bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing Children’s Performance on and Preference for a Number-Line Estimation Task
Authors: Piatt Carley , Coret Marian , Choi Michael , Volden Joanne , Bisanz Jeffrey
Published: July 2015

Tablet computers (tablets) are positioned to be powerful, innovative, effective, and motivating research and assessment tools. We addressed two questions critical for evaluating the appropriateness of using tablets to study number-line estimation, a skill associated with math achievement and argued to be central to numerical cognition. First, is performance with paper and pencil comparable with performance on a tablet? Second, is comparability affected by students’ preference for one method of presentation? Thirty-two students in Grade 6 estimated targets on a number line; half estimated with paper and pencil and half with a tablet. For both presentation methods, students’ performance was comparable. Students liked both presentation conditions equally but, when asked to choose, most students preferred the tablet. Preference did not influence comparability of results across presentation methods. Finally, students’ reasons for their preferences were explored, along with implications for using tablet applications in research and educational assessment.
The Department as a Third Sector Planner
Authors: Ashley Amanda Johnson , Vos Jaap
Published: July 2015

Community-university partnerships are an established concept but are not typically central to the core planning curriculum. This study highlights a model of teaching innovation, Integrated Community Planning Core, where the core directly supports the departmental mission by bridging research and practice. The article explains the curriculum development process and assesses its ability to serve community, student, and faculty needs. Data collected from focus groups, student reflection papers, and practicing planner debriefings demonstrate the model is modestly successful, but adaptations are needed to communicate the value to students, the planning academy, and the university.
Human impact on the hydroenvironment of Lake Parishan, SW Iran, through the late-Holocene
Authors: Jones Matthew D , Djamali Morteza , Holmes Jonathan , Weeks Lloyd , Leng Melanie J , Lashkari Arash , Alamdari Kourosh , Noorollahi Dariush , Thomas Louise , Metcalfe Sarah E
Published: July 2015

A multiproxy record from Lake Parishan, SW Iran, shows human impact on the lake and its catchment over the last 4000 years. The Parishan record provides evidence of changes in lake hydrology, from ostracod, diatom and isotope analyses, that are directly linked to human activity in the catchment; recorded by pollen and charcoal and supported by regional archaeological and historical data. The lake ostracod fauna is particularly sensitive to human-induced catchment alterations and allows us to identify changes in catchment hydrology that are due to more than a simple change in precipitation: evaporation state. Oxygen isotope data from endogenic carbonates follow these faunal changes but also display a longer trend to more positive values through the period, coincident with regional patterns of water balance for the late-Holocene in the eastern Mediterranean.
Intensification of production in Medieval Islamic Jordan and its ecological impact: Towns of the Anthropocene
Authors: Laparidou Sofia , Rosen Arlene M
Published: July 2015

Medieval Islamic archaeology in Jordan is relevant to the ‘Anthropocene’ discourse because of state investment in intensive land use, including irrigation and diversion of local agricultural economies from subsistence crops to cash crops. Archaeology offers a deep-time perspective on these issues. Previous archaeological and historical studies indicate that major centers of Medieval agriculture deteriorated at some point during the 15th century, in part because of state economic withdrawal and this impacted land use. In this paper, we use phytoliths to understand agricultural practices of Medieval Hisban (Mediterranean vegetation zone), Tawahin as-Sukkar, Khirbet as-Sheikh Isa, and Beidha (semi-arid region of the Jordan Valley) to offer new insights into state agricultural policies in relation to ecological and environmental history. Our results show control of irrigable land by subsistence farmers gave them resilience and contributed to sustainable farming. However, state-managed agricultural systems expropriated irrigable land, emphasizing production of cash crops for state revenue, thus reducing sustainability and putting pressure on the landscape. Sugarcane production replaced cereal cultivation and led to wood fuel burning, enhancing landscape erosion. Phytoliths from Beidha indicate that intensive agricultural production extended to marginal areas with the use of irrigation, thus creating greater human impact on sensitive environments.
Sound characteristics which affect attributes of the synaesthetic visual experience
Authors: Orlandatou Konstantina
Published: July 2015

Although research on synaesthesia has blossomed in the last decades, few things are known about inherited sound-colour synaesthesia and processes underlying synaesthetic perception. In this study we investigated how the auditory pitch, the frequency range, the complexity, as well as the structure of the sound affected the synaesthetic visual attributes of chroma, colour brightness, colour plurality and density. A distinct mapping was observed between sound features and visual characteristics, which suggests that visual stimulation requires sensory auditory processing. We propose that congenital synaesthetic perception involves two stages of processing: initially the sensory auditory information is processed by the primary auditory cortex, and then it is distributed to the secondary and extrastriate visual brain areas, generating visual stimulation. This process does not necessarily involve the participation of brain areas responsible for associative thinking.
Outcomes of the Bridle Procedure for the Treatment of Foot Drop
Authors: Johnson Jeffrey E. , Paxton E. Scott , Lippe Julienne , Bohnert Kathryn L. , Sinacore David R. , Hastings Mary K. , McCormick Jeremy J. , Klein Sandra E.
Published: July 2015

Background:

The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical outcomes and objective measures of function that can be expected for patients following the Bridle procedure (modification of the posterior tibial tendon transfer) for the treatment of foot drop.

Methods:

Nineteen patients treated with a Bridle procedure and 10 matched controls were evaluated. The Bridle group had preoperative and 2-year postoperative radiographic foot alignment measurements and completion of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure. At follow-up, both groups were tested for standing balance (star excursion test) and for ankle plantarflexion and dorsiflexion isokinetic strength, and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society and Stanmore outcome measures were collected only on the Bridle patients.

Results:

There was no change in radiographic foot alignment from pre- to postoperative measurement. Foot and Ankle Ability Measure subscales of activities of daily living and sport, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, and Stanmore scores were all reduced in Bridle patients as compared with controls. Single-limb standing-balance reaching distance in the anterolateral and posterolateral directions were reduced in Bridle participants as compared with controls ( P < .03). Isokinetic ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion strength was lower in Bridle participants (2 ± 4 ft·lb, 44 ± 16 ft·lb) as compared with controls (18 ± 13 ft·lb, 65 ± 27 ft·lb, P < .02, respectively). All Bridle participants reported excellent to good outcomes and would repeat the operation. No patient wore an ankle-foot orthosis for everyday activities.

Conclusion:

The Bridle procedure was a successful surgery that did not restore normal strength and balance to the foot and ankle but allowed individuals with foot drop and a functional tibialis posterior muscle to have significantly improved outcomes and discontinue the use of an ankle-foot orthosis. In addition, there was no indication that loss of the normal function of the tibialis posterior muscle resulted in change in foot alignment 2 years after surgery.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, retrospective comparative series.
Repair of Acute Superficial Deltoid Complex Avulsion During Ankle Fracture Fixation in National Football League Players
Authors: Hsu Andrew R. , Lareau Craig R. , Anderson Robert B.
Published: July 2015

Background:

Infolding and retraction of an avulsed deltoid complex after ankle fracture can be a source of persistent increased medial clear space, malreduction, and postoperative pain and medial instability. The purpose of this descriptive case series was to analyze the preliminary outcomes of acute superficial deltoid complex avulsion repair during ankle fracture fixation in a cohort of National Football League (NFL) players. We found that there is often complete avulsion of the superficial deltoid complex off the proximal aspect of the medial malleolus during high-energy ankle fractures in athletes.

Methods:

Between 2004 and 2014, the cases of 14 NFL players who underwent ankle fracture fixation with open deltoid complex repair were reviewed. Patients with chronic deltoid ligament injuries or ankle fractures more than 2 months old were excluded. Average age for all patients was 25 years and body mass index 34.4. Player positions included 1 wide receiver, 1 tight end, 1 safety, 1 running back, 1 linebacker, and 9 offensive linemen. Average time from injury to surgery was 7.5 days. Surgical treatment for all patients consisted of ankle arthroscopy and debridement, followed by fibula fixation with plate and screws, syndesmotic fixation with suture-button devices, and open deltoid complex repair with suture anchors. Patient demographics were recorded with position played, time from injury to surgery, games played before and after surgery, ability to return to play, and postoperative complications. Return to play was defined as the ability to successfully participate in at least 1 full regular-season NFL game after surgery.

Results:

All NFL players were able to return to running and cutting maneuvers by 6 months after surgery. There were no significant differences in playing experience before surgery versus after surgery. Average playing experience before surgery was 3.3 seasons, 39 games played, and 22 games started. Average playing experience after surgery was 1.6 seasons, 16 games played, and 15 games started. Return to play was 86% for all players. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications noted, and no players had clinical evidence of medial pain or instability at final follow-up with radiographic maintenance of anatomic mortise alignment.

Conclusion:

Superficial deltoid complex avulsion during high-energy ankle fractures in athletes is a distinct injury pattern that should be recognized and may benefit from primary open repair. The majority of NFL players treated surgically for this injury pattern are able to return to play after surgery with no reported complications or persistent medial ankle pain or instability.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
Hind- and Midfoot Motion After Ankle Arthrodesis
Authors: van der Plaat Laurens W. , van Engelen Susanne J. P. M. , Wajer Quirine E. , Hendrickx Roel P. M. , Doets Kees H. C. , Houdijk Han , van Dijk C. Niek
Published: July 2015

Background:

After ankle arthrodesis (AA), compensatory increased range of motion in adjacent joints might lead to increased osteoarthritis. Evaluation of patient-reported outcomes after AA with validated questionnaires is rare. Likewise, reliable radiographic analysis of the position of the AA, expected to influence the range of motion of the hind- and midfoot, is lacking. Therefore, the current study was performed.

Methods:

Seventeen patients with unilateral AA were included. Sagittal hind- and midfoot range of motion was measured radiographically. The position of the AA in the sagittal and coronal planes and osteoarthritis of adjacent joints were also evaluated radiographically. Measurements were compared to the contralateral side. Patient-reported outcomes via validated questionnaires were compared to a control group (n = 18).

Results:

Average follow-up was 3.5 years. Mean combined hind- and midfoot sagittal range of motion after AA equaled that of the contralateral side (20.8 vs 21.0 degrees; P = .93). The tibiotalar angle after AA equaled that of the contralateral side (107 vs 107 degrees; P = .86). The talus was translated posteriorly after AA (T-T ratio 0.45 vs 0.34; P < .001). Low intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) precluded reliable evaluation of the coronal position of the hindfoot (ICC, 0.07 and −0.34) and osteoarthritis in adjacent joints (ICC range, 0-0.54). SF-36 physical health scores after AA are lower as compared with those of controls (50 vs 56; P = .01). Scores on the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score and Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale were also significantly lower. Patient satisfaction with AA was high (average visual analog scale score, 83).

Conclusion:

No increased sagittal range of motion in the hind- and midfoot after AA was found at 3.5 years of follow-up as compared with the contralateral side. Tibiotalar angles were equal. The talus was translated posteriorly. The hindfoot alignment view was not suitable to analyze the position of the hindfoot. Low ICC of the Kellgren and Lawrence scale precluded evaluation of osteoarthritis of adjacent joints. Patients scored lower than controls on self-reported outcome questionnaires but were satisfied with the result of AA.

Level of evidence:

Level III, comparative series.
Is cross-national and comparative research on the criminal justice system useful?
Authors: Tonry Michael
Published: July 2015

Comparative and cross-national research on the criminal justice system is burgeoning. Case studies of institutions and systems in individual countries are proliferating, as are theoretical and quantitative cross-national analyses of the predictors of crime rates and punishment patterns. Some things have been learned. Penal policies and punishment patterns are outgrowths of distinctive national histories and cultures. General theories of the culture of control, penal populism, and the effects of neo-liberalism have been refuted. Cross-national analyses of crime rates and trends have shown that trends in homicide and property crime have moved in parallel, though sometimes with lags, in all developed Western countries since the 1950s. The evidence is less clear concerning patterns of non-lethal violence. It increased in all Western countries between the 1960s and 1990s and in most has since declined. The clear weight of the evidence suggests it has declined in all countries; in some, rates appear to be stable or increasing but this is probably misleading and results from the interacting effects of changing cultural patterns of tolerance of violence, increasing victim reporting to the police, and increasing police registration of crimes reported. On other subjects, most notably when and why countries adopt policies and institutions pioneered elsewhere, comparatively little is known.
How effective are our ‘better angels’? Assessing country-level declines in homicide since 1950
Authors: LaFree Gary , Curtis Karise , McDowall David
Published: July 2015

Pinker makes the sweeping argument that violence declines with modernization as countries of the world gradually converge in terms of economic markets, communication structures, and culture. An alternative prediction is provided by conflict perspectives, which argue that growing income inequality both within and between countries will serve to drive criminal violence ever higher. We use fixed effects regression models to examine the extent to which national homicide victimization rates for 55 countries have shared declining trends for the past six decades. Our results show that homicide rates in the countries examined trended in the same downward direction since the early 1990s, but support for a modernization perspective was limited mostly to a subset of wealthy, western-style democracies.
Cross-national comparative research on criminal careers, risk factors, crime and punishment
Authors: Farrington David P
Published: July 2015

This article first reviews cross-national research on criminal careers in London and Stockholm. There were many similarities in the findings. The major difference concerned the distribution over age of the individual offending frequency, which was fairly constant in London but peaked at age 15 in Stockholm. Cross-national research on risk factors for offending is then reviewed, especially comparing London and Pittsburgh. Generally, risk factors were similar in the two countries. Finally, the article reviews trends in crime and punishment in eight countries. Changes in crime rates, according to national victim surveys, were negatively correlated with changes in the probability of conviction. It is concluded that a coordinated programme of cross-national comparative research is needed, involving the collaboration of researchers from different countries.
Does democracy matter? Comparative perspectives on violence and democratic institutions
Authors: Karstedt Susanne
Published: July 2015

Comparative perspectives on crime and violence have paid little attention to the institutional context of the polity with few exceptions. Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011) presents an underlying narrative of institutional change and the evolvement of democratic institutions to the secular process of decreasing violence, between as well as within states. Do democracies have comparative advantages in curbing violence? This paper translates Pinker’s diachronic perspective into a synchronic and cross-sectional analysis of violence in contemporary societies between 2005 and 2009. Its largely descriptive exploration ranges from the micro-foundations of democracies to the institutional breakdown in processes of state failure, using different descriptive indicators of institutional patterns as diagnostic tools.
The case for survey-based comparative measures of crime
Authors: Van Dijk Jan
Published: July 2015

The author argues that statistics of police-recorded crimes have limited utility for cross-country analyses of crime, owing to varying legal definitions, reporting patterns and recording practices. In his view, stand-alone national victimization surveys, with their varying methodologies and questionnaires, cannot reliably be used for cross-national comparisons either. This is especially true for older versions of such surveys, modelled after the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) of the USA, which try to mimic their country’s official statistics of police-recorded crimes. Victimization surveys in the European tradition use less legalistic definitions of the public’s experiences of crime and are therefore more conducive to international standardization. When such surveys are standardized to cover the common ground of crime in multiple jurisdictions, as is the case in the International Crime Victims Survey, they can provide comparable data on the level and trends of crime of individual nations at relatively modest costs. In addition, such surveys can provide comparative data on crime reporting by victims, on satisfaction with responses from police and other agencies, as well as on public attitudes towards safety and criminal justice. In the discussion, the author argues for an expedient execution of the planned Safety Survey in the European Union and further work on the standardization of victimization surveys across the world by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Passive Hind-Limb Cycling Reduces the Severity of Autonomic Dysreflexia After Experimental Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: West Christopher R. , Crawford Mark A. , Laher Ismail , Ramer Matt S. , Krassioukov Andrei V.
Published: July 2015

Background. Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces alterations in cardio-autonomic control of which autonomic dysreflexia (AD), a condition characterized by life-threatening hypertension, is arguably the most insidious. Passive hind-limb cycling represents a low-cost therapeutic intervention with demonstrable cardiovascular, sensory, and motor benefits. Objective. To investigate the effect of passive hind-limb cycling on AD in rodents with T3 SCI. Methods. Forty-five male Wistar rats were evenly assigned to either uninjured control (CON), SCI, or SCI plus hind-limb cycling exercise (SCI-EX). At the end of the experimental period (day 32), rats were randomly assigned to stream 1 (n = 24) or stream 2 (n = 21). Stream 1 rats were assessed for AD severity (pressor response to colorectal distension) and were then perfused for tissue dissection and immunohistochemistry. Stream 2 rats underwent excision of the superior mesenteric artery for in vitro myography assessments. Results. From 2 weeks post-SCI onwards, SCI-EX rats exhibited a significant reduction in the pressor response to colorectal distension versus SCI ( P < .001). Reduced AD severity in SCI-EX rats was accompanied by a prevention of the SCI-induced increase in density of CGRP+ afferents in the dorsal horn ( P = .001). Conversely, both SCI and SCI-EX rats exhibited a similar degree of mesenteric endothelial dysfunction and α-adrenoceptor hypersensitivity versus CON. Conclusion. Passive hind-limb cycling reduces the severity of AD in SCI, and is correlated with changes in primary afferent morphology, but has limited effects on the peripheral vasculature.
Space cutter compensation method for five-axis nonuniform rational basis spline machining
Authors: Ding Yanyu , Wang Taiyong , Li Bo , Dong Jingchuan , Liu Zhe
Published: July 2015

In view of the good machining performance of traditional three-axis nonuniform rational basis spline interpolation and the space cutter compensation issue in multi-axis machining, this article presents a triple nonuniform rational basis spline five-axis interpolation method, which uses three nonuniform rational basis spline curves to describe cutter center location, cutter axis vector, and cutter contact point trajectory, respectively. The relative position of the cutter and workpiece is calculated under the workpiece coordinate system, and the cutter machining trajectory can be described precisely and smoothly using this method. The three nonuniform rational basis spline curves are transformed into a 12-dimentional Bézier curve to carry out discretization during the discrete process. With the cutter contact point trajectory as the precision control condition, the discretization is fast. As for different cutters and corners, the complete description method of space cutter compensation vector is presented in this article. Finally, the five-axis nonuniform rational basis spline machining method is further verified in a two-turntable five-axis machine.
Resistance to cellular autophagy by Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strains
Authors: Haque Md Fazlul , Boonhok Rachasak , Prammananan Therdsak , Chaiprasert Angkana , Utaisincharoen Pongsak , Sattabongkot Jetsumon , Palittapongarnpim Prasit , Ponpuak Marisa
Published: July 2015

Autophagy represents a key pathway in innate immune defense to restrict Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth inside host macrophages. Induction of autophagy has been shown to promote mycobacterial phagosome acidification and acquisition of lysosomal hydrolases, resulting in the elimination of intracellular M. tuberculosis reference strains such as H37Rv. The notorious Beijing genotype has been previously shown to be hyper-virulent and associated with increased survival in host cells and a high mortality rate in animal models, but the underlying mechanism that renders this family to have such advantages remains unclear. We hypothesize that autophagic control against M. tuberculosis Beijing strains may be altered. Here, we discovered that the Beijing strains can resist autophagic killing by host cells compared with that of the reference strain H37Rv and a strain belonging to the East African Indian genotype. Moreover, we have determined a possible underlying mechanism and found that the greater ability to evade autophagic elimination possessed by the Beijing strains stems from their higher capacity to inhibit autophagolysosome biogenesis upon autophagy induction. In summary, a previously unrecognized ability of the M. tuberculosis Beijing strains to evade host autophagy was identified, which may have important implications for tuberculosis treatment, especially in regions prevalent by the Beijing genotype.
Control Processes, Priority Management, and Affective Dynamics
Authors: Carver Charles S.
Published: July 2015

Affective dynamics are discussed from the perspective of a view of origin and functions of affective valence based in control processes. This view posits that affect reflects the error signal of a feedback loop managing rate of progress at goal attainment or threat avoidance. Negative feelings signal doing poorly, demanding more effort. Positive feelings signal doing better than necessary, allowing coasting, which yields goal attainment without unnecessary resource expenditure. Given multiple simultaneous goals, these functions assist in moment-to-moment priority management, facilitating attainment of all.
Affective Dynamics in Psychopathology
Authors: Trull Timothy J. , Lane Sean P. , Koval Peter , Ebner-Priemer Ulrich W.
Published: July 2015

We discuss three varieties of affective dynamics ( affective instability, emotional inertia, and emotional differentiation). In each case, we suggest how these affective dynamics should be operationalized and measured in daily life using time-intensive methods, like ecological momentary assessment or ambulatory assessment, and recommend time-sensitive analyses that take into account not only the variability but also the temporal dependency of reports. Studies that explore how these affective dynamics are associated with psychological disorders and symptoms are reviewed, and we emphasize that these affective processes are within a nexus of other components of emotion regulation.
Determinants of Emotion Duration and Underlying Psychological and Neural Mechanisms
Authors: Verduyn Philippe , Delaveau Pauline , Rotgé Jean-Yves , Fossati Philippe , Van Mechelen Iven
Published: July 2015

Emotions are traditionally considered to be brief states that last for seconds or a few minutes at most. However, due to pioneering theoretical work of Frijda and recent empirical studies, it has become clear that the duration of emotions is actually highly variable with durations ranging from a few seconds to several hours, or even longer. We review research on determinants of emotion duration. Three classes of determinants are identified: features related to the (a) emotion-eliciting event (event duration and event appraisal), (b) emotion itself (nature of the emotion component, nature of the emotion, and emotion intensity), and (c) emotion-experiencing person (dispositions and emotion regulatory actions). Initial evidence on the psychological and neural mechanisms that underlie their effects is discussed.
Interpersonal Affect Dynamics: It Takes Two (and Time) to Tango
Authors: Butler Emily A.
Published: July 2015

Everything is constantly changing. Our emotions are one of the primary ways we track, evaluate, organize, and motivate responsive action to those changes. Furthermore, emotions are inherently interpersonal. We learn what to feel from others, especially when we are children. We “catch” other people’s emotions just by being around them. We get caught in escalating response–counterresponse emotional sequences. This all takes place in time, generating complex patterns of interpersonal emotional dynamics. This review summarizes theory, empirical findings, and key challenges for future research regarding three processes that contribute to interpersonal affective dynamics: (a) Convergence of social partners’ emotional responses to the external world, (b) emotional reactivity of social partners to each other, and (c) interpersonal emotion regulation.
Fall identification in rock climbing using wearable device
Authors: Tonoli Andrea , Galluzzi Renato , Zenerino Enrico C , Boero Diego
Published: July 2015

The present paper discusses the use of a Kalman filter-based method to identify fall events during rock climbing activity. The proposed technique relies on the acquisition of three-axis acceleration and altitude by means of a data logger integrated within the climber’s sit harness. Time-domain results exhibit the working principle of the algorithm. Furthermore, the data provided by eight climbers is analysed and discussed to validate the method.
Arthroscopic release and labral repair for bifocal compression of the suprascapular nerve
Authors: Radic Ross R. , Wallace Andrew
Published: July 2015

We present a rare case of combined proximal and distal compression of the suprascapular nerve causing supra- and infraspinatus weakness and wasting in a 17-year-old rower. Clinical findings, magnetic resonance imaging and electromyeographic studies confirm this. The case was managed with an arthroscopic approach, consisting of arthroscopic labral repair and decompression of a paralabral cyst, combined with arthroscopic release of the transverse scapular ligament. An excellent result was achieved, with the patient returning to full competitive rowing prior to the 6-month clinical review. This case highlights the interesting nature of bifocal compression of the suprascapular nerve, as well as the successful use of arthroscopic techniques to manage the problem.
Platelet-rich plasma releasate differently stimulates cellular commitment toward the chondrogenic lineage according to concentration
Authors: do Amaral Ronaldo JFC , Matsiko Amos , Tomazette Marcel RP , Rocha Wanessa KR , Cordeiro-Spinetti Eric , Levingstone Tanya J , Farina Marcos , O’Brien Fergal J , El-Cheikh Marcia C , Balduino Alex
Published: July 2015

Platelet-rich plasma has been used to treat articular cartilage defects, with the expectations of anabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, its role on cellular chondrogenic or fibrogenic commitment is still a controversy. Herein, the role of platelet-rich plasma releasate, the product obtained following platelet-rich plasma activation, on cellular commitment toward the chondrogenic lineage was evaluated in vitro. Human nasoseptal chondrogenic cells and human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells were used as cell types already committed to the chondrogenic lineage and undifferentiated cells, respectively, as different concentrations of platelet-rich plasma releasate were tested in comparison to commonly used fetal bovine serum. Low concentration of platelet-rich plasma releasate (2.5%) presented similar effects on cellular growth compared to 10% fetal bovine serum, for both cell types. In a three-dimensional culture system, platelet-rich plasma releasate alone did not induce full nasoseptal chondrogenic cells cartilage-like pellet formation. Nonetheless, platelet-rich plasma releasate played a significant role on cell commitment as high-passage nasoseptal chondrogenic cells only originated cartilage-like pellets when expanded in the presence of platelet-rich plasma releasate rather than fetal bovine serum. Histological analyses and measurements of pellet area demonstrated that even low concentrations of platelet-rich plasma releasate were enough to prevent nasoseptal chondrogenic cells from losing their chondrogenic potential due to in vitro expansion thereby promoting their recommitment. Low concentration of platelet-rich plasma releasate supplemented in chondrogenic medium also increased the chondrogenic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells seeded on collagen-hyaluronic acid scaffolds, as observed by an increase in chondrogenic-related gene expression, sulfated glycosaminoglycan production, and compressive modulus following in vitro culture. On the contrary, higher concentration of platelet-rich plasma releasate (10%) hampered some of these features. In conclusion, platelet-rich plasma releasate was able to prevent cellular chondrogenic capacity loss, inducing regain of their phenotype, and modulate cell commitment. Our data support the hypothesis of platelet-rich plasma chondrogenic potential, allowing fetal bovine serum substitution for platelet-rich plasma releasate at specific concentrations in culture medium when chondrogenic commitment is desired on specific cell types and moments of culture.
Guattari’s resingularization of existence
Authors: Dewsbury John-David
Published: July 2015

This commentary responds to Joe Gerlach and Thomas Jellis’ focus upon Felix Guattari’s own work and its ethos of what they call an ‘impractical philosophy’. Pivoting off the intellectual courage present in Gerlach and Jellis’ affirmation of the potentialization of ideas that places experiment before judgment, and uncertainty before certainty, I draw attention to three aspects housed within their overall argument: (1) the shift from a scientific to an ethico-aesthetic paradigm, that (2) rethinks the status and production of subjectivity, and that ultimately (3) pushes the importance for geography as a discipline to be one that takes care of the world’s mental ecologies as much as it does its physical ones.
The spirit of Guattari?
Authors: Fannin Maria
Published: July 2015

Joe Gerlach and Thomas Jellis’ essay calls on geographers to extend their engagement with the rich spatial vocabularies of Gilles Deleuze’s collaborator and co-author, Felix Guattari. This commentary considers the tenor of Gerlach and Jellis’ call to think alongside Guattari and invites them to situate their response to the heterogenous, transnational communities that make up their disciplinary audience. It also optimistically calls for recognizing where the spirit of Guattari’s might already be at work in ‘human geography’ today.
The limits to financialization
Authors: Christophers Brett
Published: July 2015

Over the past decade, the concept of financialization has moved from the periphery to the mainstream of scholarly inquiry across several social–scientific disciplines, human geography among them. The subject of a burgeoning, variegated literature advancing both theoretical delineation and empirical substantiation, processes of financialization, on many accounts, belong alongside those of globalization and neoliberalization as the defining dynamics of late modern capitalism. In the spirit of fostering a constructive dialogue, this article develops a broadly based critique of such accounts, one structured around the core idea of limits. Financialization, it suggests, is substantively limit ed, both as a concept and as the array of real-world processes to which that concept variously pertains. The article identifies and fleshes out five key sets of such limits and the connections between them: analytic, theoretic, strategic, optic, and empiric limits. If the concept of financialization is to do substantially positive descriptive and explanatory work going forward, the article submits, these limits must be explicitly recognized and their implications explicitly factored in. This, the article concludes, is no small challenge.
From financialization to finance
Authors: Christophers Brett
Published: July 2015

In this response to the commentaries, I extend my critique in a new direction, arguing that work on financialization has had the perverse effect of black boxing ‘finance’ and crucial dimensions thereof. In developing this argument, I draw explicitly on, while seeking to generalize from, incisive observations contained in the commentaries. In doing so, I argue that it is important to address limits to financialization—political limits—not identified and addressed in the original article.
Defending financialization
Authors: Lawrence Geoffrey
Published: July 2015

In his review of the application of the term ‘financialization’, Christophers points to the limits of the concept in providing conceptual clarity about global change. Analytically, it is viewed as being so nebulous as to be meaningless. Theoretically, it is equivalent to ‘reinventing the wheel’: many existing ideas have more clarity and explanatory power. Strategically, it has diverted attention from the more important study of money. Its empirical significance and historical importance appear to have been exaggerated. Finally, financialization as a real-world process is criticized for its totalizing tendencies, with the ‘financialization of everything’ being a logical conclusion for many of its adherents. In response to Christophers’ claims, I argue that financialization is a concept-in-the-making. It has not received the same attention, at this stage, as intellectually rich concepts such as globalization and neo-liberalism. Rather than abandoning the term, social scientists should undertake more carefully crafted studies that provide empirically grounded understandings of the motives, dynamics and impacts of financialization.
Getting in between M and M′ or
Authors: Ouma Stefan
Published: July 2015

This commentary takes up some of the arguments Christophers develops in his piece on ‘The Limits to Financialization’ and spins them further through the prism of the ‘financialization’ of farmland and agriculture. The paper requalifies the optic, empiric, and strategic limits of the financialization literature that Christophers identifies, eventually making a call for ‘getting in between’ M and M′—exploring the practical activities of financial economization while at the same time maintaining the analytical validity of the category of capital. This is a frictional project. The contribution ends with a note on strategy, asking whether knowledge about such activities can be of any strategic political use.
“It’s Killing Us!” Narratives of Black Adults About Microaggression Experiences and Related Health Stress
Authors: Hall Joanne M. , Fields Becky
Published: July 2015

Perceived racism contributes to persistent health stress leading to health disparities. African American/Black persons (BPs) believe subtle, rather than overt, interpersonal racism is increasing. Sue and colleagues describe interpersonal racism as racial microaggressions: “routine” marginalizing indignities by White persons (WPs) toward BPs that contribute to health stress. In this narrative, exploratory study, Black adults ( n = 10) were asked about specific racial microaggressions; they all experienced multiple types. Categorical and narrative analysis captured interpretations, strategies, and health stress attributions. Six iconic narratives contextualized health stress responses. Diverse mental and physical symptoms were attributed to racial microaggressions. Few strategies in response had positive outcomes. Future research includes development of coping strategies for BPs in these interactions, exploration of WPs awareness of their behaviors, and preventing racial microaggressions in health encounters that exacerbate health disparities.
Whose Body Is Legitimatized for Sterilization After All?
Authors: Jena Asima , Biswal Madhumita
Published: July 2015

In the recent sterilization camp, the debate has centred on the violation of Supreme Court guidelines and the issue of consent. However, what gets obliterated in this debate is ‘whose body gets legitimized to conduct mass sterilization practices’ and ‘how do we understand the nature of Indian state, which in plural and dialectical ways colonize poor, rural, dalit and adivasi women's body and sexuality’. Thus, we need to think critically about the violence embodied in regulatory procedures that provides powers not only to the health functionaries but also to the diverse and intersecting state machineries to colonize subaltern women in terms of gaining knowledge on their bodies where bodies are being counted, categorized, disciplined and discoursed upon through various development interventions.
Comic Gags and the Mahabharata War
Authors: Chatterji Roma
Published: July 2015

Taking the view that the Mahabharata is a narrative universe rather than just a text, this article explores a new comics experiment that creatively inserts a story within that universe. Using a modified manga style of comics storytelling Shohei Emura and Vidyun Sabhaney provide an alternate telling to the Great Mahabharata War using the canonical tropes and technical devices such as panel size, page layout, word–image relationship and so on that are made possible by the comics style of storytelling. A focus on genre and structural form enables an entry into the sensibility of the great epic, its problematisation of conventional codes in a way that is true to the comics genre of slapstick humour and critical inquiry.
Chrysothallite
K6Cu6Tl3+Cl17(OH)4·H2O,
a new mineral species from the Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka,
Russia
Authors: Pekov Igor V. , Zubkova Natalia V. , Belakovskiy Dmitry I. , Yapaskurt Vasiliy O. , Vigasina Marina F. , Lykova Inna S. , Sidorov Evgeny G. , Pushcharovsky Dmitry Yu.
Published: July 2015

A new mineral chrysothallite
K6Cu6Tl3+Cl17(OH)4·H2O
was found in two active fumaroles, Glavnaya Tenoritovaya and Pyatno, at the
Second scoria cone of the Northern Breakthrough of the Great Tolbachik
Fissure Eruption, Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. Chrysothallite seems
to be a product of the interactions involving high-temperature sublimate
minerals, fumarolic gas and atmospheric water vapour at temperatures not
higher than 150ºC. It is associated with belloite, avdoninite,
chlorothionite, sanguite, eriochalcite, mitscherlichite, sylvite, carnallite
and kainite at Glavnaya Tenoritovaya and with belloite, avdoninite,
chlorothionite, eriochalcite, atacamite, halite, kröhnkite, natrochalcite,
gypsum and antlerite at Pyatno. The mineral forms equant-to-thick tabular
crystals up to 0.05 mm, typically combined in clusters or crusts up to 1 mm
across. Crystal forms are: {001}, {100}, {110}, {101} and {102}.
Chrysothallite is transparent, bright golden-yellow to light yellow in
finely crystalline aggregates. The lustre is vitreous. The mineral is
brittle. Cleavage was not observed, the fracture is uneven.
Dmeas = 2.95(2), Dcalc = 2.97 g cm–3. Chrysothallite is optically
uniaxial (+), ω = 1.720(5), ε = 1.732(5). The Raman spectrum is given. The
chemical composition (wt.%, electron-microprobe data, H2O
calculated based on the crystal structure data) is: K 15.92, Cu 24.56, Zn
1.38, Tl 13.28, Cl 40.32, H2O(calc.) 3.49, total 98.95. The
empirical formula, calculated on the basis of 17 Cl + 5 O a.p.f.u., is:
K6.09(Cu5.78Zn0.32)Σ6.10Tl0.97Cl17[(OH)3.80O0.20]·H2O.
Chrysothallite is tetragonal, I4/mmm,
a = 11.3689(7), c = 26.207(2) Å,
V = 3387.3(4) Å3, Z = 4. The
strongest reflections of the powder X-ray pattern [d, Å
(I)(hkl)] are: 13.20(44)(002);
6.88(100)(112); 5.16(30)(202, 114); 4.027(25)(220); 3.471(28)(206),
3.153(30)(314), 3.075(47)(305), 2.771(38)(316). The crystal structure
(solved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, R =
0.0898) is unique. Its basic structural unit is a (001) layer of
edge-sharing distorted CuCl4(OH)2 octahedra. Two
Tl3+ cations occupy the centre of isolated TlCl6
and TlCl4(H2O)2 octahedra connected to each other and
to the Cu polyhedral layers via KCl6 and
KCl9 polyhedra. The name reflects the bright golden-yellow
colour of the mineral (from the Greek χρυσος, gold) and the presence of
thallium. Chrysothallite is the second known mineral with species-defining
trivalent thallium.
Uniformly Nanopatterned Graphene Field-Effect Transistors with Enhanced Properties
Authors: Choi Duyoung , Kuru Cihan , Kim Youngjin , Kim Gunwoo , Kim Taekyoung , Chen Renkun , Jin Sungho
Published: July 2015

We have successfully fabricated and characterized highly uniform nanopatterned graphene (NPG). Thin anodized aluminum oxide nanomask was prepared by facile self-assembly technique without using polymer buffer layer, which was utilized as a direct-contact template for oxygen plasma etch to produce near-periodic, small-neck-width NPG. The NPG exhibits a homogeneous mesh structure with an average neck width as small as ~11 nm. The highly uniform 11-nm neck width creates a quantum confinement in NPG, which has led to a record bandgap opening of ~200 meV in graphene for the given level of neck width. Electronic characterization of single-layer NPG field-effect transistors (FETs) was performed, which demonstrated a high on-off switching ratio. We found that the NPG allows for experimental confirmation of the relationship between electrical conductance and bandgap. This work also demonstrates that our direct-contact, self-assembled mask lithography is a pathway for low-cost, high-throughput, large-scale nanomanufacturing of graphene nanodevices.
Tipping the balance between good and evil: aberrant 14-3-3ζ expression drives oncogenic TGF-β signaling in metastatic breast cancers
Authors: Morrison Chevaun D. , Schiemann William P.
Published: July 2015

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) readily suppresses the development of early-stage breast cancers, an activity that gives way to tumor promotion in their late-stage counterparts. The molecular mechanisms underlying this mysterious switch in TGF-β function remain murky. In addressing this conundrum, Xu et al. observed aberrant 14-3-3ζ expression to prevent the formation of tumor-suppressive Smad2/3:p53 complexes, while simultaneously driving the generation of oncogenic Smad2/3:Gli2 complexes. Once formed, Smad2/3:Gli2 complexes stimulate the expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein necessary for breast cancer metastasis to bone. This viewpoint highlights 14-3-3ζ as an essential driver of oncogenic signaling by Smad2/3 and TGF-β in metastatic breast cancers.
Mammographic density and breast cancer in women from high risk families
Authors: Ramón y Cajal Teresa , Chirivella Isabel , Miranda Josefa , Teule Alexandre , Izquierdo Ángel , Balmaña Judith , Sánchez-Heras Ana Beatriz , Llort Gemma , Fisas David , Lope Virginia , Hernández-Agudo Elena , Juan-Fita María José , Tena Isabel , Robles Luis , Guillén-Ponce Carmen , Pérez-Segura Pedro , Luque-Molina Mari Sol , Hernando-Polo Susana , Salinas Mónica , Brunet Joan , Salas-Trejo María Dolores , Barnadas Agustí , Pollán Marina
Published: July 2015

Introduction

Mammographic density (MD) is one of the strongest determinants of sporadic breast cancer (BC). In this study, we compared MD in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and non-carriers from BRCA1/2 mutation-positive families and investigated the association between MD and BC among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers per type of mutation and tumor subtype.

Methods

The study was carried out in 1039 female members of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive families followed at 16 Spanish Genetic Counseling Units. Participants’ density was scored retrospectively from available mammograms by a single blinded radiologist using a 5-category scale (<10 %, 10-25 %, 25-50 %, 50-75 %, >75 %). In BC cases, we selected mammograms taken prior to diagnosis or from the contralateral breast, whereas, in non-cases, the last screening mammogram was evaluated. MD distribution in carriers and non-carriers was compared using ordinal logistic models, and the association between MD and BC in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers was studied using logistic regression. Huber-White robust estimators of variance were used to take into account correlations between family members. A similar multinomial model was used to explore this association by BC subtype.

Results

We identified and scored mammograms from 341 BRCA1, 350 BRCA2 mutation carriers and 229 non-carriers. Compared to non-carriers, MD was significantly lower among BRCA2 mutation carriers (odds ratio (OR) =0.71; P-value=0.04), but not among BRCA1 carriers (OR=0.84; P-value=0.33). MD was associated with subsequent development BC (OR per category of MD=1.45; 95 % confidence interval=1.18-1.78, P-value<0.001), with no significant differences between BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers (P-value=0.48). Finally, no statistically significant differences were observed in the association of MD with specific BC subtypes.

Conclusions

Our study, the largest to date on this issue, confirms that MD is an independent risk factor for all BC subtypes in either BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, and should be considered a phenotype risk marker in this context.