bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Rapamycin-Induced AKT Activation Elicits Differential Antitumor Response in Head and Neck Cancers
Authors: Radhakrishnan Padhma , Baraneedharan Ulaganathan , Veluchamy Subhadra , Dhandapani Muthu , Pinto Dency D. , Thiyagarajan Saravanan , Thayakumar Allen , Prasath Arun , A Kamal , Velu Ayyappan , Jain Misti , Brijwani Nilesh , Narayanan Prasad , Kekatpure Vikram D. , Majumder Biswanath , Majumder Pradip K.
Published: January 2013

The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is an important signaling axis that is perturbed in majority of cancers. Biomarkers such as pS6RP, GLUT1, and tumor FDG uptake are being evaluated in patient stratification for mTOR pathway inhibitors. In the absence of a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms in tumor signaling, the biomarker strategy for patient stratification is of limited use. Here, we show that no discernible correlation exists between FDG uptake and the corresponding Ki67, GLUT1, pS6RP expression in tumor biopsies from patients with head and neck cancer. Correlation between GLUT1 and pS6RP levels in tumors was observed but elevated pS6RP was noticed even in the absence of concomitant AKT activation, suggesting that other downstream molecules of PI3K/AKT and/or other pathways upstream of mTOR are active in these tumors. Using an ex vivo platform, we identified putative responders to rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor in these tumors. However, rapamycin did not induce antitumor effect in the majority of tumors with activated mTOR, potentially attributable to the observation that rapamycin induces feedback activation of AKT. Accordingly, treatment of these tumors with an AKT inhibitor and rapamycin uniformly resulted in abrogation of mTOR inhibition-induced AKT activation in all tumors but failed to induce antitumor response in a subset. Phosphoproteomic profiling of tumors resistant to dual AKT/mTOR inhibitors revealed differential activation of multiple pathways involved in proliferation and survival. Collectively, our results suggest that, in addition to biomarker-based segregation, functional assessment of a patient's tumor before treatment with mTOR/AKT inhibitors may be useful for patient stratification. Cancer Res; 73(3); 1118–27. ©2013 AACR.
First-in-Man Phase I Study of GC33, a Novel Recombinant Humanized Antibody Against Glypican-3, in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhu Andrew X. , Gold Philip J. , El-Khoueiry Anthony B. , Abrams Thomas A. , Morikawa Hideo , Ohishi Norihisa , Ohtomo Toshihiko , Philip Philip A.
Published: January 2013

Purpose: GC33 is a novel recombinant fully humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to human glypican-3 (GPC3). The antitumor activity of GC33 was shown in preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This first-in-man clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and preliminary efficacy of GC33 in patients with advanced HCC.

Experimental Design: Patients with measurable, histologically proven, advanced HCC were enrolled to a dose-escalation study of GC33 (2.5–20 mg/kg) given intravenously weekly. The primary endpoint was to determine the maximum tolerated dose of GC33 for further development. Pharmacokinetic characteristics were measured in serum samples. Immunohistochemistry was conducted on tumor biopsies to evaluate GPC3 expression. Tumor response was assessed every 8 weeks using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria.

Results: Twenty patients were enrolled and treated with GC33. A maximum tolerated dose was not reached as there were no dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) up to the highest planned dose level. Common adverse events with all grades included fatigue (50%), constipation (35%), headache (35%), and hyponatremia (35%). The incidence of adverse events seemed not to be dose dependent. Trough serum concentrations at steady state were in excess of target concentration at doses of 5 mg/kg or greater. Median time to progression (TTP) was 26.0 weeks in the GPC3 high expression group and 7.1 weeks in the low expression group (P = 0.033).

Conclusion: This study shows that GC33 was well tolerated in advanced HCC and provides preliminary evidence that GPC3 expression in HCC may be associated with the clinical benefit to GC33 that warrants prospective evaluation. Clin Cancer Res; 19(4); 920–8. ©2012 AACR.
Plasma MicroRNAs as Novel Biomarkers for Endometriosis and Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Suryawanshi Swati , Vlad Anda M. , Lin Hui-Min , Mantia-Smaldone Gina , Laskey Robin , Lee MinJae , Lin Yan , Donnellan Nicole , Klein-Patel Marcia , Lee Ted , Mansuria Suketu , Elishaev Esther , Budiu Raluca , Edwards Robert P. , Huang Xin
Published: January 2013

Purpose: Endometriosis, a largely benign, chronic inflammatory disease, is an independent risk factor for endometrioid and clear cell epithelial ovarian tumors. We aimed to identify plasma miRNAs that can be used to differentiate patients with endometriosis and ovarian cancer from healthy individuals.

Experimental Design: We conducted a two-stage exploratory study to investigate the use of plasma miRNA profiling to differentiate between patients with endometriosis, patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC), and healthy individuals. In the first stage, using global profiling of more than 1,000 miRNAs via reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in a 20-patient initial screening cohort, we identified 23 candidate miRNAs, which are differentially expressed between healthy controls (n = 6), patients with endometriosis (n = 7), and patients with EAOC (n = 7) based on the fold changes. In the second stage, the 23 miRNAs were further tested in an expanded cohort (n = 88) of healthy individuals (n = 20), endometriosis (n = 33), EAOC (n = 14), and serous ovarian cancer cases (SOC; n = 21, included as controls).

Results: We identified three distinct miRNA signatures with reliable differential expression between healthy individuals, patients with endometriosis, and patients with EAOC. When profiled against the control SOC category, our results revealed different miRNAs, suggesting that the identified signatures are reflective of disease-specific pathogenic mechanisms. This was further supported by the fact that the majority of miRNAs differentially expressed in human EAOCs were mirrored in a double transgenic mouse EAOC model.

Conclusion: Our study reports for the first time that distinct plasma miRNA expression patterns may serve as highly specific and sensitive diagnostic biomarkers to discriminate between healthy, endometriosis, and EAOC cases. Clin Cancer Res; 19(5); 1213–24. ©2013 AACR.
Functional Analysis of Genes in Regions Commonly Amplified in High-Grade Serous and Endometrioid Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Davis Sally J. , Sheppard Karen E. , Pearson Richard B. , Campbell Ian G. , Gorringe Kylie L. , Simpson Kaylene J.
Published: January 2013

Purpose: Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate of all the gynecologic malignancies and is responsible for approximately 140,000 deaths annually worldwide. Copy number amplification is frequently associated with the activation of oncogenic drivers in this tumor type, but their cytogenetic complexity and heterogeneity has made it difficult to determine which gene(s) within an amplicon represent(s) the genuine oncogenic driver. We sought to identify amplicon targets by conducting a comprehensive functional analysis of genes located in the regions of amplification in high-grade serous and endometrioid ovarian tumors.

Experimental Design: High-throughput siRNA screening technology was used to systematically assess all genes within regions commonly amplified in high-grade serous and endometrioid cancer. We describe the results from a boutique siRNA screen of 272 genes in a panel of 18 ovarian cell lines. Hits identified by the functional viability screen were further interrogated in primary tumor cohorts to determine the clinical outcomes associated with amplification and gene overexpression.

Results: We identified a number of genes as critical for cellular viability when amplified, including URI1, PAK4, GAB2, and DYRK1B. Integration of primary tumor gene expression and outcome data provided further evidence for the therapeutic use of such genes, particularly URI1 and GAB2, which were significantly associated with survival in 2 independent tumor cohorts.

Conclusion: By taking this integrative approach to target discovery, we have streamlined the translation of high-resolution genomic data into preclinical in vitro studies, resulting in the identification of a number of genes that may be specifically targeted for the treatment of advanced ovarian tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 19(6); 1411–21. ©2013 AACR.
NF-YA Underlies EZH2 Upregulation and Is Essential for Proliferation of Human Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells
Authors: Garipov Azat , Li Hua , Bitler Benjamin G. , Thapa Roshan J. , Balachandran Siddharth , Zhang Rugang
Published: January 2013

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for the most gynecologic malignancy–associated deaths in the United States. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), which silences gene expression through generating trimethylation on lysine 27 residue of histone H3 (H3K27Me3), is often overexpressed in EOCs and has been suggested as a therapeutic target. However, the mechanism underlying EZH2 overexpression in EOCs is unknown. Here, we show that EZH2 is upregulated at the transcription level, and two CCAAT boxes in the proximal regions of the human EZH2 gene promoter are critical for its transcription in EOC cells. Indeed, NF-YA, the regulatory subunit of the CCAAT-binding transcription factor NF-Y, is expressed at higher levels in human EOCs than in primary human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE) cells. In addition, there is a positive correlation between expression of NF-YA and EZH2 in EOCs. Notably, high NF-YA expression predicts shorter overall survival in patients with EOCs. The association of NF-YA with the promoter of the human EZH2 gene is enhanced in human EOC cells compared with primary HOSE cells. Significantly, knockdown of NF-YA downregulates EZH2, decreases H3K27Me3 levels, and suppresses the growth of human EOC cells both in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model. Notably, NF-YA knockdown induces apoptosis of EOC cells and ectopic EZH2 expression partially rescues apoptosis induced by NF-YA knockdown. Together, these data reveal that NF-Y is a key regulator of EZH2 expression and is required for EOC cell proliferation, thus representing a novel target for developing EOC therapeutics. Mol Cancer Res; 11(4); 360–9. ©2013 AACR.
Endovascular Treatment for Infrainguinal Vessels in Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia
Authors: Iida Osamu , Nakamura Masato , Yamauchi Yasutaka , Kawasaki Daizo , Yokoi Yoshiaki , Yokoi Hiroyoshi , Soga Yoshimistu , Zen Kan , Hirano Keisuke , Suematsu Nobuhiro , Inoue Naoto , Suzuki Kenji , Shintani Yoshiaki , Miyashita Yusuke , Urasawa Kazushi , Kitano Ikuro , Yamaoka Terutoshi , Murakami Takashi , Uesugi Michitaka , Tsuchiya Taketsugu , Shinke Toshiro , Oba Yasuhiro , Ohura Norihiko , Hamasaki Toshimitsu , Nanto Shinsuke
Published: January 2013

Background—

Recent technical advances have made endovascular treatment (EVT) an alternative first-line treatment for critical limb ischemia.

Methods and Results—

A prospective multicenter study was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes of 314 Japanese critical limb ischemia patients (mean age, 73±10 years) with infrainguinal arterial lesions who underwent EVT. Patients were enrolled from December 2009 to July 2011 and were followed-up for 12 months. The primary end point was amputation-free survival (AFS) at 12 months. Secondary end points were anatomic, clinical, and hemodynamic measures, including 12-month freedom from major adverse limb events. The 12-month AFS rate was 74%, with body mass index <18.5 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.22;
P
=0.008), heart failure (HR, 1.73;
P
=0.04), and wound infection (HR, 1.89;
P
=0.03) associated with a poor prognosis for AFS. The 12-month major adverse limb event-free rate was 88%, with hemodialysis (HR, 1.98;
P
=0.005), heart failure (HR, 1.69;
P
=0.02), and Rutherford classification 6 (HR, 2.25;
P
=0.002) associated with a poor prognosis for major adverse limb events. The median time for wound healing was 97 days, with body mass index <18.5 (HR, 0.54;
P
=0.03) and wound infection (HR, 0.60;
P
=0.04) being significant risk factors for unhealed wounds after EVT. At 12 months, 34% had undergone reintervention (bypass surgery, 2.6%; repeat EVT, 31.7%), and 73% were major adverse event–free.

Conclusions—

The high reintervention rate notwithstanding, EVT was an effective treatment for Japanese critical limb ischemia patients with infrainguinal disease, with satisfactory AFS and major adverse limb event-free rates. The results of this study will be helpful for the future evaluation of critical limb ischemia therapy.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr
. Unique identifier: UMIN000002830.
G Protein–Coupled Estrogen Receptor Agonist Improves Cerebral Microvascular Function After Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury in Male and Female Rats
Authors: Murata Takahiro , Dietrich Hans H. , Xiang Chuanxi , Dacey Ralph G.
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—

Reduced risk and severity of stroke in adult females are thought to depend on normal levels of endogenous estrogen, which is a known neuro- and vasoprotective agent in experimental cerebral ischemia. Recently, a novel G protein–coupled estrogen receptor (GPER, formerly GPR30) has been identified and may mediate the vasomotor and -protective effects of estrogen. However, the signaling mechanisms associated with GPER in the cerebral microcirculation remain unclear. We investigated the mechanism of GPER-mediated vasoreactivity and also its vasoprotective effect after hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/RO) injury.

Methods—

Rat cerebral penetrating arterioles from both sexes were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized. Vessel diameters were recorded by computer-aided videomicroscopy. To investigate vasomotor mechanism of the GPER agonist (G-1), several inhibitors with or without endothelial impairment were tested. Ischemia/reperfusion injury was simulated using H/RO. Vasomotor responses to adenosine triphophate after H/RO were measured with or without G-1 and compared with controls.

Results—

G-1 produced a vasodilatory response, which was partially dependent on endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) but not arachidonic acid cascades and endothelial hyperpolarization factor. Attenuation of G-1-vasodilation by the NO synthase inhibitor and endothelium-impairment were greater in vessels from female than male animals. G-1 treatment after H/RO injury fully restored arteriolar dilation to adenosine triphophate compared with controls.

Conclusions—

GPER agonist elicited dilation, which was partially caused by endothelial NO pathway and induced by direct relaxation of smooth muscle cells. Further, GPER agonist restored vessel function of arterioles after H/RO injury and may play an important role in the ability of estrogen to protect the cerebrovasculature against ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Chronic Apraxia of Speech and Broca’s Area
Authors: Trupe Lydia A. , Varma Daniel D. , Gomez Yessenia , Race David , Leigh Richard , Hillis Argye E. , Gottesman Rebecca F.
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is an impairment of motor planning and programming of speech articulation and is often considered an important stroke syndrome, localizable to Broca’s area. However, an influential study raised doubts on this localization and reported that AOS is attributable to lesions of the anterior insula, based on an association between chronic AOS and anterior insula lesions. We hypothesized that chronic AOS is associated with large lesions (which include the insula) or lesions to Broca’s area.

Method—

We tested 34 participants with chronic left supratentorial stroke on an AOS battery and obtained concurrent magnetic resonance imaging. We evaluated associations between AOS and locations and volume of infarct.

Results—

The presence of chronic AOS (n=17) was associated with volume of infarct, but was also associated with infarct in Broca’s area (and several other regions, but not anterior insula) in both volume- and age-adjusted linear regression and the dichotomous analysis. Carotid dissection was more common, and cardioembolism less common, as a cause of stroke in patients with AOS compared with those without. Severity of AOS was also strongly associated with lesion volume.

Conclusions—

Persistence of AOS after 12 months is associated with large left hemispheric stroke and strokes that involve Broca’s area or other relatively anterior areas to which it is structurally or functionally connected. Patients with such lesions may benefit from early training in the use of technologies to support speech production and communication.
Association of Parental Stroke With Brain Injury and Cognitive Measures in Offspring
Authors: Weinstein Galit , Beiser Alexa S. , Au Rhoda , DeCarli Charles , Wolf Philip A. , Seshadri Sudha
Published: January 2013

Background and Purpose—

Parental stroke has been related to an increased risk of stroke in the offspring. This study examines whether parental stroke is also associated with increased vascular brain injury and poorer cognitive performance among offspring free of clinical stroke.

Methods—

Multivariable regression analyses were used to relate parental stroke to cross-sectional and change in brain magnetic resonance imaging measures and cognitive function among the offspring, with and without adjustment for vascular risk factors.

Results—

Stroke- and dementia-free Framingham Offspring (n=1297, age, 61±9 years, 54% women) were studied. Parental stroke by age 65 years was associated with a higher baseline white matter hyperintensity volume (β=0.17±0.08;
P
=0.027) and with lower visual memory performance (β= −0.80±0.34;
P
=0.017). During a 6-year follow-up, parental stroke was also associated with increase in white matter hyperintensity volume (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–3.38) and decline in executive function (Trails B–A; OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.06–3.09). The associations with white matter hyperintensity volume and visual memory attenuated after additional adjustment for concomitant vascular risk factors.

Conclusions—

Parental stroke by age 65 years is associated with increased vascular brain injury and lower memory in offspring equivalent to 3 and 7 years of brain aging, respectively. This may be partly attributed to inheritance of vascular risk factors.
The Functional Topography and Temporal Dynamics of Overlapping and Distinct Brain Activations for Adaptive Task Control and Stable Task-set Maintenance during Performance of an fMRI-adapted Clinical Continuous Performance Test
Authors: Olsen Alexander , Ferenc Brunner Jan , Evensen Kari Anne Indredavik , Garzon Benjamin , Landrø Nils Inge , Håberg Asta Kristine
Published: January 2013

Previous studies have demonstrated that stable and adaptive attention processes are mediated by partly overlapping, but distinct, brain areas. Dorsal medial PFC and anterior insula may form a “core network” for attention control, which is believed to operate on both temporal scales. However, both the existence of such a network as well as the unique functional topography for adaptive and stable attention processes is still highly debated. In this study, 87 healthy participants performed a clinical not-X continuous performance test optimized for use in a mixed block and event-related fMRI design. We observed overlapping activations related to stable and adaptive attention processes in dorsal medial PFC and anterior insula/adjacent cortex as well as in the right inferior parietal lobe and middle temporal gyrus. We also identified areas of activations uniquely related to stable and adaptive attention processes in widespread cortical, cerebellar, and subcortical areas. Interestingly, the functional topography within the PFC indicated a rostro-caudal distribution of adaptive, relative to stable, attention processes. There was also evidence for a time-on-task effect for activations related to stable, but not adaptive, attention processes. Our results provide further evidence for a “core network” for attention control that is accompanied by unique areas of activation involved in domain-specific processes operating on different temporal scales. In addition, our results give new insights into the functional topography of stable and adaptive attention processes and their temporal dynamics in the context of an extensively used clinical attention test.
Contextual Processing of Abstract Concepts Reveals Neural Representations of Nonlinguistic Semantic Content
Authors: Wilson-Mendenhall Christine D. , Simmons W. Kyle , Martin Alex , Barsalou Lawrence W.
Published: January 2013

Concepts develop for many aspects of experience, including abstract internal states and abstract social activities that do not refer to concrete entities in the world. The current study assessed the hypothesis that, like concrete concepts, distributed neural patterns of relevant nonlinguistic semantic content represent the meanings of abstract concepts. In a novel neuroimaging paradigm, participants processed two abstract concepts (convince, arithmetic) and two concrete concepts (rolling, red) deeply and repeatedly during a concept–scene matching task that grounded each concept in typical contexts. Using a catch trial design, neural activity associated with each concept word was separated from neural activity associated with subsequent visual scenes to assess activations underlying the detailed semantics of each concept. We predicted that brain regions underlying mentalizing and social cognition (e.g., medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal sulcus) would become active to represent semantic content central to convince, whereas brain regions underlying numerical cognition (e.g., bilateral intraparietal sulcus) would become active to represent semantic content central to arithmetic. The results supported these predictions, suggesting that the meanings of abstract concepts arise from distributed neural systems that represent concept-specific content.
Neural Responses to Ambiguity Involve Domain-general and Domain-specific Emotion Processing Systems
Authors: Neta Maital , Kelley William M. , Whalen Paul J.
Published: January 2013

Extant research has examined the process of decision making under uncertainty, specifically in situations of ambiguity. However, much of this work has been conducted in the context of semantic and low-level visual processing. An open question is whether ambiguity in social signals (e.g., emotional facial expressions) is processed similarly or whether a unique set of processors come on-line to resolve ambiguity in a social context. Our work has examined ambiguity using surprised facial expressions, as they have predicted both positive and negative outcomes in the past. Specifically, whereas some people tended to interpret surprise as negatively valenced, others tended toward a more positive interpretation. Here, we examined neural responses to social ambiguity using faces (surprise) and nonface emotional scenes (International Affective Picture System). Moreover, we examined whether these effects are specific to ambiguity resolution (i.e., judgments about the ambiguity) or whether similar effects would be demonstrated for incidental judgments (e.g., nonvalence judgments about ambiguously valenced stimuli). We found that a distinct task control (i.e., cingulo-opercular) network was more active when resolving ambiguity. We also found that activity in the ventral amygdala was greater to faces and scenes that were rated explicitly along the dimension of valence, consistent with findings that the ventral amygdala tracks valence. Taken together, there is a complex neural architecture that supports decision making in the presence of ambiguity: (a) a core set of cortical structures engaged for explicit ambiguity processing across stimulus boundaries and (b) other dedicated circuits for biologically relevant learning situations involving faces.
The Involvement of the Thalamus in Semantic Retrieval: A Clinical Group Study
Authors: Pergola Giulio , Bellebaum Christian , Gehlhaar Britta , Koch Benno , Schwarz Michael , Daum Irene , Suchan Boris
Published: January 2013

There is increasing attention about the role of the thalamus in high cognitive functions, including memory. Although the bulk of the evidence refers to episodic memory, it was recently proposed that the mediodorsal (MD) and the centromedian–parafascicular (CM–Pf) nuclei of the thalamus may process general operations supporting memory performance, not only episodic memory. This perspective agrees with other recent fMRI findings on semantic retrieval in healthy participants. It can therefore be hypothesized that lesions to the MD and the CM–Pf impair semantic retrieval. In this study, 10 patients with focal ischemic lesions in the medial thalamus and 10 healthy controls matched for age, education, and verbal IQ performed a verbal semantic retrieval task. Patients were assigned to a target clinical group and a control clinical group based on lesion localization. Patients did not suffer from aphasia and performed in the range of controls in a categorization and a semantic association task. However, target patients performed poorer than healthy controls on semantic retrieval. The deficit was not because of higher distractibility but of an increased rate of false recall and, in some patients, of a considerably increased rate of misses. The latter deficit yielded a striking difference between the target and the control clinical groups and is consistent with anomia. Follow-up high-resolution structural scanning session in a subsample of patients revealed that lesions in the CM–Pf and MD were primarily associated with semantic retrieval deficits. We conclude that integrity of the MD and the CM–Pf is required for semantic retrieval, possibly because of their role in the activation of phonological representations.
Age-dependent colonization of urban habitats: a diachronic approach using carabid beetles and spiders
Authors: Varet Marion , Burel Françoise , Lafage Denis , Pétillon Julien
Published: January 2013

Urbanization creates human disturbance that plays an important role in ecosystem dynamics. Most of the time, there is a time lag between disturbance and colonization. Opportunistic species with high dispersal power colonize first, while habitat specialist species with a lower power of dispersal colonize later; the communities change with time after disturbance. We hypothesize that, following the establishment of a new neighbourhood, arthropod communities will change from habitat generalists to specialists, and will be more similar to those of the adjacent countryside. We selected two groups of invertebrates often used as bioindicators, spiders and carabid beetles. The following parameters were estimated: assemblage composition, species richness, activity-density total and per life history trait (broad habitat preference). The field data were collected in 2010 within 3 towns located in France. Neighbourhoods of 10 and 30 years old were pair-matched in these towns and sampled using pitfall traps set randomly in hedgerows (120 traps in total). 2101 adult spiders belonging to 89 species were collected, whereas the 643 captured carabid beetles belonged to 24 species. We found no evidence of any significant change in carabid beetle and spider communities according to neighbourhood age. The assemblages were mainly composed of habitat generalist species. These results suggest that urban areas can be seen to be in continual state of disruption, and colonization of these areas is assumed to be relatively rapid (i.e., less than 10 years in our case study), although incomplete.
Toward a Methodist Communion Ecclesiology
Authors: Hunter Justus H.
Published: January 2013

The International Methodist-Catholic Dialogue Commission’s Seoul Report (2006) reflects an emerging Methodist communion ecclesiology arising from the Dialogue Commission. One benefit of such an ecclesiology to Methodism is considered: its potential for resolving tensions created by two competing ecclesiologies (Anglican and evangelical) internal to Methodism. Against Albert Outler’s proposal that the aforementioned tensions can be resolved by Methodism’s return to its original role as a movement within a church, as well as Russell Richey’s contention that contemporary Methodism holds the tensions in balance, a Methodist communion ecclesiology offers promising means to resolving the tensions by schematizing the two poles of Methodist ecclesiological tension according to communion. Critical questions are posed for developing distinctively Methodist communion ecclesiologies.
New brachypterous species of Dichotomius Hope, with taxonomic notes in the subgenus Luederwaldtinia Martínez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)
Authors: NUNES RAFAEL V. , VAZ-DE-MELLO FERNANDO Z.
Published: January 2013

An overview of the subgenus Dichotomius (Luederwaldtnia) and its species groups is presented with species groups proposed and a provisional identification key provided. Dichotomius (Luederwaldtnia) vidaurrei, a brachypterous new species from Bolivia, is described. Another brachypterous species, from Brazil, D. mysticus (Luederwaldt) is redescribed. Dichotomius paraguayanus Gandini & Aguilar is synonymized with Canthidium kelleri (Martínez, Halffter & Pereira). Some aspects of the evolution of flightlessness in Dichotomius are discussed.
A new species of the genus Scolopsis Cuvier, 1830 (Perciformes: Nemipteridae) from southern India and Sri Lanka
Authors: MISHRA S. S. , BISWAS SUDEEPTA , RUSSELL BARRY C. , SATPATHY K. K. , SELVANAYAGAM M.
Published: January 2013

Scolopsis igcarensis, a new species of monocle bream (family Nemipteridae) from the coastal waters of southern India and Sri Lanka is described. The species is distinguished from other species of the genus Scolopsis by a combination of the following characters: scales on top of head reaching forward to between anterior nostril and snout tip; lower margin of eye below the line from snout tip to upper pectoral fin base; a bony ridge below eye; a white band from behind eye to level of end of dorsal fin base.
Loop Current Growth and Eddy Shedding Using Models and Observations: Analyses of the July 2011 Eddy-Shedding Event*
Authors: Xu F.-H. , Chang Y.-L. , Oey L.-Y. , Hamilton P.
Published: January 2013

Recent studies suggest that as the trade wind in the Caribbean Sea weakens from summer to fall, conditions become more favorable for the Loop Current in the Gulf of Mexico to shed an anticyclonic ring. This idea originated with observations showing a preference for more eddies from summer through fall, and it was confirmed using multidecadal model experiments. Here, the hypothesis is further tested by studying the dynamics of a specific eddy-shedding event in summer 2011 using a model experiment initialized with observation-assimilated reanalysis and forced by reanalysis wind from NCEP. Eddy shedding in July 2011 is shown to follow the weakening of the trade wind and Yucatan transport in late June. The shedding time is significantly earlier than can be explained based on reduced-gravity Rossby wave dynamics. Altimetry and model data are analyzed to show that empirical orthogonal function modes 1 + 2 dominate the reduced-gravity process, while higher modes contain the coupling of the Loop Current with deep layer underneath. The Loop’s westward expansion at incipient shedding induces a deep cyclonic gyre in the eastern Gulf, embedded within which are small cyclones caused by the baroclinic instability of the strongly sheared current north of the Campeche Bank. The associated deep upwelling and upper-layer divergence from these cyclonic circulations accelerate eddy shedding.
Two Regimes of Laboratory Whitecap Foam Decay: Bubble-Plume Controlled and Surfactant Stabilized
Authors: Callaghan Adrian H. , Deane Grant B. , Stokes M. Dale
Published: January 2013

A laboratory experiment to quantify whitecap foam decay time in the presence or absence of surface active material is presented. The investigation was carried out in the glass seawater channel at the Hydraulics Facility of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Whitecaps were generated with focused, breaking wave packets in filtered seawater pumped from La Jolla Shores Beach with and without the addition of the surfactant Triton X-100. Concentrations of Triton X-100 (204 μg L−1) were chosen to correspond to ocean conditions of medium productivity. Whitecap foam and subsurface bubble-plume decay times were determined from digital images for a range of wave scales and wave slopes. The experiment showed that foam lifetime is variable and controlled by subsurface bubble-plume-degassing times, which are a function of wave scale and breaking wave slope. This is true whether or not surfactants are present. However, in the presence of surfactants, whitecap foam is stabilized and persists for roughly a factor of 3 times its clean seawater value. The range of foam decay times observed in the laboratory study lie within the range of values observed in an oceanic dataset obtained off Martha’s Vineyard in 2008.
Interaction of Ekman Layers and Islands
Authors: Spall Michael A. , Pedlosky Joseph
Published: January 2013

The circulation induced by the interaction of surface Ekman transport with an island is considered using both numerical models and linear theory. The basic response is similar to that found for the interaction of Ekman layers and an infinite boundary, namely downwelling (upwelling) in narrow boundary layers and deformation-scale baroclinic boundary layers with associated strong geostrophic flows. The presence of the island boundary, however, allows the pressure signal to propagate around the island so that the regions of upwelling and downwelling are dynamically connected. In the absence of stratification the island acts as an effective barrier to the Ekman transport. The presence of stratification supports baroclinic boundary currents that provide an advective pathway from one side of the island to the other. The resulting steady circulation is quite complex. Near the island, both geostrophic and ageostrophic velocity components are typically large. The density anomaly is maximum below the surface and, for positive wind stress, exhibits an anticyclonic phase rotation with depth (direction of Kelvin wave propagation) such that anomalously warm water can lie below regions of Ekman upwelling. The horizontal and vertical velocities exhibit similar phase changes with depth. The addition of a sloping bottom can act to shield the deep return flow from interacting with the island and providing mass transport into/out of the surface Ekman layer. In these cases, the required transport is provided by a pair of recirculation gyres that connect the narrow upwelling/downwelling boundary layers on the eastern and western sides of the island, thus directly connecting the Ekman transport across the island.
The Transition Tempo and Life Course Orientation of Young Adults in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Lang-Wen Wendy
Published: January 2013

This article investigates the transition tempo and life course orientation of Taiwanese young adults in their early 20s. The results indicate that Taiwanese young adults experience a prolonged transition tempo and delay their entry into adult roles. The rate of transitioning to family roles is low for young adults at this stage. There are significant gender differences in life course orientation toward marriage, parenthood, and employment, with young women having a clearer picture in mind than do young men. Age 30 appears to have become the new threshold when young adults schedule their marriage plans, with parenthood significantly later in life. Multivariate analyses suggest that young adults who hold more traditional attitudes about gender roles are more likely to start parenthood before age 30. However, when the tempo of education completion and initiation of employment is controlled for, the effect of gender role attitudes becomes nonsignificant.
Young Men in the Philippines
Authors: Alipio Cheryll
Published: January 2013

Young adults in the Philippines face a demographic and economic situation that, when coupled with cultural expectations, compels many to consider entry into the global labor force as part and parcel of their obligation to improve their family’s livelihood. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2006 and 2007 in Metro Manila and the province of Laguna, this study examines the partnership of an educational training center and a nongovernmental organization to provide services to young Filipinos transitioning to adulthood. Utilizing a cognitive map exercise given at an orientation seminar for young male migrants, the study charts their financial and family goals and traces not only the source of the intergenerational transfers of material and social assistance back to a set of cultural values but also reveals how their gendered behaviors and practices can effectively delay other markers of the transition to adulthood, such as courtship, marriage, and parenthood.
The Transition to Adulthood among Korean Youths
Authors: Park Hyunjoon
Published: January 2013

Using data on Korean youths aged 15–29, this study illustrates the processes through which Korean youths make transitions to adulthood along with their life course, focusing on four transition markers—school enrollment, labor force participation, marriage, and the establishment of an independent household. Distinguishing young people’s status in the productive and reproduction spheres, I consider the combination of study and work statuses to represent the productive sphere and the combination of marriage and household headship to represent the reproductive sphere. I examine how these statuses change with age, with an explicit focus on gender differences. The investigation reveals the significance of educational institutions for transitions to adulthood among Korean youths and also substantial gender differences in the transition process. I also investigate heterogeneity in these statuses of young people by looking at how parental education and occupation affect the transition statuses. Family background matters more for Korean women’s transition to adulthood than it does for Korean men’s.
Coming of Age in Times of Change
Authors: Yeung Wei-Jun Jean , Hu Shu
Published: January 2013

This article aims to (1) describe trends for Chinese young adults’ pathways into adulthood for birth cohorts that have experienced distinct historical events over the past half century and (2) examine factors that shape young adults’ transitioning behavior. We draw data from the 2005 to 2008 Chinese General Social Survey. In contrast to the increasingly protracted trend seen in many Western societies, the more recent Chinese cohorts transitioned to marriage and parenthood sooner than those who grew up during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The economic and education reforms since the late 1970s have greatly increased urban-rural disparity in youths’ life trajectories despite their generally positive impact on young adults’ educational attainment and economic well-being. While near-universal marriage and childbearing within marriage prevail and son preference remains strong in modern China, evidence suggests that today’s young Chinese are exploring new pathways to adulthood, including cohabitation and premarital sex.
The Changing Transitions to Adulthood across Southeast Asia
Authors: Nahar Quamrun , Xenos Peter , Abalos Jeofrey
Published: January 2013

Using data from the national censuses of five Southeast Asian countries, this article examines entropy-based measures of the heterogeneity in a set of five markers of the transition to adulthood. Our results suggest that the transition to adulthood is becoming increasingly complex over time in all five countries; complexity is greatest for females, and important cross-national differences in heterogeneity levels and timing persist when underlying patterns of economic transformation are considered. In light of these persistent cross-national differences, we suggest that our census-based analysis should be complemented with case studies of these countries that focus on cultural or institutional influences. Results related to the importance of schooling suggest that cross-national comparisons of educational institutions would be fruitful.
Youth, Gender, and the Workplace
Authors: Naafs Suzanne
Published: January 2013

Drawing on interviews and ethnographic research conducted between 2008 and 2010, this article examines how relatively educated Muslim youths navigate employment and family life in the context of an emerging globalized Muslim youth culture and economic restructuring in the industrial town of Cilegon, Indonesia. Specifically, the article explores the aspirations of young men and women for work and marriage and their ability to achieve locally valued forms of masculinity and femininity during their transitions to adulthood. It argues that aspirations and decisions about employment are informed by, and in turn contribute to, gendered and religious expectations about marriage and future family life.
Causality between terrorism and economic growth
Authors: Meierrieks Daniel , Gries Thomas
Published: January 2013

This article analyzes the causal relationship between terrorism and economic growth, running a series of tests for Granger non–causality with panel data for a maximum of 160 countries from 1970 to 2007. The authors find that the causal relationship between terrorism and growth is heterogeneous over time and across space. They argue that the temporal causal heterogeneity can be explained by shifting geographical and ideological patterns in terrorism associated with the end of the Cold War. Different causal mechanics across countries are ascribed to a variety of country–specific factors (the level of politico–economic development, a country’s cultural affiliation, the intensity and persistence of terrorist activity, and the level of political instability). These factors govern a country’s robustness to shocks from terrorism and the extent to which terrorism is motivated by economic factors. For the Cold War era, economic growth is found to have swayed terrorism for Latin American countries in intermediate development positions that were politically unstable and experienced strong terrorist activity. For the post–Cold War era, terrorism is found to be detrimental to growth for African and Islamic countries with low levels of political openness, high levels of political instability, and strong terrorist activity. The study’s findings help to better understand the conflicting evidence on the terrorism–economy nexus and to give more solid counter-terrorism advice.
Economic sanctions
Authors: Allen Susan Hannah , Lektzian David J
Published: January 2013

Economic sanctions have been referred to as a blunt instrument that the international community has often wielded without full consideration of the impact that these measures will have on the population of the targeted countries, particularly the weakest elements of society. Case studies of sanctions against Cuba, Iraq, and Yugoslavia have demonstrated the impact that sanctions can have on the availability of food, clean water, and medicine, causing many to conclude that all sanctions have extensive public health consequences. In this article, we examine the generalizability of these conclusions in a quantitative cross-national study of sanctions and their public health effects. Additionally, we compare these effects to those associated with both civil and interstate conflicts as critics have recently suggested that sanctions are not a humane alternative to armed warfare. We find that when sanctions have a large economic effect on the target they can have severe public health consequences. These consequences are substantively similar to those associated with major military conflicts. However, when sanctions have little or no economic effect on the target, they also have no substantive effect on public health. Building on recent work to explore the human consequences of war, this work also helps to demonstrate the importance of smart sanctions and humanitarian exemptions in sanctions policy.
The illiberal trading state
Authors: Snyder Quddus Z
Published: January 2013

Liberal systemic theory is built on the assumption that the system’s dominant configuration is a Kantian confederation of major powers. In addition to being a democratic cluster, the liberal core is also a capitalist club. This article pushes systemic and socialization theory forward by introducing the mechanism of economic competition as an important driver of socialization. The article develops a theory of system-level competition, arguing that it is a distinct and co-equal mechanism of socialization to the established mechanisms of persuasion, inducement, and coercion. The article proposes a three-staged model of socialization that explains how prominent rising powers such as Turkey, India, Brazil, and China are being socialized into the liberal system. At the first phase, competitive pressure, outsiders are led to orient themselves toward the core out of a fear of falling behind and a desire to access network benefits. At the second phase, rushing, outsiders behave in pro-norm ways and make significant concessions in order to gain inclusion in the core’s institutional complex. At the third phase, internalization, external norms become embedded in domestic legal institutional structures and a robust pro-norm domestic coalition emerges. The article uses the case of China to illustrate the model and lend it some initial empirical support in one hard case.
UN peace operations and protection of civilians
Authors: Hultman Lisa
Published: January 2013

Protection of civilians is now at the forefront of the responsibilities of the international community. There is a strong international norm that civilian populations should be protected from violence. But how committed is the United Nations to acting in line with this norm? I argue that the UN Security Council (UNSC) has an interest in demonstrating that it takes violence against civilians seriously. Through a broadened security agenda including human security, the legitimacy and the credibility of the UNSC hinges on its ability to act as a guarantor of civilian protection. As a consequence, the UN is more likely to deploy peace operations in conflicts where the warring parties target the civilian population. The argument is supported by a statistical examination of all internal armed conflicts in 1989–2006. The results show that the likelihood of a UN peace operation is higher in conflicts with high levels of violence against civilians, but this effect is mainly visible after 1999. This year marked a shift in the global security agenda and it was also when the UNSC first issued an explicit mandate to protect civilians. Conflicts with high levels of violence against civilians are also more likely to get operations with robust mandates. This suggests that the UNSC is not just paying lip service to the protection norm, but that it actually acts to implement it.
Evading Justice
Authors: Aharoni Eyal , Kiehl Kent A.
Published: January 2013

The “successful psychopath” is thought to evade scientific study because most forensic psychopathy research is limited to incarcerated—putatively unsuccessful—samples. By redefining criminal success as the proportion of past undetected crimes, the present study tested the hypothesis that psychopathic traits are associated with criminal success within an incarcerated sample ( N = 307). Psychopathy was assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised. Criminal history was assessed retrospectively for 24 violent and nonviolent crimes via self-report using a confidential semistructured interview. Controlling for social desirability score, greatest criminal success was associated with moderate to high psychopathy scores, particularly for violent crimes. At the trait level, antisocial lifestyle and behavioral psychopathic traits predicted increased criminal success, whereas affective psychopathic traits predicted decreased criminal success. These results suggest that criminal success can be meaningfully evaluated using an incarcerated sample and can inform models of psychopathy.