bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Augmentation of Immune Checkpoint Cancer Immunotherapy with IL18
Authors: Ma Zhifeng , Li Wen , Yoshiya Shinichi , Xu Yunfeng , Hata Masaki , El-Darawish Yosif , Markova Tzvetanka , Yamanishi Kyosuke , Yamanishi Hiromichi , Tahara Hideaki , Tanaka Yoshimasa , Okamura Haruki
Published: January 2016

Purpose: Recent clinical trials and animal models demonstrated that immune checkpoint blockade enhanced effector cell responses and tumor rejection; however, further development and improvement of cancer immunotherapy is necessary for more favorable objective responses. In this study, we examined the effect of IL18 on the antitumor effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Experimental Design: We examined the effect of IL18 on the peritoneal dissemination of CT-26 cells or tail vein injection metastasis of B16/F10 cells using antiprogrammed death-1 ligand-1 (αPD-L1) and/or anti-CTL–associated antigen-4 (αCTLA-4) mAbs.

Result: Massive ascites developed after intraperitoneal inoculation of CT-26, resulting in animal death within 30 days. Treatment of mice with αPD-L1 and/or αCTLA-4 significantly prolonged their survival, and a combination of the antibodies and IL18 provided a much greater therapeutic benefit. The combination modality led to the accumulation of precursor of mature natural killer (pre-mNK) cells in the peritoneal cavity together with increased CD8+ T and decreased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells. Depletion of the pre-mNK cells abrogated the therapeutic effects and increased the number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells. The combination treatment also suppressed tail vein injection metastasis of B16/F10 cells.

Conclusions: The results demonstrated that IL18 enhanced therapeutic effects of immune checkpoint blockade against peritoneal dissemination of carcinoma or tail vein injection metastasis of melanoma through accumulation of pre-mNK cells, memory-type CD8+ T cells, and suppression of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells. A combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors with IL18 may give a suggestion to the development of next-generation cancer immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 22(12); 2969–80. ©2016 AACR.
Low Cancer Stem Cell Marker Expression and Low Hypoxia Identify Good Prognosis Subgroups in HPV(−) HNSCC after Postoperative Radiochemotherapy: A Multicenter Study of the DKTK-ROG
Authors: Linge Annett , Löck Steffen , Gudziol Volker , Nowak Alexander , Lohaus Fabian , von Neubeck Cläre , Jütz Martin , Abdollahi Amir , Debus Jürgen , Tinhofer Inge , Budach Volker , Sak Ali , Stuschke Martin , Balermpas Panagiotis , Rödel Claus , Avlar Melanie , Grosu Anca-Ligia , Bayer Christine , Belka Claus , Pigorsch Steffi , Combs Stephanie E. , Welz Stefan , Zips Daniel , Buchholz Frank , Aust Daniela E. , Baretton Gustavo B. , Thames Howard D. , Dubrovska Anna , Alsner Jan , Overgaard Jens , Baumann Michael , Krause Mechthild
Published: January 2016

Purpose: To investigate the impact of hypoxia-induced gene expression and cancer stem cell (CSC) marker expression on outcome of postoperative cisplatin-based radiochemotherapy (PORT-C) in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Experimental Design: Expression of the CSC markers CD44, MET, and SLC3A2, and hypoxia gene signatures were analyzed in the resected primary tumors using RT-PCR and nanoString technology in a multicenter retrospective cohort of 195 patients. CD44 protein expression was further analyzed in tissue microarrays. Primary endpoint was locoregional tumor control.

Results: Univariate analysis showed that hypoxia-induced gene expression was significantly associated with a high risk of locoregional recurrence using the 15-gene signature (P = 0.010) or the 26-gene signature (P = 0.002). In multivariate analyses, in patients with HPV16 DNA–negative but not with HPV16 DNA–positive tumors the effect of hypoxia-induced genes on locoregional control was apparent (15-gene signature: HR 4.54, P = 0.006; 26-gene signature: HR 10.27, P = 0.024). Furthermore, MET, SLC3A2, CD44, and CD44 protein showed an association with locoregional tumor control in multivariate analyses (MET: HR 3.71, P = 0.016; SLC3A2: HR 8.54, P = 0.037; CD44: HR 3.36, P = 0.054; CD44 protein n/a because of no event in the CD44-negative group) in the HPV16 DNA–negative subgroup.

Conclusions: We have shown for the first time that high hypoxia-induced gene expression and high CSC marker expression levels correlate with tumor recurrence after PORT-C in patients with HPV16 DNA–negative HNSCC. After validation in a currently ongoing prospective trial, these parameters may help to further stratify patients for individualized treatment de-escalation or intensification strategies. Clin Cancer Res; 22(11); 2639–49. ©2016 AACR.
Cells Comprising the Prostate Cancer Microenvironment Lack Recurrent Clonal Somatic Genomic Aberrations
Authors: Bianchi-Frias Daniella , Basom Ryan , Delrow Jeffrey J. , Coleman Ilsa M. , Dakhova Olga , Qu Xiaoyu , Fang Min , Franco Omar E. , Ericson Nolan G. , Bielas Jason H. , Hayward Simon W. , True Lawrence , Morrissey Colm , Brown Lisha , Bhowmick Neil A. , Rowley David , Ittmann Michael , Nelson Peter S.
Published: January 2016

Prostate cancer–associated stroma (CAS) plays an active role in malignant transformation, tumor progression, and metastasis. Molecular analyses of CAS have demonstrated significant changes in gene expression; however, conflicting evidence exists on whether genomic alterations in benign cells comprising the tumor microenvironment (TME) underlie gene expression changes and oncogenic phenotypes. This study evaluates the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA integrity of prostate carcinoma cells, CAS, matched benign epithelium and benign epithelium–associated stroma by whole-genome copy-number analyses, targeted sequencing of TP53, and FISH. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) of CAS revealed a copy-neutral diploid genome with only rare and small somatic copy-number aberrations (SCNA). In contrast, several expected recurrent SCNAs were evident in the adjacent prostate carcinoma cells, including gains at 3q, 7p, and 8q, and losses at 8p and 10q. No somatic TP53 mutations were observed in CAS. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) extracted from carcinoma cells and stroma identified 23 somatic mtDNA mutations in neoplastic epithelial cells, but only one mutation in stroma. Finally, genomic analyses identified no SCNAs, LOH, or copy-neutral LOH in cultured cancer-associated fibroblasts, which are known to promote prostate cancer progression in vivo.

Implications: The gene expression changes observed in prostate cancer–adjacent stroma and the attendant contribution of the stroma to the development and progression of prostate cancer are not due to frequent or recurrent genomic alterations in the TME. Mol Cancer Res; 14(4); 374–84. ©2016 AACR.
Vaccines Combined with Immune Checkpoint Antibodies Promote Cytotoxic T-cell Activity and Tumor Eradication
Authors: Ali Omar A. , Lewin Sarah A. , Dranoff Glenn , Mooney David J.
Published: January 2016

We demonstrate that a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) cancer vaccine can be used in combination with immune checkpoint antibodies, anti–CTLA-4 or anti–PD-1, to enhance cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) activity and induce the regression of solid B16 tumors in mice. Combination therapy obviated the need for vaccine boosting and significantly skewed intratumoral reactions toward CTL activity, resulting in the regression of B16 tumors up to 50 mm2 in size and 75% survival rates. These data suggest that combining material-based cancer vaccines with checkpoint antibodies has the potential to mediate tumor regression in humans. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(2); 95–100. ©2015 AACR.
Hypomethylation of the Treg-Specific Demethylated Region inFOXP3Is a Hallmark of the Regulatory T-cell Subtype in Adult T-cell Leukemia
Authors: Shimazu Yayoi , Shimazu Yutaka , Hishizawa Masakatsu , Hamaguchi Masahide , Nagai Yuya , Sugino Noriko , Fujii Sumie , Kawahara Masahiro , Kadowaki Norimitsu , Nishikawa Hiroyoshi , Sakaguchi Shimon , Takaori-Kondo Akifumi
Published: January 2016

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is an aggressive T-cell malignancy caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1. Because of its immunosuppressive property and resistance to treatment, patients with ATL have poor prognoses. ATL cells possess the regulatory T cell (Treg) phenotype, such as CD4 and CD25, and usually express forkhead box P3 (FOXP3). However, the mechanisms of FOXP3 expression and its association with Treg-like characteristics in ATL remain unclear. Selective demethylation of the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) in the FOXP3 gene leads to stable FOXP3 expression and defines natural Tregs. Here, we focus on the functional and clinical relationship between the epigenetic pattern of the TSDR and ATL. Analysis of DNA methylation in specimens from 26 patients with ATL showed that 15 patients (58%) hypomethylated the TSDR. The FOXP3+ cells were mainly observed in the TSDR-hypomethylated cases. The TSDR-hypomethylated ATL cells exerted more suppressive function than the TSDR-methylated ATL cells. Thus, the epigenetic analysis of the FOXP3 gene identified a distinct subtype with Treg properties in heterogeneous ATL. Furthermore, we observed that the hypomethylation of TSDR was associated with poor outcomes in ATL. These results suggest that the DNA methylation status of the TSDR is an important hallmark to define this heterogeneous disease and to predict ATL patient prognosis. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(2); 136–45. ©2015 AACR.
Intratumoral Delivery of TriMix mRNA Results in T-cell Activation by Cross-Presenting Dendritic Cells
Authors: Van Lint Sandra , Renmans Dries , Broos Katrijn , Goethals Lode , Maenhout Sarah , Benteyn Daphné , Goyvaerts Cleo , Du Four Stephanie , Van der Jeught Kevin , Bialkowski Lukasz , Flamand Véronique , Heirman Carlo , Thielemans Kris , Breckpot Karine
Published: January 2016

Modulating the activity of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (TiDC) provides opportunities for novel cancer interventions. In this article, we report on our study of the uptake of mRNA by CD8α+ cross-presenting TiDCs upon its intratumoral (i.t.) delivery. We exploited this property to deliver mRNA encoding the costimulatory molecule CD70, the activation stimuli CD40 ligand, and constitutively active Toll-like receptor 4, referred to as TriMix mRNA. We show that TiDCs are reprogrammed to mature antigen-presenting cells that migrate to tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN). TriMix stimulated antitumor T-cell responses to spontaneously engulfed cancer antigens, including a neoepitope. We show in various mouse cancer models that i.t. delivery of TriMix mRNA results in systemic therapeutic antitumor immunity. Finally, we show that the induction of antitumor responses critically depends on TiDCs, whereas it only partially depends on TDLNs. As such, we provide a platform and a mechanistic rationale for the clinical testing of i.t. administration of TriMix mRNA. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(2); 146–56. ©2015 AACR.
Plasma Biomarkers Reflecting Profibrotic Processes in Heart Failure With a Preserved Ejection Fraction
Authors: Zile Michael R. , Jhund Pardeep S. , Baicu Catalin F. , Claggett Brian L. , Pieske Burkert , Voors Adriaan A. , Prescott Margaret F. , Shi Victor , Lefkowitz Martin , McMurray John J.V. , Solomon Scott D.
Published: January 2016

Background—

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a clinical syndrome that has been associated with changes in the extracellular matrix. The purpose of this study was to determine whether profibrotic biomarkers accurately reflect the presence and severity of disease and underlying pathophysiology and modify response to therapy in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Methods and Results—

Four biomarkers, soluble form of ST2 (an interleukin-1 receptor family member), galectin-3, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and collagen III N-terminal propeptide were measured in the Prospective Comparison of ARNI With ARB on Management of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (PARAMOUNT) trial at baseline, 12 and 36 weeks after randomization to valsartan or LCZ696. We examined the relationship between baseline biomarkers, demographic and echocardiographic characteristics, change in primary (change in N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide) and secondary (change in left atrial volume) end points. The median (interquartile range) value for soluble form of ST2 (33 [24.6–48.1] ng/mL) and galectin 3 (17.8 [14.1–22.8] ng/mL) were higher, and for matrix metalloproteinase-2 (188 [155.5–230.6] ng/mL) lower, than in previously published referent controls; collagen III N-terminal propeptide (5.6 [4.3–6.9] ng/mL) was similar to referent control values. All 4 biomarkers correlated with severity of disease as indicated by N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, E/E′, and left atrial volume. Baseline biomarkers did not modify the response to LCZ696 for lowering N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide; however, left atrial volume reduction varied by baseline level of soluble form of ST2 and galectin 3; patients with values less than the observed median (<33 ng/mL soluble form of ST2 and <17.8 ng/mL galectin 3) had reduction in left atrial volume, those above median did not. Although LCZ696 reduced N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, levels of the other 4 biomarkers were not affected over time.

Conclusions—

In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, biomarkers that reflect collagen homeostasis correlated with the presence and severity of disease and underlying pathophysiology, and may modify the structural response to treatment.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00887588.
Clopidogrel Versus Aspirin as an Antiplatelet Monotherapy After 12-Month Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy in the Era of Drug-Eluting Stents
Authors: Park Taek Kyu , Song Young Bin , Ahn Joonghyun , Carriere K.C. , Hahn Joo-Yong , Yang Jeong Hoon , Choi Seung-Hyuk , Choi Jin-Ho , Lee Sang Hoon , Gwon Hyeon-Cheol
Published: January 2016

Background—

The use of dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) exceeding 12 months may increase a bleeding risk despite a lower risk of ischemic events. There is no study to compare clinical outcomes in patients treated with a single-antiplatelet drug after DAPT in the era of drug-eluting stents (DES). We sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of clopidogrel versus aspirin monotherapy after 12-month DAPT after DES implantation using an institutional registry.

Methods and Results—

This observational study was conducted on consecutive patients receiving DES between January 2003 and December 2010. A total of 3243 patients receiving 12-month DAPT after DES implantation without adverse clinical outcomes were divided into 2 groups based on prescribed antiplatelet status: aspirin (n=2472) and clopidogrel (n=771). Clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics revealed more comorbidities and more complex lesions in the clopidogrel group than in the aspirin group. At 36 months after initiation of antiplatelet monotherapy, clopidogrel was associated with a reduction in risk for a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (aspirin versus clopidogrel; 3.8% versus 2.6%; hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.32–0.92;
P
=0.02). The risk of cardiac death was lower with clopidogrel monotherapy than with aspirin monotherapy (1.4% versus 0.5%; hazard ratio, 0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.11–0.93;
P
=0.04). Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction major bleeding occurred similarly between both groups (0.9% versus 1.3%; hazard ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–2.32;
P
=0.95).

Conclusions—

After 12-month DAPT, clopidogrel monotherapy, when compared with aspirin monotherapy, might be associated with a reduced risk of recurrent ischemic events in patients receiving DES.
Association of Aortic Stiffness With Cognition and Brain Aging in Young and Middle-Aged Adults
Authors: Pase Matthew P. , Himali Jayandra J. , Mitchell Gary F. , Beiser Alexa , Maillard Pauline , Tsao Connie , Larson Martin G. , DeCarli Charles , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Seshadri Sudha
Published: January 2016

Aortic stiffness is associated with cognitive decline and cerebrovascular disease late in life, although these associations have not been examined in young adults. Understanding the effects of aortic stiffness on the brain at a young age is important both from a pathophysiological and public health perspective. The aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional associations of aortic stiffness with cognitive function and brain aging in the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation cohort (47% men; mean age, 46 years). Participants completed the assessment of aortic stiffness (carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity), a neuropsychological test battery assessing multiple domains of cognitive performance and magnetic resonance imaging to examine subclinical markers of brain injury. In adjusted regression models, higher aortic stiffness was associated with poorer processing speed and executive function (Trail Making B–A; β±SE, −0.08±0.03;
P
<0.01), larger lateral ventricular volumes (β±SE, 0.09±0.03;
P
<0.01) and a greater burden of white-matter hyperintensities (β±SE, 0.09±0.03;
P
<0.001). When stratifying by age, aortic stiffness was associated with lateral ventricular volume in young adults (30–45 years), whereas aortic stiffness was associated with white-matter injury and cognition in midlife (45–65 years). In conclusion, aortic stiffness was associated with cognitive function and markers of subclinical brain injury in young to middle-aged adults. Prospective studies are needed to examine whether aortic stiffening in young adulthood is associated with vascular cognitive impairment later in life.
Rhabditidoides aegus n. sp., an associate of stag beetles and sap flow in Japan
Authors: Kanzaki Natsumi , Kajimura Hisashi , Okabe Kimiko
Published: January 2016

Rhabditidoides aegus n. sp. from a stag beetle, Aegus subnitidus subnitidus, from Nagoya, Japan, and obtained from the sap flow of an oak tree, Quercus serrata, from Ibaraki, Japan, is described and illustrated. In addition to its distinguishing generic characteristics, e.g., the arrangement of male genital papillae, ⟨v1, v2, v3d, CO, v4, (ph, ad, v5, v6), pd, v7⟩, the new species is characterised by a relatively stout body for both male and female, small stomatal flaps, a secretory pore-like opening, a pair of deirids, three pairs of postdeirids, and a pair of small subventral vulval papillae located just anterior to the female vulva. The new species is morphologically similar to R. humicolus, the species sharing two typological characters: a stomatal flap and vulval papillae. However, the new species is distinguished from R. humicolus by its relatively small vulval papillae, narrower gubernaculum, and the arrangement of genital papillae in which pd and v7 are clearly separate. In addition to the typological characters, the new species is distinguishable from all other species in the genus by its distribution range as it is the first Rhabditidoides species from East Asia.
Transplant Ethics and the International Crime of Organ Trafficking
Authors: Negri Stefania
Published: January 2016

Transplantation procedures have become increasingly sophisticated and nowadays offer unforeseen opportunities of survival to hundreds of thousands of patients. However, due to the global organ shortage, unethical practices like organ trafficking and transplant tourism have progressively emerged and spread worldwide, rapidly becoming a highly profitable business for transnational organised criminal groups. These practices represent a serious threat to public health and human security, egregious violations of fundamental human rights and a bold infringement of universal principles of medical ethics, and they thus call for a robust response from the international community at large. Being a complex and multifaceted phenomenon of global proportions, the major challenge in combating organ trafficking is to criminalise “all” unethical conducts as transplant-related crimes at both the domestic and international level. This article aims to offer a critical overview of the international legal instruments applicable in the field and to discuss the pivotal role that international criminal law can play in support of prescriptive bioethics in the global fight against organ trafficking.
Cinnamomum phoebe, a new name for the extant C. elongatum (Lauraceae)
Authors: Doweld Alexander Borisovitch
Published: January 2016

The International Fossil Plant Names Index (IFPNI, 2014 onwards) lists some fossil plant species names which have precedence over homonymic extant species names. A few cases of the homonymy between extant and fossil species were recently resolved (Turner 2014, Doweld 2015a, 2015b, 2015c, 2015d).
Nomenclatural notes on the status of the name Chlorophytum clivorum (Asparagaceae)
Authors: Prabhukumar Konickal Mambetta , Adsul Avinash Asraji , Mathew Jose , Balachandran Indira
Published: January 2016

Chlorophytum heynei Baker (1876: 322) was described based on a collection of Rottler from India in 1816. This species is characterized by elliptic-obovate with pseudopetiolate (petiole 5–8 cm channeled), scape shorter than the leaves, absence of sterile bracts; greenish flowers, anthers shorter than the filaments and papillose filaments (Robi et al. 2015). Most of the recent literature (Sasidharan & Sivarajan 1996, Sivarajan & Mathew 1997, Sasidharan 2013) misidentified this species with C. palghatense K.M.P.Kumar & Adsul (Prabhu et al. 2014: 282), but Robi et al. (2015: 78) resolved the taxonomy of these names. Unaware of this work, plants of Chlorophytum (Ker Gawler 1808: 1071) were described as C. clivorum Mathew & George (2015: 379), based on collections in the mountain forests of Achankovil (part of Achankovil Shear Zone), in Kollam district of Kerala. The critical analysis of the type specimens and protologues associated with both names shows that both the names C. heynei and C. clivorum apply to the same biological unit. Hence, C. heynei holds nomenclatural priority (McNeill et al. 2012, Art. 11.4).
Estimating the Bowen Ratio for Application in Air Quality Models by Integrating a Simplified Analytical Expression with Measurement Data
Authors: Lin K. M. , Juang J. Y. , Shiu Y.-W. , Chang L. F. W.
Published: January 2016

In air quality models, daytime sensible and latent heat fluxes are important factors that influence atmospheric stability. These heat fluxes originate from heat that is generated from solar radiation and is then released from the earth’s surface. Different climates and surface conditions may lead to varying heat flux distributions. Because latent heat flux is influenced by both solar radiation and plant evapotranspiration, it is often difficult to estimate. The objective of this study was to apply thermodynamic concepts to determine an equation that could be used to estimate the Bowen ratio in the absence of latent and sensible heat fluxes. This study showed that, using two meteorological parameters (i.e., absolute temperature and relative humidity), the Bowen ratio for the climate in Taiwan could be obtained and then used to estimate sensible and latent heat fluxes in a series of equations. Furthermore, the approach’s applicability was determined by testing the sensitivities of parameters used in the Bowen ratio equation. A comparison of results determined through the Priestly–Taylor and Penman–Monteith methods with meteorological data for Yilan and Chiayi counties, Taiwan, for the 2006 summer and winter is performed. The results of this study showed that, among the simulated latent heat fluxes in the two study areas, the values estimated using the Penman–Monteith method were the largest, followed by those estimated using the Priestly–Taylor method. Values estimated using the Bowen ratio method were the smallest. Predictions generated by the proposed Bowen ratio equation correlated with those generated by the other models; however, the values estimated with the Priestly–Taylor method were closest to the simulated values.
Long-Lead Seasonal Prediction of China Summer Rainfall Using an EOF–PLS Regression-Based Methodology*,+
Authors: Xing Wen , Wang Bin , Yim So-Young
Published: January 2016

Considerable year-to-year variability of summer rainfall exposes China to threats of frequent droughts and floods. Objective prediction of the summer rainfall anomaly pattern turns out to be very challenging. As shown in the present study, the contemporary state-of-the-art dynamical models’ 1-month-lead prediction of China summer rainfall (CSR) anomalies has insignificant skills. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore other ways to improve CSR prediction. The present study proposes a combined empirical orthogonal function (EOF)–partial least squares (PLS) regression method to offer a potential long-lead objective prediction of spatial distribution of CSR anomalies. The essence of the methodology is to use PLS regression to predict the principal component (PC) of the first five leading EOF modes of CSR. The preceding December–January mean surface temperature field [ST; i.e., SST over ocean and 2-m air temperature (T2m) over land] is selected as the predictor field for all five PCs because SST and snow cover, which is reflected by 2-m air temperature, are the most important factors that affect CSR and because the correlation between each mode and ST during winter is higher than in spring. The 4-month-lead forecast models are established by using the data from 1979 to 2004. A 9-yr independent forward-rolling prediction is made for the latest 9 yr (2005–13) as a strict forecast validation. The pattern correlation coefficient skill (0.32) between the observed and the 4-month-lead predicted patterns during the independent forecast period of 2005–13 is significantly higher than the dynamic models’ 1-month-lead hindcast skill (0.04), which indicates that the EOF–PLS regression is a useful tool for improving the current seasonal rainfall prediction. Issues related to the EOF–PLS method are also discussed.
Exploring the Diabatic Role of Ice Microphysical Processes in Two North Atlantic Summer Cyclones
Authors: Dearden C. , Vaughan G. , Tsai T. , Chen J.-P.
Published: January 2016

Numerical simulations are performed with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to elucidate the diabatic effects of ice phase microphysical processes on the dynamics of two slow-moving summer cyclones that affected the United Kingdom during the summer of 2012. The first case is representative of a typical midlatitude storm for the time of year, while the second case is unusually deep. Sensitivity tests are performed with 5-km horizontal grid spacing and at lead times between 1 and 2 days using three different microphysics schemes, one of which is a new scheme whose development was informed by the latest in situ observations of midlatitude weather systems. The effects of latent heating and cooling associated with deposition growth, sublimation, and melting of ice are assessed in terms of the impact on both the synoptic scale and the frontal scale. The results show that, of these diabatic processes, deposition growth was the most important in both cases, affecting the depth and position of each of the low pressure systems and influencing the spatial distribution of the frontal precipitation. Cooling associated with sublimation and melting also played a role in determining the cyclone depth, but mainly in the more intense cyclone case. The effects of ice crystal habit and secondary ice production are also explored in the simulations, based on insight from in situ observations. However in these two cases, the ability to predict changes in crystal habit did not significantly impact the storm evolution, and the authors found no obvious need to parameterize secondary ice crystal production at the model resolutions considered.
Evaluation of Autologous Fascia Implantation With Controlled Release of Fibroblast Growth Factor for Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Paralysis Due to Long-term Denervation
Authors: Nagai Hiromi , Nishiyama Koichiro , Seino Yutomo , Tabata Yasuhiko , Okamoto Makito
Published: January 2016

Objectives:

Paralyzed tissue due to long-term denervation is resistant to many treatments because it induces irreversible histological changes and disorders of deglutition or phonation. We sought to determine the effect of autologous transplantation of fascia into the vocal fold (ATFV) with controlled release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on long-term unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP).

Methods:

Unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) section was performed on 20 rats. Five rats were implanted with autologous fascia only (fascia group), and 10 rats were implanted with autologous fascia and a gelatin hydrogel sheet with 1 μg (1 μg bFGF + fascia group) or 0.1 μg (0.1 μg bFGF + fascia group) of bFGF 4 months after RLN section. We evaluated the normalized glottal gap and laryngeal volume and histological changes 3 months after implantation.

Results:

The normalized glottal gap was significantly reduced in the 3 fascia implantation groups. Normalized laryngeal volume, fat volume, and lateral thyroarytenoid muscle volume were significantly increased in the 2 fascia implantation with bFGF groups.

Conclusions:

The ATFV with controlled release of bFGF repaired the glottal gap and laryngeal volume after RLN section and may reduce the occurrence of aspiration and hoarseness. We speculate that this treatment improves laryngeal function in long-term RLN denervation.
Contesting Firm Boundaries
Authors: Doellgast Virginia , Sarmiento-Mirwaldt Katja , Benassi Chiara
Published: January 2016

This article develops and applies a framework for analyzing the relationship among institutions, cost structures, and patterns of labor–management contestation over organizational boundaries. Collective negotiations related to the externalization of call center jobs are compared across 10 incumbent telecommunications firms located in Europe and the United States. All 10 firms moved call center work to dedicated subsidiaries, temporary agencies, and domestic and offshore subcontractors. A subset of the firms, however, later re-internalized call center jobs, in some cases following negotiated concessions on pay and working conditions for internal workers. Findings are based on 147 interviews with management and union representatives, archival data on restructuring measures and associated collective agreements, and wage data gathered through collective agreements and surveys. The authors argue that variation in outcomes can be explained by both the extent of the cost differentials between internal and external labor and the ease of exiting internal employment relationships, which in turn affected patterns of contestation associated with externalization measures.
The World Bank’s approach to public sector management for 2011–2020: proposals to push forward the debate
Authors: Ngouo Léon Bertrand
Published: January 2016

This article is a contribution to the debate raised in the special issue of the International Review of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) (Volume 79(3)) devoted to the World Bank’s approach to public sector management for 2011–2020. We offer a methodological framework for action that builds on the definitions we have chosen of three key concepts used by several authors: ‘administrative reform’, the ‘real world’ and the ‘performance’ of administrations. The proposed model suggests an inductive-style methodological approach, taking into account the challenges that the World Bank has set itself to secure the successful implementation of its strategy.

Points for practitioners

The success of administrative reforms very much depends on the consideration given to the different mechanisms that regulate the actual workflow in public services. The article shows how this flow is characterised by multiple methods of regulation whose nature and configuration vary from one administration to another, and offers a way of managing reforms that duly takes this into account. The focus is on the professionalism of the practitioners in this field.
Conscience and Experience: Choosing the True and the Good
Authors: Lawler Michael G. , Salzman Todd A.
Published: January 2016

This essay examines the practical judgment called conscience that binds a person to do or not to do a particular action. Drawing from the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, scripture, tradition, reason/science, and human experience, it focuses on the connection between communal human experience and conscience. It concludes that the teaching that no one is to be forced to act contrary to her or his conscience and that no one is to be restrained from acting according to her or his conscience is a long-standing Catholic moral tradition.
Africa’s Triple Heritage, Land Commodification and Women’s Access to Land: Lessons from Cameroon, Kenya and Sierra Leone
Authors: Njoh Ambe J , Ananga Erick O , Anchang Julius Y , Ayuk-Etang Elizabeth MN , Akiwumi Fenda A
Published: January 2016

Women have less access to land than men in Africa. Previous analyses have typically identified African indigenous culture as the problem’s exclusive source. With Cameroon, Kenya and Sierra Leone as empirical referents, an alternative explanation is advanced. Here, the problem is characterized as a product of Africa’s triple heritage, comprising three main cultures, viz., African indigenous tradition, European/Christianity and Arabia/Islam. The following is noted as a major impediment to women’s access to, and control of, land: the supplanting of previously collective land tenure systems based on family or clan membership by ‘ability-to-pay’ as the principal determinant of access to land.
Ghanaian Woman and Dutch Wax Prints: The Counter-appropriation of the Foreign and the Local Creating a New Visual Voice of Creative Expression
Authors: Young Paulette
Published: January 2016

This essay explores the role of textiles, particularly Dutch wax prints, in the lives of women in Ghana, West Africa. Wax prints are colorful message-bearing printed cloths produced in Holland, based on Indonesian batik designs that express meaningful messages. Central to this discussion is the practice of counter-appropriation, that is, how women as individuals are in dialogue with culture by transferring the foreign, in this case Dutch wax prints, into the local in a culturally appropriate way. It positions women not only as cloth distributors and consumers, but also as producers of knowledge through the phenomenon of naming.

This paper builds on the work of Professor George Clement Bond who, over a 20-year period, explored the impact of the movement of rural Yombe men of northern Zambia in search of wage employment and how this migration challenged their kin-based cults. Instead of rejecting capitalism, Yombe society members adjusted it to coexist with the ancestor cult. However, Yombe laborers did not merely appropriate money; by imbibing it with the spirits of the ancestors, they made it a new and meaningful form. In a similar vein, Ghanaian women culturally redefine factory printed textiles from a Dutch import by assigning them local meaning and value through the phenomenon of naming, resulting in an object accepted as foreign that is synthesized and indigenized into something that is meaningful and useful to them, becoming a “visual voice” for creative expression. This essay will show Dutch wax prints as a realm in which women play a key role not only as distributors and consumers, but also as producers of knowledge and of a new cultural form. It positions women as active participants in the global markets who have taken advantage of the economic opportunities offered by technological changes and the subsequent reordering of class relations of production.
Narrative and Seriality in Elizabeth Catlett’s Prints
Authors: Bateman Anita
Published: January 2016

This article conceptualizes visual and textual iteration as a means of storytelling in the work of Elizabeth Catlett. Catlett addresses social change and has been associated with several artistic and political periods, including Social Realism, the Mexican School, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Arts Movement—a testament to her extensive range in championing marginalized peoples via prints and sculpture. The dominant figures in her work reflect not only inequalities inherent in systemic racism and instances of violence toward African Americans, but also beauty of Black and indigenous bodies and hope for the future. The role repetition plays in her artistic vocabulary, here inclusive of the written word and images, prove that “intertextuality” can occur within the frame of a single illustration.
Executive Functions Contribute Uniquely to Reading Competence in Minority Youth
Authors: Jacobson Lisa A. , Koriakin Taylor , Lipkin Paul , Boada Richard , Frijters Jan C. , Lovett Maureen W. , Hill Dina , Willcutt Erik , Gottwald Stephanie , Wolf Maryanne , Bosson-Heenan Joan , Gruen Jeffrey R. , Mahone E. Mark
Published: January 2016

Competent reading requires various skills beyond those for basic word reading (i.e., core language skills, rapid naming, phonological processing). Contributing “higher-level” or domain-general processes include information processing speed and executive functions (working memory, strategic problem solving, attentional switching). Research in this area has relied on largely Caucasian samples, with limited representation of children from racial or ethnic minority groups. This study examined contributions of executive skills to reading competence in 761 children of minority backgrounds. Hierarchical linear regressions examined unique contributions of executive functions (EF) to word reading, fluency, and comprehension. EF contributed uniquely to reading performance, over and above reading-related language skills; working memory contributed uniquely to all components of reading; while attentional switching, but not problem solving, contributed to isolated and contextual word reading and reading fluency. Problem solving uniquely predicted comprehension, suggesting that this skill may be especially important for reading comprehension in minority youth. Attentional switching may play a unique role in development of reading fluency in minority youth, perhaps as a result of the increased demand for switching between spoken versus written dialects. Findings have implications for educational and clinical practice with regard to reading instruction, remedial reading intervention, and assessment of individuals with reading difficulty.
Developmental Delays in Executive Function from 3 to 5 Years of Age Predict Kindergarten Academic Readiness
Authors: Willoughby Michael T. , Magnus Brooke , Vernon-Feagans Lynne , Blair Clancy B. ,   Family Life Project Investigators
Published: January 2016

Substantial evidence has established that individual differences in executive function (EF) in early childhood are uniquely predictive of children’s academic readiness at school entry. The current study tested whether growth trajectories of EF across the early childhood period could be used to identify a subset of children who were at pronounced risk for academic impairment in kindergarten. Using data that were collected at the age 3, 4, and 5 home assessments in the Family Life Project ( N = 1,120), growth mixture models were used to identify 9% of children who exhibited impaired EF performance (i.e., persistently low levels of EF that did not show expected improvements across time). Compared to children who exhibited typical trajectories of EF, the delayed group exhibited substantial impairments in multiple indicators of academic readiness in kindergarten (Cohen’s ds = 0.9–2.7; odds ratios = 9.8–23.8). Although reduced in magnitude following control for a range of socioeconomic and cognitive (general intelligence screener, receptive vocabulary) covariates, moderate-sized group differences remained (Cohen’s ds = 0.2–2.4; odds ratios = 3.9–5.4). Results are discussed with respect to the use of repeated measures of EF as a method of early identification, as well as the resulting translational implications of doing so.
Context as Content in Urban Teacher Education
Authors: Williamson Peter , Apedoe Xornam , Thomas Christopher
Published: January 2016

Urban teacher residencies have emerged as an innovation for recruiting, preparing, and retaining teachers for high-need urban schools. Though residencies aim to prepare teachers for specific urban contexts, we know little about how context is conceptualized in the teacher education curriculum or what teachers learn about it. This study finds that participants in one residency in San Francisco came to see context as complex and layered, interrupting stigmas often associated with urban schools. Participants felt well prepared to teach in particular high-need settings, but their knowledge and skills did not necessarily transfer to other urban settings in the same city.
Introduction: Seamus Heaney’s Europe
Authors: Gutorow Jacek , Kennedy David
Published: January 2016

Seamus Heaney’s Europe is a space of contradictions. On the one hand, there is his belief in the principle of the national and ethnic identity understood in essentialist terms. On the other hand, there is a vision of the European tradition as multi-layered and devoid of clear outlines and a stable centre. The two moments inform Heaney’s work and are examined in the context of literary fascinations and interdependencies.
From Miłosz to Kochanowski: The uses of Polish poetry in Seamus Heaney’s work
Authors: Jarniewicz Jerzy
Published: January 2016

This article examines Seamus Heaney’s uses of contemporary Polish poetry in his work from the last two decades of the twentieth century. His interest in the poetry of Miłosz and Herbert reached its peak in the politicized 1980s, almost 20 years after their poetry was first published in English to great critical acclaim. The article argues that Heaney’s portrayal of Polish poets was an indirect way of articulating his own preoccupations and thoughts on the functions of the poet in modern times. The article looks also at Heaney’s co-translation of Jan Kochanowski’s Laments, as a necessary stage in the development of his concept of translation as cultural redress, leading towards the rearrangement of cultural, linguistic and political hierarchies.
A Longitudinal Multilevel Model of Tourist Outbound Travel Behavior and the Dual-Cycle Model
Authors: Wong IpKin Anthony , Fong Lawrence Hoc Nang , Law Rob
Published: January 2016

The objective of this longitudinal study is to explore whether changes in tourists’ outbound travel behavior can be explained by their demographic characteristics and by economic fluctuations over time. A multilevel model of outbound travel behavior that incorporates both individual characteristics and changes in the economy is proposed. Based on a large sample from a 10-year longitudinal study, our findings show that both individual- and macro-level factors directly influence tourist behavior. The multilevel model suggests that tourist travel behavior and the effects of tourist demographics are time-variant, and can be best explained by economic fluctuations. In addition, the findings suggest that the tourist life cycle and the economic cycle, and the cross-level interaction of both, jointly influence tourist travel behavior, thus suggesting a new cross-level, dual-cycle model of travel behavior.
A Study of Organizational Reponses to Dilemmas in Interorganizational Emergency Management
Authors: Carlson Elizabeth J. , Poole Marshall Scott , Lambert Natalie J. , Lammers John C.
Published: January 2016

Organizational scholars have traditionally used conceptual definitions to classify situational tensions such as dialectics, dilemmas, contradictions, and paradoxes. We propose instead to use organizational members’ reactions to define and distinguish among different forms of tensions. In the present study, we propose a model in which dilemmas vary in terms of press (the sense of urgency that they invoke) and balance (the degree to which both sides of the dilemma are regarded as equally important and urgent). Depending on the degree of press and balance, organizations are predicted to undertake various response strategies. To evaluate this model, we studied a large sample of members’ descriptions of organizational responses to dilemmas in the Dutch crisis response system ( N = 149). Results indicated variation in press and balance, and while some participants enacted dilemmas as choices, others enacted dilemmas in ways that acknowledged and tried to address both alternatives.
Pinning the feminine user: gender scripts in Pinterest’s sign-up interface
Authors: Friz Amanda , Gehl Robert W
Published: January 2016

Popular social media site Pinterest is known for its strong female user base, something often attributed to the links, images, and ideas available on it. We argue that Pinterest’s popularity with women can also be attributed to a kind of gendering that occurs during the sign-up process. We see the sign-up process as a ‘gender script’ that inscribes specific gender performances into Pinterest itself by ‘pre-scribing’ adherence to a dualistic conception of gender and encouraging users to cooperate rather than to compete with each other, to curate content rather than to create it, and to interact affectively with images rather than with text. These behaviors have connections in the broader public imaginary to traditional performances of femininity, thus the kind of introduction and instruction the new user receives when signing up encourage a perception that Pinterest is for women, a perception that is then materialized in user behaviors. We close by arguing for the sign-up interface as an important site of study in new media scholarship and by discussing the ways in which gender scripts might be resisted.
Relationships among tasks, collaborative inquiry processes, inquiry resolutions, and knowledge outcomes in adolescents during guided discovery-based game design in school
Authors: Reynolds Rebecca B.
Published: January 2016

This research study investigates US middle school students’ collaborative information-seeking, sense-making and knowledge-building practices in a guided discovery-based programme of game design learning in which students and their teachers participate in a formal, in-school class daily, for credit and a grade for an entire year. The learning is supported by information affordances including a wiki learning management system (LMS) housing the curriculum, organized design activities, social media features, tutorials and informational assignments. Students engage in a Constructionist blended learning setting in their classroom, and work collaboratively in teams on game design. The study draws on qualitative video data from six team cases using a coding scheme of categories for the concepts of task, collaborative information seeking (CIS) Modality, and inquiry resolution outcomes. The study also considers linkages between processes and learning outcomes. Variation in engagement across the categories among students was charted, and certain patterns emerged. Findings indicate that some categories of task appear related to some categories of students’ chosen CIS Modality for solving problems. Further, CIS processes in support of tasks appear related to inquiry incident resolution (resolved/unresolved). For student completion of advanced programming tasks in particular, we observe more frequent uses of the wiki-based LMS resources, and greater levels of challenge in fulfilling tasks. Results support existing work on these theoretical constructs in the information sciences, and lead to questions on how naturalistic emergence of CIS practices result from greater task knowledge, and whether learned CIS practices (as tasks in and of themselves) can yield project task knowledge gains. Findings of the study and the ongoing questions the work invites hold instructional design implications, and show how social constructivist educational contexts involving collaborative and information seeking and knowledge building among youth game designers can contribute to scholarly understanding of these processes more broadly in related project-based work contexts occurring among both youth and adults.