bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knockdown of Plakophilin 2 Downregulates miR-184 Through CpG Hypermethylation and Suppression of the E2F1 Pathway and Leads to Enhanced Adipogenesis In Vitro
Authors: Gurha Priyatansh , Chen Xiaofan , Lombardi Raffaella , Willerson James T. , Marian Ali J.
Published: July 2016

Rationale:

PKP2
, encoding plakophilin 2 (PKP2), is the most common causal gene for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Objective:

To characterize miRNA expression profile in PKP2-deficient cells.

Methods and Results:

Control and PKP2-knockdown HL-1 (HL-1
Pkp2-shRNA
) cells were screened for 750 miRNAs using low-density microfluidic panels. Fifty-nine miRNAs were differentially expressed. MiR-184 was the most downregulated miRNA. Expression of miR-184 in the heart and cardiac myocyte was developmentally downregulated and was low in mature myocytes. MicroRNA-184 was predominantly expressed in cardiac mesenchymal progenitor cells. Knockdown of
Pkp2
in cardiac mesenchymal progenitor cells also reduced miR-184 levels. Expression of miR-184 was transcriptionally regulated by the E2F1 pathway, which was suppressed in PKP2-deficient cells. Activation of E2F1, on overexpression of its activator CCND1 (cyclin D1) or knockdown of its inhibitor retinoblastoma 1, partially rescued miR-184 levels. In addition, DNA methyltransferase-1 was recruited to the promoter region of miR-184, and the CpG sites at the upstream region of miR-184 were hypermethylated. Treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, a demethylation agent, and knockdown of DNA methyltransferase-1 partially rescued miR-184 level. Pathway analysis of paired miR-184:mRNA targets identified cell proliferation, differentiation, and death as the main affected biological processes. Knockdown of miR-184 in HL-1 cells and mesenchymal progenitor cells induced and, conversely, its overexpression attenuated adipogenesis.

Conclusions:

PKP2 deficiency leads to suppression of the E2F1 pathway and hypermethylation of the CpG sites at miR-184 promoter, resulting in downregulation of miR-184 levels. Suppression of miR-184 enhances and its activation attenuates adipogenesis in vitro. Thus, miR-184 contributes to the pathogenesis of adipogenesis in PKP2-deficient cells.
Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in the Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Heerspink Hiddo J.L. , Perkins Bruce A. , Fitchett David H. , Husain Mansoor , Cherney David Z. I.
Published: July 2016

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, including empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and canagliflozin, are now widely approved antihyperglycemic therapies. Because of their unique glycosuric mechanism, SGLT2 inhibitors also reduce weight. Perhaps more important are the osmotic diuretic and natriuretic effects contributing to plasma volume contraction, and decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures by 4 to 6 and 1 to 2 mm Hg, respectively, which may underlie cardiovascular and kidney benefits. SGLT2 inhibition also is associated with an acute, dose-dependent reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate by ≈5 mL·min
–1
·1.73 m
–2
and ≈30% to 40% reduction in albuminuria. These effects mirror preclinical observations suggesting that proximal tubular natriuresis activates renal tubuloglomerular feedback through increased macula densa sodium and chloride delivery, leading to afferent vasoconstriction. On the basis of reduced glomerular filtration, glycosuric and weight loss effects are attenuated in patients with chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL·min
–1
·1.73 m
–2
). In contrast, blood pressure lowering, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and albuminuric effects are preserved, and perhaps exaggerated in chronic kidney disease. With regard to long-term clinical outcomes, the EMPA-REG OUTCOME trial (Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and established cardiovascular disease randomly assigned to empagliflozin versus placebo reported a 14% reduction in the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and >30% reductions in cardiovascular mortality, overall mortality, and heart failure hospitalizations associated with empagliflozin, even though, by design, the hemoglobin A1c difference between the randomized groups was marginal. Aside from an increased risk of mycotic genital infections, empagliflozin-treated patients had fewer serious adverse events, including a lower risk of acute kidney injury. In light of the EMPA-REG OUTCOME results, some diabetes clinical practice guidelines now recommend that SGLT2 inhibitors with proven cardiovascular benefit be prioritized in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have not achieved glycemic targets and who have prevalent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. With additional cardiorenal protection trials underway, sodium-related physiological effects of SGLT2 inhibitors and clinical correlates of natriuresis, such as the impact on blood pressure, heart failure, kidney protection, and mortality, will be a major management focus.
Theorizing Youth Violence in Socially Disadvantaged Neighborhoods in Nigeria
Authors: Abdullahi Ali Arazeem , Issah Moshood
Published: July 2016

Nigerian urban centers, especially the socially disadvantaged neighborhoods (sdns), like other disadvantaged communities across Africa, are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for youth violence and Armed Non-State Actors (ansas). The increasing waves of violence in socially disadvantaged communities in Nigeria and the inability of security apparatus to curtail them, suggests a ‘nation’ bewildered and a comatose state. This article attempts to dissect the root causes of youth violence in socially disadvantaged urban areas of Nigeria using relevant sociological theories. The paper subjects the current waves of youth violence across ethnic cleavages in Nigeria to a more nuanced and pragmatic analysis in order to dissect and unravel the socio-structural and political factors responsible. The paper argues that the inherent social structural maladies embedded in socially disadvantaged communities appear to have provided an impetus for youth violence and the emergence ofansas in Nigeria. These social structural maladies are captured within the context of social disorganization, relative deprivation, and broken windows theories. The assumptions of these theories provide insights into understanding the predisposing and enabling factors to youth violence and the emergence ofansas in socially disadvantaged communities in Nigeria and beyond. They also provide fundamental policy and research options to nip the contours of violence in socially disadvantaged environments in Nigeria and beyond in the bud.
Scythian Internecine Feuds
Authors: Daragan Marina N.
Published: July 2016

In the Scythian period burials have been identified, in which metal arrowheads have been found in or among the bones of the deceased which may have been the cause of death. In all such cases, without exception, the arrowheads, which had wounded or killed the deceased, were of specifically Scythian types, used precisely at that time for the weaponry of both Scythians and their contemporaries constituting the military contingents of various tribal alliances in the forest-steppe zone. Analysis of the sample has shown that in most cases those who perished were victims of armed conflicts within the ethno-political world of Scythia. In a number of further cases, arrow wounds had been caused as a result of a rite forming part of a funerary ritual. Some other archaeological data, such as the dismantling of and re-use of Scythian anthropomorphic stelai and also the virtually total plundering of their kurgans by the Scythians themselves, can also indicate the conflict situation within Scythian society in the late-5th and 4th centuries bc. Certain data from written sources also tie in with the existence of internecine feuds in Scythia, including the reliably recorded fact of clashes between Scythian élites. The inter-tribal violence recorded in the light of arrow wounds quite probably reflects, among other things, the new form of relationships within Scythian society resulting from rivalry for possession of territory and resources.
Chionanthus megistocarpus (Oleaceae), a new species from the Western Cordillera of Colombia
Authors: FERNÁNDEZ-ALONSO JOSÉ LUIS , COGOLLO-PACHECO ÁLVARO ALFONSO
Published: July 2016

We describe a new species of Chionanthus (Oleaceae), from the Subandean forests of the Western Cordillera of Colombia. C. megistocarpus is similar to the Ecuadorian species C. colonchensis, but presents leaves with longer petioles [(12–)15–30(–35) mm], with obtuse leaf blades, without abaxial domatia, with longer inflorescences (10–20 cm long) and the largest fruits for this genus in the Neotropics (4.5–5 cm long).
Lectotypification of four Lacaita’s names in the genus Centaurea (Asteraceae)
Authors: WAGENSOMMER ROBERT P. , PERRINO ENRICO V. , ALBANO ANTONELLA , MEDAGLI PIETRO , PASSALACQUA NICODEMO G.
Published: July 2016

The following four plant names published by Charles (Carlo) Carmichael Lacaita are lectotypified: Centaurea diomedea var. iapygica, Centaurea diomedea f. ambigua, Centaurea leucadea and Centaurea leucadea f. ambigua (Asteraceae).
Clarification of the typification of Pteris argyraea (Pteridaceae)
Authors: DAS PIU , PADHYE PRASAD MADHUKAR , GUPTA SUDHA
Published: July 2016

Pteris argyraea Moore (1859: 671), commonly known as silver brake fern, is originally a south-east Asian species, but now cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the tropical regions of the world.
A review of Sri Lankan Brignolia including the description of four new species (Araneae: Oonopidae)
Authors: RANASINGHE U. G. S. L. , BENJAMIN SURESH P.
Published: July 2016

Sri Lankan species of the genus Brignolia Dumitrescu & Georgescu, 1983 are reviewed and four new species are described: B. carlmulleri sp. nov., B. meemure sp. nov., B. ondaatjei sp. nov. and B. shyami sp. nov. All new species are described based on both sexes. New data on B. ambigua (Simon, 1893), B. parumpunctata (Simon, 1893), B. ratnapura Platnick et al., 2011 and B. trichinalis (Benoit, 1979) are given. A total of 10 species are now known from Sri Lanka. B. ambigua, B. carlmulleri sp. nov., B. meemure sp. nov., B. ondaatjei sp. nov., B. ratnapura, B. shyami sp. nov. and B. sinharaja are endemic to the island. A key and a distribution map for Sri Lankan Brignolia are provided.
Systematic studies of the genus Aegialomys Weksler, Percequillo and Voss, 2006 (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae): Annotated catalogue of the types of the species-group taxa
Authors: PRADO JOYCE RODRIGUES DO , PERCEQUILLO ALEXANDRE REIS
Published: July 2016

The genus Aegialomys was described to encompass the former Oryzomys xanthaeolus group, and includes nowadays two species: A. xanthaeolus and A. galapagoensis. Although not very confusing, the taxonomic history of the genus is long, comprising the description of five nominal taxa along the last 180 years: Mus galapagoensis Waterhouse, 1839; Oryzomys bauri Allen, 1892; Oryzomys xanthaeolus Thomas, 1894; Oryzomys  baroni Allen, 1897; and Oryzomys  xanthaeolus ica Osgood, 1944. Here we gathered and documented all available information about the type material of Aegialomys on which the species names were based, re-described their morphometric and morphological characters, commented their synonyms and taxonomic history, and compiled information about type localities. Additionally, we established a neotype for O. bauri in order to define the nominal taxon objectively.
An annotated checklist of the psyllids of New Zealand (Hemiptera: Psylloidea)
Authors: MARTONI FRANCESCO , BURCKHARDT DANIEL , ARMSTRONG KAREN
Published: July 2016

A checklist of extant species of Psylloidea in New Zealand is presented. The list is structured according to the latest taxonomic classification of families, subfamilies and genera. It includes 99 species, 71 of which are formally described and named, along with information on the host plants and the natural enemies as aspects that are either species-specific or assist in their recognition. An updated distribution of each species is given based on literature records and material held in the major New Zealand entomological collections and databases, including from very recent field surveys. A new record for New Zealand is Phellopsylla formicosa.
A new species of Oiovelia (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae) from Mesoamerica, with an identification key to the genus
Authors: FLORIANO CARLA FERNANDA BURGUEZ , RODRIGUES HIGOR D. D.
Published: July 2016

Oiovelia johnpolhemi sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on macropterous specimens collected in Mexico and Belize. This species is the tenth of the genus, and represents its first record outside South America. An updated identification key and distribution maps of all species of Oiovelia are presented. Finally, photographs of the macropterous form of O. spumicola Spangler are presented for the first time.
Convective and Slantwise Trajectory Ascent in Convection-Permitting Simulations of Midlatitude Cyclones
Authors: Rasp Stephan , Selz Tobias , Craig George C.
Published: July 2016

Air parcel ascent in midlatitude cyclones driven by latent heat release has been investigated using convection-permitting simulations together with an online trajectory calculation scheme. Three cyclones were simulated to represent different ascent regimes: one continental summer case, which developed strong convection organized along a cold front; one marine winter case representing a slantwise ascending warm conveyor belt; and one autumn case, which contains both ascent types as well as mesoscale convective systems. Distributions of ascent times differ significantly in mean and shape between the convective summertime case and the synoptic wintertime case, with the mean ascent time being one order of magnitude larger for the latter. For the autumn case the distribution is a superposition of both ascent types, which could be separated spatially and temporally in the simulation. In the slowly ascending airstreams a significant portion of the parcels still experienced short phases of convective ascent. These are linked to line convection in the boundary layer for the wintertime case and an elevated conditionally unstable layer in the autumn case. Potential vorticity (PV) modification during ascent has also been investigated. Despite the different ascent characteristics it was found that net PV change between inflow and outflow levels is very close to zero in all cases. The spread of individual PV values, however, is increased after the ascent. This effect is more pronounced for convective trajectories.
Native Advertising as a New Public Relations Tactic
Authors: Sweetser Kaye D. , Ahn Sun Joo (Grace) , Golan Guy J. , Hochman Asaf
Published: July 2016

Using a pretest and posttest online experiment ( N = 105), this study empirically explored the impact of native advertising sponsorship disclosure on organization–public relationships (OPR), credibility, brand attitude, and attitude toward the advertisement. Credibility and brand attitude predicted the two OPR factors; however, OPR was not affected by participants’ cognizance of ad sponsorship/disclosure. Brand attitude for obviously sponsored (e.g., ad disclosed) content decreased slightly. However, the presence or absence of sponsorship did not significantly influence either credibility or attitudes toward the advertisement itself. The study also examined perceived information utility.
The Deceptiveness of Sponsored News Articles
Authors: Wojdynski Bartosz W.
Published: July 2016

Sponsored news is a form of native advertising that has engendered much hope as a solution for digital publishing revenue woes, but also much concern about whether the average consumer can discern its advertising nature. Recent U.S. federal guidelines and industry recommendations preach clear and conspicuous labeling of sponsored news articles, but little is known about how individual readers interpret these labels, and how their interpretation shapes their understanding of article content. The present study contributes knowledge to the former areas by presenting the results of a between-subjects experiment ( N = 343) that tested the effects of four disclosure characteristics (proximity, visual prominence, wording clarity, and logo presence) on recognition of the sponsored content as advertising, and by analyzing the psychological process through which such recognition influences perceptions of the article and the sponsor. The results show that while logo presence and visual prominence increase the odds of recognition, logo presence also increases misperception of the disclosure label as a stand-alone display advertisement. Recognition of the article as advertising led to decreased perceptions of article quality, attitude toward the sponsor, and intent to share the article. A serial mediation analysis shows that the effects of recognition on attitudes and intent to share are primarily mediated through conceptual persuasion knowledge activation and perceived deceptiveness of the article. Implications of these findings for practitioners and for the application of persuasion theories to covert advertising are discussed.
Detection and Confirmation of Deafness-Causing Copy Number Variations in the STRC Gene by Massively Parallel Sequencing and Comparative Genomic Hybridization
Authors: Moteki Hideaki , Azaiez Hela , Sloan-Heggen Christina M. , Booth Kevin , Nishio Shin-ya , Wakui Keiko , Yamaguchi Tomomi , Kolbe Diana L. , Iwasa Yoh-ichiro , Shearer A. Eliot , Fukushima Yoshimitsu , Smith Richard J.H. , Usami Shin-ichi
Published: July 2016

Objective:

Copy number variations (CNVs), a major cause of genetic hearing loss, most frequently involve the STRC gene, located on chr15q15.3 and causally related to autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) at the DFNB16 locus. The interpretation of STRC sequence data can be challenging due to the existence of a virtually identical pseudogene, pSTRC, that promotes complex genomic rearrangements in this genomic region. Targeted genomic enrichment with massively parallel sequencing (TGE+MPS) has emerged as the preferred method by which to provide comprehensive genetic testing for hearing loss. We aimed to identify CNVs in the STRC region using established and validated bioinformatics methods.

Methods:

We used TGE+MPS to identify the genetic cause of hearing loss. The CNV results were confirmed with customized array comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH).

Results:

Three probands with progressive mild to moderate hearing loss were found among 40 subjects with ARNSHL to segregate homozygous STRC deletions and gene to pseudogene conversion. Array CGH showed that the deletions/conversions span multiple genes outside of the exons captured by TGE+MPS.

Conclusion:

These data further validate the necessity to integrate the detection of both simple variant changes and complex genomic rearrangements in the clinical diagnosis of genetic hearing loss.
Infrared Response of Sub-Micron-Scale Structures of Polyoxymethylene: Surface Polaritons in Polymers
Authors: Nagai Naoto , Okawara Makoto , Kijima Yuta
Published: July 2016

An investigation of the infrared (IR) spectra of polyoxymethylene (POM) mold plates was undertaken to determine the sub-micron-scale morphology and molecular orientation. The nest-structured cells concerned with the orientation were observed from scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements with the aid of Raman spectroscopy. The intensity of the anomalous IR reflectance peak of the C–O stretching A2 mode depends on the widths of the POM layers in the SEM image along the orientation direction. The results suggest that the spectral features originate from the Berreman effect of the bulk polaritons and the radiative surface polaritons. Moreover, the IR spectra of certain treated samples suggest that enhancement of the electromagnetic fields from the gap modes and transition dipole–dipole coupling influence the spectral shapes.
Estimating True Student Growth Percentile Distributions Using Latent Regression Multidimensional IRT Models
Authors: Lockwood J. R. , Castellano Katherine E.
Published: July 2016

Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs) increasingly are being used in the United States for inferences about student achievement growth and educator effectiveness. Emerging research has indicated that SGPs estimated from observed test scores have large measurement errors. As such, little is known about “true” SGPs, which are defined in terms of nonlinear functions of latent achievement attributes for individual students and their distributions across students. We develop a novel framework using latent regression multidimensional item response theory models to study distributional properties of true SGPs. We apply these methods to several cohorts of longitudinal item response data from more than 330,000 students in a large urban metropolitan area to provide new empirical information about true SGPs. We find that true SGPs are correlated 0.3 to 0.5 across mathematics and English language arts, and that they have nontrivial relationships with individual student characteristics, particularly student race/ethnicity and absenteeism. We evaluate the potential of using these relationships to improve the accuracy of SGPs estimated from observed test scores, finding that accuracy gains even under optimal circumstances are modest. We also consider the properties of SGPs averaged to the teacher level, widely used for teacher evaluations. We find that average true SGPs for individual teachers vary substantially as a function of the characteristics of the students they teach. We discuss implications of our findings for the estimation and interpretation of SGPs at both the individual and aggregate levels.
Trade Liberalization, Exports and Imports in Syria
Authors: Mohsen Adel Shakeeb , Chua Soo Y. , Sab Che Normee Che
Published: July 2016

This study attempts to investigate the effect of trade liberalization on exports and imports in Syria over the period 1980–2010. Trade openness is used as an indicator of trade liberalization. The cointegration test shows that trade openness has a positive effect on exports and imports. The Granger causality test indicates that there are bidirectional short-run causality relationships between trade openness and exports, and unidirectional short-run causality relationship running from trade openness to imports. In the long run, there is unidirectional long-run causality relationship running from exports to trade openness, and no long-run causality relationship between trade openness and imports. However, trade openness tends to have a greater effect on imports than exports.
Why Do People Overestimate or Underestimate Their Abilities? A Cross-Culturally Valid Model of Cognitive and Motivational Processes in Self-Assessment Biases
Authors: Kim Young-Hoon , Kwon Heewon , Lee Joo , Chiu Chi-Yue
Published: July 2016

We attempt to develop an integrative model of the factors that give rise to the overestimation of their abilities among the incompetent and underestimation of the competent by decomposing the specific conditions of the cognitive and motivational components underlying the self-assessment phenomenon from a statistical point of view. Hong Kong (Study 1) and European American participants (Study 2) took an ability test and assessed their performance. By plotting estimated relative ability against actual ability and fitting a regression line, we found that a comparative bias (intercept), reflecting participants’ self-enhancement motivation, and a less-than-perfect estimation accuracy (slope), reflecting participants’ cognitive bias, jointly contributed to the ability estimation line wherein low-performance participants overestimate and high performance participants underestimate their performance. In testing and validating the model, the relationship between participants’ estimated relative ability and actual performance was examined as a function of participants’ self-esteem (motivational factor) and perceived difficulty level (cognitive factor). Regarding the extent of self-enhancement, we found that participants with higher self-esteem rated their ability more favorably independent of their actual performance. Moreover, participants who perceived the task to be more difficult made more unfavorable self-assessments. Regarding the relationship between estimated and actual performance, we found that when the task was seen as more difficult, and, hence, less diagnostic of ability, participants were less likely to base their ability assessment on their actual performance, resulting in less accurate self-assessments.
Prediction of Periodontal Inflammation via Metabolic Profiling of Saliva
Authors: Kuboniwa M. , Sakanaka A. , Hashino E. , Bamba T. , Fukusaki E. , Amano A.
Published: July 2016

Periodontal disease is characterized by chronic inflammation in subgingival areas, where a vast array of inflammation-associated metabolites are likely produced from tissue breakdown, increased vascular permeability, and microbial metabolism and then eventually show a steady flow into saliva. Thus, prolonged periodontal inflammation is a key feature of disease activity. Although salivary metabolomics has drawn attention for its potential use in diagnosis of periodontal disease, few authors have used that to investigate periodontal inflammation detection. In this pilot study, the authors explored the use of salivary metabolites to reflect periodontal inflammation severity with a recently proposed parameter—periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA)—used to quantify the periodontal inflammatory burden of individual patients with high accuracy. Following PISA determination, whole saliva samples were collected from 19 subjects before and after removal of supragingival plaque and calculus (debridement) with an ultrasonic scaler to assess the influence of the procedure on salivary metabolic profiles. Metabolic profiling of saliva was performed with gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry, followed by multivariate regression analysis with orthogonal projections to latent structures (OPLS) to investigate the relationship between PISA and salivary metabolic profiles. Sixty-three metabolites were identified. OPLS analysis showed that postdebridement saliva provided a more refined model for prediction of PISA than did predebridement samples, which indicated that debridement may improve detection of metabolites eluted from subgingival areas in saliva, thus more accurately reflecting the pathophysiology of periodontitis. Based on the variable importance in the projection values obtained via OPLS, 8 metabolites were identified as potential indicators of periodontal inflammation, of which the combination of cadaverine, 5-oxoproline, and histidine yielded satisfactory accuracy (area under the curve = 0.881) for diagnosis of periodontitis. The authors’ findings identified potential biomarkers that may be useful for reflecting the severity of periodontal inflammation as part of monitoring disease activity in periodontitis patients.
Explaining Adolescent Drug Use in Adjacent Generations
Authors: Krohn Marvin D. , Loughran Thomas A. , Thornberry Terence P. , Jang Daniel Wonho , Freeman-Gallant Adrienne , Castro Erin D.
Published: July 2016

We tested the assumption that theories of drug use are able to account for behavior across varying contexts and populations by examining whether control, learning, and elaborated theories provide similar explanations for adolescent drug use in adjacent generations. We used data from the Rochester Youth Development Study and Rochester Intergenerational Study which followed a sample of adolescents starting at age 14 and their oldest biological child. Cross-generational analysis between theoretical variables measured at age 14 and drug use measured at approximately ages 15 and 16 were used. Regression models testing for each theoretical framework found that in general, they appear to operate similarly in adjacent generations. We conducted 14 tests of equality for pairs of coefficients across the generations; no statistically significant differences were observed. Overall, these theories offer general explanations for adolescent drug use with respect to risk and protective factors for parents and their children. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.
Decentralisation Reforms and Regionalist Parties’ Strength: Accommodation, Empowerment or Both?
Authors: Massetti Emanuele , Schakel Arjan H
Published: July 2016

The article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of decentralisation on regionalist parties’ strength in both national and regional elections. We consider decentralisation both as a putatively crucial event, that is, the creation of an elected regional government, and as a process. Our study is based on a dataset including aggregate vote shares for 227 regionalist parties competing in 329 regions across 18 Western democracies. Our findings show that decentralisation as an event has a strong impact on the number of regionalist parties, as it triggers processes of proliferation and diffusion. Decentralisation as a process has an overall empowerment effect in regional elections, while it does not have an effect in national elections. However, our analysis also reveals that the overall null effect in national elections is actually the result of an empowering effect on new regionalist parties and of an accommodating effect on old regionalist parties.
Mediating Role of Mindfulness on the Associations of Friendship Quality and Subjective Vitality
Authors: Akin Umran , Akin Ahmet , Uğur Erol
Published: July 2016

This research investigated the mediator role of mindfulness on the relationship between friendship quality and subjective vitality. Participants were 273 university students ( M age = 21 years, SD = 1.1) who completed a questionnaire package that included the Friendship Quality Scale, the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale, and the Subjective Vitality Scale. Both mindfulness and subjective vitality were correlated positively with friendship quality and subjective vitality was correlated positively with mindfulness. Mindfulness mediated the relationship between friendship quality and subjective vitality. Together, the findings illuminate the importance of friendship quality in psychological and cognitive adjustment.
Intentional or Negligent Homicide? Evidence for Juror Decision Making
Authors: Gambetti Elisa , Nori Raffaella , Giusberti Fiorella
Published: July 2016

The present study examined the influence of specific evidence and testimonies on a juror’s decision to make a verdict of intentional or negligent homicide in a Civil law country. Italian students ( N = 280; M age = 25.0 years, SD = 2.9) read different affidavits characterized by the presence or absence of three elements against the defendant: motive, skill in use of weapons, and previous violence toward the victim. Participants then decided a verdict and provided a confidence judgment on their decision. Results showed that the presence of motive, skill, and previous violence influenced the jurors’ decision, significantly changing the verdict from negligent to intentional homicide. The findings were discussed in terms of the folk-concept approach of intentionality.
Educated Guesses and Other Ways to Address the Pharmacological Uncertainty of Designer Drugs
Authors: Berning Moritz , Hardon Anita
Published: July 2016

This study examines how experimentation with designer drugs is mediated by the Internet. We selected a popular drug forum that presents reports on self-experimentation with little or even completely unexplored designer drugs to examine: (1) how participants report their “trying out” of new compounds and (2) how participants reduce the pharmacological uncertainty associated with using these substances. Our methods included passive observation online, engaging more actively with the online community using an avatar, and off-line interviews with key interlocutors to validate our online findings. This article reflects on how forum participants experiment with designer drugs, their trust in suppliers and the testimonials of others, the use of ethno-scientific techniques that involve numerical weighing, “allergy dosing,” and the use of standardized trip reports. We suggest that these techniques contribute to a sense of control in the face of the possible toxicity of unknown or little-known designer drugs. The online reporting of effects allows users to experience not only the thrill of a new kind of high but also connection with others in the self-experimenting drug community.
Situational Precipitators and Interactive Forces in Sexual Crime Events Involving Adult Offenders
Authors: Leclerc Benoit , Wortley Richard , Dowling Christopher
Published: July 2016

We investigated the role of situational precipitators in sexual offenses in relation to the use of physical force by offenders, penetration of the victim, and physical injuries to the victim. We used self-report data obtained from a Canadian sample of 553 incarcerated adult male sexual offenders. All data used in this study were gathered through a semi-structured interview conducted with each participant. First, we found that 75.8% of sexual crime events were somehow precipitated, or characterized, by the presence of precipitators before crime. Second, the relationship between each precipitator and the type of offense was statistically significant except for one precipitator. Third, although a number of precipitators were associated with the dependent variables, we also found two interaction effects that illuminated the complexity of the role of precipitators in sexual offenses. Interaction analysis can increase our understanding of sexual crime events and better inform prevention practices, such as relapse prevention.
Sexual Orientation Bias Crimes
Authors: Briones-Robinson Rhissa , Powers Ràchael A. , Socia Kelly M.
Published: July 2016

LGBT hate crimes are typically more violent and involve greater victim injury as compared to other victimizations, but they are substantially underreported. Victim reluctance to contact law enforcement may arise from perceptions of police bias. This study explores victim–police interactions, specifically reporting to the police, perceived police bias among victims who did not report, and differential police behavior among victims who reported. Using multiple years of National Crime Victimization Survey data, sexual orientation bias victimizations are compared with other forms of victimization. Logit regression models are examined before and after the Matthew Shepard Act. The pattern of results indicate that in the years following progressive policy reforms, LGBT bias victims continue to perceive the police as biased. Results do not significantly differ between sexual orientation bias victims and victims of other types of crime regarding police reporting and differential police response. Implications for policing efforts with the LGBT community are discussed.
Infant communicative development assessed with the European Portuguese MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories short forms
Authors: Frota Sónia , Butler Joseph , Correia Susana , Severino Cátia , Vicente Selene , Vigário Marina
Published: July 2016

This article describes the European Portuguese MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories short forms, the first published instruments for the assessment of language development in EP-learning infants and toddlers. Normative data from the EP population are presented, focusing on developmental trends for vocabulary learning, production of morphologically complex words and word combinations. Significant effects of gender were found for early word comprehension and production, as well as for toddlers’ word production, word complexity and word combinations, with a consistent advantage for girls. By contrast, effects of socioeconomic status were limited to early word comprehension. A cross-language comparison with short form data for other languages was performed. Differences across languages only emerged for toddlers. However, effects of gender were found independently of language differences.
Marking-to-Market, Commonality in Liquidity, and Government Guarantee Effect
Authors: Shyu Hawfeng
Published: July 2016

Based on market prices and other market inputs to value assets and liabilities, adopting fair-value measurement creates many unpredictable economic consequences, such as amplifying the vicious cycle of falling prices during a worldwide financial crisis. This article investigates whether marking-to-market disclosure affects the commonality in liquidity. Commonality in liquidity is defined as the sensitivity of stock liquidity to the variation in market liquidity. My study indicates that marking-to-market disclosure is associated with higher commonality in liquidity. In addition, I find that higher commonality in liquidity is associated with lower stock liquidity. I also find that a positive association between commonality in liquidity and stock illiquidity is mitigated by the effect of a government guarantee.
Concretizing Simondon and Constructivism
Authors: Feenberg Andrew Lewis
Published: July 2016

This article argues that Gilbert Simondon’s philosophy of technology is useful for both science and technology studies (STS) and critical theory. The synthesis has political implications. It offers an argument for the rationality of democratic interventions by citizens into decisions concerning technology. The new framework opens a perspective on the radical transformation of technology required by ecological modernization and sustainability. In so doing, it suggests new applications of STS methods to politics as well as a reconstruction of the Frankfurt School’s “rational critique of reason.”
A tale of two demoi
Authors: Milstein Brian
Published: July 2016

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of debate re what democratic theory has to say about the boundaries of democratic peoples. Yet the debate over the ‘democratic boundary problem’ has been hindered by the way contributors work with different understandings of democracy, of democratic legitimacy and of what it means to participate in a demos. My argument is that these conceptual issues can be clarified if we recognize that the ‘demos’ constitutive of democracy is essentially dual in character: it must be defined from a third-person, observer’s perspective from which it can be represented as a whole entity; but it must also be seen as arising out of an association of numerous and ongoing second-person relationships that participants negotiate among one another. Both perspectives are essential to conceptualizing the demos, but their relation to each other has been obscured by democratic theory’s historical reliance on the imaginary of the sovereign state. Drawing on literature from deliberative democratic theory, this article reconstructs the concept of the demos in a way that better distinguishes the logic of democracy from the logic of the state, allowing us to think more clearly about how demotic boundaries may be subjected to standards of democratic legitimation.
A Decade of Analysis: Household Food Insecurity Among Low-Income Immigrant Children
Authors: Potochnick Stephanie , Arteaga Irma
Published: July 2016

Our study advances literature on immigrant food insecurity by examining whether national-level differences in immigrant and nonimmigrant families’ risk of food insecurity persist across time and for different ethnic/racial groups. Using data from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement for low-income households with children aged 0 to 17 years, we examine trends (2003-2013) in immigrant and nonimmigrant food insecurity overall and for different ethnic/racial groups. We also assess how immigrant families are faring compared with their nonimmigrant peers in the wake of the Great Recession and its prolonged recovery period. We find that among low-income households with children, noncitizen immigrant households and their U.S.-born household counterparts experience similar levels of food insecurity, while citizen immigrant households demonstrate the lowest levels of food insecurity. Citizen immigrant households, however, appear to have been most affected by the Great Recession and the protective influences of citizenship status do not appear to extend to Hispanic immigrants.
Using Respondent-Driven Sampling to Recruit Illegal Drug Purchasers to Evaluate a Drug Market Intervention
Authors: Ober Allison J. , Sussell Jesse , Kilmer Beau , Saunders Jessica , Heckathorn Douglas D.
Published: July 2016

Background

Violent drug markets are not as prominent as they once were in the United States, but they still exist and are associated with significant crime and lower quality of life. The drug market intervention (DMI) is an innovative strategy that uses focused deterrence, community engagement, and incapacitation to reduce crime and disorder associated with these markets. Although studies show that DMI can reduce crime and overt drug activity, one perspective is prominently missing from these evaluations: those who purchase drugs.

Objectives

This study explores the use of respondent-driven sampling (RDS)—a statistical sampling method—to approximate a representative sample of drug users who purchased drugs in a targeted DMI market to gain insight into the effect of a DMI on market dynamics.

Methods

Using RDS, we recruited individuals who reported hard drug use (crack or powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or illicit use of prescriptions opioids) in the last month to participate in a survey. The main survey asked about drug use, drug purchasing, and drug market activity before and after DMI; a secondary survey asked about network characteristics and recruitment.

Conclusions

Our sample of 212 respondents met key RDS assumptions, suggesting that the characteristics of our weighted sample approximate the characteristics of the drug user network. The weighted estimates for market purchasers are generally valid for inferences about the aggregate population of customers, but a larger sample size is needed to make stronger inferences about the effects of a DMI on drug market activity.
African American Race Is Associated With Poorer Outcomes in Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Wierenga Kelly L. , Dekker Rebecca L. , Lennie Terry A. , Chung Misook L. , Dracup Kathleen
Published: July 2016

Health care disparities associated with African American race may influence event-free survival in patients with heart failure (HF). A secondary data analysis included 863 outpatients enrolled in a multicenter HF registry. Cox regression was used to determine whether African American race was associated with shorter HF event-free survival after controlling for covariates. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of older age (1.03, 95% CI = [1.01, 1.04]), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class (1.73, 95% CI = [1.29, 2.31]), depressive symptoms (1.05, 95% CI = [1.02, 1.07]), and African American race (1.64, 95% CI = [1.01, 2.68]) were predictors of shorter event-free survival (all ps < .05). Comparisons showed that NYHA functional class was predictive of shorter event-free survival in Caucasians (1.81, 95% CI = [1.33, 2.46]) but not in African Americans (1.24, 95% CI = [.40, 3.81]). African Americans with HF experienced a disparate risk of shorter event-free survival not explained by a variety of risk factors.
Clonidine and ketamine for stable hemodynamics in off-pump coronary artery bypass
Authors: Patel Jigar , Thosani Rajesh , Kothari Jignesh , Garg Pankaj , Pandya Himani
Published: July 2016

Background

The current era of fast-track extubation and faster recovery after cardiac surgery requires agents that provide perioperative sedation, suppress sympathetic response, reduce opioid requirement, and maintain hemodynamic stability.

Methods

In a prospective randomized double-blind study, 75 off-pump coronary artery bypass patients were divided into 3 groups of 25 each: group A had clonidine 1 µg·kg–1, group B had clonidine 1 µg·kg–1 and ketamine 1 mg·kg–1, and group C had a saline placebo. Perioperative changes in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, sedation score, pain score, and requirement of analgesics, beta blockers, fentanyl, propofol, and inotropes were recorded, as well time to extubation, intensive care unit stay, and 30-day mortality.

Results

The combination of clonidine and ketamine led to stable hemodynamics and reduced beta-blocker dosage. The sedation score was highest in groups A and B up to 24 h postoperatively. The pain score was lowest in group B in the first 24 h, and the total dose of analgesics was highest in group C. Clonidine and ketamine or clonidine alone reduced extubation time, but intensive care unit stay was unchanged

Conclusions

Combined low-dose clonidine and ketamine produced perioperative sedation and effective suppression of sympathetic response with stable hemodynamics. Intraoperative beta-blocker use was reduced without increasing inotrope requirement. This combination prolonged the analgesic effect of opioids, reducing postoperative pain score and analgesic requirement. Low-dose clonidine alone produced sedation but did not completely block sympathetic response. Intensive care unit stay and patient outcome were not affected by clonidine or ketamine.
Subcostal closure technique for prevention of postthoracotomy pain syndrome
Authors: Hong Kipyo , Bae Mikyung , Han Sora
Published: July 2016

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of our subcostal closure technique in prevention of postthoracotomy pain syndrome.

Methods

From July 2012 to March 2015, 29 patients in whom a lobectomy was indicated underwent a thoracotomy. The thoracotomy wounds were closed using a subcostal closure technique (subcostal closure group) and outcomes were compared with 31 patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (thoracoscopy group). The duration of oral opioid consumption was evaluated from medical records, and postoperative pain was evaluated by telephone interview conducted by a trained nurse practitioner who was unaware of the patient’s group.

Results

Pain scores were higher in the thoracoscopy group compared to the subcostal closure group, reaching statistical significance (Numeric Rating Scale 0.55 ± 0.948 in the subcostal closure group vs. 1.84 ± 1.614 in the thoracoscopy group; p < 0.001, Clinical Pain Scale 0.24 ± 0.435 in the subcostal closure group vs. 0.81 ± 0.703 in the thoracoscopy group; p < 0.001). The number of patients who consumed oral opioids for longer than 2 months after the operation was significantly greater in the thoracoscopy group than the subcostal closure group (6.9% in the subcostal closure group vs. 32.3% in the thoracoscopy group; p = 0.022).

Conclusions

The subcostal closure technique is useful to prevent postthoracotomy pain syndrome.
Euro Crisis and plurality: Does the political orientation of newspapers determine the selection and spin of information?
Authors: Salgado Susana , Nienstedt Heinz-Werner
Published: July 2016

This article studies the impact of right and left moderate political orientation of newspapers on the levels of plurality in the news coverage of the Euro Crisis in 20 newspapers from 10 European countries through a methodology based on Simpson’s D index. The expectation of finding distinct patterns of coverage leading to high levels of plurality was not fully supported and the results have shown that national frames influence levels of overall plurality more than political ideology.