bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Lys49 PhospholipaseA2, Isolated fromBothrops asperSnake Venom, Induces Lipid Droplet Formation in Macrophages Which Depends on Distinct Signaling Pathways and the C-Terminal Region
Authors: Cristina Giannotti Karina , Leiguez Elbio , Moreira Vanessa , Nascimento Neide Galvão , Lomonte Bruno , Gutiérrez José Maria , Lopes de Melo Robson , Teixeira Catarina
Published: December 2012

MT-II, a Lys49PLA2homologue devoid of catalytic activity fromB. aspervenom, stimulates inflammatory events in macrophages. We investigated the ability of MT-II to induce formation of lipid droplets (LDs), key elements of inflammatory responses, in isolated macrophages and participation of protein kinases and intracellular PLA2s in this effect. Influence of MT-II on PLIN2 recruitment and expression was assessed, and the effects of some synthetic peptides on LD formation were further evaluated. At noncytotoxic concentrations, MT-II directly activated macrophages to form LDs. This effect was reproduced by a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal sequence 115–129 of MT-II, evidencing the critical role of C-terminus for MT-II-induced effect. Moreover, MT-II induced expression and recruitment of PLIN2. Pharmacological interventions with specific inhibitors showed that PKC, PI3K, ERK1/2, and iPLA2, but notP38MAPKor cPLA2, signaling pathways are involved in LD formation induced by MT-II. This sPLA2homologue also induced synthesis of PGE2that colocalized to LDs. In conclusion, MT-II is able to induce formation of LDs committed to PGE2formation in a process dependent on C-terminal loop engagement and regulated by distinct protein kinases and iPLA2. LDs may constitute an important inflammatory mechanism triggered by MT-II in macrophages.
Effects of Sodium Octanoate on Innate Immune Response of Mammary Epithelial Cells duringStaphylococcus aureusInternalization
Authors: Alva-Murillo Nayeli , Ochoa-Zarzosa Alejandra , López-Meza Joel E.
Published: December 2012

Bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) are capable of initiating an innate immune response to invading bacteria. Short chain fatty acids can reduceStaphylococcus aureusinternalization into bMEC, but it has not been evaluated if octanoic acid (sodium octanoate, NaO), a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA), has similar effects. In this study we determined the effect of NaO onS. aureusinternalization into bMEC and on the modulation of innate immune elements. NaO (0.25–2 mM) did not affectS. aureusgrowth and bMEC viability, but it differentially modulated bacterial internalization into bMEC, which was induced at 0.25–0.5 mM (~60%) but inhibited at 1-2 mM (~40%). Also, bMEC showed a basal expression of all the innate immune genes evaluated, which were induced byS. aureus. NaO induced BNBD4, LAP, and BNBD10 mRNA expression, but BNBD5 and TNF-αwere inhibited. Additionally, the pretreatment of bMEC with NaO inhibited the mRNA expression induction generated by bacteria which coincides with the increase in internalization; only TAP and BNDB10 showed an increase in their expression; it coincides with the greatest effect on the reduction of bacterial internalization. In conclusion, NaO exerts a dual effect onS. aureusinternalization in bMEC and modulates elements of innate immune response.
Role of Sex Steroid Hormones in Bacterial-Host Interactions
Authors: García-Gómez Elizabeth , González-Pedrajo Bertha , Camacho-Arroyo Ignacio
Published: December 2012

Sex steroid hormones play important physiological roles in reproductive and nonreproductive tissues, including immune cells. These hormones exert their functions by binding to either specific intracellular receptors that act as ligand-dependent transcription factors or membrane receptors that stimulate several signal transduction pathways. The elevated susceptibility of males to bacterial infections can be related to the usually lower immune responses presented in males as compared to females. This dimorphic sex difference is mainly due to the differential modulation of the immune system by sex steroid hormones through the control of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines expression, as well as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expression and antibody production. Besides, sex hormones can also affect the metabolism, growth, or virulence of pathogenic bacteria. In turn, pathogenic, microbiota, and environmental bacteria are able to metabolize and degrade steroid hormones and their related compounds. All these data suggest that sex steroid hormones play a key role in the modulation of bacterial-host interactions.
Waterlogging Tolerance of Crops: Breeding, Mechanism of Tolerance, Molecular Approaches, and Future Prospects
Authors: Ahmed F. , Rafii M. Y. , Ismail M. R. , Juraimi A. S. , Rahim H. A. , Asfaliza R. , Latif M. A.
Published: December 2012

Submergence or flood is one of the major harmful abiotic stresses in the low-lying countries and crop losses due to waterlogging are considerably high. Plant breeding techniques, conventional or genetic engineering, might be an effective and economic way of developing crops to grow successfully in waterlogged condition. Marker assisted selection (MAS) is a new and more effective approach which can identify genomic regions of crops under stress, which could not be done previously. The discovery of comprehensive molecular linkage maps enables us to do the pyramiding of desirable traits to improve in submergence tolerance through MAS. However, because of genetic and environmental interaction, too many genes encoding a trait, and using undesirable populations the mapping of QTL was hampered to ensure proper growth and yield under waterlogged conditions Steady advances in the field of genomics and proteomics over the years will be helpful to increase the breeding programs which will help to accomplish a significant progress in the field crop variety development and also improvement in near future. Waterlogging response of soybean and major cereal crops, as rice, wheat, barley, and maize and discovery of QTL related with tolerance of waterlogging, development of resistant variety, and, in addition, future prospects have also been discussed.
Optimization of the Alkaline Pretreatment of Rice Straw for Enhanced Methane Yield
Authors: Song Zilin , Yang Gaihe , Han Xinhui , Feng Yongzhong , Ren Guangxin
Published: December 2012

The lime pretreatment process for rice straw was optimized to enhance the biodegradation performance and increase biogas yield. The optimization was implemented using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken experimental design. The effects of biodegradation, as well as the interactive effects of Ca(OH)2concentration, pretreatment time, and inoculum amount on biogas improvement, were investigated. Rice straw compounds, such as lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, were significantly degraded with increasing Ca(OH)2concentration. The optimal conditions for the use of pretreated rice straw in anaerobic digestion were 9.81% Ca(OH)2(w/w TS), 5.89 d treatment time, and 45.12% inoculum content, which resulted in a methane yield of 225.3 mL/g VS. A determination coefficient (R2) of 96% was obtained, indicating that the model used to predict the anabolic digestion process shows a favorable fit with the experimental parameters.
Synthesis of Substituted Thieno[2,3‐d]pyrimidin‐4‐ones and Their Testing for Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity on Mammalian Cell Models
Authors: Bozorov Kh. A. , Mamadalieva N. Z. , Elmuradov B. Zh. , Triggiani D. , Egamberdieva D. , Tiezzi A. , Aisa H. A. , Shakhidoyatov Kh. M.
Published: December 2012

From 2‐amino‐3‐ethoxycarbonyl‐4,5‐dimethyl‐, ‐polymethylenethiophenes (1-4) were synthesized 2,3‐disubstituted thieno[2,3‐d]dihydropyrrolo‐, tetrahydropyrido‐, and tetrahydroazepino[1,2‐a]pyrimidin‐4‐ones (5-16) for pharmacological investigations. The 12 compounds (5-16) were individually evaluated for their antiproliferative activities on mammalian cancer cell models. All tested compounds showed weak affection on human cervix adenocarcinoma cells (HeLa) whereas some of the tested compounds exhibited more consistent inhibition of cell growth on murine myeloma cells (P3X). In both cases some compounds enhanced cell proliferation.
BRMS1 Suppresses Lung Cancer Metastases through an E3 Ligase Function on Histone Acetyltransferase p300
Authors: Liu Yuan , Mayo Marty W. , Nagji Alykhan S. , Hall Emily H. , Shock Lisa S. , Xiao Aizhen , Stelow Edward B. , Jones David R.
Published: December 2012

The mechanisms through which the metastasis suppressor gene BRMS1 functions are poorly understood. Herein, we report the identification of a previously undescribed E3 ligase function of BRMS1 on the histone acetyltransferase p300. BRMS1 induces polyubiquitination of p300, resulting in its proteasome-mediated degradation. We identify BRMS1 as the first eukaryote structural mimic of the bacterial IpaH E3 ligase family and establish that the evolutionarily conserved CXD motif located in BRMS1 is responsible for its E3 ligase function. Mutation of this E3 ligase motif not only abolishes BRMS1-induced p300 polyubiquitination and degradation, but importantly, dramatically reduces the metastasis suppressor function of BRMS1 in both in vitro and in vivo models of lung cancer metastasis. Cancer Res; 73(4); 1308–17. ©2013 AACR.
Talar Maturity Determined by Epiphyseal Closure of the Calcaneus
Authors: Jogahara Yu Okuda , Natori Masahito
Published: December 2012

The talus is used in many kinds of studies on primates including fossil species, and most of the individuals studied are adults. One of the most important indicators of adult individuals is epiphyseal closure; however, because the talus has no epiphysis, it is difficult to determine the maturity of the talus. The calcaneus has one epiphysis, and it has been used along with the talus in some analyses. The objective of this study was to quantify the maturation trajectory of the talus using epiphyseal closure of the calcaneus as a benchmark. We used 71 skeletons of free-ranging Macaca fuscata fuscata males of known day-age. We did not identify any size increase with age in talar dimensions among specimens with complete calcaneal epiphyseal closure. Thus, in male M. fuscata fuscata, the maturation trajectory of the talus can be quantified using epiphyseal closure of the calcaneus as a benchmark.
Auto-Entrainment Risk Assessment in Heart Failure
Authors: Roach Daniel E. , Morck Margaret L. , Sheldon Robert S. , Duff Henry J.
Published: December 2012

Background—

Risk assessment studies use a suite of nominally independent noninvasive heart rate metrics, often brought together in a statistical model to compute a risk score. The ongoing need to noninvasively identify the higher risk patients requiring more invasive investigations/interventions drives the search for better noninvasive predictive metrics, with increased sensitivity. Many varieties of autoregulatory malfunction occur within the cardiovascular system; thus, it seems a daunting challenge to build predictive models that account for all potential modes of failure. Auto-entrainment (AE) methodology was developed to help address this challenge.

Methods and Results—

AE methodology tests intrinsic capacity to maintain a stable and coherent oscillatory dynamic of autoregulatory control via respiratory entrainment of the blood pressure and heart period. Using cardiovascular death (n=18) at follow-up (1.5 years) as the end point, analysis of AE measurements from 148 patients with heart failure revealed 2 parameters significantly predictive of death. Using logistic regression, the magnitude of systolic pulsus alternans measured during AE had predictive sensitivity of 90% (confidence interval, 62%–100% and specificity of 62% (confidence interval, 49%–74%). The capacity to maintain a stable oscillatory dynamic was measured by the fraction of the total RR-interval spectral power contained within the AE-band. This capacity had predictive sensitivity of 73% (confidence interval, 47%–99%) and specificity of 55% (confidence interval, 43%–66%).

Conclusions—

AE methodology provides a noninvasive platform to assess the integrity of cardiovascular autoregulatory control systems for risk assessment in heart failure patients.
Follow-up of Patients With New Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices
Authors: Al-Khatib Sana M. , Mi Xiaojuan , Wilkoff Bruce L. , Qualls Laura G. , Frazier-Mills Camille , Setoguchi Soko , Hess Paul L. , Curtis Lesley H.
Published: December 2012

Background—

A 2008 expert consensus statement outlined the minimum frequency of follow-up of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).

Methods and Results—

We studied 38 055 Medicare beneficiaries who received a new CIED between January 1, 2005, and June 30, 2009. The main outcome measure was variation of follow-up by patient factors and year of device implantation. We determined the number of patients who were eligible for and attended an in-person CIED follow-up visit within 2 to 12 weeks, 0 to 16 weeks, and 1 year after implantation. Among eligible patients, 42.4% had an initial in-person visit within 2 to 12 weeks. This visit was significantly more common among white patients than black patients and patients of other races (43.0% versus 36.8% versus 40.5%;
P
<0.001). Follow-up within 2 to 12 weeks improved from 40.3% in 2005 to 55.1% in 2009 (
P
<0.001 for trend). The rate of follow-up within 0 to 16 weeks was 65.1% and improved considerably from 2005 to 2009 (62.3%–79.6%;
P
<0.001 for trend). Within 1 year, 78.0% of the overall population had at least 1 in-person CIED follow-up visit.

Conclusions—

Although most Medicare beneficiaries who received a new CIED between 2005 and 2009 did not have an initial in-person CIED follow-up visit within 2 to 12 weeks after device implantation, the rate of initial follow-up improved appreciably over time. This CIED follow-up visit was significantly more common in white patients than in patients of other races.
Bipolar Electrogram Shannon Entropy at Sites of Rotational Activation
Authors: Ganesan Anand N. , Kuklik Pawel , Lau Dennis H. , Brooks Anthony G. , Baumert Mathias , Lim Wei Wen , Thanigaimani Shivshankar , Nayyar Sachin , Mahajan Rajiv , Kalman Jonathan M. , Roberts-Thomson Kurt C. , Sanders Prashanthan
Published: December 2012

Background—

The pivot is critical to rotors postulated to maintain atrial fibrillation (AF). We reasoned that wavefronts circling the pivot should broaden the amplitude distribution of bipolar electrograms because of directional information encoded in these signals. We aimed to determine whether Shannon entropy (ShEn), a measure of signal amplitude distribution, could differentiate the pivot from surrounding peripheral regions and thereby assist clinical rotor mapping.

Methods and Results—

Bipolar electrogram recordings were studied in 4 systems: (1) computer simulations of rotors in a 2-dimensional atrial sheet; (2) isolated rat atria recorded with a multi-electrode array (n=12); (3) epicardial plaque recordings of induced AF in hypertensive sheep (n=11); and (4) persistent AF patients (n=10). In the model systems, rotation episodes were identified, and ShEn calculated as an index of amplitude distribution. In humans, ShEn distribution was analyzed at AF termination sites and with respect to complex fractionated electrogram mean. We analyzed rotation episodes in simulations (4 cycles) and animals (rats: 14 rotors, duration 80±81 cycles; sheep: 13 rotors, 4.2±1.5 cycles). The maximum ShEn bipole was consistently colocated with the pivot zone. ShEn was negatively associated with distance from the pivot zone in simulated spiral waves, rats, and sheep. ShEn was modestly inversely associated with complex fractionated electrogram; however, there was no relationship at the sites of highest ShEn.

Conclusions—

ShEn is a mechanistically based tool that may assist AF rotor mapping.
Joint Associations of 61 Genetic Variants in the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Genes with Subclinical Atherosclerosis in American Indians
Authors: Yang Jingyun , Zhu Yun , Lee Elisa T. , Zhang Ying , Cole Shelley A. , Haack Karin , Best Lyle G. , Devereux Richard B. , Roman Mary J. , Howard Barbara V. , Zhao Jinying
Published: December 2012

Background—

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in all American populations, including American Indians. Genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Although a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may explain only a small portion of variability in disease, the joint effect of multiple variants in a pathway on disease susceptibility could be large.

Methods and Results—

Using a gene-family analysis, we investigated the joint associations of 61 tag SNPs in 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes with subclinical atherosclerosis, as measured by carotid intima-media thickness and plaque score, in 3665 American Indians from 94 families recruited by the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS). Although multiple SNPs showed marginal association with intima-media thickness and plaque score individually, only a few survived adjustments for multiple testing. However, simultaneously modeling of the joint effect of all 61 SNPs in 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes revealed significant association of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family with both intima-media thickness and plaque score independent of known coronary risk factors.

Conclusions—

Genetic variants in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family jointly contribute to subclinical atherosclerosis in American Indians who participated in the SHFS. These variants may influence the susceptibility of atherosclerosis through pathways other than cigarette smoking per se.
The Epigrams of Gregory of Nazianzus Against Tomb Desecrators and Their Epigraphic Background
Authors: Floridi Lucia
Published: December 2012

Abstract

In what follows I shall analyse funerary epigrams in which the wayfarer is invited to abstain from violating the tomb. I will deal first with inscriptional epigrams, in order to survey motifs and language of the so called arai epitymbioi. I will then analyse the same theme in literary poems, focussing in particular on Gregory of Nazianzus’ treatment of the topos, in order to illuminate the differences and especially the similarities between the use of this motif in both inscriptional and literary epigrams. I will try to argue that Gregory consciously plays not only with the Greek literary tradition—which is hardly surprising, considering what a cultivated poet he was—but also that he is well acquainted with epigraphic habits, images, and language. He adapts them, and introduces original twists, which are not purely ornamental, but which help to convey new meanings: in particular, the poet puts his versificatory competence to use in a social and moral cause, in a time and in a geographical area in which the desecration of tombs was felt as a matter of topical interest, as is shown by the many preserved arai epitymbioi of the Imperial period coming from the Near East.
Sprechen und Verstehen bei Heraklit und Parmenides
Authors: Gianvittorio Laura
Published: December 2012

Abstract

Many scholars explain the epistemological value of Heraclitus’ λόγος by interpreting it as a rational or mathematical pattern, whose translations refer to the related semantic fields: e.g. ‘law of thinking’, ‘proportion’, ‘formula of things’. Such meanings are not safely documented earlier than the philosophical language of the fourth century BC. From Homer until the end of the sixth century BC, λέγειν means basically ‘to collect’ and ‘to tell’, λόγος means ‘collection’ and much more often ‘speech’, whereas ‘speech’ itself represents a ‘collection of utterances (ἔπεα, µῦθοι)’.

Maybe our common sense suggests that no speaking activity can affect the human understanding as Heraclitus’ λόγος does. However, another archaic thinker, Parmenides, argues that ‘names’ and ‘naming’ mislead the opinions of human beings concerning natural phenomena. Furthermore, Heraclitus’ epistemology conforms to the Grundbedeutung of λόγος as ‘collection of utterances’ and consists in ‘listening’ (ἀκούειν) and ‘putting together’ (ξυνιέναι), even grasping the secret ‘joint’ (ἁρµονίη) of things. That is why I suggest to interpret λόγος according to the archaic, not philosophical meaning of the word, i.e. as ‘speech’.
Provincial Life with Animals
Authors: Donovan Josephine
Published: December 2012

Abstract

The relationship of peasants and villagers with their animals in the premodern era is a missing chapter in the history of human-animal relations. Works on peasant culture ignore animals, and works on animals neglect their place in rural lives. This article, based on the depiction of premodern peasant and village life in hundreds of local-color novels and stories of the early nineteenth century, begins to fill in this gap in animal studies scholarship. It reveals that many of the defining boundaries between humans and animals introduced in the ideologies of modernity are fuzzy, fluid, or indeed nonexistent in premodernity, where animals are seen as subjects, companions, and, often, parts of the family.
Notes for a Metamorphosis
Authors: Giannetto Enrico R. A.
Published: December 2012

Abstract

A new critical perspective is proposed regarding the ways in which human life is based on anthropocentrism and speciesism. Criticism of human violence and dominion over other living beings is presented, starting from personal experience and moving into an analysis of the ideological subtratum of human culture, taking into consideration philosophy, science, and religion. An assessment of the antispeciesist position of primitive Christianity is briefly discussed.
Large Increasing Trend of Tropical Cyclone Rainfall in Taiwan and the Roles of Terrain
Authors: Chang Chih-Pei , Yang Yi-Ting , Kuo Hung-Chi
Published: December 2012

Taiwan, which is in the middle of one of the most active of the western North Pacific Ocean’s tropical cyclone (TC) zones, experienced a dramatic increase in typhoon-related rainfall in the beginning of the twenty-first century. This record-breaking increase has led to suggestions that it is the manifestation of the effects of global warming. With rainfall significantly influenced by its steep terrain, Taiwan offers a natural laboratory to study the role that terrain effects may play in the climate change of TC rainfall. Here, it is shown that most of the recently observed large increases in typhoon-related rainfall are the result of slow-moving TCs and the location of their tracks relative to the meso-α-scale terrain. In addition, stronger interaction between the typhoon circulation and southwest monsoon wind surges after the typhoon center moves into the Taiwan Strait may cause a long-term trend of increasing typhoon rainfall intensity, which is not observed before the typhoon center exits Taiwan. The variation in the location of the track cannot be related to the effects of global warming on western North Pacific TC tracks reported in the literature. The weaker steering flow and the stronger monsoon–TC interaction are consistent with the recently discovered multidecadal trend of intensifying subtropical monsoon and tropical circulations, which is contrary to some theoretical and model projections of global warming. There is also no evidence of a positive feedback between global warming–related water vapor supply and TC intensity, as the number of strong landfalling TCs has decreased significantly since 1960 and the recent heavy rainfall typhoons are all of weak-to-medium intensity.
Consistent Differences in Climate Feedbacks between Atmosphere–Ocean GCMs and Atmospheric GCMs with Slab-Ocean Models*
Authors: Shell Karen M.
Published: December 2012

Climate sensitivity is generally studied using two types of models. Atmosphere–ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) include interactive ocean dynamics and detailed heat uptake. Atmospheric GCMs (AGCMs) with slab ocean models (SOMs) cannot fully simulate the ocean’s response to and influence on climate. However, AGCMs are computationally cheaper and thus are often used to quantify and understand climate feedbacks and sensitivity. Here, physical climate feedbacks are compared between AOGCMs and SOM-AGCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) using the radiative kernel technique. Both the global-average (positive) water vapor and (negative) lapse-rate feedbacks are consistently stronger in AOGCMs. Water vapor feedback differences result from an essentially constant relative humidity and peak in the tropics, where temperature changes are larger for AOGCMs. Differences in lapse-rate feedbacks extend to midlatitudes and correspond to a larger ratio of tropical- to global-average temperature changes. Global-average surface albedo feedbacks are similar between models types because of a near cancellation of Arctic and Antarctic differences. In AOGCMs, the northern high latitudes warm faster than the southern latitudes, resulting in interhemispheric differences in albedo, water vapor, and lapse-rate feedbacks lacking in the SOM-AGCMs. Meridional heat transport changes also depend on the model type, although there is a large intermodel spread. However, there are no consistent global or zonal differences in cloud feedbacks. Effects of the forcing scenario [Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1B (SRESa1b) or the 1% CO2 increase per year to doubling (1%to2x) experiments] on feedbacks are model dependent and generally of lesser importance than the model type. Care should be taken when using SOM-AGCMs to understand AOGCM feedback behavior.
A Reconsideration of the Fatherhood Premium
Authors: Killewald Alexandra
Published: December 2012

Past research that asserts a fatherhood wage premium often ignores the heterogeneity of fathering contexts. I expect fatherhood to produce wage gains for men if it prompts them to alter their behavior in ways that increase labor-market productivity. Identity theory predicts a larger productivity-based fatherhood premium when ties of biology, coresidence with the child, and marriage to the child’s mother reinforce one another, making fatherhood, and the role of financial provider in particular, salient, high in commitment, and clear. Employer discrimination against fathers in less normative family structures may also contribute to variation in the fatherhood premium. Using fixed-effects models and data from the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79), I find that married, residential, biological fatherhood is associated with wage gains of about 4 percent, but unmarried residential fathers, nonresidential fathers, and stepfathers do not receive a fatherhood premium. Married residential fathers also receive no statistically significant wage premium when their wives work full-time. About 15 percent of the wage premium for married residential fathers can be explained by changes in human capital and job traits.
Unpolicing the Urban Poor
Authors: Desmond Matthew , Valdez Nicol
Published: December 2012

Recent decades have witnessed a double movement within the field of crime control characterized by the prison boom and intensive policing, on the one hand, and widespread implementation of new approaches that assign policing responsibilities to non-police actors, on the other. The latter development has been accomplished by expansion of third-party policing policies; nuisance property ordinances, which sanction landlords for their tenants’ behavior, are among the most popular. This study, an analysis of every nuisance citation distributed in Milwaukee over a two-year period, is among the first to evaluate empirically the impact of coercive third-party policing on the urban poor. Properties in black neighborhoods disproportionately received citations, and those located in more integrated black neighborhoods had the highest likelihood of being deemed nuisances. Nearly a third of all citations were generated by domestic violence; most property owners abated this “nuisance” by evicting battered women. Landlords also took steps to discourage tenants from calling 911; overrepresented among callers, women were disproportionately affected by these measures. By looking beyond traditional policing, this study reveals previously unforeseen consequences of new crime control strategies for women from inner-city neighborhoods.
What is to be done? Marx and Mackinder in Minsk
Authors: Klinke Ian
Published: December 2012

This article is prompted by recent calls for a ‘Marxist geopolitics’. By exploring the case of contemporary Belarus, it argues that a Marxist geopolitics already (or rather still) exists in the world beyond the academic ivory tower. A dissection of foreign political discourse surrounding President Alexander Lukashenka over the last decade exposes two narratives that draw extensively from the repertoire of Soviet geopolitics. Whilst the first Marxist–Leninist storyline revives the early USSR’s geopolitical position as a young state in the midst of a dystopian Western capitalism, the second one is familiar from the dying days of the Soviet empire and tells the story of a state that lies at the centre of a utopian common European house. The conclusion assesses the neo-Marxist concept of the ‘anti-geopolitical’, but finds it to have difficulties in accounting for the struggle of the Belarusian opposition.
Frequency Characteristics of Visually Induced Motion Sickness
Authors: Diels Cyriel , Howarth Peter A.
Published: December 2012

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore the frequency response of visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) for oscillating linear motion in the fore-and-aft axis.

Background:

Simulators, virtual environments, and commercially available video games that create an illusion of self-motion are often reported to induce the symptoms seen in response to true motion. Often this human response can be the limiting factor in the acceptability and usability of such systems. Whereas motion sickness in physically moving environments is known to peak at an oscillation frequency around 0.2 Hz, it has recently been suggested that VIMS peaks at around 0.06 Hz following the proposal that the summed response of the visual and vestibular self-motion systems is maximized at this frequency.

Methods:

We exposed 24 participants to random dot optical flow patterns simulating oscillating fore-and-aft motion within the frequency range of 0.025 to 1.6 Hz. Before and after each 20-min exposure, VIMS was assessed with the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire. Also, a standard motion sickness scale was used to rate symptoms at 1-min intervals during each trial.

Results:

VIMS peaked between 0.2 and 0.4 Hz with a reducing effect at lower and higher frequencies.

Conclusion:

The numerical prediction of the “crossover frequency” hypothesis, and the design guidance curve previously proposed, cannot be accepted when the symptoms are purely visually induced.

Application:

In conditions in which stationary observers are exposed to optical flow that simulates oscillating fore-and-aft motion, frequencies around 0.2 to 0.4 Hz should be avoided.
Study of mechanical properties of a composite-based plant fibre of the palm and thermoplastic matrices (PP)
Authors: Mahmoudi Noureddine , Hebbar Nabil
Published: December 2012

The use of natural fibres in the development of composite materials is a sector in full expansion. These fibres were used for their low cost, availability and renewable character. The fibres of the palm (palm tree) were used as reinforcement in polypropylene. The date palm fibres have some potential because of their ecological and economic interest. Both unmodified and compatibilised fibres are used. Compatibilisation was carried out with the use of maleic anhydride copolymers. The morphology and mechanical properties were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and tensile tests. The influence of fibre content on mechanical properties of composite polypropylene/date palm has been evaluated and demonstrated that the maximum stress and elongation decreases with increasing fibre content, on the contrary, they notice an increase of the tensile modulus, but after the improvement of fibres, the maximum stress increase significantly up to 25% weight.
Acculturation of Personality
Authors: Güngör Derya , Bornstein Marc H. , De Leersnyder Jozefien , Cote Linda , Ceulemans Eva , Mesquita Batja
Published: December 2012

The present study tests the hypothesis that involvement with a new culture instigates changes in personality of immigrants that result in (a) better fit with the norms of the culture of destination and (b) reduced fit with the norms of the culture of origin. Participants were 40 Japanese first-generation immigrants to the United States, 57 Japanese monoculturals, and 60 U.S. monoculturals. All participants completed the Jackson Personality Inventory as a measure of the Big Five; immigrants completed the Japanese American Acculturation Scale. Immigrants’ fits with the cultures of destination and origin were calculated by correlating Japanese American mothers’ patterns of ratings on the Big Five with the average patterns of ratings of European Americans and Japanese on the same personality dimensions. Japanese Americans became more “American” and less “Japanese” in their personality as they reported higher participation in the U.S. culture. The results support the view that personality can be subject to cultural influence.
Time Estimation Deficits in Childhood Mathematics Difficulties
Authors: Hurks Petra P. M. , van Loosbroek Erik
Published: December 2012

Time perception has not been comprehensively examined in mathematics difficulties (MD). Therefore, verbal time estimation, production, and reproduction were tested in 13 individuals with MD and 16 healthy controls, matched for age, sex, and intellectual skills. Individuals with MD performed comparably to controls in time reproduction, but showed a tendency to be less accurate on tasks of verbal time estimation and time production. More specifically, these individuals overestimated the duration of a time interval in the verbal time estimation task and showed underproduction when required to produce a time sample. All previous significant comparisons remained significant after controlling for the effects of interval duration, working memory, attention allocation, and quantity estimation. These findings lead us to suggest that time estimation, and more specifically the “internal clock,” is abnormally fast in individuals with MD. Results are discussed in terms of Meck and Church’s model of temporal processing and Dehaene’s triple code model for number processing.
It Depends
Authors: Petrill Stephen A. , Logan Jessica A. R. , Sawyer Brook E. , Justice Laura M.
Published: December 2012

The current study examined the association between frequency of storybook reading and emergent literacy in 212 children at risk for language impairment, assessed during the fall semester of kindergarten. Measures included parent-reported storybook reading, as well as direct assessments of print knowledge, letter awareness, and expressive vocabulary. Results suggested nonsignificant to moderate ( r = .11 to .25) correlations between frequency of storybook reading and child emergent literacy across the entire range of environment and ability. Quantile regression results suggested that the association was highest at low frequency of storybook reading, particularly for print knowledge, approaching r = .50. Moreover, the association between frequency of storybook reading and emergent literacy was highest at higher levels of emergent literacy for print knowledge, but particularly for letter naming, approaching r = .80. These results suggest that in children with language difficulties, the relationship between aspects of the home environment and emergent literacy is conditional on the quality of the home environment as well as the child’s proficiency in emergent literacy skills.
How the Federal Government Zoned America
Authors: Whittemore Andrew H.
Published: December 2012

Zoning has had an unmistakable impact on the American built environment. It is very significant then that federal policy has had an impact on zoning. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has been a significant instrument for this policy. It has biased zoning toward the production of suburban development, an urban form marked by sprawling forms and the strict segregation of uses. While the FHA’s impact on racial segregation and the marketplace have been well researched, the FHA’s impact on zoning, and therefore on the vital components of urban form including the arrangement of uses and densities, has not been. Using a case study of the Los Angeles experience, this paper argues that the FHA, by offering a financing option for products much in demand, persuaded cities to adjust their zoning according to federal standards. The FHA provided a convincing case that zoning for lower-density residential uses and preserving them was the best way to accommodate the huge market of hopeful homeowners eager to acquire FHA-backed mortgages.
Information in social practice: A practice approach to understanding information activities in personal photography
Authors: Cox Andrew M.
Published: December 2012

This theoretical paper explores the implications of adopting a practice approach in information science, proposing ‘information in social practice’ as an umbrella term in preference to ‘information behaviour’ or ‘information practice’. The paper explores one influential definition of practice and how four forms of personal photography would be understood within it. It shows that social practices often involve information activities such as seeking or managing information, although they are not the end of the practice. Information activities differ markedly between apparently similar practices; indeed conceptions of what information is are shaped by particular practices. This justifies examining information at the practice level. The focus in the practice approach on social convention and identity, materiality and embodiment, routine and change may also change how we look at information.
Geographical analysis of the vernacular
Authors: Holliday John , Upton Clive , Thompson Ann , Robinson Jonathan , Herring Jon , Gilbert Holly , Norman Paul
Published: December 2012

The BBC Voices project of 2005 resulted in a large repository of lexical, phonological and grammatical data from the UK, which included geographical references. In order to investigate the relationship between language and geography, various clustering algorithms have been applied to the BBC Voices data. Results show a clear spatial relationship, with well-defined, contiguous regions of UK language being identified. In order to prove the clustering methodology, Bayesian models have been generated for each region, and these have been tested using a set of non-standard expressions contributed by a small number of participants. Results of this second stage indicate that the models are, in most cases, able to identify the geographical region of each test participant based on the linguistic items they use.
A Middle School’s Response-to-Intervention Journey
Authors: Dulaney Shannon K.
Published: December 2012

This article discusses a qualitative case study examining one middle school’s response to intervention (RtI) efforts. Study participants included the principal, assistant principal, and members of the school’s leadership team. A description of the RtI consensus and infrastructure-building processes, consideration of the RtI facilitators, and a review of the accomplishments and barriers to implementation they encountered are provided.
Does Sinusitis Play a Pathogenic Role in Primary Acquired Obstructive Disease of the Lachrymal System?
Authors: Borges Dinis Paulo , Oliveira Matos Teresa , Ângelo Pedro
Published: December 2012

Objectives

To investigate the etiopathogenic role of sinus inflammatory disease in primary acquired dacryocystitis and other chronic obstructive diseases of the lachrymal drainage system.

Study Design

Noninterventional controlled study.

Setting

Tertiary care center.

Subjects and Methods

Sixty consecutive patients with primary acquired dacryocystitis and other chronic obstructive diseases of the lachrymal drainage system, selected for endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and who had been ordered a preoperative sinus CT scan, had their sinus scans assessed for inflammatory naso‐sinusal disease extension, using the modified Lund‐Mackay system. A control group of 40 subjects was simultaneously enrolled, as a way to assess the prevalence of sinus disease in the general population.

Results

Chronic inflammatory sinus disease was found to be no more frequent or more extensive in DCR patients than in controls.

Conclusion

Chronic sinusitis alone does not seem to be a causative factor to primary acquired chronic obstructive diseases of the lachrymal drainage system.
Use of BPPV Processes in Emergency Department Dizziness Presentations
Authors: Kerber Kevin A. , Burke James F. , Skolarus Lesli E. , Meurer William J. , Callaghan Brian C. , Brown Devin L. , Lisabeth Lynda D. , McLaughlin Thomas J. , Fendrick A. Mark , Morgenstern Lewis B.
Published: December 2012

Objective

A common cause of dizziness, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), is effectively diagnosed and cured with the Dix‐Hallpike test (DHT) and the canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM). We aimed to describe the use of these processes in emergency departments (EDs), assess for trends in use over time, and determine provider level variability in use.

Study Design

Prospective population‐based surveillance study.

Setting

Emergency departments in Nueces County, Texas, from January 15, 2008, to January 14, 2011.

Subjects and Methods

Adult patients discharged from EDs with dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance documented at triage. Clinical information was abstracted from source documents. A hierarchical logistic regression model adjusting for patient and provider characteristics was used to estimate trends in DHT use and provider‐level variability.

Results

A total of 3522 visits for dizziness were identified. A DHT was documented in 137 visits (3.9%). A CRM was documented in 8 visits (0.2%). Among patients diagnosed with BPPV, a DHT was documented in only 21.8% (34 of 156) and a CRM in 3.9% (6 of 156). In the hierarchical model (c‐statistic = 0.93), DHT was less likely to be used over time (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.95‐0.99), and the provider level explained 50% (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.50) of the variance in the probability of DHT use.

Conclusion

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is seldom examined for and, when diagnosed, infrequently treated in this ED population. Use of the DHT is decreasing over time and varies substantially by provider. Implementation research focused on BPPV care may be an opportunity to optimize management in ED dizziness presentations.
Friends or lovers? Person- and variable-oriented perspectives on dyadic similarity in adolescent romantic relationships
Authors: Seiffge-Krenke Inge , Burk William J.
Published: December 2012

Variable- and person-oriented approaches were used to examine the affiliative and romantic experiences of adolescents in heterosexual romantic relationships and its associations with relationship conflict and jealousy on a sample of 194 romantic partner dyads. Variable-oriented findings indicated that affiliative experiences were associated with fewer and more constructively resolved conflicts, whereas romantic experiences were associated with more jealousy. Person-oriented analyses identified six distinct types of romantic relationships: four characterized by congruent perceptions and two characterized by incongruent perceptions. Adolescents in the consummate group (both partners reporting high levels of affiliation and romance) had the fewest but most constructively resolved conflicts. The discussion focuses on the developmental significance of dyadic similarity and the early developmental roots of diversity in romantic relationships.
Innovating not-for-profit social ventures: Exploring the microfoundations of internal and external absorptive capacity routines
Authors: Chalmers Dominic M. , Balan-Vnuk Eva
Published: December 2012

Research into the phenomenon of social innovation has long focused on what it is and why people become engaged in this form of behaviour. However, another piece of the theoretical jigsaw requires understanding how this type of innovation is enacted by organisations. This article looks at the means by which not-for-profit ventures pursuing socially innovative activities develop the necessary capabilities to innovate. The multidimensional theoretical construct of absorptive capacity and the evolutionary economics concept of organisational routines are used to analyse 14 case studies of innovative not-for-profit ventures in Australia and the UK. The results show that these organisations have a unique mediating function in the social innovation process by configuring internal and external absorptive capacity routines to combine user and technological knowledge flows. The article concludes by proposing some research directions for those taking forward the study of social innovation.
Shifting sands: Regional perspectives on the role of social capital in supporting open innovation through knowledge transfer and exchange with small and medium-sized enterprises
Authors: Padilla-Meléndez Antonio , Del Aguila-Obra Ana R. , Lockett Nigel
Published: December 2012

This article explores the role of social capital in enabling knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) between higher education institutions (HEIs) and spin-off (academic and non-academic) small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of open innovation, in order to convert knowledge into innovation within regional innovation systems. It presents the findings from 18 in-depth interviews with related stakeholders, and social network analysis of relationships in an exemplar technology park in Andalucía, southern Spain. The main findings suggest that there are many challenges to achieving successful KTE in regional innovation systems: recognition, intellectual property contracts and timescales. Similarly, there are opportunities related to intermediaries, joint teams and market impact. Significantly, the study highlights the importance of both formal and informal relationships as enablers of successful KTE involving HEIs and spin-off small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of open innovation.
Skipping current affairs: The non-users of online and offline news
Authors: Trilling Damian , Schoenbach Klaus
Published: December 2012

In an information-rich environment with ample choice, do citizens still get exposed to what is going on around them in society? Or do they become ‘information hermits’, only interested in their personal hobbies? In contrast to widespread fears, the results of a large-scale survey, representative for the population of the Netherlands, suggest that most citizens still get an overview of what is going on in the world, and that television news is still the most popular source for that information. In addition, news on the Internet reaches those who are unlikely to seek news offline and wish to be entertained instead of informed. In detail, the study examines (1) which factors influence total news-overview avoidance, but also (2) what determines the amount of news exposure for those who do not skip the news.