bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of a functional polymorphism in the PAR-1 gene promoter in COPD and COPD exacerbations
Authors: Platé Manuela , Lawson Phillippa J. , Hill Michael R. , Quint Jennifer K. , Kumari Meena , Laurent Geoffrey J. , Wedzicha Jadwiga A. , Chambers Rachel C. , Hurst John R.
Published: June 2014

Proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) plays a key role in mediating the interplay between coagulation and inflammation in response to injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the promoter single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2227744G>A in modulating PAR-1/ F2R gene expression in the context of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and COPD exacerbations. The function of the rs2227744G>A SNP was investigated by using reporter gene assays. The frequency of the polymorphism in the UK population was assessed by genotyping 8,579 healthy individuals from the Whitehall II and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing cohorts. The rs2227744G>A SNP was genotyped in a carefully phenotyped cohort of 203 COPD cases and matched controls. The results were further replicated in two different COPD cohorts. The minor allele of the rs2227744G>A polymorphism was found to increase F2R expression by 2.6-fold ( P < 0.001). The rs2227744G>A SNP was not significantly associated with COPD, or with lung function, in all cohorts. The minor allele of the SNP was found to be associated with protection from frequent exacerbations ( P = 0.04) in the cohort of COPD patients for which exacerbation frequency was available. Considering exacerbations as a continuous variable, the presence of the minor allele was associated with a significantly lower COPD exacerbation rate (3.03 vs. 1.98 exacerbations/year, Mann-Whitney U-test P = 0.04). Taken together, these data do not support a role for the rs2227744G>A F2R polymorphism in the development of COPD but suggest a protective role for this polymorphism from frequent exacerbations. Studies in separate cohorts to replicate these findings are warranted.
How common is the lipid body-containing interstitial cell in the mammalian lung?
Authors: Tahedl Daniel , Wirkes André , Tschanz Stefan A. , Ochs Matthias , Mühlfeld Christian
Published: June 2014

Pulmonary lipofibroblasts are thought to be involved in lung development, regeneration, vitamin A storage, and surfactant synthesis. Most of the evidence for these important functions relies on mouse or rat studies. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the presence of lipofibroblasts in a variety of early postnatal and adult mammalian species (including humans) to evaluate the ability to generalize functions of this cell type for other species. For this purpose, lung samples from 14 adult mammalian species as well as from postnatal mice, rats, and humans were investigated using light and electron microscopic stereology to obtain the volume fraction and the total volume of lipid bodies. In adult animals, lipid bodies were observed only, but not in all rodents. In all other species, no lipofibroblasts were observed. In rodents, lipid body volume scaled with body mass with an exponent b = 0.73 in the power law equation. Lipid bodies were not observed in postnatal human lungs but showed a characteristic postnatal increase in mice and rats and persisted at a lower level in the adult animals. Among 14 mammalian species, lipofibroblasts were only observed in rodents. The great increase in lipid body volume during early postnatal development of the mouse lung confirms the special role of lipofibroblasts during rodent lung development. It is evident that the cellular functions of pulmonary lipofibroblasts cannot be transferred easily from rodents to other species, in particular humans.
Asymptotic Law of thejth Records in the Bivariate Exponential Case
Authors: Azedine Grine
Published: July 2014

We consider a sequence(Xi,Yi)1⩽i⩽nof independent and identically distributed random variables with joint cumulative distribution H(x,y), which has exponential marginalsF(x)andG(y)with parameterλ=1. We also assume thatXi(ω)≠Yi(ω),∀i∈N, andω∈Ω. We denoteRk(j)k⩾1andSk(j)k⩾1by the sequences of thejth records in the sequences(Xi)1⩽i⩽n,(Yi)1⩽i⩽n, respectively. The main result of of the paper is to prove the asymptotic independence ofRk(j)k⩾1andSk(j)k⩾1using the property of stopping time of thejth record times and that of the exponential distribution.
Afatinib Enhances the Efficacy of Conventional Chemotherapeutic Agents by Eradicating Cancer Stem–like Cells
Authors: Wang Xiao-kun , He Jie-hua , Xu Jing-hong , Ye Sheng , Wang Fang , Zhang Hui , Huang Zhen-cong , To Kenneth Kin Wah , Fu Li-wu
Published: June 2014

Cancer stem cells (CSC) have garnered significant attention as a therapeutic focus, based on evidence that they may represent an etiologic root of treatment-resistant cells. Indeed, expression of the multidrug resistance protein ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) confers chemoresistance to CSCs, where it serves as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target. Here, we show that afatinib, a small-molecule inhibitor of the tyrosine kinases EGFR, HER2, and HER4, preferentially eliminated side population cells with CSC character, in both cell lines and patient-derived leukemia cells, by decreasing ABCG2 expression. In these cells, afatinib also acted in parallel to suppress self-renewal capacity and tumorigenicity. Combining afatinib with the DNA-damaging drug topotecan enhanced the antitumor effect of topotecan in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigations suggested that ABCG2 suppression by afatinib did not proceed by proteolysis through the ubiquitin-dependent proteosome, lysosome, or calpain. Instead, we found that afatinib increased DNA methyltransferase activity, thereby leading to methylation of the ABCG2 promoter and to a decrease in ABCG2 message level. Taken together, our results advocate the use of afatinib in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs to improve efficacy by improving CSC eradication. Cancer Res; 74(16); 4431–45. ©2014 AACR.
Body Size, Physical Activity, Early-Life Energy Restriction, and Associations with Methylated Insulin-like Growth Factor–Binding Protein Genes in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Simons Colinda C.J.M. , van den Brandt Piet A. , Stehouwer Coen D.A. , van Engeland Manon , Weijenberg Matty P.
Published: June 2014

Background: We investigated body size, physical activity, and early-life energy restriction in relation to colorectal tumors with and without methylated insulin-like growth factor–binding protein (IGFBP) genes, which are putative tumor-suppressor genes.

Methods: We determined IGFBP2, IGFBP3, and IGFBP7 promoter CpG island hypermethylation in tumors of 733 colorectal cancer cases from the Netherlands Cohort Study (N = 120,852). Participants self-reported lifestyle and dietary factors at baseline in 1986. Using a case–cohort approach (N subcohort = 5,000), we estimated hazard ratios (HR) for colorectal cancer by extent of IGFBP methylation.

Results: Comparison of the highest versus lowest sex-specific tertiles of adult body mass index (BMI) gave multivariable-adjusted HRs [95% confidence intervals (CI)] for colorectal cancers with 0 (18.7%), 1 (29.5%), 2 (32.4%), and 3 (19.5%) methylated genes of 1.39 (0.88–2.19), 1.11 (0.77–1.62), 1.67 (1.17–2.38), and 2.07 (1.29–3.33), respectively. Other anthropometric measures and physical activity were not associated with colorectal cancer risk by extent of IGFBP methylation, except height in sex-specific analyses for women. Exposure to energy restriction during the Dutch Hunger Winter versus nonexposure gave HRs (95% CIs) for colorectal cancers with 0, 1, 2, and 3 methylated genes of 1.01 (0.67–1.53), 1.03 (0.74–1.44), 0.72 (0.52–0.99), and 0.50 (0.32–0.78), respectively.

Conclusions: Adult BMI, height (in women only), and early-life energy restriction were associated with the risk of having a colorectal tumor characterized by IGFBP methylation.

Impact: Body size may particularly increase the risk of IGFBP gene–methylated colorectal tumors; this finding might facilitate more targeted approaches to prevent obesity-related colorectal cancers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(9); 1852–62. ©2014 AACR.
Functional Genetic Approach Identifies MET, HER3, IGF1R, INSR Pathways as Determinants of Lapatinib Unresponsiveness in HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Wang Jiping , Ji Dongmei , Wang Chenchen , Liu Rujiao , Wu Zheng , Liu Lian , Zhu Dan , Chang Jinjia , Geng Ruixuan , Xiong Lei , Fang Qiangyi , Li Jin
Published: June 2014

Purpose: Targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) therapy is currently considered as the standard treatment for HER2-positive (HER2+) advanced gastric cancer. However, as seen in recent clinical trials, most of HER2+ gastric cancer are actually unresponsive to HER2-targeted agents, including lapatinib. The aim of this study is to identify the responsible receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) potentially conferring lapatinib unresponsiveness in HER2+ gastric cancer and elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this RTKs-induced resistance.

Experimental Design: A functional RNAi screen targeting human RTKs and related growth factors was used to identify candidate RTKs conferring lapatinib unresponsiveness in HER2+ gastric cancer cells. Independent siRNAs transfection and corresponding ligands supplement were performed to validate the effects of candidate RTKs on lapatinib sensitivity. Cross-talks of pathways involved were analyzed via Western blot analysis. Cell apoptosis and cell motility were detected using FACS system and Transwell assay. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze protein expression in clinical samples.

Results: MET, HER3, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1R, and INSR were identified to mediate lapatinib unresponsiveness in HER2+ gastric cancer cells. Activation of these bypass RTKs attenuated lapatinib-induced apoptosis and suppression of cell motility, mechanistically because of restimulating the shared downstream AKT or ERK signaling, as well as restimulating WNT signaling and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)–like process. Patients' specimens revealed that these unresponsiveness-conferring RTKs were particularly enriched in the majority of patients with HER2+ gastric cancer.

Conclusions: MET, HER3, IGF1R, and INSR pathways activation represent novel mechanism underlying lapatinib unresponsiveness in HER2+ gastric cancer. Combination strategy may be recommended in treating patients with HER2+ gastric cancer with these pathways activation. Clin Cancer Res; 20(17); 4559–73. ©2014 AACR.
Difference in Cerebral and Peripheral Hemodynamics among Term and Preterm Infants during the First Three Days of Life
Authors: Fujioka Tao , Takami Takeshi , Ishii Hiroki , Kondo Atsushi , Sunohara Daisuke , Kawashima Hisashi
Published: July 2014

Background: The relationship between cerebral and peripheral hemodynamics during the early postnatal period has not been clarified. Objectives: To evaluate cerebral and peripheral oxygenation and blood volumes between term and preterm infants during the first 3 days of life. Materials and Methods: We performed near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy on 32 term infants (term group) and 40 preterm infants (preterm group), with an optode placed on their forehead and upper arm. The cerebral blood volume (CBV), peripheral blood volume (PBV), cerebral Hb oxygen saturation (cSO2) and peripheral Hb oxygen saturation (pSO2) were measured at 3-6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after birth. Results: The CBV in the term group (2.45 ± 0.47 ml/100 g) was significantly higher than that in the preterm group (1.97 ± 0.33 ml/100 g). In contrast to the CBV, the PBV in the preterm group (3.63 ± 0.76 ml/100 g) was significantly higher than that in the term group (3.26 ± 0.56 ml/100 g). In the preterm group, there was a significant positive relationship between the CBVs and PBVs at each time point except at 72 h after birth. Despite the differences in blood volumes, there were no differences in the cSO2 and pSO2 between the two groups. Conclusions: The contrasting results in the CBV and PBV between the term and preterm infants might be explained by differences in the maturation of the physiological mechanism to control CBV and PBV.
Monogenic Human Skin Disorders
Authors: Lemke Johannes R. , Kernland-Lang Kristin , Hörtnagel Konstanze , Itin Peter
Published: July 2014

Human genodermatoses represent a broad and partly confusing spectrum of countless rare diseases with confluent and overlapping phenotypes often impeding a precise diagnosis in an affected individual. High-throughput sequencing techniques have expedited the identification of novel genes and have dramatically simplified the establishment of genetic diagnoses in such heterogeneous disorders. The precise genetic diagnosis of a skin disorder is crucial for the appropriate counselling of patients and their relatives regarding the course of the disease, prognosis and recurrence risks. Understanding the underlying pathophysiology is a prerequisite to understanding the disease and developing specific, targeted or individualized therapeutic approaches. We aimed to create a comprehensive overview of human genodermatoses and their respective genetic aetiology known to date. We hope this may represent a useful tool in guiding dermatologists towards genetic diagnoses, providing patients with individual knowledge on the respective disorder and applying novel research findings to clinical practice.
Platelet Counts in the First Seven Days of Life and Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants
Authors: Bas-Suárez Maria Pilar , González-Luis Gema Esther , Saavedra Pedro , Villamor Eduardo
Published: July 2014

Background: Decreased platelet number and/or function are related to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in mice. Whether this is also the case in human infants remains controversial. Objectives: To investigate the association between platelet count nadir within the first 7 days of life and the rate of hemodynamically significant PDA (HSPDA), as well as the rate of response to the treatment with cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors. Methods: This is a retrospective study of a cohort of 194 very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (<1,500 g) with gestational age <30 weeks. HSPDA was assessed by echocardiography on day 3 of life. Results: HSPDA was present in 105 infants (54.1%). Of these, 101 were treated with COX inhibitors. The treatment failure rate was 21.8%. Median platelet count nadir and rate of thrombocytopenia - defined as platelet count <150 × 109/l and graded as mild (100 to <150 × 109/l), moderate (50 to <100 × 109/l) or severe (<50 × 109/l) - within the first 2 days of life were not significantly associated with the presence of HSPDA on day 3. Moreover, low platelet counts, either on days 1-2 or 3-7, were not significantly associated with the rate of response to treatment with COX inhibitors. Conclusions: Our data provide further evidence for the lack of association between platelet counts within the first days of life and either spontaneous or pharmacological closure of the ductus arteriosus in VLBW infants.
Hypoxic/Ischemic and Infectious Events Have Cumulative Effects on the Risk of Cerebral Palsy in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Preterm Infants
Authors: Wang Lan-Wan , Lin Yung-Chieh , Wang Shan-Tair , Yeh Tsu-Fu , Huang Chao-Ching ,   for the Taiwan Premature Infant Developmental Collaborative Study Group
Published: July 2014

Background: Hypoxia/ischemia and inflammation are two major mechanisms for cerebral palsy (CP) in preterm infants. Objective: To investigate whether hypoxia/ischemia- and infection-related events in the perinatal and neonatal periods had cumulative effects on CP risk in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) premature infants. Methods: From 1995 to 2005, 5,807 VLBW preterm infants admitted to Taiwan hospitals were enrolled. The cumulative effects of hypoxic/ischemic and infectious events during the perinatal and neonatal periods on CP risk at corrected age 24 months were analyzed. Results: Of the 4,355 infants with 24-month follow-up, 457 (10.5%) had CP. The CP group had significantly higher incidences of hypoxia/ischemia-related events in the perinatal and neonatal periods, and sepsis in the neonatal period than the normal group. Three hypoxic/ischemic events, including birth cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OR 2.25; 95% CI 1.81-2.82), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation (2.94; 1.35-5.75) and chronic lung disease (3.14; 2.61-3.85) had the most significant contribution to CP. Relative to CP risk for infants with neither the three hypoxic/ischemic events nor sepsis, the CP odds increased 1.98-, 2.26- and 2.15-fold for infants with birth cardiopulmonary resuscitation, PDA ligation and chronic lung disease, respectively; while the combination with sepsis further increased the odds to 3.18-, 3.83- and 3.25-fold, respectively. Using the three hypoxic/ischemic events plus sepsis, CP rates were 10.0, 16.7, 26.7, 40.0 and 54.7% for infants with none, one, two, three and four events, respectively. Conclusions: Hypoxic/ischemic and infectious events across the perinatal and neonatal periods exerted cumulative effects on CP risk in VLBW premature infants.
β-Catenin (CTNNB1) Mutations Are Not Associated with Prognosis in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Lu Li-Chun , Shao Yu-Yun , Lee Yi-Hsuan , Hsieh Min-Shu , Hsiao Chi-Huang , Lin Hsiao-Hui , Kao Hsiang-Fong , Ma Yu-Yi , Yen Feng-Chu , Cheng Ann-Lii , Hsu Chih-Hung
Published: July 2014

Objectives: Mutation of the exon 3 of CTNNB1, the coding gene of β-catenin, is a crucial molecular mechanism leading to aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is highly associated with the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The prevalence and clinical significance of CTNNB1 mutations in advanced HCC remain unclear. Methods: Patients with advanced HCC and available pathologic tissues (either obtained when diagnosed at advanced or early stages) were enrolled in this study. Direct sequencing of exon 3 of CTNNB1 was performed to detect somatic mutations. The associations between CTNNB1 mutations and clinicopathologic features were analyzed. Results: A total of 115 patients were enrolled, among whom 78 (67.8%) had chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Twenty-one (18.3%) patients were found to have CTNNB1 mutations, all of which were missense mutations. The CTNNB1 mutation rates were similar among pathologic tissues obtained at advanced and early stages (17.5 and 20.0%, respectively). Patients aged over 60 years were more likely to have CTNNB1 mutations than patients younger than 60 years (32.6 vs. 8.7%, p = 0.001). The mutations were not associated with survival or other clinicopathologic features. Conclusion: In patients with advanced HCC, CTNNB1 mutations were not prognostically significant. No apparent increase of CTNNB1 mutations occurred during the progression of HCC.
I Sing it to an Italian Tune . . . Thoughts on Performing Sixteenth-Century Italian-Jewish Sung Poetry Today
Authors: Gosfield Avery
Published: June 2014

Although we know that Jewish musicians and composers were active in Renaissance Italy, very few compositions by Jewish authors or music specifically destined for the Jewish community has survived. There are few exceptions: Salamone Rossi’s works, the tunes from Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro’s dance manuals, Ercole Bottrigari’s transcriptions of Jewish liturgy, a handful of fragments. If we limit the list to pieces with specifically Jewish content, it becomes shorter still: Rossi’s HaShirim asher liShlomo and Bottrigari’s fieldwork. However, next to these rare musical sources, there are hundreds of poems by Jewish authors that, although preserved in text-only form, were probably performed vocally. Written in Italian, Hebrew and Yiddish, they usually combine Italian form with Jewish content. The constant transposition and transformation of form, language and content found in works such as Josef Tzarfati’s Hebrew translation of Tu dormi, io veglio, Elye Bokher’s Bovo Bukh, or Moses of Rieti’s Miqdash Me’at (an artful reworking of Dante’s Divina Commedia) mirror the shared and separate spaces that defined Jewish life in sixteenth-century Italy. None of these poems have come down to us with musical notation. However, several have extant melodic models, while others have indications, or are written in meters—like the ottava or terza rima—that point to their being sung, probably often to orally transmitted melodies. Even if it is sometimes impossible to ascertain the exact tune used in performance, sung poetry’s predominance in Jewish musical life remains undeniable. HaShirim asher liShlomo, usually considered the most important collection of Jewish Renaissance music, might not have ever been performed during its composer’s lifetime, while Rieti’s Miqdash Me’at survives in over fifty manuscripts, including four Italian translations. In one of these, translator/author Lazzaro of Viterbo writes, tellingly, about looking forward to hearing his verses sung by his dedicatee, Donna Corcos.
Funem (sh)eynem vortsl aroys?!—Approaches to the Study of Parallel Eastern Yiddish and German Folk Songs
Authors: Schmitges Andreas
Published: June 2014

Yiddish and German are two languages and cultures that are considered autonomous and important within the European cultural diversity. Although they are linguistically very close and historically interwoven, not much research has been done concerning the comparison of their folk cultures. The present comparative study of Eastern Yiddish and German folk songs is a first step towards a deeper understanding of the processes of cultural migration and transfer since the Middle Ages. The paper concentrates on three aspects: 1. Discussion of previous undervalued research by scholars in the twentieth century. 2. Uncovering the roots and routes of parallel folk songs. 3. The significance of this research for the development of a historically informed performance practice (hip) for Yiddish folk songs.
Shaming the Corporation
Authors: Bartley Tim , Child Curtis
Published: June 2014

As social movements co-evolve with changes in states and markets, it is crucial to examine how they make particular kinds of actors into focal points for the expression of grievances and the demand for rights. But researchers often bracket the question of why some kinds of organizations are more likely than others to become targets of social movement pressure. We theorize the “social production of targets” by social movements, rejecting a simple “reflection” model to focus on configurations of power and vulnerability that shape repertoires of contention. Empirically, we extend structural accounts of global commodity chains and cultural accounts of markets to analyze the production of targets in the case of the anti-sweatshop movement of the 1990s. Using a longitudinal, firm-level dataset and unique data on anti-sweatshop activism, we identify factors that attracted social movement pressure to particular companies. Firms’ power and positions strongly shaped their likelihood of becoming targets of anti-sweatshop activism. But the likelihood of being a target also depended on the cultural organization of markets, which made some firms more “shamable” than others. Contrary to suggestions of an anti-globalization backlash, globalization on its own, and related predictions about protectionism, cannot explain the pattern of activism.
Effects of Vowel Auditory Training on Concurrent Speech Segregation in Hearing Impaired Children
Authors: Talebi Hossein , Moossavi Abdollah , Lotfi Yones , Faghihzadeh Soghrat
Published: June 2014

Objective:

This clinical trial investigated the ability of concurrent speech segregation in hearing impaired children. The auditory behavioral responses and auditory late responses (ALRs) were compared between test and control groups prior to vowel auditory training and after 3 and 6 months of vowel auditory training to find the effects of bottom-up training on concurrent speech segregation in hearing impaired children.

Methods:

Auditory behavioral responses for 5 vowels and ALRs for double synthetic vowels, with special physical properties, were recorded in a timetable in 30 hearing impaired children (test group = 15 and control group = 15).

Results:

Identification score and reaction time data showed that the test group was approximately proficient for some vowels ( P < .05 for vowels /æ/, /e/, and /u:/) and took less time to process after 6 months of training. N1-P2 amplitude indexing of the vowel change detection and reflecting central auditory speech representation without active client participation has been increased in the test group ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

The present study showed training-related improvements in concurrent speech segregation. This information provided evidence for bottom-up training based on F0, its differences in auditory scene analysis, and neural underpinnings.
A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in healthy relatives of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Scognamiglio Claire , Houenou Josselin
Published: June 2014

Objective:

Genetically at-risk yet healthy relatives of patients with schizophrenia, sharing an important part of the genetic susceptibility to the disease, allow the study of neuroimaging endophenotypes. The aim of our study was to perform a meta-analysis of whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that compared adult healthy relatives of patients with schizophrenia and controls.

Methods:

Twenty-one whole-brain fMRI studies were included (17 using cognitive tasks and four using emotional tasks), published between 2003 and 2013. These studies included 467 healthy relatives of patients with schizophrenia and 768 controls. To conduct the statistical analysis, we used the effect-size signed differential mapping software, a voxel-based meta-analytic approach.

Results:

In healthy relatives of patients with schizophrenia, we observed a general pattern of overactivation across the 21 fMRI studies in right-sided frontal, parietal and temporal regions compared to controls. This pattern was accompanied by an underactivation in the cingulate gyrus. Our analyses showed a very similar pattern during purely cognitive tasks; during emotional tasks, healthy relatives additionally overactivated the left parahippocampal gyrus.

Conclusions:

This fMRI pattern of prefrontal overactivation and hypoactivation of the cingulate gyrus may represent a candidate endophenotype for schizophrenia.
Behavioral Consistency Among Serial Burglars
Authors: Fox Bryanna Hahn , Farrington David P.
Published: June 2014

This study evaluates the behavioral consistency in offending styles among a sample of serial burglars from the United States. Three popular specialization analyses—Jaccard’s coefficient, the forward specialization coefficient (FSC), and the Diversity (D) index—are used to compare if, and how much, variation exists in the behavior of serial burglars committing different styles of offenses, among the three analyses. Results show that there is variation across the analyses, with the FSC and D index suggesting serial burglars are relatively consistent in their burglary offense styles. However, burglars with organized and disorganized offense styles are more consistent in behavior across offenses than burglars who committed opportunistic and interpersonal style offenses. These findings have important methodological implications for criminological research, and practical implications for policing and crime linkage analysis.
Financial Problems and Delinquency in Adolescents and Young Adults
Authors: Hoeve Machteld , Jak Suzanne , Stams Geert Jan J. M. , Meeus Wim H. J.
Published: June 2014

The present study examined the link between financial problems and delinquency in adolescents and young adults ( N = 1,258). Using three measurement waves that covered a time span of 6 years, we conducted cross-lagged panel analyses. Overall, we found evidence that financial problems increase the risk of delinquency, and vice versa. Effects of delinquency on financial problems were larger than the other way around. In addition, a longer term (6 year) effect of delinquency on financial problems was found, whereas this effect was not found for financial problems to delinquency. Gender and age did not moderate the financial problem–delinquency link, suggesting that the bidirectional effect between financial problems and delinquency applies to adolescent and young adult males and females. Finally, we found some evidence to suggest that the indirect effects became stronger over time.
On Gang Affiliation, Gang Databases, and Prosecutorial Outcomes
Authors: Caudill Jonathan W. , Trulson Chad R. , Marquart James W. , DeLisi Matt
Published: June 2014

Technological advances have enabled criminal justice organizations to collect and share offender data. Accompanying these advances are concerns about how various segments of the criminal justice system utilize these data. Specifically, scholars have expressed concerns about the legal consequences of being included in gang databases. This study explored the use of gang affiliation indicators on prosecutorial outcomes by using a sample of 5,111 urban juvenile cases. Using three binary measures of gang affiliation, multinomial logistic regression analysis suggested indicators of gang affiliation influenced prosecutorial outcomes (dismissal, pre-adjudication informal supervision, deferred prosecution, or petition), but in an unanticipated manner. Confirmed gang affiliates, instead of suspected or non-gang affiliates, were significantly more likely to experience pre-adjudication informal supervision over other forms of case outcomes: case dismissal, deferred prosecution, or court petition. Policy implications focus on the inter-connectedness of the criminal justice system.
Recidivism Among Released State Prison Inmates Who Received Mental Health Treatment While Incarcerated
Authors: Fisher William H. , Hartwell Stephanie W. , Deng Xiaogang , Pinals Debra A. , Fulwiler Carl , Roy-Bujnowski Kristen
Published: June 2014

This study assesses the likelihood of rearrest among a cohort of all adults ( N = 1,438) released from the Massachusetts state prison system who received mental health services while they were incarcerated. All individuals were followed for 24 months. The analysis focused on four classes of variables: demographic characteristics, clinical history, criminal justice history, and postrelease supervision. These analyses showed that criminal history factors—a juvenile record and a history of multiple previous incarcerations—were significant risk factors, but that clinical factors, including a history of substance abuse, were not. Overall, the models developed here look much like the ones that would be observed in the general offender population. The implications of these findings for criminal justice and mental health policy are discussed.
Grown Up Religion: Polemic and Pastoral Practice in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians
Authors: Carson Marion L. S.
Published: June 2014

Paul’s argument against his opponents in Galatians has frequently been used to support division amongst Christians, sometimes with catastrophic results. Can this angry polemical letter be of any use for pastoral practice today? Building on a critique of J. L. Martyn’s interpretation of Galatians and drawing on ideas from the psychology of religion, this article suggests that if Paul is seen as tackling a case of “immature religion”, we can be guided by his argument, without emulating his divisive approach.
The Sacrificial Embrace: Exploring contemporary English parish clergy lives
Authors: Peyton Nigel , Gatrell Caroline
Published: June 2014

Describing clergy experiences ‘in their own words’, this paper reflects on the findings of a qualitative study (by the authors) on the lives of contemporary Church of England parish clergy.1 From the data, themes of obedience, sacrifice and intimacy emerge to provide an explanatory framework for clergy lives. In applying theological, social science and occupational management perspectives, the research counters the literature about clergy failures. While acknowledging a range of clergy views about the nature of faith and commitment, it nevertheless reveals an enduring and authentic vocational steadfastness among priests across the years.
Philip Melanchthon: Speaking for the Reformation
Authors: Wengert Timothy J.
Published: June 2014

Already theological conflicts during his lifetime have made forming an accurate picture of Philip Melanchthon’s contribution to the Reformation difficult. A close examination of his life reveals a theologian who blended commitment to the humanities with a passion for Wittenberg and Luther’s particular brand of theology. A prodigy with remarkable skills in languages, Melanchthon (1497-1560) became professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg in 1518 after studies in Heidelberg and Tübingen. After receiving the lowest degree in theology the following year, he taught in both the Arts and Theology faculties for the rest of his life, producing important works in rhetoric, dialectics and history, on the one hand, and publishing the first Protestant biblical commentaries on Romans, Colossians, Matthew and John, on the other, while at the same time writing the first Protestant “systematic” theology, the Loci communes theologici. Sometimes mistakenly viewed as torn between Erasmus’s humanism and Martin Luther’s Reformation, Melanchthon, an independent thinker squarely in Wittenberg’s theological orbit, developed his own approach to the humanities that allowed him to distinguish “civil righteousness” of this world’s knowledge from the “theological righteousness” of the gospel. He was also the author of several important confessions of Evangelical faith, including the Augsburg Confession. His participation in negotiations over the Lord’s Supper with Martin Bucer and over justification with Johannes Eck formed the basis of much later agreements. With Luther’s death, Melanchthon became involved in a series of disputes among Lutherans over adiaphora, free will, justification and Lord’s Supper. Despite suspicions of opponents, he influenced the course of Protestant thought with emphases on forensic justification by faith, the distinction between law and gospel, the differentiation of civil and theological righteousness and the use of the humanities in the service of theology and proclamation. He truly earned his most enduring moniker as praeceptor Germaniae.
Coping strategies and self-stigma among adolescents discharged from psychiatric hospitalization: A 6-month follow-up study
Authors: Moses Tally
Published: June 2014

Background:

The effects of mental illness stigma on adolescents receiving psychiatric treatment may largely be determined by their coping strategies. Yet, little is known about adolescents’ use of stigma-coping strategies, or how helpful these are for addressing stigma-related stress.

Aims:

This study explores how adolescents discharged from psychiatric hospitalization anticipate coping with a hypothetical social stigma event related to hospitalization. We examine how well anticipated coping strategies predict adolescents’ self-stigma ratings following 6 months. To evaluate the direction of causality, the reverse order of effects, the influence of self-stigma on coping strategies, is also assessed.

Methods:

A voluntary sample of 80 adolescents participated in two face-to-face interviews that assessed coping and self-stigma. Anticipated (baseline) and actual (follow-up) coping strategies were measured with a modified Response to Stress Questionnaire (primary and secondary control engagement coping, disengagement) and two stigma-specific strategies developed for this study (disconfirming stereotypes and aggression/confrontation). Relationships between anticipated coping strategies and self-stigma were assessed with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression; multivariate general linear modeling (GLM) and structural equation modeling (SEM) explored the reverse associations.

Results:

Youth reporting higher self-stigma ratings at follow-up anticipated using more disengagement and effort to disconfirm stereotypes and less secondary control engagement coping at baseline. Anticipated use of secondary control engagement coping was uniquely significant in predicting participants’ self-stigma when controlling for baseline self-stigma. At the same time, higher baseline self-stigma ratings predicted less adaptive coping (disengagement and effort to disconfirm stereotypes) at follow-up.

Conclusions:

The results point to the particular importance of secondary control engagement coping for helping to mitigate the impact of peer prejudice or discrimination on self-stigma among youth receiving psychiatric services. At the same time, higher initial levels of self-stigma likely drive less adaptive coping with peer stigma. These bidirectional influences point to a vicious cycle between internalizing negative stereotypes and coping in ways that perpetuate negative outcomes.
What helps or undermines adolescents’ anticipated capacity to cope with mental illness stigma following psychiatric hospitalization
Authors: Moses Tally
Published: June 2014

Background:

Better understanding of the individual and environmental factors that promote adolescents’ use of more or less adaptive coping strategies with mental illness stigma would inform interventions designed to bolster youth resilience.

Aims:

This cross-sectional study draws on data from research on adolescents’ well-being after discharge from a first psychiatric hospitalization to explore the relationships between anticipated coping in reaction to a hypothetical social stigma scenario, and various factors conceptualized as ‘coping resource’ and ‘coping vulnerability’ factors. Focusing on coping strategies also identified in the companion article, we hypothesize that primary and secondary control engagement coping would relate to more coping resource and less coping vulnerability factors, and the opposite would be true for disengagement, aggression/confrontation and efforts to disconfirm stereotypes.

Methods:

Data were elicited from interviews with 102 adolescents within 7 days of discharge. Hypothesized coping resource factors included social resources, optimistic illness perceptions, better hospital experiences and higher self-esteem. Vulnerability factors included more previous stigma experiences, desire for concealment of treatment, more contingent self-worth, higher symptom levels and higher anticipated stress. Multivariate ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyze associations between coping strategy endorsement and correlates.

Results:

Although some coping correlates ‘behaved’ contrary to expectations, for the most part, our hypotheses were confirmed. As expected, youth anticipating reacting to the stigmatizing situation with greater disengagement, aggression/confrontation or efforts to disconfirm stenotypes rated significantly lower on ‘coping resources’ such as self-esteem and higher on vulnerability factors such as symptom severity. The opposite was true for youth who anticipated exercising more primary and secondary control engagement coping.

Conclusions:

This study begins to identify factors that promote more and less adaptive coping strategies among youth at high risk for social stigma. Some factors that can be modified in the shorter term point to useful directions for clinical interventions.
Identifying the socio-demographic and clinical determinants of family functioning in Greek patients with psychosis
Authors: Koutra Katerina , Triliva Sofia , Roumeliotaki Theano , Lionis Christos , Vgontzas Alexandros N
Published: June 2014

Background:

Studies on determinants affecting family functioning of patients with psychosis are still limited in Greece.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with family functioning in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Crete, Greece.

Methods:

A total of 100 patients and their caregivers agreed to participate in the study. Family functioning was assessed in terms of cohesion, adaptability, communication and satisfaction dimensions (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV Package), expressed emotion (Family Questionnaire), family burden (Family Burden Scale) and caregivers’ psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-28). Multivariate linear regression models were implemented to examine the associations between each one of the family measures and different social and clinical characteristics.

Results:

With regard to the caregivers’ characteristics, gender, employment status, origin, residence, financial status, relation to the patient, contact with the patient and family structure were among the most significant determinants of family functioning. Also, patients’ socio-demographic characteristics, including age, education, origin, residence and employment status, as well as illness-related factors, such as onset of mental illness, number of hospitalisations, last hospitalisation, longer hospitalisation and clinical diagnosis impacted intrafamilial relationships.

Conclusion:

The results of this study suggest that a number of social and clinical factors contributed to the family environment of patients with psychosis. Identifying the determinants of family functioning in psychosis is instrumental in developing understandings regarding the factors which may contribute to the rehabilitation or relapse of the patient and the support required to strengthen positive family interactions.
Taking Arms Against a Sea of Troubles
Authors: Riese Juliane
Published: June 2014

Psychodynamic approaches to the study of organizations note the importance of organizational defense mechanisms, that is, processes and practices that protect the organization from painful realizations. The overuse of defense mechanisms may lead to the organization becoming detached from reality, dysfunctional, unable to learn, and resistant to change. This article develops the concept of therapeutic organizational double bind as a method of intervention to enable “working through” in organizations “stuck” in a specific type of defense mechanism, namely, a pathogenic organizational double bind. The case of the Greenpeace campaign against whaling in Norway serves as an example. This campaign was dysfunctional, yet Greenpeace, being caught in a pathogenic organizational double bind, was unable to change its behavior patterns for quite a long time. A therapeutic organizational double bind enabled Greenpeace to partially work through and remedy this. The article discusses implications for practice and advocates a systemic approach to organizational analysis.
Effecting Change and Learning in Networks Through Network Action Learning
Authors: Coghlan David , Coughlan Paul
Published: June 2014

This article explores how action learning undertaken in a network in the transportation equipment industry enabled a supply chain network, established to deliver customer service and productivity, to generate shared operational and strategic insight into collaborative improvement, leading to systemic change and improved practice and performance in the network’s strategic operations. The process describes how the network began as a strategic network, grounded in economic transaction, transitioned to becoming a transformational network based on open collaborative relations. It highlights interorganizational or network learning, types of networks, the dynamics of collaborative improvement, and action learning as an experiential process for learning-in-action.
Advanced models for free vibration analysis of laminated beams with compact and thin-walled open/closed sections
Authors: Carrera Erasmo , Filippi Matteo , Mahato Prashanta KR , Pagani Alfonso
Published: June 2014

In this paper, refined one-dimensional beam theories are implemented for the free vibration analysis of laminated beams with compact and thin-walled cross-sections. The proposed models are based on the Carrera Unified Formulation, which was formerly introduced for the analysis of plates and shells and recently extended to beam structures by the first author and his co-workers. Carrera Unified Formulation is a hierarchical modelling technique leading to very accurate and computationally efficient finite element theories. According to the latest developments in the framework of Carrera Unified Formulation, refined beam models are implemented using either Taylor-like or Lagrange-like polynomials in order to expand the unknown kinematic variables on the cross-section of the beam. Equivalent single layer models result from the former approach. On the other hand, if Lagrange polynomials are used, layer-wise models are produced. In this work, a classical one-dimensional finite element formulation along the beam length is used to develop numerical applications. A number of laminated beam structures are analyzed and particular attention is given to laminated box beams with open and closed cross-sections. The frequencies and the mode shapes obtained with the present refined beam elements are compared with solid/shell finite element solutions from the commercial code MSC/Nastran and, when possible, with those found in the literature. The modal assurance criterion is used for model-to-model comparisons so as to demonstrate the enhanced capabilities of the proposed formulation in investigating the free vibration characteristics of both compact and thin-walled box laminated beams.
Fibroblasts Regulate Variable Aggressiveness of Syndromic Keratocystic and Non-syndromic Odontogenic Tumors
Authors: Hong Y.-Y. , Yu F.-Y. , Qu J.-F. , Chen F. , Li T.-J.
Published: June 2014

Keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) are jaw lesions that can be either sporadic or associated with nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, which typically occurs as multiple, aggressive lesions that can lead to large areas of bone destruction and resorption and cause major impairment and even jaw fracture. To clarify the role of fibroblasts in the aggressivness of syndromic (S-) as compared with non-syndromic (NS-) KCOTs, we assessed fibroblasts derived from 16 S- and NS-KCOTs for differences in cell proliferation, multilineage differentiation potential, alkaline phosphatase activity, and osteoclastogenic potential. S-KCOT fibroblasts had proliferative and osteoclastogenic capacity higher than those from NS-KCOTs, as evidenced by higher numbers of tartrate-resistant acid-phosphatase-positive multinuclear cells, expression of cyclooxygenase 2, and ratio of receptor activator of nuclear factor–kappa B ligand to osteoprotegerin. The osteogenic potential was higher for S- than for NS-KCOT fibroblasts and was associated with lower mRNA expression of runt-related transcription factor 2, collagen type I α1, osteocalcin, and osteopontin as well as reduced alkaline phosphatase activity. These results suggest that the distinct characteristics of fibroblasts in KCOTs are responsible for the greater aggressiveness observed in the syndromic subtype.

Abbreviations: AP, alkaline phosphatase; CK, cytokeratin; COL1A1, collagen type I α1; COX-2, cyclooxygenase-2; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; IL-1α, interleukin 1α; KCOT, keratocystic odontogenic tumor; NBCCS, nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome; NS-KCOT, non-syndrome-associated KCOT; OCN, osteocalcin; OPG, osteoprotegerin; OPN, osteopontin; RANKL, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand; Runx2, runt-related transcription factor 2; S-KCOT, syndrome-associated KCOT; TAF, tumor-associated fibroblast; and TRAP, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase.
Publication ethics
Authors: Menezes Ritesh G , Giri Smith , Pant Sadip , Kharoshah Magdy A , Madadin Mohammed , Nagaraja Sharath Burugina
Published: June 2014

High-quality scientific literature is the cornerstone of scientific progress and is highly regarded by academia. However, scientific literature is often marred by plagiarism, data fabrication and falsification, redundant publication and illegitimate authorship. These problems are discussed in this article.