bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental and three-dimensional finite element method studies on pounding responses of bridge structures subjected to spatially varying ground motions
Authors: He Li-Xiang , Shrestha Bipin , Hao Hong , Bi Kai-Ming , Ren Wei-Xin
Published: May 2016

Pounding and unseating damages to bridge superstructures have been commonly observed in many previous major earthquakes. These damages can essentially attribute to the large closing or opening relative displacement between adjacent structures. This article carries out an experimental study on the pounding responses of adjacent bridge structures considering spatially varying ground motions using a shaking table array system. Two sets of large-scale (1:6) bridge models involving two bridge frames were constructed. The bridge models were subjected to the stochastically simulated ground motions in bi-direction based on the response spectra of Chinese Guideline for Seismic Design of Highway Bridge for three different site conditions, considering three coherency levels. Two types of boundary conditions, that is, the fixed foundation and rocking foundation, were applied to investigate the influence of the foundation type. In addition, a detailed three-dimensional finite element model was constructed to simulate an experimental case. The nonlinear material behavior including strain rate effects of concrete and steel reinforcement is included. The applicability and accuracy of the finite element model in simulating bridge pounding responses subjected to spatially varying ground motions are discussed. The experimental and numerical results demonstrate that non-uniform excitations and foundation rocking can affect the relative displacements and pounding responses significantly.
The effect of beam depth on the shear behavior of reinforced concrete beams externally strengthened with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer composites
Authors: Al-Rousan Rajai Z , Issa Mohsen A
Published: May 2016

The primary objective of this article is to study the effect of beam depth on the performance of shear-deficient beams externally strengthened with carbon fiber–reinforced polymer composites. The investigated parameters include overall behavior up to failure, the onset of the cracking, crack development, and ductility. The experimental results showed that externally bonded carbon fiber–reinforced polymer increased the shear capacity of the strengthened reinforced concrete beams significantly depending on the variables investigated. The use of carbon fiber–reinforced polymer composites is an effective technique to enhance the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams. For the beams tested, as the depth of the reinforced concrete beams was increased from 225 to 450 mm which is equivalent to a/ d ratio of 2.7–1.2, respectively, there was corresponding 15%–19% increase in contribution of the carbon fiber–reinforced polymer strips in terms of ultimate load. The impact of the beam depth is more pronounced on the ultimate load than the corresponding deflection of the control and strengthened beams. The results indicated that the beam depth has an influence on the angle at which primary cracking angle varied from 33, 44, 50, and 54 for beam of a/ d of 2.7, 1.9, 1.5, and 1.2, respectively. If the shear crack crossed carbon fiber–reinforced polymer strips above its development length, the carbon fiber–reinforced polymer strips could not be expected to reach its ultimate strength and was thus only partially effective as observed in beams with different depths.
Privacy protection and self-disclosure across societies: A study of global Twitter users
Authors: Liang Hai , Shen Fei , Fu King-wa
Published: May 2016

Privacy is a culturally specific phenomenon. As social media platforms are going global, questions concerning privacy practices in a cross-cultural context become increasingly important. The purpose of this study is to examine cultural variations of privacy settings and self-disclosure of geolocation on Twitter. We randomly selected 3.3 million Twitter accounts from more than 100 societies. Results revealed considerable cultural and societal differences. Privacy setting in collectivistic societies was more effective in encouraging self-disclosure; whereas it appeared to be less important for users in individualistic societies. Internet penetration was also a significant factor in predicting both the adoption of privacy setting and geolocation self-disclosure. However, we did not find any direct relationships between cultural values and self-disclosure.
A preliminary study for prefailure indicators in acoustic emissions using wavelets and natural time analysis
Authors: Hloupis G , Stavrakas I , Vallianatos F , Triantis D
Published: May 2016

Acoustic emission tests were conducted on prismatic Dionysos’ marble specimens subjected to compressive mechanical loading cycles. Two groups of acoustic emission time series were analyzed: one group comprised the number of counts per acoustic emission hit and a second group comprised the RA quantity (RA=rise time/amplitude). Both time series were studied during the load increase period. The investigation of prefailure indicators was carried out using an interdisciplinary approach: using two solid methods from different scientific areas (i.e. cardiology and seismology) we were able to detect failure indicators along before the final collapse. More specific, by means of multiresolution wavelet analysis for the study of temporal variation of the wavelet-coefficients’ standard deviation and natural time analysis using the variance ( κ1) of natural-time transformed time-series, a common pattern for both domains was discovered, clearly showing that it is feasible to estimate if the applied mechanical load has led the specimen in the nonlinear region (σ* > 70% σf) regarding the stress–strain behavior.
Adaption of a material model and development of a stochastic failure criterion for ceramic matrix composite structures
Authors: Becker Thomas , Dresbach Christian , Reh Stefan
Published: May 2016

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) show high thermal resistance combined with damage tolerance and non-brittle failure. Therefore, they are suitable for mechanically loaded components at high temperatures. For dimensioning of components, an adaption of existing simulation and calculation methods for CMC materials is required. The material investigated in this work is a wound oxide CMC with a defined fiber orientation and a highly porous matrix. Due to manufacturing conditions, randomly distributed macroscopic pores are present in the composite. Since failure is initiated by these pores, a statistical investigation of strength is performed based on the weakest link theory. Several series of tensile tests were performed to reveal the relation between stress and strain and obtain their ultimate values. The application of two statistical criteria showed that fracture strains are well represented by Weibull distributions. The tensile tests were compared with results of finite element simulations, using the simulation software ANSYS®. An anisotropic Weibull criterion was set up and adapted to the results of the tensile tests. Hereby, the anisotropic nonlinear deformation behavior as well as the scatter of failure strain could be reproduced by numerical simulations. The adapted material model and failure criterion were validated by further experiments and exemplified by application in a reliability analysis of a notional flame tube.
Closed-form modal analysis of flexural beam resonators ballasted by a rigid mass
Authors: Scirè Mammano G , Castagnetti D , Dragoni E
Published: May 2016

The work deals with the study of free flexural vibrations of constant cross-section elastic beams ballasted by a rigid mass with rotary inertia at any longitudinal position. We analyse five sets of boundary conditions of the beam (fixed-free, fixed-fixed, fixed-pinned, pinned-pinned, and free-free) and hypothesize that the structure is perfectly rigid, where the rigid mass is applied. By employing the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, a single parametric matrix is obtained, which provides the characteristic equation of motion of the structure. When applied to specific configurations, the proposed analytical model predicts the eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes of the beam as accurately as ad hoc analytical models available in the literature. The accuracy of the results is also confirmed by comparison with detailed two- and three-dimensional finite element analyses of a test case. By means of a three-dimensional finite element model, the applicability of the rigid mass hypothesis to continuous beams with a composite thickened portion is finally assessed.
Social spiders and hybrid webs at Studio Tomás Saraceno
Authors: Engelmann Sasha
Published: May 2016

A spider’s web is the species-specific production of spacetime; it is an aesthetic as well as an evolutionary, metabolic and climatic achievement. As part of a long-term engagement with spiders and their webs, the artist Tomás Saraceno has collaborated with populations of spiders and other creatures to produce hybrid webs. The processual and patterned production of hybrid webs at Studio Tomás Saraceno inspires thought on the axes of more-than-human sympoeisis, on collaboration between and across multitudes of creatures, and on a spectrum of social and semi-social encounter between different species. Through interviews, storytelling, visual material and critical description, this paper develops a notion of hybrid webs as philosophical-aesthetic propositions for multispecies sociality.
Postfeminism Meets the Women in Prison Genre
Authors: Schwan Anne
Published: May 2016

This article argues that Orange Is the New Black ( OITNB) uses postfeminist strategies to covertly promote prison reform and exercise a subtle critique of (female) mass incarceration while remaining constrained by the limitations of a postfeminist sensibility. Despite its contradictory and uneven agenda, OITNB should be seen as an important ally in the process of raising awareness about media (mis)representations of female prisoners, not least because of the program’s own self-reflexive commentary on tropes of the women in prison genre. The article calls for a tactical alliance between academic examinations of female imprisonment and critical sensibilities in popular culture to further more fundamental critiques of women’s incarceration, and its concomitant cost to individuals, families, and society.
Systemic Multiple Aneurysms Caused by Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Authors: Gui Xinyu , Li Fangda , Wu Lingeer , Zheng Yuehong
Published: May 2016

Systemic multiple aneurysms are rare and usually associated with collagen tissue disease, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) or Marfan syndrome. In the present case, we describe a 39-year-old male patient with systemic multiple aneurysms and acute intraperitoneal hemorrhage who was clinically diagnosed with vascular EDS. Coil embolization of the distal segment of the common hepatic artery was performed, which resolved the patient’s symptoms. With this case presentation, we aim to increase the awareness of vascular EDS among clinicians and emphasize the extreme fragility of the arteries in patients with vascular EDS.
Ulinastatin attenuates neuropathic pain induced by L5-VRT via the calcineurin/IL-10 pathway
Authors: Ouyang Handong , Nie Bilin , Wang Peizong , Li Qiang , Huang Wan , Xin Wenjun , Zeng Weian , Liu Xianguo
Published: May 2016

Previous studies have shown that ulinastatin, an effective inhibitor of the inflammatory response in clinical applications, can attenuate hyperalgesia in rodents. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we first examined the change in the calcineurin level, which plays an important role in regulating cytokine release in the nervous system, following lumbar 5 ventral root transection in the rat. Furthermore, we determined whether intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ulinastatin attenuated pain behavior via inhibition of the calcineurin-mediated inflammatory response induced by lumbar 5 ventral root transection. The results showed that the paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency were significantly decreased following lumbar 5 ventral root transection compared to the sham group. Neuropathic pain induced by lumbar 5 ventral root transection significantly decreased the expression of calcineurin in the DRG, and calcineurin was mostly located with NF-200-positive cells, IB4-positive cells, and CGRP-positive cells and less with GFAP-positive satellite cells. Furthermore, intrathecal (i.t.) injection of exogenous calcineurin attenuated the pain behavior induced by lumbar 5 ventral root transection. Importantly, intraperitoneal injection of ulinastatin alleviated the pain behavior and calcineurin downregulation induced by lumbar 5 ventral root transection. Lastly, the cytokine IL-10 was significantly decreased following lumbar 5 ventral root transection, and application of calcineurin (intrathecal) or ulinastatin (intraperitoneal) inhibited the IL-10 downregulation induced by lumbar 5 ventral root transection. These results suggested that ulinastatin, by acting on the CN/IL-10 pathway, might be a novel and effective drug for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
D-serine in the midbrain periaqueductal gray contributes to morphine tolerance in rats
Authors: Cao Song , Xiao Zhi , Sun Mengjie , Li Youyan
Published: May 2016

Background

The N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptor plays a critical role in morphine tolerance. D-serine, a co-agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, participates in many physiological and pathophysiological processes via regulating N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation. The purinergic P2X7 receptor activation can induce the D-serine release in the central nervous system. This study aimed to investigate the role of the ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray D-serine in the mechanism of morphine tolerance in rats. The development of morphine tolerance was induced in normal adult male Sprague–Dawley rats through subcutaneous injection of morphine (10 mg/kg). The analgesic effect of morphine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was assessed by measuring mechanical withdrawal thresholds in rats with an electronic von Frey anesthesiometer. The D-serine concentration and serine racemase expression levels in the ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray were evaluated through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis, respectively. The effects of intra-ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray injections of the D-serine degrading enzyme D-amino acid oxidase and antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeting the P2X7 receptor on chronic morphine-treated rats were also explored.

Results

We found that repeated morphine administrations decreased the antinociceptive potency of morphine evidenced by the percent changes in mechanical pain threshold in rats. By contrast, the D-serine contents and the expression levels of the serine racemase protein were upregulated in the ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray in morphine-tolerant rats. The development of morphine tolerance was markedly alleviated by intra-ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray injections of D-amino acid oxidase or antisense oligodeoxynucleotide targeting the P2X7 receptor.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that the development of antinociceptive tolerance to morphine is partially mediated by ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray D-serine content, and the activation of the ventrolateral midbrain periaqueductal gray P2X7 receptor is an essential prelude to D-serine release. These results suggest that a cascade involving P2X7 receptor–D-serine–N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor mediated signaling pathway in the supraspinal mechanism of morphine tolerance.
Why Self-Reports of Happiness and Sadness May Not Necessarily Contradict Bipolarity: A Psychometric Review and Proposal
Authors: Tay Louis , Kuykendall Lauren
Published: May 2016

It is assumed that bipolarity in happiness and sadness requires mutual exclusion. However, we present psychometric research to show how coendorsements of happiness and sadness do not necessarily constitute evidence against bipolarity. Because individuals have a tendency to endorse emotion terms close to their current state, individuals whose current state is close to the middle of a bipolar continuum would report both happiness and sadness, despite their current state being best represented by a single point. As such, endorsements of happiness and sadness are theoretically expected when individuals’ current state is in the middle of the continuum. Bipolarity however would be violated if endorsements of extreme levels of happiness and sadness can be demonstrated, which has yet to be shown.
Delayed presentation of a carotid pseudoaneurysm following penetrating neck trauma
Authors: Alfawaz Abdullah , Li Xiaoyi , Kénel-Pierre Stefan , Yang Jane , Rey Jorge , Robinson Handel
Published: May 2016

Objective:

Penetrating carotid trauma in a hemodynamically stable patient invariably presents with a pseudoaneurysm on initial imaging. Although extremely rare, delayed pseudoaneurysm formation has been reported. The purpose of this paper is to define this rare entity and propose a diagnostic and treatment plan.

Methods:

We present a case of delayed presentation of carotid pseudoaneurysm following penetrating neck trauma. A systematic review of the literature was performed.

Results:

A 21-year-old male presents to the trauma center after sustaining a gunshot wound to the left upper back resulting in a zone 2 hematoma and pneumothorax. Bullet fragment artifact interfered with computed tomography. Carotid angiogram was normal. The patient was discharged after 3 days. He returned to the Emergency Department 3 months later with a painful pulsatile hematoma. Computed tomography angiogram revealed a 6-cm pseudoaneurysm arising from the proximal left internal carotid artery (ICA). A left common carotid artery (CCA) to ICA bypass with reversed great saphenous vein was performed. The patient’s post-operative course was uneventful, neurologic deficits improved, and he was discharged.

Conclusion:

Delayed presentation of traumatic pseudoaneurysms has been reported, although usually these cases are iatrogenic access complications in extremities. While endovascular therapies are first line for zone 1 and 3 vascular injuries, management of zone 2 injuries is still controversial. This patient was treated with a bypass due to the need to evacuate the hematoma that was exerting a mass effect in the neck.
The development of political science in Mongolia
Authors: Janar Turtogtokh
Published: May 2016

The aim of this article is to review the development of political science, as an academic discipline, in Mongolia. The article is composed of the following parts: The first part provides an overview of Mongolia’s de jure recognition as an Inner Asian “buffer state” in the early Cold War era. The second part describes the Communist ideological disciplines (such as scientific socialism) that were used to study politics and political systems in Mongolia during the Cold War era. The third part presents the process of democratization in post-1990 Mongolia, and its impact on the development of political science. The fourth part examines the focus points of contemporary Mongolian political science, presents the profiles of pioneering scholars, and describes the institutional changes, academic departments, professional associations, and doctoral degree councils in this field. Finally, the fifth part introduces the currently active Mongolian political scientists, their social environment, and their research fields. The conclusion of the article examines the prospects of political science development in Mongolia.
Taiwan, still as a baseline case supporting for the differing mandate hypothesis
Authors: Jang Jinhyeok
Published: May 2016

This research note re-examines the recent debate on mandate divide hypothesis in Taiwan (Batto, 2012; Rich, 2014). Specifically, I focus on bill sponsorship, which is relatively free from party influence and therefore more suitable for testing whether being elected either in a district or through a party list yields different parliamentary behaviors. For an empirical test, I use an original bill introduction data made by the individual legislators served in the six legislative terms from 1992 through 2012. The result supports for the mandate hypothesis: the nominal tier legislators introduce more bills than the list tier members.
Depressive Symptoms and Electronic Messaging with Health Care Providers
Authors: Campos-Castillo Celeste , Bartholomay Daniel J. , Callahan Elisabeth F. , Anthony Denise L.
Published: May 2016

Recent health policies encourage electronic messaging with providers to potentially improve health care. It is unclear whether the same potential exists for individuals with mental health symptoms. Whereas these individuals appear interested in such technologies, they may also be concerned about privacy and security risks. To clarify this ambiguity, we conceptualize electronic messaging as an impression management tool for individuals with depressive symptoms, who risk devaluation from others. Consequently, factors that increase the perceived risk of devaluation in face-to-face clinical encounters may increase the likelihood of electronically messaging providers. We empirically examined two factors: depressive symptom severity and trust in physician confidentiality, which is the expectation that one’s regular physician uses personal health information appropriately. We found that reporting severe depressive symptoms increased the likelihood of electronically messaging providers but only among respondents who lacked trust in physician confidentiality. Electronic messaging is potentially a means to reach this underserved population.
Testing Predicted Clusters
Authors: Prudon Peter
Published: May 2016

Testing predicted clusters of questionnaire items can be a source of abundant feedback on the theory that is behind the prediction. Such testing is often performed by means of confirmatory factor analysis. However, that method offers insufficient feedback at the level of items, while its goodness-of-fit indices are notoriously unreliable. Richer and more precise feedback would be generated by a data-driven optimization of the predicted clusters (factors), allowing a comparison between predicted and empirical clusters (factors) at the level of items. Contrasting these two provides a basis for classifying the items into hits, false positives, and false negatives. This division greatly facilitates reinterpretation of the clusters (factors) and evaluation of the items. In addition, it offers a basis for two new measures of goodness of fit with respect to the correct assignment of items to clusters (indicators to factors). Application of this new approach to a questionnaire on Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder will serve as an illustration of its merits for both a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the predicted clusters.
The Relationships Between Role-Taking Ability and School Liking or School Avoidance
Authors: Honma Yuko , Uchiyama Ichiro
Published: May 2016

This study examined the relationship between role-taking ability and school liking or school avoidance in late childhood. Participants were Grades 5 and 6 Japanese children ( N = 187; 107 boys and 80 girls). To assess the role-taking ability of elementary school children, the study used a hypothetical dilemma task, in which the main character encounters a dilemma in a rule or moral situation within a school context. The School Liking and Avoidance Questionnaire was used to measure children’s emotional adjustment to school. The relationship between school liking and developmental stages of role-taking ability in rule and moral situations was evaluated. Significant stage-based differences in school-liking scores were found in both rule and moral situations. In examining the relationship between school avoidance and role taking, significant developmental effects were found only with respect to role taking in rule situations.
Federal Coalitions in India: Strategic Calculations and Revolving-door Partners
Authors: Kailash K.K. , Arora Balveer
Published: May 2016

The lack of stability of political affiliations has been a recurrent theme in studies on political parties in India. Initially, this concern was voiced in terms of the defections of legislators from the party on whose ticket they were elected. With the advent of federal coalitions, shifting affiliations took on a new dimension, with parties themselves moving between different coalition fronts. This has often been seen as some form of idiosyncratic and undesirable behaviour and linked to the spectre of an ungovernable India by alarmists in search of supposedly more stable arrangements. We explain this party mobility by highlighting the federal dimension and its impact on party competition.
Book Review: A. Vinod Kumar, India and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Regime: The Perennial Outlier
Authors: Chaudhuri Rudra
Published: May 2016

A. Vinod Kumar, India and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Regime: The Perennial Outlier. New Delhi: Cambridge University Press. 2014. 233 pages. ₹795.
Intelligent phishing url detection using association rule mining
Authors: Jeeva S. Carolin , Rajsingh Elijah Blessing
Published: May 2016

Phishing is an online criminal act that occurs when a malicious webpage impersonates as legitimate webpage so as to acquire sensitive information from the user. Phishing attack continues to pose a serious risk for web users and annoying threat within the field of electronic commerce. This paper focuses on discerning the significant features that discriminate between legitimate and phishing URLs. These features are then subjected to associative rule mining—apriori and predictive apriori. The rules obtained are interpreted to emphasize the features that are more prevalent in phishing URLs. Analyzing the knowledge accessible on phishing URL and considering confidence as an indicator, the features like transport layer security, unavailability of the top level domain in the URL and keyword within the path portion of the URL were found to be sensible indicators for phishing URL. In addition to this number of slashes in the URL, dot in the host portion of the URL and length of the URL are also the key factors for phishing URL.
Colleagues as Change Agents: How Department Networks and Opinion Leaders Influence Teaching at a Single Research University
Authors: Andrews T. C. , Conaway E. P. , Zhao J. , Dolan E. L.
Published: May 2016

Relationships with colleagues have the potential to be a source of support for faculty to make meaningful change in how they teach, but the impact of these relationships is poorly understood. We used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the characteristics of faculty who provide colleagues with teaching resources and facilitate change in teaching, how faculty influence one another. Our exploratory investigation was informed by social network theory and research on the impact of opinion leaders within organizations. We used surveys and interviews to examine collegial interactions about undergraduate teaching in life sciences departments at one research university. Each department included discipline-based education researchers (DBERs). Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that DBERs promote changes in teaching to a greater degree than other departmental colleagues. The influence of DBERs derives, at least partly, from a perception that they have unique professional expertise in education. DBERs facilitated change through coteaching, offering ready and approachable access to education research, and providing teaching training and mentoring. Faculty who had participated in a team based–teaching professional development program were also credited with providing more support for teaching than nonparticipants. Further research will be necessary to determine whether these results generalize beyond the studied institution.
A Social Capital Perspective on the Mentoring of Undergraduate Life Science Researchers: An Empirical Study of Undergraduate–Postgraduate–Faculty Triads
Authors: Aikens Melissa L. , Sadselia Sona , Watkins Keiana , Evans Mara , Eby Lillian T. , Dolan Erin L.
Published: May 2016

Undergraduate researchers at research universities are often mentored by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers (referred to collectively as “postgraduates”) and faculty, creating a mentoring triad structure. Triads differ based on whether the undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty member interact with one another about the undergraduate’s research. Using a social capital theory framework, we hypothesized that different triad structures provide undergraduates with varying resources (e.g., information, advice, psychosocial support) from the postgraduates and/or faculty, which would affect the undergraduates’ research outcomes. To test this, we collected data from a national sample of undergraduate life science researchers about their mentoring triad structure and a range of outcomes associated with research experiences, such as perceived gains in their abilities to think and work like scientists, science identity, and intentions to enroll in a PhD program. Undergraduates mentored by postgraduates alone reported positive outcomes, indicating that postgraduates can be effective mentors. However, undergraduates who interacted directly with faculty realized greater outcomes, suggesting that faculty interaction is important for undergraduates to realize the full benefits of research. The “closed triad,” in which undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty all interact directly, appeared to be uniquely beneficial; these undergraduates reported the highest gains in thinking and working like a scientist.
High-Fat Diet Promotion of Endometriosis in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model is Associated With Altered Peripheral and Ectopic Lesion Redox and Inflammatory Status
Authors: Heard Melissa E. , Melnyk Stepan B. , Simmen Frank A. , Yang Yanqing , Pabona John Mark P. , Simmen Rosalia C. M.
Published: May 2016

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological condition that causes considerable morbidity due to associated infertility, debilitating pelvic pain and inflammatory dysfunctions. Diet is a highly modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases, but its contribution to endometriosis has not been extensively investigated, due partly to the paradoxical inverse association between obesity and disease incidence. Nevertheless, chronic exposure to dietary high-fat intake has been linked to greater systemic inflammation and oxidative stress, both features of women with endometriosis. Here, we evaluated the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) (45% fat kcal) on endometriosis progression using an immunocompetent mouse model where ectopic lesion incidence was induced in wild-type recipients by ip administration of endometrial fragments from transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 9-null donor mice. We show that HFD significantly increased ectopic lesion numbers in recipient mice with no significant weight gain and modifications in systemic ovarian steroid hormone and insulin levels, relative to control diet-fed (17% fat kcal) mice. HFD promotion of lesion establishment was associated with reductions in stromal estrogen receptor 1 isoform and progesterone receptor expression, increased F4/80-positive macrophage infiltration, higher stromal but not glandular epithelial proliferation, and enhanced expression of proinflammatory and prooxidative stress pathway genes. Lesion-bearing HFD-fed mice also displayed higher peritoneal fluid TNFα and elevated local and systemic redox status than control diet-fed counterparts. Our results suggest that HFD intake exacerbates endometriosis outcome in the absence of ovarian dysfunction and insulin resistance in mice and warrants further consideration with respect to clinical management of endometriosis progression and recurrence in nonobese patients.
Prolactin Signaling Stimulates Invasion via Na+/H+ Exchanger NHE1 in T47D Human Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Pedraz-Cuesta Elena , Fredsted Jacob , Jensen Helene H. , Bornebusch Annika , Nejsum Lene N. , Kragelund Birthe B. , Pedersen Stine F.
Published: May 2016

Prolactin (PRL) and its receptor (PRLR) are implicated in breast cancer invasiveness, although their exact roles remain controversial. The Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE1) plays essential roles in cancer cell motility and invasiveness, but the PRLR and NHE1 have not previously been linked. Here we show that in T47D human breast cancer cells, which express high levels of PRLR and NHE1, exposure to PRL led to the activation of Janus kinase-2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5), Akt, and ERK1/2 signaling and the rapid formation of peripheral membrane ruffles, known to be associated with cell motility. NHE1 was present in small ruffles prior to PRL treatment and was further recruited to the larger, more dynamic ruffles induced by PRL exposure. In PRL-induced ruffles, NHE1 colocalized with activated Akt, ERK1/2, and the ERK effector p90Ribosomal S kinase (p90RSK), known regulators of NHE1 activity. Stimulation of T47D cells with PRL augmented p90RSK activation, Ser703-phosphorylation of NHE1, NHE1-dependent intracellular pH recovery, pericellular acidification, and NHE1-dependent invasiveness. NHE1 activity and localization to ruffles were attenuated by the inhibition of Akt and/or ERK1/2. In contrast, noncancerous MCF10A breast epithelial cells expressed NHE1 and PRLR at lower levels than T47D cells, and their stimulation with PRL induced neither NHE1 activation nor NHE1-dependent invasiveness. In conclusion, we show for the first time that PRLR activation stimulates breast cancer cell invasiveness via the activation of NHE1. We propose that PRL-induced NHE1 activation and the resulting NHE1-dependent invasiveness may contribute to the metastatic behavior of human breast cancer cells.
Intravenous Sedation Without Intubation and the Risk of Anesthesia Complications for Obese and Non-Obese Women Undergoing Surgical Abortion: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Gokhale Priyanka , Lappen Justin R. , Waters Jonathan H. , Perriera Lisa K.
Published: May 2016

BACKGROUND:

The primary objective of this study was to assess the risk of perioperative anesthesia-related complications in a cohort of obese and non-obese women undergoing outpatient surgical abortion under IV sedation without tracheal intubation.

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective cohort study of all surgical abortions through 22 6/7 weeks’ gestation at an outpatient clinic from 2012 to 2013. Women receiving IV sedation were included. Obesity status was defined by the World Health Organization criteria. The primary outcome was the rate of perioperative anesthesia complications defined as tracheal intubation, pulmonary aspiration, hospital transfer for an anesthesia indication, or anesthesia-related adverse events (persistent hypoxemia and allergic reaction). The use of opioid reversal (naloxone) was assessed as a secondary outcome measure. Multivariate analysis for the secondary outcome measure was performed with adjustment for confounding factors.

RESULTS:

During the study period, 9348 abortions were performed. Of the 5579 patients who received IV sedation, 1438 (25.8%) were obese, 1707 (30.6%) were in the second trimester, and 851 (15.3%) were ≥17 weeks’ gestation. No patients experienced a primary outcome measure. Based on the upper 95% confidence interval (CI) for the sample size, the maximal risk of an anesthesia-related complication is 1 in 1860 procedures. Naloxone use occurred in 13 (0.2%) patients and was not more frequent among obese patients (0.14% vs 0.27%; 95% CI of odds ratio [OR], 0.12–2.36; P = 0.54) or procedures at ≥17 weeks’ gestation (0.47% vs 0.19%; 95% CI of OR, 0.76–8.06; P = 0.12). These negative findings should be interpreted with caution, given the limitations of the sample size to assess these secondary outcome measures. Naloxone use was associated with fentanyl doses >200 μg (0.82% vs 0.13%; P = 0.002), an association that remained significant when we controlled for confounding factors (adjusted OR, 5.51; 95% CI, 1.61–18.91). Further analysis revealed that fentanyl dose >200 μg was associated with naloxone use for procedures in the first trimester (incident rate ratio, 9.02; 95% CI, 3.73–21.80) but not in the second trimester (incident rate ratio, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.23–3.70).

CONCLUSIONS:

Among women receiving IV sedation without tracheal intubation for surgical abortion, anesthesia complications are rare and may not be greater for obese women or procedures at gestational age ≥17 weeks. IV sedation without tracheal intubation may be considered for women undergoing first- and second-trimester surgical abortion; however, the rarity of anesthesia-related complications in our cohort precludes a definitive conclusion regarding the overall safety of IV sedation without tracheal intubation.
This Grave New World
Authors: Smith Eric D.
Published: May 2016

Following Paul Buhle's claims about the inherent utopianism of horror, this essay examines the popular film Daybreakers (2009) as a cultural response to the economic and biopolitical crises of the Great Recession. Ultimately retreating from the dark mirror of its compelling dystopian critique, the film executes its social crisis through the logic of vampiric speciology, immunizing the present against the threat of radical transformation and restoring a “natural” social order. However, the biopolitical writings of Roberto Esposito offer us a way to discern the ineradicable utopian horizon in even this strategy of containment and neutralization.
Steps of Renewed Praxis
Authors: Moylan Tom
Published: May 2016

Since the turn of this century, engaged intellectuals have argued for the refunctioning of a utopian process within actually existing politics. While I accept the caveats about utopianism's ineffectiveness or co-optation that are the bedrock of the cold stream of the Marxist tradition (from Marx and Engels to Bloch and Jameson), I nevertheless (with utopians of the Left such as Ruth Levitas) step into the warm stream of a “militant optimism,” in Bloch's words, that aims to set free “the repressed elements of the new, humanized society.” I therefore examine the dialectical tension of the negative and positive hermeneutics of the utopian method (as seen in Jameson and Levitas) and then focus on the early stages of consciousness raising in a utopian process that does not abstractly declare hope but rather concretely educates and activates it (doing so through the examples of Freire's critical pedagogy and Alinsky's community organizing).
Nicotine ameliorates cognitive deficits induced by maternal LPS exposure: A study in rats
Authors: Waterhouse Uta , Roper Vic E. , Brennan Katharine A. , Ellenbroek Bart A.
Published: May 2016

Rationale Maternal exposure to infectious agents is a predisposing factor for schizophrenia with associated cognitive deficits in offspring. High smoking incidence in these individuals in adulthood might be, at least in part, due to nicotine's cognitive enhancing effects.

Objectives Utilize prenatal exposure to maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS, bacterial endotoxin) treatment at different time points as a model for cognitive deficits in schizophrenia to determine whether nicotine reverses any associated impairments.

Materials and methods Pregnant rats were treated subcutaneously (sc) with LPS (0.5 mg/kg) at one of three neurodevelopmental time periods (gestation days, GD 10/11, 15/16, 18/19). Cognitive assessment in male offspring commenced in early adulthood (postnatal day, PND, 60) and included: prepulse inhibition (PPI), latent inhibition (LI), and delayed non-matching to sample (DNMTS). Following PND 100, daily nicotine injections (0.6 mg/kg, sc) were administered and animals were re-tested in the same tasks (PND 110).

Results Only maternal LPS exposure early during fetal neurodevelopment (GD 10/11) showed deficits in all tests compared to animals prenatally exposed to saline at the same gestational time point. Repeated nicotine treatment led to global (PPI) and selective (LI) improvements in performance.

Conclusion Early but not later prenatal LPS exposure induced consistent deficits in cognitive tests with relevance for schizophrenia. Nicotine reversed the LPS-induced deficits in selective attention (LI) and induced a global enhancement of sensorimotor gating (PPI).
Lamellipodia are crucial for haptotactic sensing and response
Authors: King Samantha J. , Asokan Sreeja B. , Haynes Elizabeth M. , Zimmerman Seth P. , Rotty Jeremy D. , Alb James G. , Tagliatela Alicia , Blake Devon R. , Lebedeva Irina P. , Marston Daniel , Johnson Heath E. , Parsons Maddy , Sharpless Norman E. , Kuhlman Brian , Haugh Jason M. , Bear James E.
Published: May 2016

Haptotaxis is the process by which cells respond to gradients of substrate-bound cues, such as extracellular matrix proteins (ECM); however, the cellular mechanism of this response remains poorly understood and has mainly been studied by comparing cell behavior on uniform ECMs with different concentrations of components. To study haptotaxis in response to gradients, we utilized microfluidic chambers to generate gradients of the ECM protein fibronectin, and imaged the cell migration response. Lamellipodia are fan-shaped protrusions that are common in migrating cells. Here, we define a new function for lamellipodia and the cellular mechanism required for haptotaxis – differential actin and lamellipodial protrusion dynamics lead to biased cell migration. Modest differences in lamellipodial dynamics occurring over time periods of seconds to minutes are summed over hours to produce differential whole cell movement towards higher concentrations of fibronectin. We identify a specific subset of lamellipodia regulators as being crucial for haptotaxis. Numerous studies have linked components of this pathway to cancer metastasis and, consistent with this, we find that expression of the oncogenic Rac1 P29S mutation abrogates haptotaxis. Finally, we show that haptotaxis also operates through this pathway in 3D environments.
To Share or Not to Share: Demand Forecast Sharing in a Distribution Channel
Authors: Jiang Baojun , Tian Lin , Xu Yifan , Zhang Fuqiang
Published: May 2016

This paper studies information sharing in a distribution channel where the manufacturer possesses better demand-forecast information than the downstream retailer. We examine three information-sharing formats: no information sharing (i.e., the manufacturer ex ante commits to not sharing its forecast), voluntary information sharing (i.e., the manufacturer makes the sharing decision ex post after receiving the forecast), and mandatory information sharing (i.e., the manufacturer is mandated to share its forecast). We characterize the equilibrium outcomes under the three sharing formats and investigate the firms’ preferences regarding these formats. It is shown that when the retailer is risk-neutral, both firms are indifferent between voluntary and mandatory sharing. Among the three formats, ex ante, the retailer prefers the no-sharing format whereas the manufacturer prefers the mandatory-sharing format. In addition, we find that a more accurate forecast benefits both firms under voluntary- and mandatory-sharing formats, but may hurt both firms under the no-sharing format. Finally, we show that risk aversion plays a critical role in the firms’ sharing decisions and the impact of forecast accuracy. Specifically, when the retailer is risk-averse, the manufacturer may prefer the no-sharing format over the voluntary-sharing format, and improving forecast accuracy may hurt both firms even under voluntary sharing.
Designing a Reliable and Dynamic Multimodal Transportation Network for Biofuel Supply Chains
Authors: Marufuzzaman Mohammad , Ekşioğlu Sandra Duni
Published: May 2016

This paper presents a cost-efficient and reliable supply chain network design model for biomass to be delivered to biofuel plants. Biomass is bulky, so transportation modes such as rail and barge can be used to deliver this product. For this reason, this study focuses on multimodal supply chain designs for biofuel. Biomass supply is highly seasonal, but the high production seasons for biomass in the Southeast United States often coincide with or are followed by hurricanes, and drought seasons, both of which impact transportation. The dynamic multimodel transportation network design model this paper presents enables this supply chain to cope with biomass supply fluctuations and to hedge against natural disasters. The mixed-integer nonlinear programming model proposed is an 𝒩𝒫-hard problem, and we develop an accelerated Benders decomposition algorithm and a hybrid rolling horizon algorithm to solve this problem. We tested the performance of the algorithm on a case study using data from the Southeast United States. The numerical experiments show that this proposed algorithm can solve large-scale problem instances to a near optimal solution in a reasonable time. Numerical analyses indicate that, under normal conditions, the minimum cost model outperforms the reliable models. However, under disaster scenarios, the minimum cost model is 2.65% to 9.20% more expensive than the reliable and static model and 6.28% to 17.73% more expensive than the reliable and dynamic model. Thus, the reliable and dynamic multimodal network design decisions can aid biofuel supply chain management decisions, especially when considering the potential impacts of natural disasters.
Double taxation conventions, structure and evolution of the american tax system
Authors: Dumiter Florin , Berlingher Daniel , Opret Anca , Todor Silvia
Published: May 2016

This article is intended as a retrospective survey of the comprehensiveness of the tax system, in the broad sense, and the US tax system, in a stricter sense, in terms of structuring model and application of tax levies, as well as the taxation applied to each public financial income category. The topic chosen is based on the idea that the US tax system is different from the European system, while also considering that the USA is the world leader in business, trade and investment, and seen as a true “streamliner” of the world. The US economy is strongly influenced by sectors that prevail at the federal level: industry, education, trade, telecommunications, and transportation. The research methodology used in this article consists of a comprehensive analysis of key concepts regarding tax levying activities, providing an explanation of the tax policy, a critical analysis of the US system in terms of tax legislation, and a history of international double taxation conventions concluded by the US with other countries, given that the USA may be an archetype (best practice) in terms of the double taxation agreements network, regarding both the number of countries with which they have been concluded, and the types of agreements on income and capital. In our opinion, the results of this study indicate the optimal technical framework used by the American system to identify and implement the most sustainable methods, techniques and procedures in order to reduce the scope of international double taxation on income and capital worldwide.
Bodily injury by fault in the New Romanian Criminal Code
Authors: Zazula Bela Attila
Published: May 2016

In all constitutional systems, there is a reticence in sanctioning criminally any injury caused by fault to a person, without taking into account certain aspects really justifying the penology’s intervention – a severe injury of the victim’s body, a case where there are broken prudence norms enacted precisely for avoiding the bodily injury by fault of a person.