bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correction of aspect ratio dependent etch disparities
Authors: Bates Robert L. , Goeckner Matthew J. , Overzet Lawrence. J.
Published: July 2014

The etch rate of deep features in silicon, such as trenches and vias, can vary significantly with the feature aspect ratio (AR). Small AR features generally etch faster than large AR features. The reasons for this AR dependence include a slowing of the etch rate with increasing AR due to the necessary transport of molecules into and out of the features as well as ion flux reductions at feature bottom due to the angular spread of the ion flux and ion deflection caused by differential charging of the microstructures. Finding ways to reduce, eliminate, or reverse this AR dependence is both an active subject of research and difficult. In this work, instead of focusing on methods to reduce or prevent AR dependence in an etch process, the authors focus on methods to correct it after the fact. The authors show that an inhibitor film deposition step can be used under some circumstances to allow feature depth disparities to be corrected. This process can be used to correct feature depth disparities whenever the AR dependence of the inhibitor film deposition step is worse (larger) than the AR dependence of the following inhibitor etch step. To test the theory, a plasma process through SF6/C4F8/Ar mixtures was used to both produce trenches of various ARs having significant depth disparities and correct those disparities. The etch depth of small AR features can be held essentially constant while that of larger AR features is increased to match or even exceed.
Dosimetric comparison of Acuros XB, AAA, and XVMC in stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer
Authors: Tsuruta Yusuke , Nakata Manabu , Nakamura Mitsuhiro , Matsuo Yukinori , Higashimura Kyoji , Monzen Hajime , Mizowaki Takashi , Hiraoka Masahiro
Published: July 2014

Purpose:

To compare the dosimetric performance of Acuros XB (AXB), anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), and x‐ray voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) in heterogeneous phantoms and lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plans.

Methods:

Water‐ and lung‐equivalent phantoms were combined to evaluate the percentage depth dose and dose profile. The radiation treatment machine Novalis (BrainLab AG, Feldkirchen, Germany) with an x‐ray beam energy of 6 MV was used to calculate the doses in the composite phantom at a source‐to‐surface distance of 100 cm with a gantry angle of 0°. Subsequently, the clinical lung SBRT plans for the 26 consecutive patients were transferred from the iPlan (ver. 4.1; BrainLab AG) to the Eclipse treatment planning systems (ver. 11.0.3; Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). The doses were then recalculated with AXB and AAA while maintaining the XVMC‐calculated monitor units and beam arrangement. Then the dose‐volumetric data obtained using the three different radiation dose calculation algorithms were compared.

Results:

The results from AXB and XVMC agreed with measurements within ±3.0% for the lung‐equivalent phantom with a 6 × 6 cm2 field size, whereas AAA values were higher than measurements in the heterogeneous zone and near the boundary, with the greatest difference being 4.1%. AXB and XVMC agreed well with measurements in terms of the profile shape at the boundary of the heterogeneous zone. For the lung SBRT plans, AXB yielded lower values than XVMC in terms of the maximum doses of ITV and PTV; however, the differences were within ±3.0%. In addition to the dose‐volumetric data, the dose distribution analysis showed that AXB yielded dose distribution calculations that were closer to those with XVMC than did AAA. Means ± standard deviation of the computation time was 221.6 ± 53.1 s (range, 124–358 s), 66.1 ± 16.0 s (range, 42–94 s), and 6.7 ± 1.1 s (range, 5–9 s) for XVMC, AXB, and AAA, respectively.

Conclusions:

In the phantom evaluations, AXB and XVMC agreed better with measurements than did AAA. Calculations differed in the density‐changing zones (substance boundaries) between AXB/XVMC and AAA. In the lung SBRT cases, a comparative analysis of dose‐volumetric data and dose distributions with XVMC demonstrated that the AXB provided better agreement with XVMC than AAA. The computation time of AXB was faster than that of XVMC; therefore, AXB has better balance in terms of the dosimetric performance and computation speed for clinical use than XVMC.
Genome Sequence of Bacillus safensis CFA06, Isolated from Biodegraded Petroleum in Brazil
Authors: Laborda Prianda R. , Fonseca Francine S. A. , Angolini Célio F. F. , Oliveira Valéria M. , Souza Anete P. , Marsaioli Anita J.
Published: July 2014

Bacillus safensis
is a microorganism recognized for its biotechnological and industrial potential due to its interesting enzymatic portfolio. Here, as a means of gathering information about the importance of this species in oil biodegradation, we report a draft genome sequence of a strain isolated from petroleum.
Rapid Detection of Trichodysplasia Spinulosa-Associated Polyomavirus in Skin Biopsy Specimen
Authors: Urbano Paulo Roberto P. , Pannuti Cláudio Sérgio , Pierrotti Ligia C. , David-Neto Elias , Romano Camila Malta
Published: July 2014

Trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSV) is responsible for a rare skin cancer. Using metagenomic approaches, we determined the complete genome sequence of a TSV first detected in Brazil in spicules of an immunocompromised patient suspected to have trichodysplasia spinulosa.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolate Dermabacter hominis 1368
Authors: Albersmeier Andreas , Bomholt Christina , Glaub Alina , Rückert Christian , Soriano Francisco , Fernández-Natal Isabel , Tauch Andreas
Published: July 2014

Dermabacter hominis
is a common colonizer of the healthy human skin and is rarely detected as an opportunistic human pathogen. The genome sequence of the multidrug-resistant
D. hominis
strain 1368, isolated from blood cultures of a pyelonephritis patient, provides insights into the repertoire of antibiotic resistance genes.
Draft Genome Sequence of Lutibaculum baratangense Strain AMV1
T
, Isolated from a Mud Volcano in Andamans, India
Authors: Singh Aditya , Sreenivas Ara , Sathyanarayana Reddy Gundlapally , Pinnaka Anil Kumar , Shivaji Sisinthy
Published: July 2014

The 4.3-Mb genome of
Lutibaculum baratangense
strain AMV1
T
, isolated from a soil sample collected from a mud volcano in Andamans, India, is reported. The draft genome of strain
Lutibaculum baratangense
AMV1
T
consists of 4,300,776 bp with a G+C content of 66.93 mol% and 4,198 predicted coding regions, including 56 RNAs.
The double-edged sword of electronic health records: implications for patient disclosure
Authors: Campos-Castillo Celeste , Anthony Denise L
Published: July 2014

Objective Electronic health record (EHR) systems are linked to improvements in quality of care, yet also privacy and security risks. Results from research studies are mixed about whether patients withhold personal information from their providers to protect against the perceived EHR privacy and security risks. This study seeks to reconcile the mixed findings by focusing on whether accounting for patients’ global ratings of care reveals a relationship between EHR provider-use and patient non-disclosure.

Materials and methods A nationally representative sample from the 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey was analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logit regressions to examine whether global ratings of care suppress the relationship between EHR provider-use and patient non-disclosure.

Results 13% of respondents reported having ever withheld information from a provider because of privacy/security concerns. Bivariate analysis showed that withholding information was unrelated to whether respondents’ providers used an EHR. Multivariable analysis showed that accounting for respondents’ global ratings of care revealed a positive relationship between having a provider who uses an EHR and withholding information.

Discussion After accounting for global ratings of care, findings suggest that patients may non-disclose to providers to protect against the perceived EHR privacy and security risks. Despite evidence that EHRs inhibit patient disclosure, their advantages for promoting quality of care may outweigh the drawbacks.

Conclusions Clinicians should leverage the EHR's value in quality of care and discuss patients’ privacy concerns during clinic visits, while policy makers should consider how to address the real and perceived privacy and security risks of EHRs.
Risk factors for bloodborne viral hepatitis in healthcare workers of Pakistan: a population based case–control study
Authors: Gorar Zulfikar A , Butt Zahid A , Aziz Imrana
Published: July 2014

Objectives

A high prevalence of viral hepatitis B and C was found among healthcare workers during a province-wide screening in Sindh Province, Pakistan. A follow-up study was undertaken to identify risk factors for this high prevalence in healthcare workers.

Design

Population based case–control design.

Setting

Public sector healthcare facilities in a rural district of Pakistan.

Participants

Healthcare workers who were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies. 178 healthcare workers employed at the public sector clinics and hospitals of the district were approached, of which 14 refused to participate. Cases had detectable serum antibodies against HCV and the presence of HBsAg. Healthcare workers non-reactive to HCV antibodies and with no HBsAg were controls. These were matched in a ratio of 1:1.

Outcome measure

Detectable serum HBsAg and HCV antibody titer were taken as outcome. OR for various exposures was calculated; those with p<0.25 were entered in a multivariate logistic regression model to find out significant predictors.

Results

Needle stick injury (OR=6; CI951.4 to 23), recapping the needle (OR=5.7; CI951.1 to 28), wound care at accident and emergency of a hospital (OR=5.5; CI951 to 28), female gender (OR=3.4; CI951 to 12) and more than 10 years of formal education (OR=0.25; CI950.07 to 0.8) were associated with hepatitis C. Hepatitis B was found to be associated with trying to bend or break a needle after use (OR=4.9; CI951 to 24).

Conclusions

Healthcare workers in Pakistan are at additional risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Bi-dimensional risk factors present at individual and broader health systems levels are responsible. Occupational safety, health trainings and redesigning of the curriculum for allied health professionals are required.
Education Against Tobacco (EAT): a quasi-experimental prospective evaluation of a programme for preventing smoking in secondary schools delivered by medical students: a study protocol
Authors: Brinker Titus J , Stamm-Balderjahn Sabine , Seeger Werner , Groneberg David A
Published: July 2014

Introduction

A survey conducted by the German Federal Centre for Health Education in 2012 showed that 35.2% of all young adults (18–25 years) and 12.0% of all adolescents (12–17 years) in Germany are regular cigarette smokers. Most smoked their first cigarette in early adolescence. We recently reported a significantly positive short-term effect of a physician-delivered school-based smoking prevention programme on the smoking behaviour of schoolchildren in Germany. However, physician-based programmes are usually very expensive. Therefore, we will evaluate and optimise Education against Tobacco (EAT), a widespread, low-cost programme delivered by about 400 medical students from 16 universities in Germany.

Methods and analysis

A prospective quasi-experimental study design with two measurements at baseline (t1) and 6 months post-intervention (t2) to investigate an intervention in 10–15-year-olds in grades 6–8 at German secondary schools. The intervention programme consists of two 60-min school-based medical-student-delivered modules with (module 1) and without the involvement of patients with tobacco-related diseases and control groups (no intervention). The study questionnaire measuring smoking status (water pipe and cigarette smoking), smoking-related cognitions, and gender, social and cultural aspects was designed and pre-tested in advance. The primary end point is the prevalence of smokers and non-smokers in the two study arms at 6 months after the intervention. The percentage of former smokers and new smokers in the two groups and the measures of smoking behaviour will be studied as secondary outcome measures.

Ethics and dissemination

In accordance with Good Epidemiologic Practice (GEP) guidelines, the study protocol was submitted for approval by the responsible ethics committee, which decided that the study does not need ethical approval (Goethe University, Frankfurt-Main, Germany). Findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, at conferences, within our scientific advisory board and through medical students within the EAT project.
EFFICIENT GRID EXPLORATION WITH A STATIONARY TOKEN
Authors: PELC ANDRZEJ , TIANE ANAS
Published: July 2014

A mobile agent starting at an arbitrary node of an m × k grid, for 1 < m ≤ k, has to explore the grid by visiting all its nodes and traversing all edges. The cost of an exploration algorithm is the number of edge traversals by the agent. Nodes of the grid are unlabeled and ports at each node v have distinct numbers in {0,…, d − 1}, where d = 2, 3, 4 is the degree of v. Port numbering is local, i.e., there is no relation between port numbers at different nodes. When visiting a node the agent sees its degree. It also sees the port number by which it enters a node and can choose the port number by which it leaves a visited node. We are interested in deterministic exploration algorithms working at low cost.

We consider the scenario in which the agent is equipped with a stationary token situated at its starting node. The agent sees the token whenever it visits this node. We give an exploration algorithm working at cost O(k2) for 2 × k grids, and at cost O(m2k), for m × k grids, when 2 < m ≤ k.
BROADCAST SCHEDULING PROBLEM IN SINR MODEL
Authors: LAM NHAT , AN MIN KYUNG , HUYNH DUNG T. , NGUYEN TRAC
Published: July 2014

Our work is to study the Minimum Latency Broadcast Scheduling problem in the geometric SINR model with power control. With power control, sensor nodes have the ability to adjust transmitting power. While existing works studied the problem assuming a uniform power assignment or allowing unlimited power levels, we investigate the problem with a more realistic power assignment model where the maximum power level is bounded. To the best of our knowledge, no existing work formally proved the NP-hardness, though many researchers have been assuming that this fact holds true. In this paper, we provide a solid proof for this result.
Supersonic relative velocity between dark matter and baryons: A review
Authors: Fialkov Anastasia
Published: July 2014

Our understanding of astrophysical and cosmological phenomena in recent years has improved enormously, thanks to precision measurements of various cosmic signals such as Cosmic Microwave Background radiation, emission of galaxies and dust, spectral lines attributed to various elements, etc. Despite this, our knowledge at intermediate redshifts (10 < z < 1100) remains fragmentary and incomplete, and as a consequence, various physical processes happening between the epochs of hydrogen recombination and reionization remain still highly unconstrained. Moreover, some important fragments of the theoretical description that are less decisive for the universe today, but that had an important impact at intermediate redshifts, have been omitted in some of the studies concerning the universe at high redshifts. One such neglected phenomenon, which is the central topic of this review, is the fact that after hydrogen recombination the large-scale baryons and dark matter fluctuations had supersonic relative velocities. The relative velocities between dark matter and baryons formally introduce a second-order effect on the standard results and thus have been neglected in the framework of linear theory. However, when properly considered, the velocities yield a nonperturbative contribution to the growth of structures which is then inherited by the majority of cosmic signals coming from redshifts above z ~ 10, and in certain cases may even propagate to various low-redshift observables such as the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations measured from the distribution of galaxies. At higher redshifts, the supersonic velocities have thus strong impact affecting the abundance of M ~ 106M⊙halos in an inhomogeneous way, hindering the formation of first stars, leaving traces in the redshifted 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen, as well as having other important contributions at high redshifts all of which we review in this manuscript.
General relativity exactly described in terms of Newton's laws within curved geometries
Authors: Savickas D.
Published: July 2014

Many years ago Milne and McCrea showed in their well-known paper that the Hubble expansion occurring in general relativity could be exactly described by the use of Newtonian mechanics. It will be shown that a similar method can be extended to, and used within, curved geometries when Newton's second law is expressed within a four-dimensional curved spacetime. The second law will be shown to yield an equation that is exactly identical to the geodesic equation of motion of general relativity. This in itself yields no new information concerning relativity since the equation is mathematically identical to the relativistic equation. However, when the time in the second law is defined to have a constant direction as effectively occurs in Newtonian mechanics, and no longer acts as a fourth dimension as exists in relativity theory, it separates into a vector equation in a curved three-dimensional space and an additional second scalar equation that describes conservation of energy. It is shown that the curved Newtonian equations of motion define the metric coefficients which occur in the Schwarzschild solution and that they also define its equations of motion. Also, because the curved Newtonian equations developed here use masses as gravitational sources, as occurs in Newtonian mechanics, they make it possible to derive the solution for other kinds of mass distributions and are used here to find the metric equation for a thin mass-rod and the equation of motion for a mass particle orbiting it in its relativistic gravitational field.
Detecting modified gravity in the stars
Authors: Sakstein Jeremy , Jain Bhuvnesh , Vikram Vinu
Published: July 2014

Modified theories of gravity have received a renewed interest due to their ability to account for the cosmic acceleration. In order to satisfy the solar system tests of gravity, these theories need to include a screening mechanism that hides the modifications on small scales. One popular and well-studied theory is chameleon gravity. Our own galaxy is necessarily screened, but less dense dwarf galaxies may be unscreened and their constituent stars can exhibit novel features. In particular, unscreened stars are brighter, hotter and more ephemeral than screened stars in our own galaxy. They also pulsate with a shorter period. In this paper, we exploit these new features to constrain chameleon gravity to level three orders of magnitude lower the previous measurements. These constraints are currently the strongest in the literature.
Dynamics of n Coupled Double Pendula Suspended to the Moving Beam
Authors: Koluda Piotr , Brzeski Piotr , Perlikowski Przemyslaw
Published: July 2014

We consider the synchronization of n self-excited double pendula. For such pendula hanging on the same beam, different synchronous configurations can be obtained (in-phase and anti-phase states). An approximate analytical analysis allows to derive the synchronization condition and explain the observed types of synchronization for any number of coupled double pendula. The energy balance method is used to show how the energy between the pendula is transferred via the oscillating beam allowing their synchronization. We compute periodic solutions for n = 2, 3, 4, 5 coupled double pendula, based on analytical predictions. For all obtained periodic solutions, we investigate how the stability properties change with the varying natural frequency of the beam.
Femtosecond tunneling of polarons in Pb5Cr3F19
Authors: Levstik A. , Filipič C. , Tavčar G. , Žemva B.
Published: July 2014

The complex dielectric constant/ac electrical conductivity was investigated as a function of frequency and temperature in Pb 5 Cr 3 F 19. The system undergoes a ferroelectric phase transition at higher temperatures. At lower temperatures the real part of the complex ac electric conductivity was found to follow the universal dielectric response (UDR) σ′ ∝ νs, typical for hopping or tunneling of localized charge carriers. A detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the UDR parameter s in terms of the theoretical model for tunneling of small polarons revealed that, at low temperatures, this mechanism governs the charge transport in Pb 5 Cr 3 F 19. The value of the inverse attempt frequency τ0 indicates the femtosecond tunneling of polarons in the system similar to the Büttiker–Landauer transversal time.
International Capital Flows and Bond Risk Premia
Authors: Sierra Jesus
Published: July 2014

We investigate whether foreign purchases of long-term U.S. Treasury securities significantly affect their expected excess-returns. We run predictive regressions of realized excess returns on measures of net purchases of treasuries by both foreign official and private agents. We find that official flows, with a negative effect, appear similar to relative supply shocks; private flows, with a positive impact, resemble flows that absorb excess-supply and are thus compensated for this service, similar to the role of arbitrageurs. The results are robust to out-of-sample tests and the use of benchmark survey-consistent adjusted flows data.
Chapter 14 The rock coast of Australia
Authors: Kennedy David M.
Published: July 2014

The rocky coast of Australia has been the focus of scientific enquiry since Charles Darwin visited Sydney during the voyage of the
Beagle
(1831–1836). As the philosophy of geomorphological enquiry has evolved from Davisian landscape theory to modern questions of landscape response to climate change, so has the understanding of Australian shore platforms. Early work was focused on penultimate levels of coastal planation; however, the majority of research has focused on the balance between marine and subaerial erosion in forming shore platforms. As field instrumentation has advanced there has been a greater variety of data available to researchers which has led to studies of microerosion and the distribution of wave energy across platform surfaces. Platforms formed in Quaternary carbonates and volcanics as well as Mesozoic sediments have been the focus of research. Those found in softer carbonates form closer to low-tide level while those in resistant basalt form at high-tide elevation. Rock hardness and structure are the primary drivers of platform morphology; however at an individual field site the surface morphology, such as the presence of a ramp, will be determined by the balance between wave and subaerial processes as well as local variations in lithology.
Chapter 6 The rock coast of continental Europe in the Atlantic
Authors: Gómez-Pujol Lluís , Pérez-Alberti Augusto , Blanco-Chao Ramón , Costa Stéphane , Neves Mario , Del Río Laura
Published: July 2014

Rocky coasts occur along more than one-third (37%) of the Atlantic continental European coastline, approximately 3666 km, often forming vertical cliffs and characteristically gently sloping shore platforms. The continental European Atlantic rocky coasts show a great variability of rock types and structural contexts, as well as different wave climates and tidal ranges. Through a review of previously published data on cliff retreat rates and shore platform erosion measured on monthly, seasonal, annual and decadal timescales, this paper highlights the different processes and agents, their magnitude and frequency in shaping rocky coasts. In particular, the links between cliff retreat, shore platform evolution, present dynamics and inheritance (understood as whether platform and other rock coast features were shaped by a higher sea level than the present) comprise one of the major contributions from continental European Atlantic rocky coasts to a global understanding of rock coast coastal geomorphology.
Interviewing: Practice, Ideology, Genre, and Intertextuality
Authors: Koven Michèle
Published: July 2014

This review applies a critical linguistic anthropological perspective to classic and current scholarly literature on interviewing, understood as a cluster of communicative practices used to produce and circulate various types of authoritative and consequential knowledge about groups and individuals. I begin by treating interviews as multifunctional, ideologically mediated communicative events. I then discuss the multiplicity, indeterminacy, and intertextuality in people's practices and understandings of interviewing as a communicative genre. Interviews are fundamentally intertextual, as they resemble, co-occur with, precede, and follow other communicative events.
Adaptation to High Altitude: Phenotypes and Genotypes
Authors: Beall Cynthia M.
Published: July 2014

Populations residing for millennia on the high-altitude plateaus of the world started natural experiments that we can evaluate to address questions about the processes of evolution and adaptation. A 2001 assessment in this journal summarized abundant evidence that Tibetan and Andean high-altitude natives had different phenotypes, and the article made a case for the hypothesis that different genetic bases underlie traits in the two populations. Since then, knowledge of the prehistory of high-altitude populations has grown, information about East African highlanders has become available, genomic science has grown exponentially, and the genetic and molecular bases of oxygen homeostasis have been clarified. Those scientific advances have transformed the study of high-altitude populations. The present review aims to summarize recent advances in understanding with an emphasis on the genetic bases of adaptive phenotypes, particularly hemoglobin concentration among Tibetan highlanders. EGLN1 and EPAS1 encode two crucial proteins contributing to oxygen homeostasis, the oxygen sensor PHD2 and the transcription factor subunit HIF-2α, respectively; they show signals of natural selection such as marked allele frequency differentiation between Tibetans and lowland populations. EPAS1 genotypes associated in several studies with the dampened hemoglobin phenotype that is characteristic of Tibetans at high altitude but did not associate with the dampened response among Amhara from Ethiopia or the vigorous elevation of hemoglobin concentration among Andean highlanders. Future work will likely develop understanding of the integrative biology leading from genotype to phenotype to population in all highland areas.
Sexual Violence and Its Discontents
Authors: Baxi Pratiksha
Published: July 2014

The stories about how sexual violence comes to be constituted as an object of research offer complex commentaries about the operations of public secrecy in the realm of law, kinship, nation, and the state. Rape emerged as an anthropological object of research when anthropologists compared whole cultures to challenge the universalistic assumptions underlying a natural history of rape. Anthropological focus has now shifted to the situated nature of imagination, language, documents, and techniques that craft the silences and speech around rape. Recent anthropological research critiques the social, juridical, and political discourses complicit in the construction of rape as a public secret, offering an important route of engagement with ethnographies that recursively speak of rape as a situated category.
On the Verge of Death: Visions of Biological Vulnerability
Authors: Caduff Carlo
Published: July 2014

This article considers how anthropologists and other social scientists examine biosecurity as an object in the making. It suggests that scholars encountered this object in research projects concerned with questions of global health, capitalism, neoliberalism, humanitarianism, citizenship, science, medicine, technology, ecology, surveillance, and risk. This growing body of work explores emerging modes of government that are characteristic for the post–Cold War period of global capitalism. Ethnographic accounts demonstrate how actors and institutions located in the Global North and the Global South perceive the spread of dangerous biological things as a threat to the health of individuals and populations. This article aims to review this literature and supplement the current approach with a theory of security performativity.
Selective Reproductive Technologies
Authors: Gammeltoft Tine M. , Wahlberg Ayo
Published: July 2014

From a historical perspective, selective reproduction is nothing new. Infanticide, abandonment, and selective neglect of children have a long history, and the widespread deployment of sterilization and forced abortion in the twentieth century has been well documented. Yet in recent decades selective reproduction has been placed under the aegis of science and expertise in novel ways. New laboratory and clinical techniques allow for the selective fertilization of gametes, implantation of embryos, or abortion of fetuses. Although they will often overlap with assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), what we term selective reproductive technologies (SRTs) are of a more specific nature: Rather than aiming to overcome infertility, they are used to prevent or allow the birth of certain kinds of children. This review highlights anthropological research into SRTs in different parts of the world, discussing how selective reproduction engages with issues of long-standing theoretical concern in anthropology, such as politics, kinship, gender, religion, globalization, and inequality.
The Business of Water: Market Environmentalism in the Water Sector
Authors: Bakker Karen
Published: July 2014

This article reviews the literature relevant to market environmentalism in the water sector, focusing on five themes: the privatization of resource ownership and management, the commercialization of resource management organizations, the environmental valuation and pricing of resources, the marketization of trading and exchange mechanisms, and the liberalization of governance. For each dimension, the discussion addresses a topic of contemporary academic interest (and policy and political relevance): privatization and protest, the contradictions of commercialization, the distinction between environmental valuation and commodification, the multiplication of modes of marketization, and the limits to the liberalization of environmental governance. Specific attention is given to unresolved questions and tensions in the debate over market environmentalism, particularly the tension between human rights and environmental rights and among state, market, and community roles in water management.
Stock Prices and Earnings: A History of Research
Authors: Dechow Patricia M. , Sloan Richard G. , Zha Jenny
Published: July 2014

Accounting earnings summarize periodic corporate financial performance and are key determinants of stock prices. We review research on the usefulness of accounting earnings, including research on the link between accounting earnings and firm value and research on the usefulness of accounting earnings relative to other accounting and nonaccounting information. We also review research on the features of accounting earnings that make them useful to investors, including the accrual accounting process, fair value accounting, and the conservatism convention. We finish by summarizing research that identifies situations in which investors appear to misinterpret earnings and other accounting information, leading to security mispricing.
Neutralizing Murine TGFβR2 Promotes a Differentiated Tumor Cell Phenotype and Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis
Authors: Ostapoff Katherine T. , Cenik Bercin Kutluk , Wang Miao , Ye Risheng , Xu Xiaohong , Nugent Desiree , Hagopian Moriah M. , Topalovski Mary , Rivera Lee B. , Carroll Kyla D. , Brekken Rolf A.
Published: July 2014

Elevated levels of TGFβ are a negative prognostic indicator for patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; as a result, the TGFβ pathway is an attractive target for therapy. However, clinical application of pharmacologic inhibition of TGFβ remains challenging because TGFβ has tumor suppressor functions in many epithelial malignancies, including pancreatic cancer. In fact, direct neutralization of TGFβ promotes tumor progression of genetic murine models of pancreatic cancer. Here, we report that neutralizing the activity of murine TGFβ receptor 2 using a monoclonal antibody (2G8) has potent antimetastatic activity in orthotopic human tumor xenografts, syngeneic tumors, and a genetic model of pancreatic cancer. 2G8 reduced activated fibroblasts, collagen deposition, microvessel density, and vascular function. These stromal-specific changes resulted in tumor cell epithelial differentiation and a potent reduction in metastases. We conclude that TGFβ signaling within stromal cells participates directly in tumor cell phenotype and pancreatic cancer progression. Thus, strategies that inhibit TGFβ-dependent effector functions of stromal cells could be efficacious for the therapy of pancreatic tumors. Cancer Res; 74(18); 4996–5007. ©2014 AACR.
Targeting mTORC1–Mediated Metabolic Addiction Overcomes Fludarabine Resistance in Malignant B Cells
Authors: Sharma Arishya , Janocha Allison J. , Hill Brian T. , Smith Mitchell R. , Erzurum Serpil C. , Almasan Alexandru
Published: July 2014

MTOR complex-1(mTORC1) activation occurs frequently in cancers, yet clinical efficacy of rapalogs is limited because of the associated activation of upstream survival pathways. An alternative approach is to inhibit downstream of mTORC1; therefore, acquired resistance to fludarabine (Flu), a purine analogue and antimetabolite chemotherapy, active agent for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was investigated. Elevated phospho-p70S6K, also known as RPS6KB1 (ribosomal protein S6 kinase, 70kDa, polypeptide 1) (T389), an mTORC1 activation marker, predicted Flu resistance in a panel of B-cell lines, isogenic Flu-resistant (FluR) derivatives, and primary human CLL cells. Consistent with the anabolic role of mTORC1, FluR cells had higher rates of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation than Flu-sensitive (FluS) cells. Rapalogs (everolimus and rapamycin) induced moderate cell death in FluR and primary CLL cells, and everolimus significantly inhibited glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in FluR cells. Strikingly, the higher oxidative phosphorylation in FluR cells was not coupled to higher ATP synthesis. Instead, it contributed primarily to an essential, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase catalyzed, step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. mTORC1 promotes pyrimidine biosynthesis by p70S6 kinase–mediated phosphorylation of CAD (carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 2, aspartate transcarbamylase, and dihydroorotase; Ser1859) and favors S-phase cell-cycle progression. We found increased phospho-CAD (S1859) and higher S-phase population in FluR cells. Pharmacological inhibition of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis using N-phosphonacetyl-l-aspartate and leflunomide, RNAi-mediated knockdown of p70S6K, and inhibition of mitochondrial respiration were selectively cytotoxic to FluR, but not FluS, cells. These results reveal a novel link between mTORC1-mediated metabolic reprogramming and Flu resistance identifying mitochondrial respiration and de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis as potential therapeutic targets.

Implications: This study provides the first evidence for mTORC1/p70S6K-dependent regulation of pyrimidine biosynthesis in a relevant disease setting. Mol Cancer Res; 12(9); 1205–15. ©2014 AACR.
To Biopsy or Not to Biopsy: Evaluation of a Large German Cohort of Patients with Abnormal Liver Tests of Unknown Etiology
Authors: Rey Johannes Wilhelm , Jahn-Eimermacher Antje , Doernberger Veronika , Barreiros Ana Paula , Krupp Markus , Hoffman Arthur , Kiesslich Ralf , Müller-Schilling Martina , Galle Peter Robert , Teufel Andreas
Published: July 2014

Background and Aims: Despite increasingly sensitive and accurate blood tests to detect liver disease, liver biopsy remains very useful in patients with atypical clinical features and abnormal liver tests of unknown etiology. The aim was to determine those elevated laboratory liver parameters that cause the clinician to order a biopsy, and whether laboratory tests are associated with pathological findings on histology. Methods: 504 patients with unclear hepatopathy, admitted to the outpatient clinic of a university hospital between 2007 and 2010, were analyzed with respect to laboratory results, clinical data, and the results of liver biopsies. Results: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) levels above the normal range significantly increased the likelihood of recommending a liver biopsy by 81% [OR with 95% CI 1.81 (1.21-2.71), p = 0.004] and 159% [OR with 95% CI 2.59 (1.70-3.93), p < 0.001], respectively. AST values above normal were associated with fibrosis (63 vs. 40% for normal AST, p = 0.010). Elevated ferritin levels pointed to a higher incidence of steatosis (48 vs. 10% for normal ferritin, p < 0.001) and inflammation (87 vs. 62% for normal ferritin, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Our results indicate that elevated AST and GLDH were associated with a greater likelihood of recommending liver biopsy. Elevated AST and ferritin levels were associated with steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis on liver biopsies. Thus, AST and ferritin may be useful non-invasive predictors of liver pathology in patients with unclear hepatopathy.
Lhermitte's Phenomenon and Platinum, Beware of Latency
Authors: O'Reilly Aine , Ryan Stephen , MacEneaney Peter , O'Reilly Seamus P. , Cronin Simon , Power Derek G.
Published: July 2014

SummaryBackground: Lhermitte's sign (LS) is characterized by electric shock-like sensations, spreading along the spine in a cervico-caudal direction and into the arms and legs. It is felt upon flexion of the neck and reflects a myelopathy resulting from damage to sensory axons at the dorsal columns of the cervical spinal cord. In patients with cancer, LS can occur due to direct tumour involvement of the spine or in relation to radiotherapy. Chemotherapy-related LS has only rarely been reported. Case Report: We present the case of a 44-year-old patient treated with platinum- and etoposide-based chemotherapy for metastatic seminoma, who subsequently developed severe disabling LS. The severity and duration of LS in this case exceeds prior reports. We review the literature on chemotherapy-related LS and discuss the practice implications. Conclusion: Neuropathy and LS related to cisplatin-based chemotherapy can result in significant adverse effects. Raised awareness of this complication could aid sub-phenotyping of the population most at risk and assist strategies to avert discomfort and disability post chemotherapy.
Orbito-Ethmoidal Rhabdomyosarcoma in an Adult Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Sepúlveda Ilson , Spencer M. Loreto , Cabezas Claudia , Platino Maria Olga , Schorwer Max , Ortega Pablo , Ulloa David
Published: July 2014

We report a patient who presented to the ENT service complaining of nasal obstruction, exophthalmos, edema and ipsilateral facial congestion. Imaging studies revealed an aggressive noncalcified solid mass centered in the left nasoethmoidal region and heterogeneous avid enhancement following contrast media injection. Subsequently, a biopsy confirmed the presence of solid alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient was treated with chemoradiation therapy for 7 weeks. Due to the advanced stage of the disease, the patient was enrolled in a palliative care and pain control program.
A Case of Reed's Syndrome: An Underdiagnosed Tumor Disorder
Authors: Kontochristopoulos Georgios , Kouris Anargyros , Balamoti Evgenia , Vavouli Charitomeni , Markantoni Vasiliki , Christofidou Elefteria , Antoniou Christina
Published: July 2014

Cutaneous leiomyomas are uncommon, benign smooth muscle tumors originating from the arrector pili muscle of the hair follicle that are frequently unrecognized and underdiagnosed by clinicians. They sometimes coexist with common uterine fibroids in an inherited disorder named multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyomatosis, also referred to as Reed's syndrome. We report a case of Reed's syndrome in a young woman who had been misdiagnosed for many years.
Diversity Is in My Veins
Authors: Kim Jun-Dae , Lee Heon-Woo , Jin Suk-Won
Published: July 2014

Endothelial cells are a highly diverse group of cells which display distinct cellular responses to exogenous stimuli. Although the aptly named vascular endothelial growth factor-A signaling pathway is hailed as the most important signaling input for endothelial cells, additional factors also participate in regulating diverse aspects of endothelial behaviors and functions. Given this heterogeneity, these additional factors seem to play a critical role in creating a custom-tailored environment to regulate behaviors and functions of distinct subgroups of endothelial cells. For instance, molecular cues that modulate morphogenesis of arterial vascular beds can be distinct from those that govern morphogenesis of venous vascular beds. Recently, we have found that bone morphogenetic protein signaling selectively promotes angiogenesis from venous vascular beds without eliciting similar responses from arterial vascular beds in zebrafish, indicating that bone morphogenetic protein signaling functions as a context-dependent regulator during vascular morphogenesis. In this review, we will provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms that underlie proangiogenic effects of bone morphogenetic protein signaling on venous vascular beds in the context of endothelial heterogeneity and suggest a more comprehensive picture of the molecular mechanisms of vascular morphogenesis during development.
Stromal Cell–Derived Factor 1 as a Biomarker of Heart Failure and Mortality Risk
Authors: Subramanian Subha , Liu Chunyu , Aviv Abraham , Ho Jennifer E. , Courchesne Paul , Muntendam Pieter , Larson Martin G. , Cheng Susan , Wang Thomas J. , Mehta Nehal N. , Levy Daniel
Published: July 2014

Objective—

CXCL12
encodes stromal cell–derived factor 1α (SDF-1), which binds to the receptor encoded by
CXCR4
. Variation at the
CXCL12
locus is associated with coronary artery disease and endothelial progenitor cell numbers, whereas variation at the
CXCR4
locus is associated with leukocyte telomere length, which has been shown to be associated with coronary artery disease. Therefore, we examined the relationships of plasma SDF-1 levels to cardiovascular disease (CVD)–related outcomes, risk factors, leukocyte telomere length, and endothelial progenitor cells.

Approach and Results—

SDF-1 was measured in 3359 Framingham Heart Study participants. We used Cox regression to examine relationships of SDF-1 to new-onset CVD, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and all-cause mortality; we used linear regression to evaluate associations of SDF-1 with risk factors, leukocyte telomere length, and CD34+ cell phenotypes. In multivariable models, higher SDF-1 levels were associated with older age, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and cigarette smoking. Higher SDF-1 levels were associated with lower CD34+ cell frequency (
P
=0.02) but not with leukocyte telomere length. During follow-up (median, 9.3 years), there were 263 new-onset CVD events, 160 myocardial infarctions, 200 heart failure events, and 385 deaths. After adjusting for clinical risk factors, SDF-1 levels were associated with heart failure (
P
=0.04) and all-cause mortality (
P
=0.003) but not with CVD (
P
=0.39) or myocardial infarction (
P
=0.10). The association of SDF-1 levels with myocardial infarction was attenuated after adjustment for high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

Conclusions—

After adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors, SDF-1 is associated with heart failure and all-cause mortality risk. Additional studies are needed to determine whether measurement of SDF-1 levels has clinical use.
Long-Term Mortality After First-Ever and Recurrent Stroke in Young Adults
Authors: Aarnio Karoliina , Haapaniemi Elena , Melkas Susanna , Kaste Markku , Tatlisumak Turgut , Putaala Jukka
Published: July 2014

Background and Purpose—

Mortality after first-ever stroke, and particularly after recurrent stroke, and predictors of long-term mortality among young and middle-aged stroke patients are not well-known. We assessed 17-year risk of mortality with focus on the effect of recurrence on the risk of death of young and middle-aged patients with stroke.

Methods—

Mortality and recurrent stroke rate of 970 consecutive 30-day survivors of first-ever ischemic stroke aged 15 to 49 years (1994–2007) were studied. Prospective follow-up data came from the Finnish Care Register for Health Care and Statistics Finland. Mean follow-up was 10.2±4.3 years. We compared survival between clinical subgroups and identified factors associated with mortality. Standardized mortality ratio was calculated for demographic and pathogenetic subgroups using mortality data of the general population matched with age, sex, calendar year, and geographical area.

Results—

At the end of follow-up, 152 (15.7%) patients had died (cumulative risk, 23.0%; 95% confidence interval, 19.1%–26.9%) and 132 (13.6%) had experienced a recurrent stroke. After adjusting for baseline characteristics, recurrent stroke was statistically the most important risk factor for mortality after first-ever ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 16.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.33–119.56;
P
=0.005). Observed mortality was 7-fold higher than the expected mortality (standardized mortality ratio, 6.94; 95% confidence interval, 5.84–8.04) and particularly high among patients who experienced a recurrent stroke (standardized mortality ratio, 14.43; 95% confidence interval, 10.11–18.74).

Conclusions—

The high mortality rates and the striking impact of recurrent stroke on the risk of death should lead to development of more robust primary and secondary prevention strategies for young patients with stroke.
Different Risk Factor Profiles for Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Hägg Stefanie , Thorn Lena M. , Forsblom Carol M. , Gordin Daniel , Saraheimo Markku , Tolonen Nina , Wadén Johan , Liebkind Ron , Putaala Jukka , Tatlisumak Turgut , Groop Per-Henrik
Published: July 2014

Background and Purpose—

Despite the fact that patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus have a markedly increased risk of experiencing a stroke, independent risk factors for stroke and its subtypes in these patients have remained unclear.

Methods—

A total of 4083 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study, without a history of stroke at baseline, were included. Strokes were classified based on medical files and brain imaging. At baseline, mean age was 37.4±11.8 years, duration of diabetes mellitus was 20.0 (11.0–30.0) years, and 51% were men. During 9.0±2.7 years (36 680 patient-years) of follow-up, 105 patients experienced an ischemic stroke and 44 a hemorrhagic stroke. Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors.

Results—

Independent risk factors for ischemic stroke were duration of diabetes mellitus, presence of diabetic nephropathy, higher hemoglobin A
1c
, higher systolic blood pressure, insulin resistance, and history of smoking, whereas sex, lipids, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and the metabolic syndrome were not associated with an increased risk. Diabetic nephropathy, severe diabetic retinopathy, higher systolic blood pressure, and lower body mass index were independently associated with hemorrhagic stroke.

Conclusions—

The risk factor profile for ischemic stroke seems partly different from that of hemorrhagic stroke in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.