bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Response of Gray Treefrogs to Anesthesia by Tricaine Methanesulfonate (TMS or MS-222)
Authors: Paduano Mary , Colafrancesco Kaitlen C. , Wong Sarah A. , Caldwell Michael S. , Gridi-Papp Marcos
Published: November 2013

The design of anesthetic protocols for frogs is commonly hindered by lack of information. Results from fishes and rodents do not always apply to frogs, and the literature in anurans is concentrated on a few species. We report on the response of treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelisandH. versicolor) to tricaine methanesulfonate. Body mass did not differ significantly between the species or between sexes. In the first exposure of a frog to TMS, variation in induction time was best explained by species (H. chrysoscelisresisted longer) and body mass (larger animals resisted longer). Multiple exposures revealed a strong effect of individual variation on induction time and a significant increase of induction time with number of previous anesthesia events within the same day. Recovery time was mostly explained by individual variation, but it increased with total time in anesthetic and decreased with induction time. It also increased with number of days since the last series of anesthesias and decreased with number of previous uses of the anesthetic bath. This is one of the first studies of anesthesia in hylids and also one of the first assessments of the factors that influence the variability of the response to anesthesia within a species.
A Study of the Integrated Automated Emotion Music with the Motion Gesture Synthesis via ZigBee Wireless Communication
Authors: Huang Chih-Fang , Nien Wei-Po
Published: November 2013

Automated music composition and algorithmic composition are based on the logic operation with music parameters being set according to the desired music style or emotion. The computer generative music can be integrated with other domains using proper mapping techniques, such as the intermedia arts with music technology. This paper mainly discusses the possibility of integrating both automatic composition and motion devices with an Emotional Identification System (EIS) using the emotion classification and parameters through wireless communication ZigBee. The correspondent music pattern and motion path can be driven simultaneously via the cursor movement of the Emotion Map (EM) varying with time. An interactive music-motion platform is established accordingly.
Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Attenuates Neuroinflammation through the Inhibition of Microglia Activation
Authors: Zhang Feng , Wang Yan-Ying , Yang Jun , Lu Yuan-Fu , Liu Jie , Shi Jing-Shan
Published: November 2013

Neuroinflammation is closely implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases. The hallmark of neuroinflammation is the microglia activation. Upon activation, microglia are capable of producing various proinflammatory factors and the accumulation of these factors contribute to the neuronal damage. Therefore, inhibition of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation might hold potential therapy for neurological disorders. 2,3,5,4′-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside (TSG), an active component extracted fromPolygonum multiflorum, is reported to be beneficial for human health with a great number of pharmacological properties including antioxidant, free radical-scavenging, anti-inflammation, antilipemia, and cardioprotective effects. Recently, TSG-mediated neuroprotective effects have been well demonstrated. However, the neuroprotective actions of TSG on microglia-induced neuroinflammation are not known. In the present study, microglia BV2 cell lines were applied to investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of TSG. Results showed that TSG reduced LPS-induced microglia-derived release of proinflammatory factors such as TNFα, IL-1β, and NO. Moreover, TSG attenuated LPS-induced NADPH oxidase activation and subsequent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Further studies indicated that TSG inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB signaling pathway activation. Together, TSG exerted neuroprotection against microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, suggesting that TSG might present a promising benefit for neurological disorders treatment.
SiO2 Nanopillars on Microscale Roughened Surface of GaN‐Based Light‐Emitting Diodes by SILAR‐Based Method
Authors: Zeng X. F. , Shei S. C. , Chang S. J.
Published: November 2013

We reported the SiO2 nanopillars on microscale roughened surface on GaN‐based LED to enhance light‐extraction efficiency. ZnO nanoparticles were deposited on SiO2 as an etching mask before ICP etching SiO2 by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method (SILAR), and the different heights of SiO2 nanopillars on microroughened ITO/GaN were obtained after etching. Compared to a regular (flat surface) GaN‐based LED, the light output power for a LED with microroughening was increased by 33%. Furthermore, the proposed LEDs with SiO2 nanopillars on microroughened surface show the enhancement in light output power by 42.7%–49.1% at 20 mA. The increase in light output power is mostly attributed to reduction in Fresnel reflection by rough surface. The height of SiO2 nanopillars was increasing cause resulting in more rough on the microscale surface of GaN‐based LEDs.
Contract Strategies in Competing Supply Chains with Risk-Averse Suppliers
Authors: Li Baixun , Zhou Yongwu , Niu Baozhuang
Published: November 2013

This paper investigates the equilibrium contract strategies of two competing supply chains. Each chain is composed of one risk-averse supplier and one risk-neutral retailer. The two suppliers, as Stackelberg leaders, can choose either wholesale price or revenue sharing contract. We compare the outcomes obtained from different scenarios and study the impact of competition density and risk attitudes on the suppliers’ contract choices. We find that it is always optimal for the first-moving supplier to choose revenue sharing contract if the follower chooses wholesale price contract. We also find that the retail price under revenue sharing contract is lower than that under wholesale price contract. Compared to Pan et al. (2010), we find that a threshold policy with respect to the degree of product substitutability holds in a sequential competition environment. There also exists a threshold policy with respect to the degree of risk aversion for the suppliers to choose their individual contract types and the corresponding chain-to-chain contract strategies.
Hexahedral Localization (HL): A Three‐Dimensional Hexahedron Localization Based on Mobile Beacons
Authors: Liu Linlan , Zhang Haili , Geng Xiaotian , Shu Xin
Published: November 2013

In wireless sensor networks, localization is one of the fundamental technologies and is essential to its applications. In this paper, we propose a three‐dimensional range‐free localization scheme named hexahedral localization. In the scheme, the space is divided into a lot of hexahedrons. Then, all the unknown nodes are located by utilizing the perpendicular properties of the trajectory. The contribution of our scheme can be summarized into two points. First, it fills the gap of shortage of three‐dimensional localization based on mobile beacons. Second, it brings in the outstanding localization accuracy. The simulation result reveals that this localization scheme has the relative high accuracy. At the end of the paper, the performance and error of our scheme are analyzed in aim of improving in the future work.
Gap Functions and Algorithms for Variational Inequality Problems
Authors: Zhang Congjun , Liu Baoqing , Wei Jun
Published: November 2013

We solve several kinds of variational inequality problems through gap functions, give algorithms for the corresponding problems, obtain global error bounds, and make the convergence analysis. By generalized gap functions and generalized D-gap functions, we give global bounds for the set-valued mixed variational inequality problems. And through gap function, we equivalently transform the generalized variational inequality problem into a constraint optimization problem, give the steepest descent method, and show the convergence of the method.
Genome-wide Profiling of Genetic Synthetic Lethality Identifies CDK12 as a Novel Determinant of PARP1/2 Inhibitor Sensitivity
Authors: Bajrami Ilirjana , Frankum Jessica R. , Konde Asha , Miller Rowan E. , Rehman Farah L. , Brough Rachel , Campbell James , Sims David , Rafiq Rumana , Hooper Sean , Chen Lina , Kozarewa Iwanka , Assiotis Ioannis , Fenwick Kerry , Natrajan Rachael , Lord Christopher J. , Ashworth Alan
Published: November 2013

Small-molecule inhibitors of PARP1/2, such as olaparib, have been proposed to serve as a synthetic lethal therapy for cancers that harbor BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Indeed, in clinical trials, PARP1/2 inhibitors elicit sustained antitumor responses in patients with germline BRCA gene mutations. In hypothesizing that additional genetic determinants might direct use of these drugs, we conducted a genome-wide synthetic lethal screen for candidate olaparib sensitivity genes. In support of this hypothesis, the set of identified genes included known determinants of olaparib sensitivity, such as BRCA1, RAD51, and Fanconi's anemia susceptibility genes. In addition, the set included genes implicated in established networks of DNA repair, DNA cohesion, and chromatin remodeling, none of which were known previously to confer sensitivity to PARP1/2 inhibition. Notably, integration of the list of candidate sensitivity genes with data from tumor DNA sequencing studies identified CDK12 deficiency as a clinically relevant biomarker of PARP1/2 inhibitor sensitivity. In models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGS-OVCa), CDK12 attenuation was sufficient to confer sensitivity to PARP1/2 inhibition, suppression of DNA repair via homologous recombination, and reduced expression of BRCA1. As one of only nine genes known to be significantly mutated in HGS-OVCa, CDK12 has properties that should confirm interest in its use as a biomarker, particularly in ongoing clinical trials of PARP1/2 inhibitors and other agents that trigger replication fork arrest. Cancer Res; 74(1); 287–97. ©2013 AACR.
SIRT1 and AMPK Mediate Hypoxia-Induced Resistance of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancers to Cisplatin and Doxorubicin
Authors: Shin Dong Hoon , Choi Yong-Joon , Park Jong-Wan
Published: November 2013

SIRT1 is an NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase induced by metabolic stresses, such as nutrition or oxygen deprivation. Although SIRT1 contributes to aging and metabolic disorders, its role in cancer progression and therapeutic responses remains controversial. Because hypoxia occurs widely in solid tumors, where it provokes drug resistance, we investigated the involvement of SIRT1 in hypoxia-induced chemoresistance. SIRT1 was downregulated in a panel of non–small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells exposed to hypoxia for 48 hours. The master metabolic kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was inactivated under the same conditions, likely due to attenuation of the SIRT1/LKB1-mediated AMPK activation process. Notably, hypoxic inactivation of this SIRT1–AMPK pathway led to cisplatin and doxorubicin resistance. Mechanistic investigations suggested that this pathway supported the cytotoxic response to cisplatin and doxorubicin by licensing an apoptotic process controlled by mitochondria. We confirmed the involvement of this pathway in a mouse xenograft model of human NSCLC. Furthermore, we demonstrated that a SIRT1 activator SRT1720 augmented the antitumor effects of cisplatin, and these effects could be blocked by administration of an AMPK inhibitor compound C. Taken together, our results offer preclinical proof-of-concept to target the SIRT1–AMPK pathway as a strategy to overcome hypoxia-induced chemoresistance in NSCLC. Cancer Res; 74(1); 298–308. ©2013 AACR.
Iron and Cancer Risk—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Epidemiological Evidence
Authors: Fonseca-Nunes Ana , Jakszyn Paula , Agudo Antonio
Published: November 2013

Iron has been suggested as a risk factor for different types of cancers mainly due to its prooxidant activity, which can lead to oxidative DNA damage. Furthermore, subjects with hemochromatosis or iron overload have been shown to have a higher risk of developing liver cancer. We have systematically reviewed 59 epidemiologic studies, published between 1995 and 2012, reporting information on total iron, dietary iron, heme iron, and biomarkers of iron status and cancer risk. Furthermore we conducted meta-analysis for colorectal [relative risk (RR), 1.08; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00–1.17], colon (RR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03–1.22), breast (RR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.97–1.09), and lung cancer (RR = 1.12; 95% CI, 0.98–1.29), for an increase of 1 mg/day of heme iron intake. Globally, on the basis of the systematic review and the meta-analysis results, a higher intake of heme iron has shown a tendency toward a positive association with cancer risk. Evidence regarding high levels of biomarkers of iron stores (mostly with serum ferritin) suggests a negative effect toward cancer risk. More prospective studies combining research on dietary iron intake, iron biomarkers, genetic susceptibility, and other relevant factors need to be conducted to clarify these findings and better understand the role of iron in cancer development. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(1); 12–31. ©2013 AACR.
HDM2 Regulation by AURKA Promotes Cell Survival in Gastric Cancer
Authors: Sehdev Vikas , Katsha Ahmed , Arras Janet , Peng Dunfa , Soutto Mohammed , Ecsedy Jeffrey , Zaika Alexander , Belkhiri Abbes , El-Rifai Wael
Published: November 2013

Purpose: Suppression of P53 (tumor protein 53) transcriptional function mediates poor therapeutic response in patients with cancer. Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and human double minute 2 (HDM2) are negative regulators of P53. Herein, we examined the role of AURKA in regulating HDM2 and its subsequent effects on P53 apoptotic function in gastric cancer.

Experimental Design: Primary tumors and in vitro gastric cancer cell models with overexpression or knockdown of AURKA were used. The role of AURKA in regulating HDM2 and cell survival coupled with P53 expression and activity were investigated.

Results: Overexpression of AURKA enhanced the HDM2 protein level; conversely, knockdown of endogenous AURKA decreased expression of HDM2 in AGS and SNU-1 cells. Dual co-immunoprecipitation assay data indicated that AURKA was associated with HDM2 in a protein complex. The in vitro kinase assay using recombinant AURKA and HDM2 proteins followed by co-immunoprecipitation revealed that AURKA directly interacts and phosphorylates HDM2 protein in vitro. The activation of HDM2 by AURKA led to induction of P53 ubiquitination and attenuation of cisplatin-induced activation of P53 in gastric cancer cells. Inhibition of AURKA using an investigational small-molecule specific inhibitor, alisertib, decreased the HDM2 protein level and induced P53 transcriptional activity. These effects markedly decreased cell survival in vitro and xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Notably, analysis of immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays revealed significant overexpression of AURKA and HDM2 in human gastric cancer samples (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Collectively, our novel findings indicate that AURKA promotes tumor growth and cell survival through regulation of HDM2-induced ubiquitination and inhibition of P53. Clin Cancer Res; 20(1); 76–86. ©2013 AACR.
Neutrophils Promote the Malignant Glioma Phenotype through S100A4
Authors: Liang Ji , Piao Yuji , Holmes Lindsay , Fuller Gregory N. , Henry Verlene , Tiao Ningyi , de Groot John F.
Published: November 2013

Purpose: Antiangiogenic therapy is effective in blocking vascular permeability, inhibiting vascular proliferation, and slowing tumor growth, but studies in multiple cancer types have shown that tumors eventually acquire resistance to blockade of blood vessel growth. Currently, the mechanisms by which this resistance occurs are not well understood.

Experimental Design: In this study, we evaluated the effects of neutrophils on glioma biology both in vitro and in vivo and determined target genes by which neutrophils promote the malignant glioma phenotype during anti-VEGF therapy.

Results: We found that an increase in neutrophil infiltration into tumors is significantly correlated with glioma grade and in glioblastoma with acquired resistance to anti-VEGF therapy. Our data demonstrate that neutrophils and their condition media increased the proliferation rate of glioblastoma-initiating cells (GIC). In addition, neutrophils significantly increased GICs Transwell migration compared with controls. Consistent with this behavior, coculture with neutrophils promoted GICs to adopt morphologic and gene expression changes consistent with a mesenchymal signature. Neutrophil-promoting tumor progression could be blocked by S100A4 downregulation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, S100A4 depletion increased the effectiveness of anti-VEGF therapy in glioma.

Conclusions: Collectively, these data suggest that increased recruitment of neutrophils during anti-VEGF therapy promotes glioma progression and may promote treatment resistance. Tumor progression with mesenchymal characteristics is partly mediated by S100A4, the expression of which is increased by neutrophil infiltration. Targeting granulocytes and S100A4 may be effective approaches to inhibit the glioma malignant phenotype and diminish antiangiogenic therapy resistance. Clin Cancer Res; 20(1); 187–98. ©2013 AACR.
Long-Duration Ventricular Fibrillation Exhibits 2 Distinct Organized States
Authors: Li Li , Zheng Xiangsheng , Dosdall Derek J. , Huang Jian , Pogwizd Steven M. , Ideker Raymond E.
Published: November 2013

Background—

Previous studies showed that endocardial activation during long-duration ventricular fibrillation (VF) exhibits organized activity. We identified and quantified the different types of organized activity.

Methods and Results—

Two 64-electrode basket catheters were inserted, respectively, into the left ventricle and right ventricle of dogs to record endocardial activation from the endocardium during 7 minutes of VF (controls, n=6). The study was repeated with the K
ATP
channel opener pinacidil (n=6) and the calcium channel blocker flunarizine (n=6). After 2 minutes of VF without drugs, 2 highly organized left ventricular endocardial activation patterns were observed: (1) ventricular electric synchrony pattern, in which endocardial activation arose focally and either had a propagation sequence similar to sinus rhythm or arose near papillary muscles, and (2) stable pattern, in which activation was regular and repeatable, sometimes forming a stable re-entrant circuit around the left ventricular apex. Between 3 and 7 minutes of VF, the percent of time ventricular electric synchrony was present was control=25%, flunarizine=24% (
P
=0.44), and pinacidil=0.1% (
P
<0.001) and the percent of time stable pattern was present was control=71%, flunarizine=48% (
P
<0.001), and pinacidil=56% (
P
<0.001). The remainder of the time, nonstable re-entrant activation with little repeatability was present.

Conclusions—

After 3 minutes, VF exhibits 2 highly organized endocardial activation patterns 96% of the time, one potentially arising focally in the Purkinje system that was prevented with a K
ATP
channel opener but not a calcium channel blocker and the other potentially arising from a stable re-entrant circuit near the apical left ventricular endocardium.
Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy Before Death
Authors: Kinch Westerdahl Annika , Sjöblom Johanna , Mattiasson Anne-Cathrine , Rosenqvist Mårten , Frykman Viveka
Published: November 2013

Background—

Several trials have demonstrated improved survival with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. The cause and nature of death in the ICD population have been insufficiently investigated. The objective of this study was to analyze ICDs from deceased patients to assess the incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, the occurrence of shocks, and possible device malfunction.

Methods and Results—

We prospectively analyzed intracardiac electrograms in 125 explanted ICDs. The incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia, including ventricular fibrillation, and shock treatment was assessed. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurred in 35% of the patients in the last hour of their lives; 24% had an arrhythmic storm, and 31% received shock treatment during the last 24 hours. Arrhythmic death was the primary cause of death in 13% of the patients, and the most common cause of death was congestive heart failure (37%). More than half of the patients (52%) had a do-not-resuscitate order, and 65% of them still had the ICD shock therapies activated 24 hours before death. Possible malfunctions of the ICD were found in 3% of all patients.

Conclusions—

More than one third of the patients had a ventricular tachyarrhythmia within the last hour of life. Cardiac death was the primary cause and heart failure the specific cause of death in the majority of the cases. Devices remained active in more than half of the patients with a do-not-resuscitate order; almost one fourth of these patients received at least 1 shock in the last 24 hours of life.
Atherosclerotic Biomarkers and Aortic Atherosclerosis by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Hong Susie N. , Gona Philimon , Fontes Joao D. , Oyama Noriko , Chan Raymond H. , Kenchaiah Satish , Tsao Connie W. , Yeon Susan B. , Schnabel Renate B. , Keaney John F. , O'Donnell Christopher J. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Manning Warren J.
Published: November 2013

Background

The relations between subclinical atherosclerosis and inflammatory biomarkers have generated intense interest but their significance remains unclear. We sought to determine the association between a panel of biomarkers and subclinical aortic atherosclerosis in a community‐based cohort.

Methods and Results

We evaluated 1547 participants of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort who attended the 7th examination cycle and underwent both cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (
CMR
) and assays for 10 biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis: high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, fibrinogen, intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐18, lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase‐A2 activity and mass, monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, P‐selectin, and tumor necrosis factor receptor‐2. In logistic regression analysis, we found no significant association between the biomarker panel and the presence of aortic plaque (global
P
=0.53). Using Tobit regression with aortic plaque as a continuous variable, we noted a modest association between biomarker panel and aortic plaque volume in age‐ and sex‐adjusted analyses (
P
=0.003). However, this association was attenuated after further adjustment for clinical covariates (
P
=0.09).

Conclusions

In our community‐based cohort, we found no significant association between our multibiomarker panel and aortic plaque. Our results underscore the strengths and limitations of the use of biomarkers for the identification of subclinical atherosclerosis and the importance of traditional risk factors.
Factor II Activity is Similarly Increased in Patients With Elevated Apolipoprotein CIII and in Carriers of the Factor II 20210A Allele
Authors: Olivieri Oliviero , Martinelli Nicola , Baroni Marcello , Branchini Alessio , Girelli Domenico , Friso Simonetta , Pizzolo Francesca , Bernardi Francesco
Published: November 2013

Background

Few studies have so far investigated the relationship between apolipoprotein CIII (Apo CIII) and coagulation pathway in subjects with or without coronary artery disease (
CAD
).

Methods and Results

Serum Apo CIII concentrations and plasma coagulant activities of factor II (FII:c), factor V (FV:c), and factor VIII (FVIII:c), and activated factor VII (FVIIa) were analyzed in a total of 933 subjects, with (n=687) or without (n=246) angiographically demonstrated
CAD
and not taking anticoagulant drugs. Activated factor X (FXa) generation assay was performed on plasma from subgroups of subjects with low and high levels of Apo CIII. A statistical incremental concentration of FII:c, FV:c, and FVIIa levels was observed through the quartiles of Apo CIII distribution in the population considered as a whole. Significant results were confirmed for FII:c in
CAD
and
CAD
‐free subgroup when separately considered. Subjects within the highest Apo CIII quartile (>12.6 mg/dL) had high FII:c levels not statistically different from those of carriers of 20210A allele (n=40; 4.28%). In a multiple linear model, Apo CIII was the best predictor of FII:c variability, after adjustment for age, gender, plasma lipids,
CRP
, creatinine, diagnosis, and carriership of 20210A allele. FXa generation was increased and its lag time shortened in plasmas with high Apo CIII levels. However, after thrombin inhibition by hirudin, differences between low and high Apo C‐III samples disappeared.

Conclusions

Elevated concentrations of Apo CIII are associated with an increase of thrombin activity to an extent comparable with the carriership of G20210A gene variant and mainly modulating the thrombin generation.
Growth rates of black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) from two different Amazonian flooded habitats
Authors: Da Silveira Ronis , Campos Zilca , Thorbjarnarson John , Magnusson William E.
Published: November 2013

Rates of growth and survival in wild populations are affected by the physical environment, biotic interactions, and density-dependent processes, such as growth and fecundity. However, the relative importance of these factors in long-lived reptiles is poorly understood. We analyzed growth rates of Melanosuchus niger and Caiman crocodilus coexisting in two areas of the Brazilian Amazon with very different environmental characteristics. Growth rates of Caiman crocodilus at the two sites were similar, but M. niger grew more slowly in the area with higher productivity and higher density of caimans. Growth rates of the same species from other sites and of the temperate-zone Alligator mississippiensis indicate large differences among sites, but little evidence that these differences are primarily due to differences in productivity or temperature. Demographic models used to estimate sustained yields from caiman harvests should take into account the likely importance of density-dependent growth.
Low-Frequency Neural Oscillations Support Dynamic Attending in Temporal Context
Authors: Henry Molly J. , Herrmann Björn
Published: November 2013

Behaviorally relevant environmental stimuli are often characterized by some degree of temporal regularity. Dynamic attending theory provides a framework for explaining how perception of stimulus events is affected by the temporal context within which they occur. However, the precise neural implementation of dynamic attending remains unclear. Here, we provide a suggestion for a potential neural implementation of dynamic attending by appealing to low-frequency neural oscillations. The current review will familiarize the reader with the basic theoretical tenets of dynamic attending theory, and review empirical work supporting predictions derived from the theory. The potential neural implementation of dynamic attending theory with respect to low-frequency neural oscillations will be outlined, covering stimulus processing in regular and irregular contexts. Finally, we will provide some more speculative connections between dynamic attending and neural oscillations, and suggest further avenues for future research.
Methodological Review of the Quality of Reach Out and Read
Authors: Yeager Pelatti Christina , Pentimonti Jill M. , Justice Laura M.
Published: November 2013

A considerable percentage of American children and adults fail to learn adequate literacy skills and read below a third grade level. Shared book reading is perhaps the single most important activity to prepare young children for success in reading. The primary objective of this manuscript was to critically review the methodological quality of Read Out and Read (ROR), a clinically based literacy program/intervention that teaches parents strategies to incorporate while sharing books with children as a method of preventing reading difficulties and academic struggles. A PubMed search was conducted. Articles that met three criteria were considered. First, the study must be clinically based and include parent contact with a pediatrician. Second, parental counseling (“anticipatory guidance”) about the importance of parent-child book reading must be included. Third, only experimental or quasi-experimental studies were included; no additional criteria were used. Published articles from any year and peer-reviewed journal were considered. Study quality was determined using a modified version of the Downs and Black (1998) checklist assessing four categories: (1) Reporting, (2) External Validity, (3) Internal Validity—Bias, and (4) Internal Validity—Confounding. We were also interested in whether quality differed based on study design, children’s age, sample size, and study outcome. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of evidence was variable across all studies; Reporting and External Validity categories were relatively strong while methodological concerns were found in the area of internal validity. Quality scores differed on the four study characteristics. Implications related to clinical practice and future studies are discussed.
Racial and Ethnic Change and Serious Student Offending in Los Angeles Middle and High Schools
Authors: Boggess Lyndsay N.
Published: November 2013

This study assesses the relationship between racial and ethnic change and change in crime in a different type of community—schools. Like neighborhoods, some schools are perpetually more dangerous than others despite turnover. This study investigates how change in the racial and ethnic composition of school enrollment plays a role in school-level crime. In addition, because schools are located within a community context, this study incorporates spatial context and includes information on crime and residential change in the neighborhood surrounding the school. Using a series of negative binomial regression models assessing the influence of changes in school-specific and local community factors on serious school offending (assaults, batteries, robberies, and property offenses that occurred on campus) over time, the findings reveal that that the relationship between school-level racial and ethnic change is moderated by the community-level changes, but that the relationship is specific to school type and contrary to theoretical expectation.
Social Capital, Type of Crime, and Social Control
Authors: Moore Matthew D. , Recker Nicholas L.
Published: November 2013

Several studies demonstrate a relationship between social capital and reductions in crime. However, recent research has begun to demonstrate that social capital may affect violent and property crime differently. Moreover, some researchers have suggested that specific aspects of social capital affect crime, while other aspects have little or no effect. This study examines social capital’s effect on the total crime rate, violent crime rate, and property crime rate within U.S. counties. In addition, we group social capital measures as Putnam-type (P-Group), Olson-type (O-Group), and recreation-type (R-Group) parochial controls depending on the type of control it is expected to exert. We find that elements of social capital affect both violent crime and property crime, but affect each in different ways. The type of organization affects whether P-Group, O-Group, and R-Group parochial controls reduce crime.
Nuclear Strategy, Nonproliferation, and the Causes of Foreign Nuclear Deployments
Authors: Fuhrmann Matthew , Sechser Todd S.
Published: November 2013

Why do countries deploy nuclear weapons abroad? Since 1945, more than twenty states have hosted foreign nuclear weapons on their territory, and five countries continue to do so today. These deployments have important consequences for international security, yet there is little systematic research about the factors that drive them. In this article, we develop three broad theoretical frameworks to explain why foreign nuclear deployments occur. Using a new data set of foreign nuclear deployments between 1945 and 2000, we find that two factors weigh heavily in driving these deployments: the protection of allies and the projection of military power. Nonproliferation motives, however, appear to play little role. The results carry important implications for our understanding of the causes of proliferation and the sources of nuclear posture.
Affect and Morality
Authors: An Sieun , Trafimow David
Published: November 2013

Principles of attribution do not always apply equally in all cultures. In the present research, we use the Kantian approach of perfect and imperfect duty violations to assess how attributions are made in the United States and Korea. Perfect duties are actions that moral people are required to do, whereas imperfect duties, although not required, are actions expected of moral people. In Experiment 1, we assessed whether there were cross-cultural differences in response to perfect and imperfect duty violations. In Experiment 2, we explored the mediating role of affect in these differences. In Experiment 3, we manipulated affect to test alternative explanations for the results of Experiment 2. Results show that the process of making moral attributions differs between Americans and Koreans, and this difference is due to Koreans requiring comparatively more negative affect before making a moral attribution. Implications for cross-cultural research are discussed.
Examining Preservice Music Teacher Concerns in Peer- and Field-Teaching Settings
Authors: Powell Sean R.
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the concerns of preservice music teachers using the Fuller and Bown teacher concerns model. Participants were 12 senior-level instrumental music education majors enrolled at a medium-size American public university. A video-assisted, stimulated recall method was used to interview participants after two peer-teaching and two field-teaching episodes. Data consisted of 1,019 coded statements drawn from more than 900 min of interviews. Task concerns were the most reported in all interviews, followed by self concerns and student impact concerns. Task concerns decreased across the four teaching episodes, while student impact concerns increased from the first field-teaching episode to the second. Rehearsal strategy use, evaluation of teaching, and individual student impact were the most frequently coded task, self, and student impact concerns, respectively. Overall, participants reported that peer teaching was more difficult and stressful than field teaching. Implications of the Fuller and Bown framework as well as additional future research directions are proposed.
Factors Related to Sight-Reading Accuracy
Authors: Mishra Jennifer
Published: November 2013

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine the extent of the overall relationship between previously tested variables and sight-reading. An exhaustive survey of the available research literature was conducted resulting in 92 research studies that reported correlations between sight-reading and another variable. Variables ( n = 597) were grouped by construct (e.g., music aptitude, technical ability) and separate meta-analyses were conducted for each construct. Construct had a variable effect on sight-reading, with improvisational skills, ear-training ability, technical ability, and music knowledge correlating most closely with sight-reading, while attitude and personality were unrelated to sight-reading. Additionally, the study examined differences in effect size by type of publication (published study, unpublished thesis), the experience level of the sight-reader (elementary, secondary, college nonmusician, college musician), sight-reading mode (instrumental sight-reading, sight-singing), and type of sight-reading test. The few differences suggest future investigation of a developmental component to sight-reading is warranted. In general, music constructs that improve with practice correlated more strongly with sight-reading than did stable characteristics. These results support sight-reading being considered a music skill that improves with the musicality of the performer rather than a simple visuo-motor decoding process.
A Consonant/Vowel Asymmetry in Word-form Processing: Evidence in Childhood and in Adulthood
Authors: Havy Mélanie , Serres Josette , Nazzi Thierry
Published: November 2013

In the literature, consonants have been proposed to be more important than vowels in lexical activation and access processes. However, despite a large body of evidence in the infant and adult literature, a recent study revealed a disappearance of the bias in newly learned words over the preschool years (Havy, Bertoncini, & Nazzi, 2011). As a first explanation of this developmental change, one might consider that the bias initially applies to all lexical processes to progressively narrow down its influence to specific cognitive and lexical mechanisms. Alternatively, the task used to address this question in Havy et al. (2011) might not have been sensitive enough to capture the bias in new-word learning from a certain age. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which the pattern observed over this period of development resulted from a lack of sensitivity of the task or from a real disappearance of the consonant bias during word learning. To address this issue, we designed two experiments evaluating the strength of the consonant bias during word learning in preschoolers and adults in ‘congruent’ versus ‘incongruent’ situations. Both experiments tested the recognition of a target object among two objects with similar names. In the congruent situation, the proposed target corresponded to one of the items presented. In the incongruent situation, the target differed from one of the items by a consonant and from the other by a vowel. Both experiments revealed the existence of a consonant bias in childhood and in adulthood. There was no difference between onset and coda processing in the congruent situation, but there was a slight advantage in adulthood for the first congruent information perceived in the incongruent situation.
Phonetic Detail and Dimensionality in Sound-shape Correspondences: Refining the Bouba-Kiki Paradigm
Authors: D’Onofrio Annette
Published: November 2013

Sound symbolism is the process by which speakers link phonetic features with meanings non-arbitrarily. For instance, speakers across languages associate non-words with rounded vowels, like bouba, with round shapes, and non-words without rounded vowels, like kiki, with spiky shapes. Researchers have posited that this link results from a cognitive association between sounds and visual or proprioceptive cues made in their production (e.g. sounds of rounded vowels cue the image of rounded lips, which is mapped to rounded shapes). However, non-words used in previous studies differ from one another along multiple phonetic dimensions, some showing no clear iconic mapping to shape. This study teases apart these features, finding that vowel backness, consonant voicing, and consonant place of articulation each elicit a sound symbolic effect, which is amplified when these dimensions are combined. This investigation also probes object properties that can be involved in sound symbolic association, bringing the “ bouba-kiki” paradigm, typically involving the use of abstract shapes, into the realm of real-world objects. To shed light on ways that sound symbolism may operate in natural language, this study suggests that future research in this paradigm would benefit from consideration of both more detailed phonetic correlates and more refined object properties.
Race Ends Where? Race, Racism and Contemporary Sociology
Authors: Meer Nasar , Nayak Anoop
Published: November 2013

In this introductory article we critically discuss where the study of race in sociology has travelled, with the benefit of previously published articles in Sociology supported by correspondence from article authors. We make the argument for sociologies of race that go beyond surface level reconstructions, and which challenge sociologists to reflect on how their discipline is presently configured. What the suite of papers in this collection shows is both the resilience of race as a construct for organising social relations and the slippery fashion in which ideas of race have shifted, transmuted and pluralised. It is in a spirit of recognising continuity and change that we present this collection. Some of the papers already stand as landmark essays, while others exemplify key moments in the broader teleology of race studies. This includes articles that explore the ontological ground upon which ideas of race, citizenship and black identity have been fostered and the need to develop a global sociology that is critically reflexive of its western orientation. The theme of continuity and change can be seen in papers that showcase intersectional approaches to race, where gender, nationality, generation and class offer nuanced readings of everyday life, alongside the persistence of institutional forms of discrimination. As this work demonstrates, middle-class forms of whiteness often go ‘hiding in the light’ yet can be made visible if we consider how parental school choice, or selecting where to live are also recognised as racially informed decisions. The range and complexity of these debates not only reflect the vitality of race in the contemporary period but lead us to ask not so much if race ends here, but where?
Authenticity with a bang: Exploring suburban culture and migration through the new phenomenon of the Richmond Night Market
Authors: Pottie-Sherman Yolande , Hiebert Daniel
Published: November 2013

This paper considers the suburban night through the recent cultural phenomenon of the Summer Night Market in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Night markets have existed in China since the 8th century, and have followed Chinese migration, first to Southeast Asia, and more recently, to Canada. Richmond, because of significant Asian settlement in the 1990s, is known as the ‘new Chinatown’ ethnoburb of Metro Vancouver. Its night market is a weekend evening event where predominantly Asian vendors sell clothing, food and a range of other products to the Chinese community and others attracted by the spectacle or seeking a bargain. The Richmond night-time landscape contrasts sharply with the 24/7 cultures of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. But the Richmond market makes possible a cultural use of night-time space – for strolling and meeting at night – in a suburban landscape that is quiet after 18:00 h. In the last three years, the market has been re-branded as a multicultural, rather than Chinese, space. We explore the role of this market in the night-time leisure culture of Metro Vancouver, through themes of the changing nature of the suburbs, suburban night places, and the (messy) question of authenticity in an age (and place) of ongoing migration and super-diversity.
The search for territorial fixes in subnational governance: City-regions and the disputed emergence of post-political consensus in Manchester, England
Authors: Deas Iain
Published: November 2013

The paper considers the notion that innovation in territorial governance is associated with a set of core neoliberal ideas about local economic development which have come to constitute a new and pervasive consensus. Through a case study of attempts to construct city-regional institutions in Manchester, England, over a period of 25 years, it attempts to track the themes that have underpinned the development of a local politics of economic development. The paper considers the extent to which evolution of city-regional institutions and policy accord to wider ideas about post-political forms of governance and the erosion of democracy in cities. It concludes by considering the degree to which this experience is representative of a wider orthodoxy in the governance of local economic development.
Youth Narratives on Community Experiences and Sense of Community and Their Relation to Participation in an Early Childhood Development Program
Authors: Hasford Julian , Loomis Colleen , Nelson Geoffrey , Pancer S. Mark
Published: November 2013

This comparative study examined how participation in an early childhood development (ECD) program, Better Beginnings, Better Futures, for children (ages 4-8) relates to sense of community (SOC) in later adolescence (ages 18-19). Youths’ stories ( N = 96) about community experiences, collected by semistructured, open-ended interviews, were quantitatively coded for several narrative dimensions (specificity, positivity, prosocial content, and meaning-making) and for elements of SOC (membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and shared emotional connection). Findings show a significant positive relationship between all narrative dimensions and the total SOC score. Better Beginnings youths’ stories ( n = 64) were significantly higher on specificity and shared emotional connection than comparison youth ( n = 32). Findings have implications for community-based ECD programs to impact later adolescence SOC and for using narratives to study these effects.
Engaging Adolescents in Politics
Authors: Quintelier Ellen
Published: November 2013

Starting from a political socialization perspective, this study examined the development of political participation during adolescence and early adulthood. We explore the effect of parents, peers, school media, and voluntary associations on political participation. Self-reported data were collected from 3,025 Belgian adolescents at three points in time: at age 16, age 18, and age 21. Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to analyze the effect of the five agents of socialization on the initial level and development of political participation. As hypothesized, we find that all political socialization agents influence the initial level and development of political participation over time. Peers and voluntary associations have the largest influence on the initial level of political participation and on its development. Parents and school would appear to be of less importance. While watching more television has a negative effect, more news consumption and internet use leads to more political participation.
High School Substance Use as a Predictor of College Attendance, Completion, and Dropout
Authors: Patrick Megan E. , Schulenberg John E. , O’Malley Patrick M.
Published: November 2013

National data from Monitoring the Future were used to examine patterns and predictors of college attendance. Samples of American 12th-grade students from 1977 to 2003 were followed for 7 years (modal ages 18-25; N = 10,020). College attendance and graduation patterns varied considerably over historical time and based on family background. Substance use during high school predicted a greater likelihood of never attending (for cigarettes, illegal drugs), of graduating from a 2-year rather than a 4-year school (for cigarettes), and of dropping out versus graduating from a 4-year school (for cigarettes, marijuana, and other illegal drugs). High school binge drinking predicted lower college dropout, but only in models also controlling for cigarette, marijuana, and other illicit drug use. This study provides a needed overview of adolescent predictors of patterns of college attendance among American young adults over the past three decades.