bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VE-Cadherin–Mediated Epigenetic Regulation of Endothelial Gene Expression
Authors: Morini Marco F. , Giampietro Costanza , Corada Monica , Pisati Federica , Lavarone Elisa , Cunha Sara I. , Conze Lei L. , O’Reilly Nicola , Joshi Dhira , Kjaer Svend , George Roger , Nye Emma , Ma Anqi , Jin Jian , Mitter Richard , Lupia Michela , Cavallaro Ugo , Pasini Diego , Calado Dinis P. , Dejana Elisabetta , Taddei Andrea
Published: December 2017

Rationale:

The mechanistic foundation of vascular maturation is still largely unknown. Several human pathologies are characterized by deregulated angiogenesis and unstable blood vessels. Solid tumors, for instance, get their nourishment from newly formed structurally abnormal vessels which present wide and irregular interendothelial junctions. Expression and clustering of the main endothelial-specific adherens junction protein, VEC (vascular endothelial cadherin), upregulate genes with key roles in endothelial differentiation and stability.

Objective:

We aim at understanding the molecular mechanisms through which VEC triggers the expression of a set of genes involved in endothelial differentiation and vascular stabilization.

Methods and Results:

We compared a VEC-null cell line with the same line reconstituted with
VEC
wild-type cDNA. VEC expression and clustering upregulated endothelial-specific genes with key roles in vascular stabilization including
claudin-5
, vascular endothelial-protein tyrosine phosphatase (
VE-PTP
), and von Willebrand factor (
vWf
). Mechanistically, VEC exerts this effect by inhibiting polycomb protein activity on the specific gene promoters. This is achieved by preventing nuclear translocation of FoxO1 (Forkhead box protein O1) and β-catenin, which contribute to PRC2 (polycomb repressive complex-2) binding to promoter regions of
claudin-5
,
VE-PTP
, and
vWf
. VEC/β-catenin complex also sequesters a core subunit of PRC2 (Ezh2 [enhancer of zeste homolog 2]) at the cell membrane, preventing its nuclear translocation. Inhibition of Ezh2/VEC association increases Ezh2 recruitment to
claudin-5
,
VE-PTP
, and
vWf
promoters, causing gene downregulation. RNA sequencing comparison of VEC-null and VEC-positive cells suggested a more general role of VEC in activating endothelial genes and triggering a vascular stability-related gene expression program. In pathological angiogenesis of human ovarian carcinomas, reduced VEC expression paralleled decreased levels of claudin-5 and VE-PTP.

Conclusions:

These data extend the knowledge of polycomb-mediated regulation of gene expression to endothelial cell differentiation and vessel maturation. The identified mechanism opens novel therapeutic opportunities to modulate endothelial gene expression and induce vascular normalization through pharmacological inhibition of the polycomb-mediated repression system.
Q in Matthew: A Review Essay
Authors: Rollens Sarah E.
Published: December 2017

This essay reviews Alan Kirk’s recent book Q in Matthew: Ancient Media, Memory, and Early Scribal Transmissions of the Jesus Tbrradition, which analyzes the techniques of ancient scribal composition alongside memory theory to better understand how the author of the Gospel of Matthew used his sources.
Matthew as Scribal Tradent: An Assessment of Alan Kirk’s Q in Matthew
Authors: Derrenbacker Robert A.
Published: December 2017

This essay is a review and assessment of Alan Kirk’s book Matthew in Q (Bloomsbury, 2016). After an overview of the book, the essay assesses Kirk’s work in three areas: 1) Matthew's memory of (without visual contact with) Mark and Q, 2) the type of literary dependence evidenced by Matthew, and 3) Matthew and the mechanics of ancient media.
Agricultural Economics and the Agrarian Lobby in Hungary under State Socialism
Authors: Varga Zsuzsanna
Published: December 2017

Following the revolution in 1956, Hungary’s agrarian policy went through changes and reforms unprecedented within the socialist block. The most important reform was the abolition of the system of compulsory delivery. This article aims to outline how the political change affected agrarian economics and also highlights the significant role played by some scholars, with their latent presence and their policy suggestions, which the Kádár Government had the courage to support in November 1956. With the emergence of the so-called Agrarian Lobby, of the intertwining networks of politicians, administrators, and scientists of the agrarian sector, the personal and intellectual preconditions had already been in place before 1956. Institutionalization, however, could only come about after the partial rehabilitation of market economy. The post-1956 political leadership could only meet the challenge of re-defining the relationship of the state and the agricultural cooperatives with the contribution of professionals. At the same time, the shape and nature of Kádár era agrarian economic research were also affected by the alliance between the practitioners of the field and the emerging network of agro-politicians and administrators, the Agrarian Lobby. Two key figures, Ferenc Erdei and Lajos Fehér, shared the responsibility for the better performance of agriculture. This paper also pays attention to the way their cooperation on this reform policy-oriented research was realized and the key role it played in the Hungarian agricultural cooperatives’ emancipation from the bonds of the kolkhoz model in the 1960s.
The Making and Unmaking of an Austrian Space of Historical Scholarship, 1848–1914
Authors: Varga Bálint
Published: December 2017

Starting in the late 1840s, the Habsburg monarchy engaged in the making of modern historical scholarship by introducing standardized training and creating an institutional framework of research. During the 1850s, the Viennese government laid down the foundations of a pan-Austrian academic space. However, this space started to split already in the early 1860s, and at the turn of the twentieth century it was largely replaced by academic communities organized along national lines. By analyzing the making of different historians’ communities, this paper claims that the split of the united Habsburg space of historical sciences was the direct result of “high” politics, in particular granting autonomy to various crown lands of the empire.
Age-Related Changes in Human and Nonhuman Timing
Authors: Xu Rannie , Church Russell M.
Published: December 2017

The capacity for timed behavior is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, making time perception an ideal topic of comparative research across human and nonhuman subjects. One of the many consequences of normal aging is a systematic decline in timing ability, often accompanied by a host of behavioral and biochemical changes in the brain. In this review, we describe some of these behavioral and biochemical changes in human and nonhuman subjects. Given the involvement of timing in higher-order cognitive processing, age-related changes in timing ability can act as a marker for cognitive decline in older adults. Finally, we offer a comparison between human and nonhuman timing through the perspective of Alzheimer’s disease. Taken together, we suggest that understanding timing functions and dysfunctions can improve theoretical accounts of cognitive aging and time perception, and the use of nonhuman subjects constitutes an integral part of this process.
Repetition and a Beat-Based Timing Framework: What Determines the Duration of Intervals Between Repetitions of a Tapping Pattern?
Authors: Murton Olivia , Zipse Lauryn , Jacoby Nori , Shattuck-Hufnagel Stefanie
Published: December 2017

The production of speech and music are two human behaviors that involve complex hierarchical structures with implications for timing. Timing constraints may arise from a human proclivity to form ‘self-organized’ metrical structures for perceived and produced event sequences, especially those that involve repetition. To test whether the propensity to organize events in time arises even for simple motor behaviors, we developed a novel experimental tapping paradigm investigating whether participants use the beat structure of a tapped pattern to determine the interval between repetitions. Participants listened to target patterns of 3, 4, or 5 events, occurring at one of four periodic rates, and tapped out the pattern 11 times, creating 10 inter-pattern intervals (IPIs), which participants chose freely. The ratio between mean IPI and mean inter-tap interval (ITI) was used to measure the beat-relatedness of the overall timing pattern; the closer this ratio is to an integer, the more likely the participant was timing the IPI to match a multiple of the target pattern beat. Results show that a beat-based strategy contributes prominently, although not universally, to IPI duration. Moreover, participants preferred interval cycles with even numbers of beats, especially cycles with four beats. Finally, the IPI/ITI ratio was affected by rate, with more beats of silence for the IPI at faster rates. These findings support the idea that people can generate a larger global timing structure when engaging in the repetition of simple periodic motor patterns, and use that structure to govern the timing of those motor events.
Rootstock effect on tree-ring traits in grapevine under a climate change scenario
Authors: De Micco Veronica , Zalloni Enrica , Battipaglia Giovanna , Erbaggio Arturo , Scognamiglio Pasquale , Caputo Rosanna , Cirillo Chiara
Published: December 2017

Projected changes in drought occurrence in the Mediterranean region are raising concerns about the adaptive capability of rainfed crops, such as grapevine, to increasing aridity. Cultivation management, especially the techniques influencing the hydraulic pathway, can play a role in plant adaptation to drought for the consequent changes in wood anatomical functional traits. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of grafting on wood anatomy in tree-ring series ofVitis vini-feraL. ‘Piedirosso’ grapevine cultivated in a volcanic area in Southern Italy. Tree-ring anatomy was analysed in vines grown on their own roots or grafted onto 420A rootstock. Results showed that grafted vines had a higher occurrence of wood traits linked with safety of water transport if compared with non-grafted vines. Grafting induced the formation of tree rings with higher incidence of latewood also characterised by narrower and more frequent vessels if compared with non-grafted vines. This study suggested a different regulation of water flow in the grafted and non-grafted vines. Such findings support the analysis of wood anatomy as a tool to drive decisions linked with plant cultivation management. In this specific case, our results encourage to further explore the change from a traditional cultivation with own-rooted grapevines towards grafted models inducing better xylem adaptation to increasing drought.
The Relationship between unclos and imo Instruments
Authors: Beckman Robert , Sun Zhen
Published: December 2017

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (unclos) is widely viewed as a “constitutive” instrument that provides a legal framework that is being filled in, rounded out and complemented by existing and subsequently enacted international agreements and customary international law. The International Maritime Organization (imo) is the preeminent international organization with competence to establish international rules and standards for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. In other words, on matters relating to international shipping, unclos outlines the rights and obligations of States parties in various maritime zones that must be exercised and fulfilled through implementation instruments under the auspices of imo.

This article will examine and discuss the relationship between unclos and imo instruments. First, it will provide an overview of imo, including its historical background, its mandates and structure, and the major instruments that are under its auspices. It will then look at the relationship between unclos and imo, and discuss how imo and its instruments have been incorporated into unclos. Furthermore, it will discuss the role of imo and its instruments in assisting States to exercise their rights and fulfil their obligations under unclos.
Three new species of Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota) from the semi-arid region of northeast Brazil
Authors: DANTAS JACIELE DE OLIVEIRA , ALVES ELAINE SANTOS , LÜCKING ROBERT , CÁCERES MARCELA EUGENIA DA SILVA
Published: December 2017

Three new lichenized fungal species in the family Graphidaceae are described from Northeast Brazil. Graphis alba has lirellae with a conspicuous white cover, eventually becoming striate, small, (sub-)muriform ascospores, and stictic acid. Halegrapha redonographoides features somewhat pseudostromatic ascomata with immersed lirellae, a completely carbonized excipulum, and small, submuriform ascospores, in combination with a norstictic acid chemistry. Thelotrema pachysporoides has an ecorticate, white thallus and produces brown, 7–13-septate, 25–35 × 7–10 µm large ascospores. The new species were found in an isolated remnant of Caatinga vegetation, at Fazenda Santa Maria da Lage, Poço Verde, Sergipe state, with additional material of one of the species also detected in the state of Tocantins.
Resurgence of a forgotten Southern Brazil endemic species: taxonomic position, redescription, and spatio-temporal distribution of Porosagrotis carolia Schaus, 1929 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae)
Authors: DIAS FERNANDO M. S. , SPECHT ALEXANDRE , BLAS GERMAN SAN , CASAGRANDE MIRNA M. , MIELKE OLAF H. H.
Published: December 2017

The taxonomy of the hitherto unplaced taxon Porosagrotis carolia Schaus, 1929 is evaluated and the name is taken out of taxonomic limbo and combined with Feltia Walker, 1856. Feltia carolia comb. nov., described from a single female specimen, is redescribed, including the first description of the male. Head, thorax and its appendages, and male and female genitalia are illustrated through photographs and line drawings; photographs of the holotype and a distribution map for the species is provided. Additionally, the spatio-temporal occurrence of the species in Rio Grande do Sul was assessed by monthly standardized samplings with light traps from January of 1998 to December of 1999 in ten different physiographical zones of the state. Our results suggest that F. carolia comb. nov. is univoltine and goes through prepupal and pupal estival diapauses. The assessment of the distribution of the species, based on the standardized samplings and specimens deposited in entomological collections, suggests that F. carolia comb. nov. is restricted to the southern Brazilian Campos, a mostly neglected environment discontinuously distributed in mountainous plateaus of the southern Mata Atlântica biome.
Anaxibia folia spec. nov.—a new litter-dwelling dictynid spider from India (Araneae: Dictynidae: Dictyninae)
Authors: SANKARAN PRADEEP M. , SEBASTIAN POTHALIL A.
Published: December 2017

The dictynid genus Anaxibia Thorell, 1898 currently has six nominal species distributed in the Oriental and Ethiopian regions (World Spider Catalog 2017). The genus represents tiny to small spiders characterised by a reduced cribellum, long, cylindrical anterior and posterior spinnerets, cymbium with caudal modification, palpal patella with dorsal horn, sub-apically arising embolus, conductor with wide lamellar apex and simple female genitalia (Lehtinen 1967). The genus has one representative in India: Anaxibia rebai (Tikader, 1966), originally described under Dictyna Sundevall, 1833 (Tikader 1966; Lehtinen 1967). In this paper, we describe and illustrate a new litter-dwelling Anaxibia species collected from the Kerala state of southern India.
Study of near infrared chemometric models with low heterogeneity films: The role of optical sampling and spectral preprocessing on partial least squares errors
Authors: Ortega-Zuñiga Carlos , Reyes-Maldonado Kerimar , Méndez Rafael , Romañach Rodolfo J
Published: December 2017

This study is focused on understanding absorption and scattering effects and their impact on the errors observed in near infrared calibration models developed using partial least squares regression able to predict the number of polypropylene film layers stacked together. The films provided a system with reduced heterogeneity to study the sources of error due to light scattering, selection of spectral preprocessing and spectral region on near infrared calibrations. Near infrared spectra were acquired using two experimental setups with the integrating sphere module of the FT-NIR spectrometer. The first setup consisted in stacking the polymer films to determine the penetration of the near infrared radiation. The second setup was a variation using a reflective surface on the top of the films in transflection mode, increasing the pathlength and therefore transmission and absorption of the material. The estimation of the penetration of radiation was performed using talc placed over the polymers films. The narrow bands of talc, related to first and second overtones of the O-H stretching mode, were used to estimate the near infrared sampling depth into polymer film layers, which ranged from 2.95 to 3.12 mm. Partial least square calibrations developed with up to 30 film layers were accurate with bias values that were not significantly different from zero at the 95% confidence level. Statistical errors were calculated for seven near infrared regions using different spectral preprocessing and the confidence interval of the bias showed that optical sampling is unbiased and there is an absence of systematic error by the near infrared method. A calibration model developed with 50 film layers presented high statistical errors and bias different from zero, indicating a sampling error due the depth of penetration of near infrared radiation. The impact of number of samples in the calibration and validation set was also evaluated. The results showed that bias was significant when the number of samples was less than 11. This finding highlights the lack of systematic error in the near infrared method, as long as the number of samples in the calibration set is representative of the variation to be modelled by a partial least squares regression and the sampling error is reduced.
Locating Biobanks in the Canadian Privacy Maze
Authors: Saulnier Katie M. , Joly Yann
Published: December 2017

Although Canada has not yet enacted any biobanking-specific privacy law, guidance and oversight are provided via various federal and provincial health and privacy-related laws as well as via ethics and policy documents. The primary policy document governing health research, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, provides the framework for the strong role of Research Ethics Boards in Canada, and limits research funding from Canada's three main federal funding agencies to those who agree to adhere to its policies. The broad consent model is gaining traction in Canada, although lack of legal and constitutional precedence for the broad consent or opt-out options makes this an evolving issue. In general, data is required to be coded; more specific security measures are outlined in guidelines that may be implemented by local policy. International sharing is allowed, and Canada meets the European Union's standards for receipt of data and samples.
Biobank Report: United Kingdom
Authors: Kaye Jane , Bell Jessica , Briceno Linda , Mitchell Colin
Published: December 2017

The United Kingdom is a leader in genomics research, and the presence of numerous types of biobanks and the linking of health data and research within the UK evidences the importance of biobank-based research in the UK. There is no biobank-specific law in the UK and research on biobank materials is governed by a confusing set of statutory law, common law, regulations, and guidance documents. Several layers of applicable law, from European to local, further complicate an understanding of privacy protections. Finally, biobanks frequently contain data in addition to the samples; the legal framework in the UK generally differentiates between data and samples and the form of the data affects the applicability of legal provisions. Biobanks must be licensed by the Human Tissue Authority; certain projects must be reviewed by Research Ethics Committees, and all projects are encouraged to be reviewed by them. Data Access Committees in biobanks are also common in the UK. While this confusing array of legal provisions leaves privacy protections in biobanking somewhat unclear, changes at the EU level may contribute to harmonization of approaches to privacy.
EU Laws on Privacy in Genomic Databases and Biobanking
Authors: Townend David
Published: December 2017

Both the European Union and the Council of Europe have a bearing on privacy in genomic databases and biobanking. In terms of legislation, the processing of personal data as it relates to the right to privacy is currently largely regulated in Europe by Directive 95/46/EC, which requires that processing be “fair and lawful” and follow a set of principles, meaning that the data be processed only for stated purposes, be sufficient for the purposes of the processing, be kept only for so long as is necessary to achieve those purposes, and be kept securely and only in an identifiable state for such time as is necessary for the processing. The European privacy regime does not require the de-identification (anonymization) of personal data used in genomic databases or biobanks, and alongside this practice informed consent as well as governance and oversight mechanisms provide for the protection of genomic data.
Vulnerable Subjects: Why Does Informed Consent Matter?
Authors: Goodwin Michele
Published: December 2017

This special issue of the Journal Law, Medicine & Ethics takes up the concern of informed consent, particularly in times of controversy. The dominant moral dilemmas that frame traditional bioethical concerns address medical experimentation on vulnerable subjects; physicians assisting their patients in suicide or euthanasia; scarce resource allocation and medical futility; human trials to develop drugs; organ and tissue donation; cloning; xenotransplantation; abortion; human enhancement; mandatory vaccination; and much more. The term “bioethics” provides a lens, language, and guideposts to the study of medical ethics. It is worth noting, however, that medical experimentation is neither new nor exclusive to one country. Authors in this issue address thorny subjects that span borders and patients: from matters dealing with children and vaccination to the language and perception of consent.
Limning the Semantic Frontier of Informed Consent
Authors: Washington Harriet A.
Published: December 2017

It is the researcher's responsibility to provide accurate, complete, and unbiased verbal and written information yet, as this essay discusses, challenges to meaningful research consent abound in the communication between researcher and subject. This discussion of these challenges is far from exhaustive, but it will flag some of the potholes that researchers must anticipate on the sometimes rocky road to eliciting meaningful consent. These include, but are not limited to, inadequate scientific literacy, poorly written consent forms, and even the deployment of scientific terms and seductive acronyms like CURE and MIRACL. Studies with acronyms, for example, enroll five times as many patients as those without, are more likely to be published by prestigious journals, and have higher Jadad methodologic quality scores although they are no more likely to conclude with positive findings. Other barriers to researcher-subject communication include: widely differing beliefs and customs, semiotics, socioeconomic status, iatrophobia, and dramatically different histories of treatment in the medical-research arena.
Achieving Informed Consent for Cellular Therapies: A Preclinical Translational Research Perspective on Regulations versus a Dose of Reality
Authors: Anderson Aileen J. , Cummings Brian J.
Published: December 2017

A central principle of bioethics is “subject autonomy,” the acknowledgement of the primacy of the informed consent of the subject of research. Autonomy requires informed consent — the assurance that the research participant is informed about the possible risks and benefits of the research. In fact, informed consent is difficult when a single drug is being tested, although subjects have a baseline understanding of the testing of a pharmacological agent and the understanding that they can stop taking the drug if there were an adverse event. However, informed consent is even less easily achieved in the modern arena of complex new molecular and cellular therapies. In this article, we argue that as science confronts new issues such as transplantation of stem cell products, which may live within the participant for the rest of their lives, researchers must carefully consider and constantly re-examine how they properly inform subjects considering participation trials of these novel therapeutic strategies.

For example, the manufacture of a vial of a cell product that consists of a collection of growing cells is very different than the production of a vial of identical pills, which can be presumed to be identical. The scientific concepts on which these cellular approaches are based may seem alien and incomprehensible to a research subject, who thinks of a clinical trial as simply the selection and testing of the most efficacious pharmaceutical agent already proven to work in preclinical animal studies. The research subject would be wrong.
Proof in the Pudding: The Value of a Rights Based Approach to Understanding the Covert Administration of Psychotropic Medication to Adult Inpatients Determined to Be Decisionally-Incapable in Ontario's Psychiatric Settings
Authors: Sheldon C. Tess
Published: December 2017

This paper explores a grey area of psychiatric practice and, as with other challenging practices, the law is called upon to navigate conflicting legal issues. In particular, this paper explores the covert administration of medication: the concealment of medication in food or drink so that it will be consumed undetected. Rights-based approaches support nuanced understanding of the practices. Few policies, protocols or guidelines govern the practice in Ontario's psychiatric settings. While covert medication is understood to have “something to do” with rights, there is confusion about how those rights play out on the ground. Institutional silences underlie and reinforce the practice. Most pressing, the covert administration of medication warrants an overt discussion, including of its impact on the rights-experience of persons in psychiatric settings.
Deception in Caregiving: Unpacking Several Ethical Considerations in Covert Medication
Authors: Abdool Rosalind (Roz)
Published: December 2017

From a clinical ethics perspective, I explore several traditional arguments that deem deception as morally unacceptable. For example, it is often argued that deception robs people of their autonomy (Frankfurt 2005). Deception also unfairly manipulates others and is a breach of important trust-relations (Williams 2009, Scanlon 1998). In these kinds of cases, I argue that the same reasons commonly used against deception can provide strong reasons why deception can be extremely beneficial for patients who lack mental capacity. For example, deception can enhance, rather than impair, autonomy in certain cases. I argue that deception ought to only be used after considering several key morally relevant factors and provide a practical and morally justifiable framework for exploring these issues.
Investigation of collision-induced dissociation products and structures of gas-phase [M·GlyGlyHis-H]+ (M = Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn) complexes
Authors: Gannamani Bharathi , Shin Joong-Won
Published: December 2017

Collision-induced dissociation is carried out for electrosprayed [Fe·GlyGlyHis-H]+, [Ni·GlyGlyHis-H]+, [Cu·GlyGlyHis-H]+, and [Zn·GlyGlyHis-H]+ complexes. [Fe·GlyGlyHis-H]+, [Ni·GlyGlyHis-H]+, and [Zn·GlyGlyHis-H]+ yield metal-bound peptide sequence ions and dehydrated ions as primary products, whereas [Cu·GlyGlyHis-H]+ generates a more extensive series of metal-bound sequence ions and a product arising from the unusual loss of a formaldehyde moiety; dehydration is significantly suppressed for this complex. Density functional theory calculations show that the copper ion-deprotonated peptide binding energy is substantially higher than those in other complexes, suggesting that there is a correlation between ion–ligand binding energy and their fragmentation behavior.
In-Law Preferences in China: What Parents Look for in the Parents of Their Children’s Mates
Authors: Apostolou Menelaos , Wang Yan
Published: December 2017

Across different times and cultures, parents play an important role in influencing their children’s mating decisions. When they do so, they aim to forge useful alliances with other parents which raises the question of what parents look for in the latter. The current research aims to address this question. In particular, we employed an online sample of 925 Chinese parents who were asked to rate the desirability of 88 traits in the parents of prospective mates for their children. Principal components analysis classified these traits in eight factors for the mothers and 10 factors of interest for the fathers of their children’s mates. We also found that parents had a well-defined hierarchy of preferences, fathers, and mothers were in agreement in what they looked for in a prospective in-law, but their preferences were contingent to the sex of the in-law.
In-Law Preferences in China and in Cyprus: Differences and Similarities
Authors: Wang Yan , Apostolou Menelaos
Published: December 2017

Across different times and cultures, parents exercise considerable influence over their children’s mate choices. When they do so, parents are looking for specific traits in a prospective daughter- and son-in-law. Using a sample of 674 parents, the current research investigated in-law preferences in China. Participants rated 88 different traits, which were clustered in 10 different preference domains. In-law preferences were found to be contingent on the sex of the in-law and the sex of the parent. The data from the current study were compared with data from a different study which took place in the Republic of Cyprus. It was found that preferences varied in the two samples, but specific cultural differences were identified. It was also found that for both samples, the 10 different domains clustered in two supra-domains. The first supra-domain, where personality traits clustered, was preferred more by both Chinese and Greek-Cypriot parents than the second domain, where the rest of the traits clustered.
Examining the Factor Structure Underlying the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement
Authors: Sloat Edward , Amrein-Beardsley Audrey , Sabo Kent E.
Published: December 2017

In this study, we investigated the factor structure underlying the TAP System for Teacher and Student Advancement using confirmatory and exploratory factor–analytic methods and under conditions of multilevel (nested) data structures and ordinal measurement scales. We found evidence of generally poor fit with the system’s posited first-order, three-factor structure with relatively large correlations among measured dimensions. Exploratory analysis suggests one to two interpretable factors, one of which accounts for the majority of explained variance (i.e., a general or common underlying factor). Higher-order modeling confirms the presence of a bifactor structure composed of a single general trait supported by one or two subscales. We use this evidence to question the validity of the inferences drawn from TAP subscale scores. We accordingly discuss implications for low- and high-stakes applications of TAP output, especially when consequential decisions are attached to subscale-level estimates (i.e., teacher compensation based on latent performance as rated through weighted subscales).
Clinicopathologic consensus study of gray zone lymphoma with features intermediate between DLBCL and classical HL
Authors: Pilichowska Monika , Pittaluga Stefania , Ferry Judith A. , Hemminger Jessica , Chang Hong , Kanakry Jennifer A. , Sehn Laurie H. , Feldman Tatyana , Abramson Jeremy S. , Kritharis Athena , Hernandez-Ilizaliturri Francisco J. , Lossos Izidore S. , Press Oliver W. , Fenske Timothy S. , Friedberg Jonathan W. , Vose Julie M. , Blum Kristie A. , Jagadeesh Deepa , Woda Bruce , Gupta Gaurav K. , Gascoyne Randy D. , Jaffe Elaine S. , Evens Andrew M.
Published: December 2017

Key Points

Accurate GZL diagnosis remains challenging, with >60% of patients with presumed GZL having the diagnosis reclassified on consensus review. Treatment with DLBCL-based therapy appears most effective for GZL (including R-CHOP); however, new therapies are needed to improve outcomes.
Natural History of Contralateral Nodules After Lobectomy in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Ritter Amit , Bachar Gideon , Hirsch Dania , Benbassat Carlos , Katz Orna , Kochen Nadav , Diker-Cohen Talia , Akirov Amit , Shimon Ilan , Robenshtok Eyal
Published: December 2017

Background

Bilateral thyroid nodularity is considered an indication for total thyroidectomy in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the natural history and outcome of contralateral nodules have never been studied.

Objective

To investigate the natural history of nonsuspicious contralateral nodules after lobectomy for PTC.

Methods

We included patients who had one or more solid nodules (≥3 mm) in the contralateral lobe with benign cytology before surgery or small nonsuspicious nodules per ultrasonography.

Results

One hundred and twelve patients were included. Median age was 57 years, and median size of the PTC (initial lobectomy) was 8 mm (range, 0.5 to 28 mm). On the contralateral side, the median size of nodules was 7 mm (range, 3 to 30 mm). Thirty-three nodules (29%) had fine-needle aspiration (FNA) before surgery, and all were benign. After a median follow-up of 6 years, median growth was zero (range, −20 to 19 mm). Twenty-six nodules (23%) increased ≥3 mm in size (median, 6 mm; range, 4 to 19 mm). Twenty patients (18%) developed new nodules. Twelve patients (11%) underwent completion thyroidectomy for growth (three), suspicious FNA (seven; Bethesda III to V), malignancy (one), or unknown reason (one). Overall, according to the completion thyroidectomy specimen, six patients (5%) were diagnosed with contralateral PTC (five micro-PTCs, one 20 mm), and all were without evidence of disease at the end of follow-up. There were no surgical difficulties or local complications during completion surgery.

Conclusions

Lobectomy for low-risk patients with a small PTC and nonsuspicious contralateral thyroid nodule(s) is a reliable and safe initial treatment option. In the few patients who required completion thyroidectomy, treatment with surgery and radioiodine was effective.
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency and Azoospermia in Carriers of a Homozygous PSMC3IP Stop Gain Mutation
Authors: Al-Agha Abdulmoein Eid , Ahmed Ihab Abdulhamed , Nuebel Esther , Moriwaki Mika , Moore Barry , Peacock Katherine A , Mosbruger Tim , Neklason Deborah W , Jorde Lynn B , Yandell Mark , Welt Corrine K
Published: December 2017

Context

The etiology of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) remains unknown in most cases.

Objective

We sought to identify the genes causing POI.

Design

The study was a familial genetic study.

Setting

The study was performed at two academic institutions.

Patients

We identified a consanguineous Yemeni family in which four daughters had POI. A brother had azoospermia.

Intervention

DNA was subjected to whole genome sequencing. Shared regions of homozygosity were identified using Truploidy and prioritized using the Variant Annotation, Analysis, and Search Tool with control data from 387 healthy subjects. Imaging and quantification of protein localization and mitochondrial function were examined in cell lines.

Main Outcome

Homozygous recessive gene variants shared by the four sisters.

Results

The sisters shared a homozygous stop gain mutation in exon 6 of PSMC3IP (c.489 C>G, p.Tyr163Ter) and a missense variant in exon 1 of CLPP (c.100C>T, p.Pro34Ser). The affected brother also carried the homozygous PSMC3IP mutation. Functional studies demonstrated mitochondrial fragmentation in cells infected with the CLPP mutation. However, no abnormality was found in mitochondrial targeting or respiration.

Conclusions

The PSMC3IP mutation provides additional evidence that mutations in meiotic homologous recombination and DNA repair genes result in distinct female and male reproductive phenotypes, including delayed puberty and primary amenorrhea caused by POI (XX gonadal dysgenesis) in females but isolated azoospermia with normal pubertal development in males. The findings also suggest that the N-terminal missense mutation in CLPP does not cause substantial mitochondrial dysfunction or contribute to ovarian insufficiency in an oligogenic manner.
Differentiation between phyllodes tumours and fibroadenomas using intravoxel incoherent motion magnetic resonance imaging: comparison with conventional diffusion-weighted imaging
Authors: Kawashima Hiroko , Miyati Tosiaki , Ohno Naoki , Ohno Masako , Inokuchi Masafumi , Ikeda Hiroko , Gabata Toshifumi
Published: December 2017

Objective:

To investigate whether the parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI could differentiate phyllodes tumours (PTs) from fibroadenomas (FAs) by comparing the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values.

Methods:

This retrospective study included 7 FAs, 10 benign PTs (BPTs), 4 borderline PTs, and one malignant PT. Biexponential analyses of IVIM were performed using a 3 T MRI scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters [pure diffusion coefficient (D), perfusion-related diffusion coefficient (D*), and fraction (f)] were calculated. The ADC was also calculated using monoexponential fitting.

Results:

The D and ADC values showed an increasing tendency in the order of FA, BPT, and borderline or malignant PT (BMPT). No significant difference was found in the D value among the three groups. The ADC value of the BMPT group was significantly higher than that of the FA group (p = 0.048). The D* value showed an increasing tendency in the order of BMPT, BPT, and FA, and the D* value of the BMPT group was significantly lower than that of the FA group (p = 0.048).

Conclusion:

The D* derived from IVIM and the ADC were helpful for differentiating between FA and BMPT.

Advances in knowledge:

IVIM MRI examination showed that the perfusion-related diffusion coefficient is lower in borderline and malignant PTs than in FAs and the opposite is true for the ADC.
Evaluation of electrochemiluminescence immunoassays for immunosuppressive drugs on the Roche cobas e411 analyzer
Authors: Fung Angela W.S. , Knauer Michael J. , Blasutig Ivan M. , Colantonio David A. , Kulasingam Vathany
Published: December 2017

Background:  Therapeutic drug monitoring of immunosuppressant drugs are used to monitor drug efficacy and toxicity and to prevent organ transplant rejection. This study evaluates the analytical performance of semi-automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassays (ECLIA) for cyclosporine (CSA), tacrolimus (TAC) and sirolimus (SRL) on the Roche cobas e 411 analyzer at a major transplant hospital to assess method suitability and limitations.

Methods: Residual whole blood samples from patients undergoing immunosuppressant therapy were used for evaluation. Imprecision, linearity, functional sensitivity, method comparisons and lot-to-lot comparisons were assessed.

Results: Total imprecision ranged from 3.3 to 7.1% for CSA, 3.9 to 9.4% for TAC, and 4.6 to 8.2% for SRL. Linearity was verified from 30.0 to 960.9 μg/L for CSA, from 1.1 to 27.1 μg/L for TAC, and from 0.5 to 32.3 µg/L for SRL. The functional sensitivity met the manufacturer’s claims and was determined to be <6.5 μg/L for CSA, 1.1 μg/L for TAC, and <0.1 µg/L for SRL (CV≤20%). Deming regression analysis of method comparisons with the ARCHITECT immunoassay yielded slopes of 0.917 (95%CI: 0.885-0.949) and r of 0.985 for CSA, 0.938 (95%CI: 0.895-0.981) and r of 0.974 for TAC, and 0.842 (0.810-1.110) and r of 0.982 for SRL. Deming regression analysis of comparisons with the LC–MS/MS method yielded slopes of 1.331 (95%CI: 1.167-1.496) and r of 0.969 for CSA, 0.924 (95%CI: 0.843-1.005) and r of 0.984 for TAC, and 0.971 (95%CI: 0.913-1.030) and r of 0.993 for SRL.

Conclusions: The cobas e 411 ECLIA for CSA, TAC, and SRL have acceptable precision, linearity, and functional sensitivity. The method comparisons correlated well with the ARCHITECT immunoassay and LC–MS/MS and is fit for therapeutic drug monitoring
SCOTS: The Searchable Collection of Time Series
Authors: McLaren Constance H. , McLaren Bruce J.
Published: December 2017

Instructors searching for interesting time series data to use for class illustrations or assignments can draw from the data files that accompany their text books. They can also search for data from annual reports, trade organizations, government entities, and other public sources. However, the amount of data accompanying textbooks is limited, and determining what public data might be available and then finding it is not simple, making it time consuming to find new examples for large classes or multiple offerings of a course. The search becomes more complicated for the instructor who needs to find data with specific types of trend or seasonality to illustrate concepts for students. This article presents the SCOTS master table, a searchable Excel file that provides information about and links to a curated collection of real time series data files stored in Excel format. Instructors can easily filter the list to find a time series with the kinds of features they want and download the Excel file to use in class. Many of the data files in this collection have been used for class assignments, and examples of assignment questions are included in the article.

The supplement file is available at http://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ited.2017.0188 .
An Optimization Web Service for a Freight Brokering System
Authors: Leon Florin , Bădică Costin
Published: December 2017

Freight brokering is a real-life business problem that attempts to match the logistic capabilities of transportation providers with the needs of merchandise owners. From a service science perspective, the clients and transporters interacting through the matchmaking system create mutual value by minimizing client costs, maximizing business opportunities, increasing competition, and reducing operational risks. A general architecture of such a system is presented, which combines web services and agents in order to benefit from the advantages of both approaches: on the one hand interoperability and flexibility in heterogeneous systems, and on the other hand autonomy and the ability to represent the interests of particular users. The matchmaking is treated as an optimization problem solved with the help of a separate web service, and special emphasis is given to the details of the optimization mechanism.
The voices of journalism and the LGBTQI movement in response to violence in same-sex couples: Towards the construction of a social problem?
Authors: Carratalá Adolfo
Published: December 2017

In recent years the Spanish media have highlighted numerous homicides of gay men committed by their partners or ex-partners. These homicides are classified by the term intragender violence, or violence committed in the context of a relationship between people of the same sex. Reports of these crimes have led to public debate on how society and its institutions should respond to these homicides, which several commentators have likened to partner violence against women (PVAW), the victims of which receive legal protection from government institutions. In this article we analyse the discourse that is used to refer to this issue by the two main agents involved in the construction of collective problems – social organizations and the media. By examining analytical journalistic documents (reports and opinion articles), we analyse the approaches of the LGBTQI associations cited in those documents and media discourse to identify and reconstruct the arguments used and establish similarities and differences between the stakeholders in the organizational and media spheres. Our results show that while associations and journalistic stakeholders agree that violence in same-sex couples should be considered a social problem, they disagree as to whether or not such violence should be categorized as male-based violence, similar to PVAW.
Are victims to blame? Youth, gender and moral discourse on online risk
Authors: Jorge Ana , Farrugia Lorleen
Published: December 2017

This article takes a discourse analysis frame to understand how young people’s norms and moral evaluations of their practices on digital media are culturally negotiated between their own and their peers’ experiences, parental concerns, awareness programmes and media representations. It draws on focus groups and interviews with 171 participants aged 13–16 from nine European countries, analysing how young people position themselves towards online experiences, particularly bullying, sexual communication and contact. While teenagers can sympathize with victims of bullying, especially if they perceive them as vulnerable, they can blame older teenagers, girls or parents for initiating or being co-responsible for risks young victims are involved in. They are judged as in failing, when they choose to not comply with self-protection and self-vigilance (Giddens 1991, Dobson and Ringrose 2015, Gill and Scharf 2011), which can be detected in young people’s moral discourses as a successful way of being and behaving online.
Representing diverse femininities on Instagram: A case study of the body-positive @effyourbeautystandards Instagram account
Authors: Caldeira Sofia P. , De Ridder Sander
Published: December 2017

This article focuses on a critical analysis of alternative representations of femininities on Instagram through a case study of the @effyourbeautystandards account. This body-positive account aims to promote self-love and questions beauty ideals by sharing self-representations of ‘ordinary’ women (i.e. non-models or celebrities) who feel that they do not live up to the current beauty standards. We focus on the political potential of these diverse self-representations in terms of ‘everyday activism’. @effyourbeautystandards is recognized as having an overtly political stance, adopting an intersectional approach and employing strategies of ‘empowering exhibitionism’. Yet, the article questions this more optimistic view by critically addressing the postfeminist sensibilities underlying the account, namely, its emphasis on fashion and beauty. Moreover, Instagram’s role in reproducing traditional gender norms is explored. The article analyses Instagram’s technological and sociocultural affordances, such as its Terms of Use, and the ‘editorial power’ of the users’ likes, comments and reports.