bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract 5138: Structural insights into the dynamic functionality of Bax through molecular dynamics simulations.
Authors: Khaled Annette , Boohaker Rebecca , Finch Craig , Tafur Sergio
Published: August 2014

The Bcl-2 protein family modulates the balance between cellular life and death. Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of this family, participates in mitochondria-mediated apoptosis but also supports mitochondrial bioenergetics. In previous work, we showed that a peptide derived from the alpha 9-helix of Bax is cytotoxic, specifically when used to treat breast cancer cells. Such structural and biochemical studies are useful for identifying functional domains within Bax that can be developed into therapeutic peptides, but are limiting when ascribing function to domains at a molecular level. Computational modeling and molecular dynamics simulations of Bax provides a high-power analysis of the subtle changes that modulate the regulatory and effector activities of the protein. This study seeks to elucidate the consequence of alterations in micro-domains that confer activity, apoptotic or otherwise, to the protein. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to determine how the trans-membrane region of Bax conferred stability to the protein, identifying regions of high flexibility and differential exposure. Computationally rotating the Ψ angle at Pro168 altered the position of the α9-helix of Bax, mimicking the “active” and “inactive” forms of Bax. We found that “active” Bax, but not “inactive” Bax, presented a more relaxed structure which altered the conformation and exposure of the BH3 domain, potentially enhancing interactions among the family of Bcl-2 proteins. Since dysregulation of Bcl-2 proteins is implicated in a number of cancers, examining the basic structural dynamics at a molecular level yielded information that can aid in the design novel Bcl-2 family-targeting chemotherapeutics.

Citation Format: Annette Khaled, Rebecca Boohaker, Craig Finch, Sergio Tafur. Structural insights into the dynamic functionality of Bax through molecular dynamics simulations. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5138. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5138
Abstract 91: Powerful inhibition of human renal cell carcinomas with antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH): a preclinical study.
Authors: Rick Ferenc G. , Abi-Chaker Andrew , Szalontay Luca , Block Norman L. , Halmos Gabor , Nadji Mehrdad , Schally Andrew V.
Published: August 2014

BACKGROUND: Advances in targeted medical thereapy has demonstrated improved clinical outcomes for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), however, a complete response is rare and current therapy has various adverse effects that are unfortunately not as rare. Early antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) were shown to inhibit experimental RCC cell line, Caki-1, in vitro and in vivo. GHRH itself acts as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor in human cancers, including RCC. Herein, we investigate the effects of novel and highly potent new antagonists of GHRH on the growth of three RCC cell lines with different primary tumor sites.

METHODS: The expression of GHRH receptor in all three cell lines was evaluated by ligand competition studies. The in vitro influence of GHRH antagonists designated MIA-602, MIA-604, MIA-606 and MIA-690 on cell viability was assessed by MTS assay in ACHN, A498, and 786-0 human RCC cells. GHRH antagonists were given at a dose of 5μg daily in these three nude-mice xenograft models in vivo. Cell cycle parameters were analyzed by laser flow cytometry.

RESULTS: Ligand competition studies revealed specific, high affinity binding sites for GHRH receptor in all three RCC cell lines. GHRH antagonists inhibited the proliferation of all three RCC cells in a dose dependent manner. GHRH antagonists caused significant inhibition of tumor growth of ACHN, A498, and 786-0 RCCs ranging from 53-75% after 35 days of treatment (p<0.001). Treatment of ACHN and A498 cells with 10μM MIA-602 and MIA-690 (5 and 10μM) led to a significant increase in number of cells with subG1 DNA content, suggesting apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS: The effectiveness of the new and novel GHRH antagonists in inhibiting growth of experimental RCC models in vitro and in vivo was demonstrated. The inhibitory effect of GHRH antagonists is mainly due to direct suppressive effects exerted through GHRH receptors. Further biochemical and histological evaluation is warranted to explore the mechanisms of action of GHRH antagonists in RCC.

Citation Format: Ferenc G. Rick, Andrew Abi-Chaker, Luca Szalontay, Norman L. Block, Gabor Halmos, Mehrdad Nadji, Andrew V. Schally. Powerful inhibition of human renal cell carcinomas with antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH): a preclinical study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 91. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-91
Abstract LB-309: Non-covalent wild-type-sparing inhibitors of EGFR T790M .
Authors: Lee Ho-June , Schaefer Gabriele , Heffron Tim , Malek Shiva , Merchant Mark , Yauch Robert L. , Pirazzoli Valentina , Politi Katerina , Settleman Jeff
Published: August 2014

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutations respond well to the selective EGFR kinase inhibitors, gefitinib and erlotinib. Despite initial responses, most patients relapse within one year due to acquired resistance. Approximately half of these cases are associated with a secondary EGFR kinase domain mutation, T790M–the “gatekeeper” mutation. Irreversible EGFR kinase inhibitors have demonstrated pre-clinical efficacy toward EGFR T790M and have been undergoing clinical evaluation. However, the current irreversible inhibitors have yet to yield clinical activity in this setting, possibly due to dose-limiting toxicities. In a cancer cell line screening effort, we identified the PKC inhibitor, Go6976, a staurosporine derivative, as an inhibitor of EGFR mutant-driven NSCLC cells. Further analysis revealed that Go6976 potently suppresses both autophosphorylation and ligand-induced phosphorylation of EGFR mutants including T790M. Among some structurally-related bis-indole-based compounds currently undergoing clinical testing, PKC412, a FLT3 kinase inhibitor, demonstrated -100 fold greater potency against EGFR T790M than Go6976. Interestingly, while irreversible inhibitors are less potent against EGFR T790M than either EGFR WT or EGFR activating mutants, the bis-indole-based compounds show substantially greater potency against EGFR T790M, effectively sparing WT EGFR. Our findings suggest that this class of reversible inhibitors may be more effective and better tolerated than irreversible inhibitors to overcome EGFR T790M-mediated acquired drug resistance in NSCLC.

Citation Format: Ho-June Lee, Gabriele Schaefer, Tim Heffron, Shiva Malek, Mark Merchant, Robert L. Yauch, Valentina Pirazzoli, Katerina Politi, Jeff Settleman. Non-covalent wild-type-sparing inhibitors of EGFR T790M . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-309. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-309
Frailty, Disability and Physical Exercise in the Aging Process and in Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Greco Antonio , Paroni Giulia , Seripa Davide , Addante Filomena , Dagostino Mariangela P. , Aucella Filippo
Published: August 2014

Frailty in the elderly is a state of vulnerability to poor resolution of homoeostasis after a stressor event and is a consequence of cumulative decline in many physiological systems during a lifetime. This cumulative decline depletes homoeostatic reserves until minor stressor events trigger disproportionate changes in health status. It is usually associated to adverse health outcomes and to one-year mortality risk. Physical exercise has found to be effective in preventing frailty and disability in this population. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also a clinical condition where protein energy-wasting, sarcopenia and dynapenia ,very common symptoms in the frail elderly, may occur. Moreover elderly and CKD patients are both affected by an impaired physical performance that may be reversed by physical exercise with an improvement of the survival rate. These similarities suggest that frailty may be a common pathway of aging and CKD that may induce disability and that can be prevented by a multidimensional approach in which physical exercise plays an important role.
Fitness for Entering a Simple Exercise Program and Mortality: A Study Corollary to the Exercise Introduction to Enhance Performance in Dialysis (Excite) Trial
Authors: Baggetta Rossella , Bolignano Davide , Torino Claudia , Manfredini Fabio , Aucella Filippo , Barillà Antonio , Battaglia Yuri , Bertoli Silvio , Bonanno Graziella , Castellino Pietro , Ciurlino Daniele , Cupisti Adamasco , D'Arrigo Graziella , De Paola Luciano , Fabrizi Fabrizio , Fatuzzo Pasquale , Fuiano Giorgio , Lombardi Luigi , Lucisano Gaetano , Messa Piergiorgio , Rapanà Renato , Rapisarda Francesco , Rastelli Stefania , Rocca-Rey Lisa , Summaria Chiara , Zuccalà Alessandro , Abd ElHafeez Samar , Tripepi Giovanni , Catizone Luigi , Mallamaci Francesca , Zoccali Carmine ,   EXCITE Working Group
Published: August 2014

Background/Aims: In this corollary analysis of the EXCITE study, we looked at possible differences in baseline risk factors and mortality between subjects excluded from the trial because non-eligible (n=216) or because eligible but refusing to participate (n=116). Methods: Baseline characteristics and mortality data were recorded. Survival and independent predictors of mortality were assessed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Results: The incidence rate of mortality was higher in non-eligible vs. eligible non-randomized patients (21.0 vs. 10.9 deaths/100 persons-year; P<0.001). The crude excess risk of death in non-eligible patients (HR 1.96; 95% CI 1.36 to 2.77; P<0.001) was reduced after adjustment for risk factors which differed in the two cohorts including age, blood pressure, phosphate, CRP, smoking, diabetes, triglycerides, cardiovascular comorbidities and history of neoplasia (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.35; P=0.017) and almost nullified after including in the same model also information on deambulation impairment (HR 1.16; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.80; P=0.513). Conclusions: Deambulation ability mostly explains the difference in survival rate in non-eligible and eligible non-randomized patients in the EXCITE trial. Extending data analyses and outcome reporting also to subjects not taking part in a trial may be helpful to assess the representability of the study population.
Physical Activity and Renal Transplantation
Authors: Bellizzi Vincenzo , Cupisti Adamasco , Capitanini Alessandro , Calella Patrizia , D'Alessandro Claudia
Published: August 2014

Renal transplantation is burdened by high cardiovascular risk because of increased prevalence of traditional and disease-specific cardiovascular risk factors and, consequently, patients are affected by greater morbidity and mortality. In renal transplanted patients, healthy lifestyle and physical activity are recommended to improve overall morbidity and cardiovascular outcomes. According to METs (Metabolic Equivalent Task; i.e. the amount of energy consumed while sitting at rest), physical activities are classified as sedentary (<3.0 METs), of moderate-(3.0 to 5.9 METs) or vigorous-intensity (≥6.0 METs). Guidelines suggest for patients with chronic kidney disease an amount of physical activity of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity five times per week (min 450 MET-minutes/week). Data on physical activity in renal transplanted patients, however, are limited and have been mainly obtained by mean of non-objective methods. Available data suggest that physical activity is low either at the start or during renal transplantation and this may be associated with poor patient and graft outcomes. Therefore, in renal transplanted patients more data on physical activity obtained with objective, accelerometer-based methods are needed. In the meanwhile, physical activity have to be considered as an essential part of the medical care for renal transplanted recipients.
An Evaluation of Ethnicity Research in Developmental Psychology: Critiques and Recommendations
Authors: Gjerde Per F.
Published: August 2014

This article aims to reorient developmental psychologists' view of “ethnicity” and align them more closely with disciplines such as sociology and anthropology. Developmental psychologists mostly treat ethnicity as apolitical, ahistorical and limited to mutually exclusive, homogeneous categories measured by decontextualized self-report questionnaires. Moreover, self-report “ethnicity” scales typically fail to integrate a full perspective on ethnicity, such as power, inequality, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and generation. I take issue with the position that ethnic groups constitute fixed natural entities based on ethnic identities. In my view, ethnicity emerges in social interaction in specific social and political contexts. Hence, “ethnicity” is primarily a theory of social relations; it is intensified or abated when individuals engage in mutual interaction. I argue that no reference to ethnicity is politically impartial. Finally, I present a set of recommendations that might have useful theoretical and methodological implications for ethnicity research in developmental psychology.
Do the Genes of the Innate Immune Response Contribute to Neuroprotection in Drosophila?
Authors: Cantera Rafael , Barrio Rosa
Published: August 2014

A profound debate exists on the relationship between neurodegeneration and the innate immune response in humans. Although it is clear that such a relation exists, the causes and consequences of this complex association remain to be determined in detail. Drosophila is being used to investigate the mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration, and all genomic studies on this issue have generated gene catalogues enriched in genes of the innate immune response. We review the data reported in these publications and propose that the abundance of immune genes in studies of neurodegeneration reflects at least two phenomena: (i) some proteins have functions in both immune and nervous systems, and (ii) immune genes might also be of neuroprotective value in Drosophila. This review opens this debate in Drosophila, which could thus be used as an instrumental model to elucidate this question.
Activation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor δ Inhibits Angiotensin II-Induced Activation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells
Authors: Ham Sun Ah , Lee Hanna , Hwang Jung Seok , Kang Eun Sil , Yoo Taesik , Paek Kyung Shin , Do Jeong Tae , Park Chankyu , Oh Jae-Wook , Kim Jin-Hoi , Han Chang Woo , Seo Han Geuk
Published: August 2014

We investigated the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) δ on angiotensin (Ang) II-induced activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Activation of PPARδ by GW501516, a specific ligand for PPARδ, attenuated Ang II-induced activation of MMP-2 in a concentration-dependent manner. GW501516 also inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species in VSMCs treated with Ang II. A marked increase in the mRNA levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and -3, endogenous antagonists of MMPs, was also observed in GW501516-treated VSMCs. These effects were markedly reduced in the presence of siRNAs against PPARδ, indicating that the effects of GW501516 are PPARδ dependent. Among the protein kinases inhibited by GW501516, suppression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling was shown to have the greatest effect on activation of MMP-2 in VSMCs treated with Ang II. Concomitantly, GW501516-mediated inhibition of MMP-2 activation in VSMCs treated with Ang II was associated with the suppression of cell migration to levels approaching those in cells not exposed to Ang II. Thus, activation of PPARδ confers resistance to Ang II-induced degradation of the extracellular matrix by upregulating expression of its endogenous inhibitor TIMP and thereby modulating cellular responses to Ang II in vascular cells.
Low-Expression Variant of Fatty Acid–Binding Protein 4 Favors Reduced Manifestations of Atherosclerotic Disease and Increased Plaque Stability
Authors: Saksi Jani , Ijäs Petra , Mäyränpää Mikko I. , Nuotio Krista , Isoviita Pia M. , Tuimala Jarno , Lehtonen-Smeds Erno , Kaste Markku , Jula Antti , Sinisalo Juha , Nieminen Markku S. , Lokki Marja-Liisa , Perola Markus , Havulinna Aki S. , Salomaa Veikko , Kettunen Johannes , Jauhiainen Matti , Kovanen Petri T. , Lindsberg Perttu J.
Published: August 2014

Background—

Fatty acid–binding protein 4 (FABP4 or
aP2
in mice) has been identified as a key regulator of core aspects of cardiometabolic disorders, including lipotoxic endoplasmic reticulum stress in macrophages. A functional promoter polymorphism (
rs77878271
) of human
FABP4
gene has been described resulting in reduced FABP4 transcription.

Methods and Results—

We investigated the effects of this low-expression variant of
FABP4
on cardiovascular morbidity and carotid atherosclerosis on a population level (n=7491) and in patient cohorts representing endarterectomized patients with advanced carotid atherosclerosis (n=92) and myocardial infarction (n=3432). We found that the low-expression variant was associated with decreased total cholesterol levels (
P
=0.006) with the largest reduction in variant allele homozygotes. Obese variant allele carriers also showed reduced carotid intima-media thickness (
P
=0.010) and lower prevalence of carotid plaques (
P
=0.060). Consistently, the variant allele homozygotes showed 8-fold lower odds for myocardial infarction (
P
=0.019; odds ratio, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.003–0.801). Within the carotid plaques, the variant allele was associated with a 3.8-fold reduction in FABP4 transcription (
P
=0.049) and 2.7-fold reduction in apoptosis (activated caspase 3;
P
=0.043). Furthermore, the variant allele was enriched to patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (
P
=0.038). High FABP4 expression in the carotid plaques was associated with lipid accumulation, intraplaque hemorrhages, plaque ulcerations, and phosphoactivated endoplasmic reticulum stress markers.

Conclusions—

Our results reveal
FABP4 rs77878271
as a novel variant affecting serum total cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk. A therapeutic regimen reducing FABP4 expression within the atherosclerotic plaque may promote lesion stability through modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling, and attenuation of apoptosis, lipid burden, and inflammation.
The Park, the Penguin, and the Gas: Performance in Progress in Gezi Park
Authors: Öztürkmen Arzu
Published: August 2014

The performances that were part of the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, Turkey, during the summer of 2013, proliferated via social media and helped spread the protests throughout Turkey and the world. A wide range of performance forms emerged as an urgent public expression of the political frustrations with increasing authoritarianism. From these expressive forms, iconic images caught the public imagination and spread from one genre and media to the next.
Cédric Andrieux: With Bel, Benjamin, and Brecht in Vancouver
Authors: Dickinson Peter
Published: August 2014

A Vancouver performance of the fifth and final installment in Jérôme Bel’s series of talking dance portraits prompts some critical reflections on the choreographer’s Benjaminian excavation and Brechtian exposition of how the life of a Merce Cunningham dancer intersects with the larger institutionalized history of dance.
Two new species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari:Laelapidae) from Iran
Authors: RAMROODI SARA , HAJIZADEH JALIL , JOHARCHI OMID
Published: August 2014

This paper reports on two species of mites of the genus Cosmolaelaps Berlese, 1903 in Iran—C. dorfakiensis sp. nov., and C. pinnatus sp. nov., extracted from soil and leaf litter samples in Guilan Province, Northern Iran. A key to the species of Cosmolaelaps occurring in the Iran is also provided.
Swedish Plectida (Nematoda). Part 7. Setostephanolaimus tchesunovi sp. n. from the west coast of Sweden
Authors: Holovachov Oleksandr
Published: August 2014

A new species of Setostephanolaimus, S. tchesunovi sp. n., is described from bottom sediments collected in the Skagerrak and Gullmarn Fjord off the west coast of Sweden. It is characterised by 1.0–1.3 mm long body, outer labial setae 6.5–8.5 µm long, cephalic setae 9–11 µm long, subcephalic setae 4–6 µm long, transversely-oval amphid, female with monodelphic opisthodelphic reproductive system, male with 6–9 tubular and without alveolar supplements, spicules arcuate and 54–64 µm long, gubernaculum with dorsal apophysis. A tabular compendium and dichotomous identification key to species of the genus Setostephanolaimus are provided.
A Smart Image-Based Cloud Detection System for Intrahour Solar Irradiance Forecasts
Authors: Chu Yinghao , Pedro Hugo T. C. , Nonnenmacher Lukas , Inman Rich H. , Liao Zhouyi , Coimbra Carlos F. M.
Published: August 2014

This study proposes an automatic smart adaptive cloud identification (SACI) system for sky imagery and solar irradiance forecast. The system is deployed using off-the-shelf fish-eye cameras that offer substantial advantages in terms of cost when compared to industry-standard sky imagers. SACI uses a smart image categorization (SIC) algorithm that combines the sky images and solar irradiance measurements to classify sky conditions into three categories: clear, overcast, and partly cloudy. A cloud detection scheme, optimized for each image category, is used to quantify cloud cover from the sky images. SACI is optimized and validated against manually annotated images. Results show that SACI achieves overall classification accuracy higher than 90% and outperforms reference cloud detection methods. Cloud cover retrieved by SACI is used as an input for an artificial neural network (ANN) model that predicts 1-min average global horizontal irradiance (GHI), 5-, 10-, and 15-min ahead of time. The performance of the ANN forecasting model is assessed in terms of common error statistics (mean bias and root-mean-square error) and in terms of forecasting skill over persistence. The model proposed in this work achieves forecasting skills above 14%, 18%, and 19% over the persistence forecast for 5-, 10-, and 15-min forecasts, respectively.
Experimentally Based Estimates of Relations between X-Band Radar Signal Attenuation Characteristics and Differential Phase in Rain
Authors: Matrosov Sergey Y. , Kennedy Patrick C. , Cifelli Robert
Published: August 2014

Correcting observed polarimetric radar variables for attenuation and differential attenuation effects in rain is important for meteorological applications involving measurements at attenuating frequencies such as those at X band. The results of estimating the coefficients in the correction-scheme relations from dual-wavelength polarimetric radar measurements of rainfall involving attenuating and nonattenuating frequencies are described. Such coefficients found directly from measurements are essentially free from different assumptions about drop shapes, drop size distributions, and/or relations between different radar variables that are typically used in many attenuation and differential attenuation correction schemes. Experimentally based estimates derived using dual-wavelength radar measurements conducted during a project in northern Colorado indicate values of the coefficients in the attenuation–differential phase quasi-linear relations at X band in the approximate range of 0.20–0.31 dB deg−1. The corresponding coefficients in the differential attenuation–differential phase relations are in the range of 0.052–0.065 dB deg−1.
Daytime microclimatic impacts of the SOVALP project in summer: A case study in Geneva, Switzerland
Authors: Minella Flávia Osaku , Krüger Eduardo , Honjo Susan , Goyette Stéphane , Hedjazi Alexandre
Published: August 2014

The Société Simple de Valorisation de Terrains à Genève-La Praille (SOVALP) project was conceived as a means of providing adequate housing within redevelopment policies during the last decades in Geneva, Switzerland including, among other measures, ideas for recovering an old industrial site. The SOVALP project is aimed at the construction of a mixed-use urban center around a multimodal hub with a built area around 300,000 m2. The present study analyzes the daytime impacts on outdoor thermal comfort from such an intervention in the urban environment, based on microclimatic field measurements and computer simulations. The microclimatic variables were collected simultaneously at two monitoring points during daytime in August 2011, around the Praille Railway Station. From calculations of the outdoor comfort indices Physiological Equivalent Temperature Index (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) derived from field measurements, it was found that the current situation in summer presents a high level of heat stress. By means of the ENVI-met software microclimate simulations, beneficial effects from the SOVALP project arose, pointing to reductions in air temperature as high as 2.2°C within the redeveloped area and of 1.2°C in the entire area evaluated. Changes in PET and UTCI point to a reduction in heat stress categories.
Analysis of Mandibular Structure Using 3D Facial Computed Tomography
Authors: Jung Su Young , Shin Seung Youp , Lee Kun Hee , Eun Young Gyu , Lee Young Chan , Kim Sung Wan
Published: August 2014

Objective

This study measured and analyzed the position and dimension of genial tubercle (GT) and mental foramen (MF)

Study Design

Retrospective chart review study.

Setting

Tertiary care teaching hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Two hundred ten subjects were included who received 3‐dimensional (3D) facial computed tomography (CT), and the GT and MF were evaluated. Subjects were divided into 4 groups by gender and skeletal type. Seven variables were measured: (1) height of GT (GTH), (2) width of GT (GTW), (3) distance from apices of lower incisors to superior border of GT (LI‐SGT), (4) distance from inferior border of GT to inferior border of mandible (IGT‐IBM), (5) thickness of anterior mandible (MT), (6) distance from symphysis of mandible to MF (S‐MF), and (7) distance from superior border of GT to inferior border of mandible (SGT‐IBM).

Results

All the parameters showed marked differences in individuals. Class I males showed longer GTH, MT, and SGT‐IBM than class I females (P <. 05). IGT‐IBM and S‐MF were longer in class II males than in class I females (P <. 05). LI‐SGT and IGT‐IBM also showed personal variation.

Conclusion

Anatomical features of mandibular structures showed individual variations. GTH, IGT‐IBM, MT, S‐MF, and SGT‐IBM also showed differences between the groups.
From paranoia querulans to vexatious litigants: a short study on madness between psychiatry and the law. Part 1
Authors: Lévy Benjamin
Published: August 2014

The first part of this two-part paper presents a comparative history of paranoia querulans, also known as litigants’ delusion, in German-speaking countries and France from the nineteenth century onwards. We first focus on two classic literary works which describe litigious behaviours that were later pathologized, then give an insight into the history of Querulantenwahn (litigants’ delusion), a term coined in 1857 by Johann Ludwig Casper and adopted by German-speaking psychiatrists and forensic experts. The last section is devoted to its French equivalent, the delusion of the litigious persecuted-persecutors. We show how this category, widely popular among French fin-de-siècle alienists, was replaced by another: the delusion of revendication (litigious subtype). The history of the vexatious litigants in the English-speaking world will be explored in the Part 2.
Analysis of the scope of cooperative bandwidth sharing among mobile routers in vehicular networks
Authors: Tu Lai , Lin Shih-Yang , Huang Chung-Ming
Published: August 2014

This paper investigates the optimal cooperation scope (OCS) for cooperative bandwidth sharing (CBS) in vehicular networks. An analytical model, which comprises the network model, relay schemes, cost model, and vehicular flow model, is presented. Three relay schemes based on optimal single path relay and opportunistic relay for multi-hop CBS are proposed and studied. The OCS is solved as the maximum physical distance or hops between the bandwidth requester and bandwidth helper in the optimal solution to maximize the CBS benefit. OCSs for different environments and with different relay schemes are given in the paper. The results indicate that the OCS is sensitive to the cost weight and may also be larger when using a proper opportunistic relay-based scheme than when using the optimal single path-based one. The results also show that the vehicular density does not affect the optimal cooperation scope much but can result in different CBS benefit. The model and findings of the relations between OCS and the running environment revealed in this paper can be used as a reference for parameter choosing when designing the CBS system in vehicular networks.
Do Parents Matter? Effects of Lender Affiliation Through the Mortgage Boom and Bust
Authors: Gartenberg Claudine
Published: August 2014

It is widely acknowledged that the 2007 mortgage crisis was preceded by a broad deterioration in underwriting diligence. This paper shows that this deterioration varied by the industry affiliation of mortgage lenders. Loans issued by homebuilders and stand-alone lenders were significantly less likely to default than loans issued by depository banks and affiliates of major financial institutions. I argue that homebuilders and stand-alone lenders had the least financial capacity to hold mortgages, and their resulting need to sell loans quickly on the secondary market forced them to issue safer loans. Tests of other explanations, including differences in information and incentives to avoid foreclosure externalities, receive little support. This study highlights a novel means by which firm boundaries influence firm adaptation to changing market conditions by defining the boundaries of the internal capital markets and hence the relative constraints of constituent units.

This paper was accepted by Bruno Cassiman, business strategy.
The Fixed Charge Transportation Problem: An Exact Algorithm Based on a New Integer Programming Formulation
Authors: Roberti Roberto , Bartolini Enrico , Mingozzi Aristide
Published: August 2014

The fixed charge transportation problem generalizes the well-known transportation problem where the cost of sending goods from a source to a sink is composed of a fixed cost and a continuous cost proportional to the amount of goods sent. In this paper, we describe a new integer programming formulation with exponentially many variables corresponding to all possible flow patterns to sinks. We show that the linear relaxation of the new formulation is tighter than that of the standard mixed integer programming formulation. We describe different classes of valid inequalities for the new formulation and a column generation method to compute a valid lower bound embedded into an exact branch-and-price algorithm. Computational results on test problems from the literature show that the new algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art exact methods from the literature and can solve instances with up to 70 sources and 70 sinks.

Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1947 .

This paper was accepted by Dimitris Bertsimas, optimization.
Vasculitis: an update
Authors: Luqmani Raashid A
Published: August 2014

The systemic vasculitides are uncommon but serious diseases. Early recognition can be difficult because they mimic many conditions. Aggressive immunosuppression is toxic but effective; a targeted approach with biological agents may improve the outcome.
Biologics in systemic lupus erythematosus: current options and future perspectives
Authors: Yusof Md Yuzaiful Md , Vital Edward M , Emery Paul
Published: August 2014

Data from clinical trials highlighted the potential and pitfalls of the use of biologics to treat systemic lupus erythematosus. With improved understanding of immunopathogenesis and lessons learned from controlled trials, there is a growing optimism for personalized treatment from an increasing range of targeted therapies.
Why can't my child see 3D television?
Authors: Creavin Alexandra L , Creavin Samuel T , Brown Raymond D , Harrad Richard A
Published: August 2014

A child encountering difficulty in watching three-dimensional (3D) stereoscopic displays could have an underlying ocular disorder. It is therefore valuable to understand the differential diagnoses and so conduct an appropriate clinical assessment to address concerns about poor 3D vision.
Aggressive B-Cell Lymphomas With Translocations Involving BCL6 and MYC Have Distinct Clinical-Pathologic Characteristics
Authors: Turakhia Samir K. , Hill Brian T. , Dufresne Scott D. , Nakashima Megan O. , Cotta Claudiu V.
Published: August 2014

Objectives:

Recently described, aggressive B-cell lymphomas with genetic abnormalities involving MYC and BCL2 have been shown to have a poor prognosis when treated with regimens for diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Similar data on cases with concurrent MYC and BCL6 translocation are still scant. Moreover, little is known regarding the morphologic and immunophenotypic characteristics of these cases, which further complicates their identification. This study describes six cases of aggressive B-cell lymphoma with translocations involving MYC and BCL6.

Methods:

Six cases of large B-cell lymphoma with translocation involving MYC and BCL6 confirmed by fluorescence in situ were identified. The morphologic, immunophenotypic, and clinical features of the cases were examined.

Results:

All the patients were older women, and in 50% of cases, the presentation was extranodal. In two cases, the liver was involved at presentation. A starry-sky pattern was a constant feature of the cases in which the morphology could be reliably assessed. Five of six cases had an immunophenotype corresponding to the germinal center B cells, and only one was positive for BCL2, an immunophenotype reminiscent of that of Burkitt lymphoma.

Conclusions:

B-cell lymphomas with translocations involving MYC and BCL6 have morphologic and immunophenotypic features suggestive of Burkitt lymphoma or gray zone lymphoma, and they tend to be diagnosed mainly in women, often in extranodal locations.
Perceived Learning Outcomes from Participation in One Type of Registered Student Organization: Equestrian Sport Clubs
Authors: Mikulec Erin , McKinney Kathleen
Published: August 2014

Abstract: Learning takes place both in and outside the classroom. While there are a studies that focus on the professional, developmental, and learning outcomes of participation in student organizations, there has been insufficient research on these outcomes in sport clubs specifically and no research in an equestrian setting.  In this paper, we report on the results of an on-line, primarily qualitative, questionnaire study conducted with members of a collegiate student organization, the Equestrians, at a large Midwestern U.S. university, as well as schools with similar organizations within the region and across the nation. Students were asked their reasons for joining the club and perceptions of what they learned, beyond equestrian skills, from participation in the organization. The respondents reported equestrian and interpersonal reasons for joining, and that participation increased their development in a number of academic and professional areas, especially in terms of 1. work ethic/time management/balance, 2. collaboration/communication/teamwork, and 3. leadership.
A Curricular reform viewed through Bolman and Deal’s organizational frames
Authors: Lyon Lucinda J , Nadersahi Nader A , Nattestad Anders , Kachalia Parag , Hammer Daniel
Published: August 2014

Professions exist to serve the needs of society, communities and, in the case of the dental profession, patients.  Academic dental institutions strive to help meet these needs by educating and developing future practitioners, educators, researchers, and citizen leaders who serve the community and shape the changing environment in which they practice and provide care. The American Dental Association Commission on Change and Innovation affirms, “If dental educators are to meet these purposes, change and innovation in dental education must be responsive to evolving societal needs, practice patterns, scientific developments, and economic conditions”(Haden, et al., 2006). Guiding any institution through such authentic reform requires a number of strategies. Lee Bolman and Terrance Deal suggest four organizational constructs, or frames, through which to view a complex organization:  Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic (Bolman and Deal, 1997).“Like maps, frames are both windows on a territory and tools for navigation” (Bolman and Deal, 1997). This reflective case study examines a major curricular reform initiative in a North American school of dentistry through Bolman and Deal’s organizational frames.
Learner-centered environments: Creating effective strategies based on student attitudes and faculty reflection
Authors: Bishop Catharine F. , Caston Michael I. , King Cheryl A.
Published: August 2014

Learner-centered environments effectively implement multiple teaching techniques to enhance students' higher education experience and provide them with greater control over their academic learning. This qualitative study involves an exploration of the eight reasons for learner-centered teaching found in Terry Doyle's 2008 book, Helping Students Learn in a Learner Centered Environment. Doyle's principles were investigated through the use of surveys, student focus group interviews, and faculty discussions to discover a deeper understanding of the effects a "learner-centered" teaching environment has on long term learning in comparison to a "teacher-centered" learning environment. These data revealed five primary themes pertaining to student resistance to learner-centered environments. The results assisted in the development of strategies educators can adopt for creating a successful learner-centered classroom.
Humanity/Plan; or, On the "Stateless" Today (Also Being an Anthropology of Global Health)
Authors: Rees Tobias
Published: August 2014

My fieldwork among HIV vaccine researchers, activists, and funders has led me to suggest that humanity—when it was first conceived of in the late eighteenth century—emerged as a plan, a plan for how to establish a future anticipated in the present. The powerful implication of this fieldwork-based suggestion is that what humanity is—or if it is at all—depends on the available humanity plans. I argue in this essay that we are currently seeing the emergence of a new—a biological—humanity plan, and I wish to make visible that—and how—this biological humanity plan has outgrown, conceptually as well as institutionally, older humanity plans. I also hope to make comprehensible the massive—intellectual as well as political—challenge this emergence poses.
Ethnography and Theory of the Signature in Physics
Authors: Roy Arpita
Published: August 2014

Ending the decades-long search for the elusive Higgs particle, physicists at the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, or CERN, in Switzerland announced the news of its historic discovery on July 4, 2012. In the wake of the recent discovery of the Higgs particle, the article aims to give a critical account of the concept of signature used in contemporary particle physics. Appearing as interlopers in the material world of science, signatures engender a complex movement between fact and value, thing and sign, or reference and meaning. This movement is instructive in explaining how discoveries are made in an experimental science, and also in the more provocative problem of how necessary consequences follow from contextual signs. Drawing on two and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork carried out at the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator complex and integrating it with medieval theories of the signature, the essay offers a renewed interrogation into the topic of things, signs, and relations and their relevance for anthropology today.
Genetic Diaspora: Producing Knowledge of Genes and Jews in Rural South Africa
Authors: Tamarkin Noah
Published: August 2014

After Lemba South Africans participated in genetic tests that aimed to demonstrate their ancient links to contemporary Jewish populations, American Jews began to visit the Lemba to connect with them on the basis of an assumed shared Judaism. Some Lemba people welcomed and endorsed these visits, but they also maintained their own ideas about the meaning of their “genetic Jewishness” and the terms of their new diasporic relationships, which often contradicted the understandings of visiting Jews. This article privileges the perspectives of Lemba South Africans, and the historical and ethnographic contexts through which Lemba genetic data emerged and circulated, to offer an alternative reading of the social and political significance of DNA. It poses the question: How do divergent genomic knowledges articulate with the politics of belonging and the pursuit of citizenship in South Africa and transnationally? I argue that DNA and diaspora converge to create new sites of political belonging, ones marked by precarious connections that balance on the production of knowledge and its refusal. I introduce the concept of genetic diaspora to theorize how these connections, marked by inequality, are tenuously forged through national, racial, and religious difference that is imagined to be the same. Genetic diaspora offers Lemba South Africans the possibility to produce and circulate their own new knowledge about Jewish history and genetic belonging. This article demonstrates that those implicated in genetic studies transform DNA into a resource that authorizes their own histories and politics of race and religion.
Race, Sovereignty, and Civil Rights: Understanding the Cherokee Freedmen Controversy
Authors: Sturm Circe
Published: August 2014

Despite a treaty in 1866 between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government granting them full tribal citizenship, Cherokee Freedmen—the descendants of African American slaves to the Cherokee, as well as of children born from unions between African Americans and Cherokee tribal members—continue to be one of the most marginalized communities within Indian Country. Any time Freedmen have sought the full rights and benefits given other Cherokee citizens, they have encountered intense opposition, including a 2007 vote that effectively ousted them from the tribe. The debates surrounding this recent decision provide an excellent case study for exploring the intersections of race and sovereignty. In this article, I use the most recent Cherokee Freedmen controversy to examine how racial discourse both empowers and diminishes tribal sovereignty, and what happens in settler-colonial contexts when the exercise of tribal rights comes into conflict with civil rights. I also explore how settler colonialism as an analytic can obscure the racialized power dynamics that undermine Freedmen claims to an indigenous identity and tribal citizenship.
Openness of versality via coherent functors
Authors: Hall Jack
Published: August 2014

We give a proof of openness of versality using coherent functors. As an application, we streamline Artin’s criterion for algebraicity of a stack. We also introduce multi-step obstruction theories, employing them to produce obstruction theories for the stack of coherent sheaves, the Quot functor, and spaces of maps in the presence of non-flatness.
Normality and the differential polynomial of meromorphic functions
Authors: Deng Bingmao , Liu Dan , Yang Degui
Published: August 2014

Let ℱ be a family of meromorphic functions in D,

M

(
f
)

=

f

n
0

(

f
'

)

n
1

⋯

(

f

(
k
)

)

n
k

$M(f)=f^{n_0}(f^{\prime })^{n_1}\cdots (f^{(k)})^{n_k}$

with

Γ
M

≥
2

$\Gamma _M \ge 2$

, let H(f) be a differential polynomial of f satisfying

Γ
γ

|

H

<

Γ
M

γ
M

$\frac{\Gamma }{\gamma }|_H< \frac{\Gamma _M}{\gamma _M}$

, and let

ϕ
(
z
)

$\varphi (z)$

(

≠
0

$\ne 0$

) be an analytic function in D. If, for each function

f
∈
ℱ

$f \in \mathcal {F}$

, f ≠ 0,

M
(
f
)
+
H
(
f
)
-
ϕ
(
z
)

$M(f)+H(f)- \varphi (z)$

has at most

Γ
M

-
1

$\Gamma _M-1$

distinct zeros in D, then ℱ is normal in D.
Tangicons: Ein be-greifbares Lernspiel mit kognitiven, motorischen und sozialen Aktivitäten/Tangicons: A Tangible Educational Game with Cognitive, Motor and Social Activities
Authors: Winkler Thomas , Scharf Florian , Hahn Claudia , Wolters Christian , Herczeg Michael
Published: August 2014

Dieser Beitrag diskutiert das Konzept der Tangicons, einem nicht-kompetitiven Lernspiel mit be-greifbaren Programmierbausteinen. Tangicons wurden in einem gemeinsamen Designprozess mit Kindern entwickelt. Ziel ist es, Kinder im Vor- und Grundschulalter in einer gemeinsamen Lernsituation mit logisch-abstrakten Problemstellungen zu konfrontieren, während sie fein- und grobmotorisch Handeln. Das Konzept, welches über drei Systemgenerationen in den letzten Jahren entwickelt worden ist, wird im Beitrag in der Forschung verortet, auf zeitgemäße pädagogische Ansätze bezogen und am Beispiel eines Spiels der dritten Systemgeneration erläutert. In Evaluationen gewonnene Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse münden in einem Fazit. Abschließend werden Fragen für weitere Untersuchungen benannt.
Determinants of abortion decisions among Ghanaian university students
Authors: Appiah-Agyekum Nana Nimo , Sorkpor Constance , Ofori-Mensah Samuel
Published: August 2014

Background: Unsafe abortion accounts for a significant proportion of maternal and reproductive health related mortalities and complications in developing countries. In Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa in general, abortion remains a significant barrier to achieving the health related MDGs. Yet, there exist a dearth of information on the determinants of abortion decisions among adolescents, students and other populations at risk.

Objectives: This study explores the factors that are likely to influence abortion decisions among University students in Ghana. It also explores their knowledge and perceptions on abortion.

Methods: Data were collected from 142 randomly sampled students of the University of Ghana through focus group discussions. Questions focused on their knowledge on abortion and the key determinants of their decisions to abort. The results were recorded, transcribed, and analysed qualitatively using the thematic analysis approach.

Results: The students were knowledgeable on abortion. In making decisions on abortion, the students considered their education, religious beliefs, health, economic factors, and family.

Conclusions: Factors such as societal pressure and peer influence that, to date, have been the backbone of sexual and reproductive health, anti-abortion stigma, and unsafe abortion education and interventions have minimal influence on abortion decisions among the students. Rather, these interventions must focus on their education, religious beliefs, health, economic factors, and family to make maximum impact.