bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interactions of U24 from Roseolovirus with WW domains: canonical vs noncanonical
Authors: Sang Yurou , Zhang Rui , Creagh A. Louise , Haynes Charles A. , Straus Suzana K.
Published: March 2017

U24 is a C-terminal membrane-anchored protein found in both human herpes virus type 6 and 7 (HHV-6 and HHV-7), with an N-terminal segment that is rich in prolines (PPxY motif in both HHV-6A and 7; PxxP motif in HHV-6A). Previous work has shown that U24 interacts strongly with Nedd4 WW domains, in particular, hNedd4L-WW3*. It was also shown that this interaction depends strongly on the nature of the amino acids that are upstream from the PY motif in U24. In this contribution, data was obtained from pull-downs, isothermal titration calorimetry, and NMR to further determine what modulates U24:WW domain interactions. Specifically, 3 non-canonical WW domains from human Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor (Smurf), namely hSmurf2-WW2, hSmurf2-WW3, and a tandem construct hSmurf2-WW2 + 3, were studied. Overall, the interactions between U24 and these Smurf WW domains were found to be weaker than those in U24:Nedd4 WW domain pairs, suggesting that U24 function is tightly linked to specific E3 ubiqitin ligases.
The Supplying Chain Scheduling with Outsourcing and Transportation
Authors: Ren Jianfeng , Sun Guo , Zhang Yuzhong
Published: March 2017

In this paper, we address a supply chain scheduling model with outsourcing and transportation. A job can be scheduled either on a single machine at a manufacturer’s plant or outsourced to a subcontractor. We assume that there are a sufficient number of vehicles at the manufacturer and the subcontractor such that each completed job can be transported to its customer immediately. For a given set of jobs, the decisions we need to make include the selection of jobs to be outsourced and the schedule of all the jobs. When the objective functions are to minimize the weighted sum of common scheduling measures and the total cost, we present their complexity analysis and a [Formula: see text]-approximation algorithm for the second problem.
Sumino’s cancellation mechanism in an anomaly-free model
Authors: Koide Yoshio
Published: March 2017

An interesting family gauge boson (FGB) model (Model A) has been proposed by Sumino. The model can give FGBs with a considerably low energy scale in spite of the severe constraints forming the observed [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] mixing and so on. An essential idea in Model A is in the so-called Sumino cancellation mechanism between quantum electrodynamics (QED) and FGB diagrams. However, Model A is not anomaly free and, besides, it causes effective interactions with [Formula: see text]. In order to avoid these problems, a revised Sumino model with an inverted mass hierarchy (Model B) has been proposed, but in this time, it cannot satisfy the Sumino cancellation mechanism exactly. In this paper, we propose a revised version of Model B, where the model still keeps anomaly free, but it can exactly satisfy the Sumino mechanism. An effect of the revised model will be confirmed by observations [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Rich gauge structures from a unitary approach of some massless gauge fields of spins one and two
Authors: Cioroianu Eugen-Mihaita
Published: March 2017

The aim of this paper consists in the investigation of both first- and second-order dynamics for a special massless tensor gauge field of degree [Formula: see text]. Geometrically, this can be interpreted as a bosonic (1-)form-valued [Formula: see text]-form that, in specific space–time dimensions, describes either spin-1 or spin 2 gauge fields. The idea of using multi-forms in describing general tensor gauge fields is not new. It was previously investigated at Lagrangian level[Formula: see text] where was displayed interesting exotic gauge theories. In arbitrary Minkowski space–times, the considered geometric object combines two tensor gauge fields with mixed symmetry namely a [Formula: see text]-form and a massless tensor gauge field with the mixed symmetry [Formula: see text]. Concretely, we first approach the bosonic (1-)form-valued [Formula: see text]-form from the Hamiltonian perspective, Dirac analysis revealing new compelling gauge structures. Second, we construct the Lagrangian first-order formulations for the considered geometric ingredient.
HPET: An Efficient Hybrid Power Estimation Technique to Improve High-Level Power Characterization
Authors: Nocua Alejandro , Virazel Arnaud , Bosio Alberto , Girard Patrick , Chevalier Cyril
Published: March 2017

High power consumption is a key factor hindering system-on-chip (SoC) performance. Accurate and efficient power models have to be introduced early in the design flow when most of the optimization potential is possible. However, early accuracy cannot be ensured because of the lack of precise knowledge of the final circuit structure. Current SoC design paradigm relies on intellectual property (IP) core reuse since low-level information about circuit components and structure is available. Thus, power estimation accuracy at the system level can be improved by using this information and developing an estimation methodology that fits IP cores power modeling needs. The main contribution of this paper is the development and validation of a hybrid power estimation technique (HPET), in which information coming from different abstraction levels is used to assess the power consumption in a fast and accurate manner. HPET is based on an effective characterization methodology of the technology library and an efficient hybrid power modeling approach. Experimental results, derived using HPET, have been validated on different benchmark circuits synthesized using the 28[Formula: see text]nm “fully depleted silicon on insulator” (FDSOI) technology. Experimental results show that in average we can achieve up to 68[Formula: see text] improvement in power estimation run-time while having transistor-level accuracy. For both analyzed power types (instantaneous and average), HPET results are well correlated with respect to the ones computed in SPECTRE and Primetime-PX. This demonstrates that HPET is an effective technique to enhance power macro-modeling creation at high abstraction levels.
Timing analysis in microlensing
Authors: Giordano Mosè , Nucita Achille A. , De Paolis Francesco , Ingrosso Gabriele
Published: March 2017

Timing analysis is a powerful tool used to determine periodic features of physical phenomena. Here we review two applications of timing analysis to gravitational microlensing events. The first one, in particular cases, allows the estimation of the orbital period of binary lenses, which in turn enables the breaking of degeneracies. The second one is a method to measure the rotation period of the lensed star by observing signatures due to stellar spots on its surface.
On the relationship between the planetary radius and the equilibrium temperature for transiting exoplanets
Authors: Mancini Luigi
Published: March 2017

Scaling laws have always played an important role in astronomy. They can give a general qualitative overview of common behaviors of many astrophysical objects, helping to understand the occurring physical processes. In the context of exoplanets, we study the possible correlation between (i) the planetary radius and the equilibrium temperature, [Formula: see text], and (ii) the planetary radius and the parent-star metallicity, [Formula: see text]. We considered a sample of transiting planets, for which their mass radius and equilibrium temperature are accurately determined. While we do not see any notable evidence of a correlation between [Formula: see text] and [Fe/H], the existence of a relationship between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is almost clear. We sub-divided our sample in different groups, based on their mass, and performed a least-squares regression of [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text] for each sub-sample of planets. We found that the [Formula: see text] relation results very tight for two groups of intermediate-massive gas planets (i.e. for [Formula: see text] in the range between 0.5–1.0[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] and 1.0–1.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]) and that the slope of the best-fitting line gradually increases from the group of very massive to those of less massive planets, up to reverse in the Neptunian–Super-Earth regime, which has a negative correlation.
Investigation of Sea Surface Effect on Shallow Water Reverberation by Coupled Mode Method
Authors: Gao Bo , Wang Ning , Wang Hao Zhong
Published: March 2017

The effects of rough sea surface on the long-range bottom reverberation in shallow seas are studied by the coupled mode reverberation theory. The scattering effect caused by irregular rough sea surface is described by couple coefficients. The decaying rules of long-range bottom reverberation level are simulated at different sea states, and the rough sea surface effect on the coherence of distant bottom reverberation is also discussed. It is indicated that irregular upper boundary has changed the propagation effect of the shallow water waveguide, and bottom reverberation, which is dominated among other kinds of reverberation in shallow water, is affected by the sea surface scattering as the increasing sea state. Compared with other literatures, the emphasis of this paper is to present the mechanism of rough sea surface scattering by describing the transfer of energy between different modes, and the details of energy transitions between different modes which are caused by sea surface scattering are presented for different sea states. With the increasing sea state, stronger mode coupling caused by surface scattering would affect the intensity and its space coherence of bottom reverberation obviously.
Reservoir Prediction Under Control of Sedimentary Facies
Authors: Yang Xiuwei , Zhu Peimin
Published: March 2017

Acoustic impedance (AI) from seismic inversion can indicate rock properties and can be used, when combined with rock physics, to predict reservoir parameters, such as porosity. Solutions to seismic inversion problem are almost nonunique due to the limited bandwidth of seismic data. Additional constraints from well log data and geology are needed to arrive at a reasonable solution. In this paper, sedimentary facies is used to reduce the uncertainty in inversion and rock physics modeling; the results not only agree with seismic data, but also conform to geology. A reservoir prediction method, which incorporates seismic data, well logs, rock physics and sedimentary facies, is proposed. AI was first derived by constrained sparse spike inversion (CSSI) using a sedimentary facies dependent low-frequency model, and then was transformed to reservoir parameters by sequential simulation, statistical rock physics and [Formula: see text]-model. Two numerical experiments using synthetic model and real data indicated that the sedimentary facies information may help to obtain a more reasonable prediction.
Analysis of Wave Scattering from a Viscoelastic Layer with Complex Shape
Authors: Favretto-Cristini Nathalie , Aizenberg Arkady M. , Ursin Bjørn , Cristini Paul , Tantsereva Anastasiya
Published: March 2017

The Discretized Kirchhoff Integral method has been recently tested against laboratory experiments using a model with surface curvatures and sharp edges generating wave diffraction effects. Comparisons between numerical and laboratory data have exhibited a good quantitative fit in terms of time arrivals and amplitudes, except in the vicinity of secondary shadow boundaries created by the interaction of the edges of some topographical structures. Following this work, the effect of multiple scattering and the surface curvatures on the wavefield is studied here, using the so-called diffraction attenuation coefficient, in order to define the cases where these effects may be neglected in the numerical modeling without loss of accuracy.
Climate Change: US Public Opinion
Authors: Egan Patrick J. , Mullin Megan
Published: March 2017

A review of research findings and polling data about Americans’ attitudes on climate change reveals a lack of meaningful long-term change in mass opinion. Instead, the structure of Americans’ attitudes toward belief in climate change's existence, concern about its consequences, and demand for policy response is similar to that regarding many other issues in contemporary US politics: stability in aggregate opinion that masks partisan and ideological polarization enhanced by communications from elites. But features of the climate change problem elicit some distinctive determinants of opinion, including individuals’ trust in science, risk processing, and personal experience. Although our review of the literature and data leaves us skeptical that majority opinion will spur elected officials anytime soon to undertake the costly solutions necessary to tackle this problem comprehensively at the national level, we identify several avenues by which attitudes might promote less substantial but nevertheless consequential policy action.
Police Are Our Government: Politics, Political Science, and the Policing of Race–Class Subjugated Communities
Authors: Soss Joe , Weaver Vesla
Published: March 2017

Against the backdrop of Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement, we ask what the American politics subfield has to say about the political lives of communities subjugated by race and class. We argue that mainstream research in this subfield—framed by images of representative democracy and Marshallian citizenship—has provided a rich portrait of what such communities lack in political life. Indeed, by focusing so effectively on their political marginalization, political scientists have ironically made such communities marginal to the subfield's account of American democracy and citizenship. In this article, we provide a corrective by focusing on what is present in the political lives of such communities. To redress the current imbalance and advance the understandings of race and class in American politics, we argue that studies of the liberal-democratic “first face” of the state must be complemented by greater attention to the state's more controlling “second face.” Focusing on policing, we seek to unsettle the mainstream of a subfield that rarely inquires into governmental practices of social control and the ways “race-class subjugated communities” are governed through coercion, containment, repression, surveillance, regulation, predation, discipline, and violence.
Measuring Public Opinion with Surveys
Authors: Berinsky Adam J.
Published: March 2017

How can we best gauge the political opinions of the citizenry? Since their emergence in the 1930s, opinion polls—or surveys—have become the dominant way to assess the public will. But even given the long history of polling, there is no agreement among political scientists on how to best measure public opinion through polls. This article is a call for political scientists to be more self-conscious about the choices we make when we attempt to measure public opinion with surveys in two realms. I first take up the question of whom to interview, discussing the major challenges survey researchers face when sampling respondents from the population of interest. I then discuss the level of specificity with which we can properly collect information about the political preferences of individuals. I focus on the types of question wording and item aggregation strategies researchers can use to accurately measure public opinion.
Immune checkpoint dysfunction in large and medium vessel vasculitis
Authors: Watanabe Ryu , Zhang Hui , Berry Gerald , Goronzy Jörg J. , Weyand Cornelia M.
Published: March 2017

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a granulomatous vasculitis of the aorta and its medium-sized branch vessels. CD4 T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs) build granulomatous infiltrates that injure the vessel wall and elicit a maladaptive response to injury. Pathological consequences include fragmentation of elastic membranes, destruction of the medial layer, microvascular neoangiogenesis, massive outgrowth of myofibroblasts, and lumen-occlusive intimal hyperplasia. Antigens have been suspected to drive the local activation of vasculitogenic CD4 T cells, but recent data have suggested a more generalized defect in the threshold setting of such T cells, rendering them hyperreactive. Under physiological conditions, immune checkpoints provide negative signals to curb T cell activation and prevent inflammation-associated tissue destruction. This protective mechanism is disrupted in GCA. Vessel wall DCs fail to express the immunoinhibitory ligand programmed cell death ligand-1, leaving lesional T cells unchecked. Consequently, programmed cell death protein-1-positive CD4 T cells can enter the immunoprivileged vessel wall, where they produce a broad spectrum of inflammatory cytokines (interferon-γ, IL-17, and IL-21) and have a direct role in driving intimal hyperplasia and intramural neoangiogenesis. The deficiency of the programmed cell death protein-1 immune checkpoint in GCA, promoting unopposed T cell immunity, contrasts with checkpoint hyperactivity in cancer patients in whom excessive programmed cell death ligand-1 expression paralyzes the function of antitumor T cells. Excessive checkpoint activity is the principle underlying cancer-immune evasion and is therapeutically targeted by immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. Such checkpoint inhibitors, which unleash anticancer T cells and induce immune-related toxicity, may lead to drug-induced vasculitis.
Hypoxia-mediated regulation of the secretory properties of mitral valve interstitial cells
Authors: Salhiyyah Kareem , Sarathchandra Padmini , Latif Najma , Yacoub Magdi H. , Chester Adrian H.
Published: March 2017

The sophisticated function of the mitral valve depends to a large extent on its extracellular matrix (ECM) and specific cellular components. These are tightly regulated by a repertoire of mechanical stimuli and biological pathways. One potentially important stimulus is hypoxia. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effect of hypoxia on the regulation of mitral valve interstitial cells (MVICs) with respect to the synthesis and secretion of extracellular matrix proteins. Hypoxia resulted in reduced production of total collagen and sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG) in cultured porcine MVICs. Increased gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases-1 and -9 and their tissue inhibitors 1 and 2 was also observed after incubation under hypoxic conditions for up to 24 h. Hypoxia had no effect on MVIC viability, morphology, or phenotype. MVICs expressed hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α under hypoxia. Stimulating HIF-1α chemically caused a reduction in the amount of sGAG produced, similar to the effect observed under hypoxia. Human rheumatic valves had greater expression of HIF-1α compared with normal or myxomatous degenerated valves. In conclusion, hypoxia affects the production of certain ECM proteins and expression of matrix remodeling enzymes by MVICs. The effects of hypoxia appear to correlate with the induction of HIF-1α. This study highlights a potential role of hypoxia and HIF-1α in regulating the mitral valve, which could be important in health and disease.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that hypoxia regulates extracellular matrix secretion and the remodeling potential of heart valve interstitial cells. Expression of hypoxia-induced factor-1α plays a role in these effects. These data highlight the potential role of hypoxia as a physiological mediator of the complex function of heart valve cells.
An ex vivo model to induce early fibrosis-like changes in human precision-cut lung slices
Authors: Alsafadi Hani N. , Staab-Weijnitz Claudia A. , Lehmann Mareike , Lindner Michael , Peschel Britta , Königshoff Melanie , Wagner Darcy E.
Published: March 2017

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating chronic interstitial lung disease (ILD) characterized by lung tissue scarring and high morbidity. Lung epithelial injury, myofibroblast activation, and deranged repair are believed to be key processes involved in disease onset and progression, but the exact molecular mechanisms behind IPF remain unclear. Several drugs have been shown to slow disease progression, but treatments that halt or reverse IPF progression have not been identified. Ex vivo models of human lung have been proposed for drug discovery, one of which is precision-cut lung slices (PCLS). Although PCLS production from IPF explants is possible, IPF explants are rare and typically represent end-stage disease. Here we present a novel model of early fibrosis-like changes in human PCLS derived from patients without ILD/IPF using a combination of profibrotic growth factors and signaling molecules (transforming growth factor-β, tumor necrosis factor-α, platelet-derived growth factor-AB, and lysophosphatidic acid). Fibrotic-like changes of PCLS were qualitatively analyzed by histology and immunofluorescence and quantitatively by water-soluble tetrazolium-1, RT-qPCR, Western blot analysis, and ELISA. PCLS remained viable after 5 days of treatment, and fibrotic gene expression ( FN1, SERPINE1, COL1A1, CTGF, MMP7, and ACTA2) increased as early as 24 h of treatment, with increases in protein levels at 48 h and increased deposition of extracellular matrix. Alveolar epithelium reprogramming was evident by decreases in surfactant protein C and loss of HOPX. In summary, using human-derived PCLS, we established a novel ex vivo model that displays characteristics of early fibrosis and could be used to evaluate novel therapies and study early-stage IPF pathomechanisms.
ω-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids accelerate airway repair by activating FFA4 in club cells
Authors: Lee Kyoung-Pil , Park Soo-Jin , Kang Saeromi , Koh Jung-Min , Sato Koichi , Chung Hae-Young , Okajima Fumikazu , Im Dong-Soon
Published: March 2017

A G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) named free fatty acid receptor 4 (FFA4, also known as GPR120) was found to act as a GPCR for ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its expression has been reported in lung epithelial club cells. We investigated whether supplementation of the ω-3 fatty acids benefits lung health. Omacor (7.75 mg/kg), clinically prescribed preparation of ω-3 fatty acids, and FFA4-knockout mice were utilized in a naphthalene-induced mouse model of acute airway injury (1 injection of 30 mg/kg ip). Naphthalene injection induced complete destruction of bronchiolar epithelial cells within a day. Appearance of bronchiolar epithelial cells was observed after 21 days in control mice. It was found, however, that supplementation of Omacor accelerated the recovery. The appearance of bronchiolar epithelial cells was observed between 7 and 14 days after naphthalene injury in Omacor-treated mice. In isolated club cells, ω-3 fatty acids were found to stimulate cell proliferation and migration but to inhibit cell differentiation. With the use of pharmacological tools and FFA4-knockout mice, FFA4 was found to be responsible for ω-3 fatty acids-induced proliferation in vitro in club cells. Furthermore, accelerated recovery from naphthalene-induced airway injury in Omacor-treated mice was not observed in FFA4-knockout mice in vivo. Present findings indicate that ω-3 fatty acids-induced proliferation of bronchiole epithelial cells through FFA4 is responsible for Omacor-induced accelerated recovery from airway injury. Therefore, intermittent administration of Omacor needs to be tested for acute airway injury because ω-3 fatty acids stimulate proliferation but inhibit differentiation of club cells.
Genomic and Epigenomic Heterogeneity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Lin De-Chen , Mayakonda Anand , Dinh Huy Q. , Huang Pinbo , Lin Lehang , Liu Xiaoping , Ding Ling-wen , Wang Jie , Berman Benjamin P. , Song Er-Wei , Yin Dong , Koeffler H. Phillip
Published: March 2017

Understanding the intratumoral heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma is instructive for developing personalized therapy and identifying molecular biomarkers. Here we applied whole-exome sequencing to 69 samples from 11 patients to resolve the genetic architecture of subclonal diversification. Spatial genomic diversity was found in all 11 hepatocellular carcinoma cases, with 29% of driver mutations being heterogeneous, including TERT, ARID1A, NOTCH2, and STAG2. Similar with other cancer types, TP53 mutations were always shared between all tumor regions, that is, located on the “trunk” of the evolutionary tree. In addition, we found that variants within several drug targets such as KIT, SYK, and PIK3CA were mutated in a fully clonal manner, indicating their therapeutic potentials for hepatocellular carcinoma. Temporal dissection of mutational signatures suggested that mutagenic processes associated with exposure to aristolochic acid and aflatoxin might play a more important role in early, as opposed to late, stages of hepatocellular carcinoma development. Moreover, we observed extensive intratumoral epigenetic heterogeneity in hepatocellular carcinoma based on multiple independent analytical methods and showed that intratumoral methylation heterogeneity might play important roles in the biology of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Our results also demonstrated prominent heterogeneity of intratumoral methylation even in a stable hepatocellular carcinoma genome. Together, these findings highlight widespread intratumoral heterogeneity at both the genomic and epigenomic levels in hepatocellular carcinoma and provide an important molecular foundation for better understanding the pathogenesis of this malignancy. Cancer Res; 77(9); 2255–65. ©2017 AACR.
Genomic Profiling of Patient-Derived Xenografts for Lung Cancer Identifies B2M Inactivation Impairing Immunorecognition
Authors: Pereira Carolina , Gimenez-Xavier Pol , Pros Eva , Pajares Maria J. , Moro Massimo , Gomez Antonio , Navarro Alejandro , Condom Enric , Moran Sebastian , Gomez-Lopez Gonzalo , Graña Osvaldo , Rubio-Camarillo Miriam , Martinez-Martí Alex , Yokota Jun , Carretero Julian , Galbis Jose M. , Nadal Ernest , Pisano David , Sozzi Gabriella , Felip Enriqueta , Montuenga Luis M. , Roz Luca , Villanueva Alberto , Sanchez-Cespedes Montse
Published: March 2017

Purpose: We aimed to maximize the performance of detecting genetic alterations in lung cancer using high-throughput sequencing for patient-derived xenografts (PDXs).

Experimental Design: We undertook an integrated RNA and whole-exome sequencing of 14 PDXs. We focused on the genetic and functional analysis of β2-microglobulin (B2M), a component of the HLA class-I complex.

Results: We identified alterations in genes involved in various functions, such as B2M involved in immunosurveillance. We extended the mutational analysis of B2M to about 230 lung cancers. Five percent of the lung cancers carried somatic mutations, most of which impaired the correct formation of the HLA-I complex. We also report that genes such as CALR, PDIA3, and TAP1, which are involved in the maturation of the HLA-I complex, are altered in lung cancer. By gene expression microarrays, we observed that restitution of B2M in lung cancer cells upregulated targets of IFNα/IFNγ. Furthermore, one third of the lung cancers lacked the HLA-I complex, which was associated with lower cytotoxic CD8+ lymphocyte infiltration. The levels of B2M and HLA-I proteins correlated with those of PD-L1. Finally, a deficiency in HLA-I complex and CD8+ infiltration tended to correlate with reduced survival of patients with lung cancer treated with anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1.

Conclusions: Here, we report recurrent inactivation of B2M in lung cancer. These observations, coupled with the mutations found at CALR, PDIA3, and TAP1, and the downregulation of the HLA-I complex, indicate that an abnormal immunosurveillance axis contributes to lung cancer development. Finally, our observations suggest that an impaired HLA-I complex affects the response to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 therapies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(12); 3203–13. ©2016 AACR.
Silencing of Anticoagulant Protein C Evokes Low-Incident but Spontaneous Atherothrombosis in Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice—Brief Report
Authors: Ouweneel Amber B. , Heestermans Marco , Verwilligen Robin A.F. , Gijbels Marion J.J. , Reitsma Pieter H. , Van Eck Miranda , van Vlijmen Bart J.M.
Published: March 2017

Objective—

Murine atherosclerosis models do not spontaneously develop atherothrombotic complications. We investigated whether disruption of natural anticoagulation allows preexisting atherosclerotic plaques to progress toward an atherothrombotic phenotype.

Approach and Results—

On lowering of plasma protein C levels with small interfering RNA (si
Proc
) in 8-week Western-type diet–fed atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E–deficient mice, 1 out of 4 mice displayed a large, organized, and fibrin- and leukocyte-rich thrombus on top of an advanced atherosclerotic plaque located in the aortic root. Although again at low incidence (3 in 25), comparable thrombi at the same location were observed during a second independent experiment in 9-week Western-type diet–fed apolipoprotein E–deficient mice. Mice with thrombi on their atherosclerotic plaques did not show other abnormalities and had equally lowered plasma protein C levels as si
Proc
-treated apolipoprotein E–deficient mice without thrombi. Fibrinogen and thrombin–antithrombin concentrations and blood platelet numbers were also comparable, and plaques in si
Proc
mice with thrombi had a similar composition and size as plaques in si
Proc
mice without thrombi. Seven out of 25 si
Proc
mice featured clots in the left atrium of the heart.

Conclusions—

Our findings indicate that small interfering RNA–mediated silencing of protein C in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice creates a condition that allows the occurrence of spontaneous atherothrombosis, albeit at a low incidence. Lowering natural anticoagulation in atherosclerosis models may help to discover factors that increase atherothrombotic complications.
Contextuality and Intercontextuality in Public Theology: On the Structure of Churches’ Public Engagement in South Africa and Germany
Authors: Fourie Willem , Meyer-Magister Hendrik
Published: March 2017

Contextuality and intercontextuality remain important themes in the burgeoning field of public theology. The authors employ a comparative and descriptive approach to contribute to this complex of themes. It is done by investigating and comparing the concrete ways in which churches in South Africa and Germany structure their public engagement. The authors find both significant similarities and differences and conclude with two consequences for reflection on contextuality and intercontextuality in the field of public theology.
A Note on Balaam’s Chimaera
Authors: Russell James R.
Published: March 2017

The Biblical tale of Balaam and his taking donkey was elaborated in the Babylonian Talmud: Balaam commits bestiality with the animal and this is accounted one of his failings as a pagan prophet, which accumulate as he tries and fails to curse the Children of Israel. This aspect of testing, probably transmitted by Jews of Iran and Sasanian Mesopotamia, probably becomes the source of an Iranian folk myth about a demonic ass called "mantrier". The myth enters Armenia from there and becomes a legend about the trial that a Christian holy man successfully overcomes.
Tabriz New Catholic Church: A Construction of Urban Constitutional Crisis (1908-1912)
Authors: Sadeghian Saghar
Published: March 2017

In 1910, parts of Iran were under Russian occupation. In the occupied northwestern city of Tabriz, the French Catholic mission began to build a new church, which today is one of the largest churches in the Middle East. Previous scholarship has not explored the history of this edifice. This article locates the establishment of this church in the urban history of Tabriz. It elucidates the geopolitical context of the city during a period of widespread social turmoil. Using an array of French and Persian archival documents, the paper narrates a story with crucial details about strangers becoming friends and friends collaborating with one another to build an urban construction in the midst of protest, revolution, and war.
The Anthropological Context of Euskaro-Caucasian
Authors: Bengtson John D.
Published: March 2017

The hypothesis that the Basque language is genetically related to languages in the Caucasus region was developed in the 20th century by respected scholars including C. C. Uhlenbeck, Georges Dumézil, and René Lafon, but has recently fallen into disfavour. The author defends the Euskaro-Caucasian hypothesis in a refined model in which Basque (Euskara) is most closely related to the North Caucasian language family (but not “South Caucasian” = Kartvelian). It is maintained that this hypothesis is not only linguistically convincing, supported by hundreds of basic etymologies, sound correspondences, and shared morphology, but is also consistent with recent results in archaeology and human genetics. Among the Euskaro-Caucasian etymologies is a significant number involving small and large cattle, swine, dairying, grain and pulse crops, and tools and methods of processing crops. These lexical fields are consistent with the spread of agriculture and animal husbandry to Western Europe by means of colonisation by bearers of the Cardial (Impressed Ware) Culture who came from the Anatolian (or possibly Balkan) region, and spoke a language related to Proto-North Caucasian. The well-known genetic distinctiveness of the Basques is a result of centuries of low population size, genetic drift and endogamy, rather than purely Paleolithic ancestry. The present-day Basque people represent a genetic amalgam of the Cardial colonists with indigenous hunter-gatherers, but their Euskaro-Caucasian language is colonial, not indigenous, in origin. Basque is the sole remaining descendant of the Euskaro-Caucasian family in Western Europe, but there is evidence (in the form of substratum words) that this colonial language was formerly more widely spread in other nearby regions (Sardinia, parts of Iberia, France, the Alps, Italy, the Balkans, and perhaps beyond).
Two new species of Lantana (Verbenaceae) from Brazil
Authors: SILVA TÂNIA REGINA DOS SANTOS , SALIMENA FÁTIMA REGINA GONÇALVES , LIMA CARLA TEIXEIRA
Published: March 2017

Two new species of Lantana are here described and illustrated. Lantana speciosa is endemic to the campos rupestres of the Espinhaço Range in Bahia and Minas Gerais, whilst Lantana restingensis is endemic to the restingas of the Atlantic forest in the state of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil. Comparative tables of morphologically similar and sympatric Lantana species are provided.
Bulbostylis cangae, a new species of Cyperaceae from Northern Brazil (Serra dos Carajás, Pará State)
Authors: NUNES CLEBIANA DE SÁ , MOTA NARA FURTADO DE OLIVEIRA , VIANA PEDRO LAGE , GIL ANDRÉ DOS SANTOS BRAGANÇA
Published: March 2017

Bulbostylis cangae is a new species of Cyperaceae, thus far only known for the cangas of the Serra dos Carajás (Pará State, Brazil), herein described and illustrated. We provide a detailed description, taxonomic comments, distribution data, habitat, and conservation status of the species. Bulbostylis cangae is characterized mainly by presenting a thickened base, forming a caudex covered by persistent senescent sheaths. The new species is morphologically similar to Bulbostylis medusae, but differs by presenting trichomes on the sheath apex castaneous, glumes membranaceous, cordiform achene and discoid stylopodium.
An annotated type catalogue of the anguid, dibamid, scincid and varanid lizards in the Department of Herpetology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (Reptilia: Sauria: Anguidae, Dibamidae, Scincidae and Varanidae)
Authors: BARABANOV ANDREI , MILTO KONSTANTIN
Published: March 2017

A complete catalogue is provided for the type specimens of anguid, dibamid, scincid and varanid lizards in the herpetological collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (ZISP), as of January 2017. The collection contains a total of 170 type specimens, representing 50 taxa in the four lizard families under consideration. Thirty-one of these taxa are regarded currently as valid. The types of four taxa (one holotype, one lectotype and two paralectotypes) could not be located in the ZISP collections in January 2017. A majority of the types are skinks (43 taxa, 155 types), many of which were described by the late Ilya Darevsky (1924–2009).
Cobitis keyvani, a junior synonym of Cobitis faridpaki (Teleostei: Cobitidae)
Authors: JOULADEH-ROUDBAR ARASH , EAGDERI SOHEIL , SAYYADZADEH GOLNAZ , ESMAEILI HAMID REZA
Published: March 2017

The validity of C. keyvani and C. faridpaki is assessed based on morphological and molecular (COI) data from fishes collected from the type localities of both species. No diagnostic character was found to distinguish both species. Therefore, we treat C. keyvani as a junior synonym of C. faridpaki.
Resurgent Triads? Democratic mobilization and organized crime in Hong Kong
Authors: Varese Federico , Wong Rebecca WY
Published: March 2017

On 3 October 2014, peaceful pro-democracy protestors were attacked by thugs in Mong Kok, a working-class neighbourhood of Hong Kong. Using this event, we explore whether the attackers came from the same neighbourhood and mobilized to protect their illegal business activities, and whether the attackers were affiliated to the Triads. We conclude that the attackers were low-level Triads affiliates from outside Mong Kok and were paid to attack the protesters. While several scholars have suggested that Triads are in inexorable decline in post-1997 Hong Kong, we suggest that they might have found a new role as enforcer of unpopular policies and repression of democratic protests in the context of a drift towards authoritarianism in Hong Kong. The paper is based on field interviews with Triad members, businesspeople and activists, and on press reports and official documents.
Hospitalization for Failure to Thrive: A Prospective Descriptive Report
Authors: Larson-Nath Catherine , St Clair Nicole , Goday Praveen
Published: March 2017

Failure to thrive (FTT) is a common symptom leading to hospitalization of children. Most literature describing this population is from 30 years ago. Since that time the hospitalized population has become more medically complex. We aimed to describe children hospitalized for FTT in a tertiary care pediatric hospital. We prospectively collected demographic, anthropometric, evaluation, and outcome data for 92 consecutive children admitted with FTT. The majority of children grew with behavioral interventions alone (primary nonorganic FTT) and had negative evaluation (n = 63). Children with primary organic FTT had longer hospital stays (7 vs 4 days; P < .001) and lower daily weight gain (35 vs 58 g/d; P < .001). Laboratory, radiological, and endoscopic evaluation rarely led to a diagnostic etiology of FTT in hospitalized children. We conclude that children hospitalized with FTT should be observed for weight gain prior to pursuing diagnostic investigation.
Accountability and secrecy in the Australian Intelligence Community: the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security
Authors: Bolto Richard
Published: March 2017

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is a significant, evolving and little-known accountability mechanism. As the basis of a case study, publicly available committee documents offer valuable insights into accountability practices within an unusual area of government. These documents highlight a range of accountability exchanges and broader relationships, as well as some of their defining features. Exploring critical institutional factors requires conceptual clarity about accountability and what makes it effective or ineffective. An accountability forum can thus be examined as a social mechanism through which the key stages of accountability unfold, at least in theory. Secrecy is a potentially significant intervening variable in this case, but by applying democratic and constitutional perspectives on accountability, some more general strengths and weaknesses are evident.

Points for practitioners

While this institution and the Australian Intelligence Community are distinctive and interesting, empirical and normative understandings are limited. The relationship between accountability and secrecy is also significant but not particularly well understood. Accountability studies tend to have a strong conceptual focus, although some scholars have explored ‘good’ or ‘poor’ accountability. Focused on developing an evaluative framework concerning accountability within a secretive context, this study aims to contribute to these knowledge gaps, institutional concepts of accountability and emerging empirical work.
Monitoring homogeneity of textile fiber orientation
Authors: Tunák Maroš , Antoch Jaromír
Published: March 2017

Replacement of human control by robotic control is one of the key issues in the textile industry, because it is generally believed that it can decrease the costs of producers on the one hand and increase the satisfaction of clients on the other side. Therefore, this paper deals with the proposal of monitoring homogeneity in fibrous systems when the attention is focused on keeping prescribed directional orientation of fibers. The first part concentrates on the estimation of the orientation of fibers in fibrous systems when the information comes from scanned images of the material. Emphasis is on the use of 2D Fourier transform and a local approach based on idea “conquer and rule”. Such a local approach appears crucial for a proposal how to detect eventual defects, random violation of structural regularity, and such like, when statistical testing of fit is used as a tool. To illustrate the method, it was necessary to prepare data with a prescribed form and orientation of fibers. To that purpose we developed algorithms enabling us to simulate images imitating typical textile fibrous systems with prescribed properties, both containing and not containing defects. Linear and highly nonlinear fibers can be generated. The paper is of a methodological nature, and most of conclusions are based on the analysis of simulated data. Experimental verification of the suggested method is in progress.
Application of atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization for soil guard finishing of textiles
Authors: Gotoh Keiko , Shohbuke Eriko , Ryu Gyohni
Published: March 2017

Surface coating by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) polymerization was employed to achieve soil guard protection of textiles. Hexamethyldisiloxane was chosen as a precursor for depositing silicon oxide layers on the fiber surface. Plain-woven polyester and rayon filament fabrics and a geometrically simple poly (ethylene terephthalate) film were used as substrates, which were treated by the APPJ polymerization and by the commonly used two fluorochemical resins for comparison. The samples subjected to the APPJ polymerization showed superior water repellency as compared to the resin-treated samples. Interestingly, the APPJ polymerization provided oleophobicity to diiodomethane and oleophilicity to hexadecane. The deposition of model particulate soils, carbon black and red clay, on the fabrics and the film was evaluated by the surface reflectance method and by microscope image analysis, respectively. It was found that the APPJ polymerization remarkably prevented soil deposition as compared to the treatment with two fluorochemical resins. Contrary to our expectations, the APPJ polymerization did not significantly affect the removal of the particulate soils from the substrates by aqueous cleaning.
The fire retardant properties and pyrolysis mechanism of polysulfonamide (PSA) fibers
Authors: Zhang Xiansheng , Tang Xiaoning , Wang Ran , Wang Rui , Yan Xiong , Shi Meiwu
Published: March 2017

In the present work, the fire retardant properties and pyrolysis mechanism of polysulfonamide (PSA) fibers were investigated by cone calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The fire retardant behaviors were reflected by the cone calorimeter data under heat fluxes of 35, 50, and 75 kW/m2. This demonstrated that, when exposed to higher heat flux, PSA fibers were ignited easier and burned more completely, indicated by lower time to ignition and higher peak heat release rate. It was further confirmed from the morphology of the residual chars that the original fiber shape can be kept at lower heat flux, but it changed into coherent carbonaceous chars with holes at higher heat flux. In comparison of the FTIR spectra of raw fibers with residual chars, it was noticed that upon heating, the amide linkage was more liable to be broken than that of sulfone groups. Additionally, with elevated heat flux, most of the absorption bands vanished and transformed into the typical feature of carbonaceous material. The pyrolysis products showed that some volatile products with small molecular weight, such as benzene, benzonitrile, and aniline, can be created at high temperature, which can be easily ignited. With this research, the fire retardant properties of PSA fibers are revealed and the corresponding pyrolysis mechanism is proposed, which can guide its application in practice.
Adolescent Girls Finding Purpose: The Role of Parents and Prosociality
Authors: Liang Belle , Lund Terese , Mousseau Angela , White Allison E. , Spencer Renée , Walsh Jill
Published: March 2017

Scholars have differentiated other-oriented (OO) purpose (i.e., a personally meaningful life aim intended to contribute to the world beyond the self) and self-oriented (SO) purpose (i.e., a personally meaningful life aim without intention to contribute beyond the self). OO purpose is associated with adolescent thriving, yet little is known about how to cultivate it. In a study of 207 adolescent girls, we examined how positive parent–adolescent relationships may contribute to developing OO versus SO purpose; we also tested whether the association between parent–adolescent relationships and OO purpose was mediated by prosocial behavior.
Medicare Expenditures Associated With Hospital and Emergency Department Use Among Beneficiaries With Dementia
Authors: Daras Laura Coots , Feng Zhanlian , Wiener Joshua M. , Kaganova Yevgeniya
Published: March 2017

Understanding expenditure patterns for hospital and emergency department (ED) use among individuals with dementia is crucial to controlling Medicare spending. We analyzed Health and Retirement Study data and Medicare claims, stratified by beneficiaries’ residence and proximity to death, to estimate Medicare expenditures for all-cause and potentially avoidable hospitalizations and ED visits. Analysis was limited to the Medicare fee-for-service population age 65 and older. Compared with people without dementia, community residents with dementia had higher average expenditures for hospital and ED services; nursing home residents with dementia had lower average expenditures for all-cause hospitalizations. Decedents with dementia had lower expenditures than those without dementia in the last year of life. Medicare expenditures for individuals with and without dementia vary by residential setting and proximity to death. Results highlight the importance of addressing the needs specific to the population with dementia. There are many initiatives to reduce hospital admissions, but few focus on people with dementia.