bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wind Loads of Solar Water Heaters: Wind Incidence Effect
Authors: Chou Chin-Cheng , Chung Kung-Ming , Chang Keh-Chin
Published: October 2014

For applications of solar thermal energy, solar water heaters (SWHs) are becoming common. In this study, the effect of a crosswind on the aerodynamic characteristics of residential (an inclined flat plate with a horizontal cylinder) and large-scale SWHs (an inclined flat plate only) is experimentally investigated. The tests are conducted in a low speed wind tunnel and the relative wind direction with respect to the test model, β, ranges from 0 to 135 deg. Measurements of the mean and fluctuating pressures are presented. These results demonstrate that higher suction and fluctuating pressure are observed near the upwind corner, particularly for the test case of β=30 deg.
Physical Mapping of the 5S and 18S rDNA in Ten Species ofHypostomusLacépède 1803 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae): Evolutionary Tendencies in the Genus
Authors: Bueno Vanessa , César Venere Paulo , Thums Konerat Jocicléia , Henrique Zawadzki Cláudio , Ricardo Vicari Marcelo , Margarido Vladimir Pavan
Published: October 2014

Hypostomusis a diverse group with unclear aspects regarding its biology, including the mechanisms that led to chromosome diversification within the group. Fluorescencein situhybridization (FISH) with 5S and 18S rDNA probes was performed on ten Hypostomini species.Hypostomus faveolus,H. cochliodon,H. albopunctatus,H.aff.paulinus,andH. topavaehad only one chromosome pair with 18S rDNA sites, whileH. ancistroides,H. commersoni,H. hermanni,H. regani,andH. strigaticepshad multiple 18S rDNA sites. Regarding the 5S rDNA genes,H. ancistroides,H. regani,H. albopunctatus,H.aff.paulinus,andH. topavaehad 5S rDNA sites on only one chromosome pair andH. faveolus,H. cochliodon,H. commersoni,H. hermanni,andH. strigaticepshad multiple 5S rDNA sites. Most species had 18S rDNA sites in the telomeric region of the chromosomes. All species butH. cochliodonhad 5S rDNA in the centromeric/pericentromeric region of one metacentric pair. Obtained results are discussed based on existent phylogenies for the genus, with comments on possible dispersion mechanisms to justify the variability of the rDNA sites inHypostomus.
Comparison between Base Metals and Platinum Group Metals in Nitrogen, M Codoped TiO2 (M = Fe, Cu, Pd, Os) for Photocatalytic Removal of an Organic Dye in Water
Authors: Kuvarega Alex T. , Krause Rui W. M. , Mamba Bhekie B.
Published: October 2014

The photocatalytic performance of a number of nonmetal and metal codoped TiO2 for the degradation of eosin yellow under simulated solar radiation was investigated. The synthesised materials were characterised by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, DRUV‐Vis, SEM, and TEM. The N, metal codoped TiO2 containing 0.5 wt.% of the metal consisted mainly of the anatase phase, with a particle size range of 15–28 nm. The particles were largely spherical and shifted the absorption edge well into the visible region. Band gap reduction was more pronounced for the N, PGM codoped TiO2 compared to N, base metal codoped samples. Codoping led to an enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of the materials for the degradation of eosin yellow. N, Pd codoped TiO2 was the most effective photocatalyst (99.9% dye removal) while N, Cu codoped TiO2 showed the least activity (25.5% removal). The mechanism for the photocatalytic enhancement was proposed on the basis of formation of an electron deficient Schottky barrier at the semiconductor‐metal interface, which acts as an electron sink and thus retards electron‐hole recombination. It was shown that the ability of the photocatalyst to degrade the dye depends on the nature and type of the metal dopant in the codoped TiO2 system.
Strong Convergence Theorems for Mixed Equilibrium Problem and AsymptoticallyI-Nonexpansive Mapping in Banach Spaces
Authors: Deng Bin-Chao , Chen Tong , Yin Yi-Lin
Published: October 2014

This paper aims to use a hybrid algorithm for finding a common element of a fixed point problem for a finite family of asymptotically nonexpansive mappings and the set solutions of mixed equilibrium problem in uniformly smooth and uniformly convex Banach space. Then, we prove some strong convergence theorems of the proposed hybrid algorithm to a common element of the above two sets under some suitable conditions.
Enhanced Production and Characterization of a Solvent Stable Amylase from Solvent TolerantBacillus tequilensisRG-01: Thermostable and Surfactant Resistant
Authors: Tiwari Soni , Shukla Neha , Mishra Pooja , Gaur Rajeeva
Published: October 2014

Ten bacterial strains isolated from the soil samples in the presence of cyclohexane were screened for amylase production. Among them, culture RG-01 was adjudged as the best amylase producer and was identified asBacillus tequilensisfrom MTCC, Chandigarh. The isolate showed maximum amylase production (8100 U/mL) in the presence of starch, peptone, and Ca2+ions at 55°C pH 7.0 within 24 h of incubation. The enzyme was stable in the presence of n-dodecane, isooctane, n-decane, xylene, toluene, n-hexane, n-butanol, and cyclohexane, respectively. The presence of benzene, methanol, and ethanol marginally reduced the amylase stability, respectively. The enzyme was showed it 100% activity at 55°C and pH 7.0 with 119% and 127% stability at 55°C and pH 7.0, respectively. The enzyme was also stable in the presence of SDS, Tween-40, Tween-60, and Tween-80 (1%) and was found stimulatory effect, respectively. Only Triton-X-100 showed a moderate inhibitory effect (5%) on amylase activity. This isolate (Bacillus tequilensisRG-01) may be useful in several industrial applications owing to its thermotolerant and organic solvents and surfactants resistance characteristics.
Methotrexate for the Treatment of Graft-versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Nassar Amr , Elgohary Ghada , Elhassan Tusneem , Nurgat Zubeir , Mohamed Said Y. , Aljurf Mahmoud
Published: October 2014

Glucocorticoids have been the primary treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) over the past decade. Complete responses to steroid therapy are usually expected in almost one-third of aGVHD cases and partial response is anticipated in another one-third of patients. However, for those patients not responding to corticosteroid treatment, there is no standard second-line therapy for acute or chronic GVHD. Methotrexate (MTX) for treatment of steroid refractory GVHD has been evaluated in a number of studies. Results from peer-reviewed original articles were identified and the pooled data analyzed. Despite several limitations in data collection and analysis, weekly administration of methotrexate at a median dose of 7.5 mg/m2seems to be safe with minimal toxicities in the context of both aGVHD and cGVHD treatments. The observed overall response (OR) in patients with aGVHD to MTX treatment in the published studies was 69.9%, with complete response (CR) in 59.2% and PR in 10.6%. In cGVHD the OR was 77.6%, with CR reported in 49.6% and PR in 28% of patients. Predictors of better responses were lower grade GVHD, cutaneous involvement, and isolated organ involvement. MTX as a steroid sparing agent might reduce long-term complications and improve the quality of life of GVHD affected individuals.
Parameter Dependence of Stable Invariant Manifolds for Delay Differential Equations under(μ,ν)-Dichotomies
Authors: Pan Lijun
Published: October 2014

We obtain the existence of stable invariant manifolds for the nonlinear equationx′=L(t)xt+f(t,xt,λ)provided that the linear delay equationx′=L(t)xtadmits a nonuniform(μ,ν)-dichotomy andfis a sufficiently small Lipschitz perturbation. We show that the stable invariant manifolds are dependent on parameterλ. Namely, the stable invariant manifolds are Lipschitz in the parameterλ. In addition, we also show that nonuniform(μ,ν)-contraction persists under sufficiently small nonlinear perturbations.
Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy-Related Strategies to Avoid Colistin Toxicity: A Clinically Orientated Review
Authors: Honoré Patrick M. , Jacobs Rita , Joannes-Boyau Olivier , Lochy Stijn , Boer Willem , De Waele Elisabeth , Van Gorp Viola , De Regt Jouke , Collin Vincent , Spapen Herbert D.
Published: October 2014

Polymyxins are ‘old' antimicrobials which were abandoned for almost 30 years because of significant renal and neurological toxicity. However, the alarming rise in multiresistant Gram-negative bacterial infections worldwide has revived interest in these ‘forgotten' agents. Colistin (polymyxin E) is one of the main antibiotics of this class. It is most often administered as the prodrug colistimethate sodium. Doses for treatment of systemic infections in adults range between 3 and 9 million IU per day. Colistin is increasingly used to treat pneumonia and bacteremia in critically ill patients. During their intensive care unit stay, many of these patients will need continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) because of acute kidney injury or an unstable hemodynamic condition. Based on recent pharmacological data and our own experience, we postulate that patients undergoing CRRT may receive substantially higher doses of colistin (i.e. a high loading dose, followed by a maintenance dose of up to 4.5 million IU t.i.d.). Treatment can be continued for a prolonged time period without increasing toxicity. CRRT counteracts colistin accumulation because the drug is continuously filtered and also significantly adsorbed in the bulk of the dialysis membrane. Implementing such a ‘CRRT rescue' therapy does require the strict use of highly adsorptive dialysis membranes in association with citrate anticoagulation to increase membrane performance.
Home Visit Program Improves Technique Survival in Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Martino Francesca , Adıbelli Z. , Mason G. , Nayak A. , Ariyanon W. , Rettore E. , Crepaldi Carlo , Rodighiero Mariapia , Ronco Claudio
Published: October 2014

Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home therapy, and technique survival is related to the adherence to PD prescription at home. The presence of a home visit program could improve PD outcomes. We evaluated its effects on clinical outcome during 1 year of follow-up. Methods: This was a case-control study. The case group included all 96 patients who performed PD in our center on January 1, 2013, and who attended a home visit program; the control group included all 92 patients who performed PD on January 1, 2008. The home visit program consisted of several additional visits to reinforce patients' confidence in PD management in their own environment. Outcomes were defined as technique failure, peritonitis episode, and hospitalization. Clinical and dialysis features were evaluated for each patient. Results: The case group was significantly older (p = 0.048), with a lower grade of autonomy (p = 0.033), but a better hemoglobin level (p = 0.02) than the control group. During the observational period, we had 11 episodes of technique failure. We found a significant reduction in the rate of technique failure in the case group (p = 0.004). Furthermore, survival analysis showed a significant extension of PD treatment in the patients supported by the home visit program (52 vs. 48.8 weeks, p = 0.018). We did not find any difference between the two groups in terms of peritonitis and hospitalization rate; however, trends toward a reduction of Gram-positive peritonitis rates as well as prevalence and duration of hospitalization related to PD problems were identified in the case group. The retrospective nature of the analysis was a limitation of this study. Conclusion: The home visit program improves the survival of PD patients and could reduce the rate of Gram-positive peritonitis and hospitalization. Video Journal Club “Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco” at http://www.karger.com/?doi=365168.
Expression of PTEN in Endometrial Liquid-Based Cytology
Authors: Di Lorito Alessia , Zappacosta Roberta , Capanna Serena , Gatta Daniela Mariapia , Rosini Sandra , Schmitt Fernando Carlos
Published: October 2014

Objectives: Endometrial cytology offers a reliable alternative to biopsy in endometrial cancer detection and it may be useful in obtaining material to study prognostic and predictive markers. Over the years, new sampling devices have been developed. Molecular alterations in endometrial cancers were previously described using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues with particular attention, in endometrioid carcinomas, to the PTEN-PI3K pathway. PTEN evaluation could be useful in endometrial carcinomas for selecting patients for target therapies. Study Design: We studied 51 endometrial samples collected using the Endogyn device and 71 obtained with the Endoflower dispositive device, and processed using liquid-based cytology. Most of the cases were matched with a corresponding histological biopsy. The overall accuracy of Endoflower was 100%. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunocytochemistry (ICC) for PTEN were performed using monoclonal antibody 6H2.1 from DAKO. Results: The IHC showed PTEN-null glands in 4 cases. The same cancers were negative in ICC. Among the 10 carcinomas on cytology, PTEN-null glands were found in 1 case. All the normal endometrium control cases were positive in cytology and histology. Conclusions: Our results suggest that endometrial devices provide useful material for the diagnosis and evaluation of PTEN expression.
A Microcomputed Tomography-Based Comparison of Root Canal Filling Quality following Different Instrumentation and Obturation Techniques
Authors: Kierklo Anna , Tabor Zbisław , Pawińska Małgorzata , Jaworska Małgorzata
Published: October 2014

Objective: With a microcomputed tomography (microCT) imaging device, we aimed to quantitatively evaluate root canal fillings after commonly used endodontic procedures and also tested the suitability of microCT for this purpose. Materials and Methods: Eighty single roots were instrumented and obturated with gutta-percha and Tubli-Seal. They were divided into 4 groups of 20. The Hand groups were instrumented with hand files and filled with thermoplastic (Th) compaction and cold lateral (CL) condensation, i.e. Hand-Th and Hand-CL, respectively. The Rot groups, i.e. Rot-Th and Rot-CL, were instrumented with a rotary ProFile system and filled as above. The roots were scanned and 3-dimensional (3D) visualization was obtained. The number, size, percentage of volume and distribution of voids at the filling/dentine interface (i-voids) and voids surrounded by filling material (s-voids) were measured. Results: Canal fillings differed significantly with regard to the size of both types of voids and the average number of i-voids. All canals presented a low volume of voids. The highest percentage (0.69%) was found for i-voids in the Hand-CL group, while the lowest volume (0.11% for s-voids and 0.14% for i-voids) was in the Hand-Th canals. Apically, in the last 3 mm, i-voids were observed mainly in the Th groups, and s-voids occurred mostly in the coronal part of the canal filling in all cases. Conclusion: MicroCT was a useful tool for 3D quantitative evaluations of these root canal fillings. None of the root canal instrumentation and filling methods ensured void-free obturation. CL condensation produced mainly i-voids. With Th compaction, internal s-voids were particularly common, but there were mainly i-voids in the apical part.
The Endothelin Pathway: A Protective or Detrimental Target of Bardoxolone Methyl on Cardiac Function in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease?
Authors: Camer Danielle , Huang Xu-Feng
Published: October 2014

Bardoxolone methyl has been reported to cause detrimental cardiovascular events in the terminated BEACON Phase III human clinical trial via modulation of the renal endothelin pathway. However, the effects of bardoxolone methyl administration on the endothelin pathway in the heart are unknown. Our purpose in this perspective is to highlight the distinctive opposing roles of the renal and heart endothelin pathway in cardiac function. Furthermore, we address the need for further investigation in order to determine if bardoxolone methyl has a protective role in cardiac function through the suppression of the endothelin pathway in the heart.
Intellectual Fascism
Authors: Berggren Lena
Published: October 2014

The focus of this article is the ideological formation of so called ‘New-Swedish Socialism’, an indigenous form of fascist thought formulated by the Swedish ideologue Per Engdahl (1909–1994) in the early 1930s. New-Swedish Socialism should not be equated with either Italian-styled Fascism or National Socialism, but must be seen as an original form of fascist thought. This fascist variant can be described as comparatively flexible, low-key and intellectual. The present analysis of the formation of New-Swedish Socialism follows the model for ideological analysis suggested by the British political scientist Michael Freeden. Freeden’s analytical mode defines an ideology in terms of a core cluster of interrelated and ineliminable political concepts which are essentially contestable. Starting from a definition of generic fascism and using the core concepts that can be identified from this definition, the presence, de-contestation and interrelatedness of these core concepts within New-Swedish Socialism is studied and analyzed. This article addresses whether New-Swedish Socialism can correctly be labelled fascist as well as capturing its special character as a fascist variant in its own right. The study has been limited to the ideological formation process in the early and mid-1930s but Engdahl remained an important influence on Swedish as well as European fascism throughout his life.
Challenges in Quantifying Changes in the Global Water Cycle
Authors: Hegerl Gabriele C. , Black Emily , Allan Richard P. , Ingram William J. , Polson Debbie , Trenberth Kevin E. , Chadwick Robin S. , Arkin Phillip A. , Sarojini Beena Balan , Becker Andreas , Dai Aiguo , Durack Paul J. , Easterling David , Fowler Hayley J. , Kendon Elizabeth J. , Huffman George J. , Liu Chunlei , Marsh Robert , New Mark , Osborn Timothy J. , Skliris Nikolaos , Stott Peter A. , Vidale Pier-Luigi , Wijffels Susan E. , Wilcox Laura J. , Willett Kate M. , Zhang Xuebin
Published: October 2014

Understanding observed changes to the global water cycle is key to predicting future climate changes and their impacts. While many datasets document crucial variables such as precipitation, ocean salinity, runoff, and humidity, most are uncertain for determining long-term changes. In situ networks provide long time series over land, but are sparse in many regions, particularly the tropics. Satellite and reanalysis datasets provide global coverage, but their long-term stability is lacking. However, comparisons of changes among related variables can give insights into the robustness of observed changes. For example, ocean salinity, interpreted with an understanding of ocean processes, can help cross-validate precipitation. Observational evidence for human influences on the water cycle is emerging, but uncertainties resulting from internal variability and observational errors are too large to determine whether the observed and simulated changes are consistent. Improvements to the in situ and satellite observing networks that monitor the changing water cycle are required, yet continued data coverage is threatened by funding reductions. Uncertainty both in the role of anthropogenic aerosols and because of the large climate variability presently limits confidence in attribution of observed changes.
Linking Community Protective Factors To Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration
Authors: Whitaker M. Pippin
Published: October 2014

This study explores how community factors moderate men’s individual risk for physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. The sample of 604 male first-semester undergraduate students supports a connection between county-level protective and risk factors, an individual risk factor, and IPV perpetration. For each unit increase in the proportion of women in powerful positions within a county, there was a 71% decrease in the risk that control-seeking respondents would perpetrate physical IPV, controlling for other factors including population density and violent crime. This article presents a multilevel analysis using hierarchical generalized linear modeling and discusses practice and research implications.
Planning Internal Communication Profile for Organizational Effectiveness
Authors: Bharadwaj Apoorva
Published: October 2014

Organizational communication is a multi-disciplinary subject area incorporating business communication, organizational behaviour, psychology, human resource management and much more. If organizational communication strategy is carefully planned with cerebral diligence it can change the attitudes and thereby the overall behaviour of the employees, making them more responsible and committed to work. In organizations where human collaboration forms the basis of productivity, organizational communication assumes paramount importance because effective collaboration primarily hinges on communication as a vehicle for binding the employees together for a common objective. This article aims at presenting communication as a crucial variable in sizing up the dynamics of organizational functioning. Since employees have themselves posited through multivariate surveys that improvement in communication can mobilize the ambient functioning of an organization, this area is of prominent interest to human resource manager and deserves to be featured as one of the descriptors of his job profile as a task of colossal importance on his occupational agenda. Thus, one has to carefully design communication apparatus, internal communication matrix as an HR tool. By integrating the applications of human resource management, communication, psychology and organizational behaviour, one can formulate a holistic model of communication that can redefine the communication profile of an organization and streamline the internal communication process for organizational effectiveness.
General Equilibrium Analysis of Strategic Trade: A Computable General Equilibrium Model for India
Authors: Das Koushik , Chakraborti Pinaki
Published: October 2014

Strategic trade refers to international trade under market imperfections. The purpose of the article is to comprehend general equilibrium implications of trade liberalization on Indian macroeconomic aspects under alternative market structures. We applied computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling as our relevant methodology following Shoven and Whalley, ( 1984 ). Constructing a four sector social accounting matrix (SAM) for India, the article attempts to purport the effects of liberalized trade over different macroeconomic aspects under monopolistic competition and compared the results with the same obtained under benchmark perfect competition scenario. Our study reveals that trade under imperfect competition could not produce any greater domestic output, expansion of trade in terms of volume of export and import and gains from trade as compared to standard perfect competition scenario.
Modelling Bullwhip Effect in a Closed Loop Supply Chain with ARMA Demand
Authors: Pati Rupesh Kumar
Published: October 2014

The growing importance of environmental concerns and focus on recycling has encouraged our research efforts to study the bullwhip effect on Closed Loop Supply Chain (CLSC). This article attempts to measure bullwhip effect in a six echelon CLSC with recycling as a reprocessing option for materials like paper and plastics (perhaps the first time in CLSC literature). The proposed model considers the effect of two critical parameters of CLSC: quality of recyclable raw material (in terms of its yield) and degree of segregation at source. It is assumed that the echelons in CLSC employ an Order-Up-To (OUT) inventory policy with Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) forecasting scheme, and that the demand forecast is performed via a first order Auto Regressive Moving Average model (ARMA [1, 1]). The model developed is employed to investigate the impact of Auto Regressive (AR) and Moving Average (MA) parameter, yield of recycled material, degree of segregation at source and the lead-time on the bullwhip effect. The model enables the CLSC managers to anticipate the downstream demand. In order to avoid order-process instability, a careful selection of Auto Regressive (AR) and the MA parameters is advised. Sensitivity analysis on replenishment lead-times provides managerial insights for effective design of recycling—distribution system, with constant accumulated lead-time. Further, the analysis reveals that increased degree of segregation at the source reduces the bullwhip effect.
US Policy in the Middle East: Breakthrough or Breakdown?
Authors: Freedman Robert O.
Published: October 2014

By the end of February 2014, US policy in the Middle East faced very serious challenges. Negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority had reached an impasse, and even the indefatigable efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry had not succeeded in getting the two sides to sign an agreement or even a framework for an agreement. In the case of Iran, the United States (US) and the other members of the P-5 plus one (UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) had reached an interim agreement in November 2013, to limit Iran’s production of enriched uranium in return for a partial lifting of sanctions, but major questions remained as negotiations began on a final agreement. These included Iran’s willingness to surrender information about its suspected nuclear weaponization program; whether or not Iran would be allowed to continue to enrich uranium, and if so, how much; and the future of the Arak heavy water plant and the Fordow nuclear facility. In the case of the war in Syria, the US continued to avoid involvement, even as the death toll rose to 150,000. Despite rising calls for US action from the State Department and CIA, President Obama refused to act. His position appeared to be, “I got us out of Iraq, I’m getting us out of Afghanistan, I’m not getting us involved in Syria.”
Can Hassan Rouhani Succeed where Muhammad Khatami Failed? Internal and International Politics of Reform in Iran
Authors: Hunter Shireen T.
Published: October 2014

The election of Hassan Rouhani to Iran’s presidency in June 2013 once more raised the hopes that the Iranian regime could reform itself and improve its relations with the outside world, especially the United States of America. However, to what extent these expectations are justified? Have Iran’s conditions changed sufficiently to enable Rouhani to succeed, while other reformers like Muhammad Khatami, Iran’s president from 1997 to 2005 failed? This article analyzes the causes of the failure of earlier reformers in Iran, notably Khatami, and will distinguish between the more structural barriers to reform in the Islamic Republic and those related to the dynamics of various political groups. It will also assess the impact of external factors, especially the US attitude toward Iran’s reformers on Khatami’s failure. It will then discuss to what extent Iran’s current internal conditions and the dynamics of its external environment will affect Rouhani’s chances of success.
The PLO at Fifty: A Historical Perspective
Authors: Sela Avraham
Published: October 2014

The article offers an overview of the political history of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from its birth to the present. It analyzes the social and political origins of the PLO, the impact on its politics of decades of regional upheavals in the scope and nature of the Arab–Israeli conflict and its ability to function as a national framework of resistance and civilian organizations despite geographical and political obstacles. Given the PLO’s nature as a non-state regional actor, the article is particularly concerned with its political adjustment along with the decline of pan-Arab identity and the Arab states collective action for the Palestinian cause, the post-1973 peace process, and the shifting center of gravity of Palestinian national action from the Arab states neighboring Israel into the Occupied Territories. The article thus explains the PLO’s survival and repeated rises from the ashes following military debacles and internal crises and examines how the Oslo process and the advent of the self-governing Palestinian Authority have affected the PLO as an overall national leadership.
Microstructure of WC–Co hard alloy surface after laser treatment
Authors: Tyurin A. , Nagavkin S. , Malikov A. , Orishich A.
Published: October 2014

The microstructure of WC/Co hard alloys after surface laser treatment is studied. It is established that during the laser treatment of the hard alloys, the chemical interaction between the components of the WC/Co powder mixture occurs in the samples’ surface according to the reaction 3Co+3WC→(Co; W)3C+2C. High cooling rate during the laser treatment allows preserving the products of this reaction, i.e. graphite inclusions and complex carbide (Co; W)3C to room temperature.
Optical properties of cubic AlN films grown by sputtering
Authors: Choudhary R. K. , Mishra P. , Hubli R. C.
Published: October 2014

Cubic aluminium nitride (AlN) films were deposited on stainless steel substrate by reactive balanced magnetron sputtering. The film was studied for its optical properties using spectroscopic ellipsometry technique. A maximum band gap of 5·52±0·26 eV was obtained for the deposited film. The maximum value of refractive index measured in the wavelength range of 300–1100 nm was 1·9–2·15. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction of the film showed formation of (200) oriented cubic AlN.
Autoimmunity, hypogammaglobulinemia, lymphoproliferation, and mycobacterial disease in patients with activating mutations in STAT3
Authors: Haapaniemi Emma M. , Kaustio Meri , Rajala Hanna L. M. , van Adrichem Arjan J. , Kainulainen Leena , Glumoff Virpi , Doffinger Rainer , Kuusanmäki Heikki , Heiskanen-Kosma Tarja , Trotta Luca , Chiang Samuel , Kulmala Petri , Eldfors Samuli , Katainen Riku , Siitonen Sanna , Karjalainen-Lindsberg Marja-Liisa , Kovanen Panu E. , Otonkoski Timo , Porkka Kimmo , Heiskanen Kaarina , Hänninen Arno , Bryceson Yenan T. , Uusitalo-Seppälä Raija , Saarela Janna , Seppänen Mikko , Mustjoki Satu , Kere Juha
Published: October 2014

Key Points

Germline activating STAT3 mutations were detected in 3 patients with autoimmunity, hypogammaglobulinemia, and mycobacterial disease. T-cell lymphoproliferation, deficiency of regulatory and helper 17 T cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and eosinophils were common.
Obesity is associated with residual leukemia following induction therapy for childhood B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Orgel Etan , Tucci Jonathan , Alhushki Waseem , Malvar Jemily , Sposto Richard , Fu Cecilia H. , Freyer David R. , Abdel-Azim Hisham , Mittelman Steven D.
Published: October 2014

Key Points

Obesity is associated with increased risk for persistent minimal residual disease after induction therapy for pediatric BP-ALL.
MSEA: detection and quantification of mutation hotspots through mutation set enrichment analysis
Authors: Jia Peilin , Wang Quan , Chen Qingxia , Hutchinson Katherine E , Pao William , Zhao Zhongming
Published: October 2014

Many cancer genes form mutation hotspots that disrupt their functional domains or active sites, leading to gain- or loss-of-function. We propose a mutation set enrichment analysis (MSEA) implemented by two novel methods, MSEA-clust and MSEA-domain, to predict cancer genes based on mutation hotspot patterns. MSEA methods are evaluated by both simulated and real cancer data. We find approximately 51% of the eligible known cancer genes form detectable mutation hotspots. Application of MSEA in eight cancers reveals a total of 82 genes with mutation hotspots, including well-studied cancer genes, known cancer genes re-found in new cancer types, and novel cancer genes.
Dual roles for immune metagenes in breast cancer prognosis and therapy prediction
Authors: Alistar Angela , Chou Jeff W , Nagalla Srikanth , Black Michael A , D’Agostino Ralph , Miller Lance D
Published: October 2014

Background

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer leads to considerable variability in clinical responses, with only 10 to 20% of cases achieving complete pathologic responses (pCR). Biological and clinical factors that determine the extent of pCR are incompletely understood. Mounting evidence indicates that the patient's immune system contributes to tumor regression and can be modulated by therapies. The cell types most frequently observed with this association are effector tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), such as cytotoxic T cells, natural killer cells and B cells. We and others have shown that the relative abundance of TILs in breast cancer can be quantified by intratumoral transcript levels of coordinately expressed, immune cell-specific genes. Through expression microarray analysis, we recently discovered three immune gene signatures, or metagenes, that appear to reflect the relative abundance of distinct tumor-infiltrating leukocyte populations. The B/P (B cell/plasma cell), T/NK (T cell/natural killer cell) and M/D (monocyte/dendritic cell) immune metagenes were significantly associated with distant metastasis-free survival of patients with highly proliferative cancer of the basal-like, HER2-enriched and luminal B intrinsic subtypes.

Methods

Given the histopathological evidence that TIL abundance is predictive of neoadjuvant treatment efficacy, we evaluated the therapy-predictive potential of the prognostic immune metagenes. We hypothesized that pre-chemotherapy immune gene signatures would be significantly predictive of tumor response. In a multi-institutional, meta-cohort analysis of 701 breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, gene expression profiles of tumor biopsies were investigated by logistic regression to determine the existence of therapy-predictive interactions between the immune metagenes, tumor proliferative capacity, and intrinsic subtypes.

Results

By univariate analysis, the B/P, T/NK and M/D metagenes were all significantly and positively associated with favorable pathologic responses. In multivariate analyses, proliferative capacity and intrinsic subtype altered the significance of the immune metagenes in different ways, with the M/D and B/P metagenes achieving the greatest overall significance after adjustment for other variables.

Conclusions

Gene expression signatures of infiltrating immune cells carry both prognostic and therapy-predictive value that is impacted by tumor proliferative capacity and intrinsic subtype. Anti-tumor functions of plasma B cells and myeloid-derived antigen-presenting cells may explain more variability in pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than previously recognized.
Expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs located in autoimmune disease-associated regions reveal immune cell-type specificity
Authors: Hrdlickova Barbara , Kumar Vinod , Kanduri Kartiek , Zhernakova Daria V , Tripathi Subhash , Karjalainen Juha , Lund Riikka J , Li Yang , Ullah Ubaid , Modderman Rutger , Abdulahad Wayel , Lähdesmäki Harri , Franke Lude , Lahesmaa Riitta , Wijmenga Cisca , Withoff Sebo
Published: October 2014

Background

Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of variants associated with a risk for autoimmune and immune-related disorders (AID), our understanding of the disease mechanisms is still limited. In particular, more than 90% of the risk variants lie in non-coding regions, and almost 10% of these map to long non-coding RNA transcripts (lncRNAs). lncRNAs are known to show more cell-type specificity than protein-coding genes.

Methods

We aimed to characterize lncRNAs and protein-coding genes located in loci associated with nine AIDs which have been well-defined by Immunochip analysis and by transcriptome analysis across seven populations of peripheral blood leukocytes (granulocytes, monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, B cells, memory T cells, naive CD4+ and naive CD8+ T cells) and four populations of cord blood-derived T-helper cells (precursor, primary, and polarized (Th1, Th2) T-helper cells).

Results

We show that lncRNAs mapping to loci shared between AID are significantly enriched in immune cell types compared to lncRNAs from the whole genome (α <0.005). We were not able to prioritize single cell types relevant for specific diseases, but we observed five different cell types enriched (α <0.005) in five AID (NK cells for inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and psoriasis; memory T and CD8+ T cells in juvenile idiopathic arthritis, primary biliary cirrhosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis; Th0 and Th2 cells for inflammatory bowel disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, primary biliary cirrhosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis). Furthermore, we show that co-expression analyses of lncRNAs and protein-coding genes can predict the signaling pathways in which these AID-associated lncRNAs are involved.

Conclusions

The observed enrichment of lncRNA transcripts in AID loci implies lncRNAs play an important role in AID etiology and suggests that lncRNA genes should be studied in more detail to interpret GWAS findings correctly. The co-expression results strongly support a model in which the lncRNA and protein-coding genes function together in the same pathways.
Serum Matrix Metalloproteinase‐7 is an independent prognostic biomarker in advanced bladder cancer
Authors: El Demery Mounira , Demirdjian‐Sarkissian Gaiané , Thezenas Simon , Jacot William , Laghzali Yassine , Darbouret Bruno , Culine Stéphane , Rebillard Xavier , Lamy Pierre‐Jean
Published: October 2014

Background

Urine markers have been studied extensively but there is a lack of blood prognostic markers in bladder cancer. MMP‐7 is produced by stromal cells and by tumor cells and is overexpressed in a variety of epithelial and mesenchymal tumors. In this study, we assessed with an immunoassay we developed, the prognostic value of serum MMP‐7 in a series of patients with advanced bladder cancer.

Methods

Serum samples were collected from 56 patients with advanced bladder cancer who were treated at the Montpellier Cancer Institute between March 2003 and December 2004. MMP‐7 was quantified in serum samples by using a homogeneous sandwich fluoroimmunoassay we developed based on the time resolved amplified cryptate emission (TRACE) technology.

Results

The median overall survival of the study population was 2.2 years (95% CI, 1.4 to 3.0) with 1‐ and 5‐year survival rates of 73% (95% CI, 59% to 82%) and 25% (95% CI, 14% to 37%), respectively. High MMP‐7 serum levels were associated with poor survival. Using a cut‐off value of 11.5 ng/mL, the median overall survival was 3.0 years (95% CI, 1.5 to 5.1) for patients with MMP‐7 serum level <11.5 ng/mL and 1.3 years (95% CI, 0.8 to 2.5) for patients with serum level ≥11.5 ng/mL. Multivariate analysis identified high MMP‐7 serum concentration as an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with advanced bladder cancer (R = 2.1, 95% CI, 1.1 to 4.4).

Conclusions

Our results show that the MMP‐7 serum concentration is an independent prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced and or metastatic bladder cancer.
The Institution of Nothing: David Foster Wallace in the Program
Authors: McGurl Mark
Published: October 2014

This essay examines David Foster Wallace as a “program” writer in various senses, including as a graduate of a creative writing program and participant in twelve-step recovery programs. It argues that what makes Wallace most distinctive in literary historical terms is his rejection of the paranoid relation to institutions characteristic of an earlier generation of postmodern writers and his inhabitation, instead, of various forms of institutional being. In this context, the political and other limits of Wallace’s project are revealed in the awkwardness of its engagements with the question of race, and in its idealization of community as a form of mutual indebtedness.
Disinformation: The Limits of Capitalism’s Imagination and the End of Ideology
Authors: Cheyfitz Eric
Published: October 2014

This essay analyzes the current historical moment in the United States, where, it argues, ideology has been displaced in the public sphere by what the essay defines as Disinformation. The term itself is Russian in origin, coined in 1949. While the essay retains disinformation’s original sense of misleading information, it redefines Disinformation as a reflexive phenomenon rather than a conscious plan of propaganda, in order to analyze what I understand as a deep historical eruption in the political topography of the United States, represented by the effective collapse of the two-party system. While misinformation is merely a mistake in reportage that is typically retracted in the next day’s news or a distortion of the truth, conscious (spin) or unconscious, for particular ends, such as the Bush administration’s fiction of “weapons of mass destruction,” Disinformation is a deep, historical process of the erasure of history itself, culminating in a disruption or blockage of critical thinking, in which particular fictions (the “war on terror,” for example), through repeated and widespread use in our major institutions (schools, media, government, and political parties), substitute reflexively for facts. But Disinformation is not ideology. It is, rather, ideology’s mirror image, in the sense that while Disinformation appears as ideology’s double, it is the reverse of ideology: whereas ideology is a narrative that retains certain ties to reality, Disinformation is rhetoric utterly detached from, while substituting for, reality yet apparently not cynical in intent if in effect.
A Test of Racial Bias in Capital Sentencing
Authors: Alesina Alberto , La Ferrara Eliana
Published: October 2014

We collect a new dataset on capital punishment in the United States and we propose a test of racial bias based upon patterns of sentence reversals. We model the courts as minimizing type I and II errors. If trial courts were unbiased, conditional on defendant's race the error rate should be independent of the victim's race. Instead we uncover 3 and 9 percentage points higher reversal rates in direct appeal and habeas corpus cases, respectively, against minority defendants who killed whites. The pattern for white defendants is opposite but not statistically significant. This bias is confined to Southern states. (JEL J15, K41, K42)
Asset Demand Based Tests of Expected Utility Maximization
Authors: Kubler Felix , Selden Larry , Wei Xiao
Published: October 2014

We provide conditions under which contingent claim and asset demands are consistent with state independent Expected Utility maximization. The paper focuses on the case of a single commodity and demands are allowed to be functions of probabilities and not just prices and income. We extend prior analyses by deriving three distinct tests for demands to be rationalized by Expected Utility: (i) a contingent claim analogue to the certainty strong axiom of revealed preference, (ii) a characterization of the functional form for demand, and (iii) necessary and sufficient conditions based on the Slutsky matrix. (JEL D01, D11, D81)
Inefficient Hiring in Entry-Level Labor Markets
Authors: Pallais Amanda
Published: October 2014

Hiring inexperienced workers generates information about their abilities. If this information is public, workers obtain its benefits. If workers cannot compensate firms for hiring them, firms will hire too few inexperienced workers. I determine the effects of hiring workers and revealing more information about their abilities through a field experiment in an online marketplace. I hired 952 randomly-selected workers, giving them either detailed or coarse public evaluations. Both hiring workers and providing more detailed evaluations substantially improved workers' subsequent employment outcomes. Under plausible assumptions, the experiment's market-level benefits exceeded its cost, suggesting that some experimental workers had been inefficiently unemployed. (JEL J23, J24, M51)
The Network Structure of International Trade
Authors: Chaney Thomas
Published: October 2014

Motivated by empirical evidence I uncover on the dynamics of French firms' exports, I offer a novel theory of trade frictions. Firms export only into markets where they have a contact. They search directly for new trading partners, but also use their existing network of contacts to search remotely for new partners. I characterize the dynamic formation of an international network of exporters in this model. Structurally, I estimate this model on French data and confirm its predictions regarding the distribution of the number of foreign markets accessed by exporters and the geographic distribution of exports. (JEL D85, F11, F14, L24)
Structural Transformation, the Mismeasurement of Productivity Growth, and the Cost Disease of Services
Authors: Young Alwyn
Published: October 2014

If workers self-select into industries based upon their relative productivity in different tasks, and comparative advantage is aligned with absolute advantage, then the average efficacy of a sector's workforce will be negatively correlated with its employment share. This might explain the difference in the reported productivity growth of contracting goods and expanding services. Instrumenting with defense expenditures, I find the elasticity of worker efficacy with respect to employment shares is substantially negative, albeit estimated imprecisely. The estimates suggest that the view that goods and services have similar productivity growth rates is a plausible alternative characterization of growth in developed economies. (JEL E23, E24, H56, J24, O41, O47)
A Quantitative Analysis of the Used-Car Market
Authors: Gavazza Alessandro , Lizzeri Alessandro , Roketskiy Nikita
Published: October 2014

Quantitatively, we investigate the allocative and welfare effects of secondary markets for cars. An important source of gains from trade in these markets is the heterogeneity in the willingness to pay for higher-quality (newer) goods, but transaction costs are an impediment to instantaneous trade. Calibration of the model successfully matches several aggregate features of the US and French used-car markets. Counterfactual analyses show that transaction costs have a large effect on volume of trade, allocations, and the primary market. Aggregate effects on consumer surplus and welfare are relatively small, but the effect on lower-valuation households can be large. (JEL D23, L62, L81)
Fertility Transitions Along the Extensive and Intensive Margins
Authors: Aaronson Daniel , Lange Fabian , Mazumder Bhashkar
Published: October 2014

By allowing for an extensive margin in the standard quantity-quality model, we generate new insights into fertility transitions. We test the model on Southern black women affected by a large-scale school construction program. Consistent with our model, women facing improved schooling opportunities for their children were more likely to have at least one child but chose to have smaller families overall. By contrast, women who themselves obtained more schooling due to the program delayed childbearing along both the extensive and intensive margins and entered higher quality occupations, consistent with education raising opportunity costs of child rearing. (JEL I20, J13, J15, J16, J24)
The Human Capital Stock: A Generalized Approach
Authors: Jones Benjamin F.
Published: October 2014

This paper reconsiders the traditional approach to human capital measurement in the study of cross-country income differences. Within a broader class of neoclassical human capital aggregators, traditional accounting is found to be a theoretical lower bound on human capital differences across economies. Implementing a generalized accounting empirically illustrates the possibility that capital variation may now account (even fully) for the large income variation between rich and poor countries. These findings reject the constraints on human capital variation that traditional accounting has imposed. (JEL E24, J24)