bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Leakage Delay on Stability of Neutral-Type Genetic Regulatory Networks
Authors: Li Li , Yang Yongqing , Bai Chuanzhi
Published: March 2015

The stability of neutral-type genetic regulatory networks with leakage delays is considered. Firstly, we describe the model of genetic regulatory network with neutral delays and leakage delays. Then some sufficient conditions are derived to ensure the asymptotic stability of the genetic regulatory network by the Lyapunov functional method. Further, the effect of leakage delay on stability is discussed. Finally, a numerical example is given to show the effectiveness of the results.
The Effects of Metabolic Work Rate and Ambient Environment on Physiological Tolerance Times While Wearing Explosive and Chemical Personal Protective Equipment
Authors: Costello Joseph T. , Stewart Kelly L. , Stewart Ian B.
Published: March 2015

This study evaluated the physiological tolerance times when wearing explosive and chemical (>35 kg) personal protective equipment (PPE) in simulated environmental extremes across a range of differing work intensities. Twelve healthy males undertook nine trials which involved walking on a treadmill at 2.5, 4, and 5.5 km·h−1in the following environmental conditions, 21, 30, and 37°C wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). Participants exercised for 60 min or until volitional fatigue, core temperature reached 39°C, or heart rate exceeded 90% of maximum. Tolerance time, core temperature, skin temperature, mean body temperature, heart rate, and body mass loss were measured. Exercise time was reduced in the higher WBGT environments (WBGT37 < WBGT30 < WBGT21;P< 0.05) and work intensities (5.5 < 4 < 2.5 km·h−1;P< 0.001). The majority of trials (85/108; 78.7%) were terminated due to participant’s heart rate exceeding 90% of their maximum. A total of eight trials (7.4%) lasted the full duration. Only nine (8.3%) trials were terminated due to volitional fatigue and six (5.6%) due to core temperatures in excess of 39°C. These results demonstrate that physiological tolerance times are influenced by the external environment and workload and that cardiovascular strain is the limiting factor to work tolerance when wearing this heavy multilayered PPE.
A New Methodology for Evaluation of Nematode Viability
Authors: Ferreira Sebastião Rodrigo , Mendes Tiago Antônio Oliveira , Bueno Lilian Lacerda , de Araújo Jackson Victor , Bartholomeu Daniella Castanheira , Fujiwara Ricardo Toshio
Published: March 2015

Nematodes infections are responsible for debilitating conditions and economic losses in domestic animals as well as livestock and are considered an important public health problem due to the high prevalence in humans. The nematode resistance for drugs has been reported for livestock, highlighting the importance for development of new anthelmintic compounds. The aim of the current study was to apply and compare fluorimetric techniques using Sytox and propidium iodide for evaluating the viability ofC. eleganslarvae after treatment with anthelmintic drugs. These fluorescent markers were efficient to stain larvae treated with ivermectin and albendazole sulfoxide. We observed that densitometric values were proportional to the concentration of dead larvae stained with both markers. Furthermore, data on motility test presented an inverse correlation with fluorimetric data when ivermectin was used. Our results showed that lower concentrations of drugs were effective to interfere in the processes of cellular transport while higher drugs concentrations were necessary in order to result in any damage to cell integrity. The methodology described in this work might be useful for studies that aim to evaluate the viability of nematodes, particularly for testing of new anthelminthic compounds using an easy, economic, reproducible, and no time-consuming technique.
Patients with Intolerance Reactions to Total Knee Replacement: Combined Assessment of Allergy Diagnostics, Periprosthetic Histology, and Peri-implant Cytokine Expression Pattern
Authors: Thomas Peter , von der Helm Christine , Schopf Christoph , Mazoochian Farhad , Frommelt Lars , Gollwitzer Hans , Schneider Josef , Flaig Michael , Krenn Veit , Thomas Benjamin , Summer Burkhard
Published: March 2015

We performed a combined approach to identify suspected allergy to knee arthroplasty (TKR): patch test (PT), lymphocyte transformation test (LTT), histopathology (overall grading; T- and B-lymphocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils), and semiquantitative Real-time-PCR-based periprosthetic inflammatory mediator analysis (IFNγ, TNFα, IL1-β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL17, and TGFβ). We analyzed 25 TKR patients with yet unexplained complications like pain, effusion, and reduced range of motion. They consisted of 20 patients with proven metal sensitization (11 with PT reactions; 9 with only LTT reactivity). Control specimens were from 5 complicated TKR patients without metal sensitization, 12 OA patients before arthroplasty, and 8 PT patients without arthroplasty. Lymphocytic infiltrates were seen and fibrotic (Type IV membrane) tissue response was most frequent in the metal sensitive patients, for example, in 81% of the PT positive patients. The latter also had marked periprosthetic IFNγexpression. 8/9 patients with revision surgery using Ti-coated/oxinium based implants reported symptom relief. Our findings demonstrate that combining allergy diagnostics with histopathology and periprosthetic cytokine assessment could allow us to design better diagnostic strategies.
De NovoPost-Diagnosis Aspirin Use and Mortality in Women with Stage I–III Breast Cancer
Authors: Barron Thomas I. , Murphy Laura M. , Brown Chris , Bennett Kathleen , Visvanathan Kala , Sharp Linda
Published: March 2015

Background: Aspirin use has been associated with significant reductions in breast cancer–related mortality in some observational studies. However, these studies included women who initiated aspirin use before breast cancer diagnosis. It is unclear whether initiating aspirin use after diagnosis is associated with similar reductions in mortality. This study investigates associations between de novo post-diagnostic aspirin use and all cause, breast cancer–specific mortality.

Methods: Women, ages 50 to 80, with a diagnosis of stage I–III breast cancer were identified from Ireland's National Cancer Registry (N = 4,540). Initiation of de novo post-diagnostic aspirin use was identified from linked national prescription refill data (N = 764). Adjusted HRs were estimated for associations between de novo aspirin use and all-cause, breast cancer–specific mortality.

Results: The median time from diagnosis to aspirin initiation was 1.8 years. The mean number of days' supply of aspirin received was 631, and 95% of users were taking less than 150 mg/d. We found no association between de novo aspirin use and breast cancer–specific mortality [HR, 0.98; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74–1.30]. Similar null associations were found in women taking aspirin at high-intensity (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.72–1.47) and women initiating use in the 1.5 years after diagnosis (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.77–1.40). There was no effect modification by estrogen (Pinteraction = 0.81) or progesterone (Pinteraction = 0.41) receptor status.

Conclusion: Initiating aspirin use after a breast cancer diagnosis was not associated with a reduction in breast cancer–specific mortality.

Impact: On the basis of our findings, we suggest that a clearer understanding of aspirin's mechanism of action is needed to help inform the design of future studies in breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(6); 898–904. ©2015 AACR.
New Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Regulator, Gipie, Regulates the Survival of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and the Neointima Formation After Vascular Injury
Authors: Noda Tomonori , Maeda Kengo , Hayano Shinji , Asai Naoya , Enomoto Atsushi , Takahashi Masahide , Murohara Toyoaki
Published: March 2015

Objective—

The accumulation of unfolded protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) initiates an adaptive stress response, termed the unfolded protein response. Previous studies suggested that ER stress might be involved in the formation of neointima after vascular injury. We recently discovered a novel regulator of ER stress, 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein–interacting protein induced by ER stress (Gipie). The objective of this study was to elucidate the role of Gipie using models of vascular disease.

Approach and Results—

We investigated the functions of Gipie in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and in a vascular injury model of a rat carotid artery. The expression of Gipie was predominantly detected in synthetic VSMCs and to a much lesser extent in contractile VSMCs, which was augmented by treatment with thapsigargin. Gipie knockdown increased the phosphorylation levels of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and the number of apoptotic cells under ER stress. Moreover, Gipie knockdown decreased the mature form of collagen I in synthetic VSMCs. The expression of Gipie was rarely detected in the medial VSMCs of the intact carotid artery, whereas it was detected in most of the neointimal cells and some of the medial VSMCs after balloon injury. Depletion of Gipie in the rat carotid artery attenuated the neointimal thickening, which was accompanied by increased cell death in the neointima. Conversely, overexpression of Gipie augmented the neointimal thickening.

Conclusions—

Gipie participates in the ER stress response in VSMCs and plays an important role in neointima formation after vascular injury.
Reduced Atherosclerosis in apoE-inhibitory FcγRIIb–Deficient Mice Is Associated With Increased Anti-Inflammatory Responses by T Cells and Macrophages
Authors: Ng Hang Pong , Zhu Xinmei , Harmon Erin Y. , Lennartz Michelle R. , Nagarajan Shanmugam
Published: March 2015

Objective—

Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) are classified as activating (FcγRI, III, and IV) and inhibitory (FcγRII) receptors. We have reported that deletion of activating FcγRs in apolipoprotein E (apoE) single knockout mice attenuated atherosclerosis. In this report, we investigated the hypothesis that deficiency of inhibitory FcγRIIb exacerbates atherosclerosis.

Approach and Results—

ApoE-FcγRIIb double knockout mice, congenic to the C57BL/6 (apoE-FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
), were generated and atherosclerotic lesions were assessed. In contrary to our hypothesis, when compared with apoE single knockout mice, arterial lesions were significantly decreased in apoE-FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
male and female mice fed chow or high-fat diets. Chimeric mice generated by transplanting apoE-FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
marrow into apoE single knockout mice also developed reduced lesions. CD4
+
T cells from apoE-FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
mice produced higher levels of interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-β than their apoE single knockout counterparts. As our findings conflict with a previous report using apoE-FcγRIIb
129/B6
−/−
mice on a mixed genetic background, we investigated whether strain differences contributed to the anti-inflammatory response. Macrophages from FcγRIIb
129/B6
−/−
mice on a mixed genetic background produced more interleukin-1β and MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) in response to immune complexes, whereas congenic FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
mice generated more interleukin-10 and significantly less interleukin-1β. Interestingly, the expression of lupus-associated slam genes, located in proximity to
fcgr2b
in mouse chromosome 1, is upregulated only in mixed FcγRIIb
129/B6
−/−
mice.

Conclusions—

Our findings demonstrate a detrimental role for FcγRIIb signaling in atherosclerosis and the contribution of anti-inflammatory cytokine responses in the attenuated lesions observed in apoE-FcγRIIb
B6
−/−
mice. As 129/sv genome–derived lupus-associated genes have been implicated in lupus phenotype in FcγRIIb
129/B6
−/−
mice, our findings suggest possible epistatic mechanism contributing to the decreased lesions.
Resolvin E1 (RvE1) Attenuates Atherosclerotic Plaque Formation in Diet and Inflammation-Induced Atherogenesis
Authors: Hasturk Hatice , Abdallah Rima , Kantarci Alpdogan , Nguyen Daniel , Giordano Nicholas , Hamilton James , Van Dyke Thomas E.
Published: March 2015

Objective—

Epidemiological and recent clinical studies implicate periodontitis as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Previously, we demonstrated that rabbits with experimental periodontitis and cholesterol diet exhibit more aortic plaque compared with diet alone. We also showed that a proresolution mediator, Resolvin E1 (RvE1), reverses the experimental periodontitis. Here, we determined whether oral/topical application of RvE1 attenuates aortic atherosclerosis induced by both diet and periodontal inflammation.

Approach and Results—

Thirty-nine rabbits on a 13-week regimen of 0.5% cholesterol diet were included. Periodontitis was induced by Porphyromonas
gingivalis
in 24 rabbits and 15 rabbits were placed in no-periodontitis groups. Interventions were no-treatment, vehicle, and RvE1 treatment (4 μg/site or 0.4 μg/site) topically applied 3× per week. At 13 weeks, both periodontitis and atherosclerosis were quantified. Atherosclerotic plaques were assessed by Sudan IV staining, histology, and ex vivo MRI. Serum levels of C-reactive protein were evaluated as a measure of systemic inflammation. RvE1, used as an oral/topical agent, significantly diminished atherogenesis and prevented periodontitis (
P
<0.05). In the absence of periodontal inflammation, oral/topical application of RvE1 resulted in significantly less arterial plaque, a lower intima/media ratio, and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration compared with no-treatment (
P
<0.001). Local oral RvE1 application significantly reduced systemic levels of C-reactive protein (
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—

The results suggest that oral/topical RvE1 attenuates enhanced atherogenesis induced by periodontitis and prevents vascular inflammation and atherogenesis in the absence of periodontitis. The inhibition of vascular inflammation with endogenous mediators of resolution of inflammation provides a novel approach in the prevention of atherogenic events.
Prospective Randomized Trial of Moderately Strenuous Aerobic Exercise After an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Authors: Dougherty Cynthia M. , Glenny Robb W. , Burr Robert L. , Flo Gayle L. , Kudenchuk Peter J.
Published: March 2015

Background—

Despite its salutary effects on health, aerobic exercise is often avoided after receipt of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) because of fears that exercise may provoke acute arrhythmias. We prospectively evaluated the effects of a home aerobic exercise training and maintenance program (EX) on aerobic performance, ICD shocks, and hospitalizations exclusively in ICD recipients.

Methods and Results—

A total of 160 patients (124 men and 36 women) were randomly assigned who had an ICD for primary (43%) or secondary (57%) prevention to EX or usual care (UC). The primary outcome was peak oxygen consumption, measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing at baseline and 8 and 24 weeks. EX consisted of 8 weeks of home walking for 1 h/d, 5 d/wk at 60% to 80% of heart rate reserve, followed by 16 weeks of maintenance home walking for 150 min/wk. Adherence to EX was determined from exercise logs, ambulatory heart rate recordings of exercise, and weekly telephone contacts. Patients assigned to UC received no exercise directives and were monitored by monthly telephone contact. Adverse events were identified by ICD interrogations, patient reports, and medical charts. ICD recipients averaged 55±12 years and mean ejection fraction of 40.6±15.7; all were taking β-blocker medications. EX significantly increased peak oxygen consumption (EX, 26.7±7.0 mL/kg per minute; UC, 23.9±6.6 mL/kg per minute;
P
=0.002) at 8 weeks, which persisted during maintenance exercise at 24 weeks (EX, 26.9±7.7 mL/kg per minute; UC, 23.4±6.0 mL/kg per minute;
P
<0.001). ICD shocks were infrequent (EX=4 versus UC=8), with no differences in hospitalizations or deaths between groups.

Conclusions—

Prescribed home exercise is safe and significantly improves cardiovascular performance in ICD recipients without causing shocks or hospitalizations.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00522340.
Physical Activity Measured by Accelerometry and its Associations With Cardiac Structure and Vascular Function in Young and Middle‐Aged Adults
Authors: Andersson Charlotte , Lyass Asya , Larson Martin G. , Spartano Nicole L. , Vita Joseph A. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Murabito Joanne M. , Esliger Dale W. , Blease Susan J. , Hamburg Naomi M. , Mitchell Gary F. , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: March 2015

Background

Physical activity is associated with several health benefits, including lower cardiovascular disease risk. The independent influence of physical activity on cardiac and vascular function in the community, however, has been sparsely investigated.

Measures and Results

We related objective measures of moderate‐ to vigorous‐intensity physical activity (
MVPA
, assessed by accelerometry) to cardiac and vascular indices in 2376 participants of the Framingham Heart Study third generation cohort (54% women, mean age 47 years). Using multivariable regression models, we related
MVPA
to the following echocardiographic and vascular measures: left ventricular mass, left atrial and aortic root sizes, carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, and forward pressure wave. Men and women engaged in
MVPA
29.9±21.4 and 25.5±19.4 min/day, respectively. Higher values of
MVPA
(per 10‐minute increment) were associated with lower carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (estimate −0.53 ms/m;
P
=0.006) and lower forward pressure wave (estimate −0.23 mm Hg;
P
=0.03) but were not associated with augmentation index (estimate 0.13%;
P
=0.25).
MVPA
was associated positively with log
e
left ventricular mass (estimate 0.006 log
e
[g/m
2
];
P
=0.0003), left ventricular wall thickness (estimate 0.07 mm;
P
=0.0001), and left atrial dimension (estimate 0.10 mm;
P
=0.01).
MVPA
also tended to be positively associated with aortic root dimension (estimate 0.05 mm;
P
=0.052). Associations of
MVPA
with cardiovascular measures were similar, in general, for bouts lasting <10 versus ≥10 minutes.

Conclusions

In our community‐based sample, greater physical activity was associated with lower vascular stiffness but with higher echocardiographic left ventricular mass and left atrial size. These findings suggest complex relations of usual levels of physical activity and cardiovascular remodeling.
Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme‐2 Overexpression Improves Atrial Remodeling and Function in a Canine Model of Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Zhou Tingquan , Wang Zhenglong , Fan Jinqi , Chen Shaojie , Tan Zhen , Yang Hanxuan , Yin Yuehui
Published: March 2015

Background

Atrial fibrosis is an important factor in initiating and maintaining atrial fibrillation. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that atrial angiotensin‐converting enzyme‐2 (
ACE
2) overexpression might inhibit atrial collagen accumulation and improve atrial remodeling in a canine atrial pacing model.

Methods and Results

Thirty‐two mongrel dogs of both genders were divided randomly into 4 groups: sham‐operated, control, gene therapy with adenovirus‐enhanced green fluorescent protein (Ad‐
EGFP
), and gene therapy with Ad‐
ACE
2. All of the dogs in the control, Ad‐
EGFP
, and Ad‐
ACE
2 groups were paced at 450 bpm for a period of 14 days. The dogs in the sham group were instrumented without pacing. After 2 weeks, all of the dogs underwent a thoracotomy operation and received epicardial gene painting. On post–gene transfer day 21, the animals underwent electrophysiology, histology, and molecular studies. The percentage of fibrosis in the Ad‐
ACE
2 group was markedly lower than the percentage in the control and Ad‐
EGFP
groups. Compared with the other groups,
ACE
2 expression was increased significantly in the Ad‐
ACE
2 group. Compared with the sham and Ad‐
ACE
2 groups, the expression levels of transforming growth factor‐β1 and Smad3 were significantly higher in the Ad‐
EGFP
and control groups; however, the expression levels of Smad7 were lower in the atrial tissue as detected by Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the overexpression of
ACE
2 inhibits atrial collagen accumulation and improves left atrial remodeling and function in a canine model of atrial fibrillation. Thus, targeted gene
ACE
2 therapy provides a promising approach for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Renal Tubule Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor–Associated Protein Promotes Natriuresis and Inhibits Salt‐Sensitive Blood Pressure Elevation
Authors: Wakui Hiromichi , Uneda Kazushi , Tamura Kouichi , Ohsawa Masato , Azushima Kengo , Kobayashi Ryu , Ohki Kohji , Dejima Toru , Kanaoka Tomohiko , Tsurumi‐Ikeya Yuko , Matsuda Miyuki , Haruhara Kotaro , Nishiyama Akira , Yabana Machiko , Fujikawa Tetsuya , Yamashita Akio , Umemura Satoshi
Published: March 2015

Background

Angiotensin
II
type 1 receptor (
AT
1R)–associated protein (
ATRAP;
Agtrap
gene) promotes
AT
1R internalization along with suppression of pathological
AT
1R activation. In this study, we examined whether enhancement of
ATRAP
in the renal distal tubules affects sodium handling and blood pressure regulation in response to high salt (
HS
) loading, using
ATRAP
transgenic mice on a salt‐sensitive C57
BL
/6J background.

Methods and Results

Renal
ATRAP
transgenic (
rATRAP
‐Tg) mice, which exhibit renal tubule–dominant
ATRAP
enhancement, and their wild‐type littermate C57
BL
/6J mice on a normal salt diet (0.3% NaCl) at baseline were subjected to dietary
HS
loading (4% NaCl) for 7 days. In
rATRAP
‐Tg mice, the dietary
HS
loading–mediated blood pressure elevation was suppressed compared with wild‐type mice, despite similar baseline blood pressure. Although renal angiotensin
II
level was comparable in
rATRAP
‐Tg and wild‐type mice with and without
HS
loading, urinary sodium excretion in response to
HS
loading was significantly enhanced in the
rATRAP
‐Tg mice. In addition, functional transport activity of the amiloride‐sensitive epithelial Na
+
channel was significantly decreased under saline volume–expanded conditions in
rATRAP
‐Tg mice compared with wild‐type mice, without any evident change in epithelial Na
+
channel protein expression. Plasma membrane
AT
1R expression in the kidney of
rATRAP
‐Tg mice was decreased compared with wild‐type mice.

Conclusions

These results demonstrated that distal tubule–dominant enhancement of
ATRAP
inhibits pathological renal sodium reabsorption and blood pressure elevation in response to
HS
loading. The findings suggest that
ATRAP
‐mediated modulation of sodium handling in renal distal tubules could be a target of interest in salt‐sensitive blood pressure regulation.
“One Hand Can't Clap”: Guyana and North Korea, 1974–1985
Authors: Taylor Moe
Published: March 2015

In a little-known episode of the Cold War that challenges many common assumptions, North Korea forged extensive political, economic, military and cultural relations with the small South American-Caribbean coastal state of Guyana in the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, Guyana was ruled by an authoritarian socialist regime under Forbes Burbham, whose unorthodox conception of “socialism” was viewed skeptically by Communist countries other than North Korea. Burnham's program of “co-operative socialism,” which envisaged a population strictly obedient to his own wishes as the supreme leader, was distinctly similar to the juche philosophy espoused by the long-time North Korean dictator, Kim Il-Sung. Burnham deeply admired North Korea's economic and military “achievements,” attributing them to the strict obedience of the North Korean populace to the wishes of Kim Il-Sung. Burnham envisaged a similar role for himself in Guyana and attempted to import various North Korean approaches to socialist education and culture. Guyana came to resemble North Korea in some important respects, but it gradually moved away from this pattern after Burnham's death in 1985.
The Kennedy Administration, the International Federation of Petroleum Workers, and Iraqi Labor under the Ba‘thist Regime
Authors: Matthews Weldon C.
Published: March 2015

The International Federation of Petroleum Workers (IFPW) was an international trade secretariat based in the United States and secretly funded by the U.S. government. The federation supported the Kennedy administration's policy of rapprochement with Iraq during the country's first Ba’thist regime by defending the regime against criticism of its violent suppression of the Iraqi Communist Party and by fostering the development of Ba’thist-led Iraqi labor unions, free of Communist influence. Simultaneously, left-wing Ba’thist union leaders strove to establish an autonomous, radically democratic, and nonaligned labor movement in the face of their own government's efforts to subordinate unions to government control. The leftist labor leaders also confronted the Iraq Petroleum Company as it attempted to reduce the size of its Iraqi work force. The IFPW focused solely on Cold War goals and did not support the union organizers in their struggles for either labor autonomy or economic security for oil workers.
The Challenge of Peace: Ronald Reagan, John Paul II, and the American Bishops
Authors: McBrady Jared
Published: March 2015

In 1983, the American Catholic bishops’ conference released The Challenge of Peace, a pastoral letter on nuclear weapons policy. This article examines the drafting process of that pastoral letter, revealing a complex relationship between President Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, and the U.S. bishops. At the same time Reagan was strengthening the relationship between Washington and the Vatican, the American bishops were becoming increasingly critical of the president and his policies in a way not previously seen from the Catholic hierarchy—a tension that colored the drafting of The Challenge of Peace. The pastoral represents a watershed moment in the transformation of the American Catholic Church into a major voice in the American public sphere.
Peace Proposals, Diplomacy, and War: Was an Opportunity Lost for an Early Settlement in Vietnam?
Authors: Herring George C. , Thies Wallace , Pribbenow Merle L. , Quinn-Judge Sophie , Chapman Jessica M. , Adamson Michael R. , Hershberg James G.
Published: March 2015

This forum includes essays by six leading experts on the Vietnam War discussing the recent book by James G. Hershberg, Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), which recounts the various secret efforts mediated by East European governments to foster peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam that would bring an end to the war. All of the commentators praise the book and the scope of Hershberg's research, but most of them do not share Hershberg's belief that a major chance for peace was genuinely “lost.” All the commentators agree that Hershberg provides a rich, nuanced analysis and has performed a valuable service in outlining future directions for research on the topic. The forum ends with a reply by Hershberg to the six contributors.
A checklist of the helminth parasites of marine mammals from Argentina
Authors: HERNÁNDEZ-ORTS JESÚS S. , VIOLA M. NATALIA PASO , GARCÍA NÉSTOR A. , CRESPO ENRIQUE A. , GONZÁLEZ RAÚL , GARCÍA-VARELA MARTÍN , KUCHTA ROMAN
Published: March 2015

Based on published records and new data accumulated by the authors, we generated a list of the helminth parasites of marine mammals from off the coast of Argentina. We found 49 reports of helminths parasitizing cetaceans and pinnipeds from Argentina from 1952 to 2015. The list includes 54 taxa of helminths (8 acanthocephalans, 24 nematodes, 11 cestodes and 11 trematodes) associated with 18 species of cetaceans and 5 species of pinnipeds. Most of the records represent adults (5 acanthocephalans, 16 nematodes, 6 cestodes and 11 trematodes), followed by larvae (10 nematodes and 3 metacestodes) and juveniles (4 acanthocephalans and 2 cestodes). The checklist contains 24 named species (5 acanthocephalans, 8 nematodes, 4 cestodes and 7 trematodes) and 30 undetermined helminth taxa (3 acanthocephalans, 16 nematodes, 7 cestodes and 4 trematodes). The present account contains a parasite/host lists and information on the habitat, developmental stage and distribution of the parasites listed, repositories of their type and voucher specimens and references. A host-parasite list is also presented. The data compiled on the helminth of marine mammals from Argentina in the present study revealed gaps in the knowledge of their taxonomic identification, composition, distribution, host specificity and life cycles. These gaps are also briefly discussed in order to provide an outline for future research.
Revision of the Dysmorphoptilidae with emarginate tegmina (Hemiptera: Auchenorryncha: Cicadomorpha: Prosboloidea) of the Queensland Triassic
Authors: LAMBKIN KEVIN J.
Published: March 2015

Species of the extinct family Dysmorphoptilidae with distinctly punctate and emarginate tegmina are one of the most characteristic elements of the hemipteran fauna of the three Queensland Triassic fossil insect-bearing formations—the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Gayndah Formation at Gayndah, the Late Triassic (Norian) Mount Crosby Formation at Mount Crosby, and the Late Triassic (Norian) Blackstone Formation at Mount Crosby and Dinmore. Eight species in five genera have been identified: Mesocixius triassicus Tillyard, 1919 (Denmark Hill), Mesocixius parvus (Evans) comb. nov., 1956 (Mount Crosby), Triassocixius australicus Tillyard, 1919 (Denmark Hill), Carsburgia knezouri gen. et sp. nov. (Dinmore), Dysmorphoptiloides elongata Evans, 1956 (Mount Crosby), Dysmorphoptiloides ellisi sp. nov. (Gayndah), Tennentsia princeps sp. nov. (Mount Crosby), and Tennentsia evansi sp. nov. (Gayndah). Synapomorphies are proposed to suggest that Triassocixius, Carsburgia, Dysmorphoptiloides and Tennentsia are monophyletic. Mesocixius may be paraphyletic, its two species sharing only apparently plesiomorphic characters. The limits and relationships of the over 15 described world genera of the Dysmorphoptilidae remain poorly known, but examination of the Queensland species has identified several characters which may be of cladistic value: the presence or absence of a strigil, the degree of tegmen emarginations and form of the resultant apical lobe, the presence and form of swellings on the claval margin, the pattern of tegmen punctation, the relativities of the primary forks of R and RA, the branching pattern of RA1, the branching and orientation of RA2,and the presence or absence of a fusions between RA and RP distally and between M and CuA basally
A revision of the Chinese species of Cyamophiliopsis (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Psyllidae) associated with Spiraea (Rosaceae)
Authors: LUO XINYU , LI FASHENG , CAI WANZHI
Published: March 2015

Cyamophiliopsis is a small genus restricted to the Palaearctic Region and associated with Spiraea spp. (Rosaceae). In the present work, following five species are recognized in China: C. pseudofasciata sp. nov., C. sarmatica, C. spinosa sp. nov., C. xinjiangana sp. nov. and C. zaisani. Cyamophiliopsis is diagnosed, redescribed in detail, and its phylogenetic relationships are discussed. All the species are described or redescribed, and the fifth instar immature of C. zaisani is described for the first time. Nomenclatorial problems are discussed concerning the Far East Russian Psylla spiraee which is transferred to Cyamophiliopsis as C. spiraee comb. nov.
Ocelliemesina sinica, the second ocelli-bearing genus and species of thread-legged bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae)
Authors: WANG JIANYUN , WANG BAOHAI , CAO LIANGMING , CAI WANZHI
Published: March 2015

Ocelliemesina sinica, gen. & sp. nov., from Yunnan Province, China is described. It represents the second genus and species with ocelli in the reduviid subfamily Emesinae. Dorsal habitus, male genitalia, and other diagnostic morphological characters of the new species are illustrated. The type specimen is preserved in the Entomological Museum of China Agricultural University, Beijing.
Ctenophores from the Oaxaca coast, including a checklist of species from the Pacific coast of Mexico
Authors: RUIZ-ESCOBAR FERNANDO , VALADEZ-VARGAS DIANA K. , OLIVEIRA OTTO M. P.
Published: March 2015

Ctenophores are poorly known in the tropical eastern Pacific, including the southern coast of Mexico. Previous records of ctenophores along the Pacific coast have been provided mainly from northern waters. For the coast of Oaxaca state, their occurrence has only been mentioned before at phylum level. In this paper, we provide the first three records of ctenophores for the Oaxacan coast, which represent new records of Beroe forskalii and Bolinopsis vitrea as well as the first record of Ocyropsis maculata in the tropical eastern Pacific. Descriptions of these three species, as well as a checklist of the ctenophores from the west coast of Mexico are provided.
Mechanical properties of stainless steel composites with titanium carbonitride consolidated by spark plasma sintering
Authors: Allabergenov Bunyod , Tursunkulov Oybek , Abidov Amir , Jeong Soon-Wook , Kim Sungjin
Published: March 2015

In this paper, stainless steel–titanium carbonitride-based composites were fabricated and analyzed to utilize for bipolar plate in fuel cells. In order to study the size effect of titanium carbonitride on the mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of the composites, micro and nanosize titanium carbonitride powders were used. Stainless steel–carbonitride composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering and subsequently annealed at different temperatures up to 1100℃ to improve the morphological and mechanical properties. Various properties of the obtained samples were compared before and after annealing. It was shown that after heat treatment, the mechanical properties of the stainless steel–carbonitride composites improved due to the diffusion of titanium carbonitride particles into stainless steel. Addition of microsized titanium carbonitride powders was found to be effective to improve the mechanical properties, such as microhardness and compressive strength, of the composite. However, addition of nanosized titanium carbonitride powders led to an increase of corrosion resistivity of the composite. Physical properties, such as thermal and chemical stability of the obtained composite samples were investigated by microhardness tester, potentiostat, field emission-scanning electron microscope, EDX and X-ray diffraction.
A comparative study: The combined effect of the cold working and age hardening processes on pitting behaviour of Al/SiC metal matrix composites under saline environment
Authors: Dikici Burak , Tekmen Cagri
Published: March 2015

The combined effect of cold working and age hardening treatment (T8) on the corrosion behaviour of Al-Si-Mg based metal matrix composite reinforced with silicon carbide particles has been investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization technique. Composites containing 10 and 20 vol% silicon carbide particles were produced by compocasting technique and cold–worked at ratios of 4, 6, 10, 25 and 50% prior to ageing heat treatment conducted at 175℃. Corroded surfaces of the composites were observed by using scanning electron microscopy. A significant change in the corrosion behaviour of composites was observed when cold work ratio was increased from 4 to 50%. In addition, it has been found that the influence of cold working on corrosion behaviour is relatively higher compared to the effect of reinforcement content and age-hardening treatment.
Reading Achievement, Mastery, and Performance Goal Structures Among Students With Learning Disabilities
Authors: Sideridis Georgios D. , Stamovlasis Dimitrios , Antoniou Faye
Published: March 2015

The purpose of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that a nonlinear relationship exists between a performance-classroom climate and the reading achievement of adolescent students with learning disabilities (LD). Participants were 62 students with LD (Grades 5–9) from public elementary schools in northern Greece. Classroom climate was assessed using the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Styles. Achievement in reading was assessed using a normative reading assessment. Data were analyzed by means of catastrophe theory in which the behavior is predicted as a function of two control variables, the asymmetry factor and the bifurcation factor. Reading achievement (word identification) was predicted by students’ ability to decode pseudowords (asymmetry variable) and by a mastery or performance motivational discourse (bifurcation factor). Results indicated that in classrooms with a performance goal structure, the cusp model fit the data and accounted for 54% of the variance in real word identification. In this condition, the association between pseudoword reading and real word reading was nonlinear. When a mastery climate was tested as a bifurcation variable, results indicated that its effect was nonsignificant and that instead the linear model fitted the data more adequately. Thus, increases in a classroom’s performance motivational discourse are associated with sudden, unpredictable, and discontinued changes in students’ reading performance.
Caring for Tube‐Fed Children
Authors: Edwards Sarah , Davis Ann M. , Bruce Amanda , Mousa Hayat , Lyman Beth , Cocjin Jose , Dean Kelsey , Ernst Linda , Almadhoun Osama , Hyman Paul
Published: March 2015

Enteral nutrition is the practice of delivering nutrition to the gut either orally or through a tube or other device. Many children are reliant on enteral feedings to either supplement their nutrition or as a complete source of their nutrition. Managing children on tube feedings requires a team of providers to work through such dilemmas as feeding schedules, weaning from tube feeding, sensory implications of tube feeding, treatment of pain or nausea associated with eating, oral‐motor issues, and behavioral issues in the child and family. The purpose of the current review is to summarize the multidisciplinary aspects of enteral feeding. The multidisciplinary team consists of a variable combination of an occupational therapist, speech‐language pathologist, gastroenterologist, psychologist, nurse, pharmacist, and dietitian. Children who have minimal oral feeding experience and are fed via a nasogastric or gastrostomy tube often develop oral aversions. Limited data support that children with feeding disorders are more likely to have sensory impairment and that early life pain experiences contribute to feeding refusal. There are inpatient and outpatient programs for weaning patients from tube feeding to eating. The parent‐child interaction is an important part of the assessment and treatment of the tube‐fed child. This review also points out many information gaps, including data on feeding schedules, blenderized tube feedings, the best methods for weaning children off enteral feedings, the efficacy of chronic pain medications with tube‐fed children, and, finally, the necessity of the assessment of parental stress among all parents of children who are tube fed.
Legitimacy Struggles and Political Corporate Social Responsibility in International Settings: A Comparative Discursive Analysis of a Contested Investment in Latin America
Authors: Joutsenvirta Maria , Vaara Eero
Published: March 2015

This paper examines the discursive legitimation of controversial investment projects to provide a better understanding of the ways in which corporate social responsibility is constructed in international settings. On the basis of a discursive analysis of an intense dispute between Finnish, Uruguayan and Argentinean actors over a pulp mill project in Uruguay, we develop a framework that elucidates four legitimating discourses: technocratic, societal, national-political, and global-capitalist. With this framework, our analysis helps to better understand how CSR involves discourse-ideological struggles, how CSR is embedded in international relations, and how CSR is mediatized in contemporary globalizing society. By so doing, our analysis contributes to critical studies of CSR as well as research on legitimation more generally.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Clinical Treatment of Otospongiosis
Authors: de Oliveira Vicente Andy , Chandrasekhar Sujana S. , Yamashita Helio K. , Cruz Oswaldo Laercio M. , Barros Flavia A. , Penido Norma O.
Published: March 2015

Objectives

To evaluate the applicability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a method for monitoring the activity of otospongiotic lesions before and after clinical treatment.

Study Design

Prospective, randomized, controlled, double‐blind study.

Setting

One single tertiary care institution in a large, cosmopolitan city.

Methods

Twenty‐six patients (n = 42 ears) with clinical, audiometric, and tomographic diagnosis of otosclerosis were enrolled. If computed tomography (CT) demonstrated active lesions, these patients underwent MRI to detect otospongiotic foci, seen as areas of gadolinium enhancement. Patients were divided into 3 groups and received treatment with placebo, sodium alendronate, or sodium fluoride for 6 months. After this period, clinical and audiometric evaluations and a second MRI were performed. Each MRI was evaluated by both a neuroradiologist and an otolaryngologist in a subjective (visual) and objective (using specific eFilm Workstation software) manner.

Results

Otospongiosis was most predominantly identified in the region anterior to the oval window, and this site was reliable for comparing pre‐ and posttreatment scans. The patients in the alendronate and sodium fluoride groups had MRI findings that suggested a decrease in activity of otospongiotic lesions, more relevant in the alendronate group. These findings were statistically significant for both subjective and objective MRI evaluations.

Conclusions

MRI shows higher sensitivity than clinical or audiometric assessment for detecting reduction in activity of otospongiosis. The objective MRI evaluation based on software analysis was the most accurate method of monitoring clinical treatment response in otospongiosis.
An unsuspected diagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of lung
Authors: Al-Zamkan Bassil , Sangani Niravkumar , Jansen Michael , Aljassim Obaid
Published: March 2015

A 40-year-old man with dry cough for 5 years, no history of smoking, and a right lung mass, underwent a radiologically-guided core needle biopsy. The initial histopathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma of the lung. After lobectomy, the final pathology was mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The initial biopsies sampled only a mucinous component of the tumor, leading to a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. The possibility of mucoepidermoid carcinoma could be suspected on the basis of clinical history and radiologic evidence. This unusual case highlights the importance of adequate multidisciplinary review of patients who increasingly receive pathologic diagnoses based on ever smaller tissue samples.
Sraffa’s Contributions to the Methodology of Economics
Authors: Sinha Ajit
Published: March 2015

This article highlights some of Sraffa’s main contributions to the methodology of economics. It argues that Sraffa rejected counterfactual reasoning and hence the ‘marginal method’ of analysis. Sraffa’s theory is built solely on factual and objective information and hence it removes psychology from economics as well. Sraffa’s theory shows that considerations of demand and the condition of equilibrium of demand and supply are irrelevant to a logical theory of prices. The article goes on to show how Sraffa’s novel approach to economic theory was able to expose the logical errors of ‘marginal method’ in the Austrian and Neo-classical theories of distribution. Finally, it also raises some questions for Sraffa’s theory that need to be resolved.

JEL: B2, B3, B4, B5
Methodology of the Social Sciences in the Age of Complexity: Unity, Autonomy or Integration?
Authors: Nachane Dilip M.
Published: March 2015

The principle of ‘unity of sciences’ (comprising natural, social and human sciences) has a long history. While the term ‘unity’ lends itself to various interpretations, in recent years it is generally understood as ‘methodological unity’. In opposition to the ‘unity’ viewpoint, several social scientists have argued for the methodological autonomy of social sciences. This article attempts to analyze the reasons behind the triumph of the ‘unity’ principle around the 1960s, and how it ushered in an era of formalism in social sciences, especially economics. Dissatisfaction with formalism, in general, and Bourbakism, in particular, in recent years has prompted the search for alternative methodologies in the social sciences, with complexity theory offering much promise.

JEL: A12, B41
The false-friend effect in three profoundly deaf learners of French: Disentangling morphology, phonology and orthography
Authors: Janke Vikki , Kolokonte Marina
Published: March 2015

Three profoundly deaf individuals undertook a low-frequency backward lexical translation task (French/English), where morphological structure was manipulated and orthographic distance between test items was measured. Conditions included monomorphemic items (simplex), polymorphemic items (complex), items whose French morphological structure exceeded their English counterpart (mismatch), and a control. Order of translation success was uniform: control > mismatch > simplex > complex, as was order for false-cognate errors: complex > simplex > mismatch, patterning precisely with hearing participants (Janke and Kolokonte, 2014). We discuss how these results highlight a route for future studies to disentangle phonology and orthography further from morphology in first-language interference.
Periaqueductal gray calcitonin gene-related peptide modulates trigeminovascular neurons
Authors: Pozo-Rosich P , Storer RJ , Charbit AR , Goadsby PJ
Published: March 2015

Background

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonism is an approach to migraine therapy. The locus of action of antimigraine treatment is not resolved. The objective was to investigate CGRP receptors in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) involved in the modulation of trigeminovascular nociception by descending influences on neurotransmission.

Methods

The presence of calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CLR) and receptor activity modifying protein 1 (RAMP1), which form functional CGRP receptors, was investigated. CGRP and its receptor antagonists, olcegepant and CGRP ( 8 – 37 ), were microinjected into the vlPAG while changes of neural responses in the trigeminocervical complex (TCC) were monitored.

Results

Immunoreactivity indicated the presence of functional CGRP receptor components in the vlPAG and adjacent mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. Inhibition of TCC responses to stimulation of dural afferents and ophthalmic cutaneous receptive fields after microinjection of bicuculline into vlPAG indicated a connection between the vlPAG and TCC neurons. CGRP facilitated these TCC responses, whereas olcegepant and CGRP ( 8 – 37 ) decreased them.

Conclusions

CGRP and its receptor antagonists act on neurons in the region of vlPAG to influence nociceptive transmission in the TCC. This suggests CGRP receptor antagonists may act at loci outside of the TCC and reinforces the concept of migraine as a disorder of the brain.
The Fragile Status of a Muslim Wife
Authors: Abdullah Raihanah , Abdullah Silmi , Ferdousi Nahid
Published: March 2015

In Malaysia, the law regarding polygamy is shrouded in complexities that cannot be simply addressed with a sweeping ban or a complete socio-legal acceptance. These complexities reflect the equally complex ways in which the practice has developed in this country throughout various historical periods. This article conducts a historical review of polygamy in Malaysia to understand the ways in which the legal developments have specifically impacted the status of women. It will focus in particular, on three key historical periods: the precolonial, the British colonial, and post-independence Malaysia.