bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States
Authors: Owens Jayanti
Published: June 2016

Why do men in the United States today complete less schooling than women? One reason may be gender differences in early self-regulation and prosocial behaviors. Scholars have found that boys’ early behavioral disadvantage predicts their lower average academic achievement during elementary school. In this study, I examine longer-term effects: Do these early behavioral differences predict boys’ lower rates of high school graduation, college enrollment and graduation, and fewer years of schooling completed in adulthood? If so, through what pathways are they linked? I leverage a nationally representative sample of children born in the 1980s to women in their early to mid-20s and followed into adulthood. I use decomposition and path analytic tools to show that boys’ higher average levels of behavior problems at age 4 to 5 years help explain the current gender gap in schooling by age 26 to 29, controlling for other observed early childhood factors. In addition, I find that early behavior problems predict outcomes more for boys than for girls. Early behavior problems matter for adult educational attainment because they tend to predict later behavior problems and lower achievement.
Impact of Modified Anisotropic Diffusion–based Enhancement Method in Computer-Aided Classification of Focal Liver Lesions
Authors: Mittal Deepti
Published: June 2016

This work is presented with the objective to assess quantitatively the impact of modified anisotropic diffusion–based enhancement method of Mittal et al. in computer-aided classification of focal liver lesions. This assessment was made before and after enhancement of clinically acquired ultrasound images with the comparison of (a) discrimination capability of radiologically important texture contrast feature using box plot and p-value statistics and (b) test results of designed computer-aided classification schemes to detect/classify focal liver tissues using receiver operating characteristic curves. The results reveal that the application of enhancement method on clinically acquired ultrasound image may effectively improve the confidence of clinicians/radiologists in computer-aided diagnostic solutions to detect and classify focal liver lesions.
Professional Habitus and the Construction of Gender
Authors: Fraysse Mélie , Mennesson Christine
Published: June 2016

This article analyzes the role of male journalists in the construction of gender models in the specialized mountain bike press. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s field and habitus theory, it shows that the masculine and feminine media figures are mainly dependent on the professional habitus of these male journalists. Indeed, on one hand, professional socialization experiences out of the mountain bike press do facilitate a critical attitude regarding the most stereotypical gender models. On the other hand, male journalists who inversely spent all of their career within the mountain bike press do perpetuate representations in keeping with the dominant doxa.
ACS NSQIP Risk Calculator
Authors: Prasad Kumar G. , Nelson Benton G. , Deig Christopher R. , Schneider Alexander L. , Moore Michael G.
Published: June 2016

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) calculator is meant to provide an estimation of perioperative risk. Our goal was to determine the clinical applicability of the calculator in major head and neck surgery. A retrospective chart review was completed for major head and neck operations performed at 1 institution from 2013 to 2014. The calculated perioperative complication risks from the ACS NSQIP calculator were compared with observed complication rates. Overall, the ACS NSQIP calculator had little predictive value for pneumonia, surgical site infection, 30‐day return to operating room, or length of stay within this cohort (P >. 05). The calculator appears to have some value predicting total numbers of complications but has poor performance predicting an individual’s risk of suffering a perioperative complication. In conclusion, in our small cohort of patients, the ACS NSQIP calculator was a poor predictor of perioperative complications following major head and neck operations.
eWOM: Extant Research Review and Future Research Avenues
Authors: Mishra Anubhav , Satish S M
Published: June 2016

Executive Summary

Word-of-mouth (WOM) communication is widely accepted as a critical factor in building marketing strategies and communications. Invention of the Internet and proliferation of social media have added a new electronic dimension to traditional WOM, thereby converting it into electronicWOM (eWOM). The extant literature has focused on various aspects of eWOM such as its effect on consumer’s purchase decision process, utilization of eWOM to build brand strength and consumer loyalty, information diffusion, and creating buzz among potential consumers.

The purpose of this study is to do a systematic review and meet the two objectives: (1) summarize the extant literature in eWOM domain and (2) identify a few areas for future research.

This article has been organized as follows. It starts with the definition and interrelationship between three keywords used in literature, which are traditional word-of-mouth (WOM), electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM, also referred as online word-of-mouth [OWOM]), and viral marketing. The article focuses on theoretical foundations and frameworks which form the basis of eWOM in the literature. eWOM borrows its foundation from different disciplines based on the research perspective. It highlights theories based on social perspective (sociology literature), information perspective (IS literature), and marketing perspective (specific theories from marketing literature). It identifies the motivational factors for consumer involvement in eWOM creation and diffusion process and summarizes the findings of literature on what drives consumer to spread eWOM on various channels. It discusses the findings from literature review on importance and effects of eWOM for marketing communications and marketing strategies. It provides actionable strategies for practitioners and marketers to suggest how they can utilize eWOM to improve performance, generate more sales and to communicate with consumers? It also looks at how to deal with negative eWOM and how a firm should respond to it. Finally, it analyses the current status of research and suggests a few areas for future researchers.
The governance of crowdsourcing: Rationalities of the new exploitation
Authors: Ettlinger Nancy
Published: June 2016

Drawing from literatures in business, the burgeoning field of human computation, and media studies together with economic geography and social theory, this paper contextualizes corporate crowdsourcing in regimes of work and specifies and examines the rationalities governing this early 21st century round of exploitation. I refer to “rationalities” in the Foucauldian sense as the calculated ways by which mentalities become inscribed in a regime of practices, in this case, new practices of work. I present crowdsourcing as the means by which the regime of labor is governed in novel systems of production regarding open innovation as well as non-innovative yet skilled microtasks. I engage firm rationalities of decentralization, which have developed differently for innovative and non-innovative activity; wageless work; JIT labor (distinct from JIT production); precarization; informalization; fungibility; and invisibility. In the penultimate section, I draw from Foucault’s conceptualization of human capital to address rationalities of self-governance among workers, a crucial issue because it is the crowd’s willingness to accept as little as nothing that fuels the new exploitation, an insidiously efficient governmentality. I question an assumed homogenized subjectivity among the “cybertariat,” and conclude with thoughts about critical ingredients for a new, virtual frontier of resistance strategies.
Mapping urban CO2 emissions using DMSP/OLS ‘city lights’ satellite data in China
Authors: Wang Yan , Li Guangdong
Published: June 2016

China, the world’s top CO2 emitter, is faced with pressure of energy-saving emission reduction. In the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), China announced its plan, aiming to cut down CO2 emissions by 60%–65% per unit of GDP in comparison to 2005’s level by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, reliable national, provincial, and city-level statistics are fundamental for multi-scale mitigation policy-makings as well as for the allocation of responsibilities among different administrative units. However, China implemented a top-down energy statistical system. The National Bureau of Statistics only publishes annually both national and provincial energy statistics. Only part of cities released their statistics, which results in missing data in city-level energy statistics. This also affects data transparency and accuracy of energy and CO2 emission statistics, and as a result, increases difficulty in allocation of CO2 emission reduction responsibilities. In order to fill this lacuna, we employed a standardized remote sensing inversion approach for estimating China’s city-level CO2 emissions from energy consumptions by integrating DMSP/OLS ‘city lights’ satellite data and statistical data. The end product is a map of city-level CO2 emissions in China. The most topping CO2 emitters are located in the major urban agglomerations along the more economically developed eastern coast (e.g. Yangtze River Delta, Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, Shandong Peninsula, and Pearl River Delta). Other regions with high CO2 emissions are Shanxi and Henan in Central China, as well as the Chengdu–Chongqing and Shaanxi in West China. Regions with low CO2 emissions are western China, and most of Central China and South China.
From Clozapine to Cognitive Remediation
Authors: Quinn Jason , Kolla Nathan J.
Published: June 2016

Objective:

Although a minority of persons with schizophrenia (SCZ) commits violent acts, SCZ remains a risk factor for violence. Here, we present a broad overview of evidence-based treatments for violence in SCZ, including biological and psychosocial interventions.

Method:

We conducted MEDLINE and PsychINFO literature searches to retrieve articles relating to treatments for violent, hostile, or aggressive behaviours in SCZ.

Results:

Clozapine shows the strongest evidence for treating the acute violence of SCZ. Other atypical antipsychotics also possess antiaggressive effects, although the evidence is not as robust as that for clozapine. Psychosocial treatments can be useful adjuncts to pharmacotherapy once patients’ positive symptoms have stabilized. Cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis and cognitive remediation are 2 psychosocial interventions that have demonstrated positive outcomes for violence in SCZ. Most psychosocial studies that examined violence as an outcome were conducted in forensic psychiatric settings.

Conclusions:

Effective treatments exist for persons with SCZ who pose a risk for violent and aggressive behaviour, although the overall evidence base remains relatively weak. More randomized controlled trials of programs showing evidence for reduction of violence in SCZ are required. Further research should delineate which patients could benefit from multimodal treatment and where and when such treatments are optimally delivered.
Role of delta-like ligand-4 in chemoresistance against docetaxel in MCF-7 cells
Authors: Wang Q , Shi Y , Butler HJ , Xue J , Wang G , Duan P , Zheng H
Published: June 2016

As Notch receptors have been shown to induce chemoresistance, we hypothesized that delta-like ligand-4 (DLL4), a central Notch signalling ligand, might also participate in chemoresistance in breast cancer. To investigate this issue, overexpression of DLL4 was induced by transfection with expression vectors for DLL4 in the human breast cancer cell line Michigan cancer foundation-7 (MCF-7). It was found that DLL4 could be adaptively upregulated by docetaxel (DOC) treatment in a dose-dependent manner, but Notch1 was unaffected. Overexpression of DLL4 could significantly attenuate the cytotoxic effects of DOC by increasing Bcl-2 expression, while decreasing Bax expression, apoptosis rate and DNA damage. The protective effects of DLL4 made cells acquire chemoresistance against DOC and resulted in cancer cell survival. DLL4 is normally regarded as a regulator of vascular development. Our results expanded the understanding of DLL4. Since DLL4 may play an important role in the process of acquiring chemoresistance, it may be a promising target in overcoming chemoresistance in breast cancer.
Undergraduate information behaviors in thesis writing: A study using the Information Search Process model
Authors: Wu Dan , Dang Wanyu , He Daqing , Bi Renmin
Published: June 2016

The study investigates whether information-seeking behavior models and theories obtained in previous research are applicable to more complex tasks. It also aims to gather students’ opinions on the importance and helpfulness of various traditional and online information sources in their thesis-writing process. This study would help to develop a better understanding of the roles and impacts of these information sources in the current networked academic infrastructure. Inspired by the Information Search Process model, we divided the process into six stages and conducted three separate surveys that covered students’ feelings, thoughts and actions, as well as other important factors that might affect their behaviors in each of the stages. Our study shows that both the feelings and thoughts of students changed during the different stages of the process, and that they were generally consistent with the descriptions in the Information Search Process model. The study indicates that it is beneficial to use the Information Search Process model as the starting point for studying the student thesis-writing processes. As the outcome of the study, we ultimately proposed a multi-stage model for Chinese undergraduate students’ thesis-writing process.
Symptom Frequencies and Intensities in Hospitalized Patients With Advanced Cancer Having Depressive Disorder
Authors: Liu Yong , Liu Fei , Yu Yang , Li Qing , Jin Xin , Li Jin
Published: June 2016

Aim:

To explore the frequencies and intensities of depressive symptoms associated with hospitalized patients with advanced cancer.

Methods:

A total of 196 hospitalized patients with advanced cancer were surveyed with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The χ2 test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare the frequency and intensity of symptoms between patients with and without depressive disorders. Spearman rank correlation was used to test the correlation between depression and symptoms.

Results:

Of the 196 enrolled patients, 115 (59%) were males. The median age of the patients was 58 (19-80) years. Seventy-six (39%) patients were diagnosed with depression (SDS ≥ 53). Patients with depressive disorders exhibited pain, drowsiness, and nausea along with a higher frequency and intensity of poor self-perception, appetite loss, anxiety, dyspnea, and fatigue. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with the symptoms.

Conclusion:

Depressive disorders are very common and severe in hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. Identifying the frequencies and intensities of the symptoms enables early intervention to improve patients’ quality of life.
Spoken word recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder: The role of visual disengagement
Authors: Venker Courtney E
Published: June 2016

Deficits in visual disengagement are one of the earliest emerging differences in infants who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Although researchers have speculated that deficits in visual disengagement could have negative effects on the development of children with autism spectrum disorder, we do not know which skills are disrupted or how this disruption takes place. As a first step in understanding this issue, this study investigated the relationship between visual disengagement and a critical skill in early language development: spoken word recognition. Participants were 18 children with autism spectrum disorder (aged 4–7 years). Consistent with our predictions, children with poorer visual disengagement were slower and less accurate to process familiar words; disengagement explained over half of the variance in spoken word recognition. Visual disengagement remained uniquely associated with spoken word recognition after accounting for children’s vocabulary size and age. These findings align with a recently proposed developmental model in which poor visual disengagement decreases the speed and accuracy of real-time spoken word recognition in children with autism spectrum disorder—which, in turn, may negatively affect their language development.
Terminology matters! Why difference is not incompleteness and how early child bilinguals are heritage speakers
Authors: Kupisch Tanja , Rothman Jason
Published: June 2016

This paper integrates research on child simultaneous bilingual acquisition more directly into the heritage language acquisition literature. The child simultaneous bilingual literature mostly focuses on development in childhood, whereas heritage speakers are often tested at an endstate in adulthood. However, insights from child simultaneous bilingual acquisition must be considered in heritage language acquisition theorizing precisely because many heritage speakers demonstrate the adult outcomes of child simultaneous bilingual acquisition. Data from child simultaneous bilingual acquisition raises serious questions for the construct of incomplete acquisition, a term broadly used in heritage language acquisition studies to describe almost any difference heritage speakers display from baseline controls (usually monolinguals). We offer an epistemological discussion related to incomplete acquisition, highlighting the descriptive and theoretical inaccuracy of the term. We focus our discussion on two of several possible causal factors that contribute to variable competence outcomes in adult heritage speakers: input and formal instruction in the heritage language. We conclude by offering alternative terminology for heritage speaker outcomes.
Marking time in ethnography: Uncovering temporal dispositions
Authors: Elliott Sinikka , McKelvy Josephine Ngo , Bowen Sarah
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we reflect on how time is appraised, organized, and managed by a group of researchers conducting an ethnography of 12 low-income families. We develop the concept of temporal dispositions: perceptions and preferences around time that in turn shape temporal practices. The concept of temporal dispositions encapsulates individuals’ background and training, agency and reflexivity, and the dynamic nature of ongoing social life and interactions through which temporal meanings may change or take on new symbolic weight. Overlaid upon each of these are larger social structures and power relations that affirm some temporal dispositions and stigmatize others. We conclude by considering the implications for ethnographic fieldworkers. We argue that analyzing the many ways researchers and participants navigate and perceive time offers insight into unspoken temporal assumptions, ideologies, and inequalities.
Uncertainty in daylight calculations
Authors: Tregenza PR
Published: June 2016

There is uncertainty in every daylighting calculation, an inherent and unavoidable imprecision which exists in addition to any error due to inaccuracy in a numerical model. It occurs because neither the future state of a building nor the future luminance pattern of the sky can be predicted with certainty. This paper examines the propagation of error in a daylight coefficient calculation and concludes that the overall effect of uncertainty in the various parameters is significant and must be taken into account in practice.

The theory of daylight coefficients is extended. The daylight factor under a uniform sky is shown to be equal to twice the mean of the daylight coefficients, making it possible to compare criteria used in climate-based simulation with older daylighting standards. Simple examples are used as illustrations, with theoretical working and numerical experimentation. Guidelines are given for good practice.
Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain is a stronger predictor of depression than other diabetic complications and comorbidities
Authors: D’Amato Cinzia , Morganti Roberto , Greco Carla , Di Gennaro Federica , Cacciotti Laura , Longo Susanna , Mataluni Giorgia , Lauro Davide , Marfia Girolama A , Spallone Vincenza
Published: June 2016

Aims:

To investigate the independent effect on depression of painless diabetic polyneuropathy, painful diabetic polyneuropathy, and general and diabetes-related comorbidities.

Methods:

In 181 patients, the presence of painless diabetic polyneuropathy, painful diabetic polyneuropathy, comorbidities and depression was assessed using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument Questionnaire, the Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score, nerve conduction studies, the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the Beck Depression Inventory-II.

Results:

In all, 46 patients met the criteria of confirmed painless diabetic polyneuropathy and 25 of painful diabetic polyneuropathy. Beck Depression Inventory-II scores indicative of mild–moderate–severe depression were reached in 36 patients (19.7%). In a multiple logistic regression analysis (including age, sex, body mass index, being unemployed, duration, haemoglobin A1c, insulin treatment, systolic blood pressure, nephropathy, retinopathy, Charlson Comorbidity Index and painful diabetic polyneuropathy), female sex (odds ratio: 5.9, p = 0.005) and painful diabetic polyneuropathy (odds ratio: 4.6, p = 0.038) were the only independent predictors of depression. Multiple regression analysis, including Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions and Michigan Diabetic Neuropathy Score instead of painful diabetic polyneuropathy, showed that Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions, in addition to female sex, was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms severity ( p =0.005).

Conclusion:

Painful diabetic polyneuropathy is a greater determinant of depression than other diabetes-related complications and comorbidities. Painful symptoms enhance depression severity more than objective insensitivity.
The Myth of Televisual Ubiquity
Authors: Stewart Mark
Published: June 2016

Popular and journalistic discussions of television often present a rhetoric, which suggests that television has become ubiquitous, any content being able to be watched anytime, anywhere. This article argues that this represents a myth of televisual ubiquity, which neglects the role still played by national borders and which makes assumptions about the types of television of interest to people. By accepting the myth of televisual ubiquity, we are making assertions about the television experience of some viewers over others, as well as creating a distinction of which television can be seen to have lasting importance. The article analyzes the components of the myth of televisual ubiquity and draws them together to consider a case study, video on demand in New Zealand.
The Graphing of Difference
Authors: Monea Alexander
Published: June 2016

This article offers a critical examination of contemporary graph databases, such as Google’s Knowledge Graph, from the perspective of media theory, philosophy of difference, and epistemology. It argues that the fundamental data structure of the “triple,” in essence a subject-predicate-object statement, constitutes a problem immanent to the database itself. The article begins with a brief meditation on numerical mediation before examining the emergence of the Knowledge Graph through Google’s research publications. It then moves on to demonstrate that a logic of representation underlies all graph databases, and that this logic of representation operates similarly to Aristotle’s theory of perception and categorization. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze’s criticism of Aristotle, this article argues that graph databases fall into similar traps of identity and representation and are unable to understand difference in itself. In closing, it offers an initial diagnosis of the limitations of graph databases, and more specifically how Google’s graph database’s inability to interrogate difference in itself leaves the Knowledge Graph unable to represent, let alone participate in, the discovery and invention of the new.
A Feasibility Study of Moxibustion for Treating Anorexia and Improving Quality of Life in Patients With Metastatic Cancer: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial
Authors: Jeon Ju-Hyun , Cho Chong-Kwan , Park So-Jung , Kang Hwi-Joong , Kim Kyungmin , Jung In-Chul , Kim Young-Il , Lee Suk-Hoon , Yoo Hwa-Seung
Published: June 2016

Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of using moxibustion for treating anorexia and improving quality of life in patients with metastatic cancer. Methods. We conducted a randomized sham-controlled trial of moxibustion. Sixteen patients with metastatic cancer were recruited from Daejeon, South Korea. The patients were randomly placed into a true or a sham moxibustion group and received 10 true or sham moxibustion treatments administered to the abdomen (CV12, CV8, CV4) and legs (ST36) over a 2-week period. Outcome measures included interest in participating in the trial, identification of successful recruitment strategies, the appropriateness of eligibility criteria, and compliance with the treatment plan (ie, attendance at treatment sessions). Clinical outcomes included results of the Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT), answers on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 30-item core quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaires, scores on the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the results from blood tests and a safety evaluation. Results. Moxibustion was an acceptable intervention in patients with metastatic cancer. Compliance with the treatment protocol was high, with 11 patients completing all 10 treatments. No serious adverse events related to moxibustion occurred, but 4 patients in the true moxibustion group reported mild rubefaction, which disappeared in a few hours. Conclusion. This study suggests that moxibustion may be safely used to treat anorexia and improve quality of life in patients with metastatic cancer. However, further research is needed to confirm this result.
Early occupational performance intervention enhances outcome after distal radius fracture: A nonrandomized controlled trial
Authors: Dahlqvist Åsa , Rosén Birgitta
Published: June 2016

Introduction

Distal radius fractures are common in women aged over 50. Common complications are pain, oedema, and finger stiffness, which can impact the ability to perform many daily activities. An exercise program for mobility and strength is a traditional early treatment. Little is known about the influence of occupational performance intervention in the early stage. The aim was to evaluate the effect of early intervention at the emergency department focusing on occupational performance in women over 50 years with distal radius fracture.

Methods

A nonrandomized controlled trial, with an intervention group ( n = 24) and a control group ( n = 24). The intervention group had a dialogue with an occupational therapist highlighting activity issues in the present situation. The control group got treatment as usual. Patient reported outcome measures were used as assessment at an estimated baseline, 1 week, 4 to 5 weeks, and 7 to 8 weeks after injury with COPM, DASH, and a single question about perceived independence of occupational performance. Change over time and differences between groups were calculated.

Results

Both groups improved their occupational performance significantly during the 2 months follow up, but the intervention group valued their improved ability and independence significantly higher than the control group. Some of the participants in the intervention group scored within normative values for women with DASH, already at 4 to 5 weeks and 7 to 8 weeks after the injury.

Conclusions

The results indicate potential importance of very early occupational performance intervention at the emergency department, as a valuable complement to traditional treatment of distal radius fracture.
Gender and Ethnic Differences in Young Adults’ Emotional Reactions to Parental Punitive and Minimizing Emotion Socialization Practices
Authors: Perry Nicole B. , Leerkes Esther M. , Dunbar Angel S. , Cavanaugh Alyson M.
Published: June 2016

This study examined differences in how African American and European American participants ( N = 553) recalled feeling when their parents engaged in punitive and minimizing emotion socialization practices during childhood. We conducted this study to replicate and extend previous empirical work by using a more generalizable sample containing both male and female participants and by asking participants to report separately on their mothers and fathers. Results indicated that African American participants reported feeling less hurt and ashamed than European American participants when their mothers and fathers engaged in punitive and minimizing practices. African American participants also reported feeling more loved than European American participants when mothers engaged in punitive and minimizing practices. In addition, gender differences suggested that women feel more hurt and less loved than men when both mothers and fathers engaged in punitive and minimizing emotion socialization behaviors.
DOT1L as a therapeutic target for the treatment of DNMT3A-mutant acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Rau Rachel E. , Rodriguez Benjamin A. , Luo Min , Jeong Mira , Rosen Allison , Rogers Jason H. , Campbell Carly T. , Daigle Scott R. , Deng Lishing , Song Yongcheng , Sweet Steve , Chevassut Timothy , Andreeff Michael , Kornblau Steven M. , Li Wei , Goodell Margaret A.
Published: June 2016

Key Points

Data from Dnmt3a−/− mice implicate Dot1l as a critical mediator of the malignant gene expression program of Dnmt3a-mediated leukemia. Pharmacologic inhibition of DOT1L exerts potent antileukemic activity in DNMT3A-mutant human acute myeloid leukemia in vitro and in vivo.
The genetics of nodal marginal zone lymphoma
Authors: Spina Valeria , Khiabanian Hossein , Messina Monica , Monti Sara , Cascione Luciano , Bruscaggin Alessio , Spaccarotella Elisa , Holmes Antony B. , Arcaini Luca , Lucioni Marco , Tabbò Fabrizio , Zairis Sakellarios , Diop Fary , Cerri Michaela , Chiaretti Sabina , Marasca Roberto , Ponzoni Maurilio , Deaglio Silvia , Ramponi Antonio , Tiacci Enrico , Pasqualucci Laura , Paulli Marco , Falini Brunangelo , Inghirami Giorgio , Bertoni Francesco , Foà Robin , Rabadan Raul , Gaidano Gianluca , Rossi Davide
Published: June 2016

Key Points

PTPRD lesions are among the most recurrent alterations in NMZL and appear to be enriched in this lymphoma type across mature B-cell tumors. NMZL and SMZL genetics overlap with the exceptions of PTPRD lesions, supporting their distinction as independent entities.
Sequencing, de novo assembly and annotation of a pink bollworm larval midgut transcriptome
Authors: Tassone Erica E , Zastrow-Hayes Gina , Mathis John , Nelson Mark E , Wu Gusui , Flexner J Lindsey , Carrière Yves , Tabashnik Bruce E , Fabrick Jeffrey A
Published: June 2016

Background

The pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the world's most important pests of cotton. Insecticide sprays and transgenic cotton producing toxins of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are currently used to manage this pest. Bt toxins kill susceptible insects by specifically binding to and destroying midgut cells, but they are not toxic to most other organisms. Pink bollworm is useful as a model for understanding insect responses to Bt toxins, yet advances in understanding at the molecular level have been limited because basic genomic information is lacking for this cosmopolitan pest. Here, we have sequenced, de novo assembled and annotated a comprehensive larval midgut transcriptome from a susceptible strain of pink bollworm.

Findings

A de novo transcriptome assembly for the midgut of P. gossypiella was generated containing 46,458 transcripts (average length of 770 bp) derived from 39,874 unigenes. The size of the transcriptome is similar to published midgut transcriptomes of other Lepidoptera and includes up to 91 % annotated contigs. The dataset is publicly available in NCBI and GigaDB as a resource for researchers.

Conclusions

Foundational knowledge of protein-coding genes from the pink bollworm midgut is critical for understanding how this important insect pest functions. The transcriptome data presented here represent the first large-scale molecular resource for this species, and may be used for deciphering relevant midgut proteins critical for xenobiotic detoxification, nutrient digestion and allocation, as well as for the discovery of protein receptors important for Bt intoxication.
Genome sequence of the olive tree, Olea europaea
Authors: Cruz Fernando , Julca Irene , Gómez-Garrido Jèssica , Loska Damian , Marcet-Houben Marina , Cano Emilio , Galán Beatriz , Frias Leonor , Ribeca Paolo , Derdak Sophia , Gut Marta , Sánchez-Fernández Manuel , García Jose Luis , Gut Ivo G , Vargas Pablo , Alioto Tyler S , Gabaldón Toni
Published: June 2016

Background

The Mediterranean olive tree (Olea europaea subsp. europaea) was one of the first trees to be domesticated and is currently of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil. The molecular bases underlying the phenotypic differences among domesticated cultivars, or between domesticated olive trees and their wild relatives, remain poorly understood. Both wild and cultivated olive trees have 46 chromosomes (2n).

Findings

A total of 543 Gb of raw DNA sequence from whole genome shotgun sequencing, and a fosmid library containing 155,000 clones from a 1,000+ year-old olive tree (cv. Farga) were generated by Illumina sequencing using different combinations of mate-pair and pair-end libraries. Assembly gave a final genome with a scaffold N50 of 443 kb, and a total length of 1.31 Gb, which represents 95 % of the estimated genome length (1.38 Gb). In addition, the associated fungus Aureobasidium pullulans was partially sequenced. Genome annotation, assisted by RNA sequencing from leaf, root, and fruit tissues at various stages, resulted in 56,349 unique protein coding genes, suggesting recent genomic expansion. Genome completeness, as estimated using the CEGMA pipeline, reached 98.79 %.

Conclusions

The assembled draft genome of O. europaea will provide a valuable resource for the study of the evolution and domestication processes of this important tree, and allow determination of the genetic bases of key phenotypic traits. Moreover, it will enhance breeding programs and the formation of new varieties.
Dual wavelength excitation for the time-resolved photoluminescence imaging of painted ancient Egyptian objects
Authors: Comelli Daniela , Capogrosso Valentina , Orsenigo Christian , Nevin Austin
Published: June 2016

Background

The scientific imaging of works of art is crucial for the assessment of the presence and distribution of pigments and other materials on surfaces. It is known that some ancient pigments are luminescent: these include pink red-lakes and the blue and purple pigments Egyptian Blue (CaCuSi4O10), Han blue (BaCuSi4O10) and Han purple (BaCuSi2O6). Indeed, the unique near-infrared luminescence emission of Egyptian blue allows the imaging of its distribution on surfaces.

Results

We focus on the imaging of the time-resolved photoluminescence of ancient Egyptian objects in the Burri Collection from the Civic Museum of Crema and of the Cremasco (Italy). Time-resolved photoluminescence images have been acquired using excitation at 355 nm for detecting the ns-emission of red lakes and binding media; by employing 532 nm excitation Egyptian blue is probed, and the spatial distribution of its long-lived microsecond emission is imaged. For the first time we provide data on the photoluminescence lifetime of Egyptian blue directly from objects. Moreover, we demonstrate that the use of a pulsed laser emitting at two different wavelengths increases the effectiveness of the lifetime imaging technique for mapping the presence of emissions from pigments on painted surfaces. Laser-induced luminescence spectra from different areas of the objects and traditional digital imaging, using led-based lamps, long pass filters and a commercial photographic camera, complement the results from photoluminescence lifetime imaging. We demonstrate the versatility of a new instrumental setup, capable of recording decay emission kinetics with lifetimes from nanosecond to microseconds.

Conclusions

While the combined wavelength approach for the imaging of emissions from different materials has been demonstrated for the study of ancient Egyptian pigments (both organic and inorganic), the method could be extended to the analysis of modern pigments and paintings.
Emerging roles of the processing of nucleic acids and Toll-like receptors in innate immune responses to nucleic acids
Authors: Miyake Kensuke , Shibata Takuma , Ohto Umeharu , Shimizu Toshiyuki
Published: June 2016

Nucleic acid (NA) is continuously degraded in lysosomes, cytoplasm, and nucleus. NA degradation has a key role in preventing hazardous activation of NA sensors. DNA degradation by lysosomal and cytoplasmic DNases prevents homeostatic activation of cytoplasmic DNA sensing pathways. Crude NA, however, is not sufficient for stimulating NA sensors. mRNAs and rRNAs need to be processed by inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE-1) or RNase L before stimulating cytoplasmic RNA sensors. Activation of cytoplasmic RNA sensors by processed RNAs is tightly controlled by their degradation through the machineries, such as RNA editing, by adenosine (A) deaminases that act on RNA 1 (ADAR1) and the RNA exosome. Impaired degradation of processed RNAs in humans causes activation of cytoplasmic RNA sensors, leading to Aicardi-Goutières syndrome or trichohepatoenteric syndrome. Lysosomal TLRs are also dependent on NA processing in lysosomes. Digestion of dsDNA by DNase II is required for TLR9 response to ssDNA. TLR7 and TLR8 respond to ribonucleosides and oligoribonucleotides, instead of ssRNA itself, indicating requirement for RNA processing. NA-sensing TLRs themselves need to be processed by lysosomal proteases. Without processing, TLR8 and TLR9 fail to form dimers. In addition to NA degradation, the processing of NAs and TLRs by a variety of enzymes is an emerging concept on the control of innate immune responses to NAs.
The Biomechanical Effects of Resuscitation Colloids on the Compromised Lung Endothelial Glycocalyx
Authors: Job Kathleen M. , O’Callaghan Ryan , Hlady Vladimir , Barabanova Alexandra , Dull Randal O.
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

The endothelial glycocalyx is an important component of the vascular permeability barrier, forming a scaffold that allows serum proteins to create a gel-like layer on the endothelial surface and transmitting mechanosensing and mechanotransduction information that influences permeability. During acute inflammation, the glycocalyx is degraded, changing how it interacts with serum proteins and colloids used during resuscitation and altering its barrier properties and biomechanical characteristics. We quantified changes in the biomechanical properties of lung endothelial glycocalyx during control conditions and after degradation by hyaluronidase using biophysical techniques that can probe mechanics at (1) the aqueous/glycocalyx interface and (2) inside the glycocalyx. Our goal was to discern the location-specific effects of albumin and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) on glycocalyx function.

METHODS:

The effects of albumin and HES on the mechanical properties of bovine lung endothelial glycocalyx were studied using a combination of atomic force microscopy and reflectance interference contrast microscopy. Logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratios for comparing the effects of varying concentrations of albumin and HES on the glycocalyx with and without hyaluronidase.

RESULTS:

Atomic force microscopy measurements demonstrated that both 0.1% and 4% albumin increased the thickness and reduced the stiffness of glycocalyx when compared with 1% albumin. The effect of HES on glycocalyx thickness was similar to albumin, with thickness increasing significantly between 0.1% and 1% HES and a trend toward a softer glycocalyx at 4% HES. Reflectance interference contrast microscopy revealed a concentration-dependent softening of the glycocalyx in the presence of albumin, but a concentration-dependent increase in stiffness with HES. After glycocalyx degradation with hyaluronidase, stiffness was increased only at 4% albumin and 1% HES.

CONCLUSIONS:

Albumin and HES induced markedly different effects on glycocalyx mechanics and had notably different effects after glycocalyx degradation by hyaluronidase. We conclude that HES is not comparable with albumin for studies of vascular permeability and glycocalyx-dependent signaling. Characterizing the molecular and biomechanical effects of resuscitation colloids on the glycocalyx should clarify their indicated uses and permit a better understanding of how HES and albumin affect vascular function.
Contrasting Effects of the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor β3 Subunit N265M Mutation on Loss of Righting Reflexes Induced by Etomidate and the Novel Anesthetic Barbiturate R–mTFD-MPAB
Authors: Amlong Corey A. , Perkins Mark G. , Houle Timothy T. , Miller Keith W. , Pearce Robert A.
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

Previous studies have shown that etomidate modulates γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors by binding at the β+-α− subunit interface within the transmembrane domain of receptors that incorporate β2 or β3 subunits. Introducing an asparagine-to-methionine (N265M) mutation at position 265 of the β3 subunit, which sits within the etomidate-binding site, attenuates the hypnotic effect of etomidate in vivo. It was reported recently that the photoactivatable barbiturate R–mTFD-MPAB also acts on γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors primarily by binding to a homologous site at the γ-β interface. Given this difference in drug-binding sites established by the in vitro experiments, we hypothesized that the β3-N265M–mutant mice would not be resistant to the anesthetic effects of R–mTFD-MPAB in vivo, whereas the same mutant mice would be resistant to the anesthetic effects of R-etomidate.

METHODS:

We measured the effects of IV injection of etomidate and R–mTFD-MPAB on loss and recovery of righting reflex in wild-type mice and in mice carrying the β3-N265M mutation.

RESULTS:

Etomidate-induced hypnosis, as measured by the duration of loss of righting reflex, was attenuated in the N265M knock-in mice, confirming prior results. By contrast, recovery of balance and coordinated movement, as measured by the ability to maintain all 4 paws on the ground, was unaffected by the mutation. Neither hypnosis nor impairment of coordinated movement produced by the barbiturate R–mTFD-MPAB was affected by the mutation.

CONCLUSIONS:

The findings confirmed our hypothesis that mutating the etomidate-binding site would not alter the response to the barbiturate R-mTFD-MPAB. Furthermore, we confirmed previous studies indicating that etomidate-induced hypnosis is mediated in part by β3-containing receptors. We also extended previous findings by showing that etomidate-impaired balance and coordinated movement are not mediated by β3-containing receptors, thus implicating β2-containing receptors in this end point.
Oregon's Bold Experiment: Whatever Happened to Rationing?
Authors: Leichter Howard M.
Published: June 2016

In 1994 Oregon began rationing health care for its Medicaid population, offering health policy makers and analysts around the country a view of one alternative future for health care delivery. The question now, four years after the experiment began, is what does that future look like? The short answer is that it does not look all that different from the present, but it looks different enough to offer important lessons to other states and the federal government. The Oregon experiment, including the prioritization of services and the aggressive use of managed care, has facilitated the expansion of health care coverage to over 100,000 additional Oregonians, helped decrease the percentage of the uninsured as well as reduce uncompensated care in hospitals, reduced the use of hospital emergency rooms, and reduced cost shifting. By most measures, the Oregon experiment appears to be a success.
The Oregon Health Plan and the Political Paradox of Rationing: What Advocates and Critics Have Claimed and What Oregon Did
Authors: Jacobs Lawrence , Marmor Theodore , Oberlander Jonathan
Published: June 2016

The article proceeds in three sections. First, we very briefly review the original proposalsand ensuing (and misleading) debate over rationing in Oregon. Next, we explore how the politics of rationing unfolded in Oregon from the enactment of OHP to its implementation. Finally, we consider the character of Oregon's innovation and the broader lessons that it holds for reform efforts elsewhere.
Error in Medicine: Legal Impediments to U.s. Reform
Authors: Liang Bryan A.
Published: June 2016

Error in medicine is common and can lead to significant patient injury. Although successful systematic efforts to reduce human error have been applied in other complex systems, the field of medicine has just begun to make a broad-based effort in this regard. However, both research in and implementation of patient safety measures may not occur without considering important legal issues that may impede these health policy efforts. Tort and contract law may interact with the vagaries of managed care to limit participation in these error reduction efforts by health care providers as well as by managed care organizations. Thus, for patient safety research to be successful, all members of the health care enterprise must participate in a coordinated effort to identify and establish effective practices that may reduce human error in medicine. But beyond this understanding, it is imperative that legal impediments be recognized and addressed before the goal of a continuously improving, increasingly safe health care system can become a reality.
No-Fault Vaccine Insurance: Lessons from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
Authors: Ridgway Derry
Published: June 2016

During the first eight years of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), 786 contested claims were resolved through published judicial opinions. The likelihood of compensation depended in part on the closeness of the match between the described injury and a specified list of acknowledged untoward vaccine side effects. In addition, the chances of applicant success were influenced by the applicant's choice of attorney and expert witnesses, by the assignment of the Special Master to decide the case, and increasingly over time, by the applicant's ability to comply with procedural requirements. The majority of contested claims arose from pertussis immunizations. For pertussis claims, the goal of insulating manufacturers from product liability suits has been achieved by granting compensation to applicants whose injuries are not scientifically recognized effects of the vaccine. In spite of (or because of) this jarring contradiction between the legal and medical understanding of causation, vaccine availability and childhood immunization rates improved during the early years of the plan. The apparent success of the program may encourage the substitution of no-fault compensation plans for tort-based consumer protection for other products, both medical and nonmedical.