bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pentraxins in the activation and regulation of innate immunity
Authors: Daigo Kenji , Inforzato Antonio , Barajon Isabella , Garlanda Cecilia , Bottazzi Barbara , Meri Seppo , Mantovani Alberto
Published: October 2016

Humoral fluid phase pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) are a key component of the activation and regulation of innate immunity. Humoral PRMs are diverse. We focused on the long pentraxin PTX3 as a paradigmatic example of fluid phase PRMs. PTX3 acts as a functional ancestor of antibodies and plays a non‐redundant role in resistance against selected microbes in mouse and man and in the regulation of inflammation. This molecule interacts with complement components, thus modulating complement activation. In particular, PTX3 regulates complement‐driven macrophage‐mediated tumor progression, acting as an extrinsic oncosuppressor in preclinical models and selected human tumors. Evidence collected over the years suggests that PTX3 is a biomarker and potential therapeutic agent in humans, and pave the way to translation of this molecule into the clinic.
The versatile functions of complement C3‐derived ligands
Authors: Erdei Anna , Sándor Noémi , Mácsik‐Valent Bernadett , Lukácsi Szilvia , Kremlitzka Mariann , Bajtay Zsuzsa
Published: October 2016

The complement system is a major component of immune defense. Activation of the complement cascade by foreign substances and altered self‐structures may lead to the elimination of the activating agent, and during the enzymatic cascade, several biologically active fragments are generated. Most immune regulatory effects of complement are mediated by the activation products of C3, the central component. The indispensable role of C3 in opsonic phagocytosis as well as in the regulation of humoral immune response is known for long, while the involvement of complement in T‐cell biology have been revealed in the past few years. In this review, we discuss the immune modulatory functions of C3‐derived fragments focusing on their role in processes which have not been summarized so far. The importance of locally synthesized complement will receive special emphasis, as several immunological processes take place in tissues, where hepatocyte‐derived complement components might not be available at high concentrations. We also aim to call the attention to important differences between human and mouse systems regarding C3‐mediated processes.
RETRACTED: MicroRNA‐379 suppresses osteosarcoma progression by targeting PDK1
Authors: Li Zheng , Shen Jianxiong , Chan Matthew T. V. , Wu William Ka Kei
Published: October 2016

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumour. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the pathogenic role of microRNA (miRNAs) dysregulation in tumour development. miR‐379 was previously reported to function as an oncogenic or tumour‐suppressing miRNA in a tissue‐dependent manner. However, its function in osteosarcoma remains unknown. In this study, we found that the expression of miR‐379 was downregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Further functional characterization revealed that miR‐379 suppressed osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and retarded the growth of osteosarcoma xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, PDK1 was identified as the direct target of miR‐379 in osteosarcoma, in which PDK1 expression was up‐regulated and showed inverse correlation with miR‐379. Enforced expression of PDK1 promoted osteosarcoma cell proliferation and rescued the anti‐proliferative effect of miR‐379. These data suggest that miR‐379 could function as a tumour‐suppressing miRNA via targeting PDK1 in osteosarcoma.
Association between irritability and bias in attention orienting to threat in children and adolescents
Authors: Salum Giovanni A. , Mogg Karin , Bradley Brendan P. , Stringaris Argyris , Gadelha Ary , Pan Pedro M. , Rohde Luis A. , Polanczyk Guilherme V. , Manfro Gisele G. , Pine Daniel S. , Leibenluft Ellen
Published: October 2016

Background

Irritability, a frequent complaint in children with psychiatric disorders, reflects increased predisposition to anger. Preliminary work in pediatric clinical samples links irritability to attention bias to threat, and the current study examines this association in a large population‐based sample.

Methods

We studied 1,872 children (ages 6–14) using the Development and Well‐Being Assessment (DAWBA), Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and dot‐probe tasks. Irritability was defined using CBCL items that assessed temper tantrums and hot temper. The dot‐probe task assessed attention biases for threat‐related (angry face) stimuli. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess specificity of associations to irritability when adjusting for demographic variables and co‐occurring psychiatric traits. Propensity score matching analysis was used to increase causal inference when matching for demographic variables and co‐occurring psychiatric traits.

Results

Irritability was associated with increased attention bias toward threat‐related cues. Multiple regression analysis suggests associations between irritability and threat bias are independent from demographic variables, anxiety, and externalizing traits (attention‐deficit/hyperactivity, conduct, and headstrong/hurtful), but not from broad internalizing symptoms. Propensity score matching analysis indicated that this association was found for irritable versus nonirritable groups matched on demographic and co‐occurring traits including internalizing symptoms.

Conclusions

Irritability in children is associated with biased attention toward threatening information. This finding, if replicated, warrants further investigation to examine the extent to which it contributes to chronic irritability and to explore possible treatment implications.
Precise Placement of Single‐Retainer Resin‐Bonded Fixed Dental Prostheses with an Innovative Splint Design
Authors: Stimmelmayr Michael , Stangl Martin , Kremzow‐Stangl Judith , Krennmair Gerald , Beuer Florian , Edelhoff Daniel , Güth Jan‐Frederik
Published: October 2016

Single‐retainer resin‐bonded fixed dental prostheses (RBFDPs) are difficult to position due to the pressure of soft tissue at the pontic area and the single‐retainer design. This clinical report describes an innovative technique for the insertion of single‐retainer RBFDPs. An incisal inserting splint is used to position the RBFDPs reliably. With the help of grooves in the buccal and incisal area of the splint, the precise positioning of the splint on the adjacent teeth and the RBFDP can be controlled. Also, a hole in the retainer wing region of the splint gives access for pressure application on the wing during the bonding process. With the aid of this method, 25 single‐retainer FBFDPs were inserted in the correct position in a case series. The splint described here allows the precise insertion of single‐retainer RBFDPs and simplifies delivery.
Gingival crevicular fluid tissue/blood vessel‐type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐2 levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: effects of nonsurgical periodontal therapy
Authors: Kurgan Ş. , Önder C. , Balcı N. , Fentoğlu Ö. , Eser F. , Balseven M. , Serdar M. A. , Tatakis D. N. , Günhan M.
Published: October 2016

Background and Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on clinical parameters and gingival crevicular fluid levels of tissue/blood vessel‐type plasminogen activator (t‐PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐2 (PAI‐2) in patients with periodontitis, with or without rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Material and Methods

Fifteen patients with RA and chronic periodontitis (RA‐P), 15 systemically healthy patients with chronic periodontitis (H‐P) and 15 periodontally and systemically healthy volunteers (C) were included in the study. Plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing, gingival crevicular fluid t‐PA and PAI‐2 levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum C‐reactive protein and disease activity score were evaluated at baseline and 3 mo after mechanical nonsurgical periodontal therapy.

Results

All periodontal clinical parameters were significantly higher in the RA‐P and H‐P groups compared with the C group (p < 0.001) and decreased significantly after treatment (p < 0.001). Pretreatment t‐PA levels were highest in the RA‐P group and significantly decreased post‐treatment (p = 0.047). Pre‐ and post‐treatment PAI‐2 levels were significantly lower in controls compared with both periodontitis groups (p < 0.05). Gingival crevicular fluid volume and the levels of t‐PA and PAI‐2 were significantly correlated.

Conclusion

In patients with periodontitis and RA, nonsurgical periodontal therapy reduced the pretreatment gingival crevicular fluid t‐PA levels, which were significantly correlated with gingival crevicular fluid PAI‐2 levels. The significantly higher t‐PA and PAI‐2 gingival crevicular fluid levels in periodontal patients, regardless of systemic status, suggest that the plasminogen activating system plays a role in the disease process of periodontitis.
Flowery Porn: Form and Desire in Erasmus Darwin's The Loves of the Plants
Authors: Connolly Tristanne
Published: October 2016

When Erasmus Darwin announces that “the general design” of The Loves of the Plants “is to inlist Imagination under the banner of Science” (ii), an echo of the Song of Solomon (itself a touchstone for eroticized botanical imagery) reveals how charged the relationship is: “his banner over me was love” (2:4). This essay argues that taking The Loves of the Plants seriously as an erotic work reveals the essential importance of desire to the evolving diversity of vibrant life it envisions and to the interdisciplinarity it achieves. Not only does the poem popularize the Linnaean sexual system of taxonomy by infusing it with sensibility, creating a landscape driven by desire. The form of the poem makes a mixed marriage of art and science, verse and footnotes, in a tantalizingly episodic (non‐)structure which could be called pornographic. The relationships between the male and female parts of an overwhelming variety of flora are much more varied than the conventional gender roles later critics have often ascribed to the poem. Yet, while each vignette offers another sexual permutation, the cumulative effect blurs variety into sameness, an effect earlier recognized by John Cleland in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. Cleland extends the boredom to style, citing the flatness, in inevitable repetition, of the vocabulary of pleasure. The descent of Darwin's poetry into unfashionability under Wordsworthian aesthetics is also the demise of an erotic interdisciplinarity. In addition to the stylistic simultaneity of variety and sameness, Darwin's footnotes, epic similes and tangents are driven from topic to topic by a kind of unchaste curiosity which flattens borders demarcating species, subject headings, legitimate attractions. “The Loves”, both desire and the poem itself, “laugh at all, but Nature's laws” (IV:486). Even Nature's laws play loose with categories, as pollinating insects are seduced by flowers. This article examines how The Loves of the Plants envisions a continuum of life forms and of disciplines by portraying and performing cross‐species erotic interaction. Personification of vegetable reproduction invites readers to conceive of their own desire in botanic terms (as, indeed, readers and parodists did). Fascination with hybridization epitomizes both Darwin's poetry and his science, from the remarkable love affair between nightingale and rose which produces the bird‐flower offspring fantastically described in Loves, to the painstaking study of cross‐breeding in the evolutionarily crucial chapter “Of Generation” in Zoonomia.
Signs of Change: Percy Shelley's Language of Mutability as Precursor to Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Authors: Harding Anthony John
Published: October 2016

This essay argues that the poetry of Percy Shelley may have contributed to Charles Darwin's ability to conceptualize forces of change in the natural world. The work of Shelley occupies a key position in the development of pre‐Darwinian thought about change and transformation. His early interest in Lockean empiricism and his knowledge of the natural sciences have long been recognized by scholars working on romanticism and science. Less explored are the ways in which the poetry of Shelley has a bearing on the intellectual challenge Darwin faced in interpreting signs of change in the natural world. Shelley's poetry offers an account of how such change reveals itself: an account based not on a priori concepts of divine language, but on material evidence of the power of natural phenomena to convey information. In this way, poetry and science come into relation with each other.

Like most young men of his time, Darwin would have been aware of Shelley's controversial reputation. What survives of the correspondence between the young Darwin and his friend the aspiring poet Henry Matthew, who was his contemporary at Cambridge, indicates that the two men had intense debates about Shelley's work, and about his notoriety as a materialist and atheist. Though no details are given, the correspondence does indicate that both of them read the poet's work and had conversations about it.

Shelley's use of an evolving poetic/mythological vocabulary, putting pressure on the conventional meanings of words (a kind of linguistic change) to enable the reader to conceive of global processes of change, strongly advanced Romantic‐era thinking in this regard. Shelley's enthusiasm for the materialist philosophy of Lucretius provided him with good authority for the belief that the natural world was inhabited by forces that would powerfully impinge upon the minds of humans. His mature poetics remained open to the idea that observing the operations of these natural forces, traceable in the geological record, would reveal signs of terrestrial change and prepare the awakened mind for a future transformed world. Darwin (for all his well‐known anxiety about challenging Christian beliefs) would have had in Shelley's poetry a productive model for conceptualizing the processes of nature, combining in such works as “Mont Blanc” and Prometheus Unbound changes in the referentiality of linguistic signs with observed changes in the forms of nature.
Nietzsche on Nature
Authors: Handwerk Gary
Published: October 2016

Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy has traditionally been seen as oriented toward human (all too human) affairs, nature present in it as backdrop or atmosphere, but not on its own terms a central focus of his work. Yet Nietzsche was well informed about the natural science of his era and particularly attuned to the importance of figures such as Charles Darwin. Building upon John Richardson's Nietzsche's New Darwinism, this essay explores the relation between Nietzsche's ethics, psychology, and philosophy of history and Darwinian evolutionary theory – not just Darwin as understood by the 19th‐century reception of his ideas (heavily shaped by social Darwinist ideologies), but as foundational for a contemporary understanding of ecological and environmental concerns. Anticipating some of the implications of Darwinian thought in the 20th century, Nietzsche's writings help sharpen our awareness of the tensions between social and natural selection, biological and social diversity, and (genetic) fate and (willed) destiny – all crucial for environmental debates of the 21st century.
Charles Lyell's Geological Imagination
Authors: Manning Pascale McCullough
Published: October 2016

In his Principles of Geology (1830–33), Charles Lyell seeks to explain the processes by which the great geological monuments of the world – from mountains to river valleys – came to be as they are. Through his theory of uniformitarianism, which states that geological phenomena must be explained according to known and observable causes, Lyell develops in his Principles a narrative explaining the laws governing such phenomena. But because the processes of geological flux he seeks to describe cannot be observed in their totality, Lyell frequently appeals to the imagination to ford the many gaps in physical evidence. This article explores how Lyell's theory of uniformitarianism is built upon an original act of imaginative retrieval in which the geologist exercises mastery over the past through his imaginative reconstruction of prehistory, where “history” is understood to mean “belonging to human time.” I argue that in his careful delineation of the means by which the mind may come to know what is not necessarily verifiable, Lyell appeals to a principle of the imagination that closely resembles Samuel Taylor Coleridge's concept of the vital and generative power of the secondary imagination. Furthermore, I highlight Coleridge's own failure, in his reading of Lyell, to recognize this resemblance between the geologist's imaginative act and his own – a failure that led him to privilege the catastrophist theories that Lyell set out to (and indeed did) supplant.
Factors driving the variability in diving and movement behavior of migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae): Implications for anthropogenic disturbance studies
Authors: Kavanagh Ailbhe S. , Noad Michael J. , Blomberg Simon P. , Goldizen Anne W. , Kniest Eric , Cato Douglas H. , Dunlop Rebecca A.
Published: October 2016

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) undertake one of the longest migrations of any animal and while on a broad‐scale this journey appears direct, on a fine‐scale, behaviors associated with socializing and breeding are regularly observed. However, little is known about which social and environmental factors influence behavior during this time. Here we examined the effect of multiple factors on the movement (speed and course) and diving behavior (dive and surfacing duration) of humpback whales during migration off the eastern coast of Australia. Focal data (202 h) were collected on 94 different whale groups with simultaneous social and environmental context data. The environmental factors water depth and wind speed were found to be important predictors of dive and movement behavior, whereas social factors were less influential at this site. Groups tended to dive for longer with increased water depth but traveled more slowly in increasing wind speeds. These baseline studies are crucial when examining the effect of anthropogenic disturbance. Determining which natural factors significantly affect behavior ensures any observed behavioral changes are correctly attributed to the disturbance and are not a result of other factors. In addition, any responses observed can be put into biological context and their relative magnitude determined.
Resilience: A commentary from the vantage point of anthropology
Authors: BARRIOS ROBERTO E.
Published: October 2016

In recent years, the concept of resilience has gained popularity as a means to describe the qualities and capacities that enable a community to recovery from a catastrophic event. Definitions of resilience make a number of assumptions about the nature of communities and the practices that enable their ability to cope or weather a disaster's impact. In this article, I provide a brief history of the ways disaster researchers have defined resilience and provide an analysis of the fundamental assumptions upon which such definitions are based. Furthermore, I provide a critical analysis of such assumptions in light of anthropological knowledge about the relationships and processes that put communities on the map, shape the ways they are exposed to hazards, and their possibilities for recovery. In conclude by providing four recommendations for practice which stress 1) the recognition of disaster has a historically shaped process involving development practice and human‐environment relations, 2) the recognition of the broader political ecological relationships that shape resilience, 3) an emphasis on systemic transformation rather than locality specific interventions as a means of resilience‐building, and 4) a prioritization of subaltern voices in operationalizations of “rebuilding better” as a mechanism for addressing the practices of environmental injustice that routinely give form to disaster vulnerability and those conditions that are branded “low resilience.”
Afterward: Preparing for uncertainties
Authors: KULSTAD GONZÁLEZ TESS , FAAS A. J.
Published: October 2016

As the frequency and intensity of disasters increase around the world in the context of a changing climate, the likelihood that disasters will impact anthropological field sites increases. Therefore, disasters will increasingly become an expected component of anthropological work. In this article, the authors discuss the ways in which risk, hazards, and disasters will change anthropological research, practices, and methodologies as a whole.
Tuberculosis morbidity at Haskell Institute, a Native American Youth Boarding School 1910–1940:∧
Authors: WILBUR RACHEL E. , CORBETT STEVEN M. , DRISKO JEANNE A.
Published: October 2016

Objective

To determine historical disparities in tuberculosis morbidity between Native American youth attending off‐reservation government boarding schools and the non‐Native American population.∧ Findings are placed within the context of documented health disparities in Native American populations, with implications for modern health.

Methods

Analysis performed on available epidemiologic data from Haskell Institute in Kansas and corresponding statewide data for points between the years 1910–1940.∧ Data on tuberculosis prevalence and enrollment for Haskell were collected via historical records. Tuberculosis morbidity rates were calculated, along with comparative tuberculosis morbidity for the state of Kansas.

Results

Tuberculosis rates at Haskell Institute were significantly (p<0.0001) higher than for the state of Kansas from 1910 to 1940.∧

Conclusion

Tuberculosis morbidity among Native American boarding school youth in the early 20th century was higher than among the general public. Entrenched social and historical determinants resulted in increased susceptibility to tuberculosis; these factors continue to be associated with cause increased rates of tuberculosis among Native Americans today.
Plasticity of gastrointestinal vagal afferent satiety signals
Authors: Page A. J. , Kentish S. J.
Published: October 2016

The vagal link between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS) has numerous vital functions for maintaining homeostasis. The regulation of energy balance is one which is attracting more and more attention due to the potential for exploiting peripheral hormonal targets as treatments for conditions such as obesity. While physiologically, this system is well tuned and demonstrated to be effective in the regulation of both local function and promoting/terminating food intake the neural connection represents a susceptible pathway for disruption in various disease states. Numerous studies have revealed that obesity in particularly is associated with an array of modifications in vagal afferent function from changes in expression of signaling molecules to altered activation mechanics. In general, these changes in vagal afferent function in obesity further promote food intake instead of the more desirable reduction in food intake. It is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms responsible for these detrimental effects before we can establish more effective pharmacotherapies or lifestyle strategies for the treatment of obesity and the maintenance of weight loss.
Ion channels, ion channel receptors, and visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Fuentes I. M. , Christianson J. A.
Published: October 2016

Ion channels are expressed throughout the gastrointestinal system and regulate nearly every aspect of digestion, including fluid secretion and absorption, motility, and visceral sensitivity. It is therefore not surprising that in the setting of functional bowel disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ion channels are often altered in terms of expression level and function and are a target of pharmacological intervention. This is particularly true of their role in driving abdominal pain through visceral hypersensitivity (VH), which is the main reason IBS patients seek medical care. In the study by Scanzi et al., in the current issue of this journal, they provide evidence that the T‐type voltage‐gated calcium channel (Cav) Cav3.2 is upregulated in human IBS patients, and is necessary for the induction of an IBS‐like disease state in mice. In this mini‐review, we will discuss the contribution of specific ion channels to VH in IBS, both in human patients and rodent models. We will also discuss how Cav3.2 may play a role as an integrator of multiple environmental stimuli contributing toward VH.
The impact of irritable bowel syndrome on daily functioning: Characterizing and understanding daily consequences of IBS
Authors: Ballou S. , Keefer L.
Published: October 2016

Background

Despite the well‐documented economic and psychosocial burden of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), few studies have focused on the impact of IBS on daily activities. This study aims to quantitate impairment in daily activities among IBS patients and to evaluate the relationship between impairment, IBS, quality of life, and psychiatric symptoms.

Methods

A total of 179 participants meeting ROME‐III criteria for IBS completed an online research survey evaluating the following variables: (i) the impact of IBS on daily activities, (ii) comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, (iii) symptom severity, (iv) quality of life, and (v) symptom‐specific cognitive affective factors related to IBS.

Key Results

This sample reported a high degree of impairment due to IBS, with 76% of the sample reporting some degree of IBS‐related impairment in at least five different domains of daily life. Rates of impairment were significantly higher for participants who met criteria for anxiety, depression, and/or panic disorder.

Conclusions & Inferences

This study contributes to existing literature by demonstrating a high level of daily impairment among patients with IBS, particularly those who meet criteria for anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. These findings support the importance of integrated psychosocial and medical care for IBS patients, and highlight the utility of evaluation and intervention for behavioral avoidance/impairment especially among those who exhibit signs or symptoms of psychiatric diagnoses.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha derived from classically activated “M1” macrophages reduces interstitial cell of Cajal numbers
Authors: Eisenman S. T. , Gibbons S. J. , Verhulst P. ‐J. , Cipriani G. , Saur D. , Farrugia G.
Published: October 2016

Background

Delayed gastric emptying in diabetic mice and humans is associated with changes in macrophage phenotype and loss of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in the gastric muscle layers. In diabetic mice, classically activated M1 macrophages are associated with delayed gastric emptying, whereas alternatively activated M2 macrophages are associated with normal gastric emptying. This study aimed to determine if secreted factors from M1 macrophages could injure mouse ICC in primary culture.

Methods

Cultures of gastric ICC were treated with conditioned medium (CM) from activated bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) and the effect of CM was quantified by counting ICC per high‐powered field.

Key Results

Bone marrow‐derived macrophages were activated to a M1 or M2 phenotype confirmed by qRT‐PCR. Conditioned medium from M1 macrophages reduced ICC numbers by 41.1%, whereas M2‐CM had no effect as compared to unconditioned, control media. Immunoblot analysis of 40 chemokines/cytokines found 12 that were significantly increased in M1‐CM, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α). ELISA detected 0.697±0.03 ng mL−1 TNF‐α in M1‐CM. Recombinant mouse TNF‐α reduced Kit expression and ICC numbers in a concentration‐dependent manner (EC50 = 0.817 ng mL−1). Blocking M1‐CM TNF‐α with a neutralizing antibody preserved ICC numbers. The caspase inhibitor Z‐VAD.fmk partly preserved ICC numbers (cells/field; 6.63±1.04, 9.82±1.80 w/Z‐VAD.fmk, n=6, P<.05).

Conclusions & Inferences

This work demonstrates that TNF‐α secreted from M1 macrophages can result in Kit loss and directly injure ICC in vitro partly through caspase‐dependent apoptosis and may play an important role in ICC depletion in diabetic gastroparesis.
The emergence of the IL‐36 cytokine family as novel targets for inflammatory diseases
Authors: Walsh Patrick T. , Fallon Padraic G.
Published: October 2016

The recently discovered interleukin (IL)‐36 family of cytokines form part of the broader IL‐1 family and are emerging as important mediators of inflammatory disease. The IL‐36 subfamily consists of three ligands—IL‐36α, IL‐36β, and IL‐36γ—and the natural antagonist IL‐36Ra. The cytokines exert their effects through a specific IL‐36 receptor consisting of IL‐36R and IL‐1RAcP chains. IL‐36 cytokines can direct both innate and adaptive immune responses by acting on parenchymal, stromal, and specific immune cell subsets. In humans, inactivating mutations in the gene encoding the IL‐36R antagonist, which lead to unregulated IL‐36R signaling, lead to an autoinflammatory condition termed deficiency of the IL‐36R antagonist, which primarily manifests as a severe form of pustular psoriasis. While such discoveries have prompted deeper mechanistic studies highlighting the important role of IL‐36 cytokines in psoriatic skin inflammation, it is now evident that IL‐36 cytokines can also play important roles in inflammatory disorders in other organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract and the lungs. Given these emerging roles, strategies to specifically target the expression and activity of the IL‐36 family have the potential to uncover novel therapeutic approaches aimed at treating inflammatory diseases in humans.
Feedback negativity and decision‐making behavior in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) in adolescents is modulated by peer presence
Authors: Kessler Luisa , Hewig Johannes , Weichold Karina , Silbereisen Rainer K. , Miltner Wolfgang H. R.
Published: October 2016

Adolescent risk taking is strongly influenced by peer presence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer presence on the ERP after negative and positive feedback in the time range of the feedback‐related negativity (FRN). Eighteen male adolescents completed a version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) under two conditions: playing alone and while observed by a peer. We recorded the ERPs after success or failure feedback and analyzed risk‐taking behavior under both conditions. Behavioral results show that the participants were more cautious when being watched by a peer, especially after success. ERPs show that participants under peer presence exhibit more negative FRN after failure feedback than in the single condition, but no greater positivities after success feedback in the observed condition compared to the single condition. Results are in line with reinforcement learning theory and psychological aspects of loss prevention. The results suggest that the effect of peer presence on risk‐taking behavior depends on the specific situational context.
YKL‐40, CCL18 and SP‐D predict mortality in patients hospitalized with community‐acquired pneumonia
Authors: Spoorenberg Simone M.C. , Vestjens Stefan M.T. , Rijkers Ger T. , Meek Bob , van Moorsel Coline H.M. , Grutters Jan C. , Bos Willem Jan W. ,   Ovidius Study Group
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACT

Background and objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of four biomarkers, YKL‐40, chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18), surfactant protein‐D (SP‐D) and CA 15‐3, in patients admitted with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP). These markers have been studied extensively in chronic pulmonary disease, but in acute pulmonary disease their prognostic value is unknown.

Methods

A total of 289 adult patients who were hospitalized with CAP and participated in a randomized controlled trial were enrolled. Biomarker levels were measured on the day of admission. Intensive care unit admission, 30‐day, 1‐year and long‐term mortality (median follow‐up of 5.4 years, interquartile range (IQR): 4.7–6.1) were recorded as outcomes.

Results

Median YKL‐40 and CCL18 levels were significantly higher and levels of SP‐D were significantly lower in CAP patients compared to healthy controls. Significantly higher YKL‐40, CCL18 and SP‐D levels were found in patients classified in pneumonia severity index classes 4–5 and with a CURB‐65 score ≥2 compared to patients with less severe pneumonia. Furthermore, these three markers were significant predictors for long‐term mortality in multivariate analysis and compared with C‐reactive protein and procalcitonin level on admission, area under the curves were higher for 30‐day, 1‐year and long‐term mortality. CA 15‐3 levels were less predictive.

Conclusion

YKL‐40, CCL18 and SP‐D levels were higher in patients with more severe pneumonia, possibly reflecting the extent of pulmonary inflammation. Of these, YKL‐40 most significantly predicts mortality for CAP.
Combined use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide and bronchodilator response in predicting future loss of asthma control among children with atopic asthma
Authors: Kim Je‐Kyung , Jung Jae‐Yub , Kim Heon , Eom Sang‐Yong , Hahn Youn‐Soo
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACT

Background and objective

Recognition of patients at risk of asthma exacerbation is important for future asthma care and improved outcome. The aim of the present study was to see whether measurements of bronchodilator response (BDR) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in combination provide prognostic information superior to either measurement alone in children with atopic asthma.

Methods

A total of 201 atopic children aged 8–16 years with intermittent or mild persistent asthma were included. Pulmonary function tests including BDR and FeNO were serially monitored 10 times or more over 2 years when subjects were not receiving controller medications. After completion of monitoring, 1‐year observation for a loss of asthma control was performed.

Results

During the monitoring period, positive BDRs (≥12% in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1
) from pre‐bronchodilator value) and FeNO higher than 35 parts per billion (ppb) were observed at least once in 59% and 77% of participants. When analysed as continuous variables, both BDR (hazard ratio (HR): 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04–1.41; P = 0.014) and FeNO (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.09–1.49; P = 0.003) were associated with increased risks for a control loss. Compared with patients showing either positive BDRs (HR: 3.19; 95% CI: 1.05–9.64) or FeNO higher than 35 ppb (HR: 4.70; 95% CI: 1.68–13.11), patients with both findings (HR: 7.08; 95% CI: 2.57–19.49) had greater risks for a control loss.

Conclusion

These data support that combined use of BDR and FeNO measurements can modify predictive risk obtained from either measurement alone.
(De)familialization and (De)genderization – Competing or Complementary Perspectives in Comparative Policy Analysis?
Authors: Kurowska Anna
Published: October 2016

This article critically engages with Saxonberg's proposal (2013) to replace the (de)familialization perspective with the (de)genderization approach in comparative family policy/regime studies. It argues: (1) there is a need to refine the term ‘(de)familialization’ and to bring in the child's and elderly's perspective; (2) the ‘(de)familialization’ and ‘(de)genderization’ perspectives are mutually irreplaceable; and (3) there is a need to conceptualize the theoretical relationship between these two perspectives. The article further proposes to use the theoretical framework of Amartya Sen's Capability Approach (CA) to reinterpret both analytical perspectives with a dual advantage using that approach would lend. It first conceptualizes the de‐familializing and de‐genderizing policies as ‘means’ designed to increase peoples' ‘capabilities’ to achieve ‘valued functionings’ and not ultimate goals of policies that aim to change people's ‘functionings’. Thus, it addresses the criticism of de‐familialization and de‐genderization as policy strategies that enforce certain, potentially controversial ideals of societal and familial relations. Second, by using crucial CA concepts, i.e. ‘means’, ‘capabilities’ and ‘functionings’, it refines the interpretation of policy‐, regime‐ and outcome‐oriented analyses (typologies). As a result, it clarifies the distinction between these types of analyses and highlights the advantages of both a policy approach and a redefined regime approach.
Interests groups in Parliament: Exploring MPs’ interest affiliations (2000‐2011)
Authors: Gava Roy , Varone Frédéric , Mach André , Eichenberger Steven , Christe Julien , Chao‐Blanco Corinne
Published: October 2016

This research note presents an innovative dataset of Swiss MPs’ interest ties between 2000‐2011. The longitudinal analysis shows that the average number of interest ties per MP has more than doubled: from 3.5 in 2000 to 7.6 in 2011. Since the mid‐2000s, public interest groups have accounted for approximately one out of two ties between MPs and interest groups, showing the strongest increase during the period. However, when looking at the most present individual groups, important business groups dominate and appear well connected with the governmental parties of the political right. Finally, interest groups are also able to forge themselves a strategic presence within the parliamentary committees that are the most relevant for their policy issues. Next research steps include the assessment of the (un)biased access of interest groups to the parliamentary venue and their policy influence.
Pengetahuan Guru Pendidikan Islam Prasekolah dalam Rangka Pembangunan Tamadun Ummah
Authors: Mohamed Sofiah , Jasmi Kamarul Azmi
Published: October 2016

This aim of the research to explore the knowledge of Islamic education preschool teacher’s about the development of preschool children and to determine the implementation of that knowledge in teaching and learning. This study is a qualitative case study approach with the main instrument is observation methods. These observation data triangulate with interviews and document analysis data. Selection of study participants using purposeful sampling aimed those who experienced the pre-school teaching for more than three years, have participated in courses and training of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and volunteered to participate in the study. The results found that teachers who participated in the study had a source of knowledge about the development of preschool children through courses, training and experience. Study participants have been practicing existing knowledge in the implementation of teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers can also perform knowledge coincide with the objectives of preschool education. Insights data generating Preschool Teacher’s Knowledge Model proposed to the District Education Office (PPD), the State Education Department (JPN), Ministry of Education (MOE), the private sector, teachers, and parents in order to attempt the education of children in preschool.
Strategi Menangani Kemelut Golongan Anti Hadis (GAH)
Authors: Ghazali Mohd Al’Ikhsan , Md. Sawari Siti Salwa , Al-Hafiz Muhaidi Mustaffa , Rashid Mohd Hambali
Published: October 2016

Penyebaran pemikiran anti hadis di Malaysia kini semakin membimbangkan. Sektor pendidikan juga turut terkesan daripada  bahang pemikiran sesat ini. Umat Islam sepatutnya menyedari bahawa pemikiran ini telah cuba merosak Islam secara keseluruhannya. Mereka telah berjaya melatih kader-kader di kalangan cendekiawan Islam sendiri dalam usaha merealisasikan pemikiran mereka. Demi menjaga kesucian Islam, pemikiran anti hadis ini haruslah di hapuskan. Oleh itu tujuan kajian ini dilaksanakan bagi mengenal pasti langkah-langkah penyelesaian yang telah diamalkan oleh pelbagai pihak di Malaysia. Metode kajian perpustakaan dan temu bual telah digunakan oleh pengkaji bagi menyelesaikan permasalahan kajian ini. Di dalam kajian ini, pengkaji telah menemui pelbagai langkah-langkah pembanterasan dan penyelesaian bagi kemelut pemikiran anti hadis yang mana telah dilaksanakan oleh pihak berkuasa dan masyarakat sendiri. Dapatan daripada kajian boleh menjadi garis panduan dalam memaksimumkan  pembanterasan kemelut Golongan Anti Hadis daripada tersebar luar. Bukan itu sahaja kajian ini di harapkan dapat membantu para ahli akademik untuk mengenalpasti kesan-kesan penyelesain yang telah terlaksana.
The Influence of Prophet Muhammad’s Thought on Ijtihad
Authors: N Syarkun Mif Rohim
Published: October 2016

This study is based on library research through qualitative method research. The mutasyabih verses in Quran are greater in number than the muhkam (obvious meaning), it appears the various methods of ijtihad and method of thinking to explore the formulation of laws and wisdom. The conflict is raised as a consequent in misunderstanding of doctrine of ideological religion. Further, the Muslim peoples are dragged into radicalism and liberalism leads to monolithic prejudice, religion doctrine as the most right ones, making the Muslim peoples to be radical, terrorism with bombing, ideological violation, and intellectual violations. Obtained The Prophet Muhammad with al-Qiyas and istihsan, after he passed away, movement of thought and politic appears that in turn leads to raised conflict and clash. There are two power of manhaj al-fikr (method of thought) by the companions. First group observes that Islam as a rational religion and its law is contextual. This group has figure such as Imam Ibnu Mas’ud. Second group asserts Islam as a dogmatic religion with its law that is textual, and the figure of this group is Imam Ibnu Abbas. Although this movement is considered as movement in thought of Islamic law and law methodology, Ahl al-ra’y inspired by the thought of Ibn Mas‘ud and Ahl al-hadith inspired by the thought of Ibn ‘Abbas. Imam Abu Hanifah using inductive theory, as a follower of Ahl al-ra’y, developed a new theory istihsan by discarding the qiyas theory and practicing other primary method based on justice and truth. Meanwhile, Imam Syafi‘i using the deductive method came and formulated and developed the theories of usul fiqh systematically
Sustainable Design-Oriented Level Set Topology Optimization
Authors: Liu Jikai , Ma Yongsheng
Published: October 2016

This paper presents a novel sustainable design-oriented level set topology optimization method. It addresses the sustainability issue in product family design, which means an end-of-life (EoL) product can be remanufactured through subtractive machining into another lower-level model within the product family. In this way, the EoL product is recycled in an environmental-friendly and energy-saving manner. Technically, a sustainability constraint is proposed that the different product models employ the containment relationship, which is a necessary condition for the subtractive remanufacturing. A novel level set-based product family representation is proposed to realize the containment relationship, and the related topology optimization problem is formulated and solved. In addition, spatial arrangement of the input design domains is explored to prevent highly stressed material regions from reusing. Feature-based level set concept for sustainability is then used. The novelty of the proposed method is that, for the first time, the product lifecycle issue of sustainability is addressed by a topology optimization method. The effectiveness of the proposed method is proved through a few numerical examples.
Theory and Application on Power-Cycling Variable Transmission System
Authors: Wang Huan , Sun Dongye
Published: October 2016

Hydrodynamic drives, hydraulic drives, and friction drives have the common characteristics of continuously variable ratio but lower efficiency in comparison with gear meshing drive. A novel method for the design of power-cycling variable transmission (PCVT) has been proposed, which has the characteristics of continuously variable ratio and high efficiency in the whole working range. First, the power-cycling phenomena of powertrain system have been analyzed, and the basic configuration of PCVT system has been put forward. The feasible judgment criteria and the basic design principle of PCVT system are provided. The calculation formulas of speed ratio characteristic and efficiency characteristic of PCVT system are also derived. At last, the design patterns of PCVT system have been provided for illustrating the unique performance of PCVT system.
Value-Driven Design Process: A Systematic Decision-Making Framework Considering Different Attribute Preferences From Multiple Stakeholders
Authors: Zhuang Jun , Hu Ming , Mousapour Fatemeh
Published: October 2016

In general, architectural design is a loosely structured, open-ended activity that includes problem definition, representation, performance evaluation, and decision making. A number of approaches have been proposed in the literature to organize, guide, and facilitate the design process. The main objective of this paper is to seek a logical and rigorous means to aid in developing an optimized design that is acceptable to the customer or user of the product. The convention design approaches heavily involve decision making, which is integral to the architectural design process and is an important element in nearly all phases of design. There is a need to reframe the decision-making process to transform and improve the design process in order for finial building to achieve the performance goals. The first step in making an effective design decision is to understand the stakeholders' and team players' (architect, engineer, client, and consultant) different preferences based on their needs, experiences, and expectations of the project. In this paper, we first provide an overview about conventional decision-making method and process, identify the existing attributes that contribute to decision making in design, and outline the obstacles present in making optimized sustainable design decisions due to the uncertainty of different stakeholders' preferences. Then, we present one case study to identify and compare different preferences among engineering students, practicing architects, and the general public, and we analyze how the three groups attribute different weight to the major design attributes. This paper provides some novel insights into a value-driven sustainable design process, and it will be one of the building blocks for creating a framework to integrate game theory into the design decision-making process, considering multiple stakeholders' perspectives and preferences for building attributes as future research tasks.