bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High Prevalence of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension in Chinese Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Wang Cheng , Deng Wen‐Jie , Gong Wen‐Yu , Zhang Jun , Tang Hua , Peng Hui , Zhang Qun‐Zi , Ye Zeng‐Chun , Lou Tanqi
Published: June 2015

Background

Isolated nocturnal hypertension (
INH
) has been studied among the general population and hypertensive patients. However, little insight is available on the prevalence of
INH
and its role in target‐organ damage among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods and Results

We recruited 1282
CKD
patients admitted to our hospital division. Patients were divided into 4 groups:
INH
; isolated daytime hypertension; day–night sustained; and ambulatory normotension. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between
INH
and renal/cardiovascular parameters. A total of 262 (20.44%)
CKD
patients had isolated nocturnal hypertension and 651 (50.78%) had day–night sustained hypertension, whereas only 350 (27.30%) patients showed normotension and 19 (1.48%) had isolated daytime hypertension. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that
INH
was associated mainly with age, estimated glomerular filtration rate, clinic diastolic blood pressure, and that
INH
was determined only by age, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and clinic diastolic blood pressure. The prevalence of impaired renal function, left ventricular hypertrophy, and carotid intima‐media thickness in patients with
INH
were higher than in normotensive patients (
P
<0.05), whereas impaired renal function and left ventricular hypertrophy in these patients were lower than patients in the day–night sustained hypertension group (
P
<0.05).
INH
was correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular mass index, and carotid intima‐media thickness according to multiple linear regression analyses.

Conclusions

The prevalence of
INH
in
CKD
patients was high, and
INH
was correlated with target‐organ damage in
CKD
patients.
Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies Identifies Genetic Risk Factors for Stroke in African Americans
Authors: Carty Cara L. , Keene Keith L. , Cheng Yu-Ching , Meschia James F. , Chen Wei-Min , Nalls Mike , Bis Joshua C. , Kittner Steven J. , Rich Stephen S. , Tajuddin Salman , Zonderman Alan B. , Evans Michele K. , Langefeld Carl D. , Gottesman Rebecca , Mosley Thomas H. , Shahar Eyal , Woo Daniel , Yaffe Kristine , Liu Yongmei , Sale Michèle M. , Dichgans Martin , Malik Rainer , Longstreth W.T. , Mitchell Braxton D. , Psaty Bruce M. , Kooperberg Charles , Reiner Alexander , Worrall Bradford B. , Fornage Myriam
Published: June 2015

Background and Purpose—

The majority of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of stroke have focused on European-ancestry populations; however, none has been conducted in African Americans, despite the disproportionately high burden of stroke in this population. The Consortium of Minority Population Genome-Wide Association Studies of Stroke (COMPASS) was established to identify stroke susceptibility loci in minority populations.

Methods—

Using METAL, we conducted meta-analyses of GWAS in 14 746 African Americans (1365 ischemic and 1592 total stroke cases) from COMPASS, and tested genetic variants with
P
<10
−6
for validation in METASTROKE, a consortium of ischemic stroke genetic studies in European-ancestry populations. We also evaluated stroke loci previously identified in European-ancestry populations.

Results—

The 15q21.3 locus linked with lipid levels and hypertension was associated with total stroke (rs4471613;
P
=3.9×10
−8
) in African Americans. Nominal associations (
P
<10
−6
) for total or ischemic stroke were observed for 18 variants in or near genes implicated in cell cycle/mRNA presplicing (
PTPRG
,
CDC5L
), platelet function (
HPS4
), blood–brain barrier permeability (
CLDN17
), immune response (
ELTD1, WDFY4
, and
IL1F10-IL1RN
), and histone modification (
HDAC9
). Two of these loci achieved nominal significance in METASTROKE: 5q35.2 (
P
=0.03), and 1p31.1 (
P
=0.018). Four of 7 previously reported ischemic stroke loci (
PITX2, HDAC9, CDKN2A/CDKN2B
, and
ZFHX3
) were nominally associated (
P
<0.05) with stroke in COMPASS.

Conclusions—

We identified a novel genetic variant associated with total stroke in African Americans and found that ischemic stroke loci identified in European-ancestry populations may also be relevant for African Americans. Our findings support investigation of diverse populations to identify and characterize genetic risk factors, and the importance of shared genetic risk across populations.
Systolic Blood Pressure Control and Mortality After Stroke in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Okin Peter M. , Kjeldsen Sverre E. , Devereux Richard B.
Published: June 2015

Background and Purpose—

Hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy are at increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular death. Lowering blood pressure (BP) after stroke reduces the risk of recurrent stroke, but recent data suggest that lower systolic BP (SBP) measured 5 years after stroke is associated with increased mortality. Whether lower SBP is associated with increased short-term mortality after stroke in hypertensive patients is unclear.

Methods—

All-cause and cardiovascular mortality were examined in relation to average on-treatment SBP after stroke in 541 hypertensive patients with electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy randomly assigned to losartan- or atenolol-based treatment who had new strokes during follow-up. Patients with on-treatment SBP<144 mm Hg (lowest tertile) and SBP>157 (highest tertile) were compared with patients with average SBP between 144 and 157.

Results—

During 2.02±1.65 years mean follow-up after incident stroke, 170 patients (31.4%) died, 135 (25.0%) from cardiovascular causes. In multivariate Cox analyses, adjusting for significant univariate predictors of mortality, compared with average SBP between 144 and 157, an average SBP<144 was a significant predictor of all-cause (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–2.73) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.54), whereas patients who had an average SBP>157 had no significant increased risk of death.

Conclusions—

Lower achieved SBP (<144 mm Hg) is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after initial stroke in hypertensive patients during short-term follow-up. Further study is required to determine ideal SBP goals after stroke.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/
. Unique identifier: NCT00338260.
An annotated catalogue of the Iranian Alysiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Authors: GADALLAH NEVEEN S. , GHAHARI HASSAN , PERIS-FELIPO FRANCISCO JAVIER , FISCHER MAXIMILIAN
Published: June 2015

In the present study, a catalogue of the Iranian Alysiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is given. It is based on a detailed study of all available published data. In total 78 species from 15 genera including Alloea Haliday, 1833 (1 species), Angelovia Zaykov, 1980 (1 species), Aphaereta Foerster, 1862 (2 species), Aspilota Foerster, 1862 (2 species), Chorebus Haliday, 1833 (42 species), Coelinidea Viereck, 1913 (2 species), Coloneura Foerster, 1862 (1 species), Dacnusa Haliday, 1833 (10 species), Dinotrema Foerster, 1862 (5 species), Idiasta Foerster, 1862 (1 species), Orthostigma Ratzeburg, 1844 (3 species), Phaenocarpa Foerster, 1862 (1 species), Protodacnusa Griffiths, 1964 (2 species), Pseudopezomachus Mantero, 1905 (2 species), and Synaldis Foerster, 1862 (3 species) are reported in this catalogue. Two species are new records for Iran: Coelinidea elegans (Curtis, 1829) and Dacnusa (Pachysema) aterrima Thomson, 1895. Also, a faunistic list with distribution data and host records is provided.
Oniticellus (Liatongus) boucomonti Balthasar, 1932 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Oniticellini)—clarification of its taxonomic status by lectotype designation
Authors: BEZDĚK ALEŠ , KRÁL DAVID , SLÁDEČEK FRANTIŠEK X. J.
Published: June 2015

The dung beetle Oniticellus (Liatongus) boucomonti Balthasar, 1932 was described according to an unknown number of specimens labelled “Giufu-Shan, Szechuan” [= Jinfo Shan, ca. 29°04′N, 107°18′E, Chongqing province, China]. Balthasar evidently did not dissect these specimens and simply assumed that specimens with a small horn on vertex were males and specimens without such horn but with two elevated transversal carinae on head were the females of the same species (Balthasar 1932, 1935).
Review of the genus Lesteva Latreille, 1797 of Central Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Anthophagini)
Authors: SHAVRIN ALEXEY V.
Published: June 2015

A taxonomic review of the genus Lesteva Latreille, 1797 of the Central Asia is presented. The type material of the following species was revised: L. bucharica Fauvel, 1900, L. fasciata Luze, 1903, L. nova Bernhauer, 1902, L. transcaspica Bernhauer, 1935 and L. turkestanica Luze, 1904. Lectotypes for L. bucharica and L. turkestanica, a lectotype and paralectotype for L. transcaspica are designated. One species is described as new: L. (s.str.) schuelkei sp. n. (Tajikistan, NW Pamir: Peter-I Mts. and Hissar Mts.). Three synonyms are proposed: L. (s.str.) fasciata = L. (s.str.) turkestanica, syn n. = L. (s.str.) transcaspica, syn. n., L. nova = L. (s.str.) aculeata Shavrin, 2010, syn. n. Three species are redescribed: L. (s.str.) bucharica, L. (s.str.) fasciata and L. (s.str.) nova. All species are illustrated and their distribution mapped. A key to species known from Central Asia, as well as new provincial records for L. (s.str.) barsevskisi Shavrin, 2010, L. (s.str.) bucharica and L. (s.str.) fasciata are provided.
New national and state records of Neotropical Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)
Authors: ASIAIN JULIETA , MÁRQUEZ JUAN , IRMLER URLICH
Published: June 2015

Eighteen new national records of nine species of Osoriinae (Staphylinidae) are added for 10 Neotropical countries. Additionally, 17 species of three subfamilies are first recorded from ten States of México. The distributional patterns of the studied species are commented and the congruence with species of different families of Coleoptera and Odonata previously analyzed is discussed. Finally, we conclude that some of these patterns can be proposed as hypothesis of primary biogeographic homology.
New data on Apteroloma (Coleoptera: Agyrtidae) of central Asia and the Himalayas with a new synonymy
Authors: RŮŽIČKA JAN , LATELLA LEONARDO , SCHAWALLER WOLFGANG
Published: June 2015

The distribution of Apteroloma anglorossicum (Semenov, 1890), A. harmandi (Portevin, 1903) and A. sillemi Jeannel, 1935 in central Asia and along the Himalayas is summarized, and the collecting circumstances and ecology of all three species from Gilgit District, Pakistan are described in detail. Revised diagnoses of all three species are provided, habitus and important morphological structures are illustrated, and available types have been examined. Apteroloma jankovskii Semenov and Znojko in Semenov, 1932 is confirmed as junior subjective synonym of A. anglorossicum. Apteroloma heinzi Schawaller, 1991 is newly treated as a junior subjective synonym of A. harmandi.
Synopsis of the genus Neoeutrypanus Monné, 1977 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), with the description of two new species
Authors: BOTERO JUAN PABLO , MONNÉ MIGUEL A.
Published: June 2015

Two new species of Neoeutrypanus Monné, 1977 are described: N. llanero sp. nov. from Colombia (Meta Department), and N. dentatus sp. nov. from Bolivia (La Paz Department). A key to species of Neoeutrypanus is provided and new distributional data for N. decorus (Bates, 1881) and N. mutilatus (Germar, 1824) are given.
Austrodontella monticola sp. nov., a new species of Collembola from montane New Zealand
Authors: Babenko Anatoly , Minor MARIA
Published: June 2015

Collembola were collected from soil in the alpine belt (1600–1900 m a.s.l.) of the Southern Alps of New Zealand. A list of species found is provided. Austrodontella monticola sp. nov., the third species of a Odontellidae genus with a southern distribution is described. The other two species in the genus occur in southern Australia and in the Indian Ocean sector of the Subantarctic respectively. Notes on A. trispina (Womersley, 1935), the type species of the genus, are provided.
Próby wykształcenia tożsamości narodowej u ludności słowiańskiej na Polesiu w pierwszych latach II Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (1920-1928)
Authors: Massis Enguerran
Published: June 2015

The attempts of the Slavic population to form a national identity in the Polesie region (1920-1928)The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the evolution of the national identity of the Slavic population inhabiting the Polesie voivodeship during the first decade of the Second Polish Republic. Research has been carried out by consulting the original archives of the Polish administration, press of the Polish Socialist Party and accounts of key witnesses. These sources clearly show that, when Polesie was integrated into Poland after the First World War, in 1920, many inhabitants of the region (the so-called "Poleszucy" and "tutejsi") did not consider themselves Belarusian in the national sense. These "nationality unconscious" people progressively came to consider themselves as members of a Soviet Belarusian nation as a result of the struggle between Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian political organizations. This research highlights the fact that national identity is neither determined by ethnic affiliations nor can be ascribed to an ethnic group against its will.Próby wykształcenia tożsamości narodowej u ludności słowiańskiej na Polesiu w pierwszych latach II Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (1920-1928)Artykuł opisuje ewolucję tożsamości narodowej słowiańskiej ludności zamieszkującej Polesie w pierwszym dziesięcioleciu II Rzeczypospolitej. Autor opiera się na oryginalnych materiałach z polskich archiwów, wydawanej wówczas prasie, a także na opublikowanych wspomnieniach przywódców politycznych i świadków. Źródła te wykazują, że w momencie włączania Polesia do Polski znaczna część poleskiej ludności nie uważała się za białoruską w narodowym tego słowa znaczeniu. Osoby „narodowo nieświadome" zaczęły uważać siebie za Białorusinów wskutek dynamicznej rywalizacji między organizacjami polskimi, białoruskimi i ukraińskimi. Badania sugerują, że przystępowanie do danego typu projektu narodowego nie opiera się jedynie na przynależności do określonej grupy etnicznej i że projekt taki nie może zostać narzucony grupie etnicznej wbrew jej własnym postulatom.
Detection and Analysis of an Amplified Warming of the Sahara Desert
Authors: Cook Kerry H. , Vizy Edward K.
Published: June 2015

Evaluation of three reanalyses (ERA-Interim, NCEP-2, and MERRA) and two observational datasets [CRU and Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)] for 1979–2012 demonstrates that the surface temperature of the Sahara Desert has increased at a rate that is 2–4 times greater than that of the tropical-mean temperature over the 34-yr time period. While the response to enhanced greenhouse gas forcing over most of the globe involves the full depth of the atmosphere, with increases in longwave back radiation increasing latent heat fluxes, the dryness of the Sahara surface precludes this response. Changes in the surface heat balance over the Sahara during the analysis period are primarily in the upward and downward longwave fluxes. As a result, the warming is concentrated near the surface, and a desert amplification of the warming occurs. The desert amplification is analogous to the polar amplification of the global warming signal, which is concentrated at the surface, in part, because of the vertical stability of the Arctic atmosphere. Accompanying the amplified surface warming of the Sahara is a strengthening of both the summertime heat low and the African easterly jet and a weakening of the wintertime anticyclone and the low-level Harmattan winds. Potential implications of the desert amplification include decreases in mineral dust aerosols globally, decreases in wintertime cold air surge activity, and increases in Sahel rainfall.
Un/Identifying reflexive subjects: The case of women in paid domestic work in Mexico
Authors: Saldaña-Tejeda Abril
Published: June 2015

Theories of reflexive modernization are still at the centre of a heated debate regarding the possibilities of social transformation through agency and the reflexive capacity of individuals to work on themselves through the construction of their own biographies and certainties. However, when it comes to identifying reflexivity in the lived experiences of individuals, the issue becomes more complex since this enterprise greatly depends on the way people engage with narratives of the self. This article explores reflexivity and processes of individualization in the lived experiences of paid domestic workers and women employers in Mexico. The article also analyses the way academic work has identified reflexivity among workers. Even though the term ‘reflexivity’ has not specifically being used, studies have often demonstrated the way domestic workers reflexively engage with processes of individualization. The article argues that there are important methodological challenges when it comes to identifying reflexivity through narratives of the self. The context of an interview, the subjectivities of the researcher and participants’ own subject position might all be factors that enable or obstruct the production of those narratives and therefore have an effect on the visibility of processes of individualization in the lived experiences of individuals.
Functional Diversity and Group Creativity
Authors: Zhang Yan
Published: June 2015

The author explores effects of functional diversity on group creativity under varying group longevity. When group members have worked together for a long time in functionally diverse groups, they are expected to show stronger information processing and weaker categorization processing. Knowledge sharing and group cohesion are examined as mediating mechanisms through which functional diversity enhances group creativity as group longevity increases. Analysis of a sample of 155 workgroups demonstrates that group longevity positively moderates the relationship between functional diversity and group creativity through moderating the effects of functional diversity on two mechanisms of knowledge sharing and group cohesion.
Effect of domestic compatabilizer on the performance of polypropylene-sawdust composites
Authors: dos Santos Lucas Pereira , Trombetta Ernani , Flores-Sahagun Thais Sydenstricker , Satyanarayana Kestur G
Published: June 2015

Greater concern for environmental safety and fuel economy has increased interest in the use of renewable resources for development of new materials. Wood–plastic composites, made of recycled plastic and wood wastes, are very attractive in this respect, making this one of the most dynamic areas of new developments in the plastics industry in the past decade. This paper presents the preparation and characterization of polypropylene-sawdust composites by compression molding using maleated polypropylene (MAPP) produced in Brazil by reactive extrusion, with different amounts of two types of peroxides. The MAPP was characterized for thermal properties, melt flow index, and chemical structure, while the composites containing both uncoated and MAPP-coated sawdust were characterized for mechanical properties to understand the effect of coating as well as to compare these properties with those of composites prepared with commercial MAPP. The MAPP was efficient as a compatabilizer for polypropylene/sawdust composites. Better impact and tensile properties were observed in composites prepared with medium and high melt flow index compatibilizer concentrations, respectively.
Integrating Data on Ethnicity, Geography, and Conflict
Authors: Vogt Manuel , Bormann Nils-Christian , Rüegger Seraina , Cederman Lars-Erik , Hunziker Philipp , Girardin Luc
Published: June 2015

This article introduces the new Family of Ethnic Power Relations (EPR) data sets, version 2014, which is the latest in a series of data sets on ethnicity that have stimulated civil war research in the past decade. The EPR Family provides data on ethnic groups’ access to state power, their settlement patterns, links to rebel organizations, transborder ethnic kin relations, and intraethnic cleavages. The new 2014 version does not only extend the data set’s temporal coverage from 2009 to 2013, but it also offers several new features, such as a new measure of regional autonomy that is independent of national-level executive power and a new data set component coding intraethnic identities and cleavages. Moreover, for the first time, detailed documentation of the EPR data is provided through the EPR Atlas. This article presents these novelties in detail and compares the EPR Family 2014 to the most relevant alternative data sets on ethnicity.
The Legal Features of Smuggling Organisations in Light of the Provisions of the Migrant Smuggling Protocol
Authors: Aljahani Abdelnaser
Published: June 2015

This article seeks to explore the legal features in international law of actors who carry out the operations of migrant smuggling. The legal features of smuggling organisations have not been considered by the Migrant Smuggling Protocol (the Protocol); the Protocol simply does not include a provision that defines the concept. Nonetheless, this article argues that a number of these features can be ascertained through the combined reading of Article 4 of the Protocol and Article 2(a) of the Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNCTOC). The former article creates a link between an organised criminal group and the application of the Protocol, while the latter article actually defines the concept of an organised criminal group. A number of deficiencies can be identified in the concept of an organised criminal group, given the features that characterise the actors who engage in the smuggling of migrants. Otherwise, the criterion of the structured group of three persons or more in the concept of an organised criminal group poses an obstacle to combating migrant smuggling. Therefore, this article suggests a number of amendments to this criterion.
Effects of TNF-α on Cementoblast Differentiation, Mineralization, and Apoptosis
Authors: Wang Y.L. , He H. , Liu Z.J. , Cao Z.G. , Wang X.Y. , Yang K. , Fang Y. , Han M. , Zhang C. , Huo F.Y.
Published: June 2015

Tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) is involved in various inflammatory processes, including periodontitis. Although the influences of TNF-α on periodontal ligament fibroblasts and osteoblasts have been widely documented, its effects on cementoblasts, the cells responsible for cementum production, remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that TNF-α suppressed the mineralization ability of cementoblasts by inhibiting differentiation and inducing apoptosis. Various signaling pathways, such as p53, PP2AC, p38, Erk1/2, JNK, PI3K-Akt, and NF-κB, were activated during this process. The use of a specific inhibitor and siRNA transfection confirmed that the effects of TNF-α on differentiation and apoptosis in cementoblasts were partially abrogated by inhibiting p53 activity. By contrast, the effects of TNF-α were even exacerbated by the inhibition of the p38, Erk1/2, JNK, PI3K-Akt, and NF-κB pathways. Moreover, p53 activity was further enhanced by blocking the p38, Erk1/2, JNK, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Taken together, these results suggested that the differentiation inhibition and apoptosis in cementoblasts induced by TNF-α were partially dependent on p53 activity. The p38, Erk1/2, JNK, PI3K-Akt, and NF-κB pathways were also activated but acted as balancing players to limit rather than conduct the negative effects of TNF-α. These balancing effects were dependent, or at least partially dependent, on p53, except for the NF-κB pathway.
Gendered Communication and Career Outcomes: A Construct Validation and Prediction of Hierarchical Advancement and Non-Hierarchical Rewards
Authors: Weinberg Frankie J. , Treviño Len J. , Cleveland A. O’Shea
Published: June 2015

This research introduces and tests a measure that captures gendered communication style, a multi-dimensional construct with masculine and feminine facets. In Study 1, we follow a well-regarded content adequacy procedure to develop and test items to represent each of these facets and further validate the new measurement instrument across two samples of working adults. Study 2 replicates the instrument’s factor structure and tests the relationships between perceived masculine and feminine communication styles and multiple indicators of career success. Results generally support our hypotheses that masculine communication style is related to hierarchical advancement (e.g., number of promotions, advancement to higher managerial levels), whereas feminine communication style is related to non-hierarchical rewards (e.g., higher compensation, increased span of control). Unexpectedly, feminine communication style also positively predicts two indicators of hierarchical career success. Furthermore, an interaction effect suggests that gendered communication style has more of an impact on women’s compensation than on men’s.
Triggering employee voice under the European Information and Consultation Directive: A non-union case study
Authors: Cullinane Niall , Hickland Eugene , Dundon Tony , Dobbins Tony , Donaghey Jimmy
Published: June 2015

The transposition of the 2002/14/EC Directive, establishing a general framework for information and consultation (I&C), has proven contentious in largely voluntarist systems of employment regulation. Receiving particular criticism is the employee ‘opt-in’ mechanism as a means to access I&C rights. For non-union employees in particular, the ability and potential to negotiate rights for I&C is widely seen to be problematic. This article uniquely examines the opt-in mechanism in the context of non-unionism, considering how non-union employers respond to non-union employees invoking their legislative rights to I&C. Drawing upon a case study conducted over four years in a large non-union multinational, the evidence shows how the opt-in and negotiation process function to the advantage of the employer rather than the intended regulatory impact to advance employee rights.
Moral Vitalism
Authors: Bastian Brock , Bain Paul , Buhrmester Michael D. , Gómez Ángel , Vázquez Alexandra , Knight Clinton G. , Swann William B.
Published: June 2015

Moral vitalism refers to a tendency to view good and evil as actual forces that can influence people and events. We introduce a scale designed to assess the belief in moral vitalism. High scorers on the scale endorse items such as “There are underlying forces of good and evil in this world.” After establishing the reliability and criterion validity of the scale (Studies 1, 2a, and 2b), we examined the predictive validity of the moral vitalism scale, showing that “moral vitalists” worry about being possessed by evil (Study 3), being contaminated through contact with evil people (Study 4), and forfeiting their own mental purity (Study 5). We discuss the nature of moral vitalism and the implications of the construct for understanding the role of metaphysical lay theories about the nature of good and evil in moral reasoning.
Static and Dynamic Facial Cues Differentially Affect the Consistency of Social Evaluations
Authors: Hehman Eric , Flake Jessica K. , Freeman Jonathan B.
Published: June 2015

Individuals are quite sensitive to others’ appearance cues when forming social evaluations. Cues such as facial emotional resemblance are based on facial musculature and thus dynamic. Cues such as a face’s structure are based on the underlying bone and are thus relatively static. The current research examines the distinction between these types of facial cues by investigating the consistency in social evaluations arising from dynamic versus static cues. Specifically, across four studies using real faces, digitally generated faces, and downstream behavioral decisions, we demonstrate that social evaluations based on dynamic cues, such as intentions, have greater variability across multiple presentations of the same identity than do social evaluations based on static cues, such as ability. Thus, although evaluations of intentions vary considerably across different instances of a target’s face, evaluations of ability are relatively fixed. The findings highlight the role of facial cues’ consistency in the stability of social evaluations.
Losing focus: goal displacement at an alternative newspaper in El Salvador
Authors: Harlow Summer
Published: June 2015

This study examines whether a Salvadoran alternative newspaper maintained its critical, independent, and alternative position after the country’s first leftist president was elected and the newspaper no longer was in opposition to the government. Via a content analysis and in-depth interviews that drove the content analysis, this study improves our understanding of ‘alternativeness’ in a non-US context. Using a theoretical lens founded on alternative media scholarship and sociology’s displacement theory to examine the newspaper’s radical purpose, the study found that once the left came into power after decades of rightist and authoritarian rule, the newspaper’s alternative mission and goals were displaced, becoming less radical and more propagandistic. Pro-government coverage increased and coverage of social movements, civil society, and other traditionally ‘alternative’ topics decreased. Journalists at the newspaper acknowledged the shift in goals and lessening of radical purpose, but clung to the newspaper’s ‘alternativeness’.
The discursive construction of ‘good parenting’ and digital media – the case of children’s virtual world games
Authors: Willett Rebekah J
Published: June 2015

This article investigates ways discourses which are present on the virtual world gaming websites and in popular press produce constructions of ‘good parents’ and ‘good websites’ for children, and in the process create distinctions which position other parental practices and online media as undesirable. The article includes a discussion of historical constructs of parenting in relation to screen media and an analysis of discourse surrounding three websites: Club Penguin, Poptropica, and Minecraft. The analysis shows that parents are positioned as evaluators, selectors, and monitors of children’s online activities, and virtual world games are constructed as providing protection from risks experienced in other spaces, including online stranger danger, commercial contact, and various negative effects on behavior. The article discusses ways these discursive constructs concerning virtual world games draw on earlier dominant discourses in relation to parenting and screen media, embedding discussions of parenting and virtual world gaming with social and cultural hierarchies.
Externalizing Behaviors in Multicultural Children of Immigrant Mothers
Authors: Cho Yoonju
Published: June 2015

Children and adolescents from multicultural families with an immigrant mother tend to experience stress due to problems with cross-cultural adaptation in South Korea, which has a homogeneous cultural identity. This study explored the impact of acculturative stress on externalizing behavior problems (e.g., aggressiveness and delinquency) among 121 elementary, middle, and high school students in Gyeonggi. It analyzed the mediating effects of acculturative stress on externalizing behaviors using structural equation modeling with bootstrapping method. The results showed that stress experienced in relation to cultural adaptation indirectly affected externalizing behaviors through school maladaptation. This indicates that while acculturative stress itself does not directly affect the externalizing behaviors of children and adolescents with immigrant mothers, it does appear to increase the difficulty of adjusting to the school environment, and as the maladaptation worsens, externalizing behaviors may subsequently develop. Schools must function as a protective environment against externalizing behavior problems associated with acculturative stress.
Associations between computed tomography features of thymomas and their pathological classification
Authors: Ozawa Yoshiyuki , Hara Masaki , Shimohira Masashi , Sakurai Keita , Nakagawa Motoo , Shibamoto Yuta
Published: June 2015

Background

Thymoma exhibits a range of histological and biological features and their imaging findings varies.

Purpose

To evaluate the associations between CT findings of thymomas and their classification according to the Masaoka staging system and World Health Organization (WHO) classification.

Material and Methods

Eighty-four patients with thymoma were evaluated. Comparisons between the CT findings of Masaoka stage I/II and III/IV lesions, and the WHO type A-B1 (low risk) and B2/B3 (high risk) lesions were performed.

Results

Stage III/IV thymomas (mean size, 60 mm) were significantly larger than stage I/II (45 mm) lesions and had more irregular shape and contour. Necrosis and calcification were observed in 16 (59%) and nine (33%) stage III/IV thymomas, and 16 (28%) and seven (12%) stage I/II lesions, respectively. Regarding the WHO classification, the high-risk thymomas displayed irregular shape and contour more often than low-risk lesions. There were significant differences between the patterns of mediastinal invasion seen in high- and low-risk groups; 21 (68%) vs. six (12%) lesions demonstrated mediastinal fat invasion, seven (23%) vs. two (4%) lesions exhibited great vessel invasion, five (16%) vs. 0 (0%) lesions displayed pericardial invasion, and 18 (58%) vs. 10 (20%) lesions invaded the lungs, respectively.

Conclusion

Masaoka stage III/IV thymomas were larger in size, had more irregular shape and contour, and exhibited necrosis and calcification more often than the stage I/II lesions. In the WHO classification, high-risk thymomas demonstrated more irregular shape and contour than low-risk thymomas.
Communication during goal-setting in brain injury rehabilitation: What helps and what hinders?
Authors: Hunt Anne W , Le Dorze Guylaine , Polatajko Helene , Bottari Carolina , Dawson Deirdre R
Published: June 2015

Introduction

Setting goals with individuals with acquired brain injury may be challenging due to impairments in cognition and communication. The purpose of this study was to explore how occupational therapists' communication behaviours during goal-setting with individuals with traumatic brain injury facilitated and hindered this process.

Method

This exploratory study used a conversation analysis inspired approach and frequency calculations to analyse and interpret videotaped goal-setting sessions. Sequences of dialogue leading to, and distracting from, problem identification, a key step in goal-setting, were identified and analysed. Specific therapist behaviours that facilitated or hindered problem identification were subsequently distinguished.

Results

Acknowledgements and affirmations, open-ended questions about specific tasks and reflective listening, were found to lead to problem identification by the client (facilitators). Instances of disconnections were characterized by a single theme, ‘lack of uptake.' Examples of these hindrances to goal-setting included, abrupt topic shifts, lack of acknowlegement and failure to explore what the client said.

Conclusion

Clinicians should consider their language use during goal-setting interviews and aim to utilize conversational behaviours that are facilitative whilst minimizing those that distract to optimize their client's engagement during the problem identification phase of goal-setting.
Income inequality, managers’ compensation and the falling rate of profit: Reconciling the US evidence
Authors: Kliman Andrew
Published: June 2015

Evidence based on US government statistics indicates that the rate of profit fell and employees’ share of output was trendless between 1970 and the Great Recession. This paper defends that evidence by showing that it is compatible with phenomena that may initially seem to contradict it; that is, rising income inequality and rising managerial compensation. While some other studies claim that managers’ compensation and the ‘class’ rate of profit skyrocketed, this paper shows that these studies seriously overestimate managers’ pay, and the share of their pay that can be construed as capital income (disguised dividends) rather than as genuine labour compensation.
Hoping for the Best or Planning for the Future: Decision Making and Future Care Needs
Authors: Gould Odette N. , Dupuis-Blanchard Suzanne , Villalon Lita , Simard Majella , Ethier Sophie
Published: June 2015

Research has shown that relatively few older adults make plans for future care needs. In this study, we explore the thinking processes involved in planning or failing to plan for the future. Interviews were carried out with 39 older adults ( M age = 81 years) who were experiencing disability and illness but who lived in their own home. Guiding questions for the interview focused on present living circumstances, but for the present qualitative analysis, all references to the future, and to future residence changes, were extracted. This approach allowed us to observe how older adults spontaneously address issues of future planning when not constrained to do so. Results supported the use of a positivity bias, as well as a risk-aversive decision-making style. These older adults seemed to be prioritizing present emotional well-being by avoiding thoughts of future risks and thereby eschewing proactive coping.
Assessment of DNA damage as an index of genetic toxicity in welding microenvironments among iron-based industries
Authors: Singh Zorawar , Chadha Pooja
Published: June 2015

Welding is used extensively in different industries. Welders are always at a risk of exposure to a number of gases and metal-containing fumes in their respective microenvironments in which they work. Welding fumes consist of a wide range of complex metal oxide particles which can deposit in different parts of their bodies causing serious health problems. In the present study, 35 welders (age: 33.80 ± 1.04 years) from two iron-based industries have been assessed for DNA damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes using single-cell gel electrophoresis. An equal number of subjects ( N = 35; age: 30.40 ± 1.51 years) matched to exposed subjects with respect to sex, age, socioeconomic status, smoking, and alcoholic habits were taken as controls. The results revealed that the damaged cell frequency (DCF) and mean comet tail length (CTL) in welders were significantly higher as compared to the controls (DCF: 69.74 ± 1.68 vs. 31.14 ± 1.67 and CTL: 29.21 ± 1.48 vs. 1.47 ± 0.08; p < 0.05). The effect of confounding factors such as age, duration of exposure, smoking, and drinking habits was also studied. Blood lead levels also showed a positive correlation with duration of exposure and CTL, and the overall results indicated an increased genetic damage as an index of genotoxicity in workers occupationally engaged in welding microenvironments.
Oral administration of low-dose bisphenol A promotes proliferation of ventral prostate and upregulates prostaglandin D2 synthase expression in adult rats
Authors: Wu Jianhui , Huang Dongyan , Su Xin , Yan Han , Sun Zuyue
Published: June 2015

This study aims to assess the effect of low oral dose of bisphenol A (BPA) on proliferation of ventral prostate (VP) and expression of related genes in adult rats. Three-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats were treated daily with BPA (10, 30, or 90 µg/kg, per os), 17β-estradiol (E2, 10.0 µg/kg, subcutaneously), or vehicle for 4 weeks. Treatment with 10 µg/kg BPA resulted in increased animal weight and VP epithelial height compared with the controls ( p < 0.01), while such effects were less pronounced in higher BPA doses. Treatment with E2 showed opposite effects, with significantly decreased animal weight and VP epithelial height ( p < 0.01). Interestingly, BPA increased serum E2 and reduced testosterone levels and significantly increased the estrogen to androgen ratio ( p < 0.05). In addition, BPA slightly increased dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels. Immunohistochemistry data showed that BPA significantly upregulated proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression ( p < 0.01). Furthermore, microarray and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that BPA induced upregulation of prostaglandin D2 synthase ( Ptgds), Fas, Pbef1, and complement factor B ( Cfb)as well as downregulation of Pttg1 and Fabp4 in the VP. These results indicated that environmental exposure to low doses of BPA may induce proliferation of VP in adult rats by increasing the estrogen to androgen ratio and upregulating expression of Ptgds to promote production of DHT.
Access to Electric Light Is Associated with Shorter Sleep Duration in a Traditionally Hunter-Gatherer Community
Authors: de la Iglesia Horacio O. , Fernández-Duque Eduardo , Golombek Diego A. , Lanza Norberto , Duffy Jeanne F. , Czeisler Charles A. , Valeggia Claudia R.
Published: June 2015

Access to electric light might have shifted the ancestral timing and duration of human sleep. To test this hypothesis, we studied two communities of the historically hunter-gatherer indigenous Toba/Qom in the Argentinean Chaco. These communities share the same ethnic and sociocultural background, but one has free access to electricity while the other relies exclusively on natural light. We fitted participants in each community with wrist activity data loggers to assess their sleep-wake cycles during one week in the summer and one week in the winter. During the summer, participants with access to electricity had a tendency to a shorter daily sleep bout (43 ± 21 min) than those living under natural light conditions. This difference was due to a later daily bedtime and sleep onset in the community with electricity, but a similar sleep offset and rise time in both communities. In the winter, participants without access to electricity slept longer (56 ± 17 min) than those with access to electricity, and this was also related to earlier bedtimes and sleep onsets than participants in the community with electricity. In both communities, daily sleep duration was longer during the winter than during the summer. Our field study supports the notion that access to inexpensive sources of artificial light and the ability to create artificially lit environments must have been key factors in reducing sleep in industrialized human societies.
Investigating the effect of silver coating on the solubility, antibacterial properties, and cytocompatibility of glass microspheres
Authors: Haas LM , Smith CM , Placek LM , Hall MM , Gong Y , Mellott NP , Wren Anthony W
Published: June 2015

Silver (Ag) coatings have been incorporated into many medical materials due to its ability to eradicate harmful microbes. In this study, glass microspheres (SiO2–Na2O–CaO–Al2O3) were synthesized and employed as substrates to investigate the effect Ag coating has on glass solubility and the subsequent biological effects. Initially, glasses were amorphous with a glass transition point (Tg) of 605℃ and microspheres were spherical with a mean particle diameter of 120 µm (±27). The Ag coating was determined to be crystalline in nature and its presence was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ion release determined that Ag-coated ( Ag-S) microspheres increased the Na+ release rate but slightly reduced the Ca2+ and Si4+ release compared to an uncoated control ( UC-S). Additionally, the Ag-S reduced the pH to just above neutral (7.3–8.5) compared to the UC-S (7.7–9.1). Antibacterial testing determined significant reductions in planktonic Escherichia coli ( p = 0.000), Staphylococcus epidermidis ( p = 0.000) and Staphylococcus aureus ( p = 0.000) growth as a function of the presence of Ag and with respect to maturation (1, 7, and 30 days). Testing for toxicity levels using L929 Fibroblasts determined higher cell viability for the Ag-S at lower concentrations (5 µg/ml); in addition, no significant reduction in cell viability was observed with higher concentrations (15, 30 µg/ml).
The Likelihood of Injury Among Bias Crimes
Authors: Pezzella Frank S. , Fetzer Matthew D.
Published: June 2015

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Mathew Sheppard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Protection act and thereby extended the list of previously protected classes of victims from actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, disability and sex orientation to gender and gender identity. Over 45 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government now include hate crime statutes that increase penalties when offenders perpetrate hate crimes against protected classes of victims. Penalty enhancement statutes sanction unlawful bias conduct arguably because they result in more severe injuries relative to non-bias conduct. We contend that physical injuries vary by bias type and are not equally injurious. Data on bias crimes was analyzed from the National Incident Based Reporting System. Descriptive patterns of bias crimes were identified by offense type, bias motivation and major and minor injuries. Using Multivariate analyses, we found an escalating trend of violence against racial minorities. Moreover, relative to non-bias crimes, only anti-White and anti-lesbian bias crimes experienced our two prong “animus” criteria of disproportionate prevalence and severity of injury. However, when compared to anti-White bias, anti-Black bias crimes were more prevalent and likely to suffer serious injuries. Implications for hate crime jurisprudence are discussed.
Associations Between Specific Negative Emotions and DSM-5 PTSD Among a National Sample of Interpersonal Trauma Survivors
Authors: Badour Christal L. , Resnick Heidi S. , Kilpatrick Dean G.
Published: June 2015

The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has undergone several significant changes corresponding with the recent implementation of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5). Many of these changes reflect a growing recognition that PTSD is characterized by a wide range of negative affective experiences that were underrepresented in prior conceptualizations of the disorder. The present study examined the prevalence and correlates of a new Criterion D symptom (D4-Negative Affect), which is aimed at assessing subjective problems with persistent negative emotion states (e.g., fear, anger, shame, guilt, horror) among a sample of 1,522 U.S. adults with a history of interpersonal trauma recruited from a national online panel. The prevalence of D4-Negative Affect was very high among individuals with assault-related PTSD (AR-PTSD) and in particular, was significantly higher than among PTSD negative individuals. Moreover, specific problems with anger, shame, and fear were significantly and uniquely associated with AR-PTSD. Important differences also emerged as a function of gender and interpersonal trauma history. These findings provide initial empirical support for the expanded emphasis on assessing a wide range of negative affective experiences that may be associated with PTSD in DSM-5.
“I Was Naive in Thinking, ‘I Divorced This Man, He Is Out of My Life’”: A Qualitative Exploration of Post-Separation Power and Control Tactics Experienced by Women
Authors: Toews Michelle L. , Bermea Autumn M.
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this study was to explore women’s perceptions of the power and control tactics used by their former husbands post-separation. A total of 22 in-depth interviews with divorced mothers who reported male-initiated partner abuse (psychological and/or physical) during and/or after their marriages were analyzed. The most common themes to emerge from the narratives were, in order of prevalence, as follows: Using the Children; Using Threats, Harassment, and Intimidation; Emotional Abuse; Economic Abuse; “Stuff to Try to Hurt Me”; Disrupting Her Relationships With the Children; Using the System; and Physical Violence. We also found that the violent and coercive behaviors men used during the marriage continued to influence the women’s perceptions of the power and control their former husbands had over them post-separation. As a result, many of the women described how they gave up everything just to get out of their abusive marriages.