bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Undesirable Outputs’ Presence in Centralized Resource Allocation Model
Authors: Tohidi Ghasem , Taherzadeh Hamed , Hajiha Sara
Published: September 2014

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a common nonparametric technique to measure the relative efficiency scores of the individual homogenous decision making units (DMUs). One aspect of the DEA literature has recently been introduced as a centralized resource allocation (CRA) which aims at optimizing the combined resource consumption by all DMUs in an organization rather than considering the consumption individually through DMUs. Conventional DEA models and CRA model have been basically formulated on desirable inputs and outputs. The objective of this paper is to present new CRA models to assess the overall efficiency of a system consisting of DMUs by using directional distance function when DMUs produce desirable and undesirable outputs. This paper initially reviewed a couple of DEA approaches for measuring the efficiency scores of DMUs when some outputs are undesirable. Then, based upon these theoretical foundations, we develop the CRA model when undesirable outputs are considered in the evaluation. Finally, we apply a short numerical illustration to show how our proposed model can be applied.
Outcome and Prognostic Factors for Traumatic Endophthalmitis over a 5-Year Period
Authors: Nicoară Simona Delia , Irimescu Iulian , Călinici Tudor , Cristian Cristina
Published: September 2014

Purpose. To evaluate the outcome and identify the prognostic factors of traumatic endophthalmitis over a 5-year period.Methods. We reviewed the medical records of all the traumatic endophthalmities that we treated in our department over the last 5 years (2009–2013). We extracted the following parameters: age, gender, wound anatomy, associated ocular lesions, treatment, and initial and final visual acuities. We used the program SPSS version 20.0.0. for the statistical analysis of our data.Results. During the last 5 years, we treated 14 traumatic endophthalmities, representing 46.66% of all types of endophthalmities. The infection rate in open globe injuries was 8.13% and 34.78%, if an intraocular foreign body (IOFB) was associated. All the patients were males with the median age of 37 years. Initial visual acuities varied between light perception and 0.4 and the timing of treatment from a few hours to 10 days. We administered antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs, systemically and intravitreally, in all cases. We performed pars plana vitrectomy in 64.28% of cases. In 57.14% of cases, the final visual acuity was 0.1 or more.Conclusions. IOFBs increased significantly the risk for endophthalmitis. The worse prognostic factors were retinal detachment at presentation and delayed treatment. This trial is registered withIRCT2014082918966N1.
Breast Cancer Nodes Detection Using Ultrasonic Microscale Subarrayed MIMO RADAR
Authors: Taparugssanagorn Attaphongse , Siwamogsatham Siwaruk , Pomalaza-Ráez Carlos
Published: September 2014

This paper proposes the use of ultrasonic microscale subarrayed MIMO RADARs to estimate the position of breast cancer nodes. The transmit and receive antenna arrays are divided into subarrays. In order to increase the signal diversity each subarray is assigned a different waveform from an orthogonal set. High-frequency ultrasonic transducers are used since a breast is considered to be a superficial structure. Closed form expressions for the optimal Neyman-Pearson detector are derived. The combination of the waveform diversity present in the subarrayed deployment and traditional phased-array RADAR
techniques provides promising results.
Design and Implementation of a VoIP Broadcasting Service over Embedded Systems in a Heterogeneous Network Environment
Authors: Leu Jenq-Shiou , Lin Wei-Hsiang , Hsieh Wen-Bin , Lo Chien-Chih
Published: September 2014

As the digitization is integrated into daily life, media including video and audio are heavily transferred over the Internet nowadays. Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), the most popular and mature technology, becomes the focus attracting many researches and investments. However, most of the existing studies focused on a one-to-one communication model in a homogeneous network, instead of one-to-many broadcasting model among diverse embedded devices in a heterogeneous network. In this paper, we present the implementation of a VoIP broadcasting service on the open source—Linphone—in a heterogeneous network environment, including WiFi, 3G, and LAN networks. The proposed system featuring VoIP broadcasting over heterogeneous networks can be integrated with heterogeneous agile devices, such as embedded devices or mobile phones. VoIP broadcasting over heterogeneous networks can be integrated into modern smartphones or other embedded devices; thus when users run in a traditional AM/FM signal unreachable area, they still can receive the broadcast voice through the IP network. Also, comprehensive evaluations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed implementation.
MicroRNA100 Inhibits Self-Renewal of Breast Cancer Stem–like Cells and Breast Tumor Development
Authors: Deng Lu , Shang Li , Bai Shoumin , Chen Ji , He Xueyan , Martin-Trevino Rachel , Chen Shanshan , Li Xiao-yan , Meng Xiaojie , Yu Bin , Wang Xiaolin , Liu Yajing , McDermott Sean P. , Ariazi Alexa E. , Ginestier Christophe , Ibarra Ingrid , Ke Jia , Luther Tahra , Clouthier Shawn G. , Xu Liang , Shan Ge , Song Erwei , Yao Herui , Hannon Gregory J. , Weiss Stephen J. , Wicha Max S. , Liu Suling
Published: September 2014

miRNAs are essential for self-renewal and differentiation of normal and malignant stem cells by regulating the expression of key stem cell regulatory genes. Here, we report evidence implicating the miR100 in self-renewal of cancer stem–like cells (CSC). We found that miR100 expression levels relate to the cellular differentiation state, with lowest expression in cells displaying stem cell markers. Utilizing a tetracycline-inducible lentivirus to elevate expression of miR100 in human cells, we found that increasing miR100 levels decreased the production of breast CSCs. This effect was correlated with an inhibition of cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in mouse tumor xenografts due to attenuated expression of the CSC regulatory genes SMARCA5, SMARCD1, and BMPR2. Furthermore, miR100 induction in breast CSCs immediately upon their orthotopic implantation or intracardiac injection completely blocked tumor growth and metastasis formation. Clinically, we observed a significant association between miR100 expression in breast cancer specimens and patient survival. Our results suggest that miR100 is required to direct CSC self-renewal and differentiation. Cancer Res; 74(22); 6648–60. ©2014 AACR.
Distinct Subpopulations of Head and Neck Cancer Cells with Different Levels of Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species Exhibit Diverse Stemness, Proliferation, and Chemosensitivity
Authors: Chang Ching-Wen , Chen Yu-Syuan , Chou Shiu-Huey , Han Chia-Li , Chen Yu-Ju , Yang Cheng-Chieh , Huang Chih-Yang , Lo Jeng-Fan
Published: September 2014

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is driven by cancer-initiating cells (CIC), but their maintenance mechanisms are obscure. For hematopoietic stem cells, low levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROSLow) is known to help sustain stemness properties. In this report, we evaluated the hypothesis that ROSLow character conferred CIC properties in HNSCC. Sphere cultures define CIC in HNSCC cell populations (HN-CIC). We found that ROSLow cells in HN-CIC defined in this manner were more numerous than in parental HNSCC cells. Further, ROSLow cells frequently coexpressed CIC surface markers such as memGrp78 and Glut3. Exploiting flow cytometry to sort cells on the basis of their ROS level, we found that isolated ROSLow cells displayed relatively more CIC properties, including quiescence, chemoresistance, in vitro malignant properties, and tumorigenicity. Pharmacological depletion of ROS modulators in cisplatin-treated HN-CIC reduced CIC properties, enhancing cell differentiation and enhancing cisplatin-induced cell death. Overall, our work defined cell subpopulations in HNSCC on the basis of differential intracellular ROS levels, which associated with stemness and chemoresistance properties. On the basis of our findings, we suggest that strategies to promote intracellular ROS levels may heighten the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy used for HNSCC treatment. Cancer Res; 74(21); 6291–305. ©2014 AACR.
Microenvironment-Derived HGF Overcomes Genetically Determined Sensitivity to Anti-MET Drugs
Authors: Pennacchietti Selma , Cazzanti Manuela , Bertotti Andrea , Rideout William M. , Han May , Gyuris Jeno , Perera Timothy , Comoglio Paolo M. , Trusolino Livio , Michieli Paolo
Published: September 2014

Cell-based drug screenings indicate that tumors displaying c-MET gene amplification are “addicted” to MET signaling and therefore are very sensitive to MET-targeted agents. However, these screenings were conducted in the absence of the MET ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is abundant in the tumor microenvironment. Sensitivity of six MET-addicted human tumor cells to three MET kinase inhibitors (JNJ-38877605, PHA-665752, crizotinib) and one antagonistic anti-MET antibody (DN30 Fab) was analyzed in the absence or presence of HGF, in a stroma–tumor coculture system, and by combining anti-MET drugs with an HGF neutralizing antibody (ficlatuzumab) in human HGF knock-in mice bearing c-MET–amplified tumors. In all models examined, HGF promoted resistance to MET-targeted agents, affecting both their potency and efficacy. HGF-induced resistance was due to restoration of physiologic GAB1–mediated PI3K activation that compensated for loss of aberrant HER3-dependent PI3K signaling. Ficlatuzumab restored sensitivity to MET-targeted agents in coculture systems and overcame resistance to JNJ-38877605, crizotinib, and DN30 Fab in human HGF knock-in mice. These data suggest that c-MET–amplified tumor cells—which normally exhibit ligand-independent, constitutive MET activation—become dependent on HGF for survival upon pharmacologic MET inhibition. Because HGF is frequently overexpressed in human cancer, this mechanism may represent a major cause of resistance to anti-MET therapies. The ability of ficlatuzumab to overcome HGF-mediated resistance generates proof of principle that vertical inhibition of both a tyrosine kinase receptor and its ligand can be therapeutically beneficial and opens new perspectives for the treatment of MET-dependent tumors. Cancer Res; 74(22); 6598–609. ©2014 AACR.
The Notch Pathway Inhibits TGFβ Signaling in Breast Cancer through HEYL-Mediated Crosstalk
Authors: Han Liangfeng , Diehl Adam , Nguyen Nguyen K. , Korangath Preethi , Teo Weiwen , Cho Soonweng , Kominsky Scott , Huso David L. , Feigenbaum Lionel , Rein Alan , Argani Pedram , Landberg Goran , Gessler Manfred , Sukumar Saraswati
Published: September 2014

Acquired resistance to TGFβ is a key step in the early stages of tumorigenesis. Mutations in TGFβ signaling components are rare, and little is known about the development of resistance in breast cancer. On the other hand, an activated Notch pathway is known to play a substantial role in promoting breast cancer development. Here, we present evidence of crosstalk between these two pathways through HEYL. HEYL, a basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor and a direct target of Notch signaling, is specifically overexpressed in breast cancer. HEYL represses TGFβ activity by binding to TGFβ-activated Smads. HeyL−/− mice have defective mammary gland development with fewer terminal end buds. On the other hand, HeyL transgenic mice show accelerated mammary gland epithelial proliferation and 24% of multiparous mice develop mammary gland cancer. Therefore, repression of TGFβ signaling by Notch acting through HEYL may promote initiation of breast cancer. Cancer Res; 74(22); 6509–18. ©2014 AACR.
Modeling Lung Cancer Evolution and Preclinical Response by Orthotopic Mouse Allografts
Authors: Ambrogio Chiara , Carmona Francisco J. , Vidal August , Falcone Mattia , Nieto Patricia , Romero Octavio A. , Puertas Sara , Vizoso Miguel , Nadal Ernest , Poggio Teresa , Sánchez-Céspedes Montserrat , Esteller Manel , Mulero Francisca , Voena Claudia , Chiarle Roberto , Barbacid Mariano , Santamaría David , Villanueva Alberto
Published: September 2014

Cancer evolution is a process that is still poorly understood because of the lack of versatile in vivo longitudinal studies. By generating murine non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) orthoallobanks and paired primary cell lines, we provide a detailed description of an in vivo, time-dependent cancer malignization process. We identify the acquisition of metastatic dissemination potential, the selection of co-driver mutations, and the appearance of naturally occurring intratumor heterogeneity, thus recapitulating the stochastic nature of human cancer development. This approach combines the robustness of genetically engineered cancer models with the flexibility of allograft methodology. We have applied this tool for the preclinical evaluation of therapeutic approaches. This system can be implemented to improve the design of future treatments for patients with NSCLC. Cancer Res; 74(21); 5978–88. ©2014 AACR.
Targeted Noninvasive Imaging of EGFR-Expressing Orthotopic Pancreatic Cancer Using Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography
Authors: Hudson Shanice V. , Huang Justin S. , Yin Wenyuan , Albeituni Sabrin , Rush Jamie , Khanal Anil , Yan Jun , Ceresa Brian P. , Frieboes Hermann B. , McNally Lacey R.
Published: September 2014

Detection of orthotopic xenograft tumors is difficult due to poor spatial resolution and reduced image fidelity with traditional optical imaging modalities. In particular, light scattering and attenuation in tissue at depths beyond subcutaneous implantation hinder adequate visualization. We evaluate the use of multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) to detect upregulated epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in orthotopic pancreatic xenografts using a near-infrared EGF-conjugated CF-750 fluorescent probe. MSOT is based on the photoacoustic effect and thus not limited by photon scattering, resulting in high-resolution tomographic images. Pancreatic tumor-bearing mice with luciferase-transduced S2VP10L tumors were intravenously injected with EGF-750 probe before MSOT imaging. We characterized probe specificity and bioactivity via immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry, and flow cytometric analysis. In vitro data along with optical bioluminescence/fluorescence imaging were used to validate acquired MSOT in vivo images of probe biodistribution. Indocyanine green dye was used as a nonspecific control to define specificity of EGF-probe accumulation. Maximum accumulation occurred at 6 hours postinjection, demonstrating specific intratumoral probe uptake and minimal liver and kidney off-target accumulation. Optical bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging confirmed tumor-specific probe accumulation consistent with MSOT images. These studies demonstrate the utility of MSOT to obtain volumetric images of ligand probe biodistribution in vivo to detect orthotopic pancreatic tumor lesions through active targeting of the EGF receptor. Cancer Res; 74(21); 6271–9. ©2014 AACR.
Therapeutic Targeting of BRCA1-Mutated Breast Cancers with Agents That Activate DNA Repair
Authors: Alli Elizabeth , Solow-Cordero David , Casey Stephanie C. , Ford James M.
Published: September 2014

Cancers due to germline mutations in the BRCA1 gene tend to lack targets for approved chemoprevention agents. This study aimed at a targeted chemoprevention strategy for BRCA1-associated malignancies. Mutant BRCA1 limits the base-excision DNA repair activity that addresses oxidative DNA damage, the accumulation of which heightens one's risk for cancer. Therefore, we conducted a high-throughput chemical screen to identify drug candidates that could attenuate the inhibitory effects of mutant BRCA1 on this repair activity, thereby describing a new class of DNA repair-activating chemopreventive agents. In the screen design, such drugs functioned by enhancing base-excision DNA repair of oxidative DNA damage in the presence of mutant BRCA1, with minimal cytotoxicity. We identified at least one new agent that decreased malignant properties associated with tumorigenesis, including anchorage-independent growth and tumor progression. This work offers a preclinical proof-of-concept for a wholly new approach to chemoprevention in carriers of BRCA1 mutations as a strategy to reduce the prevalence of BRCA1-associated malignancy. Cancer Res; 74(21); 6205–15. ©2014 AACR.
Interferon Receptor Signaling in Malignancy: A Network of Cellular Pathways Defining Biological Outcomes
Authors: Fish Eleanor N. , Platanias Leonidas C.
Published: September 2014

IFNs are cytokines with important antiproliferative activity and exhibit key roles in immune surveillance against malignancies. Early work initiated over three decades ago led to the discovery of IFN receptor activated Jak–Stat pathways and provided important insights into mechanisms for transcriptional activation of IFN-stimulated genes (ISG) that mediate IFN biologic responses. Since then, additional evidence has established critical roles for other receptor-activated signaling pathways in the induction of IFN activities. These include MAPK pathways, mTOR cascades, and PKC pathways. In addition, specific miRNAs appear to play a significant role in the regulation of IFN signaling responses. This review focuses on the emerging evidence for a model in which IFNs share signaling elements and pathways with growth factors and tumorigenic signals but engage them in a distinctive manner to mediate antiproliferative and antiviral responses. Mol Cancer Res; 12(12); 1691–703. ©2014 AACR.
Errors in Recognition and Management are Still Frequent in Patients with Cluster Headache
Authors: Sánchez del Rio Margarita , Leira Rogelio , Pozo-Rosich Patricia , Laínez José Miguel , Alvarez Rocío , Pascual Julio
Published: September 2014

Objectives: To analyze the trajectory to diagnosis and information provided in a series of cluster headache (CH) patients from five headache clinics. Methods: CH patients were asked to fill in an ad hoc questionnaire. Results: Seventy-five patients (mean age 41.5 years, 67 males) completed the questionnaire. Patients had visited during an average of 4.9 years a mean of 4.6 physicians who had obtained 2.5 neuroimaging procedures per patient before getting a diagnosis of CH. Sixty-three (84%) had received no diagnosis (21 cases; 28%), while 43 (57%) had been given an average of 2.1 alternative diagnoses. Migraine, trigeminal neuralgia and sinusitis were the most frequent mistakes. After diagnosis, 55% had subjectively received poor/very poor information on CH. Ninety-five percent had poor or incorrect information about the nature of the disease, or acute (70%) and preventive (61%) treatments. Etiology (90%), management options (36%) and potential adverse events of medications (29%) were their main information demands. Conclusions: Although CH is an invalidating and clinically clear-cut disorder suffered by around 1/1,000 people, it is still frequently unrecognized and/or mistaken for other disorders, which calls for a better knowledge and education in the diagnosis of the main primary headaches.
Pak1 Is Required to Maintain Ventricular Ca
2+
Homeostasis and Electrophysiological Stability Through SERCA2a Regulation in Mice
Authors: Wang Yanwen , Tsui Hoyee , Ke Yunbo , Shi Ying , Li Yatong , Davies Laura , Cartwright Elizabeth J. , Venetucci Luigi , Zhang Henggui , Terrar Derek A. , Huang Christopher L.-H. , Solaro R. John , Wang Xin , Lei Ming
Published: September 2014

Background—

Impaired sarcoplasmic reticular Ca
2+
uptake resulting from decreased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
-ATPase type 2a (SERCA2a) expression or activity is a characteristic of heart failure with its associated ventricular arrhythmias. Recent attempts at gene therapy of these conditions explored strategies enhancing
SERCA2a
expression and the activity as novel approaches to heart failure management. We here explore the role of Pak1 in maintaining ventricular Ca
2+
homeostasis and electrophysiological stability under both normal physiological and acute and chronic β-adrenergic stress conditions.

Methods and Results—

Mice with a cardiomyocyte-specific
Pak1
deletion (
Pak1
cko
), but not controls (
Pak1
f/f
), showed high incidences of ventricular arrhythmias and electrophysiological instability during either acute β-adrenergic or chronic β-adrenergic stress leading to hypertrophy, induced by isoproterenol. Isolated
Pak1
cko
ventricular myocytes correspondingly showed aberrant cellular Ca
2+
homeostasis.
Pak1
cko
hearts showed an associated impairment of SERCA2a function and downregulation of SERCA2a mRNA and protein expression. Further explorations of the mechanisms underlying the altered transcriptional regulation demonstrated that exposure to control
Ad-shC2
virus infection increased SERCA2a protein and mRNA levels after phenylephrine stress in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. This was abolished by the Pak1-knockdown in
Ad-shPak1
–infected neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and increased by constitutive overexpression of active Pak1 (
Ad-CAPak1
). We then implicated activation of serum response factor, a transcriptional factor well known for its vital role in the regulation of cardiogenesis genes in the Pak1-dependent regulation of SERCA2a.

Conclusions—

These findings indicate that Pak1 is required to maintain ventricular Ca
2+
homeostasis and electrophysiological stability and implicate Pak1 as a novel regulator of cardiac SERCA2a through a transcriptional mechanism.
Integrative Genomic Approach Identifies Multiple Genes Involved in Cardiac Collagen Deposition
Authors: Lodder Elisabeth M. , Scicluna Brendon P. , Beekman Leander , Arends Danny , Moerland Perry D. , Tanck Michael W.T. , Adriaens Michiel E. , Bezzina Connie R.
Published: September 2014

Background—

With aging and in cardiac disease, fibrosis caused by collagen deposition is increased, impairing contractility and providing a substrate for arrhythmia. In this study, we set out to identify genetic modifiers of collagen deposition in the heart by exploiting the genetic variability among F2 progeny of 129P2 and FVBN/J mice carrying the
Scn5a
tm1Care/+
mutation.

Methods and Results—

Relative amounts of collagen were determined in left ventricular myocardium of 65 F2-mice and combined with genome-wide genotypic and cardiac expression data to identify collagen quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and overlapping expression QTLs (eQTLs). A significant collagen QTL was identified on mouse Chr8; an additional collagen QTL was identified on mouse Chr2 after correction for a genetic covariate uncovered on Chr18 using multiple QTL mapping. Of the 24 eQTLs colocalizing with the Chr8-collagen QTL, 6 transcripts were correlated with relative collagen amount. Similarly, of the 7 eQTLs colocalizing with the Chr2-collagen QTL, 1 transcript,
Gpr158
, correlated with relative collagen. Of the 12 transcripts with an eQTLs in the Chr18-covariate region, only
Fgf1
correlated with relative collagen amount. Furthermore, 2 of the transcripts,
Pdlim3
(Chr8) and
Itga6
(Chr2), with eQTLs overlapping with collagen QTLs, had a genetic covariate on Chr18 that coincided with the Chr18 collagen covariate locus. Application of recombinant human FGF1 to isolated cardiac fibroblasts in culture affected the level of expression of
Pdlim3
,
Itga6
, and
Gpr158
.

Conclusions—

We here mapped a possible novel genetic network modulating collagen deposition in mouse left ventricular myocardium.
Bodily Transformations: Responses to Intersex Individuals in Early and Imperial China
Authors: Milburn Olivia
Published: September 2014

This paper discusses the most important accounts of intersex individuals in early and pre-modern China, focusing specifically on the records which describe these people as changing sex at puberty. Contemporary medical knowledge interpreted this as a spontaneous sex change; in fact underlying sex was being revealed. Such transformations came to be interpreted in dynastic histories and other official texts as omens of dynastic change; when the same stories appear in anomaly accounts, they are understood simply as curious or strange incidents. Intersex individuals were uniquely challenging to gender norms, and as such they provide an important focus of discussion about social attitudes towards appropriate roles and boundaries. From the late Ming dynasty onwards, particularly with the case of Li Liangyu, members of the literati elite in China began to do more than simply record the reintegration of intersex individuals into mainstream society through categorization into the opposite gender followed by marriage, as they started to consider the difficulties they suffered.
Ancestress Worship: Huxin Temple and the Literati Community in Late Ming Ningbo
Authors: Jōo Fumiko
Published: September 2014

This article examines a lawsuit over a local temple called Huxin Temple as a way to discuss the conflicts caused by Buddhist devotion by women within family-centered rituals in seventeenth-century Ningbo. Since two sisters from the prominent Yuan family had donated their dowries to Huxin Temple during the Southern Song period, the Yuans had patronized the temple, until another prestigious family, the Zhangs, took it over. The article argues that the Yuans needed to shift their focus from the Yuan sisters to Yuan Yong, another ancestor of the Yuans, in order to win the lawsuit. The outcome of the lawsuit also demonstrates that the pious ancestresses vanished from the public discourse and were replaced by the Song loyalist Yuan Yong.
Fashioning Voices of Their Own: Three Ming-Qing Women Writers’ Uses of Qu Yuan’s Persona and Poetry
Authors: Wang Yanning
Published: September 2014

This article explores how, during the Ming-Qing era, women writers used the persona and poetry of the great Chinese poet Qu Yuan (340?-278 bce). In order to establish the authority of their own voices, marginalized female writers often identified themselves with the mainstream male tradition. The legacy of Qu Yuan became one of their favorite examples to follow. Qu Yuan’s sao-style poems, especially the long poem “Encountering Sorrow,” are classics in the Chinese literary canon. Qu Yuan’s high moral standard and his eventual suicide for a just cause earned him a reputation as a patriotic poet-statesman much respected by later generations. Ming-Qing women writers made use of Qu Yuan’s literary and moral authority to create their own personal, political, and intellectual voices. By doing so, they demonstrated their efforts to upgrade their status in literary and social arenas.
On the Utility and Methodology of the Comparative History of Gender
Authors:   Hinsch
Published: September 2014

In both China and Greece, history initially emerged as a mode of discourse closely related to the state. With the rise of comparative global history, however, historians have severed this link, providing scholars of gender with novel tools and perspectives for investigating their subject. Specialists in trans-national history have reflected deeply on the uses and methodology of their pursuit, and their conclusions provide useful guidance for historians of gender who venture beyond national borders. Three studies comparing gender conditions in China with ancient Greece and Persia provide practical case studies on how this sort of research can be conducted, and what sort of contributions it might yield.
What is Religion?
Authors: Bergunder Michael
Published: September 2014

Religious studies cannot agree on a common definition of its subject matter. To break the impasse, important insights from recent discussions about post-foundational political theory might be of some help. However, they can only be of benefit in conversations about “religion” when the previous debate on the subject matter of religious studies is framed slightly differently. This is done in the first part of the article. It is, then, shown on closer inspection of past discussions on “religion” that a consensus-capable, contemporary, everyday understanding of “religion,” here called Religion 2, is assumed, though it remains unexplained and unreflected upon. The second part of the article shows how Religion 2 can be newly conceptualized through the lens of Ernesto Laclau’s political theory, combined with concepts from Judith Butler and Michel Foucault, and how Religion 2 can be established as the historical subject matter of religious studies. Though concrete historical reconstructions of Religion 2 always remain contested, I argue that this does not prevent it from being generally accepted as the subject matter of religious studies. The third part discusses the previous findings in the light of postcolonial concerns about potential Eurocentrism in the concept of “religion.” It is argued that Religion 2 has to be understood in a fully global perspective, and, as a consequence, more research on the global religious history of the 19th and 20th centuries is urgently needed.
Mystical Experience in the Lab
Authors: Andersen M. , Schjoedt U. , Nielbo K.L. , Sørensen J.
Published: September 2014

We review previous attempts to study mystical experience and point to problems inherent to certain methodologies. Focusing on studies that use controlled environments we advocate taking an experimental approach to mysticism. To demonstrate the viability of this approach, we report findings from a new study that probes the potential for eliciting mystical experiences in the laboratory. We find that our experimental paradigm is indeed enough to elicit mystical experiences. Based on subjective ratings of experience, rich descriptions from interviews, and data obtained three months after the study, our data indicate that the experiences reported by the participants had a high degree of authenticity and had lasting effects in terms of memory and attribution. These findings demonstrate that at least some forms of mystical experience can be studied in a controlled environment. Prospects and limitations for the experimental approach to mysticism are discussed.
Textbooks and Critical Readings—a Challenge for the Future
Authors: Larsson Göran
Published: September 2014

In this rejoinder I will make some comments about Emanuelsson’s brief text, “Islam and the Sui-generis Discourse: Representations of Islam in Textbooks Used in Introductory Courses of Religious Studies in Sweden,” and the comment it has received from Steven Ramey. Besides clarifying my own position in the debate, I hope that this reply will also start a discussion about pedagogical challenges (i.e., how to teach in the university) and how to write textbooks.
Pioneer Workers, Invaluable Helpmeets, Good Mothers
Authors: Harnes Helga
Published: September 2014

This article explores the role of 20th century missionary wives by the examples of six women in the Church Missionary Society (CMS). It offers complexity to a gendered analysis, as well as insight into a time period, c. 1900–c. 1960, which is only beginning to attract attention from researchers of this field. Through the lens of life course theories, the sources reveal official ideals and personal interpretations related to the transitions of marriage and motherhood, and point to motherhood as a turning point. The discussion demonstrates changing role expectations, from an emphasis on wives’ contribution through the companionate missionary marriage towards individual job descriptions and domesticity for wives. However, the women responded differently to the expectations, and the analysis emphasises how the agency of the women was enabled or limited by the timing of transitions. The article positions the individual woman in her immediate context, and in the CMS and wider English society, and search to reveal the interplay of the agents and these structures.
From an Agency of Cultural Destruction to an Agency of Public Health
Authors: Kalusa Walima T.
Published: September 2014

Most medical histories maintain that missionary doctors in imperial Africa were agents of Western cultural imperialism. This scholarship, informed by the writings of Michel Foucault, projects mission-based healers as agents of imperial power who played a major role in emasculating African therapeutic systems and in reinforcing colonial hegemony. This scholarship partly derives its support from the fact that across Africa, mission doctors and nurses cast themselves as cultural conquistadors whose ultimate goal was no less to undermine local medical culture than to supplant it with biomedical comprehensions of disease, healing and medicine. Convincing as this scholarship may be, it over-simplistically locks Christian medical missions in a distant/static past, erroneously portraying them as monolithic entities, and largely obscuring how missionary discourses and praxis surrounding disease and medicine metamorphosed in the aftermath of colonialism. This paper may be read as a corrective to such scholarship. The paper insists that, in conformity with the expectations and demands of the post-colonial regime in Zambia, Catholic medics reconfigured their medical discourse and practice. Consequently, their medicine lost its imperial/hegemonic pretensions and became an agency through which the newly-independent Zambian state implemented its public health reforms.
The Missionary and the Rainmaker
Authors: Stanley Brian
Published: September 2014

The dialogue between the missionary and the rainmaker found in various forms in David Livingstone’s writings needs to be interpreted against the background of Livingstone’s relationship with the Bakwena during the late 1840s, a time of severe drought and one in which chief Sechele’s repudiation of his rainmaking functions after his baptism threatened the displeasure of the ancestors. Livingstone’s recording of the dialogue reveals his indebtedness to the moral philosophy of the Scottish thinker, Thomas Dick, but also suggests that Livingstone remained fascinated by the very African cosmology that his Christian faith and Scottish scientism led him to repudiate.
Christianity’s Role in Dispute Resolution in Mozambique
Authors: Jacobs Carolien , van de Kamp Linda
Published: September 2014

Religion is often portrayed as either a source of conflict or as a source of peace and reconciliation. In this article, we explore the role of religion in day-to-day conflicts in different regions of Mozambique – in Maputo and Gorongosa. We analyse the factors that are of importance in determining whether religious mediation, here mainly by Pentecostal Christians, unites or divides people. It appears that pastors who intervene directly between conflicting parties tend to aim at reconciliation, whereas pastors who intervene in an indirect manner tend to sharpen and magnify divisions between people.
The Divine and Mystical Realm
Authors: Zimmerman-Liu Teresa
Published: September 2014

Indigenous Chinese preacher Watchman Nee is considered to have had the greatest theological influence on China’s vibrant house church movement, yet there are few studies detailing his influence on church practices. This paper analyzes the writings of Watchman Nee and other Local Church members to show how Nee contextualized the message of Western missionaries to China, using subaltern strategies of returning to scriptural fundamentals and reducing the scale of organization and worship. He divested mission Christianity of its hegemonic trappings and created flexible Christian practices, which take place in the ‘divine and mystical realm,’ out of reach from ‘worldly’ power structures.
American Asia Experts, Liberal Internationalism, and the Occupation of Japan
Authors: Kimura Masami
Published: September 2014

This article reexamines the thought of American Asia experts during the 1940s and early 1950s who directly or indirectly influenced u.s. policy toward post-surrender Japan. Revisionist scholars in the late 1960s and 1970s categorized Asianists in a binary manner as “conservatives” and “progressives,” “Japan” and “China specialists,” and “Cold Warriors” and “critics,” but they all were in reality essentially modernization theorists and liberal internationalists of various kinds who agreed on the desirability of democratizing Japan and constructing a new order in the Asia-Pacific under American leadership. This new perspective exposes limitations in the revisionist narrative of the Allied Occupation of Japan informed by Marxian-populist criticisms of u.s. Cold War policy. Revisionists not only tended to stress differences over similarities in judging the ideas of Asia experts, but idealized “radical” reformers over more “moderate” ones. By arguing that the United States should have democratized Japan thoroughly, they held on to liberal internationalist ideology and unintentionally endorsed u.s. intervention in a foreign nation. This article shows how an objective assessment of the Occupation history requires transcending Cold War historiography and integrating a more global perspective.
Seventeen new species and additional records of Lathrobium
(Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from mainland China
Authors: Peng Zhong , Li Li-Zhen , Zhao Mei-Jun
Published: September 2014

Material of the paederine genus Lathrobium Gravenhorst, 1802 from the Chinese provinces Heilongjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangdong was examined. Twenty-one species were identified, seventeen of which are described as new: L. liuae (Heilongjiang: Hongwei); L. ningxiaense sp. n. (Ningxia: Heshangpu); L. baiyunense sp. n. (Henan: Baiyun Shan); L. ayui sp. n. (Anhui: Yaoluoping); L. yaoluopingense sp. n. (Anhui: Yaoluoping); L. chenae sp. n. (Zhejiang: Qingliangfeng); L. fengae sp. n. (Zhejiang: Qingliangfeng); L. gutianense sp. n. (Zhejiang: Gutian Shan); L. nannani sp. n. (Zhejiang: Gutian Shan); L. sanqingense sp. n. (Jiangxi: Sanqing Shan); L. badagongense sp. n. (Hunan: Badagong Shan); L. xui sp. n. (Chongqing: Huanggangou); L. fanjingense sp. n. (Guizhou: Fanjing Shan); L. lui sp. n. (Guizhou: Kuankuoshui); L. zhaigei sp. n. (Guizhou: Kuankuoshui); L. zizhiense sp. n. (Yunnan: Zizhi) and L. guangdongense sp. n. (Guangdong: Nanling). The female sexual characters of L. lingae Peng, Li & Zhao and L. longwangshanense Peng, Li & Zhao are described and illustrated for the first time. The junior primary homonym Lathrobium pilosum Peng & Li, 2012 is replaced with Lathrobium zhui nom. n. Including the new taxa described here, 189 Lathrobium species are currently known from the mainland China.
Two new species of Anagyrus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Argentina,
parasitoids of Hypogeococcus spp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae),
with taxonomic notes on some congeneric taxa
Authors: TRIAPITSYN SERGUEI V. , LOGARZO GUILLERMO A. , Aguirre María B. , AQUINO DANIEL A.
Published: September 2014

Two new species of Anagyrus Howard (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) are described from Argentina, A. cachamai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Aguirre sp. n. (Catamarca, Córdoba, Salta and Tucumán Provinces) and A. quilmes Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Aguirre sp. n. (Catamarca, Salta and Tucumán). Both new species are parasitoids of Hypogeococcus spp. (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Anagyrus cachamai is a parasitoid of H. pungens Granara de Willink on Alternanthera paronychioides, A. pungens and Gomphrena sp. (Amaranthaceae), and also of a Hypogeococcus sp. on Cleistocactus baumannii and Hypogeococcus sp. on C. smaragdiflorus (Cactaceae). Anagyrus quilmes is a parasitoid of H. pungens on A. paronychioides, A. pungens and Gomphrena sp. Other biological traits of the new species are also reported. These parasitoids may be of importance as potential candidate biological control agents against a Hypogeococcus sp., commonly called the Harrisia cactus mealybug and identified as H. pungens, but possibly not belonging to that species. This mealybug threatens the native cacti in some Caribbean islands and Florida, USA, and is devastating the native columnar cacti in Puerto Rico. Illustrations and taxonomic notes on the type specimens of some other, little known described species of Anagyrus from Argentina and Chile are provided, and a key to females of the 14 species of Anagyrus known from Argentina is given. Anagyrus nigriceps (De Santis) syn. n. is synonymized under A. bellator (De Santis). Lectotypes are designated for Paranusia bifasciata Brèthes, Philoponectroma pectinatum Brèthes, and Protanagyrus aciculatus Blanchard.
A new species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae) from northwestern state of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: PANSONATO ANDRÉ , MUDREK JESSICA RHAIZA , VEIGA-MENONCELLO ANA CRISTINA PRADO , ROSSA-FERES DENISE DE CERQUEIRA , MARTINS ITAMAR ALVES , STRÜSSMANN CHRISTINE
Published: September 2014

A new species of Pseudopaludicola is described from human-altered areas originally covered by Semideciduous Forest in northwestern state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Morphologically, the new species differs from four species belonging to the P. pusilla group by the absence of either T-shaped terminal phalanges or toe tips expanded, and from all other congeners except P. canga and P. facureae by possessing an areolate vocal sac, with dark reticulation. The higher duration (300–700 ms) of each single, pulsed note (9–36 nonconcatenated pulses) that compose the call in the new species distinguishes it from all other 14 species of Pseudopaludicola with calls already described (10–290 ms). Absence of harmonics also differ the advertisement call of the new species from the call of its sister species P. facureae, even though these two species presented unexpected low genetic distances. Although we could not identify any single morphological character distinguishing the new species from P. facureae, a PCA and DFA performed using 12 morphometric variables evidenced significant size differences between these two species.
Quantifying Sources of Uncertainty in Projections of Future Climate*
Authors: Northrop Paul J. , Chandler Richard E.
Published: September 2014

A simple statistical model is used to partition uncertainty from different sources, in projections of future climate from multimodel ensembles. Three major sources of uncertainty are considered: the choice of climate model, the choice of emissions scenario, and the internal variability of the modeled climate system. The relative contributions of these sources are quantified for mid- and late-twenty-first-century climate projections, using data from 23 coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation models obtained from phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3). Similar investigations have been carried out recently by other authors but within a statistical framework for which the unbalanced nature of the data and the small number (three) of scenarios involved are potentially problematic. Here, a Bayesian analysis is used to overcome these difficulties. Global and regional analyses of surface air temperature and precipitation are performed. It is found that the relative contributions to uncertainty depend on the climate variable considered, as well as the region and time horizon. As expected, the uncertainty due to the choice of emissions scenario becomes more important toward the end of the twenty-first century. However, for midcentury temperature, model internal variability makes a large contribution in high-latitude regions. For midcentury precipitation, model internal variability is even more important and this persists in some regions into the late century. Implications for the design of climate model experiments are discussed.
The Centrality of Communication and Media in Fostering Community Resilience
Authors: Houston J. Brian , Spialek Matthew L. , Cox Joy , Greenwood Molly M. , First Jennifer
Published: September 2014

A community is resilient if it is able to “bounce forward” after an adverse event. Community resilience is generally considered a process that is indicated by community adaptation following a disaster or crisis. In this article, we employ media and communication perspectives (communication ecology, public relations, and strategic communication) to review the community resilience literature and propose a revised community resilience model. Our proposed model includes four components: communication systems and resources, community relationships, strategic communication processes, and community attributes. Each of these components includes several elements that are described. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Is Mitral Annular Calcification Associated With Atherosclerotic Risk Factors and Severity and Complexity of Coronary Artery Disease?
Authors: Bhatt Hemal , Sanghani Dharmesh , Julliard Kell , Fernaine George
Published: September 2014

We assessed the association of mitral annular calcification (MAC) with atherosclerotic risk factors and severity and complexity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac catheterization reports and electronic medical records from 2010 to 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 481 patients were divided into 2 groups: MAC present (209) and MAC absent (272). All major cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and coronary lesion characteristics were included. On linear regression analysis, age ( P = .001, β 1.12) and female gender ( P = .031, β 0.50) were the independent predictors of MAC. Mitral annular calcification was not independently associated with the presence of lesions with >70% stenosis ( P = .283), number of obstructive vessels ( P = .469), lesions with 50% to 70% stenosis ( P = .458), and Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery score ( P = .479). Mitral annular calcification is probably a benign marker of age-related degenerative changes in the heart independent of the severity and complexity of CAD.
Women’s Political Engagement Under Quota-Mandated Female Representation
Authors: Clayton Amanda
Published: September 2014

Do affirmative action measures for women in politics change the way constituents view and interact with their female representatives? A subnational randomized policy experiment in Lesotho with single-member districts reserved for female community councilors provides causal evidence to this question. Using survey data, I find that having a quota-mandated female representative either has no effect on or actually reduces several dimensions of women’s self-reported engagement with local politics. In addition, implications from the policy experiment suggest that the quota effect is not accounted for by differences in qualifications or competence between the different groups of councilors, but rather stems from citizens’ negative reactions to the quota’s design.
A Cautionary Note on the Use of the Vale and Maurelli Method to Generate Multivariate, Nonnormal Data for Simulation Purposes
Authors: Olvera Astivia Oscar L. , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: September 2014

To further understand the properties of data-generation algorithms for multivariate, nonnormal data, two Monte Carlo simulation studies comparing the Vale and Maurelli method and the Headrick fifth-order polynomial method were implemented. Combinations of skewness and kurtosis found in four published articles were run and attention was specifically paid to the quality of the sample estimates of univariate skewness and kurtosis. In the first study, it was found that the Vale and Maurelli algorithm yielded downward-biased estimates of skewness and kurtosis (particularly at small samples) that were also highly variable. This method was also prone to generate extreme sample kurtosis values if the population kurtosis was high. The estimates obtained from Headrick’s algorithm were also biased downward, but much less so than the estimates obtained through Vale and Maurelli and much less variable. The second study reproduced the first simulation in the Curran, West, and Finch article using both the Vale and Maurelli method and the Heardick method. It was found that the chi-square values and empirical rejection rates changed depending on which data-generation method was used, sometimes sufficiently so that some of the original conclusions of the authors would no longer hold. In closing, recommendations are presented regarding the relative merits of each algorithm.