bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Prophylactic and Therapeutic Effects of Polylysine-Modified Ara h 2 DNA Vaccine in a Mouse Model of Peanut Allergy
Authors: Zhu Zhenlai , Yu Jinlei , Niu Yuan , Sun Shuhong , Liu Yufeng , Saxon Andrew , Zhang Ke , Li Wei
Published: January 2017

Background: The prevalence of food allergy has been increasing, but treatment is very limited. DNA vaccination has been recognized as a promising method for the treatment of allergic diseases; however, poor immunogenicity has hindered its application. Methods: BALB/c mice were intradermally injected with plasmid DNA encoding the peanut protein Ara h 2 (pAra h 2) or pAra h 2 pretreated with poly-L- lysine (PLL) before or after sensitization with Ara h 2 protein. Ara h 2-specific antibodies were measured by ELISA. CD207+ dendritic cells (DCs) and Treg cells in draining lymph nodes were analyzed by flow cytometry after DNA immunization, and cytokine production in splenocytes was also analyzed. Results: In the prophylactic study, pretreatment with pAra h 2 or PLL-pAra h 2 resulted in lower levels of Ara h 2-specific IgG1, IgG2a, and IgE after sensitization with Ara h 2 protein, and mice in the PLL-pAra h 2 group had a significantly lower level of antibodies than those in the pAra h 2 group. In the treatment study, intradermal injection with pAra h 2 or PLL-pAra h 2 after Ara h 2 protein sensitization significantly decreased the level of Ara h 2-specific antibodies, and PLL- pAra h 2 had stronger effects than pAra h 2. There were increased numbers of CD207+ DCs and Treg cells in the mice receiving intradermal injection with PLL-pAra h 2, and splenocytes from PLL-pAra h 2-treated mice secreted increased levels of IFN-γ and IL-10. Conclusions: Modification of pAra h 2 with PLL improved its prophylactic and therapeutic effects in peanut-allergic mice.
Functional Long-Term Outcome after Left- versus Right-Sided Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Beuscher Vanessa D. , Kuramatsu Joji B. , Gerner Stefan T. , Köhn Julia , Lücking Hannes , Kloska Stephan P. , Huttner Hagen B.
Published: January 2017

Background and Purpose: Hemispheric location might influence outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). INTERACT suggested higher short-term mortality in right hemispheric ICH, yet statistical imbalances were not addressed. This study aimed at determining the differences in long-term functional outcome in patients with right- vs. left-sided ICH with a priori-defined sub-analysis of lobar vs. deep bleedings. Methods: Data from a prospective hospital registry were analyzed including patients with ICH admitted between January 2006 and August 2014. Data were retrieved from institutional databases. Outcome was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score. Outcome measures (long-term mortality and functional outcome at 12 months) were correlated with ICH location and hemisphere, and the imbalances of baseline characteristics were addressed by propensity score matching. Results: A total of 831 patients with supratentorial ICH (429 left and 402 right) were analyzed. Regarding clinical baseline characteristics in the unadjusted overall cohort, there were differences in disfavor of right-sided ICH (antiplatelets: 25.2% in left ICH vs. 34.3% in right ICH; p < 0.01; previous ischemic stroke: 14.7% in left ICH vs. 19.7% in right ICH; p = 0.057; and presence/extent of intraventricular hemorrhage: 45.0% in left ICH vs. 53.0% in right ICH; p = 0.021; Graeb-score: 0 [0-4] in left ICH vs. 1 [0-5] in right ICH; p = 0.017). While there were no differences in mortality and in the proportion of patients with favorable vs. unfavorable outcome (mRS 0-3: 142/375 [37.9%] in left ICH vs. 117/362 [32.3%] in right ICH; p = 0.115), patients with left-sided ICH showed excellent outcome more frequently (mRS 0-1: 64/375 [17.1%] in left ICH vs. 43/362 [11.9%] in right ICH; p = 0.046) in the unadjusted analysis. After adjusting for confounding variables, a well-balanced group of patients (n = 360/hemisphere) was compared showing no differences in long-term functional outcome (mRS 0-3: 36.4% in left ICH vs. 33.9% in right ICH; p = 0.51). Sub-analyses of patients with deep vs. lobar ICH revealed also no differences in outcome measures (mRS 0-3: 53/151 [35.1%] in left deep ICH vs. 53/165 [32.1%] in right deep ICH; p = 0.58). Conclusion: Previously described differences in clinical end points among patients with left- vs. right-hemispheric ICH may be driven by different baseline characteristics rather than by functional deficits emerging from different hemispheric functions affected. After statistical corrections for confounding variables, there was no impact of hemispheric location on functional outcome after ICH.
Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Oral Immunotherapy for Hen's Egg Allergy in Children
Authors: Yanagida Noriyuki , Sato Sakura , Asaumi Tomoyuki , Nagakura Kenichi , Ogura Kiyotake , Ebisawa Motohiro
Published: January 2017

Background: The minimal dose for oral immunotherapy (OIT) tolerance is unknown. We investigated the efficacy and safety of low-dose OIT with 1/32 of the volume of a whole egg. Methods: Thirty-three children (aged ≥5 years) with egg allergies confirmed by oral food challenge against 1/32 of a heated whole egg (194 mg of egg protein) were enrolled. The OIT group ingested a scrambled egg once a day. The volume was gradually increased up to a maximum of 1/32 of a heated whole egg. Egg consumption was completely absent in the control group. Results: There were no significant differences in background between the OIT and control groups. Respectively, 71% (15/21) and 0% (0/12) of the patients in the OIT and control groups exhibited sustained unresponsiveness to 1/32 of a whole egg 2 weeks after stopping OIT after 12 months (p < 0.001); 33% (7/21) and 0% (0/12; p = 0.032), respectively, showed sustained unresponsiveness to 1/2 of a whole egg. Egg white- or ovomucoid-specific IgE levels in the OIT group were significantly lower than at baseline after 12 months. Egg white- or ovomucoid-specific IgG as well as IgG4 levels in the OIT group were significantly higher than baseline levels after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Adverse allergic reactions were rare, and most symptoms were mild. Conclusions: Low-dose OIT induced sustained unresponsiveness to 1/32 and 1/2 of a whole egg, with no severe symptoms. To improve food allergies, continuous intake of small amounts of these foods may be as effective as the consumption of larger quantities.
Enhanced Hyperthermic Responses to Lipopolysaccharide in Mice Exposed to Repeated Cold Stress
Authors: Miyamoto Tomoyoshi , Funakami Yoshinori , Kawashita Erika , Tomita Shiori , Nomura Ai , Sugimoto Nanako , Saeki Haruka , Miyazakia Takaya , Tsubota Maho , Ichida Seiji , Kawabata Atsufumi
Published: January 2017

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces hyperthermia accompanied by various other systemic inflammatory symptoms. The rodents exposed to repeated cold (RC) stress according to a specific schedule are useful as experimental models for autonomic imbalance or fibromyalgia. It is now proven that RC-stressed mice exhibit tolerance to LPS, we examined thermal responses to LPS challenge in RC-stressed mice by monitoring core temperature using the telemetry system. Systemic administration of LPS caused bimodal hyperthermic responses in RC-stressed and unstressed mice. The magnitude of the LPS-induced hyperthermia was greater in RC-stressed mice than in unstressed mice. The RC stress-induced enhancement of hyperthermic responses to LPS was abolished by pretreatment with diclofenac, which is a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor. LPS did not significantly increase COX-2 protein levels in the lung or hypothalamus of RC-stressed or unstressed mice. RC stress did not alter baseline serum corticosterone levels or their increases in response to LPS challenge. These results suggest that RC stress enhances the susceptibility of mice to LPS challenge, leading to greater prostanoid-dependent hyperthermia, which might contribute to tolerance to LPS in RC-stressed mice.
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis in the Superior Sagittal Sinus as a Rare Cause of a Paroxysmal Kinetic Tremor
Authors: Murao Kei , Arakawa Shuji , Furuta Yoshihiko , Shijo Masahiro , Ago Tetsuro , Kitazono Takanari
Published: January 2017

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has a broad spectrum of clinical presentation compared to arterial etiology. Seizure is one of the common symptoms and is more frequent than in other stroke types. Hence, transient neurological symptoms in CVT patients are usually due to epileptic seizures, while transient repetitive movement disorder is extremely rare except as a complication of epilepsy. We report a case of CVT in the superior sagittal sinus with a 1-year history of paroxysmal kinetic tremor without evident epilepsy.
Isolated Abducens Palsy as the First Presenting Sign of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Bet-Shlimon Sargon , Etienne Mill
Published: January 2017

While brain stem involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) is relatively common, isolated cranial nerve palsies are rare, especially when they represent the initial presenting sign of a new diagnosis of MS. This report describes a patient with no prior history of MS whose sole presenting sign was an isolated abducens palsy. An enhancing pontine lesion was found on MRI which correlated with his abducens palsy, and additional nonactive lesions on MRI led to a diagnosis of MS. This case demonstrates the importance of considering MS as part of the differential diagnosis of patients with isolated cranial nerve palsies.
Venous Air Embolism during Hysteroscopic Myomectomy: An Analysis of 7 Cases
Authors: Van Dijck Cédric , Rex Steffen , Verguts Jasper , Timmerman Dirk , Van de Velde Marc , Teunkens An
Published: January 2017

Venous air embolism (VAE) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of hysteroscopic myomectomy. The symptoms of VAE range from mild and clinically insignificant to complete cardiovascular collapse during surgery. Anesthesiologists and surgeons should be aware of the clinical characteristics and predisposing factors of this possible adverse event. This report analyzes 7 cases of VAE, which occurred at the University Hospitals Leuven, in patients undergoing hysteroscopic myomectomy from April 2009 to April 2011. Patient and myoma characteristics were compared to a control group of 27 patients who underwent uneventful hysteroscopic myomectomy during the same period of time. Analysis of baseline data including myoma size failed to identify predisposing factors. Clinical events in this series were classified according to their severity as minor (causing respiratory symptoms in 2 cases), moderate (accompanied by hemodynamic instability in 5 cases), or severe (requiring resuscitation in no cases). Case characteristics and therapeutic strategies in all cases were compared to reports from recent literature.
Pesquisas em design, gestão e tecnologia de têxtil e moda: 1º semestre de 2015
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Italiano Isabel Cristina , Marcicano João Paulo ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Ramos Júlia Baruque ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Held Maria Sílvia Barros de ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Sanches Regina Aparecida ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades
Published: January 2017

Este livro trata de pesquisas e metodologias de projeto para o design de moda.
Rhetorical Tools for Discovery and Amplification of Design Arguments
Authors: Halstrøm Per Liljenberg
Published: January 2017

Design processes and designed artifacts are perceived as instances of argumentation in this article. A design process is defined as a process of deliberation about what to do when seeking to design artifacts that aim to be persuasive about how we are to lead our lives. The intention of employing the argumentative perspective is to demonstrate how rhetorical theory, on discovery and amplification of arguments, may lend support to designers in two ways. One way is for the purpose of exploring abundant ways of designing design methods and processes. Another way is to support designers in discovering persuasive arguments about their choices.

The article provides examples of how such a rhetorical design process may be carried out in practice.
Design Without Borders: Ideologies, Realities, and Results
Authors: Skjerven Astrid
Published: January 2017

Design without Borders (DWB) was founded in Norway in 2001. As a child of the design, its ideological traditions has had strong impact on its aims and enterprises. However, its sphere of operation and financial conditions have been those of development aid. These facts have directed its work both ideologically and practically, and thereby also the results.

The idea of development aid goes back to the era of Colonialism. A sense of guilt towards what this conception has led to has rightfully been established. There has been little focus on the altruistic side of the idea of the idea. The ideological aim of the design community to contribute to a better human life, is also related to this idea.

The investigation consists of an analysis of DWB's ideological background and its achievements, seen at the backdrop of its origin in the ideas of development aid and its way of financing. Two of the projects are used as case studies and a comparative analysis in order to uncover effects and possible improvements. The article is an “insider view,” through which its history and two examples are reported.
Lay Designers: Grassroots Innovation for Appropriate Change
Authors: Campbell Angus Donald
Published: January 2017

Professional designers often disregard users’ design agency. Negating the power of “lay-designers,” thus, is arguably at the cost of the relevance of a final design to those whom are intended to use it. This is nowhere more evident than in so-called “developing” contexts where people have always been driven to design and innovate due to inequality, poverty, and unmet needs. Through an exploration of exceptional examples of grassroots innovation, this paper argues for expert designers to shift their gaze and align their skills to amplify the efforts of lay-designers, in order to result in more sustainable and appropriate change.
Developing Design Capability in Nonprofit Organizations
Authors: Nusem Erez , Wrigley Cara , Matthews Judy
Published: January 2017

This article presents findings from a two-year longitudinal action, research study exploring the challenges and outcomes of attempting to develop design capability in one of Australia's largest non-profit aged-care providers. The research identifies four distinct objectives for design utilization in practice, and suggests that existing approaches for design utilization overlook non-profit organizations that seek both economic and social viability. While the objectives of realizing economic and social outcomes are addressed in design literature, there is an absence of literature detailing how non-profit organizations could utilize design to realize these outcomes. This research, therefore, contributes the non-profit design ladder—a framework to assist non-profit organizations to further develop their utilization of design and foster design as an organizational capability.
Beyond Affordances: Closing the Generalization Gap Between Design and Cognitive Science
Authors: Flach John M. , Stappers Pieter Jan , Voorhorst Fred A.
Published: January 2017

As designers and cognitive scientists begin to explore human experience as a relation between people and products, there is a need for constructs that index relational properties (i.e., properties of a product that are dependent on properties of an actor). One such construct that has recently become popular with designers is affordance. Affordances, such as pass-through-able, depend on properties of both an object (e.g., width of an opening) and properties of an actor (e.g., girth or shoulder width). In this article, three relational constructs are suggested to reflect important properties of the coupling between humans and products: affording, specifying, and satisfying. Affording refers to constraints on the action coupling between actor and product. Specifying refers to constraints on the perceptual or informational coupling. Finally, satisfying refers to constraints on value (e.g., attractiveness or desirability). The case is made that each of these three constructs are critical to determining the quality of the experience of an agent with a product (e.g., the capacity for satisfying interactions).
Tropical–Extratropical Interactions Associated with East Asian Cold Air Outbreaks. Part I: Interannual Variability
Authors: Abdillah Muhammad Rais , Kanno Yuki , Iwasaki Toshiki
Published: January 2017

Interannual variability of winter-mean East Asian cold air outbreaks (CAOs) and its relationship with the tropical climate system during 56 boreal winters (DJF) are investigated. The magnitude of CAO is quantified as winter-mean equatorward cold airmass (CAM) flux below 280-K potential temperature across the 45°N latitude. EOF analysis shows that the interannual variation of East Asian CAOs is attributed mainly to the contributions from western and eastern CAOs. In particular, the western and eastern CAOs tend to be remotely forced by La Niña and El Niño events, respectively.

The western and eastern CAOs have distinct climate variability. The western CAO, which is enhanced under the climatic anomalies of high pressure over northern Eurasia and low pressure over the western North Pacific, causes negative CAM anomalies over northern Eurasia and positive ones over midlatitude East Asia. In the tropical region, the western CAO negatively correlates with the eastern Pacific and Indian Ocean SST, both of which enhance precipitation over the Maritime Continent. On the other hand, the eastern CAO is enhanced by the strong Aleutian low and results in positive CAM anomalies in the western North Pacific and substantial negative anomalies in western North America. The eastern CAO positively correlates with the tropical SST anomalies and accordingly precipitation anomalies over the central Pacific. ENSO influences western and eastern CAOs through upper and poleward Rossby wave trains excited by convective anomalies over the Maritime Continent and central Pacific, respectively.
Baroclinic Effects on Wind-Driven Lateral Circulation in Chesapeake Bay
Authors: Xie Xiaohui , Li Ming , Boicourt William C.
Published: January 2017

The 2-month-long mooring data were collected in a straight midsection of Chesapeake Bay to document the lateral circulation driven by along-channel winds. Under upestuary winds, the lateral circulation featured a clockwise (looking into estuary) circulation in the surface layer, with lateral Ekman forcing as the dominant generation mechanism. Under downestuary winds, however, the lateral circulation displayed a structure dependent on the Wedderburn number W: a counterclockwise circulation at small W and two counterrotating vortices at large W. The surface lateral velocity was phase locked to the along-channel wind speed. Analysis of the streamwise vorticity equation showed that the strength and structure of the lateral circulation in this stratified estuary were largely determined by the competition between the tilting of planetary vorticity by along-channel currents and lateral baroclinic forcing due to sloping isopycnals. Under strong, downestuary winds, the lateral baroclinic forcing offset or reversed the tilting of planetary vorticity on the western half of the estuarine channel, resulting in two counterrotating lateral circulation cells. A bottom lateral flow was observed in the deep channel and appeared to be generated by lateral Ekman forcing on the along-channel currents.
An Empirical Cumulative Density Function Approach to Defining Summary NWP Forecast Assessment Metrics
Authors: Hoffman Ross N. , Boukabara Sid-Ahmed , Kumar V. Krishna , Garrett Kevin , Casey Sean P. F. , Atlas Robert
Published: January 2017

The empirical cumulative density function (ECDF) approach can be used to combine multiple, diverse assessment metrics into summary assessment metrics (SAMs) to analyze the results of impact experiments and preoperational implementation testing with numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. The main advantages of the ECDF approach are that it is amenable to statistical significance testing and produces results that are easy to interpret because the SAMs for various subsets tend to vary smoothly and in a consistent manner. In addition, the ECDF approach can be applied in various contexts thanks to the flexibility allowed in the definition of the reference sample.

The interpretations of the examples presented here of the impact of potential future data gaps are consistent with previously reported conclusions. An interesting finding is that the impact of observations decreases with increasing forecast time. This is interpreted as being caused by the masking effect of NWP model errors increasing to become the dominant source of forecast error.
Clonal evolution leading to ibrutinib resistance in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Ahn Inhye E. , Underbayev Chingiz , Albitar Adam , Herman Sarah E. M. , Tian Xin , Maric Irina , Arthur Diane C. , Wake Laura , Pittaluga Stefania , Yuan Constance M. , Stetler-Stevenson Maryalice , Soto Susan , Valdez Janet , Nierman Pia , Lotter Jennifer , Xi Liqiang , Raffeld Mark , Farooqui Mohammed , Albitar Maher , Wiestner Adrian
Published: January 2017

Key Points

Most cases of ibrutinib-resistant CLL were due to mutations in BTK and/or PLCG2 and often composed of multiple independent subclones. High sensitivity testing identified resistance mutations up to 15 months before manifestation of clinical progression.
Polyphosphate nanoparticles on the platelet surface trigger contact system activation
Authors: Verhoef Johan J. F. , Barendrecht Arjan D. , Nickel Katrin F. , Dijkxhoorn Kim , Kenne Ellinor , Labberton Linda , McCarty Owen J. T. , Schiffelers Raymond , Heijnen Harry F. , Hendrickx Antoni P. , Schellekens Huub , Fens Marcel H. , de Maat Steven , Renné Thomas , Maas Coen
Published: January 2017

Key Points

Activated platelets expose insoluble membrane-associated polyphosphate nanoparticles that are complexed with divalent metal ions. Platelet polyphosphate nanoparticles, but not soluble polyphosphate polymers, activate the contact system.
Risk of venous thromboembolism in pregnant women with essential thrombocythemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Skeith Leslie , Carrier Marc , Robinson Susan E. , Alimam Samah , Rodger Marc A.
Published: January 2017

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pregnant women with essential thrombocythemia. Twenty-one trials and 756 pregnancies met inclusion criteria. The absolute VTE risk in the antepartum period is not above a threshold where low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) prophylaxis is clearly indicated or below a threshold where LMWH should be withheld (2.5%; 95% CI, 1.3-4.3). Postpartum, the absolute VTE risk is above a threshold where postpartum LMWH prophylaxis should be considered (4.4%; 95% CI, 1.2-9.5).
Mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells with the novel CXCR4 antagonist POL6326 (balixafortide) in healthy volunteers—results of a dose escalation trial
Authors: Karpova Darja , Bräuninger Susanne , Wiercinska Eliza , Krämer Ariane , Stock Belinda , Graff Jochen , Martin Hans , Wach Achim , Escot Christophe , Douglas Garry , Romagnoli Barbara , Chevalier Eric , Dembowski Klaus , Hooftman Leon , Bonig Halvard
Published: January 2017

Background

Certain disadvantages of the standard hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) mobilizing agent G-CSF fuel the quest for alternatives. We herein report results of a Phase I dose escalation trial comparing mobilization with a peptidic CXCR4 antagonist POL6326 (balixafortide) vs. G-CSF.

Methods

Healthy male volunteer donors with a documented average mobilization response to G-CSF received, following ≥6 weeks wash-out, a 1–2 h infusion of 500–2500 µg/kg of balixafortide. Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were assessed.

Results

Balixafortide was well tolerated and rated favorably over G-CSF by subjects. At all doses tested balixafortide mobilized HSPC. In the dose range between 1500 and 2500 µg/kg mobilization was similar, reaching 38.2 ± 2.8 CD34 + cells/µL (mean ± SEM). Balixafortide caused mixed leukocytosis in the mid-20 K/µL range. B-lymphocytosis was more pronounced, whereas neutrophilia and monocytosis were markedly less accentuated with balixafortide compared to G-CSF. At the 24 h time point, leukocytes had largely normalized.

Conclusions

Balixafortide is safe, well tolerated, and induces efficient mobilization of HSPCs in healthy male volunteers. Based on experience with current apheresis technology, the observed mobilization at doses ≥1500 µg/kg of balixafortide is predicted to yield in a single apheresis a standard dose of 4× 10E6 CD34+ cells/kg from most individuals donating for an approximately weight-matched recipient. Exploration of alternative dosing regimens may provide even higher mobilization responses.

Trial Registration European Medicines Agency (EudraCT-Nr. 2011-003316-23) and clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01841476)
Some extensions of the Meir-Keeler theorem
Authors: Pasicki Lech
Published: January 2017

Meir and Keeler formulated their fixed point theorem for contractive mappings with purely metric condition. This idea was extended by numerous mathematicians. In this paper, we present a simple method of proving such theorems and give new results.
A current perspective on cancer immune therapy: step‐by‐step approach to constructing the magic bullet
Authors: D’Errico Gabriele , Machado Heather L. , Sainz Bruno
Published: January 2017

Immunotherapy is the new trend in cancer treatment due to the selectivity, long lasting effects, and demonstrated improved overall survival and tolerance, when compared to patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. Despite these positive results, immunotherapy is still far from becoming the perfect magic bullet to fight cancer, largely due to the facts that immunotherapy is not effective in all patients nor in all cancer types. How and when will immunotherapy overcome these hurdles? In this review we take a step back to walk side by side with the pioneers of immunotherapy in order to understand what steps need to be taken today to make immunotherapy effective across all cancers. While early scientists, such as Coley, elicited an unselective but effective response against cancer, the search for selectivity pushed immunotherapy to the side in favor of drugs focused on targeting cancer cells. Fortunately, the modern era would revive the importance of the immune system in battling cancer by releasing the brakes or checkpoints (anti‐CTLA‐4 and anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1) that have been holding the immune system at bay. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome before immunotherapy becomes a universal cancer therapy. For example, we discuss how the redundant and complex nature of the immune system can impede tumor elimination by teeter tottering between different polarization states: one eliciting anti‐cancer effects while the other promoting cancer growth and invasion. In addition, we highlight the incapacity of the immune system to choose between a fight or repair action with respect to tumor growth. Finally we combine these concepts to present a new way to think about the immune system and immune tolerance, by introducing two new metaphors, the “push the accelerator” and “repair the car” metaphors, to explain the current limitations associated with cancer immunotherapy.
A systematic approach to cancer: evolution beyond selection
Authors: Miller William B. , Torday John S.
Published: January 2017

Cancer is typically scrutinized as a pathological process characterized by chromosomal aberrations and clonal expansion subject to stochastic Darwinian selection within adaptive cellular ecosystems. Cognition based evolution is suggested as an alternative approach to cancer development and progression in which neoplastic cells of differing karyotypes and cellular lineages are assessed as self‐referential agencies with purposive participation within tissue microenvironments. As distinct self‐aware entities, neoplastic cells occupy unique participant/observer status within tissue ecologies. In consequence, neoplastic proliferation by clonal lineages is enhanced by the advantaged utilization of ecological resources through flexible re‐connection with progenitor evolutionary stages.
Nutritional management for Alzheimer’s disease in all stages: mild, moderate, and severe
Authors: Pivi Glaucia Akiko Kamikado , Vieira Neusa Maria de Andrade , da Ponte Jaqueline Botelho , de Moraes Débora Santos Coca , Bertolucci Paulo Henrique Ferreira
Published: January 2017

Alzheimer’s disease corresponds to 50–70% of all dementia syndromes, classified as a progressive neurodegenerative disease showing diffuse cortical atrophy with three stages of evolution: mild, moderate, and severe. Behavioral symptoms and memory loss are major manifestations of the disease. Non-pharmacological interventions are essential to improve the quality of life of these patients. Interdisciplinary assistance is essential throughout the disease course. Regarding nutrition for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, weight loss and behavioral changes related to food are major objects of scientific study, as they trigger deterioration of the quality of life of patients and caregivers. Knowing which nutritional guidelines should be used helps in clinical decisions. The study of nutrition in dementia is, therefore, critical for patient management.
Exploration geophysics—today and tomorrow
Authors: Dobrin M. B.
Published: January 2017

The four northernmost local sections of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists welcome you to our conference on the theme, “Exploration Geophysics-Today and Tomorrow.” This conference has been set up as a regional meeting of the SEG but it is quite different, in a number of ways, from other regional meetings that the Society has sponsored. Each of the papers you will hear today is devoted to a selected aspect of a central theme. The authors of these papers have been invited to participate in our program because of their universally recognized competence in the fields they are to discuss. We are greatly indebted to these distinguished speakers for having accepted our invitations.
Geonomics
Authors: McLarty D. M. E.
Published: January 2017

In the United States exploration is slowly but certainly committing economic suicide. Let us look at the situation. First, despite moderate annual production in-creases and decreasing exploration activity, surplus crude oil producing capacity remains between 2.5 and 3 million barrels per day. In Canada, a similar situation exists. No relief can be expected in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the prudent oil man cannot con-skier in his planning any increase in the price of crude. Secondly, since 1941 the cost of finding oil in the United less ‘loaded.’ The fact that the reaction turned out to be so strong confirmed our belief that the topic for our conference is indeed a controversial one and that there would be many basic issues to be clarified.
Economics of geophysics in oil exploration
Authors: Lyons Paul L.
Published: January 2017

This paper sets forth data on the finding rate for oil and gas by use of geophysics, from available statistics. The data indicate that a leveling off of costs and successes has developed which moves back indefinitely the day when application of geophysics to the oil industry will no longer be economic. More than ever before, the pronounced improvements in techniques make geophysics more effective in delineating intricate structural features and stratigraphic traps for oil and gas. The horizons are still vast for geophysics.
Feast or famine in the oil and gas producing industry
Authors: Link Theodore A.
Published: January 2017

In the February 20th issue of Oilweek there is an editorial beginning with the following sentence: “The year 1961 will provide a new buoyancy for the ailing Canadian oil and gas industry, but we are not likely to see a return to the boom conditions of the fabulous fifties. The soaring sixties will he more sombre than soaring.”
Statistics on employment of exploration geophysicists
Authors: Campbell Colin
Published: January 2017

At the request of Dr. Milton B. Dobrin, President of the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists, an employment survey of the members of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists was made in December, 1960. It was authorized by the SEG Executive Committee, who instructed me to report.
The effect of the present slump on geophysical education
Authors: Hollister John C.
Published: January 2017

The other day one of our boys, a sophomore whom I didn't know, came in to talk about his choice of a major. He said that he had been considering geophysics but had heard that jobs were growing scarce. I said, “They are, but not for a good man!” and went on, “if you like math and physics and the outdoors, you will have no trouble in getting and holding a satisfying job. It may or may not be in petroleum exploration, but there are many other areas of the earth sciences where young men of imagination are also needed.”
Integration of depositional, petrophysical, and petrographic facies for predicting permeability in tight gas reservoirs
Authors: Merletti German D. , Spain David R. , Melick Jesse , Armitage Peter , Hamman Jeffry , Shabro Vahid , Gramin Pavel
Published: January 2017

Understanding the linkages between grain mineralogy and diagenetic and sedimentary processes enhances the reliability of petrophysical models to predict reservoir deliverability from permeability. Petrographic data within well-defined depositional facies reveal the diagenetic evolution of porosity-permeability relationships. Formation evaluation methods relying solely on petrophysical rock typing are seriously limited when predicting ultimate reservoir performance in complex pore structures. The Almond Formation, Wyoming, is characterized by three depositional facies associations — shoreface, deltaic (bay head and flood tide), and fluvial-coastal plain — which present three distinctive porosity-permeability trends. Textural features resulting from depositional processes, such as grain size and sorting, vary little between facies associations, yet permeability can vary by up to four orders of magnitude for the same porosity value. Differences between petrophysical facies are primarily driven by diagenetic (cementation and grain dissolution) effects on different framework grain compositions (petrographic facies). Therefore, the main difference between the facies associations is diagenetic, due to provenance and transport mechanisms. The characterization of depositional and diagenetic controls on pore geometry allows the narrowing of uncertainty in absolute permeability prediction. We have quantified the relationship between depositional facies, with their specific mineral composition and diagenetic overprint, and the steepness functions in porosity-permeability space. This analysis allowed us to effectively reduce the uncertainty in the prediction of initial gas production from wireline logs.
Engagement and outcomes for a computerised cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention for anxiety and depression in African Americans
Authors: Jonassaint Charles R. , Gibbs Patrice , Belnap Bea Herbeck , Karp Jordan F. , Abebe Kaleab Z. , Rollman Bruce L.
Published: January 2017

Background

Computerised cognitive-behavioural therapy (CCBT) helps improve mental health outcomes in White populations. However, no studies have examined whether CCBT is acceptable and beneficial for African Americans.

Aims

We studied differences in CCBT use and self-reported change in depression and anxiety symptoms among 91 African Americans and 499 White primary care patients aged 18–75, enrolled in a randomised clinical trial of collaborative care embedded with an online treatment for depression and anxiety.

Method

Patients with moderate levels of mood and/or anxiety symptoms (PHQ-9 or GAD-7≥10) were randomised to receive either care-manager-guided access to the proven-effective Beating the Blues® CCBT programme or usual care from their primary care doctor.

Results

Compared with White participants, African Americans were less likely to start the CCBT programme (P=0.01), and those who did completed fewer sessions and were less likely to complete the full programme (P=0.03). Despite lower engagement, however, African Americans who started the CCBT programme experienced a greater decrease in self-reported depressive symptoms (estimated 8-session change: −6.6 v. −5.5; P=0.06) and similar decrease in anxiety symptoms (−5.3 v. −5.6; P=0.80) compared with White participants.

Conclusions

CCBT may be an efficient and scalable first-step to improving minority mental health and reducing disparities in access to evidence-based healthcare.
Unlocking The Cabinet of Love: Rochester, Reputation, and the Eighteenth-Century Miscellany
Authors: van Hensbergen Claudine
Published: January 2017

The Works of the Earls of Rochester and Roscommon was one of the most popular poetic miscellanies of the eighteenth century, with more than twenty editions published. Rochester's verse filled the entire first volume, a prominence that proclaimed his importance as the foremost court poet of the Restoration. The Rochester the volume presented—as well as the poems it attributed to him—evolved across the early editions of The Works, and it was in the hands of the notorious bookseller Edmund Curll that its vision of Rochester took its most influential turn. Inserting a collection of pornographic poems at the close of the second volume under the title The Cabinet of Love, Curll subtly created a false association between Rochester and its content. Providing a bibliographical analysis of The Works, this essay traces the shifting ways in which Rochester and his poems were presented to readers of this enduringly popular miscellany before considering what the inclusion of its pornographic “cabinet” reveals about Rochester's complicated reception history.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: New Insights from the Digital Miscellanies Index
Authors: Lawton-Trask Kathleen
Published: January 2017

A sometime friend, sometime adversary of Alexander Pope, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu largely resisted publication, sharing her work privately and denying authorship of some of her poems that made their way into print. Nevertheless, today she is considered a prominent literary figure of the first half of the century. Tracing Lady Mary's publication in miscellanies over the course of the eighteenth century offers the opportunity to compare a poet's current reputation with her reputation among her peers. This article follows the miscellany publication of some of Lady Mary's poems, focusing on poems that were misattributed to her. Lady Mary stands as an example of an author who was vigorously engaged with defending and promoting her literary reputation, sometimes manipulating the manuscript/print gap for her own ends, but sometimes falling victim to unscrupulous or ignorant editors. Thirty-three of Lady Mary's poems appear in the Digital Miscellanies Index (DMI), and she is a dedicatee of four miscellanies. Three further poems are misattributed to her, according to the DMI, and it is those poems that offer interesting insights into her public reputation and her reasons for avoiding print. For a poet who avoided print so assiduously, every erroneous attribution is significant; these poems offer a picture of who she was to her contemporaries, and reveal the risks that appearing in print represented to women.
“I Know Not Who Was the Author”: Disputed Authorship in the Digital Miscellanies Index
Authors: Batt Jennifer
Published: January 2017

As records in the Digital Miscellanies Index (DMI) reveal, verse in miscellanies was printed without attribution or was attributed via descriptive epithets, pseudonyms, or partial indications of a poet's name at least as often as it was printed with a clear and unambiguous identification of an author. Any reader who wished to identify which works in a miscellany had been written by a particular poet often faced considerable difficulties. This article focuses on a small but significant group of poems that challenged miscellany readers interested in knowing whose works they were reading: those poems, the authorship of which was (or appeared to be) disputed. This article considers how, through accident or design, misattributions entered into and persisted in the printed record. Each case of disputed authorship provides insight into the reception history of the poem under discussion, as well as into the contribution that miscellanies made to the shaping of authorial reputations.
The Digital Miscellanies Index and the Canon
Authors: Rounce Adam
Published: January 2017

This article looks at the reception of a number of seventeenth-century poets in the eighteenth century, using the materials in the Digital Miscellanies Index (DMI). It considers whether the existing reception narrative of the relative neglect of John Donne and George Herbert during the century is borne out by the evidence, and also looks at the ways in which the posthumous careers of Abraham Cowley and Sir Richard Blackmore are affected by posterity, according to the patterns of their reprinting in miscellany culture.
Understanding development and stem cells using single cell-based analyses of gene expression
Authors: Kumar Pavithra , Tan Yuqi , Cahan Patrick
Published: January 2017

In recent years, genome-wide profiling approaches have begun to uncover the molecular programs that drive developmental processes. In particular, technical advances that enable genome-wide profiling of thousands of individual cells have provided the tantalizing prospect of cataloging cell type diversity and developmental dynamics in a quantitative and comprehensive manner. Here, we review how single-cell RNA sequencing has provided key insights into mammalian developmental and stem cell biology, emphasizing the analytical approaches that are specific to studying gene expression in single cells.
PDGFRα controls the balance of stromal and adipogenic cells during adipose tissue organogenesis
Authors: Sun Chengyi , Berry William L. , Olson Lorin E.
Published: January 2017

Adipose tissue is distributed in depots throughout the body with specialized roles in energy storage and thermogenesis. PDGFRα is a marker of adipocyte precursors, and increased PDGFRα activity causes adipose tissue fibrosis in adult mice. However, the function of PDGFRα during adipose tissue organogenesis is unknown. Here, by analyzing mice with juxtamembrane or kinase domain point mutations that increase PDGFRα activity (V561D or D842V), we found that PDGFRα activation inhibits embryonic white adipose tissue organogenesis in a tissue-autonomous manner. By lineage tracing analysis, we also found that collagen-expressing precursor fibroblasts differentiate into white adipocytes in the embryo. PDGFRα inhibited the formation of adipocytes from these precursors while favoring the formation of stromal fibroblasts. This imbalance between adipocytes and stromal cells was accompanied by overexpression of the cell fate regulator Zfp521. PDGFRα activation also inhibited the formation of juvenile beige adipocytes in the inguinal fat pad. Our data highlight the importance of balancing stromal versus adipogenic cell expansion during white adipose tissue development, with PDGFRα activity coordinating this crucial process in the embryo.
Rewiring of embryonic glucose metabolism via suppression of PFK-1 and aldolase during mouse chorioallantoic branching
Authors: Miyazawa Hidenobu , Yamaguchi Yoshifumi , Sugiura Yuki , Honda Kurara , Kondo Koki , Matsuda Fumio , Yamamoto Takehiro , Suematsu Makoto , Miura Masayuki
Published: January 2017

Adapting the energy metabolism state to changing bioenergetic demands is essential for mammalian development accompanying massive cell proliferation and cell differentiation. However, it remains unclear how developing embryos meet the changing bioenergetic demands during the chorioallantoic branching (CB) stage, when the maternal-fetal exchange of gases and nutrients is promoted. In this study, using metabolome analysis with mass-labeled glucose, we found that developing embryos redirected glucose carbon flow into the pentose phosphate pathway via suppression of the key glycolytic enzymes PFK-1 and aldolase during CB. Concomitantly, embryos exhibited an increase in lactate pool size and in the fractional contribution of glycolysis to lactate biosynthesis. Imaging mass spectrometry visualized lactate-rich tissues, such as the dorsal or posterior neural tube, somites and head mesenchyme. Furthermore, we found that the heterochronic gene Lin28a could act as a regulator of the metabolic changes observed during CB. Perturbation of glucose metabolism rewiring by suppressing Lin28a downregulation resulted in perinatal lethality. Thus, our work demonstrates that developing embryos rewire glucose metabolism following CB for normal development.
From stem cells to human development: a distinctly human perspective on early embryology, cellular differentiation and translational research
Authors: Craft April M. , Johnson Matthew
Published: January 2017

Over 100 scientists with common interests in human development, disease and regeneration gathered in late September 2016 for The Company of Biologists' second ‘From Stem Cells to Human Development’ meeting held in historic Southbridge. In this Meeting Review, we highlight some of the exciting new findings that were presented, and discuss emerging themes and convergences in human development and disease that arose during these discussions.
Hepatobiliary Ultrasonographic Abnormalities in Adult Patients with Sickle Cell Anaemia in Steady State in Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Authors: Oguntoye Oluwatosin O. , Ndububa Dennis A. , Yusuf Musah , Bolarinwa Rahman A. , Ayoola Oluwagbemiga O.
Published: January 2017

Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is associated with structural manifestations in the hepatobiliary axis. This study aimed to investigate the hepatobiliary ultrasonographic abnormalities in adult patients with sickle cell anaemia in steady state attending the Haematology clinic of a federal tertiary health institution in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Material/Methods: Basic demographic data as well as right upper abdominal quadrant ultrasonography of 50 consecutive sickle cell anaemia patients were compared with those of 50 age- and sex-matched subjects with HbAA as controls.

Results: Each of the study groups (patients and controls) comprised of 21 (42%) males and 29 (58%) females. The age range of the patients was 18–45 years with a mean (±SD) of 27.6±7.607 years, while that of the controls was 21–43 years with a mean (±SD) of 28.0±5.079 years (p=0.746). Amongst the patients, 32 (64%) had hepatomegaly, 15 (30%) cholelithiasis and 3 (6%) biliary sludge. Fourteen (28%) of the patients had normal hepatobiliary ultrasound findings. In the control group, one (2%) person had cholelithiasis, one (2%) biliary sludge, one (2%) fatty liver and none hepatomegaly. Forty-seven (94%) of the controls had normal hepatobiliary ultrasound findings. There was a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of hepatomegaly and cholelithiasis between the patients and controls (p value <0.001 for both comparisons).

Conclusions: In this study, hepatomegaly, cholelithiasis and biliary sludge were the most common hepatobiliary ultrasound findings in patients with sickle cell anaemia. Ultrasonography is a useful tool for assessing hepatobiliary abnormalities in patients with sickle cell anaemia.