bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Temporal Evolution of Myocardial Hemorrhage and Edema in Patients After Acute ST‐Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Pathophysiological Insights and Clinical Implications
Authors: Carrick David , Haig Caroline , Ahmed Nadeem , Rauhalammi Samuli , Clerfond Guillaume , Carberry Jaclyn , Mordi Ify , McEntegart Margaret , Petrie Mark C. , Eteiba Hany , Hood Stuart , Watkins Stuart , Lindsay M. Mitchell , Mahrous Ahmed , Welsh Paul , Sattar Naveed , Ford Ian , Oldroyd Keith G. , Radjenovic Aleksandra , Berry Colin
Published: February 2016

Background

The time course and relationships of myocardial hemorrhage and edema in patients after acute
ST
‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (
STEMI
) are uncertain.

Methods and Results

Patients with
ST
‐segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 4 occasions: at 4 to 12 hours, 3 days, 10 days, and 7 months after reperfusion. Myocardial edema (native T2) and hemorrhage (T2*) were measured in regions of interest in remote and injured myocardium. Myocardial hemorrhage was taken to represent a hypointense infarct core with a T2* value <20 ms. Thirty patients with
ST
‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (mean age 54 years; 25 [83%] male) gave informed consent. Myocardial hemorrhage occurred in 7 (23%), 13 (43%), 11 (33%), and 4 (13%) patients at 4 to 12 hours, 3 days, 10 days, and 7 months, respectively, consistent with a unimodal pattern. The corresponding median amounts of myocardial hemorrhage (percentage of left ventricular mass) during the first 10 days after myocardial infarction were 2.7% (interquartile range [
IQR
] 0.0–5.6%), 7.0% (
IQR
4.9–7.5%), and 4.1% (
IQR
2.6–5.5%;
P
<0.001). Similar unimodal temporal patterns were observed for myocardial edema (percentage of left ventricular mass) in all patients (
P
=0.001) and for infarct zone edema (T2, in ms: 62.1 [
SD
2.9], 64.4 [
SD
4.9], 65.9 [
SD
5.3];
P
<0.001) in patients without myocardial hemorrhage. Alternatively, in patients with myocardial hemorrhage, infarct zone edema was reduced at day 3 (T2, in ms: 51.8 [
SD
4.6];
P
<0.001), depicting a bimodal pattern. Left ventricular end‐diastolic volume increased from baseline to 7 months in patients with myocardial hemorrhage (
P
=0.001) but not in patients without hemorrhage (
P
=0.377).

Conclusions

The temporal evolutions of myocardial hemorrhage and edema are unimodal, whereas infarct zone edema (T2 value) has a bimodal pattern. Myocardial hemorrhage is prognostically important and represents a target for therapeutic interventions that are designed to preserve vascular integrity following coronary reperfusion.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/
. Unique identifier:
NCT
02072850.
Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation in a Racially Diverse Cohort: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
Authors: Alonso Alvaro , Roetker Nicholas S. , Soliman Elsayed Z. , Chen Lin Y. , Greenland Philip , Heckbert Susan R.
Published: February 2016

Background

Existing equations for prediction of atrial fibrillation (
AF
) have been developed and validated in white and African‐American populations. Whether these models adequately predict
AF
in more racially and ethnically diverse populations is unknown.

Methods and Results

We studied 6663 men and women 45 to 84 years of age without
AF
at baseline (2000–2002) enrolled in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (
MESA
). Of these, 38% were non‐Hispanic whites, 28% non‐Hispanic African Americans, 22% Hispanics, and 12% Chinese Americans.
AF
during follow‐up was ascertained from hospitalization discharge codes through 2012. Information collected at baseline was used to calculate predicted 5‐year risk of
AF
using the previously published simple
CHARGE
‐
AF
model, which only includes clinical variables, and a biomarker‐enriched
CHARGE
‐
AF
model, which also considers levels of circulating N‐terminal of the prohormone B‐type natriuretic peptide and C‐reactive protein. For comparison purposes, we also assessed performance of the 10‐year Framingham
AF
model. During a mean follow‐up of 10.2 years, 351 cases of
AF
were identified. The C‐statistic of the
CHARGE
‐
AF
models were 0.779 (95%
CI
, 0.744–0.814) for the simple model and 0.825 (95%
CI
, 0.791–0.860) for the biomarker‐enriched model. Calibration was adequate in the biomarker‐enriched model (χ
2
=7.9;
P
=0.55), but suboptimal in the simple model (χ
2
=25.6;
P
=0.002). In contrast, the 10‐year Framingham score had a C‐statistic (95%
CI
) of 0.746 (0.720–0.771) and showed poor calibration (χ
2
=57.4;
P
<0.0001).

Conclusion

The
CHARGE
‐
AF
risk models adequately predicted 5‐year
AF
risk in a large multiethnic cohort. These models could be useful to select high‐risk individuals for
AF
screening programs or for primary prevention trials in diverse populations.
Direct Mechanical Intervention Versus Combined Intravenous and Mechanical Intervention in Large Artery Anterior Circulation Stroke
Authors: Broeg-Morvay Anne , Mordasini Pasquale , Bernasconi Corrado , Bühlmann Monika , Pult Frauke , Arnold Marcel , Schroth Gerhard , Jung Simon , Mattle Heinrich P. , Gralla Jan , Fischer Urs
Published: February 2016

Background and Purpose—

Five randomized controlled trials have consistently shown that mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in addition to best medical treatment (±intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator) improves outcome after acute ischemic stroke in patients with large artery anterior circulation stroke. Whether direct MT is equally effective as combined intravenous thrombolysis with MT (ie, bridging thrombolysis) remains unclear.

Methods—

We retrospectively compared clinical and radiological outcomes in 167 bridging patients with 255 patients receiving direct MT because of large artery anterior circulation stroke. We matched all patients from the direct MT group who would have qualified for intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator with controls from the bridging group, using multivariate and propensity score analyses. Functional independence was defined as modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2.

Results—

From February 2009 to August 2014, 40 patients from the direct MT group would have qualified for bridging thrombolysis but were treated with MT only. Clinical and radiological characteristics did not differ from the bridging cohort, except for higher rates of hypercholesterolemia (
P
=0.019), coronary heart disease (
P
=0.039), and shorter intervals from symptom onset to endovascular intervention (
P
=0.01) in the direct MT group. Functional independence, mortality, and intracerebral hemorrhage rates did not differ (
P
>0.1). After multivariate matching analysis outcome in both groups did not differ, except for lower rates of asymptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (
P
=0.023) and lower mortality (
P
=0.007) in the direct MT group.

Conclusions—

In patients with large anterior circulation stroke, direct mechanical intervention seems to be equally effective as bridging thrombolysis. A randomized trial comparing direct MT with bridging therapy is warranted.
Intraspecific variability of morphological characters in the species-rich deep-sea genus Acantholaimus Allgén, 1933 (Nematoda: Chromadoridae)
Authors: Miljutin Dmitry M. , Miljutina Maria A.
Published: February 2016

Acantholaimusis a species-rich genus of deep-sea nematodes, often with dozens of species found at the same locality but each represented by single or few individuals. Species discrimination by morphological characters in this genus is therefore often difficult due to transitional forms that may be referred to several species because of lack of data on intraspecific variability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraspecific variability of morphological characters that are most often used inAcantholaimustaxonomy, in order to distinguish those which are most informative for species differentiation. A reverse taxonomic approach was applied for initial species discrimination. Two loci, one each from small and large subunits of rRNA, were sequenced for 59Acantholaimusspecimens from two deep-sea locations. Twenty-seven Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTU) were identified, of which 12 were represented by more than one individual. These were then analysed for intraspecific variability in morphological characters. Some of the examined characters showed high intraspecific variability; specifically: length of cephalic setae; distance from anterior end to amphid; shape of anterior setae; position and arrangement of cervical setae. In the absence of genetic data, these characters should be used with caution for differential diagnoses or species discrimination. Other characters were more conservative within the same MOTU: body proportions; length of outer labial setae; amphidial diam.; appearance of lateral field; general arrangement of cervical setae; and shape of tail. These characters may be successfully used for species discrimination in the absence of molecular data.
Cremanthodium botryocephalum and C. spathulifolium are both merged with Ligularia lagotis (Asteraceae, Senecioneae)
Authors: WANG LONG , LUO HONG-YI , REN CHEN , YANG QIN-ER
Published: February 2016

Our examination of herbarium specimens and observations on living plants demonstrated that Cremanthodium botryocephalum and C. spathulifolium are both conspecific with Ligularia lagotis (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), and thus are synonymized herein.
Assessing the Impact of Typhoons on Rice Production in the Philippines
Authors: Blanc Elodie , Strobl Eric
Published: February 2016

This study quantifies the impact of typhoons on rice production in the Philippines. To this end, satellite-derived reflectance data are used to detect the location of rice fields at 500-m resolution. Utilizing typhoon-track data within a wind field model and satellite-derived precipitation measures, fragility curves are then employed to proxy the damage of storms on rice production within each rice field. The results from a panel spatial regression model show that typhoons substantially reduced local provincial production in the quarter of the strike, having caused losses of up to 12.5 million tons since 2001. Using extreme value theory to predict future losses, the results suggest that a typhoon like the recent Haiyan, which is estimated to have caused losses of around 260 000 tons, has a return period of 13 years. This methodology can provide a relatively timely tool for rice damage assessments after tropical cyclones in the region.
Three-Dimensional Chaotic Advection by Mixed Layer Baroclinic Instabilities
Authors: Mukiibi Daniel , Badin Gualtiero , Serra Nuno
Published: February 2016

Three-dimensional (3D) finite-time Lyapunov exponents (FTLEs) are computed from numerical simulations of a freely evolving mixed layer (ML) front in a zonal channel undergoing baroclinic instability. The 3D FTLEs show a complex structure, with features that are less defined than the two-dimensional (2D) FTLEs, suggesting that stirring is not confined to the edges of vortices and along filaments and posing significant consequences on mixing. The magnitude of the FTLEs is observed to be strongly determined by the vertical shear. A scaling law relating the local FTLEs and the nonlocal density contrast used to initialize the ML front is derived assuming thermal wind balance. The scaling law only converges to the values found from the simulations within the pycnocline, while it displays differences within the ML, where the instabilities show a large ageostrophic component. The probability distribution functions of 2D and 3D FTLEs are found to be non-Gaussian at all depths. In the ML, the FTLEs wavenumber spectra display −1 slopes, while in the pycnocline, the FTLEs wavenumber spectra display −2 slopes, corresponding to frontal dynamics. Close to the surface, the geodesic Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs) reveal a complex stirring structure, with elliptic structures detaching from the frontal region. In the pycnocline, LCSs are able to detect filamentary structures that are not captured by the Eulerian fields.
Immigration and Its (Dis)Contents
Authors: Yeoh Brenda S. A. , Lam Theodora
Published: February 2016

In the past three decades, the bid to develop Singapore into a global hub for high-tech, knowledge-intensive industries has underpinned Singapore’s push to augment its local talent pool by attracting highly skilled transnational migrants. The ensuing influx of “foreign talent” into the “nation-city-state” has triggered major questions relating to social integration and cohesion, and raised implications for Singapore’s demographic future and its “multiracial” identity. The article seeks to understand the politics of identity stemming from the increased presence of highly skilled migrants. After reviewing conceptualizations of the globally mobile “international talent” and tracing the key changes in Singapore’s immigration-cum-labor policies (particularly those relating to highly skilled migrants), the article examines the fraught terrain on which the “integration” of highly skilled immigrants is staged, giving attention to the social dynamics of interaction between “foreign talent” and the “Singapore core” (popular terms often used in the media), the ensuing identity politics of inclusion and exclusion, and the slippages between the closure associated with building a “nation-state” and the openness critical to “global city” ambitions.
Using Constitutional Law Classes to Address the “Civic Empowerment Gap” Among Inner-City Public High School Students
Authors: Addington Lynn A.
Published: February 2016

Civic knowledge and participation are low among all students, but this pattern is even more pronounced for those who are poor, belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, or reside in a disadvantaged community. One remedy for this resulting “civic empowerment gap” is a call for teaching more effective civics classes in urban public schools. An open issue concerns identifying substantive topics to engage these students whose personal experiences may lead them to question the legitimacy of government officials. The present study examines a program that teaches constitutional law with an emphasis on civil liberties in urban public high schools. The findings obtained suggest that regular contact with school security and police increases students’ interest in learning about their rights and ways to empower themselves in these situations. These results may be used to identify course topics to promote civic engagement.
Home(Lessness) in Urbanizing China
Authors: Dong Xuan
Published: February 2016

This article examines how martial arts students retell their stories about being left behind and how they have experienced, viewed, and struggled with the invisible violence. Popularly known as the “hometown of Chinese martial arts,” Dengfeng is home to 48 registered martial arts schools and more than 70,000 full-time students. Drawing on 12-month-long fieldwork, this article highlights how martial arts students have (re)constructed the meaning of home(lessness) through bridging their past as left-behind children and the present as martial arts students. This article argues that such redefining of home(lessness) is resulted not only from the practice of invisible violence but also from how martial arts students engage with the structural, symbolic, and normalized violence.
Development and Application of Measurement and Control Systems in Coal Mines
Authors: Marjanovic Dobrivoje , Grozdanovic Miroljub , Janackovic Goran , Marjanovic Jasmina
Published: February 2016

The paper presents an analysis of the process of application of measurement and control systems in underground coal mines in Serbia. Particular attention is paid to the experience with the first systems introduced in the mines ‘Soko’ and ‘Aleksinacki Rudnici’. A significant part of the paper is devoted to the description of the process of the development and improvement of systems, described by three aspects (technical, exploitation and commercial/financial). The technical aspect is described by seven criteria (imported systems, basic technical knowledge, input/output properties, real-time functions, offline processing, alarm processing and presentation and education) and 18 indicators. The exploitation aspect is described by six criteria (system design, reliability and accuracy, data presentation, alarm processing, use of information, and operation and maintenance) and 21 indicators. The commercial and financial aspects are described by financial indicators that show the positive effects of domestic development of the system.
Design and Implementation of a Portable Wireless System for Structural Health Monitoring
Authors: Yao Haiqing , Cao Heng , Li Jin
Published: February 2016

In the health monitoring of large metal structure, the traditional strain measurement systems with wired and bulky instruments face the challenges of harsh environment, changing network topology and limited energy supply. To meet these requirements and improve the efficiency, a portable wireless strain monitoring system combined with wireless sensor network technology and portable design has been developed in this paper. Consisting of handheld coordinator, router and sensor, this novel system takes miniaturization, portability and low-power design as core capabilities in both software and hardware design. With tests in laboratory environment, its time domain response and power consumption have been analyzed to verify its performance and efficiency. Additionally, after calibration on an equal strength cantilever, comparative tests on quayside cranes have been explored to show that this system has an equivalent accuracy compared with the traditional measurement system. However, it improves the work efficiency and can meet the serious challenges within health monitoring of large metal structure.
Cascaded H-Bridge Five-Level Inverter for Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Using Proportional–Integral Controller
Authors: Paul Raj Melba Mary , Meenakshi Sundaram Sivagama Sundari
Published: February 2016

Photovoltaic power generation is a promising alternative source of energy and has many advantages than the other alternative energy sources like wind, solar, ocean, biomass, geothermal, and so on. In photovoltaic power generation, multilevel inverters play a vital role in power conversion. The three different topologies, diode-clamped (neutral-point clamped) inverter, capacitor-clamped (flying capacitor) inverter, and cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter, are widely used in these multilevel inverters. Among the three topologies, cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter is more suitable for photovoltaic applications since each photovoltaic array can act as a separate direct current source for each H-bridge module. In this paper, a single-phase cascaded H-bridge five-level inverter for grid-connected photovoltaic system using proportional–integral controller is presented. Sinusoidal pulse width modulation technique was used for eliminating the harmonic distortion. The cascaded control strategy enables tracking of the maximum power point of distinct photovoltaic strings and allows independent control of the direct current-link voltages. The performance of single-phase cascaded H-bridge five-level inverter with respect to harmonic content and number of switches is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink. A hardware prototype is developed to verify the performance of the developed system. The results of hardware are compared with the simulation results. The proposed system offers improved performance over conventional two-level inverters.
Preparation of microcellular poly(lactic acid) composites foams with improved flame retardancy
Authors: Wang Kun , Wang Jingjing , Zhao Dan , Zhai Wentao
Published: February 2016

In this study, flame-retardant poly(lactic acid) foams with satisfactory cell structures were prepared by microcellular foaming technology using phosphorus-containing flame retardant and graphene as the charring agent. The introduction of 5–30 wt% flame retardant increased the limited oxygen index value of poly(lactic acid) from 19.0 to 26.5–37.8% and simultaneously increased the foam expansion of poly(lactic acid) foams from 4.4 to 5.8–17.5. In addition, all the prepared poly(lactic acid)/flame-retardant composites passed the UL-94 V-0 rating. The addition of 0.5 wt% graphene increased the limited oxygen index value of poly(lactic acid)/flame-retardant composite with flame-retardant content of 15 wt% from 27.9 to 29.2%, and more graphene additions improved the antidripping behavior of poly(lactic acid) composites. The possible mechanisms of the effects of the resultant cellular structure on the flame-retardant properties of poly(lactic acid) composites were also discussed.
Efficient experimental characterisation of the permeability of fibrous textiles
Authors: Swery Elinor E , Allen Tom , Comas-Cardona Sebastien , Govignon Quentin , Hickey Chris , Timms Jamie , Tournier Loic , Walbran Andrew , Kelly Piaras , Bickerton Simon
Published: February 2016

Two experimental set-ups used to characterise the in-plane and through-thickness permeabilities of reinforcing textiles have been developed and are presented. Both the experimental testing and data processing techniques used have been selected to ensure that the characterisation is completed in an efficient and robust method, increasing the repeatability of tests while minimising user induced errors as well as the time and resources needed. A number of key results and outputs obtained are presented from tests carried out on a plain woven reinforcing textile with a range of number of layers and at different fibre volume fractions.
Study on the reinforcing mechanisms of nano silica to cement-based materials with theoretical calculation and experimental evidence
Authors: Zhang Liqing , Ma Ning , Wang Yunyang , Han Baoguo , Cui Xia , Yu Xun , Ou Jinping
Published: February 2016

Cement mortars with different contents of nano silica (NS) were fabricated and tested. Their compressive and flexural strengths showed significant increases. Theoretical calculation and thermogravimetry (TG) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), and electrical resistivity test were used to analyze the reinforcing mechanisms of NS. Theoretically, consumed calcium hydroxide (CH) increases with NS content, which indicates that NS has huge potential to react with CH. According to the results of TG, the amount of consumed CH increases and agrees with theoretical calculation when the content of NS is less than 1.5%. However, a plateau is achieved for the mass of consumed CH in results of TG when the content of NS exceeds 1.5%. SEM shows that NS can make matrix dense and also reduce the size of CH in matrix beside interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The results of XRD prove that NS can change the tendency of crystal of CH in cement matrix. However, the change degree of tendency of crystal of CH in cement matrix is lower than that in ITZ. The change trends of electrical resistivity with increasing NS content and curing age are similar with those of flexural and compressive strengths. This indicates that electrical resistivity can reflect strength and structural compactness of cement matrix.
Identity Processing Styles During Cultural Transition
Authors: Szabo Agnes , Ward Colleen , Fletcher Garth J. O.
Published: February 2016

Drawing from previous work on identity styles by Berzonsky, the current article introduces a new version of the Identity Style Inventory assessing social-cognitive information processing strategies during cultural transition (ISI-CT). The ISI-CT incorporates five distinct identity styles (analytical informational, exploratory informational, normative to the country of origin, normative to the host society, and diffuse-avoidant) and a measure of immigrant identity commitment. The article reports the construction of the ISI-CT and examines its factorial structure (Studies 1 and 2), convergent and discriminant validity (Study 1), and longitudinal relationships among subscales (Study 3). Relationships between demographic variables, including age, gender, length of stay, language proficiency, and cultural background, and the ISI-CT subscales are also investigated. Findings support reliability and validity of the ISI-CT as an assessment of the identity processes underlying identity development of people in cultural transition. The potential of this new measurement and construct to contribute to the understanding of the immigrant experience and the wider field of acculturation research is discussed.
A Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating rh-FGF-2/β-TCP in Periodontal Defects
Authors: Cochran D.L. , Oh T.-J. , Mills M.P. , Clem D.S. , McClain P.K. , Schallhorn R.A. , McGuire M.K. , Scheyer E.T. , Giannobile W.V. , Reddy M.S. , Abou-Arraj R.V. , Vassilopoulos P.J. , Genco R.J. , Geurs N.C. , Takemura A.
Published: February 2016

Biological mediators have been used to enhance periodontal regeneration. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of 3 doses of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) when combined with a β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffold carrier placed in vertical infrabony periodontal defects in adult patients. In this double-blinded, dose-verification, externally monitored clinical study, 88 patients who required surgical intervention to treat a qualifying infrabony periodontal defect were randomized to 1 of 4 treatment groups—β-TCP alone (control) and 0.1% recombinant human FGF-2 (rh-FGF-2), 0.3% rh-FGF-2, and 0.4% rh-FGF-2 with β-TCP—following scaling and root planing of the tooth prior to a surgical appointment. Flap surgery was performed with EDTA conditioning of the root prior to device implantation. There were no statistically significant differences in patient demographics and baseline characteristics among the 4 treatment groups. When a composite outcome of gain in clinical attachment of 1.5 mm was used with a linear bone growth of 2.5 mm, a dose response pattern detected a plateau in the 0.3% and 0.4% rh-FGF-2/β-TCP groups with significant improvements over control and 0.1% rh-FGF-2/β-TCP groups. The success rate at 6 mo was 71% in the 2 higher-concentration groups, as compared with 45% in the control and lowest treatment groups. Percentage bone fill in the 2 higher-concentration groups was 75% and 71%, compared with 63% and 61% in the control and lowest treatment group. No increases in specific antibody to rh-FGF-2 were detected, and no serious adverse events related to the products were reported. The results from this multicenter trial demonstrated that the treatment of infrabony vertical periodontal defects can be enhanced with the addition of rh-FGF-2/β-TCP ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01728844).
Characterization of Regulatory Extracellular Vesicles from Osteoclasts
Authors: Huynh N. , VonMoss L. , Smith D. , Rahman I. , Felemban M.F. , Zuo J. , Rody W.J. , McHugh K.P. , Holliday L.S.
Published: February 2016

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which include exosomes and ectosomes/microvesicles, have emerged as important intercellular regulators. EVs can interact with surface receptors of target cells and can transport luminal components, including messenger RNAs (mRNAs), microRNAs, and enzymes, to the cytosol of the target cell. Here, we show that hematopoietic cells grown in culture shed exosome-like EVs as they differentiate from preosteoclasts into osteoclasts. These EVs were between 25 and 120 nm (mean, 40 nm) in diameter determined by transmission electron microscopy. The exosome-associated markers CD63 and EpCAM were enriched in the isolated EVs while markers of Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum were not detected. Treatment of isolated hematopoietic cells with EVs did not affect their receptor activator of nuclear factor κB–ligand (RANKL)–stimulated differentiation into osteoclasts. However, EVs from osteoclast precursors promoted 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3–dependent osteoclast formation in whole mouse marrow cultures, and EVs from osteoclast-enriched cultures inhibited osteoclastogenesis in the same cultures. These data suggested that osteoclast-derived EVs are paracrine regulators of osteoclastogenesis. EVs from mature osteoclasts contained receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK). Immunogold labeling showed RANK was enriched in 1 in every 32 EVs isolated from osteoclast-enriched cultures. Depletion of RANK-rich EVs relieved the ability of osteoclast-derived EVs to inhibit osteoclast formation in 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3–stimulated marrow cultures. In summary, we show for the first time that EVs released by osteoclasts are novel regulators of osteoclastogenesis. Our data suggest that RANK in EVs may be mechanistically linked to the inhibition of osteoclast formation. RANK present in EVs may function by competitively inhibiting the stimulation of RANK on osteoclast surfaces by RANKL similar to osteoprotegerin. RANK-rich EVs may also take advantage of the RANK/RANKL interaction to target RANK-rich EVs to RANKL-bearing cells for the delivery of other regulatory molecules.
Stress and Coping Associated With Acculturation Among North Korean Defectors
Authors: Kim Junhyoung , Park Se-Hyuk , Youn Yeo-Soung , Han Areum , Kim May
Published: February 2016

While adapting to a new culture, North Korean defectors may develop their own coping strategies and utilize coping resources to deal with acculturative stress. The purpose of this study was to identify the stress-coping strategies utilized by North Korean defectors. Using semistructured in-depth interviews, three salient themes as the major coping strategies were identified: (a) engagement in meaningful activities, (b) emotional and social support, and (c) personal growth. This study suggested that leisure professionals in South Korea create and provide a variety of recreational programs through which North Korean defectors can engage with host individuals in order to increase their health and well-being.
Individual sensory experiences, socialized senses, and everyday lived religion in practice
Authors: McGuire Meredith B
Published: February 2016

Building on the conference theme, ‘Sensing Religion’, this article argues that the sociology of religion needs to pay attention to sensory experiences. Our discipline has traditionally focused on religion’s cognitive qualities – beliefs, creeds, and theologies – along with its organizational structures. By and large, we have failed to encounter, much less think about, other aspects of religion, particularly those that involve the senses. We have treated them as epiphenomenal, not central to religious life. This will no longer do. Examining religion as it is actually lived requires an attention to sensory religious experiences, as they are a core part of religious practice. Doing so requires, however, that we learn how to attune ourselves to that experience. Otherwise, we will fail to perceive the experiences that people actually encounter. This presentation provides some practical guidance about how to do this. It also presents diverse examples of embodied religious practices for which sensory experience is essential.
Ultra-baroque Catholicism: Multiplied images and decentered religious symbols
Authors: de la Torre Renée
Published: February 2016

This article addresses the effects of the mass production of religious images that is decentering the institutional management of Catholic symbols in Mexico. How do mass production and the global circulation of religious images in various types of media create new ways of practicing religion and professing faith today? In the search for answers to this question, two cases are presented. The first, Catholic baroque as a popular initiative, addresses the mass production of Catholic icons and how it deinstitutionalizes Catholic symbols. In the second, the case of the Mayan prophesy for 2012, the manner in which cultural industries are generating transmedia beliefs is revealed. The author argues that the synergy between popular baroque religiosity and the videocracy creates a new sort of ultra-baroque Catholicism based on superimposing images.
The Genetic and the Sociological: Exploring the Possibility of Consilience
Authors: Bell Edward , Kandler Christian
Published: February 2016

We argue that consilience, or the unity of all knowledge, is an important goal for all researchers to pursue. The philosophical foundations of this position are explored, and then an empirical study is presented that illustrates what could be gained by melding behaviour genetic, sociological and other perspectives on politics. Twin data are analysed to examine the extent to which sociological factors can explain the variation in three dependent variables: left/liberal versus right/conservative political orientations; party identification; and interest in politics. The results indicate that large amounts of the variance in these variables are not explained by the sociological predictors, so the residual variance is tested for genetic influences, which yields fairly high heritability estimates. We conclude that analyses that are informed by both genetic and sociological insights are essential for understanding the phenomena examined, and explore the implications of this conclusion for conventional research paradigms and for consilience.
Enjoyment, Exploration and Education: Understanding the Consumption of Pornography among Young Men with Non-Exclusive Sexual Orientations
Authors: McCormack Mark , Wignall Liam
Published: February 2016

This qualitative research examines the influence of pornography consumption on young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with young men from an elite university in the north-eastern United States, we examine how pornography was experienced as a leisure activity to be consumed in free time. Rather than focusing on the potential harms of pornography, we use an inductive analytic approach to explore the broader range of experiences that participants had, since the time they first consumed pornography. We demonstrate that pornography had educational benefits for these young men, related to their sexual desires, emerging sexual identities and for developing new sexual techniques. This study is part of a growing body of research that seeks to develop a holistic understanding of pornography in society, addressing the absence of the lived experience of the consumer in most pornography research.
An examination of the relationship between urban decentralisation and transit decentralisation in a small-sized US metropolitan area
Authors: Jaroszynski Michal , Brown Jeffrey , Bhattacharya Torsha
Published: February 2016

Many scholars point to urban decentralisation as a key contributor to transit’s decline in the USA during the 20th century. This paper examines the link between decentralisation and transit by testing the scholarly argument that transit should decentralise. Using a case study of a smaller US metropolitan area whose transit service was restructured from a centralised to a decentralised model, the authors found that in this context the change involved making tradeoffs between improving service for some parts of the community and degrading it for others. While ridership increased in previously unserved suburban markets, the net result was not an overall ridership increase because of its decline in inner-city neighbourhoods. The authors argue that these results, which were unanticipated based on a review of the scholarly literature, suggest the need for more sensitivity to the importance of local context for scholars working in this domain.
Network structure and regional innovation: A study of university–industry ties
Authors: Huggins Robert , Prokop Daniel
Published: February 2016

The emergence of the network paradigm has led to growing interest in understanding network structures relating to knowledge flows and patterns of regional innovation. This paper explores the structure of knowledge networks stemming from ties between universities and other actors, principally firms. Based upon a network analysis of empirical data for regions across the UK, it is found that the most innovative and economically developed regions are more likely to be the location for actors holding highly central and influential positions within knowledge network architectures. It is concluded that network structures, and resulting stocks of structural network capital, influence patterns of regional innovation and development.
Housing bubble contagion from city centre to suburbs
Authors: Teng Hsiao-Jung , Chang Chin-Oh , Chen Ming-Chi
Published: February 2016

Most previous studies have reported that housing prices diffuse from the city centre to surrounding areas. However, these studies have overlooked the fact that housing prices comprise fundamental and bubble prices. We investigated whether bubble prices also diffuse from the city centre to suburbs and whether fundamental or bubble prices promote housing price diffusion. We focused on the movement of housing bubbles from the city centre to the suburbs. Using data for the Taipei metropolitan area from 1973 to 2014 for empirical analysis, our state-space model estimates statistically significant fundamental and bubble prices in Taipei City (city centre) and New Taipei City (suburbs). Engle–Granger cointegration test results reveal that the housing and bubble prices of the two cities are cointegrated; however, fundamental prices are not. F statistics reveal that the Granger causality of bubble prices (the central city Granger causing changes in the suburbs) is more significant and powerful than that of the fundamental prices. Therefore, we demonstrate that housing bubbles force housing price diffusion. In addition, when bubble prices spread from the city centre to the suburbs, the housing bubble in the suburbs is larger than that in the city centre, implying that the suburbs have greater potential for a bubble burst crisis called the bubble contagion. Authorities should pay more attention to the bubble contagion and must address the problem of high housing prices in the suburbs to prevent this bubble from bursting
Tentative friendships among low-income migrants in São Paulo’s commercial districts
Authors: Amrith Megha
Published: February 2016

The city of São Paulo, historically important as a destination for migrants from across the world, has experienced newer waves of immigration in the past few decades. As Brazilian national legislation and municipal policies have been ill prepared to handle these recent flows, migrants find themselves without much institutional support and rely instead on other networks to find their way in the city. This article is based on ethnographic research among low-income migrants in São Paulo, many of whom are employed as tailors and garment vendors in the city’s thriving central commercial neighbourhoods. Migrants from Bolivia, Peru, China, Pakistan and Nepal co-exist alongside working-class Brazilians. This article traces the everyday forms of conviviality among these migrants who find themselves in precarious conditions in São Paulo. It will consider the lines along which friendships and networks of support and sociability are built and the depth of such relationships. It also considers the points of tension which divide people and strain potential friendships, for instance, when migrants compete to sell their goods and are exploited by ‘fellow migrants’ to survive in the city. What we see is an ambivalent field of interaction that is convivial yet competitive and distrustful.
Does slum formalisation without title provision stimulate housing improvement? A case of slum declaration in Pune, India
Authors: Nakamura Shohei
Published: February 2016

Though previous studies have examined how formalising land tenure affects housing improvements in informal settlements, the role of tenure security and its long-term influence remain unclear. In response, this paper quantitatively examines the extent to which formalising land tenure by way of slum declaration has stimulated housing improvements during the last three decades in the slums of Pune, India. Since slum declaration guarantees residents occupancy but not full property rights, this study focuses on how tenure security contributes to housing outcomes, such as materials, size, the number of floors and the amount of money spent for the improvements. Using original household survey data, analysis involving propensity score matching and difference-in-differences methods reveals that slum declaration has tripled a household’s likelihood of having added a second floor and, albeit less clear, increased the average amount of money spent on housing improvements. At the same time, slum declaration has not induced any improvement in housing materials, largely since many residents of non-formalised slums have also replaced materials. These results indicate that slum declaration, even in the long run, has continued to influence housing investments in Pune’s slums, in terms of both type and amount spent, though residents of non-formalised slums have also come to enjoy certain de facto tenure security. Among other implications for policy, these findings underscore that governments should at least provide legal assurance of occupancy rights in informal settlements, even if active interventions such as slum upgrading and titling are currently difficult.
Conjunctival leishmaniasis in a case of disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis
Authors: Razeghinejad M Reza , Monabati Ahmad , Kadivar Mohammad Rahim , Alborzi Abdolvahab
Published: February 2016

A 15-year-old female patient presented with numerous, small, papulonodular skin lesions, and hepatosplenomegaly 9 months after a treated biopsy proved cutaneous leishmaniasis. In ocular examination there were two yellowish, raised gelatinous conjunctival lesions in the left eye. The exisional conjunctival lesion biopsy revealed many Leishman bodies inside tissue histiocytes. The patient had no systemic immunologic problems (normal serum immunoglobulins, nitroblue-tetrazolium test, complement CH50 test and flow cytometry of leukocytes). The indirect immunofluorescent antibody test for Leishmania tropica (titre of 1:1024) and the leishmanin skin test were positive. DNA of L. tropica was detected by a specific polymerase chain reaction on whole blood, bone marrow and skin biopsy specimens. The skin and conjunctival lesions disappeared with miltefosine and no intraocular tissue penetration of organism happened. Conjunctival leishmaniasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of raised conjunctival lesions in a disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis patient and needs proper systemic therapy.
Examining the Complexity of the Campus Racial Climate at a Hispanic Serving Community College
Authors: Cuellar Marcela , Johnson-Ahorlu Robin Nicole
Published: February 2016

Objective: Despite the growing representation of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) among community colleges, relatively little is known about student perceptions of the campus climate at these institutions. Although perceptions of campus climate may differ by race and adversely affect students of color, most research has been conducted at predominantly White institutions and through the use of either qualitative or quantitative methods. The present study examines student perceptions of discrimination and bias among Asian, Latina/o, and White students at a community college that has an HSI designation. Method: Employing a parallel mixed-method design, data were collected through the Diverse Learning Environments survey and focus groups at a community college in the western United States. An ANOVA with post hoc tests and a qualitative cross-case analysis were used to assess perceptions of discrimination and bias across racial groups. Results: Student perceptions differed by race with qualitative and quantitative results complementing and contradicting each other. Asian students reported more discrimination and bias on the survey but only shared positive perspectives in a focus group. By contrast, Latina/o students reported less discrimination and bias on the survey but in a focus group shared both positive and negative perceptions of the campus climate. Conclusion: The findings thus suggest that assessing perceptions of the campus climate at racially heterogeneous community colleges, such as HSIs, should employ mixed-methods to capture a more comprehensive picture for students from different racial groups.
A Tale of Two Missions
Authors: Pion-Berlin David
Published: February 2016

Latin American scholars often maintain that militaries should be kept out of internal security operations. Soldiers, they claim, are ill suited for these assignments, inevitably placing innocent civilians in harm’s way. This study instead argues that not all counternarcotic missions are the same. When a specific operation coincides with a military’s capabilities and proclivities, it can be conducted effectively and humanely. When there is a disconnect between the operation and the institution, there is a greater chance for mission failure and civilian casualties. Those differences are revealed in a comparative case study of the Mexican military’s crime patrols versus its targeted operations against cartel kingpins. It finds that while there are justifiable doubts about transforming soldiers into cops, it is also the case that soldiers can conduct themselves professionally and with restraint when they are tasked with assignments that conform more closely to their skills sets.
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
Authors: Ladd Anthony E.
Published: February 2016

Since the oil embargos of the 1970s, the fossil fuel industry and allied energy interests have helped manufacture a variety of discursive narratives that an alternative energy revolution is on the horizon which will someday replace conventional fuels with clean, renewable, noncarbonized sources of energy. A closer inspection of the industry’s investments and rhetoric, however, suggests that they are currently investing most of their historic profits in creating a future largely driven by unconventional fossil fuel dependence, intensive hydraulic fracking, and the continued control of the energy sector by essentially the same transnational corporations that control the market today. This article offers a critical analysis of the historical roots of our fossil fuel dependency, some of the key socioenvironmental threats associated with the emerging Third Carbon Era, and the myriad dangers associated with a future based on unconventional energy development, hydraulic fracking, and other “extreme energy” technologies. Focusing on the growing social and ecological impacts of natural gas fracking as a case in point, particularly its myth as a “bridge fuel” to a clean energy future, it is argued that these energy trends represent yet another “New Species of Trouble” in the Risk Society of late modernity.
Social Policy as Secondary Violences in the Aftermath of a Disaster
Authors: Harvey Daina Cheyenne
Published: February 2016

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures plans for the rebuilding of New Orleans favored the redevelopment of some communities over others. Where residents of vulnerable communities, in particular the Lower Ninth Ward, protested the erasure of their communities, they have been largely socially abandoned as a retaliatory measure for not acquiescing to the elite plan of “Katrina Cleansing.” The implementation of this social abandonment as social policy and the various policies and conditions that have collectively punished residents of the Lower Ninth Ward who are trying to rebuild their community should be seen as uneven racialized capitalist development and as an important extension to what Naomi Klein calls “disaster capitalism.” In this article, I conceptualize these policies and conditions as secondary violences and through three vignettes I provide a brief description of life in the Lower Ninth Ward where these violences permeate the warp and the woof of the community.