bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuronal SIRT1 (Silent Information Regulator 2 Homologue 1) Regulates Glycolysis and Mediates Resveratrol-Induced Ischemic Tolerance
Authors: Koronowski Kevin B. , Khoury Nathalie , Saul Isabel , Loris Zachary B. , Cohan Charles H. , Stradecki-Cohan Holly M. , Dave Kunjan R. , Young Juan I. , Perez-Pinzon Miguel A.
Published: October 2017

Background and Purpose—

Resveratrol, at least in part via SIRT1 (silent information regulator 2 homologue 1) activation, protects against cerebral ischemia when administered 2 days before injury. However, it remains unclear if SIRT1 activation must occur, and in which brain cell types, for the induction of neuroprotection. We hypothesized that neuronal SIRT1 is essential for resveratrol-induced ischemic tolerance and sought to characterize the metabolic pathways regulated by neuronal Sirt1 at the cellular level in the brain.

Methods—

We assessed infarct size and functional outcome after transient 60 minute middle cerebral artery occlusion in control and inducible, neuronal-specific SIRT1 knockout mice. Nontargeted primary metabolomics analysis identified putative SIRT1-regulated pathways in brain. Glycolytic function was evaluated in acute brain slices from adult mice and primary neuronal-enriched cultures under ischemic penumbra-like conditions.

Results—

Resveratrol-induced neuroprotection from stroke was lost in neuronal
Sirt1
knockout mice. Metabolomics analysis revealed alterations in glucose metabolism on deletion of neuronal
Sirt1
, accompanied by transcriptional changes in glucose metabolism machinery. Furthermore, glycolytic ATP production was impaired in acute brain slices from neuronal
Sirt1
knockout mice. Conversely, resveratrol increased glycolytic rate in a SIRT1-dependent manner and under ischemic penumbra-like conditions in vitro.

Conclusions—

Our data demonstrate that resveratrol requires neuronal SIRT1 to elicit ischemic tolerance and identify a novel role for SIRT1 in the regulation of glycolytic function in brain. Identification of robust neuroprotective mechanisms that underlie ischemia tolerance and the metabolic adaptations mediated by SIRT1 in brain are crucial for the translation of therapies in cerebral ischemia and other neurological disorders.
Radopholoides japonicus n. sp. (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae) found in rhizosphere soil associated with Podocarpus macrophyllus from Japan
Authors: Maria Munawar , Gu Jianfeng , Fang Yiwu , He Jie , Castillo Pablo , Li Hongmei
Published: October 2017

Radopholoides japonicusn. sp. isolated from rhizospheric soil samples associated withPodocarpus macrophyllusimported from Japan into Ningbo Port of China is described and illustrated. It is characterised by four lateral lines, lip region low, convex with three annuli. Stylet 16.5-18.5μm long with anteriorly sloping rounded knobs. Excretory pore at the level of pharyngo-intestinal junction. Vulva posteriorly located, vulval lips not protruding, spermatheca squarish. Post-vulval uterine sac 35-44μm long. Tail conoid with broadly rounded terminus, phasmid 6-8 annuli posterior to anus. Among five species of genusRadopholoides, the new species is close toR. antonibut can be differentiated from it by lip and tail morphology. This is the firstRadopholoidesspecies that provided detailed morphological and molecular characterisation. Maximum Likelihood analysis using the Shimodaira-Hasegawa test for the validity ofRadopholoideswas performed and showed the validity of the genus using the partial 18S and D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S.
Description of Ektaphelenchus oleae n. sp. (Rhabditida: Ektaphelenchinae) from Iran
Authors: Miraeiz Esmaeil , Heydari Ramin , Adeldoost Yaser , Ye Weimin
Published: October 2017

Ektaphelenchus oleae n. sp. is described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular data from the rhizosphere of an olive tree (Olea europium) from the suburbs of Gorgan, Golestan Province, in northern Iran. The new species is characterised by females 441-652 μm long, stylet 15-19 μm long with wide lumen without basal swelling, labial region set off by a clear constriction, appearing bowl-like, four incisures in lateral field, excretory pore always located posterior to median bulb and anterior to hemizonid, post-uterine sac 43-73 μm long, conoid tail, and the presence of four pairs of male subventral caudal papillae. The new species is typologically similar to species belonging to three genera: Anomyctus, Ektaphelenchus and Seinura, by a combination of morphological characters, e.g., head with expanded lips, forming a small bowl-like structure, stylet without knobs or swellings at the base, short conical tail and a vestigial anus and rectum in most individuals. Molecular analysis of the new species was performed using sequences of SSU and LSU ribosomal DNA genes.
Does Security Increase Secularity? Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey on the Relationship between Income and Religious Service Attendance
Authors: Storm Ingrid
Published: October 2017

Material security has been associated with lower religious attendance both between and within countries and has been proposed as one of the mechanisms causing long term religious decline in economically developed countries. Using a British panel study, this article examines (a) whether change to household incomes can incite individual religious change and (b) whether religion can buffer against the stress of economic loss.

The main trend in Britain is that of religious stability or decline, and income change does nothing to reverse this trend. Increases in household income are associated with religious disengagement, but income reduction has no effect on religious attendance. However, religious activity may still act as a ‘buffer’ by improving and maintaining life satisfaction in the face of economic loss.
From the Dome of the Chain to Miḥrāb Dāʾūd: The Transformation of an Umayyad Commemorative Site at the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem
Authors: Mostafa Heba
Published: October 2017

As a monument with a disputed function and iconography, the Dome of the Chain is something of an art historical conundrum. Constructed by the Umayyad caliph ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwan (r. 685–705) in 692 on the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, it reportedly commemorates a chain tethered to the heavens that aided the Prophet King David (Dāʾūd) in the dispensation of justice. By the sixteenth century, however, the Dome of the Chain became associated with other sites of Davidic commemoration such as the Qurʾanic Mihrab of David (Miḥrāb Dāʾūd) referred to in Qurʾan 38:21–26, and was believed to be located in the western citadel of Jerusalem. Through an analysis of the Arabic primary sources, this study situates the history of the Dome of the Chain and the Qurʾanic Miḥrāb Dāʾūd within the context of the Davidic repertoire and commemorative practice in Islam. By examining changing trends of Davidic commemoration in Jerusalem from the seventh to the sixteenth centuries, this study reveals trajectories of Islam’s engagement with its biblical past in relation to the localized commemoration of Davidic justice and kingship within Jerusalem.
Life in the Khans: The Venetians in Early Ottoman Aleppo
Authors: Lamprakos Michele
Published: October 2017

In the second half of the fifteenth century, Aleppo became increasingly important as a center of the Levant trade. The Venetian merchant community grew, and the consulate was eventually transferred there. The Venetians’ base of operations was the khan, a commercial building type that can be found in various forms across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. How did the khan accommodate the day-to-day life of Venetians in Aleppo—and how did it mediate their relationships with local authorities, merchants, and residents? This essay explores these questions through a study of khans used by Venetians in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It shows that they utilized a network of khans that extended throughout the city. Khans were highly adaptable structures, and Venetians used them for multiple purposes, including trade, lodging, socializing, worship, and diplomacy. The portrait of Venetian life that emerges from this study provides an interesting micro-history. It also sheds light on the wider process of cultural reception and translation: how a group of foreigners makes the exotic familiar, and how this impacts notions of self and other.
Two new species of the genus Leeonychiurus Sun & Arbea, 2014 (Collembola: Onychiuridae) from Korea
Authors: LEE INAE , PARK KYUNG-HWA
Published: October 2017

Two new species of the genus Leeonychiurus Sun & Arbea, 2014 from South Korea, i.e. L. koreanus sp. nov. and L. analis sp. nov., are described and illustrated. The former differs from other known congeners by having only 2 distinct pseudocelli on each side of Abd. III (three in all other species). The second species, L. analis sp. nov., being rather similar to L. koreanus sp. nov., can easily be distinguished due to the presence of dorsal pso on Th. I (absent in L. koreanus sp. nov.) and three dorsal pso on Abd. III (only two pso in L. koreanus sp. nov.), chaetotaxy of anal valves is also specific, characterized by the presence of chaetae a1 and the absence of chaeta c0 on upper anal valve. An identification key to all known species of the genus Leeonychiurus species is also provided.
A contribution to the knowledge of the subfamily Panagaeinae Hope, 1838 from Africa. Part 3. Revision of the Craspedophorus strachani and C. brevicollis groups (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
Authors: HÄCKEL MARTIN
Published: October 2017

Revised are Afrotropical species of the Craspedophorus strachani and C. brevicollis groups. New taxa are C. dicranulothorax n. sp. (Cameroon), C. lemariei n. sp. (Gabon), C. phenacoides n. sp. (Cameroon), C. ruficroides n. sp. (Guinea), C. cuneatus rotundatus n. ssp. (Cameroon, central Africa), C. ruficroides thomsoni n. ssp. (Cameroon, central Africa, Gabon), C. strachani bamendanus n. ssp. (Cameroon), C. tetrastigma morettoi n. ssp. (west Africa) and C. brevicollis beninensis n. ssp. (Benin).   C. ruficrus (Laferté-Sénectere, 1851) and C. gabonicus (Thomson, 1858) are considered nomina dubia, because their original descriptions do not provide enough information to allow linking the names to any known specimens. To correct the situation, the authorship of C. ruficrus is ascribed to the first reviser, Chaudoir (1861) [as a valid name (sp. resurr.)], who designated a lectotype and provided an adequate redescription; the invalid name C. gabonicus (Thomson) sensu Chaudoir (1861) is synonymized with C. muata (Harold, 1883). The status of the following species is changed to subspecies: C. grossus (Hope, 1842) is demoted to ssp. of C. strachani (Hope, 1842), C. paromius Basilewsky, 1987 is demoted to ssp. of C. cuneatus (Alluaud, 1915) and C. milzi Duvivier, 1891 is demoted to ssp. of C. tetrastigma (Laferté). C. strachani depressus Burgeon, 1930 is synonymized with C. tetrastigma milzi Duvivier, 1891 and C. chevalieri jokoanus Basilewsky, 1987 is synonymized with C. chevalieri (Alluaud, 1915). C. strachani and C. brevicollis groups sensu Chaudoir 1879 are redefined. C. latemaculatus Alluaud, 1930 is removed from C. reflexus group Häckel 2016 and transferred to C. strachani group nov.
Gust Factors: Meteorologically Stratified Climatology, Data Artifacts, and Utility in Forecasting Peak Gusts
Authors: Harris Austin R. , Kahl Jonathan D. W.
Published: October 2017

Gust factors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are investigated using Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) wind measurements from 2007 to 2014. Wind and gust observations reported in the standard hourly ASOS dataset are shown to contain substantial bias caused by sampling and reporting protocols that restrict the reporting of gusts to arbitrarily defined “gusty” periods occurring during small subsets of each hour. The hourly ASOS gust reports are found to be inadequate for describing the gust characteristics of the site and ill suited for the study of gust factors. A gust-factor climatology was established for Milwaukee using the higher-resolution, 1-min version of the ASOS dataset. The mean gust factor is 1.74. Stratified climatologies demonstrate that Milwaukee gust factors vary substantially with meteorological factors, with wind speed and wind direction exerting the strongest controls. A variety of modified gust-factor models were evaluated in which the peak wind gust is estimated by multiplying a gust factor by the observed, rather than forecast, wind speed. Errors thus obtained are entirely attributable to utility of the gust factor in forecasting peak gusts, having eliminated any error associated with the wind speed forecast. Results show that gust-factor models demonstrate skill in estimating peak gusts and improve with the use of meteorologically stratified gust factors.
Illicit Market for Counterfeit Products at Small Businesses in Michigan
Authors: Sullivan Brandon A. , Wilson Jeremy M. , Militz Ross S.
Published: October 2017

Research on small businesses facilitating illicit markets and the efforts of nonfederal law enforcement agencies to identify these small business offenders has been scant. This exploratory study examines the illicit market for counterfeit products sold through small businesses in the State of Michigan. We used police incident reports of counterfeit products identified during administrative tobacco inspections of small businesses to provide a unique look at this crime problem and the efforts of law enforcement to curtail it. We analyzed the content of these incident reports to explore characteristics of the incidents, businesses and suspects selling counterfeit products, how the counterfeit products were identified and verified, and the origin of the counterfeits. Implications for law enforcement efforts to address counterfeit criminal enterprises and directions for future research are discussed.
A Multilevel Bifactor Approach to Construct Validation of Mixed-Format Scales
Authors: Wang Yan , Kim Eun Sook , Dedrick Robert F. , Ferron John M. , Tan Tony
Published: October 2017

Wording effects associated with positively and negatively worded items have been found in many scales. Such effects may threaten construct validity and introduce systematic bias in the interpretation of results. A variety of models have been applied to address wording effects, such as the correlated uniqueness model and the correlated traits and correlated methods model. This study presents the multilevel bifactor approach to handling wording effects of mixed-format scales used in a multilevel context. The Students Confident in Mathematics scale is used to illustrate this approach. Results from comparing a series of models showed that positive and negative wording effects were present at both the within and the between levels. When the wording effects were ignored, the within-level predictive validity of the Students Confident in Mathematics scale was close to that under the multilevel bifactor model. However, at the between level, a lower validity coefficient was observed when ignoring the wording effects. Implications for applied researchers are discussed.
Custom Repair of Mandibular Bone Defects with 3D Printed Bioceramic Scaffolds
Authors: Shao H. , Sun M. , Zhang F. , Liu A. , He Y. , Fu J. , Yang X. , Wang H. , Gou Z.
Published: October 2017

Implanting artificial biomaterial implants into alveolar bone defects with individual shape and appropriate mechanical strength is still a challenge. In this study, bioceramic scaffolds, which can precisely match the mandibular defects in macro and micro, were manufactured by the 3-dimensional (3D) printing technique according to the computed tomography (CT) image. To evaluate the stimulatory effect of the material substrate on bone tissue regeneration in situ in a rabbit mandibular alveolar bone defect model, implants made with the newly developed, mechanically strong ~10% Mg-substituted wollastonite (Ca90%Mg10%SiO3; CSi-Mg10) were fabricated, implanted into the bone defects, and compared with implants made with the typical Ca-phosphate and Ca-silicate porous bioceramics, such as β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), wollastonite (CaSiO3; CSi), and bredigite (Bred). The initial physicochemical tests indicated that although the CSi-Mg10 scaffolds had the largest pore dimension, they had the lowest porosity mainly due to the significant linear shrinkage of the scaffolds during sintering. Compared with the sparingly dissolvable TCP scaffolds (~2% weight loss) and superfast dissolvable (in Tris buffer within 6 wk) pure CSi and Bred scaffolds (~12% and ~14% weight loss, respectively), the CSi-Mg10 exhibited a mild in vitro biodissolution and moderate weight loss of ~7%. In addition, the CSi-Mg10 scaffolds showed a considerable initial flexural strength (31 MPa) and maintained very high flexural resistance during soaking in Tris buffer. The in vivo results revealed that the CSi-Mg10 scaffolds have markedly higher osteogenic capability than those on the TCP, CSi, and Bred scaffolds after 16 wk. These results suggest a promising potential application of customized CSi-Mg10 3D robocast scaffolds in the clinic, especially for repair of alveolar bone defects.
From Practice to Principle and Back: Applying a New Realist Method to the European Union’s Democratic Deficit
Authors: Beetz Jan Pieter
Published: October 2017

The prospect of a Brexit illustrates that the European Union’s legitimacy deficit can have far-reaching political consequences. In normative political theory, realists take a keen interest in questions of legitimacy. Building on Bernard Williams’ realist writings, I propose a two-step method of normative political theorization. Each step contains both a practice-sensitive phase and a practice-insensitive phase. First, the conceptualization of a norm should draw on conceptual resources available to agents within their historical circumstances. Second, the prescriptions that follow from this norm should take into account whether political order can be maintained. Applying this method to the European Union’s democratic deficit yields, first, based on public opinion research, the norm of European deep diversity and, second, a set of prescriptions for a demoicratic confederacy. Thereby, I demonstrate that this realist method is able to yield political theories distinct from other philosophical approaches. Moreover, I contribute a realist theory to the normative literature in European Union studies.
Military Conflict and Neo-Liberalization in Israel (2001–2006): A Neo-Gramscian Approach
Authors: Avigur-Eshel Amit , Filc Dani
Published: October 2017

Existing analytical frameworks for the study of Israel’s political sociology and political economy tend to view the Israeli society as polarized into a neo-liberal secular and peace-seeking elite and religious ethno-republican social groups. The turn to ethno-republicanism following the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, and two neo-liberal economic programs in 2002 and 2003, exposed the limitations of those approaches. We suggest that a Neo-Gramscian approach provides a better theoretical framework for the analysis of the early years of the twenty-first century. We argue that during the years 2001–2006 a hegemonic project was constituted which succeeded in combining neo-liberal and ethno-republican elements. This project was based on a relatively stable socio-political alignment of social groups, primarily drawn from the Jewish middle class. In order to establish our argument, we characterize the project and analyze the position of the main social groups in Israeli society relative to it.
Beyond Keywords: Tracking the Evolution of Conversational Clusters in Social Media
Authors: Houghton James P. , Siegel Michael , Madnick Stuart , Tounaka Nobuaki , Nakamura Kazutaka , Sugiyama Takaaki , Nakagawa Daisuke , Shirnen Buyanjargal
Published: October 2017

The potential of social media to give insight into the dynamic evolution of public conversations, and into their reactive and constitutive role in political activities, has to date been underdeveloped. While topic modeling can give static insight into the structure of a conversation, and keyword volume tracking can show how engagement with a specific idea varies over time, there is need for a method of analysis able to understand how conversations about societal values evolve and react to events in the world by incorporating new ideas and relating them to existing themes. In this article, we propose a method for analyzing social media messages that formalizes the structure of public conversations and allows the sociologist to study the evolution of public discourse in a rigorous, replicable, and data-driven fashion. This approach may be useful to those studying the social construction of meaning, the origins of factionalism and internecine conflict, or boundary-setting and group-identification exercises and has potential implications.
Formal verification of obstacle avoidance and navigation of ground robots
Authors: Mitsch Stefan , Ghorbal Khalil , Vogelbacher David , Platzer André
Published: October 2017

This article answers fundamental safety questions for ground robot navigation: under which circumstances does which control decision make a ground robot safely avoid obstacles? Unsurprisingly, the answer depends on the exact formulation of the safety objective, as well as the physical capabilities and limitations of the robot and the obstacles. Because uncertainties about the exact future behavior of a robot’s environment make this a challenging problem, we formally verify corresponding controllers and provide rigorous safety proofs justifying why the robots can never collide with the obstacle in the respective physical model. To account for ground robots in which different physical phenomena are important, we analyze a series of increasingly strong properties of controllers for increasingly rich dynamics and identify the impact that the additional model parameters have on the required safety margins. We analyze and formally verify: (i) static safety, which ensures that no collisions can happen with stationary obstacles; (ii) passive safety, which ensures that no collisions can happen with stationary or moving obstacles while the robot moves; (iii) the stronger passive-friendly safety, in which the robot further maintains sufficient maneuvering distance for obstacles to avoid collision as well; and (iv) passive orientation safety, which allows for imperfect sensor coverage of the robot, i.e., the robot is aware that not everything in its environment will be visible. We formally prove that safety can be guaranteed despite sensor uncertainty and actuator perturbation. We complement these provably correct safety properties with liveness properties: we prove that provably safe motion is flexible enough to let the robot navigate waypoints and pass intersections. To account for the mixed influence of discrete control decisions and the continuous physical motion of the ground robot, we develop corresponding hybrid system models and use differential dynamic logic theorem-proving techniques to formally verify their correctness. Since these models identify a broad range of conditions under which control decisions are provably safe, our results apply to any control algorithm for ground robots with the same dynamics. As a demonstration, we also synthesize provably correct runtime monitor conditions that check the compliance of any control algorithm with the verified control decisions.
Is Hezekiah a Success or a Failure? The Literary Function of Isaiah's Prediction at the End of the Royal Narratives in the Book of Isaiah
Authors: Jang Sehoon
Published: October 2017

Recent studies on both the redactional and literary unity of Isaiah have emphasized the pivotal role of Isaiah 36–39 as a transitional bridge between the two major parts of the book of Isaiah. More specifically, a growing number of commentators have understood that Hezekiah is cast as an ideal role model and remains exemplary even in Isaiah 39. However, this interpretation of Hezekiah as an idealized king is an oversimplification and does not recognize the complexity of the character of Hezekiah portrayed in these chapters. The purpose of this article is to propose a synchronic reading of how Isaiah's prediction at the end of the royal narratives in the book of Isaiah plays a key role in providing a coherent evaluation of Hezekiah as a blemished monarch who used to be a success but has become a failure.
After Zedekiah: Who and What was Gedaliah ben Ahikam?
Authors: Ritzema John
Published: October 2017

This article offers an historical and archaeological reconstruction of the person and status of Gedaliah ben Ahikam recounted at 2 Kgs 25.22–26 and Jeremiah 40–41. It builds upon Joseph Blenkinsopp's recent (2013) defence of the controversial theory, first proposed by Miller and Hayes (1986), that Gedaliah was installed at Mizpah as a Judahite client king of Nebuchadnezzar II. It suggests that elements of Joel Weinberg's (2007) more conservative reconstruction can be applied constructively to the hypothesis of Gedaliah as Judah's non-Davidide king. Future studies of Neo-Babylonian Judah must take seriously the possibility that there was, for a while, a rump Kingdom of Judah established around Mizpah in Benjamin.
‘A Man's Gotta Do What a Man's Gotta Do?’: The Criticism of Hegemonic Masculinity in Judges 19.1–20.7
Authors: Briggs Will
Published: October 2017

This article contributes to the growing conversation surrounding masculinity in the Hebrew Bible by examining the Levite's performance of masculinity in Judg. 19.1–20.7. It critiques the dominant conception of ideal, or hegemonic, masculinity within the Hebrew Bible in two stages. First, it portrays the Levite's attempts to navigate the competing demands for the behavior of a hegemonic male as ultimately leading to the tragic, outrageous death of the pilegesh. Second, it depicts the Levite's subsequent successful performance of hegemonic masculinity as causing the tragic, outrageous events following the Levite's departure from the narrative. Thus, Judg. 19.1–20.7 joins other biblical texts in attempting to renegotiate the conception of hegemonic masculinity in the Hebrew Bible.
The Question of Provenance and the Economics of Deuteronomy
Authors: Richter Sandra Lynn
Published: October 2017

The age-old question of the social location(s) of the book of Deuteronomy remains critical to the academic discussion of the book. The thesis of this article is that the culturally embedded economic realities of Urdeuteronomium (forthrightly addressed as an element of narrative or law, alluded to via metaphor or backdrop, or even mistakenly included as anachronism) should have something to teach us regarding the provenance of the book. Toward this end, this article surveys the archaeologically reconstructed picture of the economies of the Iron I, IIA, B, and C in ancient Israel, identifying diagnostic features of each in rural and urban areas, juxtaposes those features to the contents of Urdeuteronomium, and asks what may be discerned of the social setting of the book.
Top-Down Control of Perceptual Decision Making by the Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Rahnev Dobromir
Published: October 2017

Although most work on perceptual decision making has focused on the processing within the visual, temporal, and parietal lobes, recent research points to an underappreciated but critical role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). PFC provides high-level control of perception, but it is unclear whether this control can be subdivided into different processes and whether different PFC regions have different roles. Here I review evidence that prefrontal top-down control is organized in the processes of selection control, decision control, and evaluation. These three processes overlap and interact with each other while at the same time maintaining a temporal hierarchy. Further, these different stages are supported by dissociable regions within the PFC that control hierarchically organized cognition. The current proposal for PFC’s role in perceptual control can serve as the basis for a deeper understanding of both the functional organization of PFC and the processes underlying perceptual decision making.
Rethinking the Role of the Angular Gyrus in Remembering the Past and Imagining the Future: The Contextual Integration Model
Authors: Ramanan Siddharth , Piguet Olivier , Irish Muireann
Published: October 2017

Despite consistent activation on tasks of episodic memory, the precise contribution of the left angular gyrus (AG) to mnemonic functions remains vigorously debated. Mounting evidence suggests that AG activity scales with subjective ratings of vividness and confidence in recollection, with further evidence pointing to its involvement during construction of detailed and coherent future simulations. Lesion studies, however, indicate that damage to the AG does not render patients amnesic on standard source and associative memory paradigms. To reconcile these findings, we present the Contextual Integration Model as a unifying framework that couches the mnemonic role of the AG in terms of multimodal integration and representation of contextual information across temporal contexts. Irrespective of whether one is remembering the past or constructing future or hypothetical scenarios, the Contextual Integration Model holds that the core elements of an event (i.e., the who, what, when, where) are bound within the medial temporal lobes while the multimodal details, which give rise to perceptually rich recollection, are integrated and represented in the AG. Building on previous work, the Contextual Integration Model therefore provides a comprehensive exposition of the mnemonic and constructive functions of the AG across temporal contexts, offering a novel test-bed for future work.
Predicting Sexual Revictimization in Childhood and Adolescence: A Longitudinal Examination Using Ecological Systems Theory
Authors: Pittenger Samantha L. , Pogue Jessica K. , Hansen David J.
Published: October 2017

A substantial proportion of sexual abuse victims report repeat sexual victimization within childhood or adolescence; however, there is limited understanding of factors contributing to revictimization for youth. Thus, the present study examined predictors of sexual revictimization prior to adulthood using ecological systems theory. Records of 1,915 youth presenting to a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) were reviewed to identify individual, familial, and community factors as well as initial abuse characteristics associated with risk for revictimization. Results showed that 11.1% of youth re-presented to the CAC for sexual revictimization. At the individual level, younger children, girls, ethnoracial minority youth, and those with an identified mental health problem were most likely to experience revictimization. Interpersonal factors that increased vulnerability included the presence of a noncaregiving adult in the home, being in mental health treatment, and domestic violence in the family. Community-level factors did not predict revictimization. When factors at all levels were examined in conjunction, however, only individual-level factors significantly predicted the risk for revictimization. Findings from this study provide valuable information for CACs when assessing risk for re-report of sexual abuse and add to the field’s understanding of revictimization within childhood.
Stokes system with solution-dependent threshold slip boundary conditions: Analysis, approximation and implementation
Authors: Haslinger Jaroslav , Kučera Radek , Šátek Václav , Sassi Taoufik
Published: October 2017

The paper analyzes the Stokes system with threshold slip boundary conditions of Navier type. Based on the fixed-point formulation we prove the existence of a solution for a class of solution-dependent slip functions g satisfying an appropriate growth condition and its uniqueness provided that g is one-sided Lipschitz continuous. Further we study under which conditions the respective fixed-point mapping is contractive. To discretize the problem we use P1-bubble/P1 elements. Properties of discrete models in dependence on the discretization parameter are analysed and convergence results are established. In the second part of the paper we briefly describe the duality approach used in computations and present results of a model example.
Evaluation of intraoperative analgesia provided by incisional lidocaine and bupivacaine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy
Authors: Vicente David , Bergström Annika
Published: October 2017

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess the intraoperative analgesic effect of preoperative infiltration of the incision site with lidocaine or a mixture of lidocaine with bupivacaine in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy (OHE).

Methods

This was a prospective, randomised clinical study. Healthy female intact cats (n = 75) undergoing OHE under medetomidine–ketamine–buprenorphine anaesthesia were assigned randomly into three treatment groups (n = 25 per group) to receive one of two local anaesthesia protocols or placebo preoperatively in the midline incision: lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg (group GL) or mixture of lidocaine 1 mg/kg and bupivacaine 1 mg/kg (group GLB) or sodium chloride 0.9% (control group). Blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate, temperature, muscle tonus and pupillary reflex were registered during surgery. During recovery, the cats were observed for side effects. Postoperative analgesia was provided with meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg). Most cats were rechecked 2 weeks postoperatively to remove skin sutures.

Results

There was no significant difference between groups regarding breed, age, body weight, surgical time and postoperative complication rate. The majority of the cats (60%) included in the control group received a supplemental bolus of propofol during surgery, when compared with 43% and 44% of the cats included in the GL and GLB groups, respectively. Heart rate was significantly higher ( P <0.05) in the control group at the time of excision of the second ovary and the uterine body. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was stable in both treatment groups; in contrast, it tended to increase in the control group. Heart rate and MAP were similar between treatment groups.

Conclusions and relevance

Preoperative incisional block with only lidocaine or combined with bupivacaine seems to produce a similar intraoperative analgesia in cats undergoing OHE. Despite the similar intraoperative analgesic effect between treatment groups, the combination of lidocaine and bupivacaine reduced the required doses, and had a faster onset of action and prolonged effect.
Globalization, creative alliance and self-Orientalism: Negotiating Japanese identity within Asics global advertising production
Authors: Kobayashi Koji , Jackson Steven J , Sam Michael P
Published: October 2017

This article deploys the notion of ‘self-Orientalization’ to empirically investigate the signifying practices across the East–West divide for the construction of global advertising campaigns by Japanese sport brand Asics. In this context, Asics engaged in the practice of self-Orientalization as it formed a creative alliance with Western advertising agencies that represented Japanese culture and identity on behalf of the Japanese-based global headquarters. With insights from interviews with key advertising personnel, the article illuminates practices of negotiation and accommodation between Japanese and European creative workers in shaping ‘authentic’ and ‘cool’ signs of Japan. Overall, it suggests that self-Orientalization: (a) entails negotiations over the cultural-economic politics of representation between the Orient and the Occident and (b) simultaneously functions to blur such distinctions at the micro level of social relations and personal identification of creative workers when embodying and performing the Other on behalf of the Self.
Nonideal democratic authority
Authors: Kirshner Alexander S
Published: October 2017

Empirical research has transformed our understanding of autocratic institutions (Gandhi, 2008; Magaloni, 2006; Schedler, 2009). Yet democratic theorists remain laser-focused on ideal democracies, often contending that political equality is necessary to generate democratic authority (Buchanan, 2002; Christiano, 2008; Estlund, 2008; Kolodny, 2014B; Shapiro, 2002; Viehoff, 2014B, Waldron, 1999). Those analyses neglect most nonideal democracies and autocracies – regimes featuring inequality and practices like gerrymandering. This essay fills that fundamental gap, outlining the difficulties of applying theories of democratic authority to nonideal regimes and challenging long-standing views about democratic authority. Focusing on autocrats that lose elections (for example, Sri Lanka, 2015), I outline the democratic authority of nonideal, flawed procedures. Flawed elections are unjustifiably biased toward incumbents. But under certain conditions, ignoring an incumbent’s loss would require not treating one’s fellow citizens as equals. Under those conditions, therefore, citizens are bound to obey those electoral outcomes – that is, flawed procedures can possess democratic authority.
Company culture and prevention of corruption in Germany, China and Russia
Authors: Bussmann Kai D , Niemeczek Anja , Vockrodt Marcel
Published: October 2017

A Web-based survey of 15 German companies with an international profile studied the main factors effectively preventing corruption. Results showed that the most important preventive factors were a company culture that promotes integrity, along with strong knowledge of norms and a high level of acceptance of the company anti-corruption programme. Using the example of Russia and China, the survey also studied how far German parent companies succeed in exporting their company cultures and prevention measures to foreign branches. Results showed that hierarchic-elitist cultures increase the susceptibility to corruption and impede the preventive effect of single anti-corruption measures.
Amitriptyline and Sexual Function: A Systematic Review Updated for Sexual Health Practice
Authors: Chen Louis Wei-Hsi , Chen Melody Yun-Si , Lian Zhi-Ping , Lin Hung-Sheng , Chien Chia-Chang , Yin Hsin-Ling , Chu Yuan-Hsiang , Chen Kuo-Yen
Published: October 2017

Amitriptyline is an old drug but is still prevalently used as the first-line treatment for a variety of common diseases. Surprisingly, knowledge of sexual risks with amitriptyline comes from only one clinical trial and several case reports from three decades ago. In the current study, a systematic review of the literature following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) related to amitriptyline and sexual dysfunction (SD) was performed. The frequency, gender-difference, types, disease-specificity and time course of SD, and the relationship between SD and nonsexual adversity were studied. A total of 14 publications, including 8 qualified randomized clinical trials, were eligible. The frequency of SD in overall, male and female patients was 5.7, 11.9 and 1.7%, respectively. SD was six-fold higher in men than women. The frequency of SD was 6.9% in depressive patients compared with 0.8% in non-depressive patients ( p = .008), and gradually decreased at 8 weeks after treatment ( p = .02). Amitriptyline impacted arousal and libido more than orgasm and ejaculation in male patients but mainly libido in female patients. SD was significantly correlated with insomnia linearly whereas somnolence and nausea dually. Therefore, amitriptyline-associated SD mainly occurs in depressive and male patients, disturbs each phase of the sexual response cycle in men but mainly libido in women, gradually decreases under long-term treatment, and can be predicted by the co-existence of insomnia, somnolence or nausea during treatment. Clinicians should caution and tailor the gender and disease vulnerability of amitriptyline in their practice.
Allopurinol in combination with thiopurine induces mucosal healing and improves clinical and metabolic outcomes in IBD
Authors: Moreau Brigitte , Clement Pierre , Theoret Yves , Seidman Ernest G.
Published: October 2017

Background:

Thiopurines, azathioprine (AZA) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) are common maintenance medications for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Excessive methylation via thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) frequently causes therapeutic failure. Allopurinol reduces excessive 6-methyl-mercaptopurine (6-MMP) while enhancing 6-thioguanine (6-TGN) levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical, metabolic and endoscopic impact of allopurinol in combination with low-dose thiopurine in IBD.

Methods:

Retrospective review of consecutive cases treated with allopurinol. Metabolites and their ratios (6-MMP/6-TGN) were compared pre- and post-allopurinol. Clinical and endoscopic remission were assessed.

Results:

Allopurinol ( n = 66) reduced mean dose of AZA by 70% ( p < 0.01). Baseline levels (SD) 6-TGN, 6-MMP and 6-MMP/6-TGN were 165 (64), 9388 (5234) and 59.8 (30.3), respectively. These values improved on allopurinol to 297 (102), 896 (1031) and 3.4 (4.0), respectively ( p < 0.0001). Therapeutic 6-TGN level (>235) was achieved in 49/58 cases on allopurinol combination therapy, versus 9/58 monotherapy ( p = 0.0001). Among the thiopurine failure group (40 patients), clinical remission or response was observed in 65% and 22% of patients, respectively. In the asymptomatic group with excessive 6-MMP, 11/14 achieved sustained remission on allopurinol. Repeat colonoscopy ( n = 28) showed mostly endoscopic remission (67.9%) or improvement (17.8%). Few had unimproved lesions (14.3%). Importantly, 46% of cases had complete mucosal healing. Two patients had cancer on combination therapy (de novo pancreatic cancer and fatal recurrence of metastatic testicular cancer). Elevated transaminases were reduced on allopurinol (48.2 versus 6.9%) ( p < 0.001); no change in leukopenic or infectious events occurred.

Conclusion:

Allopurinol in combination with low-dose thiopurine corrected excessive 6-MMP levels, resulting in clinical remission and mucosal healing in the majority of cases. The potential cancer risk of allopurinol and thiopurine combination therapy needs further research.
Preservice teacher education: Towards a transformative and reflexive learning
Authors: Arvanitis Eugenia
Published: October 2017

Changing initial teacher education and lifelong learning experiences has become a real challenge for education as we strive to cultivate 21st-century skills in our students to ready them to become new cosmopolitan learners and knowledge professionals. The concepts inherent to transformative education and reflexive pedagogies, even though they are evolving concepts, have posed some serious concerns for the structure and experiences of preservice teacher education. This article presents a reflexive account of 207 preservice teachers attending a regional city university in Greece. In this study, the prospective teachers adopted the Learning by Design pedagogical framework during their Practicum experience. Their focus was to engage in learning design in a meaningful and collaborative way. A participatory action research methodology was adopted. Major findings revealed ‘reflexive deliberations’ on planning learning repertoires and making pedagogical choices.
Differential effects of migration networks: The case of China
Authors: Liang Zai , Li Zhen , Morooka Hideki
Published: October 2017

The crucial role of migration networks in the process of migration has been well established. The main goal of our paper is to examine the role of migration networks in the case of China, a country that has had the largest migrant population in human history. Specifically, we focus on issues that have received relatively little attention in the migration literature. We first examined how the use of migration networks differs for individuals with different characteristics such as education, gender and household registration ( hukou) status. Based on the migration literature, we generated a set of hypotheses. We then examined the use of migration networks by people with different characteristics both in the context of migration departure (initiation of migration) and destination choice, using the micro-data from the 2000 China Population Census. Our results show that female migrants, migrants without local hukou, and younger migrants are more likely to rely on well-developed migration networks, whereas the most educated migrants are less likely to depend on them. We also found that migration networks are more important for floating migrants than for permanent migrants.
Silicone Oil Droplets are More Common in Fluid From BD Insulin Syringes as Compared to Other Syringes
Authors: Emerson Geoffrey G.
Published: October 2017

Purpose:

During 2016 and 2017, numerous retina specialists reported silicone oil droplets after intravitreal injection, primarily associated with insulin syringes with a fixed needle. By contrast, adverse events were relatively rare for tuberculin syringes. We hypothesized that fixed-needle syringe injections have more silicone droplets due to the lack of dead space at the syringe–needle junction.

Methods:

Fluid from Becton Dickenson (BD) insulin syringes, BD tuberculin syringes, Henke Sass Wolf (HSW) insulin syringes, and HSW silicone-free syringes was examined microscopically for silicone oil droplets. Fluid was sampled at the beginning, middle, and end of injection; and droplets were photographed and quantified.

Results:

Silicone oil droplets were identified in 30% of the BD insulin syringes, measuring 0.9 ± 0.2 mm3; no oil droplets were found in BD tuberculin syringes or HSW silicone-free syringes (analysis of variance, P < .05). All 6 samples with silicone oil droplets were from the end of injection (full depression of the plunger), while samples from the beginning and middle of injections did not have droplets. Challenging syringes with extra silicone oil resulted in increased droplets for fixed-needle syringes (but not for syringes with detachable needles).

Conclusion:

Significant silicone oil droplets were present in BD insulin syringes and were expressed at the end of injection (with plunger depressed maximally), supporting the hypothesis that insulin syringe injections have more droplets due to the lack of dead space where the plunger meets the hub of the needle. However, there are additional factors such as the amount or type of silicone lubricant in a syringe.
SETD2 alterations impair DNA damage recognition and lead to resistance to chemotherapy in leukemia
Authors: Mar Brenton G. , Chu S. Haihua , Kahn Josephine D. , Krivtsov Andrei V. , Koche Richard , Castellano Cecilia A. , Kotlier Jacob L. , Zon Rebecca L. , McConkey Marie E. , Chabon Jonathan , Chappell Ryan , Grauman Peter V. , Hsieh James J. , Armstrong Scott A. , Ebert Benjamin L.
Published: October 2017

Key Points

Alterations of SETD2, a histone 3 lysine 36 trimethyl (H3K36me3) transferase leads to resistance to DNA damaging-chemotherapy in leukemia. Low H3K36me3 levels impair DNA damage response and increase mutation rate, which may be targeted by H3K36me3 demethylase inhibition.
Fertility with early reduction of ovarian reserve: the last straw that breaks the Camel’s back
Authors: Rasool Sabahat , Shah Duru
Published: October 2017

Diminished fertility and poor ovarian response pose a conundrum to the experts in the field of reproductive medicine. There is limited knowledge about the risk factors of diminished ovarian reserve other than the iatrogenic ones. One of the leading causes of infertility in women today is diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). DOR is characterized by a low number of eggs in a woman’s ovaries and/or with poor quality of the remaining eggs, which boils down to impaired development of the existing eggs, even with assisted reproductive techniques. A good number of such women with low ovarian reserve may conceive with their own eggs, if they are given individualized treatment that is tailored for their profile. Such patients should be counseled appropriately for an aggressive approach towards achieving fertility. The sooner the treatment is started, the better the chances of pregnancy.