bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Truth, Shame, Complicity, and Flirtation: An Unconventional, Ethnographic (Non)fiction
Authors: Elliott Denielle
Published: December 2014

This unconventional, nonfiction paper begins by exploring the entanglements of subjects and researchers in the inner city, a space marked by economic and political marginalization and disparities in health and well‐being. Blurring genres, the imaginative ethnographic narrative begins with the story of the lives of two men—an impoverished, homeless, Aboriginal man and a privileged, white clinical epidemiologist—and then drifts to consider the politics of sharing such stories for the ethnographer. Reflecting on the telling of the story at an academic conference, it illuminates tensions, contradictions, and the messiness of anthropology and the everyday lives of the anthropologist.
Three Critical Characteristics of Leadership: Character, Stewardship, Experience
Authors: Gini Al , Green Ronald M.
Published: December 2014

There is no one definition of leadership. The leadership equation is never set or fixed. Time, place, specific problems, the particular parties involved all play a role in the leadership equation. Nor is there one specific list of attributes, virtues, or skills that all leaders must and do possess. Nonetheless, we argue that at its core, all forms of ethical leadership are based on three elemental ingredients: character, stewardship, and experience.
Causes and Consequences of Inflation
Authors: Bagus Philipp , Howden David , Gabriel Amadeus
Published: December 2014

While ethical implications of direct taxation systems have recently received renewed attention, a more veiled scheme remains unnoticed: inflation. We overview the causes of inflation and assess its consequences. Salient wealth redistributions are a defining feature of inflation, as savers and fixed income individuals see a relative wealth reduction. While avoiding this “tax” is difficult in many instances because of the primacy of money in a monetary economy, the tax codes of most developed countries allow avoidance techniques to be employed. We analyze three ways that inflation may be avoided in an attempt to preserve personal wealth, as well as the consequences of such practices.
Drug‐induced liver injury: results from the hospital‐based Berlin Case–Control Surveillance Study
Authors: Douros Antonios , Bronder Elisabeth , Andersohn Frank , Klimpel Andreas , Thomae Michael , Sarganas Giselle , Kreutz Reinhold , Garbe Edeltraut
Published: December 2014

Aim

Drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) is often responsible for acute liver failure, drug withdrawal, boxed warnings or drug non‐approval. Therefore, we conducted a case–control study to determine the hepatotoxic risk of a wide range of drugs.

Methods

The Berlin Case–Control Surveillance Study FAKOS included all 51 Berlin hospitals in a hospital network. Between 2002 and 2011, 198 patients with acute idiopathic hepatitis, 377 inpatient controls and 708 outpatient controls were ascertained. Case patients were thoroughly validated using anamnestic, clinical, laboratory and histological data. Drug exposure was obtained in a face‐to‐face interview. A possible drug aetiology was assessed in individual patients by applying the updated Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) scale. Drug risks were further quantified [odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)] in a case–control design with unconditional logistic regression analysis. Drug intake in the last 28 days before index date was considered for the analysis.

Results

The study corroborated hepatotoxic risks for a number of drugs, including phenprocoumon (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5, 6.7), amiodarone (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.3, 21.2), clozapine (OR 34.6, 95% CI 2.8, 824.9) and flupirtine (OR 40.2, 95% CI 5.5, 856.9). Increased risks were also suggested for less commonly reported substances such as angiotensin II receptor blockers, atypical antipsychotics and for biperiden, a drug never before reported to be hepatotoxic.

Conclusions

Our study identified a large number of drugs as possible causes of hepatotoxicity. The observed risk for seldom reported substances highlights the need for further post‐authorization safety studies not exclusively focusing on drugs already labelled as potentially hepatotoxic.
Friends, friendlessness, and social cognition
Authors: Wellman Henry M.
Published: December 2014

I applaud the methods and findings of the target article by Fink and colleagues (Brit. J. Dev. Psychol, 2015; 33, 1–17) who demonstrate an important link between theory of mind and children's social lives. In particular, enhanced theory of mind in preschool buffers children from friendlessness in the transition to school. Going further, I suggest needed steps for the field to experimentally demonstrate causal links between children's theory of mind and their social actions and interactions.
R&D COOPERATION BETWEEN IMPATIENT RIVALS
Authors: Yao Zhiyong , Zheng Bingyong
Published: December 2014

We analyse R&D cooperation between product‐market competitors within a repeated‐game framework with imperfect monitoring. When firms are patient enough, R&D cooperation is attainable without product‐market collusion. However, if firms are less patient, we show that collusion in the product market is necessary to sustain R&D cooperation. Moreover, consumers can be better off when collusion is allowed in this case.
Quantitative structure–activity relationship analysis of the pharmacology of para‐substituted methcathinone analogues
Authors: Bonano J S , Banks M L , Kolanos R , Sakloth F , Barnier M L , Glennon R A , Cozzi N V , Partilla J S , Baumann M H , Negus S S
Published: December 2014

Background and Purpose

Methcathinone (MCAT) is a potent monoamine releaser and parent compound to emerging drugs of abuse including mephedrone (4‐CH3 MCAT), the para‐methyl analogue of MCAT. This study examined quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) for MCAT and six para‐substituted MCAT analogues on (a) in vitro potency to promote monoamine release via dopamine and serotonin transporters (DAT and SERT, respectively), and (b) in vivo modulation of intracranial self‐stimulation (ICSS), a behavioural procedure used to evaluate abuse potential. Neurochemical and behavioural effects were correlated with steric (Es), electronic (σp) and lipophilic (πp) parameters of the para substituents.

Experimental Approach

For neurochemical studies, drug effects on monoamine release through DAT and SERT were evaluated in rat brain synaptosomes. For behavioural studies, drug effects were tested in male Sprague‐Dawley rats implanted with electrodes targeting the medial forebrain bundle and trained to lever‐press for electrical brain stimulation.

Key Results

MCAT and all six para‐substituted analogues increased monoamine release via DAT and SERT and dose‐ and time‐dependently modulated ICSS. In vitro selectivity for DAT versus SERT correlated with in vivo efficacy to produce abuse‐related ICSS facilitation. In addition, the Es values of the para substituents correlated with both selectivity for DAT versus SERT and magnitude of ICSS facilitation.

Conclusions and Implications

Selectivity for DAT versus SERT in vitro is a key determinant of abuse‐related ICSS facilitation by these MCAT analogues, and steric aspects of the para substituent of the MCAT scaffold (indicated by Es) are key determinants of this selectivity.
A novel mechanism for cytoprotection against hypoxic injury: δ‐opioid receptor‐mediated increase in Nrf2 translocation
Authors: Cao Shan , Chao Dongman , Zhou Honghao , Balboni Gianfranco , Xia Ying
Published: December 2014

Background and Purpose

Hypoxia/reoxygenation induces synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can attack macromolecules and cause brain injury. The transcription factor, nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like 2, (Nrf2), ia potent activator of genes with an antioxidant responsive element and Nrf2 can counteract oxidative injury by increasing expression of several antioxidative genes in response to ROS stress. Here, we show that activation of the δ‐opioid receptor (DOR) increasedNrf2 protein expression and translocation, thereby leading to cytoprotection.

Experimental Approach

We used HEK293t cells exposed to 0.5% O2 for 16 h and then reoxygenated for 4 h as a model of hypoxia‐reperfusion (H/R) injury. Real time PCR, Western blotting, siRNA and immunohistochemical techniques were used to follow Nrf2 expression and activity. Cell viability and damage (as LDH leakage) were also measured.

Key Results

H/R injury triggered Nrf2 translocation into the nucleus and up‐regulated expression of several downstream genes, relevant to antioxidation, such as NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1). Incubation with the DOR agonist UFP‐512 enhanced Nrf2 protein expression and translocation and up‐regulated its downstream genes in normoxia and further increased Nrf2 expression and translocation after H/R, protecting the cells against loss of viability and damage. The effect of UFP‐512 on Nrf2 nuclear translocation was blocked by the DOR antagonist, naltrindole. Also, DOR–mediated cytoprotection was strongly inhibited after transfection of HEK293t cells with Nrf2 siRNA.

Conclusions and Implications

The DOR agonist UFP‐512 was cytoprotective against H/R injury and this effect was partly dependent on DOR‐mediated increase in Nrf2 function.
Chronic exercise normalizes changes in Cav1.2 and KCa1.1 channels in mesenteric arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Shi Lijun , Zhang Hanmeng , Chen Yu , Liu Yujia , Lu Ni , Zhao Tengteng , Zhang Lubo
Published: December 2014

Background and Purpose

Regular physical activity is an effective non‐pharmacological therapy for prevention and control of hypertension. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Accumulating evidence shows that the elevated vascular tone in hypertension is a consequence of the ‘ion channel remodelling’ that occurs during sustained high BP. The present study investigated the effects of aerobic exercise on the electrical remodelling of L‐type Ca2+ (Cav1.2) and large‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ (KCa1.1) channels in mesenteric arteries (MAs) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

Experimental Approach

SHRs and normotensive (Wistar‐Kyoto) rats were subjected to aerobic training or kept sedentary, and vascular mechanical and functional properties were evaluated.

Key Results

Exercise did not affect the heart weight, but reduced the heart rate and body weight in SHR. In mesenteric arterial myocytes, exercise normalized the increased Cav1.2 and KCa1.1 current density in SHRs. Exercise also ameliorated the increased open probability and mean open time of the single KCa1.1 channel in hypertension. The isometric contraction study revealed that both nifedipine (Cav1.2 channel blocker) and NS11021 (KCa1.1 channel activator) induced concentration‐dependent vasorelaxation in MAs precontracted with noradrenaline. Exercise normalized the increased sensitivity of tissues to nifedipine and NS11021 in SHR. Furthermore, protein expression of the Cav1.2 α1C‐subunit together with the KCa1.1 α‐ and β1‐subunit was significantly increased in SHRs; and exercise ameliorated these molecular alterations in hypertension.

Conclusions and Implications

Chronic exercise reduces BP and restores vascular function in MAs from SHR, which might be related to the correction of the Cav1.2 and KCa1.1 channel remodelling during hypertension.
Prognostic significance of promyelocytic leukemia expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumor; integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis
Authors: Ichikawa Hiroshi , Yoshida Akihiko , Kanda Tatsuo , Kosugi Shin‐ichi , Ishikawa Takashi , Hanyu Takaaki , Taguchi Takahiro , Sakumoto Marimu , Katai Hitoshi , Kawai Akira , Wakai Toshifumi , Kondo Tadashi
Published: December 2014

Prognostic markers are urgently needed to optimize the postoperative treatment strategies for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). GIST of the small intestine (I‐GIST) show more aggressive behavior than those of the stomach (S‐GIST), and the molecular background of the malignancy in I‐GIST may include potential prognostic biomarkers. We conducted integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis to identify genes showing differential expressions according to the tumor site. We generated protein expression profiles for four cases each of surgically resected I‐GIST and S‐GIST using label‐free proteomic analysis. For proteins showing differential expressions, globalmRNAexpression was compared between 9 I‐GIST and 23 S‐GIST. Among the 2555 genes analyzed, we found that promyelocytic leukemia (PML), a tumor suppressor gene, was significantly downregulated in I‐GIST at both the protein andmRNAlevels (P < 0.01; fold difference ≥2.0). Immunohistochemistry of 254 additional cases from multiple clinical facilities showed that PML‐negative cases were significantly frequent in the I‐GIST group (P < 0.001). The 5‐year recurrence‐free survival rate was significantly lower in the PML‐negative than in the PML‐positive cases (60.1%vs91.7%;P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that downregulation of PML was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor (hazard ratio = 2.739;P = 0.001). Our study indicated that prognostication based on PML expression may have potential for optimizing the treatment strategy for GIST patients. Further validation studies of PML for clinical application, and investigation for the mechanistic significance of PML to clarify the molecular backgrounds of malignancy in GIST are warranted.
Poly‐S‐nitrosated human albumin enhances the antitumor and antimetastasis effect of bevacizumab, partly by inhibiting autophagy through the generation of nitric oxide
Authors: Ishima Yu , Inoue Aki , Fang Jun , Kinoshita Ryo , Ikeda Mayumi , Watanabe Hiroshi , Maeda Hiroshi , Otagiri Masaki , Maruyama Toru
Published: December 2014

Autophagy is one of the major causes of drug resistance. For example, the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab shows only transient and short‐term therapeutic effects, whereas long‐term therapeutic benefits are rarely observed, probably due to hypoxia‐induced autophagy. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule with multiple functions, and it has recently been reported to function as a regulator of autophagy. Therefore, a reasonable therapeutic strategy for overcoming drug resistance by NO would involve it being directly delivered to the tumor. Here, we investigated the inhibitory effect of NO on autophagy by using a macromolecular NO donor S‐nitrosated human serum albumin (SNO‐HSA) with a high degree of NO loading and tumor targeting potential. In colon 26 (C26) cells, SNO‐HSA significantly suppressed hypoxia‐induced autophagy by inhibiting the phosphorylation of JNK1 and the expression of its downstream molecule Beclin1. The effect of SNO‐HSA was also confirmed in vivo by combining it with Bev. In C26‐bearing mice, significant suppression of tumor growth as well as lung metastasis was achieved in the combination group compared to the SNO‐HSA or bevacizumab alone group. Similar to the in vitro experiments, the immunostaining of tumor tissues clearly showed that SNO‐HSA inhibited the autophagy of tumor cells induced by bevacizumab treatment. In addition to other known antitumor effects of SNO‐HSA, that is, the induction of apoptosis and the inhibition of multidrug efflux pumps, these data may open alternate strategies for cancer chemotherapy by taking advantage of the ability of SNO‐HSA to suppress autophagy‐mediated drug resistance and enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Sunitinib impedes brain tumor progression and reduces tumor‐induced neurodegeneration in the microenvironment
Authors: Hatipoglu Gökçe , Hock Stefan W. , Weiss Ruth , Fan Zheng , Sehm Tina , Ghoochani Ali , Buchfelder Michael , Savaskan Nicolai E. , Eyüpoglu Ilker Y.
Published: December 2014

Malignant gliomas can be counted to the most devastating tumors in humans. Novel therapies do not achieve significant prolonged survival rates. The cancer cells have an impact on the surrounding vital tissue and form tumor zones, which make up the tumor microenvironment. We investigated the effects of sunitinib, a small molecule multitargeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on constituents of the tumor microenvironment such as gliomas, astrocytes, endothelial cells, and neurons. Sunitinib has a known anti‐angiogenic effect. We found that sunitinib normalizes the aberrant tumor‐derived vasculature and reduces tumor vessel pathologies (i.e. auto‐loops). Sunitinib has only minor effects on the normal, physiological, non‐proliferating vasculature. We found that neurons and astrocytes are protected by sunitinib against glutamate‐induced cell death, whereas sunitinib acts as a toxin towards proliferating endothelial cells and tumor vessels. Moreover, sunitinib is effective in inducing glioma cell death. We determined the underlying pathways by which sunitinib operates as a toxin on gliomas and found vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2, KDR/Flk1) as the main target to execute gliomatoxicity. The apoptosis‐inducing effect of sunitinib can be mimicked by inhibition of VEGFR2. Knockdown of VEGFR2 can, in part, foster the resistance of glioma cells to receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Furthermore, sunitinib alleviates tumor‐induced neurodegeneration. Hence, we tested whether temozolomide treatment could be potentiated by sunitinib application. Here we show that sunitinib can amplify the effects of temozolomide in glioma cells. Thus, our data indicate that combined treatment with temozolomide does not abrogate the effects of sunitinib. In conclusion, we found that sunitinib acts as a gliomatoxic agent and at the same time carries out neuroprotective effects, reducing tumor‐induced neurodegeneration. Thus, this report uncovered sunitinib's actions on the brain tumor microenvironment, revealing novel aspects for adjuvant approaches and new clinical assessment criteria when applied to brain tumor patients.
Multitargeting strategy using lenvatinib and golvatinib: Maximizing anti‐angiogenesis activity in a preclinical cancer model
Authors: Nakazawa Youya , Kawano Satoshi , Matsui Junji , Funahashi Yasuhiro , Tohyama Osamu , Muto Hiroki , Nakagawa Takayuki , Matsushima Tomohiro
Published: December 2014

Almost all cancers show intrinsic and/or evasive resistance to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors by multiple mechanisms. Serum angiopoietin‐2 (Ang2) level has been proposed as a potential biomarker of VEGF inhibitor response in several cancers. From these clinical observations, the Ang2 and Tie2 (its receptor) axis has been focused on as a promising target. Here, we show a novel strategy to circumvent the resistance by combining multi‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors lenvatinib (VEGF receptor, fibroblast growth factor receptor, and RET inhibitor) and golvatinib (E7050; c‐Met, Tie2, and EphB4 inhibitor). Tie2 identifies a highly pro‐angiogenic macrophage subset, Tie2‐expressing macrophages (TEM). Angi‐Tie2 and EphB4‐EphrinB2 signaling plays critical roles in pericyte‐mediated vessel stabilization. In vitro analyses suggested that golvatinib combined with lenvatinib inhibited pericyte‐mediated vessel stabilization and TEM differentiation. In thyroid and endometrial cancer models, golvatinib and lenvatinib inhibited pericyte network development and TEM infiltration, resulting in severe perfusion disorder and massive apoptosis. Body weight loss was tolerable, and no macroscopic change was observed. These preclinical studies suggest that modulation of the tumor microenvironment by a strategic and well‐tolerated combination of multi‐targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitors may sensitize cancer to VEGF inhibitors.
Identification of Nucleoside Analogs as Inducers of Neuronal Differentiation in a Human Reporter Cell Line and Adult Stem Cells
Authors: Raasch Katharina , Malecki Edith , Siemann Maria , Martinez Malayko M. , Heinisch Jürgen J. , Müller Janine , Bakota Lidia , Kaltschmidt Christian , Kaltschmidt Barbara , Rosemeyer Helmut , Brandt Roland
Published: December 2014

Nucleoside analogs (NSAs) were among the first chemotherapeutic agents and could also be useful for the manipulation of cell fate. To investigate the potential of NSAs for the induction of neuronal differentiation, we developed a novel phenotypic assay based on a human neuron‐committed teratocarcinoma cell line (NT2) as a model for neuronal progenitors and constructed a NT2‐based reporter cell line that expressed eGFP under the control of a neuron‐specific promoter. We tested 38 structurally related NSAs and determined their activity to induce neuronal differentiation by immunocytochemistry of neuronal marker proteins, live cell imaging, fluorometric detection and immunoblot analysis. We identified twelve NSAs, which induced neuronal differentiation to different extents. NSAs with highest activity carried a halogen substituent at their pyrimidine nucleobase and an unmodified or 2′‐O‐methyl substituted 2‐deoxy‐β‐D‐ribofuranosyl residue as glyconic moiety. Cladribine, a purine nucleoside with similar structural features and in use to treat leukemia and multiple sclerosis, induced also differentiation of adult human neural crest‐derived stem cells. Our results suggest that NSAs could be useful for the manipulation of neuronal cell fate in cell replacement therapy or treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. The data on the structure and function relationship will help to design compounds with increased activity and low toxicity.
Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Molecular Docking of Novel Benzopyran and Phenylpyrazole Derivatives as Akt Inhibitors
Authors: Zhan Wenhu , Lin Sendong , Chen Jing , Dong Xiaowu , Chu Jianbo , Du Wenting
Published: December 2014

By inspiration of good Akt1 inhibitory and cytotoxic activity of our previously screened hits 1 and 2, a series of novel benzopyrans 3a–c, 4 and phenylpyrazoles 5a–c, 6a–b, and 7 were designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated for their in vitro Akt1 inhibitory and cytotoxic activity. The results revealed that all of these compounds showed moderate‐to‐excellent antiproliferative effects against the tested cancer cell lines (i.e. HL‐60, OVCAR, PC‐3, and HepG2). Among them, compounds 3a and 3c exhibited preferable Akt1 inhibitory activities (IC50 of 3a and 3c are 6.18 and 5.28 μm, respectively), while compounds 4, 5a–c, 6a–b, and 7 only showed weak Akt1 inhibitory activities. Consequently, we used molecular docking and dynamic simulation to propose a mode of binding between Akt1 and the 3c compound.
Dental caries development among African American children: results from a 4‐year longitudinal study
Authors: Lim Sungwoo , Tellez Marisol , Ismail Amid I.
Published: December 2014

Objective

To examine dental caries development and caries risk factors among preschool African American children from low‐income families in Detroit, Michigan, over a 4‐year window.

Methods

Data came from a representative sample of 1021 children (0–5 years) and their caregivers in Detroit. The baseline participants in 2002–2003 (W1) were re‐examined in 2004–2005 (W2) and 2007 (W3). Caries was measured using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System. Bivariate and multivariate analyses for repeated data were conducted to explore associations between caries increment outcomes and demographics, access to dental care, oral health‐related behaviours, and social and physical environments.

Results

The mean number of new noncavitated caries lesions (NCCL) was 2.8 between W1 and W2 and 2.6 between W2 and W3, while the mean number of new cavitated caries lesions (CCL) was 2.0 and 2.0, respectively, during the same time periods. In younger children (<3 years old in W1), higher number of newNCCLthan newCCLwas observed in both W1–W2 and W2–W3. The risk of newNCCLwas associated with child's soda intake and caregiver's age. For the risk of newCCL, significant risk factors included baselineNCCL, baselineCCL, as well as child's age. Baseline caries and child's soda intake were also associated with the risk of developing new decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces.

Conclusions

Higher number of newNCCLrelative toCCLwas developed among low‐income African American children during early childhood. New caries development was associated with baseline caries and child's soda intake.
Exome sequencing in 32 patients with anophthalmia/microphthalmia and developmental eye defects
Authors: Slavotinek A.M. , Garcia S.T. , Chandratillake G. , Bardakjian T. , Ullah E. , Wu D. , Umeda K. , Lao R. , Tang P.L.‐F. , Wan E. , Madireddy L. , Lyalina S. , Mendelsohn B.A. , Dugan S. , Tirch J. , Tischler R. , Harris J. , Clark M.J. , Chervitz S. , Patwardhan A. , West J.M. , Ursell P. , de Alba Campomanes A. , Schneider A. , Kwok P.‐y. , Baranzini S. , Chen R.O.
Published: December 2014

Anophthalmia/microphthalmia (A/M) is a genetically heterogeneous birth defect for which the etiology is unknown in more than 50% of patients. We used exome sequencing with the ACE ExomeTM (Personalis, Inc; 18 cases) and UCSF Genomics Core (21 cases) to sequence 28 patients with A/M and four patients with varied developmental eye defects. In the 28 patients with A/M, we identified de novo mutations in three patients (OTX2, p.(Gln91His), RARB, p.Arg387Cys and GDF6, p.Ala249Glu) and inherited mutations in STRA6 in two patients. In patients with developmental eye defects, a female with cataracts and cardiomyopathy had a de novo COL4A1 mutation, p.(Gly773Arg), expanding the phenotype associated with COL4A1 to include cardiomyopathy. A male with a chorioretinal defect, microcephaly, seizures and sensorineural deafness had two PNPT1 mutations, p.(Ala507Ser) and c.401‐1G>A, and we describe eye defects associated with this gene for the first time. Exome sequencing was efficient for identifying mutations in pathogenic genes for which there is no clinical testing available and for identifying cases that expand phenotypic spectra, such as the PNPT1 and COL4A1‐associated disorders described here.
Growing an Urban Oasis: A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Benefits of Community Gardening inBaltimore,Maryland
Authors: Poulsen Melissa N. , Hulland Kristyna R. S. , Gulas Carolyn A. , Pham Hieu , Dalglish Sarah L. , Wilkinson Rebecca K. , Winch Peter J.
Published: December 2014

Community gardening is lauded as an urban planning tool to enhance local food systems while improving degraded urban environments. To understand how best to expand community gardening participation, this study explores the perceived benefits of community gardening inBaltimore,Maryland. In‐depth interviews and focused group interviews with community gardeners revealed that gardens provide benefits at multiple levels, creating an “urban oasis” that provides refuge from urban decay while revitalizing city neighborhoods. At the individual level, gardeners underscored psychological benefits, including pride and a connection with nature. At the neighborhood level, gardeners developed trusting relationships with their neighbors and shared learning experiences. At the community level, gardeners perceived that gardens reclaim city space by cleaning up degraded lots, creating gathering places, and improving the food environment. The variety of perceived benefits that gardens provide to individuals and their communities should be promoted as a tool for developing healthy urban environments.
“They Just Say Organic Food Is Healthier”: Perceptions of Healthy Food among Supermarket Shoppers in Southwest Baltimore
Authors: Rodman Sarah O. , Palmer Anne M. , Zachary Drew A. , Hopkins Laura C. , Surkan Pamela J.
Published: December 2014

To discover how organic food factors into low‐income consumers’ overall understanding of healthy eating, we analyzed 36 in‐depth interviews with adults in Baltimore, Maryland. We asked participants to discuss their understanding of healthy eating. Unprompted, many participants discussed organic food or attributes commonly understood to define organic food. Some participants believed health issues including cancer, weight gain, and allergies can arise from consuming nonorganic foods. Participants expressed that organic competes with other food attributes such as nutrient content in informing their perception of whether a food is healthy. Several voiced concern that nonorganic foods are responsible for weight gain and abnormal development. Our results show that despite limited access, organic is an important factor in some consumers’ understanding of healthy food. Consumers’ perceptions of organic can swamp or compete with other messages about healthy eating. Therefore, consumers’ understanding of organic should be considered in developing diet‐related messages and programs.
NERICA Upland Rice: Seeds of Change for Female‐Headed Households in Uganda?
Authors: Lodin Johanna Bergman , Paulson Susan , Jirström Magnus
Published: December 2014

Recognizing that the adoption of new agricultural technology has different effects on different types of households and social actors, this study examines how female‐headed households growing New Rice for Africa (NERICA) upland rice in Hoima District, Uganda, compare with male‐headed NERICA grower households with respect to the production, productivity, and marketing of the crop. We show that NERICA has become an important cash income earner for both household categories, which obtain similar levels of productivity, and identify factors that seem to have helped make it accessible to female‐headed households: the perception of rice not solely as a commercial crop but also a food crop, a ready local market, and good performance without agro‐chemical inputs. In spite of evidence that female‐headed households are constrained by inferior access to land and by lower de facto sales price, we argue that NERICA provides opportunities for these households that may contribute toward more equitable production, productivity, and marketing conditions between female‐ and male‐headed households.
We Are Still Here: Tracing U.S. Agricultural Change through the Kardel Multigenerational Farm
Authors: Kardel Abigail
Published: December 2014

This essay explores the evolution of a specific American family farm in rural Iowa, from 1853 through present. It describes macrolevel economic, structural, and political events during this period and their microlevel effects on the Kardel family farm. Historical sources and interviews with family farm members are used to trace how this working, multigenerational family farm navigated and adapted to national and international events affecting Midwestern U.S. family farming. In so doing, it sheds light on wider trends in agricultural evolution and on factors influencing the prospects for continued survival of U.S. family farming.
Spirits and Exorcism: On the Semiotics of Healing and Recovery
Authors: Alter Joseph S.
Published: December 2014

Focusing on the ambiguous and indeterminate relationship between spirit possession and alcoholic spirits, this article shows how biosemiotics provides a way to understand healing and recovery from addiction. The efficacy of treatment for addiction is a spiritual function of social relations anchored in symptomatic diagnosis, rather than in the embodiment of belief as an expression of cultural meaning in ritual forms of treatment. As such, this article offers as critical, semiotic counterpoint to interpretations of ritual efficacy that are based on phenomenology and hermeneutics.
(Re)Working the Program: Gender and Openness in Alcoholics Anonymous
Authors: Kornfield Rachel
Published: December 2014

Given concerns that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) might disempower already disenfranchised groups by focusing attention on self scrutiny and away from social action, this article explores how a cohort of black women members in Chicago portray the role of individual and social forces in their addictions. Despite challenges including histories of sex work and abuse, these women describe themselves as empowered in their recovery efforts and as more successful in AA than their male peers. Their reported success reflects their innovative application of a women‐only meeting. Through this meeting, members develop a practice of “openness” that is in some ways at odds with AA's customary self‐focus, especially as it becomes grounds to exchange stories about social precipitants of addiction and to strategize ways to assert themselves in their relationships. Rather than enacting a pregiven version of AA, these women interpret the program in creative ways that allow them to accomplish a broad set of objectives.
Mitochondrial oxidative stress as a novel therapeutic target to overcome intrinsic drug resistance in melanoma cell subpopulations
Authors: Cierlitza Monika , Chauvistré Heike , Bogeski Ivan , Zhang Xin , Hauschild Axel , Herlyn Meenhard , Schadendorf Dirk , Vogt Thomas , Roesch Alexander
Published: December 2014

Despite recent success in melanoma therapy, most patients with metastatic disease still undergo deadly progression. We have identified a novel mechanism of multidrug resistance allowing a small subpopulation of slow‐cycling melanoma cells to survive based on elevated oxidative bioenergy metabolism. In this study, we asked whether such slow‐cycling cells could be eliminated by co‐treatment with the copper‐chelator elesclomol. Elesclomol–copper complexes can cause oxidative stress by disruption of the mitochondrial respiration chain or by indirect non‐mitochondrial induction of reactive oxygen species. We have found that elesclomol effectively kills the slow‐cycling subpopulation and prevents the selective enrichment for slow‐cycling cells, which usually results after monotreatment. We hypothesize that elesclomol could overcome the multidrug resistance of slow‐cycling melanoma cells and prevent tumor repopulation in melanoma patients in future.
Reinventing “Towel City, USA”: Textiles, Tourism, and the Future of the Southeastern Mill Town
Authors: Hodges Nancy , Frank Phillip
Published: December 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the loss of textile product manufacturing has impacted two rural towns in the southeastern U.S. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 33 residents in the two towns. Participants represented a variety of stakeholders, including local elected officials, business leaders and government representatives along with displaced workers, former textile firm executives, local community college administrators, and small business owners. Key issues within three thematic areas point to the need for both towns to reinvent themselves after the loss of textile product manufacturing. Both communities are focusing on the future through economic development strategies that include tourism to draw on the textile industry heritage of the area. Findings point to the impact of declining manufacturing employment on rural communities and the people that live within them, while highlighting how the industry can remain an important part of a textile town's identity.
Relative food limitation drives geographical clutch size variation inSouthAfrican passerines: a large‐scale test ofAshmole's seasonality hypothesis
Authors: Hořák David , Tószögyová Anna , Storch David
Published: December 2014

Aim

To separate the effect of overall resource level from the effect of seasonality on avian clutch size to testAshmole's hypothesis that birds have larger clutch sizes in seasonal environments due to high per capita food availability during the breeding season.

Location

SouthAfrica andLesotho.

Methods

We used a large‐scale environmental gradient to test the effects of maximum resource availability and resource seasonality (estimated by the normalized difference vegetation index) on clutch size variation among local passerine assemblages (25 km × 25 km grid cells). The importance of maximum resource availability was distinguished from the importance of resource seasonality by using multivariate general additive models and by subsetting the data so that variation in one of these parameters was minimized. Spatial autocorrelation was controlled for by using spatial generalized least squares.

Results

Assemblage mean clutch size showed a hump‐shaped relationship with maximum resource availability but an increase with resource seasonality. When the variation in maximum resource availability was fixed, clutch size increased with increasing seasonality, but it decreased with increasing maximum resource availability when we fixed the variation in seasonality. These results hold for all feeding guilds except granivores, for which we found opposite patterns. The patterns were much less pronounced when family membership was controlled for, indicating that the overall trends are mostly driven by variation between families.

Main conclusions

Although clutch size can be affected by many factors related to environmental productivity and its variation,Ashmole's hypothesis provides the most parsimonious explanation of the observed patterns: geographical patterns in mean clutch size across bird assemblages seem to be driven by variation of per capita food availability determined by seasonal variation of population density.
The biological efficacy profile of BAX 855, a PEGylated recombinant factor VIII molecule
Authors: Valentino L. A. , Cong L. , Enockson C. , Song X. , Scheiflinger F. , Muchitsch E. M. , Turecek P. L. , Hakobyan N.
Published: December 2014

Prophylaxis prevents joint and other bleeding episodes in patients with haemophilia A. Development of new factor concentrates with longer circulating half‐lives may encourage patients to start, continue or resume prophylaxis. The aim of this study was to compare the pharmacodynamic effect of a PEGylated full‐length recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) concentrate with that of an unmodified rFVIII concentrate with respect to the duration of prophylactic efficacy in a murine model of haemophilic joint bleeding. Mice were pretreated with BAX 855 or unmodified rFVIII at specified times before right knee puncture to induce haemarthrosis; left knee joints served as controls. Joint bleeding was evaluated using a combination of visual and histological assessments. Administration of a single dose of unmodified rFVIII before joint puncture prevented haemarthrosis in mice up to 24 h, whereas pretreatment with BAX 855 protected the joint from bleeding up to 48 h. This pharmacodynamic study showed prolonged efficacy of BAX 855 compared to ADVATE in a haemophilia A mouse joint bleeding model. This finding supports the possibility of using BAX 855 to increase FVIII trough levels and/or extend the dosing interval in patients with haemophilia A on prophylaxis, which may potentially improve prophylactic efficacy and long‐term adherence.
Investigating an application of speech‐to‐text recognition: a study on visual attention and learning behaviour
Authors: Huang Y‐M. , Liu C‐J. , Shadiev R. , Shen M‐H. , Hwang W‐Y.
Published: December 2014

One major drawback of previous research on speech‐to‐text recognition (STR) is that most findings showing the effectiveness of STR for learning were based upon subjective evidence. Very few studies have used eye‐tracking techniques to investigate visual attention of students on STR‐generated text. Furthermore, not much attention was paid to learning differences, such as learning ability, learning style preferences and gender, to use STR texts. Therefore, this study carried out one experiment. Firstly, participants' visual attention on STR‐generated text was investigated by employing eye‐tracking technique. Secondly, how differently effective STR‐generated texts can be to influence participants' learning achievement was tested. Thirdly, this study compared visual attention and learning behaviour with the different characteristics of participants, such as learning ability, learning style preferences and gender, to use STR‐generated texts. Finally, this study explored students' perceptions regarding usefulness of STR‐generated texts for learning. This paper discusses results, research findings and implications along with conclusions and several suggestions for future development and research.
Osseous resective surgery with and without fibre retention technique in the treatment of shallow intrabony defects: a split‐mouth randomized clinical trial
Authors: Aimetti Mario , Mariani Giulia Maria , Ferrarotti Francesco , Ercoli Elena , Audagna Martina , Bignardi Cristina , Romano Federica
Published: December 2014

Aim

The aim of this split‐mouth clinical trial was to compare the effectiveness of Apically Positioned Flap with Fibre Retention Osseous Resective Surgery (FibReORS) or Osseous Resective Surgery (ORS) in the treatment of periodontal pockets associated with intrabony defects ≤3 mm at posterior natural teeth.

Materials and Methods

Twenty‐six posterior sextants requiring osseous resective surgery were selected in 13 chronic periodontitis patients: 13 sextants were randomly assigned to ORS and 13 to FibReORS. Clinical evaluation of probing depth (PD), gingival recession and clinical attachment level was performed at baseline, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Periapical radiographs were taken prior and after surgical treatment, at 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up.

Results

Ostectomy amounted to 1.0 ± 0.3 mm in the ORS group and to 0.4 ± 0.2 mm in the FibReORS group. At 12‐month examination PD changes did not significantly differ between the experimental groups. ORS group showed significantly (p < 0.001) greater clinical attachment loss (2.2 ± 1.0 mm versus 1.0 ± 0.6 mm), radiographic bone resorption (0.43 ± 0.08 mm versus 0.13 ± 0.09 mm) and post‐operative patient discomfort compared to FibReORS.

Conclusion

FibReORS resulted in similar PD reduction, but less ostectomy, clinical attachment loss and patient morbidity compared to ORS.
Prevalence of physiological heart murmurs in a population of 95 healthy young adult dogs
Authors: Drut A. , Ribas T. , Floch F. , Franchequin S. , Freyburger L. , Rannou B. , Cadoré J. L. , Bublot I.
Published: December 2014

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of physiological heart murmurs in healthy young adult dogs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Healthy dogs aged between 1 and 5 years were enrolled prospectively. All participating dogs underwent physical examination, urinalysis, blood testing and blood pressure measurement. Cardiac auscultations were performed by three independent examiners. Dogs with heart murmurs underwent echocardiography, to exclude cardiovascular abnormalities.

RESULTS

Of 109 dogs evaluated, 95 completed the study. Heart murmurs were detected in 22 dogs. Interobserver agreement for murmur detection was moderate to fair (weighted kappa 0 · 29–0 · 56). On the basis of two different sets of echocardiographic criteria, physiological heart murmurs were diagnosed in 6 and 11 dogs, respectively, giving a prevalence of 6–12%. All physiological heart murmurs were systolic and low‐grade (I–III/VI). Most were louder towards the left heart base and some radiated up to the thoracic inlet. The epidemiological features of dogs with physiological heart murmurs did not differ significantly from those of dogs without murmurs (P > 0 · 10).

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

This study shows that physiological heart murmurs may not be limited to growing dogs or specific breeds, as they were commonly encountered in this population of healthy young adult dogs.
The Prevalence and the Risk Factors of Testosterone Deficiency in Newly Diagnosed and Previously Known Type 2 Diabetic Men
Authors: Ho Chen-Hsun , Jaw Fu-Shan , Wu Chia-Chang , Chen Kuan-Chou , Wang Chih-Yuan , Hsieh Ju-Ton , Yu Hong-Jeng , Liu Shih-Ping
Published: December 2014

Introduction

While the epidemiology of testosterone deficiency has been well described in men with previously known type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), it was less reported in those with untreated, newly diagnosed T2DM.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the risk factors of testosterone deficiency of men with newly diagnosed T2DM.

Methods

The cross-sectional study included 105 men (mean age: 61.2 ± 6.8 years) with previously known T2DM and another 81 (57.8 ± 8.8 years) with newly diagnosed T2DM. All received health checkup and sex hormone measurement at our institute in 2009.

Main Outcome Measures

We calculated the prevalence and explored the risk factors of low total (<300 ng/dL) and free (<6 ng/dL) testosterone in men with newly diagnosed and previously known T2DM.

Results

Men with previously known T2DM were older and had higher diastolic pressure and greater fasting glucose. There was no significant difference in total (358.0 [155.0] ng/dL vs. 363.0 [154.0] ng/dL, P = 0.68) and free (7.2 [2.5] ng/dL vs. 7.4 [2.4] ng/dL, P = 0.84) testosterone and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (27.3 [22.3] nmol/L vs. 28.7 [14.9] nmol/L, P = 0.46). The prevalence of low total and free testosterone was 28.4% and 21.0%, respectively, in men with newly diagnosed T2DM, and was 26.7% and 19.0% in those with previously known T2DM. In men with previously known T2DM, better glycemic control (HbA1c <7%) was associated with a higher level of total testosterone and a lower risk of low total testosterone. Men with newly diagnosed and previously known T2DM shared similar risk factors of low total testosterone, including high HbA1c (≥7%), low SHBG (<20 nmol/L), obesity, hyperuricemia, hypertriglycemia, and metabolic syndrome. Elevated prostate-specific antigen was a protective factor of low total testosterone. However, none of these factors was associated with low free testosterone.

Conclusions

The prevalence and the risk factors of testosterone deficiency are similar between newly diagnosed and previously known type 2 diabetic men.
Green Web or megabiased clock? Plant fossils from Gondwanan Patagonia speak on evolutionary radiations
Authors: Wilf Peter , Escapa Ignacio H.
Published: December 2014

Evolutionary divergence‐age estimates derived from molecular ‘clocks’ are frequently correlated with paleogeographic, paleoclimatic and extinction events. One prominent hypothesis based on molecular data states that the dominant pattern of Southern Hemisphere biogeography is post‐Gondwanan clade origins and subsequent dispersal across the oceans in a metaphoric ‘Green Web’. We tested this idea against well‐dated Patagonian fossils of 19 plant lineages, representing organisms that actually lived on Gondwana. Most of these occurrences are substantially older than their respective, often post‐Gondwanan molecular dates. The Green Web interpretation probably results from directional bias in molecular results. Gondwanan history remains fundamental to understanding Southern Hemisphere plant radiations, and we urge significantly greater caution when using molecular dating to interpret the biological impacts of geological events.

ContentsSummary283I.Introduction283II.Data: fossils and clocks284III.Results284IV.Discussion287V.Conclusions288Acknowledgements288References288