bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reliability of a Novel CBCT‐Based 3D Classification System for Maxillary Canine Impactions in Orthodontics: The KPG Index
Authors: Dalessandri Domenico , Migliorati Marco , Rubiano Rachele , Visconti Luca , Contardo Luca , Di Lenarda Roberto , Martin Conchita
Published: October 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate both intra‐ and interoperator reliability of a radiological three‐dimensional classification system (KPG index) for the assessment of degree of difficulty for orthodontic treatment of maxillary canine impactions. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of fifty impacted canines, obtained using three different scanners (NewTom, Kodak, and Planmeca), were classified using the KPG index by three independent orthodontists. Measurements were repeated one month later. Based on these two sessions, several recommendations on KPG Index scoring were elaborated. After a joint calibration session, these recommendations were explained to nine orthodontists and the two measurement sessions were repeated. There was a moderate intrarater agreement in the precalibration measurement sessions. After the calibration session, both intra‐ and interrater agreement were almost perfect. Indexes assessed with Kodak Dental Imaging 3D module software showed a better reliability in z‐axis values, whereas indexes assessed with Planmeca Romexis software showed a better reliability in x‐ and y‐axis values. No differences were found between the CBCT scanners used. Taken together, these findings indicate that the application of the instructions elaborated during this study improved KPG index reliability, which was nevertheless variously influenced by the use of different software for images evaluation.
Vulvar Fibroadenoma with Lactational Changes in Ectopic Breast Tissue
Authors: Lev-Cohain Naama , Kapur Payal , Pedrosa Ivan
Published: October 2013

Ectopic breast tissue represents any type of breast tissue found outside its normal location in the pectoral region. The second most common location for ectopic breast tissue after axilla is the vulvar region. We present a case of a healthy 20-year-old female, G1P1, who presented to the Emergency Department with a sudden increase in size of a painful mass located in her vulva, which started 4 days after a spontaneous vaginal delivery and 3 days after initiation of breast-feeding of her newborn. She reported a stable, smaller, painless mass in the same location for almost 2 years prior to this episode. After surgical excision, a fibroadenoma with lactation changes within ectopic breast tissue was confirmed.
Enhanced Cognitive Walkthrough: Development of the Cognitive Walkthrough Method to Better Predict, Identify, and Present Usability Problems
Authors: Bligård Lars-Ola , Osvalder Anna-Lisa
Published: October 2013

To avoid use errors when handling medical equipment, it is important to develop products with a high degree of usability. This can be achieved by performing usability evaluations in the product development process to detect and mitigate potential usability problems. A commonly used method is cognitive walkthrough (CW), but this method shows three weaknesses: poor high-level perspective, insufficient categorisation of detected usability problems, and difficulties in overviewing the analytical results. This paper presents a further development of CW with the aim of overcoming its weaknesses. The new method is called enhanced cognitive walkthrough (ECW). ECW is a proactive analytical method for analysis of potential usability problems. The ECW method has been employed to evaluate user interface designs of medical equipment such as home-care ventilators, infusion pumps, dialysis machines, and insulin pumps. The method has proved capable of identifying several potential use problems in designs.
The Rate of Decolorization of a Radical Ion Reagent Was Used to Determine the Phenolic Content of Various Food Extracts
Authors: Bradley Arthur
Published: October 2013

Polyphenols are among the most valuable and widely studied food components. In the laboratory, they are readily extractable with aqueous alcohol. An aliquot rapidly decolorizes a measured portion of ABTS, a stable deep blue radical ion. The semilog plot of light absorption versus time is typically a straight line, and an immediately evident slope provides rapid classification in terms of gallic acid equivalents. Experimental data are presented to show general agreement with the literature. The disproportionate concentration of antioxidant in the skins and peels of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is given special attention.
ΔNp63 Promotes Pediatric Neuroblastoma and Osteosarcoma by Regulating Tumor Angiogenesis
Authors: Bid Hemant K. , Roberts Ryan D. , Cam Maren , Audino Anthony , Kurmasheva Raushan T. , Lin Jiayuh , Houghton Peter J. , Cam Hakan
Published: October 2013

The tumor suppressor gene p53 and its family members p63/p73 are critical determinants of tumorigenesis. ΔNp63 is a splice variant of p63, which lacks the N-terminal transactivation domain. It is thought to antagonize p53-, p63-, and p73-dependent translation, thus blocking their tumor suppressor activity. In our studies of the pediatric solid tumors neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma, we find overexpression of ΔNp63; however, there is no correlation of ΔNp63 expression with p53 mutation status. Our data suggest that ΔNp63 itself endows cells with a gain-of-function that leads to malignant transformation, a function independent of any p53 antagonism. Here, we demonstrate that ΔNp63 overexpression, independent of p53, increases secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, leading to elevated phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr-705). We show that elevated phosphorylation of STAT3 leads to stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) protein, resulting in VEGF secretion. We also show human clinical data, which suggest a mechanistic role for ΔNp63 in osteosarcoma metastasis. In summary, our studies reveal the mechanism by which ΔNp63, as a master transcription factor, modulates tumor angiogenesis. Cancer Res; 74(1); 320–9. ©2013 AACR.
PTEN Loss Mitigates the Response of Medulloblastoma to Hedgehog Pathway Inhibition
Authors: Metcalfe Ciara , Alicke Bruno , Crow Ailey , Lamoureux Marlea , Dijkgraaf Gerrit J.P. , Peale Franklin , Gould Stephen E. , de Sauvage Frederic J.
Published: October 2013

Medulloblastoma is a cancer of the cerebellum, for which there is currently no approved targeted therapy. Recent transcriptomics approaches have demonstrated that medulloblastoma is composed of molecularly distinct subgroups, one of which is characterized by activation of the Hedgehog pathway, which in mouse models is sufficient to drive medulloblastoma development. There is thus considerable interest in targeting the Hedgehog pathway for therapeutic benefit in medulloblastoma, particularly given the recent approval of the Hedgehog pathway inhibitor vismodegib for metastatic and locally advanced basal cell carcinoma. Like other molecularly targeted therapies, however, there have been reports of acquired resistance to vismodegib, driven by secondary Hedgehog pathway mutations and potentially by activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Given that acquired resistance to vismodegib may occur as a result of inappropriate PI3K pathway activation, we asked if loss of the PI3K pathway regulator, phosphatase and tensin homologue (Pten), which has been reported to occur in patients within the Hedgehog subgroup, would constitute a mechanism of innate resistance to vismodegib in Hedgehog-driven medulloblastoma. We find that Hedgehog pathway inhibition successfully restrains growth of Pten-deficient medulloblastoma in this mouse model, but does not drive tumor regression, as it does in Pten-wild-type medulloblastoma. Combined inhibition of the Hedgehog and PI3K pathways may lead to superior antitumor activity in PTEN-deficient medulloblastoma in the clinic. Cancer Res; 73(23); 7034–42. ©2013 AACR.
TLR9 Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment Initiates Cancer Recurrence after Radiotherapy
Authors: Gao Chan , Kozlowska Anna , Nechaev Sergey , Li Haiqing , Zhang Qifang , Hossain Dewan M.S. , Kowolik Claudia M. , Chu Peiguo , Swiderski Piotr , Diamond Don J. , Pal Sumanta K. , Raubitschek Andrew , Kortylewski Marcin
Published: October 2013

Cancer radiotherapy may be immunogenic, but it is unclear why its immunogenic effects are rarely sufficient to prevent tumor recurrence. Here, we report a novel Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9)–dependent mechanism that initiates tumor regrowth after local radiotherapy. Systemic inhibition of TLR9, but not TLR4, delayed tumor recurrence in mouse models of B16 melanoma, MB49 bladder cancer, and CT26 colon cancer after localized high-dose tumor irradiation. Soluble factors in the microenvironment of regressing tumors triggered TLR9 signaling in freshly recruited myeloid cells appearing within four days of radiotherapy. The tumorigenic effects of TLR9 depended on MyD88/NF-κB–mediated upregulation of interleukin (IL)-6 expression, which in turn resulted in downstream activation of Jak/STAT3 signaling in myeloid cells. In comparing global gene expression in wild-type, TLR9-, or STAT3-deficient myeloid cells derived from irradiated tumors, we identified a unique set of TLR9/STAT3–regulated genes involved in tumor-promoting inflammation and revascularization. Blocking STAT3 function by two myeloid-specific genetic strategies corrected TLR9-mediated cancer recurrence after radiotherapy. Our results suggest that combining localized tumor irradiation with myeloid cell–specific inhibition of TLR9/STAT3 signaling may help eliminate radioresistant cancers. Cancer Res; 73(24); 7211–21. ©2013 AACR.
A Circadian Clock Transcription Model for the Personalization of Cancer Chronotherapy
Authors: Li Xiao-Mei , Mohammad-Djafari Ali , Dumitru Mircea , Dulong Sandrine , Filipski Elisabeth , Siffroi-Fernandez Sandrine , Mteyrek Ali , Scaglione Francesco , Guettier Catherine , Delaunay Franck , Lévi Francis
Published: October 2013

Circadian timing of anticancer medications has improved treatment tolerability and efficacy several fold, yet with intersubject variability. Using three C57BL/6-based mouse strains of both sexes, we identified three chronotoxicity classes with distinct circadian toxicity patterns of irinotecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor active against colorectal cancer. Liver and colon circadian 24-hour expression patterns of clock genes Rev-erbα and Bmal1 best discriminated these chronotoxicity classes, among 27 transcriptional 24-hour time series, according to sparse linear discriminant analysis. An 8-hour phase advance was found both for Rev-erbα and Bmal1 mRNA expressions and for irinotecan chronotoxicity in clock-altered Per2m/m mice. The application of a maximum-a-posteriori Bayesian inference method identified a linear model based on Rev-erbα and Bmal1 circadian expressions that accurately predicted for optimal irinotecan timing. The assessment of the Rev-erbα and Bmal1 regulatory transcription loop in the molecular clock could critically improve the tolerability of chemotherapy through a mathematical model–based determination of host-specific optimal timing. Cancer Res; 73(24); 7176–88. ©2013 AACR.
APOBEC3B Upregulation and Genomic Mutation Patterns in Serous Ovarian Carcinoma
Authors: Leonard Brandon , Hart Steven N. , Burns Michael B. , Carpenter Michael A. , Temiz Nuri A. , Rathore Anurag , Vogel Rachel I. , Nikas Jason B. , Law Emily K. , Brown William L. , Li Ying , Zhang Yuji , Maurer Matthew J. , Oberg Ann L. , Cunningham Julie M. , Shridhar Viji , Bell Debra A. , April Craig , Bentley David , Bibikova Marina , Cheetham R. Keira , Fan Jian-Bing , Grocock Russell , Humphray Sean , Kingsbury Zoya , Peden John , Chien Jeremy , Swisher Elizabeth M. , Hartmann Lynn C. , Kalli Kimberly R. , Goode Ellen L. , Sicotte Hugues , Kaufmann Scott H. , Harris Reuben S.
Published: October 2013

Ovarian cancer is a clinically and molecularly heterogeneous disease. The driving forces behind this variability are unknown. Here, we report wide variation in the expression of the DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B, with elevated expression in the majority of ovarian cancer cell lines (three SDs above the mean of normal ovarian surface epithelial cells) and high-grade primary ovarian cancers. APOBEC3B is active in the nucleus of several ovarian cancer cell lines and elicits a biochemical preference for deamination of cytosines in 5′-TC dinucleotides. Importantly, examination of whole-genome sequence from 16 ovarian cancers reveals that APOBEC3B expression correlates with total mutation load as well as elevated levels of transversion mutations. In particular, high APOBEC3B expression correlates with C-to-A and C-to-G transversion mutations within 5′-TC dinucleotide motifs in early-stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer genomes, suggesting that APOBEC3B-catalyzed genomic uracil lesions are further processed by downstream DNA "repair" enzymes including error-prone translesion polymerases. These data identify a potential role for APOBEC3B in serous ovarian cancer genomic instability. Cancer Res; 73(24); 7222–31. ©2013 AACR.
Hematopoietic Expression of Oncogenic BRAF Promotes Aberrant Growth of Monocyte-Lineage Cells Resistant to PLX4720
Authors: Kamata Tamihiro , Dankort David , Kang Jing , Giblett Susan , Pritchard Catrin A. , McMahon Martin , Leavitt Andrew D.
Published: October 2013

Mutational activation of BRAF leading to expression of the BRAFV600E oncoprotein was recently identified in a high percentage of specific hematopoietic neoplasms in monocyte/histiocyte and mature B-cell lineages. Although BRAFV600E is a driver oncoprotein and pharmacologic target in solid tumors such as melanoma, lung, and thyroid cancer, it remains unknown whether BRAFV600E is an appropriate therapeutic target in hematopoietic neoplasms. To address this critical question, we generated a mouse model expressing inducible BRAFV600E in the hematopoietic system, and evaluated the efficacy of pathway-targeted therapeutics against primary hematopoietic cells. In this model, BRAFV600E expression conferred cytokine-independent growth to monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors leading to aberrant in vivo and in vitro monocyte/macrophage expansion. Furthermore, transplantation of BRAFV600E-expressing bone marrow cells promoted an in vivo pathology most notable for monocytosis in hematopoietic tissues and visceral organs. In vitro analysis revealed that MAP–ERK kinase inhibition, but not RAF inhibition, effectively suppressed cytokine-independent clonal growth of monocyte/macrophage-lineage progenitors. However, combined RAF and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibition effectively inhibited cytokine-independent colony formation, suggesting autocrine PI3K pathway activation. Taken together, these results provide evidence that constitutively activated BRAFV600E drives aberrant proliferation of monocyte-lineage cells.

Implications: This study supports the development of pathway-targeted therapeutics in the treatment of BRAFV600E-expressing hematopoietic neoplasms in the monocyte/histiocyte lineage. Mol Cancer Res; 11(12); 1530–41. ©2013 AACR.
A Multiantigen Vaccine Targeting Neu, IGFBP-2, and IGF-IR Prevents Tumor Progression in Mice with Preinvasive Breast Disease
Authors: Disis Mary L. , Gad Ekram , Herendeen Daniel R. , Lai Vy Phan- , Park Kyong Hwa , Cecil Denise L. , O'Meara Megan M. , Treuting Piper M. , Lubet Ronald A.
Published: October 2013

A multiantigen multipeptide vaccine, targeting proteins expressed in preinvasive breast lesions, can stimulate type I CD4+ T cells which have been shown to be deficient in both patients with breast cancer and mice that develop mammary tumors. Transgenic mice (TgMMTV-neu) were immunized with a multiantigen peptide vaccine specific for neu, insulin—like growth factor-binding protein 2 and insulin-like growth factor receptor-I at a time when some of the animals already had preinvasive lesions (18 weeks of age). Although immunization with each individual antigen was partially effective in inhibiting tumor growth, immunization with the multiantigen vaccine was highly effective, blocking development of palpable lesions in 65% of mice and slowing tumor growth in the infrequent palpable tumors, which did arise. Protection was mediated by CD4+ T cells, and the few slow-growing tumors that did develop demonstrated a significant increase in intratumoral CD8+ T cells as compared with controls (P = 0.0007). We also combined the vaccine with agents that were, by themselves, partially effective inhibitors of tumor progression in this model; lapatinib and the RXR agonist bexarotene. Although the combination of lapatinib and vaccination performed similarly to vaccination alone (P = 0.735), bexarotene and vaccination significantly enhanced disease-free survival (P < 0.0001), and approximately 90% of the mice showed no pathologic evidence of carcinomas at one year. The vaccine also demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in an additional transgenic model of breast cancer (TgC3(I)-Tag). Chemoimmunoprevention combinations may be an effective approach to breast cancer prevention even when the vaccine is administered in the presence of subclinical disease. Cancer Prev Res; 6(12); 1273–82. ©2013 AACR.
Incidental Discovery of Testicular Microlithiasis: What Is the Importance of Ultrasound Surveillance Two Case Reports
Authors: Barchetti F. , De Marco V. , Barchetti G. , Pasqualitto E. , Sartori A. , Glorioso M. , Gigli S. , Megna V. , Montechiarello S. , Boncore V. , Stagnitti A.
Published: October 2013

Many studies have demonstrated an association between diffuse bilateral testicular microlithiasis (TM) and gonadal and extragonadal germ cell tumors. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain whether ultrasound surveillance is really necessary in patients with TM in the absence of other risk factors such as previous testicular cancer, a history of cryptorchidism or testicular atrophy. We report the cases of a 33- and a 39-year-old man presenting with a retroperitoneal extragonadal tumor. The first patient underwent an MRI examination in order to rule out a lumbosacral hernia: MRI images showed no slipped disks but a voluminous retroperitoneal solid mass. The histological analysis revealed an immature teratoma. The second patient came to the emergency department complaining of abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss and mild jaundice: ultrasound examination showed a large, ill-defined heterogeneous abdominal mass, confirmed by CT and MRI examination. The histology diagnosed a yolk sac tumor. In both patients, the testicular sonography was performed to rule out a focal lesion, but it displayed bilateral TM without a focal testicular mass. Based on our direct experience, we highlight the importance of annual ultrasonographic surveillance of the testis and the retroperitoneal space in patients with occasionally detected TM.
Ticagrelor versus prasugrel in diabetic patients with an acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Laine Marc , Frere Corinne , Toesca Richard , Berbis Julie , Barnay Pierre , Pansieri Michel , Michelet Pierre , Bessereau Jacques , Camilleri Elise , Ronsin Olivia , Helal Olfa , Paganelli Franck , Dignat-George Françoise , Bonello Laurent
Published: October 2013

Optimal P2Y12 receptor blockade is critical to prevent ischaemic recurrence in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aimed to compare the level of platelet reactivity (PR) inhibition achieved by prasugrel and ticagrelor loading dose (LD) in diabetic acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing PCI. We performed a single-center prospective open-label randomised trial. Patients with diabetes mellitus undergoing PCI for an ACS were randomised to receive prasugrel 60 mg or ticagrelor 180 mg. The primary endpoint of the study was the level of platelet reactivity (PR) assessed between 6 and 18 hours post-LD using the VASP index. We randomised 100 diabetic patients undergoing PCI for an ACS. No difference was observed in baseline characteristics between the two groups. In particular, the rate of patient receiving insulin therapy was identical (25 vs 28.6%; p =0.7). Ticagrelor achieved a significantly lower PR compared to prasugrel loading dose (17.3 ± 14.2 vs 27.7 ± 23.3%; p=0.009). In addition the rate of high on-treatment platelet reactivity, defined by a VASP ≥50%, tend to be lower in the ticagrelor group although the difference did not reach statistical significance (6 vs 16%; p=0.2). The rate of low on treatment PR was identical (60 vs 54%; p=0.8). The present study demonstrates that ticagrelor LD is superior to prasugrel LD to reduce PR in ACS patients with diabetes mellitus. Whether the higher potency of ticagrelor could translate into a clinical benefit should be investigated.
A model-based analysis of the clinical and economic impact of personalising P2Y12-receptor inhibition with platelet function testing in acute coronary syndrome patients
Authors: Straub Niels , Beivers Andreas , Lenk Ekaterina , Aradi Daniel , Sibbing Dirk
Published: October 2013

Although some observational studies reported that the measured level of P2Y12-inhibition is predictive for thrombotic events, the clinical and economic benefit of incorporating PFT to personalize P2Y12-receptor directed antiplatelet treatment is unknown. Here, we assessed the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of selecting P2Y12-inhibitors based on platelet function testing (PFT) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing PCI. A decision model was developed to analyse the health economic effects of different strategies. PFT-guided treatment was compared with the three options of general clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor treatment. In the PFT arm, low responders to clopidogrel received prasugrel, while normal responders carried on with clopidogrel. The associated endpoints in the model were cardiovascular death, stent thrombosis and major bleeding. With a simulated cohort of 10,000 patients treated for one year, there were 93 less events in the PFT arm compared to general clopidogrel. In prasugrel and ticagrelor arms, 110 and 86 events were prevented compared to clopidogrel treatment, respectively. The total expected costs (including event costs, drug costs and PFT costs) for generic clopidogrel therapy were US$ 1,059/patient. In the PFT arm, total costs were US$ 1,494, while in the prasugrel and ticagrelor branches they were US$ 3,102 and US$ 3,771, respectively. The incrementalcost- effectiveness-ratio (ICER) was US$ 46,770 for PFT-guided therapy, US$ 185,783 for prasugrel and US$ 315,360 for ticagrelor. In this model-based analysis, a PFT-guided therapy may have fewer adverse outcomes than general treatment with clopidogrel and may be more cost-effective than prasugrel or ticagrelor treatment in ACS patients undergoing PCI.
Plasma Free H
2
S Levels are Elevated in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Peter Elvis A. , Shen Xinggui , Shah Shivang H. , Pardue Sibile , Glawe John D. , Zhang Wayne W. , Reddy Pratap , Akkus Nuri I. , Varma Jai , Kevil Christopher G.
Published: October 2013

Background

Hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S) has been implicated in regulating cardiovascular pathophysiology in experimental models. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the levels of H
2
S in health and cardiovascular disease. In this study we examine the levels of H
2
S in patients with cardiovascular disease as well as bioavailability of nitric oxide and inflammatory indicators.

Methods and Results

Patients over the age of 40 undergoing coronary or peripheral angiography were enrolled in the study. Ankle brachial index (
ABI
) measurement, measurement of plasma‐free H
2
S and total nitric oxide (
NO
), thrombospondin‐1 (
TSP
‐1), Interleukin‐6 (
IL
‐6), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (s
ICAM
‐1) levels were performed. Patients with either coronary artery disease alone (n=66), peripheral arterial disease (
PAD
) alone (n=13), or any vascular disease (n=140) had higher plasma‐free H
2
S levels compared to patients without vascular disease (n=53). Plasma‐free H
2
S did not distinguish between disease in different vascular beds; however, total
NO
levels were significantly reduced in
PAD
patients and the ratio of plasma free H
2
S to
NO
was significantly greater in patients with
PAD
. Lastly, plasma
IL
‐6,
ICAM
‐1, and
TSP
‐1 levels did not correlate with H
2
S or
NO
bioavailability in either vascular disease condition.

Conclusions

Findings reported in this study reveal that plasma‐free H
2
S levels are significantly elevated in vascular disease and identify a novel inverse relationship with
NO
bioavailability in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
01407172.
Prokineticin Receptor‐1 Is a New Regulator of Endothelial Insulin Uptake and Capillary Formation to Control Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular and Kidney Functions
Authors: Dormishian Mojdeh , Turkeri Gulen , Urayama Kyoji , Nguyen Thu Lan , Boulberdaa Mounia , Messaddeq Nadia , Renault Gilles , Henrion Daniel , Nebigil Canan G.
Published: October 2013

Background

Reciprocal relationships between endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance result in a vicious cycle of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic disorders. The mechanisms underlying these impairments are unclear. The peptide hormones prokineticins exert their angiogenic function via prokineticin receptor‐1 (
PKR
1). We explored the extent to which endothelial
PKR
1 contributes to expansion of capillary network and the transcapillary passage of insulin into the heart, kidney, and adipose tissues, regulating organ functions and metabolism in a specific mice model.

Methods and Results

By combining cellular studies and studies in endothelium‐specific loss‐of‐function mouse model (ec‐PKR1
−/−
), we showed that a genetically induced
PKR
1 loss in the endothelial cells causes the impaired capillary formation and transendothelial insulin delivery, leading to insulin resistance and cardiovascular and renal disorders. Impaired insulin delivery in endothelial cells accompanied with defective expression and activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the
ec‐PKR1
−/−
aorta, consequently diminishing endothelium‐dependent relaxation. Despite having a lean body phenotype, ec‐
PKR
1
−/−
mice exhibited polyphagia, polydipsia, polyurinemia, and hyperinsulinemia, which are reminiscent of human lipodystrophy. High plasma
free fatty acid levels
and low leptin levels further contribute to the development of insulin resistance at the later age. Peripheral insulin resistance and ectopic lipid accumulation in mutant skeletal muscle, heart, and kidneys were accompanied by impaired insulin‐mediated Akt signaling in these organs. The
ec‐PKR1
−/−
mice displayed myocardial fibrosis, low levels of capillary formation, and high rates of apoptosis, leading to diastolic dysfunction. Compact fibrotic glomeruli and high levels of phosphate excretion were found in mutant kidneys. PKR1 restoration in
ec‐PKR1
−/−
mice reversed the decrease in capillary recruitment and insulin uptake and improved heart and kidney function and insulin resistance.

Conclusions

We show a novel role for endothelial
PKR
1 signaling in cardiac, renal, and metabolic functions by regulating transendothelial insulin uptake and endothelial cell proliferation. Targeting endothelial
PKR
1 may serve as a therapeutic strategy for ameliorating these disorders.
Early Modern Jesuit Arts and Jesuit Visual Culture
Authors: Levy Evonne
Published: October 2013

This stock-taking of research on the arts and visual culture of the Society of Jesus since the turn of the twenty-first century entails an assessment of the status of the big questions about the existence, nature, and purposes of the Jesuit use of things visual. It is a propitious moment to reflect on whether there have been gains for the definition of our subject from the visual turn in the humanities. Rather than surveying a wide and diffuse field of publications published in a rather short span of time, here a handful of issues are isolated that have attracted particular intensity of research or that pose significant questions for the future. These issues include much continuing research into the central regulation of and the architectural dialogue between the worldwide foundations of the Society, the widespread adoption of the Spiritual Exercises as an explanans for Jesuit pictorial cycles, and related issues around meditational images. A clear articulation is called for of the extent to which Jesuit “images” were embedded in discourses around art, or not, and the varied classes of images (propaganda, scientific, etc.) outside of the discourse of art so that we might arrive at a definition of a Jesuit visual culture.
Factors Influencing Power Hand Tool Fastening Accuracy and Reaction Forces
Authors: Radwin Robert G. , Chourasia Amrish O. , Howery Robert S. , Fronczak Frank J. , Yen Thomas Y. , Subedi Yashpal , Sesto Mary E.
Published: October 2013

Objective:

A laboratory study investigated the relationship between power hand tool and task-related factors affecting threaded fastener torque accuracy and associated handle reaction force.

Background:

We previously developed a biodynamic model to predict handle reaction forces. We hypothesized that torque accuracy was related to the same factors that affect operator capacity to react against impulsive tool forces, as predicted by the model.

Method:

The independent variables included tool (pistol grip on a vertical surface, right angle on a horizontal surface), fastener torque rate (hard, soft), horizontal distance (30 cm and 60 cm), and vertical distance (80 cm, 110 cm, and 140 cm). Ten participants (five male and five female) fastened 12 similar bolts for each experimental condition.

Results:

Average torque error (audited − target torque) was affected by fastener torque rate and operator position. Torque error decreased 33% for soft torque rates, whereas handle forces greatly increased (170%). Torque error also decreased for the far horizontal distance 7% to 14%, when vertical distance was in the middle or high, but handle force decreased slightly 3% to 5%.

Conclusion:

The evidence suggests that although both tool and task factors affect fastening accuracy, they each influence handle reaction forces differently. We conclude that these differences are attributed to different parameters each factor influences affecting the dynamics of threaded faster tool operation. Fastener torque rate affects the tool dynamics, whereas posture affects the spring-mass-damping biodynamic properties of the human operator.

Application:

The prediction of handle reaction force using an operator biodynamic model may be useful for codifying complex and unobvious relationships between tool and task factors for minimizing torque error while controlling handle force.
A configurational analysis of ethnic protest in Europe
Authors: Cebotari Victor , Vink Maarten P
Published: October 2013

This article analyzes the conditions under which ethnic minorities intensify or moderate their protest behavior. While this question has been previously asked, we find that prior studies tend to generalize explanations across a varied set of ethnic groups and assume that causal conditions can independently explain whether groups are more or less mobilized. By contrast, this study employs a technique – fuzzy-set analysis – that is geared toward matching comparable groups to specific analytical configurations of causal factors to explain the choice for strong and weak protest. The analysis draws on a sample of 29 ethnic minorities in Europe and uses three group and two contextual conditions inspired by Gurr’s ethnopolitical conflict model to understand why some ethnic minorities protest more frequently than others. We find that two group-related factors have the strongest claim to being generalizable: while territorial concentration is a necessary condition for strong protest, national pride is a necessary condition for weak protest. The contextual factors of level of democracy and ethnic fractionalization, which are often emphasized in the literature, and the perceived political discrimination of a group, are neither necessary nor individually sufficient conditions for either strong or weak protest. Hence, they help understanding some cases, but not all, and only in combination with other conditions. Such causal complexity, inherent in the phenomenon of ethnic protest, underscores the need for a case-sensitive, yet comparative, approach.
Generation of periodic stochastic foam models for numerical analysis
Authors: Köll J , Hallström S
Published: October 2013

Stochastic cellular models of rigid foam based on Voronoi spatial partitioning are generated and investigated for potential use in numerical analysis using finite element methods. Such partitions are deterministic once a distribution of cell nuclei has been defined. A drawback is that the models tend to exhibit a significant share of short edges and small faces. Such small geometrical features are not likely to occur in real foams since they are unfavorable from a surface energy point of view and they also generate problems in numerical analysis due to associated meshing challenges. Through minimization of the surface area, using the computer software Surface Evolver, the Voronoi models are brought to better resemblance with ideal dry foam and the occurrence of small geometrical features is strongly reduced. It is generally seen that different seed point distribution algorithms result in different model topologies. The presented methodology is systematic, parameterized and the results are very promising. Good grounds are provided for modeling of real rigid foam materials, that do not necessarily fully resemble ideal dry foam.
Utility of polyvinyl alcohol fiber-based needle punched nonwoven fabric as potential reinforcement in cementitious composites
Authors: Pekmezci BY , Kayaoglu BK , Pourdeyhimi B , Karadeniz AC
Published: October 2013

This study reports on the use of polyvinyl alcohol–based needle punched nonwoven fabrics in cement-based composites as a low-cost reinforcement. In this study, a nonwoven reinforcement using crimped polyvinyl alcohol fibers for cement-based composites was developed. The incorporation of nonwoven fabric in composites improved tensile and flexural properties compared to a discrete polyvinyl alcohol fiber-reinforced composite. Formation of multiple fine cracks, crimped fibers and mechanical interlocking of fibers in the nonwoven fabric structure resulted in superior mechanical performance. The failure mode was due to a single macro-crack for the discrete fiber reinforced composite as opposed to a number of fine cracks for the nonwoven reinforced composite.
The Students in Front of Us
Authors: Burks Joe , Hochbein Craig
Published: October 2013

The implementation of education policies requiring the turnaround of persistently low-achieving schools has demanded reforms that will not only improve achievement, but also deliver results in a short period of time. To meet such demands, Jefferson County Public Schools educators implemented Project Proficiency (PP). Results from state-administered mathematics tests demonstrated that all participating schools reported substantial increases in student proficiency. We examined the impact of PP on the performance of students, who met dropout predictive criteria established by Balfanz, Herzog, and MacIver. Study results suggested that PP students at risk of dropout realized meaningful and statistically significant achievement gains.
Right-wing Radical Populism in City and Suburbs: An Electoral Geography of the Partij Voor de Vrijheid in the Netherlands
Authors: van Gent Wouter P.C. , Jansen Elmar F. , Smits Joost H.F.
Published: October 2013

This paper looks at the electoral geography of the Partij Voor de Vrijheid, a Dutch right-wing radical populist party, which is anti-immigration, anti-establishment and critical of urban conditions. Combining survey analyses and geocoded polling station data analyses of the 2010 parliamentary elections, it is found that overrepresentation of support in suburban environments cannot be explained by voter composition alone. There is a positive contextual effect in lower-density neighbourhoods in cities and in suburban municipalities, as well as in post-war New Towns. To account for spatial variations, an explanatory framework is proposed based on urban theories of class, revanchism and nostalgia. Traditional middle classes, concentrated in suburbs, seem to support RRPPs to reclaim urban space for daily use and as a defensive strategy in view of metropolitan change.
Ambiguous Property Rights: A Taxonomic and Exploratory Account of Post-colonial Rural Housing in Chinese Hong Kong
Authors: Lai Lawrence , Lorne Frank
Published: October 2013

This paper explains the nature of David Li’s concept of ambiguous property rights and three angles to see right ambiguity from a Coasian-constrained choice-theoretical perspective and elaborate on that ambiguity in terms of five scenarios of de jure and de facto rights. The case of indigenous village housing in post-colonial Hong Kong under a mature system of the rule of law is used to demonstrate the ambiguities due to a gap between de jure and de facto property rights that may not degenerate into anarchy due to rational choices made under common law constraints driven ultimately by the land market. The implications of the case study for evaluating ambiguities in property rights in China are also discussed.
Teaching-infused Graduate Seminars
Authors: Trautner Mary Nell
Published: October 2013

Even though pedagogy courses in sociology are on the rise, many departments do not offer or require a course on teaching sociology or a teaching proseminar series. However, faculty in such departments do have other options for incorporating and integrating pedagogical issues into their standard curriculum. In this note, I offer one suggestion for incorporating teaching and learning into the curriculum: integrating pedagogy into substantive seminars. “Teaching-infused” graduate seminars are a great way to transmit norms, values, and common practices of the department to graduate students, and they allow for discussions of particular substantive challenges that graduate student instructors may face when teaching undergraduates about privilege, inequality, discrimination, and social structure. I describe my approach and present qualitative evaluations of this approach from two semesters of graduate students who have taken one of these seminars.
The State and the Caudillo
Authors: Morales Rafael Acosta
Published: October 2013

Yuri Herrera’s novel Trabajos del reino depicts the nation-within-a-nation constructed by a drug trafficker called “the King” in a fictional city much like northern Mexico’s Ciudad Juárez. The Kingdom it describes creates the possibility of a political identity for the dispossessed and is reminiscent of what Hobsbawm has identified as social banditry, positioned between the people and the state and replacing the latter. The narco is not only a drug dealer but a guarantor of social order—an outlaw in almost all his manifestations but occasionally also a source of law. While the drug cartel violates the social contract implicitly assumed by the state, the state breaks that contract in its treatment of dispossessed communities. Failure to recognize the similarities between the state and its bandit counterpart prevents the creation of a stable environment that can offer peace to its citizens.

La novela Trabajos del reino de Yuri Herrera presenta la nación dentro de una nación construida por un narcotraficante llamado “El rey” en una ciudad ficticia que se asemeja a la actual Ciudad Juárez, en el norte de México. El reino descrito genera la posibilidad de una identidad política para los desposeídos y recuerda aquello que Hobsbawm ha identificado como bandolerismo social, situado entre el pueblo y el estado y reemplazando al último. El narco no sólo es un traficante de drogas sino un garante del orden social—un forajido en casi todas sus manifestaciones pero a veces también una fuente de derecho. Mientras que el cartel de drogas viola el contrato social implícito con el estado, el estado rompe ese contrato en su tratamiento de las comunidades desposeídas. La incapacidad de reconocer las similitudes entre el estado y su contraparte bandida impide la creación de un entorno estable que ofrezca paz a sus ciudadanos.
Mexico “Under Siege”
Authors: Carlos Alfredo
Published: October 2013

The dominant discourse in the United States regarding Mexico has long painted it as an unruly place and its citizens as inferior. Most recently this discourse has centered on the drug trade and the violence associated with it. No one would disagree that Mexico has problems of drug-related violence and crime, but the U.S. discourse distorts and misrepresents the country. Its purpose is to provide justification for economic paternalism and a relationship that can only be called imperialism as the United States has sought increased capital penetration in that country.

Hace mucho que el discurso dominante en los Estados Unidos con respecto a México pinta al país como lugar ingobernable y sus ciudadanos como inferiores. Más recientemente este discurso se centra en el narcotráfico y su violencia. Nadie niega que México tiene problemas de narcoviolencia y crimen, pero el discurso estadounidense distorsiona y falsifica al país. Su propósito queda en darle justificación al paternalismo económico y a una relación que solo puede llamarse imperialismo en cuanto los Estados Unidos ha buscado mayor penetración de capital en ese país.
Drug Trafficking and Political Power
Authors: Duncan Gustavo
Published: October 2013

Case studies of drug trafficking in Colombia and Mexico illuminate the effects of mafias on the relationship between political power and the social order. First, in addition to extracting income, mafias seek to impose social orders in peripheral spaces of society, mainly as an unintended consequence of the most obvious reason for their intervention in politics: to provide immunity to criminals facing potential threats of state repression. This objective makes them rivals of the state, and this competition is not only a matter of their ability to corrupt it. Their capacity for regulating society is essentially a result of their coercive power, and as a consequence their existence is a challenge to the Weberian premise of the modern state as a monopoly on coercion. What we see in Colombia and Mexico today is oligopolies of coercion, a situation in which several organizations have simultaneous and overlapping control of the means of coercion necessary to regulate societal transactions.

Estudios de caso del narcotráfico en Colombia y México iluminan los efectos de las mafias en la relación entre el poder político y el orden social. Primero, más allá de la extracción de ingresos, las mafias buscan imponer un orden social en los espacios periféricos de la sociedad, principalmente como consecuencia no intencionada de su razón obvia por intervenir en la política: proveer inmunidad a los criminales enfrentados con la represión de parte del estado. Este objetivo los hace rivales del estado, y esta competencia no acaba en solo su habilidad para corromperlo. Su capacidad para regular a la sociedad es esencialmente consecuencia de su poder y, como consecuencia de su existencia, un reto a la premisa weberiana del estado moderno como monopolio coercitivo. Lo que se ve en Colombia y México hoy día son oligopolios de coerción en donde varias organizaciones tienen coincidencia simultánea en los medios de coerción necesarios para regular a las transacciones sociales.
Value Judgments and the True Self
Authors: Newman George E. , Bloom Paul , Knobe Joshua
Published: October 2013

The belief that individuals have a “true self” plays an important role in many areas of psychology as well as everyday life. The present studies demonstrate that people have a general tendency to conclude that the true self is fundamentally good—that is, that deep inside every individual, there is something motivating him or her to behave in ways that are virtuous. Study 1 finds that observers are more likely to see a person’s true self reflected in behaviors they deem to be morally good than in behaviors they deem to be bad. Study 2 replicates this effect and demonstrates observers’ own moral values influence what they judge to be another person’s true self. Finally, Study 3 finds that this normative view of the true self is independent of the particular type of mental state (beliefs vs. feelings) that is seen as responsible for an agent’s behavior.
Social Influence and Perceptual Decision Making
Authors: Germar Markus , Schlemmer Alexander , Krug Kristine , Voss Andreas , Mojzisch Andreas
Published: October 2013

Classic studies on social influence used simple perceptual decision-making tasks to examine how the opinions of others change individuals’ judgments. Since then, one of the most fundamental questions in social psychology has been whether social influence can alter basic perceptual processes. To address this issue, we used a diffusion model analysis. Diffusion models provide a stochastic approach for separating the cognitive processes underlying speeded binary decisions. Following this approach, our study is the first to disentangle whether social influence on decision making is due to altering the uptake of available sensory information or due to shifting the decision criteria. In two experiments, we found consistent evidence for the idea that social influence alters the uptake of available sensory evidence. By contrast, participants did not adjust their decision criteria.
How Certain Engagement Letter Clauses Affect the Auditor’s Assessment of Perceived Engagement Risk for Nonissuers
Authors: Reinstein Alan , Green Brian Patrick , Beaulieu Philip
Published: October 2013

AICPA auditing standards (e.g., AU-C210, par. 11) for audits of nonissuers require CPA auditors to use engagement letters or another suitable written understanding to clarify their and their clients' duties; these letters also minimize CPAs' potential legal liabilities to clients. But, the SEC, PCAOB and other authoritative bodies prohibit those clauses-fearing their use would impair auditors' independence. We survey 209 CPAs' responses to increasing risk across three engagement letter clauses that can change the level of auditor risk exposure, and measure the amount of data and fees auditors gather relative to changing engagement letter clauses in normal and unusual risk scenarios. We find that CPAs say they increase both the quantity of evidence gathered and their engagement fees in response to increasing risk, which suggests that CPAs' level of work depends much more on their assessment of perceived risks than on the three clauses minimizing their legal liabilities. Auditors further respond to an engagement's aggregate risk in the presence of risk-reducing clauses. We also find that while the clauses can lower the cost of the engagement's risk, auditors do not lower the amount of evidence gathered under the no-unusual-risk scenario, and significantly increase evidence when perceiving an increase in risk. Thus, support exists for authoritative bodies to permit such engagement letter clauses. While PCAOB standards affect only public companies, our results should be of interest to policy makers who oversee attestation services affecting both public and private companies.