bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Control of PD-L1 Expression by Oncogenic Activation of the AKT–mTOR Pathway in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Lastwika Kristin J. , Wilson Willie , Li Qing Kay , Norris Jeffrey , Xu Haiying , Ghazarian Sharon R. , Kitagawa Hiroshi , Kawabata Shigeru , Taube Janis M. , Yao Sheng , Liu Linda N. , Gills Joell J. , Dennis Phillip A.
Published: December 2015

Alterations in EGFR, KRAS, and ALK are oncogenic drivers in lung cancer, but how oncogenic signaling influences immunity in the tumor microenvironment is just beginning to be understood. Immunosuppression likely contributes to lung cancer, because drugs that inhibit immune checkpoints like PD-1 and PD-L1 have clinical benefit. Here, we show that activation of the AKT–mTOR pathway tightly regulates PD-L1 expression in vitro and in vivo. Both oncogenic and IFNγ-mediated induction of PD-L1 was dependent on mTOR. In human lung adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, membranous expression of PD-L1 was significantly associated with mTOR activation. These data suggest that oncogenic activation of the AKT–mTOR pathway promotes immune escape by driving expression of PD-L1, which was confirmed in syngeneic and genetically engineered mouse models of lung cancer where an mTOR inhibitor combined with a PD-1 antibody decreased tumor growth, increased tumor-infiltrating T cells, and decreased regulatory T cells. Cancer Res; 76(2); 227–38. ©2015 AACR.
Recurrent MLK4 Loss-of-Function Mutations Suppress JNK Signaling to Promote Colon Tumorigenesis
Authors: Marusiak Anna A. , Stephenson Natalie L. , Baik Hayeon , Trotter Eleanor W. , Li Yaoyong , Blyth Karen , Mason Susan , Chapman Phil , Puto Lorena A. , Read Jon A. , Brassington Claire , Pollard Hannah K. , Phillips Chris , Green Isabelle , Overman Ross , Collier Matthew , Testoni Ewelina , Miller Crispin J. , Hunter Tony , Sansom Owen J. , Brognard John
Published: December 2015

MLK4 is a member of the mixed-lineage family of kinases that regulate the JNK, p38, and ERK kinase signaling pathways. MLK4 mutations have been identified in various human cancers, including frequently in colorectal cancer, where their function and pathobiological importance have been uncertain. In this study, we assessed the functional consequences of MLK4 mutations in colon tumorigenesis. Biochemical data indicated that a majority of MLK4 mutations are loss-of-function (LOF) mutations that can exert dominant-negative effects. In seeking to understand the abrogated activity of these mutants, we elucidated a new MLK4 catalytic domain structure. To determine whether MLK4 is required to maintain tumorigenic phenotypes, we reconstituted its signaling axis in colon cancer cells harboring MLK4-inactivating mutations. We found that restoring MLK4 activity reduced cell viability, proliferation, and colony formation in vitro and delayed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic investigations established that restoring the function of MLK4 selectively induced the JNK pathway and its downstream targets, cJUN, ATF3, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors CDKN1A and CDKN2B. Our work indicates that MLK4 is a novel tumor-suppressing kinase harboring frequent LOF mutations that lead to diminished signaling in the JNK pathway and enhanced proliferation in colon cancer. Cancer Res; 76(3); 724–35. ©2015 AACR.
A Cross-Cancer Genetic Association Analysis of the DNA Repair and DNA Damage Signaling Pathways for Lung, Ovary, Prostate, Breast, and Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Scarbrough Peter M. , Weber Rachel Palmieri , Iversen Edwin S. , Brhane Yonathan , Amos Christopher I. , Kraft Peter , Hung Rayjean J. , Sellers Thomas A. , Witte John S. , Pharoah Paul , Henderson Brian E. , Gruber Stephen B. , Hunter David J. , Garber Judy E. , Joshi Amit D. , McDonnell Kevin , Easton Doug F. , Eeles Ros , Kote-Jarai Zsofia , Muir Kenneth , Doherty Jennifer A. , Schildkraut Joellen M.
Published: December 2015

Background: DNA damage is an established mediator of carcinogenesis, although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified few significant loci. This cross-cancer site, pooled analysis was performed to increase the power to detect common variants of DNA repair genes associated with cancer susceptibility.

Methods: We conducted a cross-cancer analysis of 60,297 single nucleotide polymorphisms, at 229 DNA repair gene regions, using data from the NCI Genetic Associations and Mechanisms in Oncology (GAME-ON) Network. Our analysis included data from 32 GWAS and 48,734 controls and 51,537 cases across five cancer sites (breast, colon, lung, ovary, and prostate). Because of the unavailability of individual data, data were analyzed at the aggregate level. Meta-analysis was performed using the Association analysis for SubSETs (ASSET) software. To test for genetic associations that might escape individual variant testing due to small effect sizes, pathway analysis of eight DNA repair pathways was performed using hierarchical modeling.

Results: We identified three susceptibility DNA repair genes, RAD51B (P < 5.09 × 10−6), MSH5 (P < 5.09 × 10−6), and BRCA2 (P = 5.70 × 10−6). Hierarchical modeling identified several pleiotropic associations with cancer risk in the base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair, and homologous recombination pathways.

Conclusions: Only three susceptibility loci were identified, which had all been previously reported. In contrast, hierarchical modeling identified several pleiotropic cancer risk associations in key DNA repair pathways.

Impact: Results suggest that many common variants in DNA repair genes are likely associated with cancer susceptibility through small effect sizes that do not meet stringent significance testing criteria. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(1); 193–200. ©2015 AACR.
Comparing Patient-Derived Xenograft and Computational Response Prediction for Targeted Therapy in Patients of Early-Stage Large Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Li Jian , Ye Changkun , Mansmann Ulrich R.
Published: December 2015

Purpose: Targeted therapy (TT) provides highly effective cancer treatment for appropriately selected individuals. A major challenge of TT is to select patients who would benefit most.

Experimental Design: The study uses cancer material from 25 patients primarily diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are treated with cetuximab and erlotinib. Treatment response is measured by tumor shrinkage comparing tumor volume at day 25 (V25) with tumor volume at baseline (V0). Shrinkage below 40% is considered as treatment response: V25/V0 < 0.4 (<40%). Furthermore, RNA-seq data from each tumor sample are used to predict tumor response to either treatment using an in silico molecular signaling map (MSM) approach.

Results: PDX response was 40% (10/25; 95% CI [21.13%, 61.34%]) under cetuximab and 20% (5/25; 95% CI [6.83%, 40.70%]) under erlotinib. MSM predicted response was 48% (12/25; 95% CI [27.8%, 68.7%]) under cetuximab and 40% (10/25; 95% CI [21.13%, 61.34%]) under erlotinib. Agreement between PDX and MSM response prediction is substantial under cetuximab and erlotinib: 84% (21/25, P = 0.001) and 80% (20/25, P = 0.003). A total of 5 from the 25 patients have been treated with cetuximab showing a clinical response identical to both predictions.

Conclusions: For NSCLC patients, this proof-of-concept study shows a considerable agreement in response prediction from MSM and PDX approaches, but MSM saves time and laboratory resources. Our result indicates the potential of MSM-based approach for clinical decision making when selecting cancer TTs. Clin Cancer Res; 22(9); 2167–76. ©2015 AACR.
Impact of Metformin on Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Survival: Too Little, Too Late?
Authors: Yang Yu-Xiao , Rustgi Anil K.
Published: December 2015

Metformin offers no survival advantage in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Despite promising experimental evidence suggesting an antitumor effect of metformin, its impact on the survival of advanced pancreatic cancer is likely very limited. Future studies may need to consider its role in early-stage pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 22(5); 1031–3. ©2015 AACR.

See related article by Reni et al., p. 1076
Massachusetts Pediatricians’ Views Toward Body Mass Index Screening in Schools
Authors: Bottino Clement J. , de Ferranti Sarah D. , Meyers Alan F. , Rhodes Erinn T.
Published: December 2015

Objective. Evaluate Massachusetts pediatricians’ views toward school-based body mass index screening since its implementation. Methods. Survey of 286 members of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on attitudes toward screening and perceived impact on clinical practice. Results. Overall, 36.3% supported screening, with suburban or rural pediatricians significantly less likely (vs urban) to indicate support. Less than 10% of pediatricians agreed or strongly agreed that screening improved communication with schools (4.2%), communication with families (8.9%), or helped them care for patients (7.0%), with suburban or rural pediatricians significantly less likely to agree. Most pediatricians reported contact from patients regarding screening (59.4%) and identifying concerns from patients regarding screening during office visits (60.4%), including bullying and self-esteem. Suburban or rural pediatricians were significantly more likely to report patient contact and concerns related to screening. Conclusions. Support for school-based body mass index screening is low among Massachusetts pediatricians, particularly among suburban and rural pediatricians.
Dynamics of inequalities in a global perspective: An introduction
Authors: Bashi Treitler Vilna , Boatcă Manuela
Published: December 2015

The contribution in this introduction, and in this monograph issue of Current Sociology itself, is to explain how patterns of inequality associated with global capital have been reconfigured in different contexts and have historically produced varied results. The definition of global inequality used here transcends Euro- and US-centric models of linear development and comparisons of national income and its distribution to explain how complex socioeconomic hierarchies, including – but not limited to – class, reinforce inequalities among social groups around the globe. The editors trace contemporary patterns of inequality back to the history of imperial and colonial power so as to reintroduce into the scholarly dialogue on inequality a broader understanding of ascriptive hierarchies of race, gender, caste, and national citizenship and their relationship to colonial conquest, enslavement, and labor migrations as interrelated contexts of the global production and reproduction of inequality patterns.
Unequal and gendered: Notes on the coloniality of citizenship
Authors: Boatcă Manuela , Roth Julia
Published: December 2015

An entire Occidentalist tradition of citizenship theory viewed citizenship as a modern, progressive institution that helped overcome particularities of unequal social origin. Contrary to the claims of this (mainly male) Western scholarly tradition, the article argues, first, that the institution of citizenship has developed in the West through the legal (and physical) exclusion of non-European, non-White and non-Western populations from civic, political, social and cultural rights; these exclusions, and thus citizenship as such, have historically been (en)gendered. Second, the article maintains that citizenship and gender are the most decisive factors accounting for extreme inequalities between individuals in rich and poor countries in the twenty-first century. Forms of racialization, sexualization and precarization to which the acquisition of citizenship and the corresponding gain in social mobility are linked today are illustrated with examples of practices to subvert citizenship law through marriage or childbirth in countries relying primarily on jus sanguinis and jus soli, respectively.
Racialization and its paradigms: From Ireland to North America
Authors: Bashi Treitler Vilna
Published: December 2015

This article offers a template for understanding and analyzing racialization as a paradigm. Further, this template is applied to the North American case – an important one because it has endured and spread across the globe despite the enormous weight of scientific evidence against it. The fallacy of race (and in particular the North American Anglo-origin variant) endures for two reasons. First, social agents seeking to gain or maintain power and control over paradigm-relevant resources benefit from reinvesting in pseudoscientific racial paradigms. Second, new science proving the fallacy of race is ignored because ignoring new paradigmatic science is in fact the way normal science operates. Thus, a paradigmatic analysis of race may help to explain why current social science approaches to the demise of racial thought may be ineffective.
Global reproductive inequalities, neo-eugenics and commercial surrogacy in India
Authors: Pande Amrita
Published: December 2015

India’s commercial surrogacy market literally produces humans and human relationships while sustaining global racial reproductive hierarchies. The post-colonial state’s aggressive anti-natalism echoes the broader global population control agenda framing the global South’s high fertility rates as a ‘global danger’ to be controlled at whatever cost, but is at odds with the neoliberal imperative of unrestrained global fertility tourism. Womb mothers (surrogates) subvert hegemonic discourses by taking control over their bodies and using their fertile bodies ‘productively’. But in controlling their own reproduction through decisions about fertility, sterilization and abortion in order to (re)produce children of higher classes and privileged nations, they ultimately conform to global neo-eugenic imperatives to reduce the fertility of lower class women in the global South. Surrogates creatively construct cross-class, -caste, -religion, -race and -nation kinship ties with the baby and the intended mother, disrupting hegemonic genetic and patriarchal bases of kinship, but fundamentally reify structural inequality.
A ‘rising Africa’ in a resource-rich context: Change, continuity and implications for development
Authors: Onuoha Godwin
Published: December 2015

As Africa witnesses a shift from Afro-pessimism to Afro-euphoria, contemporary discourses on the continent have been hinged on the notion of a ‘Rising Africa’. This article explores the often-ignored structural defects upon which the notion is hinged, particularly in resource-rich contexts. The analysis is based on a critique of current narratives of a rising Africa as being far too simplistic and subjective to serve as an enduring basis for capturing the dialectics of change in a resurgent continent. It does this by engaging a multi-level analysis that draws upon the political economy of oil, growing inequalities in resource-rich states, strategic and energy security calculations of global actors, and the complex web of global forces that define the parameters and limits of development on the continent. Given the marginal position of the continent in the global extractive regime, this article posits that a lot will depend on understanding the implications, risks and opportunities embedded in Africa’s current resource boom, with a view to charting a viable and sustainable path in its unpredictable search for development.
‘Mary Amaka’ Feminism: Exploring the underside of pop-cultured ‘global women empowerment’
Authors: Ikeotuonye Maureen
Published: December 2015

Until recently, conventional discourses on global inequality and justice have been inundated with what can be called the narrative of the ‘global women’s rights issues’ industry. Interpersonal themes dominate the global social mission in an almost exclusive focus on alleged remnants of colonized cultures’ ‘bad cultural practices’ – e.g. ‘rape’, ‘forced marriages’, ‘domestic violence’, ‘FGM’, ‘honour killing’. Moreover, these widely accepted cultural judgements are deployed mainly on the basis of the ‘universal values’ of ‘solidarity’, ‘egalitarianism’ and ‘liberty’ – all slogans of Western ‘Enlightenment’ philosophy. There is a genealogy of geohistorical forces (that mirror key trends in the modern/colonial matrix of power) that must be considered if we are to understand the ascendancy of the ‘global womanhood’ discourses and the institutional frameworks of reasoning upon which they rely. This article traces this genealogy, presenting an onto-epistemological critique of humanitarian imperialism that proceeds under the guise of ‘global women’s human rights issues’.
The global constitutionalization of human rights: Overcoming contemporary injustices or juridifying old asymmetries?
Authors: Leite Gonçalves Guilherme , Costa Sérgio
Published: December 2015

Recent decades are marked by an impressive expansion of actors and legal structures intended to globally extend a certain ‘Western’ catalog of human rights. Recently, too, legal scholars have developed concepts to justify normatively the expansion of human rights (e.g. Habermas, Walker, Koskenniemi). This article reviews recent legal literature on global constitutionalization of human rights to reveal its blind spots, at two levels: i) the reaffirmation of European precedency for establishing the sources of human rights and ii) a lack of sociological tools for describing interpenetrations between law, power and social inequalities. In order to empirically illustrate these objections, the article analyses the recent global expansion of human rights of minorities, using two examples: cases treated by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Brazilian legalization of ancestral territories of afro-descendants. Finally, the article argues for a decentered perspective that (at the local level) connects human rights with concrete claims for justice.
Work Environments and Labor Markets
Authors: Sun Min , Ni Yongmei
Published: December 2015

Purpose: Knowledge about principals’ leadership roles in charter schools’ success has become more important as the number of charter schools increases and as we have learned more about the influence of principal leadership on school effectiveness. To contribute to the limited empirical literature on the principal labor market, this study explores the reasons for the disparity of turnover rates between charter school principals and their counterparts in traditional public schools (TPSs). It focuses on the differential distributions of observable factors, including principal characteristics, principal leadership practices, school contexts, and working conditions. It also examines how the associations between these observables and the likelihood of principal turnover differ between these two types of schools. Research Methods/Approach: This study uses data on a nationally representative sample of principals from the Schools and Staffing Survey in the 2007-2008 school year and its following-year Principal Follow-up Survey. The main analytic strategies include logit models and the Fairlie nonlinear decomposition technique. Findings: A statistically significant difference in charter–TPS principal turnover rates was confirmed. The explanatory variables collectively explained about 49% of the charter–TPS turnover gap: Principal characteristics explained 3%, principal leadership quality explained 4%, school contexts explained 2%, and working conditions explained 28%. Moreover, relative to TPS peers, three factors have stronger associations with the likelihood of charter school principal turnover: principal leadership quality, barriers to the dismissal of poor-performing or incompetent teachers, and salary. Implications for Research and Practice: This is one of first few studies that empirically explore the charter school principal workforce and labor market movements. Findings are practically informative for retaining principals in charter schools.
Construction and validation of a hybrid model to measure perceived public service quality (PSQ)
Authors: Guenoun Marcel , Goudarzi Kiane , Chandon Jean-Louis
Published: December 2015

Today, public organizations make extensive use of marketing methods and concepts to design, implement and assess the services they deliver to their beneficiaries. The quality of the services offered is at the heart of their concerns. Public sector marketing requires tools that are adapted to the specific characteristics of the context. The main contribution of this research is to propose the construction of a hybrid model to measure perceived public service quality (PSQ), mixing public and private dimensions. It is based on a quantitative study conducted on a sample of 760 inhabitants of the French town of Besançon.

Points for practitioners

Service quality is a cornerstone of government modernization. However, public service quality adds another dimension to the notion of service quality. In addition to those found in the private sector, dimensions specific to the public sector have a significant impact on how the beneficiaries perceive public services. In this article we develop a model to measure Public Service Quality that incorporates the public and private dimensions in a single conceptualization. This research provides practitioners with an operational measurement tool to survey their beneficiaries on public service quality.
Overcoming the tensions between values: a challenge for French public service managers and their training schools
Authors: Larat Fabrice , Chauvigné Christian
Published: December 2015

While there is universal recognition of their important role in the functioning of administrations and for the motivation of public officials, the values that serve as a reference for the public service are witnessing a change in the way they are understood and implemented in practice, particularly with regard to the new requirements of public management. The analysis developed in this article centres on the interplay between various dimensions relating to the perception and use of the key values of the French civil service and highlights the tensions that prevail despite the apparent preservation of the axiological reference universe of those concerned. It raises the question of the role of schools in the training of values management. It draws on the results of a survey conducted in France by the network of civil service schools (Réseau des écoles de service public; RESP) among managers undergoing training and their teachers and supervisory staff.

Points for practitioners

The study shows that organizations that are responsible for the initial or continuing training of civil servants offer a breeding ground for the (re)production of public service values. However, for civil service managers to be able to deal with the potential tensions between values (no clear hierarchy, apparent contradictions) it is necessary to develop their capacities for reflective analysis and practical application that will allow a critical distance and promote a contextualized ethical approach.
Public accountability and the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool: an assessment
Authors: Loozekoot André , Dijkstra Geske
Published: December 2015

Since 2005, the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool has been widely used in developing countries and emerging economies to evaluate the performance of public financial management systems. In this article, we assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability instrument tool for evaluating public financial accountability. We examine the theoretical literature on public accountability in order to derive a suitable normative framework to assess the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool. However, given that this literature is based on experiences in developed countries, we must extend it to also take into account the political cultures and practices in developing countries. Using this extended framework, we assess the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability indicators related to, in particular, parliamentary committees for financial oversight and Supreme Audit Institutions. We conclude that the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool could devote more attention to the independence of Supreme Audit Institutions, the nature of accountability debates, democratic inclusion and horizontal accountability mechanisms

Points for practitioners

The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool has been applied in more than 116 countries and its reports offer valuable information for practitioners and researchers around the world. It is the only publicly available data set that measures the performance of financial committees of parliament and Supreme Audit Institutions. The strengths and weaknesses revealed in this article should be taken into account when using the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability tool for research or for evaluating the quality of financial accountability systems in particular countries. The international financial institutions and donor agencies governing the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Secretariat can use the recommendations of this article to further improve the framework.
Adopting International Public Sector Accounting Standards: a challenge for modernizing and harmonizing public sector accounting
Authors: Brusca Isabel , Martínez Juan Carlos
Published: December 2015

The International Public Sector Accounting Standards have been seen as a path towards the modernization of governmental accounting, and many countries have made efforts to adopt them. The purpose of this article is to analyse the stimuli and barriers to the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards, as well as their main benefits, using a structural equation model. The research methodology is based on a questionnaire sent to American and European Union countries that has been used to construct a structural model, and our results show that comparability and modernization are direct benefits of International Public Sector Accounting Standards implementation, and that both adopter and non-adopter countries value these positive impacts. This justifies the process of harmonization that the European Commission recently started.

Points for practitioners

The analysis of the impact of International Public Sector Accounting Standards in the international context shows to what extent the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards are useful for modernizing governmental accounting and achieving accounting comparability. Describing the experience of countries that have adopted International Public Sector Accounting Standards can help practitioners and professionals who participate in modernizing accounting systems, such as the European Union. Many countries are now moving towards International Public Sector Accounting Standards and the experiences of pioneer countries can serve as a learning process. This article shows that introducing International Public Sector Accounting Standards can have many advantages in practice and that countries that have implemented these standards consider that they allow an increase in transparency and accountability.
Self-help without the self: Critique of non-governmental organizational approaches to rural development in Ghana
Authors: Osei Gershon
Published: December 2015

For more than four decades, governments of Ghana have worked with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to solve rural problems. However, the extent to which NGOs have been able to improve rural conditions is questionable. Many have suggested that NGOs function more as patriarchs than as partners in their rural development work. This article is a critique of NGO strategies for rural development in Ghana, in which I argue that the longstanding limitations of NGO strategies may have contributed to rural underdevelopment rather than development. I conclude that if NGOs are to contribute meaningfully to rural development in Ghana, they will need to change their strategies.
Developmental social case work: A process model
Authors: van Breda Adrian
Published: December 2015

Social development has been adopted as South Africa’s social welfare approach and is increasingly being adopted in Africa and other parts of the developing world. The translation of developmental social welfare to social work has, however, been difficult for many social workers. A particularly challenging aspect of this translation concerns the practice of social case work within a social development approach, a topic that has received virtually no attention in the social development literature. This article constructs a process model for a form of social case work that is informed by social development principles and priorities.
Exploring military social work from a social justice perspective
Authors: Olson Mark D
Published: December 2015

Calls to enhance military social work content in social work education present unique challenges for a discipline historically associated with social justice and advocacy for peace. The consequences of war demand intervention along multiple psychosocial domains. However, the question remains as to how social workers can address the discrepancies between social work values and military culture. This article argues that the context-bound nature of social work highlights the reciprocal relationship between macro and micro factors intrinsic to military issues. This provides a holistic understanding of the military system and can enhance educational content on military issues to include international perspectives.
Social work strategies against crisis in everyday practice: An anti-oppressive case study
Authors: Raineri Maria Luisa , Calcaterra Valentina
Published: December 2015

Anti-oppressive social work, promotion of equality and combating the structural causes of hardship are often conceived as matters to be pursued at the meso and macro levels, while little anti-oppressive social work is considered practicable at the individual case level. In order to counteract this dangerous idea, this article presents a case study of a Nigerian mother immigrated to Italy, and is based on the five social work strategies against the social and economic crisis that were proposed for the 2014 World Social Work Day: promoting equality and equity, enabling people to live sustainably, building participation, facilitating caring communities, and respecting diversity and connecting people.
(Non)state and (in)formal social protection in Africa: Focusing on burial societies
Authors: Dafuleya Gift
Published: December 2015

Social protection has reached development policy agenda in Africa, and extending coverage to informal workers is now a key concern. First, this article develops a conceptual framework of social protection intersperse in Africa to identify the missing link in the evolving debates on extending social protection to informal workers. Second, the article reviews and assesses literature on African burial societies to make an argument that they are well positioned to be engaged as pathways for providing social protection to those working informally. The article concludes by identifying three models of possible pathways for extending social protection in Africa: the state-informal single model, the state-informal collective model and the state-formal model.
Cultural Value Shifting in Pronoun Use
Authors: Yu Feng , Peng Theodore , Peng Kaiping , Tang Shi , Chen Chuan Shi , Qian Xiaojun , Sun Pei , Han Tingting , Chai Fangyuan
Published: December 2015

By investigating the use of first-person pronouns in nine languages using the Google Ngram Database, we examined the degree to which different cultural values skewed toward individualism or collectivism over a span of 59 years. We found that in eight of nine languages (British English being the exception), first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) have become increasingly prevalent, which in turn points to a rising sense of individualism. British English showed a U-shaped curve trend in the use of first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns). Although they initially decreased, British English’s first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) use was higher than most other languages throughout the whole period. Chinese displayed a fluctuating pattern wherein the use of first-person singular pronouns (vs. first-person plural pronouns) increased in recent periods. The dynamics of cultural change and culture diversity were discussed.
Medication Adherence With Diabetes Medication
Authors: Capoccia Kam , Odegard Peggy S. , Letassy Nancy
Published: December 2015

Purpose

The primary purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the evidence regarding risk factors associated with nonadherence to prescribed glucose-lowering agents, the impact of nonadherence on glycemic control and the economics of diabetes care, and the interventions designed to improve adherence.

Methods

Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaborative, BIOSIS, and the Health and Psychosocial Instruments databases were searched for studies of medication adherence for the period from May 2007 to December 2014. Inclusion criteria were study design and primary outcome measuring or characterizing adherence. Published evidence was graded according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists protocol for standardized production of clinical practice guidelines.

Results

One hundred ninety-six published articles were reviewed; 98 met inclusion criteria. Factors including age, race, health beliefs, medication cost, co-pays, Medicare Part D coverage gap, insulin use, health literacy, primary nonadherence, and early nonpersistence significantly affect adherence. Higher adherence was associated with improved glycemic control, fewer emergency department visits, decreased hospitalizations, and lower medical costs. Adherence was lower when medications were not tolerated or were taken more than twice daily, with concomitant depression, and with skepticism about the importance of medication. Intervention trials show the use of phone interventions, integrative health coaching, case managers, pharmacists, education, and point-of-care testing improve adherence.

Conclusion

Medication adherence remains an important consideration in diabetes care. Health professionals working with individuals with diabetes (eg, diabetes educators) are in a key position to assess risks for nonadherence, to develop strategies to facilitate medication taking, and to provide ongoing support and assessment of adherence at each visit.
Effect of Intravenous Infusion Solutions on Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Yap Jason , Rafii Mahroukh , Azcue Maria , Pencharz Paul
Published: December 2015

Background: Bioelectrical impedance (BIA) is often used to measure body fluid spaces and thereby body composition. However, in acute animal studies, we found that impedance was driven by the saline content of intravenous (IV) fluids and not by the volume. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of 3 different fluids acutely administered on the change in impedance, specifically resistance (R). Materials and Methods: Nine healthy adults participated in 3 treatment (0.9% saline, 5% dextrose, and a mixture of 0.3% saline + 3.3% dextrose) experiments on nonconsecutive days. They all received 1 L of one of the treatments intravenously over a 1‐hour period. Repeated BIA measurements were performed prior to IV infusion and then every 5 minutes for the 1‐hour infusion period, plus 3 more measurements up to 15 minutes after the completion of the infusion. Results: The change in R in the 0.9% saline infusion experiment was significantly lower than that of the glucose and mixture treatment (P < .001). Conclusion: Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy and BIA measure salt rather than the volume changes over the infusion period. Hence, in patients receiving IV fluids, BIA of any kind (single frequency or multifrequency) cannot be used to measure body fluid spaces or body composition.
The Conjoint Influence of Top and Middle Management Characteristics on Management Innovation
Authors: Heyden Mariano L. M. , Sidhu Jatinder S. , Volberda Henk W.
Published: December 2015

Management innovation entails the introduction of new-to-the-firm changes in management structures, processes, and practices intended to improve organizational functioning. We draw on relational demography theory to elucidate how behavioral dispositions stemming from top management and middle management similarity in professional characteristics (functional background and educational level) and biodemographic characteristics (age and gender) may facilitate management innovation. We argue that while a throughput functional orientation of top management can be expected to stimulate management innovation, greater similarity between top and middle management will strengthen the association between top management throughput orientation and management innovation by (1) engendering consistency in behavioral expectations between the managerial echelons and (2) motivating middle management to engage in extrarole behaviors. We test our theory on a sample of more than 8,000 top and middle managers in a cross-section of 33 organizations from 2000 to 2008 and adopt a novel content analysis-based measure of management innovation. We find compelling support for the moderating influence of professional similarity between top and middle management but uncover more complex patterns for cross-echelon similarity in biodemographic characteristics. We discuss implications for understanding the role of managers in management innovation, joint consideration of top and middle management characteristics in organizational change processes, the interplay between various types of innovation, and the measurement of management innovation. Promising future research directions are suggested.
Reframing the Conversation About Students With Limited or Interrupted Formal Education
Authors: DeCapua Andrea , Marshall Helaine W.
Published: December 2015

U.S. schools face increasing pressure to ensure that all students succeed, yet the dropout rate for English learners is alarmingly high, especially for those with limited or interrupted formal schooling (SLIFE). Serving SLIFE can be challenging because they not only need to master language and content but also need to develop literacy skills and learn to operate in formal classroom settings. We describe a culturally responsive instructional model that prepares SLIFE to access curriculum and instruction, and succeed on standardized testing.
Policies and discourses of poverty during a time of recession and austerity
Authors: Pantazis Christina
Published: December 2015

This article introduces this themed issue which challenges government policies and discourses using evidence from the UK 2012 Poverty and Social Exclusion Study. Policies and discourses prioritising the role of individual deficiencies and highlighting the structural problems of the welfare state in poverty causation are nothing new. However, they re-emerged vigorously in the UK following the 2007–8 global financial crisis and ensuing economic recession. The articles forming this themed issue seek to challenge in different ways this prevailing discourse. This introductory article draws upon Bacchi’s ‘what is the problem represented to be’ (‘WPR’) approach to examine the ways in which poverty was problematised by the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Coalition government (2010–15). It argues that this problematisation silenced structural processes associated with the government’s commitment to neo-liberalism, resulting in devastating, socially harmful consequences.
Urban growth and spatial restructuring patterns: The case of Yangtze River Delta Region, China
Authors: Wang Lei , Wong Cecilia , Duan Xuejun
Published: December 2015

The year 1995 has been widely identified as a watershed in China’s urbanisation process. The period before was deemed as ‘urbanisation from below’ with a focus on small cities and towns, whereas the period afterwards has been characterised by the ‘land-centred development’ of large cities. This paper argues that there have been further spatial and temporal differentiations since 2000. By adopting a city-regional perspective of urban land expansion, the urban growth and spatial-restructuring process of different levels of cities in Yangtze River Delta Region were examined. Different indicators and technical measures such as spatial autocorrelation analysis and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping analysis were employed to examine growth rates, growth intensity levels and the spatial clustering patterns of 15 city-regions over three time periods between 1985 and 2007. Through the development of a unified land classification system with satellite images, and the use of the GIS grid-overlay method, our analysis overcomes various identified methodological problems of previous research.
The effects of sample size on data quality in participatory mapping of past land use
Authors: Rohrbach Beni , Anderson Sharolyn , Laube Patrick
Published: December 2015

In this article, we examine the effect of sample size on spatial data quality in participatory mapping for assessing past land use. Using a map-based questionnaire, we capture changes in the extent and location of arable farmland 20 years ago. We then compare the results of the participatory mapping with reference data from the literature and accordingly calculate quality measures based on notions of correctness and completeness. In our data, correctness is high only for areas marked by many participants; the completeness metric increases as a function of the total area delineated by the participants. These data quality metrics then are analysed for subsamples, which are computed through leave-p-out jackknifing from our sample. This cross-validation addresses the question as to whether our data would be considered correct and complete having had included fewer participants. We present evidence that a small number of participants – in our case, less than 10 – already yield high-quality data. Further, we can demonstrate that aggregating the data from those participants with highest individual data quality values does not generate the best data quality as a group. This work provides a contribution to the use of participatory mapping for gathering correct and complete data.
Ecotourism planning in Lantau Island using multiple criteria decision analysis with geographic information system
Authors: Wong Frankie KK , Fung Tung
Published: December 2015

Hong Kong has great potential to develop ecotourism as an alternate tourism experience. In order to provide visitors with satisfaction and conserve and sustain natural resources, a comprehensive zoning plan is indispensable to identify areas for various purposes and activities. Geographic information system combined with multi-criteria decision analysis procedure can be used to formulate these plans in an objective and efficient way. This study used this approach to objectively identify potential sites for various ecotourism activities and tourism development potential in Lantau Island, Hong Kong SAR. The results were then used to evaluate the Lantau development plan proposed by the government. By integrating with quality conservation information, the island was further classified into four zones namely sanctuary, nature conservation, outdoor recreation, and tourism development through multi-objective analysis. The results showed that proposed sites for various recreational activities are of medium to high suitability, while other potential sites with high suitability were revealed. In addition, sites with conflicting objectives and those required further protection were also identified. The results can be used as an unbiased guide for Lantau development. This study also demonstrated ecotourism planning and development can be practically supported by geo-information tools combined with proper multi-criteria decision analysis procedures based on which better decision can be made.
Downregulation of SMC1A inhibits growth and increases apoptosis and chemosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Li Jin , Feng Wanting , Chen Longbang , He Jingdong
Published: December 2015

Objective

The structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) 1A protein is a component of the cohesin multiprotein complex that is essential for sister chromatid cohesion. SMC1A gene mutations have been reported in colorectal cancer. This study aimed to investigate the role of SMC1A gene expression in colorectal cancer in vitro.

Methods

SMC1A gene expression was silenced by lentivirus-mediated infection with small interfering RNA (siRNA) in the human colorectal cancer cell line HT-29. Cell proliferation rates, SMC1A mRNA and protein levels, apoptosis and chemosensitivity to oxaliplatin were evaluated using routine in vitro assays, real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and flow cytometry.

Results

Knockdown of SMC1A protein and mRNA levels resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation, an increased rate of apoptosis and enhanced chemosensitivity to oxaliplatin in HT-29 cells.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggest that SMC1A plays an oncogenic role in colorectal cancer and that it might be a promising target for colorectal cancer therapy.
People and places: Understanding geographical accuracy in administrative data from the census and healthcare systems
Authors: Shuttleworth Ian , Martin David
Published: December 2015

Administrative systems such as health care registration are of increasing importance in providing information for statistical, research, and policy purposes. There is thus a pressing need to understand better the detailed relationship between population characteristics as recorded in such systems and conventional censuses. This paper explores these issues using the unique Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS). It takes the 2001 Census enumeration as a benchmark and analyses the social, demographic and spatial patterns of mismatch with the health register at individual level. Descriptive comparison is followed by multivariate and multilevel analyses which show that approximately 25% of individuals are reported to be in different addresses and that age, rurality, education, and housing type are all important factors. This level of mismatch appears to be maintained over time, as earlier migrants who update their address details are replaced by others who have not yet done so. In some cases, apparent mismatches seem likely to reflect complex multi-address living arrangements rather than data error.
Pathophysiological targets for non-pharmacological treatment of migraine
Authors: Coppola Gianluca , Di Lorenzo Cherubino , Serrao Mariano , Parisi Vincenzo , Schoenen Jean , Pierelli Francesco
Published: December 2015

Background

Migraine is the most prevalent neurological disorder worldwide and ranked sixth among all diseases in years lived with disability. Overall preventive anti-migraine therapies have an effect in one patient out of two at the most, many of them being endowed with disabling adverse effects. No new disease-modifying drugs have come into clinical practice since the application to migraine of topiramate and botulinum toxin, the latter for its chronic form. There is thus clearly a need for more effective treatments that are devoid of, or have acceptable side effects. In recent years, scientific progress in migraine research has led to substantial changes in our understanding of the pathophysiology of migraine and paved the way for novel non-drug pathophysiological-targeted treatment strategies.

Overview

Several such non-drug therapies have been tested in migraine, such as oxidative phosphorylation enhancers, diets and non-invasive central or peripheral neurostimulation. All of them are promising for preventive migraine treatment and are quasi-devoid of side effects. Their advantage is that they can in theory be selected for individual patients according to their pathophysiological profile and they can (and probably should) be combined with the classical pharmacological armamentarium.

Conclusion

We will review here how knowledge of the functional anatomy and physiology of migraine mechanisms holds the key for more specific and effective non-pharmacological treatments.