bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Evolution of Unjust-Dismissal Legislation in the United States
Authors: Krueger Alan B.
Published: June 2015

In the past decade, many state courts have ruled in favor of employees alleging they were improperly dismissed. The author of this paper advances an evolutionary theory of unjust-dismissal legislation in which employer groups, responding to the threat of large and variable damage awards imposed by the judicial system, eventually support unjust-dismissal legislation in order to clearly define property rights, reduce uncertainty, and limit employer liability. Based on evidence from a case study of legislation enacted in Montana and an empirical analysis of the determinants of proposed unjust-dismissal legislation in a panel of states, the author concludes that proposals of unjust-dismissal legislation are a response to court rulings that weaken and obfuscate the employer's right to dismiss employees at will.
The Impact of Advance Notice of Plant Closings on Earnings and the Probability of Unemployment
Authors: Nord Stephen , Ting Yuan
Published: June 2015

The authors analyze data from the 1988 CPS Displaced Workers Survey to assess the effects of written advance notice of plant closings on post-displacement employment and earnings. The results suggest that notification was effective in reducing reemployment earnings losses and the probability of post-displacement unemployment only when it was given at least two months before the plant closing. This finding, the authors conclude, confirms that the 60-day advance notice of plant closings required of large employers by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 is appropriate.
Is Unionization Compatible with Professionalism?
Authors: Rabban David M.
Published: June 2015

This study examines over 100 collective bargaining agreements, covering a wide range of professions and organizations, to assess the continuing fundamental debate over the compatibility of unionization with professionalism. The author finds that some contractual provisions affecting professional standards, participation in organizational decision-making, and other issues of professional concern support traditional professional values and some do not. This mixed evidence challenges claims that unionization necessarily involves the rejection of professionalism.
Does Drug Use Lower Wages?
Authors: Gill Andrew M. , Michaels Robert J.
Published: June 2015

This study, using microdata from the 1980 and 1984 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, examines the effects of drug use on wages and employment. Contrary to most previous researchers' findings that illegal drug use negatively affects earnings, this analysis suggests that, once an allowance is made for self-selection effects (that is, unobservable factors simultaneously affecting wages and the decision to use drugs), drug users actually received higher wages than non-drug users. A similar analysis of employment effects shows that the sample of all drug users (which included users of “hard” and “soft” drugs) had lower employment levels than non-drug users, but the smaller sample consisting only of users of hard drugs, surprisingly, did not.
The Link between Business Strategy and Industrial Relations Systems in American Steel Minimills
Authors: Arthur Jeffrey B.
Published: June 2015

This study tests the “strategic choice” proposition that variation in workplace industrial relations policies and practices is related to differences in business strategy. A cluster analysis of data from a 1988–89 questionnaire examining workplace industrial relations and business strategies in U.S. steel minimills suggests that the industrial relations systems of these mills can be broadly categorized as emphasizing either cost reduction or employee commitment; similarly, the business strategies of the mills appear to stress either the manufacture of a few products in large quantities at the lowest possible cost, or more flexible manufacturing, with products marketed on some basis other than cost. Further investigation shows a significant association between the type of workplace industrial relations system and the business strategy choices in these mills.
The Impact of the 1962 Repatriates from Algeria on the French Labor Market
Authors: Hunt Jennifer
Published: June 2015

This paper uses census data to examine the impact on the French labor market of the 900,000 people repatriated from Algeria in 1962. Repatriates settled in regions culturally and climatically similar to Algeria, and represented 1.6% of the total French labor force in 1968. Estimates indicate that the repatriates increased the 1968 unemployment of non-repatriates by at most 0.3 percentage points. Average annual salaries were lower by at most 1.3% in 1967 due to their arrival. No evidence is found that potential immigrants from abroad and migrants within France were discouraged from moving to areas with many repatriates.
The Impact of Quality of Work Life Programs and Grievance System Effectiveness on Union Commitment
Authors: Eaton Adrienne E. , Gordon Michael E. , Keefe Jeffrey H.
Published: June 2015

Based on an analysis of data from a 1987 survey of four different bargaining units within the same local union, the authors conclude that union members who participated in Quality of Work Life (QWL) programs were less likely than nonparticipants to view QWL as a threat to the union, and also more loyal to the union. Another finding, however, is that the perceived effectiveness of the grievance procedure was a much stronger determinant of attitudes toward the union than was participation in QWL programs—leading the authors to speculate that one way for unions to strengthen their ties with their members might be to improve the effectiveness of the grievance procedure.
How Do Arbitrators Treat External Law?
Authors: Greenfield Patricia A.
Published: June 2015

This study examines arbitrators' treatment of external law in 106 cases decided between January 1980 and June 1985 in which at least one of the parties had filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB. The author finds that although approximately half of the arbitrators cited external law in their opinions —more than would be assumed from the literature —most of these arbitrators engaged in only cursory or conclusory consideration of relevant external law. Other findings are that few arbitrators explicitly refused to consider external law, and the rate of arbitral consideration of external law did not change in response to a 1984 NLRB decision that made it more likely that the NLRB would defer to an arbitrator's decision.
A Comparison of Interest Arbitrator Decisionmaking in Experimental and Field Settings
Authors: Olson Craig A. , Dell'omo Gregory G. , Jarley Paul
Published: June 2015

Recent studies have investigated arbitrator decision rules in both experimental and field settings. The authors of this paper evaluate the external validity of experimental studies by comparing the decisions made in an experiment with those made in actual cases by the same arbitrators. The results show that when the single-issue decisions made in the experiment are compared with the multi-issue decisions made in many field cases, the arbitrators' decision models in the two settings (as indicated by the weights they attached to various facts of the case and their level of uncertainty about which offer to choose) appear to differ; but when the experimental data are compared to the decisions in the sample of field cases in which the wage was the only issue, the decision models are substantially the same.
The Determinants of Labor Absence: Economic Factors and Workgroup Norms across Countries
Authors: Drago Robert , Wooden Mark
Published: June 2015

The authors analyze causes of absence from work using data from a survey distributed in 1988 to workers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The results indicate that workgroup cohesion (the degree to which employees work together closely and harmoniously) was associated with low levels of absence if job satisfaction was high, but with high levels of absence if job satisfaction was low. Some employee characteristics associated with lower rates of absence were male gender, short tenure, part-time status, and high wages; shiftwork, sick leave entitlements, and low unemployment rates were associated with higher rates of absence. The authors also find that the determinants of whether a worker was absent at least once in a given year are distinct from the determinants of the frequency and duration of absences among those workers who were absent at least once.
Changes in Work Hours of Male Employees, 1940–1988
Authors: Coleman Mary T. , Pencavel John
Published: June 2015

This paper examines changes in work hours of male employees as reported in Decennial Censuses from 1940 to 1980 and in the 1980 and 1988 Current Population Surveys. Aggregate data analyzed in previous research do not reveal the changes in hours that have occurred among workers of different skills. Although median weekly hours were virtually constant from 1940 to 1988, the upper tail of the hours distribution fell for those with little schooling and rose for the well-educated. Hours declined for young and older men (especially black men), but changed little for white men in their prime working years.
Managerial Quality, Team Success, and Individual Player Performance in Major League Baseball
Authors: Kahn Lawrence M.
Published: June 2015

This paper uses 1969–87 major league baseball data to investigate the impact of managerial quality on team winning and individual player performance. Managerial quality and player performance are measured as predicted pay based on salary regressions; these market-based measures permit conclusions about costs and benefits of managerial quality. There are two major findings. First, when player inputs are controlled for, higher-quality managers lead to higher winning percentages. Second, players tend to play better, relative to their prior performance levels, the higher the manager's quality. These findings suggest that, as emphasized by the human resource management literature, the quality of management makes an important difference in the performance of organizations.
Do Negotiated and Arbitrated Salaries Differ under Final-Offer Arbitration?
Authors: Burgess Paul L. , Marburger Daniel R.
Published: June 2015

The authors investigate whether negotiated settlements differ from arbitrated ones under final-offer arbitration. Examining the salaries of all major league baseball players eligible to participate in final-offer arbitration between 1986 and 1991, they find that arbitration awards won by players are higher and those won by management are lower than negotiated settlements for players of comparable value. This evidence suggests that arbitrated settlements are of “low quality” relative to negotiated ones, in the sense that they tend to fall outside the bounds of potential negotiated settlements. Another implication of these findings, however, is that the bargaining agents retain substantial freedom to negotiate salaries that are not determined solely by arbitrator preferences.
Are Training Subsidies for Firms Effective? The Michigan Experience
Authors: Holzer Harry J. , Block Richard N. , Cheatham Marcus , Knott Jack H.
Published: June 2015

This paper explores the effects of a state-financed training grant program for manufacturing firms in Michigan. Using a three-year panel of data from a unique survey of firms that applied for these grants, the authors estimate the effects of receipt of a grant on total hours of training in the firm and the product scrap rate. They find that receipt of these grants is associated with a large and significant, though one-time, increase in training hours, and with a more lasting reduction in scrap rates.
Spillover Effects between the Insured and Uninsured Unemployed
Authors: Levine Phillip B.
Published: June 2015

This paper examines the effect of changing the level of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on workers who do not receive UI. The author hypothesizes a spillover effect between insured and uninsured workers whereby an increase in UI benefits, which leads to longer durations of unemployment for insured workers, results in a reduction in the duration of unemployment for the uninsured. This prediction is supported in tests of data from several March Current Population Surveys, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and aggregate, state-level data.
The Effect of Multinational Institutions on Strike Activity in Canada
Authors: Budd John W.
Published: June 2015

The author estimates the influence of foreign corporate ownership and international unionism on strike activity in Canadian manufacturing between 1965 and 1985, controlling for several other determinants of strike activity that were largely ignored in previous studies. He finds, contrary to the results of other studies, that the incidence and duration of strikes did not differ significantly between foreign-owned and domestically owned firms or between international and national unions. Strike incidence was significantly lower, however, among unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO than among unions affiliated with a Canadian federation.
Why Did Male Pension Coverage Decline in the 1980s?
Authors: Even William E. , Macpherson David A.
Published: June 2015

This analysis of 1979 and 1988 May Current Population Survey data suggests explanations for why male pension coverage declined during the 1980s, and why the decline was particularly pronounced among young workers. During the 1980s, employment shifted toward jobs with lower pension coverage, and this shift was more pronounced among young workers than among older workers. More important than the reduction in the percentage of workers offered pensions, however, was reduced participation in pension plans. One factor contributing importantly to declining participation rates was the growing share of pensions that were 401 (k) plans; under such plans, participation is more voluntary than it is under other plans, and young workers are more likely than older workers to decline to participate.
The Effect of Performance on a Worker's Career: Evidence from Minor League Baseball
Authors: Spurr Stephen J. , Barber William
Published: June 2015

The authors analyze the promotion, demotion, and turnover of pitchers in baseball's minor leagues—a labor market for which exceptionally good data on performance are available—in the years 1975–88. They find that the time between a player's assignment to one league and promotion or demotion to another (or exit from professional baseball) declined as his performance deviated from the mean, in either a positive or negative direction. Also negatively associated with the time required to make a determination about a pitcher's ability was his age, which the authors use as a proxy for experience. Pitchers' ages did not, however, affect the highest league level in which they ultimately played.
Health Care and the Labor Market
Authors: Hanratty Maria , Mitchell Olivia S.
Published: June 2015

Health insurance and the labor market are inextricably entwined in the United States. Yet, few studies to date have examined the uniquely American links between employees' demand for and employers' ability to provide health care insurance. This topic is of substantial current interest because employer-provided health insurance plays a central role in the national health insurance reform planning process.
The Effect of Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities on Future Wages of Black Students
Authors: Constantine Jill M.
Published: June 2015

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the Class of 1972, the author estimates the effect of attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on future wages of black students. She finds that although the pre-college characteristics of students who attended HBCUs predicted lower wages than did the pre-college characteristics of students who attended mixed or historically white four-year institutions, the value added in future wages from attending HBCUs was 38% higher than that from attending traditionally white or mixed institutions for the average black student graduating from high school in 1972. This evidence that HBCUs played an important role in the labor market success of black students in the 1970s, the author argues, should be carefully weighed in decisions affecting the future of these institutions.
Interindustry Wage Differentials and the Gender Wage Gap
Authors: Fields Judith , Wolff Edward N.
Published: June 2015

Using data from the March 1988 Current Population Survey, the authors find that the wages of female workers differ significantly by industry, even when the analysis controls for workers' productivity-related characteristics. Although these interindustry wage differentials are at least as large as men's and are highly correlated with them as well, there are statistically significant differences between the two. Of the overall gender wage gap (the average female worker earns about 65% as much as the average male worker), 12–22% can be explained by differences between the patterns of interindustry wage differentials of men and women and 15–19% by differences in the distribution of male and female workers across industries. Thus, the combined industry effects explain about one-third of the overall gender wage gap.
The Economic Effect of Strikes on the Shareholders of Nonstruck Competitors
Authors: Kramer Jonathan K. , Vasconcellos Geraldo M.
Published: June 2015

Prior research has established that strikes incur significant economic losses for the struck firms. This event study of intraindustry strike effects in highly concentrated industries focuses on two samples: firms that experienced a strike involving 1,000 or more workers between 1982 and 1990, and the nonstruck firms that were their closest competitors. Contrary to the prediction of some models that the economic losses incurred by struck firms are captured by their nonstruck competitors, the results indicate that the total spillover from shareholders of the struck firms to shareholders of the nonstruck competitors in this sample was not statistically significant. The authors speculate that the struck firms were able to limit spillover effects through such tactics as stockpiling inventory before a strike. Also, concessions by labor, which were common outcomes of collective bargaining during the sample period, probably significantly reduced the struck firms' total strike cost.
The Gender Composition and Scholarly Performance of Economics Departments: A Test for Employment Discrimination
Authors: Kolpin Van W. , Singell Larry D.
Published: June 2015

Using data on academic economists in the years 1973, 1977, 1982, and 1987, the authors investigate gender differences in placement and their consequences for departmental productivity. The initial analysis shows that in the years studied, the departments that were highest-ranked on a measure of scholarly publications per faculty member were the least likely to hire female faculty. A second analysis shows that departments that hired fewer women in the 1970s subsequently declined in publications rank relative to other departments. Finally, in a third analysis the authors find that the research output of women in the 1970s cohort of economists was greater than that of their male counterparts at comparable institutions. These results reject productivity-based explanations for the observed differential placement, and they provide some of the first formal evidence that employment discrimination is costly to the employer.
Employment Prospects and Skill Acquisition of Apprenticeship-Trained Workers in Germany
Authors: Winkelmann Rainer
Published: June 2015

Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–90, the author analyzes the entrance of young individuals into the German labor market, comparing the experience of apprenticeship graduates to that of graduates from universities, full-time vocational schools, and secondary schools. Apprentices experienced fewer unemployment spells in the transition to their first full-time employment than did non-apprentices. Among apprentices, those trained in large firms had the smoothest transition to employment; once employed, however, apprentices (whether they stayed in their training firm or not) and non-apprentices had similar job stability (as measured by tenure). An estimated 70% of apprenticeship trainees left their training firm within a five-year period. These findings are consistent with the view that apprenticeship training develops general, portable skills rather than firm-specific skills.
Employee Stock Ownership and Corporate Performance among Public Companies
Authors: Blasi Joseph , Conte Michael , Kruse Douglas
Published: June 2015

This study compares the corporate performance in 1990/91 of two groups of public companies: those in which employees owned more than 5% of the company's stock, and all others. The results of the analysis, which looks at profitability, productivity, and compensation, are consistent with neither negative nor highly positive views of employee ownership, but where differences are found, they are favorable to companies with employee ownership, especially among companies of small size. The circumstances in which employee ownership was used—specifically, whether it was part of a wage/benefit concession package and whether it was involved in a takeover threat—do not appear to have had a significant effect on the 1990 performance levels or 1980–90 performance growth of the firms. Although the authors caution that the data do not permit clear tests of causality, these results are broadly consistent with those of past studies.
Is Lunch and other Break Time Productive in Sweden? A Hedonic Earnings Approach
Authors: Carlin Paul S.
Published: June 2015

This hedonic earnings analysis suggests that in Sweden in the mid-1980s, break time was, overall, productive at the margin—a result that contrasts with findings from similar studies using U.S. data. Among workers in “male” jobs, however, break time for meals appears to have been significantly less productive at the margin than normal work. To try to account for the male job effect, the author explores the possibility that high-productivity workers took longer breaks than other workers in response to high marginal tax rates, union-induced wage compression, or both. The results of his further analysis suggest that union-induced wage compression may have contributed to the male job effect, but he finds no support for the tax rate explanation.
Sex Segregation in U.S. Manufacturing
Authors: Carrington William J. , Troske Kenneth R.
Published: June 2015

This study of interplant sex segregation in the U.S. manufacturing industry improves on previous work by using more detailed information on the characteristics of both workers and firms and adopting an improved measure of segregation. The data source is the Worker-Establishment Characteristics Database (a U.S. Census Bureau database) for 1990. There are three main findings. First, interplant sex segregation in the U.S. manufacturing industry is substantial, particularly among blue-collar workers. Second, even in analyses that control for a variety of plant characteristics, the authors find that female managers tend to work in the same plants as female supervisees. Finally, they find that interplant sex segregation can account for a substantial fraction of the male/female wage gap in the manufacturing industry, particularly among blue-collar workers.
Beyond the Incidence of Employer-Provided Training
Authors: Lynch Lisa M. , Black Sandra E.
Published: June 2015

Using data from a 1994 survey of U.S. establishments, the authors investigate how the incidence, content, and extent of employer-provided training were linked to workplace practices and characteristics, physical capital investments, and workers' education. Formal training programs were positively associated with establishment size, the presence of high-performance work systems (such as Total Quality Management), capital-intensive production, and workers' education level. “General” types of training programs in computing and basic education were most likely in establishments that were large, were part of a multi-establishment firm, had low employee turnover, or had high-performance work systems. The percentage of workers given training was highest in establishments that had made large investments in physical capital or had adopted new forms of work organization, especially in the manufacturing sector. These results suggest that employer-provided training complements rather than substitutes for investments in physical capital and education.
“Flexible” Workplace Practices: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey
Authors: Gittleman Maury , Horrigan Michael , Joyce Mary
Published: June 2015

The authors estimate the extent to which establishments have adopted six alternative work organization practices. Findings from the 1993 Survey of Employer Provided Training show that some 42% of all establishments used at least one of these practices, and among establishments with 50 or more employees the figure was nearly 70%. Establishment characteristics that were positively related to the use of the practices were the recent introduction of new technology; large size; manufacturing as the primary activity; incentive-based compensation; the provision of generous benefits; and the use of extensive training. The choice of practices varied greatly among establishments, with no apparent “best practice.”
Coercive Bargaining: Public Sector Restructuring under the Ontario Social Contract, 1993–1996
Authors: Hebdon Bob , Warrian Peter
Published: June 2015

Economic restructuring, which is difficult to engineer even in the private sector, poses particularly serious challenges in highly unionized public sector environments. In 1993, the Ontario New Democratic Party government, which relied on labor support and was committed to collective bargaining, enacted the “Social Contract,” a bill that mandated spending reductions. The Social Contract has been widely criticized for failing to obtain a negotiated consensus between labor and management. This analysis of data from a survey of 1,225 employers finds, however, that the law, as administered, succeeded not only in preserving key elements of collective bargaining and an open and accountable relationship between management and labor, but also in giving those elements a positive role in economic restructuring. The authors conclude that creatively altering the collective bargaining process remains a viable economic restructuring policy option in jurisdictions with highly unionized public sectors.
Southern Organizing in the Post-Civil Rights Era: The Case of S. Lichtenberg
Authors: Bussel Robert
Published: June 2015

This case study examines the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union's successful 3-1/2-year effort (1988–91) to organize workers at S. Lichtenberg, a Georgia-based curtain manufacturer. The author uses archival research and extensive interviews with rank-and-file activists to determine why the union was able to triumph after earlier (1966 and 1971) failed attempts to organize. He finds that political changes in the post-civil rights South, the solidarity provided by race, gender, and religious identification, and the union's creative tactics coalesced in a winning strategy. The findings have significant implications not only for Southern organizing but also for the labor movement's renewed emphasis on attracting new members.
Turning by electrical discharge machining: A review
Authors: Gohil Vikas , Puri YM
Published: June 2015

Turning by electrical discharge machining is an emerging area of research. Generally, wire-cut electrical discharge machining is used for turning because it is not concerned with electrode tooling cost. The process variant die-sinking electrical discharge machining can also be effectively used to generate free-form cylindrical geometries on difficult-to-cut materials with complex shapes at both macro and micro levels. The machining performance of electric discharge machine is defined and influenced by its process parameters, which significantly affects production rate and the quality of machined component. Thus, it is very important to select machining parameters and their levels cautiously in order to improve the outcome of the process. In this article, the authors have reviewed the research work carried out in the area of electrical discharge turning in the last decade for the improvement of material removal rate, surface integrity and roundness. In this review, various techniques reported by electrical discharge machining researchers on turning have been categorised in different electrical discharge machining variants. The article also discussed the future direction of research work in the same area.
Outcomes of transformed follicular lymphoma in the modern era: a report from the National LymphoCare Study (NLCS)
Authors: Wagner-Johnston Nina D. , Link Brian K. , Byrtek Michelle , Dawson Keith L. , Hainsworth John , Flowers Christopher R. , Friedberg Jonathan W. , Bartlett Nancy L.
Published: June 2015

Key Points

The median posttransformation survival of 5 years suggests improved outcomes for transformed FL in the modern era. Five-year progression-free and overall survival (66% and 88%) are favorable for patients with evidence of transformation at diagnosis.
Mediated Electron Transfer at Vertically Aligned Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Electrodes During Detection of DNA Hybridization
Authors: Wallen Rachel , Gokarn Nirmal , Bercea Priscila , Grzincic Elissa , Bandyopadhyay Krisanu
Published: June 2015

Vertically aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (VASWCNT) assemblies are generated on cysteamine and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME)-functionalized gold surfaces through amide bond formation between carboxylic groups generated at the end of acid-shortened single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and amine groups present on the gold surfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging confirms the vertical alignment mode of SWCNT attachment through significant changes in surface roughness compared to bare gold surfaces and the lack of any horizontally aligned SWCNTs present. These SWCNT assemblies are further modified with an amine-terminated single-stranded probe-DNA. Subsequent hybridization of the surface-bound probe-DNA in the presence of complementary strands in solution is followed using impedance measurements in the presence of Fe(CN)6
3−/4− as the redox probe in solution, which show changes in the interfacial electrochemical properties, specifically the charge-transfer resistance, due to hybridization. In addition, hybridization of the probe-DNA is also compared when it is attached directly to the gold surfaces without any intermediary SWCNTs. Contrary to our expectations, impedance measurements show a decrease in charge-transfer resistance with time due to hybridization with 300 nM complementary DNA in solution with the probe-DNA attached to SWCNTs. In contrast, an increase in charge-transfer resistance is observed with time during hybridization when the probe-DNA is attached directly to the gold surfaces. The decrease in charge-transfer resistance during hybridization in the presence of VASWCNTs indicates an enhancement in the electron transfer process of the redox probe at the VASWCNT-modified electrode. The results suggest that VASWCNTs are acting as mediators of electron transfer, which facilitate the charge transfer of the redox probe at the electrode–solution interface.
Serial expression analysis of breast tumors during neoadjuvant chemotherapy reveals changes in cell cycle and immune pathways associated with recurrence and response
Authors: Magbanua Mark Jesus M. , Wolf Denise M. , Yau Christina , Davis Sarah E. , Crothers Julia , Au Alfred , Haqq Christopher M. , Livasy Chad , Rugo Hope S. ,   I-SPY 1 TRIAL Investigators, Esserman Laura , Park John W. , van ’t Veer Laura J.
Published: June 2015

Introduction

The molecular biology involving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response is poorly understood. To elucidate the impact of NAC on the breast cancer transcriptome and its association with clinical outcome, we analyzed gene expression data derived from serial tumor samples of patients with breast cancer who received NAC in the I-SPY 1 TRIAL.

Methods

Expression data were collected before treatment (T1), 24–96 hours after initiation of chemotherapy (T2) and at surgery (TS). Expression levels between T1 and T2 (T1 vs. T2; n = 36) and between T1 and TS (T1 vs. TS; n = 39) were compared. Subtype was assigned using the PAM50 gene signature. Differences in early gene expression changes (T2 − T1) between responders and nonresponders, as defined by residual cancer burden, were evaluated. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify genes in residual tumors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS). Pathway analysis was performed with Ingenuity software.

Results

When we compared expression profiles at T1 vs. T2 and at T1 vs. TS, we detected significantly altered expression of 150 and 59 transcripts, respectively. We observed notable downregulation of proliferation and immune-related genes at T2. Lower concordance in subtype assignment was observed between T1 and TS (62 %) than between T1 and T2 (75 %). Analysis of early gene expression changes (T2 − T1) revealed that decreased expression of cell cycle inhibitors was associated with poor response. Increased interferon signaling (TS − T1) and high expression of cell proliferation genes in residual tumors (TS) were associated with reduced RFS.

Conclusions

Serial gene expression analysis revealed candidate immune and proliferation pathways associated with response and recurrence. Larger studies incorporating the approach described here are warranted to identify predictive and prognostic biomarkers in the NAC setting for specific targeted therapies.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00033397. Registered 9 Apr 2002.
Association of cognitive function with glucose tolerance and trajectories of glucose tolerance over 12 years in the AusDiab study
Authors: Anstey Kaarin J. , Sargent-Cox Kerry , Eramudugolla Ranmalee , Magliano Dianna J. , Shaw Jonathan E.
Published: June 2015

Introduction

We investigated the association between glucose tolerance status and trajectories of change in blood glucose, and cognitive function in adults aged 25 to 85.

Methods

The sample (n = 4547) was drawn from a national, population-based cohort study in Australia (AusDiab). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and general health were assessed at 0, 5 and 12 years. Covariates included age, education, body mass index, blood pressure and physical activity. At 12 years, participants completed assessments of memory, processing speed and verbal ability.

Results

Known diabetes at baseline was associated with slower processing speed at 12 years in both younger (25–59 years) and older (>60 years) age-groups. After 12 years of follow-up, adults aged < 60 with diabetes at baseline had a mean speed score of 49.17 (SE = 1.09) compared with 52.39 (SE = 0.20) in normals. Among younger males without diagnosed diabetes, reduced memory at 12 years was associated with higher HbA1c at 5 years (β = −0.91, SE = 0.26, p < 0.001). No effects were apparent for females or older males. Adjusting for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-%S) and hs-C reactive protein attenuated these associations, but depression and CVD risk did not. Latent class analysis was used to analyse the associations between trajectories of HbA1C and glucose over 12 years, and cognition. Identified classes were described as 1) normal and stable blood glucose over time (reference), 2) high intercept but stable blood glucose over time, and 3) increasing blood glucose over time. In both young males and females, high stable glucose measures were associated with poorer cognitive function after 12 years.

Conclusion

Those with type 2 diabetes, younger males with high non-diabetic HbA1c, and adults with high stable blood glucose are at increased risk of poorer cognition. The findings reinforce the need for management of diabetes risk factors in midlife.
Pre-service teachers linking their metalinguistic knowledge to their practice: a functional approach
Authors: Thwaite Anne
Published: June 2015

Existing work in Anglophone countries has raised concerns regarding teachers’ knowledge about language (KAL); this may well be an issue in other countries also, with notable exceptions such as Finland. In Australia, with the introduction of the new Australian Curriculum, the question of teacher KAL has become crucial. Teachers, both practising and pre-service, generally have some knowledge about language as an object, usually including the text structures of particular school genres and information about sentence structure and word classes. This knowledge may be based on traditional grammar and may not be well applied above the sentence level. Teachers may also have an intuitive knowledge of discourse structures and are beginning to reflect on their own discourse using understandings of dialogic teaching.

This paper provides an example of how first-year pre-service teachers (PSTs) were introduced to KAL at both the grammatical and the discourse levels, as part of an introductory unit on spoken language. A range of approaches was used, including a functional view of discourse. The PSTs then applied their KAL by putting it into a context that was meaningful for them: discussing their own practice. The paper gives an illustration of some of the work they produced that demonstrates their emerging understandings.
"Selective firming" of the self-boundary: social movements and the reshaping of the state-individual relationship during China’s transformation: A case study of a collective litigation caused by demolition in City B
Authors: Shi Yunqing
Published: June 2015

Urbanization since the 1990s causes considerable social conflicts in China. From a positive perspective, the conflicts can be regarded as an active reshaping of state-individual relationships initiated by the actors through social movements. However, due to the specific political condition as protests are not institutionalized in China, actors here face a dilemma: they must produce both the "legitimacy" to protest and the “opportunity” for protest at the same time during their rights-defending movements. This implies a paradox as far as state-individual relationships is considered. To get the “opportunity”, actors have to detach themselves from the state which they are supposed to be subordinated to; meanwhile, to secure the “legitimacy”, they have to internalize the state as it used to be. Therefore, tensions exist between these two kinds of state-individual relationship caused by the dilemma. To deal with this dilemma, actors in this case have to conceptualize the state as two levels: the abstract central government and concrete local governments. An adaptive mechanism, referred to as the “selective firming mechanism of the self-boundary” in this article, is developed to construct different state-individual relationships when dealing with different state levels. Therefore, by examining a collective litigation caused by demolition in City B, this mechanism of “selective firming” can be understood in three steps: firstly, actors distinguish the concrete state from the abstract state, so as to build respective relationships with the different levels of state; secondly, they distinguish the land-use rights from the land ownership when considering the abstract state; thirdly, they distinguish the economic function from the political and administrative duties when considering the concrete state. Through this triple-level distinction, actors successfully restrict the effect of the subordinate state-individual relationship resulted from the Chinese tradition, while expanding the space for an emerging egalitarian relationship between the individual and state responding to the changing society. The nature of this mechanism is the transformation of the self-boundary from being flexible and permeated to being fixed and firm. During this process, the relationship between individuals and state is reconstructed, whilst a modern state is built out of a unified, traditional state.
Imaging of an active fault: Comparison between 3D GPR data and outcrops at the Castrovillari fault, Calabria, Italy
Authors: Maurizio Ercoli , Cristina Pauselli , Francesca Romana Cinti , Emanuele Forte , Roberto Volpe
Published: June 2015

We have integrated and analyzed a 3D ground-penetrating radar (GPR) volume with a trenching exposure data set to evaluate the potential of these methods individually and combined for study of a fault zone. We chose a test site across a branch of the active Castrovillari fault in the Northern Calabria (Southern Italy). This tectonic structure is one of the most active in the area, and it has generated strong earthquakes in the past. Based on analysis of previously collected data, a 3D GPR survey was carried out 1.2 m from a fault outcrop. The goal was to use the GPR volume to guide and optimize the excavation of a trench and then to use the trenching data to validate the GPR volume interpretation. We used seismic interpretation software to display vertical and horizontal sections and for horizon tracking and attribute analyses. We obtained quantitative information on the geometry of structural and geologic features, such as fault strike and dip angle, defining the boundaries of different stratigraphic units. We validated our GPR data interpretation with the outcrop section and trench wall demonstrating the benefits of GPR in extensional tectonics environments and the great potential of the combined geologic and geophysical approach.
Fertility Preservation Success Subsequent to Concurrent Aromatase Inhibitor Treatment and Ovarian Stimulation in Women With Breast Cancer
Authors: Oktay Kutluk , Turan Volkan , Bedoschi Giuliano , Pacheco Fernanda S. , Moy Fred
Published: June 2015

Purpose

We have previously reported an approach to ovarian stimulation for the purpose of fertility preservation (FP) in women with breast cancer via embryo freezing with the concurrent use of letrozole. The aim of this study was to provide the pregnancy and FP outcomes when embryos generated with the same protocol are used.

Patients and Methods

In all, 131 women with stage ≤ 3 breast cancer underwent ovarian stimulation and received concurrent letrozole 5 mg per day before receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and cryopreserving embryos.

Results

Thirty-three of the 131 women underwent 40 attempts to transfer embryos to their own uterus (n = 18) or via the use of a gestational carrier (n = 22) at a mean age of 41.5 ± 4.3 years with a median 5.25 years after embryo cryopreservation. The overall live birth rate per embryo transfer was similar to the US national mean among infertile women of a similar age undergoing in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (45.0 v 38.2; P = .2). Seven (38.8%) of the 18 pregnancies were twins with no higher-order pregnancies being encountered. No fetal anomalies or malformations were reported in 25 children after a mean follow-up of 40.4 ± 26.4 months. Seventeen of the 33 women attempting pregnancy had at least one child, translating into an FP rate of 51.5% per attempting woman.

Conclusion

Embryo cryopreservation after ovarian stimulation with the letrozole and follicle-stimulating hormone protocol preserves fertility in women with breast cancer and results in pregnancy rates comparable to those expected in a noncancer population undergoing in vitro fertilization.
γ-SNAP stimulates disassembly of endosomal SNARE complexes and regulates endocytic trafficking pathways
Authors: Inoue Hiroki , Matsuzaki Yuka , Tanaka Ayaka , Hosoi Kaori , Ichimura Kaoru , Arasaki Kohei , Wakana Yuichi , Asano Kenichi , Tanaka Masato , Okuzaki Daisuke , Yamamoto Akitsugu , Tani Katsuko , Tagaya Mitsuo
Published: June 2015

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) that reside in the target membranes and transport vesicles assemble into specific SNARE complexes to drive membrane fusion. N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) and its attachment protein, α-SNAP, catalyze disassembly of the SNARE complexes in the secretory and endocytic pathways to recycle them for the next round of the fusion event. γ-SNAP is an isoform of SNAP, but its function in SNARE-mediated membrane trafficking remains unknown. Here, we show that γ-SNAP regulates endosomal trafficking of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transferrin. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry revealed that γ-SNAP interacts with limited SNAREs including endosomal ones. γ-SNAP, as well as α-SNAP, mediated disassembly of endosomal syntaxin 7-containing SNARE complexes. Overexpression and small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of γ-SNAP changed the morphologies and intracellular distributions of endosomes. Moreover, the depletion partially suppressed the exit of EGFR and transferrin from EEA1-positive early endosomes to delay their degradation and uptake. Taken together, our findings suggest that γ-SNAP is a unique SNAP that functions in limited organelles including endosomes and their trafficking pathways.
Contribution of NADPH-oxidase to the establishment of hippocampal neuronal polarity in culture
Authors: Wilson Carlos , Núñez M. Tulio , González-Billault Christian
Published: June 2015

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex play important physiological and pathological roles in neurotransmission and neurodegeneration, respectively. However, the contribution of ROS to molecular mechanisms involved in neuronal polarity and axon elongation is not well understood. In this work, we found that loss of function of the NOX complex altered neuronal polarization and decreased axonal length by a mechanism that involves actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Together, these results indicate that physiological levels of ROS produced by the NOX complex modulate hippocampal neuronal polarity and axonal growth in vitro.
Case Report: "ADHD Trainer": the mobile application that enhances cognitive skills in ADHD patients
Authors: Ruiz-Manrique Gonzalo , Tajima-Pozo Kazuhiro , Montañes-Rada Francisco
Published: June 2015

We report the case of a 10 year old patient diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid video game addiction, who was treated with medication combined with a novel cognitive training method based on video games called TCT method. A great risk of developing video game or internet addiction has been reported in children, especially in children with ADHD. Despite this risk, we hypothesize that the good use of these new technologies might be useful to develop new methods of cognitive training. The cognitive areas in which a greater improvement was observed through the use of video games were visuospatial working memory and fine motor skills. TCT method is a cognitive training method that enhances cognitive skills such as attention, working memory, processing speed, calculation ability, reasoning, and visuomotor coordination. The purpose of reviewing this case is to highlight that regular cognitive computerized training in ADHD patients may improve some of their cognitive symptoms and might be helpful for treating video game addiction.