bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Guide to Central Asian Music on Compact Discs
Authors: Macrae Craig
Published: March 2016

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union has inspired a growing awareness of the dynamic cultures of Central Asia accompanied by an expanding catalogue of resources for use in teaching and research. Among these resources are an abundance of excellent recordings of Central Asian music available on compact disc. This review serves as an introductory guide to recordings of Central Asian music that will enrich personal collections, serve as excellent teaching materials, and enhance possibilities for research. The CDs recommended here are anthologies that have been chosen for the artistic quality of the recorded performances, broad and representative coverage of relevant musical genres, and above all for the reliable commentary that accompanies these productions.
Employees or Beneficiaries?
Authors: Abdalla Alyce
Published: March 2016

A look at royal non-governmental organizations in a country where the head of government is in fact a royal, where 80 percent of foreign aid finds its way back to foreign donors, and where it is difficult to determine the difference between ‘beneficiaries’ of income-generating NGO projects and employees working in substandard conditions. The dichotomies here are real, though the lines fine.

During the seasonal pressures of Christmas last year, an order was placed in Amman for an unusually big Bani Hamida rug. The design was determined in the office in Amman, including colors labeled in English abbreviations. After the request was brought to Gebal Bani Hamida, the orders for the appropriate colored wool were sent to the dyers. The women there realized that they did not have the exact shade of yellow requested, but amongst the over three-hundred other colors they did have, they found an approximate replacement. However, they could not make the decision to dye the wool on their own. Instead, they contacted the office in Amman, where their question was noted. Some time later, the designer was informed, and sent back the answer that only the exact tint of yellow would do. So the dyers waited for the stock to be refilled, over the timeliness of which they had little control. The office in Amman complained of the slowness of the work, pressing the women as to why they were behind in filling the order.
The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives
Authors: Al-Semmari Fahd
Published: March 2016

The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (KAFRA) (Arabic title: Darat al-Malik Abdulaziz) was established in 1972 with the aim of preserving the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with its geography, literature, thought, and architecture. The Foundation is an independent academic establishment governed by a board of directors, chaired by HRH Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Its funds are based on project returns, investment activities, government funds, and private donations. Its major sections are: Saudi History Archives, Oral History Center, Information Center, Research Department, Female Center, Ad-darah Journal, the Library, King Abdulaziz Memorial Exhibition Hall, Muraba Palace, and the Royal Family History Center.

During its twenty-nine years of existence, the King Abdulaziz Foundation has collected and preserved huge quantities of historical source materials: documents, manuscripts, books, magazines, photographs, sketches, paintings, films, and oral traditions. The Foundation is keen to collect, classify, and preserve historical documents in both original and duplicate forms. It has collected, as well as copied from, various archives and research centers outside the Kingdom.
On Charles Issawi and His Last Book
Authors: Göçek Fatma Müge
Published: March 2016

It is with great sadness that I review this wonderful work because its author, Charles Issawi, is no longer with us; this was the final book he published before he died. The nine articles that comprise the volume were all written during the last two decades of his life. Even though many were published in various journals and edited volumes, as collected together here, they reveal the depth and breadth of knowledge of this most distinguished scholar.
The Western Indian Ocean as Cultural Corridor: Makran, Oman and Zanzibar through Nineteenth Century European Accounts and Reports
Authors: Nicolini Beatrice
Published: March 2016

This article examines European perceptions and misperceptions, distortions, exaggerations and misunderstandings of western Indian Ocean societies in the 19thcentury. For this work I have combined research on European sources, both published and manuscript, and mostly from the British archives, with field research that I have carried out in southwest Asia, Arabia, and east Africa. The fact that most European observers of Indian Ocean societies in the 19thcentury carried the baggage of British and French colonial policy, and that they tended to lack deep knowledge of the region as well as empathy for the people, combined to produce a certain historical, political and cultural approach to local realities, which, in some cases, is still unmodified today. Through my own field research I have met with local tribal elites in Makran, Baluchistan and Oman, and with leaders of the major Swahili families of Zanzibar. I have shared tea and stories with old women. These contacts provide an invaluable insight into local interpretations of regional history, through the historical memory preserved in rituals and tales. This research also makes possible a new understanding of the significance of places, and the historical events associated with them.
TheSijillsof Beirut al-Mahrusa
Authors: Al-Qattan Najwa
Published: March 2016

In the summer of 2001 I was granted access to the registers (sijills) of the Ottoman Muslim court (al-mahkama al-sharciyya) of Beirut. These records, housed in the offices of a functioning court - the court attached to ImamcAli's mosque on Tariq al-Jadida in Beirut, occupy two bookshelves, tightly squeezed behind hundreds of volumes of the court's current files - the vast majority of which nowadays pertain to family law. The closet-sized room also doubles as the office of Mr.cAli Al-Dacuq whose occupation it was (and I assume, still is) to file and locate documents for an endless stream of worried people. Despite the dust, noise, and torrid heat, I managed, largely thanks to Mr. Dacuq's dogged optimism and good cheer, to conduct my own research and to document the holdings of the Archive.
Filtering the Past, Building the Future: A Conference on Archaeology, Tradition, and Politics in the Middle East
Authors: Parker Bradley J.
Published: March 2016

On April 23-24, 2004 the conference “Filtering the Past, Building the Future: Archaeology, Tradition and Politics in the Middle East,” was held in the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah. Funded by a grant from the United States Department of Education with supplemental funds provided by various contributors at the University of Utah, this conference was meant to act as a forum for participants to present and discuss innovative means of understanding the uses of the past and of archaeology in politicized cultural discourse in the Middle East. The conference organizers hold the view that multiple, competing versions of the past are mobilized in service of varying agendas both within and between cultural groups. Participants were invited to discuss theories, explore methods, or present case studies that illustrate the manipulation of archaeological data and practice to promote political goals in the Middle East, and within world communities that interact with and respond to each other on topics that concern the Middle East. The papers presented at this conference are currently being edited and the resulting collection will be submitted to the University of Arizona press in the coming months.
HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa: A Brief Review of Prevention, Research, and Resources
Authors: Kaplan Rachel
Published: March 2016

The 2005 UNAIDS/WHO Epidemic Update reports that the number of people living with HIV last year worldwide was 40.3 million (1). In 2005, approximately 3.2 million people became newly infected by HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world that is considered the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic (2).

Although the rates of HIV are much less in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) than in Sub-Saharan Africa, some experts believe that without appropriate implementation of surveillance and prevention services, the epidemic will spread to the general population (3). Reportedly, 67,000 people in MENA became infected with HIV in 2005; there are approximately 510,000 people living with HIV in the region (2). Because of cultural and social taboos surrounding the discussion of the acquisition of HIV around the world in general, and in MENA in particular, it is difficult to develop a clear representation of HIV's presence and risk in countries in the Middle East. Based on the information that is available, the main mode of transmission of HIV is sexual contact, with injecting drug use recognized as the second mode of increasing prevalence (2). Without sufficient implementation of surveillance in the region, however, estimated rates of infection may indeed be lower than the actual number of people infected with HIV (4).
An Approach to the Study of Middle Eastern Politics
Authors: Harik Iliya
Published: March 2016

The study of Middle Eastern politics at the college level in the United States is fraught with difficulties for both instructor and student alike. For the student, the subject is almost always entirely unfamiliar and too full of details to be grasped let alone mastered in one term or semester. Instability and political turmoil in the area add to the complicated picture. The instructor’s task is mainly to help the student overcome these difficulties. He has to provide adequate organization of the disparate material and relate it to the frame of mind the student already has about politics.
State of the Art VII: The Demography of the Middle East
Authors: Sabagh Georges
Published: March 2016

On May 22, 1966, the eve of the first Tunisian census since independence, President Habib Bourguiba expressed as follows the objectives and uses of this census:

The methodical efforts we are making, within the framework of the Plan, to raise the standard of living of citizens are of necessity based on statistical data concerning the size and distribution of the population, its activities and its manner of life.…The census does not consist solely in just counting our population. Its purpose is to collect all sorts of information likely to help us draw our plans for economic and social development judiciously.

The need for population data has undoubtedly provided an impetus for the collection of such data as well as for demographic research not only in Tunisia but also in other Middle Eastern countries. In recent years, an added impetus for demographic research has been the realization that, in some of these countries, population growth may be threatening social and economic development.
1973 Presidential Address Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting
Authors: Issawi Charles
Published: March 2016

Anything coming after the floor show we have just seen can only be an anticlimax, and my impulse is to tear up my prepared text and just quote two great men: Thomas Carlyle, who described economics as “the dismal science” and Henry Ford, who said “history is bunk” — from which it presumably follows that economic history is dismal bunk. Instead, I should like to take advantage of this captive audience and speak to you in praise of economic history. This is an old Arabic genre : mahasin al-iqtisad. And of course economic history means giving as little history for as much money as possible, so you will not expect a long speech.
Report of the Editor: International Journal Of Middle East Studies, 1973
Authors: Shaw Stanford J.
Published: March 2016

IJMES continued to be published on schedule during 1973, with the Editor performing his functions while on sabbatical leave in Istanbul, with generous assistance from the members of the Editorial Board and the Book Review Board, as well as the secretarial staff of the Near Eastern Center, University of California, Los Angeles.
Research Facilities in Afghanistan
Authors: Miller Susan G.
Published: March 2016

Scholarly research in Afghanistan is still in its infancy, but for those who are attracted by the opportunity of breaking new ground, it offers unique possibilities. Recent political events within the country support the view that the climate for foreign researchers is improving. While the long-term effects of the republican coup of July 1973 are not yet clear, in the short run a general mood of optimism and energetic change has pervaded official circles. It is difficult to predict how long this aura of good will is going to last, but for the time being, Ministry officials are looking with favor on foreign research projects in a variety of areas that will help fill the awesome gaps in the field of Afghan studies.
Syrian Historical Studies on Syria
Authors: Rafeq Abdul-Karim
Published: March 2016

Historical writing by Syrians on Syria up to the 20th century followed the traditional patterns of annals, in chronicle form, biographical notes, and general histories. These histories, when written by Muslims, were mainly concerned with Islamic and Arab countries. Interest in other countries, especially Europe, discerned in the writings of Christians (a noted example is the history by Mīkhāīl Barīk, Tārīkh al-Shām 1720-1782, ed. Q. al-Bāshā [Harīsā, 1930J ) , became widespread in the writings of both Christians and Muslims in the 19th century as a result of the growing influence of Europe in Near Eastern affairs.
Continuity of cannabis use and violent offending over the life course
Authors: Schoeler T. , Theobald D. , Pingault J.-B. , Farrington D. P. , Jennings W. G. , Piquero A. R. , Coid J. W. , Bhattacharyya S.
Published: March 2016

Background

Although the association between cannabis use and violence has been reported in the literature, the precise nature of this relationship, especially the directionality of the association, is unclear.

Method

Young males from the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development (n= 411) were followed up between the ages of 8 and 56 years to prospectively investigate the association between cannabis use and violence. A multi-wave (eight assessments, T1–T8) follow-up design was employed that allowed temporal sequencing of the variables of interest and the analysis of violent outcome measures obtained from two sources: (i) criminal records (violent conviction); and (ii) self-reports. A combination of analytic approaches allowing inferences as to the directionality of associations was employed, including multivariate logistic regression analysis, fixed-effects analysis and cross-lagged modelling.

Results

Multivariable logistic regression revealed that compared with never-users, continued exposure to cannabis (use at age 18, 32 and 48 years) was associated with a higher risk of subsequent violent behaviour, as indexed by convictions [odds ratio (OR) 7.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.19–23.59] or self-reports (OR 8.9, 95% CI 2.37–46.21). This effect persisted after controlling for other putative risk factors for violence. In predicting violence, fixed-effects analysis and cross-lagged modelling further indicated that this effect could not be explained by other unobserved time-invariant factors. Furthermore, these analyses uncovered a bi-directional relationship between cannabis use and violence.

Conclusions

Together, these results provide strong indication that cannabis use predicts subsequent violent offending, suggesting a possible causal effect, and provide empirical evidence that may have implications for public policy.
IMPORTANCE OF MULTIPLE CRITERIA FOR PRIORITY SETTING OF HIV/AIDS INTERVENTIONS
Authors: Tromp Noor , Prawiranegara Rozar , Siregar Adiatma , Sunjaya Deni , Baltussen Rob
Published: March 2016

Objectives: This study describes the views of various stakeholders on the importance of different criteria for priority setting of HIV/AIDS interventions in Indonesia.

Methods: Based on a general list of criteria and a focus group discussion with stakeholders (n = 6), a list was developed of thirty-two criteria that play a role in priority setting in HIV/AIDS control in West-Java province. Criteria were categorized according to the World Health Organization's health system goals and building block frameworks. People living with HIV/AIDS (n = 49), healthcare workers (HCW) (n = 41), the general population (n = 43), and policy makers (n = 22) rated the importance of thirty-two criteria on a 5-point Likert-scale. Thereafter, respondents ranked the highest rated criteria to express more detailed preferences.

Results: Stakeholders valued the following criteria as most important for the priority setting of HIV/AIDS interventions: an intervention's impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, reduction of stigma, quality of care, effectiveness on individual level, and feasibility in terms of current capacity of the health system (i.e., HCW, product, information, and service requirements), financial sustainability, and acceptance by donors. Overall, stakeholders’ preferences for the importance of criteria are similar.

Conclusions: Our study design outlines an approach for other settings to identify which criteria are important for priority setting of health interventions. For Indonesia, these study results may be used in priority setting processes for HIV/AIDS control and may contribute to more transparent and systematic allocation of resources.
Obstructions for semigroups of partial isometries to be self-adjoint
Authors: BERNIK JANEZ , POPOV ALEXEY I.
Published: March 2016

In this paper we study the following question: given a semigroup ${\mathcal S}$ of partial isometries acting on a complex separable Hilbert space, when does the selfadjoint semigroup ${\mathcal T}$ generated by ${\mathcal S}$ again consist of partial isometries? It has been shown by Bernik, Marcoux, Popov and Radjavi that the answer is positive if the von Neumann algebra generated by the initial and final projections corresponding to the members of ${\mathcal S}$ is abelian and has finite multiplicity. In this paper we study the remaining case of when this von Neumann algebra has infinite multiplicity and show that, in a sense, the answer in this case is generically negative.
Death of the Statesman as Tragic Hero: Hans Morgenthau on the Vietnam War
Authors: Klusmeyer Douglas B.
Published: March 2016

In Scientific Man vs. Power Politics (1946), Hans Morgenthau celebrated the noble role of the statesman, whose tragic destiny entailed accepting the agonizing moral burden of committing lesser evils as the inescapable price for securing the greater good. In this elitist vision, the statesman is primarily accountable to personal conscience rather than to the poorly informed, undisciplined judgment of any democratic electorate. In focusing on the statesman's pivotal role, Morgenthau glossed over the ways the New Deal and the Second World War had transformed the institutional context within which American presidents made foreign policy. As he shifted his attention to American policy toward Vietnam in the late 1950s and the 1960s, however, his view of presidential leadership and the executive branch changed significantly. Morgenthau came to see the growth of the national security state and the unaccountable exercise of executive power as a twin threat to the foundations of republican government. His critique emphasized the pathologies of policymaking insulated within this state apparatus. He learned that one problem with the lesser-evil approach is that the moral distinctions on which it is predicated are relative and contingent in practice: that which was once proscribed from the policymaker's toolbox can readily become the prescribed instrument after the justifying precedent has been established.
Whole genome sequencing improved case ascertainment in an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 associated with raw drinking milk
Authors: BUTCHER H. , ELSON R. , CHATTAWAY M. A. , FEATHERSTONE C. A. , WILLIS C. , JORGENSEN F. , DALLMAN T. J. , JENKINS C. , McLAUCHLIN J. , BECK C. R. , HARRISON S.
Published: March 2016

Five cases of STEC O157 phage type (PT) 21/28 reported consumption of raw cows' drinking milk (RDM) produced at a dairy farm in the South West of England. STEC O157 PT21/28 was isolated from faecal specimens from milking cows on the implicated farm. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) showed that human and cattle isolates were the same strain. Further analysis of WGS data confirmed that sequences of isolates from an additional four cases (who did not report consumption of RDM when first questioned) fell within the same five single nucleotide polymorphism cluster as the initial five cases epidemiologically linked to the consumption of RDM. These four additional cases identified by WGS were investigated further and were, ultimately, associated with the implicated farm. The RDM outbreak strain encoded stx2a, which is associated with increased pathogenicity and severity of symptoms. Further epidemiological analysis showed that 70% of isolates within a wider cluster containing the outbreak strain were from cases residing in, or linked to, the same geographical region of England. During this RDM outbreak, use of WGS improved case ascertainment and provided insights into the evolution of a highly pathogenic clade of STEC O157 PT21/28 stx2a associated with the South West of England.
Evaluating the capabilities model of dementia care: a non-randomized controlled trial exploring resident quality of life and care staff attitudes and experiences
Authors: Moyle Wendy , Venturato Lorraine , Cooke Marie , Murfield Jenny , Griffiths Susan , Hughes Julian , Wolf Nathan
Published: March 2016

Background:

This 12 month, Australian study sought to compare the Capabilities Model of Dementia Care (CMDC) with usual long-term care (LTC), in terms of (1) the effectiveness of the CMDC in assisting care staff to improve Quality Of Life (QOL) for older people with dementia; and (2) whether implementation of the CMDC improved staff attitudes towards, and experiences of working and caring for the person with dementia.

Methods:

A single blind, non-randomized controlled trial design, involving CMDC intervention group (three facilities) and a comparison usual LTC practice control group (one facility), was conducted from August 2010 to September 2011. Eighty-one staff members and 48 family members of a person with dementia were recruited from these four LTC facilities. At baseline, 6 and 12 months, staff completed a modified Staff Experiences of Working with Demented Residents questionnaire (SEWDR), and families completed the Quality of Life – Alzheimer's Disease questionnaire (QOL-AD).

Results:

LTC staff in the usual care group reported significantly lower SEWDR scores (i.e. less work satisfaction) than those in the CMDC intervention group at 12 months (p = 0.005). Similarly, family members in the comparison group reported significantly lower levels of perceived QOL for their relative with dementia (QOL-AD scores) than their counterparts in the CMDC intervention group at 12 months (p = 0.012).

Conclusions:

Although the study has a number of limitations the CMDC appears to be an effective model of dementia care – more so than usual LTC practice. The CMDC requires further evaluation with participants from a diverse range of LTC facilities and stages of cognitive impairment.
Pretreatment Differences in Intraindividual Variability in Reaction Time between Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer and Healthy Controls
Authors: Yao Christie , Rich Jill B. , Tannock Ian F. , Seruga Bostjan , Tirona Kattleya , Bernstein Lori J.
Published: March 2016

Objectives: Chemotherapy has adverse effects on cognitive performance in women treated for breast cancer, but less is known about the period before chemotherapy. Studies have focused on mean level of performance, yet there is increasing recognition that variability in performance within an individual is also an important behavioral indicator of cognitive functioning and underlying neural integrity. Methods: We examined intraindividual variability (IIV) before chemotherapy and surgery in women diagnosed with breast cancer (n=31), and a healthy control group matched on age and education (n=25). IIV was calculated across trials of a computerized Stroop task, including an examination of the slowest and fastest trials of reaction time (RT) responses. Results: The groups were equivalent on overall accuracy and speed, and participants in both groups were less accurate and slower on incongruent trials compared with congruent trials. However, women with breast cancer became more variable with increased task difficulty relative to healthy controls. Among the slowest RT responses, women with breast cancer were significantly more variable than healthy controls on incongruent trials. This suggests that a specific variability-producing process (e.g., attentional lapses) occurs in task conditions that require executive control (e.g., incongruent trials). Conclusions: Results are consistent with other evidence of executive dysfunction among women treated for breast cancer. These findings highlight the importance of pretreatment assessment and show that variability in performance provides information about cognition that measures of central tendency do not. (JINS, 2016, 23, 1–10)
Globalization and the Animal Turn: How International Trade Law Contributes to Global Norms of Animal Protection
Authors: Sykes Katie
Published: March 2016

Many animal and environmental activists think of international trade law as a block to the achievement of their goals and perceive the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a threat to animals. Yet, the first legal decision of an international tribunal to devote careful, sustained attention to animal welfare issues comes from the WTO, in the EC – Seal Products decision. This article argues that international trade law is currently an important, although under-acknowledged, locus for the development of global norms concerning the protection of animals, and that animal conservation and animal welfare can be seen as aspects of a single overarching principle of animal protection. International trade law contributes to animal protection in two ways. Firstly, WTO jurisprudence has recognized animal protection as a legitimate basis for invoking exceptions to trade rules (as in EC – Seal Products). Secondly, international trade negotiations enhance cooperation on the implementation and enforcement of existing conservation obligations (as in the new Trans-Pacific Partnership’s Environment Chapter).
Double Extradition: What Edward Said Has to Tell Us Thirty Years on from Orientalism
Authors: Burgat François
Published: March 2016

If my assessment of Said’s contribution via Orientalism were to be proportioned solely to the immense admiration I have always had for him as a reader, whiter shades of gray and critical remarks would have to be relegated to a footnote in small print. Such an assessment would be devoted to spontaneous expressions of debt and admiration and to enumerating all the reasons Said became the pioneer he remains thirty years on, for the vast majority of us.
On The Margins of Middle Eastern Studies: Situating Said’s Orientalism
Authors: Shohat Ella
Published: March 2016

The question of beginnings in relation to Edward Said’s book Orientalism can be narrated in very diverse ways, leading to a potentially productive question: when and where does the critique of Orientalism begin? Here at MESA, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary to Said’s book, it would perhaps be instructive to situate the book in relation to the various geographies, histories and fields of knowledge in which it is embedded. What are the contexts and intertexts of Said’s work? How can we characterize its undergirding conceptual paradigms and disciplinary methodologies? What about the neighboring fields that have impacted Said’s work and that in turn have been impacted by that work—are they relevant to Middle Eastern studies? Since the Saidian critique of Orientalist epistemology has by now been extrapolated to diverse cultural geographies, how can we map these transnational currents in relation to the study of the Middle East? And, finally, what does a book, written by a diasporic Palestinian in the U.S., tell us about the kinds of analytical frames that might illuminate the study of that Middle East which is not simply “over there” but also “back here?”
Making Cadres of the “City—Corporation”: Cultural and Identity Politics in Neoliberal Dubai
Authors: Kanna Ahmed
Published: March 2016

The contributions by Bishara, Deeb and Harb, Silverstein, and Winegar explore the ways non-state actors confront nationalist state projects. If these projects are not always foregrounded, the modernist nationalist state is nevertheless always in the background in each case, inviting an examination and critique of the “political commodifications of culture.” Here, I take a different approach to the culture concept in struggles between modernizing states and their subjects. Particularly suggestive in Winegar’s piece on Egypt and Deeb and Harb’s on Lebanon is the ethico-cultural dimension ofthaqafa, its injunction to the would-bemuthaqqafto self-regulate, to refine the sensibilities, and so on. As the authors point out, there is an arguably Eurocentric and statist bias whenthaqafais deployed in this way. Part of this aspect ofthaqafais an implicit condescension toward “folk” (i.e., non-state) traditions, which are represented as retrogressive.
Verlauf depressiver Erkrankungen in Abhängigkeit von belastenden Kindheitserfahrungen und Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit
Authors: Pfeiffer Paula , Elbert Thomas
Published: March 2016

Zusammenfassung. Belastende Kindheitserfahrungen erhöhen die Wahrscheinlichkeit für psychopathologische Entwicklungen. Misshandelte Kinder weisen ein mehrfaches Risiko auf an Depressionen zu erkranken. Der Krankheitsverlauf beginnt früher, ist schwerer und die Behandlungserfolge sind verringert. Personen, die besonders zurückweisungsempfindlich sind, berichten außerdem mehr belastende Kindheitserfahrungen. In der vorliegenden Studie wird in einer allgemeinpsychiatrischen Klinik mit stationärer und tagesklinischer Behandlung der Zusammenhang zwischen belastender Kindheit und Verlauf der Depression sowie Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit quantifiziert. Bei 48 Patienten mit einer Diagnose der Depression (F31, F32, F33) wurde zu Behandlungsbeginn und -ende mit einem Selbsteinschätzungs- (BDI) und einem Fremdeinschätzungsmaß (HAM-D) die Schwere depressiver Symptomatik beurteilt. Während des Aufenthalts wurden die Patienten mit der «Skala belastende Kindheitserfahrungen» (KERF-I, Kurzversion) zu belastenden Kindheitserlebnissen interviewt und füllten einen Fragebogen zu Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit (RSQ) aus. Die Hypothesen wurden mit Korrelationsanalysen getestet. Belastende Kindheitserfahrungen waren mit der BDI-basierten Selbsteinschätzung der Depressivität positiv assoziiert, aber nicht mit dem HAM-D Rating. Patienten mit rezidivierender Depression berichteten doppelt so viele belastende Erfahrungen in ihrer Kindheit als Patienten mit einer einzelnen depressiven Episode. Dreifach höhere Belastungswerte zeigten sich bei Patienten in stationärer Behandlung gegenüber solchen in tagesklinischer Behandlung. Belastende Kindheitserfahrungen waren mit einer erhöhten Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit assoziiert und diese mit einem geringeren Therapieerfolg. Die Zusammenhänge von belastenden Kindheitserfahrungen mit depressiver Symptomatik und Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit geben Hinweise auf die Bildung negativer kognitiver Schemata. Die negative Korrelation von Therapieerfolg und Zurückweisungsempfindlichkeit bietet eine Erklärung für den ungünstigeren Verlauf einer depressiven Erkrankung bei Patienten mit vielen belastenden Kindheitserfahrungen.
Was ist Betroffenen wichtig? Bestimmung patientennaher Therapiezieldimensionen in der Behandlung von bipolaren Störungen
Authors: Haarig Frederik , Berndt Christina , Kühnert Michael , Fuchs Stefanie , Bräunig Peter , Mühlig Stephan
Published: March 2016

Zusammenfassung. Patientenorientierung schließt die Berücksichtigung von Therapiezielpräferenzen ein. Shared decision making kann dazu beitragen, die Therapiezufriedenheit und -mitarbeit zu verbessern. Fragestellungen: 1) Bestimmung, der von Patienten priorisierten Therapieziele in der Behandlung bipolarer Störungen, 2) Extraktion der wichtigsten Therapiezieldimensionen, 3) Darstellung von Unterschieden in der Wichtigkeit abhängig von Geschlecht, Alter und Behandlungsstatus. Im Rahmen einer BMBF-geförderten Studie wurde die Wichtigkeit (1 = unwichtig bis 5 = sehr wichtig) von 73 Therapiezielen in der Behandlung bipolarer Störungen aus Betroffenensicht (N = 333) untersucht. Störungsbewältigung (R2 = 29 %), Lebensqualität (R2 = 9 %), Beteiligung am therapeutischen Geschehen (R2 = 7 %) und Nebenwirkungen von Medikamenten (R2 = 5 %) stellten die bedeutsamsten Zieldimensionen dar. Morbiditätsparameter (Symptome, Episoden) hatten dagegen einen geringeren Stellwert (R2 = 3,6 %). Die Wichtigkeitseinschätzungen variierten in Abhängigkeit von Geschlecht, Alter und Behandlungsstatus. In der Behandlung von bipolaren Störungen legen Patienten vor allem Wert auf die Bearbeitung störungsbezogener Probleme sowie die Verbesserung von Lebensqualität. Durch eine verstärkte Orientierung an Bedürfnissen von bipolar Betroffenen auf Seiten ihrer Behandler lassen sich Prozesse des shared decision making optimieren.
Bark Beetles Cause Big Tree Die-Offs, but Streams Flow Steadily
Authors: Strelich Lily
Published: March 2016

Recent beetle epidemics have driven tree die-offs across North America, and previous studies predicted an increase in annual streamflow would follow—but a new study shows this may not be the case.
G9a-mediated methylation of ERα links the PHF20/MOF histone acetyltransferase complex to hormonal gene expression
Authors: Zhang Xi , Peng Danni , Xi Yuanxin , Yuan Chao , Sagum Cari A. , Klein Brianna J. , Tanaka Kaori , Wen Hong , Kutateladze Tatiana G. , Li Wei , Bedford Mark T. , Shi Xiaobing
Published: March 2016

The euchromatin histone methyltransferase 2 (also known as G9a) methylates histone H3K9 to repress gene expression, but it also acts as a coactivator for some nuclear receptors. The molecular mechanisms underlying this activation remain elusive. Here we show that G9a functions as a coactivator of the endogenous oestrogen receptor α (ERα) in breast cancer cells in a histone methylation-independent manner. G9a dimethylates ERα at K235 both in vitro and in cells. Dimethylation of ERαK235 is recognized by the Tudor domain of PHF20, which recruits the MOF histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex to ERα target gene promoters to deposit histone H4K16 acetylation promoting active transcription. Together, our data suggest the molecular mechanism by which G9a functions as an ERα coactivator. Along with the PHF20/MOF complex, G9a links the crosstalk between ERα methylation and histone acetylation that governs the epigenetic regulation of hormonal gene expression.
Constructing 3D interaction maps from 1D epigenomes
Authors: Zhu Yun , Chen Zhao , Zhang Kai , Wang Mengchi , Medovoy David , Whitaker John W. , Ding Bo , Li Nan , Zheng Lina , Wang Wei
Published: March 2016

The human genome is tightly packaged into chromatin whose functional output depends on both one-dimensional (1D) local chromatin states and three-dimensional (3D) genome organization. Currently, chromatin modifications and 3D genome organization are measured by distinct assays. An emerging question is whether it is possible to deduce 3D interactions by integrative analysis of 1D epigenomic data and associate 3D contacts to functionality of the interacting loci. Here we present EpiTensor, an algorithm to identify 3D spatial associations within topologically associating domains (TADs) from 1D maps of histone modifications, chromatin accessibility and RNA-seq. We demonstrate that active promoter–promoter, promoter–enhancer and enhancer–enhancer associations identified by EpiTensor are highly concordant with those detected by Hi-C, ChIA-PET and eQTL analyses at 200 bp resolution. Moreover, EpiTensor has identified a set of interaction hotspots, characterized by higher chromatin and transcriptional activity as well as enriched TF and ncRNA binding across diverse cell types, which may be critical for stabilizing the local 3D interactions.
G protein-coupled receptor 37 is a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination
Authors: Yang Hyun-Jeong , Vainshtein Anna , Maik-Rachline Galia , Peles Elior
Published: March 2016

While the formation of myelin by oligodendrocytes is critical for the function of the central nervous system, the molecular mechanism controlling oligodendrocyte differentiation remains largely unknown. Here we identify G protein-coupled receptor 37 (GPR37) as an inhibitor of late-stage oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. GPR37 is enriched in oligodendrocytes and its expression increases during their differentiation into myelin forming cells. Genetic deletion of Gpr37 does not affect the number of oligodendrocyte precursor cells, but results in precocious oligodendrocyte differentiation and hypermyelination. The inhibition of oligodendrocyte differentiation by GPR37 is mediated by suppression of an exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC)-dependent activation of Raf-MAPK-ERK1/2 module and nuclear translocation of ERK1/2. Our data suggest that GPR37 regulates central nervous system myelination by controlling the transition from early-differentiated to mature oligodendrocytes.
Unmasking the ancestral activity of integron integrases reveals a smooth evolutionary transition during functional innovation
Authors: Escudero Jose Antonio , Loot Celine , Parissi Vincent , Nivina Aleksandra , Bouchier Christiane , Mazel Didier
Published: March 2016

Tyrosine (Y)-recombinases have evolved to deliver mechanistically different reactions on a variety of substrates, but these evolutionary transitions are poorly understood. Among them, integron integrases are hybrid systems recombining single- and double-stranded DNA partners. These reactions are asymmetric and need a replicative resolution pathway, an exception to the canonical second strand exchange model of Y-recombinases. Integron integrases possess a specific domain for this specialized pathway. Here we show that despite this, integrases are still capable of efficiently operating the ancestral second strand exchange in symmetrical reactions between double-stranded substrates. During these reactions, both strands are reactive and Holliday junction resolution can follow either pathway. A novel deep-sequencing approach allows mapping of the crossover point for the second strand exchange. The persistence of the ancestral activity in integrases illustrates their robustness and shows that innovation towards new recombination substrates and resolution pathways was a smooth evolutionary process.
Damage-free vibrational spectroscopy of biological materials in the electron microscope
Authors: Rez Peter , Aoki Toshihiro , March Katia , Gur Dvir , Krivanek Ondrej L. , Dellby Niklas , Lovejoy Tracy C. , Wolf Sharon G. , Cohen Hagai
Published: March 2016

Vibrational spectroscopy in the electron microscope would be transformative in the study of biological samples, provided that radiation damage could be prevented. However, electron beams typically create high-energy excitations that severely accelerate sample degradation. Here this major difficulty is overcome using an ‘aloof’ electron beam, positioned tens of nanometres away from the sample: high-energy excitations are suppressed, while vibrational modes of energies <1 eV can be ‘safely’ investigated. To demonstrate the potential of aloof spectroscopy, we record electron energy loss spectra from biogenic guanine crystals in their native state, resolving their characteristic C–H, N–H and C=O vibrational signatures with no observable radiation damage. The technique opens up the possibility of non-damaging compositional analyses of organic functional groups, including non-crystalline biological materials, at a spatial resolution of ∼10 nm, simultaneously combined with imaging in the electron microscope.
A metallic mosaic phase and the origin of Mott-insulating state in 1T-TaS2
Authors: Ma Liguo , Ye Cun , Yu Yijun , Lu Xiu Fang , Niu Xiaohai , Kim Sejoong , Feng Donglai , Tománek David , Son Young-Woo , Chen Xian Hui , Zhang Yuanbo
Published: March 2016

Electron–electron and electron–phonon interactions are two major driving forces that stabilize various charge-ordered phases of matter. In layered compound 1T-TaS2, the intricate interplay between the two generates a Mott-insulating ground state with a peculiar charge-density-wave (CDW) order. The delicate balance also makes it possible to use external perturbations to create and manipulate novel phases in this material. Here, we study a mosaic CDW phase induced by voltage pulses, and find that the new phase exhibits electronic structures entirely different from that of the original Mott ground state. The mosaic phase consists of nanometre-sized domains characterized by well-defined phase shifts of the CDW order parameter in the topmost layer, and by altered stacking relative to the layers underneath. We discover that the nature of the new phase is dictated by the stacking order, and our results shed fresh light on the origin of the Mott phase in 1T-TaS2.
Making the hydrogen evolution reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysers even faster
Authors: Tymoczko Jakub , Calle-Vallejo Federico , Schuhmann Wolfgang , Bandarenka Aliaksandr S.
Published: March 2016

Although the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the fastest electrocatalytic reactions, modern polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysers require larger platinum loadings (∼0.5–1.0 mg cm−2) than those in PEM fuel cell anodes and cathodes altogether (∼0.5 mg cm−2). Thus, catalyst optimization would help in substantially reducing the costs for hydrogen production using this technology. Here we show that the activity of platinum(111) electrodes towards HER is significantly enhanced with just monolayer amounts of copper. Positioning copper atoms into the subsurface layer of platinum weakens the surface binding of adsorbed H-intermediates and provides a twofold activity increase, surpassing the highest specific HER activities reported for acidic media under similar conditions, to the best of our knowledge. These improvements are rationalized using a simple model based on structure-sensitive hydrogen adsorption at platinum and copper-modified platinum surfaces. This model also solves a long-lasting puzzle in electrocatalysis, namely why polycrystalline platinum electrodes are more active than platinum(111) for the HER.
Correction: Corrigendum: Elucidating the role of disorder and free-carrier recombination kinetics in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films
Authors: La-o-vorakiat Chan , Salim Teddy , Kadro Jeannette , Khuc Mai-Thu , Haselsberger Reinhard , Cheng Liang , Xia Huanxin , Gurzadyan Gagik G. , Su Haibin , Lam Yeng Ming , Marcus Rudolph A. , Michel-Beyerle Maria-Elisabeth , Chia Elbert E. M.
Published: March 2016

Nature Communications 6: Article number: 8903 (2015); Published: 30 July 2015; Updated: 10 March 2016 This article contains errors in the units used for carrier mobility. In Fig. 2a–d, the units on the y axis should be ‘cm2V−1s−1’ not ‘V−1s−1cm−1’. Similarly, the second and third sentences of the second paragraph of the ‘Quantum yield calculation’ section should read ‘From Fig.
A systematic study on drug-response associated genes using baseline gene expressions of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia
Authors: Liu Xiaoming , Yang Jiasheng , Zhang Yi , Fang Yun , Wang Fayou , Wang Jun , Zheng Xiaoqi , Yang Jialiang
Published: March 2016

We have studied drug-response associated (DRA) gene expressions by applying a systems biology framework to the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia data. More than 4,000 genes are inferred to be DRA for at least one drug, while the number of DRA genes for each drug varies dramatically from almost 0 to 1,226. Functional enrichment analysis shows that the DRA genes are significantly enriched in genes associated with cell cycle and plasma membrane. Moreover, there might be two patterns of DRA genes between genders. There are significantly shared DRA genes between male and female for most drugs, while very little DRA genes tend to be shared between the two genders for a few drugs targeting sex-specific cancers (e.g., PD-0332991 for breast cancer and ovarian cancer). Our analyses also show substantial difference for DRA genes between young and old samples, suggesting the necessity of considering the age effects for personalized medicine in cancers. Lastly, differential module and key driver analyses confirm cell cycle related modules as top differential ones for drug sensitivity. The analyses also reveal the role of TSPO, TP53, and many other immune or cell cycle related genes as important key drivers for DRA network modules. These key drivers provide new drug targets to improve the sensitivity of cancer therapy.
In-situ preparation of functionalized molecular sieve material and a methodology to remove template
Authors: Yadav Rekha , Ahmed Maqsood , Singh Arvind Kumar , Sakthivel Ayyamperumal
Published: March 2016

A series of diaminosilane-functionalized silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve (SAPO-37) was prepared by in-situ synthesis, and a novel method was developed for the selective removal of structure directing agent (SDA)/template from the functionalized SAPO-37.The complete removal of the SDA was evident according to FT-IR, TGA, 13C MAS-NMR and elemental analysis. The developed method was found to be efficient for removal of template from microporous molecular sieve viz., SAPO-37 and can be applied for other microporous molecular sieves such as SAPO-5, SAPO-40, etc. The powder XRD pattern of the template-removed samples showed a highly crystalline SAPO-37 phase. Argentometric titration revealed that more than 90% of diamine functionality exposed on the surface was accessible for catalytic applications. The resultant materials showed promising activity for ring opening of epoxide with aniline to yield β-amino-alcohol.
Human malignant mesothelioma is recapitulated in immunocompetent BALB/c mice injected with murine AB cells
Authors: Mezzapelle Rosanna , Rrapaj Eltjona , Gatti Elena , Ceriotti Chiara , Marchis Francesco De , Preti Alessandro , Spinelli Antonello E. , Perani Laura , Venturini Massimo , Valtorta Silvia , Moresco Rosa Maria , Pecciarini Lorenza , Doglioni Claudio , Frenquelli Michela , Crippa Luca , Recordati Camilla , Scanziani Eugenio , de Vries Hilda , Berns Anton , Frapolli Roberta , Boldorini Renzo , D’Incalci Maurizio , Bianchi Marco E. , Crippa Massimo P.
Published: March 2016

Malignant Mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer, which is difficult to diagnose and treat. Here we describe the molecular, cellular and morphological characterization of a syngeneic system consisting of murine AB1, AB12 and AB22 mesothelioma cells injected in immunocompetent BALB/c mice, which allows the study of the interplay of tumor cells with the immune system. Murine mesothelioma cells, like human ones, respond to exogenous High Mobility Group Box 1 protein, a Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern that acts as a chemoattractant for leukocytes and as a proinflammatory mediator. The tumors derived from AB cells are morphologically and histologically similar to human MM tumors, and respond to treatments used for MM patients. Our system largely recapitulates human mesothelioma, and we advocate its use for the study of MM development and treatment.