bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Operational Wave Prediction System at Environment Canada: Going Global to Improve Regional Forecast Skill
Authors: Bernier Natacha B. , Alves Jose-Henrique G. M. , Tolman Hendrik , Chawla Arun , Peel Syd , Pouliot Benoit , Bélanger Jean-Marc , Pellerin Pierre , Lépine Mario , Roch Michel
Published: October 2015

A global deterministic wave prediction system (GDWPS) is used to improve regional forecasts of waves off the Canadian coastline and help support the practice of safe marine activities in Canadian waters. The wave model has a grid spacing of ¼° with spectral resolution of 36 frequency bins and 36 directional bins. The wave model is driven with hourly 10-m winds generated by the operational global atmospheric prediction system. Ice conditions are updated every three hours using the ice concentration forecasts generated by the Global Ice–Ocean Prediction System. Wave forecasts are evaluated over two periods from 15 August to 31 October 2014 and from 15 December 2014 to 28 February 2015, as well as over select cases during the fall of 2012. The global system is shown to improve wave forecast skill over regions where forecasts were previously produced using limited-area models only. The usefulness of a global expansion is demonstrated for large swell events affecting the northeast Pacific. The first validation of a Canadian operational wave forecast system in the Arctic is presented. Improvements in the representation of forecast wave fields associated with tropical cyclones are also demonstrated. Finally, the GDWPS is shown to result in gains of at least 12 h of lead time.
Improving Quality of Life With Nabilone During Radiotherapy Treatments for Head and Neck Cancers
Authors: Côté Mathieu , Trudel Mathieu , Wang Changshu , Fortin André
Published: October 2015

Objectives:

Patients treated for head and neck carcinomas experience a significant deterioration of their quality of life during treatments because of severe side effects. Nabilone has many properties that could alleviate symptoms caused by radiotherapy and improve patients’ quality of life. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of nabilone versus placebo on the quality of life and side effects during radiotherapy for head and neck carcinomas.

Methods:

Fifty-six patients were randomized to nabilone or placebo. Patients filled the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35; three independent questionnaires assessing appetite, nausea, and toxicity; and a visual analog scale for pain. These data were collected before radiotherapy, each week during radiotherapy, and 4 weeks after radiotherapy. Patients were weighed every week.

Results:

Nabilone did not lengthen the time necessary for a 15% deterioration of quality of life ( P = .4279), and it was not better than placebo for relieving symptoms like pain ( P = .6048), nausea ( P = .7105), loss of appetite ( P = .3295), weight ( P = .1454), mood ( P = .3214), and sleep ( P = .4438).

Conclusion:

At the dosage used, nabilone was not potent enough to improve the patients’ quality of life over placebo.
Interrogating the African Roman Emperor Caracalla
Authors: Asante Molefi Kete , Ismail Shaza
Published: October 2015

This essay provides an interrogation into the historical and personal contradictions in the character of the Roman Emperor Caracalla. As an emperor of African origin who once ruled the world, the nature of his rule, in its political and social dimension, has not been adequately studied. In fact, the scholarly sources that focused on Caracalla as a powerful ruler hardly mention his African origin and in some cases outright deny the fact that he was African. On the other hand, many European writers who do understand his political significance refer to his military achievements ignoring his origin. This work seeks to place Caracalla in the historical setting that befits his adventure as emperor during the time of Rome’s incessant leadership crises. While we know that Caracalla’s life was a series of bold and cruel actions as well as creative achievements, this work discusses his life in the context of his humanity more than to itemize his imperial achievements. The idea is to reveal through the literature and history as much as we can of his complex character in amid the challenging circumstances that surrounded his life and career.
Material property evaluation of particle reinforced composites using finite element approach
Authors: Singh I V , Shedbale AS , Mishra BK
Published: October 2015

In this work, the elasto-plastic material properties of particle reinforced composites are evaluated using three-dimensional finite element approach. Effective properties of the composite are evaluated using representative volume element and numerical homogenization for kinematic and static boundary conditions. A computer program is developed to generate non-overlapping spherical particles of arbitrary size in an representative volume element. The numerical modeling of representative volume element containing the randomly distributed spherical particles of different sizes is performed by finite element method. Convergence study is performed to determine the suitable size of representative volume element. Homogenization is carried out for two cases i.e. matrix with soft and hard particles for reinforcement volume fraction up to 25%. A numerical comparison of 2-D and 3-D results is presented in terms of material behavior for matrix with soft particles.
DSPP Is Essential for Normal Development of the Dental-Craniofacial Complex
Authors: Chen Y. , Zhang Y. , Ramachandran A. , George A.
Published: October 2015

The craniofacial skeleton is derived from both neural crest cells and mesodermal cells; however, the majority of the bone, cartilage, and connective tissue is derived from the neural crest. Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is a precursor protein that is expressed by the connective tissues of the craniofacial skeleton, namely, bone and dentin with high expression levels in the dentin matrix. Gene ablation studies have shown severe dental defects in DSPP-null mutant mice. Therefore, to elucidate the role of DSPP on the developing dental-craniofacial complex, we evaluated phenotypic changes in the structure of intramembranous bone and dentin mineralization using 3 different age groups of DSPP-null and wild-type mice. Results from micro–computed tomographic, radiographic, and optical microscopic analyses showed defective dentin, alveolar and calvarial bones, and sutures during development. The impaired mineralization of the cranial bone correlated well with low expression levels of Runx2, Col1, and OPN identified using calvarial cells from DSPP-null and wild-type mice in an in vitro culture system. However, the upregulation of MMP9, MMP2, FN, and BSP was observed. Interestingly, the null mice also displayed low serum phosphate levels, while calcium levels remained unchanged. Alizarin red and von Kossa staining confirmed the dysfunction in the terminal differentiation of osteoblasts obtained from the developing calvaria of DSPP-null mice. Immunohistochemical analysis of the developing molars showed changes in Runx2, Gli1, Numb, and Notch expression in the dental pulp cells and odontoblasts of DSPP-null mice when compared with wild-type mice. Overall, these observations provide insight into the role of DSPP in the normal development of the calvaria, alveolar bone, and dentin-pulp complex.
Pediatric Ependymoma
Authors: Vitanza Nicholas A. , Partap Sonia
Published: October 2015

Over the past 150 years since Virchow’s initial characterization of ependymoma, incredible efforts have been made in the classification of these tumors and in the care of pediatric patients with this disease. While the advent of modern neurosurgery and the optimization of radiation have provided significant gains, a more complex but incomplete picture of pediatric ependymomas has begun to form through a combination of international collaborations and detailed genetic and histologic characterizations. This review includes and synthesizes the clinical understanding of pediatric ependymoma and their developing molecular insight into what is truly a family of malignancies in which distinct members require different surgical approaches, radiation plans, and targeted therapies.
Quilting a Field Pattern Portrait Using Butcher’s Methodology
Authors: Charbonneau-Dahlen Barbara K.
Published: October 2015

The nursing profession acknowledges Martha Rogers to the foundation of nursing theory as a true visionary. Butcher developed a method that ensures scientific rigor in the application of Rogerian theory, unitary field pattern portrait (UFPP), which was used to explore new phenomenon of inquiry resulting in insights into Rogerian pandimensionality. In this intervention, an American Indian tradition, quilting, became a culturally appropriate way for a nurse to facilitate healing through the application of Rogerian theory. In Rogers’s theory of the science of unitary human beings, pattern unfolding becomes a way of knowing through expansion, evolving, blossoming, revealing, and openness. Rogers’s theory was used to encourage healing as an American Indian mother and deeply depressed daughter created a quilting story based on Rogerian principles: resonancy, helicy, and integrality. This aesthetic field patterning modality using Butcher’s UFPP captured the intervention as clients were engaged in health patterning through the American Indian tradition of quilting. Field notes with reflective journaling as recommended by Butcher assisted in the crystallization of a UFPP drawn from Rogerian nursing theory.
Investigation of tube hydroforming along with stamping of thin-walled tubes in square cross-section dies
Authors: Liu Jianwei , Liu Xinyu , Yang Lianfa , Liang Huiping
Published: October 2015

In this article, tube hydroforming along with stamping, a compound forming technology of thin-walled tube using stamping and hydroforming processes, was presented to cut forming costs, reduce number of forming and assembly operations, and improve forming efficiency. A simple experimental tooling was designed and manufactured. Forming experiments of stamping and tube hydroforming along with stamping processes in two square cross-section dies were performed for SS304 tubes at different upper die velocities. The experimental results indicated that the better formability and the more uniform thickness distribution are obtained by the tube hydroforming along with stamping processes than by the stamping.
Electric discharge sawing of hybrid metal matrix composites
Authors: Kumar Ravinder , Singh Inderdeep
Published: October 2015

Electric discharge sawing process is a novel process for the enrichment of capabilities of electric discharge machining. The process has been developed to cut materials at greater depths where the effect of flushing becomes ineffective. During electric discharge machining at greater depths, ineffective flushing prevents debris and carbon particles from leaving the machining zone and gets accumulated in the sparking zone reducing the spark efficiency. This reduces material removal rate and causes arcing or short circuiting which may damage the workpiece and/or tool surface. In the present experimental endeavor, a new process capable of preventing debris accumulation during machining of slots at large depth and subsequently increasing material removal rate has been developed. In the process, a reciprocating motion is given to the tool blade similar to the power hacksaw blade. An experimental investigation based on central composite design has been conducted on hybrid metal matrix composite to evaluate the effect of input parameters on material removal rate and tool wear rate. It has been found that the electric discharge sawing process is quick and effective as compared to the conventional cutting process.
Converting the pneumatic to servo-based system in resistance spot welding: Analyzing the electrode caps deformation
Authors: Charde Nachimani
Published: October 2015

In this experimental research, the electrode caps are investigated for deterioration under the resistance spot welding technology. The research was fundamentally conducted using two different electrode actuation systems to understand the wear and tear factors of electrode caps. A Japanese model 75 kVA pedestal, alternating current waveform of spot welder, was engaged to carry out the welding processes up to 900 welding attempts on pneumatic system. Subsequently, it was converted into servo-based electrode actuating systems and repeated the entire welding processes. The carbon and stainless steel sheets are primarily used to weld in this experiment. The electrode caps are then sharpened by CDK-R dresser to remove the mushroom growth which has regularly been induced for every 400 welding attempts. As for the macrograph and micrograph observations, the electrode caps are measured for diameter growth of electrode caps as well as the copper-to-chromium ratio. The chromium content has been significantly reduced at the electro tip areas due to the direct expose of heat generation which becomes a regular phenomenon in both the systems. However, the results from servo-based system are deemed to be offering lower tendency of wear and tear factors when compared to the pneumatic-based system.
Experimental study of an electrostatic field–induced electrolyte jet electrical discharge machining process
Authors: Yaou Zhang , Ning Han , Xiaoming Kang , Wansheng Zhao , Kaixian Xu
Published: October 2015

In this study, a new electrostatic field–induced electrolyte jet electrical discharge machining method has been proposed, which can automatically generate the tool electrode. Then, a series of experiments have been carried out to reveal the machining mechanism and test the machining ability of this method. The continuous observation experiments and the online current detection experiments have demonstrated that the electrolyte jet discharge machining is a pulsing, dynamic and cyclic process. Moreover, the 20-min time long reverse polarity experiments on the silicon surface have revealed that the machining is an electrical discharge machining process during the negative polarity machining; however, in the positive polarity machining, it is a hybrid electrical discharge machining and electrochemical machining process. Furthermore, the craters as small as 2 µm in diameter on stainless steel and silicon are produced by this electrolyte jet electrical discharge machining, which has proved the micro-machining ability of this method.
Infectious Cognition
Authors: Coman Alin , Berry Jessica N.
Published: October 2015

When speakers selectively retrieve previously learned information, listeners often concurrently, and covertly, retrieve their memories of that information. This concurrent retrieval typically enhances memory for mentioned information (the rehearsal effect) and impairs memory for unmentioned but related information (socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting, SSRIF), relative to memory for unmentioned and unrelated information. Building on research showing that anxiety leads to increased attention to threat-relevant information, we explored whether concurrent retrieval is facilitated in high-anxiety real-world contexts. Participants first learned category-exemplar facts about meningococcal disease. Following a manipulation of perceived risk of infection (low vs. high risk), they listened to a mock radio show in which some of the facts were selectively practiced. Final recall tests showed that the rehearsal effect was equivalent between the two risk conditions, but SSRIF was significantly larger in the high-risk than in the low-risk condition. Thus, the tendency to exaggerate consequences of news events was found to have deleterious consequences.
Lake Kumphawapi revisited – The complex climatic and environmental record of a tropical wetland in NE Thailand
Authors: Chawchai Sakonvan , Yamoah Kweku Afrifa , Smittenberg Rienk H , Kurkela Janita , Väliranta Minna , Chabangborn Akkaneewut , Blaauw Maarten , Fritz Sherilyn C , Reimer Paula J , Wohlfarth Barbara
Published: October 2015

Kumphawapi, which is Thailand’s largest natural freshwater lake, contains a >10,000-year-long climatic and environmental archive. New data sets (stratigraphy, chronology, hydrogen isotopes, plant macrofossil and charcoal records) for two sedimentary sequences are here combined with earlier multi-proxy studies to provide a comprehensive reconstruction of past climatic and environmental changes for Northeast Thailand. Gradually higher moisture availability due to a strengthening of the summer monsoon led to the formation of a large shallow lake in the Kumphawapi basin between >10,700 and c. 7000 cal. BP. The marked increase in moisture availability and lower evaporation between c. 7000 and 6400 cal. BP favoured the growth and expansion of vegetation in and around the shallow lake. The increase in biomass led to gradual overgrowing and infilling, to an apparent lake level lowering and to the development of a wetland. Multiple hiatuses are apparent in all investigated sequences between c. 6500 and 1400 cal. BP and are explained by periodic desiccation events of the wetland and erosion due to the subsequent lake level rise. The rise in lake level, which started c. 2000 cal. BP and reached shallower parts c. 1400 cal. BP, is attributed to an increase in effective moisture availability. The timing of hydroclimatic conditions during the past 2000 years cannot be resolved because of chronological limitations.
Social Exclusion and Mental Health
Authors: Pal G.C.
Published: October 2015

In the Indian context, the caste identity has been a dominant factor in the discourse of social exclusion. This is largely due to the pervasiveness of the caste-based discrimination and violence. The Indian psychological literature has provided considerable insights into psychological attributes of caste groups and its linkage to their dis(advantage). However, there are unexplored questions in the social science literature of social exclusion which are fundamental to psychological research. How caste-based discrimination and violence are socio-psychological constructs? How these social behaviours have exclusionary consequences to effect on mental health of the lower caste groups? An understanding of these questions would have more to offer to the need for strategic social interventions. This article focuses on the possible functions that caste-based discrimination and violence perform, the adverse social and psychological consequences of such social behaviours and their implications for the social exclusion and mental health of the lower caste groups. Drawing evidence from empirical research and relevant literature on caste-based discrimination and violence, and social exclusion, the article argues that these social behaviours are not just extreme actions but patterns of distancing lower caste groups from social relationships to create threatening social conditions. These accentuate social exclusion and adversely affect their mental health. Any support services in the form of reliefs or compensations for the victims may not stamp out negative social and psychological consequences for long. Both legal and social interventions need to focus on human security—economic, social and psychological—in the process of promotion of social justice and human development.
Accuracy of Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System (BedsidePEWS) in a Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Unit
Authors: Gawronski Orsola , Ciofi degli Atti Marta L. , Di Ciommo Vincenzo , Cecchetti Corrado , Bertaina Alice , Tiozzo Emanuela , Raponi Massimiliano ,   Stem Cell Transplant Unit BedsidePEWS Study Group
Published: October 2015

Hospital mortality in children who undergo stem cell transplant (SCT) is high. Early warning scores aim at identifying deteriorating patients and at preventing adverse outcomes. The bedside pediatric early warning system (BedsidePEWS) is a pediatric early warning score based on 7 clinical indicators, ranging from 0 (all indicators within normal ranges for age) to 26. The aim of this case-control study was to assess the performance of BedsidePEWS in identifying clinical deterioration events among children admitted to an SCT unit. Cases were defined as clinical deterioration events; controls were all the other patients hospitalized on the same ward at the time of case occurrence. BedsidePEWS was retrospectively measured at 4-hour intervals in cases and controls 24 hours before an event (T4-T24). We studied 19 cases and 80 controls. The score significantly increased in cases from a median of 4 at T24 to a median of 14 at T4. The proportion of correctly classified cases and controls was >90% since T8. The area under the curve receiver operating characteristic was 0.9. BedsidePEWS is an accurate screening tool to predict clinical deterioration in SCT patients.
Ultrasonic guided wave propagation and disbond identification in a honeycomb composite sandwich structure using bonded piezoelectric wafer transducers
Authors: Sikdar Shirsendu , Banerjee Sauvik , Ashish G
Published: October 2015

A coordinated theoretical, numerical, and experimental study is carried out in an effort to understand ultrasonic guided wave propagation and interaction with disbond, as well as, to identify disbond in a honeycomb composite sandwich structure using surface-bonded piezoelectric wafer transducers. In contrast to most of the work done previously, a fast and efficient two-dimensional semi-analytical model based on global matrix method is used to study dispersion characteristics as well as transient response of the healthy honeycomb composite sandwich structure subjected to relatively high-frequency piezoelectric wafer transducer excitations. Numerical simulations are then conducted using commercially available finite element package, ABAQUS, in order to explore guided wave propagation mechanisms due to the presence of disbond. Numerical simulations are further broadened to investigate the effect of disbond size on the amplitudes and group velocities of propagating guided wave modes. A good agreement is observed between the theoretical, numerical and experimental results in all cases studied. It is noticed that the presence of disbond, in particular, amplifies the first anti-symmetric (A0) mode and increases its group velocity. Finally, based on these modal behaviors, the location of an unknown disbond, within the piezoelectric wafer transducer array is experimentally determined by applying a probability-based damage detection algorithm.
Modeling of mechanical response of NiTi shape memory alloy subjected to combined thermal and non-proportional mechanical loading: a case study on helical spring actuator
Authors: Frost Miroslav , Sedlák Petr , Kadeřávek Lukáš , Heller Luděk , Šittner Petr
Published: October 2015

Textured polycrystals of NiTi-based shape memory alloys (SMA) exhibit pronounced anisotropic properties which significantly influence their response to mechanical and thermal loading. In this work, a constitutive model tailored for non-proportional multi-axial loading of NiTi SMA exhibiting two-stage phase transformation via R-phase is enhanced so that the anisotropy of martensitic structure is captured. Numerical simulations of the mechanical response of a NiTi SMA helical spring subjected to thermal cycling at a constant applied force are performed and compared with experimental data. Quantitative correspondence between experiments and simulations demonstrates the predictive potential of the model. Simulations also provide detailed information on the evolution of distributions of phase fractions and stress within a cross-section of the wire forming the spring. Because the loading is non-proportional, the evolution is rather complex and intriguing.
iPod Touch® to Increase Functional Communication of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Significant Intellectual Disability
Authors: Nepo Kaori , Tincani Matt , Axelrod Saul , Meszaros Lois
Published: October 2015

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and significant intellectual disability (ID) often have limited speech communication abilities. Abundant research supports use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to enhance skills of children with ASD and ID, but less research has examined efficacy of AAC with non-speaking adults. In this study, three adults with ASD and significant ID were taught basic functional communication using the iPod Touch® with MyTalk Mobile® software within a single-case, multiple-probe across-subjects design. The iPod Touch® taught with most-to-least prompting increased participants’ independent manding, participants were able to discriminate between picture symbols, and participants’ manding generalized to a naturalistic setting with typically available preferred items. Implementation of AAC coincided with increases in speech for one participant. Results illustrate how an applied behavior analysis approach incorporating a speech generating device is effective in teaching communication to adults with ASD and significant ID.
Predicting Community College and University Student Success
Authors: Heller Monica L. , Cassady Jerrell C.
Published: October 2015

The current study explored the differential influences that behavioral learning strategies (i.e., cognitive–metacognitive, resource management), motivational profiles, and academic anxiety appraisals have on college-level learners in two unique learning contexts. Using multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis, the study first compared these variables across learners from a community college and traditional 4-year university located within the same regional area. The study also employed a series of multiple regression analyses to investigate the influence of these variables in predicting student performance outcomes (i.e., grade point average). The results illustrate that prior research on those factors most salient within student academic success prediction models within a social cognitive framework function as expected for the university population. However, the community college learner experience deviates significantly from this standard model. For the community college learner, it is the environmental factor that appears to be the most significant to predicting student success. These findings highlight those factors most influential in academic performance outcomes among diverse student populations.
Comparison With the Typical College Student Predicts Graduation When Identity Is Uncertain
Authors: Lane David J.
Published: October 2015

This study investigated the effect of personal identity and social comparison on college graduation. First-year college students completed an online survey measuring exploration and commitment to personal identity and perceptions of the prototypical student. Those who perceived the typical student as favorable but dissimilar to themselves had the lowest probability of graduating within 6 years if they were also not committed to a personal identity. Among students with a clearly established identity, comparison with the typical student was unrelated to graduation. The results suggest that commitment to a personal identity protects students against the potentially deleterious effects of social comparison.
Data Access and Research Transparency: A Joint Statement by Political Science Journal Editors
Authors: Bonneau Chris W. , Kanthak Kristin L.
Published: October 2015

In this joint statement, leading journals commit to greater data access and research transparency, and to implementing policies requiring authors to make as accessible as possible the empirical foundation and logic of inquiry of evidence-based research. Please visit dartstatement.org for more information.
Efficacy and Interaction of Antioxidant Supplements as Adjuvant Therapy in Cancer Treatment
Authors: Yasueda Asuka , Urushima Hayato , Ito Toshinori
Published: October 2015

Oxidative stress is a key component in carcinogenesis. Although radiation produces reactive oxygen species, some anticancer agents such as alkylating agents, platinum and antitumor antibiotics exert cytotoxicity by generating free radicals. Nonenzymatic exogenous antioxidants such as vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols can quench ROS activity. However, whether antioxidants alter antitumor effects during radiotherapy and some types of chemotherapy remains unclear. In the present study, we reviewed antioxidants as an adjuvant therapy for cancer patients during chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Electronic literature searches were performed to select all randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) in which antioxidants were administered to cancer patients along with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Articles or abstracts written in English were included. In total, 399 reports received primary screening. Duplicated articles and those meeting the exclusion criteria (not RCT, not human, and no oral administration) were excluded. Finally, 49 reports matching the inclusion criteria were included. It was difficult to determine whether antioxidants affect treatment outcomes or whether antioxidants ameliorate adverse effects induced by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is desirable to use an evidence-based method to select supplements best suited to cancer patients. Although there are many opinions about risks or benefits of antioxidant supplementation, we could mostly conclude that the harm caused by antioxidant supplementation remains unclear for patients during cancer therapy, except for smokers undergoing radiotherapy.
Between morality and law: In defense of a political conception of human rights
Authors: Kreide Regina
Published: October 2015

Human rights are currently either seen in a morally exaggerated way as “trump cards” in political negotiations or they are pruned back to a purely juridical level, absorbed into legal instances. In contrast to this, the author defends a political conception of human rights that overcomes the problems besetting both conceptions, but without having to sacrifice their critical, normative content or a realistic role for human rights in international politics. The author argues, first, that a political conception of human rights assumes that human rights grow out of concrete experiences of injustice and are the product of political struggles. Human rights are, second, placeholders for the public thematization of oppression, humiliation, marginalization, and despotism. At the same time, human rights as placeholders not only provide the foil against which criticism of existing conditions is exercised but are also themselves objects of criticism. And, finally, the obligations imposed by human rights are not duties of assistance but institutional duties to realize the conditions for exercising human rights.
Intermittent High-Dose Intravenous Interferon Alfa-2b for Adjuvant Treatment of Stage III Melanoma: Final Analysis of a Randomized Phase III Dermatologic Cooperative Oncology Group Trial
Authors: Mohr Peter , Hauschild Axel , Trefzer Uwe , Enk Alexander , Tilgen Wolfgang , Loquai Carmen , Gogas Helen , Haalck Thomas , Koller Josef , Dummer Reinhard , Gutzmer Ralf , Brockmeyer Norbert , Hölzle Erhard , Sunderkötter Cord , Mauch Cornelia , Stein Annette , Schneider Lars A. , Podda Maurizio , Göppner Daniela , Schadendorf Dirk , Weichenthal Michael
Published: October 2015

Purpose

To evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and quality of life (QoL) in patients receiving intravenous, intermittent high-dose interferon alfa-2b (IFN-α-2b [iHDI]) compared with standard high-dose IFN-α-2b (HDI).

Patient and Methods

Patients with stage III resected lymph node or in-transit metastasis from cutaneous malignant melanoma were randomly assigned to receive either a standard HDI regimen or three courses of IFN-α-2b 20 MIU/m2administered intravenously 5 days a week for 4 weeks then repeated every 4 months. Distant metastasis-free survival was the primary end point for efficacy analysis. In addition, relapse-free survival, overall survival, safety as determined by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events criteria, and QoL were secondary end points.

Results

Of 649 patients enrolled, 22 patients were excluded from the intent-to-treat analysis. The remaining 627 patients were well balanced between the arms according to sex, age, and stage. After a median follow-up of 55 months, a multivariable Cox model revealed no significant differences for distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.21; P = .12) or overall survival (HR, 1.01; P = .85). In contrast, the difference for relapse-free survival was significant (HR, 1.27; P = .03), favoring standard HDI. Early termination of treatment because of adverse events or QoL occurred significantly more often with HDI than with iHDI (26.0% v 14.8%; P < .001).

Conclusion

Although the safety and QoL profiles for the intermittent regimen were favorable, no significant difference was observed for survival while the HR for relapse with iHDI was increased. Therefore, an iHDI regimen, as tested here, cannot be recommended as adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma.
Intraislet Pancreatic Ducts Can Give Rise to Insulin-Positive Cells
Authors: El-Gohary Yousef , Wiersch John , Tulachan Sidhartha , Xiao Xiangwei , Guo Ping , Rymer Christopher , Fischbach Shane , Prasadan Krishna , Shiota Chiyo , Gaffar Iljana , Song Zewen , Galambos Csaba , Esni Farzad , Gittes George K.
Published: October 2015

A key question in diabetes research is whether new β-cells can be derived from endogenous, nonendocrine cells. The potential for pancreatic ductal cells to convert into β-cells is a highly debated issue. To date, it remains unclear what anatomical process would result in duct-derived cells coming to exist within preexisting islets. We used a whole-mount technique to directly visualize the pancreatic ductal network in young wild-type mice, young humans, and wild-type and transgenic mice after partial pancreatectomy. Pancreatic ductal networks, originating from the main ductal tree, were found to reside deep within islets in young mice and humans but not in mature mice or humans. These networks were also not present in normal adult mice after partial pancreatectomy, but TGF-β receptor mutant mice demonstrated formation of these intraislet duct structures after partial pancreatectomy. Genetic and viral lineage tracings were used to determine whether endocrine cells were derived from pancreatic ducts. Lineage tracing confirmed that pancreatic ductal cells can typically convert into new β-cells in normal young developing mice as well as in adult TGF-β signaling mutant mice after partial pancreatectomy. Here the direct visual evidence of ducts growing into islets, along with lineage tracing, not only represents strong evidence for duct cells giving rise to β-cells in the postnatal pancreas but also importantly implicates TGF-β signaling in this process.
Optimal Annuitization with Stochastic Mortality and Correlated Medical Costs
Authors: Reichling Felix , Smetters Kent
Published: October 2015

The conventional wisdom since Yaari (1965) is that households without a bequest motive should fully annuitize their investments. Numerous frictions do not break this sharp result. We modify the Yaari framework by allowing a household's mortality risk itself to be stochastic due to health shocks. A lifetime annuity still helps to hedge longevity risk. But the annuity's remaining present value is correlated with medical costs, such as those for nursing home care, thereby reducing annuity demand, even without ad-hoc liquidity constraints. We find that most households should not hold a positive level of annuities, and many should hold negative amounts. (JEL D14, D82, G23, I12, J14, J26)
Bugs, genes, fatty acids, and serotonin: Unraveling inflammatory bowel disease?
Authors: Kaunitz Jonathan D. , Nayyar Piyush
Published: October 2015

The annual incidence of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease has increased at an alarming rate. Although the specific pathophysiology underlying IBD continues to be elusive, it is hypothesized that IBD results from an aberrant and persistent immune response directed against microbes or their products in the gut, facilitated by the genetic susceptibility of the host and intrinsic alterations in mucosal barrier function. In this review, we will describe advances in the understanding of how the interaction of host genetics and the intestinal microbiome contribute to the pathogenesis of IBD, with a focus on bacterial metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as possible key signaling molecules.  In particular, we will describe alterations of the intestinal microbiota in IBD, focusing on how genetic loci affect the gut microbial phylogenetic distribution and the production of their major microbial metabolic product, SCFAs. We then describe how enteroendocrine cells and myenteric nerves express SCFA receptors that integrate networks such as the cholinergic and serotonergic neural systems and the glucagon-like peptide hormonal pathway, to modulate gut inflammation, permeability, and growth as part of an integrated model of IBD pathogenesis.  Through this integrative approach, we hope that novel hypotheses will emerge that will be tested in reductionist, hypothesis-driven studies in order to examine the interrelationship of these systems in the hope of better understanding IBD pathogenesis and to inform novel therapies.
Growth Projections and Assortment Planning of Commodity Products Across Multiple Stores: A Data Mining and Optimization Approach
Authors: Bai Xue , Bhattacharjee Sudip , Boylu Fidan , Gopal Ram
Published: October 2015

Product assortment and availability are important determinants of sales success for firms of industrial commodity products. Well-known pricing and promotion strategies for differentiated products do not translate well to such products where price is closely tied to the cost of the products. Consequently, firms with multiple stores of commodity products are faced with the problem of product assortment that incorporates varying geographic and demographic conditions of locations they serve. The paper presents a model for assortment planning and optimization for multiple stores of a company. The novelty of our approach is twofold: first, it deploys data mining techniques to identify sales pattern information across multiple stores through existing sales data across segments and across stores; second, it identifies the optimal product assortment for each store and permits analyses of assortment efficiency evaluation among all existing stores. Our model first finds frequent itemsets based on association rule analysis and prunes them using a novel conflict resolution method. It then incorporates the identified product combinations into the development of the optimization formulation. Our methodology offers solutions that have important implications on product assortment, including complements versus substitutes and product bundling, and sheds lights on product planning and assortment strategies in general. A data set from an industry leading plastics manufacturer and retailer in the United States is used to demonstrate our model.
Deafness and Diversity: Early Intervention
Authors: Jackson Rebecca L. W. , Ammerman Sarah B. , Trautwein Blane A.
Published: October 2015

earlier identification has increased the number of infants identified with hearing loss. A significant and growing proportion of children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing have a disability (DWD). Literature related to infants and toddlers who are DWD is scarce because of the heterogeneity of the population and because many disabilities may go undiagnosed until a child is older. Service availability, professional preparation, and use of evidence-based practices must improve to best meet the needs of these children and their families. An examination of theory, research, and practice in early intervention for children who are DWD revealed a lack of qualified professionals and a need for targeted instruction in teacher preparation programs and for technological advances paired with treatment (e.g., telepractice). Increased transdisciplinary collaboration and technology utilization in teacher preparation hold promise as ways of improving service provision to young children who are DWD.
Communication and Language in Learners Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing With Disabilities: Theories, Research, and Practice
Authors: Bruce Susan M. , Borders Christy
Published: October 2015

findings are presented from communication intervention research in three areas related to deafness with disability (DWD): D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) with (a) intellectual disability, (b) autism spectrum disorders, (c) deafblindness. Early identification, prevalence, theoretical perspectives, and evidence-based practices are discussed. Developmental theory, behavioral theory, and social-interactionism theory undergird many assessment and intervention practices in communication. The tri-focus framework and the four aspects of communication are useful frameworks. While communication research is a relative strength in the deafblindness field, a dire need exists for research in the other two DWD areas. Across all DWD areas there is a need for interventions addressing receptive language. Effective communication and language intervention can only occur when children who are DWD are identified early, placed in individually suitable classrooms with appropriately prepared professionals, and provided with services that build on their strengths and meet their needs.
East German Art and the Permeability of the Berlin Wall
Authors: Eisman April A.
Published: October 2015

This article challenges the commonly held belief that East German artists, and especially painters, were completely cut off from the West. Documenting the prevalence of postwar Western ideas and art in East Germany, the numerous trips East German artists took to the West, and the large number of exhibitions of East German art in West Germany after 1977, this article shows that the Wall was far more permeable for the visual arts than is currently recognized. Far from provincial, East German art offers vital insight into the dynamics of cultural exchange across the Iron Curtain.
Glimpsing Working-Class Childhood through the Laurier Palace Fire of 1927: The Ordinary, the Tragic, and the Historian’s Gaze
Authors: Fahrni Magda
Published: October 2015

On January 9, 1927, a fire tore through the Laurier Palace, a cinema located in a French-speaking, working-class neighborhood on the east side of Montreal. Seventy-eight children died. This article uses the abundant documentation generated by the fire to explore a number of themes related to working-class childhood in early-twentieth-century Montreal: children’s autonomy versus parental surveillance and authority; the place of commercial leisure and petty consumption in the lives of working-class children; and contemporary understandings of such tragic accidents as the Laurier Palace fire. The article reflects on the promise and perils of what David Lowenthal has termed the “voyeuristic empathy” promoted by historians. Are historians of youth, what one scholar calls “latter-day child savers,” more likely than others to adopt a perspective reliant upon (or vulnerable to) such empathy?
Authoritarianism Goes Global (II): China’s Foreign Propaganda Machine
Authors: Brady Anne-Marie
Published: October 2015

Abstract: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long suffered from a poor international image and weak “soft power.” The country’s negative image has hindered international acceptance of its rise as a global great power. Because the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants China to “gain face” ( yao mianzi ) in the international arena, it has in recent years invested heavily in boosting the country’s international approval rating. Yet, to date, China’s considerable efforts to modernize its foreign propaganda apparatus have only been partly successful in shifting international public opinion. On the one hand, CCP efforts to raise global awareness of the country’s economic transformation have been very effective, as have its efforts to shape the discourse on Taiwan. On the other hand, as polls and other research show, CCP efforts to improve non-Chinese foreigners’ perceptions of China’s domestic politics and role on the international stage have so far largely failed to sway these audiences.
After the Arab Spring: How the Media Trashed the Transitions
Authors: Lynch Marc
Published: October 2015

Abstract: The media played a key role in mobilizing the Arab uprisings of 2010–11, but played a far more negative role in the transitions which ensued. Rather than constituting new public spheres for the negotiation of new identities and institutions, or acting as watchdogs on the emergent regimes, the media in most Arab states contributed to social polarization, popular discontent, and the resurgence of old regimes. While the potentially destructive role of media can be found in all attempted democratic transitions, the Arab cases had several unique characteristics, including the prominent role of transnational broadcasting, the new social media environment, and divisive questions about Islamist movements. This article traces the role of the media in the Arab transitions across three distinct levels: transnational broadcasting, domestic public and private broadcasting, and social media. All three played destructive roles, with transnational television becoming a weapon for proxy wars by regional powers, national media being captured by old elites and private interests, and social media encouraging polarization and informational clustering. Very similar patterns emerge in Egypt and Tunisia, the two key potential democratic transitions following the Arab uprisings.
Authoritarianism Goes Global (II): The Kremlin’s Information War
Authors: Pomerantsev Peter
Published: October 2015

Abstract: This essay looks at the power model Russian president Vladimir Putin has developed domestically, how it is being deployed abroad, how other neo- authoritarian and hybrid regimes are adopting similar tactics—and the sorts of solutions liberal democracies can adopt to deal with these challenges.
Shadows in the Shenandoah: Melville, Slavery, and the Elegiac Landscape
Authors: Nurmi Tom
Published: October 2015

Melville’s poem “The Portent” presents readers with a haunted vision of the divided American landscape before and during the Civil War. Through the speaker’s apostrophe to the Shenandoah—a metonym for the shadowy presence of fugitive slaves, dissident bodies, and dead soldiers in the Valley—the poem dislocates the reader into the ethical position of literary witness, suggesting the power of poetry to make visible shadows otherwise unseen. The tenuous moment between looking and seeing, speaking and awaiting reply, threatens the reader’s ability to read the poem coherently, and this essay argues that Melville’s play with the conventions of apostrophe and prosopopoeia ultimately poses a deeper relation between the act of reading and the encounter with a face not one’s own.
George Engel’s Epistemology of Clinical Practice
Authors: Saraga Michael , Fuks Abraham , Boudreau J. Donald
Published: October 2015

George Engel’s (1913–1999) biopsychosocial model, one of the most significant proposals for the renewal of medicine in the latter half of the 20th century, has been understood primarily as a multi-factorial approach to the etiology of disease and as a call to re-humanize clinical practice. This common reading of Engel’s model misses the central aspect of his proposal, that the biopsychosocial model is an epistemology for clinical work. By stating the simple fact that the clinician is not dealing directly with a body, but first, and inevitably, with a person, Engel challenged the epistemology implicit in the classical clinical method—a method predicated on the possibility of direct access to the body. Framed in epistemological terms, the issue at stake is not the need to complement medical science with humane virtues, but rather to acknowledge that the object of clinical practice is not the body but the patient.