bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of significant features inDNAmicroarray data
Authors: Bair Eric
Published: May 2013

DNAmicroarrays are a relatively new technology that can simultaneously measure the expression level of thousands of genes. They have become an important tool for a wide variety of biological experiments. One of the most common goals ofDNAmicroarray experiments is to identify genes associated with biological processes of interest. Conventional statistical tests often produce poor results when applied to microarray data owing to small sample sizes, noisy data, and correlation among the expression levels of the genes. Thus, novel statistical methods are needed to identify significant genes inDNAmicroarray experiments. This article discusses the challenges inherent inDNAmicroarray analysis and describes a series of statistical techniques that can be used to overcome these challenges. The problem of multiple hypothesis testing and its relation to microarray studies are also considered, along with several possible solutions.WIREs Comput Stat2013, 5:309–325. doi: 10.1002/wics.1260

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Data Reduction, Smoothing, and Filtering

Applications of Computational Statistics > Genomics/Proteomics/Genetics

Data: Types and Structure > Microarrays
Pharmacology of ASIC channels
Authors: Lingueglia Eric , Lazdunski Michel
Published: May 2013

Acid‐sensing ion channels (ASICs) form a family of voltage‐independent amiloride‐sensitive cation channels that predominantly conduct Na+ ions. ASICs are activated by extracellular acidification within the physiological range, and they form effective proton sensors in both the central and peripheral nervous system, with increasing evidence of expression in non‐neuronal cells as well. Positive modulators include some metal ions, small molecules, neuropeptides, opioid peptides, and a snake toxin, while inhibitors include nonspecific and/or nonsubtype‐specific small molecules and more specific natural peptides isolated from animal venoms. A combination of genetic and pharmacologic approaches using the weakly selective inhibitor amiloride and more selective peptide toxins has revealed the implication of ASIC channels in an increasing number of physiological and pathophysiological processes, most of them associated with extracellular pH fluctuations, ranging from synaptic plasticity, learning, memory, fear, depression, seizure termination, and neuronal degeneration to nociception and mechanosensation. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2013, 2:155–171. doi: 10.1002/wmts.88

Conflict of interest: ML is Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Theralpha.

For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Synthesis, Structural and Dielectric Characterization of two Imidazole‐ and Oxalate‐containing Copper(II) Complexes
Authors: Zhu Run‐Qiang , Zhang Wen
Published: May 2013

Reaction of Cu(ox)(H2O)0.5 (ox = oxalate dianion) with HIm (HIm = imidazole) in aqueous solution yields two CuII complexes, [Cu3(H2O)4(HIm)4(μ‐Im)2(ox)2] (1) (Im = imidazole anion) and [Cu(HIm)6](ox) (2). Formation of the two compounds depends on the molar ratio of the reactants and a secondary reagent, indicating a rich chemistry of the combination of CuII/ox/HIm components. Structural analyses of the two compounds show that 1 is a linear trinuclear cluster, in which the two Im anions act as bridging ligands and 2 shows a rare 6:1 HIm/Cu stoichiometry with a CsCl‐type packing structure. There are numerous N–H···O and O–H···O hydrogen bonds among the ox, HIm, and/or H2O components, leading to complicate supramolecular hydrogen‐bond networks. Temperature‐dependent dielectric constants of the compounds show no dielectric anomalies between 100–345 K, suggesting no structural phase transitions in the measured temperature range.
Star integrals, convolutions and simplices
Authors: Nandan Dhritiman , Paulos Miguel F. , Spradlin Marcus , Volovich Anastasia
Published: May 2013

Abstract

We explore single and multi-loop conformal integrals, such as the ones appearing in dual conformal theories in flat space. Using Mellin amplitudes, a large class of higher loop integrals can be written as simple integro-differential operators on star integrals: one-loop n-gon integrals in n dimensions. These are known to be given by volumes of hyperbolic simplices. We explicitly compute the five-dimensional pentagon integral in full generality using Schläfli’s formula. Then, as a first step to understanding higher loops, we use spline technology to construct explicitly the 6d hexagon and 8d octagon integrals in two-dimensional kinematics. The fully massive hexagon and octagon integrals are then related to the double box and triple box integrals respectively. We comment on the classes of functions needed to express these integrals in general kinematics, involving elliptic functions and beyond.
Soybean Oil‐Based Polyurethane Networks: Shape‐Memory Effects and Surface Morphologies
Authors: Miao Shida , Callow Nicholas , Wang Ping , Liu Youyan , Su Zhiguo , Zhang Songping
Published: May 2013

Vegetable oil‐based shape‐memory polyurethane networks are an emerging class of bio‐based functional materials with great potential applications. In this study, a series of different structural soybean oil polyols were synthesized, and utilized to fabricate polyurethane networks by reacting with 1,6‐diisocyanatohexane. The soybean oil‐based polyurethanes (SOPUs) were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical tests (DMA), tensile testing, shape‐memory testing, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that SOPUs with a preserved triglyceride structure were fixed in a temporary shape at −20 °C, while others were fixed in temporary shapes at 4 °C. Although the recovery speeds were different, all the samples could completely regain their permanent shapes at 37 °C (human body temperature). Furthermore, different SOPUs exhibited different surface structures, which might provide the materials with additional values.
Textural and Compositional Relationships of Rutile and Chromite in Sittampundi Anorthosite Complex, Tamil Nadu
Authors: Raju P.V. Sunder
Published: May 2013

The anorthosite complexes and related rock types of the Indian Precambrian shield are primarily associated with either cratons or mobile belts. They were metamorphosed under amphibolites to granulite facies conditions. The major rock types are chromite-bearing meta-anorthosites, amphibolites, basic granulites, pink granites and gneisses. This study was carried out on chromitite bearing samples from Sittampundi layered anorthosite complex, Tamil Nadu, to evaluate the textural and compositional relationships of rutile and chromite. The pristine composition of the chromites is still preserved inspite of intense metamorphic and tectonic process. The rutiles are differentiated into isolated, clustered and exsolved rutile grains.
„So kreativ wie Berlin, so erfolgreich wie Frankfurt“ – der symbolische Nutzen von Städten als Zielgröße einer imageorientierten Stadtmarkenführung
Authors: Müller Andreas
Published: May 2013

The inter-municipal competition of European cities, the alignment tendencies of functional urban features as well as the growing social trend towards individualization and the communication of one’s own identity convey the importance of the city’s image as influencing factor of the choice of location of skilled workers, tourists and companies. Cities are increasingly seen as a tool for defining one’s personality and the expression of one’s lifestyle. While great attention has been given to personality characteristics as important factor of purchase decisions in the consumer goods sector, symbolic benefits thus gain importance as decision criteria of where to work, travel or found a company. The article discusses the concept of symbolic brand benefits in the city context, a topic that has yet received little attention in the German speaking city marketing discussion. Against this background, the predominantly in the English speaking literature debated concept of “place branding” will be described as a more developed version of city marketing that puts the image of cities in the focus of all city-related marketing activities. The author argues that the symbolic city image is the result of communicative negotiation processes, whose origins lay in real actions, activities and events that occur in a city. With the description of the communicative potential of the visual cityscape the author presents a range of levers for the development of a symbolic city image.
Unraveling the covariation of low self‐control and victimization: A behavior genetic approach
Authors: Boutwell Brian B. , Franklin Cortney A. , Barnes J.C. , Tamplin Amanda K. , Beaver Kevin M. , Petkovsek Melissa
Published: May 2013

A growing body of literature examining the antecedents of victimization experiences has suggested that personality constructs play a role in the origins of victimization. Low self‐control, in particular, represents a trait thought to directly increase the risk of victimization. At the same time, different lines of evidence suggest that genetic factors account for portions of the variance in both self‐control and victimization. These findings leave open the possibility that the two traits might covary because of previously unmeasured genetic factors. The current analysis seeks to test this possibility. Additionally, we examine whether the covariation between self‐control and victimization persists once genetic effects are held constant. Our findings suggest a nuanced explanation for the relationship between self‐control and experiences of victimization.
Personality and risk of Alzheimer's disease: New data and meta‐analysis
Authors: Terracciano Antonio , Sutin Angelina R. , An Yang , O'Brien Richard J. , Ferrucci Luigi , Zonderman Alan B. , Resnick Susan M.
Published: May 2013

Background

We examine whether broad factors and specific facets of personality are associated with increased risk of incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a long‐run longitudinal study and a meta‐analysis of published studies.

Methods

Participants (n = 1671) were monitored for up to 22 years from a baseline personality assessment. The meta‐analysis pooled results from up to five prospective studies (n = 5054).

Results

Individuals with scores in the top quartile of neuroticism (hazard ratio = 3.1; 95% confidence interval = 1.6–6.0) or the lowest quartile of conscientiousness (hazard ratio = 3.3; 95% confidence interval = 1.4–7.4) had a threefold increased risk of incident AD. Among the components of these traits, self‐discipline and depression had the strongest associations with incident AD. The meta‐analysis confirmed the associations of neuroticism (P = 2 × 10−9) and conscientiousness (P = 2 × 10−6), along with weaker effects for openness and agreeableness (P < .05).

Conclusions

The current study and meta‐analysis indicate that personality traits are associated with increased risk of AD, with effect sizes similar to those of well‐established clinical and lifestyle risk factors.
Late Pleistocene (MIS 3–4) climate inferred from micromammal communities and δ18O of rodents from Les Pradelles, France
Authors: Royer Aurélien , Lécuyer Christophe , Montuire Sophie , Escarguel Gilles , Fourel François , Mann Alan , Maureille Bruno
Published: May 2013

The middle Paleolithic stratigraphic sequence of Les Pradelles (Charente, France) spans from the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 until the middle of MIS 3. Micromammal remains are present in all the stratigraphic levels, offering a rare opportunity to address the questions of both environmental and climatic fluctuations throughout this period. Climate modes were studied through the taphonomy, biodiversity and oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18O p ) from 66 samples of rodent tooth enamel. The δ18O p values from the lower sedimentary levels provide summer mean air temperatures of 19 ± 2°C (level 2/1) and of 16 ± 2°C (levels 2A, 2B and 4A). Within the middle of sequence (level 4B), a paleobiodiversity change can be identified with an increase of Dicrostonyx torquatus, which is associated with the largest amplitude in δ18O p values and the highest maximal δ18O p values. At the top of the sequence (level 5-2), a biodiversity change is observed with the increase of Microtus arvalis, but without any change in δ18O p values. The association of cold rodent species with unexpected high and large amplitudes in the δ18O p values of their teeth, possibly indicative of aridity, suggests their deposition during a Heinrich event.
An amalgamated meter-thick sedimentary package enabled by the 2011 Tohoku tsunami in El Garrapatero, Galapagos Islands
Authors: Arcos Maria Elizabeth Martin , MacInnes BreanynTiel , Arreaga Patricia , Rivera-Hernandez Frances , Weiss Robert , Lynett Patrick
Published: May 2013

Tsunamis and storms instigate sedimentological and geomorphological changes to the coastal system, both long-term and ephemeral. To accurately predict future coastal hazards, one must identify the records that are generated by the processes associated with these hazards and recognize what will be preserved. Using eyewitness accounts, photographs, and sedimentology, this study documents pre- and post-tsunami conditions and constrains the timing and process of depositional events during and following the 11 March 2011 Tohoku tsunami in the coastal system at El Garrapatero, Galapagos Islands. While the tsunami acted as both an erosional and depositional agent, the thick, fan-like sand sheet in El Garrapatero was primarily emplaced by overwash deposition during high tide from swell waves occurring between 19–25 March and 17–22 April 2011. The swell waves were only able to access the terrestrial coastal system via a channel carved by the 2011 Tohoku tsunami through the barrier sand dune. This combined deposit could result in an overestimation of the hazard if interpreted to be the result of only one event (either tsunami or wind-generated waves). An analogous sand layer, younger than 1390–1530 calyr BP, may record a similar, prior event.
The Animal Kingdom
Authors: Cuvier Georges
Published: May 2013

Georges Cuvier (1769–1832), made a peer of France in 1819 in recognition of his work, was perhaps the most important European scientist of his day. His most famous work, Le Règne Animal, was published in French in 1817; Edward Griffith (1790–1858), a solicitor and amateur naturalist, embarked on in 1824, with a team of colleagues, an English version which resulted in this illustrated sixteen-volume edition with additional material, published between 1827 and 1835. Cuvier was the first biologist to compare the anatomy of fossil animals with living species, and he named the now familiar 'mastodon' and 'megatherium'. However, his studies convinced him that the evolutionary theories of Lamarck and St Hilaire were wrong, and his influence on the scientific world was such that the possibility of evolution was widely discounted by many scholars both before and after Darwin. Volume 14 is the first of two covering insects.
GENERIC VANISHING THEORY VIA MIXED HODGE MODULES
Authors: POPA MIHNEA , SCHNELL CHRISTIAN
Published: May 2013

We extend most of the results of generic vanishing theory to bundles of holomorphic forms and rank-one local systems, and more generally to certain coherent sheaves of Hodge-theoretic origin associated with irregular varieties. Our main tools are Saito’s mixed Hodge modules, the Fourier–Mukai transform for $\mathscr{D}$-modules on abelian varieties introduced by Laumon and Rothstein, and Simpson’s harmonic theory for flat bundles. In the process, we also discover two natural categories of perverse coherent sheaves.
Feeding the immune system
Authors: Calder Philip C.
Published: May 2013

A well-functioning immune system is key to providing good defence against pathogenic organisms and to providing tolerance to non-threatening organisms, to food components and to self. The immune system works by providing an exclusion barrier, by identifying and eliminating pathogens and by identifying and tolerating non-threatening sources of antigens, and by maintaining a memory of immunological encounters. The immune system is complex involving many different cell types distributed throughout the body and many different chemical mediators some of which are involved directly in defence while others have a regulatory role. Babies are born with an immature immune system that fully develops in the first few years of life. Immune competence can decline with ageing. The sub-optimal immune competence that occurs early and late in life increases susceptibility to infection. Undernutrition decreases immune defences, making an individual more susceptible to infection. However, the immune response to an infection can itself impair nutritional status and alter body composition. Practically all forms of immunity are affected by protein–energy malnutrition, but non-specific defences and cell-mediated immunity are most severely affected. Micronutrient deficiencies impair immune function. Here, vitamins A, D and E, and Zn, Fe and Se are discussed. The gut-associated lymphoid tissue is especially important in health and well-being because of its close proximity to a large and diverse population of organisms in the gastrointestinal tract and its exposure to food constituents. Certain probiotic bacteria which modify the gut microbiota enhance immune function in laboratory animals and may do so in human subjects.
The Quran and the apostles of Jesus
Authors: Reynolds Gabriel Said
Published: May 2013

According to Islamic tradition the companions of Jesus in the Quran, theḥawāriyyūn, were faithful disciples. Critical scholars largely agree that the Quran means to present theḥawāriyyūnas such, and generally translateḥawāriyyūnas “apostles” or “disciples”. Some add thatḥawāriyyūnis related toḥawāryā, the Geʿez term used for the apostles in the Ethiopic Bible. In the present article I argue that while the Quran indeed means to signal the apostles of Christian tradition with the termḥawāriyyūn, it does not consider theḥawāriyyūnto have been faithful. The Quran praises theḥawāriyyūnfor their belief in Jesus (a belief that distinguishes them from other Israelites, i.e. the Jews) but reprimands them for abandoning his message. Hence emerges the exceptional position of Christians in the Quran: they are not condemned but rather exhorted to return to their prophet's teaching.
Infant botulism with prolonged faecal excretion of botulinum neurotoxin and Clostridium botulinum for 7 months
Authors: DERMAN Y. , KORKEALA H. , SALO E. , LÖNNQVIST T. , SAXEN H. , LINDSTRÖM M.
Published: May 2013

In Finland in April 2010, a 3-month old baby was diagnosed with type A infant botulism. He excreted botulinum neurotoxin and/or Clostridium botulinum in his faeces until November 2010. Five months of excretion was after clinical recovery and discharge from hospital. C. botulinum isolates recovered from the household dust in the patient's home were genetically identical to those found in the infant's stool samples. Long-term faecal excretion of C. botulinum may pose a possible health risk for the parents and others in close contact with the infant.
Observations of mice predation on dark-mantled sooty albatross and Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross chicks at Gough Island
Authors: Cuthbert R.J. , Louw H. , Parker G. , Rexer-Huber K. , Visser P.
Published: May 2013

Introduced house miceMus musculusL. have been discovered to be major predators of chicks of the Tristan albatrossDiomedea dabbenenaL. and Atlantic petrelPterodroma incertaSchlegel and to also predate great shearwaterPuffinus gravisO'Reilly chicks at Gough Island, and similar predatory behaviour has been reported for house mice on Marion Island. Observations on Gough Island over three breeding seasons of nesting Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrossesThalassarche chlororhynchosGmelin and dark-mantled sooty albatrossPhoebetria fuscaHilsenberg indicate that house mice are also preying on these two species: the first records of mice preying upon summer-breeding albatross species on Gough Island. Predation on these two albatross species appears to be relatively rare (∼2% for the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses) and ongoing monitoring is required to ascertain if the impact of mice is increasing. Conservation actions to eradicate mice from Gough Island will be of benefit to these species and other species that are being impacted by this invasive species.
External Factors Impacting Hospital Evacuations Caused by Hurricane Rita: The Role of Situational Awareness
Authors: Downey Erin L. , Andress Knox , Schultz Carl H.
Published: May 2013

Introduction

The 2005 Gulf Coast hurricane season was one of the most costly and deadly in US history. Hurricane Rita stressed hospitals and led to multiple, simultaneous evacuations. This study systematically identified community factors associated with patient movement out of seven hospitals evacuated during Hurricane Rita.

Methods

This study represents the second of two systematic, observational, and retrospective investigations of seven acute care hospitals that reported off-site evacuations due to Hurricane Rita. Participants from each hospital included decision makers that comprised the Incident Management Team (IMT). Investigators applied a standardized interview process designed to assess evacuation factors related to external situational awareness of community activities during facility evacuation due to hurricanes. The measured outcomes were responses to 95 questions within six sections of the survey instrument.

Results

Investigators identified two factors that significantly impacted hospital IMT decision making: (1) incident characteristics affecting a facility's internal resources and challenges; and (2) incident characteristics affecting a facility's external evacuation activities. This article summarizes the latter and reports the following critical decision making points: (1) Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) were activated an average of 85 hours (3 days, 13 hours) prior to Hurricane Rita's landfall; (2) the decision to evacuate the hospital was made an average of 30 hours (1 day, 6 hours) from activation of the EOP; and (3) the implementation of the evacuation process took an average of 22 hours. Coordination of patient evacuations was most complicated by transportation deficits (the most significant of the 11 identified problem areas) and a lack of situational awareness of community response activities. All evacuation activities and subsequent evacuation times were negatively impacted by an overall lack of understanding on the part of hospital staff and the IMT regarding how to identify and coordinate with community resources.

Conclusion

Hospital evacuation requires coordinated processes and resources, including situational awareness that reflects the condition of the community as a result of the incident. Successful hospital evacuation decision making is influenced by community-wide situational awareness and transportation deficits. Planning with the community to create realistic EOPs that accurately reflect available resources and protocols is critical to informing hospital decision making during a crisis. Knowledge of these factors could improve decision making and evacuation practices, potentially reducing evacuation times in future hurricanes.

DowneyEL, AndressK, SchultzCH. External factors impacting hospital evacuations caused by Hurricane Rita: the role of situational awareness. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(3):1-8.
Has Violence Declined in World Politics?
Authors: Fortna Page
Published: May 2013

Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide.By Joshua S. Goldstein. New York: Dutton, 2011. 400p. $26.95 cloth, $17.00 paper.

Violence is an ever present and very visible feature of our political landscape. And war—its strategy, its preparation, and its conduct—remains a central preoccupation of political elites and of political scientists. In his new bookWinning the War on War,Joshua S. Goldstein sifts the statistical and historiographical evidence to tell a story of how we seem to be winning the long-term fight against war, and why. Goldstein places major emphasis on the rise of international peacekeeping, but he also discusses alternative explanations, such as the liberal peace. In this symposium a number of scholars of international politics, comparative politics, and political theory have been asked to comment on Goldstein's book and on the broader theme it addresses.—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Has Violence Declined in World Politics?
Authors: Levy Jack S.
Published: May 2013

Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide.By Joshua S. Goldstein. New York: Dutton, 2011. 400p. $26.95 cloth, $17.00 paper.

Violence is an ever present and very visible feature of our political landscape. And war—its strategy, its preparation, and its conduct—remains a central preoccupation of political elites and of political scientists. In his new bookWinning the War on War,Joshua S. Goldstein sifts the statistical and historiographical evidence to tell a story of how we seem to be winning the long-term fight against war, and why. Goldstein places major emphasis on the rise of international peacekeeping, but he also discusses alternative explanations, such as the liberal peace. In this symposium a number of scholars of international politics, comparative politics, and political theory have been asked to comment on Goldstein's book and on the broader theme it addresses.—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Has Violence Declined in World Politics?
Authors: Mearsheimer John
Published: May 2013

Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide. By Joshua S. Goldstein. New York: Dutton, 2011. 400p. $26.95 cloth, $17.00 paper.

Violence is an ever present and very visible feature of our political landscape. And war—its strategy, its preparation, and its conduct—remains a central preoccupation of political elites and of political scientists. In his new book Winning the War on War, Joshua S. Goldstein sifts the statistical and historiographical evidence to tell a story of how we seem to be winning the long-term fight against war, and why. Goldstein places major emphasis on the rise of international peacekeeping, but he also discusses alternative explanations, such as the liberal peace. In this symposium a number of scholars of international politics, comparative politics, and political theory have been asked to comment on Goldstein's book and on the broader theme it addresses.—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Response to Miriam R. Lowi's review of Oil Is Not a Curse: Ownership Structure and Institutions in Soviet Successor States
Authors: Luong Pauline Jones
Published: May 2013

In her gracious and incisive review, Miriam R. Lowi raises three main questions: 1) whether Russia is indeed a case of private domestic ownership (P1); 2) whether there is a fundamental difference between state ownership with control (S1) and without control (S2); and 3) whether we adequately take into account alternative explanations for the variation in ownership structure (OS) across petroleum-rich states over the twentieth century.
Response to Pauline Jones Luong's review of Oil Wealth and the Poverty of Politics: Algeria Compared
Authors: Lowi Miriam R.
Published: May 2013

In writing my book, I had two principal and two secondary goals. My principal goals related to Algeria itself: first, to explain the country's peculiar trajectory with political stability and, eventually, its descent into violence, followed by its fascinating restabilization; second, to use the Algerian experience to contribute to the “rentier state” literature and show that oil has not been the “curse” that the “resource curse” folks suggest it to be. My secondary goals had to do with enriching and contextualizing the argument I was making about Algeria. I sought to do so in two ways: by offering “some preliminary comparisons” between Algeria's experience and that of other Middle Eastern oil-exporting states at times of economic shocks, and by cautiously extending the argument about variations in stability in Algeria to account for variations in stability in the four other countries. Four of the five empirical chapters of the book are devoted exclusively to Algeria; a single chapter—what I refer to as “a brief excursion into comparative analysis”—is devoted to Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia and the comparison with Algeria.
From Wars of Choice to the Mistakes of Wars: Presidential Decision Making and the Limits of Democratic Accountability
Authors: Western Jon
Published: May 2013

One does not have to look far to see that much of what has been written over the past 10 years reveals a decade filled with US foreign policy missteps, miscues, and failures. Popular books such as Thomas Ricks's Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (2006), Jane Mayer's The Dark Side (2008), George Packer's Assassins' Gate (2005), and Bob Woodward's series on “Bush's wars” captured our attention and gave us a first cut on the history of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “global war on terror.” These riveting accounts provided rich, descriptive insights and exposed the wide range of ideological and bureaucratic feuding, the breakdown—and often deliberate circumventing—of institutional procedures and organizational practices, and the ad hoc and often chaotic process of policy selection. Embedded throughout these narratives is a broader theme that depicts the past decade as an extraordinary period of American foreign policy excess and a dramatic departure from the past.
Ten Misconceptions Concerning Neurobiology and Politics
Authors: Hibbing John R.
Published: May 2013

Political science is far behind the other social science disciplines in incorporating neurobiological concepts, techniques, and theory. In recent years progress has been made in closing this gap but many in the political science mainstream view the movement with concern or even horror. Though a healthy dose of skepticism is appropriate and beneficial to the scientific endeavor, negative reactions to viewing politics through a neurobiological lens are often based on fundamental misconceptions regarding both neurobiology and politics. In this Reflections essay, I address ten of these misconceptions, including the beliefs that biology is deterministic, reductionist, unnecessary, irrelevant, normatively dangerous, and ideologically biased. The goal is to encourage a constructive dialogue on the relevance of neurobiology to political life—a dialogue that would in turn improve research in the fledgling subfield and lead to innovations in political science by encouraging new ways of conceptualizing and analyzing the variables at the discipline's core.
Emergence vs. Reductionism in the Debate over the Role of Biology in Politics
Authors: Duster Troy
Published: May 2013

In the ongoing debate about how and whether biology can contribute to the discipline of political science and thus possibly enhance explanations of political behavior, the focus has been on the role of reductionism. In the Hibbing paper, for example, the question is framed as who is more reductionist—those wishing to incorporate biology or those ‘environmentalist determinists’ who reject biological research? Yet this framing misses one of the most fundamental aspects of scientific theorizing, namely, the vital distinction between reductionism and emergence. Shifting the lens to the emergent properties of behavior raises a different kind of concern: under what conditions do the competing perspectives on the various factors produce an explanation of an emergent outcome. Using Philip Anderson's example from particle physics, there are many phenomena and behaviors that can only emerge from an interaction of elements. Examining two inert chemicals kept apart cannot explain the complex interaction effect of an explosion when those chemicals come together. Now the question is no longer who is the most reductionist, but who is best positioned to explain “political explosions” that otherwise seem to come from nowhere when isolated political elements lay inert side-by-side.
New Souls for Old
Authors: Jacobson Anne Jaap
Published: May 2013

John Hibbing's paper prompts me to outline three points: (1) Cognitive psychology and neuroscience are developing a new picture of human beings' cognitive functioning, broadly understood. One startling implication is that we often understand ourselves much less well than we are inclined to think. (2) It is seriously mistaken to think that reading the output of an fMRI experiment is as easy and clear as interpreting a realistic picture. Among other things, various interpretations of an output may be equally acceptable. (3) Neuroscience can, and has been, used to support widespread prejudices, such as the intellectual inferiority of the female mind. Major researchers have given in to the temptation to see their older views in the new sciences of the mind. The second and third points may well lead us to think that incorporating the insights from the new fields involves us in genuinely interdisciplinary research. At the very least, we cannot count on skimming through an admired text to find out what is right. But serious research that spans different disciplines can be immensely rewarding.
Two Concerns about Ten Misconceptions
Authors: Schlozman Kay Lehman
Published: May 2013

In a careful paper, John R. Hibbing makes a strong case that political scientists—who have learned lessons from many other disciplines—need to make room for biology. While his paper is reassuring on many counts, two matters cause concern. First, Hibbing argues that the open acknowledgment of the biological basis of group differences would lead to greater tolerance. It is easy to adduce examples to suggest that it is unrealistic to expect that people, especially people with political concerns and objectives, will begin to focus on the diversity within groups rather than the differences between groups. Second, it is not clear the extent to which investigations into the biological basis of politics would illumine the great questions of political analysis.
Nature and Politics
Authors: Isaac Jeffrey C.
Published: May 2013

The broad theme of “nature and politics” has been ubiquitous at least since Aristotle's Politics, the fourth century BCE text often considered the founding work of political science. Long before “political science” took the distinct disciplinary and institutional forms with which we are familiar, the effort to understand the sources and the range of political experience was typically linked to reflection on nature—the nature of politics, the nature of human beings, the nature of existence, and the nature of “nature” itself. In contemporary, post-World War II political science in the United States, much of this reflection about nature has until recently been linked to the work of Leo Strauss and his followers, who saw themselves as heirs to a philosophical discourse at odds with modern social science. At the same time, serious consideration of nature as a theme of political science never disappeared and in recent decades has dramatically expanded. (And of course interpretations of the science of nature, i.e., “science,” have been at the center of political science, especially since the advent of behavioralism.) One source of this expansion of interest in nature has no doubt been the growing politicization of “the environment” and heightened attention to the natural world as both the setting in which human interaction takes place and the object of extraordinary human transformation and degradation. Another source has been the politicization of identities—race, gender, sexuality—that had long been considered natural and whose contestation raised anew questions about “human nature” and its limits, variations, and transformations. A third source has clearly been the technological and theoretical development of “the natural sciences” themselves, and the growth of new discourses—evolutionary psychology, behavioral economics, neuroscience—that raise new questions about the complex relationships between the non-human dimensions of nature—physics, chemistry, biology and especially neurobiology—and human individuals and the social worlds that human individuals inhabit.
Ideology, Realpolitik, and US Foreign Policy
Authors: Walt Stephen M.
Published: May 2013

Explaining the Iraq War: Counterfactual Theory, Logic and Evidence. By Frank P. Harvey. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 360p. $103.00 cloth, $29.99 paper.

The Iraq War initiated by the Bush administration in 2003 was and perhaps continues to be an important episode in world politics, US politics, and the politics of the Middle East. The war also galvanized controversy among public intellectuals and broader publics, and generated strong opposition in many European and Middle Eastern countries. In Explaining the Iraq War, Frank P. Harvey offers an interesting analysis of the war and its causes, and does so in a way that raises broader questions about politics and about the scientific study of politics. We have thus invited a distinguished group of political scientists from a variety of subfields to review the book, both as an account of the Iraq War and as a contribution to political science more generally.—Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor
Decision making by NICE: examining the influences of evidence, process and context
Authors: Cerri Karin H. , Knapp Martin , Fernandez Jose-Luis
Published: May 2013

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides guidance to the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales on funding and use of new technologies. This study examined the impact of evidence, process and context factors on NICE decisions in 2004–2009. A data set of NICE decisions pertaining to pharmaceutical technologies was created, including 32 variables extracted from published information. A three-category outcome variable was used, defined as the decision to ‘recommend’, ‘restrict’ or ‘not recommend’ a technology. With multinomial logistic regression, the relative contribution of explanatory variables on NICE decisions was assessed. A total of 65 technology appraisals (118 technologies) were analysed. Of the technologies, 27% were recommended, 58% were restricted and 14% were not recommended by NICE for NHS funding. The multinomial model showed significant associations (p ⩽ 0.10) between NICE outcome and four variables: (i) demonstration of statistical superiority of the primary endpoint in clinical trials by the appraised technology; (ii) the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER); (iii) the number of pharmaceuticals appraised within the same appraisal; and (iv) the appraisal year. Results confirm the value of a comprehensive and multivariate approach to understanding NICE decision making. New factors affecting NICE decision making were identified, including the effect of clinical superiority, and the effect of process and socio-economic factors.
Pathogenesis of allergen‐induced eosinophilic esophagitis is independent of interleukin (IL)‐13
Authors: Niranjan Rituraj , Rayapudi Madhavi , Mishra Akanksha , Dutt Parmesh , Dynda Scott , Mishra Anil
Published: May 2013

Several studies have shown that interleukin (IL)‐13 is induced in the esophageal biopsies of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) patients and promotes esophageal eosinophilia in mice, following an IL‐13 challenge. However, the role of IL‐13 has not been clearly investigated in allergen‐induced EoE. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that IL‐13 is required in allergen‐induced EoE. Mice deficient in IL‐13, STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription)6 and both IL‐4/IL‐13 genes with their respective controls were challenged with Aspergillus extract, and IL‐5 gene deficient with their control were challenged with recombinant IL‐13, intranasally. The lung and esophageal eosinophils, mast cells and collagen accumulation were examined. Herein, we report that intranasal delivery of IL‐13 promotes IL‐5‐dependent esophageal eosinophilia. However, allergen‐induced EoE is not impaired in the IL‐13 gene‐deficient mice. In addition, wild‐type and IL‐13 gene‐deficient mice demonstrated a comparable level of mast cells and collagen accumulation in the esophagus, following allergen‐induced experimental EoE. Similarly, we found that esophageal eosinophilia in IL‐4/IL‐13 double gene‐deficient and STAT6 gene‐deficient mice were also not reduced following allergen‐induced experimental EoE. In contrast, lung eosinophilia was significantly reduced in mice deficient in IL‐13, both IL‐4/IL‐13 and STAT6 genes following allergen challenge. In conclusion, our data establish that allergen‐induced EoE pathogenesis is independent of IL‐13, whereas IL‐13 is required for allergen‐induced lung eosinophilia.
Erratum: Microbiology of Lonar Lake and other soda lakes
Authors: Paul Antony Chakkiath , Kumaresan Deepak , Hunger Sindy , Drake Harold L , Murrell J Colin , Shouche Yogesh S
Published: May 2013

Correction to: The ISME Journal (2013) 7, 468–476; doi:10.1038/ismej.2012.137; published online 22 November 2012 Since the publication of this article, the authors have noticed a misprint, which occurs within the first parentheses of the first sentence of the introduction. The text within parentheses should read: ‘(>10 g C m−2 d−1)’.
Development of Middle Stone Age innovation linked to rapid climate change
Authors: Ziegler Martin , Simon Margit H. , Hall Ian R. , Barker Stephen , Stringer Chris , Zahn Rainer
Published: May 2013

The development of modernity in early human populations has been linked to pulsed phases of technological and behavioural innovation within the Middle Stone Age of South Africa. However, the trigger for these intermittent pulses of technological innovation is an enigma. Here we show that, contrary to some previous studies, the occurrence of innovation was tightly linked to abrupt climate change. Major innovational pulses occurred at times when South African climate changed rapidly towards more humid conditions, while northern sub-Saharan Africa experienced widespread droughts, as the Northern Hemisphere entered phases of extreme cooling. These millennial-scale teleconnections resulted from the bipolar seesaw behaviour of the Atlantic Ocean related to changes in the ocean circulation. These conditions led to humid pulses in South Africa and potentially to the creation of favourable environmental conditions. This strongly implies that innovational pulses of early modern human behaviour were climatically influenced and linked to the adoption of refugia.
Functional specific roles of FADD: comparative proteomic analyses from knockout cell lines
Authors: Zhuang Hongqin , Gan Ziyi , Jiang Weiwei , Zhang Xiangyu , Hua Zi-Chun
Published: May 2013

Comparative proteomics identification combined with bioinformatic analyses and cell biology validation revealed novel non-apoptotic functions of FADD in energy metabolism and proteolysis.
PPIP5K1 modulates ligand competition between diphosphoinositol polyphosphates and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 for polyphosphoinositide-binding domains
Authors: Gokhale Nikhil A. , Zaremba Angelika , Janoshazi Agnes K. , Weaver Jeremy D. , Shears Stephen B.
Published: May 2013

We describe new signalling consequences for PPIP5K1 (diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinase type 1)-mediated phosphorylation of InsP6 and 5-InsP7 to 1-InsP7 and InsP8. In NIH 3T3 cells, either hyperosmotic stress or receptor activation by PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor) promoted translocation of PPIP5K1 from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. The PBD1 (polyphosphoinositide-binding domain) in PPIP5K1 recapitulated that translocation. Mutagenesis of PBD1 to reduce affinity for PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 prevented translocation. Using surface plasmon resonance, we found that PBD1 association with vesicular PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 was inhibited by InsP6 and diphosphoinositol polyphosphates. However, the inhibition by PPIP5K1 substrates (IC50: 5-InsP7=5 μM and InsP6=7 μM) was substantially more potent than that of the PPIP5K1 products (IC50: InsP8=32 μM and 1-InsP7=43 μM). This rank order of ligand competition with PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 was also exhibited by the PH (pleckstrin homology) domains of Akt (also known as protein kinase B), GRP1 (general receptor for phosphoinositides 1) and SIN1 (stress-activated protein kinase-interaction protein 1). We propose that, in vivo, PH domain binding of InsP6 and 5-InsP7 suppresses inappropriate signalling (‘noise’) from stochastic increases in PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. That restraint may be relieved by localized depletion of InsP6 and 5-InsP7 at the plasma membrane following PPIP5K1 recruitment. We tested this hypothesis in insulin-stimulated L6 myoblasts, using mTOR (mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin)-mediated phosphorylation of Akt on Ser473 as a readout for SIN1-mediated translocation of mTORC (mTOR complex) 2 to the plasma membrane [Zoncu, Efeyan and Sabatini (2011) Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 12, 21–35]. Knockdown of PPIP5K1 expression was associated with a 40% reduction in Ser473 phosphorylation. A common feature of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3-based signalling cascades may be their regulation by PPIP5K1.
Specific Language Impairment and Executive Functioning: Parent and Teacher Ratings of Behavior
Authors: Wittke Kacie , Spaulding Tammie J. , Schechtman Calli J.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The current study used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function—Preschool Version (BRIEF–P; Gioia, Espy, & Isquith, 2003), a rating scale designed to investigate executive behaviors in everyday activities, to examine the executive functioning of preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI) relative to their typically developing (TD) peers.

Method

Nineteen preschool children with SLI were age- and gender-matched to 19 TD peers. Both parents and teachers of the participants completed the BRIEF–P.

Results

The executive functioning of children with SLI were rated significantly worse than those of controls by both parents and teachers. Adults' perceptions of the children's executive functioning significantly correlated with the children's language abilities.

Conclusion

Parent and teacher perceptions of executive functioning in children with SLI align with prior findings of executive deficits that have been documented on neuropsychological assessments and experimental tasks. Furthermore, the results provide additional supporting evidence of the relationship between language abilities and executive functioning in early child development.
Evidence-Based Clinical Voice Assessment: A Systematic Review
Authors: Roy Nelson , Barkmeier-Kraemer Julie , Eadie Tanya , Sivasankar M. Preeti , Mehta Daryush , Paul Diane , Hillman Robert
Published: May 2013

Purpose

To determine what research evidence exists to support the use of voice measures in the clinical assessment of patients with voice disorders.

Method

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders staff searched 29 databases for peer-reviewed English-language articles between January 1930 and April 2009 that included key words pertaining to objective and subjective voice measures, voice disorders, and diagnostic accuracy. The identified articles were systematically assessed by an ASHA-appointed committee employing a modification of the critical appraisal of diagnostic evidence rating system.

Results

One hundred articles met the search criteria. The majority of studies investigated acoustic measures (60%) and focused on how well a test method identified the presence or absence of a voice disorder (78%). Only 17 of the 100 articles were judged to contain adequate evidence for the measures studied to be formally considered for inclusion in clinical voice assessment.

Conclusion

Results provide evidence for selected acoustic, laryngeal imaging–based, auditory–perceptual, functional, and aerodynamic measures to be used as effective components in a clinical voice evaluation. However, there is clearly a pressing need for further high-quality research to produce sufficient evidence on which to recommend a comprehensive set of methods for a standard clinical voice evaluation.