bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of Gynecological Cancer Heterogeneity in Breast and Ovarian Cancer Models Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Williams King , Godswill Emmanson , Mercy Chiamaka , Chinenye Uchechukwu Gift , Blessing Ochai Onyiba , Francis Imonikhu , Oladotun Ajifolawe , Uche Franklin , Williams Williams
Published: September 2024

Gynecological cancers, notably breast and ovarian cancers, exhibit significant heterogeneity, complicating treatment strategies and impacting patient outcomes. Traditional cancer models often fail to capture the complexity and diversity of these tumors. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a promising alternative for modeling cancer due to their ability to differentiate into various cell types. This study aims to establish and characterize iPSC-derived models of breast and ovarian cancers to explore their heterogeneity and therapeutic responses.
We cultured iPSCs and differentiated them into breast and ovarian cancer cell lineages using lineage-specific protocols. Differentiation was confirmed by the expression of specific markers (CK14, CK18 for breast cancer; CA125, CK7 for ovarian cancer). We generated tumor spheroids from the differentiated cells and assessed their morphology, size, and viability. Functional assays revealed significant differences in invasive and migratory capabilities between the two cancer models.
Gene and protein expression analyses highlighted the upregulation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in breast cancer models and higher TP53 expression in ovarian cancer models. Proliferation assays demonstrated variability in drug sensitivity, with breast cancer spheroids showing higher sensitivity to trastuzumab and ovarian cancer spheroids to olaparib. Apoptosis assays indicated higher basal and treatment-induced apoptotic activity in ovarian cancer spheroids. Angiogenesis potential, assessed using HUVEC tube formation assays, was greater in ovarian cancer models.
Our results validate the use of iPSC-derived models for studying gynecological cancer heterogeneity. These models accurately reflect the molecular and functional diversity observed in patient tumors, providing a robust platform for investigating cancer biology and evaluating therapeutic strategies. Future research should expand these models to include additional gynecological cancers, incorporate patient-derived iPSCs for personalized medicine, and utilize multi-omics approaches to further understand cancer heterogeneity and improve treatment outcomes.
Assessing the Health Belief Model of Students with Regard to Breast Cancer: A Descriptive Study
Authors: Boateng Keren-Happuch Twumasiwaa , Asirifi Samuel Kwame Amoako , Micah Andrews Kwaw
Published: September 2024

Background: Breast cancer continues to be a substantial worldwide health issue, impacting millions of individuals and families annually. Gaining insight into individuals' perception and reaction to the risk of breast cancer is crucial for advancing early detection and successful prevention methods. The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a commonly utilised theoretical framework for examining health behaviours associated with breast cancer. According to the Health Belief Model (HBM), individuals are more inclined to take measures to prevent or manage a health threat if they believe that they are at risk of developing the condition, perceive the condition to have severe consequences, believe that taking action would be advantageous in reducing the threat, and perceive minimal obstacles to taking action. The study seeks to evaluate the Health Belief Model of students in relation to breast cancer.
Methods: A descriptive research design was adopted. Self-administered semi-structured questionnaires were used to elicit information from 365 female participants. Purposive sampling approach was used to choose Tamale Girls and Ghana Senior High Schools from the Tamale Metropolis and simple random technique was used to identify the study respondents. Data was analysed using SPSS. Statistics like frequency and percentages were used to represent the findings.
Results: The study revealed that students possessed a moderate-to-high level of information regarding the causes, effects, and preventions of breast cancer. This knowledge was mostly influenced by the type or category of learning. Overall, a minimal number of students participated in the screening process for breast cancer. Among the three techniques, breast self-examination was the most commonly utilised, followed by mammography and clinical breast examination. Factors such as age, family size, religion, and social class were found to be associated with breast cancer screening.
Conclusion: Students generally exhibited a modest degree of perceived vulnerability to breast cancer. They also demonstrated a favourable disposition towards the advantages of breast cancer prevention and early detection measures.
Genetic Analysis to Estimate Components of Genetic Variances in Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)
Authors: Meena Ashok Kumar , Rajput S.S. , Jakhar M.L. , Gupta Deepak , Yadav Giradhari Lal
Published: September 2024

The current investigation on Brassica juncea L. genotypes focuses on exploring variations through hybridization to enhance genetic diversity. Additionally, it aims to gather genetic insights into yield and related traits essential for selecting superior varieties in subsequent generations. Using a half diallel design, eight potential genotypes were selected and crossed in every imaginable way. All of the qualities had substantial differences according to analysis of variance; these differences were further examined using Hayman's technique, which revealed that all of the traits are dominated by both additive and dominant gene effects. The findings suggested that dominance and additive genetic variations play a significant role in regulating these features. The magnitude of dominance (H1 and H2) was highly significant higher than additive components (D) for all traits. Positive alleles were not equally distributed among parents (H2/4H1 ≠ 0.25) for all the studied traits. The estimates of environmental variance (E) were significantly positive for all studied traits, except for biological yield per plant suggests that environmental factors exert a notable influence on all examined traits. Narrow sense heritability was less than (0.50) for all traits. The graphical analysis Wr/Vr indicated the importance of over dominance gene effects in controlling all traits. Thus suggesting that selection could be effective in latter generations.
Sentiment Analysis Techniques: A Comparative Study of Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Naive Bayes on General English and Nigerian Texts
Authors: Abia Victor Mfon , Johnson E. Henry
Published: September 2024

This research investigates sentiment analysis on two distinct datasets: a general English dataset and a Nigerian dataset (Gangs of Lagos movie review), using three machine learning algorithms: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Naive Bayes with python programming language and its libraries. The study aims to evaluate and compare the performance of these models across different linguistic and cultural contexts. Results indicate that Logistic Regression consistently outperforms the other models, achieving the highest accuracy and balanced performance across sentiment classes. Random Forest provides comparable results but struggles with positive sentiment detection in the Nigerian dataset. Naive Bayes shows the lowest overall accuracy, with significant challenges in recall for certain sentiment classes. These findings highlight the importance of model selection and tuning tailored to specific datasets for effective sentiment analysis.
Experiential Factors as a Determinant for Climate Change Mitigation Behavior: A Case of Tourist Hotel Managers in Naivasha Sub-County, Kenya
Authors: D. N. Kinyanjui , Kieti Damiannah , Kiage Ondabu
Published: September 2024

Climate change is typically abstract, large scale, slow and often unrelated to the welfare of people’s usual activities. There are however moments when the consequences of climate change are readily apparent, such as through experiencing extreme weather events. This study examined the association between personal experiences with extreme weather events together with emotions and taking actions that mitigate the consequences of climate change, a largely under researched topic. This relationship was tested among 182 randomly selected tourist hotel managers in Naivasha Sub-County in Kenya using paper and pencil survey techniques. An instrument made up of questions on the managers’ extent of their personal involvement with extreme climate risks and events was utilized. Another set of questions that rated the managers’ level of emotions towards climate change was also included. The study identified two categories of climate change mitigation behaviors (CCMB) using principle component analysis that are adopted by managers namely efficiency and curtailment practices. A beta regression model that accounts for the non-normality of the data was used to examine the relationship between experiential factors and CCMB. Findings indicate a moderate engagement in CCMB among the surveyed managers. Experiencing disasters was negatively and significantly associated with both curtailment and efficiency CCMB. Emotions were positively associated with efficiency CCMB but had a negative association with curtailment CCMB. The findings suggest that public education would benefit from strategies that focus on connecting experiencing weather related disasters and emotions with the reality of climate change.
The PtdIns3‐phosphatase MTMR3 interacts with mTORC1 and suppresses its activity
Authors: Hao Feike , Itoh Takashi , Morita Eiji , Shirahama‐Noda Kanae , Yoshimori Tamotsu , Noda Takeshi
Published: December 2015

Macroautophagy is a major intracellular degradation system. We previously reported that overexpression of phosphatase‐deficient MTMR3, a member of the myotubularin phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3‐phosphatase family, leads to induction of autophagy. In this study, we found that MTMR3 interacted with mTORC1, an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase complex, which regulates cell growth and autophagy in response to environmental stimuli. Furthermore, overexpression of MTMR3 inhibited mTORC1 activity. The N‐terminal half of MTMR3, including the PH‐G and phosphatase domains, was necessary and sufficient for these effects. Phosphatase‐deficient MTMR3 provided more robust suppression of mTORC1 activity than wild‐type MTMR3. Furthermore, phosphatase‐deficient full length MTMR3 and the phosphatase domain alone were localized to the Golgi. These results suggest a new regulatory mechanism of mTORC1 in association with PI3P.
Information‐rich spectral channels for simulated retrievals of partial column‐averaged methane
Authors: Su Zhan , Xi Xi , Natraj Vijay , Li King‐Fai , Shia Run‐Lie , Miller Charles E. , Yung Yuk L.
Published: December 2015

Space‐based remote sensing of the column‐averaged methane dry air mole fraction (XCH4) has greatly increased our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns in the global methane cycle. The potential to retrieve multiple pieces of vertical profile information would further improve the quantification of CH4 across space‐time scales. We conduct information analysis for channel selection and evaluate the prospects of retrieving multiple pieces of information as well as total column CH4 from both ground‐based and space‐based near‐infrared remote sensing spectra. We analyze the degrees of freedom of signal (DOF) in the CH4 absorption bands near 2.3 μm and 1.6 μm and select ∼1% of the channels that contain >95% of the information about the CH4 profile. The DOF is around 4 for fine ground‐based spectra (resolution = 0.01 cm−1) and 3 for coarse space‐based spectra (resolution = 0.20 cm−1) based on channel selection and a signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of 300. The DOF varies from 2.2 to 3.2 when SNR is between 100 and 300, and spectral resolution is 0.20 cm−1. Simulated retrieval tests in clear‐sky conditions using the selected channels reveal that the retrieved partial column‐averaged CH4 values are not sensitive to the a priori profiles and can reflect local enhancements of CH4 in different partial air columns. Both the total and partial column‐averaged retrieval errors in all tests are within 1% of the true state. These simulated tests highlight the possibility to retrieve up to three to four pieces of information about the vertical distribution of CH4 in reality.
Compositional variation and 226Ra‐230Th model ages of axial lavas from the southern Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, 8°48′S
Authors: Haase K. M. , Brandl P. A. , Devey C. W. , Hauff F. , Melchert B. , Garbe‐Schönberg D. , Kokfelt T. F. , Paulick H.
Published: December 2015

We present geological observations and geochemical data for the youngest volcanic features on the slow spreading Mid‐Atlantic Ridge at 8°48′S that shows seismic evidence for a thickened crust and excess magma formation. Young lava flows with high sonar reflectivity cover about 14 km2 in the axial rift and were probably erupted from two axial volcanic ridges each of about 3 km in length. Three different lava units occur along an about 11 km long portion of the ridge, and lavas from the northern axial volcanic ridge differ from those of the southern axial volcanic ridge and surrounding lava flows. Basalts from the axial rift flanks and from a pillow mound within the young flows are more incompatible element depleted than those from the young volcanic field. Lavas from this volcanic area have 226Ra‐230Th disequilibria model ages of 1000 and 4000 years whereas the older lavas from the rift flank and the pillow mound, but also some of the lava field, are older than 8000 years. Glasses from the northern and southern ends of the southern lava unit indicate up to 100°C cooler magma temperatures than in the center and increased assimilation of hydrothermally altered material. The compositional heterogeneity on a scale of 3 km suggests small magma batches rising vertically from the mantle to the surface without significant lateral flow and mixing. The observations on the 8°48′S lava field support the model of low‐frequency eruptions from single ascending magma batches that has been developed for slow spreading ridges.
Effect of solar zenith angle specification in models on mean shortwave fluxes and stratospheric temperatures
Authors: Hogan Robin J. , Hirahara Shoji
Published: December 2015

Many weather and climate models call their radiation schemes only every 3 h, which we show can lead to a stratospheric temperature overestimate of 3–5 K and wavenumber 8 fluctuations in top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) net shortwave flux around the tropics of amplitude 1.6 W m−2. Solving this problem while retaining a 3h radiation time step requires careful treatment of the cosine of the solar zenith angle, μ0, which appears twice in the calculation of shortwave fluxes, scaling the following: (1) TOA incident flux and (2) the path length of the direct solar beam through the atmosphere. If μ0 is calculated as the average over the radiation time step, rather than at the central time, then the fluctuations are removed, but the stratosphere is still too warm by 2–3 K. It is only if the second μ0 is averaged only over the sunlit part of the radiation time step that the temperature bias is removed.
Tracking the Hercules 265 marine gas well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Romero Isabel C. , Özgökmen Tamay , Snyder Susan , Schwing Patrick , O'Malley Bryan J. , Beron‐Vera Francisco J. , Olascoaga Maria J. , Zhu Ping , Ryan Edward , Chen Shuyi S. , Wetzel Dana L. , Hollander David , Murawski Steven A.
Published: December 2015

On 23 July 2013, a marine gas rig (Hercules 265) ignited in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The rig burned out of control for 2 days before being extinguished. We conducted a rapid‐response sampling campaign near Hercules 265 after the fire to ascertain if sediments and fishes were polluted above earlier baseline levels. A surface drifter study confirmed that surface ocean water flowed to the southeast of the Hercules site, while the atmospheric plume generated by the blowout was in eastward direction. Sediment cores were collected to the SE of the rig at a distance of ∼0.2, 8, and 18 km using a multicorer, and demersal fishes were collected from ∼0.2 to 8 km SE of the rig using a longline (508 hooks). Recently deposited sediments document that only high molecular weight (HMW) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the rig suggesting higher pyrogenic inputs associated with the blowout. A similar trend was observed in the foraminifera Haynesina germanica, an indicator species of pollution. In red snapper bile, only HMW PAH metabolites increased in 2013 nearly double those from 2012. Both surface sediments and fish bile analyses suggest that, in the aftermath of the blowout, increased concentration of pyrogenically derived hydrocarbons was transported and deposited in the environment. This study further emphasizes the need for an ocean observing system and coordinated rapid‐response efforts from an array of scientific disciplines to effectively assess environmental impacts resulting from accidental releases of oil contaminants.
Water renewals in the Saguenay Fjord
Authors: Belzile Mélany , Galbraith Peter S. , Bourgault Daniel
Published: December 2015

Water renewals and renewal times of the Saguenay Fjord are investigated and classified according to their intrusion depth. Renewal dynamics are controlled by a shallow sill (∼20 m) at the fjord mouth, by large tides that are a distinguishing feature of the Saguenay Fjord and by large vertical mixing inside the inner basin (
). A mooring was deployed in the inner basin of the fjord to provide a clearer quantitative understanding of the complexity and seasonality of water renewals in this seasonally ice‐covered fjord. The mooring provided information on currents over nearly the entire water column, along with temperature‐salinity at a few discrete depths. Hydrographic temperature and salinity transects spanning multiple seasons and years as well as turbulence profiles were also collected. The observations show that the fjord dynamics are more complex than previously hypothesized, with large changes in renewal event depths leading to three different renewal regimes. Part of this renewal depth variability may be explained by the seasonality of the St. Lawrence estuarine circulation. Because of the large turbulence within the inner basin bottom layer, the density decreases over time such that new deep renewals can occur every year. The mechanisms behind the large vertical mixing cannot yet be clearly identified but a statistically significant correlation (
) suggests that internal wave breaking may be a significant contributor to deep turbulence mixing in the inner basin. The renewal time of the inner basin waters is estimated to be between 1 and 6 months.
Tidally discontinuous ocean forcing in bar‐built estuaries: The interaction of tides, infragravity motions, and frictional control
Authors: Williams M. E. , Stacey M. T.
Published: December 2015

Shallow, bar‐built estuaries on wave‐dominated coasts in Mediterranean climates experience an intermittent connection to the ocean. In the presence of low streamflow, their inlets may completely close as a result of nearshore sand transport, but even in the open condition, these inlets remain constricted. Extensive field measurements in the highly salt‐stratified Pescadero estuary in northern California show that the shallow mouth causes these estuaries to experience discontinuous tidal forcing. While the ocean and estuary are fully connected with near‐equal water levels, tidal velocities are slow but infragravity motions in the nearshore induce large velocity oscillations within the estuary. As the ocean tide falls, infragravity forcing is cut off, because the estuarine mouth is perched above the low tide ocean water level, and ebbing velocities are set by bed friction. Observations reveal this oscillation between ocean‐forced and frictionally controlled conditions characterizes and sets estuarine hydrodynamics. Additional wave setup of the lagoon emphasizes the dependence of these estuaries on nearshore ocean conditions, but the diurnal or semidiurnal retreat of the ocean below the mouth cuts off this nearshore influence so it too is tidally varying. Here we present detailed observations and a framework for understanding hydrodynamics in small, shallow bar‐built estuaries.
Characteristics of a negative lightning with multiple‐ground terminations observed by a VHF lightning location system
Authors: Sun Zhuling , Qie Xiushu , Liu Mingyuan , Jiang Rubin , Wang Zhichao , Zhang Hongbo
Published: December 2015

Propagation characteristics of a negative cloud‐to‐ground lightning with four leader‐return stroke sequences exhibiting four ground terminations, referred to as multiple termination flash, are analyzed using a two‐dimensional mapping system of lightning radiation sources in VHF band along with broadband electric field change records. The four stepped leader‐stroke sequences were produced from two different branches of the preliminary breakdown process inside the cloud, and the time intervals between each adjacent two leader‐stroke sequences were 82.9 ms, 81.4 ms, and 152.2 ms, respectively. The first two stroke sequences were multiple termination strokes (MTSs), and each MTS showed two different ground terminations induced by two leader branches. The corresponding electric field changes exhibited two fast‐rising waveforms separated by 1.5 ms and 2.7 ms, respectively, and the second peak was 3–4 times smaller than the first. The second grounding branch in each MTS occurred when its channel was in poor connection conditions to the main stroke channel. The third and fourth leader‐stroke sequences connected to the ground with one of the different grounded channels of the second MTS. The dart leaders before these two strokes exhibited chaotic pulse trains (CPTs) with significant slow electric field variations accompanying strong and continuous VHF radiations. The CPTs only occurred in the dart leader stage which propagated with a speed in an order of 107 m/s. Different from dart leader, attempted leader was associated with regular pulse trains and propagated at a speed order of 106 m/s along the previous channel.
In utero TNF‐α treatment induces telomere shortening in young adult mice in an ATF7‐dependent manner
Authors: Liu Binbin , Maekawa Toshio , Chatton Bruno , Ishii Shunsuke
Published: December 2015

Epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to stress during intrauterine life is associated with shorter telomeres in young adulthood, and a correlation between telomere length in early life and lifespan has been suggested. However, empirical studies evaluating these phenomena have not been performed, and the mechanism of stress‐induced telomere shortening remains unknown. Since the level of tumour necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) in peripheral blood cells is increased by various psychological stresses, the effect of TNF‐α administration to pregnant mice on telomere length in adulthood was examined in the present study. In utero TNF‐α treatment‐induced telomere shortening in adult mice. Telomere shortening was observed in certain tissues such as the bone marrow, spleen, and lung, and was detected at specific age ranges during adulthood. Telomere shortening was not observed in mice lacking the stress‐responsive transcription factor ATF7, which contributes to heterochromatin formation in the absence of stress. The present study identified the conditions under which in utero TNF‐α treatment induces telomere shortening in adulthood.
Sub‐10 nm Wide Cellulose Nanofibers for Ultrathin Nanoporous Membranes with High Organic Permeation
Authors: Zhang Qiu Gen , Deng Chao , Soyekwo Faizal , Liu Qing Lin , Zhu Ai Mei
Published: December 2015

There are increasing requirements for highly efficient and solvent‐resistant nanoporous membranes in various separation processes. Traditional membranes usually have a poor solvent resistance and a thick skin layer leading to a low permeation flux. Currently, the major challenge lies in fabrication of ultrathin few‐nanometers‐pore membranes for fast organic filtration. Herein, a facile approach is presented to prepare ultrafine cellulose nanofibers for fabrication of ultrathin nanoporous membranes. The obtained nanofibers have a uniform diameter of 7.5 ± 2.5 nm and are homogeneously dispersed in aqueous solutions that are favorable to the fabrication of ultrathin nanoporous membranes. The resulting cellulose nanoporous membranes have an adjustable thickness down to 23 nm and pore sizes ranging from 2.5 to 12 nm. They allow fast permeation of water and organics during pressure‐driven filtration. Typically, the 30 nm thick membrane has high fluxes of 1.14 and 3.96 × 104 L h−1 m−2 bar−1 for pure water and acetone respectively. Furthermore, the as‐prepared cellulose nanofibers are easily employed to produce a novel syringe filter with sub‐10 nm pores that have a wide application in fast separation and purification of nanoparticles on few‐nanometers scale.
High—Performance Solar‐Blind Deep Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on Individual Single‐Crystalline Zn2GeO4 Nanowire
Authors: Zhou Xing , Zhang Qi , Gan Lin , Li Xin , Li Huiqiao , Zhang Yue , Golberg Dmitri , Zhai Tianyou
Published: December 2015

Solar‐blind deep ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors have been a hot topic in recent years because of their wide commercial and military applications. A wide bandgap (4.68 eV) of ternary oxide Zn2GeO4 makes it an ideal material for the solar‐blind DUV detection. Unfortunately, the sensing performance of previously reported photodetectors based on Zn2GeO4 nanowires has been unsatisfactory for practical applications, because they suffer from long response and decay times, low responsivity, and quantum efficiency. Here, high‐performance solar‐blind DUV photodetectors are developed based on individual single‐crystalline Zn2GeO4 nanowires. The transport mechanism is discussed in the frame of the small polaron theory. In situ electrical characterization of individual Zn2GeO4 nanowires reveals a high gain under high energy electron beam. The devices demonstrate outstanding solar‐blind light sensing performances: a responsivity of 5.11 × 103 A W−1, external quantum efficiency of 2.45 × 106%, detectivity of ≈2.91 × 1011 Jones, τrise ≈ 10 ms, and τdecay ≈ 13 ms, which are superior to all reported Zn2GeO4 and other ternary oxide nanowire photodetectors. These results render the Zn2GeO4 nanowires particularly valuable for optoelectronic devices.
Modulation of Carbon Nanotubes' Perturbation to the Metabolic Activity of CYP3A4 in the Liver
Authors: Zhang Yi , Wang Yabin , Liu Aijuan , Xu Sherry Li , Zhao Bin , Zhang Yi , Zou Hanfa , Wang Wenyi , Zhu Hao , Yan Bing
Published: December 2015

The liver plays an important role in metabolizing foreign materials, such as drugs. The high accumulation of carbon nanotubes and other hydrophobic nanoparticles in the liver has raised concerns that nanoparticles may interfere with liver metabolic function. We report here that carbon nanotubes enter hepatic cells after intravenous introduction and interact with CYP enzymes, including CYP3A4. Surface chemical modifications alter the carbon nanotubes' interactions with CYP450 enzymes in human liver microsomes. They enhance, inhibit, or have no effect on the enzymatic function of CYP3A4. Using a cheminformatics analysis, certain chemical structures are identified on the surface of the carbon nanotubes that induce an enzyme inhibitory effect or prevent disruption of CYP3A4 enzymes.
Biological aging and physical fitness in men aged 20–70 years fromKraków,Poland
Authors: Gołąb Stanisław , Woronkowicz Agnieszka , Kryst Łukasz
Published: December 2015

Objectives

The increasing problem of population aging requires appropriate economic and health‐related measures to mitigate its negative effects. The aim was to categorize the biological age of men between 20 and 70 years of age and assess its relationship to their physical activity and fitness.

Methods

Data included morphological variables, total body water, the results of five Eurofit motor tests and the percentage of maximum heart rate (HR%), during a cardiovascular test of more than 1,400 20–70 year‐old men living in Kraków. Biological age was estimated with regression equations.

Results

There were significant and consistent differences in physical fitness profiles between the three established groups of relations between biological and chronological age (biologically younger, equal, and older). These three categories of biological age were generally consistent with the regression analysis of physical fitness results, although declared physical activity seemed to be an independent factor.

Conclusions

The selected morphological variables represent a set of characteristics useful for the determination of the biological age. The existing relationship between physical activity and biological age indicates that physical activity may contribute to the inhibition of involutional changes, even if it had only been performed regularly in the past. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:503–509, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Novel X‐linked syndrome of cardiac valvulopathy, keloid scarring, and reduced joint mobility due to filamin A substitution G1576R
Authors: Atwal Paldeep Singh , Blease Sophie , Braxton Alicia , Graves Julia , He Weimin , Person Richard , Slattery Leah , Bernstein Jonathan Adam , Hudgins Louanne
Published: December 2015

Filamin A (FLNA) is known to be involved in intracellular actin binding, cell migration, scaffolding, and signaling. We report a novel X‐linked syndrome characterized by cardiac valvular disease, keloid scarring and reduced joint mobility in male second cousins due to a previously unreported mutation in FLNA. Whole exome sequencing was performed using standard methods and segregation analysis was performed in affected and non‐affected family members. A novel hemizygous c.4726G>A (p.G1576R) mutation in FLNA was detected. Segregation analysis performed on multiple maternal family members showed c.4726G>A (p.G1576R) segregated with disease in an X‐linked inheritance pattern. The findings in these cases are distinct from previously described FLNA related disorders by virtue of decreased joint mobility and spontaneous keloid scarring. They occur in association with a novel mutation and represent a novel genetic syndrome. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Advances in primate stable isotope ecology—Achievements and future prospects
Authors: Crowley Brooke E. , Reitsema Laurie J. , Oelze Vicky M. , Sponheimer Matt
Published: December 2015

Stable isotope biogeochemistry has been used to investigate foraging ecology in non‐human primates for nearly 30 years. Whereas early studies focused on diet, more recently, isotopic analysis has been used to address a diversity of ecological questions ranging from niche partitioning to nutritional status to variability in life history traits. With this increasing array of applications, stable isotope analysis stands to make major contributions to our understanding of primate behavior and biology. Most notably, isotopic data provide novel insights into primate feeding behaviors that may not otherwise be detectable. This special issue brings together some of the recent advances in this relatively new field. In this introduction to the special issue, we review the state of isotopic applications in primatology and its origins and describe some developing methodological issues, including techniques for analyzing different tissue types, statistical approaches, and isotopic baselines. We then discuss the future directions we envision for the field of primate isotope ecology. Am. J. Primatol. 78:995–1003, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reductive Amination/Cyclization of Keto Acids Using a Hydrosilane for Selective Production of Lactams versus Cyclic Amines by Switching of the Indium Catalyst
Authors: Ogiwara Yohei , Uchiyama Takuya , Sakai Norio
Published: December 2015

Described herein is that the catalytic construction of N‐substituted five‐ and six‐membered lactams from keto acids with primary amines by reductive amination, using an indium/silane combination. This relatively benign and safe catalyst/reductant system tolerates the use of a variety of functional groups, especially ones that are reduction‐sensitive. A direct switch from synthesizing lactams to synthesizing cyclic amines is achieved by changing the catalyst from In(OAc)3 to InI3. This conversion occurs by further reduction of the lactam using the indium/silane pair.
Curing BiVO4 Photoanodes with Ultraviolet Light Enhances Photoelectrocatalysis
Authors: Li Tengfei , He Jingfu , Peña Bruno , Berlinguette Curtis P.
Published: December 2015

Exposure of BiVO4 photoanodes to ultraviolet (UV) radiation for extended time periods (e.g., 20 h) produces a morphological change and concomitant improvement in photo‐electrocatalytic (PEC) efficiency for driving water splitting directly by sunlight. The ∼230 mV cathodic shift in onset potential and doubling of the photocurrent at 1.23 V vs. RHE after UV curing are comparable to the effects engendered by the presence of a secondary catalyst layer. PEC measurements and absorption spectra indicate that the cathodic shift after UV curing corresponds to a suppression of charge recombination and a greater photovoltage generation caused by the shift of the flat‐band potential, and not an improvement in electrocatalytic activity or light absorption. Spectroscopic surface analysis suggests that surface defect sites, which are eliminated by UV curing, for the differences in observed charge recombination.
Relational Ethics in Therapeutic Practice
Authors: Gergen Kenneth J.
Published: December 2015

A therapist's ethical values will not always match those of his/her clients; nor may the values they share be congenial with those central to their acquaintances outside. To whose values should a therapist then be responsible? Here it is useful to think in terms of first and second order ethics. First order ethics are those common to everyday life; they are under continuous production, and may or may not be fully articulated. They are also in frequent conflict, inciting animosity and hatred. A second order ethic, however, is one that places the supreme value on the relational process from which all ethics spring. It is thus an ethic that prizes those actions that can bring multiple and conflicting voices into productive communication. Illustrative therapeutic practices are provided.
Ethics as Discursive Potential
Authors: McNamee Sheila
Published: December 2015

Therapeutic practice must be, above all, ethical. And, in most cases, what is designated as ethical is equated with what is legal and just. But what counts as ethics in a world of multiplicity, difference, and complexity? Shifting from the modernist world of certainty (where ethics codes are created) to a relational sensibility where complexity and uncertainty serve as guideposts, we also must release our grasp on the idea of a universal, decontextualised notion of ethics. A relational ethic directs our attention to how we might create opportunities for different conversations, conversations built on curiosity where we can search for local coherence. With an ethic of discursive potential, we can attempt to coordinate multiple moral orders and imagine a future that is relationally sensitive. We can harness the potential of coordinating differences to move beyond simple solutions, universal resolutions, and our desire to eliminate difference once and for all. In this article, I argue that an ethic of discursive potential sensitises us to the contextual and relational nuances of daily life and thereby avoids decontextualised legalised ethical judgments.
Money Matters: A Case Study of a Therapist's and a Family's Joint Enactment of Monetary Issues in Family Therapy
Authors: Arcuri Anthony
Published: December 2015

Family therapists in private practice are required to negotiate monetary issues with clients regularly. However, therapists may hold conflicting feelings about receiving payments in family therapy, given the mix of therapeutic and financial implications. Such internal conflicts may be enacted and contribute to unhelpful consequences when families also bring their own monetary conflicts into the therapeutic setting. This paper outlines a case study of a joint enactment of monetary issues, where the family silently misses payment for several sessions, and the therapist responds first with silence and then with a clumsy, nontherapeutic attempt to address the issue. The family drops out of therapy but fortuitously returns later and provides a context for their monetary issues, which contributes to a positive therapeutic outcome and highlights several important implications for family therapy in private practice.
Ethical Practice in Couple and Family Therapy: Negotiating Rocky Terrain
Authors: Shaw Elisabeth
Published: December 2015

Couple and family therapy has a long history as a valuable and necessary intervention, and yet the complexity of providing services to multiple parties has not been commonly explored in professional literature. Managing clients at different ages, stages, and capacities, working with multiple agendas and multiple systems, fostering and maintaining rapport with a range of people, all requires more thought with couple and family work. While codes of ethics offer values and principles for decision making, managing the specifics of practice when working systemically tend to be developed in supervision. While this can work well, habits of practice and blind spots can occur in positive, established professional relationships. This article looks at how the fundamental ethical requirements of practice differ in relation to couple and family work: competence, juggling multiple imperatives, boundaries, confidentiality, and informed consent. Its aim is not to provide rules for management, but to raise awareness and foster dialogue about perennial issues in practice.
Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Child Sexual Assault Counselling and the Legal System
Authors: Chung Jessie , Wickham Nicki
Published: December 2015

Child Protection Unit (CPU) therapists work with the family system, providing support, counselling, and facilitating change. At the same time the counsellor is part of the wider child protection system, its legislation, organisation, and practices, and the justice system. Social workers must act in accordance with the law and organisational directives, and are encouraged to critically reflect on ethical decisions while observing professional values. When these directives conflict with perceived moral obligations, and complex systems intersect in a way that is at times unhelpful and at the worst re‐traumatising for children and families, CPU counsellors may find themselves in a state of ‘ethics anxiety’; attempting to juggle the systemic imperatives, the needs of the child and the family, ethics, and the law. While our experience arises from the CPU context, the themes we will discuss are relevant for anyone working with people whose presenting problem relates to a court process such as in matters of domestic violence and adult sexual assault.
Comparison of the Lumbosacral Plexus Nerves Formation in Pampas Fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus) and Crab‐Eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) in Relationship to Plexus Model in Dogs
Authors: Lorenzão Caio José , Zimpel Aline Veiga , Novakoski Eduardo , da Silva Aline Alves , Martinez‐Pereira Malcon Andrei
Published: December 2015

In this study, the spinal nerves that constitute the lumbosacral plexus (LSP) were dissected in two species of South American wild canids (pampas fox—Pseudalopex gymnocercus, and crab‐eating fox—Cerdocyon thous). The nerves origin and distribution in the pelvic limb were examined and compared with the LSP model of the dog described in the literature. The LSP was formed by whole ventral branches of L5 at L7 and S1, and a contribution of a one branch from S2, divided in three trunks. The trunk formed by union from L5‐6 and S1 was divided into the cranial (cutaneus femoris lateralis nerve) medial (femoralis nerve) and lateral branches (obturatorius nerve). At the caudal part of the plexus, a thick branch, the ischiadicus plexus, was formed by contributions from L6‐7 and S1‐2. This root gives rise to the nerve branches which was disseminated to the pelvic limb (nerves gluteus cranial and gluteus caudal, cutaneus femoris caudalis and ischiadicus). The ischiadicus nerve was divided into fibularis communis and tibialis nerves. The tibialis nerve emits the cutaneus surae caudalis. The fibularis communis emits the cutaneus surae lateralis, fibularis superficialis and fibularis profundus. The pudendus nerve arises from S2 with contributions of one branch L7‐S1 and one ramus of the cutaneus femoris lateralis. Still, one branch of S2 joins with S3 to form the rectales caudales nerve. These data provides an important anatomical knowledge of a two canid species of South American fauna, besides providing the effective surgical and clinical care of these animals. Anat Rec, 299:361–369, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Gain‐Scheduled Control via Switching of LTI Controllers and State Reset
Authors: Masubuchi Izumi , Ishii Shota , Ohta Yuzo , Saeki Masami
Published: December 2015

This paper proposes a synthesis method of gain‐scheduled control systems that switch linear time‐invariant controllers according to hysteresis of the scheduling parameter. Stability and L2‐gain analysis and synthesis methods for switched systems are applied to the switched gain‐scheduled control synthesis using reset of the controller state, where also the reset law is computed via linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). In addition to optimization of an upper bound of L2‐gain, we reduce jumps of control input via an auxiliary optimization. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the switched gain‐scheduled controller.
The Social ABCs caregiver‐mediated intervention for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder: Feasibility, acceptability, and evidence of promise from a multisite study
Authors: Brian Jessica A. , Smith Isabel M. , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Roberts Wendy , Bryson Susan E.
Published: December 2015

The Social ABCs is a parent‐mediated intervention for toddlers with suspected or confirmed autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We undertook a multi‐site pilot study to evaluate feasibility and acceptability, and to identify trends in child and parent behavior to inform future research using a larger sample and a rigorous research design. The program involved 12 weeks of parent coaching, followed by 12 weeks' implementation, and 3‐month follow‐up assessment for 20 parent‐toddler dyads (age range: 12–32 months). Parents successfully learned the techniques and rated the intervention as highly acceptable. Paired samples t‐tests revealed significant gains in children's functional communication (responsivity, initiations), and language gains (age‐equivalents on standardized measures) commensurate with typical developmental rates. Significant increases in shared smiling and social orienting also emerged, but were attenuated at follow‐up. Parents' fidelity was positively associated with child responsivity. Training parents as mediators is a feasible and highly acceptable approach that provides a potentially cost‐effective opportunity for intensive intervention at a very young age at the first signs of ASD risk. Child and parent gains in several key variables demonstrate the promise of this intervention. Autism Res 2016, 9: 899–912. © 2015 The Authors Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Autism Research
Stand des Luft‐ und Trittschallschutzes im Geschosswohnungsbau in Deutschland
Authors: Summ Jonas , Schimmer Astrid , Schneider Martin
Published: December 2015

Über die letzten Jahrzehnte hinweg ist die deutsche Bevölkerung einer wachsenden Anzahl an Geräuschquellen ausgesetzt. Zu den drei größten Lärmbelästigungsgründen gehört seit über 30 Jahren der Nachbarschaftslärm. Schon kurz nach Einführung der öffentlich‐rechtlich gültigen DIN 4109:1989 haben erste Untersuchungen von Lutz und Kötz ergeben, dass die Mindestanforderungen hinter den baupraktisch üblichen Werten sowie den Anforderungen der Bewohner zurückbleiben. Daraus ergab sich in den letzten Jahrzehnten eine rechtlich unklare Situation.

Weiterführend stellt sich die Frage, welches Schallschutzniveau derzeit in der baulichen Praxis im Geschosswohnungsbau erreicht wird. Hierzu wurde im Rahmen einer Bachelorarbeit eine deutschlandweite Erhebung durchgeführt. Die daraus gewonnenen Kenntnisse werden unter dem Punkt “Daten und Analyse“ vorgestellt.

The state of the sound protection against airborne sound and impact sound for multi‐storey apartment building in Germany. In the last decades a growing number of sound sources disturb the German population. One of the three biggest issues is neighborhood noise. Shortly after implementation of the German Standard DIN 4109:1989 two surveys from Lutz and Kötz showed that the requirements given in the Standard are well below to the code of practices build and although well below the demands of the residents. Hence the legal situation was dubios for the engineer planning sound insulation. Since the Standard is now more than 25 years old and there have been no new surveys, the question arises about the height of sound insulation nowadays. Therefor a new German wide survey was started within the framework of a bachelor theses. The findings of this survey will be reported in this article.
Transanal total mesorectal excision
Authors: Cahill R A , Hompes R
Published: December 2015

Technical triumph or benefit to patients?
Rapid identification of the quality decoction pieces by partial least squares ‐based pattern recognition: grade classification of the decoction pieces of Saposhnikovia divaricata
Authors: Liu Ying , Li Li , Xiao Yongqing , Yao Jiaqi , Li Pengyuan , Chen Liang , Yu Dingrong , Ma Yinlian
Published: December 2015

Herbal medicines are commonly used in many countries after they undergo processing. Quality decoction pieces are a guarantee of the efficacy and safety of the herbal medical products. Here, a strategy based on chemical analysis combined with chemometric techniques was proposed for the classification and prediction of the different grades of the decoction pieces. Considering the necessity for a shared and simple method for the grade classification for the public, in this paper, the characterization of the chemical constituents was determined by utilizing high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/diode array detection. HPLC was first established for the characterization of the chemical constituents of the different grade decoction pieces. Furthermore, a simultaneous quantification of several of the marker compounds in these decoction pieces was obtained. Finally, a partial least squares‐based pattern recognition method was utilized to obtain a predictive model for the grade classification of the decoction pieces. Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk was used as a case study. The partial least squares ‐based pattern recognition for the grade classification of the decoction pieces of S. divaricata demonstrated good sensitivity, specificity and prediction performance, which may efficiently validate the identification results of appearance assessment. The proposed strategy is expected to provide a new insight for the grade classification and quality control of the decoction pieces. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.