bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of University Activities on Multicultural Teams
Authors: Syring Nadine
Published: June 2016

An increasing relevance of organizational cross-border relationships, and thereby of Europeanization, globalization, and internationalization, has led to the importance of intercultural competence. To develop this competence among their students, most educational institutions have entered into international partnerships and offer international projects accompanied by intercultural curricula.

This article concentrates on the influence of these activities in higher education concerning the success of multicultural student teams. The teams analyzed here consist of students from three different nations working on a joint project. Due to the cultural differences, conflicts can be anticipated (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010; Rohn, 2006) and intercultural competence to overcome those conflicts is needed ( Hiller, 2010 ). To reflect the effect of activities strengthening intercultural competence, four university coefficients were allocated to each team based on the theory of, inter alia, Bennett (2011) and Führing (1996) . In a survey, the students assessed at the end of the project how well they felt supported by the different activities and how comfortable they felt within their respective team. Out of this assessment, team success factors were evaluated. It was expected that a positive correlation between the assessment of activities and the team success factors would result. Interestingly, the sample used does not show this relationship.

This article is based on a comprehensive and interdisciplinary study of literature as well as on empirical research. The main result of the research shows the changing importance of activities to strengthen intercultural competence based on the difference between students’ competence from international universities. Accordingly, it might be a basis on which to restructure programs teaching intercultural competence in higher education.
Discriminability and Perceptual Saliency of Temporal and Spectral Cues for Final Fricative Consonant Voicing in Simulated Cochlear-Implant and Bimodal Hearing
Authors: Kong Ying-Yee , Winn Matthew B. , Poellmann Katja , Donaldson Gail S.
Published: June 2016

Multiple redundant acoustic cues can contribute to the perception of a single phonemic contrast. This study investigated the effect of spectral degradation on the discriminability and perceptual saliency of acoustic cues for identification of word-final fricative voicing in “loss” versus “laws”, and possible changes that occurred when low-frequency acoustic cues were restored. Three acoustic cues that contribute to the word-final /s/-/z/ contrast (first formant frequency [F1] offset, vowel–consonant duration ratio, and consonant voicing duration) were systematically varied in synthesized words. A discrimination task measured listeners’ ability to discriminate differences among stimuli within a single cue dimension. A categorization task examined the extent to which listeners make use of a given cue to label a syllable as “loss” versus “laws” when multiple cues are available. Normal-hearing listeners were presented with stimuli that were either unprocessed, processed with an eight-channel noise-band vocoder to approximate spectral degradation in cochlear implants, or low-pass filtered. Listeners were tested in four listening conditions: unprocessed, vocoder, low-pass, and a combined vocoder + low-pass condition that simulated bimodal hearing. Results showed a negative impact of spectral degradation on F1 cue discrimination and a trading relation between spectral and temporal cues in which listeners relied more heavily on the temporal cues for “loss-laws” identification when spectral cues were degraded. Furthermore, the addition of low-frequency fine-structure cues in simulated bimodal hearing increased the perceptual saliency of the F1 cue for “loss-laws” identification compared with vocoded speech. Findings suggest an interplay between the quality of sensory input and cue importance.
Comparison of Gated Audiovisual Speech Identification in Elderly Hearing Aid Users and Elderly Normal-Hearing Individuals
Authors: Moradi Shahram , Lidestam Björn , Rönnberg Jerker
Published: June 2016

The present study compared elderly hearing aid (EHA) users ( n = 20) with elderly normal-hearing (ENH) listeners ( n = 20) in terms of isolation points (IPs, the shortest time required for correct identification of a speech stimulus) and accuracy of audiovisual gated speech stimuli (consonants, words, and final words in highly and less predictable sentences) presented in silence. In addition, we compared the IPs of audiovisual speech stimuli from the present study with auditory ones extracted from a previous study, to determine the impact of the addition of visual cues. Both participant groups achieved ceiling levels in terms of accuracy in the audiovisual identification of gated speech stimuli; however, the EHA group needed longer IPs for the audiovisual identification of consonants and words. The benefit of adding visual cues to auditory speech stimuli was more evident in the EHA group, as audiovisual presentation significantly shortened the IPs for consonants, words, and final words in less predictable sentences; in the ENH group, audiovisual presentation only shortened the IPs for consonants and words. In conclusion, although the audiovisual benefit was greater for EHA group, this group had inferior performance compared with the ENH group in terms of IPs when supportive semantic context was lacking. Consequently, EHA users needed the initial part of the audiovisual speech signal to be longer than did their counterparts with normal hearing to reach the same level of accuracy in the absence of a semantic context.
Reducing Channel Interaction Through Cochlear Implant Programming May Improve Speech Perception
Authors: Bierer Julie A. , Litvak Leonid
Published: June 2016

Speech perception among cochlear implant (CI) listeners is highly variable. High degrees of channel interaction are associated with poorer speech understanding. Two methods for reducing channel interaction, focusing electrical fields, and deactivating subsets of channels were assessed by the change in vowel and consonant identification scores with different program settings. The main hypotheses were that (a) focused stimulation will improve phoneme recognition and (b) speech perception will improve when channels with high thresholds are deactivated. To select high-threshold channels for deactivation, subjects’ threshold profiles were processed to enhance the peaks and troughs, and then an exclusion or inclusion criterion based on the mean and standard deviation was used. Low-threshold channels were selected manually and matched in number and apex-to-base distribution. Nine ears in eight adult CI listeners with Advanced Bionics HiRes90k devices were tested with six experimental programs. Two, all-channel programs, (a) 14-channel partial tripolar (pTP) and (b) 14-channel monopolar (MP), and four variable-channel programs, derived from these two base programs, (c) pTP with high- and (d) low-threshold channels deactivated, and (e) MP with high- and (f) low-threshold channels deactivated, were created. Across subjects, performance was similar with pTP and MP programs. However, poorer performing subjects (scoring < 62% correct on vowel identification) tended to perform better with the all-channel pTP than with the MP program (1 > 2). These same subjects showed slightly more benefit with the reduced channel MP programs (5 and 6). Subjective ratings were consistent with performance. These finding suggest that reducing channel interaction may benefit poorer performing CI listeners.
Can We Measure the Transition to Reading? General Outcome Measures and Early Literacy Development From Preschool to Early Elementary Grades
Authors: McConnell Scott , Wackerle-Hollman Alisha
Published: June 2016

This study evaluated the extent to which existing measures met standards for a continuous suite of general outcome measures (GOMs) assessing children’s early literacy from preschool through early elementary school. The study assessed 316 children from age 3 years (2 years prekindergarten) through Grade 2, with 8 to 10 measures of language, alphabetic principle, phonological awareness, and beginning reading. We evaluated measures at each grade group against six standards for GOMs extracted from earlier work. We found that one measure of oral language met five or six standards at all grade levels, and several measures of phonological awareness and alphabetic principle showed promise across all five grade levels. Results are discussed in relation to ongoing research and development of a flexible and seamless system to assess children’s academic progress across time for effective prevention and remediation, as well as theoretical and empirical analyses in early literacy, early reading, and GOMs.
Neither ‘Free’ nor ‘Equal’ Work: A Marxist-Feminist Perspective on Prostitution
Authors: Bhattacharya Malini
Published: June 2016

This article has been written as an intervention into the on-going debate on the decriminalization of commercial sex and uses some of the writings of Marx and Engels as a starting point for the inquiry into the relationship between the so-called ‘sex-work’ and other kinds of work within the capitalist system. From a brief analysis of the evolution of commercial sex in human society, of the question of choice for the woman involved in the trade and its links with trafficking networks particularly in the neo-liberal era, the article seeks to show that licensing of sex trade cannot empower the women caught up in its toils, but can only make the system more exploitative than before.
Gendered and Sexual Violence in and beyond South Asia
Authors: Chatterji Angana P.
Published: June 2016

Spectacular and quotidian gendered and sexualized violence in states and collectives of the (post)colony holds in place fraught, unjust histories and relations between elites and subalterns, majoritarian subjects and non-dominant ‘Others’. At the intersections of nationalist and decolonial confrontations, such violence regularizes states of emergency and exception. The following excerpts are curated from the co-edited and co-contributed monograph, Conflicted Democracies and Gendered Violence: The Right to Heal. The monograph elucidates the centrality of political and foundational violence in the governance of conflicted democracies in the (post)colony and calls attention to the urgent need for transformation. Through oral history, archival and legal research undertaken over three years, this interdisciplinary work espouses the right to heal. It underscores the need for immediate, transitional and transformative justice mechanisms in conflicted democracies to address protracted conflict (focusing on their internal dimensions) and social upheaval (in Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat and Odisha). India serves as an exemplar. The issues pertinent to contemporary India are both specific to it and generalizable across cultural and discursive spaces beyond it. They are shared across nation states with varying forms of government and diverse relations to social difference. The excerpts below outline certain conceptual ‘keywords’ from the first chapter that provide a framework for engaging the comparative and situated issues of gendered and sexualized violence and oral histories of victimized-survivor subjects in the monograph.
Inducible epithelial resistance protects mice against leukemia-associated pneumonia
Authors: Leiva-Juárez Miguel M. , Ware Hayden H. , Kulkarni Vikram V. , Zweidler-McKay Patrick A. , Tuvim Michael J. , Evans Scott E.
Published: June 2016

Key Points

Survival of acute myelogenous leukemia is frequently limited by pneumonia, due to disease- and therapy-associated immune defects. Inducible epithelial resistance protects neutropenic, leukemic mice against lethal pneumonia without impacting AML cell proliferation.
Hydrogen peroxide in exhaled air: a source of error, a paradox and its resolution
Authors: Peters Stefan , Kronseder Angelika , Karrasch Stefan , Neff Petra A. , Haaks Matz , Koczulla Andreas R. , Reinhold Petra , Nowak Dennis , Jörres Rudolf A.
Published: June 2016

The concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in exhaled air has been reported to be elevated in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but results are inconsistent and difficult to reproduce. As H2O2occurs in ambient air, we examined its association with exhaled H2O2in human subjects.

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of 12 COPD patients and nine healthy control subjects was collected either with an inhalation filter (efficiency 81%) or without. Ambient air condensate (AAC) was collected in parallel and samples were analysed for H2O2. Additionally, ambient H2O2was recorded by an atmospheric measuring device (online fluorometric measurement).

H2O2concentration in AAC was significantly higher (p<0.001) than in EBC. AAC variations were concordant with the data from the atmospheric measuring instrument. In both subjects' groups, the inhalation filter reduced H2O2values (p<0.01). Despite generally low levels in exhaled air, analysis by a mathematical model revealed a contribution from endogenous H2O2production.

The low H2O2levels in exhaled air are explained by the reconditioning of H2O2-containing inhaled air in the airways. Inhaled H2O2may be one factor in the heterogeneity and limited reproducibility of study results. A valid determination of endogenous H2O2production requires inhalation filters.
MR microscopy of the human fetal upper extremity – a proof-of-principle study
Authors: Langner Inga , Stahnke Thomas , Stachs Oliver , Lindner Tobias , Kühn Jens-Peter , Kim Simon , Wree Andreas , Langner Soenke
Published: June 2016

Background

Current knowledge of the human fetal and embryonic development relies on early descriptive studies of humans and from experimental studies of laboratory animals and embryos. Taking the upper extremity as an example, this study explores the potential of magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) for the assessment of the development of the fetal upper extremity and discusses its correlation with histological findings.

Methods

Ex vivo MRM at 7.1 T (Clin Scan, Bruker Biospin, Germany) was performed in 10 human specimens at 8 to 12 weeks of gestational age (GA). In-plane resolution was 20 μm with a slice thickness of 70 μm. MRM was followed by histological work-up of the specimens. MRM images were then correlated with conventional histology with a focus on the presence of chondrification and ossification.

Results

Ossification of the upper human extremity is detectable at 8 weeks GA in the humerus and the long bones of the forearm. There is excellent correlation for location and size of ossification between MRM and conventional histology. MRM imaging is in accordance with historical studies.

Conclusion

Ex vivo MRM for the non-invasive assessment of the embryonic and fetal development of the upper human extremity is feasible. It may provide an accurate complementary tool for the evaluation of embryological development.
Environmental cues orchestrate regional immune surveillance and protection by pulmonary CTLs
Authors: Cauley Linda S
Published: June 2016

Tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells (TRM) provide preemptive immunity against infections that begin in peripheral tissues by guarding the site of initial pathogen exposure. Their role in immunity to respiratory virus infection is particularly important because severe damage to the alveoli can be avoided when local populations of TRM cells reduce viral burdens and dampen the responses of effector CD8 T cells in the lungs. Although a connection between rapid immune activation and early viral control is well established, the signals that keep TRM cells poised for action in the local tissues remain poorly defined. Recent studies have shown that environmental cues influence the fate decisions of activated CTLs during memory formation. Manipulation of these signaling pathways could provide new ways to capitalize on protection from TRM cells in mucosal tissues, while reducing collateral damage and pathology during vaccination.
Dendritic cell expression of ADAM23 governs T cell proliferation and cytokine production through the α(v)β(3) integrin receptor
Authors: Elizondo D M , Andargie T E , Marshall K M , Zariwala A M , Lipscomb M W
Published: June 2016

ADAM23 is a member of the brain macrophage-derived chemokine family. Structural homology of ADAM proteins suggests their function as integrin receptors. Previous studies have linked ADAM23 as a dominant contributor to brain development and cancer metastasis. The present studies now show that ADAM23 expression on DCs partially governs antigen-presentation capacities to responder CD4+ T cells. With the use of RNAi approaches, knockdown of ADAM23 in murine BMDCs resulted in impaired T cell activation, proliferation, and cytokine production. Knockdown did not alter the maturation profile of DCs (i.e., costimulatory molecule expression or production of proinflammatory cytokines) but markedly impaired cognate T cell responses. There was a significant decrease in antigen-specific clonal expansion coupled with a global decrease in Th cytokine production. Impaired early activation and proliferation did not alter/skew the balance of Th polarization but significantly depressed total levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17 cytokine production in CD4+ T cells primed by ADAM23 knockdown versus control DCs. Finally, neutralizing antibodies targeting the α(v)β(3) integrin receptors resulted in similar phenotypes of impaired CD4+ T cell responses. Taken together, these studies show a novel role of ADAM23 in governing DC antigen presentation to cognate CD4+ T cells.
Timing of Preoperative Troponin Elevations and Postoperative Mortality After Noncardiac Surgery
Authors: Maile Michael D. , Jewell Elizabeth S. , Engoren Milo C.
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

Even small elevations in preoperative troponin levels have been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes. However, there are currently limited data on the relationship between troponin increase and timing of surgery.

METHODS:

We performed a single-institution, retrospective cohort study of 6030 individuals with a troponin measurement made during the 30 days preceding a noncardiac surgical procedure. Subjects with detectable troponin levels were separated into terciles based on both the magnitude of the value and the time elapsed between this value and the surgery. For those undergoing nonemergent procedures, these 9 cohorts were compared with the group of individuals with undetectable preoperative troponin levels using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS:

Thirty-day mortality was 4.7% in the group with undetectable troponin levels and increased with higher concentrations, with rates of 8.9%, 12.7%, and 12.7% in the low, medium, and high tercile groups, respectively. Unadjusted risk of 30-day mortality was highest in those with the highest troponin levels and shortest duration between the measurement and surgery (odds ratio, 4.497; 95% confidence interval, 2.058–9.825). After adjusting for subject characteristics, troponin remained associated with 30-day mortality in several groups, including individuals with troponin levels in the normal range.

CONCLUSIONS:

Higher levels of preoperative cardiac troponin I were associated with higher postoperative mortality, and longer time to surgery appeared to reduce this risk for individuals with mild preoperative troponin elevations. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether delaying surgery in patients with elevated preoperative troponin levels improves postoperative outcomes.
Histaminergic Pharmacology Modulates the Analgesic and Antiedematogenic Effects of Spinally Injected Morphine
Authors: Stein Taciane , Souza-Silva Eduardo , Mascarin Lucas , Eto Carolina , Fin Franci Ellen , Tonussi Carlos Rogério
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

Histamine receptors are known to participate in spinal cord nociceptive transmission, and previous studies have suggested that histaminergic receptors are involved in the analgesic effects of morphine. Herein, we investigated the effect of intrathecal injection of histaminergic agonists and antagonists in a model of acute articular inflammation and their interaction with morphine.

METHODS:

After carrageenan injection in the right knee joint, articular incapacitation was measured hourly, for up to 6 hours, by the paw elevation time during 1-minute periods of stimulated walking. Inflammatory edema was also assessed hourly by determining an increase in articular diameter. Spinal treatments were administered 20 minutes before knee-joint carrageenan injection and were compared with the saline-treated control group.

RESULTS:

Intrathecally injected histamine increased incapacitation and articular edema, whereas the H1R antagonist, cetirizine, decreased both parameters. The H3R agonist, immepip, decreased both incapacitation and edema, but the H3R antagonist, thioperamide, increased both incapacitation and edema. Morphine inhibited both incapacitation and edema. Furthermore, combining a subeffective dose of morphine with cetirizine or immepip potentiated the analgesic and antiedematogenic effect.

CONCLUSIONS:

Histamine seems to act at the spinal level via H1 and H3 receptors to modulate acute arthritis in rats. An H1R antagonist and H3R agonist were found to potentiate the analgesic and antiedematogenic effects of morphine, suggesting that histaminergic and opioid spinal systems may be explored for means of improving analgesia, as well as peripheral anti-inflammatory effects.
The Ropivacaine Concentration Required for Ultrasound-Guided Ilioinguinal/Iliohypogastric Nerve Block in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Yamada Kumiko , Inomata Shinichi , Tanaka Makoto
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:

To the best of our knowledge, the ropivacaine concentration required for ultrasound-guided ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block (INB) has not been reported. We designed this study to examine the 50% effective concentration (EC50) of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided INB in children anesthetized with 2% sevoflurane.

METHODS:

We studied 30 consecutive children (age range, 6 months to 11 years) ASA physical status I to II undergoing unilateral open inguinal hernia repair. General anesthesia was induced by sevoflurane and maintained with 2% end-tidal concentration of sevoflurane in air and oxygen (Fio
2 = 0.4). Ultrasound-guided INB was performed using a 3 mL ropivacaine solution. The first child received 0.3% ropivacaine, and subsequent concentrations were determined by the response of the previous patient to initial skin incision using Dixon up-and-down method. The testing interval was set at 0.1%, and the lowest concentration was 0.05% (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, or 0.5%). The EC50 for INB of ropivacaine was analyzed using probit test.

RESULTS:

The concentration at which all patients showed complete block was 0.50%, according to the up-and-down method. The EC50 was 0.21% (95% confidence interval, 0.03–0.34).

CONCLUSIONS:

The EC50 of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided INB was 0.21% (95% confidence interval, 0.03–0.34), in pediatric patients anesthetized with 2% sevoflurane.
The Posterior Transcallosal Approach to the Pineal Region and Posterior Third Ventricle: Intervenous and Paravenous Variants
Authors: Patel Prayash G. , Cohen-Gadol Aaron A. , Mercier Philippe , Boop Frederick A. , Klimo Paul
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND: There are a number of surgical approaches to the posterior third ventricle and pineal region, each with its associated advantages and disadvantages.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with the posterior interhemispheric transcallosal approach and to analyze the indications, technique, and outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to identify and analyze all children and young adults who underwent the posterior transcallosal approach from July 2010 to March 2015. Perioperative data included patient demographics, signs and symptoms on presentation, tumor characteristics (type, origin, and size), complications, and clinical and radiographic outcome at final follow-up.

RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (9 female, 13 male) were identified in 24 cases with a mean age of 10.5 years (range, 3-32 years). The most common tumor type was pineoblastoma (n = 6). Eleven patients underwent gross total resections; 11 underwent subtotal resections; and 2 tumors were biopsied. The intervenous operative corridor was used in 15 cases; the paravenous was used in 9. Of the 22 patients, 19 experienced 31 total postoperative events. There were 12 instances of contralateral weakness. Retraction-related hemiparesis was usually temporary; resection-related hemiparesis lasted longer. There were no complications related to occlusion of one or more bridging cortical veins or from thrombosis of 1 internal cerebral vein. Eight patients have died of tumor progression, and of the remaining 14 patients, only 1 patient to date has developed local progression.

CONCLUSION: The posterior interhemispheric transcallosal approach allows resection of tumors located within the pineal region, posterior third ventricle, and thalamus. New postoperative neurological deficits can occur; however, many will improve significantly or resolve completely over time.
The Safety and Feasibility of Image-Guided BrainPath-Mediated Transsulcul Hematoma Evacuation: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Labib Mohamed A. , Shah Mitesh , Kassam Amin B. , Young Ronald , Zucker Lloyd , Maioriello Anthony , Britz Gavin , Agbi Charles , Day JD , Gallia Gary , Kerr Robert , Pradilla Gustavo , Rovin Richard , Kulwin Charles , Bailes Julian
Published: June 2016

BACKGROUND:Subcortical injury resulting from conventional surgical management of intracranial hemorrhage may counteract the potential benefits of hematoma evacuation.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the safety and potential benefits of a novel, minimally invasive approach for clot evacuation in a multicenter study.

METHODS:The integrated approach incorporates 5 competencies: (1) image interpretation and trajectory planning, (2) dynamic navigation, (3) atraumatic access system (BrainPath, NICO Corp, Indianapolis, Indiana), (4) extracorporeal optics, and (5) automated atraumatic resection. Twelve neurosurgeons from 11 centers were trained to use this approach through a continuing medical education–accredited course. Demographical, clinical, and radiological data of patients treated over 2 years were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS:Thirty-nine consecutive patients were identified. The median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at presentation was 10 (range, 5-15). The thalamus/basal ganglion regions were involved in 46% of the cases. The median hematoma volume and depth were 36 mL (interquartile range [IQR], 27-65 mL) and 1.4 cm (IQR, 0.3-2.9 cm), respectively. The median time from ictus to surgery was 24.5 hours (IQR, 16-66 hours). The degree of hematoma evacuation was ≥90%, 75% to 89%, and 50% to 74% in 72%, 23%, and 5.0% of the patients, respectively. The median GCS score at discharge was 14 (range, 8-15). The improvement in GCS score was statistically significant (P< .001). Modified Rankin Scale data were available for 35 patients. Fifty-two percent of those patients had a modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2. There were no mortalities.

CONCLUSION:The approach was safely performed in all patients with a relatively high rate of clot evacuation and functional independence.
Functional analysis of AEBP2, a PRC2 Polycomb protein, reveals a Trithorax phenotype in embryonic development and in ESCs
Authors: Grijzenhout Anne , Godwin Jonathan , Koseki Haruhiko , Gdula Michal Ryszard , Szumska Dorota , McGouran Joanna F. , Bhattacharya Shoumo , Kessler Benedikt M. , Brockdorff Neil , Cooper Sarah
Published: June 2016

The Polycomb repressive complexes PRC1 and PRC2 are key mediators of heritable gene silencing in multicellular organisms. Here, we characterise AEBP2, a known PRC2 co-factor which, in vitro, has been shown to stimulate PRC2 activity. We show that AEBP2 localises specifically to PRC2 target loci, including the inactive X chromosome. Proteomic analysis confirms that AEBP2 associates exclusively with PRC2 complexes. However, analysis of embryos homozygous for a targeted mutation of Aebp2 unexpectedly revealed a Trithorax phenotype, normally linked to antagonism of Polycomb function. Consistent with this, we observe elevated levels of PRC2-mediated histone H3K27 methylation at target loci in Aebp2 mutant embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We further demonstrate that mutant ESCs assemble atypical hybrid PRC2 subcomplexes, potentially accounting for enhancement of Polycomb activity, and suggesting that AEBP2 normally plays a role in defining the mutually exclusive composition of PRC2 subcomplexes.
Cell adhesion in plants is under the control of putative O-fucosyltransferases
Authors: Verger Stéphane , Chabout Salem , Gineau Emilie , Mouille Grégory
Published: June 2016

Decades of research have shown that cell-to-cell adhesion in plants is mediated by the cell wall and the presence of a pectin-rich middle lamella. However we know very little about how the plant actually controls and maintains cell adhesion during growth and development and how it deals with the dynamic cell wall remodeling that takes place. Here we investigate the molecular mechanisms that control cell adhesion in plants. We carried out a genetic suppressor screen and a genetic analysis of cell adhesion defective Arabidopsis thaliana mutants. We identified a genetic suppressor of cell adhesion defect affecting a putative O-fucosyltransferase. Furthermore, we show that the state of cell adhesion is not directly linked with pectin content in the cell wall but instead is associated with an altered pectin-related signaling. Our results suggest that cell adhesion is under the control of a feedback signal from the state of the pectin in the cell wall. Such a mechanism could be necessary for the control and maintenance of the cell adhesion during growth and development.
The methyltransferase Setdb1 is essential for meiosis and mitosis in mouse oocytes and early embryos
Authors: Eymery Angeline , Liu Zichuan , Ozonov Evgeniy A. , Stadler Michael B. , Peters Antoine H. F. M.
Published: June 2016

Oocytes develop the competence for meiosis and early embryogenesis during their growth. Setdb1 is a histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methyltransferase required for post-implantation development and has been implicated in the transcriptional silencing of genes and endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs). To address its role in oogenesis and pre-implantation development, we conditionally deleted Setdb1 in growing oocytes. Loss of Setdb1 expression greatly impaired meiosis. It delayed meiotic resumption, altered the dynamics of chromatin condensation, and impaired kinetochore-spindle interactions, bipolar spindle organization and chromosome segregation in more mature oocytes. The observed phenotypes related to changes in abundance of specific transcripts in mutant oocytes. Setdb1 maternally deficient embryos arrested during pre-implantation development and showed comparable defects during cell cycle progression and in chromosome segregation. Finally, transcriptional profiling data indicate that Setdb1 downregulates rather than silences expression of ERVK and ERVL-MaLR retrotransposons and associated chimearic transcripts during oogenesis. Our results identify Setdb1 as a newly discovered meiotic and embryonic competence factor safeguarding genome integrity at the onset of life.
Drosophila Condensin II subunit Chromosome-associated protein D3 regulates cell fate determination through non-cell-autonomous signaling
Authors: Klebanow Lindsey R. , Peshel Emanuela C. , Schuster Andrew T. , De Kuntal , Sarvepalli Kavitha , Lemieux Madeleine E. , Lenoir Jessica J. , Moore Adrian W. , McDonald Jocelyn A. , Longworth Michelle S.
Published: June 2016

The pattern of the Drosophila melanogaster adult wing is heavily influenced by the expression of proteins that dictate cell fate decisions between intervein and vein during development. dSRF (Blistered) expression in specific regions of the larval wing disc promotes intervein cell fate, whereas EGFR activity promotes vein cell fate. Here, we report that the chromatin-organizing protein CAP-D3 acts to dampen dSRF levels at the anterior/posterior boundary in the larval wing disc, promoting differentiation of cells into the anterior crossvein. CAP-D3 represses KNOT expression in cells immediately adjacent to the anterior/posterior boundary, thus blocking KNOT-mediated repression of EGFR activity and preventing cell death. Maintenance of EGFR activity in these cells depresses dSRF levels in the neighboring anterior crossvein progenitor cells, allowing them to differentiate into vein cells. These findings uncover a novel transcriptional regulatory network influencing Drosophila wing vein development, and are the first to identify a Condensin II subunit as an important regulator of EGFR activity and cell fate determination in vivo.
Rx3 and Shh direct anisotropic growth and specification in the zebrafish tuberal/anterior hypothalamus
Authors: Muthu Victor , Eachus Helen , Ellis Pam , Brown Sarah , Placzek Marysia
Published: June 2016

In the developing brain, growth and differentiation are intimately linked. Here we show that in the zebrafish embryo, the homeodomain transcription factor rx3 co-ordinates these processes to build the tuberal/anterior hypothalamus. Analysis of rx3 chk mutant/rx3 morphant fish and EdU pulse-chase studies reveal that rx3 is required to select tuberal/anterior hypothalamic progenitors and to orchestrate their anisotropic growth. In the absence of rx3 function, progenitors accumulate in the 3rd ventricular wall, die or are inappropriately-specified, the shh+ anterior recess does not form, and its resident pomc+, ff1b+ and otp+ TH+ cells fail to differentiate. Manipulation of Shh signalling shows that shh co-ordinates progenitor cell selection and behaviour by acting as an on-off switch for rx3. Together our studies show that shh and rx3 govern formation of a distinct progenitor domain that elaborates pattern through its anisotropic growth and differentiation.
Visual abilities in two raptors with different ecology
Authors: Potier Simon , Bonadonna Francesco , Kelber Almut , Martin Graham R. , Isard Pierre-François , Dulaurent Thomas , Duriez Olivier
Published: June 2016

Differences in visual capabilities are known to reflect differences in foraging behaviour even among closely related species. Among birds, the foraging of diurnal raptors is assumed to be guided mainly by vision but their foraging tactics include both scavenging upon immobile prey and the aerial pursuit of highly mobile prey. We studied how visual capabilities differ between two diurnal raptor species of similar size; Harris's Hawks Parabuteo unicinctus, which take mobile prey, and Black Kites Milvus migrans, which are primarily carrion eaters. We measured visual acuity, foveal characteristics and visual fields in both species. Visual acuity was determined using a behavioural training technique; foveal characteristics were determined using ultra-high resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field parameters were determined using an ophthalmoscopic reflex technique. We found that these two raptors differ in their visual capacities. Harris's Hawks have a visual acuity slightly higher than Black Kites. Among the 5 Harris's Hawks tested, individuals with higher estimated visual acuity made more horizontal head movements before decision. This may reflect an increase in the use of the monocular vision. Harris's Hawks have two foveas (one central and one temporal) while Black Kites have only one central fovea and a temporal area. Black Kites have a wider visual field than Harris's Hawks. This may facilitate the detection of conspecifics when they are scavenging. These differences in the visual capabilities of these two raptors may reflect differences in the perceptual demands of their foraging behaviours.
Knee extension strength and post-operative functional prediction in quadriceps resection for soft-tissue sarcoma of the thigh
Authors: Tanaka A. , Yoshimura Y. , Aoki K. , Kito M. , Okamoto M. , Suzuki S. , Momose T. , Kato H.
Published: June 2016

Objectives

Our objective was to predict the knee extension strength and post-operative function in quadriceps resection for soft-tissue sarcoma of the thigh.

Methods

A total of 18 patients (14 men, four women) underwent total or partial quadriceps resection for soft-tissue sarcoma of the thigh between 2002 and 2014. The number of resected quadriceps was surveyed, knee extension strength was measured with the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer system (affected side/unaffected side) and relationships between these were examined. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score, Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS), European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) score and the Short Form 8 were used to evaluate post-operative function and examine correlations with extension strength. The cutoff value for extension strength to expect good post-operative function was also calculated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Fisher’s exact test.

Results

Extension strength decreased when the number of resected quadriceps increased (p < 0.001), and was associated with lower MSTS score, TESS and EQ-5D (p = 0.004, p = 0.005, p = 0.006, respectively). Based on the functional evaluation scales, the cutoff value of extension strength was 56.2%, the equivalent to muscle strength with resection of up to two muscles.

Conclusion

Good post-operative results can be expected if at least two quadriceps muscles are preserved. Cite this article: A. Tanaka, Y. Yoshimura, K. Aoki, M. Kito, M. Okamoto, S. Suzuki, T. Momose, H. Kato. Knee extension strength and post-operative functional prediction in quadriceps resection for soft-tissue sarcoma of the thigh. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:232–238. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.56.2000631.
Interphase Molecular Cytogenetic Detection Rates of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia–Specific Aberrations Are Higher in Cultivated Cells Than in Blood or Bone Marrow Smears
Authors: Alhourani Eyad , Aroutiounian Rouben , Harutyunyan Tigran , Glaser Anita , Schlie Cordula , Pohle Beate , Liehr Thomas
Published: June 2016

Banding cytogenetics is still the gold standard in many fields of leukemia diagnostics. However, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), GTG-banding results are hampered by a low mitotic rate of the corresponding malignant lymphatic cells. Thus, interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) for the detection of specific cytogenetic aberrations is done nowadays as a supplement to or even instead of banding cytogenetics in many diagnostic laboratories. These iFISH studies can be performed on native blood or bone marrow smears or in nuclei after cultivation and stimulation by a suitable mitogen. As there are only few comparative studies with partially conflicting results for the detection rates of aberrations in cultivated and native cells, this question was studied in 38 CLL cases with known aberrations in 11q22.2, 11q22.3, 12, 13q14.3, 14q32.33, 17p13.1, or 18q21.32. The obtained results implicate that iFISH directly applied on smears is in general less efficient for the detection of CLL-specific genetic abnormalities than for cultivated cells. This also shows that applied cell culture conditions are well suited for malignant CLL cells. Thus, to detect malignant aberrant cells in CLL, cell cultivation and cytogenetic workup should be performed and the obtained material should be subjected to banding cytogenetics and iFISH.
‘They were marched almost day and night’: The effects of sleep deprivation on the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution
Authors: Sellick Gary
Published: June 2016

The effects of sleep deprivation on the Civil War generals has become well established in the recent years. However, a similar study of Revolutionary War generals and armies has not been so forthcoming. Focusing on the crucial Southern Campaign (1780–81), this article will explore the effects of sleep deprivation on both commanders and the armies of the Revolutionary War. Using contemporary scientific research and primary sources from the Revolutionary period, this study will show how sleep deprivation affected two of the major battles of the Revolutionary War: Camden and Cowpens. Both of these battles were decisive, and the evidence points strongly to sleep deprivation playing an important role in their outcomes. This article will also explore contemporary ideas of sleep deprivation from the Revolutionary era. Using medical journals and pamphlets, this paper will assess what the armies of the Revolutionary War and their generals knew of sleep deprivation, as well as the ways in which they attempted to combat it. More broadly, discussing the contemporary excuses given by defeated leaders and explaining the cultural concepts from the eighteenth century will show how different people in the period used the word fatigue in very different ways.
Review
Authors: Clough Edward
Published: June 2016

Death and the American South, Craig Thompson Friend and Lorri Glover (eds) (2015) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 280 pp., ISBN-13: 9781107084209 (h/bk) £60.00
‘We’re all Avengers now’: Community-building, civil religion and nominal multiculturalism in Marvel Comics’ Fear Itself
Authors: Ahmed Maaheen , Lund Martin
Published: June 2016

This article discusses Marvel Comics’ 2011 crossover ‘event’ ‘Fear Itself’. It suggests that the event argues for national unity in a time of crisis by mobilizing America’s self-definition as a multicultural nation as well as civil religion. The article discusses ‘Fear Itself’s’ attempted construction of national myth through looking at the way it represents the media, US multiculturalism (in a generalized form that nominally includes non-white groups while frequently failing to account for them) and ‘sacralized’ civil religious aspects of US history. Especially salient in this connection is the event’s engagement with the Roosevelt years. In doing so, it is argued, ‘Fear Itself’ presents an Americanness that relies on an idealized and nostalgic notion of the so-called ‘Greatest Generation’, a tightly knit, self-sacrificing civil society that supposedly came into being during that period.
Reading the ‘queen of porn’: Jenna Jameson, feminist ethics and entrepreneurial selfhood
Authors: Gwynne Joel
Published: June 2016

In recent years, porn stars have undeniably emerged as dominant figures in American popular culture. The career of Jenna Jameson is a case in point. Not only a former porn star but also an entrepreneur and celebrity, Jameson now features as a regular attraction in lifestyle magazines such as People and Us Weekly, on the television channels VH1, E! Entertainment, HBO, and in advertisements for Abercrombie & Fitch. In exploring Jenna Jameson and N. Strauss’s How to Make Love Like a Porn Star ([2004] 2010), this article will suggest that while the memoir acknowledges the misogyny and numerous constraints placed upon women within the sex industry, it nevertheless affirms the empowering possibilities of entrepreneurial selfhood and the liberating potential of sex work. Even though the commercial success of porn star memoirs can be positioned as a further marker of the contemporary fascination with the porn industry, I would like to suggest that these texts offer more than merely sensationalistic, ‘trash’ accounts of hardship and exploitation.
Media ecology and hashtag activism: #Kaleidoscope
Authors: Crandall Heather , Cunningham Carolyn M.
Published: June 2016

A new form of social change through social media is hasthag activism, in which activists draw attention to a specific cause by using a metadata tag, such as #BlackLivesMatter. This new mechanism for social change in our new media environment is questionable, and there is little understanding of what this type of activism creates. Media ecology offers insight into the possible consequences of engagement with hashtag activism and proposes ways we can understand how it alters our consciousness and behaviour. Using the metaphor of a kaleidoscope, we explore what hashtag activism offers, its multi-layered beauty as well as the dark side of this new media form. We examine how hashtag activism furthers (and doesn’t) democratic communication and participation and offer some directions for future research into these online forms of resistance.
Deleuze the media ecologist? Extensions of and advances on McLuhan
Authors: Jenkins Eric , Zhang Peter
Published: June 2016

The authors argue that Gilles Deleuze can be read as a media ecologist, extending many insights of Marshall McLuhan’s including the idea that the medium is the message, that the content of any medium is another medium, and that media extend and alter human faculties. Yet since McLuhan preferred to write in axioms and probes, Deleuze provides a more robust theorizing of these issues. Specifically, Deleuze advances on McLuhan by providing a more complex notion of media as assemblages, avoiding the dilemmas of technological determinism, by developing a more robust way of understanding affect and desire, away from McLuhan’s notion of sensory ratios, and by establishing power and ethics as central concerns, against McLuhan’s primarily descriptive scholarly approach. We conclude that Deleuze thus illustrates the continuing relevance of McLuhan’s foundational work, yet his advances on McLuhan offer many prospects for improving the study of media from a media ecological perspective.
Counterblast: Marshall McLuhan and the sphere of art
Authors: Gordon G. Josué Baruj
Published: June 2016

This article explores the relationship Marshall McLuhan has with the sphere of modern and contemporary art. Some of McLuhan´s concepts (such as probe, artist, medium) are explained following Wyndham Lewis’s view and understanding of the twentieth-century modernism art sphere. McLuhan’s 1954 edition of Counterblast presents itself as a valuable tool for this analysis. The contemporary art scene is quickly analyzed through a contrast between Paul Virilio’s view on contemporary art and some of McLuhan’s comment on the role of art and the artist. The concepts of cliché and archetype are used for this enterprise.
From sociality of media to the social as a medium: Diagrams and models of media theory
Authors: Drucker Johanna
Published: June 2016

This article takes mediating processes, rather than media objects, as its focus. It examines three different formulations of knowledge mediation, each of which can be modelled as a diagrammatic structure that takes historical as well as contemporary form. These three formulations are declarative/instrumental, contemplative/generative, and stochastic/constitutive, and each is positioned differently with respect to the idea that media “operationalize” knowledge. The goal is to suggest that we might “think media” beyond instrumental activity, by paying attention to mediating processes, rather than media objects, and that this might shift focus in media theory from attending to the social character of media, towards understanding the mediating aspects of “the social”.
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964), the foundations of Marshall McLuhan’s tetrad
Authors: Islas Octavio
Published: June 2016

The year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964), third book of Herbert Marshall McLuhan, and of considerable transcendence in the contemporary communicology imaginary. In the referred text it is possible to find the foundations of the ‘McLuhan tetrad’, which admits to be considered as the perfect conclusion of McLuhan’s fruitful intellectual work. The tetrad was released by Eric McLuhan, the eldest of the six children of Marshall, in the book, Laws Media: The New Science (1988).
Reviews
Authors: Trujillo Laura , Lunceford Brett
Published: June 2016

The Secret War between Downloading and Uploading: Tales of the Computer as Culture Machine, Peter Lunenfeld (2011) London and Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 219 pp., ISBN: 9780262015479, p/bk, $27.86

Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking, E. G. Coleman (2013) Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 272 pp., ISBN-10: 0691144613, p/bk, $17.75