bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Construct Validity of Adult ADHD and SCT Among College Students
Authors: Leopold Daniel R. , Bryan Angela D. , Pennington Bruce F. , Willcutt Erik G.
Published: October 2014

Objective: To advance our understanding of adult ADHD and sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT), the present study investigates their construct validity by exploring the nature of trait- and method-related variance in self- and parent-ratings of ADHD and SCT. Method: Using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) design, response variance in college undergraduates’ ( n = 3,925) and a subset of their parents’ ( n = 2,242) ratings was decomposed into method, trait, and error-specific variance. Results: Global evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was supported, but parameter-level comparisons suggest that method effects, situational specificity, and ADHD’s core feature—inattention—are prominent. Conclusion: This investigation offers two important conclusions: (a) SCT appears to be a related but separate factor from ADHD; and (b) self- and parent-ratings of emerging adult ADHD exhibit low to moderate correlations and support the situational specificity hypothesis, suggesting that multiple raters should be consulted when assessing adult ADHD. Implications of these findings and recommendations for the continued study of SCT are discussed.
Safety Assessment of EPA-Rich Polar Lipid Oil Produced From the Microalgae Nannochloropsis oculata
Authors: Kagan Michael L. , Sullivan Dexter W. , Gad Shayne C. , Ballou Corey M.
Published: October 2014

Almega PL is an eicosapentaenoic acid-rich ω-3 oil that is isolated from Nannochloropsis oculata algae and developed as a dietary supplement. The safety of the algal oil was evaluated in 14- and 90-day studies in Sprague-Dawley rats by oral gavage at dose levels of 0, 250, 500, and 2500 mg/kg/d and 0, 200, 400, and 2000 mg/kg/d, respectively. No mortalities occurred and no signs of toxicity were observed during the studies. No treatment-related effects were seen for body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, neurological effects, urinalysis, clinical pathology, gross pathology, organ weights, or histopathology. Although statistically significant effects were noted for some end points, none were considered to be of toxicological significance. The no observed adverse effect level for Almega PL was 2000 mg/kg/d. Additionally, Almega PL was not mutagenic in Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli, did not induce chromosome aberrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and did not induce genotoxic effects in vivo in rat bone marrow erythrocytes.
Using Propensity Score Methods to Approximate Factorial Experimental Designs to Analyze the Relationship Between Two Variables and an Outcome
Authors: Dong Nianbo
Published: October 2014

Researchers have become increasingly interested in programs’ main and interaction effects of two variables ( A and B, e.g., two treatment variables or one treatment variable and one moderator) on outcomes. A challenge for estimating main and interaction effects is to eliminate selection bias across A-by- B groups. I introduce Rubin’s causal model to approximate factorial experimental designs for studies with partial randomization and nonrandomization. I apply a Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate several propensity score applications. The findings suggest the following two applications for reducing bias and mean square error of parameter estimates when analyzing the relationship of two variables and an outcome: (a) inverse of propensity score weighting based on one multinomial propensity score model and (b) subclassification based on two binary propensity score models. As a demonstration, I examine whether the effects of the Head Start program, compared to other center-based care, for improving children’s reading achievement vary by child care quality.
Associations Between Cytokine Genes and a Symptom Cluster of Pain, Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, and Depression in Patients Prior to Breast Cancer Surgery
Authors: Doong Sy-Huey , Dhruva Anand , Dunn Laura B. , West Claudia , Paul Steven M. , Cooper Bruce A. , Elboim Charles , Abrams Gary , Merriman John D. , Langford Dale J. , Leutwyler Heather , Baggott Christina , Kober Kord , Aouizerat Bradley E. , Miaskowski Christine
Published: October 2014

Pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression are common and frequently co-occurring symptoms in oncology patients. This symptom cluster is often attributed to the release of proinflammatory cytokines. The purposes of this study were to determine whether distinct latent classes of patients with breast cancer ( n = 398) could be identified based on their experience with this symptom cluster, whether patients in these latent classes differed on demographic and clinical characteristics and whether variations in cytokine genes were associated with latent class membership. Three distinct latent classes were identified: “all low” (61.0%), “low pain and high fatigue” (31.6%), “all high” (7.1%). Compared to patients in the all low class, patients in the all high class were significantly younger, had less education, were more likely to be non-White, had a lower annual income, were more likely to live alone, had a lower functional status, had a higher comorbidity score, and had more advanced disease. Significant associations were found between interleukin 6 (IL6) rs2069845, IL13 rs1295686, and tumor necrosis factor alpha rs18800610 and latent class membership. Findings suggest that variations in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes are associated with this symptom cluster in breast cancer patients.
Mental health treatment after major surgery among Vietnam-era Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Tsan Jack Y , Stock Eileen M , Greenawalt David S , Zeber John E , Copeland Laurel A
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine mental health treatment use among Vietnam Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and determine whether undergoing major surgery interrupted mental health treatment or increased the risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Using retrospective data from Veterans Health Administration’s electronic medical record system, a total of 3320 Vietnam-era surgery patients with preoperative posttraumatic stress disorder were identified and matched 1:4 with non-surgical patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. The receipt of surgery was associated with a decline in overall mental health treatment and posttraumatic stress disorder–specific treatment 1 month following surgery but not during any subsequent month thereafter. Additionally, surgery was not associated with psychiatric admission.
Diasporic films and the migrant experience in New Zealand: A case study in social imagination
Authors: Zalipour Arezou , Athique Adrian
Published: October 2014

Drawing upon interviews and focus groups with Asian migrants, this article interrogates responses to ‘diasporic’ films that seek to represent multicultural experiences in contemporary New Zealand. We argue that these responses provide an effective demonstration of the operation of the ‘social imagination’, a discursive process that articulates the fundamental linkage between symbolic representation, community formation and social action. As our respondents narrated the personal meanings that they construct around ethnically specific media, they were compelled to describe known and hypothetical others, to elucidate symbolic and moral codes, and to reveal social empathies and anxieties. In this study, we found that discussions around migrant stories revealed a series of deeply personalised notions of self and place that were always situated in juxtaposition with externalised projections of community formation and the ‘mainstream’ culture. This dynamic reflects what can be conceptualised as the central preoccupations of a ‘diasporic social imagination’. These responses, therefore, constitute a case study of social imagination at work in a multicultural context, underlining the utility of narrative media in providing a public forum for discussing cultural diversity.
Do natural kind beliefs about social groups contribute to prejudice? Distinguishing bio-somatic essentialism from bio-behavioral essentialism, and both of these from entitativity
Authors: Andreychik Michael R. , Gill Michael J.
Published: October 2014

Do essentialist conceptions of racial groups foster prejudice and negative attitudes? Existing literature provides mixed results. We propose that relations between essentialism and negative attitudes will become clearer in light of a new conceptualization of essentialism derived from literature on how laypersons reason about biological inheritance. Accordingly, we propose a distinction between two types of essentialism: Bio-somatic essentialism and bio-behavioral essentialism. Further, we distinguish both of these types of essentialism from entitativity, and argue that essentialism and entitativity exert independent effects on prejudice and negative attitudes. Study 1 shows that bio-behavioral essentialism—but not bio-somatic essentialism—contributes to prejudice, and that bio-behavioral essentialism and perceived entitativity exert independent effects on prejudice. In Study 2, we manipulate whether participants hold a bio-somatic essentialist, bio-behavioral essentialist, or antiessentialist theory about a novel group and show that bio-behavioral essentialism is uniquely facilitative of negative attitudes toward a negatively behaving outgroup. Finally, in Study 3 we manipulate both essentialist theories and entitativity and show that bio-behavioral essentialism and strong perceptions of entitativity independently increase negative attitudes. Because both bio-somatic essentialism and bio-behavioral essentialism involve seeing a group as a “natural kind,” our work suggests that only particular types of natural kind beliefs are related to negative attitudes.
Independent or ungrateful? Consequences of confronting patronizing help for people with disabilities
Authors: Wang Katie , Silverman Arielle , Gwinn Jason D. , Dovidio John F.
Published: October 2014

People with disabilities routinely face a dilemma in dealing with patronizing help: While accepting unsolicited assistance may be harmful for its recipients, confronting the helper can lead to negative interpersonal repercussions. Across two studies, participants were presented with a scenario depicting an interaction between a blind target and a sighted pedestrian and asked to evaluate the behaviors of the characters involved. Study 1 showed that, whereas blind participants considered both patronizing and hostile treatment as inappropriate responses to the blind target’s request for information, sighted participants saw patronizing help as significantly more appropriate than openly hostile treatment. Study 2 further demonstrated that, among sighted participants, blind targets were viewed as less warm and more rude when confronting benevolent versus hostile discrimination. These findings highlighted the difficulty of confronting patronizing treatment and have important implications for people with disabilities as well as other patronized minorities more generally.
Individualistic tendencies: When group status makes the difference
Authors: Iacoviello Vincenzo , Lorenzi-Cioldi Fabio
Published: October 2014

In three studies, the authors investigated whether individualistic tendencies are contingent upon ingroup social status. Ingroup status was created using experimental procedures, and individualistic tendencies were assessed as preference for individualistic over collectivistic advertisement messages or preference for scarce over available products. It was predicted and found that (a) members of high-status groups emphasize individualistic tendencies compared to members of low-status groups, and that (b) this difference increases as a function of ingroup identification. Among highly identified participants, high-status group members held onto their individualistic tendencies, whereas low-status group members resolutely reduced these tendencies. The discussion addresses the role of group status in the emergence of individualistic self-conceptions and worldviews.
‘My children tell me it’s so simple’: A mixed-methods approach to understand older non-users’ perceptions of Social Networking Sites
Authors: Lüders Marika , Brandtzæg Petter Bae
Published: October 2014

While there has been a great deal of research on younger people using Social Networking Sites (SNSs), there has been less work on older people and non-users. We present a mixed-methods design with a technology-acceptance survey and focus-group interviews to study older Norwegian non-users’ perceptions of SNSs. Our study reveals that most non-users in our sample deliberately do not use SNSs. They perceive SNS communication as cold and narcissistic and view the usefulness of SNSs to be low. This finding indicates a generational culture gap in how young versus older people experience SNSs. Privacy and security concerns are also prevalent. Non-users, expressing an interest in SNSs, believe SNSs could increase contact with family and friends, but perceive lack of competence to be a barrier.
Media errors and the ‘nutty professor’: Riding the journalistic boundaries of the Sandy Hook shootings
Authors: Berkowitz Dan , Liu Zhengjia Michelle
Published: October 2014

This study explores the relationship between social media and threats to journalism’s authority during coverage of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Two related threats are examined. One threat concerned widespread errors in early reporting of the shootings. A second threat came shortly after, in the aftermath of a communication professor’s blog claiming a conspiracy between media and government. Through textual analysis of news articles, columns, and blogs, the study considers the concepts of paradigm repair, boundary work, what-a-story news, and memory in the renegotiation of journalistic authority. Findings suggest that with increased reliance on social media for reporting, increased media errors threaten the boundaries of appropriate professional journalistic practice, which both mainstream and social media attempt to rebalance.
Engine air path management and exhaust condition modeling in Dymola
Authors: Dahl Johan , Andersson Daniel
Published: October 2014

In order to comply with increasing consumer and regulatory demand for improved fuel economy and lower emissions, the engines and engine aftertreatment systems must be improved continuously. Since the complete system is very complex, models are useful in order to be able to cost efficiently develop new control strategies and selection of hardware. In this article, a model library for dynamic engine modeling in Dymola is presented. The library consists of models of the standard engine components such as manifolds, pipe, turbines, compressors, valves and mechanics. The combustion model is a mean value model and the focus has been on air path management and exhaust modeling with real-time-like simulation times, useful for engine optimization and for evaluation of control strategies. Engine simulation results from a 13-L Volvo engine demonstrates that the models capture the dynamics and have sufficient accuracy to be useful in engine optimization.
“Yo te estoy ayudando; estoy aprendiendo también/I am helping you; I am learning too:” A bilingual family’s community of practice during home literacy events
Authors: Baird Ashley Simpson , Kibler Amanda , Palacios Natalia
Published: October 2014

This case study examines one Honduran immigrant family’s community of practice during home literacy events. Data include field notes and audio and video recordings from six weeks of in-home observations. Coding and discourse analysis are used to analyse talk-in-interaction in order to understand how the family engages in literacy events. Family discourse reveals patterns of speech according to the language of narrative texts, shared strategy use between mother and child, and the influence of an older sibling. Through the exploration of these patterns, this study documents the multidirectional influence of one family’s community of practice where family members are able to leverage their linguistic and/or literate strengths to construct meaning mutually during literacy events. This study provides evidence for the benefits of encouraging bilingual families to include various family members in literacy events as well as to interact with texts in all of the languages spoken in the home. Further implications for practice and avenues for future research are discussed.
‘This is a message for …’: Third graders’ use of written text functions to facilitate interpersonal relationships
Authors: Jaeger Elizabeth L
Published: October 2014

This article describes the ways in which a class of 7- and 8-year-old children used writing to communicate. Using Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics as a theoretical frame, I examine what functions these messages served, how functions varied from child to child and how the practice of message-sending evolved over time. Analysis of data revealed that: (a) children employed all of the functions enumerated by Halliday and (b) children varied significantly in the types of functions that characterized their texts. I argue that the learning environment created by the teacher – one of trust and student choice – served to nourish the message-sending practice.
Ways of preferring: Distinction through the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of cultural consumption
Authors: Daenekindt Stijn , Roose Henk
Published: October 2014

In this article, we contrast the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of cultural consumption. We use data from an audience survey in two art museums ( n = 1448) and contrast manifested preferences towards artefacts of various artists – that is, (dis)liking Duchamp, Rubens, Kandinsky, Pollock and Van Gogh – with how people appropriate works of art. These ways of preferring are measured using items reflecting abstract evaluation criteria people use to assess/evaluate works of art and are considered proxies for aesthetic dispositions. Our results indicate that taste profiles – that is, certain combinations of (dis)liking different artists – are not very strongly related to socio-demographic characteristics and to social status position. However, among individuals having the same preferences, we find differences in ways of preferring. These differences are associated with socio-demographics and also with social inequality. This suggests that in the context of art museums, distinction is not – or only slightly – embedded in manifested preferences, but more in dispositions, that is, in ways of preferring. These findings corroborate theoretical challenges of the premise that dispositions are socialized into individuals and that this explains the social patterning of cultural practices and preferences.
Perceived value in B2B and B2C
Authors: Mencarelli Rémi , Rivière Arnaud
Published: October 2014

Perceived value is of primary concern for researchers and practitioners in the business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) spheres. However, the scientific community’s excitement over perceived value, associated with approaches developed in parallel in B2B and B2C, has engendered theoretical confusion about perceived value. To solve these conceptual problems, many researchers developed a unified theoretical framework of value (zoom out approach) at a macro-analytical level. By contrast with this currently mainstream perspective in marketing theory, this article adopts a micro-analytical approach to perceived value (zoom in approach). A comparative approach of literature on value in B2B and B2C leads to cross-fertilization between the two areas, while each retains its own features. This zoom-in approach leads to the proposition of a research agenda and allows us to clarify and to enhance the idea of perceived value in B2B and B2C.
Couples' experiences with early-onset dementia: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of dyadic dynamics
Authors: Wawrziczny Emilie , Antoine Pascal , Ducharme Francine , Kergoat Marie-Jeanne , Pasquier Florence
Published: October 2014

Objective

The growing interest in early-onset dementia has attracted attention to the situation and experiences of the caregiver, most often the spouse. Several qualitative studies on caregiving spouses have underlined the importance of the feeling of loss, the change of role reported by the caregiving spouses, and the strategies used to protect the person with dementia, all of which raise the question of the relational dynamics at play in these dyads. The present study on 16 couples examines the experiences of each partner, as well as the kinds of interactions taking place within the dyad and how they have evolved since the disease began.

Design

An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted on dyadic semi-structured interviews.

Results

Seven axes emerged from the analyses, showing that control over symptoms gradually leads to deterioration of marital interactions and to the components of marital dissolution.
The dement in the community: Social work practice with people with dementia revisited
Authors: Manthorpe Jill
Published: October 2014

While social work practice with people with dementia and their families has a long but largely hidden history, it is an emerging area of specialism. The increased incidence, prevalence and recognition of dementia suggest that this area of practice will expand and so learning from previous practice may offer helpful insights. This paper describes and reflects upon social work practice with ‘dements’ in the 1950s in England. It draws on a reading of a small book written by a psychiatric social worker, Miss M (Muriel) H Bree, outlining her role in providing after-care to patients with neuro-syphilis who had been discharged from hospital to live with their families between 1942 and 1952 through her consideration of 275 case records and seven illustrative case studies. As a historical document, Bree’s account presents a rich description of the patients and their social circumstances in post-war Britain; an account of practice from a hospital based setting that reached into the community, and of the engagement of a social worker with her clients and their family members. Threads and continuities with contemporary social work practice with people with dementia are explored; particularly work with family carers, younger people with dementia, and the value placed upon continuity of care.
Carers: The navigators of the maze of care for people with dementia—A qualitative study
Authors: Jamieson Maggie , Grealish Laurie , Brown Jo-Ann , Draper Brian
Published: October 2014

Background

Dementia is a challenge in our society, with individuals accessing services across multiple settings. Carers are navigating and delivering care services in the home. This research sought to investigate the experiences of people with dementia and their carers when transitioning home from hospital.

Methods

This study used a qualitative descriptive design, employing in-depth interviews with 30 carers recruited through networks known to one state branch of Alzheimer’s Australia. Emerging themes were validated in one focus group.

Results

During the hospital stay carers experienced a paradox: being required to deliver care yet perceiving that they were being ignored in regard to decisions about care. The time in hospital was considered by some carers to be stressful, as they were concerned about the safety of the person with dementia. Many reported that discharge home was rarely planned and coordinated. Returning home carers found re-establishing and/or accessing new services challenging, with available services often inappropriate to need.

Conclusion

The paradox of the care experience in the acute setting, whereby the carer was either invited, or sought, to deliver care, yet was excluded in staff decisions about that care, challenges the current communication and coordination of care. For people with dementia and their carers, there is a need for a coordinated seamless service that enables continued unbroken care and support from acute care to home. Carers also need support navigating the wide range of services available and importantly both carers and care providers may need to understand service boundaries.

Recommendations

This study highlights the need to acknowledge the expertise of the carer, and their need for support. Enabling a smooth discharge from hospital and support to navigate care access in the community is paramount. These experiences provide insight into gaps in service provision and modifying existing services may lead to improved experiences.
Structural health monitoring–based methodologies for managing uncertainty in aircraft structural life assessment
Authors: Bond Ray , Underwood Sara , Adams Douglas E , Cummins Joshua J
Published: October 2014

Aircraft maintenance approaches that rely on only scheduled inspections have an intrinsic amount of uncertainty and risk because intervals do not reflect the loading and damage history of individual aircraft. This risk is more pronounced in composite aircraft, because damage is often not visually apparent. This work presents two case studies of complementary structural health monitoring methods that are designed to reduce the risk in aircraft maintenance, as well as the cost of frequent, lengthy inspections. The first is an impact identification system which is capable of locating impacts to a full-scale fuselage using only three sensors. This impact identification method is able to quantify the severity of impacts, allowing maintenance personnel to focus inspections on areas that have sustained frequent and/or high-amplitude impacts. Using this method, over 97% of impacts to a heavy-lift helicopter fuselage are located within 9 in of the true impact location. The second case study details the development of a noncontact wide-area inspection method, which has the potential to reduce inspection times and uncertainty as compared to labor-intensive inspection methods such as coin tap testing. This inspection method exploits the nonlinear forced vibration characteristics of damaged areas through surface velocity measurements acquired by a scanning laser vibrometer. By comparing the structure’s response to forcing functions of differing magnitudes, the local nonlinear characteristics of damage are identified. This automated inspection method is shown to be effective in locating subsurface damage in composite helicopter panels and has the potential to reduce both labor costs and damage detection uncertainty.
Impaired glucose tolerance alters functional ability of peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells in Asian Indian men
Authors: Nathan Abel Arul , Charan Tej Mallu Abhiram , Chitiprolu Maneka , Rangan Shreyas , Mohan Viswanathan , Harish Ranjani , Anand Setty B , Dixit Madhulika
Published: October 2014

Aim:

To compare the adhesion, migration and endothelial differentiation potential of peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from drug-naive normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) Asian Indian men.

Methods:

Based on the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, 30 NGT and 31 IGT subjects were recruited into the study. PBMCs were isolated from fasting blood using histopaque density gradient centrifugation. Isolated PBMCs were analysed for their ability to adhere to extracellular matrices, incorporation into tubular structures formed by matured endothelial cells and differentiation into endothelial cells upon 7-day culture in endothelial-specific growth medium.

Results:

PBMCs obtained from IGT subjects exhibit poor adherence to fibronectin and reduced incorporation into tubular structures. Migration towards stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) in a trans-well filter assembly was also reduced for these cells. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed decreased expression of CXCR4 and β2 integrin and increased expression of arginase II in IGT subjects. No differences were observed with regard to endothelial differentiation; however, cultured PBMCs of IGT subjects had decreased intracellular nitric oxide (NO) production.

Conclusion:

In pre-diabetic, Asian Indian men, PBMCs exhibit defective migration and homing potential.
Food Cost Disparities in Rural Communities
Authors: Hardin-Fanning Frances , Rayens Mary Kay
Published: October 2014

Promotion of healthy eating is an effective public health strategy to prevent chronic disease incidence and progression. However, food prices can impede healthy eating, especially in rural communities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether food costs are associated with nutritional quality, geographic location, and month of year. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index and cost of 92 foods were assessed four times over a 10-month period in the primary grocery stores in four Kentucky counties, two rural and two urban. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess differences in food costs by nutritional quality, county, and month. Among more nutritious food items, costs were lower in urban areas. This was particularly true among foods in the highest quartile of nutritional quality. Across all counties, there was a pattern of highest per-serving costs in the second quartile of nutritional quality, whereas more nutritious foods were less expensive. Strategies that help individuals improve the ability to identify and prepare less costly foods with high nutritional value may be effective in improving dietary habits, particularly in rural, impoverished food deserts.
Graeme Turner’s Television Books
Authors: Goggin Gerard
Published: October 2014

This paper marks the contribution of Graeme Turner, an important figure in television studies. It argues that over three decades, Turner’s work makes various significant contributions to our understanding of television as a broader facet of culture. He does so, through three key collaborative books— Australian Television (1989), The Australian TV Book (2000), and Locating Television (2013), each representing a particular moment and response to a conjuncture of television. In particular, Turner’s work offers a clear sense of how to grasp, analyze, and critique the transformations associated with television’s new media dynamics.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha promotes the proliferation of human nucleus pulposus cells via nuclear factor-κB, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
Authors: Wang Xiao-Hu , Hong Xin , Zhu Lei , Wang Yun-Tao , Bao Jun-Ping , Liu Lei , Wang Feng , Wu Xiao-Tao
Published: October 2014

Although tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is known to play a critical role in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, the effect of TNF-α on nucleus pulposus (NP) cells has not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of TNF-α on proliferation of human NP cells. NP cells were treated with different concentrations of TNF-α. Cell proliferation was determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) analysis and Ki67 immunofluorescence staining, and expression of cyclin B1 was studied by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Cell cycle was measured by flow cytometry and cell apoptosis was analyzed using an Annexin V–fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) & propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis detection kit. To identify the mechanism by which TNF-α induced proliferation of NP cells, selective inhibitors of major signaling pathways were used and Western blotting was carried out. Treatment with TNF-α increased cell viability (as determined by CCK-8 analysis) and expression of cyclin B1 and the number of Ki67-positive and S-phase NP cells, indicating enhancement of proliferation. Consistent with this, NP cell apoptosis was suppressed by TNF-α treatment. Moreover, inhibition of NF-κB, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) blocked TNF-α-stimulated proliferation of NP cells. In conclusion, the current findings suggest that the effect of TNF-α on IVD degeneration involves promotion of the proliferation of human NP cells via the NF-κB, JNK, and p38 MAPK pathways.
Featured Article: Teriflunomide, an immunomodulatory drug, exerts anticancer activity in triple negative breast cancer cells
Authors: Huang Ou , Zhang Weili , Zhi Qiaoming , Xue Xiaofeng , Liu Hongchun , Shen Daoming , Geng Meiyu , Xie Zuoquan , Jiang Min
Published: October 2014

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is defined as a group of primary breast cancers lacking expression of estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) receptors, characterized by higher relapse rate and lower survival compared with other subtypes. Due to lack of identified targets and molecular heterogeneity, conventional chemotherapy is the only available option for treatment of TNBC, but non-discordant positive therapeutic efficacy could not be achieved. Here, we demonstrated that these TNBC cells were sensitive to teriflunomide, which was a well-known immunomodulatory drug for treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). Potent anti-cancer effects in TNBC in vitro, including proliferation inhibition, cell cycle delay, cell apoptosis, and suppression of cell motility and invasiveness, could be achieved with this agent. Of note, we showed that multiple signals involved in TNBC proliferation, survival, migratory, and invasive potential were under regulation by teriflunomide. Among them, we identified down-regulation of growth factor receptors to abolish growth maintenance, suppression of c-Myc, and cyclin D1 to contribute to its anti-proliferative effect, modulation of components of cell cycle to induce S-phase arrest, degradation of Bcl-xL, and up-regulation of BAX via activation of MAPK pathway to induce apoptosis, and inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) expression, and inactivation of Src/FAK to reduce TNBC migration and invasion. The results identified teriflunomide may be of therapeutic benefit for the more aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancer subtype, indicating the use of teriflunomide for clinical trials for treatment of TNBC patients.
The elliptic phenomenon effect of cross section on the torsional buckling of a nanocomposite beam reinforced by a single-walled carbon nanotube
Authors: Mohammadimehr Mehdi , Golzari Ehsan
Published: October 2014

In this article, the elliptic phenomenon effect of cross section on the torsional buckling of a nanocomposite beam reinforced by a single-walled carbon nanotube based on the continuum mechanics theory is presented. The Airy stress function method is applied to obtain the deformation of the matrix. In addition, the cross-sectional change in the single-walled carbon nanotube in torsion is considered. By using the Airy stress function, the radial and tangential displacements of the matrix and single-walled carbon nanotube, the strain energy for both the matrix and single-walled carbon nanotube is determined. Then, the stress distribution in terms of strain for different torsional curvatures, matrix thickness, single-walled carbon nanotube percentage and flatting ratio is studied. It is found from the results that with the increase in matrix thickness, the tangential and longitudinal strains in single-walled carbon nanotube decrease and vice versa for the interface stress and the dimensionless stress of the outer surface. It can be seen that in thicker matrix layers, the critical torsional buckling load of single-walled carbon nanotube decreases. Moreover, the stresses and strains of single-walled carbon nanotube and matrix will increase with an increase in the flattening ratios.
Diasporic constellations: The Chilean exile diaspora space as a multidirectional landscape of memory
Authors: Serpente Alejandra
Published: October 2014

Engaging with debates about the future of the discipline of memory studies, this essay explores recent calls to pay attention to ‘transnational discourses’ of cultural memory, in this case how the diaspora space forged by the presence of Chilean exiles living in the United Kingdom has produced new mobile memory landscapes for remembering and commemorating the afterlife of the dictatorship (1973–1990) beyond the confines of the field of the ‘politics of memory’ in the Southern Cone. In particular, it discusses how the second-generation Chilean narratives presented here reflect both the locational and multisited formations of the diaspora space.creating multidirectional linkages with various histories of trauma that connectthe dictatorial past of the previous generation, with new transformative experiences of political activism.
A topography of memory: Reconstructing the architectures of terror in the Argentine dictatorship
Authors: Conte Gonzalo
Published: October 2014

This essay introduces the work of Memoria Abierta (Open Memory), a non-governmental organisation that compiles, organises and distributes the mass of documentary evidence from human rights organisations and other personal and institutional archives connected to State terrorism in Argentina. It collates testimony on social and political life of the 1960s and 1970s and works on the territorial and spatial memory of the period of political violence in Argentina. Specifically, the ‘Topography of Memory’ section collects, systematises and produces documentation about sites, buildings and spaces that were used as spaces of temporary detention and clandestine detention centres, as well as spaces of recognition and remembrance. The decision to include architecture among the disciplines contributing to the organisation’s memory work has opened up possibilities for visualising the spaces that form the backdrop to the victims’ experience, as well walking through them. I shall discuss spaces where crimes were committed, including clandestine detention centres in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. Architectonic memory involves territories where traumatic events happened, ones characterised by the systematic use of repressive practices.
Desmoid tumor: an unusual case of gross hematuria
Authors: Isharwal Sudhir , Desai Vikas , Horn Adam , Lele Subodh M. , Lagrange Chad A.
Published: October 2014

Desmoid tumors are rare soft-tissue masses originating from the proliferation of fibroblasts in the fibroconnective tissues. Intra-abdominal desmoid tumors pose special diagnostic challenge due to multiplicity of differential diagnoses, and difficulty to well characterize the lesions on imaging studies. Desmoid tumors can have atypical presentation making clinical correlation challenging to unsuspecting urologists. Only a few cases have been reported in the urology literature. In this report, we present a case of desmoid tumor presenting with gross hematuria.
Teachers See What Ability Scores Cannot
Authors: Foreman Jennifer L. , Gubbins E. Jean
Published: October 2014

Teacher nominations of students are commonly used in gifted and talented identification systems to supplement psychometric measures of reasoning ability. In this study, second grade teachers were requested to nominate approximately one fourth of their students as having high learning potential in the year prior to the students’ participation in a randomized control trial of an advanced mathematics curriculum intervention. Treatment students completed researcher-developed unit pretests and posttests intended to measure higher order conceptual mathematical problem solving. Results from multilevel analyses indicate that third grade treatment students who were nominated during second grade significantly outperformed their un-nominated peers on these posttest measures, after controlling for students’ composite reasoning scores and pretest scores. This finding supports the view that teachers perceive student qualities beyond cognitive factors that facilitate student success with atypically challenging mathematics content, reinforcing prior recommendations to include teacher nominations as one component of gifted and talented identification systems.
Time Lag of Glucose From Intravascular to Interstitial Compartment in Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Basu Ananda , Dube Simmi , Veettil Sona , Slama Michael , Kudva Yogish C. , Peyser Thomas , Carter Rickey E. , Cobelli Claudio , Basu Rita
Published: October 2014

Background and Objective:

The premise of effective closed-loop insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D) relies on the accuracy of continuous interstitial fluid glucose sensing that represents the crucial afferent arm of such a system. An important determinant of sensor accuracy is the physiological time lag of glucose transport from the vascular to the interstitial space. The purpose of current studies was to determine the physiological time lag of glucose transport from the vascular to the abdominal subcutaneous interstitial space in T1D.

Method:

Four microdialysis catheters were inserted into the abdominal subcutaneous space in 6 T1D subjects under overnight fasted conditions. Plasma glucose was maintained at 113.7 ± 6.3 mg/dl using a continuous intravenous insulin infusion. After sequential intravenous bolus administrations of glucose isotopes, timed plasma and interstitial fluid samples were collected chronologically and analyzed for tracer enrichments.

Results:

We observed a median (range) time lag of tracer appearance (time to detection) into the interstitial space after intravenous bolus of 6.8 (4.8-9.8) minutes, with all participants having detectable values by 9.8 minutes.

Conclusions:

We conclude that in the overnight fasted state in T1D adults, the delay of glucose appearance from the vascular to the interstitial space is less than 10 minutes, thereby implying that this minimal physiological time lag should not be a major impediment to the development of an effective closed-loop control system for T1D.
Employers’ Perspectives about Employing People with Disabilities
Authors: Houtenville Andrew , Kalargyrou Valentini
Published: October 2014

A comparison of managerial hiring intentions and attitudes toward people with disabilities between service businesses and goods-producing industries found that service firms are more likely to recruit people with disabilities. Based on a comparison of 263 leisure and hospitality companies with 3,126 firms in other industries, service-producing industries are more likely to actively recruit workers with disabilities when compared with goods-producing companies. Customer attitudes toward people with disabilities seem to be a bigger concern among leisure and hospitality companies compared with other service-producing industries. With respect to coworker attitudes, companies in the manufacturing and transportation/warehousing industries are the most likely to report coworker attitudes as a challenge when hiring people with disabilities. Finally, leisure and hospitality companies are more likely to report that the cost of accommodations is an issue when hiring people with disabilities. At the same time, leisure and hospitality businesses are less likely than goods-producing industries to report that the nature of the work is such that it cannot be effectively performed by people with disabilities.
Why Restaurants Fail? Part IV
Authors: Parsa H. G. , van der Rest Jean-Pierre I. , Smith Scott R. , Parsa Rahul A. , Bujisic Milos
Published: October 2014

Although location is a significant factor in a restaurant’s survival chances, contrary to the commonly held belief, the presence of nearby homes did not help in lowering failure rates between 2000 and 2010 for restaurants in Boulder, Colorado. Instead, having a substantial population of apartment dwellers and transient residents (notably, university students) enhanced the restaurants’ success, as did the presence of people aged eighteen to twenty-four, those with higher educational levels, non-household families, and low- to middle-income families. Larger restaurants and those with chain affiliation had a greater probability of success than small, quick-service operations. Among the factors that had little effect on restaurant success or failure were unemployment rates, the nature of nearby residents’ profession, and the geographical presence of families with children under eighteen. The study’s results also support the long-held industry perception regarding avoiding locations where restaurants have already failed. When a location had experienced three ownership turnovers, the study found that the location generally ceased to host restaurants as tenants. As explained further in this article, this is the fourth in a series of examinations of the elements of restaurant success and failure.
Sodium glucose transporter protein 2 inhibitors: focusing on the kidney to treat type 2 diabetes
Authors: Peene Bernard , Benhalima Katrien
Published: October 2014

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide. Treatment of T2DM continues to present challenges, with a significant proportion of patients failing to achieve and maintain glycemic targets. Despite the availability of many oral antidiabetic agents, therapeutic efficacy is also offset by side effects such as weight gain and hypoglycemia. Therefore, the search for novel therapeutic agents with an improved benefit–risk profile continues. In the following review we focus on a novel class of oral antidiabetic drugs, the sodium glucose transporter protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which have unique characteristics. SGLT2 inhibitors focus on the kidney as a therapeutic target, where they inhibit the reabsorption of glucose in the proximal tubule, causing an increase in urinary glucose excretion. Doing this, they reduce plasma glucose independently of the β-cell function of the pancreas. SGLT2 inhibitors are effective at lowering hemoglobin A1c, but also induce weight loss and reduce blood pressure, with a low risk of hypoglycemia. In general, the SGLT2 inhibitors are well tolerated, with the most frequent adverse events being mild urinal and genital infections. Since their primary site of effect is the kidney, these drugs are less effective in patients with impaired kidney function but evidence is emerging that these drugs may also have a protective effect against diabetic nephropathy. This review focuses on the most extensively studied SGLT2 inhibitors dapagliflozin, canagliflozin and empagliflozin. Dapagliflozin and canagliflozin have already been approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration. The European Medicines Agency has accepted all three drugs for marketing.
Are IBD patients more likely to have a prior diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome? Report of a case‐control study in the General Practice Research Database
Authors: Card Timothy R , Siffledeen Jesse , Fleming Kate M
Published: October 2014

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are sometimes first diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which may be construed as a misdiagnosis.

Objective

The objective of this article is to determine if this occurs more than expected by chance.

Methods

We conducted a case‐control study nested in the General Practice Research Database. We selected incident cases of IBD and up to 10 matched controls for each. We assessed the proportions with IBS recorded prior to the IBD diagnosis and variation by age, sex, and calendar time. We compared proportions affected in fixed time periods and conducted conditional logistic regression to derive odds ratios.

Results

The 20, 193 cases were three times as likely as controls to have a prior record of IBS. Fifteen per cent of IBD cases and 5% of controls had IBS coded before diagnosis with 11% having a code for IBS over one year before IBD (cf. 5% of controls) and 6% over five years earlier (cf. 3%). These figures roughly doubled if typical antispasmodic therapies were assumed to represent IBS diagnoses.

Conclusion

If excess IBS diagnoses represent misdiagnoses of IBD, our results suggest that about 10% of IBD patients are misdiagnosed and in 3% of cases this may persist for five or more years.