bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract 953: An anti-CD38 antibody drug conjugate for the treatment of diverse hematologic malignancies
Authors: Prudent James R. , Marshall David J. , Murphy John , Malavasi Fabio
Published: August 2015

Purpose:

The CD38 cell surface antigen is expressed in diverse hematologic malignancies including multiple myeloma, acute promyelocytic leukemia (PML), B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL),and T-cell ALL. Here, we assessed the antitumor activity of novel extracellular drug conjugates composed of anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies conjugated to various steroidal derivatives via flexible stable linkers.

Experimental Design:

Activity of EDC8 was examined on lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma cell lines and a B-cell lymphoma xenograft model in immunodeficient mice.

Results:

We identified that multiple anti-CD38 antibodies when conjugated to a novel small molecule steroids through long stable linkers could provide picomolar apoptotic activity independent of effector functions. These antibody drug conjugates, termed EDC8s, inhibited cytotoxic activity through a mechanism that was dependent on CD38 expression, as CD38 induction by ATRA could turn EDC8 resistant cells, sensitive, and naked anti-CD38 antibodies could compete with the EDC8s rendering them inactive. The activity of the EDC8s was also dependent on linker length and steroid chemistry. In vivo, EDC8 was active on a B-cell lymphoma CD38+ tumor xenograft model. Results from one of the EDC8s demonstrated in vivo tumor regression and cures when 5mgs/kg of the conjugate was administered and this anti-CD38 antibody drug conjugate had impressive single-agent activity greatly surpassing the activity of CHOP.

Conclusion:

These results support efforts to further evaluate these unique CD38-targeting antibody drug conjugates and may lead to phase I clinical trials in patients with certain CD38+ malignancies.

Citation Format: James R. Prudent, David J. Marshall, John Murphy, Fabio Malavasi. An anti-CD38 antibody drug conjugate for the treatment of diverse hematologic malignancies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 953. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-953
Abstract 995: Regulation of radiation by autophagic modulator
Authors: Lee Keun Ho , Lee Yoon Kyung
Published: August 2015

Introduction: On account of limited therapeutic options for advanced and recurrent cervical cancer, novel therapeutic modalities are being investigated based on translational research. Among the promising topics is autophagy. Autophagy can be refered to as a double edged sword in a way that it is known to play a role in both tumor cell suppression and survival. This study was carried out to determine the effect of autophagy in treatment of cervical cancer cells with radiation alone and with autophagy inducer or inhibitor.

Methods: Human cervical cancer cells, Hela and Caski were used. Western blot was implemented to detect protein expression. Fluorescence microscopy and inverted microscopy guided inspection confimed autophagy. Hela and Caski cells were irradiated with r-rays (2 Gy / min) and again each time after treatment with autophagy inducer (Rapamycin) and inhibitor (3-MA). Expression of LC3 and cell deaths in two cell preparations were examined.

Results: Notable increment of LC3 expression were detected after radiation in both cell lines by western blot and microscope analyses. Radiation of pre-Rapamycin treated cells showed further increased LC3 expression and pre-3-MA treated cells, less increased LC3 expression than radiation alone compared to non-treated, not radiated cells. Cell viability decreased to 75% in Hela cells and 79% in Caski cells after radiation. When treated with Rapamycin, cell viabilities were 59% and 65%, and with 3-MA, 65% and 70% in each cell lines.

Discussion: Radiation induces autophagy in cervical cancer cell lines. Autophagy induced by radiation could be modified when treated with Rapamycin / 3-MA which leads to more cell deaths. Further investigations are needed to identify the specific pathways mediating post-IR induced autophagy in order to confirm the functional link between autophagy and radiation treatment. Inhibition of autophagy seems to promote more cells to undergo apoptosis, however, the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis with IR treatment in cervical cancer cells remain to be enlightened. Induction of autophagy may interfere with the mechanism of homeostasis that is originally preserved by autophagy itself, and leads to cell death possibly altogether with apoptosis. The pathway via which this process conducts also waits to be distinguished.

Citation Format: Keun Ho Lee, Yoon Kyung Lee. Regulation of radiation by autophagic modulator. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 995. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-995
Abstract LB-064: Characterization of the tumor suppressor function of the lysine-specific methyltransferase KMT2D in follicular lymphoma
Authors: Ortega-Molina Ana , Boss Isaac , Pan Heng , Jiang Yanwen , Hu Deqing , Gao Xin , Shaknovich Rita , Shilatifard Ali , Melnick Ari M. , Wendel Hans-Guido
Published: August 2015

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a common and incurable form indolent B-cell lymphoma. Genomic studies have now catalogued many recurrent mutations in FL. Epigenetic regulators have emerged as the most common targets of somatic point mutations. For example, the histone methyltransferase KMT2D (MLL4/MLL2) is the most frequently mutated gene in FL with reported mutational frequencies of up to 84%. However, the transcriptional and biological consequences of KMT2D loss of function are currently unknown.

Using a well-described murine model of FL, we showed that deficiency of KMT2D promotes the initiation of indolent FL in vivo. To explore the mechanism of KMT2D-mediated tumor suppression we used cross species comparisons of gene expression, histone H3K4 methylation marks and KMT2D genomic occupancy. These analyses converge on a relatively small group of conserved target genes. Strikingly, they include bona fide tumor suppressors and regulators of B-cell proliferation (e.g. TNFAIP3/A20, SOCS3, ARID1A, and TNFRSF14). Our results indicate that KMT2D restrains FL development through simultaneous effects on multiple key regulators of B-cell behavior.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Ana Ortega-Molina, Isaac Boss, Heng Pan, Yanwen Jiang, Deqing Hu, Xin Gao, Rita Shaknovich, Ali Shilatifard, Ari M. Melnick, Hans-Guido Wendel. Characterization of the tumor suppressor function of the lysine-specific methyltransferase KMT2D in follicular lymphoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-064. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-064
Abstract LB-080: Reactivating RBL2/p130 oncosuppressive function as a new, possible antitumoral strategy
Authors: Pentimalli Francesca , Esposito Luca , Forte Iris Maria , Iannuzzi Carmelina Antonella , Rizzolio Flavio , Tuccinardi Tiziano , Indovina Paola , Boffo Silvia , Giordano Antonio
Published: August 2015

Deregulation of cell cycle control is the leading cause of cancer. The retinoblastoma (Rb) family members, including RB1/p105, RBL1/p107 and RBL2/p130, are crucial to restrain cell cycle progression and their inactivation, either direct or indirect, is a hallmark of most human tumors. In particular, RBL2/p130 emerging role in senescence and apoptosis, seems to contribute importantly to its tumor suppressor function. Furthermore, many studies largely contributed to establish RBL2/p130 as an important cancer target, which is inactivated by cell cycle kinases and whose deregulation underlies various cancer types. In this regard, we set out to restore RBL2/p130 function in tumors and exploit its tumor suppressive potential for cancer therapy. In particular, we have identified, through computational chemistry and molecular modeling studies, a small molecule able to act as a specific inhibitor of the CDK2-CycA complex and to reactivate the tumor suppressive function of RBL2/p130 in cancer.

We analyzed by MTS assay the cytotoxic effect of our compound on a panel of different tumor cell lines and determined its IC50 values. We evaluated its effects on cell cycle and apoptosis by FACS and dissected its molecular mechanism of action by Western blot and RT-PCR.

We found that our compound effectively inhibited proliferation of lung cancer and mesothelioma cell lines by specifically inhibiting CDK2-CycA activity towards RBL2/p130. The decrease in RBL2/p130 phosphorylation led to stabilization of its complex with the E2F4 transcriptional factor and consequent repression of their targets necessary for cell cycle progression, including CDK2 itself. Consistently, our compound arrested cell cycle and triggered apoptosis. Interestingly, apoptosis seemed to be mediated by RBL2/p130 itself because it was repressed in RBL2/p130-silenced cells. Furthermore, our compound proved to be active in an A549 xenograft model of lung cancer.

Overall our findings indicate that the pharmacological reactivation of RBL2/p130 induces its cell-cycle restraining and pro-apoptotic functions, the latter being still largely unexplored, and identify a new possible therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.

Citation Format: Francesca Pentimalli, Luca Esposito, Iris Maria Forte, Carmelina Antonella Iannuzzi, Flavio Rizzolio, Tiziano Tuccinardi, Paola Indovina, Silvia Boffo, Antonio Giordano. Reactivating RBL2/p130 oncosuppressive function as a new, possible antitumoral strategy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-080. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-080
The New Era of Interferon-Free Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Solbach Philipp , Wedemeyer Heiner
Published: August 2015

Background: Within the development and approval of several new direct-acting antivirals (DAA) against hepatitis C virus (HCV), a new era of hepatitis C therapy has begun. Even more treatment options are likely to become available during the next 1-2 years. Methods: A summary of the current phase II and III trials investigating DAA and a review of the recent HCV guidelines was conducted. Results: With the development of new potent DAA and the approval of different DAA combinations, cure rates of HCV infection of >90% are achievable for almost all HCV genotypes and stages of liver disease. Currently available DAA target different steps in the HCV replication cycle, in particular the NS3/4A protease, the NS5B polymerase, and the NS5A replication complex. Treatment duration varies between 8 and 24 weeks depending on the stage of fibrosis, prior treatment, HCV viral load, and HCV genotype. Ribavirin is required only for some treatment regimens and may be particularly beneficial in patients with cirrhosis. DAA resistance influences treatment outcome only marginally; thus, drug resistance testing is not routinely recommended before treatment. In the case of treatment failure, however, resistance testing should be performed before re-treatment with other DAA is initiated. Conclusion: With the new, almost side effect-free DAA treatment options chronic HCV infection became a curable disease. The clinical benefit of DAA combination therapies in patients with advanced cirrhosis and the effects on incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma remain to be determined.
Hamartomatous Tumors in the Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Cauchin Estelle , Touchefeu Yann , Matysiak-Budnik Tamara
Published: August 2015

Background: Digestive hamartomatous polyps are a rare entity. They may be sporadic (solitary Peutz-Jeghers polyp or solitary juvenile polyp) or reveal genetic predisposition like Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, juvenile polyposis or Cowden disease. Summary: Diagnosis is based on personal and family history and on clinical data including physical signs (in particular dermatological), endoscopic findings (the number of polyps) and histological features of the polyps. The risk of complications and of digestive and extra-digestive cancers may be high, especially in case of genetic predisposition syndromes, and requires multidisciplinary management of the patients (oncogenetic counseling, gastroenterologist, pathologist, dermatologist, gynecologist and endocrinologist). Endoscopic evaluation is very helpful to establish the current situation, to perform polypectomy and to allow for good histological examination of the polyps, whose degeneration has been exceptionally described. The recent development of new molecular techniques (next-generation DNA sequencing) allows for rapid multiple gene sequencing and facilitates diagnosis. Key Message: Discovery of a hamartomatous polyp requires a rigorous work-up which should be performed by a multidisciplinary team, including a genetic oncologist, experienced in this pathology. Practical Implications: The diagnostic procedure in hamartomatous polyps should be based on the number of polyps identified during endoscopy (solitary versus multiple) and on their histological characteristics. The clinical examination must search for mucosal and skin lesions. If a polyposis syndrome is identified, oncogenetic consultation is necessary in order to define screening modalities for family members, aiming at preventing cancer development. Endoscopic resection (polypectomy) of the lesions may prevent complications like bleeding and degeneration and also diminish the risk of surgery and subsequent short bowel syndrome.
Allergic Inflammation Is Associated With Coronary Instability and a Worse Clinical Outcome After Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Niccoli Giampaolo , Calvieri Camilla , Flego Davide , Scalone Giancarla , Imaeva Asya , Sabato Vito , Schiavino Domenico , Liuzzo Giovanna , Crea Filippo
Published: August 2015

Background—

The role of allergic inflammation in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has not been clearly defined to date. Aim of this study was to assess eosinophil and basophil activation in ACS and the prognostic role of eosinophil cationic protein in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods and Results—

In a cross-sectional study, we prospectively enrolled 51 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (60.8% patients with ACS and 39.2% with stable angina). Flow cytometry analysis assessed CD66b, CD69, and CD203c median fluorescence intensity expression. In a follow-up study, 181 patients presenting with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, were prospectively enrolled with a follow-up of 24 months. Eosinophil activation (CD66b) was similar in patients with ACS and stable angina (6.61 [4.91–7.72] versus 6.62 [5.27–8.73],
P
=0.63), whereas eosinophil degranulation (CD69) and basophil activation (CD203c) were higher in ACS patients compared with stable angina patients (1.38 [1.16–1.52] versus 1.17 [1–1.31],
P
=0.01); 0.97 [0.89–1.11] versus 0.92 [0.87–0.95],
P
=0.03, respectively). Eosinophil cationic protein serum levels were significantly higher in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients with major adverse cardiac events as compared with those without (21.1 [10.37–25.65] versus 7.83 [3.37–12.8] μg/L,
P
=0.01) and in patients with thrombus score >3 compared with those with thrombus score ≤3 (15.0 [9.8–24.7] versus 5.2 [3.5–22.9] μg/L,
P
=0.006). Eosinophil cationic protein serum levels predicted major adverse cardiac events during follow-up (odds ratio =1.041, 95% confidence interval 1.012–1.071,
P
=0.005). C-reactive protein serum levels showed a borderline statistical significance (odds ratio =0.904, 95% confidence interval 0.806–1.014,
P
=0.085).

Conclusions—

These findings are the first demonstration of in vivo eosinophil degranulation and basophil activation during ACS and of the prognostic role of eosinophil cationic protein in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.
Occurrence and Predictors of Falls in People With Stroke
Authors: Minet Lisbeth Rosenbek , Peterson Elizabeth , von Koch Lena , Ytterberg Charlotte
Published: August 2015

Background and Purpose—

The purpose was to investigate the occurrence of self-reported falls in people with stroke at 3, 6, and 12 months and 6 years post stroke and predictors for falls during 6 years.

Methods—

A prospective study involving 121 people with stroke. Data were obtained through structured interviews and assessments. Generalized estimating equation modeling using proportional odds was used to explore the predictive value of fall history, functioning/disability, and personal factors during 6 years.

Results—

The proportion of fallers constituted of 35%, 26%, 33%, and 35% of the sample at 3, 6, and 12 months and 6 years of follow-up, respectively. Higher perceived effect of stroke on activities of daily living (odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.80), falls at 3 months (odds ratio, 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–3.94), and no gait/balance disability at baseline (odds ratio, 7.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.99–26.73) were predictors for future falls. During the 6 years, the odds for a fall decreased for participants with gait/balance disability at baseline but increased for those with no gait/balance disability.

Conclusions—

Results highlight the importance of performing fall risk evaluations over time among people with stroke, even when gait and balance functioning initially post stroke is good.
Advance Directives in Some Western European Countries: A Legal and Ethical Comparison between Spain, France, England, and Germany
Authors: Veshi Denard , Neitzke Gerald
Published: August 2015

We have studied national laws on advance directives in various Western European countries: Romance-speaking countries (Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain), English-speaking countries (Ireland and the United Kingdom), and German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland). We distinguish two potentially complementary types of advance medical declaration: the ‘living will’ and the nomination of a legal proxy. After examining the similarities and differences between countries, we analyse in detail the legislation of four countries (Spain, France, England, and Germany), since the other countries in this survey have similar legal principles and/or a similar political approach. In conclusion, we note that in all the countries examined, advance directives have been seen as an instrument to enable the patient’s right to self-determination. Notwithstanding, in Romance-speaking countries, the involvement of physicians in the end-of-life process and risks arising from the execution of advance directives were also considered.
Music and Memory: Yugoslav Rock in Social Media
Authors: Pogačar Martin
Published: August 2015

This article argues that after the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav rock music lost little cultural value and is still a prominent trigger of vernacular memories of the socialist Yugoslav past, as well as a vehicle of socio-political commentary in post-Yugoslav contexts. In this view, music is understood as a galvaniser of affective relationships to that past and to post-Yugoslav presents. In the first part of the article, the author discusses the theoretical and practical implications of digitally mediated music as immersive affective environments, working within the framework of media archaeology and a digital archives approach. It is argued that Yugoslav rock has retained its potency and appeal, where today, in a post-Yugoslavia context, it presents an outlet for the recomposition of musical preferences through nostalgia and opposition to the post-1991 socio-political developments. In the second part of the article, focusing on Facebook and YouTube, the author investigates how Yugoslav rock has been reframed in social media and how fragments of the country’s past are reframed in digital media environments. A qualitative multimodal discourse analysis is employed here to investigate a selection of fan pages of rock musicians and bands.
British bryological society expedition to Mulanje Mountain, Malawi. 19. Metzgeriaceae and other unpublished records
Authors: Pócs Tamás
Published: August 2015

Localities and habitats are provided of 6 Metzgeria species collected on Mulanje Mountain. Additional records of some other hepatic species are included; four of them, Riccardia amazonica, Riccardia longispica, Drepanolejeunea ternatensis and Drepanolejeunea vandenbeghenii, are new to Malawi.
Two new species of Munidopsis (Crustacea: Anomura: Munidopsidae) from the Kermadec and Louisville ridge systems off New Zealand
Authors: SCHNABEL KAREEN E. , AHYONG SHANE T.
Published: August 2015

Two new species of Munidopsis are described from the wider New Zealand region. Munidopsis bamberi sp. nov. is described from the Havre Trough adjacent to the Kermadec Volcanic Arc north-east of the New Zealand continental shelf, and is named in honour of Roger Bamber for his contributions to arthropod taxonomy and systematics. The second species is M. sculpo sp. nov. from Forde Seamount on the Louisville Ridge east of New Zealand. This brings the number of Munidopsis species known in New Zealand waters to 17 and a key to the New Zealand species is provided.
Mechanisms of Stratospheric and Tropospheric Circulation Response to Projected Arctic Sea Ice Loss*
Authors: Sun Lantao , Deser Clara , Tomas Robert A.
Published: August 2015

The impact of projected Arctic sea ice loss on the atmospheric circulation is investigated using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), a model with a well-resolved stratosphere. Two 160-yr simulations are conducted: one with surface boundary conditions fixed at late twentieth-century values and the other with identical conditions except for Arctic sea ice, which is prescribed at late twenty-first-century values. Their difference isolates the impact of future Arctic sea ice loss upon the atmosphere. The tropospheric circulation response to the imposed ice loss resembles the negative phase of the northern annular mode, with the largest amplitude in winter, while the less well-known stratospheric response transitions from a slight weakening of the polar vortex in winter to a strengthening of the vortex in spring. The lack of a significant winter stratospheric circulation response is shown to be a consequence of largely cancelling effects from sea ice loss in the Atlantic and Pacific sectors, which drive opposite-signed changes in upward wave propagation from the troposphere to the stratosphere. Identical experiments conducted with Community Atmosphere Model, version 4, WACCM’s low-top counterpart, show a weaker tropospheric response and a different stratospheric response compared to WACCM. An additional WACCM experiment in which the imposed ice loss is limited to August–November reveals that autumn ice loss weakens the stratospheric polar vortex in January, followed by a small but significant tropospheric response in late winter and early spring that resembles the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, with attendant surface climate impacts.
Performance Evaluation of the Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA)
Authors: Lespinas Franck , Fortin Vincent , Roy Guy , Rasmussen Peter , Stadnyk Tricia
Published: August 2015

This paper presents an assessment of the operational system used by the Meteorological Service of Canada for producing near-real-time precipitation analyses over North America. The Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA) system optimally combines available surface observations with numerical weather prediction (NWP) output in order to produce estimates of precipitation on a 15-km grid at each synoptic hour (0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC). The validation protocol used to assess the quality of the CaPA has demonstrated the usefulness of the system for producing reliable estimates of precipitation over Canada, even in areas with few or no weather stations. The CaPA is found to be better in autumn, spring, and winter than in summer. This is because of the difficulty in correctly producing convective precipitation in the NWP because of the low spatial resolution of the meteorological model. An investigation of the quality of the precipitation analyses in the 15 terrestrial ecozones of Canada indicates the need to have a sufficient number of observations (at least ~1.17 stations per 10 000 km2) in order to produce a precipitation analysis that is significantly better than the raw NWP product. Improvements of the CaPA system by including provincial networks as well as radar and satellite information are expected in the future.
Improved Nowcasts by Blending Extrapolation and Model Forecasts
Authors: Hwang Yunsung , Clark Adam J. , Lakshmanan Valliappa , Koch Steven E.
Published: August 2015

Planning and managing commercial airplane routes to avoid thunderstorms requires very skillful and frequently updated 0–8-h forecasts of convection. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model is well suited for this purpose, being initialized hourly and providing explicit forecasts of convection out to 15 h. However, because of difficulties with depicting convection at the time of model initialization and shortly thereafter (i.e., during model spinup), relatively simple extrapolation techniques, on average, perform better than the HRRR at 0–2-h lead times. Thus, recently developed nowcasting techniques blend extrapolation-based forecasts with numerical weather prediction (NWP)-based forecasts, heavily weighting the extrapolation forecasts at 0–2-h lead times and transitioning emphasis to the NWP-based forecasts at the later lead times. In this study, a new approach to applying different weights to blend extrapolation and model forecasts based on intensities and forecast times is applied and tested. An image-processing method of morphing between extrapolation and model forecasts to create nowcasts is described and the skill is compared to extrapolation forecasts and forecasts from the HRRR. The new approach is called salient cross dissolve (Sal CD), which is compared to a commonly used method called linear cross dissolve (Lin CD). Examinations of forecasts and observations of the maximum altitude of echo-top heights ≥18 dBZ and measurement of forecast skill using neighborhood-based methods shows that Sal CD significantly improves upon Lin CD, as well as the HRRR at 2–5-h lead times.
Risk Factors of Inconsistent Condom Use among Sexually Active Youths: Implications for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Sexual Risk Behaviours in Malawi
Authors: Chialepeh Wilson N , Susuman A Sathiya
Published: August 2015

This study examines the risk associated with inconsistent use of condoms as a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections (HIV/STIs) and sexual risk behaviours. The Malawi Demographic Health Survey 2010 data were used. Out of a sample of 2987 males and 9559 females aged 15–24 years, 511 males and 675 females were filtered in the present study. A Chi square test and logistic regression techniques were performed. About 147(28.7%) males and 240(35.6%) females reported inconsistent condom use. The likelihood of inconsistent condom use was higher among females with secondary/higher education (odds ratio’s (OR)=1.46), with more than one partner (OR=4.27), and married males (OR=8.76), with more than one sex partner (OR=1.78).There is a need to raise condom use awareness and improve sexual education about consistent condom use, especially among females, in order to curb the spread of HIV/STIs and reduce sexual risk behaviours.
The Effect of Medical Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Foster Care Caseloads
Authors: Fallesen Peter , Wildeman Christopher
Published: August 2015

Since the early 2000s, foster care caseloads have decreased in many wealthy democracies, yet the causes of these declines remain, for the most part, a mystery. This article uses administrative data on all Danish municipalities ( N = 277) and a 10% randomly drawn sample of all Danish children ( N = 157,938) in the period from 1998 to 2010 to show that increasing medical treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) accounts for a substantial share of the decrease in foster care caseloads. According to our estimates, the decline in foster care caseloads during this period would have been 45% smaller absent increases in medical treatment of ADHD. These findings are especially provocative in light of recent research showing ambiguous effects of medical treatment of ADHD. Future research should be attentive to how medical treatment aimed at addressing children’s acute behavioral problems could also have a powerful effect on foster care caseloads.
An experimental study of the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes in urban China
Authors: Gu Jun , Nielsen Ingrid , Shachat Jason , Smyth Russell , Peng Yujia
Published: August 2015

A large body of literature attests to the growing social divide between urban residents and rural–urban migrants in China’s cities. This study uses a randomised experiment to test the effect of intergroup contact on attitudes between a group of urban adolescents and a group of rural–urban migrant adolescents. Results showed that intergroup contact in the form of a fun and cooperative puzzle task significantly reduced negative attitudes toward the other group. Implications for desegregated schooling and their broader societal implications in China are discussed.
Instructional Fading and Student Performance in Principles of Accounting Instruction
Authors: Kingry Mary Ann , Havard Byron , Robinson Richard , Islam Mofidul
Published: August 2015

The effect of instructional fading on student performance in online accounting instruction using completion problems was investigated in this study. Instructional fading, defined as the gradual decreasing of prompts or cues, was used as a strategy to create germane cognitive load. The Instructional Fading Tool for Accounting Practice, a web-based application developed by the researchers, provided the instructional fading and sequencing of the information. The researchers created control and treatment groups based on low and high prior knowledge of accounting. Results indicated that the treatment group had a higher percentage of an increase in performance than the control group. In addition, students within the low-prior knowledge treatment group outperformed students in the other treatment group and two control groups. These findings suggest that using instructional fading along with completion problems in accounting instruction had a positive effect on performance especially for students with low levels of prior knowledge.
Powering sustainability: Municipal utilities and local government policymaking
Authors: Homsy George C
Published: August 2015

Sustainability policymaking presents numerous challenges to local governments. Municipal leaders, especially in smaller cities and towns, report that they lack the fiscal capacity and/or technical expertise to adopt many environmental protection policies. This paper investigates whether the more than 2000 municipally owned utilities in the United States have the potential to mitigate those problems. Data from two surveys of USA local governments (n = 861), modeled in a pair of negative binomial regressions, find a positive correlation between those cities with municipal power companies and those with an increased number of community-wide sustainable energy policies. Follow-up interviews with officials reveal the potential mechanisms driving sustainability by local governments that own power companies. These mechanisms are the increased capacity that publicly owned utilities provide by virtue of income generated and access to energy-specific grants as well as the local nature of their operations, which allows a better fit of sustainable energy measures to local circumstances.
Between the metropole and the postcolony: On the dynamics of rights’ machinery from the northwestern tribal belt to the “mainland” Pakistan
Authors: Nasir Muhammad Ali
Published: August 2015

Recent analyses have critically evaluated the connection of abstract rights with territorial nation-states. This article extends those findings by analyzing the way discourses of rights (human, political, national) are interconnected. It is argued that the system of relations that rights establish between their norms and concrete sociopolitical practices allows rights to function as overall machinery, one that both produces and governs subjects. From this perspective, this article establishes that: (a) since rights depend for their legal guarantee on the power of nation-states, they are a normative standard which coincides with the political power of a nation-state; (b) since rights require a certain ethic from subjects in order that their exercise of rights be legally protectable, they govern subjects through inclusion, that is, by structuring fields of action in order that a certain “proper” conduct may take place; (c) since the nation-state framework with which rights are connected operates in a postcolonial order, the functioning of rights is also connected with the discursive dynamics of postcoloniality. The empirical focus of the discussion is on Pakistan. The first section focuses on the use of human rights’ discourse in order to counter drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal belt. The conundrums that human rights in this context generate are then filled in by acknowledging “rights” of a state (i.e. political sovereignty and territorial integrity), which is the focus of second section. The third section comments on the way national and political rights correspond to the notions of “citizenship” and “belongingness,” which in turn shapes the conduct of subjects in a contextually apt manner.
The People We Meet
Authors: Madison T. Phillip , Porter Lance V.
Published: August 2015

A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics study reported Americans spend more time watching television than engaging in interpersonal activities. At the same time, television content is increasing in both complexity and quality, and important questions are emerging. With viewers spending increased time with television content through omnipresent screens and always-on mobile devices, and with the content becoming more compelling, are media effects changing? This study takes a fresh look at the deep relationships audiences have with today's complex television characters and the ultimate effects of those relationships by exploring parasocial interactions and relationships from an intrapersonal perspective. In this survey, we found compelling evidence that viewers use parasocial relationships to maintain relationships with television characters, keep conflict alive, undergo catharsis, and develop a better understanding of themselves and their viewpoints.
The Words Children Hear
Authors: Montag Jessica L. , Jones Michael N. , Smith Linda B.
Published: August 2015

Young children learn language from the speech they hear. Previous work suggests that greater statistical diversity of words and of linguistic contexts is associated with better language outcomes. One potential source of lexical diversity is the text of picture books that caregivers read aloud to children. Many parents begin reading to their children shortly after birth, so this is potentially an important source of linguistic input for many children. We constructed a corpus of 100 children’s picture books and compared word type and token counts in that sample and a matched sample of child-directed speech. Overall, the picture books contained more unique word types than the child-directed speech. Further, individual picture books generally contained more unique word types than length-matched, child-directed conversations. The text of picture books may be an important source of vocabulary for young children, and these findings suggest a mechanism that underlies the language benefits associated with reading to children.
The cartographic ambiguities of HarassMap: Crowdmapping security and sexual violence in Egypt
Authors: Grove Nicole Sunday
Published: August 2015

In December 2010, HarassMap was launched as a Cairo-based interactive online mapping interface for reporting and mapping incidents of sexual harassment anonymously and in real time, in Egypt. The project’s use of spatial information technologies for crowdmapping sexual harassment raises important questions about the use of crowdsourced mapping as a technique of global human security governance, as well as the techno-politics of interpreting and representing spaces of gendered security and insecurity in Egypt’s urban streetscape. By recoding Egypt’s urban landscape into spaces subordinated to the visual cartography of the project’s crowdsourced data, HarassMap obscures the complex assemblage that it draws together as the differentially open space of the Egyptian street – spaces that are territorialized and deterritorialized for authoritarian control, state violence, revolt, rape, new solidarities, gender reversals, sectarian tensions, and class-based mobilization. What is at stake in my analysis is the plasticity of victimage: to what extent can attempts to ‘empower’ women be pursued at the microlevel without amplifying the similarly imperial techniques of objectifying them as resources used to justify other forms of state violence? The question requires taking seriously the practices of mapping and targeting as an interface for securing public space.
A history of professional accounting societies in St Petersburg
Authors: Sokolov Viatcheslav
Published: August 2015

This article deals with the history of the public accountancy movement in St Petersburg, Russia, and covers the period from its origins at the end of the nineteenth century up to the present day. It describes the activities of the professional associations and their contribution to the development of the profession and accounting theory and historical research. The article provides a detailed analysis of the structure of these associations, the procedure for their formation, membership rules and financing framework. Russian accounting societies are categorised according to three types: academic, trade-union-based and professional. It is shown that, despite continued and multiple efforts, no genuinely professional organisation has ever really evolved in Russia. Rather than constituting a profession, the accounting occupation is characterised as a group of persons united as an interest group or club.
Sociology of Literature and Publishing in the Early 21st Century: Away From the Centre
Authors: Franssen Thomas , Kuipers Giselinde
Published: August 2015

Literature is the art form of the nation-state. The written word was at the peak of its influence from the Enlightenment until late in the 20th century. National literatures became central to the development of national identities and the formation of national art worlds. Moreover, they were important vehicles for the exchange of ideas. However, the central position of the nation-state has dwindled due to the centrifugal effects of globalization and regionalization. Simultaneously, literature has given way to other, mainly visual and digital, cultural forms. In the process, it has lost much of its political clout. Literature seems to pose little or no threat to those groups it may previously have worried, and is of little consequence to elites in the 21st century. Instead, it has become an object of cultural consumption, for dwindling and aging publics.
Non-infantile variant of desmoplastic ganglioglioma: Conventional and advanced MR imaging characteristics
Authors: Derinkuyu Betul E , Ucar Murat , Borcek Alp O , Damar Cagri , Oztunali Cigdem , Gul Alimli Ayse , Boyunaga Oznur
Published: August 2015

Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma is a paediatric brain tumor that is commonly seen in the infantile age group. Literature on the non-infantile variant of this low-grade supratentorial neoplasm is very scarce, except for a few case reports. Herein, we report a case of desmoplastic non-infantile ganglioglioma occurring at the age of 6 years and describe its conventional and advanced magnetic resonance imaging characteristics.
Biomarkers of pulmonary hypertension in patients with scleroderma: a case–control study
Authors: McMahan Zsuzsanna , Schoenhoff Florian , Van Eyk Jennifer E. , Wigley Fredrick M. , Hummers Laura K.
Published: August 2015

Introduction

Significant pulmonary vascular disease is a leading cause of death in patients with scleroderma, and early detection and early medical intervention are important, as they may delay disease progression and improve survival and quality of life. Although several biomarkers have been proposed, there remains a need to define a reliable biomarker of early pulmonary vascular disease and subsequent development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The purpose of this study was to define potential biomarkers for clinically significant pulmonary vascular disease in patients with scleroderma.

Methods

The circulating growth factors basic fibroblast growth factor, placental growth factor (PlGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor, and soluble VEGF receptor 1 (sFlt-1), as well as cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ), were quantified in patients with scleroderma with PH (n = 37) or without PH (n = 40). In non-parametric unadjusted analyses, we examined associations of growth factor and cytokine levels with PH. In a subset of each group, a second set of earlier samples, drawn 3.0±1.6 years earlier, were assessed to determine the changes over time.

Results

sFlt-1 (p = 0.02) and PlGF (p = 0.02) were higher in the PH than in the non-PH group. sFlt-1 (ρ = 0.3245; p = 0.01) positively correlated with right ventricular systolic pressure. Both PlGF (p = 0.03) and sFlt-1 (p = 0.04) positively correlated with the ratio of forced vital capacity to diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and both inversely correlated with DLCO (p = 0.01). Both PlGF and sFlt-1 levels were stable over time in the control population.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated clear associations between regulators of angiogenesis (sFlt-1 and PlGF) and measures of PH in scleroderma and that these growth factors are potential biomarkers for PH in patients with scleroderma. Larger longitudinal studies are required for validation of our results.
SLiMScape 3.x: a Cytoscape 3 app for discovery of Short Linear Motifs in protein interaction networks
Authors: Olorin Emily , O'Brien Kevin T. , Palopoli Nicolas , Pérez-Bercoff Åsa , Shields Denis C. , Edwards Richard J.
Published: August 2015

Short linear motifs (SLiMs) are small protein sequence patterns that mediate a large number of critical protein-protein interactions, involved in processes such as complex formation, signal transduction, localisation and stabilisation. SLiMs show rapid evolutionary dynamics and are frequently the targets of molecular mimicry by pathogens. Identifying enriched sequence patterns due to convergent evolution in non-homologous proteins has proven to be a successful strategy for computational SLiM prediction. Tools of the SLiMSuite package use this strategy, using a statistical model to identify SLiM enrichment based on the evolutionary relationships, amino acid composition and predicted disorder of the input proteins. The quality of input data is critical for successful SLiM prediction. Cytoscape provides a user-friendly, interactive environment to explore interaction networks and select proteins based on common features, such as shared interaction partners. SLiMScape embeds tools of the SLiMSuite package for de novo SLiM discovery (SLiMFinder and QSLiMFinder) and identifying occurrences/enrichment of known SLiMs (SLiMProb) within this interactive framework. SLiMScape makes it easier to (1) generate high quality hypothesis-driven datasets for these tools, and (2) visualise predicted SLiM occurrences within the context of the network. To generate new predictions, users can select nodes from a protein network or provide a set of Uniprot identifiers. SLiMProb also requires additional query motif input. Jobs are then run remotely on the SLiMSuite server (http://rest.slimsuite.unsw.edu.au) for subsequent retrieval and visualisation. SLiMScape can also be used to retrieve and visualise results from jobs run directly on the server. SLiMScape and SLiMSuite are open source and freely available via GitHub under GNU licenses.
Hybrid interfaces in layered hydroxides: magnetic and multifunctional superstructures by design
Authors: Rabu Pierre , Delahaye Emilie , Rogez Guillaume
Published: August 2015

This article is a critical review on layered hybrid organic-inorganic functional structures. We specially discuss a series of results concerning the design of magnetic and multiproperty systems derived from hybridization of layered transition metal hydroxides. A series of hybrid materials showing original magnetic properties are reviewed, which were prepared by functionalization of layered simple hydroxides (LSH) of the general formula M
Excitatory and inhibitory conversive experiences: neurobiological features involving positive and negative conversion symptoms
Authors: Río-Casanova Lucía del , González Anabel , Páramo Mario , Brenlla Julio
Published: August 2015

Previous reviews have focused on neurobiological and physiological mechanisms underlying conversion disorder, but they do not usually distinguish between negative and positive conversion symptoms. Some authors have proposed that different phenomena should underlie both situations and that diverse emotion regulation strategies (under- vs. overregulation of affect) should be related to different internal experiences (excitatory experiences with hyperarousal manifestations vs. inhibitory experiences coexisting with hypoarousal states, respectively). After a careful review of the literature, we conclude that there is not a unique theory comprising all findings. Nevertheless, we have also collected some replicated findings that should be salient. Patients manifesting positive conversion symptoms tended to present with limbic hyperfunction, not sufficiently counteracted by prefrontal control. This leads to underregulation of affect mechanisms, increased emotional reactivity and autonomic hyperarousal. The opposite pattern (with a prefrontal overfunction working as a cognitive brake over the limbic system) has been described during negative conversion manifestations. We also highlight the influence of fronto-limbic circuits over cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits’ regulation, whose horizontal and vertical synchronization has been at the spotlight of the genesis of conversion and dissociative disorders.
Investigation of Detailed Flow in a Variable Turbine Nozzle
Authors: Liu Yixiong , Lao Dazhong , Yang Ce
Published: August 2015

The detailed flow behavior of the nozzle channel of a variable turbine is presented in this paper. The numerical model of a variable nozzle turbine was developed by using computational fluid dynamics method, and validated by the measured performance data of the turbine. Two opening positions of the nozzle vane, as well as two inlet conditions of the nozzle representing different vane loadings, were investigated to evaluate the clearance flow behaviors. It is shown that the channel shock waves are produced at proper conditions, such as small opening and large inlet pressure, which has significant impact on the end wall clearance leakage flow. When the leakage flows through the end wall clearance from the pressure side to the suction side encountering by the main stream, and the leakage vortex is formed. It is found that this leakage vortex gradually enhanced from the trailing edge to the middle edge.