bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Andrographolide Attenuates LPS-Induced Cardiac Malfunctions Through Inhibition of IκB Phosphorylation and Apoptosis in Mice
Authors: Zhang Jinlong , Zhu Didi , Wang Yulin , Ju Yunfeng
Published: November 2015

Background/Aims: Cardiac malfunction is a common complication in sepsis and significantly increases the mortality of patients in septic shock. However, no studies have examined whether andrographolide (And) reduces LPS-induced myocardial malfunction. Methods: Left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were examined using echocardiography. TNF-a and IL-1ß protein levels were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). NO oxidation products were determined using Griess reagent. Protein expression levels of inhibitors of NF-κBa (IκB) and phospho-IκB were determined via Western blot. Oxidative injury was determined by measuring myocardial lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity. Cardiac apoptosis was examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nickend-labeling (TUNEL) and cardiac caspase 3/7 activity. Results: And blunted LPS-induced myocardial malfunctions in mice. LPS induced TNF-a, IL-1ß, and NO production as well as I-κB phosphorylation. Cardiac apoptosis was attenuated via incubation with And, but the extent of oxidative injury remained unaffected. Conclusion: And prevents LPS-induced cardiac malfunctions in mice by inhibiting TNF-a, IL-1ß, and NO production, IκB phosphorylation, and cardiac apoptosis, indicating that And may be a potential agent for preventing myocardial malfunction during sepsis.
Embelin-Induced Phosphatidylserine Translocation in the Erythrocyte Cell Membrane
Authors: Bouguerra Ghada , Aljanadi Omar , Bissinger Rosi , Abbès Salem , Lang Florian
Published: November 2015

Background/Aims: The antihelminthic, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory and anticancer phytochemical embelin is at least in part effective against malignancy by inducing suicidal death or apoptosis of tumor cells. Erythrocytes are similarly able to enter suicidal death or eryptosis, which is characterized by cell shrinkage and cell membrane scrambling with phosphatidylserine translocation to the erythrocyte surface. Signaling of eryptosis includes increase of cytosolic Ca2+-activity ([Ca2+]i), ceramide formation, oxidative stress as well as activation of p38 kinase and protein kinase C (PKC). The present study tested, whether and how embelin induces eryptosis. Methods: Phosphatidylserine exposure at the cell surface was estimated from annexin V binding, cell volume from forward scatter, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3-fluorescence, ceramide abundance utilizing specific antibodies and reactive oxygen species (ROS) from 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) fluorescence. Results: A 48 hours exposure of human erythrocytes to embelin (≥25 µM) significantly increased the percentage of annexin-V-binding cells and hemolysis. Embelin did not significantly modify [Ca2+]i. The effect of embelin on annexin-V-binding was not blunted by removal of extracellular Ca2+, by p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580 (2 µM) or by PKC inhibitor staurosporine (1 µM). Embelin did, however, significantly increase the ceramide abundance. Conclusions: Embelin stimulates phospholipid scrambling of the erythrocyte cell membrane, an effect involving ceramide formation.
Ebolavirus Vaccines: Progress in the Fight Against Ebola Virus Disease
Authors: Wu Xiao-Xin , Yao Hang-Ping , Wu Nan-Ping , Gao Hai-Nv , Wu Hai-Bo , Jin Chang-Zhong , Lu Xiang-Yun , Xie Tian-Shen , Li Lan-Juan
Published: November 2015

Ebolaviruses are highly infectious pathogens that cause lethal Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans and non-human primates (NHPs). Due to their high pathogenicity and transmissibility, as well as the potential to be misused as a bioterrorism agent, ebolaviruses would threaten the health of global populations if not controlled. In this review, we describe the origin and structure of ebolaviruses and the development of vaccines from the beginning of the 1980s, including conventional ebolavirus vaccines, DNA vaccines, Ebola virus-like particles (VLPs), vaccinia virus-based vaccines, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV)-like replicon particles, Kunjin virus-based vaccine, recombinant Zaire Ebolavirus∆VP30, recombinant cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vaccines, recombinant rabies virus (RABV)-based vaccines, recombinant paramyxovirus-based vaccines, adenovirus-based vaccines and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-based vaccines. No licensed vaccine or specific treatment is currently available to counteract ebolavirus infection, although DNA plasmids and several viral vector approaches have been evaluated as promising vaccine platforms. These vaccine candidates have been confirmed to be successful in protecting NHPs against lethal infection. Moreover, these vaccine candidates were successfully advanced to clinical trials. The present review provides an update of the current research on Ebola vaccines, with the aim of providing an overview on current prospects in the fight against EVD.
Nornicotine and Nicotine Induced Neovascularization via Increased VEGF/PEDF Ratio
Authors: Zhang Yingchun , Ma Aihua , Wang Lihua , Zhao Bojun
Published: November 2015

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the influences of nornicotine and nicotine (NT) in cigarette smoke on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in retinal pigment epithelium cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, the angiogenic behaviors of endothelial cells under nornicotine and NT treatment were assessed by using in vitro methods. Methods: ARPE-19 cells and HUVECs were treated with different concentrations of either nornicotine or NT for different periods of time. The cell proliferative effect was investigated by using the method of MTT analysis. HUVEC migration and tube formation were assessed by using the scratch assay and Matrigel models. The expressions of VEGF and PEDF gene and protein in both types of cells were examined by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: There was no proliferation of ARPE-19 cells following treatment with various concentrations of nornicotine or NT. In contrast, nornicotine or NT significantly stimulated HUVEC proliferation, migration and tube formation. Nornicotine and NT upregulated the expression of VEGF but suppressed the expression of PEDF at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose- and time-dependent manner in ARPE-19 cells and HUVECs. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that nornicotine and NT promoted endothelial cellular proliferation, migration and tube formation of HUVECs in vitro. These effects might be partly due to simultaneous modulation of VEGF/PEDF signaling in ARPE-19 cells and HUVECs.
Confounders of Cardioprotection by Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Authors: Kleinbongard Petra , Neuhäuser Markus , Thielmann Matthias , Kottenberg Eva , Peters Jürgen , Jakob Heinz , Heusch Gerd
Published: November 2015

Objectives: Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) by repetitive blood pressure cuff inflation/deflation around a limb provides cardioprotection in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Cardioprotection is confounded by risk factors, comorbidities and comedications. We aimed to identify confounders that possibly attenuate the protection provided by RIC. Methods: In a retrospective analysis of our single-center, randomized, double-blind trial of patients undergoing elective CABG with/without RIC prior to ischemic cardioplegic arrest, we analyzed demographics, medications and intraoperative variables. The primary end point was myocardial injury, as reflected by the area under the curve for serum troponin I (TnI) from baseline to 72 h after surgery. Results: In models with 2 independent variables and in the multivariate analysis, age and aortic cross-clamp time impacted on TnI release. Subgroup analyses confirmed RIC-induced protection in all age tertiles. There was no protection with an aortic cross-clamp time ≤56 min (RIC/control = 1.026 not significant), but there was protection with 57-75 min (RIC/control = 0.757; p = 0.0348) and ≥76 min (RIC/control = 0.735; p = 0.0277). Gender, β-blockers, statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and intraoperative nitroglycerine did not impact on TnI release. Conclusion: Age, gender, β-blockers, statins, ACE inhibitors, ARBs and intraoperative nitroglycerine have no significant impact on RIC-induced cardioprotection during CABG. However, greater myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury at longer cross-clamp time facilitates the detection of protection by RIC.
Comparison between Outcomes of Vitrectomy in Granulomatous and Nongranulomatous Uveitis
Authors: Takayama Kei , Tanaka Atushi , Ishikawa Sho , Mochizuki Manabu , Takeuchi Masaru
Published: November 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of vitrectomy in granulomatous uveitis and nongranulomatous uveitis insufficiently managed by immunosuppressive therapy. Methods: Thirty-eight eyes with granulomatous uveitis and 17 eyes with nongranulomatous uveitis that underwent vitrectomy for ocular complications between July 2006 and August 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Visual acuity and ocular inflammation scores before and 6 months after surgery were compared. Patients treated with vitrectomy alone and those in whom vitrectomy was combined with phacoemulsification were analyzed separately. Results: The mean visual acuity improved significantly both in granulomatous and nongranulomatous uveitis. In granulomatous uveitis, the mean inflammation scores decreased significantly both in the anterior segment and in the posterior segment. In nongranulomatous uveitis, the mean inflammation score in the posterior segment decreased significantly, although it did not change in the anterior segment. Conclusion: Vitrectomy was effective for treating ocular complications both in granulomatous uveitis and nongranulomatous uveitis, with favorable outcomes of improved visual acuity and decreased uveitis activity.
Endocrine Disrupters and the Safety of Food Chains
Authors: Mantovani Alberto
Published: November 2015

Endocrine disrupters (ED) are a heterogeneous group of chemicals including persistent contaminants, pesticides, as well as compounds present in consumer products and natural substances. For most ED, the food chain is a current major exposure route for the general population. ED can enter the food chain through the living environment (e.g., feeds, fertilizers) of food-producing organisms, be directly employed in food production (e.g., pesticides) or be released from food contact materials (such as bisphenol A or phthalates); in addition, the endocrine disruption potential of some natural compounds in edible plants, including the so-called phytoestrogens, should not be overlooked. An exposure assessment has to consider the specific liability of food commodities to contamination with specific ED (e.g., polychlorinated and polybrominated chemicals in lipid-rich foods). The paper discusses the main toxicological research issues in order to support the risk assessment of ED in food chains, including: the potential for additive, ‘cocktail' effects (as from multiple pesticide residues); the long-term effects on target body systems (e.g., reproductive, nervous) elicited by exposure during prenatal as well as postnatal life stage windows, and toxicant/nutrient interactions (e.g., thyroid-targeting ED and iodine status). Food safety systems should exploit the available knowledge to improve prevention of long-term risks along the whole food chain.
Reconciliation in the Public Domain
Authors: Van der Borght Eddy
Published: November 2015

Reconciliation shifted in South Africa during the transition from being a contested idea in the church struggle to a notion proposed and rejected by the fighting parties and finally embraced by the two main political protagonists when they reached an agreement on the transition to a democratic order. This article analyses the layered meaning of the reconciliation concept within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. On the basis of this description the questions that will be explored are whether reconciliation functioned as a religious symbol at the trc, and if so, in what way. In the conclusion, the way the concept of reconciliation itself was transformed due to the role it played in the transition in South Africa will be summarized and the consequences for theological research will be indicated.
Theology, Perhaps
Authors: Brouwer Rein
Published: November 2015

A public (practical) theology is about recognizing religious phenomena in (popular) culture and society, and reflecting on these phenomena from a theological perspective. There is a lot of G/god in the public domain, so one could assume that ‘the fields are white for harvest already’ (John 4:35), theologically speaking. References to biblical stories and figures abound in art and culture and religious themes and questions are the subject of movie pictures and media attention. Theologians are well suited to interpret these public phenomena because they have access to a huge database of concepts, narratives and practices to make meaning from this fragmented G/god in public domain. But what sort of G/god are we talking about? This paper explores John Caputo’s theopoetics as a model for a public theology. Caputo’s theology is presented as a way of tracing God, perhaps, in a product of popular culture.
Staging the Resurrection
Authors: Klomp Mirella
Published: November 2015

This article looks at the particular ways in which the resurrection of Christ was staged in the public domain during four editions of a popular musical event named The Passion. Since its first edition in 2011, this annual performance on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has become a large media event in Dutch society. The author argues that its organizers—a television production company and two broadcasting companies—in their annual choices on how to shape and stage The Passion, make theological choices. Moreover, she argues that the staged theology of the organizers is to be considered a form of public theology. Pointing out that authority in late-modern network culture is subject of change, the author reveals how the production and broadcasting companies by organizing and actualizing a passion both prove themselves a leading party in the actualization of Christian tradition and turn up as players in the field of public theology.
Learning by Doing
Authors: de Lange Frits
Published: November 2015

In this article the author develops four essential methodological guidelines, discovered while engaged as a European public theologian in the debate on ageing. They might be exemplary for public theologians working in other spheres of the public domain as well. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological understanding of reality functions as a leading intuition. A public theologian (1) finds her- or himself involved and already situated in discursive practices; (2) critically and constructively contributes to the development of ‘social imaginaries’; (3) is an expert in her or his field; and (4) looks for allies and gladly cooperates with them.
Beyond the Measure of Man
Authors: Bakker Henk A.
Published: November 2015

The martyrdom and apology of Socrates seem to have been received by early Christians as model narratives for Christians to refer to. Anyhow, Socratic martyrdom, because of its specific tenets, could even for Christians easily function as a literary paradigm of integrity. Some of the specifics have very much so moulded the western mind-set regarding issues of freedom of mind and faith and the elenctic force of the Christian faith. As such Socrates was almost deemed a Christian—at least a great grand-martyr of some type of pre-Christian blood. Socrates’ martyrdom displayed archetypical features, and genuinely demonstrated to come forth from the source of the Absolute, that is: the eternal Logos and the prophetic Spirit. Hence, the person of Socrates could also be characterized as a martyr-prophet, who lived and died for his primordial convictions, and who was able to direct gentile comrades and opponents to the truth of Logos and Spirit, even to the very heart of revealed faith.
Mennonites and Violence in Early Modern Amsterdam
Authors: Osborne Troy
Published: November 2015

Although Dutch Mennonites penned official positions against bearing the sword, little is known about how Mennonites negotiated the violence that permeated daily life in early modern Dutch society. This article examines Mennonite attitudes towards collective and interpersonal violence by studying the disciplinary practices of three Amsterdam congregations from 1612–1745. It contrasts the elders’ discipline of their elite members with their occasional forbearance towards poorer men and women. It argues that the leaders took a firmer position against those who signed up in the military than they did against members who committed violent interpersonal acts. Finally, it examines cases when Mennonites turned to the force of secular magistrates for justice. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the article concludes, Mennonite churches rarely punished violent offenses, suggesting that their members had internalized both the official position of the church and the broader rejection of violence by Dutch society.
Calvin, Daneau, and Physica Mosaica
Authors: Sytsma David S.
Published: November 2015

This essay argues that there are overlooked lines of continuity between Jean Calvin (1509–1564) and the Mosaic physics of Lambert Daneau (ca. 1530–1595). Specifically, the essay demonstrates lines of continuity between Calvin and Daneau on the value and errors of natural philosophy, their relation to the patristic hexaemeral literature, and their understanding of Mosaic accommodation. The evidence produced challenges prevailing scholarship which views Daneau’s Physica Christiana as a radical departure from Calvin’s thought or associates Calvin’s accommodation doctrine with Copernicanism alone. Sources used include multiple editions of Calvin’s Institutio, Calvin’s commentaries, Daneau’s Physica Christiana (1576) and Physices christianae pars altera (1580), Johann Heinrich Alsted’s Physica Harmonica, Jacob van Lansbergen’s Apologia (1633), and post-Reformation commentaries on Genesis by Franciscus Junius, David Pareus, and Johann Piscator.
R2P Ten Years on: Unresolved Justice Conflicts and Contestation
Authors: Hofmann Gregor Peter
Published: November 2015

The norm set known as the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) remains contested. This contestation is, from a normative perspective, not only driven by intentions to challenge a western-dominated international order. Recent constructivist scholarship on norm contestation points to pre-existent norms and normative beliefs as determining actors’ perception of the legitimacy of new international norms. The English School and empirical justice research point in a similar vein to collectively held ideas of justice as motives for norm contestation. Drawing on process tracing, qualitative content analysis, and expert interviews, this article analyses the negotiations on R2P in 2005 and compares the results with the further development of R2P within the un General Assembly. The article thereby illustrates that conflicts over individual vis-à-vis statist entitlements and over procedural justice remained unresolved during the emergence of R2P in 2005 and are now hampering the further evolution and implementation of the norm.
Besleria macropoda (Gesneriaceae): lectotypification, distribution, functional epiphylly and discordant fruit morphology of a rare Costa Rican endemic
Authors: Berger Andreas , Clark John L. , Weber Anton
Published: November 2015

Besleria macropoda, a rare and poorly known gesneriad endemic to Costa Rica, was recently collected for the first time on the southern slopes of the Fila Costeña (Puntarenas Province, SE Costa Rica). The collection considerably widens the geographic distribution to the southeastern part of Costa Rica. Moreover, the following unique characters not previously addressed in the literature were observed and are documented here: (1) The elongate peduncles of the inflorescences are clamped in a channel formed by the sunken midrib of the leaf, rendering the flowers and fruits positioned in the center of the leaf blade. The epiphyllous appearance of the inflorescence on the leaf surface enhances contrasting colors that may aid the pollination and/or fruit dispersal. (2) The fruits split open irregularly, with the fleshy carpel lobes becoming reflexed. This fruit dehiscence deviates from the indehiscent berries that typically characterize Besleria. This results in displaying a globose head of red placental tissue covered by tiny, red seeds. A preliminary survey of Besleria fruits suggests that this peculiar fruit type is present in at least 15 species representing almost 8% of the genus. Fruit morphology of Besleria is therefore less uniform than previously recognized and the “indehiscent berry” can no longer serve as a distinctive generic character of Besleria, which necessitates consideration in floras and identification keys. In addition, a list of herbarium specimens, lectotypification, a distribution map, IUCN red list assessment and an amended key to diagnose Besleria relative to Gasteranthus are provided.
A new species of Gastrochilus and new records for the orchids of Nepal
Authors: Raskoti Bhakta Bahadur
Published: November 2015

Gastrochilus nepalensis, a new species of orchids from central Nepal is described. A key to its allied species is provided. Thirteen species are reported as new records for Nepal: Epipogium japonicum, Goodyera nankoensis, Habenaria davidii, Habenaria wolongensis, Herminium chloranthum, Herminium kamengense, Herminium longilobatum, Herminium pusillum, Liparis campylostalix, Peristylus calcaratus, Platanthera stenochila, Platanthera roseotincta, Platanthera yadongensis.
Modelled Variations of Deep Convection in the Irminger Sea during 2003–10
Authors: Paquin Jean-Philippe , Lu Youyu , Higginson Simon , Dupont Frédéric , Garric Gilles
Published: November 2015

Results from a high-resolution ice–ocean model are analyzed to understand the physical processes responsible for the interannual variability of ocean convection over the Irminger Sea. The modeled convection in the open Irminger Sea for the winters of 2007/08 and 2008/09 is in good agreement with observations. Deep convection is caused by strong atmospheric forcing that increases the ocean heat loss through latent and sensible heat fluxes. Greenland tip jets are found to be the only strong wind events that directly affect the deep convection area and explain up to 53% of the total turbulent heat loss during active convection years. Deep convection is modeled where there is favorable preconditioning of the water column due to isopycnal doming inside the semienclosed Irminger Gyre. The region of deep convection is also characterized by weak eddy kinetic energy. Finally, an estimation of the surface-forced water mass transformation confirms the Irminger Sea as a region of intermittent production of Labrador Sea Water, with annual averages between 0.9 and 1.9 Sverdrups (Sv; 1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of water denser than 27.7 kg m−3 for years of active convection.
Different Like Me
Authors: Koppman Sharon
Published: November 2015

Combining primary survey data collected from a probability sample of U.S. advertising agencies and semi-structured interviews with advertising practitioners, I tested a novel link from class background to creative employment through a cultural process of matching people to jobs. Qualitative data show that shared culture, specifically “omnivorous”—diverse and inclusive—taste and socialization, signals creative potential to employers and motivates people to pursue creative positions. Structural equation modeling reveals that omnivorous socialization and taste mediate the relationship between class background and creative employment: when middle-class parents expose their children to diverse leisure activities, this exposure has a positive indirect effect on creative employment. It may not actually make those children more creative, but such exposure makes them more likely to enter fields in which they will be viewed as creative. The findings highlight a new direction for research on creativity, contribute to the debate on the role of cultural capital in occupational attainment, and extend knowledge on the early origins of career choice.
The New Art of Central Banking
Authors: Chadha Jagjit S.
Published: November 2015

This article outlines some of the intellectual lessons learnt by central bankers during the financial crisis. The key question is whether a broader range of policy options than simple inflation targeting has to be considered in order to limit instability. Interactions with overseas pools of savings, government debt markets and financial risk have all conspired to complicate significantly the task of monetary policymaking. These developments do not mean that the target for inflation has to be modified or dropped but that setting policy will be a more complex task and require more explanation than it has in the recent past.
A Financial Perspective on the UK Current Account Deficit
Authors: Lane Philip R.
Published: November 2015

A drop in net FDI investment income has been the primary factor in the recent deterioration in the measured UK current account balance, with the trade balance relatively stable. We argue that financial engineering (with little net impact on the underlying international investment position for the UK) may have contributed to the decline in net FDI investment income, such that the headline current account balance cannot be interpreted as a sufficient indicator of the state of the UK's external position. A more granular analysis of cross-border financial linkages than is possible with currently-published data would be required in order to provide a comprehensive assessment of external sustainability.
Background Pathological Changes in Minipigs
Authors: Helke Kristi L. , Nelson Keith N. , Sargeant Aaron M. , Jacob Binod , McKeag Sean , Haruna Julius , Vemireddi Vimala , Greeley Melanie , Brocksmith Derek , Navratil Nicole , Stricker-Krongrad Alain , Hollinger Charlotte
Published: November 2015

Swine, especially the miniature swine or minipigs, are increasingly being used in preclinical safety assessment of small molecules, biopharmaceutical agents, and medical devices as an alternate nonrodent species. Although swine have been used extensively in biomedical research, there is a paucity of information in the current literature detailing the incidence of background lesions and differences in incidence between commonly used breeds. This article is a collaborative effort between multiple organizations to define and document lesions found in the common breeds of minipigs used for toxicological risk assessment in North America (NA) and the European Union (EU). We retrospectively assessed 10 years of historical control data from several institutions located in NA and EU, covering the period of 2004–2015. Here we report the background lesions with consideration of breed and geographical location. To our knowledge, this is the first report documenting spontaneous background lesions in commonly used breeds of swine in both NA and EU. This report serves as a resource to pathologists and will aid in interpretation of findings and differentiation of background from test article–related changes.
PDGFR Inhibition Results in Pericyte Depletion and Hemorrhage into the Corpus Luteum of the Rat Ovary
Authors: Hall Anthony P. , Ashton Susan , Horner Judith , Wilson Zena , Reens Jaimini , Richmond Graham H. P. , Barry Simon T. , Wedge Steve R.
Published: November 2015

The growth plate, ovary, adrenal gland, and rodent incisor tooth are sentinel organs for antiangiogenic effects since they respond reliably, quantitatively, and sensitively to inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). Here we report that treatment of rats with platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) inhibitors that target pericytes results in severe ovarian hemorrhage with degeneration and eventual rupture of the corpus luteum. Evaluation of the growth plate, adrenal gland, and incisor tooth that are typical target organs for antiangiogenic treatment in the rodent revealed no abnormalities. Histologically, the changes in the ovary were characterized by sinusoidal dilatation, increased vessel fragility, and hemorrhage into the corpus luteum. Immunocytochemical staining of vessels with alpha smooth muscle actin and CD31 that recognize pericytes and vascular endothelium, respectively, demonstrated that this effect was due to selective pericyte deficiency within corpora lutea. Further experiments in which rats were treated concurrently with both PDGFRβ and VEGFR inhibitors ablated the hemorrhagic response, resulting instead in corpus luteum necrosis. These changes are consistent with the notion that selective pericyte loss in the primitive capillary network resulted in increased vessel fragility and hemorrhage, whereas concomitant VEGFR inhibition resulted in vessel regression and reduced vascular perfusion that restricted development of the hemorrhagic vessels. These results also highlight the utility of the rodent ovary to respond differentially to VEGFR and PDGFR inhibitors, which may provide useful information during routine safety assessment for determining target organ toxicity.
Is the Marker the Message? The Role of Some Scalar Adverbs in the Processing of a Public Health Appeal and Its Effectiveness
Authors: Coppola Vincent , Girandola Fabien
Published: November 2015

In this study, we argue that studies in persuasive communication have been undertaken until now without considering enough the main ideas of pragmatics as regards the communication process and the use of language. In particular, we suggest that in this area of research, it could be relevant to ponder the processes involved in the message processing by taking into account the “inferential” and “intentionalist” paradigm of communication. To support our claim, we propose an experimental study designed in the area of health communication which consists in investigating the impact of some linguistic items defined as scalar adverbs on some attitudinal outcomes and the message elaboration. It shows that the introduction of such adverbs in an epidemiological information message increases the self-risk perception, the perceived relevance of the prevention programs, and as regards the message processing, reduces the cognitive elaboration of its content for the benefit of its communicative intention. The persuasiveness of such linguistic items in a preventive message as well as the conditions under which they are likely to act as peripheral cues are addressed in the conclusion of the study.
Case Report: Disparate flow in HeartMate II patient with extensive left ventricle repair
Authors: Tran Phat L. , Kazui Toshinobu , Perovic Viktor , Mikail Philmon , Lick Scott , Smith Richard , Betterton Edward W. , Venkat Raj , Iwanski Jessika , Wong Raymond K. , Slepian Marvin J. , Khalpey Zain
Published: November 2015

This case study reports the operative management of a 63-year-old male patient following implantation of the HeartMate II (HMII) left ventricular assist device (LVAD), with a non-compliant left ventricle (LV) and a reduced right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic volume. Intraoperatively, the patient had a thin, fragile LV wall with laminated clot; a ventricular septal defect was encountered during removal of the clot. Along with an aortic valve repair, the LV and the septum were reconstructed with multiple bovine pericardium patches, thus, moderately reducing the RV and LV stroke volume. A difference in cardiac output via a Swan-Ganz catheter (approximately 1.5 l/min) was observed as opposed to the HMII’s estimated flow. The result was later replicated and verified in vitro via the Donovan Mock Circulation System (DMCS), where about 2 l/min lower flow on the HMII system was observed. In conclusion, the HMII flow rate displayed can be inaccurate and should only be used for trending.
When is violence not a crime? Factors associated with victims’ labelling of violence as a crime
Authors: Brennan Iain R
Published: November 2015

Many people do not regard violence against them as a crime, but the factors that influence this response are unknown. Understanding how the ‘crimeworthiness’ of violence is interpreted allows an insight into how victims make sense of their experience, how communities influence attitudes towards victimisation and the reporting of crime to the police. A pooled cross-sectional sample of respondents to the Crime Survey for England and Wales was used to identify factors associated with the decision to label or discount a violent incident as a crime. Individual and neighbourhood-level effects were estimated using multilevel modelling. Harm, the perceived unjustness of the incident and victim-offender relational distance predicted labelling, whereas frequency of victimisation and victim initiation of the incident predicted discounting. Neighbourhood and neighbourhood crime had little effect on victims’ interpretations of the ‘crimeworthiness’ of violence. When victims interpret violence against them, they appear to do so unencumbered by social norms, but are influenced by the impact of the violence, the ‘prototypicality’ of the incident as a crime and their previous experience of violence.
Resource wealth as rent leverage: Rethinking the oil–stability nexus
Authors: Smith Benjamin
Published: November 2015

The study of the “resource curse” has become a major research agenda with multiple outcomes of interest—regime type, regime stability, civil conflict and economic growth to name a few. However, the proliferation of different measurement choices has hamstrung the quest for knowledge accumulation. In this essay I present a new indicator for oil dependence—a concept I term rent leverage. It captures the share of individuals’ buying power that directly depends on fuel income and that nearly everywhere is controlled by political leaders. I use the new measure alongside fuel income per capita, to capture oil abundance, to explore the effects of oil wealth on political stability. Initial analysis of cross-national data from 1960 to 2009 suggests that rent leverage and fuel income strongly stabilize rulers of all types against regime change and that these effects are largely a function of cross-country differences. The stabilizing effects of oil income are significant but substantially smaller than rent leverage. The analysis further supports recent findings by Ross and Wright et al. that oil income and rent leverage both play stabilizing roles in autocracies, but that this effect is largely a cross-country one. Third, neither rent leverage nor oil income have any substantial or significant impact on civil war onset. Finally, contrary to both the weak state and coercion variants of resource curse theory, oil-producing countries appear to use less repression than others, and to have more durable regimes in part because of stronger states.
A new observer-based chattering-free sliding mode guidance law
Authors: Behnamgol Vahid , Vali AR , Mohammadi A
Published: November 2015

This paper proposes a new observer-based sliding mode guidance law to intercept maneuvering targets in terminal phase. In order to satisfy the interception, the line of sight angular rate is considered as sliding variable based on parallel navigation idea. For this sliding variable reach to zero in finite time, the guidance law is designed using a new chattering-free observer-based sliding mode control. This algorithm consists of the target acceleration estimation using a new extended state observer. Therefore, with the availability of this estimation, switching function of the sliding mode control is replaced with a smooth function to generate smooth control signal. Also, the stability of closed-loop system is proven by using Lyapunov method. Numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the proposed guidance law potential.
Making defensible decisions in the era of recovery and rights
Authors: Carroll Andrew , McSherry Bernadette
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

Our aim was to develop a framework for clinical decision-making that can be used to take into account risk in an era of recovery and rights.

Conclusion:

We developed a framework influenced by civil liability law to develop a guide for clinical decision-making which emphasises collaboration, clarification of the available information and communication of decisions as essential components of recovery-oriented risk management.
Argentine psychiatry: report on the 30th Congress
Authors: Brown Paul
Published: November 2015

Objectives:

To give a contextualised personal account of the 30th Annual Congress of the Argentine Association of Psychiatrists.

Methods:

Conference attendance and analysis of talks.

Results:

The congress demonstrated that Argentine psychiatry is held back by oppressive political regimes and by government underfunding. The drug companies and third-party payers are entering the vacuum.

Conclusions:

Argentine trainees and consultants feel ill-prepared to meet the demands of the biomedical psychiatry.
Data-Based Decision-Making Teams in Middle School
Authors: Crone Deanne A. , Carlson Sarah E. , Haack Marcia K. , Kennedy Patrick C. , Baker Scott K. , Fien Hank
Published: November 2015

The use of data-based decision making (DBDM) in schools to drive educational improvement and success has been strongly promoted by educational experts and policymakers, yet very little is documented about the actual DBDM practices used in schools. This study examines DBDM practices in 25 middle schools through 80 standardized observations of data team meetings and through survey responses. DBDM practices in terms of structure, process, content, quality, and alignment between self-report and observation are described. Key findings include the following: (a) The average amount of time spent discussing an individual student was brief, less than 2 min; (b) on average, actionable decisions following discussions of behavior or reading issues were made 34% to 40% of the time; and (c) there was weak alignment on key topics between self-reported and observed DBDM practices. These findings underscore the need for additional studies of DBDM practices in school and of the impact of DBDM practices on important student outcomes.
Threshold for Radon-Induced Lung Cancer From Inhaled Plutonium Data
Authors: Cuttler Jerry M. , Sanders Charles L.
Published: November 2015

Cohen’s lung cancer mortality data, from his test of the LNT theory, do not extend to the no observed adverse effects level (NOAEL) above which inhaled radon decay products begin to induce excess lung cancer mortality. Since there is concern about the level of radon in homes, it is important to set the radon limit near the NOAEL to avoid the risk of losing a health benefit. Assuming that dogs model humans, data from a study on inhaled plutonium dioxide particulates in dogs were assessed, and the NOAEL for radon-induced lung tumors was estimated to be about 2100 Bq/m3. The US Environmental Protection Agency should consider raising its radon action level from 150 to at least 1000 Bq/m3.
Milblogs and soldier representations of the Afghanistan War: The case of Sweden
Authors: Hellman Maria
Published: November 2015

Building on the notion that military blogs (milblogs) can support national strategic narratives, the aim of the article is to deepen our knowledge of exactly how blogging that depicts soldiers’ personal experiences of ‘everyday life’ can serve to support a strategic narrative. This article explores empirically how Swedish milblogs published between January 2010 and April 2012 articulate the experience of being a soldier in the Afghanistan mission. The analysis shows that soldiering is treated as an everyday practice, de-dramatized and routinized where military assignments are meshed with civilian duties. The article concludes that the ‘normalization’ of war in milblogs can potentially serve to strengthen national strategic narratives, facilitate recruitment of soldiers and add to growing ‘militarism’ in society.
On the milieu of security
Authors: Barnett Clive
Published: November 2015

Critical analysis of security presents processes of securitization as sinister threats to public values such as accountability, inclusion and transparency. By questioning some of the theoretical premises of this view of the milieu of security, it is argued that practices of securitization might be understood less as an assertive medium for the constitution of the social field and more as a responsive mode of problematization of the temporalities of concerted public action. The argument proceeds in stages. First, two ways in which publicness is figured in the critique of security are identified and the spatiality of securitization associated with them elaborated. Second, this view of the spatiality of securitization is then linked to two modes of temporality that apparently define the historical novelty of contemporary security practices. It is argued that uncovering the pernicious politics of security depends on identifying putative subject effects sought and achieved by programmes of rule. In contrast to this approach, an alternative inflection of the genealogical perspective on security is identified. This inflection seeks to diagnose problematizations to which security initiatives are a response, suggesting a reorientation of critical attention to investigating the reconfiguration of public life around various temporal registers of uncertainty, adjustment and repair. The article closes by arguing that the specific public values at stake in securitization should be given more credence.
Responsibility, politics and reason
Authors: Baldwin Andrew
Published: November 2015

This commentary offers a set of sympathetic reflections on Noel Castree’s recent interventions on geography, the environmental humanities and the Anthropocene. Whilst largely endorsing Castree’s exhortation that geographers engage analytically and institutionally with debates about the Anthropocene, the commentary sets out three limits to Castree’s argument. The first is that in directing his argument towards a critically engaged geography, Castree misses an opportunity to draw attention to the way that power shapes institutional formation. The second asks after the kind of politics that Castree seeks to inaugurate through his work on the Anthropocene. And the last asks whether reason and debate are sufficient conditions for social transformation in light of recent interventions on affect and the non-conscious.
Ræstur fiskur: air-dried fermented fish the Faroese way
Authors: Svanberg Ingvar
Published: November 2015

Background

Fish has played an important role in the diet of the population of the mid-Atlantic Faroe Islands. Dried and fermented fish in particular have been an essential storable protein source in an economy where weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations affect the availability of food. For generations the islanders have preparedræstur fiskur, a home-made air-dried and fermented fish dish made of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhuaL.) or saithe (Pollachius virens(L.)). Fermenting the fish is an efficient and valuable cultural strategy for preserving fish.

Methods

This ethnobiological study investigates the historical and present use of fermented fish in Faroese cuisine and examines its preservation as an everyday food that Faroese men pride themselves on making in high quality. This study is based on field notes collected through interviews and observations on the Faroe Islands since the mid-1990s.

Results

Processed fish could be stored for a long period of time; this was important in an economy where weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations affect food availability dramatically. For this reason, home-made air-dried fish has been central to the food security of the Faroese people. Usually consumed with tallow from sheep, the dish was once appreciated customarily on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but has been largely replaced by Danish dishes. However, it has survived as everyday food until today.

Conclusion

The presence of small-scale fishing, changing economic conditions, socially acquired taste-preferences, and the importance of old-fashioned dishes as key symbols of cultural identity, all contribute to the survival ofræstur fiskurin Faroese food culture. Today, the dish is not only an essential food source, but its consumption is also an important act of identification and solidarity with the national identity of the islanders.
Central delivery of iodine-125–labeled cetuximab, etanercept and anakinra after perispinal injection in rats: possible implications for treating Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Roerink Megan E. , Groen Rob JM , Franssen Gerben , Lemmers-van de Weem Bianca , Boerman Otto C. , van der Meer Jos WM
Published: November 2015

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating condition, and the search for an effective treatment is ongoing. Inflammation, in reaction to amyloid deposition, is thought to accelerate cognitive decline. With tumor necrosis factor α being an important proinflammatory cytokine, a recent trial investigated the effect of the tumor necrosis factor α inhibitor etanercept after peripheral administration in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Although there was no significant effect, others have claimed spectacular effects of etanercept after perispinal injection. In the present study, the central delivery of drugs with a large molecular weight was evaluated after injection in the cervical perispinal region in rats. If successful, this strategy might increase therapeutic options for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Methods

Nine male Sprague–Dawley rats were given injections of iodine-125–labeled cetuximab (146 kDa), etanercept (51 kDa), and anakinra (17 kDa). Each radioiodinated drug was injected in the perispinal region in two rats and into the dorsal tail vein in one rat. Directly after injection, the rats were placed in a head-down position for 3 minutes to direct blood flow into the valveless vertebral venous system. A single-positron emission computed tomography scan was acquired starting 5 minutes after injection, subsequently the rats were euthanized and bio-distribution was determined.  

Results

Intracranial delivery of the radiolabeled drugs could not be visualized in all but one of the rats. Injected drugs accumulated locally in the perispinal region.

Conclusions

In this study, no evidence could be found for the delivery of drugs to the central nervous system after perispinal injection. Additional research is needed before this treatment can be used in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.