bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Welfare Rescaling in Italy and Spain: Political Strategies to Deal with Harsh Austerity
Authors: León Margarita , Pavolini Emmanuele , Guillén Ana M.
Published: March 2017

By looking at the main welfare state reforms undertaken by the Italian and Spanish governments since the outbreak of the financial crisis, this article explores changes resulting from the implementation of austerity policies. In light of the way in which unpopular fiscal adjustment measures have been introduced in both countries, especially since 2010, we call for a revision of the existing literature on welfare retrenchment and political strategies. We argue in this article that under conditions of ‘permanent strain’, bold retrenchment policies and cuts in social spending have been justified by the Italian and Spanish governments through a ‘there is no alternative’ or TINA legitimation strategy, which creates limited interaction space between social and political actors. We tentatively conclude that this political strategy does not entirely fit the notions of blame avoidance or credit claiming as currently formulated in the specialist literature. We call for further empirical testing of the arguments made in this paper.
Intergenerational Transmission of Inequalities in Southern European Countries in Comparative Perspective: Evidence from EU-SILC 2011
Authors: Raitano Michele
Published: March 2017

Economic studies usually assess the link between parental background and offspring's incomes without distinguishing the effects that family background may have upon educational attainment and upon occupation and earnings, independently from education. The persistency of income inequality across generations is then usually imputed to the reduced investment in human capital of individuals coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. In fact, a clear distinction between the family background effect on education attainment and then earnings (i.e. the ‘indirect effect’) and that on labour market achievements but independent of education (i.e. the ‘direct effect’) should be provided to disentangle intergenerational inequality across countries. In this article, we use the 2011 wave of EU-SILC and, clustering countries according to the usual four-group geographical classification (Nordic, Continental, Anglo-Saxon and Southern countries), ask whether different levels of intergenerational inequality are related to different roles played by indirect and direct channels of influence of family background on children's outcomes. We also find clear differences among the European welfare regimes regarding mechanisms of intergenerational inequality transmission.
From Negligence to Resistance: Danish Welfare in the Light of Free-Movement Law
Authors: Jacqueson Catherine
Published: March 2017

The Danish welfare system is famous for being a universal system covering all residents with generous benefits financed through general taxes. This is at least true for benefits such as social assistance, health care and the state retirement pension which are discussed here. This article analyses the implications of EU free movement law on residence-based welfare rights in Denmark. It argues that EU law has not led to major legal and policy changes. Yet Denmark has been quick off the mark in picking up on EU restrictions and in erecting safeguards for residence-based schemes as demonstrated by the discussion of the state-retirement pension and social assistance in this article. On the other hand, it has been slow in implementing EU law on extending health cover to scheduled treatments received in other Member States. While the Danish position has, for a long time, been that EU law does not affect the Danish welfare model, public discourse has recently changed with allegations of EU law leading to social dumping and benefit tourism. This article concludes that a search for a legal balance between free movement and national welfare is still in the making.
Social Assistance and Minimum Income Benefits: Benefit Levels, Replacement Rates and Policies across 26 Oecd Countries, 1990–2009
Authors: Wang Jinxian , van Vliet Olaf
Published: March 2017

Until recently, social assistance and minimum income benefits have received relatively little attention in the comparative welfare state literature. Relying on two new indicators, this paper examines the development of minimum income benefits across 26 EU and other OECD countries. The real benefit level, the first indicator, is relatively easy to interpret, but international comparisons require adjustments for exchange rates and purchasing power, which can introduce variation that is not related to underlying policy changes. In the second indicator, the net minimum income replacement rate, this disadvantage is cancelled out by construction. Our analysis shows that real benefit levels increased in most countries, whilst replacement rates declined on average. A subsequent qualitative analysis of the changes in the benefit levels confirms that the increased benefit levels reflect policy changes and that the lower replacement rates do not reflect benefit cuts, but relatively larger wage increases. Such a widening gap between benefit levels and wages is in line with the policy agenda of ‘making work pay’. Finally, by analysing the extent to which changes in quantitative indicators reflect actual policy changes, this paper seeks to make a methodological contribution to the ongoing debate on the ‘dependent variable problem’ in the welfare state literature.
Vindicating Stalin: Responding to Lefebvre
Authors: Malott Curry
Published: March 2017

No significant scholarship in educational studies has focused on Lefebvre’s engagement with socialist state theory and his position against Stalin. As a result, when Lefebvre’s thoughts on the state and on actually existing socialism are mentioned, they are engaged completely uncritically. This essay addresses this crucial gap. Toward these ends, I critically engage Lefebvre’s work on one of the most important and central concepts of socialist state theory, the dictatorship of the proletariat. While Lefebvre embraces Lenin’s theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat, as spelled out in The State and Revolution, following Khrushchev, he argues that Stalin distorted it in practice. Given the recent beginning stages of the vindication of Stalin as a result of previously unreleased Soviet-era state documents, this essay could not be more timely. In addition, the popularity of socialism among US youth also warrants a more honest appraisal of the historical context and contributions of Stalin.
Sex differences in vascular stiffness and relationship to the risk of renal functional decline in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Earle Kenneth A , Ng Lauren , White Sarah , Zitouni Karima
Published: March 2017

Background:

Recent data suggest that the higher risk of end-stage renal disease in women compared with men is associated with waist circumference. We investigated whether vascular stiffness which is linked to visceral fat accumulation is gender specific and associated with a loss in renal function.

Methods:

We studied 166 patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of progressive renal disease. A vascular stiffness index was derived from measurement of the peripheral arterial pulse waveform using infrared finger photoplethysmography. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between vascular stiffness and traditional clinical and biochemical renal disease risk factors.

Results:

Women were of similar mean (standard deviation) age [61.6 (6.8) vs 60.0 (8.3) years; p = 0.444] and duration of diabetes [9.8 (7.2) vs 10.9 (8.1) years; p = 0.885] compared to men. Waist circumference was significantly associated with vascular stiffness [regression coefficient B = 0.15 (95% confidence interval: 0.06–2.24); p = 0.001]. There was a negative slope parameter for the relationship between glomerular filtration rate and vascular stiffness [ B = −0.15 (95% confidence interval: −0.22 to −0.09); p < 0.001] in women only.

Conclusion:

In this cohort, early renal functional decline in women is linked to increased vascular stiffness which may be associated with visceral fat accumulation as determined by waist circumference.
Subjective Social Status, Perceived Academic Competence, and Academic Achievement Among Underrepresented Students
Authors: Loeb Emily , Hurd Noelle M.
Published: March 2017

Underrepresented college students are more likely than majority students to underperform and drop out of college. Perceptions of status relative to other students may play a key role in this process. The current study uses subjective social status (SSS) to predict underrepresented students’ grade point average via their sense of academic competence at the end of their first year at an elite predominantly White institution. A total of 329 underrepresented college students (i.e., students from historically underrepresented racial or ethnic minority groups, first generation college students, or students from economically disadvantaged family backgrounds) participated in data collection during their first academic year attending a predominantly White institution. On average, students reported a drop in SSS from their home community to the university. After accounting for gender, race or ethnicity, family income, standardized test scores, and depressive symptoms, a larger drop in SSS was related to lower spring grade point average via reduced perceived academic competence.
High-Impact Practices and Sophomore Retention: Examining the Effects of Selection Bias
Authors: Provencher Ashley , Kassel Ruth
Published: March 2017

Institutions of higher education increasingly have adopted high-impact practices (HIPs) as a means to increase student retention and engagement. Yet, the growth and assessment of these practices have primarily focused on a student’s first and final years, which can contribute to a second-year slump. Administrative data from a small, 4-year liberal arts college are analyzed to investigate when students participate in HIPs and whether this timing affects first and second year retention decisions. Propensity score matching is used to control for selection in which students participate in HIPs. Consistent with previous research, results suggest that HIP participation is a significant predictor of both first and second year retention, though the effect of HIP participation is overestimated without properly controlling for selection bias. Results suggest that strategic incorporation of HIPs in the second year may improve retention outcomes.
Microphysiologic systems in female reproductive biology
Authors: Young Alexandria N , Moyle-Heyrman Georgette , Kim J Julie , Burdette Joanna E
Published: March 2017

Microphysiologic systems (MPS), including new organ-on-a-chip technologies, recapitulate tissue microenvironments by employing specially designed tissue or cell culturing techniques and microfluidic flow. Such systems are designed to incorporate physiologic factors that conventional 2D or even 3D systems cannot, such as the multicellular dynamics of a tissue–tissue interface or physical forces like fluid sheer stress. The female reproductive system is a series of interconnected organs that are necessary to produce eggs, support embryo development and female health, and impact the functioning of non-reproductive tissues throughout the body. Despite its importance, the human reproductive tract has received less attention than other organ systems, such as the liver and kidney, in terms of modeling with MPS. In this review, we discuss current gaps in the field and areas for technological advancement through the application of MPS. We explore current MPS research in female reproductive biology, including fertilization, pregnancy, and female reproductive tract diseases, with a focus on their clinical applications.

Impact statement

This review discusses existing microphysiologic systems technology that may be applied to study of the female reproductive tract, and those currently in development to specifically investigate gametes, fertilization, embryo development, pregnancy, and diseases of the female reproductive tract. We focus on the clinical applicability of these new technologies in fields such as assisted reproductive technologies, drug testing, disease diagnostics, and personalized medicine.
A new conflict management method in Dempster–Shafer theory
Authors: Wang Jian , Qiao Kuoyuan , Zhang Zhiyong , Xiang Fei
Published: March 2017

Conflict management is a hot research topic in Dempster–Shafer theory which is used to avoid the counterintuition problem of combination results. In the present conflict management methods, conflicting evidence is assigned to smaller weight to reduce its influence on the combination result. However, these methods will be disabled when similarity collision occurs. In this article, a new conflict management method based on similarity and Basic Probability Assignment-Matrix is proposed; in the proposed method, similarity collision is diminished by computing the index of each element in evidence, and then, a more reasonable evidence weight can be determined in this way. In the end, two experiments are set to compare the results of several different methods, and the results illustrate that the conflicting evidence will be assigned to a smaller weight in our method than in others.
Distributed high-dimensional similarity search approach for large-scale wireless sensor networks
Authors: Hu Haifeng , He Jiefang , Wu Jianshen , Wang Kun , Zhuang Wei
Published: March 2017

Similarity search in high-dimensional space has become increasingly important in many wireless sensor network applications. However, existing approaches to similarity search is based on the premise that sensed data are centralized to deal with, or sensed data are simple enough to be stored in a relational database. Different from the previous work, we propose a distributed approximate similarity search algorithm to retrieve similar high-dimensional sensed data for query in wireless sensor networks. First, the sensors are divided into several clusters using the distributed clustering method. Furthermore, the sink transmits the compressed hash code set to the cluster heads. Finally, the estimated similarity score is compared with a specified threshold to filter out irrelevant sensed data. Therefore, the higher search precision and energy efficiency can be achieved. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed algorithms provide significant performance gains in terms of precision and energy efficiency compared with the existing algorithms.
Free Movement and Fundamental Rights
Authors: Nielsen Ruth
Published: March 2017

After sketching out the current legal framework for fundamental rights protected under EU law this article discusses the role of free movement law in delimiting the scope of application of EU fundamental rights, the balancing of fundamental rights and free movement, and finally the possible horizontal direct effect of EU fundamental rights on private economic actors, in particular employers, exercising their right of free movement.
Labour Law and the ‘Public Interest’: Discrimination and beyond
Authors: Rodgers Lisa
Published: March 2017

This article considers the intersection between labour law and the ‘public interest’ at EU level. It focuses particularly on the recent age discrimination cases in which the right to age discrimination has been balanced with the public interest (in employment policy). The article seeks to address a number of issues. Firstly, it considers the meaning of ‘public interest’ in relation to labour law, and why this notion has only traditionally been evident in very restricted fields (particularly collective bargaining). Secondly, the article considers the derogations on ‘public interest’ grounds in relation to age discrimination legislation. On this point, the relationship between formal equality (in employment directives) and constitutional equality (in relation to the general principle of non-discrimination) in the EU is discussed. Finally, the article discusses the balance struck between formal and constitutional equality in recent age discrimination cases heard in the ECJ. It considers particularly the effect on this balance of the margin of appreciation afforded to member states in the regulation of economic and social affairs.
Needs and Possibilities for Changing the Legal Regulation of Collective Agreements in the Context of Labour Law Reform
Authors: Pärnits Kadi
Published: March 2017

The implementation of the flexicurity policy and the wish to come out of the crisis have led to changes in the role of collective agreement in the EU States within a short period of time-mainly in the content of collective agreements as well as in relations between labour laws and contracts at different level. The question is to which extent the legal regulation of collective agreement corresponds to such changes and makes them possible.

Based on the above, the article aimed to study as to which extent the current Estonian legal regulation of CAs needs to be improved in order to secure the new role of CAs. Under the elements of the renewed role of CAs, the author views furnishing of the generally phrased norms of the labor law, agreeing on derogations from the imperative law to the detriment of the employees, as well as regulating the working conditions of atypical employees, and the new issues mainly regarding promotion of economy and employment.
Endangered Species or Renaissance Child?
Authors: Neal Alan C.
Published: March 2017

This article offers reflections on the historical development of comparative labour law. Including modern trends in this field of study, it provides insights into the development of ideas, the influence of persons, groups and associations, the evolution of publications and the future prospects of the comparative labour law discipline.
Temporary Agency Work in Europe
Authors: Sartori Alessandra
Published: March 2017

Eight years after the EU Directive on temporary agency work was enacted the author carries out a broad comparison to investigate the process of implementation and the impact on the relevant national legislations. In particular, the article focuses upon the two main axes underlying the directive and resulting from the compromise that allowed its adoption: the principle of equal treatment and the review of the restrictions and prohibitions laid down in the law of Member States. The research points out that for the time being the convergence brought about by the directive is still very limited, also owing to the several derogations from both the aforementioned principles permitted to EU Countries. So, the future degree of harmonisation of temporary agency work regulation appears to be in the hands of the European Court of Justice, called to strike the right balance between the two cornerstones of the directive and the scope for derogation left to Member States.
Love, Affiliation, and Emotional Recognition in #kämpamalmö:— The Social Role of Emotional Language in Twitter Discourse
Authors: Persson Gustav
Published: March 2017

While emotional language and imagery in protest esthetics are nothing new, emotions have been repressed in modern political discourse at large, as being seen as irrational if not dangerous. As new media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, are becoming central media spaces for live online broadcasting of political protests, they have become an important site of discursive struggle for researchers to take into account. This article argues that emotional language use is not merely something excessive but a central discursive resource for participants in communicating their political and social relations. The analysis in this article is based on data collected from the Twitter hashtag #kämpamalmö during an anti-fascist demonstration that took place in Malmö, Sweden in 2014. Methodologically, this article is guided by a critical discourse analytical approach, with a focus on how emotional language use allows participants to form collectivities. Empirically, the article identifies how participants make use of emotional language to negotiate and relate to and identify with objects, with the outcome of different forms of socialites. One example of this is how the city itself became a central object of negotiation, as a contested love object as well as a political “empty signifier.” Another object around which participants negotiate themselves is “love” itself, as in love for the movement and as a political object in itself.
Natural history ofMycobacterium aviumcomplex lung disease in untreated patients with stable course
Authors: Hwang Ji An , Kim Sunyoung , Jo Kyung-Wook , Shim Tae Sun
Published: March 2017

Little is known about the long-term natural history ofMycobacterium aviumcomplex lung disease (MAC-LD) in untreated patients with stable course.

The aim of this study was to investigate the natural course of untreated stable MAC-LD, with a focus on factors associated with clinical deterioration, spontaneous sputum conversion and prognosis.

Of 488 patients diagnosed with MAC-LD between 1998 and 2011, 305 patients (62.5%) showed progressive MAC-LD resulting in treatment initiation within 3 years of diagnosis and 115 patients (23.6%) exhibited stable MAC-LD for at least 3 years with a median follow-up duration of 5.6 years. Patients with stable MAC-LD were more likely to have higher body mass index and less systemic symptoms at initial diagnosis compared with patients with progressive MAC-LD, while positive sputum acid-fast bacilli smear, fibrocavitary type and more extensive disease in radiological findings were more associated with progressive MAC-LD. Of the untreated patients with stable MAC-LD, 51.6% underwent spontaneous sputum conversion, with younger age, higher body mass index and negative sputum acid-fast bacilli smear at initial diagnosis found to be predictors of this occurrence.

Advanced age, fibrocavitary type and abnormal pulmonary function were negative prognostic factors for survival in patients with stable MAC-LD.
Physiological and clinical relevance of exercise ventilatory efficiency in COPD
Authors: Neder J. Alberto , Berton Danilo C. , Arbex Flavio F. , Alencar Maria Clara , Rocha Alcides , Sperandio Priscila A. , Palange Paolo , O'Donnell Denis E.
Published: March 2017

Exercise ventilation (V′E) relative to carbon dioxide output (V′CO2) is particularly relevant to patients limited by the respiratory system,e.g.those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). HighV′E−V′CO2(poor ventilatory efficiency) has been found to be a key physiological abnormality in symptomatic patients with largely preserved forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1). Establishing an association between highV′E−V′CO2and exertional dyspnoea in mild COPD provides evidence that exercise intolerance is not a mere consequence of detraining. As the disease evolves, poor ventilatory efficiency might help explaining “out-of-proportion” breathlessness (to FEV1impairment). Regardless, disease severity, cardiocirculatory co-morbidities such as heart failure and pulmonary hypertension have been found to increaseV′E−V′CO2. In fact, a highV′E−V′CO2has been found to be a powerful predictor of poor outcome in lung resection surgery. Moreover, a highV′E−V′CO2has added value to resting lung hyperinflation in predicting all-cause and respiratory mortality across the spectrum of COPD severity. Documenting improved ventilatory efficiency after lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery provides objective evidence of treatment efficacy. Considering the usefulness of exercise ventilatory efficiency in different clinical scenarios, theV′E−V′CO2relationship should be valued in the interpretation of cardiopulmonary exercise tests in patients with mild-to-end-stage COPD.
Macrophage-derived apoptotic bodies promote the proliferation of the recipient cells via shuttling microRNA-221/222
Authors: Zhu Ziwen , Zhang Duo , Lee Heedoo , Menon Aravind Ajakumar , Wu Jingxuan , Hu Kebin , Jin Yang
Published: March 2017

Bacterial pneumonia is a common and serious clinical entity. Alveolar epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages are the first line of defense in the innate immunity against bacterial pathogens. Epithelial cells are known to release chemokines/cytokines that recruit and activate phagocytic cells. However, the signals sent from alveolar macrophages back to the lung epithelial cells remain largely unexplored. We found that LPS, a well-recognized stimulator derived from gram-negative (G−) bacteria, rapidly and robustly induces the secretion of macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). The main type of EVs found in the early stages after LPS stimulation are apoptotic bodies (ABs) and not microvesicles (MVs) or exosomes (Exos). Furthermore, LPS markedly up-regulate the levels of a repertoire of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the macrophage-derived ABs, including miR-221 and miR-222. Functionally, the LPS-induced, macrophage-derived ABs promote the proliferation of malignant and/or normal lung epithelial cells. We next directly transfected miR-221 and/or miR-222 inhibitors into the LPS-induced ABs. Deletion of miR-221/222 in ABs significantly reduces the AB-mediated proliferation of lung epithelial cells. Mechanistically, AB-shuttling miR-221/222 promote cell growth by modulating cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (CDKN1B) pathways. Collectively, LPS-induced, macrophage-derived ABs promote the proliferation of their recipient epithelial cells, partially via AB-shuttling miRNAs.
Individualized Anesthetic Management for Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Review of Current Practice
Authors: Bryson Ethan O. , Aloysi Amy S. , Farber Kate G. , Kellner Charles H.
Published: March 2017

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains an indispensable treatment for severe psychiatric illness. It is practiced extensively in the United States and around the world, yet there is little guidance for anesthesiologists involved with this common practice. Communication between the anesthesiologist and the proceduralist is particularly important for ECT, because the choice of anesthetic and management of physiologic sequelae of the therapeutic seizure can directly impact both the efficacy and safety of the treatment. In this review, we examine the literature on anesthetic management for ECT. A casual or “one-size–fits-all” approach may lead to less-than-optimal outcomes; customizing the anesthetic management for each patient is essential and can significantly increase treatment success rate and patient satisfaction.
From “Degenerate Art” To “Looted Art”: Developments and Consequences of National Socialist Cultural Policy
Authors: Peters Olaf
Published: March 2017

This article aims to explain the genesis, the dynamics, and some contradictions of National Socialist policy on art around 1937, the year of the notorious exhibition Degenerate Art. Adolf Hitler and his supporters did not invent the phrase degenerate art, but they adopted it, intensified it, and derived from it their destructive policies on art. “Looted art” was a last step and parallel consequence of developments that included the expulsion of the Jews from German society. Degenerate art and looted art should not be conflated, but they are to some degree interwoven. The article focuses on the Degenerate Art exhibition in Munich and the extremes of a state-run campaign against modern art that was part of a broader attempt to impose the National Socialist conception of art by force.
The End of Art and the Future of Criticism in Wilhelm Worringer's Art History
Authors: Maskarinec Malika
Published: March 2017

In his 1920 lecture “Künstlerische Zeitfragen” (“Artistic Questions of the Time”), the art historian Wilhelm Worringer declares the end of expressionism and the end of art. The polemical diagnosis claims that because the arts are no longer able to express a collective subjectivity, they have become socially irrelevant. In a more redemptive gesture, Worringer then proposes that sensuous criticism of past art will replace art itself, since criticism now channels Germany's creative energy and serves the former social functions of art. This article historically contextualizes this new form of criticism as an intervention into the Methodenstreit (methodological debate) and the field of social energetics, two crucial discussions around 1900 on the future of the humanities. The article also shows that Worringer's new criticism, which takes the form of the Denkbild (thought-image), attempts to fuse the discursive with the sensuous and visual. It thereby aims to reverse a modern trend toward increasingly abstract or conceptual thought. Criticism should instead rely on empathy for historical artworks, whose appreciation is meant to foster the public's feeling of being at home in the world. At the heart of Worringer's text is the question of how we moderns identify and judge works of art.
Hermann Glöckner: Waste as a Figure of Thought?
Authors: James Sarah E.
Published: March 2017

From 1958 until around 1977 the relatively unknown East German artist Hermann Glöckner produced a perplexing body of work: a collection of small neoconstructivist objects made by folding, cutting, and joining discarded wood, consumerist packaging, and deconstructed household objects into geometric structures. Assembled from such things as matchboxes, washing powder packets, old medicine packaging, split-open coffee pots, lacquered paper, and wire, Glöckner's constructions resemble maquettes for large-scale sculptures never to be realized. Their appearance suggests a hybrid aesthetic, a kind of Cold War meeting between the Soviet constructivist relief models of Vladimir Tatlin or the experiments of Aleksandr Rodchenko and the appropriated consumerist detritus of American pop art (less the smooth serialized screen prints of Andy Warhol than the assemblages of Robert Rauschenberg or Edward Kienholz). This essay explores Glöckner's miniature modernist monuments, contextualizing his practice in relation to the conflicted reception of modernism and the historical scant grade in the German Democratic Republic and its so-called niche society. It examines Glöckner's practice alongside the mass utopias of both consumerism and communism, considering these objects in the context of the history of Soviet constructivism and the nonofficial practices to emerge later in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s.
Instant Selves: Algorithmic Autobiographies on Social Network Sites
Authors: Simanowski Roberto
Published: March 2017

Self-presentation on social network sites is often discussed either positively for its promotion of transparency and sharing or negatively for its encouragement of narcissism and self-branding. The present article takes into account the “torture of now-time,” that is, the horror vacui of the postmodern subject, and reads the excessive sharing of every moment as a flight from the self and toward the “homeland” of the network. With a nod to Paul Ricoeur's concept of narrative time, Siegfried Kracauer's description of photography as the mere recording of the material, and Zygmunt Bauman's take on identity in “liquid modernity,” this article argues that the episodic, visual, and immediate rather than narrative, verbal, and retrospective form of self-presentation online does not necessarily lead to increased self-reflection but provides the working basis for the algorithmic production of user profiles and networks.
Patently Queer
Authors: Shahani Nishant
Published: March 2017

In 1998 the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis filed a writ petition against the Indian government to prevent local drug manufacturers from producing generic HIV and cancer medications. Rather than framing queer politics in India as a matter of state-sanctioned citizenship in which queers rally for legal rights, “Patently Queer: Late Effects and the Sexual Economies of India” considers this case of Novartis AG v. Union of India as a kind of sexual economy. I argue for a consideration of the “late effects” that subtend the sexual economies of India—that is, material mechanisms of delay in access that run counter to the putative logics of flexibility and mobility that inform India in a postliberalization milieu. I show how the liberalized Indian state is mediated by transnational formations and global imperatives of capitalism, and in turn manages local sexual economies that seek to preserve heteronormative logics of essentialized Indianness. While economic liberalization after the 1990s closely parallels the emergence of burgeoning gay visibility in India, my aim is to theorize the fault lines rather than the compatibility between sexual politics and economic imperatives of growth that mark the accelerated development of an “incredible” or “shining” India.
Inverse dynamic modelling of jumping in the red-legged running frogKassina maculata
Authors: Porro Laura B. , Collings Amber J. , Eberhard Enrico A. , Chadwick Kyle P. , Richards Christopher T.
Published: March 2017

Although the red-legged running frog Kassina maculata is secondarily a walker/runner, it retains the capacity for multiple locomotor modes, including jumping at a wide range of angles (nearly 70°). Using simultaneous hind limb kinematics and single-foot ground reaction forces, we performed inverse dynamics analyses to calculate moment arms and torques about the hind limb joints during jumping at different angles in K. maculata. We show that forward thrust is generated primarily at the hip and ankle, while body elevation is primarily driven by the ankle. Steeper jumps are achieved by increased thrust at the hip and ankle and greater downward rotation of the distal limb segments. Due to its proximity to the GRF vector, knee posture appears to be important in controlling torque directions about this joint and, potentially, torque magnitudes at more distal joints. Other factors correlated with higher jump angles include increased body angle in the preparatory phase, faster joint openings and increased joint excursion, higher ventrally-directed force, and greater acceleration and velocity. Finally, we demonstrate that jumping performance in K. maculata does not appear to be compromised by presumed adaptation to walking/running. Our results provide new insights into how frogs engage in a wide range of locomotor behaviours and the multi-functionality of anuran limbs.
Lyssaviruses and rabies: current conundrums, concerns, contradictions and controversies
Authors: Rupprecht Charles , Kuzmin Ivan , Meslin Francois
Published: March 2017

Lyssaviruses are bullet-shaped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses and the causative agents of the ancient zoonosis rabies. Africa is the likely home to the ancestors of taxa residing within the GenusLyssavirus, FamilyRhabdoviridae. Diverse lyssaviruses are envisioned as co-evolving with bats, as the ultimate reservoirs, over seemingly millions of years. In terms of relative distribution, overt abundance, and resulting progeny, rabies virus is the most successful lyssavirus species today, but for unknown reasons. All mammals are believed to be susceptible to rabies virus infection. Besides reservoirs among the Chiroptera, meso-carnivores also serve as major historical hosts and are represented among the canids, raccoons, skunks, mongooses, and ferret badgers.  Perpetuating as a disease of nature with the mammalian central nervous system as niche, host breadth alone precludes any candidacy for true eradication. Despite having the highest case fatality of any infectious disease and a burden in excess of or comparative to other major zoonoses, rabies remains neglected. Once illness appears, no treatment is proven to prevent death. Paradoxically, vaccines were developed more than a century ago, but the clear majority of human cases are unvaccinated. Tens of millions of people are exposed to suspect rabid animals and tens of thousands succumb annually, primarily children in developing countries, where canine rabies is enzootic. Rather than culling animal populations, one of the most cost-effective strategies to curbing human fatalities is the mass vaccination of dogs. Building on considerable progress to date, several complementary actions are needed in the near future, including a more harmonized approach to viral taxonomy, enhanced de-centralized laboratory-based surveillance, focal pathogen discovery and characterization, applied pathobiological research for therapeutics, improved estimates of canine populations at risk, actual production of required vaccines and related biologics, strategies to maximize prevention but minimize unnecessary human prophylaxis, and a long-term, realistic plan for sustained global program support to achieve success in disease control, prevention, and elimination.
An adaptable toolkit to assess commercial fishery costs and benefits related to marine protected area network design
Authors: Daigle Rémi M. , Monaco Cristián J. , Elgin Ashley K.
Published: March 2017

Around the world, governments are establishing Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks to meet their commitments to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. MPAs are often used in an effort to conserve biodiversity and manage fisheries stocks. However, their efficacy and effect on fisheries yields remain unclear. We conducted a case-study on the economic impact of different MPA network design strategies on the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fisheries in Canada. The open-source R package that we developed to analyze this case study can be customized to conduct similar analyses for other systems. We used a spatially-explicit individual-based model of population growth and dispersal coupled with a fisheries management and harvesting component. We found that MPA networks that both protect the target species’ habitat and were spatially optimized to improve population connectivity had the highest net present value (i.e., were most profitable for the fishing industry). These higher profits were achieved primarily by reducing the distance travelled for fishing and reducing the probability of a moratorium event. These findings add to a growing body of knowledge demonstrating the importance of incorporating population connectivity in the MPA planning process, as well as the ability of this R package to explore ecological and economic consequences of alternative MPA network designs.
Finger stick blood collection for gene expression profiling and storage of tempus blood RNA tubes
Authors: Rinchai Darawan , Anguiano Esperanza , Nguyen Phuong , Chaussabel Damien
Published: March 2017

With this report we aim to make available a standard operating procedure (SOP) developed for RNA stabilization of small blood volumes collected via a finger stick. The anticipation that this procedure may be improved through peer-review and/or readers public comments is another element motivating the publication of this SOP. Procuring blood samples from human subjects can, among other uses, enable assessment of the immune status of an individual subject via the profiling of RNA abundance using technologies such as real time PCR, NanoString, microarrays or RNA-sequencing. It is often desirable to minimize blood volumes and employ methods that are the least invasive and can be practically implemented outside of clinical settings. Finger stick blood samples are increasingly used for measurement of levels of pharmacological drugs and biological analytes. It is a simple and convenient procedure amenable for instance to field use or self-collection at home using a blood sample collection kit. Such methodologies should also enable the procurement of blood samples at high frequency for health or disease monitoring applications.
Identifying ELIXIR Core Data Resources
Authors: Durinx Christine , McEntyre Jo , Appel Ron , Apweiler Rolf , Barlow Mary , Blomberg Niklas , Cook Chuck , Gasteiger Elisabeth , Kim Jee-Hyub , Lopez Rodrigo , Redaschi Nicole , Stockinger Heinz , Teixeira Daniel , Valencia Alfonso
Published: March 2017

The core mission of ELIXIR is to build a stable and sustainable infrastructure for biological information across Europe. At the heart of this are the data resources, tools and services that ELIXIR offers to the life-sciences community, providing stable and sustainable access to biological data. ELIXIR aims to ensure that these resources are available long-term and that the life-cycles of these resources are managed such that they support the scientific needs of the life-sciences, including biological research.

ELIXIR Core Data Resources are defined as a set of European data resources that are of fundamental importance to the wider life-science community and the long-term preservation of biological data. They are complete collections of generic value to life-science, are considered an authority in their field with respect to one or more characteristics, and show high levels of scientific quality and service. Thus, ELIXIR Core Data Resources are of wide applicability and usage.

This paper describes the structures, governance and processes that support the identification and evaluation of ELIXIR Core Data Resources. It identifies key indicators which reflect the essence of the definition of an ELIXIR Core Data Resource and support the promotion of excellence in resource development and operation. It describes the specific indicators in more detail and explains their application within ELIXIR’s sustainability strategy and science policy actions, and in capacity building, life-cycle management and technical actions. The identification process is currently being implemented and tested for the first time. The findings and outcome will be evaluated by the ELIXIR Scientific Advisory Board in March 2017.

Establishing the portfolio of ELIXIR Core Data Resources and ELIXIR Services is a key priority for ELIXIR and publicly marks the transition towards a cohesive infrastructure.
Mapping the distribution of Anopheles funestus across Benin highlights a sharp contrast of susceptibility to insecticides and infection rate to Plasmodium between southern and northern populations
Authors: Djouaka Rousseau , Akoton Romaric , Tchigossou Genevieve M. , Atoyebi Seun M. , Irving Helen , Kusimo Michael O. , Djegbe Innocent , Riveron Jacob M. , Tossou Eric , Yessoufou Akadiri , Wondji Charles S.
Published: March 2017

Background. Malaria remains an important public health issue in Benin, with Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Anopheles funestus s.s being the predominant vectors. This study was designed to generate information on An. funestus distribution, molecular speciation, Plasmodium infection rate and insecticide susceptibility status across Benin. Methods. Mosquito samples were collected from December 2014 to January 2016 in 46 localities in Benin. These samples were mapped and An. funestus collected were speciated to the molecular level. Plasmodium infection rate was determined using a Taqman assay and susceptibility to insecticides was assessed using the WHO guidelines. The genotyping of the L119F- Gste2 mutation was also carried out. Results. An. funestus was found in 8 out of the 46 localities surveyed with a high presence in Tanongou (wet Sudanese ecological zone), Kpome, Doukonta and Pahou (sub-equatorial ecological zone). Molecular identifications revealed that only An. funestus s.s was present in southern Benin, whereas in Tanongou (northern Benin) An. funestus s.s. and An. leesoni were found in sympatry at proportions of 77.7% and 22.3% respectively. Plasmodium infection rate of An. funestus was higher in southern Benin at a range of 13 to 18% compared to 5.6% recorded in Tanongou. High DDT (8±0.5%) and permethrin (11±0.5%) resistance were observed in Doukonta, Kpome and Pahou, contrasting with relatively low resistance profiles: mortality-DDT=90±3.18% and mortality-permethrin=100% in Tanongou. Genotyping analysis revealed  high frequency  of the resistant 119F allele in the South (Kpome and Doukonta) compared to the North (Tanongou). Discussion and Conclusion. The high presence of  An. funestus in the South compared to the North  could be due to favorable environmental and climatic conditions found in both regions. A significant Plasmodium infection rate was recorded across the country. A high resistance profile was recorded in the southern Benin; this raises the need for further investigations on resistance selection factors.
Cdc14 phosphatase directs centrosome re-duplication at the meiosis I to meiosis II transition in budding yeast
Authors: Fox Colette , Zou Juan , Rappsilber Juri , Marston Adele L.
Published: March 2017

Background: Gametes are generated through a specialized cell division called meiosis, in which ploidy is reduced by half because two consecutive rounds of chromosome segregation, meiosis I and meiosis II, occur without intervening DNA replication. This contrasts with the mitotic cell cycle where DNA replication and chromosome segregation alternate to maintain the same ploidy. At the end of mitosis, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are inactivated. This low CDK state in late mitosis/G1 allows for critical preparatory events for DNA replication and centrosome/spindle pole body (SPB) duplication. However, their execution is inhibited until S phase, where further preparatory events are also prevented. This “licensing” ensures that both the chromosomes and the centrosomes/SPBs replicate exactly once per cell cycle, thereby maintaining constant ploidy. Crucially, between meiosis I and meiosis II, centrosomes/SPBs must be re-licensed, but DNA re-replication must be avoided. In budding yeast, the Cdc14 protein phosphatase triggers CDK down regulation to promote exit from mitosis. Cdc14 also regulates the meiosis I to meiosis II transition, though its mode of action has remained unclear.

Methods: Fluorescence and electron microscopy was combined with proteomics to probe SPB duplication in cells with inactive or hyperactive Cdc14.

Results: We demonstrate that Cdc14 ensures two successive nuclear divisions by re-licensing SPBs at the meiosis I to meiosis II transition. We show that Cdc14 is asymmetrically enriched on a single SPB during anaphase I and provide evidence that this enrichment promotes SPB re-duplication. Cells with impaired Cdc14 activity fail to promote extension of the SPB half-bridge, the initial step in morphogenesis of a new SPB. Conversely, cells with hyper-active Cdc14 duplicate SPBs, but fail to induce their separation.

Conclusion: Our findings implicate reversal of key CDK-dependent phosphorylations in the differential licensing of cyclical events at the meiosis I to meiosis II transition.
On the Developmetn of State-Public Education Management
Authors: Будаева  , Budaeva T. , Намсараев  , Namsaraev S.
Published: March 2017

The article considers the questions of moving from the monopoly of the state to development of civil society, that in Russia have some features. By

the expansion of the public participating in education management there are contradictions between the necessity of realization of state-public

management education and absence of sufficient experience on the decline of level of alienation of education from society and effective mechanisms

of decision of this task.

The authors of the article consider the principal reasons and factors, hampering becoming and development of state-public management universal

education. The article exposes the new approaches to the realization of joint activity of organs of state-public education management. In the article

the ground of project-activity in education management approach is given, that allows to organize the activity in the mode of development, and

innovations are explored, educational potential of organization is grown, the quality of its work is improved.