bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial miRNA Determines Chemoresistance by Reprogramming Metabolism and Regulating Mitochondrial Transcription
Authors: Fan Song , Tian Tian , Chen Weixiong , Lv Xiaobin , Lei Xinyuan , Zhang Hanqing , Sun Sheng , Cai Lei , Pan Guokai , He Lile , Ou Zhanpeng , Lin Xinyu , Wang Xinhui , Perez Matthew Francis , Tu Zhiming , Ferrone Soldano , Tannous Bakhos A. , Li Jinsong
Published: January 2019

miRNAs that translocate from the nucleus to mitochondria are referred to as mitochondrial microRNAs (mitomiR). mitomiRs have been shown to modulate the translational activity of the mitochondrial genome, yet their role in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription remains to be determined. Here we report that the mitomiR-2392 regulates chemoresistance in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) cells by reprogramming metabolism via downregulation of oxidative phosphorylation and upregulation of glycolysis. These effects were mediated through partial inhibition of mtDNA transcription by mitomiR-2392 rather than through translational regulation. This repression required specific miRNA–mtDNA base pairing and Argonaute 2. mitomiR-2392 recognized target sequences in the H-strand and partially inhibited polycistronic mtDNA transcription in a cell-specific manner. A retrospective analysis of TSCC patient tumors revealed a significant association of miR-2392 and regulated mitochondrial gene expression with chemosensitivity and overall survival. The clinical relevance of targeted mitochondrial genes was consistently validated by The Cancer Genome Atlas RNA sequencing in multiple types of cancer. Our study revealed for the first time the role of mitomiR in mtDNA transcription and its contribution to the molecular basis of tumor cell metabolism and chemoresistance.

Significance: These findings uncover a novel mechanism by which mitomiRNA regulates mitochondrial transcription and provide rationale for use of mitomiRNA and mtDNA-encoded genes to predict chemosensitivity and patient clinical prognosis.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-induced Reinvigoration of Tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T Cells is Determined by Their Differentiation Status in Glioblastoma
Authors: Park Junsik , Kwon Minsuk , Kim Kyung Hwan , Kim Tae-Shin , Hong Seon-Hui , Kim Chang Gon , Kang Seok-Gu , Moon Ju Hyung , Kim Eui Hyun , Park Su-Hyung , Chang Jong Hee , Shin Eui-Cheol
Published: January 2019

Purpose:

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are used for the treatment of various cancers, but clinical trials of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) with patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) have failed to show clinical benefits. In this study, we examined the differentiation status of CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from patients with primary GBM and their reinvigoration by ICIs to understand the nature of T-cell exhaustion in GBM.

Experimental Design:

We isolated TILs from 98 patients with newly diagnosed GBM and examined the expression of immune checkpoint receptors and T-cell transcription factors using flow cytometry. TILs were ex vivo stimulated with anti-CD3 in the presence of anti-PD-1 and/or anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and their proliferation assessed.

Results:

CD8+ TILs had significantly increased expression of immune checkpoint receptors, including PD-1 and CTLA-4, compared with peripheral blood CD8+ T cells. Among CD8+ TILs, PD-1+ cells exhibited more terminally differentiated phenotypes (i.e., EomeshiT-betlo) than PD-1− cells. These data were confirmed by analyzing NY-ESO-1157–specific CD8+ TILs. Evaluating the proliferation of CD8+ TILs after ex vivo stimulation with anti-CD3 and anti-PD-1, we found that proliferation inversely correlated with the percentage of EomeshiT-betlo cells among PD-1+CD8+ TILs. When anti-CTLA-4 was used in combination with anti-PD-1, an additional increase in CD8+ TIL proliferation was observed in patients with low percentages of EomeshiT-betlo CD8+ TILs, who responded well to anti-PD-1 in ex vivo assays, but not in patients with high percentages of EomeshiT-betlo CD8+ TILs, who did not respond to anti-PD-1.

Conclusions:

In primary GBM, the differentiation status of CD8+ TILs determines their reinvigoration ability upon ICI treatment.
PVRIG and PVRL2 Are Induced in Cancer and Inhibit CD8+ T-cell Function
Authors: Whelan Sarah , Ophir Eran , Kotturi Maya F. , Levy Ofer , Ganguly Sudipto , Leung Ling , Vaknin Ilan , Kumar Sandeep , Dassa Liat , Hansen Kyle , Bernados David , Murter Benjamin , Soni Abha , Taube Janis M. , Fader Amanda Nickles , Wang Tian-Li , Shih Ie-Ming , White Mark , Pardoll Drew M. , Liang Spencer C.
Published: January 2019

Although checkpoint inhibitors that block CTLA-4 and PD-1 have improved cancer immunotherapies, targeting additional checkpoint receptors may be required to broaden patient response to immunotherapy. PVRIG is a coinhibitory receptor of the DNAM/TIGIT/CD96 nectin family that binds to PVRL2. We report that antagonism of PVRIG and TIGIT, but not CD96, increased CD8+ T-cell cytokine production and cytotoxic activity. The inhibitory effect of PVRL2 was mediated by PVRIG and not TIGIT, demonstrating that the PVRIG–PVRL2 pathway is a nonredundant signaling node. A combination of PVRIG blockade with TIGIT or PD-1 blockade further increased T-cell activation. In human tumors, PVRIG expression on T cells was increased relative to normal tissue and trended with TIGIT and PD-1 expression. Tumor cells coexpressing PVR and PVRL2 were observed in multiple tumor types, with highest coexpression in endometrial cancers. Tumor cells expressing either PVR or PVRL2 were also present in numbers that varied with the cancer type, with ovarian cancers having the highest percentage of PVR−PVRL2+ tumor cells and colorectal cancers having the highest percentage of PVR+PVRL2− cells. To demonstrate a role of PVRIG and TIGIT on tumor-derived T cells, we examined the effect of PVRIG and TIGIT blockade on human tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. For some donors, blockade of PVRIG increased T-cell function, an effect enhanced by combination with TIGIT or PD-1 blockade. In summary, we demonstrate that PVRIG and PVRL2 are expressed in human cancers and the PVRIG–PVRL2 and TIGIT–PVR pathways are nonredundant inhibitory signaling pathways.

See related article on p. 244
Fetoscopic versus Ultrasound-Guided Intravascular Delivery of Maternal Bone Marrow Cells in Fetal Macaques: A Technical Model for Intrauterine Haemopoietic Cell Transplantation
Authors: Mattar Citra N.Z. , Tan Yi-Wan , Johana Nuryanti , Biswas Arijit , Tan Lay-Geok , Choolani Mahesh , Bakkour Sonia , Johnson Mark , Chan Jerry K.Y. , Flake Alan W.
Published: January 2019

Introduction: Significant limitations with existing treatments for major haemoglobinopathies motivate the development of effective intrauterine therapy. We assessed the feasibility of fetoscopic and ultrasound-guided intrauterine haemopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) in macaque fetuses in early gestation when haemopoietic and immunological ontogeny is anticipated to enable long-term donor cell engraftment. Material and Methods: Fluorescent-labelled bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells from 10 pregnant Macaca fascicularis were injected into their fetuses at E71–114 (18.9–170.0E+6 cells/fetus) by fetoscopic intravenous (n = 7) or ultrasound (US)-guided intracardiac injections, with sacrifice at 24 h to examine donor-cell distribution. Results: Operating times ranged from 35 to 118 min. Chorionic membrane tenting and intrachorionic haemorrhage were observed only with fetoscopy (n = 2). Labelled cells were stereoscopically visualised in lung, spleen, liver, and placenta. Donor-cell chimerism was highest in liver, spleen, and heart by flow cytometry, placenta by unique polymorphism qPCR, and was undetected in blood. Chimerism was 2–3 log-fold lower in individual organs by qPCR than by flow cytometry. Discussion: Both fetoscopic and US-guided IUHCT were technically feasible, but fetoscopy caused more intraoperative complications in our pilot series. The discrepancy in chimerism detection predicts the challenges in long-term surveillance of donor-cell chimerism. Further studies of long-term outcomes in the non-human primate are valuable for the development of clinical protocols for IUHCT.
Survival Impact of Optimal Surgical Cytoreduction in Recurrent Epithelial Ovarian Cancer with Brain Metastasis
Authors: Keskin Serkan , Küçücük Seden , Ak Naziye , Atalar Banu , Sarı Murat , Sozen Hamdullah , Ibis Kamuran , Topuz Samet , Saip Pınar
Published: January 2019

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the clinicopathological characteristics, treatment details and outcome of patients with brain metastasis from epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). Methods: This study included 21 patients diagnosed with brain metastasis from EOC between 1999 and 2009. Results: Median age was 61 years (range 38-77). The median time elapsed from EOC diagnosis to brain metastasis detection was 32 months. Single brain metastases were found in 10 (48%) cases, and there was extra-cranial disease in 11 (52%) cases. During the mean 86 months of follow-up, 18 of the patients (86%) died of the disease and 3 (14%) were alive with disease. The median survival time after the initial diagnosis of brain metastasis was 9 months. The median overall survival (OS) from initial diagnosis of EOC was 50 months. In univariate analysis, prolonged time from initial diagnosis to central nervous system metastasis (more than 32 months) (p = 0.001), treatment with radiotherapy (p < 0.001), optimal cytoreductive operation (p = 0.02) were all positively correlated with OS. Conclusion: The prognosis of patients with brain metastasis from EOC is still poor. The significant predictors of survival in our series were whole brain radiotherapy, prolonged elapsed time from initial diagnosis to brain metastasis and optimal cytoreductive surgery.
Herpesviridae Seropositivity in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: First Polish Study
Authors: Czarnowska Agata , Kapica-Topczewska Katarzyna , Zajkowska Olga , Świerzbińska Renata , Chorąży Monika , Tarasiuk Joanna , Zajkowska Joanna , Kochanowicz Jan , Kułakowska Alina
Published: January 2019

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that leads to inflammation, demyelination and neurodegeneration. Viral aetiology has been suspected to be an MS trigger for a long time, and herpesviruses (HSs) are among the potential pathogens involved. Objectives: The present investigation aims to detect the presence of antibodies against the herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV6) in the serum of MS patients and control individuals in north-eastern Poland. Method: Plasma was collected from 141 MS patients and 44 blood donors who served as the control group. These individuals were assessed for the presence of antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The statistical analysis showed a higher probability of EBV (p = 0.037, OR 4.359) and HHV6 (p = 0.020, OR 3.343) antibody presence in patients with MS compared to that in the control group. In the MS patient group, the prevalence of CMV IgG antibodies was significantly higher in females (p = 0.025). Patients who tested positive for anti-EBV IgG were diagnosed 7.9 years earlier than patients who tested negative for anti-EBV IgG (p = 0.048). Conclusions: The study showed that MS patients in north-eastern Poland were more likely to be seropositive for EBV and HHV6 than healthy individuals. Further work should be undertaken in other regions of Poland and other European countries with particular attention paid to testing seropositivity in all HSs, particularly in the MS patient population, to evaluate the impact of HSs on MS patients in different environments.
Avaliação e percepção do usuário em relação ao conforto térmico e qualidade do ar em varandas com fechamento em vidros móveis situadas em uma região urbana industrializada
Authors: Pagel Erica Coelho , Alvarez Cristina Engel de , Reis Júnior Neyval Costa
Published: January 2019

Atualmente uma ação muito comum nas grandes metrópoles é o fechamento com vidros móveis das aberturas das varandas residenciais. Na cidade de Vitória, ES, é constante a reclamação dos moradores acerca da presença do pó preto em suas residências. O incômodo ocasionado pela presença desse material particulado é o principal motivador da prática do fechamento das varandas na região. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar a qualidade ambiental e a percepção do morador capixaba - em relação ao conforto térmico e a qualidade do ar, residente em apartamentos com e sem fechamento em vidros móveis nas aberturas de suas varandas. A partir da definição de critérios e da posterior escolha de um condomínio residencial estrategicamente localizado, a metodologia utilizada foi estabelecida considerando duas principais fontes de obtenção de dados e informações: os usuários, através da aplicação de questionários; e de medições em campo de temperatura do ar, umidade relativa do ar e concentração de material particulado. Os resultados mostram que a concentração média diária de partículas foi maior na situação da varanda com os vidros móveis fechados do que na condição aberta. Além disso, o uso dos vidros móveis das varandas a maior parte do tempo fechados ocasiona um aumento de temperatura do ar no ambiente e desconforto térmico, o que faz com que alguns moradores recorram ao uso do ar condicionado corrompendo o propósito original da varanda em climas quentes e úmidos, que é de trazer sombreamento e ventilação natural aos espaços interiores.
How not to delimit taxa: a critique on a recently proposed “pragmatic classification” of jumping spiders (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae)
Authors: KROPF CHRISTIAN , BLICK THEO , BRESCOVIT ANTONIO D. , CHATZAKI MARIA , DUPÉRRÉ NADINE , GLOOR DANIEL , HADDAD CHARLES R. , HARVEY MARK S. , JÄGER PETER , MARUSIK YURI M. , ONO HIROTSUGU , RHEIMS CRISTINA A. , NENTWIG WOLFGANG
Published: January 2019

Modern taxonomy and systematics profit from an invaluable tool that has been developed in the course of more than a century by intense discussions and negotiations of generations of zoologists and palaeontologists: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999, 2012). The main goal of the Code is “to promote stability and universality in the scientific names of animals and to ensure that the name of each taxon is unique and distinct” (Melville 1995, ICZN 1999: 2). The provisions of the Code are generally accepted and thoroughly applied by the scientific community. Exceptions, such as the one described below, are very rare.
The first species of Siamites Franz (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae) in East Malaysia
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: January 2019

The glandulariine genus Siamites is amongst the rarest Oriental ant-like stone beetles. To date, only three species have been known, distributed in Thailand and Vietnam. A new species, S. sarawakensis sp. n. is described here, based on a male specimen collected in Sarawak, East Malaysia. This finding extends the known range of Siamites over 1200 km southeastward.
Paracobitis abrishamchiani, a new crested loach from the southern Caspian Sea basin (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)
Authors: MOUSAVI-SABET HAMED , VATANDOUST SABER , GEIGER MATTHIAS F. , FREYHOF JÖRG
Published: January 2019

Paracobitis abrishamchiani, new species, is described from the southern Caspian Sea basin, where it is found in the Babol, Haraz, Siah, Tajan, Talar and Kashpal River drainages. It is distinguished from P. hircanica and P. atrakensis, the two other Paracobitis species known from the Caspian Sea basin, by having scales on the flank posterior to the dorsal-fin origin and from its congeners in the Middle East by the position of its dorsal-fin origin, having a roundish posterior narial opening, and a colour pattern consisting of many widely spaced brown spots and blotches. It is further characterized by six diagnostic nucleotide substitutions and a minimum K2P distance of 4.3% to P. persa and 4.6% to P. malapterura in the mtDNA COI barcode region.
Lepicerus larva still unknown: a correction (Coleoptera: Lepiceridae, Phalacridae)
Authors: LAWRENCE JOHN F. , ŚLIPIŃSKI ADAM , BEUTEL ROLF G. , NEWTON ALFRED F.
Published: January 2019

The larva of Lepicerus inaequalis Motschulsky was described by Lawrence et al. (2013) based on several early instars and one late instar collected among wet leaves and debris near Gamboa, Panama. The identification was based on collection of an adult Lepicerus in a similar habitat nearby and a combination of characters found in other myxophagan immatures but not known in other beetle larvae. We accepted this identification with some reservations, but a misinterpretation of one feature in the original description plus an unexpected new source of evidence makes it likely that our identification was incorrect. The one misinterpreted feature in this larva was the retraction of the ventral mouthparts. Reexamining the larvae, it was found that a pair of tendons extending mesally from the hypostomal rods were misinterpreted as maxillary bases. The mouthparts are definitely protracted, which is expected with long hypostomal rods. The new source of evidence is somewhat complicated, as explained below.
A new name for Stenus absconditus Tang & Hu, 2018 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)
Authors: HU CHENG-ZHI , TANG LIANG
Published: January 2019

Stenus absconditus Hu & Tang, 2018 was published in our recent paper, and latter Dr. Alfred Francis Newton kindly informed us that the name was preoccupied by Stenus absconditus Puthz 2017. After confirming the information, we propose a new replacement name for this species.
A national child mental health literacy initiative is needed to reduce childhood mental health disorders
Authors: Tully Lucy A , Hawes David J , Doyle Frances L , Sawyer Michael G , Dadds Mark R
Published: January 2019

Half of all lifetime mental health disorders emerge in childhood, so intervening in the childhood years is critical to prevent chronic trajectories of mental health disorders. The prevalence of child mental health disorders is not decreasing despite the increased availability of evidence-based interventions. One key reason for the high prevalence and low treatment uptake may be low levels of child mental health literacy in the general community. Mental health literacy refers to knowledge and beliefs about mental health disorders that aid in their recognition, prevention and management. There is emerging evidence of poor recognition of child mental health problems in the community and low levels of parental knowledge about how to seek help, along with high levels of stigmatising attitudes. Although Australia has been a world leader in research and practice in improving mental health literacy for adolescent and adult mental health disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, mental health literacy for childhood disorders has been largely overlooked. In order to improve knowledge of child mental health disorders, reduce stigma, improve appropriate help-seeking and impact on the prevalence of child mental health disorders, we argue that a national initiative focussing on increasing mental health literacy for childhood disorders is urgently needed.
Association of maternal prenatal acetaminophen use with the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring: A meta-analysis
Authors: Gou Xiaoyun , Wang Yan , Tang Ying , Qu Yi , Tang Jun , Shi Jing , Xiao Dongqiong , Mu Dezhi
Published: January 2019

Background:

Acetaminophen is a widely used medication for fever and pain management during pregnancy. However, recent studies have found a possible connection between maternal prenatal acetaminophen use and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

Objective:

We aimed to explore the association between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring.

Data sources:

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched from their initial publications through November 2018 for studies.

Study selection:

We included all studies that examined the association between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring if the authors reported odds ratios, risk ratios, hazard ratios, regression coefficient, standard error and 95% confidence intervals.

Data extraction and synthesis:

Two reviewers independently extracted data on the definition of exposure and outcome, exposed, non-exposed and total number of participants in the sample population, adjusted potential confounders and outcome parameters. Study quality was also assessed.

Results:

Eight cohort studies with a total of 244,940 participants were included. Maternal exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy increased the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring with a pooled adjusted risk ratio of 1.25 (95% confidence interval = [1.17, 1.34]). Children exposed prenatally to acetaminophen in the third trimester seemed to have the greatest risk of developing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (risk ratio: 1.26; 95% confidence interval = [1.08, 1.47]). In addition, a longer duration of maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy was correlated with a higher risk ratio. Children whose mothers used acetaminophen for 28 or more days during gestation had a higher risk of developing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (risk ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval = [1.23, 2.16]).

Conclusion:

There is an association between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring. The timing and duration of acetaminophen use during pregnancy may have a major effect on the risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Run Over by the Globe: Overcoming the Flat World and Reinventing the Educational Wheel in U.S. Urban Schools
Authors: Niazov Anya
Published: January 2019

Despite ongoing reform efforts, academic achievement in the U.S. educational system is declining both on internal measures as well as on international comparative assessments. While students from affluent backgrounds continue to do well academically, there is a growing achievement gap as underprivileged urban students fall further behind. This report builds on the work of scholars including Schultz, Tough, and Darling-Hammond and describes these challenges for our education system, and then demonstrates how some successful urban schools have been able to achieve progress despite great hurdles. Furthermore, this work looks abroad to examine how other countries are able to attain a higher level of achievement and do so equitably. The essay concludes by arguing that by looking to these examples, effective reforms can be designed to increase academic achievement and also promote equity.
Effects of Task-Induced Fatigue in Prolonged Conditional Automated Driving
Authors: Jarosch Oliver , Bellem Hanna , Bengler Klaus
Published: January 2019

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of task-induced fatigue in prolonged conditional automated driving on takeover performance.

Background:

In conditional automated driving, the driver can engage in non–driving related tasks (NDRTs) and does not have to monitor the system and the driving environment. In the event that the system hits its limits, the human driver must regain control of the car. To ensure safety, adequate driver fallback performance is necessary. Effects of the drivers’ state and the engagement in NDRTs need to be investigated.

Method:

Seventy-three participants experienced prolonged conditional automated rides and simultaneously had to engage in either an activating quiz or a fatiguing monitoring task (between subjects). After 50 minutes, a takeover situation occurred, and participants had to regain control of the car.

Results:

Prolonged conditional automated driving and simultaneously engaging in NDRTs affected the driver’s state and the takeover performance of the participants. Takeover performance was impaired when participants had to deal with monotonous NDRTs.

Conclusion:

An engagement in monotonous monitoring tasks in conditional automated driving affects the driver’s state and takeover performance when it comes to takeover situations. Especially in prolonged automated driving, an adequate driver state seems to be necessary for safety reasons.

Application:

The results of this study demonstrate that engagement in monotonous NDRTs while driving conditionally automated may negatively affect takeover performance. A monitoring of the driver state and adapted assistance in a takeover situation seems to be a good opportunity to ensure safety.
The economic power of women in early South Asian Buddhism
Authors: Milligan Matthew D.
Published: January 2019

This article serves as a contribution to the financial primacy of Buddhist women in early historic South Asia. Presented here is a single case study from the first century bce monastic stūpa site from Central India called Sanchi whereby gender demographics are analysed over two subsequent stages of funding. Investments by women not only fuelled the construction of the built landscape but, as time went on, female donors were crucial to the economic solvency of the monastic institution at Sanchi. Such a micro-history of Buddhist women from classical India illustrates the agency of women during Buddhism’s formative years.
Gendered lives in vernacular fiction: Redefining family in Hindi short stories of the early 1940s
Authors: Nijhawan Shobna
Published: January 2019

This article is embedded in discourses surrounding the new mobility of people as well as scientific, technological and socio-cultural changes in a late-colonial setting. It investigates how a number of prominent and less-known male authors from the centre and margins of the twentieth-century Hindi literary canon, including Rishabhcharan Jain, Shriyut ‘Arun’ and Durgadas Bhaskar, depict unconventional family constellations and human relationships that challenge normative conceptions of family, fatherhood, conjugality and blood bonds as well as gender roles and responsibilities. The short stories under investigation suggest that human relationships require constant negotiation and investigation of the meaning of kinship, caste, class and the human. In the process, we encounter adulterous husbands, strong wives and nurturing fathers’ life struggles and tribulations. These short stories centre on husband–wife, man–mistress, wife–mistress and father–son relationships. Their male protagonists are authoritative towards their wives, caring towards their mistresses and nurturing towards children. At times, their self-sacrifice goes as far as to complete self-annihilation for the sake of the offspring, and, at other times, they lead double lives. Mothers are absent in these short stories. Instead, male protagonists claim parenthood and are ready to go as far as to abduct infants in order to perform fatherhood. I argue that parenting constellations and conjugality became negotiable for a number of factors that are addressed in my selection of Hindi short stories: (a) parenthood was not contingent upon biology (as stories on adoption and abduction suggest), (b) contraception was readily available to women and men (as promoted in periodicals of the time) and in the process also changing attitudes towards sexuality and conjugality, (c) abortion emerged as a medical option to undo a pregnancy emerging from an illicit love affair and (d) the new mobility enabled people to get around easily and frequently and even lead double lives. In addressing these factors, fiction published and circulated in periodicals offered novel imaginative and innovative spaces for the negotiation of family models once projected as normative in social reformist and nationalist discourses.
Multi-level Approaches to Countering Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa: Implications for the Rule of Law
Authors: Reinold Theresa
Published: January 2019

This article assesses the impact of multi-level approaches to the problem of unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs) on the rule of law at the national and global level. Based on a single-case study of the 2016 Gambian UCG, this article concludes that multi-level governance tends to strengthen the rule of law at the national level, but only if certain conditions are met. These include an agreement about the rules of the road regulating how the different layers of governance interact – subsidiarity v. precedence for organizations from higher levels of governance – and the definition of a common purpose. Such unity of purpose is easier to attain if the (geo)political stakes of a crisis are relatively low, the prospects of success of a military intervention high, and if the perpetrators of the UCG have forfeited their legitimacy both locally and globally. This prevents them from exploiting institutional rivalries and shrinks their space for diplomatic manoeuvre and thus their ability to use forum shopping for their benefit. If these conditions are met, then multi-level responses to UCG will strengthen the rule of law at the domestic level, while at the same time potentially undermining the rule of law at the global level.
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”: The Role of Spirituality in Desistance From Substance Use
Authors: Crank Beverly Reece , Teasdale Brent
Published: January 2019

Although the impact of religion on behavior is robust and well-examined in many areas, the role spirituality plays in changes in drug use over time has received relatively little attention. Using a life-course theoretical framework, this relationship is examined through growth curve modeling techniques. Specifically, multilevel analyses are estimated testing within-person relationships between substance use desistance and spirituality. The Pathways to Desistance longitudinal data are analyzed and leading criminological predictors are included, to determine if spirituality has a unique impact on substance use net of these criminological factors, and if these impacts vary across gender. Results from these analyses suggest that the impact of spirituality on desistance varies by gender, with spirituality significantly increasing the odds of desistance from marijuana use for females, but not males.
Bayesian Nonparametric Dynamic Methods: Applications to Linear and Nonlinear Advertising Models
Authors: Bruce Norris I.
Published: January 2019

Bayesian methods for dynamic models in marketing have so far been parametric. For instance, it is invariably assumed that model errors emerge from normal distributions. Yet using arbitrary distributional assumptions can result in false inference, which in turn misleads managers. The author therefore presents a set of flexible Bayesian nonparametric (NP) dynamic models that treat error densities as unknown but assume that they emerge from Dirichlet process mixtures. Although the methods address misspecification in dynamic linear models, the main innovation is a particle filter algorithm for nonlinear state-space models. The author used two advertising studies to confirm the benefits of the methods when strict error assumptions are untenable. In both studies, NP models markedly outperformed benchmarks in terms of fit and forecast results. In the first study, the benchmarks understated the effects of competitive advertising on own brand awareness. In the second study, the benchmark inflated ad quality, and consequently, the effects of past advertising appeared 36% higher than that predicted by the NP model. In general, these methods should be valuable wherever state-space models appear (e.g., brand and advertising dynamics, diffusion of innovation, dynamic discrete choice).
Development and Validation of a Scale Assessing Midlevel Band Performance: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Bergee Martin J. , Rossin Emily G.
Published: January 2019

This study’s purposes were to develop a rating scale for midlevel band performance and validate a theoretical structure for the scale. Research questions were (a) What qualities describe excellent seventh- and eighth-grade band performance? (b) What items constitute a Midlevel Band Performance Rating Scale (MBPRS)? (c) How reliable is the MBPRS? and (d) Does the MBPRS demonstrate construct validity? Mixed methods were employed, in particular the exploratory sequential design, which has a three-phase variant involving the development of an instrument of assessment. During Phase 1, 20 middle school band directors were asked to provide descriptions of excellent band performance at the middle level, of whom 10 responded. Their statements were grouped into categories and translated into 27 items appropriate for a rating scale. During Phase 2, 151 students participating in four different concert band ensembles at three universities used the items to rate one seventh- and one eighth-grade band performance. After item analyses confirmed their suitability, the 27 items became a Midlevel Band Performance Rating Scale. Internal consistency (coefficient alpha) of the 27 items was good for both sets of ratings, .90 for seventh grade and .92 for eighth grade. Phase 3 established construct validity for the two sets of ratings by confirming that their underlying structures were consistent with previous research.
The Effects of Red Versus Blue Lights and Neuroticism on Voluntary Biceps Brachii Muscle Contraction
Authors: Binboğa Erdal , Tok Serdar , Munzuroğlu Mustafa , Canüzmez Aykut Eren , Dal Nihal
Published: January 2019

This study investigated the effects of red and blue monochromatic lights and neuroticism on athletes’ maximal isometric voluntary contraction (iMVC) level of the biceps brachii muscle. During elbow flexion, we measured iMVCs under a white light (control) condition and under red and blue light conditions. Under red light (vs. white and blue), participants demonstrated a greater iMVC level. Further, based on a median split of the athletes’ scores on Tatar’s Five Factor Personality Inventory, high and low neuroticism groups showed no red light differences, while, in the blue light condition, participants high in neuroticism increased the iMVC level by 4.04% and those low in neuroticism decreased iMVC level by 6.31%. Thus, the effect of colored light on athletes’ motor output varied with individual personality differences in neuroticism.
Adapting the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 for Spanish Usage
Authors: Sánchez-Miguel Pedro A. , Chow Graig M. , Sousa Catarina , Scanlan Tara K. , Ponseti Francisco J. , Scanlan Larry , García-Mas Alejandro
Published: January 2019

This study translated, adapted, and validated the Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2 (SCQ-2) for the Spanish language and cultural context. We utilized a cross-sectional design with 747 athlete participants (436 males, 311 females), ranging in age from 11–24 years ( M = 16.04; SD = 2.57). Participants were involved in a variety of individual and team sports and were from various autonomous regions of Spain. Participants completed the Spanish-language version of the SCQ-2 developed for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated acceptable fit of the proposed factor structure and gender invariance for the new Spanish language scale. Test subscales were internally consistent, and the Spanish language version of the SCQ-2 was found to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the level of sport commitment in young athletes in the Spanish cultural context.
The Relationship Among Shame, Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, and Suicidal Behaviors in Borderline Personality Disorder
Authors: Cameron Amy Y. , Erisman Shannon , Palm Reed Kathleen
Published: January 2019

Shame has been individually linked to nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation and behavior and is highly prevalent in individuals with borderline personality disorder. The current study investigated the relationship between shame, nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicidal ideation in a sample of women with borderline personality disorder. Participants were 40 women recruited from a Women’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy Partial Hospital Program in a psychiatric hospital in New England as part of a larger, six-month treatment development study. Results indicated that shame-proneness predicts nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation and behavior above and beyond the severity of borderline personality disorder symptoms, suggesting that shame may be an important treatment target for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.
The Effects of Social Norms Among Peer Groups on Risk Behavior: A Multilevel Approach to Differentiate Perceived and Collective Norms
Authors: Geber Sarah , Baumann Eva , Czerwinski Fabian , Klimmt Christoph
Published: January 2019

Social norms have been found to be an important factor in individuals’ health and risk behaviors. Past research has typically addressed which social norms individuals perceive in their social environments (e.g., in their peer group). The present article explores normative social influences beyond such perceptions by applying a multilevel approach and differentiating between perceived norms at the individual level and collective norms at the group level. Data on norms and three road traffic risk behaviors (speeding, driving after drinking, and texting while driving) were obtained from a representative survey among young German car drivers ( N = 311 anchor respondents) and their peer groups (overall N = 1,244). Multilevel modeling (MLM) revealed that beyond individual normative perceptions of peers’ behavior and approval, actual collective norms (peers’ actual risk behavior and attitudes) affect individuals’ risk behaviors. Findings are discussed with regard to theorizing normative influences on risk behavior and practical implications.
Why Abusive Supervision Impacts Employee OCB and CWB: A Meta-Analytic Review of Competing Mediating Mechanisms
Authors: Zhang Yucheng , Liu Xin , Xu Shan , Yang Liu-Qin , Bednall Timothy C.
Published: January 2019

Studies on abusive supervision have adopted justice and resource perspectives to explain its effects on employee organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). However, these studies have not provided a comprehensive account of why abusive supervision affects OCB and CWB and which of these two mediating mechanisms matters more. To address these questions, we conducted two studies using meta-analytic structural equation modeling. In the main study, we analyzed 427 primary studies that incorporated 973 independent correlations ( N = 336,236). The results showed that both organizational justice (the justice lens) and work stress (the resource lens) mediated the influence of abusive supervision on OCB and CWB. Furthermore, organizational justice accounted for a greater proportion of abusive supervision’s effect on OCB than did work stress, whereas work stress accounted for a greater proportion of abusive supervision’s effect on CWB than did organizational justice. Finally, between-study moderation analyses showed that the effect of abusive supervision on CWB was stronger in masculine cultures than in feminine cultures. The supplementary study incorporated effect sizes from six existing meta-analyses ( N = 151,381) and largely replicated the main study’s findings.
Sex, lies, and the handkerchief: Immigration and sexploitation in Catalan Otel·lo (2012)
Authors: Sánchez-García Inmaculada N
Published: January 2019

The 2012 Catalan film Otel·lo is a Shakespeare adaptation that problematises contemporary media discourses on race, gender and immigration. With the casting of Iago as a filmmaker who sexually harasses and assaults the female actor in the workplace, this adaptation examines gender violence as the product of an oppressive patriarchal structure, rather than of immigration or race. I argue thus that Otel·lo disrupts the stereotypical image of the Arab and Muslim immigrant as rapist that is disseminated in Catalan, Spanish and European media and questions the authenticity of knowledge through its subversion of the documentary form.
The Effect of an HIV Self-Management Intervention on Neurocognitive Behavioral Processing
Authors: Webel Allison R. , Schreiner Nathaniel , Salata Robert A. , Friedman Jared , Jack Anthony I. , Sattar Abdus , Fresco David M. , Rodriguez Margaret , Moore Shirley
Published: January 2019

People living with HIV (PLHIV) are increasingly diagnosed with comorbidities which require increasing self-management. We examined the effect of a self-management intervention on neurocognitive behavioral processing. Twenty-nine PLHIV completed a two-group, 3-month randomized clinical trial testing a self-management intervention to improve physical activity and dietary intake. At baseline and 3 months later, everyone completed validated assessments of physical, diet, and neurocognitive processing (functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]–derived network analyses). We used linear mixed effects modeling with a random intercept to examine the effect of the intervention. The intervention improved healthy eating ( p = .08) but did not improve other self-management behaviors. There was a significant effect of the intervention on several aspects of neurocognitive processing including in the task positive network (TPN) differentiation ( p = .047) and an increase in the default mode network (DMN) differentiation ( p = .10). Self-management interventions may influence neurocognitive processing in PLHIV, but those changes were not associated with positive changes in self-management behavior.
Changing trend in nutrition and food consumption predisposes school children to overweight and obesity in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Authors: Oyesiji Oyebola V , Otemuyiwa Israel O , Falade Olumuyiwa S , Adewusi Steve RA
Published: January 2019

Background:

The consumption of instant foods like pasta and sweetened soft drinks have virtually replaced the traditional diets among children. This changing trend in food consumption could negatively affect the health status of school-aged children.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of consumption of instant foods (pasta) on anthropometric parameters and nutrient intake among children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Methods:

Participants (126 healthy children, 66 boys and 60 girls, aged 4–12 years) were recruited from nursery and primary schools in Ife Central Local Government, Ile-Ife. The anthropometric measurements were taken and participants were classified based on body mass index (BMI) percentiles. A food frequency questionnaire was administered to evaluate participants’ pasta consumption patterns, while food intakes were obtained through 24-h dietary recall. The samples of food consumed by the children were analyzed for their nutrient contents. Nutrient intake was calculated using the data obtained from 24-h dietary recall and the results were compared with the recommended dietary allowances.

Results:

The average estimated energy intakes were 6167 kJ and 6095 kJ for male and female participants, respectively. The energy intake per kg body weight increased with increasing frequency of the consumption of pasta. There was a positive correlation ( r = 0.873 and 0.998 at P ≤ 0.05 for male and female participants, respectively) between energy intake and weight. The BMI classification showed that 12% of males and 17% of females were overweight or obese.

Conclusion:

It can be concluded that the consumption of pasta could predispose children to overweight/obesity.
Ultrasound-guided TriVex™-powered phlebectomy for debulking of peripheral vascular anomalies – A novel treatment technique
Authors: Parsi Kurosh , Kang Mina , Trimboli Anthony
Published: January 2019

Background

Large vascular anomalies on the trunk or limbs are rare and prove challenging to treat. Currently, treatment options include conservative management, embolisation, sclerotherapy or surgical excision. Once the lesion has been embolised, or if it spontaneously involutes, the residual fibrofatty tissue may be painful and require debulking. Surgical debulking may be associated with complicated wound healing, infection, scarring and may not be not feasible for large lesions.

Method

We present our technique of using TriVex™-powered phlebectomy to debulk vascular anomalies. Our modification involved performing sclero-emobolisation on the target lesion first to mitigate the risk of haematoma formation. We also used ultrasound guidance to increase the precision and eliminate the use of TriVex™ illuminator.

Results

Excellent symptom relief and cosmetic outcome were achieved in three patients treated using this method.

Conclusion

We believe the novel technique of ultrasound-guided TriVex™-powered system provides a viable alternative to surgical debulking of large or complex vascular anomalies.
More Than One Way to Float Your Boat: Product Use and Sustainability Impacts
Authors: Martin Diane M. , Harju Anu A. , Salminen Emma , Koroschetz Bianca
Published: January 2019

Concern for sustainability crosses multiple areas of scholarly inquiry. At the macro level, sustainability research has focused primarily on institutional actors and systemic change efforts. At the consumer level, sustainability research has focused primarily on consumer product choice and post-use disposal. Employing a practice theory lens, this study examines how consumer practices during product use results in a wide variance in overall environmental sustainability impacts. Emerging practice configurations illustrate the ways rules as meaning, at both the macro level institutional regulations and micro level of cultural expectations shape consumer options. Practice configurations also illuminate the ways material marketplace resources, both stagnated products and innovations, provide opportunity for variance. Finally, the competence element of practice varies between a traditional consumer culture ethos and new practices vis-a-vis consumer resourcefulness. This study provides a contribution to the link between macromarketing and consumer culture theory in the centrality of enforcement of both governmental level regulations and consumer best practices for improved environmental sustainability.
An exploration of members’ experiences of group therapy: an interpretive phenomenological analysis
Authors: O’Beney Rachel , Salm Anne-Marie , Lavender Tony
Published: January 2019

NHS patients referred for group analytic psychotherapy often have limited capacity to manage their own or others’ emotions and therefore struggle to use analytic group psychotherapy because its unstructured format can feel too anxiety provoking. This research looked into members’ experiences of group analytic therapy, using a qualitative approach, to examine the experiences of group processes for members and their therapists. Phenomenological Interpretive Analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts and develop over-arching themes.

Findings revealed shared themes between members and therapists, describing strong feelings: ‘anger; competition with members and disappointment with therapists’ and ‘fears of emotional damage’. A super-ordinate theme of ‘weathering’ emerged, which connected to members being able to stay and understand these strong feelings and which led to themes of ‘sharing leading to new learning’ and ‘change’.

Differences in themes were also found: ‘anger could be destructive’ and ‘feeling attacked’ were identified by members only, whilst therapists identified ‘re-enactment: repair or re-traumatization’. Members emphasized; ‘therapists as parents providing safety’ and ‘support from other members’ as crucial in helping them to stay to ‘weather’ the group process.

The theme of ‘weathering’ was important because it related to all themes and provided an explanation for personal change in members. Clinical implications are discussed.