bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of α1-antitrypsin as a potential prognostic biomarker for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer treated with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors by proteomic analysis
Authors: Zhao Wei , Yang Zhen , Liu Xingchen , Tian Qing , Lv Yongzhuang , Liang Yuan , Li Chunsun , Gao Xiaofang , Chen Liangan
Published: April 2013

Objective

This retrospective study attempted to identify serum biomarkers that could help to indicate treatment response in advanced nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients receiving epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment.

Methods

Two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used to identify proteins expressed in serum samples from NSCLC patients with long (>6-month) progression-free survival (PFS) periods, following EGFR-TKI treatment.

Results

Serum amyloid P component (APCS), α1-antitrypsin (AAT), fibrinogen-α (FGA), keratin type I cytoskeletal 10 (KRT10) and serotransferrin (TF) expression differed between samples taken from 18 patients before treatment (baseline) and when progressive disease (PD) was observed, during treatment. Changes in AAT, KRT10 and APCS levels were validated by Western blot analysis in the sample pool; findings were further validated by Western blot analysis in a random sample of four patients. These proteins were also present in serum samples obtained from the same patients at the partial response (PR) timepoint during EGFR-TKI treatment. AAT was upregulated at PD compared with baseline, but downregulated during the PR phase.

Conclusion

These observations suggest that AAT could be used as a serological biomarker for predicting the utility of EGFR-TKI treatment for advanced NSCLC.
Contact behaviour of children and parental employment behaviour during school closures against the pandemic influenza A (H1N1-2009) in Japan
Authors: Mizumoto Kenji , Yamamoto Taro , Nishiura Hiroshi
Published: April 2013

Objectives

To identify epidemiological determinants of the contact behaviour of children and their impact on parental employment, during school closures that took place over the course of the 2009 pandemic influenza (H1N1-2009) in Japan.

Methods

A retrospective survey was conducted in Japanese households between October 2009 and May 2010 by administration of a standardized questionnaire. Demographic and behavioural variables were explored, in association with the frequency with which children left the home and the risk of parents being absent from work during school closures.

Results

Data from 882 eligible households were analysed. A total of 181/882 (20.5%) of households reported that children left the home for nonessential reasons during school closures. No impact on parental working hours was reported by 742/882 (84.1%) of households. Univariate analyses showed that the frequency with which children left the home was dependent on age, extent of school closure and requirement for special childcare arrangements.

Conclusions

A greater understanding of age-dependent behaviours, during school closures as a consequence of a pandemic, is required. Consideration of a public policy to permit a paid leave of absence from work for parents during school closures may be beneficial; the cost-effectiveness of such a measure should be assessed in future.
Common Anorectal Disorders for the Intensive Care Physician
Authors: Bach Harold H. , Wang Norby , Eberhardt Joshua M.
Published: April 2013

Although anorectal disorders such as abscess, fissure, and hemorrhoids are typically outpatient problems, they also occur in the critically ill patient population, where their presentation and management are more difficult. This article will provide a brief review of anorectal anatomy, explain the proper anorectal examination, and discuss the current understanding and treatment concepts with regard to the most common anorectal disorders that the intensive care unit clinician is likely to face.
Executive Remuneration in the United Kingdom
Authors: Farmer Mark , Brown Duncan , Reilly Peter , Bevan Stephen
Published: April 2013

Despite substantial corporate governance and regulatory reform on both sides of the Atlantic, which started over two decades ago, executive pay remains an unresolved problem. Twenty years since the publication of the groundbreaking Cadbury Report, criticism of executive pay is more severe than ever before in the United Kingdom. The relationship between pay and performance is still highly questionable, and executive remuneration continues to vastly exceed and outpace average employee pay. In this article, we discuss and evaluate the U.K. coalition government’s attempts to influence practice, through the Hutton Review of Fair Pay and the latest revised U.K. remuneration reporting regulations. Although we welcome these changes, it is our view that regulation can only go so far in addressing executive pay and in creating a wider perception of fairness. Ultimately, individual remuneration committees must focus far more on managing internal relativities rather than on the external executive pay market, which as well as improving external perceptions is also more likely to increase levels of employee engagement and performance.
A Note on the New International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) Pronouncement IAS No. 19 (R)
Authors: Bloom Robert
Published: April 2013

The subject of defined pension plans is very much in the news, given the current low interest rate environment and the fact that life spans have been increasing over the years. As a result, employer liabilities have increased, creating funding issues. The International Accounting Standards Board has issued a new standard on this subject to improve the measurement of such pensions on the balance sheet and income statement along with footnote disclosure by companies offering such plans. This article analyzes this standard, emphasizing its reporting and disclosure requirements.
Traversing No Man’s Land in Search of An(Other) Identity
Authors: Jones Marion
Published: April 2013

In this autoethnography I provide a reflective-reflexive account of my search for an(other) identity following my move from my native Bavaria to North West England. It is a story of contradiction and uncertainty, which addresses issues of national identity and cultural adaptation. I offer a human portrait of how I experienced the interaction of agency and structure in my endeavor to become British and how I became embroiled in a moral, ethical, and emotional turmoil of conflicting imperatives. The key themes, through which I make explicit the struggle to create a coherent narrative of my self in relation to experiences of belonging, difference, and attachment in social, cultural, and political spaces, are departure and arrival, border crossing, and a disoriented self in transit. In presenting this multilayered account, I employ the technique of performance frames in the form of three literary categories, epic, drama and lyric, through which I revisit critical events and elucidate the gradual process of bringing my innermost feelings and thoughts to the surface. By weaving a rich tapestry of evocative, analytical, and theoretical materials I make explicit the complexities involved in autoethnographic research. Through inviting others to embark with me on this inner journey, I seek to assist those who find themselves similarly suspended in liminal spaces and to engender empathy and understanding among those who act as hosts toward border crossers like myself. Ultimately, I hope that my autoethnography provides a communicative, potentially subversive space, which invites critical reflection and discussion on the intersectionality of collective identities and thereby promotes individuals’ freedom to choose, negotiate, and translate their cultural identities freely regardless of their cultural, social, or ethnic origins.
Would You Be Happier Living in a Greener Urban Area? A Fixed-Effects Analysis of Panel Data
Authors: White Mathew P. , Alcock Ian , Wheeler Benedict W. , Depledge Michael H.
Published: April 2013

Urbanization is a potential threat to mental health and well-being. Cross-sectional evidence suggests that living closer to urban green spaces, such as parks, is associated with lower mental distress. However, earlier research was unable to control for time-invariant heterogeneity (e.g., personality) and focused on indicators of poor psychological health. The current research advances the field by using panel data from over 10,000 individuals to explore the relation between urban green space and well-being (indexed by ratings of life satisfaction) and between urban green space and mental distress (indexed by General Health Questionnaire scores) for the same people over time. Controlling for individual and regional covariates, we found that, on average, individuals have both lower mental distress and higher well-being when living in urban areas with more green space. Although effects at the individual level were small, the potential cumulative benefit at the community level highlights the importance of policies to protect and promote urban green spaces for well-being.
Social Categories as Markers of Intrinsic Interpersonal Obligations
Authors: Rhodes Marjorie , Chalik Lisa
Published: April 2013

Social categorization is an early-developing feature of human social cognition, yet the role that social categories play in children’s understanding of and predictions about human behavior has been unclear. In the studies reported here, we tested whether a foundational functional role of social categories is to mark people as intrinsically obligated to one another (e.g., obligated to protect rather than harm). In three studies, children (aged 3–9, N = 124) viewed only within-category harm as violating intrinsic obligations; in contrast, they viewed between-category harm as violating extrinsic obligations defined by explicit rules. These data indicate that children view social categories as marking patterns of intrinsic interpersonal obligations, suggesting that a key function of social categories is to support inferences about how people will relate to members of their own and other groups.
The Fluctuating Female Vote
Authors: Durante Kristina M. , Rae Ashley , Griskevicius Vladas
Published: April 2013

Each month, many women experience an ovulatory cycle that regulates fertility. Although research has found that this cycle influences women’s mating preferences, we proposed that it might also change women’s political and religious views. Building on theory suggesting that political and religious orientation are linked to reproductive goals, we tested how fertility influenced women’s politics, religiosity, and voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. In two studies with large and diverse samples, ovulation had drastically different effects on single women and women in committed relationships. Ovulation led single women to become more liberal, less religious, and more likely to vote for Barack Obama. In contrast, ovulation led women in committed relationships to become more conservative, more religious, and more likely to vote for Mitt Romney. In addition, ovulation-induced changes in political orientation mediated women’s voting behavior. Overall, the ovulatory cycle not only influences women’s politics but also appears to do so differently for single women than for women in relationships.
Temperature variability over Africa during the last 2000 years
Authors: Nicholson Sharon E , Nash David J , Chase Brian M , Grab Stefan W , Shanahan Timothy M , Verschuren Dirk , Asrat Asfawossen , Lézine Anne-Marie , Umer Mohammed
Published: April 2013

A growing number of proxy, historical and instrumental data sets are now available from continental Africa through which past variations in temperature can be assessed. This paper, co-authored by members of the PAGES Africa2k Working Group, synthesises published material to produce a record of temperature variability for Africa as a whole spanning the last 2000 years. The paper focuses on temperature variability during the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA), ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) and late 19th–early 21st centuries. Warmer conditions during the MCA are evident in records from Lake Tanganyika in central Africa, the Ethiopian Highlands in northeastern Africa, and Cango Cave, the Kuiseb River and Wonderkrater in southern Africa. Other records covering the MCA give ambiguous signals. Warming appears to have been greater during the early MCA (c. ad 1000) in parts of southern Africa and during the later MCA (from ad 1100) in Namibia, Ethiopia and at Lake Tanganyika. LIA cooling is evident in Ethiopian and southern African pollen records and in organic biomarker data from Lake Malawi in southeastern tropical Africa, while at Lake Tanganyika the temperature depression appears to have been less consistent. A warming trend in mean annual temperatures is clearly evident from historical and instrumental data covering the late 19th to early 21st centuries. General warming has occurred over Africa since the 1880s punctuated only by a period of cooling in the mid 20th century. The rate of temperature increase appears to have accelerated towards the end of the 20th century. The few long high-resolution proxy records that extend into the late 20th century indicate that average annual temperatures were 1–2°C higher in the last few decades than during the MCA.
Anti-IFI16 antibodies and their relation to disease characteristics in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Caneparo V , Cena T , De Andrea M , Dell'Oste V , Stratta P , Quaglia M , Tincani A , Andreoli L , Ceffa S , Taraborelli M , Magnani C , Landolfo S , Gariglio M
Published: April 2013

Objective

Several studies have shown the presence of anti-IFI16 antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren Syndrome (SjS), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and other autoimmune diseases. However, the significance of anti-IFI16 antibodies in SLE has not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between anti-IFI16 antibodies and clinical and serologic parameters of SLE.

Methods

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to measure anti-IFI16 antibodies in the sera of 168 SLE patients, 46 patients with any type of primary glomerulonephritis (GN) and 182 healthy controls (HCs). Associations between anti-IFI16 antibodies and clinical and serologic parameters of SLE were statistically evaluated using both univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

Significantly higher anti-IFI16 titres were observed in SLE patients compared to both non-SLE GN and HCs (median levels: 270.1 U/ml vs 132.1 U/ml, p = 0.001, and 52.9 U/ml, p < 0.0001, respectively). With cut-off levels corresponding to the 95th percentile of the control population (113 U/ml), 63% of the SLE patients tested positive for anti-IFI16 autoantibodies, compared to just 24% of patients with primary non-SLE GN and 5% of HCs. The presence of anti-IFI16 antibodies inversely correlated with proteinuria (univariate analysis) and C3 hypocomplementaemia (univariate and multivariate analyses).

Conclusions

The inverse correlations observed between anti-IFI16 positivity, proteinuria and C3 hypocomplementaemia suggest that anti-IFI16 antibodies do not contribute to renal inflammation in SLE; indeed they may even prevent complement consumption. Anti-IFI16 antibodies hold the potential to serve as a new biomarker of disease activity in SLE.
Estimation of regression quantiles in complex surveys with data missing at random: An application to birthweight determinants
Authors: Geraci Marco
Published: April 2013

The estimation of population parameters using complex survey data requires careful statistical modelling to account for the design features. This is further complicated by unit and item nonresponse for which a number of methods have been developed in order to reduce estimation bias. In this paper, we address some issues that arise when the target of the inference (i.e. the analysis model or model of interest) is the conditional quantile of a continuous outcome. Survey design variables are duly included in the analysis and a bootstrap variance estimation approach is proposed. Missing data are multiply imputed by means of chained equations. In particular, imputation of continuous variables is based on their empirical distribution, conditional on all other variables in the analysis. This method preserves the distributional relationships in the data, including conditional skewness and kurtosis, and successfully handles bounded outcomes. Our motivating study concerns the analysis of birthweight determinants in a large UK-based cohort of children. A novel finding on the parental conflict theory is reported. R code implementing these procedures is provided.
Detection of spatial variations in temporal trends with a quadratic function
Authors: Moraga Paula , Kulldorff Martin
Published: April 2013

Methods for the assessment of spatial variations in temporal trends (SVTT) are important tools for disease surveillance, which can help governments to formulate programs to prevent diseases, and measure the progress, impact, and efficacy of preventive efforts already in operation. The linear SVTT method is designed to detect areas with unusual different disease linear trends. In some situations, however, its estimation trend procedure can lead to wrong conclusions. In this article, the quadratic SVTT method is proposed as alternative of the linear SVTT method. The quadratic method provides better estimates of the real trends, and increases the power of detection in situations where the linear SVTT method fails. A performance comparison between the linear and quadratic methods is provided to help illustrate their respective properties. The quadratic method is applied to detect unusual different cervical cancer trends in white women in the United States, over the period 1969 to 1995.
Plantar Forces in Flexor Hallucis Longus Versus Flexor Digitorum Longus Transfer in Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity
Authors: Spratley E. Meade , Arnold John M. , Owen John R. , Glezos Christopher D. , Adelaar Robert S. , Wayne Jennifer S.
Published: April 2013

Background:

Flexor hallucis longus (FHL) and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendon transfers are frequently used to restore the function of a deficient tibialis posterior tendon in stage II adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD). Either transfer causes some loss in toe flexion force, although the decision to tenodese the cut tendon to restore associated function remains controversial. This study quantified changes in plantar force before and after tendon transfer and with or without distal tenodesis in a cadaveric model.

Methods:

The plantar force distribution of 10 matched pairs of statically loaded cadaveric lower extremities was investigated. Each foot was tested when it was intact, after FDL/FHL tendon transfer, and after tendon transfer + tenodesis.

Results:

Transfer of either FHL or FDL showed a statistically significant decrease in flexion force of the great toe ( P < .01) and lesser toes ( P < .001), respectively. Subsequent tenodesis in either tendon demonstrated an ability to restore flexion force in the great ( P < .05) and lesser ( P < .01) toes, respectively, with the FHL transfer + tenodesis restoring great toe loading to near pretransfer levels. Following either transfer, plantar force increased in the medial forefoot; this was sustained with FDL transfer + tenodesis but reduced under FHL transfer + tenodesis. Lateral forefoot force increased modestly (8%) with FHL transfer ( P < .05) but returned to near intact levels with tenodesis. FDL transfer + tenodesis resulted in increased medial midfoot and heel loading.

Discussion:

FHL or FDL transfer notably reduces associated toe flexion force. This loss can be restored to near normal levels with tenodesis for FHL transfer. As increased lateral forefoot loading is commonly associated with AAFD corrective procedures, FHL tenodesis may mitigate the unintended increases caused by the tendon transfer. The medial midfoot and heel loading with FDL transfer + tenodesis underscores that tendon transfers alone do not reestablish the passive architecture of the foot but augment deficient subtalar inversion force.

Clinical Relevance:

This cadaveric study shows that the FHL is more biomechanically suitable for tibialis posterior tendon insufficiency than the FDL, which may be a basis for a study to investigate whether it is superior in a clinical situation.
Conversion Arthrodesis for Failed First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Hemiarthroplasty
Authors: Garras David N. , Durinka Joel B. , Bercik Michael , Miller Adam G. , Raikin Steven M.
Published: April 2013

Background:

Arthrodesis is currently the most commonly performed surgical procedure for the treatment of arthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Hemiarthroplasty of the first MTP joint has been shown to have inferior clinical results and higher revision rates. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical outcome of the salvage of failed hallux phalangeal hemiarthroplasty with conversion to arthrodesis.

Methods:

A retrospective review of patients who underwent salvage of the first MTP joint hemiarthroplasty with conversion to arthrodesis was performed. Preoperative assessment included the visual analog pain (VAP) scale and AOFAS Hallux Metatarsophalangeal Interphalangeal scoring system (AOFAS-HMI). Postoperative outcomes were graded via AOFAS-HMI, VAP, and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM).

Results:

Twenty-one hemiarthroplasties were converted to arthrodesis in 21 patients, with 18 available for follow-up included in the study. There were 13 women and 5 men. Local autologous bone graft was used in 12 cases, while 6 patients required tricortical iliac crest bone graft for the treatment of extensive bone loss. At final follow-up, at a mean of 4.3 years, the average VAS pain score had diminished to 0.75 from 7.8 preoperatively out of 10, while the mean AOFAS-HMI improved from 36.2 out of 100 preoperatively to 85.3 out of 90 (modified to exclude first MTP motion). The mean FAAM ADL/sports were 97.3/91.3, respectively. All patients achieved fusion although at a longer interval than primary fusions.

Conclusions:

Conversion from a failed hallux phalangeal hemiarthroplasty to arthrodesis showed similar success to primary arthrodesis which was achieved in the majority of cases with the use of regional bone graft for small defects. However, the time to fusion was longer than that of primary arthrodesis, and it sometimes required structural bone graft for augmentation.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
The Development and Psychometric Properties of an Informant-Report Form of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5)
Authors: Markon Kristian E. , Quilty Lena C. , Bagby R. Michael , Krueger Robert F.
Published: April 2013

The current article reports on the development, psychometric properties, and external validity of an informant-report form of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (the PID-5-IRF). Using data from two nationally representative samples, as well as an elevated-risk community sample, we report on the PID-5-IRF item characteristics, scale properties, superordinate factor structure, and correlations with other measures. The PID-5-IRF replicates the factor structure of the self-report form and has relationships with other measures (including the PID-5 self-report form and a widely used Big Five measure) that are consistent with previous research and theory. We believe that the PID-5-IRF is a useful measure for a number of scenarios, such as when additional sources of information are desired, where informant measures are expected to provide incremental validity over self-report, where relationships or social perception is a focal interest, or when response bias is a salient concern. Areas for future research are also discussed.
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients With Slow Coronary Flow and Its Association With Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio
Authors: Cingoz Faruk , Iyisoy Atila , Demirkol Sait , Sahin Mehmet Ali , Balta Sevket , Celik Turgay , Unlu Murat , Arslan Zekeriya , Cakar Mustafa , Kucuk Ugur , Demirbas Seref , Kocak Necmettin
Published: April 2013

Background:

The slow coronary flow (SCF) is characterized by angiographically normal or near-normal coronary arteries with delayed progression of the contrast agent into distal vasculature. We aimed to investigate neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio and the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) value in patients with SCF compared to patients with newly diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal patients.

Materials and Methods:

We enrolled 60 consecutive patients with SCF, 68 patients with CAD, and 72 normal patients. The association between thrombolysis in myocardial infarction frame count, CIMT, and N/L ratio and other clinical and laboratory parameters were evaluated.

Results:

The N/L ratio was significantly higher not only in patients with SCF but also in patients with CAD, compared to those of controls. The N/L ratio was positively and moderately correlated with CIMT in the whole study population.

Conclusions:

The NL ratio is significantly associated with reduced coronary blood flow, and elevated N/L ratio might be an independent predictor for the presence of SCF.
Can Money Laundering Decrease?
Authors: Unger Brigitte
Published: April 2013

After two decades of research on money laundering, it seems time to look at what we know and what progress has been made in research. One simple question is whether we know if money laundering has increased, stayed constant, or decreased over these years. This article shows that over the last two decades, money laundering could hardly have decreased. This is largely because the concept of money laundering has broadened. However, there are also some hints that traditional areas of laundering such as fraud and corruption proceeds have increased rather than being effectively combated. There may be potential for money laundering to decrease in the future.
Serum autoantibodies to myelin peptides distinguish acute disseminated encephalomyelitis from relapsing– remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Van Haren Keith , Tomooka Beren H , Kidd Brian A , Banwell Brenda , Bar-Or Amit , Chitnis Tanuja , Tenembaum Silvia N , Pohl Daniela , Rostasy Kevin , Dale Russell C , O’Connor Kevin C , Hafler David A , Steinman Lawrence , Robinson William H
Published: April 2013

Background and objective:

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) share overlapping clinical, radiologic and laboratory features at onset. Because autoantibodies may contribute to the pathogenesis of both diseases, we sought to identify autoantibody biomarkers that are capable of distinguishing them.

Methods:

We used custom antigen arrays to profile anti-myelin-peptide autoantibodies in sera derived from individuals with pediatric ADEM ( n = 15), pediatric multiple sclerosis (Ped MS; n = 11) and adult MS ( n = 15). Using isotype-specific secondary antibodies, we profiled both IgG and IgM reactivities. We used Statistical Analysis of Microarrays software to confirm the differences in autoantibody reactivity profiles between ADEM and MS samples. We used Prediction Analysis of Microarrays software to generate and validate prediction algorithms, based on the autoantibody reactivity profiles.

Results:

ADEM was characterized by IgG autoantibodies targeting epitopes derived from myelin basic protein, proteolipid protein, myelin-associated oligodendrocyte basic glycoprotein, and alpha-B-crystallin. In contrast, MS was characterized by IgM autoantibodies targeting myelin basic protein, proteolipid protein, myelin-associated oligodendrocyte basic glycoprotein and oligodendrocyte-specific protein. We generated and validated prediction algorithms that distinguish ADEM serum (sensitivity 62–86%; specificity 56–79%) from MS serum (sensitivity 40–87%; specificity 62–86%) on the basis of combined IgG and IgM anti-myelin autoantibody reactivity to a small number of myelin peptides.

Conclusions:

Combined profiles of serum IgG and IgM autoantibodies identified myelin antigens that may be useful for distinguishing MS from ADEM. Further studies are required to establish clinical utility. Further biological assays are required to delineate the pathogenic potential of these antibodies.
The biological subject of aesthetic medicine
Authors: Edmonds Alexander
Published: April 2013

This article explores how race, sexual attractiveness and ‘female nature’ are biologised in plastic surgery. I situate this analysis in relation to recent debates over the limits of social constructionism and calls for more engagement with biology in feminist theory and science studies. I analyse not only how the biological is represented by biomedicine, but also how it is experienced by patients and, most problematically, how it is entangled with social constructions of beauty, race and female reproduction. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Brazil, I focus on plastic surgery, but also analyse how this specialty is linked to Ob-Gyn and endocrinology. I argue that medical procedures instantiate a biologised model of beauty I call ‘bare sex’ ( Edmonds, 2010 ) that is defined in terms of racial traits, anatomy, reproductive processes, hormones and ‘secondary sexual traits’. While this is a historically specific model, it is also one that is inscribed on patients, altering anatomy and physiological processes. It thus has the potential to create a biological self-awareness that cannot fully be accounted for by a social constructionist analysis.
Creating, maintaining and questioning (hetero)relational normality in narratives about vaginal reconstruction
Authors: Guntram Lisa
Published: April 2013

Analysing ten interviews with women diagnosed with and treated for congenital absence of the vagina, this article theorises the notion of ideal (hetero)relational normality. It explores how women in my case study negotiate, relate to and challenge this notion and examines the normative and bodily work for which it calls. The article specifically underscores the corporeal dimension of (hetero)relational normality. I argue that this notion of normality shapes the bodies of the women through medical interventions, while concurrently being reinforced through the corporeal shapings that the women undergo. These corporeal shapings consolidate enacted norms concerning heterosexuality and form understandings of female and male bodies. The analysis also reveals how these women nevertheless find ways to re-negotiate and question the notion of ideal (hetero)relational normality and its intertwinement with medical practice. The article contributes both to the critical examination of genital surgery and to feminist discussions of how to critically examine heterosexuality without rejecting it. Furthermore, it provides a deeper understanding of how medical interventions designed to create a vagina, or dilate a vagina considered ‘too small’, are made meaningful by the women affected.
Labor and the Limits of Seduction in Korea’s Creative Economy
Authors: Kim Changwook
Published: April 2013

This article will explore the industrial character of the Korean broadcasting industry from the perspective of its creative workforce. This study focuses on the independent television production sector, which epitomizes current changes in the Korean cultural industry in terms of greater global integration, increasing commercialization, and digitalization. Qualitative research results illustrate that the “digitalized flexible production regime” of independent production companies exacerbates working conditions and job insecurity. Under this regime, workers see themselves as “creators” and “freelancers” for only a limited period. Findings suggest that an antagonistic relation exists between “the workers’ passion for more creative and liberal work” and “the survival of the industry” within Korean broadcasting.
Does It Matter Who’s Behind the Curtain? Anonymity in Political Advertising and the Effects of Campaign Finance Disclosure
Authors: Dowling Conor M. , Wichowsky Amber
Published: April 2013

Despite the Supreme Court’s acceptance of disclosure requirements, some donors have been able to remain anonymous through a combination of regulatory gaps, complicated financing schemes, and lags in when information is made public. As a first examination of the potential consequences of increased anonymity in political advertising we designed an experiment that varied the amount and format of information about the interests behind an attack ad sponsored by an “unknown” group. We find that participants were more supportive of the attacked candidate after viewing information disclosing donors, suggesting that voters may discount a group-sponsored ad when they have more information about the financial interests behind the message. We also find some evidence that the effect of disclosure depends on how campaign finance information is presented. Our study has implications for how (to this point, failed) congressional efforts to require greater disclosure of campaign finance donors may affect electoral politics.
Aged Communities and Political Knowledge
Authors: Bramlett Brittany H.
Published: April 2013

Past work emphasizes the decline of cognition into older age. Recent work suggests that living in an aged community provides ample opportunity for social interaction with peers and that these older residents perform better cognitively than more isolated seniors. I test whether this relationship is evident for the political cognition of older residents with NAES data from 2000 and 2004. Findings indicate higher levels of political knowledge among seniors living in aged communities compared with their peers living in places without the same social context.
Doing What Others Do
Authors: Bolsen Toby , Leeper Thomas J. , Shapiro Matthew A.
Published: April 2013

Does rhetoric highlighting social norms or mentioning science in a communication affect individuals’ beliefs about global warming and/or willingness to take action? We draw from framing theory and collective-interest models of action to motivate hypotheses that are tested in two large web-based survey-experiments using convenience samples. Our results show that attitudes about global warming, support for policies that would reduce carbon emissions, and behavioral intentions to take voluntary action are strongly affected by norm- and science-based interventions. This has implications for information campaigns targeting voluntary efforts to promote lifestyle changes that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Work Engagement
Authors: Strom Diana L. , Sears Karen L. , Kelly Kristine M.
Published: April 2013

The primary objective of this research was to examine both transactional and transformational leadership styles as serving in the role of moderators in the relationship between organizational justice and work engagement. An online survey was administered to 348 respondents. Results supported the hypothesis that the positive relationship that both distributive and procedural justice held to work engagement would be more pronounced among employees experiencing low transactional leadership than among employees experiencing high transactional leadership. This set of results is consistent with the principles of leader fairness theory, which suggests that a low transactional leadership style elicits uncertainty about one’s social self in the context of the workplace, and this state of uncertainty incites an employee’s intensified desire to seek justice-related information.
Pluralism of the system, pluralism in the system
Authors: Ciaglia Antonio
Published: April 2013

This comparative study aims to better understand the natural link between democracy and media systems, a link that is, paradoxically, as strong as it is delicate. The research analyzes two cases, the UK and Italy, with the purpose of clarifying the different ways in which media pluralism can be pursued and achieved. The study reveals that although nearly all of the main European TV networks rely on a public–private structure, significant differences arise in how this structure takes shape and in the policy outcomes according to the context. Furthermore, by presenting a set of primary and secondary data, the author aims to demonstrate that although the objectives that various policies aim to achieve might be similar in advanced democracies, the nature of media diversity may be strongly affected by both contingent elements (such as the Berlusconi factor in Italy) and structural factors (such as the media-system model of each country).
The Mediatization of Politics
Authors: Cushion Stephen , Thomas Richard
Published: April 2013

This article interprets the mediatization of television news generally and political news specifically in United Kingdom (U.K.) public and commercial evening bulletins. We argue that routine conventions (edited packages or two-ways) reflect different types of journalistic interventions, with the use of live, unscripted, and interpretive news practices representing a greater degree of mediatization, since they resemble the style and format of 24-hour media rather than fixed time bulletins. Our content analysis ( N = 902) found more live news on commercial bulletins, but all broadcasters exhibited a degree of immediacy and interpretation in their editorial practices. This was most apparent in live two-ways—notably on Channel Five—which produced less source-driven political journalism than edited packages, with political editors playing the role of primary definer. The concept of mediatization, we suggest, can help interpret whether fixed time bulletins conform to their own media logic or adopt the values of 24/7 media.
“Trial by the Press”
Authors: Steele Janet
Published: April 2013

In the United States, when journalists or legal scholars use the term “trial by the press,” it is usually in the context of pretrial publicity, and the First Amendment right to freedom of expression versus the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. Although this understanding of the term exists in Indonesia and Malaysia, there it is also used in a variety of other ways that are related to the teachings of Islam and the legacy of authoritarianism. Islam contains strict prohibitions against gossip, libel, and other forms of defamation. For those who are uncomfortable with what they see as the excesses of press freedom, “trial by the press,” or the idea that the press should not “judge” someone until the facts have been proven in a court of law strongly resembles the Islamic injunctions against fitnah (slander) and gossip. The question of when a Muslim journalist can properly divulge something negative about someone else has implications not only for the popular understanding of libel and defamation but also for investigative reporting. Because the accusation of “trial by the press” resonates with deeply held Islamic principles, it can be an exceptionally powerful political tool.
Connecting in Crisis
Authors: Robertson Alexa
Published: April 2013

When political unrest spread from Tunisia to neighboring countries early in 2011, established global broadcasters were quick to provide commentary on the part played by social media in mobilizing dissent, exploiting the same technology in their own reporting of the protests as they did so. In this article, the relation of “old” to “new” media is explored in a comparison of televised coverage of the Arab Spring in Al Jazeera English, Russia Today, CNN International, and British Broadcasting Corporation World (BBCW) News. Building on notions of mediapolis and connectivity and mediatized crisis, it seeks to map the shared communicative space opened up by global broadcasters, and how established media actors are adapting to new media ecologies. The empirical analysis shows that social media do not play the prominent role in global television discourse one might expect, and that their prominence and deployment vary from one channel to the other.
Impact of Age and Gender on the Coping Styles and Psychiatric Morbidity Faced by Informal Primary Caregivers of HIV-Infected Individuals Living in India
Authors: Pandit Lakshmi V. , Vishnuvardhan G.
Published: April 2013

Background:

Primary caregivers of HIV-infected patients face enormous burden, which if inappropriately coped, leads to psychiatric morbidity. Little is known of what role caregiver’s age and gender play in this.

Purpose:

To assess the socio-demographic profile and the influence of age and gender on coping strategies and psychiatric morbidity.

Procedure:

Sixty caregivers were assessed on a semistructured sociodemographic proforma, a coping checklist, and the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ( DSM-IV; [SCID-I]).

Main Findings:

Majority of the carers were young, equally from both genders, and used the same number of coping strategies which increased with age. “Avoidance” was preferred by males and older carers. Youngsters had maximum psychiatric morbidity, majority of the depressed were females, while 90% of nicotine dependants were males.

Conclusion:

Gender, but not age, decided the style of coping and extent of psychiatric morbidity hence gender-specific interventions will improve the quality of life of the carers and their wards.
Bortezomib consolidation after autologous stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma: a Nordic Myeloma Study Group randomized phase 3 trial
Authors: Mellqvist Ulf-Henrik , Gimsing Peter , Hjertner Oyvind , Lenhoff Stig , Laane Edward , Remes Kari , Steingrimsdottir Hlif , Abildgaard Niels , Ahlberg Lucia , Blimark Cecilie , Dahl Inger Marie , Forsberg Karin , Gedde-Dahl Tobias , Gregersen Henrik , Gruber Astrid , Guldbrandsen Nina , Haukås Einar , Carlson Kristina , Kvam Ann Kristin , Nahi Hareth , Lindås Roald , Andersen Niels Frost , Turesson Ingemar , Waage Anders , Westin Jan
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Bortezomib consolidation after ASCT improves PFS in myeloma. Improvement of response is seen with bortezomib consolidation after ASCT in myeloma.
IκB kinase phosphorylation of SNAP-23 controls platelet secretion
Authors: Karim Zubair A. , Zhang Jinchao , Banerjee Meenakshi , Chicka Michael C. , Al Hawas Rania , Hamilton Tara R. , Roche Paul A. , Whiteheart Sidney W.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Nongenomic role for IκB kinase in platelet secretion: IKK phosphorylates SNAP-23, which affects granule-plasma membrane fusion. Pharmacologic inhibition or deletion of platelet IKK affects bleeding times.
Massively parallel sequencing, aCGH, and RNA-Seq technologies provide a comprehensive molecular diagnosis of Fanconi anemia
Authors: Chandrasekharappa Settara C. , Lach Francis P. , Kimble Danielle C. , Kamat Aparna , Teer Jamie K. , Donovan Frank X. , Flynn Elizabeth , Sen Shurjo K. , Thongthip Supawat , Sanborn Erica , Smogorzewska Agata , Auerbach Arleen D. , Ostrander Elaine A.
Published: April 2013

Key Points

Application of capturing/sequencing, copy number, and RNA analysis technologies ensures comprehensive molecular diagnosis of Fanconi anemia.
D-Light on promoters: a client-server system for the analysis and visualization of cis-regulatory elements
Authors: Laimer Josef , Zuzan Clemens J , Ehrenberger Tobias , Freudenberger Monika , Gschwandtner Simone , Lebherz Carina , Lackner Peter
Published: April 2013

Background

The binding of transcription factors to DNA plays an essential role in the regulation of gene expression. Numerous experiments elucidated binding sequences which subsequently have been used to derive statistical models for predicting potential transcription factor binding sites (TFBS). The rapidly increasing number of genome sequence data requires sophisticated computational approaches to manage and query experimental and predicted TFBS data in the context of other epigenetic factors and across different organisms.

Results

We have developed D-Light, a novel client-server software package to store and query large amounts of TFBS data for any number of genomes. Users can add small-scale data to the server database and query them in a large scale, genome-wide promoter context. The client is implemented in Java and provides simple graphical user interfaces and data visualization. Here we also performed a statistical analysis showing what a user can expect for certain parameter settings and we illustrate the usage of D-Light with the help of a microarray data set.

Conclusions

D-Light is an easy to use software tool to integrate, store and query annotation data for promoters. A public D-Light server, the client and server software for local installation and the source code under GNU GPL license are available at http://biwww.che.sbg.ac.at/dlight.
Transcriptome analysis of Cymbidium sinense and its application to the identification of genes associated with floral development
Authors: Zhang Jianxia , Wu Kunlin , Zeng Songjun , Teixeira da Silva Jaime A , Zhao Xiaolan , Tian Chang-En , Xia Haoqiang , Duan Jun
Published: April 2013

Background

Cymbidium sinense belongs to the Orchidaceae, which is one of the most abundant angiosperm families. C. sinense, a high-grade traditional potted flower, is most prevalent in China and some Southeast Asian countries. The control of flowering time is a major bottleneck in the industrialized development of C. sinense. Little is known about the mechanisms responsible for floral development in this orchid. Moreover, genome references for entire transcriptome sequences do not currently exist for C. sinense. Thus, transcriptome and expression profiling data for this species are needed as an important resource to identify genes and to better understand the biological mechanisms of floral development in C. sinense.

Results

In this study, de novo transcriptome assembly and gene expression analysis using Illumina sequencing technology were performed. Transcriptome analysis assembles gene-related information related to vegetative and reproductive growth of C. sinense. Illumina sequencing generated 54,248,006 high quality reads that were assembled into 83,580 unigenes with an average sequence length of 612 base pairs, including 13,315 clusters and 70,265 singletons. A total of 41,687 (49.88%) unique sequences were annotated, 23,092 of which were assigned to specific metabolic pathways by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of the annotated unigenes revealed that the majority of sequenced genes were associated with metabolic and cellular processes, cell and cell parts, catalytic activity and binding. Furthermore, 120 flowering-associated unigenes, 73 MADS-box unigenes and 28 CONSTANS-LIKE (COL) unigenes were identified from our collection. In addition, three digital gene expression (DGE) libraries were constructed for the vegetative phase (VP), floral differentiation phase (FDP) and reproductive phase (RP). The specific expression of many genes in the three development phases was also identified. 32 genes among three sub-libraries with high differential expression were selected as candidates connected with flower development.

Conclusion

RNA-seq and DGE profiling data provided comprehensive gene expression information at the transcriptional level that could facilitate our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of floral development at three development phases of C. sinense. This data could be used as an important resource for investigating the genetics of the flowering pathway and various biological mechanisms in this orchid.