bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Contribution of Particle Swarm Optimization to Three-Dimensional Slope Stability Analysis
Authors: Kalatehjari Roohollah , A Rashid Ahmad Safuan , Ali Nazri , Hajihassani Mohsen
Published: June 2014

Over the last few years, particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been extensively applied in various geotechnical engineering including slope stability analysis. However, this contribution was limited to two-dimensional (2D) slope stability analysis. This paper applied PSO in three-dimensional (3D) slope stability problem to determine the critical slip surface (CSS) of soil slopes. A detailed description of adopted PSO was presented to provide a good basis for more contribution of this technique to the field of 3D slope stability problems. A general rotating ellipsoid shape was introduced as the specific particle for 3D slope stability analysis. A detailed sensitivity analysis was designed and performed to find the optimum values of parameters of PSO. Example problems were used to evaluate the applicability of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D slopes. The first example presented a comparison between the results of PSO and PLAXI-3D finite element software and the second example compared the ability of PSO to determine the CSS of 3D slopes with other optimization methods from the literature. The results demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of PSO in determining the CSS of 3D soil slopes.
Numerical Solutions to Neutral Stochastic Delay Differential Equations with Poisson Jumps under Local Lipschitz Condition
Authors: Tan Jianguo , Wang Hongli , Guo Yongfeng , Zhu Zhiwen
Published: June 2014

Recently, Liu et al. (2011) studied the stability of a class of neutral stochastic delay differential equations with Poisson jumps (NSDDEwPJs) by fixed points theory. To the best of our knowledge to date, there are not any numerical methods that have been established for NSDDEwPJs yet. In this paper, we will develop the Euler‐Maruyama method for NSDDEwPJs, and the main aim is to prove the convergence of the numerical method. It is proved that the proposed method is convergent with strong order 1/2 under the local Lipschitz condition. Finally, some numerical examples are simulated to verify the results obtained from theory.
Image Enhancement under Data-Dependent Multiplicative Gamma Noise
Authors: Pacheeripadikkal Jidesh , Anattu Bini
Published: June 2014

An edge enhancement filter is proposed for denoising and enhancing images corrupted with data-dependent noise which is observed to follow a Gamma distribution. The filter is equipped with three terms designed to perform three different tasks. The first term is an anisotropic diffusion term which is derived from a locally adaptivep-laplacian functional. The second term is an enhancement term or a shock term which imparts a shock effect at the edge points making them sharp. The third term is a reactive term which is derived based on the maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimator and this term helps the diffusive term to perform a Gamma distributive data-dependent multiplicative noise removal from images. And moreover, this reactive term ensures that deviation of the restored image from the original one is minimum. This proposed filter is compared with the state-of-the-art restoration models proposed for data-dependent multiplicative noise.
GPER Mediates Activation of HIF1α/VEGF Signaling by Estrogens
Authors: De Francesco Ernestina Marianna , Pellegrino Michele , Santolla Maria Francesca , Lappano Rosamaria , Ricchio Emilia , Abonante Sergio , Maggiolini Marcello
Published: June 2014

Biological responses to estrogens in normal and malignant tissues are mainly mediated by the estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ, which function as ligand-activated transcription factors. In addition, the G protein–coupled receptor GPR30 (GPER) mediates estrogenic signaling in breast cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) that contribute to cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the role elicited by GPER in the estrogen-regulated expression and function of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ER-negative breast cancer cells and CAF. We demonstrated that 17β-estradiol (E2) and the GPER-selective ligand G-1 triggered a GPER/EGFR/ERK/c-fos signaling pathway that leads to increased VEGF via upregulation of HIF1α. In further extending the mechanisms involved in E2-supported angiogenesis, we also showed that conditioned medium from CAF treated with E2 and G-1 promoted human endothelial tube formation in a GPER-dependent manner. In vivo, ligand-activated GPER was sufficient to enhance tumor growth and the expression of HIF1α, VEGF, and the endothelial marker CD34 in a mouse xenograft model of breast cancer. Our findings offer important new insights into the ability of estrogenic GPER signaling to trigger HIF1α-dependent VEGF expression that supports angiogenesis and progression in breast cancer. Cancer Res; 74(15); 4053–64. ©2014 AACR.
Plasma Adipokines and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus–Infected Carriers: A Prospective Study in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Chi-Ling , Yang Wei-Shiung , Yang Hwai-I , Chen Chuen-Fei , You San-Lin , Wang Li-Yu , Lu Sheng-Nan , Liu Chun-Jen , Kao Jia-Horng , Chen Pei-Jer , Chen Ding-Shinn , Chen Chien-Jen
Published: June 2014

Background: Obesity is considered a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relationship between adipocytokine and HCC in hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers remains unclear. We prospectively investigated the association of adiponectin, leptin, and visfatin levels with HCC.

Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study in a community-based cohort with 187 incident HCC and 374 HCC-free HBV carriers. Unconditional logistic regression was conducted to estimate the ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Adiponectin, but not leptin and visfatin, levels were associated with an increased risk of HCC after adjustment for other metabolic factors and HBV-related factors. The risk was increased [OR = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.12–2.11; OR = 4.88 (1.46–16.3); OR = 3.79 (1.10–13.0); OR = 4.13 (1.13–15.1) with each additional quintiles, respectively] with a significant dose–response trend (Ptrend = 0.003). HCC risk associated with higher adiponectin level was higher in HBV carriers with ultrasonographic fatty liver, genotype C infection, higher viral load, and with elevated alanine aminotransferase. Longitudinally, participants with higher adiponectin were less likely to achieve surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) seroclearance and more likely to have persistently higher HBV DNA. Eventually, they were more likely to develop liver cirrhosis [OR = 1.65 (0.62–4.39); OR = 3.85 (1.47–10.1); OR = 2.56 (0.96–6.84); OR = 3.76 (1.33–10.7) for the second, third, fourth, and fifth quintiles, respectively; Ptrend = 0.017] before HCC.

Conclusions: Elevated adiponectin levels were independently associated with an increased risk of HCC.

Impact: Adiponectin may play different roles in the virus-induced and metabolic-related liver diseases, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 23(8); 1659–71. ©2014 AACR.
TIMP-1 via TWIST1 Induces EMT Phenotypes in Human Breast Epithelial Cells
Authors: D'Angelo Rosemarie Chirco , Liu Xu-Wen , Najy Abdo J. , Jung Young Suk , Won Joshua , Chai Karl X. , Fridman Rafael , Kim Hyeong-Reh Choi
Published: June 2014

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) regulates intracellular signaling networks for inhibition of apoptosis. Tetraspanin (CD63), a cell surface binding partner for TIMP-1, was previously shown to regulate integrin-mediated survival pathways in the human breast epithelial cell line MCF10A. In the current study, we show that TIMP-1 expression induces phenotypic changes in cell morphology, cell adhesion, cytoskeletal remodeling, and motility, indicative of an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). This is evidenced by loss of the epithelial cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin with an increase in the mesenchymal markers vimentin, N-cadherin, and fibronectin. Signaling through TIMP-1, but not TIMP-2, induces the expression of TWIST1, an important EMT transcription factor known to suppress E-cadherin transcription, in a CD63-dependent manner. RNAi-mediated knockdown of TWIST1 rescued E-cadherin expression in TIMP-1–overexpressing cells, demonstrating a functional significance of TWIST1 in TIMP-1–mediated EMT. Furthermore, analysis of TIMP-1 structural mutants reveals that TIMP-1 interactions with CD63 that activate cell survival signaling and EMT do not require the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)–inhibitory domain of TIMP-1. Taken together, these data demonstrate that TIMP-1 binding to CD63 activates intracellular signal transduction pathways, resulting in EMT-like changes in breast epithelial cells, independent of its MMP-inhibitory function.

Implications: TIMP-1′s function as an endogenous inhibitor of MMP or as a “cytokine-like” signaling molecule may be a critical determinant for tumor cell behavior. Mol Cancer Res; 12(9); 1324–33. ©2014 AACR.
AZD9291, an Irreversible EGFR TKI, Overcomes T790M-Mediated Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors in Lung Cancer
Authors: Cross Darren A.E. , Ashton Susan E. , Ghiorghiu Serban , Eberlein Cath , Nebhan Caroline A. , Spitzler Paula J. , Orme Jonathon P. , Finlay M. Raymond V. , Ward Richard A. , Mellor Martine J. , Hughes Gareth , Rahi Amar , Jacobs Vivien N. , Brewer Monica Red , Ichihara Eiki , Sun Jing , Jin Hailing , Ballard Peter , Al-Kadhimi Katherine , Rowlinson Rachel , Klinowska Teresa , Richmond Graham H.P. , Cantarini Mireille , Kim Dong-Wan , Ranson Malcolm R. , Pao William
Published: June 2014

First-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR TKI) provide significant clinical benefit in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant (EGFRm+) non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients ultimately develop disease progression, often driven by acquisition of a second T790M EGFR TKI resistance mutation. AZD9291 is a novel oral, potent, and selective third-generation irreversible inhibitor of both EGFRm+ sensitizing and T790M resistance mutants that spares wild-type EGFR. This mono-anilino–pyrimidine compound is structurally distinct from other third-generation EGFR TKIs and offers a pharmacologically differentiated profile from earlier generation EGFR TKIs. Preclinically, the drug potently inhibits signaling pathways and cellular growth in both EGFRm+ and EGFRm+/T790M+ mutant cell lines in vitro, with lower activity against wild-type EGFR lines, translating into profound and sustained tumor regression in EGFR-mutant tumor xenograft and transgenic models. The treatment of 2 patients with advanced EGFRm+ T790M+ NSCLC is described as proof of principle.

Significance: We report the development of a novel structurally distinct third-generation EGFR TKI, AZD9291, that irreversibly and selectively targets both sensitizing and resistant T790M+ mutant EGFR while harboring less activity toward wild-type EGFR. AZD9291 is showing promising responses in a phase I trial even at the first-dose level, with first published clinical proof-of-principle validation being presented. Cancer Discov; 4(9); 1046–61. ©2014 AACR.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 973
Cytokines in Tears during the Secondary Keratoconjunctival Responses Induced by Allergic Reaction in the Nasal Mucosa
Authors: Pelikan Zdenek
Published: June 2014

Background: Allergic keratoconjunctivitis (KC) can occur in a primary form due to an allergic reaction taking place in the conjunctivae or in a secondary form induced by nasal allergy. Objectives: To search for the cytokine changes in tears accompanying the secondary keratoconjunctival response types (SKCR), caused by the nasal allergy. Methods: In 43 KC patients developing 15 immediate (SIKCR), 16 late (SLKCR) and 12 delayed (SDYKCR) responses to nasal provocation tests with allergens (NPT), the NPTs were repeated with subsequent recording of cytokine concentrations in tears up to 72 h. Results: The SIKCRs (p < 0.001), occurring 10-120 min after the NPT, were accompanied by significant changes (p < 0.05) of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The SLKCRs (p < 0.01), appearing 5-12 h after the NPT, were associated with significant changes (p < 0.05) of IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, GM-CSF and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The SDYKCRs (p < 0.01), occurring 24-48 h after the NPT, were accompanied by significant changes (p < 0.05) of IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, interferon-γ, transforming growth factor-β and TNF-α. Conclusions: The particular SKCR types, induced by an allergic reaction in the nasal mucosa, were accompanied by different cytokine profiles in the tears, suggesting involvement of different hypersensitivity mechanisms. These results also stress the diagnostic usefulness of NPTs combined with monitoring of ocular features in KC patients who did not respond satisfactorily to the topical ophthalmological treatment.
Pseudotumoral Forms of Multiple Sclerosis: Report of 14 Cases and Review of the Literature
Authors: Mauri-Fábrega Lara , Díaz-Sánchez María , Casado-Chocán José Luis , Uclés-Sánchez Antonio José
Published: June 2014

Background: The pseudotumoral form of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a rare condition with few descriptions in the literature. It supposes a diagnostic challenge especially when appearing at the onset of disease. Methods: We retrospectively describe a case series of pseudotumoral MS patients that attended our hospital from 2004, analyzing demographic, clinical and radiological variables. We classified the lesions according to the recently proposed morphologic classification (infiltrative, megacystic, Baló or ring-like) and according to the contrast enhancement pattern (nodular, complete ring, incomplete ring and diffuse). Results: Fourteen patients (11 female, 3 male), with a mean age of 35 years, were identified. All of them suffered from a relapsing-remitting form of MS. Eleven patients (78.57%) had symptomatic pseudotumoral lesions (PL), being the form of clinical presentation in the majority of those patients that were symptomatic (81.81%). Several patients presented atypical clinical manifestations such as cognitive impairment (21.42%) and epileptic seizures (14.28%). Full recovery was found in 53.84% of all symptomatic episodes. After a mean follow-up of 43 months, recurrent PL episodes were seldom observed (21.42%), the annualized relapse rate was 0.95 and the mean final Expanded Disability Status Scale score was 1.5. The majority of PLs were supratentorial, coexisted with typical demyelinating plaques and showed the ring-like morphology and the ring pattern of contrast enhancement. Three patients had more than one PL on the same scan, all of the lesions with similar morphology. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to a better characterization of pseudotumoral forms of MS. However, larger studies are required to define this atypical entity more exactly.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-GEP100-Arf6 Axis Affects the Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Oka Soichi , Uramoto Hidetaka , Shimokawa Hidehiko , Yamada Sohsuke , Tanaka Fumihiro
Published: June 2014

The overexpression of Arf6 and GEP100 is responsible for the invasive activity that is crucial for the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathways in human cancer. However, whether or not the expression of the EGFR-GEP100-Arf6 axis can be used as a biomarker for the prognosis of lung cancer has yet to be fully determined. Tumor specimens were collected from 182 patients who underwent a complete resection for lung adenocarcinoma. We analyzed phospho-EGFR (p-EGFR), GEP100, and Arf6 expression levels in the primary tumor by immunohistochemical analysis. The expression of p-EGFR, GEP100, and Arf6 was observed in 65 (35.7%), 95 (52.2%), and 20 (11.0%) patients, respectively. Significant associations between p-EGFR and GEP100 expression and vessel invasion were identified. The expression of these individual molecules was not associated with any statistically significant differences in survival. However, triple positive expression of p-EGFR, GEP100, and Arf6 was significantly associated with an increased risk of death based on the multivariate analysis. The EGFR-GEP100-Arf6 axis affected the prognosis of patients with primary lung adenocarcinoma. The combination of p-EGFR, GEP100, and Arf6 staining can predict the prognosis of patients after surgery.
Embryonic Toxicity of Nanoparticles
Authors: Celá Petra , Veselá Barbora , Matalová Eva , Večeřa Zbyněk , Buchtová Marcela
Published: June 2014

Applications of nanoparticles (NP) in medicine, industry and other branches of human activities undoubtedly contribute to technology development and well-being. However, as NP are very small units in a wide range of materials, there is a lack of information related to possible side effects potentially affecting the health of organisms. There is increasing experimental interest in the determination of environmental effects on humans exposed to NP. Most such experimental studies focus on adult populations or adult experimental animals. However, embryos can be more sensitive to pollutants and environmental impacts in some species. Therefore, some investigations dealing particularly with the effects of NP on embryonic development have appeared recently and this issue is becoming of great concern. The aim of this review is to summarize the knowledge on the effects of various nanomaterials on embryonic development. A comprehensive collection of significant experimental nanotoxicity data is presented, which also indicate how the toxic effect of NP can be mediated and modulated with respect to possible effective protection strategies.
Development of an Animal Model to Evaluate the Allergenicity of Food Allergens
Authors: Ahrens Birgit , Quarcoo David , Buhner Sabine , Reese Gerald , Vieths Stefan , Hamelmann Eckard
Published: June 2014

Scope: Considering the increasing numbers of patients suffering from food allergy (FA) as well as the great variety of novel foods and food compositions, an unmet need exists for the development of preclinical approaches to characterize the allergenic potential of proteins. The aim of our study was to evaluate the allergenicity of different food allergens in a rat model. Methods: Brown Norway rats were sensitized to protein extracts (RuBisCO, apple, soy, peanut, garden pea) or ovalbumin (OVA) combined with Bordetella pertussis and aluminium hydroxide, followed by oral allergen challenges. Results: Allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin production and the proliferation of mononuclear cells from spleen confirmed sensitization. To assess functional alterations in the gut, intestinal permeability was measured, which increased in sensitized and challenged animals compared to non-sensitized controls. Allergens with high allergenic potential (peanut, OVA, soy) caused a stronger immunological response than allergens with low allergenic potential, such as RuBisCO and apple. Moreover, the immunological responses were reduced when using boiled instead of raw soy and pea proteins. Conclusion: This model mimics key features of FA and facilitates investigating the allergenicity of allergens in novel food or food compositions in vivo.
A Comparison of Clinical Outcomes From Carotid Artery Stenting Among US Hospitals
Authors: Epstein Andrew J. , Yang Lin , Yang Feifei , Groeneveld Peter W.
Published: June 2014

Background—

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services require hospitals performing carotid artery stenting (CAS) to recertify the quality of their programs every 2 years, but currently this involves no explicit comparisons of postprocedure mortality across hospitals. Hence, the current recertification process may fail to identify hospitals that are performing poorly in relation to peer institutions. Our objective was to compare risk-standardized procedural outcomes across US hospitals that performed CAS and to identify hospitals with statistically high postprocedure mortality rates.

Methods and Results—

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries who underwent CAS from July 2009 to June 2011 at 927 US hospitals. Thirty-day risk-standardized mortality rates were calculated using the Hospital Compare statistical method, a well-validated hierarchical generalized linear model that included both patient-level and hospital-level predictors. Claims were examined from 22 708 patients undergoing CAS, with a crude 30-day mortality rate of 2.0%. Risk-standardized 30-day mortality rates after CAS varied from 1.1% to 5.1% (
P
<0.001 for the difference). Thirteen hospitals had risk-standardized mortality rates that were statistically (
P
<0.05) higher than the national mean. Conversely, 5 hospitals had risk-standardized mortality rates that were statistically (
P
<0.05) lower than the national mean.

Conclusions—

We used administrative claims to identify several CAS hospitals with excessively high 30-day mortality after carotid stenting. When combined with information currently used by Medicare for CAS recertification, such as clinical registry data and program reports, clinical outcomes comparisons could enhance Medicare’s ability to identify hospitals that are questionable candidates for recertification.
Oscillatory Responses to Semantic and Syntactic Violations
Authors: Kielar Aneta , Meltzer Jed A. , Moreno Sylvain , Alain Claude , Bialystok Ellen
Published: June 2014

EEG studies employing time–frequency analysis have revealed changes in theta and alpha power in a variety of language and memory tasks. Semantic and syntactic violations embedded in sentences evoke well-known ERPs, but little is known about the oscillatory responses to these violations. We investigated oscillatory responses to both kinds of violations, while monolingual and bilingual participants performed an acceptability judgment task. Both violations elicited power decreases (event-related desynchronization, ERD) in the 8–30 Hz frequency range, but with different scalp topographies. In addition, semantic anomalies elicited power increases (event-related synchronization, ERS) in the 1–5 Hz frequency band. The 1–5 Hz ERS was strongly phase-locked to stimulus onset and highly correlated with time domain averages, whereas the 8–30 Hz ERD response varied independently of these. In addition, the results showed that language expertise modulated 8–30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations as a function of the executive demands of the task. When the executive function demands were increased using a grammaticality judgment task, bilinguals but not monolinguals demonstrated reduced 8–30 Hz ERD for syntactic violations. These findings suggest a putative role of the 8–30 Hz ERD response as a marker of linguistic processing that likely represents a separate neural process from those underlying ERPs.
Reward Acts on the pFC to Enhance Distractor Resistance of Working Memory Representations
Authors: Fallon Sean James , Cools Roshan
Published: June 2014

Working memory and reward processing are often thought to be separate, unrelated processes. However, most daily activities involve integrating these two types of information, and the two processes rarely, if ever, occur in isolation. Here, we show that working memory and reward interact in a task-dependent manner and that this task-dependent interaction involves modulation of the pFC by the ventral striatum. Specifically, BOLD signal during gains relative to losses in the ventral striatum and pFC was associated not only with enhanced distractor resistance but also with impairment in the ability to update working memory representations. Furthermore, the effect of reward on working memory was accompanied by differential coupling between the ventral striatum and ignore-related regions in the pFC. Together, these data demonstrate that reward-related signals modulate the balance between cognitive stability and cognitive flexibility by altering functional coupling between the ventral striatum and the pFC.
Is the reaction to chemical cues of predators affected by age or experience in fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra)?
Authors: Ibáñez Alejandro , Caspers Barbara A. , López Pilar , Martín José , Tobias Krause E.
Published: June 2014

Predation is one of the strongest forces driving natural selection. Predator success reduces future prey fitness to zero. Thus, recognition and avoidance of a potential predator is an essential fitness-relevant skill for prey. Being well equipped in the predator-prey arms race is highly adaptive. In this context we tested whether age and/or potential experience of fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) affected their behaviour towards the chemical signature of a potential predator. We evaluated the space use of salamanders in a test arena with a shelter containing chemical cues from a predator (i.e., a rat) and a clean shelter. Our results demonstrate that naïve subadult fire salamanders do show a significant behavioural reaction towards rat odour. However, they do not avoid the chemical cues of the potential predator, but instead have a significant preference for the shelter with rat faeces. In contrast to this, both the naïve adult and wild-caught adult fire salamanders showed neither a preference nor an avoidance of rat scent. These results could suggest a role of age in odour-based predator recognition in salamanders. Similarly, predator recognition through chemical cues could be more important early in life when the young fire salamanders are more vulnerable to predatory attacks and less important in other life stages when salamanders are less subjected to predation. In conclusion, future studies considering wild-caught subadults should disentangle the importance of previous experience for predator chemical recognition.
The yellow-legged gull as a predator of lizards in Balearic Islands
Authors: Pérez-Mellado Valentín , Garrido Mario , Ortega Zaida , Pérez-Cembranos Ana , Mencía Abraham
Published: June 2014

Lizards and gulls cohabit in several Mediterranean islands. The yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis, was found to prey several vertebrate species. However, precise information about the interaction between gulls and other vertebrates, particularly with lizards is still scarce. The Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, shares several coastal islets with the yellow-legged gull. Using two different sources of information, we studied the interaction of both species in Colom Island (Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain). We studied the diet of the yellow-legged gull and learnt that the Balearic lizard is not a common prey of the yellow-legged gull. On the other hand, we studied the potential predation pressure of gulls on lizards, using plasticine models of lizards. We did two different experiments from which we can conclude that yellow-legged gulls rarely attack lizards and, consequently, cannot be considered a major threat for this endemic lizard species, at least in the population under study. Finally, we obtained evidence that plasticine models can only be employed with caution to assess predation pressure of opportunistic scavengers, much as gulls are. The majority of marks on models were not the consequence of true attacks by gulls, but the result of ground exploratory behaviour of gulls in search of any edible matter. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, in the case of the yellow-legged gull, the proportion of marked models would be an indication of ground-based wandering activity, rather than a result of its predation pressure on lizards.
Phylogeography and genetic structure of the slow worms Anguis cephallonica and Anguis graeca (Squamata: Anguidae) from the southern Balkan Peninsula
Authors: Thanou Evanthia , Giokas Sinos , Kornilios Panagiotis
Published: June 2014

Two slow worm species are distributed at the southernmost part of the Balkan Peninsula: Anguis cephallonica, an endemic of the Peloponnese and the islands Zakynthos, Ithaki and Kephallonia, and A. graeca. Here, we investigate the intraspecific genetic diversity of A. cephallonica from the Peloponnese and Kephallonia and analyse A. graeca, from the northern Peloponnese, where it is found in sympatry with A. cephallonica. MtDNA and nDNA phylogenetic analyses confirm the genetic similarity of Peloponnesian and Kephallonian populations of A. cephallonica and reveal significant mtDNA genetic variation within it, probably related to the occurrence of multiple subrefugia in the Peloponnese. Peloponnesian A. graeca populations are genetically similar to non-Peloponnesian conspecifics implying recent dispersal to the Peloponnese. In contrast to the genetic markers, morphological characteristics (such as the number of mid-body scale-rows) failed to distinguish between Peloponnesian A. cephallonica and A. graeca. Although the former species is believed to be well-differentiated from its congeneric taxa, a thorough morphological study is needed.
Thinking with the Saint: The Miracle of Saint Januarius of Naples and Science in Early Modern Europe
Authors: de Ceglia Francesco Paolo
Published: June 2014

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the way in which early modern science questioned and indirectly influenced (while being in its turn influenced by) the conceptualization of the liquefaction of the blood of Saint Januarius, a phenomenon that has been taking place at regular intervals in Naples since the late Middle Ages. In the seventeenth century, a debate arose that divided Europe between supporters of a theory of divine intervention and believers in the occult properties of the blood. These two theoretical options reflected two different perspectives on the relationship between the natural and the supernatural. While in the seventeenth century, the emphasis was placed on the predictable periodicity of the miraculous event of liquefaction as a manifestation of God in his role as a divine regulator, in the eighteenth century the event came to be described as capricious and unpredictable, in an attempt to differentiate miracles from the workings of nature, which were deemed to be normative. The miracle of the blood of Saint Januarius thus provides a window through which we can catch a glimpse of how the natural order was perceived in early modern Europe at a time when the Con­tinent was culturally fragmented into north and south, Protestantism and Catholicism, learned and ignorant.
New Astronomical References in Two Catalonian Late Medieval Documents
Authors: Martínez María José , Marco Francisco J.
Published: June 2014

In 2008, after 13 years of preparation, the Generalitat of Catalunya finished the publication of the 10 volumes of the Dietaris de la Generalitat de Catalunya. The Dietaris, as well as a closely related source, the llibre de Jornades 1411/1484 de Jaume Safont, cover the period of 1411 to 1539. In this article, we examine astronomical references contained in these two sources, and place them in their historical context. Our main focus lies on astronomical phenomena that have not previously been published in the astronomical literature. In fact, relatively few astronomical records are accessible in Spanish medieval and early modern history, and our paper intends to fill this gap partially.
Eight new names and lectotypification of six names in Lamianae (asterids I) for the Flora of China
Authors: Duan Yi-Fan , Zhang Libing
Published: June 2014

In this paper, eight replacement names for eight later homonyms are proposed, in three families of Lamianae: Boraginaceae: Eritrichium axilliflorum (nom. nov.), E. lianyongshanii (nom. nov.), E. wangwencaii (nom. nov.), Solanaceae: Lycianthes tibetica (nom. nov.), Solanum brevipedunculata (nom. nov.); and Verbenaceae: Callicarpa tenuiflora (nom. nov.), Premna cordiformis (nom. nov.), and P. emarginata (nom. nov.). In addition, six names in Lamianae are lectotypified: Cynoctonum wilfordii Maximowicz (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae), Omphalodes chekiangensis Migo (Boraginaceae), Sinojohnstonia chekiangensis (Franchet) W.T. Wang (Boraginaceae), Lycianthes solitaria C.Y.Wu & A.M.Lu (Solanaceae), Solanum barbisetum Nees var. griffithii Prain (Solanaceae) and Premna laevigata C.Y.Wu (Verbenaceae).
Neotypification of Dendrobium darjeelingensis and a new combination in Dendrobium for Flickingeria clementsii (Orchidaceae)
Authors: Verma Durgesh , Barbhuiya Hussain Ahmed
Published: June 2014

Dendrobium darjeelingensis Pradhan (1979: 336) was described by Pradhan (1979) on the basis of collection made in 1975 from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. He kept the holotype for this species in his personal herbarium, which was destroyed by a fire (Barbhuiya et al. 2012).
Eugenia membranifolia: a long-forgotten Brazilian Atlantic rainforest Myrtaceae
Authors: Bunger Mariana De Oliveira , Capello Fiorella Fernanda Mazine , Stehmann João Renato
Published: June 2014

Eugenia membranifolia Niedenzu, a forgotten name in Brazilian Myrtaceae and presently known only from one isotype, is reported as the correct name for most of the gatherings until now identified as Eugenia bocainensis. We provide a detailed description of E. membranifolia with comments on its distribution, ecology and conservation status, and compare it with E. bocainensis.
Species of the subgenus Chaetolabis, Townes 1945 of the genus Chironomus,Meigen 1803 (Diptera: Chironomidae), from a cytogenetic perspective
Authors: MARTIN JON
Published: June 2014

The polytene chromosomes of three North American species in the subgenus Chaetolabis of the genus Chironomus are described and compared to the published karyotypes of two Palearctic species. Chironomus (Chaetolabis) atroviridis has four polytene chromosomes, like the Palearctic C. globulus, while C. ochreatus and the North American populations of C. bitumineus each have three chromosomes due to tandem fusion of arm G to arm E, as in the Palearctic populations of C. bitumineus. The results support the existence of distinct species, particularly clarifying that the names C. atroviridis, C. bitumineus and C. ochreatus cannot be synonyms, as was suggested by some previous workers. The question of whether Lobochironomus "sp. Ya6" might be conspecific with C. macani is also discussed.
A 10-Year Survey of Extreme Rainfall Events in the Central and Eastern United States Using Gridded Multisensor Precipitation Analyses
Authors: Stevenson Stephanie N. , Schumacher Russ S.
Published: June 2014

Extreme rainfall events in the central and eastern United States during 2002–11 were identified using NCEP stage-IV precipitation analyses. Precipitation amounts were compared against established 50- and 100-yr recurrence interval thresholds for 1-, 6-, and 24-h durations. The authors identified points where analyzed precipitation exceeded the threshold, and combined points associated with the same weather system into events. At shorter durations, points exceeding the thresholds were most common in the Southeast, whereas points were more uniformly distributed for the 24-h duration. Most 24-h events have more points than the other durations, reflecting the importance of organized precipitation systems on longer temporal scales. Though monthly peaks varied by region, the maximum (minimum) usually occurred during the summer (winter); however, the 24-h point maximum occurred in September owing to tropical cyclones. The maximum (minimum) in hourly extreme rainfall points occurred at 2300 (1100) LST, though there were regional differences in the timing of the diurnal maxima and minima. Over half of 100-yr, 24-h events were a result of mesoscale convective systems (MCS), with synoptic and tropical systems responsible for nearly one-third and one-tenth, respectively. Of the 10 events with the most points exceeding this threshold, 5 were associated with tropical cyclones, 3 were synoptic events, and 2 were MCSs. Among the MCS events, 7 of the top 10 were training line/adjoining stratiform (TL/AS). While the 49 TL/AS events investigated further had similar moisture availability, the more widespread events had stronger low-level winds, stronger warm air advection, and stronger and more expansive frontogenesis in the inflow.
Publishing from the periphery: Structural heterogeneity and segmented circuits. The evaluation of scientific publications for tenure in Argentina’s CONICET
Authors: Beigel Fernanda
Published: June 2014

Academic publishing is one of the most unequal areas of the circulation of ideas. Recent studies have analyzed the dominance of ISI-style standards and its consequences for scientific production in the periphery. This article delves into the Latin American publishing circuit and its performance in the midst of four different types of circuits in the world academic system: (a) mainstream ‘international’ publishing circuits, sustained by major private enterprises and publishing houses (Thomson Reuters, Elsevier, Google); (b) transnational networks and repositories built as open access (DOAJ, Dial-net, INASP) to create an alternative to previous (c) regional Southern circuits (LATINDEX, SCIELO, CLACSO, REDALYC, AJOL); and (d) national circuits based on local publications. Given that these four circuits all come into play in national scientific fields, this article addresses the case of Argentina in order to prove that these circuits are segmented, partly due to the hierarchies of the World Scientific System and partly to structural constraints and the local history of professionalization. Focusing on tenure evaluations for research positions at Argentina’s National Scientific Research Council (CONICET), the article examines the results of a survey among coordinators of the council’s evaluation committees in order to analyze the relationship between international publishing and tenure. By exploring the evaluative culture at CONICET, common trends are highlighted along with alternative forms of regional academic prestige.
Thirty-Year Retrospective on the Learning Styles of African American Children
Authors: Hale Janice E.
Published: June 2014

This article is a review of the literature related to the cognitive, learning, behavioral, and cultural styles of African American children. This is an assessment of the progress that has been made since 1982 when my first book was published. Several flaws in the creation of the science that undergirds learning styles research related to African American children are identified. First of all, a precise definition of what we are studying is not there. Second, the instruments have not been created to measure the target constructs. Third, we need to collaborate on an interdisciplinary basis to create the science to support culturally appropriate instructional practices and child and classroom management procedures. Fourth, the problems with inadequate science have been compounded by imprecision in the measurement of social class as pertains to the achievement of African American children.
Challenges in the history of colours: The case of saffron
Authors: Jha Sadan
Published: June 2014

This article delineates the emergence of saffron as a colour of national importance in the late 1920s, when Nehru recognised it as an ‘old colour’, and Suniti Kumar Chatterji claimed that it was symbolic of ‘Indian life’, thus elevating it from its humble position as a kacha colour. The need to assess such claims has prompted a longue durée approach to unravel the complexities of writing a history of colours in the Indian milieu. An attempt has been made to analyse the role played by history in defining saffron and equating it with Hinduism—marginalising the colour red in the process. This study argues that through a selective interpretation of the past, regional and local usages and meanings of geru, kesari or kusumba came to mean a well defined shade of saffron in the second half of the 1920s and were eventually equated with the nation’s history. At another level, this is a story of the triumph of history over the past, precision over ambivalence, singularity over multiplicity, standardisation over fluidity, and knowledge over the experiential dynamics of seeing.
Book Review: Aditya Behl, Love’s Subtle Magic: An Indian Islamic Literary Tradition, 1379–1545
Authors: Orsini Francesca
Published: June 2014

Aditya Behl, Love’s Subtle Magic: An Indian Islamic Literary Tradition, 1379–1545 (Edited by Wendy Doniger), New York: Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 403.
Book Review: Partho Datta, Planning the City: Urbanization and Reform in Calcutta c. 1800–1940
Authors: Oldenburg Veena Talwar
Published: June 2014

Partho Datta, Planning the City: Urbanization and Reform in Calcutta c. 1800–1940, Delhi: Tulika Books, 2012, pp. 332.
Book Review: Rachel Sturman, The Government of Social Life in Colonial India. Liberalism, Religious Law and Women’s Rights
Authors: Pant Rashmi
Published: June 2014

Rachel Sturman, The Government of Social Life in Colonial India. Liberalism, Religious Law and Women’s Rights, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp. 310.
Book Review: Shobna Nijhawan, Women and Girls in the Hindi Public Sphere: Periodical Literature in Colonial North India
Authors: Stark Ulrike
Published: June 2014

Shobna Nijhawan, Women and Girls in the Hindi Public Sphere: Periodical Literature in Colonial North India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 358.
The Changing Face of War in Textbooks
Authors: Lachmann Richard , Mitchell Lacy
Published: June 2014

How have U.S. high school textbook depictions of World War II and Vietnam changed since the 1970s? We examined 102 textbooks published from 1970 to 2009 to see how they treated U.S. involvement in World War II and Vietnam. Our content analysis of high school history textbooks finds that U.S. textbooks increasingly focus on the personal experiences of soldiers, rather than presenting impersonal accounts of battles, and are increasingly likely to focus on soldiers’ suffering rather than glorify combat. This shift is greater for Vietnam than for World War II. We also find increasing attention in textbooks to the fact, but not the substance, of protests against the Vietnam War. These changes provide more support for theories that view textbooks as sites of contestation or expressions of a world culture of individualism rather than purveyors of a hidden curriculum of nationalistic militarism. Future research on textbook production and comparisons of U.S. versus other countries’ textbooks might show how much of the change is particular to the United States, perhaps due to the Vietnam War, or attributable to global changes in military conscription, tolerance for casualties, and attitudes toward individual rights and group obligations.
The Best as Enemy of the Good
Authors: Doig Jameson W.
Published: June 2014

Students of complex organizations have often noted the tendency of organizational leaders to block out crucial information that raises doubts about plans and evidence they have already embraced. Recent research has expanded our understanding of this apparently irrational behavior. This essay examines two historically interesting cases—when attractive alternatives existed but leaders were unable to overcome their prior psychological commitments. These cases underscore the problems of “grooved thinking” and “selective reinforcement” in the development of large urban projects. However, close examination of one of the cases suggests a way to break through this “irrational” rigidity, by setting a goal that is short of “the best” but likely to achieve important results.
First translation equivalents in bilingual toddlers’ expressive vocabulary
Authors: Bosch Laura , Ramon-Casas Marta
Published: June 2014

Translation equivalents (TEs) characterize the lexicon of bilinguals from the early stages of acquisition, as reported in studies involving English and other languages in which most cross-language synonyms are dissimilar in phonological form. This research explores the emergence of TEs in Spanish-Catalan bilinguals who are acquiring two languages with many cognate words and thus languages with many cross-language synonyms with identical or similar phonological forms. Expressive vocabulary was obtained in two 18-month-old groups (monolingual and bilingual, N = 24 each) through parental report using a bilingual questionnaire. Four different vocabulary size measures were computed in bilinguals, correcting for different types of phonological overlap in words across their two languages. Bilinguals were found comparable to monolinguals in every measure except for Total Vocabulary Size (Spanish + Catalan words) in which they outscored monolinguals due to the high number of form-identical cross-language elements in their expressive vocabularies. Form-similar and dissimilar TEs accounted for less than 2% of the words produced and were only present in infants with larger vocabularies. Results support the hypothesis that phonological form proximity between words across bilinguals' two languages facilitates early lexical acquisition.
“¿Cómo estas?” “I’m good.” Conversational code-switching is related to profiles of expressive and receptive proficiency in Spanish-English bilingual toddlers
Authors: Ribot Krystal M. , Hoff Erika
Published: June 2014

Relations between bilingual children’s patterns of conversational code-switching (responding to one language with another), the balance of their dual language input, and their expressive and receptive proficiency in two languages were examined in 115 2½-year-old simultaneous Spanish-English bilinguals in the U.S. Children were more likely to code-switch in response to Spanish than English. Children’s expressive vocabulary scores were higher in English than in Spanish, while their English and Spanish receptive language scores were not different. Analyses of subgroups of children with different but consistent patterns of code-switching confirmed that children who code-switched to English showed greater English skills, specifically in the expressive domain. Children who did not code-switch were more balanced bilinguals in both expressive and receptive skills. Children with other code-switching patterns showed still different profiles of dual language expressive and receptive proficiency. These findings reveal that some, but not all, bilingual children show different profiles of expressive and receptive skill in their two languages and that these proficiency profiles are related to their language choices in conversation.
The Quality, Implementation, and Evaluation Model
Authors: Talsma AkkeNeel , McLaughlin Margaret , Bathish Melissa , Sirihorachai Rattima , Kuttner Rafael
Published: June 2014

Major efforts have been directed toward the implementation of sustainable quality improvement. To date, progress has been noted using various metrics and performance measures; however, successful implementation has proven challenging. The Quality, Implementation, and Evaluation (QIE) model, derived from Donabedian’s structure component, presents a framework for implementation of specific activities. The QIE model consists of Policy, Patient Preparedness, Provider Competency, and Performance and Accountability, to guide specific practice initiatives. The implementation of alcohol-based pre-operative skin prep was evaluated in a sample of 17 hospitals and demonstrated that hospitals actively engaged in the components of the model demonstrated a significantly higher use of alcohol-based skin preparation agent than hospitals that did not engage in QIE model activities. The QIE model presents a powerful and actionable implementation model for mid-level management and clinical leadership. Future studies will further evaluate the impact of the specific components of the QIE model.