligand, Pam3CSK4, augments interferon‐γ‐induced nitric oxide production via a physical association between MyD88 and interferon‐γ receptor in vascular endothelial cells
Authors: Tsolmongyn Bilegtsaikhan , Koide Naoki , Jambalganiin Ulziisaikhan , Odkhuu Erdenezaya , Naiki Yoshikazu , Komatsu Takayuki , Yoshida Tomoaki , Yokochi Takashi
Published: July 2013

The effect of Pam3CSK4, a Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligand, on interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) ‐induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse vascular endothelial END‐D cells was studied. Pre‐treatment or post‐treatment with Pam3CSK4 augmented IFN‐γ‐induced NO production via enhanced expression of an inducible NO synthase (iNOS) protein and mRNA. Pam3CSK4 augmented phosphorylation of Janus kinase 1 and 2, followed by enhanced phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) at tyrosine 701. Subsequently, the enhanced STAT1 activation augmented IFN‐γ‐induced IFN‐regulatory factor 1 expression leading to the iNOS expression. Pam3CSK4 also induced the activation of p38 and subsequent phosphorylation of STAT1 at serine 727. A pharmacological p38 inhibitor abolished the augmentation of IFN‐γ‐induced NO production by Pam3CSK4. Surprisingly, Pam3CSK4 enhanced a physical association of MyD88 and IFN‐γ receptor. Together, these findings suggest that Pam3CSK4 up‐regulates IFN‐γ signalling in vascular endothelial cells via the physical association between MyD88 and IFN‐γ receptor α, and p38‐dependent serine 727 STAT1 phosphorylation.
Rapid change in parasite infection traits over the course of an epidemic in a wild host–parasite population
Authors: Auld Stuart K. J. R. , Wilson Philip J. , Little Tom J.
Published: July 2013

By combining a field study with controlled laboratory experimentation, we examined how infection traits of the sterilizing bacterium,Pasteuria ramosa, changed over the course of a growing season in a natural population of its crustacean hostDaphnia magna. The number of parasite transmission spores per infected host increased ten‐fold over the course of the season, concomitant with a decline in the density of infected hosts. Plausible explanations for this variation include changes in environmental conditions, changes in host quality, or that parasite migration or natural selection caused a genetic change in the parasite population. We sought to distinguish some of these possibilities in a laboratory experiment. Thus, we preserved field‐collected parasite spores throughout the season, and later exposed a set of hosts to a fixed dose of these spores under controlled laboratory conditions. Parasites collected late in the season were more infectious and grew more rapidly than parasites collected early in the season. This result is compatible with the hypothesis that the observed increase in infectivity in the field was due to genetic change, i.e. evolution in theP. ramosapopulation.
Child anxiety and parenting in England and Italy: the moderating role of maternal warmth
Authors: Raudino Alessandra , Murray Lynne , Turner Corinne , Tsampala Eirini , Lis Adriana , De Pascalis Leonardo , Cooper Peter J.
Published: July 2013

Background

Parenting factors have been implicated in the aetiology and maintenance of child anxiety. Most research has been correlational with little experimental or longitudinal work. Cross‐cultural comparison could be illuminating. A comparison of Italian and British children and their mothers was conducted.

Methods

A sample of 8‐ to 10‐year old children, 60 Italian and 49 English, completed the Spence Child Anxiety Scale. Mothers also completed two questionnaires of parenting: the Skills of Daily Living Checklist (assessing maternal autonomy granting) and the Parent–Child Interaction Questionnaire (assessing maternal intrusiveness). Parenting was assessed in two video‐recorded blindly rated mother–child interaction tasks, the ‘belt‐buckling tasks and the ‘etch‐a‐sketch’, providing objective indices of overcontrol, warmth, lack of autonomy granting, and overprotection.

Results

There were no differences between the children in overall anxiety and specific forms of anxiety. Parenting, however, was markedly different for the two countries. Compared to English mothers, on the two questionnaires, Italian mothers were significantly less autonomy granting and more intrusive; and in terms of the observed indices, a significantly greater proportion of the Italian mothers displayed a high level of both overprotection and overcontrol, and a low level of autonomy granting. Notably, Italian mothers evidenced significantly more warmth than English mothers; and maternal warmth was found to moderate the impact of self‐reported maternal intrusiveness on the level of both overall child anxiety and the level of child separation anxiety; and it also moderated the relationship between both observed maternal intrusiveness and overall child anxiety and observed maternal overprotectiveness and child separation anxiety.

Conclusions

Although, compared to the British mothers, the Italian mothers were more likely to evidence high levels of parenting behaviours previously found to be anxiogenic, the high levels of warmth displayed by these mothers to their children appears to have neutralised the adverse impact of these behaviours.
ATTRACTING GLOBAL TALENT AND THEN WHAT? OVEREDUCATED IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Beckhusen Julia , Florax Raymond J.G.M. , Poot Jacques , Waldorf Brigitte S.
Published: July 2013

This research assesses the prevalence and determinants of job–education mismatches among male immigrants in the United States between 1980 and 2009. The results suggest that educational attainment levels do not match occupational education requirements for almost half of all immigrants. Overeducation among high‐skilled immigrants vastly exceeds that of comparable natives. Probit models of overeducation suggest that: (i) personal characteristics operate in similar fashion for immigrants and natives; (ii) immigrant brain waste is above average in gateway states, metropolitan areas and in prosperous high‐wage areas; and (iii) proficiency in English and length of residence reduce the overeducation risk among high‐skilled immigrants.
Shakespeare and the ‘Spatial Turn’
Authors: Dustagheer Sarah
Published: July 2013

This article examines the effect of the ‘spatial turn’ on the study of Shakespeare and early modern drama. In recent years, there has been a new attentiveness to space in the humanities – the so‐called spatial turn – prompted by the work of philosophers Michel Foucault, Henri Lefebvre, Michel de Certeau and Gaston Bachelard. Such work demonstrates that spaces are political, cultural and imaginative entities for the societies who create them. This thinking has affected the study of early modern drama and its relationship with spaces, like the playhouse and the city, and spatial developments, such as the advances in cartography. The article outlines the key terms from this critical field, including ‘spatial practice’, ‘representational space’ and ‘cultural geography’. Scholarship in this area has been important not only because performance is spatial art but also because many political and economic developments represented on the Shakespearean stage concern society's changing use and experience of space.
“An Unfollowable World”:Beowulf, English Poetry, and the Phenomenalism of Language
Authors: Christie E. J.
Published: July 2013

This essay traces a history ofBeowulfcriticism, specifically focusing on the cultural value and literary merit that are always to some extent opposed in describing the poem's worth. It investigates assumptions about the relationships between language, poetry, and culture that informed, and sometimes continue to inform,Beowulfcriticism. On the one hand,Beowulfis taken to represent an essential Englishness, while on the other hand it is linguistically alien to modern speakers.Beowulfthus forms an ideal litmus test for foundational questions such as “what makes language literary?” and “what makes a poem an English poem?” AlthoughBeowulfis often represented as an outlier, a poem which we must learn to understand in its own terms, this survey demonstrates thatBeowulfcriticism reflects predictable trends in the evolution of thought about the relationship between language, literature, and culture.
Victorian Murder: Complex Problems and Academic Interdisciplinarity
Authors: Tromp Marlene
Published: July 2013

Murder has horrified and fascinated us for centuries. Victorian murder not only marked the period but also has been the subject of countless contemporary movies, books, and plays, as well as a focus of academic study across a range of subfields, including gender studies, urban studies, genre studies, historical studies, and criminological studies. In some cases, particular murderers or their methodologies have been the focus. While some scholarship has crossed disciplinary lines, few studies have done so in a robust way. Scholarship on murder would have greater intellectual complexity, nuance, and efficacy if it traversed disciplinary boundaries and drew on the work in a greater variety of subfields.
The English Fabliau in the 15th and 16th Centuries
Authors: Parsons Ben
Published: July 2013

In the fifteenth and 16th centuries, the fabliau attained a belated vogue in English. This paper offers a review of existing criticism on the English fabliaux, outlining the main issues it addresses, as well as suggesting the future directions scholarship might take. In particular, it offers a detailed analysis of how English writers after Chaucer tried to bring the fabliau genre into line with 15th‐century notions of orthodoxy, a project which caused them to confront the challenges of the Lollard heresy in subtle but pervasive ways. It also notes that the very tactics used by the fabliaux to uphold late‐medieval orthodoxy against Wycliffism rendered them all the more popular after the Reformation, despite their obvious Catholic sympathies. It is concluded that these two elements in the texts merit closer study, as they resonate with recent assessments of the period and its culture.

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Internal Contradictions of Judicial Mediation in China
Authors: Ng Kwai Hang , He Xin
Published: July 2013

Judicial mediation in China represents an extreme case of integration between adjudication and mediation. Based on ethnographic work and extensive interviews, this article studies how judicial mediation actually works in China. It finds that the incorporation of mediation as part of the official trial process creates a set of internal contradictions. In addition to the role conflict inherent in a judge's acting also as a mediator, adjudication and mediation stages are organized by different principles. When the rather rigid format of adjudication is carried over to in‐trial mediation, it curtails the flexible, nonlegalistic approach that mediation is meant to promote. Challenged authority, an uncontrolled process, narrowed issues, and weakened norms all make a settled outcome difficult to achieve. In comparison with judicial mediation in other jurisdictions, this case study from China has important theoretical implications for understanding the limits of informal justice.
Giffen Goods and their Reflexion Property
Authors: Moffatt P. G. , Moffatt H. K.
Published: July 2013

The following ‘reflexion property’ of Giffen behaviour is proved: the two‐good direct utility function (DUF) obtained by reversing the sign of two‐good indirect utility function (IUF) displays Giffen behaviour with respect to one of the two goods if and only if the IUF itself displays Giffen behaviour with respect to the other good. A particular IUF showing Giffen behaviour for both goods (in non‐overlapping regions of the price space) is constructed and the reflexion property is verified. The example IUF is extended to more than two goods, and Giffenity is verified in this case.
What can we Learn from Bargaining Models about Union Power? The Decline in Union Power in Germany, 1992–2009
Authors: Hirsch Boris , Schnabel Claus
Published: July 2013

Building on the right‐to‐manage model of collective bargaining, this paper tries to infer union power from the observed results in wage setting. It derives a time‐varying indicator of union strength taking account of taxation, unemployment benefits, and the labour market situation and confronts this indicator with annual data for Germany. The results show that union power did not change much from 1992 to 2002 but fell markedly (by about one‐third) from 2002 to 2007 in the aftermath of substantial labour market reforms.
Exchange Rate and Interest Rate Exposure of UK Industries Using First‐order Autoregressive Exponential GARCH‐in‐mean (EGARCH‐M) Approach
Authors: Olugbode Mojisola , El‐Masry Ahmed , Pointon John
Published: July 2013

We examine the sensitivity of 31 UK non‐financial industries to exchange and interest rate exposure from 1990 to 2006 using first‐order autoregressive exponential GARCH‐in‐mean (EGARCH‐M) model. We find that the stock returns of UK industries are more affected by long‐term interest rate risk than exchange rate risk and short‐term interest rate risk. Moreover, the euro introduction decreases exchange and interest rate exposure and competitive industries exhibit higher returns volatility than concentrated industries. Furthermore, for most UK industries: increased risk does not necessarily lead to an increase in returns and persistence of volatility is much higher in some industries than others.