bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DAPHNE: A New Tool for the Assessment of the Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Boutoleau-Bretonnière Claire , Evrard Christelle , Hardouin Jean Benoît , Rocher Laëtitia , Charriau Tiphaine , Etcharry-Bouyx Frédérique , Auriacombe Sophie , Richard-Mornas Aurélie , Lebert Florence , Pasquier Florence , Sauvaget Anne , Bulteau Samuel , Vercelletto Martine , Derkinderen Pascal , Bretonnière Cédric , Thomas-Antérion Catherine
Published: December 2015

Background: The diagnosis of behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) relies primarily on clinical features and remains challenging. The specificity of the recently revised criteria can be disappointing, justifying development of new clinical tools. Objective: We produced a behavioral inventory named DAPHNE. This scale (adapted from Rascovsky's criteria) explores six domains: disinhibition, apathy, perseverations, hyperorality, personal neglect and loss of empathy. It is composed of ten items (five answer categories). The aim was (1) to assess the validity and reliability of DAPHNE and (2) to evaluate its contribution in differentiating patients. Methods: Two scores were computed: DAPHNE-6 (screening) from the six domains and DAPHNE-40 (diagnosis) from the ten items. Reliability and reproducibility were assessed. External validity was studied with the Frontal Behavioral Inventory (FBI) and the Frontotemporal Behavioral Scale (FBS). Finally, the diagnostic performance of DAPHNE was compared to revised criteria, FBI and FBS. Results: DAPHNE was administered to the caregivers of 89 patients, 36 with bvFTD, 22 with Alzheimer's disease, 15 with progressive supranuclear palsy and 16 with bipolar disorder. Reliability and reproducibility were excellent, as was external validity. DAPHNE-6 allowed bvFTD diagnosis (score ≥4) with a sensitivity of 92%, while DAPHNE-40 (score ≥15) had a specificity of 92%. Conclusion: We demonstrate excellent psychometric features for DAPHNE. This quick tool could help for both diagnosing and screening bvFTD.
Febuxostat Prevents Renal Interstitial Fibrosis by the Activation of BMP-7 Signaling and Inhibition of USAG-1 Expression in Rats
Authors: Cao Jing , Li Yong , Peng Yingxian , Zhang Yaqian , Li Huanhuan , Li Ran , Xia Anzhou
Published: December 2015

Background: Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a common pathology associated with end-stage renal diseases. The activation of bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7)-Smad1/5/8 pathway seems to alleviate RIF. Uterine sensitization-associated gene-1 (USAG-1), a kidney-specific BMPs antagonist, is associated with the development and prognosis of several renal diseases. Febuxostat is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor that can attenuate the renal dysfunction of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of febuxostat on renal fibrosis and to clarify the mechanisms underlying these effects. Methods: Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups termed a sham-operated group, a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) group, 3 doses of febuxostat groups (low, intermediate and high doses) and a sham group treated with high-dose febuxostat. After 14 days, renal function, relative kidney weight, accumulation of glycogen and collagens were examined by different methods. Expression of α-SMA, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), BMP-7 and USAG-1 was detected by western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. The phosphorylation level of Smad1/5/8 was also quantified by western blotting. Results: The renal function was declined, and large amounts of glycogen and collagens were deposited in the kidneys of UUO rats compared with the rats in the sham group. Besides, expression of α-SMA and USAG-1 in these kidneys was elevated, and the TGF-β1 was also activated, while the BMP-7-Smad1/5/8 pathway was inhibited. Febuxostat reversed the changes stated earlier, exhibiting protective effects on RIF induced by UUO. Conclusion: Febuxostat was able to attenuate RIF caused by UUO, which was associated with the activation of BMP-7-Smad1/5/8 pathway and the inhibition of USAG-1 expression in the kidneys of UUO rats.
Native LDL promotes differentiation of human monocytes to macrophages with an inflammatory phenotype
Authors: Moore Xiao-Lei , Fang Lu , Sviridov Dmitri , Chin-Dusting Jaye , Andrews Karen L. , Al-Sharea Annas , Lee Man Kit Sam , Murphy Andrew J.
Published: December 2015

Recruitment of monocytes in atherosclerosis is dependent upon increased levels of plasma lipoproteins which accumulate in the blood vessel wall. The extracellular milieu can influence the phenotype of monocyte subsets (classical: CD14++CD16-, intermediate: CD14+CD16+ and non-classical: CD14dimCD16++) and macrophages (M1 or M2) and consequently the initiation, progression and/or regression of atherosclerosis. However, it is not known what effect lipoproteins, in particular native low-density lipoproteins (nLDL), have on the polarisation of monocyte-derived macrophages. Monocytes were differentiated into macrophages in the presence of nLDL. nLDL increased gene expression of the inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6 in macrophages polarised towards the M1 phenotype while decreasing the M2 surface markers, CD206 and CD200R and the anti-inflammatory cytokines TGFβ and IL-10. Compared to the classical and intermediate subsets, the non-classical subset-derived macrophages had a reduced ability to respond to M1 stimuli (LPS and IFNγ). nLDL enhanced the TNFα and IL-6 gene expression in macrophages from all monocyte subsets, indicating an inflammatory effect of nLDL. Further, the classical and intermediate subsets both responded to M2 stimuli (IL-4) with upregulation of TGFβ and SR-B1 mRNA; an effect, which was reduced by nLDL. In contrast, the non-classical subset failed to respond to IL-4 or nLDL, suggesting it may be unable to polarise into M2 macrophages. Our data suggests that monocyte interaction with nLDL significantly affects macrophage polarisation and that this interaction appears to be subset dependent.

Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.
Questioning the Diffusion of Resilience Discourses in Pursuit of Transformational Change
Authors: Gillard Ross
Published: December 2015

Desirable responses to global environmental challenges are increasingly being characterized as requiring transformational social change. Keeping pace with this growing imperative, discourses of resilience are shifting away from an emphasis on durability toward more progressive themes. After briefly revisiting the interdisciplinary origin of social-ecological resilience, some lingering concerns about its theoretical underpinnings and practical implications are raised. With the theme of transformational change in mind, two sets of questions are posed—aiming to stimulate discussion of resilience as a boundary object, and resilience in practice. The first set of questions is intended to draw attention to differences between analysis and normativity in resilience discourses, as well as to how this plays out across different scales. The latter questions problematize the predominance of localism in resilience discourses and seek to advance the critique of its inherent neoliberalism.
Inconspicuous Turmeric
Authors: Zimmermann Francis
Published: December 2015

Some 20 to 40 herbs play a major role in contemporary ayurvedic pharmaceuticals. Recurrent in compound formulas, most of the time, however, they remain inconspicuous ingredients which, when you follow their trail over the whole catalogue of medicines offered for sale on the ayurvedic market, function as shifters that connect formulas with one another and eventually account for the overall consistency of the pharmacopoeia. Shifters are the subject of this paper. Turmeric (Curcuma longa), one of the most significant entries of the flora medica involved, is taken as an example of such shifters, and an exhaustive study was made of the use of turmeric in the catalogue of pharmaceuticals manufactured by the Arya Vaidya Sala (avs), based in Kottakkal, Kerala. To expose the specificities, saliencies, and connections of turmeric in compound medicines, we shall refer upstream to the textual sources of the Kottakkal catalogue, and compare Kottakkal products downstream with relevant proprietary medicines incorporated in the catalogue of another powerful and highly regarded firm, the Himalaya Drug Company, based in Bangalore.
Contemporary Conversations between Ayurveda and Biomedicine
Authors: Banerjee Madhulika
Published: December 2015

In the context of colonial and post-colonial India, social scientific inquiry about the advent of Ayurveda into modernity has been documented and analysed as an encounter between Ayurveda and biomedicine. These studies have shown how Ayurveda as a medical knowledge system offered continuous contestation to the existing power structures at the level of market, state, and epistemology, challenging and creatively positing alternatives to biomedical pharmaceuticals. These alternatives represent a fascinating spectrum of ayurvedic products introduced to the market, ranging from tonics and digestives, cosmetics and beauty products, to new formulations aimed at common conditions, such as hepatitis and diabetes, the weak points of biomedical treatments. In this paper, I will analyse from a historical and epistemological perspective, an interesting trajectory that has led research by scholars and physicians from mainly looking at reformulating drugs in the beginning to reconciling basic ayurvedic parameters with biomedicine towards emphasising the processes and parameters of the ayurvedic system as a whole.
The eu’s Pathological Power: The Failure of External Rule of Law Promotion in South Eastern Europe
Authors: Mendelski Martin
Published: December 2015

What impact does the European Union (eu) have on the development of the rule of law in South Eastern Europe (see)? The author of this article argues and shows that theeuhas: 1) a positively reinforcing (healthy) effect with regard to judicial capacity and substantive legality, i.e. the alignment of domestic legislation with international standards, and 2) a negatively reinforcing (pathological) effect with regard to judicial impartiality and formal legality (the inner morality of law). The author explains the pathological impact ofeu-driven rule of law reforms by referring to theeu’s deficient reform approach and to unfavorable domestic conditions, which in their interplay reinforce certain reform pathologies (legal instability, incoherence, politicization) that undermine the rule of law. The main argument is supported by a mixed method study. A quantitative indicator-based analysis measures rule of law development across four key dimensions on the basis of a variety of data (e.g. survey-based indicators,cepejdata, and a unique dataset on legislative output). Additionally, the author draws on a number of qualitative interviews that he conducted with magistrates fromseeand representatives from theeu, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Council of Europe. The author concludes from these findings that external rule of law promotion in weak rule of law countries is not transformative, but rather reinforces systemic deficiencies that undermine the rule of law.
Rule of Law and Institutional Legitimacy: Challenges of Transition, Challenges of Europe
Authors: Peršak Nina
Published: December 2015

Recent European events have revealed that some eu Member States, including some South Eastern European (see) States, still struggle with the rule of law. While certain rule of law challenges may be due to past legacies and insufficient (or insufficiently successful) transitions, others may be the result of the transition itself and of contemporary socio-economic problems that are experienced across Europe. This article will address the state of the rule of law in see, reflecting first on some pre-, mid-, and post-transition problems relevant for the rule of law in these countries. Next, it will address the legal and socio-psychological impact of the challenges posed by the mentioned problems, connecting the (mis)trust that can be observed on several levels (internally and externally) with the rule of law, thus demonstrating that mistrust as such has social as well as legal consequences. If trust (e.g. in the effectiveness of the rule of law safeguards or in those who are entrusted with safeguarding it) is lacking, this represents a problem not only for the Member State (e.g. for the functioning and perceived legitimacy of its judicial system) in question, but also for the eu (e.g. for the judicial cooperation in criminal matters). Lastly, the article will examine the eu’s perspective on rule of law, drawing on the recent eu Framework to Strengthen the Rule of Law, which aims to ensure an effective and coherent protection of the rule of law in all Member States, as well as on some other eu documents that may, in our view, help address the current challenges in European rule of law.
Clathrosporium retortum, a novel aeroaquatic fungus in the Sordariomycetidae (Ascomycota) from Brazil
Authors: Bernardino Moro Larissa , Delgado Gregorio , SCHOENLEIN-CRUSIUS Iracema Helena
Published: December 2015

Clathrosporium retortum sp. nov., collected on submerged mixed leaf litter samples at Ilha do Cardoso State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil, is described based on morphological and molecular data. The fungus is characterized by forming whitish, dense, subglobose to irregular propagules, hyaline to subhyaline when young, subhyaline to dark brown at maturity, that are formed by densely interwoven conidial filaments with each conidial cell repeatedly branching bilaterally or occasionally unilaterally. Phylogenetic analyses using partial LSU nrDNA sequence data suggest that C. retortum belongs in the Sordariomycetes (Ascomycota) where it forms a well-supported clade with Clohesia corticola in the Sordariomycetidae, but its ordinal or familial placement remains unresolved. Its phylogenetic placement confirms the polyphyletic nature of aeroaquatic fungi like Clathrosporium, as it was distantly related to one available sequence in GenBank named as C. intricatum, the type species, which is phylogenetically related to the Helotiales (Leotiomycetes). However, due to lack of authenticity of the identity of this sequence with the type specimen of C. intricatum, a broad concept of Clathrosporium is tentatively adopted here to accommodate the present fungus instead of introducing a new genus. Beverwykella clathrata, Helicoön septatissimum and Peyronelina glomerulata are recorded for the first time from Brazil. Cancellidium applanatum and Candelabrum brocchiatum are new records for the state of São Paulo.
On the true identity of the plants recently referred to Sedum nevadense (Crassulaceae) in Abruzzo (Italy)
Authors: Gallo Lorenzo , Conti Fabio
Published: December 2015

Sedum nevadense was always believed to be an Iberian-Moroccan endemic with a segregated population in France, but it was recently reported for Abruzzo (Italy). To enhance our knowledge of this population that appears particularly isolated from the main distribution, specific studies were carried out that allowed its recognition as significantly different from the Iberian and north African populations from the morphological and ecological points of view. We here describe this population as a new narrow endemic species, namely Sedum aquilanum belonging to Sedum series Subrosea. This population is at high extinction risk due to both the small number of plants and its close proximity to areas that are affected by anthropogenic activities having a very high environmental impact.
Primulina rubribracteata, a new species of Gesneriaceae from southern Hunan, China
Authors: Lin Ning Zu , Mei Li Dong , Ming Kang
Published: December 2015

Primulina rubribracteata Z.L. Ning & M. Kang, a new species of Gesneriaceae from southern Hunan, China, is described and illustrated. The new species morphologically resembles P. polycephala (Chun) Mich. Möller & A. Weber and P. porphyria X.L. Yu & Ming Li, but it can be easily distinguished by having ovate or broadly ovate leaf blade, purple red bracts and calyx, shorter peduncle and pedicel, thoroughly purple corolla, unbranched cymes with 1–4 flowers, and densely glandular pubescent inside corolla lobes.
Impacts of ENSO on Philippine Tropical Cyclone Activity
Authors: Corporal-Lodangco Irenea L. , Leslie Lance M. , Lamb Peter J.
Published: December 2015

This study investigates the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) contribution to Philippine tropical cyclone (TC) variability, for a range of quarterly TC metrics. Philippine TC activity is found to depend on both ENSO quarter and phase. TC counts during El Niño phases differ significantly from neutral phases in all quarters, whereas neutral and La Niña phases differ only in January–March and July–September. Differences in landfalls between neutral and El Niño phases are significant in January–March and October–December and in January–March for neutral and La Niña phases. El Niño and La Niña landfalls are significantly different in April–June and October–December. Philippine neutral and El Niño TC genesis cover broader longitude–latitude ranges with similar long tracks, originating farther east in the western North Pacific. In El Niño phases, the mean eastward displacement of genesis locations and more recurving TCs reduce Philippine TC frequencies. Proximity of La Niña TC genesis to the Philippines and straight-moving tracks in April–June and October–December increase TC frequencies and landfalls. Neutral and El Niño accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) values are above average, except in April–June of El Niño phases. Above-average quarterly ACE in neutral years is due to increased TC frequencies, days, and intensities, whereas above-average El Niño ACE in July–September is due to increased TC days and intensities. Below-average La Niña ACE results from fewer TCs and shorter life cycles. Longer TC durations produce slightly above-average TC days in July–September El Niño phases. Fewer TCs than neutral years, as well as shorter TC durations, imply less TC days in La Niña phases. However, above-average TC days occur in October–December as a result of higher TC frequencies.
English Learner and Non-English Learner Students With Disabilities
Authors: Wanzek Jeanne , Swanson Elizabeth , Vaughn Sharon , Roberts Greg , Fall Anna-Mária
Published: December 2015

This study investigated the effects of Promoting Adolescent Comprehension Through Text (PACT), a content knowledge and comprehension treatment for English learner and non–English learner students with disabilities who were provided instruction in general education social studies classrooms. Eighth-grade students with disabilities in the treatment condition ( n = 59) scored significantly higher than students with disabilities in the comparison condition ( n = 89) on a measure of content knowledge (effect size = .51). Students with disabilities in both study groups scored similarly on measures of content reading comprehension and general reading comprehension. In addition, the effect of treatment did not differ between English learner and non–English learner students with disabilities. Overall, the findings support the use of the instructional practices for improving content acquisition in general education social studies classes for English learner and non–English learner students with disabilities.
Disclosure and HIV Transmission
Authors: Ryan Samantha
Published: December 2015

This paper examines the various approaches to disclosure of HIV infected status identified by the Law Commission in its Scoping Consultation Paper on Reform of Offences against the Person. It argues against the imposition of a general duty to disclose in all circumstances, and further suggests that a requirement for disclosure cannot be justified when there is a low risk of transmission. It suggests that the better approach to disclosure is to be found by combining the remaining two Law Commission proposals. This would mean that whether a person was justified in exposing another to the risk of HIV infection without disclosing their HIV positive status would be a matter for the jury and a key factor relevant to the jury’s consideration in this regard would be the level of risk of transmission involved.
Intergroup Conflict, Religious Fundamentalism, and Culture
Authors: Saroglou Vassilis
Published: December 2015

Kashima underlines the importance of considering religion as a major contemporary cultural source of intergroup conflict around the world. In this commentary, I first examine theory and psychological research either discrediting or crediting religion per se, including fundamentalism, as being a cultural cause of intergroup conflict and violence. The evidence is in favor of the latter. Second, I propose a model of cultural psychological diversity of religious fundamentalism, across monotheistic religions and denominations. I finally argue, following Kashima’s global perspective on the person-culture-nature interactions, that cultural differences in religious fundamentalism may be understood as reflections of longtime interactions between natural and cultural environments and human animals, which, by creating religious (sub)cultures, rebuild, even if frequently with negative consequences, their ecological niches.
Iatrogenic non-clostridial gas gangrene – a case report
Authors: SH Jayanth , YP Girish Chandra , J Ramkumar
Published: December 2015

Skin and soft tissue infections of the lower limbs are quite common and can at times progress rapidly to become both limb and life-threatening infections. Muscular infections usually occur in areas of the body that have been compromised or injured by a foreign body, trauma, ischaemia, injection of illicit drugs, malignancy or surgery. Gas gangrene is one such limb-threatening infection. The gas-forming infection can be clostridial or non-clostridial. Clostridia are the main causative organism of the gas gangrene. Non-clostridial gas gangrene is a rare condition and is known to be associated with high mortality. Here, we report one such rare case where a middle-aged man succumbed to non-clostridial gas gangrene after he was administered an intramuscular injection. The case was registered as a suspicious death by the police and the body was subjected to medico legal autopsy.
Release behavior and kinetic evaluation of formaldehyde from cotton clothing fabrics finished with DMDHEU-based durable press agents in water and synthetic sweat solution
Authors: Li Bing , Dong Yongchun , Wang Peng , Cui Guixin
Published: December 2015

The durable press-finished cotton fabrics were prepared with dimethylol dihydroxy ethylene urea (DMDHEU) and methylated DMDHEU, and tested for formaldehyde release in distilled water or synthetic sweat at pH 5 or 8 to simulate the extraction of formaldehyde by sweat under similar wearing conditions. The release mechanism of formaldehyde was studied and compared using three diffusion kinetic models. The effect of release conditions and finishing process on the formaldehyde release was also investigated. The results indicated that the release process of formaldehyde from the finished fabric includes a burst release phase and a slow release phase, which is explained by five different sources. The formaldehyde release mechanism followed the Fickian mode, and could be described by Higuchi, Double phases and Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetic equations, respectively. Higher formaldehyde release was found at pH 8 than that at pH 5. Formaldehyde showed a lower release rate in synthetic sweat solution than that in water under the same conditions. Increasing water volume or temperature enhanced the formaldehyde release, suggesting that a high sweat rate and skin temperature may accelerate the formaldehyde release. When finishing the fabrics, a higher concentration of finishing agent and the addition of softener accelerated the formaldehyde release. However, increasing catalyst concentration and curing temperature could reduce the formaldehyde release. It is concluded that formaldehyde release can be effectively reduced by optimizing the durable press finishing process of cotton fabrics, thus possibly decreasing risk of allergic contact dermatitis from formaldehyde in textiles.
Evaluation of a hybrid personal cooling system using a manikin operated in constant temperature mode and thermoregulatory model control mode in warm conditions
Authors: Lai Dandan , Wei Fanru , Lu Yehu , Wang Faming
Published: December 2015

In this study, the cooling effect of a portable hybrid personal cooling system (PCS) was investigated on a sweating manikin operated in the constant temperature (CT) mode and the thermoregulatory model control (TMC) mode. Both dry (i.e., no sweating) and wet manikin tests (i.e., sweating) were performed in the CT mode in a warm condition (30℃, 47% relative humidity (RH), air velocity va = 0.4 m/s). For the TMC mode, two case studies were simulated: light work condition (30℃, 47% RH, air velocity va = 0.15 m/s, duration: 60 min, metabolic rate: 1.5 METs) and construction work condition (30℃, 47% RH, va = 1.0 m/s, 40 min exercise [5.5 METs] and 20 min rest [1.2 METs]). Four test scenarios were selected: fans off with no phase change materials (PCMs) (i.e., Fan-off, the Control), fans on with no PCMs (i.e., Fan-on), fans off with fully solidified PCMs (i.e., PCM+Fan-off) and fans on with fully solidified PCMs (i.e., PCM+Fan-on). Under the dry condition, the cooling rate in PCM+Fan-off during the initial stage (e.g., 55 and 50 W for the first 15 min and 20 min, respectively) was higher than that in Fan-on (i.e., 45 ± 1 W); under the wet condition, the cooling rate in PCM+Fan-off (e.g., 45 W for 10 min) was much lower than that in Fan-on (i.e., 282 ± 1 W). The hybrid PCS (i.e., PCM+Fan-on) provided a continuous strong cooling effect. Simulation results indicated that ventilation fans or PCMs alone could provide sufficient cooling while doing light work. For the intensive work condition, the PCS in all three scenarios (i.e., PCM+Fan-off, Fan-on and PCM+Fan-on) exhibited beneficial cooling, and the hybrid PCS showed an optimized performance in alleviating heat strain during both exercise and recovery periods. It was thus concluded that the PCS could effectively remove body heat in warm conditions for moderate intensive activities.
Relationship between the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score and the success rate of 64-slice computed tomography coronary angiography
Authors: Li Hui , Jin Dan , Qiao Fang , Chen Jianchang , Gong Jianping
Published: December 2015

Objective

Computed tomography coronary angiography, a key method for obtaining coronary artery images, is widely used to screen for coronary artery diseases due to its noninvasive nature. In China, 64-slice computed tomography systems are now the most common models. As factors that directly affect computed tomography performance, heart rate and rhythm control are regulated by the autonomic nervous system and are highly related to the emotional state of the patient. The aim of this prospective study is to use a pre-computed tomography scan Self-Rating Anxiety Scale assessment to analyze the effects of tension and anxiety on computed tomography coronary angiography success.

Methods

Subjects aged 18–85 years who were planned to undergo computed tomography coronary angiography were enrolled; 1 to 2 h before the computed tomography scan, basic patient data (gender, age, heart rate at rest, and family history) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score were obtained. The same group of imaging department doctors, technicians, and nurses performed computed tomography coronary angiography for all the enrolled subjects and observed whether those subjects could finish the computed tomography coronary angiography scan and provide clear, diagnostically valuable images. Participants were divided into successful (obtained diagnostically useful coronary images) and unsuccessful groups. Basic data and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale scores were compared between the groups.

Results

The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale standard score of the successful group was lower than that of the unsuccessful group ( P = 0.001). As the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale standard score rose, the success rate of computed tomography coronary angiography decreased.

Conclusions

The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score has a negative relationship with computed tomography coronary angiography success.

Advances in knowledge

Anxiety can be a disadvantage in computed tomography coronary angiography examination. The pre-computed tomography coronary angiography scan Self-Rating Anxiety Scale score may be a useful tool for assessing whether a computed tomography coronary angiography scan will be successful or not.
The Return of Superman? Individual and Organizational Predictors of Men’s Housework in South Korea
Authors: Moon Sue H. , Shin Jongtae
Published: December 2015

In this survey study, we investigate factors that predict the extent of men’s engagement in housework in South Korea. Using data collected from 466 working fathers during the period from March 2013 to August 2013, it was found that a more egalitarian gender ideology and supervisor support for work–family balance were significant predictors of the frequency of men’s participation in housework (i.e., child-rearing activities and household chores), but that long work hours, which are prevalent in South Korea, moderated these relationships. More specifically, the condition of long average work hours reduced the positive effect of an egalitarian gender ideology and a supportive supervisor attitude on the extent of housework. Therefore, we contend that the effects of changes in individuals’ attitudes toward men’s housework will be limited without addressing cultural norms of overwork or “work devotion” in South Korea.
The Effect of 3D-Modeling Training on Students’ Spatial Reasoning Relative to Gender and Grade
Authors: Šafhalter Andrej , Vukman Karin Bakracevic , Glodež Srečko
Published: December 2015

The aim of this research was to establish whether gender and age have an impact on spatial reasoning and its development through the use of 3D modeling. The study was conducted on a sample of 196 children from sixth to ninth grade, of whom 95 represented the experimental group and 101 the control group. The experimental group received 3D modeling training in SketchUp software. Spatial reasoning was controlled in the initial and final stages with a test comprising tasks that required mental manipulation of shapes or objects in images. It was found that 3D modeling does improve spatial reasoning, regardless of gender or age.
Nutrition Support in the Open Abdomen
Authors: Moore Scott M. , Burlew Clay Cothren
Published: December 2015

Early provision of enteral nutrition (EN) in critically ill and injured patients has become standard practice in surgical intensive care units (ICUs) due to its proven role in reducing septic complications. Increasingly, intensivists are confronted with patients with an open abdomen due to the use of damage control surgery and the recognition of the abdominal compartment syndrome; the role and timing of EN in these challenging patients continue to be debated. Patients with an open abdomen are often among the sickest in the ICU and hence could benefit from early nutrition support. However, the exposed abdominal viscera can understandably create anxiety regarding the initiation of EN; there is theoretic concern over exacerbation of bowel distention with resultant inability to close the abdomen and an increased aspiration risk due to paralytic ileus. Recent studies have investigated the utility of EN in the patient with an open abdomen, addressing these clinical concerns. The goal of this clinical review is to provide guidance to physicians caring for these complex patients.
Federal Sentencing Guidelines and United States v. Booker: Social Context and Sentencing Disparity
Authors: Nowacki Jeffrey S.
Published: December 2015

The United States v. Booker decision rendered Federal Sentencing Guidelines advisory rather than mandatory. In the context of this decision, this study examines both the direct influence of aggregate-level political, community, and administrative variables on sentencing outcomes, and the way that such characteristics might contextualize individual-level predictors. Using multi-level regression techniques, this study examines the role of aggregate-level variables on sentence length decisions across four distinct time periods. Moreover, this article also examines whether aggregate-level variables condition the effects of race/ethnicity on sentencing outcomes. Whereas the direct effects of aggregate-level variables on sentencing outcomes are generally limited to political climate effects, there is evidence that political climate and other aggregate-level measures contextualize individual-level race/ethnicity effects. Future research should seek to better understand the specific mechanisms behind these relationships.
Professional Purity
Authors: Rice Jeff
Published: December 2015

This study focuses on dominant terms whose usage generates a specific identity in the craft beer industry: revolution and crafty. Actors who engage these terms—brewers, writers, and consumers—create a narrative about the industry that gives craft beer a professional identity. The study explores how specific industries depend on the circulation of taxonomies in order to establish an identity with both a customer base and each other.
‘It’s not about me, it’s about my community’: A mixed-method study of civic websites and community efficacy
Authors: Cantijoch Marta , Galandini Silvia , Gibson Rachel
Published: December 2015

This article examines whether the Web and particularly a new breed of civic action sites operated by non-governmental actors provide a new pathway into wider community engagement. Using an innovative mixed methodology, we conduct a qualitative and quantitative over-time analysis of the users of four civic action sites developed by mySociety, an online UK non-profit organisation. The key question posed is whether the highly targeted or ‘particularised’ actions that these sites promote, such as contacting a local councillor, have a spill-over effect in terms of increasing feelings of empowerment in the local community. Alternatively are they attracting and reinforcing the resource bias of the most active citizens? The results are mixed in that they confirm that users of these sites are typically more aware and engaged than average. However, it is also clear that they have integrated these tools into their existing repertoire of engagement and this reinforces their feeling that they can have an impact on their wider communities. Overall, the study suggests that involvement in collective rather than individual approaches to resolve problems is most likely to further increase individuals’ levels community engagement.
Creativity and controversy in a new anthropology of buildings
Authors: Verkaaik Oskar
Published: December 2015

Driven by a common critique of human exceptionalism in Western thought, the recent anthropological study of things and materiality has also developed a new perspective on buildings and how they interact with humans. In this review article I discuss four recent anthropological books that deal with architecture. Explicitly or implicitly all of these books move away from the representational paradigm that has dominated the study of architecture for decades. They seek new ways to conceptualize the relation between materiality and symbol, creation and cognition, space and meaning. However, they differ with respect to the role buildings play in politics and social controversies. Whereas politics seems largely absent in the more theoretically inclined studies, the more ethnographically based books show that it is perfectly possible, and even desirable, to combine a phenomenological approach with an interest in political-symbolic processes.
B-Cell Disorders and Curcumin
Authors: Golombick Terry , Diamond Terrence H. , Manoharan Arumugam , Ramakrishna Rajeev
Published: December 2015

Clinical studies with patients with early hematological malignancies (ie, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering multiple myeloma, or stage 0/1 chronic lymphocytic leukemia) suggest that early intervention with curcumin, derived from the spice turmeric, may lead to prolonged survival and delay in progressive disease in some of these patients.
EEG Abnormalities Are Associated With Poorer Depressive Symptom Outcomes With Escitalopram and Venlafaxine-XR, but Not Sertraline
Authors: Arns Martijn , Gordon Evian , Boutros Nash N.
Published: December 2015

Rationale. Limited research is available on electrophysiological abnormalities such as epileptiform EEG or EEG slowing in depression and its association with antidepressant treatment response. Objectives. We investigated the association between EEG abnormalities and antidepressant treatment response in the international Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression (iSPOT-D). Methods. Of 1008 participants with major depressive disorder randomized to escitalopram, sertraline, or venlafaxine-XR, 622 completed 8 weeks of treatment per protocol. The study also recruited 336 healthy controls. Treatment response was established after 8 weeks using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD17). The resting-state EEG was assessed at baseline with eyes closed. EEG abnormalities including epileptiform activity, EEG slowing, and alpha peak frequency (APF) were scored for all subjects, blind to treatment outcome. Results. Patients and controls did not differ in the occurrence of EEG abnormalities. Furthermore, in the per protocol sample the occurrence of epileptiform EEG and EEG slowing (as a combined marker) were associated with a reduced likelihood of responding to escitalopram ( P = .019; odds ratio [OR] = 3.56) and venlafaxine-XR ( P = .043; OR = 2.76), but not sertraline (OR = 0.73). The response rates for this “any EEG abnormality” groups versus the “no-abnormality” group were 33% and 64% for escitalopram and 41% and 66% for venlafaxine-XR, respectively. A slow APF was associated with treatment response only in the sertraline group ( P = .21; d = .027). Conclusions. EEG abnormalities are associated with nonresponse to escitalopram and venlafaxine-XR, but not sertraline, whereas a slow APF is associated to response for sertraline only.
The Impact of Publicly Owned Hotels on Competing Properties
Authors: Nelson Robert R. , deRoos Jan A. , Ukhov Andrey D.
Published: December 2015

Substantial public subsidies, and even outright public ownership, of hotels have become common in the United States as communities target tourism as an integral economic development tool. A critical question that is increasingly being raised about the public sector entering the hotel business is, are these government-funded facilities unfair competition to properties developed by the private sector? The common reply to these concerns is that the publicly owned hotel is critical to growing demand for lodging accommodation and that once it opens, the new hotel will attract enough new business that all hotels will benefit. We use an event study to test this hypothesis across all of the 100% publicly developed hotels for which there are sufficient data to conduct the analysis. In looking at these 21 hotels, we found strong evidence that the performance of neighboring hotels worsens after the introduction of a publicly owned hotel.
Administration of interleukin-7 increases CD4 T cells in idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia
Authors: Sheikh Virginia , Porter Brian O. , DerSimonian Rebecca , Kovacs Stephen B. , Thompson William L. , Perez-Diez Ainhoa , Freeman Alexandra F. , Roby Gregg , Mican JoAnn , Pau Alice , Rupert Adam , Adelsberger Joseph , Higgins Jeanette , Bourgeois Jeffrey S. , Jensen Stig M. R. , Morcock David R. , Burbelo Peter D. , Osnos Leah , Maric Irina , Natarajan Ven , Croughs Therese , Yao Michael D. , Estes Jacob D. , Sereti Irini
Published: December 2015

Key Points

rhIL-7 therapy was well tolerated in patients with ICL. rhIL-7 led to increases in CD4 T cells in both peripheral blood and tissues.
Perceptions of Prognostic Risks in Chronic Kidney Disease: A National Survey
Authors: Chiu Helen H. L. , Tangri Navdeep , Djurdjev Ognjenka , Barrett Brendan J. , Hemmelgarn Brenda R. , Madore François , Rigatto Claudio , Muirhead Norman , Sood Manish M. , Clase Catherine M. , Levin Adeera
Published: December 2015

Background:

Predicting the clinical trajectories of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to discern personalized care remains a complex challenge in nephrology. Understanding the appropriate risk thresholds and time frame associated with predicting risks of key outcomes (kidney failure, cardiovascular (CV) events, and death) is critical in facilitating decision-making. As part of an exploratory research and practice support needs assessment, we aimed to determine the importance of the time frames for predicting key outcomes, and to assess the perceived demand for risk prediction tools among Canadian nephrologists.

Methods:

A web-based survey was developed by a pan-Canadian expert panel of practitioners. Upon pre-test for clarity and ease of completion, the final survey was nationally deployed to Canadian nephrologists. Anonymous responses were gathered over a 4-month period. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results:

One hundred eleven nephrologists responded to our survey. The majority of the respondents described prediction of events over time frames of 1–5 years as being “extremely important” or “very important” to decision-making on a 5-point Likert scale. To plan for arteriovenous fistula referral, the respondents deemed thresholds which would predict probability of kidney failure between >30 and >50 % at 1 year, as useful, while many commented that the rate of progression should be included for decision-making. Over 80 % of the respondents were not satisfied with their current ability to predict the progression to kidney failure, CV events, and death. Most of them indicated that they would value and use validated risk scores for decision-making.

Conclusions:

Our national survey of nephrologists shows that the risk prediction for major adverse clinical outcomes is valuable in CKD at multiple time frames and risk thresholds. Further research is required in developing relevant and meaningful risk prediction models for clinical decision-making in patient-centered CKD care.
Minireview: Mouse Models of Rho GTPase Function in Mammary Gland Development, Tumorigenesis, and Metastasis
Authors: Zuo Yan , Oh Wonkyung , Ulu Arzu , Frost Jeffrey A.
Published: December 2015

Ras homolog (Rho) family small GTPases are critical regulators of actin cytoskeletal organization, cell motility, proliferation, and survival. Surprisingly, the large majority of the studies underlying our knowledge of Rho protein function have been carried out in cultured cells, and it is only recently that researchers have begun to assess Rho GTPase regulation and function in vivo. The purpose of this review is to evaluate our current knowledge of Rho GTPase function in mouse mammary gland development, tumorigenesis and metastasis. Although our knowledge is still incomplete, these studies are already uncovering important themes as to the physiological roles of Rho GTPase signaling in normal mammary gland development and function. Essential contributions of Rho proteins to breast cancer initiation, tumor progression, and metastatic dissemination have also been identified.
RING1 contributes to early proximal-distal specification of the forelimb bud by restricting Meis2 expression
Authors: Yakushiji-Kaminatsui Nayuta , Kondo Takashi , Endo Takaho A. , Koseki Yoko , Kondo Kaori , Ohara Osamu , Vidal Miguel , Koseki Haruhiko
Published: December 2015

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins play a pivotal role in silencing development-related genes and help to maintain various stem and precursor cells and regulate their differentiation. PcG factors also regulate dynamic and complex regional specification, particularly in mammals, but this activity is mechanistically not well understood. In this study, we focused on proximal-distal (PD) patterning of the forelimb bud to elucidate how PcG factors contribute to a regional specification process that depends on developmental signals. Depletion of RING1 proteins, which are essential components of the Polycomb repressive complex-1 (PRC1), led to severe defects in forelimb formation along the PD axis. We show that preferential defects in early distal specification in Ring1-deficient forelimb buds accompany failures in repression of proximal signal circuitry bound by RING1B, including Meis2/1, and activation of distal signal circuitry in the prospective distal region. Additional deletion of Meis2 induced partial restoration of distal gene expression and limb formation seen in the Ring1-deficient mice, suggesting a critical role for RING1-dependent repression of Meis2 and likely Meis1 for distal specification. We suggest that the RING1/MEIS2/1 axis is regulated by early PD signals and contributes to initiation or maintenance of the distal signal circuitry.
The zebrafish tailbud contains two independent populations of midline progenitor cells that maintain long-term germ layer plasticity and differentiate based on local signaling cues
Authors: Row Richard H. , Tsotras Steve R. , Goto Hana , Martin Benjamin L.
Published: December 2015

Vertebrate body axis formation depends on a population of bipotential cells along the posterior wall of the tailbud that make a germ layer decision after gastrulation to form spinal cord and mesoderm. Despite exhibiting germ layer plasticity, these bipotential neuromesodermal tailbud cells never give rise to midline tissues of the notochord, floor plate, and dorsal endoderm, raising the question of whether midline tissues also arise from basal posterior progenitors after gastrulation. Using zebrafish we show that local posterior signals specify germ layer fate in two different basal tailbud midline progenitor populations. Wnt signaling induces notochord within a population of notochord / floor plate bipotential cells, and does so through negative transcriptional regulation of the sox2 transcription factor. Notch signaling, which is required for hypochord induction during gastrulation, continues to act in the tailbud to specify hypochord from a notochord / hypochord bipotential cell population. Our results lend strong support to a continuous allocation model of midline tissue formation in zebrafish. Additionally, the genetic evidence of two independent posterior notochord progenitor pools provides an embryological basis for zebrafish and mouse bifurcated notochord phenotypes, and the rare human congenital split notochord syndrome (SNS). Finally, we demonstrate developmental equivalency between different tailbud progenitor cell populations. Ectopic expression of mesogenin1, a master regulator of paraxial mesoderm fate, is sufficient to transfate midline progenitors from a notochord to a somite fate after gastrulation. Midline progenitor cells also adopt a somite fate if they are transplanted into the bipotential progenitors that normally give rise to somites. Taken together, our results indicate that the entire non-epidermal posterior body is derived from discrete, basal tailbud cell populations. These cells remain receptive to extracellular cues after gastrulation and continue to make basic germ layer decisions.